Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray

Well I sure took my time to make an actual review of this spray and the irony is that I've been using it all the time since I got it. I even got a back-up of it because I was worried I'll run out and I'll be without it for a while. I never thought I'd be that girl - the one who swears by texturising sprays. My hair has tons of natural "texture" due to being coarse and thick, so such products aren't what you'd expect I'll like. I also have a fair amount of natural volume, though even I'm never really happy in that department because I always see girls with way prettier and thicker hair than me. I use texturising sprays for one task and that is to make my freshly made curls look better and last longer. The first texturiser I tried was from L'Oreal #TNT and it's useless, but I loved the second one VO5 Texurising spray. Charles Worthington's one is very similar to the latter, but it has a stronger hold and that's why I prefer it, but both are great. 

Just like the VO5 one it's something like a mix of a dry salt spray and hairspray. It's a product that can feel almost like nothing on the hair if used in moderation, but it can also create a bit of that crispy-hairspray feeling if you apply it liberally. Personally I don't mind if it makes my hair a bit hard as I'm used to having loads texture in my hair because my hair is coarse and never soft, but it might bother all those who have silky soft thin hair. As far as volume goes, I'm pretty much set with what nature gave me anyway, but this does give that bit of texture and hold, so it holds the volume once the hair is "tousled" or messed. I like to apply this right after curling the hair to get the curls to look better and in conjunction with a hairspray it actually helps keep the hair curled a lot longer - something I greatly appreciate. With this my curls last for days, or better said, a day or two longer than normally as you may know that my hair keeps curls very well anyway.

It has a fruity scent that I can't point out exactly what it is, but I think that it may be grapes and watermelon, though it doesn't last long on my hair.

I've been trying out my new curling iron, Sapphire Complete 8 in 1 Wand, so I did two looks meaning I used two wands (you'll hear more about the curler sometime in this or the next month). For the first I used the pearl wand for messy, beachy waves. 

For the second I used the 3.8 cm wand for very loose waves, it's more about volume than curls. So far I'm in love with this curling iron.

Ingredients:

If you read my lip colour and blush reviews then you've seen me after I used this spray many, many times. Basically it's on my hair in probably over 90 % of such posts since December last year. I love using this spray when I've just curled my hair because it adds a lot more hold, it makes the curls look more lived in, adds volume and basically it just makes it look better. I'd definitely give it a try if you have thin hair with no volume or if you have the type of hair that doesn't hold curl well because it adds that grip and texture that silky hair needs to retain a curl. To my delight this is a winner in my book and I'm glad I ventured into the world of texturizing spray as they have become indispensable to me.

I buy it on Boots Intenational where it costs £6.99.

Have a great day!

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It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product

I got this way back for as a gift to myself for my birthday. As a hair junkie I was itching to try this because this is super popular and highly-rated in the US, so I really wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Much like the here more familiar Uniq One, it promises to do everything apart from iron your shirts and I must admit I'm always very apprehensive about such products, but rave reviews got to me. I have to say that my gut was right one more time, but it at least does the basic thing I expected from it and that is protect from heat. 

The texture was a surprise to me. I expected a regular liquid leave-in, much like Sexy Healthy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in Conditioner simply because it's a spray, but this one is kind of a mix of a light lotion and an almost mousse texture. It's still easy to spray on the hair, despite the thicker-than-usual texture for a spray pump. You can also spray it into your palm and apply it that way if you wish to. It smells pleasant, but I can't describe the scent well other than it's one of those hair salon ones.

Moving on to the promises, I was most looking forward to the promise of reducing frizz, but there are nine more. Let's go through them one by one:

1. Repairs dry, damaged hair - honestly it's way too light to really help with the dryness. It's nothing like Kérastase Nectar Thermique, but I guess it should help with moderate dryness.

2. Adds shine - I don't know, I guess so. My hair is very dark, so it obviously has plenty of shine on its own. Blondes could tell you more at this point.

3. Detangles - my hair isn't that tangly, but I haven't noticed a massive difference when using this. The conditioner does the job of making the hair easier to comb anyway.

4. Controls frizz - much to my disappointment no. Sebastian Professional Potion 9 is still the best for this job.

5. Seals and protects hair colour - I don't dye my hair, so I don't know about this.

6. Prevents split ends - I haven't noticed a reduction in split ends or breakage. So no, it doesn't work.

7. Stops hair breakage - As I said above, no.

8. Creates silkiness - my hair is naturally never silky because it's so thick and this makes it a bit silkier, but not a lot compared to Kérastase Nutritive line.

9. Enhances natural body - I have plenty of natural volume, but this doesn't give me more body like for example got2b Volumania Mousse or Kérastase Forme Fatale. 

10. Flat iron spray and thermal protector - yes and that's actually the only thing I'd categorize this as -  a classic, light heat protector. It's doesn't weight down the hair, it does its job and that it. Nothing fancy about it.

So was it worth tracking down? I wasn't blown away by it. The rave about it is huge, but for me this is just a standard, light heat protection. I do like it, don't get me wrong, I actually like having such easy products, but there are so many other ones that do that bit more for my hair. I haven't tried Uniq One to compare the two, but I imagine they are very similar. Both filled with promises that mostly fail to deliver, but if they described the product more modestly and state what it actually is, I'd be a lot more pleased. 

If you live in a place where this is readily available and don't mind paying 18 $ for a nice heat protection spray, then go for it. But for us who need to track it down on places like eBay, I don't think it's worth the trouble.

I got it on eBay for 13.33 € without shipping, which was obviously high. 

Have a great day!

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Best Beauty Tools

TONI AND GUY Sectioning Clips

These were the discovery of the year in 2014. I've always wanted sectioning clips, but I could never find more than a pack of 2 for a completely unreasonable price in our drugstores. Then I resorted to eBay and ordered these for a few euros not expecting much, but the quality of these blew me away. They are made from that "NARS" like rubberised, matte plastic and the spring is a really good one meaning it's not too weak, but neither too tight. I use these every time I blow dry or curl the hair to keep them out of the way as well as to  pin the just blow dried strands in a ring shape to let it cool and in that way create a loose wave. 

I bought mine from this seller.

Pot Nail Polish Removers

A trend that Bourjois started years ago with their Magic Nail Polish Remover and that has now spawned many "dupes", both more affordable and more expensive. The level of brilliance when it comes to these removers still astonishes me and I can barely imagine myself still using the old school remover and cotton pads to remove the nail polish from my fingernails. All you have to do is pop the finger in the pot, swish it around for a while against the foam soaked in remover and it's done. It shaved so much time of removing nail polish, which before was one of my most hated beauty chores. This is truly an amazing beauty invention and I hear some even make their own versions from common household objects. 

BENJABELLE Daisy Brush Tree

The days of putting just cleaned damp brushes on the edge of the table or on the radiator are long for me ever since I got this brush drying station. It's such a clever little thing and it does its job so well. All you have to do is put the damp brushes upside down in silicone grippers and wait for it do dry. It prevents the water collecting inside the ferule and dissolving the adhesive, therefore prolonging the life of brushes. This one is also collapsible, so it's easy to store in the drawer when you're not using it. 

Mine is from Glossy.si, but international readers can get it on the official Benjabelle site. There are also many versions of such racks sold on eBay.

 REMINGTON Ci6325 Pro Soft Curl Curler

The unsung hero of mine. In the four years of blogging I mentioned this curler only once and I yet I use it so much. Every time you see me with curly hair in my swatches pictures, this is the curler I used. I've had a few in my time and this is by far the best one for my type of hair. It's a 2.5 cm (1 inch) barrel curler with an adjustable temperature option, but it's still very basic and most importantly very affordable. I bought it in Interspar a long time ago for about 30 € (but I think I even used a nice discount at the time - the good thing about Interspar, am I right?). On my thick, long hair I find that the 200°C setting works best and if I use a lower temperature, the curls don't last nearly as long. I usually just simply curl the hair starting at the middle of my length and curl it away from the face, but leave the ends out and hold it for usually less than 10 seconds. I do that in sections and clip the hair that's already been curled in a loose bun, so it cools and keeps shape better. Once all the hair is curled and cool, I run through the curls with fingers and Orofluido, then finish with some hair spray and a texturiser. This way my curls last three or even more days, but they get quite loose by day three giving me that slightly wavy, but almost glam look. I just can't imagine my life without this curler.  

EBELINE Ionic Negative Round Ceramic Brush

60 mm

If you have unruly, frizzy hair like me and you're not using a round brush together with a hair dryer, you're seriously missing out. I find that a good blow-out makes my hair feel less coarse, makes it more manageable and less dry-feeling to the touch. See that orange strip on this brush? Well, by changing into yellow that little genius thing alerts you that the temperatures are so high they are damaging for your hair . Though I use a hair dryer once a week, I never use it at the highest heat setting and this brush also alerts me if I'm concentrating on one strand too long and causing unnecessary damage. I like the design of this brush a lot as it never got tangled in my hair and it manages to make my hair look sleeker. Quite a nifty thing. 

Ebeline is a brand sold in DMs and this brush cost around 10 €. I've seen a similar design from Műller's Body & Soul brushes. 

Tangle Teezer and its many dupes

While my hair isn't that tangly despite the length and thickness (it's all the conditioners/leave-ins I'm using, I guess), these type of brushes are so much better than any of those old school brushes I used to have. I particularly like the ones with some sort of a handle, especially if you have "baby hands" like me because the original Tangle Teezer is quite big to hold (but not the travel size). They glide through the hair so much easier and it takes a lot less time to comb the hair which if you have such long hair as me is a giant plus. Also there is almost none of pulling and tugging, so it reduces damage when combing. 

I saw my Ulala! brush sold for as little as 4 € in E.Leclerc, but such brushes are sold everywhere now. 

BRAUN Silk Epil Xelle Epilator

Another unsung hero of mine and one that has been my trusted companion for about 7 or 8 years. I paid a lot at the time (around 100 €) and it still works perfectly after all this time. TMI moment, I have very dark, strong hair and very pale skin, so you do the math, but I can tell you it's just one of those things that causes me great distress. Shaving lasts about a day or less for me, even so it never does the job completely as the dark dots are still clearly visible against my milky skin, so plucking is the most long lasting and better performing option. I'm not going to say that it doesn't hurt. This one has a massaging rollers attachment, which is supposed to help with the pain, but it's rather gimmicky to be honest, however, the "smartlight" is just brilliant (seriously, get one with the light). I have a high threshold for pain and even I feel a bit of discomfort, but mostly because my hair is so strong (it's a slight burning sensation if you're interested). I gave it to my cousin to try once and she can't even look at it since then that's how painful it was for her. But it's the best way of dealing with the problem for me and it gives me about a week of carefreeness and even in the later days the hair is more sparse. It takes about three weeks for all the hair to grow back, which is not bad, but as I said it's completely smooth for a lot less time because hair grows at different rates. Its main issue is the ingrown hair, but that's a story for another day. 

This version is discontinued, but Braun has many new versions of Silk Epil epilators. I think it's worth investing more into these as mine lasted amazingly long.

RIFFI Body Brush

Jana from Small Bits of Loveliness hooked me up on the whole body brushing business. As I've said before I have a problem with ingrown hair, so I had hopped regular brushing will help alleviate the problem. It turned out to be such a fun and pleasant beauty treatment at the end of the day. The bristles are so soft that the brushing is really pleasant. Apart from exfoliation, there are several other advantages to using a body brush, but you should investigate that yourself if you're interested.

My brush is from Müller for 5.5 €, but these type of brushes are sold in most drugstores.

What are your essential beauty tools? Have a great day! 

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Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat UV Protective Primer

I expected a lot from this. It's a high end product, which has gained some great reviews, though granted mostly from people who were sent the product, but I still trust most of them. However, I'm just not as impressed by it. My hair requires a great deal more care than an average individual's, so I'm sure this kind of product suits a lot of people, but still for the price I was expecting something exceptional, so in the rank of Kérastase products, but this isn't even close. 

First, I'd like to praise the ease of use. It's super simple to just spray this on the hair and have everything from heat and UV protection, an extra boost of moisture and pre-styling element of hair care sorted. Judging from the name as well as the claims, I expected something similar to Orofluido Sahara, but this is a completely different product. It's closer to a light milky lotion and it has none of the oil-like qualities. Due to that, you have to be mindful of how much you apply on dry hair as it does make the hair wet, so that means you shouldn't really go straight to curling or straightening your hair, but let it dry for a moment. Also on dry hair it has a tendency to get a bit heavy or maybe I should say that you notice a layer of product on the hair. But my real issue is not with its performance on dry hair, but on damp. It just doesn't deliver. Sure it provides heat protection, but that's it. There is no frizz control nor do I think that it's as effective as the much cheaper Sexy Healthy Hair leave-in when it comes to adding and sealing moisture into the hair. Even the scent is unremarkable and bland - as I've described it before, it's like a classic soap scent mixed with porcini mushrooms (SLO jurčki) and cream. Basically, it's the most simple heat protecting spray, but that's it. Though, the ingredients do look fantastic, since it contains grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, argan oil and safflower oil as well as some proteins. So I'm a bit surprised that it performs so averagely when it comes to seriously nourishing the hair.

I know I may seem harsh in my hair care reviews at times, but I seek only brilliance and I'm not satisfied with run of the mill products. And this is the latter, which is a bit sad considering the price. If your hair is super dry as mine, I'd again like to recommend Kérastase Nectar Thermique or if you prefer to use heat protection on dry hair, I really love Tigi's S Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray Heat Defender for the job. But if your hair isn't as problematic as mine, you should still give this a go if it interests you, but Tigi's Catwalk Sleek Mystique Blow Out Balm is lovely and in my opinion better, though admittedly more expensive if you look at the price per ml (but no per bottle). Of course, I will use this up and I do use it a lot because it's so easy to use, however, I doubt I will repurchase it. Still the bottle is big with 250 ml of product, so I may change my mind about it when it'll be on its last legs.

Have a great day!

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Kérastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique + a GIVEAWAY

You may know that I'm a huge fan of Kérastase, especially of their Nutritive line which just suits my dry, coarse hair like nothing I've ever tried. Their products make my hair look and feel almost like from an ad, which I never though was even possible, but due to a high price tag, I tend to use these products mostly only on special occasions, when I need my hair to look its best, especially the Masquitense hair treatment, which is just beyond brilliant. I do, however, use Nectar Thermique regularly, since heat protection is something I take very seriously because I need a good blow-out to make my hair feel less coarse and dry-looking (I know it's quite the opposite for most people, but not when it comes to my hair). I've been using the old version of Nectar Thermique for about a year now and it's recently been updated, both formula-wise and the packaging. There wasn't much to improve from the original in my opinion, but they did manage to do some nice changes nonetheless.

As far as effect on the hair and results go, it is still the same Nectar Thermique, however, the texture of the product is a touch lighter and, what I find a huge improvement, it now comes in a squeeze tube. I still have a bit left in my previous bottle version and it's hard to get the product out now, due to the hard plastic (I admit, I'm a helpless little girl when it comes to hard plastic, especially Lush's bottles - the bane of my existence). It's a heat protection as well as a leave-in conditioner in one, designed for dry hair. It's a light cream, truly nothing too heavy, in fact I find it hard to overdo on my hair, but others whose hair aren't so dry might find it heavy if used too much. It's easy to apply it evenly on the hair and even a small amount can be distributed nicely. I use this before blow-drying the hair and it makes it feel more silky and look more shiny, however, not much less frizzy (I have Sexy Healthy Hair Leave-in conditioner for that. The combination of the two is amazing and of Potion 9). But what really makes me adore this product is how my hair looks and behaves in the following days. When I use this, I have, for example, a great fourth day hair. It just looks so healthy and shiny for days after washing, any tangles are easy to brush out and my curls look so polished for a long time. 

The scent is kind of a classic creamy one, similar to all those universal creams like Nivea. I like it.

The ingredients have been changed a bit from the original, but it's not a massive change and they certainly didn't ruin the product like so many companies do when they revamp their most popular stuff. You can see the new ingredients here and the old ones here.

I've said in my original review that if you have dry hair and you just want to try something from Kérastase for the first time or you can only afford one thing, I'd pick this in a heartbeat, especially if you use heat to style your hair. It is one of my favourite ever hair products, also featured on my All-time Favourites page and obviously, I would have repurchased it if L'Oreal Slovenia hadn't send me the new version to try, since my old one is running out.

Kérastase can be bought in hair salons or online (V Sloveniji vem, da imajo izdelke v frizerskih salonih Simple. So postavljeni v izložbi). The price of Nectar Thermique is set at about the 20 € mark, but it depends where you buy it. One bottle 150 ml lasted me a year and I have lower-back-length hair that I wash every 4-5 days. 

 Giveaway

I have another heat protecting milk to give away, which was generously provided by L'Oreal Slovenia (thank you again) and it is from the Discipline range designed for unruly hair called Keratine Thermique Smoothing Taming Milk. I must admit, I was terribly tempted to keep this one and give away Nectar Thermique, but I know most of you don't have dry hair like me and Keratine Thermique should fit a much wider range of hair types (fine, normal and thick). Keratine Thermique is designed to help fight frizz, especially one occurring due to humidity, as is the entire Discipline line of which I've spoken in one of my wishlist post, since I'm dying to get my hand on the entire line. It also contains keratin, which will make the hair stronger.

The same rules apply as in my previous giveaway. It's international, it will last one week (ends 13. November 2014 at 00:00/12:00 A.M. CET) and one winner will be chosen. After the winner is drawn, I will contact them through the e-mail address that they are signed up with on Rafflecopter (check out which it is. I hit a bit of a snag with my last winner, but it all turned out ok). If the winner doesn't respond in two days, a new winner will be chosen. Also those who are under 18, please ask your parents or guardians for permission.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

And just for the kicks, my growing Kérastase collection. I'm not even sorry. Most of the products were already reviewed, just search the Kérastase label or my directory.

*Both products were sent to me. Thanks to L'Oreal Slovenia for their generosity. 

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VO5 Give me Texture Dry Texturising Spray

I am always curious about affordable drugstore brands available in other countries and when Boots finally started shipping to Slovenia, I placed this texturising spray in my virtual shopping basket simply to satisfy my curiosity. My previous experience with a texturising product, which was L'Oreal's #TXT version left a bad taste in my mouth, but VO5's is a completely different story. This is actually good! It contains sea salt and promises to create an effortless, undone look as well as give tousled effect to the waves.

Texture: It is exactly as I imagined texturising sprays to be - a dry shampoo on steroids. It's something like a dry shampoo/light-hold hairspray hybrid that gives that powdery texture but with some hold. There is absolutely no stickiness as at L'Oreal's or wetness and it definitely doesn't feel just like a can of lovely fragranced air as got2b Volumania styling powder does (which I still kind of like for some unknown reason). 

Effect: This deposits a light layer of fine powder on the hair which you can feel when you touch it, but it's not white, though you can see it on the strands of hair if you look closely enough. This layer of powder gives a very matte look, which I'm not terribly happy about, since I think the darker your hair is the shinier it should look, but I just spray a bit of got2b Öl-la-la over it and it's fine (although all of those whose hair gets shiny at the roots because it greasy will love the matte effect). This definitely gives texture as well as a tiny bit of hold. I really like using it just after I washed my hair and curled it. Spraying it on freshly curled hair, it just makes it look better by giving some volume and making the curls not so perfect, therefore creating a messy, bed head look. I use a hairspray after as suggested for better hold. But, I'm not sure about it as a re-styler on the following days. I just think that Batiste for example, does a better job because it absorbs oils better and gives more volume, though I think that VO5 doesn't perform all that well on me due to the long length and heaviness of my hair. Unlike as at L'Oreal's, spraying a lot of it doesn't make the hair feel unbearably dirty, but it can make it feel dry.

Scent: The scent is nothing to write home about. It's a mix between a stronger typical hairspray note with a more subtle touch of candy strawberries, but it doesn't last long.

Price and availability: £3.79 (4.7 €) in Boots.

I like it. It does what is says on the tin, giving the hair that tousled look and it's not too expensive. The only thing that bothers me is that my can is already feeling more than a half empty and I haven't even had it that long. If you have a chance to try it, give it a go and I think it'll work particularly well on those with shorter-medium length hair that lacks volume and texture.

Have a great day!

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Sebastian Professional Potion 9

I'm rarely so impressed by a hair product as by this one. It's one of my favourite new discoveries lately and a new warrior in my war against the frizz and dryness. Potion 9 is a leave-in conditioner/styling product hybrid that promises to condition the hair as well as give hold, shine and tame it. It's been on the market for nearly 20 years and a best seller for much of that time. Now if that's not a sign of quality, I don't know what is. 

Texture: A light serum-gel that is bright orange. It applies evenly due to the slip it has. I can't feel it on my hair no matter how much I apply it and I think it might be appropriate for someone whose hair aren't as thick as mine and it shouldn't weight it down, but I haven't had the chance to try it on such hair. 

How to use: It doesn't actually say how much you should use on my bottle, so I just apply a few pumps on my waist-length hair. It can be used on damp hair before drying (with a hair drier or air dry) as well as on dry hair to add, as they say, texture.

Effect: I really like this! Applied on damp hair before blow-drying it really tames my hair, makes it much sleeker than when I just use my regular products, it feels moisturised and even a bit silky. It's very good especially in combination with Sexy Healthy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave-In conditioner, or as I call them - the golden team. I used it also on someone else who has the same type of hair as me, on who I usually do a blow out plus straighten her hair and the final result was much, much better than usual. The hair was sleeker, there was almost no more frizz and looked more healthy. This is a product that really makes a visible difference on rebellious hair.

The only problem with this is that if you want your hair curly as I do, the silkiness this gives means that the curls drop faster and it's more difficult to get volume because of lack of texture, however, if you like to wear your hair straight, the effect lasts longer.

There is this pin on Pinterest that I saw after I bought Potion 9. It's says "Apply to wet hair and your hair dries into long waves. Buy at Target." I kind of hate these random things people write under images. Anyway, I tried this on damp hair without using heat styling and let my hair air-dry. And I hated it. It's been a while since I let my hair air dry and I forgot how unkempt my hair looks naturally. I have natural messy curls that can't decide whether they are curls or waves (it's waist-length, so the weight of the hair is preventing it from curling nicely) and Potion 9 didn't make them any prettier or more defined (try Tigi's Curl Amplifier instead, it actually works because it has more hold). Also my hair gets super knotty and really dry if I don't use heat tools to tame it and then a lot of damage occurs because of that. This is a product that performs best with heat tools on my hair. 

On dry hair, it works like a mix of silicone serum with a very light hold gel. It tames the hair, makes it more shiny and also gives a bit of hold/texture due to the slight stickiness.

Scent: If you're familiar with Avon's hair serum this has the same scent. To me it smells exactly like a salon.

Packaging: An airtight bottle with a pump. It works great and I have no complaints, the only thing is that you can't see how much product is still in there, but that's the problem with most products anyway.

Ingredients: I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the ingredients. They are lovely and from what I can tell,  it's a very good leave-in conditioner with jojoba oil high on the list (one of the best oils for hair), safflower seed oil, panthenol (moisture and shine), a few proteins and etc.

Price and availability: I got my small 50 ml bottle on Look Fantastic for 12€, but there is a full size available with 150 ml for 22 €. I love that they offer a small size to try, every company should follow their example. 

This is a brilliant product that helps taming frizz and is a lovely leave-in conditioner. The light texture should work on most types of hair and shouldn't weight it down (though there is a light version available). I'll definitely buy a full size once my trial version runs out, but I suspect these 50 ml will last a while.

Have a great day!

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