Haircare: Argan Oils!

Bleaching, blow-drying, straightening... I put my hair through a lot of badness! It's very thick and gets very dry, which isn't a great look and obviously isn't good for the condition of my hair. So anything I can do to add moisture, improve the condition, and make it look healthier and shinier (which isn't always easy for blondes), I am keen to give a go!

I'd heard great things about argan oils, and have bought a few bottles of the VO5 Miracle Concentrate over the last year or so. It's a leave-in treatment, to be used on wet hair. It claims to be high in Vitamin E, rich in anti-oxidants, hydrating and deeply conditioning. It is also claimed that it helps look after your hair by reducing drying time, so you don't need to blow-dry it for so long.

I really liked the VO5 Miracle Concentrate, and have used it up and re-purchased a couple of times. However, I don't use it as much since going blonde again. When I had dark brown hair, I really felt like it added shine and smoothed down any frizz. It's still a great product, but I don't like to put anything of this kind of colour on my hair as I'm trying to tone down any orangey tones I may have. It could purely be in my head, but after using brightening and tone correcting products to wash my hair, I don't want to counteract that by using this on top of it. It doesn't change the tone of my hair, but I do feel like it tones down the blonde shades I've been trying to bring out until I wash it next. 

I like the bottle for this product. The pipette means you have good control in how much you dispense, which is nice for an oil and it would be easy to squeeze or pour too much out. A little also goes a long way. You really only need one or two squeezes of the pipette.

I think it reduced my blow-drying time slightly, but not considerably. It does leave you feeling like you've done your hair some good though, and I think it smells gorgeous, which is always nice with a product you're putting on your hair.

A slightly more expensive option is the Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil - Penetrating Oil. I had never actually seen these Organix products before, but my mum bought this when she was in Boots recently and recommended it to me to help restore the condition of my hair. The product says it 'helps to rapidly penetrate the hair shaft restoring shine and softness while helping to strengthen and create soft, seductive, silky perfection.'. 

It also claims to help protect the hair from styling heat and UV damage. I liked this product a lot. It really makes my hair feel much healthier and softer, and is practically clear. This doesn't smell as nice as the VO5 Miracle Concentrate as it has a slightly more soapy shampoo scent to it.

The Organix Moroccan Argan Oil range also has a shampoo, conditioner and other treatments available, that I'd love to give a go.

I really like using both of these products. However, I am going to stick to using the Organix for a while. I like that it's a thicker kind of gel than the VO5 Miracle Concentrate, as you can sometimes feel like you're losing a lot of the thinner VO5 oil on your hands. The thicker consistency also feels like it's doing more for your hair.

Both products are easily absorbed, which is nice because they feel like they're working and hydrating without leaving a residue on the hair.

Although the Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil is slightly more expensive (I believe it retails for £7.99, but it isn't actually listed on the Boots website despite the other Organix products being listed) than the VO5 Miracle Concentrate (£5.19 from Boots), but you do get double the amount of product, and I feel like it goes even further than the VO5.

I'd buy both of these products again, as I enjoy using them both and think they're both great options for restoring some moisture to dry, over-worked hair.

Have you tried either of these or any of the other Organix range?

xxx

VO5 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil 50ml - £5.19 -http://www.boots.com/en/Vo5-Miracle-Concentrate-Elixir-with-Argan-Oil-50ml_1228559/

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil - Penetrating Oil - Around £7.99 (Available from Boots) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moroccan-Argan-Oil-Renewing-Penetrating/dp/B006B6SE6E/ref=sr_1_22?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1340375822&sr=1-22

NYC All Day Long Foundation Review!

I recently bought the NYC All Day Long Smooth Skin Foundation in an attempt to find a good bargain drugstore foundation.

I have pretty dry skin most of the time, but as things warm up for Summer my skin tends to get more moisture to it and become more of the 'normal' skin type.
When I began using this foundation the weather was a bit cooler and grey, therefore my skin was a bit dryer. Although I always moisturise before applying my foundation, I found the product was a bit cakey on my dry areas and dried in any lines or on blemishes.

Luckily, the weather got brighter and a lot warmer and, unlike a lot of pricier foundations you find in drugstores, I felt this is where it excelled. I found it blended really well on the skin and didn't feel heavy or too much for the skin in the hot weather. It gives a more matte finish than I normally go for, but it didn't make my skin look dull.

As a paler girl I found the colour great for my skin tone. A lot of paler foundations I've tried have been too pink for the tone of my skin.

It lived up to it's 'All Day Long' promise and stayed put on my skin all day, despite being in the sunshine and walking around a lot (and let's be honest, sweating a bit! - Sorry!). I liked that after a few days of using it I could put it on in the morning and not worry about it melting off and being left too shiny.
It has no SPF but I use my Superdrug Vitamin E SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream everyday before applying.

While it might be too matte for me personally in other seasons, I'll be using this in the warmer weather for a non-moving, reliable base. I think it's a great buy for the price (£3.99 from Superdrug), but possibly not for you if you have particularly dry skin.

Let me know if you've tried it and what you thought or if there's any cheap drugstore foundations you'd recommend!

xxx

NYC All Day Long Smooth Skin Foundation - £3.99 from Superdrug http://www.superdrug.com/foundation/nyc-all-day-long-foundation-classic-beige/invt/380850/&bklist=

Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream - £2.99 from Superdrug http://www.superdrug.com/superdrug/superdrug-vitamin-e-spf-15-moisture-cream-100ml/invt/398217/&bklist=

It's Raining Men!

I popped into Lush the other day on the hunt for a new soap/shower gel. I was torn between Honey I Washed The Kids soap or It's Raining Men shower gel as I really love sweet scents, particularly honey and vanilla (although I find it really hard to find any vanilla scented soaps/shower gels in Lush).

After a demo of both and much deliberation, I opted for It's Raining Men, and I was not disappointed!
This smells amazing! In the bottle it smells like pure honey heaven! Then when you use it in the shower it releases not only a gorgeous honey scent, but all these citrusy undertones. The assistant in the shop said it was meant to have an exotic floral scent, but I didn't really pick up on this, which is good as I'm not a huge fan of flowery products.

It's really rich and moisturising, and left my skin smelling beautiful... Love, love, love.
However, I only picked up the 100g bottle (for £4.50) which I don't see lasting too long, and I'm not sure I'd want to keep replacing it at the prices it sells for. But we shall see how we go, and if you can afford it and enjoy these kinds of scents, I heavily recommend it!

Also, I have to say the ladies in Lush (Victoria Station) were absolutely lovely and so keen to help and provide their genuine opinions on preferences, which was refreshing and helps brighten your day when you're waiting on tired feet for a delayed train! They also threw in a free sample sized Honey I Washed The Kids soap anyway, so I'll see how I like that when my shower gel is gone.

Let me know if you know any good vanilla smelling products from Lush, what your faves are, and if you know of any similar cheaper alternatives! I'd love to know!

xxx

It's Raining Men Shower Gel - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/233/It's-Raining-Men-Shower-Gel-100g
Honey I Washed The Kids Soap - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/204/Honey-I-Washed-the-Kids-Soap-100g