Osmo Hair Products Review

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Frostie

We got sent a parcel full of Osmo hair products. We were quite excited when we opened the envelope. Has it given us amazing hair? Read on and find out…

Osmo Deep Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner

This shampoo is perfect for dry, permed, coloured or heat traumatised hair. It contains Essential Oils of Patchouli and Ylang Ylang. It is a gentle, cleansing shampoo that really nourishes. It replenishes lost moisture without weighing hair down.

It leaves hair silky, healthy and shiny. The smell is a lovely light coconut scent. The conditioner is great as it leaves hair wonderfully detangled. It is thick and creamy but doesn’t weigh hair down. This is a brilliant shampoo and conditioner. It leaves my dry, frizz-prone hair soft and untangled. From feelunique.com

Osmo Wonder 10: 10 Effects Leave-In Treatment

Osmo Effects Wonder 10 is a unique all-in-one spray that is a Keratin based treatment with 10 wondrous effects. Designed to leave the hair feeling softer, silkier and more manageable with a radiant shine.

10 Effects:
– Helps repair dry and damaged hair
– Nourishes and protects for radiant shine
– Thermal protection from styling tools
– Delivers soft, silky, more manageable results
– Contains colour protection complex
– Creates body and movement
– Incredible detangler
– Aids in the prevention of static
– Conditions both natural and synthetic hair
– Smoothes split ends and controls frizz

This really is a wonder product and does a ton of different things. It gives thermal protection from heat (which I love, it really makes a difference to your hair as heat is so damaging), it repairs and nourishes and makes hair incredibly soft and beautiful. It makes hair healthy and tangle free. You only need a little and you can forgo conditioner too. It can also be used on synthetic hair. A truly brilliant product.

Osmo Day Two Styler Dry Shampoo

I love dry shampoo. Although not all dry shampoo is created equal. I have dark hair and some just makes my roots look grey. Not really the look I am going for. I have tried dry shampoo for brunette hair and I think that is great, however Osmo’s Day Two Styler brushes through without leaving a trace. It removes oil and adds volume. It is one of the best dry shampoos I have ever tried and smells amazing with just a hint of citrus.

Osmo Extreme Volume Root Lifter

This is an outstanding root lift for fine (or other types of) hair. It strengthens and gives great volume that lasts all day. It also:

Moisturizes and conditions the hair and improves the health of the scalp.
Contains natural anti-oxidants
Gives volume to limp tresses
Spray formula won’t cause excess build-up
Long lasting

I have fine hair and I love this product. It really does give a lasting lift. Good stuff.

Osmo products are amazing. Definitely a fan now and will be buying again. From feelunique.com

Eye öf Hörus Goddess Mascara Review

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Having ‘goddess’ in the title of a beauty product immediately raises the game. Don’t we all want to look, if not like a goddess, at the very least the best possible version of ourselves.

I was impressed with the before and after photos in the literature I was sent along with the mascara. Did it live up to expectations? Yes, it really does volumise your lashes, giving a very ‘wow’ look. It comes with a volumising hourglass silicon brush with massed bristles and a flexible wand. It strengthens and lengthens and is formulated with ancient Moringa oil for sensitive eyes.

The packaging is great, very classy and the mascara is good and makes it look like you are wearing false lashes. It is almost a little too good as I have naturally long lashes and can’t blink when I put my glasses on! It lasts all day without smudging or flaking. You can also apply more and build it up without your lashes looking like a spider. Always a bonus.

I loved this and would like to try the Eye öf Hörus eye shadows and eyeliners too.

Available from Amazon.

Karora Gradual Tan Golden Girl, Instant Tan And CC Cream Review

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

I am pretty fair of skin and I love it. But just occasionally I give up my paleness for a bit of a tan. Usually when I am traveling, tired or ill. Sometimes you need all of the help you can get.

Karora Gradual Tan Golden Girl, Instant Tan and Karora CC Cream Skin Sensation were all giving to me by the lovely Karora who were not only very proud of their products, but also chose these three to be reviewed specifically for my pale skin.

Karora Golden Girl Gradual Tan – Light/Medium

Is a gradual tanning product, so you can build up the colour. It gives a very good glow along with a deep hydration. This moisture rich lotion conditions skin and leaves it replenished and also gives a natural glow. You use this daily, like most gradual tan products. It can be used on face and body.

I would definitely continue to use this as it is a brilliant moisturiser and it also gives a sun-kissed glow. This is perfect for the kind of light, natural, non-orange tan I love.

Karora CC Cream for Face and Body

I love alphabet creams. I now wear BB creams far more than I wear foundation. I hadn’t tried as many CC Creams though.

This CC cream is less of a tanning product, and more of a skin-perfecting cream with a hint of glowing colour. It certainly made me look like I had just come back from holiday. It certainly gives radiance, reasonably coverage (depending on how your skin is. I would need concealer on top for any hormonal breakouts), and it is also blended with skin tone correcting botanicals of green tea leaf extract and jojoba seed oil, with argan oil and acai berry to rejuvenate the skin. You can use this on your face and body. Good stuff that does diminish every flaw but won’t cover up very bad skin days. Contains no Parabens, Chemicals, Artificial, Fragrances or Synthetic Dyes.

Karora Glow Glamster Instant Tan

I only got a tiny sample of this but I did give it a try: it is a good instant fake tan that is also water-resistant. I would need a bigger sample to do a proper review but I was impressed with my initial test.

Are you a fan of Karora? Do you like to fake tan?

Astral All Over Moisturiser Review | Beauty

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

I hadn’t tried Astral All Over Moisturiser before but I had heard of it. Both through advertising, word-of-mouth and in magazines. It has, after all, been around since the 1950s. It is also multi-purpose and can be used all over.

When I first open it up it looks quite thick and I expect it to be heavy when I put it on. However, it almost feels like a gel when I put it on and it sinks in beautifully with no trace of heaviness. It actually feels light and fresh. My sensitive skin loves this and just soaks it up. Afterwards there is no stickiness and it doesn’t feel like I have a film on my skin. Something that can happen with other ‘intense’ moisturisers. Astral says it is ‘nourishing’ and ‘protective’ on the back and I would definitely agree. It also says it is perfect for mature skin but don’t let that put you off. I am in my twenties and it still benefited me.

I would definitely buy Astral again, it works like an intense, heavy moisturiser but without any of the annoying after-effects. I only use a small amount but it goes really far and after my makeup doesn’t slide off. Always a plus. I also notice how nice and soft my hands are after using this, and it is also brilliant as you can use it as a body lotion, cold cream, day cream and night cream. Perfect for traveling or if you run out of something. It also really works on dry skin. I am very impressed. Recommended.

Astral is dermatologically tested and not tested on animals.

£3.49 from Boots and Superdrug.

Blanx White Shock Intensive Teeth Whitening Review

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Some teeth whitening is plain scary. I mean, putting peroxide in your mouth! Crazy. I have never been willing to damage my health in the pursuit of beauty, I am just not that vain. But any shortcut or product that promises beauty improvements without the risk and I am all for it.

I drink quite a lot of tea but I don’t think my teeth are too bad. Not yet anyway. I don’t mind the colour of my teeth but they are not pure white and I am getting married soon. Blanx White Shock Intensive Teeth Whitening is a treatment that you use as a toothpaste. It has no sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, PEG or titanium dioxide. It comes with an LED Bite. You use the treatment and then the LED Bite for one minute. So it is pretty easy. For an even more shocking whiteness you can use the LED Bite for ten minutes, once a week.

This product really leaves your teeth feeling clean. The cleanness lasts all day long with a feeling of freshness. It also noticeably whitens teeth and is non-abrasive. Overall I am very impressed. It works and it leaves your mouth feeling clean. It also only costs £10.71 from feelunique.com A bargain compared to most teeth whitening treatments. What more could you want? I’m hooked.

What do you think?

LighterLife Fast Review: The Easy Way To Do The 5:2 Diet?

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Frostie

The 5:2 diet really took off last year and is still huge. If you have been living under a rock and don’t know what it is: you eat normally for 5 days a week and then the other two days you fast, having 500 calories if you are female, or 600 if you are male. It sounds better than most diets and you get to eat what you want (within reason) the other five days. What makes it hard though is finding something low-calorie to eat on the fasting days. Enter LighterLife Fast, which we got sent to review recently. It is a new product from Superdrug that makes the 5:2 diet easier. On your fasting days you just have four packets of the LighterLife Fast foodpacks.

They are not only convenient but they also make sure you get all of your nutrients while you fast. They are very handy and you can pop them into the microwave, or on a hob, which I prefer. We got sent two different bars, two shakes (chocolate and strawberry), porridge, vegetable soup, pasta carbonara and spaghetti bolognese flavoured meals. Note that I said ‘flavoured’ these are mostly dehydrated meals that you add water too.

LighterLife Fasting has a number of things going for it: no cooking, no counting calories and you get 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals, along with good amounts of protein and fibre. The taste lets it down a little but it is what you would expect, ranging from okay to edible depending on personal preference.

More importantly, do they work? Well, yes. Our reviewer lost about a pound a week. They are a good diet aid, and good for people who are busy too, making the 5:2 diet manageable and without compromising on getting all of your nutrients. It doesn’t taste nice and you will yearn for real food, but it makes things easier. Available from Superdrug.

What do you think?

Boris Entrup 10-Minute Make-Up Book Review

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Boris Entrup is the resident make-up artist on Germany’s Next Top Model and is the exclusive make-up artist for Maybelline. It is fair to say that he knows his stuff.

This rather excellent book has 50 gorgeous looks that give you everything you need to transform your image in 10-minutes. There is a good variety of looks, from natural to glamourous, that are all easy to recreate as there is before and after pictures and an easy step-by-step guide.

If that wasn’t enough; there is also masses of insider tips, techniques and tricks that all help you reveal your natural beauty.

The book starts off with an introduction from Boris, then some advice on skincare, beauty tools and products. I have read a lot about beauty and review a lot of products but I found that I learned a lot. I also love that the book shows all 50 looks at a glance over two pages. Very handy and useful.

The book also goes through the basic techniques of applying different products and different facial features. It also gives advice on different face shapes and different tips for each decade of your life, along with S.O.S tips at the end.

This is a brilliant beauty book. It has great advice and pictures. I highly recommend it.

Boris Entrup 10-Minute Make-Up

Knit Quit Kit Review: Can It Help You Quit Smoking?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Frostie

Frost came across this unique and gorgeous knitting product that was launched to help smokers quit whilst learning a new and very popular skill.

Inventor, Vanessa Bracewell, says: “I am not an experienced knitter and only started the wonderful craft/obsession 8 months and 5 days ago when I stopped smoking – after 30 years of burning my money and probably damaging my health…From experience, when quitting smoking it is impossible to concentrate on anything, including counting rows.”

Included in the kit are three very easy projects using only cast on/off, knit stitch, increase, decrease and changing colour of yarn.

Everything needing to complete the three projects is supplied in the novelty cigarette style gift box. Includes extremely easy to follow patterns specially designed with tick boxes to keep track of your knitting.

The patterns include: Bill the Owl Keyring (to offer wisdom and support in moments of stress and weakness) BFT Bracelets (Best Friends Together) one to knit for yourself and one to knit for your quitting smoking helper to thank them for their support and a practical drawstring Purse/Bag – to save your well earned money in.

www.knitquitkits.co.uk

Our writer, Helen, tried it out.

Helen loves knitting so we sent her the kit. Helen is also trying to stop smoking. She liked the look of the kit but found some of the knitting hard because of her eyesight. Shouldn’t be a problem for people with good eyesight.

She thought it was easy to do and the owl, bracelets and drawstring bag were all cute and unique. The kit looks great and comes with easy patterns. The colours are also beautiful but Helen thought it was a little pricey at £17.99.

Whilst knitting and doing the kit Helen did find her mind occupied. She has not managed to quit smoking completely but has cut down considerably. Good stuff.

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