Taming the Curly Beast - Holy Grail Shampoo and Conditioner

It's a very rare occasion when I'll refer to something as being a holy grail product, I want good results, from short term and long term use of the product, and I want to have never had a bad experience with it. I Don't want much do I? But after a few good months of use, I can happily say that I've finally found a shampoo and conditioner duo that makes my mane more manageable, less greasy and all-round bloody brilliant.

Having naturally curly and thick hair, it tends to run quite dry on the ends and somewhat frizzy, so trying to find products that work wonders for my hair can be harder than finding a needle in a haystack. And did I mention I HATE shampoo shopping? There's so many, each claiming to do something different and each more daunting than the last. At which point steps in Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Wild Ginger products... 

 Moisturizing shampoo is quite a different concept, huh? Being someone that sees the shampoo step as the "cleanse" and the conditioner as the "moisturise" having two products which have cleansing and moisturising properties I was reasonably apprehensive. Both of these are free of sulfates, and packed full with Keratin proteins to help rebuild hair structure. After using the Awapuhi range, and styling with my usual products, (Moroccanoil and Neal and Wolf Heat Protectant) I found my hair to be less oily, much more manageable, and far less damaged than when using regular simple shampoo and conditioner duos.

And an extra added perk? Much unlike other shampoos and conditioners the bottles have the same amount of product, meaning the conditioner is less likely to run out a few months before the shampoo. This is a god-send to us curly haired gals, but I've still found myself running the conditioner down before the shampoo. At least it took longer than normal...

I'm not going to lie, this is quite a damn pain to get your hands on, and I usually have it send directly from Paul Mitchell, but their UK site does have a salon locator, where you can find either your nearest Paul Mitchell stockists, by the product range you're looking for in particular.

With my hair now much more manageable, dosed with Keratin and Protein I can have that extra hour in bed my hair never used to let me have...

Monday Moodboard

Cause Monday's make us all lazy...

(credit : tumblr/pinterest/intothegloss)

Are We Stuck in a Product Rut?

On one of my occasional daily internet browses I came across a ton of products, each claiming to either give me Barbie-like perfect skin, false looking lashes, and Stretch-Armstrong length legs. (OK, slight over exaggeration on the last one. But you get me, right?) With which comes my wide-eyed, "I NEED this product" attitude and thus I'm hooked and will no doubt end up treating myself at some point. Until it arrives and I try it once, do I realise that I already had an equivalent that is, in my eyes, 110% better than the former.

Of course I don't speak for everyone when I say this, but with all sincerity, are we stuck in a rut when it comes to trying new things? My room (and spare room) is overflowing with products, insane amounts of samples, and tons of duplicates, so why am I using the same things every day?

Moroccanoil is something I've fallen head over heels for, and as much as I say I want to try Redken's Shatterproof shine, if I bought it, would it ever see as much action as my beloved Moroccanoil does? I think more so than anything else hair products are the ones I struggle to experiment with, given my hair is so high maintenance, applying a shampoo I know is going to make my hair look perfect seems much more appealing than trying something that could leave me looking like a scarecrow. When I plan on trialling new products I find myself last minute reaching for my old beloved and leaving the new sparkly product, unused and unloved on the bathroom shelf.

The confidence that comes with using your favourite products is of course, a huge benefit. Which means trying new ones is always a risk, despite being exciting, there's the chance it could turn out very ugly. (You only need one accident with a "cheap" fake tan to know this) My Kiehls serum is one of my favourites, EVER, yet the three bottles of different ones I have under my bed don't even have the chance of getting used anymore, given the flawless appearance I get from the Kiehls.

But, that said, being stuck in a rut is quite the issue when it comes to repurchasing. Given the price of some products now, I really should be using the alternatives that I have around the house, but I just can't bring myself to do it when there's the chance of using one of my favourite "holy grail" products, that just make you look so much better!

Surely, I'm not the only one? Despite having eyeshadow palettes in excess I find myself reaching for MAC's Naked Lunch daily. And on the days which I could play with my makeup, experiment with smokey eye ideas off Pinterest, or an iconic Monroe-esque look, I find bare skin to be my preferred look.

I need to implement some sort of rule that I try something new each week, but I do find the self-confidence from using your favourite, tried and tested, product like a highly addictive drug. It would seem that being stuck in a product rut is going to be a hard one to shake. For now, my repurchasing addiction will most probably live on.

Do let me know in the comments if you agree, or are also stuck in a rut. Or just let me know what you've had for your tea. Either, or...

Day of Birth* Wishlist

*Because calling it my "Birthday Wishlist" would be too darn easy.

With my 20th (sob, goodbye teen years) birthday coming up on the 24th July I thought it'd only be fair to do a wishlist so you all know what to buy me... FYI - Excessively cheeky hinting wasn't intended, but soon became completely irresistable.

I very rarely ask for jewellery on Birthdays and Christmas, for the simple fact of how fussy I am with it. I tend to wear only gold or rose gold, which of course has to be quite minimalistic and simple, and able to be worn alone or with a mixture of pieces. Yeah, I am fussy. These Dogeared pieces are so beautiful, and the meaning behind each piece just adds the little extra something, the lotus flower necklace is beautiful, and the Karma ring is so cute (I'm a size M, wink.)

It doesn't seem to be long ago I was obsessing with Chanel Spring, and well, now the Summer collection is here, I already treated myself to Tutti Frutti Le Vernis, so it needs a colourful companion, in the form of Sweet Lilac. Sticking with the Chanel theme (I'm predictable.) I love the look of Sublime De Chanel mascara, and given I'm in the market for a new one, why not? And the Charlotte Tilbury compact is just incredible, but a bit of a splurge to buy for yourself, who doesn't want bronzed and glowing skin from using one product? Charlotte Tilbury.. I salute you and your beautifully designed products.

I've been adoring these River Island courts for a while, and after trying them on, I'm still in love with them despite the fact that I had to size up to a 7. But seriously, they're so beautiful - WANT! And of course a Daniel Wellington Classic Winchester is wishful thinking, but think big, ey?

So everyone feeling generous enough feel free to take the hints, please do so, or give me anything dipped, covered and fried in chocolate.

Daily Necessities - A Look at my Inside Bag, Bag.

I'm single-handedly one of the nosiest people. Is anyone else completely eager to know what parcel the neighbours just received, or what lipstick the lady is wearing on the bus? I love "What's in my handbag" posts, and so I thought it'd be only fair to let you have a little glimpse into my overly messy handbag. Starting with my cosmetic necessities, and the one I usually call my "inside bag, bag."

The makeup bag is from Sew Lomax. She's a genius with a needle and thread, I usually pass on the most basic sewing jobs to someone else...

I hadn't realised I was so prepared for all occasions with my lip products, with the Bourjois Rouge edition (10) being a beautiful orange/red to take every makeup look through to night-time. The Burt's Bees is completely refreshing and an ideal lip balm for when my lips need a lot more TLC. My Clinique in Mighty Mimosa has been recently raved about here, I wont bore you with the details. Benetint is my go to for lips and cheeks, and without fail livens up my face whenever it needs it, so of course this is necessary to come EVERYWHERE with me. Nars Albatross highlighter is, in my opinion, disgusting. I just like the size of the mirror... 

 

I'm THE biggest clean freak and I hate not having hand gel with me, the idea of touching rails on public transport makes me shudder, so I'm the girl that goes through gallons of this stuff. Soap and Glory's hand maid is the only skin friendly, non-stinky version I've found yet, I love this stuff. Oh, and it's pink! And of course you can't wash your hands without hand cream afterwards, can you? The little, non-glamorous looking travel pot is filled with coconut oil, which I'm currently having a pure love affair with. I bought a pure version from Holland and Barrett in the penny sale, and now I carry a little pot with me everywhere. You'll wonder how you ever survived with only Vaseline...

 

Of course I need a little pot of Dior BB cream, because you never know when you may need impromptu coverage (I even used it on an angry looking bruise on my legs once!). My Tweezerman lash curlers have been demoted from my acrylic storage to makeup bag since I bought the Shu Uemera pair, but this somewhat well-worn set still do the eye-opening job for which they're intended. Of course all the lipstick and lash primping isn't going to make much difference if you have gross garlic breath, at which point comes in handy whatever gum or mints I'm carrying that week, and Dentek's super handy floss kit.

I'm really loving these at the moment, I've already gone through one little pack of six like this. The Dentek floss and toothpick is such a brilliant idea, and they really help when you spontaneously decide to go to Pizza Express...

Hope I've not bored you all to a near death. It's such a good job I tidied my handbag recently isn't it?

Have a good weekend everyone!