Review: E.V.A Unbreakable Hair Repairing Mask.

Before I start the review, I just thought I would apologise for my disappearance over the weekend. I have been feeling very stressed out and lethargic lately, so I thought instead of posting half-hearted blog posts every other day, I would take a few days out to relax and get my blogging cap back on. I am feeling much better today and ready to get back in to action with lots of blog post ideas lined up, so if I don't post every day this week, it's smacked hands for me!

Anyway...

Prior to having my hair dip dyed, I went about trying to find a way to get my hair in as good condition as I could. It wasn't too damaged anyway since I hardly heat style my hair any more, however my ends were a little bit frazzled due to straightening my hair religiously a year or so ago.

I spotted the E.V.A Unbreakable Hair Repairing Mask in TK Maxx at a discounted price of £12.99 instead of £25.99. Normally I wouldn't even spend £12.99 on a hair mask, but the tub was a generous size and I had been interested in trying out a product that contains Argan oil, so I thought I would give it a go.

The mask contains Keravis Protein which is derived from vegetable oil, and repairs the elasticity and strength of your hair. It also contains Argan oil which is already a wonder product in the blogging world, and leaves your hair feeling smooth and moisturised. What is even better, is that the product is free of parabens and sulfates, making it safe to use even on colour-treated hair.

The product comes in a thick, creamy consistency, similar to that of a typical conditioner. The directions on the packaging say that this can be used either as a weekly treatment or an every day conditioner. As it is quite a pricey product with rich ingredients, I prefer to use this twice a week after shampooing my hair. My favourite thing about this product is the smell; it is absolutely divine! I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it is sweet and reminds me a little of cocoa/ shea butter.

To use the product, I just smooth a generous amount through the lengths of my hair after shampooing and then wrap my hair in a warm towel. The directions say to leave it on for 2-5 minutes but I like to keep it on for around 10 minutes whilst I am relaxing in the bath.

Once I rinse the product off, I can feel the results right away. My hair feels so much softer and easy to manage. My usually dry and frizzy hair looks and feels more moisturised and any split ends don't look half as bad. The gorgeous smell sticks around for a couple of days, too. Thumbs up for this product.

If you are in the UK, you might be able to pick this up at your local TK Maxx for £12.99 for a 500ml tub; I have seen it a couple of times in my nearest TK Maxx recently. I am not sure about everywhere else in the world, although if you are in the US, I believe you may be able to find it at Walgreens, or purchase it online here.

Have you tried this product? What is your favourite hair treatment?

Review: Sarah McNamara Miracle Skin Transformer Body 20

This review might be one more suited to my US followers, although I'm pretty sure that if you live in the UK or anywhere else you can find this product on Amazon or eBay. I got the Miracle Skin Transformer* in my very generous goody bag at the iFabbo conference I attended a few weeks ago. As it is by a US brand, I had never heard of it before, nor had I really heard of any kind of body enhancer, so I was quite interested in trying this out.

 Miracle Skin Transformer Body 20*

After doing a little bit more research and reading the packaging of the product, the thing that sprang to mind was that this is like a BB cream for the body, as it claims to smooth, contour and tone your skin. It comes in three shades; sheer enhancer, glow enhancer and bronze enhancer. The one I received is the glow enhancer.

Here is what the product claims to do:

• Tone: Easy to apply, the transfer resistant formula lasts all day and night.
• Dryness: Dry, rough skin on legs, arms and decollete feels incredibly softer, smoother and hydrated.
• Sun damage: Age spots, sun damage and discolorations look minimized.
• Contouring: Works to revive skin's natural optimal collagen and elastin levels so skin looks firmer, tightened and toned.
• Texture: Goes beyond retexturizing to cover minor scars, stretch marks and dimpled skin with intensive moisture.
• Radiance: Color mineral pigments leave skin looking younger, brighter and totally luminous.

The product also contains SPF 20, so it would be good for adding a glow to your skin whilst on holiday or enjoying the sunny weather too.

It is recommended that you use the product on your legs, arms and decolletage. I have used it a couple of times on nights out to see if it would add a glow to my legs and collar bone area. You get a 100ml tube, however, the first thing I noticed when I took the tube out of the box was that there was a lot more room in the tube for more product, it felt like some had already been squeezed out (it hadn't, as the tube was sealed with a foil peel-back lid). If you have tried this or you got this in your goody bag at the iFabbo event, let me know if this was the case with yours too!

When squeezed from the tube, the product has a consistency and colour a lot like a heavy-coverage foundation. The shade Glow Enhancer was perfect for my skin, so I think it is good for light to medium skin tones. The smell of it reminds me of sun lotion. Despite its thick consistency, I found that once I started blending it in, it was a lot sheerer, like a tinted moisturiser.

L-R: Applied from tube, blended in.

As you can see in the swatch above, when blended out the product leaves the skin with light sheen, where it reflects the light, which I really like. It is really flattering used on your arms and legs to give the illusion that they are slimmer and more toned. When it is first applied, there doesn't appear to be any shimmer in the product, however after a while I noticed tiny specks of glitter, but they are very subtle.

I am not sure that the product would cover all imperfections such as scars and dimples, as the coverage isn't that heavy, although it may fade the appearance of them. The longevity of the product is quite good, I found it lasted through the six hours that I wore it for. I am really enjoying using this product, even though I don't think I would repurchase it even if I could, simply because of the price.

The 100ml tube of the Miracle Skin Transformer retails at $34, which, in my opinion is pretty steep for what it is; essentially a tinted moisturiser/BB cream for use on the body. If you are in the States, you can buy this online here or use the Store Locator to find a stockist near you. If you live elsewhere, have a scour through eBay and Amazon (I can only find the version of this product for the face shipping to the UK). I also thought that I would add that the product is cruelty-free and free of parabens :)

Have you tried this product or anything similar?

*DISCLAIMER: I was given this product free of charge. My opinions are still 100% honest and my own.

Wednesday Wishlist #17

Firstly, I just want to apologise for the sporadic posting over the past few days. On Sunday I really had no excuse, but yesterday I was feeling quite ill and it gave me a headache to just look at my computer screen :( I am aiming to get a few posts up over the next couple of days to make up for it though :)

Anyway, on to my wishlist; it's a colourful one! I seem to put together brighter, more colourful wishlists when the weather is miserable haha.

1. Glamorous Disco Pants £39.99

I was very excited when I saw that Glamorous had brought out these AA Disco Pant dupes for a much more attractive price. They are only available in this pewter colour at the moment but I am hoping that a black pair will follow!

2. Topshop Floral Bralet £25.00

Since I bought myself this New Look bralet a month or two ago I have really been loving this style of top- I think they look lovely worn with high-waisted bottoms. I think the colours on this one are really pretty and I love the horizontal strappy back.

3. River Island Multicoloured mixed bangles £20.00

I love layering bracelets, and although I am unsure about the two chunky gold bangles, I think these would look really pretty layered up together in the Summer :)

4. LOVE Floral Contrast Dip Hem Crop Top £28.00

I haven't really seen this style of top before but as I love dipped hem dresses and skirts, I am sure I can make room for a dipped hem crop top too haha! I can imagine it looking lovely paired with a pair of denim shorts.

5. Topshop Evil Eye Ring £5.00

Remember this little guy from last year when everybody in the blogging and YouTube world raved about him? I can't actually find this on the Topshop website but I have seen it in store a couple of times over the last week or two. I have had to leave it behind though, as I haven't been able to find my size (SML) in stock :(

I hope you like my picks! What have you had your eye on this week?

My new ombre hair!

Hey girlies!

I just thought I would do a quick post today to show you my new hair! After about six months of contemplating it I finally bit the bullet and booked myself an appointment at the hair dressers to get my hair dip-dyed. The finished result isn't how I initially planned for it to look (don't you love it when hair dressers don't listen to you) but thankfully I love it none-the-less! I was pretty nervous before and during the process, as the last time I did anything adventurous with my hair was when I was fourteen and had bright red flashes haha!

Taken with DSLR.

Taken with iPhone

I thought I would include the iPhone photograph as well because I think it captures the colour of my hair better because I didn't have to use flash, although it makes my face look horrendously washed out haha! I might update this post with better photos tomorrow when I have more adequate lighting to take them in.

The colour was achieved by just lightening my hair; no toner was needed which I am glad of as I was in and out of the hair dressers within an hour and a half. I am thinking of lightening the ends a little more myself though to create more of a gradient effect. I also had a lot of layers cut in to my hair to give it some shape, but they will show better when my hair is wavy or curly :)

What do you think of my new hair colour? Have you or are you thinking of jumping on the ombre bandwagon?

Review: LUSH Amandopondo Bubble Bar.

I wanted to get a more positive post up today to restore the happy mood of my blog after my previous, slightly more negative post from earlier. I decided to have a Friday night pamper session last night, so I had a nice, hot bath accompanied by the Amandopondo bubble bar I purchased from Lush.

 LUSH Amandopondo Bubble Bar

 The Amandopondo bubble bar is roughly the same shape and size of a jam donut. Did you know that Amandopondo means "I am defeated", and this bubble bar was named after somebody copied Lush's products and then tried to sue them for stealing his ideas? Fun fact of the day for you!

The bubble bar has a strong rose and lemon smell that is very comforting yet refreshing. I am not normally a fan of lemon/citrus fragrances but the rose counter balanced it well and I really like it. Fittingly, there is a little dried rose bud in the middle which I think is a lovely touch. Lush says that this bubble bar was made with the idea of forgiveness in mind, and would be a lovely little gift for somebody to say "sorry". I agree that this looks and smells really pretty, and would make a nice little present.

I didn't bother to take photographs of the bubble bar after I crumbled it in to my bath water as it didn't change the appearance of the water or anything, it just produced a nice pile of fluffy bubbles. I found that half of the bar was enough to get a generous amount of bubbles.

I could still detect the uplifting smell of roses and lemon but it wasn't quite as overpowering as it was when smelling the solid bar which was perfect, and it made the water silky smooth and very moisturising. I would recommend this bubble bar if you are not a fan of the sweeter scented bubble bars such as Creamy Candy or you just fancy a change, like I did.

You can buy the Amandopondo Bubble Bar in store or online at Lush for £2.65, which I believe makes it one of the cheapest Bubble Bars that Lush has to offer :)

Have you tried this bubble bar? Which is your favourite bubble bar from Lush?

Are Urban Decay Jeopardising Their Cruelty-Free Image?

I don't normally post about things like this on my blog as I like to keep my blog a happy place, free of controversy. However, after hearing about this a couple of days ago I was annoyed, as it involves one of my favourite make-up brands.

Before I start, I will be the first to admit that although I do not condone animal testing in any way, I am not as precarious in making sure that I only use products from cruelty-free companies as I should be. However, I highly respect the companies who sell themselves as strictly cruelty-free and show that testing on animals is unnecessary, and Urban Decay has stood out to me as one of these companies and has been my favourite high-end make-up brand for its eye shadows and primer potion for the past four or five years. A few days ago, Urban Decay announced that they are expanding their market in to China, where the policies on animal testing are not as strict. This has resulted in the brand being de-listed by Leaping Bunny. Read Urban Decay's full statement here.

"For 16 years, we have been committed to two key causes: women’s rights, and the fight against animal testing. Our dedication to those causes will not waver".

Right, I can't help but think that Urban Decay are contradicting themselves from the get-go here. By allowing their products to be sold in China they are also allowing for their products to be tested on animals. They state themselves that “the Chinese government reserves the right to conduct animal testing with cosmetic products before the products are approved for use by Chinese citizens”. They argue that the brand themselves are not testing on animals, but Chinese government might. Does this make the situation any better that they should be let off?

“If we don’t go to China, other companies without our beliefs will, and the culture will never change. We want to encourage a culture of consumers who care enough to buy cruelty-free product”.

“Our foray into this market is also about participating in an amazing time of change in China. We don’t like animal testing (and neither do the 13 dogs in our office), but we are trying to change the world… even if it is one eye shadow at a time!”

What? Oh, Urban Decay, you as a company alone are not going to change the cultures and policies regarding animal rights in China, especially as a company that will be mostly or entirely new and unheard of to the Chinese population.

"Yes, we are a for-profit company. And yes, we would eventually like to make money in China. But we don’t stand to turn a profit in China for quite a while, partially because the market isn’t quite ready to sustain an untraditional brand like ours. If it were only about the money, we would wait a few years".

Hm. Then why not expand to other countries such as Australia and New Zealand instead, where the brand is more heard of and the rights of animals is more widely supported instead of a country that “isn't quite ready to sustain an untraditional brand”. Are you sure that it has nothing to do with the 1.3 billion population that China has?

I hope that Urban Decay sees sense and decides not to expand their market to China, although regardless, this statement has marred the trust I previously had for the brand. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I am not trying to make out as though I am a strictly cruelty-free consumer myself, and I raise my hand to not doing much research on the matter before I go out and purchase products, but none-the-less I feel more disappointed that Urban Decay are turning their backs on what they stood for in the first place. I feel that they are essentially harming the relationship they have with their current customers, especially those who are vegetarian and vegan who may have looked up to them for being a cruelty-free brand, in order to spread themselves across to a highly populated country where the chances of making a profit are high. Please stand up to your cruelty-free status, Urban Decay!

How do you feel about Urban Decay's decision to expand to China?