HAIRCARE

ghd Platinum Styler Flat Iron Review – Nocturne Collection Limited Edition

April 3, 2018

I fell in love with ghd Flat Iron again so I thought I’d share a quick review. I have been using ghd of several different models on and off over the past 10 years. Also, I was using other hair straighteners in the interim. The ghd platinum styler that I am reviewing today is one of their best models from the newer releases – the Platinum styler comes in different colors such as the classic black and white and I got the design in the limited edition nocturne collection. Prior to this one, my last ghd was bought nearly 6 years ago so this new model just works and feels much better!

I love the dark purple floral design of this styler, and the platinum model looks very sleek and feels expensive in the hand. My hair type is very weak, prone to breaking and naturally wavy with medium thickness. The ghd platinum styler glides over my hair smoothly without causing breakage and makes the hair feel ultra smooth, sleek and shiny. You can create unlimited styles with this tool and I highly suggest you check out their hair hub for tons of inspiration and step-by-step tutorials! I personally love using it for creating straight and wavy styles.

Closer look at the contoured edges

Straight Hair Look

I love the fact that this tool doesn’t make my hair look too flat. I have lots of hair and the straightening process only takes less than 10 minutes – all with one stroke! The rounded edge of the tool is fantastic for adding a bit of curve at the bottom of the hair, so it makes the hair look full of volume and bouncy that is similar to professional styling. I included some pictures of me in straight hair styled by the ghd platinum styler. As you can see the result is sleek but with airy volume!

Wavy Hair Look

The ghd platinum styler is also a life changer for me for creating wavy hair. I must admit I am very clumsy with styling my hair curly and wavy. I have invested in tons of expensive curling tongs and none of them can be used to quickly add some waves in a few minutes. I know that using flat irons for creating wave is so last year, but I never had any success with my old ghd models, whereas the platinum model is very user-friendly for the most inexperienced user! Again I included some pictures of how I style my hair wavy with this styler. I only spent less than 10 mins to create this look (same amount of effort as straightening my hair). The pictures were taken straight after the styling (with no hair products used) and the curl lasted the whole day. Also, I wanted to show the waves more clearly in the pictures. Normally I would brush my hair several times to make the waves look even more natural and loose. Again you have to check out their wavy hair tutorial hub for more ideas!

(PS changed my hair color again)

Last but not least, the ghd platinum styler has universal voltages and comes with 2 years warranty. For more detailed product features, please check out this page.

Disclaimer: This product was sent for review free of charge.

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Labels: FLAT IRON • GHD • HAIR • HAIR STYLER • HAIRCARE • WAVY HAIR

OUAI Haircare Review

October 23, 2017

Caring for my hair has become the top priority ever since I coloured my hair very light, and I’ve been recently trialling out a lot of OUAI Haircare products so I thought I’d mention my picks for the best ones from the range. If you are a heavy social media user, you would have seen this new brand everywhere when it was just launched. The founder Jen Atkin is a top celebrity hair stylist whose clients include Kim K, so consequently any products she launches will be a huge internet success.

As a beauty addict I am always excited to try out new products. I decided to give her products a go (as usual I am not affiliated with any brands and everything I reviewed were purchased with my own money), and to my pleasant surprise, the haircare range has surpassed my expectations and they have quickly become one of my favourite haircare brands.

OUAI Repair / Smooth Conditioners – The conditioners are amazing. I have used a lot of amazing conditioners, but these two still stand out and really wowed me after washing. They truly do their job as they claim. The Smooth Conditioner makes my hair feel incredibly smooth, silky and soft. A little product goes a long way, and my hair stays frizz free and very easy to manage. If you have unruly hair and simply want more sleek and straight hair, I highly recommend this conditioner! The Repair Conditioner is just as good. It repairs and nourishes damaged and coloured hair from within. Even after having my hair bleached multiple times, this conditioner greatly helps to strengthen my hair and keeps them in top condition. My hair feels stronger and bouncier with noticeably less breakage and knots. I alternate between the two, and together they make my hair look and feel super healthy.

OUAI Hair Oil – To me this is a very reasonably priced hair oil that does an amazing job. I have used hair oil that is the double the price, and I still prefer this one that I will re-purchase over and over. First of all, I am addicted to the soft floral scent – a mix blend of gardenia, white musk and ylang ylang. It smells incredibly fresh, and the delicate floral fragrant lingers on your hair for a few hours. The oil can be applied on either wet or dry hair – either way it is absorbed by the hair without feeling greasy. It is very nourishing for dry ends – instantly smooth out the frizzes, and adds moisture and shine to the hair without weighing the hair down.

OUAI Hair Masque – An intensive treatment mask that deeply moisturises the hair and repairs the damage. The packaging is quite unusual (comes with 8 sachets) – the pro is that it is easy to carry it around for travelling, and the con is that you can’t adjust the usage amount. I have thick and medium long hair, and I feel one packet is just enough. The mask has a rich creamy texture, and you leave it on for 10 minutes. Again, I am impressed as I can noticeably feel and see the difference it makes to the hair. The result is on par with a pro-treatment, and the condition of your hair just feels much better in every aspect, after a single treatment.

The OUAI haircare range is available here and here with free worldwide shipping (for the best price)!

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Labels: HAIRCARE • OUAI

My Go-To Favorite Oils – Dior Prestige Oil Serum, OUAI Hair Oil and Omorovicza Oil Review

September 5, 2017

Sharing my thoughts on some of the best oils for face, body and hair that I have used so far – the Dior Prestige Replenishing Oil Serum, OUAI Hair Oil and the Omorovicza Firming Body Oil. All of them are ultra-luxurious aesthetically and the formulas are to-die-for with the most incredible scent. I have been using these 3 oils religiously every night, and they are my minimalist approach to taking care of my skin and hair in less than a minute instead of using 10 different products. They are effective, and I love how they make me feel pampered and relaxed. The amazing smell of each oil helps me to unwind from a stressful and chaotic day so I am very addicted to them.

Dior Prestige L’Huile Souveraine Oil Serum – I have a detailed review here. It is amazing for rescuing the driest skin along with the best anti-aging benefits. My skin appears moisturized, plumped and radiant day after day. It is pricey, but all you need is one/two drops per application. I’ve been using it every day for 3 months now and I am not even half way through. Best of all, this oil is derived from premium French roses, so it will literally make you feel like you are in a fresh rose garden.

OUAI Hair Oil -I bought this oil (from here) after hearing lots of great reviews. It has a very lovely musky jasmine smell to it, and the oil is lightweight and instantly absorbs into the hair. It nourishes the dry ends and smooths out the frizz without feeling greasy and heavy, and keeps the hair looking and feeling healthy. My HD recommended me to apply a drop of oil to the hair before bed, and I’ve been following her advice which seems to make a difference to the condition of my hair in the morning. My hair feels smooth and soft, and less tangled so it takes less time to style in the morning.

Omorovicza Firming Body Oil -I had an incredible body massage at a spa recently with this oil. I loved it so much I had to get one for myself (bought here) at home! It is a luxurious body oil serum with a blend of aromatic essential oils that targets at skin firming and toning. I love the smell as it instantly reminds me of a tranquil spa. Apart from using it all over the body for moisturizing, I particularly love applying it on the neck, shoulder, and décolletage every night. The heavenly aroma helps me to relax and gives me a good sleep. The oil has rosemary and chamomile that are anti-inflammatory and helps to relieve muscle tension. I was advised to apply this oil (as I have a stiff neck and shoulder) immediately after a hot shower which will help to soften the muscle and any tight knots!

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Labels: Body Oil • DIOR • FACE OIL • Hair Oil • HAIRCARE • OMOROVICZA • OUAI • SKINCARE

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt Review

November 20, 2016

I’ve been flat out with lots of gatherings during this time of the year, and it’s taken a toll on my hair as I’ve been using lots of styling products and the dry shampoos. My holy grail hair care product at the moment is the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt, which is amazing for deeply purifying and detoxifying the scalp and hair. It was introduced by my friend who swears by how clean and weightless the hair feels after washing with this scrub, and I’m glad I bought it!

What it is

It is a sea salt scrub designed for targeting scalp issues and encouraging hair growth. It intensively cleanses and rebalances sensitive or oily scalps, and helps relieve post-coloring itchiness or stinging. The main ingredient Sea Salt is a natural exfoliant that eliminates impurities and boosts circulation.

My experience

I use it to substitute shampoo once a week. It gives a very mild exfoliation to the scalp and relieves mild irritation as well. It washes off all the build up and the impurities left on the scalp. During washing, the sensation is quite bizarre and is very different to any other shampoo I have used. The texture is like a thick paste and is not easy to massage over. It makes the hair tangle a little due to the sea salt, but it can be fixed with lots of conditioner. I don’t know how you feel with gentle shampoos, as they never seem to make the roots of my hair completely clean. What I love about this product is that it makes the hair feel so clean without drying the scalp, and my hair feels weightless, healthy with lots of volume. It is also great for post hair coloring, as it thoroughly removes the color residuals, and eliminates all the irritants left on the scalp which may cause sensitivity.

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Labels: CHRISTOPHE ROBIN • HAIRCARE

How to treat and protect colored damaged hair

August 1, 2016

I color my hair quite frequently, as I normally go for quite light balayage (FYI light ashy chestnut is the colour I ask for), so my hairdresser has to add bleach to the color which tends to damage and dry my hair a lot. It is very important for me to treat my hair with extra care, and I use tons of good hair care products for repairing and protection. This post is to share some of my favorite hair care products , including some new discoveries, and some of my old favorites which I have kept repurchasing.

The Hair Damage Test

Hair dye and bleaching tends to destroy the protein in your hair, and with the loss of protein you will notice your hair starting to look dull, breaks frequently and has no resistance. A simple test is to cut a strand of your hair and pull them from both ends. If they stretch and bounce back to the original length, then you have very healthy hair. If they break while stretching, that means your hair is severely damaged. If your hair is stretched but does not return, it shows your hair is damaged and dry but not severe, which is the case for my hair. My experience is that some responsible hair colourists performs this test for your hair when you go for a hair consultation, and they will work around your preferred color depending on your hair condition.

Full Protein Treatment

If your hair is severely damaged, or bleached to a very light color (such as blonde or pastel pink) if you have naturally dark hair, then the only effective treatment that will totally repair your hair is the salon-only OLAPLEX. You can have the treatments done at a salon, and they will also recommend you to get a OLAPLEX home-kit. So if you see your salon has the big OLAPLEX sign on the door/window, you know your hair is in safe hands!

The Half Protein, Half Moisture Treatment

If your hair is not very damaged, then applying a pure protein treatment will give the reverse effect as it will make your hair feel straw-like and crunchy! You should instead go for products that repair and moisturize at the same time which is recommended for my hair condition.

– My current favorite includes the Label M Age Defying, which is raved by a lot of hairdressers. It has all the latest advanced hair care ingredients including protein, collagen and nourishing oils to bring your hair from lifeless to stronger and healthy. Label M products are available here in Australia at discounted prices.

Label M Age Defying Shampoo/Conditioner; Recovery Mask

– Alterna Caviar is my all time favorite. They are on the expensive side, but they are so luxurious and nourishing, and they transform your hair after just one wash. Your hair will feel instantly more healthy and manageable. I have recommended this range to a lot of my friends, and none of them can go back to other brands!

Alterna CC Cream; Alterna Replenishing Shampoo/Conditioner; Heat Protection Spray; Moisture Mask;

– The Kérastase Resistance Collection is also really good. This range has less protein than the above two, and it makes your hair feel softer and more moisturized. If your hair is not as weak but still need repair, I highly recommend this range.

Weekly Deep Conditioning treatment

I love using hair masks, normally twice a week. The hair masks are more intensive, and they make the hair feel deeply nourished and conditioned. Some of my favorites include the Amika Nourishing Mask (love everything from the range, bought here in Australia), Shu Uemura Shusu Sleek Masque – very moisturizing and good for making hair super sleek and glossy. Can’t stop gushing about the Original&Mineral Seven Day Miracle Moisture Mask – this is a quick intensive treatment that you can just leave on for 2 minutes in the shower, and you will definitely feel a difference after a few uses. All of these treatments are not too heavy, and they don’t make your hair feel greasy.

Color Treatment

To prevent hair color from going brassy, it is vital to incorporate a silver shampoo/treatment into the routine. It acts like a hair toner, the purple tone counteracts the brassiness and redness in your hair, and makes your hair stay blonde and ashy longer. I’ve tried several silver shampoos and I find them to be too drying for the hair, so I opted for the purple treatments. I like the ID Color Bomb Silver Hair treatment and a custom-made purple treatment shampoo that I got from my local salon.

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Labels: ALTERNA • AMIKA • HAIRCARE • KERASTASE • LABEL M • ORIGINAL MINERAL

GOLDWELL DUALSENSES Rich Repair 6 Effects Serum Review

August 20, 2014

The GOLDWELL DUALSENSES Rich Repair 6 Effects Serum is a hero product for making my dry and chemically processed hair look shiny and sleek. I’ve been using it everyday for the past month and I would recommend this to anyone who suffers from frizzy, dry hair as well as styling with heat on a frequent basis. It is quite a concentrated serum that aims to repair severely damaged and stressed hair.

On damp hair after washing, I normally apply less than a pea size to the ends of my hair, and it helps to control the frizz and makes my hair feel moderately moisturized. Applying more than a pea size of this serum tends to make my hair feel overly soft… I love mixing this serum with my favorite hair oil, and the combination just completely reverses the damaged appearance of my hair – making them look healthy and smooth, and much easier to manage with less tangle.

The beauty of this product is that it is suitable to be used to on unwashed hair. Since I wash my hair every two days, and on day two the ends of my hair would start to feel dry and look frizzy again. This is an excellent product to be used as a dry leave-in conditioner, and I would totally re-purchase it for this reason as most hair oils are heavier. This serum has a lightweight milky texture that absorbs into the hair instantly without feeling sticky and greasy. When I have extra time, I like to quickly run the ends with my Steampod (reviewed here), and that would make my hair fresh and conditioned with a natural shine .

Disclaimer: This post contains product sent courtesy of GOLDWELL for review

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Labels: HAIRCARE

RUSK MIRACURL Review

July 7, 2014

There is a great lineup of beauty tools I would like to talk about, and the RUSK MIRACURL is the first one that I’d like to share my thoughts on because I am just so excited about it! I have been very intrigued by this tool since it was released as it looked quite ‘magical’ to me, and it really made my day when it arrived in my hand!

What it is

It is a hair curling tool that automatically curls your hair to perfect waves. Perhaps many of you would have seen this one in Australia already, or the Babyliss Pro MIRACURL in other countries. They are very similar in terms of look, function and performance, and they actually belong to the same mother company CONAIR but just under different brands.

How it works

It comes with 3 heat settings (230, 210 and 190) with the highest one for thick hair and the lowest one for fine hair.

There are also 3 timer settings with

– 8 seconds for loose waves

– 10 seconds for soft curls

– 12 seconds for more defined curls.

It also comes with 3 curl direction settings for right, left and auto.

– For a more neat and uniform curl, you can choose the Left setting when styling the left side of the hair so the curl would always be in the same direction. And vice versa for the right side of the hair with the Right setting.

– For a more natural look, auto setting will alternate the direction after each curl.

As for me, I have medium to thick hair, and I normally use temperature setting of 210 with the timer set to 10 seconds in the alternating mode.

How to use:

Make sure your hair is dry and tangle free before use. For longer lasting curls, I normally prep my hair with a small amount of curling styling cream. Grab a section of hair (I find 3cm width is the best) and place the styler at where you would like the curl to start. Once you close the handle, the hair is automatically drawn into the curl chamber, and there will be beep sound indication based on your timer setting. Refer to this link for a more detailed video demo.

curling chamber

My thoughts:

Amazing! And it is really fun and easy to use. It’s very different to the conventional curling irons/tongs, but once you get the hang of using this styler to create your desired curls (takes 1 – 2 practices), you would completely get hooked on it. Despite the ease of use, this styler gets a big thumbs up from me for delivering perfect curls consistently. With a normal curling tool, my biggest problem is that the size of the curls can look inconsistent with some are too lose and some are too small , and I always had to go back and redo the curls. With the RUSK MIRACURL, it guarantees to gives you a professional result with absolutely no skill required.

I included some pictures of me styled with the RUSK MIRACURL. The size of the curl is equivalent to the standard barrel wand in 1 1/4 “. As mentioned earlier, I normally use heat setting 210 with a styling cream (using Sebastian Potion 9 at the moment), and the curl lasts lasts through to the next day. You can get very defined curls with this tool, or you can brush the curls out to achieve a more effortless and loose curls look like what I did.

Disclaimer: Big thanks to RY for sending the Rusk Miracurl for review.

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Labels: Beauty Tools • HAIRCARE

Best Volumising Hair Products

November 24, 2013

Styling my hair is a challenge – quote from my hairdresser. It wasn’t until my HD told me why – I have naturally frizzy and puffy hair but with very flat roots! So not only do I need products to make them sleek and smooth, I am also constantly on the lookout for the best root lifting products. I have tried tons and here are the products I recommend:

1. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray – Absolutely my HG. I have mentioned this product in my past posts. Basically it’s a texture spray that goes on completely invisible and weightless, and adds lots of volume and refreshes the roots at the same time. It also keeps my hair dry and soft which is what I like the most. I normally used it on my roots but I have seen celeb stylists use it throughout the whole hair on their clients for some va-va-voom volume. The downside is that it is expensive for using as a dry shampoo, and it is not available in Australia! I am down to my last can now so I am saving it for special occasions.

2. Alterna Bamboo Volume Uplifting Root Blast – My second favorite product that I almost use everyday. It gives just enough volume and lift to my limp roots, and I like this product because it has holding power that lasts for several hours, and it doesn’t make my hair sticky nor stiff. The downside is that it’s not a dry spray so it may take some time for the product to dry if too much is applied.

3. SACHAJUAN Root Lift – Works very similar to the Alterna Root Blast. It’s a non-sticky styling spray in an aerosol can that adds volume and hold. I bought this because I was attracted to its clean and sleek packaging.

4. Alterna Bamboo Smooth Anti Humidity Hair Spray – I really like the Alterna line so I bought this product to try after my success with the root blast. This is more of a flexible holding spray which also helps to control frizz. I normally use this product after I give the roots a hot blast with blow dryer, and it helps to hold the lift with a dry finish. The downside is that it gives the hair a harder texture (as most holding hair sprays do), and I have to run my fingers through to soften it.

5. Kevin Murphy Hair Resort Spray – I always like my ‘beach hair’ after a swim as my hair just dries up in natural waves with volume in a way that I can never recreate with any tools. So that made me purchase this volumising hair spray in the hope of achieving the same texture. I spray it on to the dry roots then scrunch it up, and it helps to add massive volume. The downside is that it feels quite heavy on the hair due to the salt content, and can make hair sticky and crunchy.

6. Aveda Pure Abundance hair potion – There is a lot of hype about this product when it was first released. It’s a root lifting product in powder form but turns into liquid wax as soon as it applied on to the hair. It volumises the hair by adding thickeness and texture. I think this would work great on fine hair, and as for me who has medium to thick hair, I find this product is too heavy and thick for my liking.

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Labels: ALTERNA • AVEDA • HAIRCARE • Kevin Murphy • Oribe

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