Sexy Hair Power Straight Review

I've been trying lots of hair products lately, but a specific one is right up my alley. Sexy Hair is new to me, I hadn't tried any of their products, but this straightening balm seemed really promising.

It comes in a 100 ml plastic tube and I have to admit, I liked the packaging a lot and I do enjoy the colours as well (I'm getting the sultry vibes). The product itself is a clear gel-like balm, I wouldn't say it's got a runny consistency, but it applies well all over the hair like a thicker serum. It smells like candy to me, but not sickly sweet.

Practically, this is a balm that helps your hair get pin straight while you apply heat on it.

For me, the best way to use this, is after you've washed your hair, you let it air dry until it's almost completely dry, then apply Power Straight and move on to blow drying. I think it makes a huge difference rather than applying it on wet hair and then grabbing the blow dryer/flat iron/whatever device available. It cuts the styling time in half, so that means less damage too. Always acceptable by me!

It also makes my hair very smooth, like "I want to caress my own hair all the time" kind of smooth. The frizz was not there at all the times I used it and we've got some humid weather here, which kind of sucks for my skin too (but at least my hair looks ok).

You don't really need a lot for a full head of long hair like mine, just a pea sized amount is enough. If you overdo it, I guess it would be a greasy sticky situation, but start small and build up if necessary. You can find it online here or here and it's a bit on the expensive side but a tube will literally last me for months, I feel I haven't used anything at all.

This balm is going places.

Lashes lately

Wearing false eyelashes was a hassle for me. Some of them look terribly unnatural as I go for more subtle and no-makeup makeup, so they were too much for me and let's all agree on that, it's not the easiest task to do. It usually took me about 5-10 minutes to put them on correctly.

However, I have many pairs in my collection, which I used to wear super rarely. Lately, I've been experimenting more though and I try to wear them, sometimes when I go out, but also I like to wear them on my videos too. I think I got better on putting eyelashes on too, it doesn't take that long now!

In my October faves video, I was wearing a pair of lashes that has been quite the favourite of mine indeed. They're from a new greek brand called Lashionista and I have to say I'm impressed.

The packaging of all the lashes is the same, but they have paid great attention to every detail of it. It looks very artsy and fashionable and I like it when brands go a little bit further with the designs, too. 

I got the Misty Memories lashes that are a little winged at the outer corner. They look quite natural to me, but they add that extra oomphh to my lashes, without making the look too dramatic. I also like the fact that are feathery and extra lightweight and I don't really feel them on my eyes that much.

I haven't found any other greek brand so far that makes false eyelashes, so I wasn't expecting that much, but they are an absolute joy to wear.

I forgot to mention that they are handmade and made by 100% natural hair, so super nice quality. You can wear them multiple times, I think I have worn mine 5-6 times now and they are like brand new, but I take extra care of them and I don't apply any mascara after I've put these on, so I guess I have a long way to go with these ones.

They are currently sold on their online store (they also deliver worldwide), but in a while they will be stocked in Hondos Center and Dafnis stores in Greece, so you can find them pretty much anywhere.

Stay tuned because I may or may have not a suprise for you in a couple days!

Korres Raspberry Twist Lipsticks review and swatches

It's no secret that I am kinda obsessed with the Korres Twist lipsticks. When the first six came out about a year ago, I was alternating them every day for months. Now, there are six new ones and I just want to say that I'm in love.

They all come in a black jumbo lip pencil packaging with a colourful cap that indicates the shade each lipstick, which to me is a great perception.

What I love most is their texture. It's so buttery soft and luscious, to die for. They are all extremely moisturising, the lighter shades tend to be more sheer, but the darker ones have amazing pigmentation and great colour pay off on the lips. They give a more glossy effect on the lips, so if you prefer mats, these won't be your cup of tea. They go on so smooth and they feel like they melt on my lips and they have a slight scent of raspberries, not overpowering at all. I don't know if it's only me, but I take great pleasure in applying these on my lips.

I definately need to use a lipliner to line my lips first when I use the dark shades, because their texture is so moisturising and buttery, so there's a barrier that maked them more long lasting on my lips and they don't get all over my face. My lips are quite pigmented naturally and I like to apply the lighter shades even without a mirror. I guess their packaging helps on that, too.

Delight is the nude shade of the bunch and it's a nude I would personally wear because it's not one that makes me look dead. It's not really pigmented and it stays on my lips for about 3 hours, but it fades beautifully. However, as I said I have really pigmented lips and it may look somewhat darker than on other people, but it blends quite nicely with my natural lip colour.

Grace is a brown rose pink shade, that can suit every single pair of lips, This is a teeny bit darker than my natural lip shade and I find that I got a lot of wear out of this the previous days, I applied it on the go and I looked well put together instantly.

Dramatic is my favourite shade of them all, because it a mauve, as simple as that. I believe these shades look better with my complexion and I tend to buy them more. It looks darker in the packaging but it's quite sheerer in reality, but I also like its pigmentation.

Charm is a vibrant peachy pink, that I would definately wear a lot in the summer. I actually bealieve this is one of the shades that makes me look more awake and younger (as if), but also girly and playful.

Allure is an orange toned red, a very flashy red for me. Wearing this, you would get noticed and feel very sexy and feminine. Great name selection, indeed.

Seduction is the darkest sheade of the collection, a dark oxblood with a tiny hint of plum. It takes me more time and effort to apply it on my lips than the others, but it's worth it because it looks really good on. Definately an autumn-winter shade.

You will see these lipsticks in outfit posts and videos a lot in the future, I really enjoy wearing them! Maybe I'll also do a post with their new lipliners as well, because with the whole Kylie Jenner trend that's been going on, I kinda got used to wearing lipliners as well and the Korres ones are just phenomenal.

Hope you liked this post, please tell me if you want to see more like these in the future!

TIGI Bed Head Urban Antidotes Resurrection shampoo&conditioner

Another review for one of my beloved brands, TIGI. Well, let's be honest here, it's my all time favourite brand for shampoo, they make the fabulous S-Factor range and I have talked about some of these products here before.

However, I had never got to try out the Bed Head Urban Antidotes Resurrection up until recently... and it's really good.

The shampoo and conditioner I have come in 200 and 250 ml vibrant red tube bottles each, I seriously love that packaging, even though I very much prefer the bigger salon size bottles for TIGI. If you ever go TIGI, go big.

The most wonderful thing about the TIGI products though (and lets all agree on that) is the scent. They all have this phenomenal sweet-like-candy scent that makes me want to indulge on a spoonful of what it's supposed to be applied on my hair. I'm not particularly good at describing scents, but to me it's just like a strawberries and champaign Haagendazs ice cream I used to cram in my mouth all the time (before I met my friends Ben and Jerry that is). The scent lingers on my hair until my next hair wash day and all I want to do is to endlessly smell and touch my hair.

As for the actual claim of resurrecting your hair? Well, let's just say that they don't actually "resurrect" anything, if you have extremely damaged hair, shampoos and conditioners are only going to do a portion of the TLC you need, but I have to say they leave my hair silky smooth and I could comb it easier than when I used my other shampoo and conditioner combos. It also helped making them quite stronger and I noticed less hair breakage.

That was when I used a hair dye that made my hair extremely dry and brittle, but now I've used another dye that is infused with argan oil and my hair isn't lacking moisture anymore, I've just noticed that my hair is just ok by using the Resurrection combo in a wash day and a hair mask weekly for that extra something something.

I would totally recommend this combo if your hair is damaged, brittle and lacks moisture plus, you'll definately fall in love with the scent!

Essence Get Big Lashes review

It's time I talked about one of my all time favourite mascaras, the Get Big Lashes by Essence.

I have to say that Essence makes another one of my faves, the I love Extreme. However, I've been so much in love with this one, that I've abandoned all the other mascaras, regardless of their brand, price tag or really any other criteria.

The formula of Get Big Lashes is great, it gives you really big lashes indeed! My biggest concern when I get a mascara is that it won't give me the volume I need. This one gives such a great volume, but it also separates them like no other volumising mascara I've ever used. The industry maybe thinks that volumising is having the clumpy spidery look, but no, I don't like that even though it's a current trend. It get a big thumbs up for the fanning effect!

It is also lengthening, but you can work your way up as much as you like, and it all depends on the coats you apply, so you can achieve a great-but-kinda-flashy look for the daytime in one coat and an exaggerated look for the nightime with more than 2 coats. 

I also really REALLY like the wand. It's a huge, densely packed one with natural bristles. Maybe it's only me, but natural bristles make me think that they grab the lashes more effectively.

What sold me though, was that this mascara is waterproof. Hear me out. 

I hate waterproof mascara. I cannot stand it on my eyelashes.

Every other waterproof mascara I've ever tried felt very heavy on my lashes and made them crispy and brittle. Plus, it would need some serious skills to remove it completely with minimum damage to my lashes and the area around my eyes (pulling the skin there is a big NO). However this one... not like that, at all. It feels like I don't have piled my eyelashes with cement and I take it off in a flash with a little of my trusted almond oil.

Last but certainly not least, the price is what I consider one of the best aspects. A little less that 4 euro in most stores here in Greece, you can't go wrong purchasing one of these for your collection!

I just love the effect on my face and you can see a pic I posted on Instagram last week with just one coat of this on. We have an HG people!

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish in 16

I wasn't aware of Rimmel products, until the hype with the Apocalips hit me (and everyone else in the beauty community). I've been enjoying Rimmel products a lot, they're great quality and affordable enough for me to be able to buy many shades without breaking the bank. I prefer last year's spring collection to this though, mat lipsticks and me don't go that well together.

Since I've been obsessing with this lipstick, it was time I did a proper swatch. Last year I wore the Viva Glam Nicky all the time, and this one is a pinkier and more wearable version of it. It has a satin finish like Nicky, but I think this is a bit more moisturising on the lips, but I still need to apply some lip balm to make it look perfect.

It usually lasts about 4 hours on my lips, without reapplying and it fades away nicely. I have more lipsticks from the Kate collection, but this one is my absolute favourite for spring. 

You can get these online if you live in Greece, because beauty stores don't carry Rimmel. They are bargainous though!

Do you like the Rimmel Kate lipsticks?

♥

Garnier Fructis Miraculous Oil review and giveaway

I have to admit that I don't use hair oils as leave-ins any more. When the time came and everyone and their mother's dog went crazy about argan/beautyfying/shine oils, I had already tried almost every brand and I have to say I quite liked a few of them.

The main reason I stopped using them though, is that they were too heavy on my hair. They weighed them down and I need some extra volume in my life and they took it from me. Also, I needed to wash my hair with an extra clarifying shampoo to avoid build up, but my artificially coloured hair was stripped down of its precious dye. Vicious circle.

About two months ago, I went to an event and got the new Garnier Miraculous oil. I said "meh" and gave it to my mom without even trying to care. However, she told me she liked it lots and I definately noticed an improvement on her hair these weeks, so last week I started using it too, after I had washed my hair. Curiosity didn't kill the cat.

My focal points from my weekly experiment are:

Does it make my hair softer? YES
  Does it give extra shine?      YES

                               Is it heavy?                   NO! (self high-five)

Does it smell good?               YES

                             Will it break the bank if I buy again?  NO (only 8.99 euro for 150 ml)

SOLD.

Well, now three of you can get one Miraculous oil for free!

The rules are simple.

1. Be a follower on GFC

2. Be a follower on Bloglovin (There's a rumor going on that GFC is going to bail out on us)

3. Live in Greece

Fill in the Rafflecopter below to get some extra entries too.

The giveaway will end on the 18th and I will announce the 3 winners afterwards. Garnier will mail them their prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥

Garnier BB Cream Review

Hey everyone!

I skipped posting for a few days and I missed it so much! I am back with a review now!

A few days ago, I won a Garnier BB cream on Blushingloves giveaway (check her out, she's great)
I was really happy, because since it was released a few months ago, I have heard only good things about it. I love BB creams, I have tried several ones by asian brands and was extremely satisfied by their performance on my skin.

So, what's a BB cream?

A BB cream or Blemish Balm Cream, is a kind of tinted moisturizer. It was originally used for healing laser skin surgery as it has some reganarating substances, and later Korean actresses used it for beauty reasons. It's been a hot product for a few years in Asia and the craze of course came to US and Europe.


So what about Garnier's BB cream?

It comes in a 50 ml tube, which is a pretty decent amount. I love the fact that it's in a tube, I'm a huge germaphobe and I don't like to put my fingers in stuff that I use on my face! Also, the tube is quite sheer, you can actually see the amount of product that's in it.

It comes in 3 shades, I got the Light one. The consintency is very nice, light and creamy. The coverage you get is light to medium and it has a flowery scent that's not overpowering, but it lingers for a few hours. My skin is dry and I didn't use any moisturizer before this and it did a great job on me.

I got this in the mail in the morning and had it on for at least 10 hours before taking all my makeup off. It definately stayed on and gave me a nice glow, but also the moisture my dry skin needed for the day.

All I can say is, it ticks all the boxes for me as far as an everyday-use tinted moisturizer/foundation goes. If I want something more hardcore, like for a night out, I will use a full coverage foundation like my Revlon Colorstay or my Vitalumiere Aqua, but I will use this in my everyday routine.

The crazy part is, when I got home later in the day today, my mum asked me if she could keep it. She had obviously seen it on my makeup stash when I left, used it (sneaky, sneaky!) and liked it. She said she loved the smell and the glow she had given her all day! Being the good daughter I am, I said yes. So, I'll have to go and buy one for me next week. This costs 10 euros I think, so great for my wallet also!

Have you tried the Garnier BB cream?

♥