HAIR HAUL.

Guess who went ape-shit crazy?

So I bought a pair of shoes from Primark in Leicester (best Primark I have ever been to!) and they were on sale for £6, when I got home in London and tried them on, they did not fit. At all. Come Monday I decided to take to shoes back get a refund in Peckham and buy castor oil instead. Lets just say from the picture above that I did not stick to that £6 budget!

Jojoba, Castor and Argan oil

I literally screamed when I found these bad boys especially the Jojoba and Argan! I have been wanting them for ages! Jojoba is extra special because this oil is the closest to the natural oils that we secrete. It also penetrates the hair shaft and is great as a conditioner, it is antibacterial, moisturizing and helps new hair growth. And it is great for the skin as well, it has so msny more benefits. And best of all it was £3.49.

Castor oil is what my mum used to use when I was growing up and I had the longest hair ever! I personally think this oil stimulates the scalp and therefore hair grows much quicker and thicker. I have broken a comb or two trying to comb out the hair that has grown whilst my use of castor oil. This stuff truly works. It works so well everytime I go out to Peckham for supplies none of the stores have it, it is always sold out. I go to the same shop and the manager hides away one bottle for me, and the price for £1.99 is a bargain.

Argan (Moroccan oil) has been talked about non stop due to the "Moroccan oil" brand, which is packed to the brim with silicones and at £30 for a 100ml bottle, me no thinks so. And when I saw this little beauty I was so happy, Argan oil had ridiculously high levels of Vitamin E, fatty acid,Omega 6 and phytosterols (ah-mazing when it comes to healing scars, ezcema, stretch marks, acne and wrinkles), my hair after using this dried in about 2 and a half hours, no hair dryer( it died 3 months ago and I am not bothered enough to buy a new one), it is a over all great oil and I can wait for the strengthening effects to kick in. For 150ml of pure Argan oil ( and almond oil as a carrier oil, I checked the back for the ingredient list, always) the price is just wonderful, £5.49

Sweet almond oil and Glycerine

I love sweet almond oil! I use this on my face every night as it is great for dealing with hyperpigmentation, after shaving, it has reduced, nope eliminated ingrown hairs, I add it to my body butters for extra moisture especially now in cold weather. It is packed with fatty acid and vitamins, helps to protect against free radicals. Its just so lovely, and only £1.99 for 250ml, I will forever repurchase this oil. I love it that much.

Glycerin is usually the second or third ingredient is good hair products, why because it is an extremelly excellect humectant, it attracts water to itself. And it is more stable with water present, meaning that under no circumstances (unless high amounts of energy) is glycerin letting go of water resulting in hair being moisturized! Oh look, my Human Biology degree is being put to use! And natural hair treated with glycerin is resistant to premature breakage, relaxed hair isn't though. I bookmarked this old post from my favourite natural hair blog, she explains the science behind it all. Price is £1.99 for 250 ml  

Organic Root Stimulator Smooth n Hold Pudding and Coconut oil

I have been using this for a week and I am in love with this pudding! I luuuuuuurv. I tie my hair up daily in a bun and this has been such a great help especially when I have university lectures in the morning. Organic root stimulator smooth n hold pudding for starters smells lovely, like fresh cut cucumbers, it is light in texture almost like a whipped body butter. It feels just like a body butter and most importantly for me is that even though ORS say that is is a moisturising gel it does NOT feel like a gel. I would not touch this with a stick if it made my hair feel like a gel, you know that hard, stiffness, "dry-ish-ness", that plain gel nasty-ness! It is ridiculously soft, mega soft, no complaints on this baby. My hair is moisturised, looks shiny and healthy is sooooo manageable! I get a perfect bun in 5-8 mins which for me is an accomplishment on the scale of Nobel. The pudding does not flake at all and contains no alcohol. The ingredient list is pretty decent with water and coconut oil and the first two then Mineral oil, which is okay if added after hair has been moisturised as it coats the hair and stops moisture from leaving and entering. Then polyquaternuim-11 that has antistatic properties,holds hairstyles in place and also water binds to it. Gylcerin is fifth and I pretty much stop paying attention after that, it has avocado, almond, olive and jojoba oil present. I would strongly advise everyone, relaxed, natural or tex-laxed to buy this bad boy of a pudding. And for £2.49 for 368g of product I am definitely repurchasing this tub of MacLoving.

My last oil was coconut, if oils were musicians, coconut would be Beyonce. Why? Because she is King B (guess who is a fan?) Coconut oil helps with over all hair health because it penetrates the cortex and shaft. It reduces the amount of protein lost in hair, and protein results in stronger hair which is equal to less breakage and over all longer, healthier hair. It eliminates dandruff and gets rid of lice and lice eggs. It is high in Vitamin E and K and fatty acids that protects hair form microbial action which is the number one reason as to why we have hair loss. It has a high moisture retaining capacity which means it does not let moisture escape the hair and hair therefore moisturised and soft. The secret to longer and healthier black hair is getting the protein and moisture balance right and this oil does both. This oil is a conditioning, moisturising and strengthening oil and if there is an oil to start with this is it. This 500ml tub of coconut oil was £1.79

Africare Oil Moisturiser

Ok, so I have a confession to make, since my big chop I have been using a certain moisturiser that I was in love with, we were happy, It did what I wanted and needed but a couple of months ago I realised that the texture of my hair was getting straighter and straighter. I know it could be due to my constant brushing in the same direction but you know, I will probably have to cut it all off again. So I ditched it, and bought this little hunk a dunk. I have not used it before but I have heard good things about the brand plus the ingredient list was rather enticing, the amount of protein would be beneficial for my ends which are straight as a bone! They aren't damaged, pretty thick and healthy actually, hence the need to extra protein from the moisturiser just to make sure they don't break off. This is for my ends really, and it was £4.99 for 236ml

 Ingredients: Aqua, Carnation Oil, Propylene, Glycol, Pineapple Extract, Hydrolysed collagen, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, Petrolatum, Jojoba Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerol Monstrate, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, DMDM Hydention, FD&C Yellow#5, FD&C Yellow#6, Fragrance.

200 bobby pins.

I popped into the pound store got these, 200 booby pins for a pound. I cannot stress how important these are especially if you tie your hair up or need to bush it daily. They eliminate the need to over brush the ends of hair, and thus leaving for ends to grow and resulting in less breakage. When I tie my hair up I have a few stray hairs on my sides, you know near the bun instead of brushing them till they lie flat, I stick a pin in and job done. Ends protected.

Pack of shower caps and ok, I have completely blanked out as what to call them! 

I call them hair bands, they were a pound from Primak and notice how they do not have mettallic clips? Those clips break hair off like crazy, they damage the hair everytime they are used. So it is better and ultimately cheaper( 30 for a pound) to buy the ones with no metal bits on them. Shower caps were from the pound store and they are a pack of three. It is winter here so there is going to be a lot of deep conditioning going on. A lot! 

By the way this is my 100th post!

MAC FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION REVIEW

MAC face and body foundation, shade N12

My first ever liquid foundation, excuse me whilst I burst with pride. I went to MAC with my cousin and with 20% off I got my first liquid foundation. This foundation requires the highest praise, it is soo light you wont even know it is there, and it has such a natural sheer finish to it! It is water based so it does take a couple of minutes to set but it also means it wont clog your pores or cause breakouts. It has a squeeze thing so you dont need a pump and it is easy to get the right amount of foundation. It last really long, I can put it on at 8 in the morning and come home at 10 and it will still be there, I can work out at the gym and all I have to do it put a setting powder and all is well. Face and Body works amazingly well in photographs, it just looks like you have no foundation on. Its great in natural and artificial light so it could be your daily and going out foundation.

N12 swatch

It is really easy to blend and the coverage is light to medium but it is build-able. It is great for all skin types whether you have oily, dry or combination skin (hello, shiny t zone). Although only 11 shades are sold, they do match perfectly, my shade is N12 (I am NW50) and is NOT available online or in any MAC store, it is only available at Pro MAC stores. In my opinion I find that the make up artists at the Pro store in Carnaby street are the most helpful. I would honestly say this is the foundation to buy , and the price is pretty decent too £23.50 for 120 ml.

N12 blended in

ELF POWDER BRUSH REVIEW

So I recently purchased my first liquid foundation, I feel so grown up. I bought MAC's Face and Body Foundation in N12, and as we all know application of foundation is just as important as choosing the right shade. And after hours on end searching online for the best affordable brush I came across ELF.

ELF means eyes,lips and face and is a cheap cosmetic company that I have fallen head over heels in love with. Especially the powder brush, it works amazingly well, the foundation just blends in so well it looks like second skin. And the best part is the price! It is only £3.50 and from the reviews I have seen on makeup alley and youtube, it does last long. I have had mine for two months now and it has not shed at all!! It dries up really quickly after washing, and I use it to apply my MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural and my liquid foundation.

The only problem I have heard of is that it soaks up liquid products more but in my opinion its better if you spot foundations over your face than to pore over your hand and pick up product and then apply. I definitely recommend this brush, it is so soft and does its job so very very well!

ELF are doing a quick promotion with free delivery for British and European clients so I am buying two more extra brushes because they do sell out really quickly. Hurry up though it expires pretty soon. You can buy my beloved brush here

MAC WONDER WOMAN EYELINER REVIEW

                       

I luuurrrvvve wonder woman, I used to watch her on the Justice League when I was a kid, the 90's version and thanks to the wonderness that is the internets( hello, Youtube) I still do. She was soo bad ass and there was one episode where she just got so angry at the bad guys and started beating the hell out of them. Don't worry, they didn't die. Batman stopped her( they had some serious chemistry going on!). So when I heard MAC were doing a collection to the most awesome female superhero(sorry, She-Ra), I was pretty excited.

Now onto the goods, well just one, good, the penultimate eyeliner, it is massive. Like a giant Sharpie! My sister says it smells like a marker, it does. So I put it on, and my reaction was eh...(kanye shrug).Is this it?.. It really isn't black enough! Why?? Let the disappointment waves rush in. It really does look like I got my black marker and drew a line with it. I also did the 'sleep test' with it as eyeliner is the makeup product I wear daily for hours on end, it failed. Not miserably though, it's just that I can not justify £17.50 on a marker, I do not care even if it has the wonder woman logo on it. In the end I had to take it back and got the mineralize skin finish in deep dark instead. We'll see how it goes.

EYEKO REVIEW

My first review, yaaaay!! Eyeko means LOVE in Japanese and is the brainchild of beauty innovators Max and Nina Leykind. Born in London in 2000, Eyeko has become the go-to-brand for the latest in make-up must haves. Part Brit girl, part Tokyo cutie - Eyeko offers WOW products that define sweet London style.

Anywho, I bought a red nail polish called Saucy and two graffiti eyeliners in black and purple. Eyeko always have a free gift offer when you spend over £15, so I got a free navy blue eyeliner. I like free 99. On to the eyeliners..

Swatches on arm in day light

Many youtubers and blogers rave about Eyeko products but I have a waaaay different opinion. They suck, well the eyeliners suck! Especially if you are dark skinned and by dark skinned I mean black. The eyeliners' colours do NOT show, I asked my brother if he could see the difference between the purple and the navy blue. He couldn't. He thought the navy blue was black. Fail. The swatches on my arm show because I am mixed race on various places of my body. I would not advise anyone who is dark skinned to buy the coloured versions of the eyeliner. The black one is okay, nothing to sing songs or write about and for £5.50 I think I will just stick to Rimmel London's black eyeliner.





 Saucy polish, this I can rave about, this is the most amazing hot blood red, this could be the answer to my personal world's greatest red nail polish quest. It does come in a small bottle, when I saw it I like, dude I paid £5 for how many mls?? I was surprised as how good it is, no streaks and one coat can be enough. It is a to buy, it is such a lovely and rich colour ans it has good staying power, I ve been washing the dishes after supper every night and the nail polish has not chipped as much. Definitely buying Eyeko nail polishes again.