Hair Care - Wednesday Wonder

After many years of bleaching and dying my hair, and with the additional heat that we girls insist on using as well as the not-so-lovely English weather has left my hair well very damaged as you can imagine. 

As well as doing the 4 week no heat challenge I am also trying to treat my hair to weekly 'treatments'. Some products are of course better than others so as well as this being a hair care post it is also going to be a Wednesday wonder about which hair repair treatment is best.

Firstly today I went to superdrug and they have half price herbal essences products!!

So, I brought these 2 hair masks:

1. Beautiful Ends split end protection intensive mask
2. Smooth & soft sensuously smoothing intensive mask

I brought these both for £1.95 due to that they were half price but originally they are £3.99 (so still quite cheap).


The beautiful ends one smells like raspberries, the rest of the collection also does - I also own the beautiful ends shampoo, conditioner and the protection cream which you will see later on. The other products are quite good the shampoo and conditioner did make my hair feel soft but it doesn't really help split ends like it claims too.



The smooth and soft one smells like oranges, i've never tried any other smooth and soft product so i'm not sure how good they are. 

I am yet to try these products since I only brought them today - so I will update you about how they are and things. :) 

Anyway....

The next hair mask that I have is one by Umberto Giannini the moisture replenishing hair mask this costs £5.61 for 200ml.

As you can see i've used a lot - which leads you to think oh it must be good if shes used a lot...well, nope. You know those times when you buy something and you really really want to like it? but you don't..yeep that happened!

I really dislike this product it isn't good at all, the only good think about it is the tub, it's pretty. And i will probably use it in the future for something else. 

This product claims to be 'a real wonder product giving not just great hydrating results but a texture that is weightless and loose and a sublime blow dry result'...it isn't like that at all it leaves your hair limp and lifeless it is greasy looking and it makes your hair feel very dry (the reason you buy a hair mask in the first place!) and it takes you more time to blow dry your hair, also the smell is very over powering it stays in your hair for ages and it's all you can smell ugh it's not nice. 

I'd rate it probably 2 out of 10 but only because the tub is nice

Next product is the Paul Mitchell hair repair treatment which ranges in prices from £8 to £30 however I brought mine for £7.12 because it was in a sale at a local hair salon. Like the others you get 200ml worth of product; however instead of a tub this one comes in a tube type packaging.

This product claims to 'recapture strength, elasticity and shine. Helps prevent breakage and minimizes the adverse effects if chemical treatments' 

Paul Mitchell products are used in salons across the UK, so you expect them to be good. I find this product to be very pricey specifically when salons sell it for £29.99  

This product really didn't do anything at all for my hair. It did not help soften, detangle, or moisturize my hair and it also left it hmmm stringy if that makes sense.

For the price of this I am very dis-pointed and I am very glad that I didn't pay £30 for this!

I'd rate this 2/10 

Next up is Macadamia natural oil (healing oil treatment) this I guess is sort of like the Moroccan oil you get 125ml of oil in this product. The product itself ranges in price from £8 to £30 I paid £28.09 - this is the most expensive hair product I have ever brought!

I brought this product before I had my hair re-bleached as a request from my hairdressers (which i no longer go to because their service went downhill a lot! they messed up my hair several times!) 

This product claims to be ' a therapeutic oil perfect for all hair types and is especially beneficial to dry, damaged hair. The Healing Oil Treatment is instantly absorbed, weightlessly infusing the hair with moisture and nutrients for silky smooth, healthy looking hair while providing natural UV protection from photo and sun damage. Dry, brittle hair is miraculously rejuvenated with increased shine and control.'  

The product does smell very nice, but it makes your hair quite greasy if you use too much of it. I don't think that it actually does anything to the hair it just kinda sits on top of the hair making it feel smooth, I also think that for the price it isn't worth it.

I'd rate this maybe a 4 out of 10 because it does leave it feeling soft-ish.

I have also used the Aussie repair mask for 99p it didn't do anything..but hey it was only 99p :)

So I hope that the herbal essences products will be good. But nothing seems to work for my dry hair...does anyone have any good products? 

No Heat Challenge

I found this challenge on http://chloesbeautycorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/no-heat-challenge.html

So, I'm sat here with a towel on my head (very attractive - I know :P ) after just washing my hair. The start of my no heat challenge has started!

Basically the challenge is to no use heated products such as straighteners, curlers or hair dryers etc..on your hair for 4 weeks, or possibly more. 

I am really going to try to keep to this challenge and not use any heat what so ever, I am trying to grow my hair, which isn't going so well...why doesn't it just grow over night? so it will be beneficial to my hair in the long run. I am also using hair repair masks, oils and so on to keep my hair healthy looking - I will be doing a blog post on hair care in a moment, after this one.

Start of challenge - 29/6/11
End of challenge - 29/7/11

I will keep you updated about how the challenge is going!! :)



 

GLAMOUR Magazine

In this months issue of Glamour Magazine you can grab yourself a free Benefit product; Benetint, Poisetint or High Beam. Personally I got High Beam because tints don't work so well on my dry skin and they dry my lips out like crazy!

High Beam is, AMAZING! you only get 40ml free but I think it will last a while. Since I brought it i've been wearing it practically every day, it's in my everyday make up bag.
I will defiantly be re-purchasing this product it's much better than a powder highlight, especially for dry skin tones, it also bends in nicely.

I've been wearing it on my cheek bones and under the brow for a highlighter, it is really an amazing product. It's the first Benefit product I've tried and it is very good, I am even tempted to go buy another magazine and get Poisetint, but hmm I don't know haha. 

sorry for not posting

hey everyone,
I know that today is wednesday and that I said i'd do a wednesday wonder thing every wednesday but this week I am really busy sorting out college, sorry I will post over the weekend!!

spring/summer clean

Today, I'm actually tidying up my room - It's a shock, I guess turning 17 and being ill changes a person haha.

top left - bottom right. face make up (foundation/blush/powders etc) lipsticks in the black tin behind brushes. eye shadows, make up wipes/cotton wool. body products (perfumes, moisturizers, lush products, body sprays), nail polishes, hair products (brushes, clips, hair spray - and random bottle of claires ear solution haha) 

So, today i decided that i'd go out and buy some cheap boxes, I got 2 for 99p each, you can get these from any pound land place etc. (the two plastic boxes at the top). I also had from a while back 2 tin type things that i brought from charity shops (the black art-deco type box with lipsticks in behind the purple tin thing with my brushes in) - they came in very handy actually and were under £3 each. The black box was from my MAC order online, the green from my birthday and the other big plastic one was from the same place i got the two smaller ones this was also just 99p. So it didn't cost that much at all to get things organized!

So, here is my new make up storage, in my old cupboard that just had old clothes thrown in it that were either too small or that i didn't like or ones that were too small and i liked them - hahaha. But those shall be going to charity and I have a new and more organized area for my make up and hair bits and bobs. So there for I'm not just helping myself out, but also a charity :) yaaay!!!

I actually feel better now thats its all in one place, sounds weird I know. It also gave me a chance to throw out the old - so that I can go and buy some new things hehehe.

not sure that I have enough nail polishes? haha

Today I also brought a dry shampoo; Batiste dry shampoo in blush ( i think thats the name - it's the pink bottle) which I will review once i've used it and am able to tell what it is like :) 

Wednesday Wonder?

Every Wednesday, I will be comparing beauty items and deciding which one is the best and why.
This week I shall be comparing Lip Balms from various different companies.

The first lipbalm that i will mention will be the famous Vaseline, this one happens to be the rose and almond oil lip therapy one to which retails at £1.73 for 20 grams of product.

The packaging of this product is in a metal pink/ rose and white colour tin, which is quite durable in a handbag but it does get dents and the paint chips off (i assume it's paint i have no idea haha).

The rose or pink Vaseline is different to the others because it claims to 'gently tints and cares for lips'. 
the product in the tin is less hmmm gloopy then the normal ones and is dark pink in colour. It has a smell to it, i guess it smells like a strong rose.

Once applied it does 'tint' the lips, however my natural high pigmented lips don't really see the tint because it is probably the same colour anyway. I find that like most Vaseline products the petroleum jelly just stays on top of the lips and doesn't really help with dry or cracked lips because the product just stays and doesn't sink in. Also if you have very dry lips like mine you will find that this product does sting a little once applied.

Over all I'd probably rate this 3 out of 10, i like the tint part. It's a nice idea but however it doesn't care for the lips at all.  
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Next up is superdrugs own brand of lip balm, it's sort of a rip off of Vaseline, i guess. 

This one in particular is 'the little green tin' - green like Vaseline's aloe vera lip balm. This retails at £0.99 and like the Vaseline tin contains 20 grams of product. 


The packaging of this product is a very sturdy metal tin, much more sturdier than the Vaseline one, you can have this in your handbag and it wont get all scratched up.  The tin itself is a shiny green colour with white writing. The actual product inside is clear and smells a little like green apples, but it doesn't taste like it on the lips.

This product claims to ' moisturises, softens and soothes dry and cracked lips. With aloe vera for extra conditioning and a great apple flavour'.


Once applied to the lips, like Vaseline it does just stay on top but it also sinks into the lips. I myself have very very verrry dry lips and have found that this product actually does do what it says on the tin.

Over all i'd rate this 8 out of 10 because it does help my dry lips and it is very good for the price. 
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Next up is another famous brand, Carmex. 


Carmex is the priciest of these lip balms retailing at £2.54 for only 7.5 grams.


The packaging is a white plastic bottom and a cardboard lid with a yellow metal rapped around it. In  your handbag this will get get many dents and chips on it , for the price the packaging could of been a lot lot better.
The product inside is a hard yellow like substance, which kind of reminds me of bees wax or something like that, however like the Vaseline if you have dried lips it will sting a bit. I also found that this product didn't sink in very well at all and found myself using quite a lot of the product in order to achieve some sort of 'softness' .

The product claims to bring 'long lasting relief for dry, chapped lips.' Which in my opinion it doesn't do at all you have to apply quite a lot of this product to get rid of the dryness and i also found that after using it all day long it makes your lips even drier and the skin would peal off. 

Once applied it takes a while to sink in, you also have to use a lot if you have 'dry lips' which isn't very practical due to that you don't get a load of product. I think that is product is more suited to  people whose  lips aren't very dry but are somewhat dry.


I'd rate this product 1 out of 10 it didn't help at all and was quite costly. 
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Next up is a Hello Kitty lip balm from H&M which is retailed at £1.99 and for that you get 12 grams of product - however I went to go and repurchase this and they didn't have any so maybe it is limited edition. 

 The packaging is the cutest ever! This is the main reason that I brought it, as i mentioned before I wanted to buy another one, this is due to that the tin is super cute (and i love hello kitty hehe). The tin itself is made of metal, the bottom is a dark pink metal and the top is white with pink and in the shape of hello kitty's face. The tin however isn't that sturdy and the metal is quite thin, making it easy to get dents in it (I don't dare to use this in my handbag it's too cute haha). The product inside is a very hard light pink lip balm (you really have to press hard to get any product out). I think the product would be better if it was melted a bit. 


Once applied it does tint your lips a very nice light pink, however it feels very hard on the lips just like it is in the tin and it doesn't care for your lips at all in fact on my dry lips the hardness of this product made my skin peel off - which of course isn't very nice.
I'd rate this product 4 out of 10 but only because I love the packaging so much! As much as I wanted to love the product inside I just couldn't, it didn't care for the lips at all, if anything did only worse than better. It is also a little pricey but I don't mind paying £1.99 for just that tin haha - maybe I am a little crazy.
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 Last but by no means least is Boots own Spearmint Lipsalve. This retails at £1.01 for 5 grams of product.

The packaging is all plastic. There is a white plastic tube and then a green mint coloured plastic lid. (however the packaging of this has recently changed.) 

The product inside is different to all the others because this is in stick form unlike the others that are in tins. Personally I prefer the tin form because it is easier to use and and more hygienic. I found that when this product is in your bag although it wont get marked up because it's plastic the lid tends to fall off and well that's abit gross. 

This product says that it 'protects and moisturizes lips' and it does in fact do this, however i find that it takes a long time to sink in.

You apply this as you would a normal lipstick and it does sink in after a while, but it does take a while and you have to use this over a few days to see a result. 

I'd rate this product 6 out of 10 it does do what it says but the packaging isn't very good and the lid comes off and well you get all dirt on the actual product, also when it gets hot the product melts and then drops off when you are using it - ugh. Also it is quite dear for such awful packaging.
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So the over all winner for me is the cheapest - Superdrugs own The little green tin. Remember that this is just my opinion and that we all have different lip types and so different products are suited better to different people :) 

I found that this  product really helped my dry lips and I'd recommend it!

MAC Haul

After saving up I went into my local mac store and brought some goodies (hehe)...

I will possibly do a tutorial using these!

(the swatch doesn't show how pigmented it really is)

Firstly I brought a mineralize  eyeshadow in Pretty & Prim, it a light pink with a beautiful pink under toned brown, the pink as an eyeshadow doesn't suit me much so i use it as a blush hehe.

I also got Naked Lunch as a new addition to my palette i originally went out to buy All That Glitters but that was out of stock and I loved the look of this eyeshadow, it's great as a highlighter or for just a wash of colour over the lids when you can't be bothered for much. 

excuse my dry cracked lips, i was ill when i took this :( 

I also got Angel lipstick i've been wanting this for ages, and i mean ages but i've not got round to buying it, it's a beautiful pink colour and I will defiantly be repurchasing this! it's the perfect pink lipstick...

and the last thing i got was the summer stash from the Surf Baby summer collection 2011. Im not much for this collection to be honest the packaging looks cheap and ugh just not my taste, however I feel in love with these colours as soon as I saw them, I actually went to the MAC counter the day that they came out haha - yes I am really that crazy! and the best thing is because they are pigments I will never run out of them hehehe...

L'oreal Casting Creme Gloss Review

After going to a hair salon and them wrecking my hair I figured that home dying couldn't be any worse.
So, I went down to my local drugstore (superdrug) and picked up a box of L'oreal casting creme gloss in the shade iced chocolate number 415 (after standing there for about half an hour deciding on a colour haha) for £6,12 the hairdresser I had previously used to use a gloss and i figured if i didn't like it, then It would fade so no major deal - right?
On the box it appears to be a light brown shade, that looked the same colour as my hair extensions unfortunatly I threw the box away sooo a photo from google will have to do!



In the box there is some really good quality gloves and the colour and developer - like most boxes.

and application went well it was very easily done, however during the process I happened to notice that the colour was turning purple; which worried me some what. After the full 20 minutes ( i think it was 20 minutes i forget) i washed off the colour and it was to my surprise a dark brown/purple colour, nothing like on the box, however I do happen to love this colour and after 3 washes it has stayed in very well I have read online that it does fade to the colour on the box, but I shall wait and see.


I think (depending on the fading process) that I will definatly be using this product again and i'd rate it a 7 out of 10, it was very good but the colour wasnt as it stated, however still nice.


Hair after the dye process (no extensions - i am trying to grow it!), I might possibly dye my extensions and do a tutorial...hmmm I'm not sure on that yet though.