Showing posts with label Hair Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hair Care. Show all posts

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance | Leave In Conditioner

Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner 200ml- £4.49 (Link here)

Hey there lovely ladies! If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know I define the phrase 'Haircare Product Whore' - I own countless shampoos, conditioners, treatments and everything in between. One brand I've been obsessing over recently is Aussie, I'm sure I don't need to tell you all how amazing each any every one of their products are. I'm a die hard fan of their 3 Minute Miracle (review coming soon!) and I've been using it in my haircare routine for as long as I can remember. I love my hair to feel soft and hydrated, so using a leave in conditioner is essential in maintaining the moisture of my hair in between washes. Step aside Batiste, I've found a new love for Aussie's 'Miracle Insurance' leave in conditioner! 


I love the simplicity of the packaging with all Aussie products. They don't scream 'Buy Me'  when you walk past them, and you'd probably had to have heard of them to notice them. This little bottle of glory carries the classic kangaroo Aussie logo on a white plastic bottle, so pretty bog standard when it comes to hair products. If you've ever tried any of the Aussie brand, you will instantly associate their products with smell. Oh the smell, each any every product carries the most amazing scent without being somewhat overpowering. This particular product smells like what I can only describe as bubblegum, which is weird as it's infact Australian Jojoba Oil. I love the fact that the ingredients are all natural too. It's proof that nasty chemicals found in some professional brands aren't always the way to luscious locks! This isn't like anything I've used before, people tend to think that serums or creams are better in terms of leave-in conditioners but being a liquid spray, it provides good if not better results. You can never overdo it and leave your hair greasy because it comes in a pump form, which makes application a dream. It isn't a greasy formula at all, I think of it as a conditioning spray rather than a heavy duty leave-in conditioner. I can honestly feel a difference when I use this, the ends of my hair are left moist and hydrated beyond belief. If used after the infamous 3 Minute Miracle, you can just imagine how soft to the touch your hair is, and it sits in the hair without weighing it down. I also find this a life saver when it comes to blow drying. I spray this into damp hair just before I fry my hair with a hair dryer and it makes the world of difference. It's perfect for everyday use providing you don't get a bit spray happy around the root area, and takes away that awful feeling you get with using a dry shampoo. 


As you may have gathered, my hair care routine is constantly changing so I think it's only right I do an updated hair care routine sometime in the near future. I've fallen head over heels for this product and I can't rate it highly enough. Are you a fan of Aussie hair care? What are your favourite products?

Friday, 23 November 2012

Review: L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Shampoo & Conditioner



Hello Girls! If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know I have a naughty habit of buying unecessary haircare products on a regular basis. Last week I shared a mini haul (read it here) which featured L'Oreals new range of shampoo and conditioner, Triple Resist. Being a girl who has put her hair through hell and back over the years, having a brand that repairs damage is so important. I pretty much tend to stick to a shampoo if I find one I particularly like, and having used this for just over a week, I have found my new absolute favourite shampoo and conditioner. 

In all fairness I find that if I spend a little more on haircare then I get a better result - who can resist a bit of product advertised by Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Lopez?! I bought the 400ml of both the shampoo and conditioner just to last me a bit longer than the standard 200ml, and it set me back £3.99 each from Boots. L'Oreal claims that it reinforces hair fibre, nourishes the hair from root to tip and that hair feels stronger and so far I have noticed a difference in the general condition of my hair. It's ideal if you fnd that your hair falls out or breaks. It lathers up like a dream and a little really does go a long way with the shampoo, so a small amount does the job. They both smell absolutely amazing,  really fresh and clean. The conditioner leaves the ends of my hair feeling really soft and silky and if you're hair hasn't gone through as much wear and tear as mine, then you probably don't need a hair oil before blow drying. 




I'm dying to try the Triple Resist Reinforcing Treatment as I've heard nothing but great things about it. The shampoo and conditioner has replaced my beloved John Freida Brilliant Brunette range, so I'm hoping for great things from the treatment. Of course I will report back.

Have you tried L'Oreals Triple Resist Shampoo and Conditioner? What did you think?

Friday, 21 September 2012

My Current Hair Care Routine

Hi Lovely Ladies! I'm really sorry I've been neglecting my blog lately. I haven't picked up any new products recently which have screamed 'Wow!' at me, and I've had (in the words of Carrie Bradshaw herself) a bit of writers block. But here I am, snuggled under my duvet with a hot chocolate (woops, diet!) on a rainy Friday afternoon putting together a new blog post. Apologies in advance, this post will be rather very long and on the picture heavy side!


I absolutely adore trying hair care products. My usual routine changes from time to time if I find something which makes my hair look and feel a little better than usual. I can honestly say I've tried everything from Poundland bargains to salon bought goodies and everything in between. I often get asked how I style and look after my hair, so I thought I'd tell you all at once exactly what I use and do. Since having my hair coloured from burgundy to brunette, the constant colour refreshing has become a little bit less of a nightmare. I went on the hunt to my local Boots to find a shampoo and conditioner specifically for brunette hair, as it adds subtle colour and brings out the undertones of brunette hair while adding a huge amount of gloss. 
Washing 



John Freida Brilliant Brunette Shampoo RRP £5.65 

I came across John Frieda's 'Beautiful Brunette' range which a few of my friends have recommended in the past. The packaging makes it look and feel like you're using a product from the salon, but for only £5.65 each, only at a fraction of the price. The shampoo has a bit of a marble effect when you use it, which I seem to love the idea of. It smells absolutely gorgeous too, sort of sweet and floral. A little really does go a long way with it too, and a small palm full lathered up well enough to cover my entire head. My hair felt squeaky clean once I'd removed the product too.









John Freida Brilliant Brunette Conditioner RRP £5.65 

Acts as the sister to the 'Brilliant Brunette' shampoo. There isn't a marble effect with this conditioner, but more of a thick brown cream effect. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing it smells too, very similar to the scent of the shampoo although definitely stronger. As with all conditioners, its essential you don't apply too much product, particularly to the roots of your hair, as your hair will look as though it hasn't been washed in a week. This restores shine and manageability, and realistically transforms the look of the mid-lengths and ends of your hair.









Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment RRP £7.99 

This product is a definite must of mine. It's one of those products where you think 'does it really work?' 'is it a waste of money?' or 'it's too expensive'. But honestly, I don't know what I done without it! You apply the treatment inbetween shampoo and conditioner from root to tip and leave it to work its magic for 4 to 5 minutes. If you suffer with the whole booby length situation where it stops growing altogether, this is a product for you. After using it for two months or so, my hair has grown just under two inches. Hoorah! Two inches closer to not needing hair extensions. I have a full review of this product which you can read by clicking here


Clairol Colour Seal Conditioning Gloss RRP 99p 


These are the little tubes of conditioner you get when you buy a box dye, but they are now sold seperately in Superdrug, Boots and supermarkets. I personally don't use box dye to colour my hair anymore as my best friend is a hairdresser, but these little beauties are amazing. Once every two weeks I treat myself to a hair mask or an intensive conditioner to repair the look and feel of my hair. These tubes are the bees knees, and also come in shades suitable for blonde and red hair. They smell identical to John Freida's range, but the formula is alot thicker which means a lot less is needed. It adds a massive amount of shine, and there is a real difference in the look and feel of the hair.


Drying 


After washing my hair, I love a good old bouncy blow dry. It took me years of practice to be able to dry the back of my hair nicely, but I got there in the end. I think a fresh blow dry is key in getting a great finished result, and if you use the right products, can make you hair look even better than normal. 


Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum RRP £5.99 
Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Leave In Conditioner RRP £3.49 
Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straightened Heat Defence Spary RRP £5.99 

I have previously written about the above products on my blog and have raved about how great they are after washing your hair. I spray both the leave in conditioner along with the heat defence spray through my hair and use a wide toothed comb to remove any tangles and spread the product through my hair. It's important not to comb the coconut milk through your hair as you'll end up with very greasy hair, you only need it through the ends of your hair. To read a full review of the Organix Coconut Milk, click here, to read a full review of the Schwarzkopf Leave-In Conditioner click here, and to read a full review of the Trevor Sorbie heat defence spray, click here









Core Essentials Blow Dry Brush No. 109042 RRP £19.99 
This brush works absolute wonders in getting that big, volumised finished blow dry. The barrel itself is so big, which in turn makes for bigger hair. It has air flow technology, which means the air is able to get through the brush, resulting in hair being dried quicker. The bristles grip the hair and there are no wispy bits lying around (TIP: the bristles are very prickly so be careful not to grip them to much. They will hurt). I section my hair 4 times, but that's only personal preference, so may not be the look you want to achieve yourself. 


TreSemme Salon AC Dryer RRP £21.99 
I've mentioned in the past that I really like TreSemme products, although some hairdressers do say to stay away from it. The hairdryer is great, and does nothing more or less that your standard Argos one. It comes boxed with a removable diffuser and air flow attachable too which I would recommend using when blow drying hair. It aims the air flow from the dryer itself in the direction you want. I'vegone through countless hair dryers in my time, and have had this for well over one year now, so far there have been so sparks, no sizzling sounds and no burning smells. Winning


Styling 

This is by far my favourite part of my haircare routine. I love being able to mix up my hairstyle to my mood, whether it's long and straight, big bouncy curls or up in a bouncy ponytail. From day to day, I tend to wear my hair down and straight with a bit of backcombing at the crown but if it's a special occasion or I fancy a bit of a change, I go all out.

Foxy Locks Hair Extensions RRP £74.00 
I cannot rate these hair extensions highly enough. I use the Deluxe range, which means the hair is extremely thick, soft and double wefted. I much prefer clip in hair extension to bonded ones. Yes, they are a pain to put in and take out everyday, but your hair will thank you for it. My only slight criticism is the fact that they are only stocked in 20" which isn't great if you want very long hair. They come down to about 4 inches from the waist, and providing you look after them properly, will last you ages. I'm going to write an updated blog post where I will go into more detail on these so look out for that!

foxy locks extensions thick hair clip in

GHD Classic IV Styler RRP £109.99 
Babyliss Pro Large Barrel Tong RRP £19.99 
I've been using GHD hair straighteners for years now, and I've never looked back. They really are a godsend and I adore them. I've had my second pair for three years now and although they have a six year guarantee I'm looking to replace them at Christmas. They heat up within seconds up to 230 degrees (so be careful. I can't count how many times I've clamped my fingers inbetween them!) so straightening or curling your hair takes no time at all.  I picked up the Babyliss curling wand a few months ago as I felt I wanted bigger bouncier curls than what you get when using a straightening iron. Again, it does get extremely hot so please don't touch that barrel!

Schwarzkopf Silhouette Hairspray RRP £4.99 
By far the best hairspray I've come across. It holds my style all day and it doesn't leave that dreaded crispy feel on parts of your hair. It also contains shine technology so by this point, your hair looks extremely glossy and rich. If I'm backcombing my hair then a little spritz of this stuff at the roots is a godsend. It keeps wispy bits at bay, and most importantly keeps my fringe in place.


Denman D3 Classic Styler Brush RRP £4.99 
Finally. I have to stress that this brush is the most amazing hair product I've ever come across. Denman have some great products, and this brush is by far the best. The brush makes backcombing effortless, and it grips onto the hair with ease. It does have a tendancy to pick up hair it it's track, but hey what brush doesn't? If I could have one product to last me forever it would without a doubt be this. 




Monday, 13 August 2012

Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straightened Hair Goodies


Hello Everyone! So the Olympics are over. Half of me is so happy to finally have time to breathe after working at them, the other slightly disappointed that it's all over. The Closing Ceremony was absolutely amazing! I especially loved Fatboy Slim and of course The Spice Girls. I really thought they stole the show, and how fabulous did Victoria Beckham look? *girl crush alert*. So after two weeks of sport, I now have my life back and can sit here with my laptop and cup of tea and get back to blogging. It's taken me a while to really get stuck back in it but I can assure you I'm now here to stay. 

If you're a reader of my blog or just know me well enough, then you're bound to know that I'm absolutely obsessed with hair care. I love to try out new things all the time and the best feeling is when you find a product that makes your hair look amazing. I first came across Trevor Sorbie around three years back when I was watching Imogen from ImogenFoxyLocksExtensions on YouTube rave about how fantastic the heat defence spray was. I bought myself my first bottle from Boots for £5.10 and voila! I was in love. With my love of the spray came my love of all products in the 'Beautifully Straightened' range, and apart from my trusty James Brown 'Scandalous' shampoos and conditioners (read my review here) the Trevor Sorbie haircare products are most definitely my holy grail must-have hair care saviours. 

I was in my local Boots recently in the haircare section and just as I'd picked up some Trevor Sorbie heat defence spray, I noticed a big white cosmetic bag on the bottom shelf. To my surprise, it was filled with a selection of four different products from the Beautifully Straightened range, including the smoothing balm which is always sold out in the store near me. Not only was it filled with product, but I actually really liked the bag. I'm jetting off to Marbella in two weeks time, and it will be perfect to store all of my girly holiday essentials inside. The inside is silk with a cute floral vintage design fastening up all the pockets which equals extra storage (hooray! More room!). I paid only £19.99 for it which is a fantastic price for what you're actually receiving. Four full sized products which are great, plus a good sized pretty cosmetic bag. Result

Protection Shampoo - If like me your hair is a little worse for wear, then you need all the help you can get by using products which offer protection against heat and other nasty things that affects it growing healthily and strong. The fact it can start working wonders right from the minute you use the shampoo is a real weight off of my shoulders. I find that it lathers up like a dream, and a little goes a long way, even with thicker hair. 

Protection Conditioner - This has the same effect on the hair as the shampoo, only it adds moisture and repairs dead ends. To know that even before you use any type of heat defence that your hair is protected is a real godsend. I love the way that the protection conditioner adds shine to my hair too, and doesn't give it that awful slimy feeling when you wash it out. 

Protect, Flatten and Shine Spray - Definitely my ultimate Trevor Sorbie product. When I don't use a heat protection spray I can really tell the difference in the look and feel of my hair. I use it before blow drying, straightening, curling, waving, pretty much anything. I love the fact it tames frizzy hair and reduces the appearance of split ends too

Smoothing Balm - This is constantly sold out whenever I try to buy my own! I'd never really used any kind of serum in the past as I tend to find them a bit greasy and thick. But this smoothes my hair and leaves it with such a nice gloss which doesn't have too much a greasy feel to it. 

Do you use anything from the Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straight range? What is your favourite product?


Friday, 20 July 2012

James Brown Scandalous Collection; Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner


Hi Girls! Yes I am a complete hair treatment whore buff so I do know my bit when it comes to choosing products or even better, experimenting with new ones! I do really love everything from James Brown as he is hairdresser to none other than Kate Moss herself, so styling my own hair at home should be a doddle. I've been using this range for about a year now, and have never strayed to trying anything different as I love it too much. Out of the five different ranges from James Brown, the Scandalous range is by far my favourite out of them all. I own about ten bottles of all different products just from Scandalous alone, so might post a haul-type blog telling you about it in more detail (when I have more time, I'm so short of time. There aren't enough hours in a day!). All products have a set objective to them, for example there is a Volumising collection, Moisturising, Colour Care and so on. I chose to buy the Glossing products again after trying them last year and really enjoying them, I got upset when they finished *sobs*


Moving swiftly on, I really do love this product. It's a high-end hair product brand at a lower price budget. All Shampoos and Conditioners range from £4.99 to£6.99 and depending on the length and thickness of your hair, can last you ages. I'm a hair extension wearer and my natural hair comes just underneath my shoulders, plus I always shampoo my hair twice if it's feeling particularly greasy with product build up. At 250ml, a bottle of this stuff lasts me 3 weeks, and I was my hair 3 times a week (Some people find this repulsive but it's just how my hair works. Bore off). If your hair sometimes looks dull and lacks shine then this is defintiely a must have product. 


"No style will look good if your hair is dull and lifeless. So we've created this shampoo to restore the natural shine. Milk proteins and murumuru butter deliver extraordinary glossing results leaving hair as smooth as glass. This rich, fragrant shampoo will revive even the most lacklusture hair."
Glossing Shampoo


"This conditioner is a huge hit with women who have sharp bobs and long styles. Even dull, tired hair is left sleek, smooth and unconditionally glossy. The special blend of red seaweed extract and kukui nut oil infuses hair with shine and creates a silky, sleek texture"
Glossing Conditioner 



I can't rate this product highly enough. The scent of a shampoo and conditioner is just as important to me as what the product actually does to my hair, and this is one of the best smells on the market (apart from Aussie 3 minute miracle, yum). People tend to find that it wears off after a day or so with other brands, however this lingers for two days, no problem. Even after styling with hot rollers, hairspray, gel, mousse, you name it. It's consistency is quite thick so a little really does go a long way and it lathers up like a dream. I find that by adding small bits of water to places I need to the most really makes it sudsy and lather up really quickly. If I'm ever in a rush or need a quick fix (which lets face it, is every day) then this is a total godsend. The milk proteins in the shampoo are what adds the gloss to your hair, and when i say gloss i mean gloss. If I'm on a night out and I style my hair using a glossing and finishing spray, I find there's no need for it when I use this. 





It leaves a salon fresh mirrored effect on your hair, however I don't find it effective if you like volume in your hair like I do. To still achieve volume when I use the glossing shampoo and conditioner I blow dry my hair by lifting it straight up from the crown and dry underneath (if that makes any sense). The conditioner contains small micro beads of shimmer (very similar to Loreal's Sparkling Nutri Gloss Shampoo) and so in turn leaves an enviable shimmer on the mid-lengths and ends of the hair. Amazing.


All in all, I can't recommend the James Brown Scandalous GLOSS range highly enough, it works wonders for me every time I use it. Have you tried it before? What did you think?