A Product Review: TGA Professional Frizz-Out Leave In Smoother

I was recently at a hair discount shop buying new shampoo when I thought it was time to try another product that you can apply to dry hair which claims to repair it. I have tried a few with varying results but nothing too impressive that I would buy again. 

The gentleman behind the counter recommended this to me, he used to be a hair dresser himself and said this was good and could also be used as anti frizz. I find my hair is only frizzy the day after washing it so i've never really looked for anti frizz items. 

This product was $18.95 for a 150ml tube which claims it seals, moisturises, repairs and protects your hair. I don't do much research when buying a new product I tend to just buy it and see what I think then read what other people thought as well once i'v'e made my mind up. This brand is interesting because I had never heard of it when I bought it and can't find anything on it. I looked it up and couldn't see anything about the brand or other products they sell. Which was disappointing because i've been adoring this leave in smoother so much I would buy it again and it's the main product i've been using. 

It is so worth the cost and you only need a tiny amount which you can rub into your hands then run them through your hair. It says you can apply it to dry or towel dried hair. I already have a few things I use in wet hair so i've only applied it to my hair when it's dry. I use it twice a day, once at night and once during the day. I am so happy with the results as my hair feels really soft and looks a lot healthy. Also after a wash and dry this gets rid of frizz straight away which is an awesome bonus. If I am straightening my hair I use this before straightening as it protects your hair from the damages of heat styling as well. I also apply before bed just to keep my hair fresh and look after it for all the hell I put it through.
Overall this product is amazing and i've been loving it! I would love to know your thoughts or if you know more about this mysterious brand as i'd love to see what else they have to offer. 
So as always feel free to comment below :) 

Bows!

Recentlty I have been adding more accessories to my hair just to mix things up a little bit. I am currently loving the addition of bows to my hair do's, I think they are cute and adds a little decorative touch to any hair style. The little ones came in a pack of three for $9.95, the bigger one I got was $5.95 from memory.

These are just a couple of the bows i've been wearing lately :) 

Myself wearing the bigger bow which i've been wearing a lot lately, I am not a huge fan of leapord print but in this case I made an exception ;) 

What accessories do you use in your hair? I'd love to know so feel free to comment below! :) 

Photography

A few weeks ago marked the end of the photography course I have been attending, it was an 8 week course on the basics of how to use an SLR camera. My purpose of attending this course was two reasons, one for better photographs on my blog and two, my general interest in photography. During school I did pick photography as a class but that was more developing photo's in a dark room so it was safe to say this class was a much different experience.

The class was great and it was mostly practical, the teacher and other students were so friendly it was something I am really glad that I got the chance to do. I think the idea of getting an SLR camera is exciting but learning how to use it is another story. I thought i'd share some of the pictures I took during the class :) 

Shutter speed 1/160,  F 3 

Shutter speed 1/125,  F 3.2

Shutter speed 1/125,  F 3.2

Redken All Soft Argan-6 Oil

Hey guys! :) 

This is actually the second product in the Redken all soft range that I have decided to purhcase and give a try so if you'd like to see the review I did for the all soft heavy cream click here.

Excuse the poor lightning in the picture it was getting pretty late so you can't actually see the label but you get the idea of what it looks like. So I loved the heavy cream and thought i'd give another product in this range a go, I liked this one but not as much. It's a leave in serum which contains omega-6 argan oil used to deep condition your hair to make it soft and shiny. The serum is fairly runny and not as thick as some of the other ones I have tried. I like to have a miss between conditioning masks but also leave in products which you can use on dry hair in between washes, this product works well on wet or dry hair which is handy. However because it is so runny you can only apply a tiny amount (I use one to two pumps and rub well into my hands) I then run it through the ends of my hair. My original idea was to use this on a daily basis however I found it made my hair quite oily and it didn't feel great after applying so I used it every second day or when wet just after a wash.

You can get this from most hair product shops and I paid around $17 for the 90ml bottle which is fairly expensive. I haven't really noticed any differences in my hair unlike when I used the heavy cream in this range so I would not buy this product again. I like to use something for a month or two till I expect too see some kind of results and I feel all this product really does is act as an anti frizz rather then actually repairing my hair or making it softer as it promises.

Thanks for reading and would love to know what products you use or what you think of this one so as always feel free to comment below :)

Sally Hansen: Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit

There is nothing like flawlessly painted nails and if you're like me I am not keen on acrylics and prefer to keep my natural nails as I don't like the damage acrylics do to your real nails. I use to get gel nail polish done monthly at this really nice spa but it got to a point where I wanted to save for other things and stopped going. I've spent a fair amount of money trying to find nice nail polishes and ones that don't chip so they claim and have a decent colour. 
I've seen the gel kits around and from going to the spa I used to buy the gels themselves but didn't have the UV light to actually do anything with them. I'd been hearing about the Sally Hanson gel polish starter kit and thought it might be worth looking into as the OPI one is limited to salons and Sally Hansen is a pretty decent brand. You can buy the kit for $100, it comes with 10 alcohol cleansing wipes, a file, cuticle stick, acetone polish remover, a base/top coat and a main colour. With the kit there are three different colours you can choose from and I chose there colour "Wine Not" it is basically a deeper red rather then your classic bright red. 

A picture of the kit with everything that comes in it :) 

The instructions advise you wipe your nails with the alcohol cleansing wipes then apply the base coat, two colour coats and a top coat for 30 seconds each. I found this confusing when first using because after applying the colour and drying under the light I would test to see if the colour rubbed of on my hand to see if it had fully dried. I had it under the light for more or less two minutes and still the colour rubbed off so I was confused as to how it couldn't have dried by this point. So I gave up and applied the next coat anyway. After putting all the coats on once you apply the alcohol cleansing wipe again the colour will no longer rub off onto your hand if you test it. This will happen no matter how long you dry your nails for as it is sticky residue which the cleansing wipe will fix in the end. I thought I would mention this as I found it to be really confusing but once I did this it was a lot quicker to apply and less frustrating. 

A picture of my nails! this was taken on day 2 after the I applied the polish

For these pictures I used the Sally Hansen base/top coat but the OPI big apple red nail polish colour, I wanted to see if the OPI gels would work even though I wasn't using the OPI lamp and they did. This is great for me as I already have a fair few of there colours although the Sally Hansen gel's work just as well. As for the two week no chip claim which the gel colours promise I didn't find it terribly accurate in my experience. The gel tends to peel off in a whole lump rather then chip like regular polish but I find you only get a week's use out of it which is still pretty good for a nail polish. 

The nail gels that come in the kit

I did debate whether or not too return this product as it is a lot of money and I wasn't sure whether it really lived up to my expectations. However the gel looks amazing on and is really easy to apply in comparison to the endless waiting for regular polishes to dry and I found my nails would still always have marks. 
Because the acetone nail polish remover can be pretty harsh I would definitely give your nails a break every now and again but I am really glad I bought this and would highly recommend it. 

The Body Shop: Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser & Facial Brush

Recently I had been experiencing some break outs and my skin care routine wasn't the best, as I sometimes find it hard of a night to remove my make up and apply a cleanser and didn't put much thought into the cleanser which I was using either. It has always kind of been yep this one is cheap so i'll pick it, I am a huge fan of the Avon facial range however having to order it can be a hassle so I don't often purchase it as much as i'd like. So with this in mind I thought it was about time I actually pick a new cleanser and put some thought into it rather then pick anything. Looking at my previous posts you can pick up on the fact I do enjoy The Body Shop and what products they have available so I decided to check out their skin care range. 

I did find it a little daunting as they have a lot of different skin care products and types (vitamin E, tea tree oil ect.) I had not done much research prior to going in and was in a mood where I was desperate and wanted something right away. Luckily for myself the lady working there was really helpful and nice so I was able to talk to someone about my skin and what would work for me. 

I have sensitive skin so she recommended I give the aloe calming facial cleanser a go as this is good for sensitive skin. It is $20.95 for a 200ml bottle which so far I have been applying once during the day and once at night. I wasn't sure whether to get the facial wash or cleanser so she let me try out both on my hand as weird as that sounds it was actually really helpful. I felt both were good but the cleanser was more creamy based which I felt moisturised my skin more and my skin can be dry sometimes so it seemed to be a good choice for me. 

When applying to my hand she used their facial brush which she also recommended to use when applying the cleanser. It is $4.95 and it's main purpose is to exfoliate to when applying the cleanser to improve the tone and texture of your skin. I have been loving both products at the moment and my break outs ceased within a day or two which I was really happy about. I am really keen to try out there other products in the Aloe skin care range to see how they fair. 
When applying this I like to apply the cleanser on my face then hot water on the brush and exfoliate it off using the brush I have found this has felt the most effective for me. I have been loving these products and would highly recommend them although I think with anything skin care related it's always good to get the opinions of the sales staff to see what they would recommend based on your own skin. 

Thanks for reading and would love to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment below! :)

Body Shop: Limited Edition Jumbo Shower Gel

I think anything limited edition already sounds a little more tempting knowing the prospect that it won't be around for long, it's hard not to take advantage of the opportunity and buy it. The Body Shop has realsed jumbo editions of their shower gels and body butters, I already have a body butter from Pure Fiji I enjoy using but I do love The Body Shop shower gels. The great thing about these is they are only $19.95 for a 750ml bottle which is awesome value for money in comparison to the smaller shower gels they offer. The one I purchased was the satsuma scent which is also a special edition, this is my favorite scent because it's an orange citrus scent. I love anything orange as you can tell it's not the only body shop product I have purchased in this scent. My review for the satsuma eau de toilette is here if you would like to check it out. 

The smell is beautiful and lingers for a little while but not as long as I would like, to be honest. However I still do love how big they are and cheap especially for the body shop as I find some things they sell are a little on the pricey side. 

Overall I would reccomend this product and to give this scent a go, I'd love to know what scents in The Body Shop you have tried and what you think. 

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below =] 

Dior: Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm

Hey guys! 

So I have been using this product for a long time now and thought it's about time I give it a mention up on here :) 

Basically I am little bit of a brand junkie and like to see what the higher end brands have to offer and whether or not they are worth their expensive price tag. 

This product I got from Myer for $49 which for a lip balm is pretty expensive I am not going to lie, however a little does go a long way so it is a bit of a treat. You can purchase it for around $40 on strawberry net, it's basically a website that sells cheaper make up, it doesn't have a wide selection but you can buy higher end make up brands at a cheaper cost. 
This lip balm is great at keeping your lips moist but it also adds colour to your lips which is an added bonus. I do enjoy using this lip balm however it isn't for everyone it has a nice scent but apart from the added colour it isn't any better then your average drug store lip balm. 
I like to apply it after i've used my Lush lip scrub which you can see my review for here. 

A picture of the lip balm so you can see the pretty pink colour you get :) 

Overall I do like this lip balm and have been using it for a long time, however would I buy it again, probably not I think it goes to show you that sometimes the most expensive brands aren't always necessarily the best out there. What kind of lip balm do you use? 

Would love to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment below < 3