It’s no secret that I have major volume issues with my hair: it’s that I have none. Nada. Zilch. Zero. My hair is as flat as they come, which has led me to years upon years of trying every single method; methods that led me to write this post, 8 Ways to Get More Volume in Your Hair.
While those methods have helped greatly, I don’t really like doing much to my hair; meaning I don’t want to wake up an hour early to blow dry it, wash it excessively with volumizing products and style it everyday. These methods work greatly for some – that’s why I wrote the post – but for myself and other lazy ones, I just like to wake up with big hair. So far, the only way that happens is to get a perm.
In the past I’ve had disastrous cold perms, which end up being a big frizzy mess – I looked like a clown, and not to mention my hair was completely damaged. But I never learn, and this time around I wanted another perm, not only because I wanted more volume around the crown area, but I decided I wanted wavy hair – no more straight hair I’ve had all my life (minus that year of that hideous perm)!
I wanted something that was the least damaging to the hair, and researched – and heard so much – that digital perms are great. First of all, it’s said to minimize the ‘frizz’ look, because heated rollers control it, and secondly, these heated rollers generate less damage to the hair. In other words – I was sold at that point, did some research where lots of girls claimed that they loved it, and when my friend got a digital perm that turned out fantastic, I booked an appointment immediately.
Perhaps that’s where I went wrong – I didn’t research the place. I went to an ordinary salon near my house (because I wanted it done asap, ah, the curse of being impatient!), and though it was close to my house and very convenient, it was a reputable brand – they had many branches all over the country, so I thought why not.
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Let’s take a moment to breath in this bright piece of art, shall we; because once again, Maybelline has proven that they really know what they are doing when designing their mascara. First there was Great Lash and it’s iconic green/pink tube that can be recognized from miles away, then the idea behind Lash Stiletto was genius (a sexy high heel), and now The Colossal with it’s bright yellow and purple packaging… of course I fell for it!
But Maybelline mascaras will always have a special place in my heart. When I was just started out makeup, Maybelline was my go-to store. I believe my first favorite mascara was by Maybelline, think it was Lash Expansion (?), and I am still to this day mourning its death. Unfortunately, Colossal will not be one of those favorites.
First, I have to speak about The Colossal. The Colossal is available worldwide, but in Asia it has been renamed The Magnum. From what I gather, they renamed it to The Magnum and then made the brush slightly smaller, but the product formula is the exact same. Because I’m in Asia I will have to review The Magnum, and asked my best friend in London to review The Colossal.
So here’s her review in three words: “Don’t like it.”
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When The Body Shop gave me a goodie bag full of their latest organic skincare range, Nutriganics, from their recent media event, I was beaming. First, how generous, and second; I adore organic makeup and really loving this whole green movement. I even wrote about green skincare recently, so I am especially happy I can finally add a review on the site about an organic skincare range.
(Oh yes, and this should not have to be said but as with everything on the site, this is my 100% honest review.)
Foaming Facial Wash
A blend of essentials oils and natural fragrances, the first product in the set is the Foaming Facial Wash. Ingredients include babassu oil, and organic sugar, mixed in with natural fragrances like Italian lemon, jasmine and red fruits. Said to remove impurities and makeup, the cleanser promises to reveal smooth, soft and freshly cleansed skin.
Here’s the thing about cleansers. I love organic makeup because it means less junk on my face, but I’m still at that age of fearing zits, blemishes and oil. That being said, I was very concerned about that when trying this wash – after all, from what I know, how can natural products give my skin and potential zits a kick in the butt? I need chemicals for that, no? Still, I braved two days – morning and night – of this cleanser. What I like about it is that it really does cleanse your face – it feels so smooth, and it’s amazing how gentle it feels on the skin. It really feels like you’re putting nothing on your face, which is wonderful. The only thing is, like I said; I need my chemicals. I obsessively checked my face and sure enough, about 3 tiny whitehead zits were forming, and that was it for me. Back to my old cleanser!
So for this cleanser, I’d recommend it for those who do not have any problems or concerns with zits. If you’re blessed with good, (or just normal) skin and have concerns about aging and want to use organic products, I would definitely recommend it. Perhaps in the future I will use it when that stage of pimples go away (God willing…).
(Side note: I passed this on to my mother and she is raving about how wonderful it is and claims she will use it forever. So like I said, perhaps this is more suited for those that do not have acne prone and oily skin.)
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W3ll people first impressed me with their Narcissist concealer/foundation stick, and they’ve done it once again with Nudist Lip Shine, their very own organic lip balm that not only does the job, but does it w3ll. (Sorry, that pun was just too easy.) The product includes tons of benefits, too:
- Hydrates and softens with EFA rich organic rosehip oil and soothes with calendula
- Shines and softens with a castor oil base and beeswax
- Powerful antioxidant boost with green tea and pomegranate
- Brightens lips with supernatural color pigments
- SPF +/- 10
An organic lip balm with amazing color payoff, it not only moisturizes your lips but gives it some a great hue – the color pigment is very impressive – it really looks like a lipstick. Not to mention, I spy with my little eye some great bright colors, such as hot pink, coral, and a deep purple color that I was fortunate to try out. I even had to take a picture to show you just how grand the color payoff is!
(Apologies for the PhotoBooth picture though, I don’t know where I put my camera. The color is the same but about 10% deeper in real life.)
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Some dermatologists may disapprove, but I’m a big fan of exfoliating your skin (when done gently). You can’t really deny the results of the softness and smoothness it gives the skin – not to mention, your skin looks brand new.
Though I wrote some time ago about body scrubs and exfoliators, I actually had never used one for my face. In fact, I only thought about a facial scrub recently after finding a tiny sample of Clinique’s popular 7 Day Scrub Cream, a sample I got in London last Summer at Harrod’s (I love how the place is so ‘posh’ and yet they hand out samples like candy. Singapore, take note.)
First, a disclaimer: I know I always harp on about Clinique and their wonderful products, and just to tell you all I do not work for them, (although a discount could be nice, seeing as how much moolah I spend on them, hint hint). I just love the brand. Everything that I’ve tried for my skin has worked (their makeup is not bad either, though I prefer their skincare).
The 7 Day Scrub Cream is just that: a facial scrub that is gentle enough to be used everyday. The scrub – like all scrubs, d’oh – is meant to gently exfoliate the skin of its dead cells, leaving soft, smooth skin that allows your cleanser and moisturizer to be absorbed better.
I gotta say, I love this stuff. It is as gentle as they say, although I am only sticking to a regime of once a week; you don’t really need that much exfoliating anyway. It’s a tad pricy, but if you stick to the once-a-week use like I, this is well worth it. The best news is that I had absolutely no reaction or breakouts to this product (long time readers may know my skin is hyper ridiculous and breakouts to everything!) so that’s a huge plus. So basically: it does what it says it does, and does it well. Love it!
Do you use facial exfoliators? I’m also gonna ask the same question I previously asked about serums – do you think exfoliators are necessary to your skincare?
“Can great skin be created? Yes.”
That’s Clinique tagline for their insanely popular skincare line, Clinique 3 Step Skincare System. And with the very attract “Just 3 steps, 3 minutes, twice a day” slogan, it’s no wonder this skincare line has become so popular – and it’s my time to join in the praise for this line!
I began using the Clinique 3 Step Skincare reason when I was just turning 18 – I believe it was the summer before I turned 18 (I’m a September baby!).
To put it briefly, I had received a sample of their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (DDML) on holiday and was too paranoid that it would make me breakout (I still was dealing with zits at that age), so I used it on my hands instead.
(Side note: That’s what I recommend – if you feel a cream isn’t good enough or didn’t work for your face, use it as hand cream!)
Anyway. It was only then I saw how insanely soft my hands felt, that when I got home, I bought a full bottle immediately. While I was at the counter, I remembered that I had heard how famous and good their 3 Step Skin care system was, so I decided to try it out too. I had tried every possible brand to try to get my skin better in the past, trying another brand possibly hurt, right?
Thank goodness I took that chance!
I was a little hesitant at first, though. This was the first “high end” skincare I was going to use, and I really hoped it worked; for that price, it had to! I took their skin type test (I was Type II) and bought the Facial Liquid Soap in Mild, Clarifying Lotion in 2, and their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.
I used it for 2 weeks before I noticed my skin had calmed down a bit, and before I knew it, I was smitten. After a full 6 weeks, I realized that my skin was free of blemishes. I was overjoyed!
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Featured in pretty much every great publication – from Oprah’s O Magazine to Elle, and named a top serum in “the best of the best” by Harper’s Bazaar UK, you can be sure I expected a lot from iS Clinical’s Active Serum.
I was lucky enough to be given a sample of Active Serum by Dr. Karen Soh at my recent trip to her office after experiencing my first laser treatment. She recommended this product and said it’s amazing, and as an anti-aging expert, I had to believe her.
Said to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation and acne, this serum also smoothes and softens the skin texture, as well as provide both long-term results. I also became really excited to try it out after doing research and looking at their their amazing before and after images.
I’ve been using this (almost) every night for the past few weeks, and I am really impressed. I never really thought too much about serum – to me, my beloved moisturizer is enough. However, I really do like the idea of a serum as an extra skin care step.
Though I can’t really vouch their long term results (unless you’d like a review years later!), but from the last few weeks my skin has felt ridiculously soft, and it gives an instant ‘glow’ and ‘lift’ to the skin. No breakouts at all, and I’m extremely happy with this product – I will definitely check out Active Serum once this vial is done and have already recommended it to my Mom. I’m a little scared that this will cost a lot though, but during the past few weeks I’ve hardly used the vial – though 2 drops every night is recommended, one drop for me is enough to rub over my whole face, so it may just be worth the price; you’re hardly using any product!
To put it simply, I would recommend this product. It gives such a youthful ‘lift’. I can’t really explain it; it just seems to ‘wake’ my skin up. I’m really glad Dr. Soh recommended this to me and gave me a sample (thank you!), because I wouldn’t have tried this product any other day, since I have no clue on what’s good in the anti-aging world. If you’re on the lookout for a great anti-aging serum (or a serum that improves your skin and it’s ‘youth’), do try Active Serum out. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Do you use serums? Do you feel they are necessary to your skin care regimen?
Hello and welcome! I'm Renee and I created this site to combine my love for writing, the web, and of course all things beautiful. ;) You can find out more 