POST WASH HAIRCARE FAVOURITES

As a serial hair dyer, haircare has always been a very important and necessary step for me. Damage is of course inevitable when dying the hair and whilst it can't really ever be prevented, it can be managed and proteins and nutrients can be added back into the hair to at least partly restore it back to health. 

Whilst trimming and the removal of dead ends is an important step in keeping hair healthy, I have also found some great products that I found to be effective (at least aesthetically). In todays post, I'm going to show you these products and tell you why I love them so much!

AUSSIE Miracle Hair Insurance Conditioning Spray

This is essentially a leave in conditioner - it can applied to either damp or dry hair and should be sprayed evenly throughout and combed through. I always apply this on my hair when it's damp as I personally prefer the results. I find this to not only be conditioning, but it also adds some much needed shine to my hair too once it's dry. It's great for detangling as well which I find can sometimes be an issue on my finer, long hair. I've repurchased this several times and it's definitely a cult favourite for me!

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Leave in Treatment

Whilst this product is meant to stimulate hair growth, I use it mainly as a source of nourishment and conditioning for the hair. It contains nutrients and proteins which I have found at least from an aesthetic standpoint have improved how my hair looks and feels. Does it promote hair growth? I can't really be sure but I have noticed steady, consistent growth in my hair and am continuing to do so.

Joico K-Pak Colour Therapy Restorative Styling Oil 

I love oils for my hair as moisture and a lack of it can be an issue when using colourants. The problem is, with locks on the finer side, certain oils and products in general can be far too heavy. This oil however is not and I find it to be easy to apply and weightless even in my hair. As with all oils, I keep this applied to the mid-lengths and ends - where the hair is driest and in need of moisture the most. I do find that this product locks into the hair well and it does help to define my colour and add a lovely shine too.

MoroccanOil Treatment - Light

The benefits of Moroccan Oil are well known and this is probably my favourite oil product for the hair. It has a wonderful smell to it that lasts throughout the day and I really find that it penetrates the hair follicle and provides my hair with moisture and visible shine. As with the oil above, I apply this to damp hair focusing on the mid lengths and ends but I do also occasionally also like to finish off a style with this too by applying a tiny amount all over. This product comes in two variations depending on your hair type - a normal formula for thicker hair and a light formula for finer hair making it an accessible and versatile product for everyone. 

There you have my current favourite post wash haircare products. 

Are any of these in your favourites?

Levinia, x

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My Must Have Hair Styling Products!

Haircare is something I haven't really spoken about much on my blog but it's actually something I do take a lot of interest in. 

With that in mind, today I wanted to share with you all my current favourite products for styling my hair. If you'd like me to write another post in the future about my favourite products for washing and conditioning my hair, please do let me know! 

Fudge Urban - Iced Raspberry and Vanilla Hairspray 

I don't really use hairspray as much as I used to, but it is a must for my fringe. Having thinner hair means it can fairly easily come out of place and look a little crazy. Having hairspray on hand helps to tame my hair a little bit and helps it to keep its style for longer. I love this hairspray from Fudge Urban mainly because it smells delicious. Unlike that alcohol scent you usually get from hairsprays, this has a delicious sweet scent to it which lasts! I also find that this spray gives me just the right amount of hold that my hair needs without those dreaded "crispy" ends!

Batiste - Dry Shampoo (Original)

I don't like to wash my hair every single day - it dries out my hair far too much and considering it's already subjected to colouring and heat styling, I want to retain as much moisture in my hair as I can. However, this doesn't stop my hair from getting a little greasy - particularly in the root and fringe area and so to combat this, dry shampoo is a lifesaver! I've tried a few other dry shampoos before but Batiste is one I'll always go back to because well, it works. It's not overly powdery on the hair and blends away quickly and easily. It mattifies the hair and soaks up a lot of oil  as well adding volume which is always welcome!

Morrocanoil - Light Treatment

I first tried this brand when I purchased a small set from them featuring various minis of different products in their line. This particular oil treatment was in that very set and I've been using it for the last few months. It's worth noting that I don't use it everyday, but I'm still nonetheless very impressed by how far it does actually go. I like to apply this oil to my hair when it's damp after washing and when it dries, it leaves my hair feeling beautifully soft and ever so luxurious. I find it to be especially conditioning on my dry ends - and that's where I focus it on most. As the name suggests, this is the lighter version and I find it perfect for my thinner hair - it doesn't way it down at all. You can purchase the original version of this treatment for thicker hair, here. This is definitely a more expensive brand and while I can be quite wary of spending too much on hair care, I feel that this is a worthy investment and I'd definitely buy this product again and again!

TRESemme - Heat Defence Styling Spray

While I try my best not to subject my coloured hair to too much to heat damage, sometimes it just has to be done. And so, it is important to have a good heat defence product to help protect my hair from as much of that damage as possible. Currently, I'm using this heat defines spray from TRESemme and so far, I really like it. This spray leaves my hair feeling soft and sleek as I blow dry or straighten it and I actually feel like it is protecting my hair. My hair doesn't feel as dry after styling and it retains a lot of softness as well having a lot of shine as well. This is a great essential for your hair and I'd recommend it!

Bed Head Tigi - After Party

This is a product from Tigi that I enjoy using after blow drying or straightening. It smells great and is lightweight enough for my thin hair. This cream formula helps to smooth out my hair and any frizz as well as adding shine to it. I just pump a little bit of this and mix it between my fingers and focus it on the bottom half of my hair smoothing it all the way through - it also adds that extra bit of softness to my hair which I love. This is a great product to help finish off your style.

So, these 5 products are my current holy grails of hair styling! I'd recommend them all if you haven't already tried them, and if you have? Make sure to let me know what you thought of them by leaving me a comment! As always, thank you for reading! 

REVIEW: Moroccanoil Treatment Light!

Hi guys! Today I'll be reviewing the Moroccanoil Treatment - which is basically an oil for your hair. 

I've been using said product for around a month or so now so I feel prepared to tell you my thoughts and feelings about it! Enjoy.

About the Product:

This treatment is described as being a versatile and nourishing product that is residue-free. It can be used for conditioning, stylish and as a finishing tool on the hair. It is supposed to also be great with use with other hair products as well as helping to speed up drying time on wet hair. The product itself is meant to help repair hair by restoring it's lost proteins; it's fatty acids, omega 3, vitamins and it's antioxidants which helps to restore it's strength and shine. 

Sounds pretty good, right?

How to Use:

As recommended by the Moroccanoil site, this product can be applied to clean, towel dried hair. You are meant to massage the product from the mid length all the way down to the ends - you can then blow dry your hair or simply let it dry naturally. This product can also be applied to dry hair as a way of finishing off your look and taming any frizz or fly aways!

Packaging:

As with all Moroccanoil packaging, this bottle is sleek and simple in it's design. It again has the recognisable white and teal colouring on it's label and the bottle itself is made from glass which for me, makes it feel like more a higher end product (which I guess it technically is). In the bottle, you get 25ml of product which I believe is the smallest size they do. You can also get 100ml and 125ml bottles.

My Thoughts:

So, on first use of this product the first thing I noticed about it was it's smell. It has a really lovely, salon-product smell - which is the best way I can describe it. I can't really compare to any kind of scent or smell that is recognisable, but I can say that it's really very pleasant and not overpowering. The scent remains in your hair all day and I really like it.

What I have also noticed after weeks of using this product is that it lasts for ages! I've used it consistently for this period time after every hair was (around 3 times a week) and it still looks as if it's a full bottle. So, a little bit really does go a long way with this. 

When applying the product to my hair, the formula does indeed feel lightweight. This particular version of the treatment is intended for fine hair and I can confirm that it doesn't way it down nor leave it feeling greasy. There's no nasty residue and it glides through my hair with ease.

Almost instantly, my hair feels softer - I focus this particularly on my ends and I can safely say I see and feel a difference. My hair feels lovely and soft, it's much more manageable and easier to brush though and it gives my hair this beautiful, luxurious shine! It feels highly moisturising and hydrating and really helps to prevent frizz, too!

Overall, I'm really impressed with this product. I feel like the results are obvious - the softness of my hair and the shine being the main benefits that I have seen. More so that most leave in treatments, I really feel like this is conditioning my hair and making it more manageable. It smells wonderful too and all throughout the day my hair smells and feels lovely. I'd definitely re-purchase this product again when it actually gets used because right now, it seems to be lasting forever! For 25ml, this product costs around £13.45 and in my opinion, it's worth every penny. This is a versatile, multi-purpose product that does what it says and I think considering it's lasting power, it's actually a good deal. You can purchase this particular item from LookFantastic for the price above!

Have you tried any products from this brand? What are your thoughts?!

Thanks for reading.

REVIEW: Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

Hi everyone! In today's post, I'll be bringing you a review on two products that I have recently tried from the brand Moroccanoil. As you may know in a previous post, I showed you a mini set that I purchased from the brand that contained samples of various different products. Within that set was their Extra Volume Shampoo and Conditioner and that's what I'll be reviewing for you today.

So, the shampoo and conditioner themselves are specifically designed to increase volume in fine hair. The troubles of fine hair is something I am all too familiar with  - my thin hair finds it really difficult to hold volume as well as certain styles so I always need the help of styling products. 

Moroccanoil describe their shampoo and conditioner as products that contain the antioxidant Argan oil as well as several nutrients that together help to clean, detangle and bring back body to the hair. They also promise that the duo will bring shine to the hair as well as provide it with manageability and movement. The formulas of the shampoo and conditioner are free of any sulfates, phosphates and parabens.

First Impressions:

One of the main reasons I wanted to try products from Moroccanoil is because of their well known reputation for products that hydrate and bring back life to dry, damaged hair. As a person who heat styles and colours their hair, this is an important factor for me as these things can really take their toll. Argan oil is well known for it's moisturising and nourishing properties and the products' lack of parabens and sulfates is another element that made me want to go ahead and give them a go. 

- Sulfates, phosphates and parabens are known to dry out the hair in the long term and can also strip and fade colour so I was pleased to see that these ingredients were not contained within both the shampoo and conditioner. -

Upon inspecting the products initially, one of my first thoughts was that I liked their packaging. It's simplistic and looks sophisticated in my mind and really has that air of luxury to it. I like the contrast of white and teal, too and overall I think it's nicely designed. 

The smell of these products isn't overpowering and is actually very pleasant to the senses - while I can't quite place what the scent is that I'm smelling (it could be the oils), I can safely say that it is nice.

Use and Results:

Starting with the Shampoo, the first thing I noticed was that it didn't really lather as much as I expected or would have liked it to. I like a shampoo to really lather up on my scalp because I feel it's easier to apply and to know that I'm getting it all over my hair. I had to use essentially two 'pumps' of this shampoo for the top and bottom of my hair as I found it hard to apply everywhere because of this factor. Usually, I need one pump - especially considering I have short, thin hair so for those with thicker and longer hair, this could mean you'd need even more. Despite this however, my hair did feel clarified and cleansed well so I think the shampoo did a very good job at it's overall purpose.

Now on to the Conditioner - and to be honest... I absolutely loved it! 

Instantly upon application, it detangled my hair as if by magic. Once applied, I could easily run my fingers through my hair with ease and I really felt an instant burst of moisture. When I washed it out, my hair was silky soft - more so than with any other conditioner I've probably ever tried - as if I was using an intensive mask. 

My hair was not greasy at all and once dried looked shinier, felt utterly smooth and soft and definitely had some added volume. The ends of my hair (which I have the most trouble with) were noticeably softer, too. I don't think I can praise this conditioner enough - I'm definitely in love with it! So much so in fact, that I promptly went out a bought a bigger size of it from Selfridges.

Conclusions:

So, overall I am very pleased with these products - though definitely more so the conditioner out of the two. I probably wouldn't repurchase the shampoo because I feel as if there are cheaper alternatives that do the same job. However, I have the highest praises for the conditioner and would definitely recommend it especially if you have dry or damaged and / or thin hair and find some conditioners too heavy or greasy. 

It is pricey at around £19.35 (HQ Hair) for 250ml - but if you wash your hair 2-3 times a week anyway like me, it doesn't work out as that bad. If you still think it's a bit of splurge (which yeah, it kind of is) I'd suggest perhaps buying the mini set that I bought to see if it's worth it for you first. You can purchase the Volume Mini Set from Selfridges stores for £25.00 and you get to try out 4 products in total - (one of which is worth over £13 alone).

Have you ever tried any Moroccanoil products? 

Beauty and Fashion Haul!

Hey guys, today I have another haul post for you all - this time, it's all beauty and fashion related. I got a couple of things on sales and them some things were just items I'd been eyeing for some time and finally decided to get! Let's dive in, shall we? 

Urban Outfitters Scarf - £24.00
Forever21 Cream Gloves - £7.99

It's cold in the UK, really cold. Therefore, scarfs and gloves are pretty much a necessity in this country. This scarf is SO thick and warm, let me tell you! It's also really big so you could probably use it as a kind of shawl / wrap type thing if you wanted to as well!

Moroccanoil Volume Set - £25 @ Selfridges

I picked up this Moroccanoil set after spending some time debating about whether or not to purchase the oil that this set comes with. I'd heard a lot of good things about it but of course, a £25 bottle of oil is a purchase I needed to give some thought. When I spotted this one day in Selfridges for the same price I thought it was a win-win; I get to try the oil and 3 other products from the same brand too! Look out for a review on these items soon.

Vera Wang Princess Gift Set - £20 @ Debenhams

Vera Wang Princess is one my all time favourite scents. It does look a little, childish in terms of packaging the older you get, but I really love the scent and personally think that the smell itself isn't. Although I currently have a big bottle of this already, I spotted this set on sale in Debenhams for £20. The savvy shopper I am, I checked the perfume isle for the 30ml to check it's price and to my surprise, it was £40 on it's own! Therefore, I considered this too good an offer to miss and popped it straight in my basket!

Dr Martens - £110

Ah, I think these beauties speak for themselves - just look at them. I'd spotted this gorgeous pair of Dr Martens a while back and ever since I've been debating with myself whether or not to buy them. Finally, after standing around in the Dr Martens store looking awkward for quite a few minutes, I decided to just bite the bullet and buy them. The outcome? I LOVE them! Come on, LOOK AT THEM.

Okay, yes more shoes. I may have a huge teeny bit of a problem. However, in my defence these were on sale so I think my purchase was quite justified. Okay, so maybe I didn't need them but there were just £20.80 so I think for a pair of Converse, that's hard to walk away from. At least for me, anyway...

Collection Liners - £2.79
Rimmel Exaggerate Liners - £3.99
Rimmel Moisture Renew Liner - £3.99

Recently, I've been noticing that some of my lip products are bleeding a little and are not as long lasting as they could or should be. So, I decided to try out lip liners - which are something I'm not really a huge fan of. I tried to get some 'basic' colours so that I could use them with multiple lipsticks. I also got a clear one that I plan to compare to my clear liner from OCC!

MAC Lipstick in Violetta - £15.00
Urban Decay Lipstick in Anarchy - £15.00

 I picked up two lipstick from MAC and Urban Decay whilst browsing in Debenhams. I'm not crazy on MAC lipstick like I know a lot of people are, but I have a few shades which I think are something special and worth the price. This is one of them, it's a bright, pinky-purple shade that in the tube reminded me of Heroine a little bit - also from MAC. As well as that, I picked up my second Urban Decay lipstick - my first one, from the Pulp Fiction collection had the most the amazing formula and feel on the lips and I knew I wanted to try more.

OCC Lip Tar in Strumpet - £11.95

As you guys probably know, I'm a major OCC Lip Tar fan - I think they're amazing value for money and they're superb quality. I picked up this lovely, Winter appropriate colour from Selfridges and I really like it!

So, that's about it for this haul - I know it was a pretty long one. I hope you enjoyed this post and as always, thank you so much for reading!