Balayage at Radio Salon, Shoreditch

For my 18th birthday, my wonderful mum treated me to balayage at Radio Hair Salon in Shoreditch! It's something I've always wanted done; to get pampered, relax and to come away with beautiful hair that may just reduce me to tears! And that's exactly what the incredible technician Sarah at Radio gave me. I'm unbelievably thrilled with the finished look, but first let's jump right to the start of the day...

The salon, situated down Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, a stone's throw away from Boxpark, is beautiful, urban and very chic. The place is saturated with bustling creatives snipping away at unruly hair, all in eccentric and very East-London appropriate attire.

Radio, which also doubles as an art gallery, is in partnership with Bumble & Bumble - meaning they use only their revolutionary products on your hair. They don't just use specific products, they use the whole range and tailor the products they use on you to your specific needs. For example, as I had a lot of bleach in my hair, they used super hydrating products such as the invisible oil shampoo and conditioner.

The salon also has a complimentary drinks list filled with healthy juices, a vast array of coffees and even alcoholic drinks on weekends - the perfect accompaniment to your pampering session.

I decided to get balayage as it provides your hair with the most natural wash of colour. The word 'balayage' is French for shading, meaning that it's only small sections of your hair (mainly on the front and ends), giving your hair a vibrant, sunkissed look.

I was really surprised with how long the process took. Of course, it totally depends on hair length and thickness, but mine took a total of four hours - from placing the colour, to settling it in, drying it and then styling it.

The wonderful Sarah doing what she does best

As part of the process, your hair is washed and then styled (free of charge) by an assistant - but don't let the word 'assistant' put you off though . This lady, who's name unfortunately escapes me at this moment, was extremely talented at styling my hair. She knew exactly what products would suit my hair type, asked me how I would like it styled, talked me through each product and the process etc. She took an hour to dry and style it!

If you're wondering what colour I opted for, I asked Sarah for a 'dark caramel/ honey blonde'. She also added a few highlights in the front to blend it all together in the same shade.

If you're also considering getting balayage - I can't recommend it enough! My top tips would be to show the stylist a few pictures of what you have in mind (I showed Sarah these) and ask what she/ he thinks would suit you best.

I'm so incredibly happy with my hair. I will definetly be visiting Radio hair salon again, without an utter of a doubt. The team were so lovely and it was amazing to see how connected they were and how they fed off of each other. I was asked if I wanted another drink copious amounts of time, bought more magazines to read without me even asking, given a hook for my bag to sit on and just generally given the best service.

I also can't recommend Sarah enough - to have balayage with her is £125 but definetly worth it, if not more. I can't wait to go back! Click here to see the full service list at Radio.

After feeling thoroughly relaxed and spoiled, my sister and I headed over to Polpo in Covent Garden for the most delicious meal I think I've ever had.

To begin the meal I had a bellini while Jess had an Aperol Spritz. Then, we had the butternut squash and ricotta bruschetta, spicy pork and fennel meatballs, steak with rocket and mushroom, and foccacia drizzled in olive oil.

I'm definetly overdoing it on the hyperbolic tone in this post - but Polpo is seriously one of my favourite restaurants of all time. It's a Venetian tapas-style chain that has taken London by storm. Each small dish is packed full of so much flavour and interesting combinations.