New in My Beauty Stash #1

July 11, 2016October 16, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam Liquid Highlighter

This is a beautiful product for Summer – its a soft-matte nude pink and it gives the skin a Iovely radiant glow. I use it as a subtle highlighter on my cheek bones and it reflects the light and makes my skin look fresh and adds a glow. If you’re a fan of the classic High Beam then you will like this more subtle option for those days you want a more low key but fresh faced look. This is great for minimal makeup days just to give your skin that effortless glow without a hint of shimmer or shine. Oh & how beautiful is the rose gold packaging?

Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry*

This is the first Redken product I have used and having thick hair a product that promises to reduce drying time is a product that catches my attention. So this new release from Redken is promises to

Reduce blow-dry time
Protect from heat up to 230˚
Help reduce breakage
Provide 24-hour lasting volume

I like that its a heat protectant as well as a styling product & any product that reduces the time I use heat on my hair is a plus for me. As I said my hair is very thick & usually takes an age to dry, I’ve used this a few times now & off the bat I noticed how soft and smooth my hair felt and looked after blowdrying. I would say it helped my hair dry a little quicker and I noticed my hair didn’t look as frizzy. Although its a cream and often cream products can feel heavy and make my hair feel greasy quickly this wasn’t like that at all. So if you want a product that protects against breakage and heart damage, as well as giving you a little added volume then thins new Redken release would be a great product to have in your haircare arsenal.

Bare Minerals Lash Domination

I do like the way this Mascara makes my lashes look but it seems to smudge on me so bad. This separates my lashes and makes them look so long and healthy but by the end of the day I have quite a lot of product under my eye and thats not a good look. Its such a shame because this ticks all the boxes, its jet black, I love the wand and it gives my lashes volume. The formula is quite wet so maybe as it dries out a bit that might make a difference. If you have tried this mascara let me know how you get on with it.

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser

I love these hand sanitisers & my brother recently went to Dubai & kindly bought me back a stash of the summer scents. The one I am using at the minute is Vanilla Cupcake and is sweet and smells good enough to eat.

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation*

This new addition to the popular Dermablend range from Vichy is quite an exciting one. Its a full coverage matte finish foundation, at first it appears to be quite a tic texture but once you start to blend it in to your skin its quite fluid and easy to blend. It gives your skin a smooth soft focus finish and if you have scaring or uneven skin tone that you like to cover then this works a treat. It gives you fantastic coverage without feeling heavy or looking cakey, and I found it to be really effective at counteracting redness. This foundation is 100% oil free and has,

Alliagel TM – which is a texture innovation exclusive to Vichy, the pigments and soft focus agents cover and blur imperfections to make the skin look even and velvety smooth.
Salicylic Acid – This is an ingredient in skincare that helps soothe irritated skin, prevent blackheads and unclog pores.
Eperulin – This is a great anti inflammatory so its fantastic at calming blemishes and any problems areas.

So its nice to see a makeup product that incorporates a good amount of skincare. This also has SPF 25 and is 100% oil free. Its ideal if you have oily skin, blemish prone skin. Its pretty fantastic and I love how the silky smooth my skin feels when I wear this. I have the shade Nude25 & my skin is quite fair & this is a great match.

What products are new in your beauty stash this Summer?

*PR Sample

Ogario Restore and Shine Hair Masque

June 7, 2016July 20, 2024 - Vicki Leave a comment

This award-winning hair masque from British haircare experts has been restoring my hair back to its former glossy healthy self after a cold dry winter & some really warm spring days. My hair has been a little neglected and the seasons take their toll.

Ogario products have been developed exclusively by London-based independent salon and their products contain so many beautiful natural ingredients. In fact, all their products are made with naturally-derived, active ingredients and essential oils.

Restore and Shine Lavender and Sage Hair Masque*

This is one of the nicest smelling products I have ever used, it’s sweet and floral with a hint of zesty citrus. It’s so uplifting. This is quite a thick mask, that you leave on damp hair for at least 10 minutes & wash off to reveal healthy, nourished locks! It contains sage, lavender, nettle, avocado, olive, and aloe extracts and oils which add shine, strengthen and eliminate frizz.

My hair feels so soft after using this treatment and it’s great at taming frizz too, which is great because I have naturally wavy hair & it can be prone to flyaways and especially frizzy ends.

If you use this once / twice a week you will see great results, I’m loving how glossy and manageable my hair is & I think this 200ml pot is going to last me well into the Summer. You only need a small amount & I like to concentrate the product on the ends & mid-length of my hair. That way, it doesn’t weigh down my hair or leave my roots greasy.

I would say this is on the pricey side, but it is a hair treatment so it’s not to be used more than twice a week, which means a tub will last you months! It’s an investment into naturally glossy, healthy hair & well worth the price tag.

Ogario have a great range of haircare that you can purchase online at www.ogariolondon.com & they have a few store stockists but only in London & Kent

*PR Sample

SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex

February 6, 2016May 31, 2025 - Vicki 3 Comments

If you’re a beauty addict (like me) then trying new brands is always exciting. I had never heard of SheaMoisture before, but when I did a little research into the brand I realised that it’s extremely popular over in the States and has been sold since 1912. Their ranges have won quite a few awards over the years, including an Allure Reader’s Choice Award 2015. So, let’s see if it lives up to the hype.

SheaMoisture products are natural, organic and sustainably-produced. Made with love for you and your body. Pioneering fair trade through Community Commerce at home and abroad. We strive to be sulfate free, paraben free, and more, whenever possible. Tested on our family for four generations. Never on animals’.

I was excited to try three products from the Superfruit Complex range which promises 10 in 1 benefits, and they are,

Age-defy
Nourish
Anti-stress
Revive body
Colour protect
Shine
Hydrate
Strengthen
Manageability
Soften

Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Multi Benefit Shampoo*

Because this shampoo contains no sulphates it doesn’t lather up, which is great for your hair, but it took me a few washes to get to grips with it. I initially used far too much which weighed down my hair, so you need very little product. I like to spend a minute or so massaging the product in to my hair, letting all the wonderful ingredients work their magic before rinsing it out. It’s a great first step to silky smooth hair & I like that this shampoo felt lightweight, and it was easy to rinse out. I haven’t used it alone, I always follow with the conditioner.

Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Conditioner*

This is great at giving hair a boost of hydration and restoring that glossy shine. I love that this bottle has a pump and wish that the shampoo came with one too! I use two pumps of this and work it in to my roots and use my wide toothed come to brush it through the ends, I leave it on for a couple of minutes then rinse. It leaves my hair feeling healthy, smooth and bouncy (I have naturally curly hair). When I style my hair after using this duo, it’s glossy, manageable, and it smoothes those pesky flyaways.

Superfruit Complex Multi Benefit Hair Masque*

I love using leave in conditioner treatment and this one is really pampering for your hair. I leave it on for as long as I can, usually about 30 minutes. The product is a lot thicker than the conditioner, so I tend to use this masque once a week, make sure to use a very small amount and take time to massage it in to your scalp. Once I rinse this off, my hair instantly feels silky smooth and healthy. It’s a great masque if you have dry, dull hair because this will bring back the shine. I think the masque is my favourite of the three products, but I am very impressed with all of them.

All three products contain some really lovely ingredients,

Superfruit–a blend of red raspberry, ketones, goji, acai and guava extracts rich in anti-ageing antioxidants
Marula oil–contains natural plant peptides that help support hair’s elasticity
Biotin–nourishes individual strands for thicker, stronger hair
Shea butter–deeply moisturises while conditioning hair and scalp

Some of the benefits you can’t say are having an effect after one month of use, such as anti-ageing, anti stress or strengthening. I can say my hair is more manageable, hydrated, soft, shiny, nourished and has more body. So I guess this trio more than lives up to the hype. I now want to try a lot more from this brand, their selection is quite extensive, and I have spied on the US site that they also have a makeup line. Now that excites me.

SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex is available at Amazon

*PR Sample and affiliate links

Products For In Between Hair Washes

November 5, 2015January 14, 2018 - Vicki 3 Comments

Since having my hair cut shorter last year Into a mess cropped bob I find I don’t need to wash it as often & so I have been using a lot more products in between washes & I thought I would share with you a few of my favourites.

Macadamia Professional Anti Humidity Finishing Spray*

This is a product for all those people who need help fighting the dreaded frizz. I normally wear my hair curly which is how it dries naturally & there is a fine line for me from curly to out right frizzy. Whether its the damp or humidity my hair will go instantly frizzy in these conditions & it’s such a pain. This product is lightweight and shields hair from moisture and humidity, you spray it on to dry hair and it gives a slight hold to your hair but not like a hairspray. It’s not tacky and it doesn’t leave your hair feeling weighed down at all. It helps maintain your style without leaving your hair feeling like it has a lot of product in. This also has a number of benefits for your hair too,

Macadamia Oil – Omega 7,5 and 3 fatty acids provide weightless moisture
Argan Oil – Omega 9 fatty acid repairs and strengthens
Proprietary Copolymer Blend – A water resistant film-forming barrier that protects the hair from weather and humidity
Vitamin E – Offers antioxidant protection against environmental aggressors and helps to maintain healthy, shiny hair
Hydrolized Soy Protein – Strengthens hair fibre; adds shine and smooths hair

So your hair is in good hands. This would be a great product to use when you have an important date or event! Maintain your style for longer.

OGX Hydrating Macadamia Oil Dry Styling Oil

This a dry styling oil from OGX and this is so hydrating and keeps my curls looking bouncy and healthy. You need so little product which is great & this is a product you put on damp hair but I also use this on dry hair to revive my hair, especially when it’s looking a little dry. I only put it through the length & ends of my hair and it stops the annoying flyaway hairs, it never makes my hair looks greasy or weigh it down. For an oil it’s quite lightweight but just remember less is more.

Macadamia Oil – Hydrates and smooths dry hair
Sugar Cane Extract & Bamboo Extract – Soften and helps reduce the appearance of split ends

Colab Luxe Shine*

This is a party season must have. It’s a finishing spray that will leave your hair looking silky soft and glossy.This is such a great product, especially if like me you don’t wash your hair daily & want it to still look fresh. So I like to use it on 2nd and even 3rd day hair almost like a dry conditioner & it revives my dull locks. This luxe shine spray is infused with a nourishing blend of precious oils, silk extracts & shimmering diamond dust, so perfect for achieving the perfect party hair look! Oh & this smells incredible. This is the newest addition to Ruth Crilly’s Colab range & I love it.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Such a popular product & a lazy girl’s best friend. Gone are the days when 2nd-day hair meant greasy unmanageable locks. I use Batiste so much & find that if I put a little in my hair overnight I wake up with hair that looks clean and has body. I have purchased this countless times & always have a few cans on the go. I don’t really have a preference as to what scent I buy I tend to get the one that is on offer.

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray

I have had this for a while now but I tend to use it to give texture to my wavy hair without making it feel crusty or dry. I find sea salt sprays much of a muchness, to be honest, & don’t want to pay a fortune so this travel size one has lasted me a good couple of months. It’s nice sometimes to have a bit of texture and wear my hair less sleek & polished looking but I do find if I use this I will have to wash my hair the next day so I tend to use this when I know my hair needs washing.

So what products do you use in between washing your hair, either to revive greasy hair or add a little texture or shine to your locks? Let me know in the comments what products you would recommend.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

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