Monday 18 March 2013

Review: Darcy Botanicals Sweet Cocoa Bean Curl Smoothing Cream

Source
I've been hunting for the ideal natural moisturiser. If there is one thing my regimen lacks it is this. So far, I use Giovanni Direct Leave-In but I'm not satisfied with it. On top of this, I need a completely protein-free and glycerin-free moisturiser for those times when my hair is overloaded (from protein treatments or henna) and the air is dry. That's when I came across Darcy's Botanicals (DB). I read a few positive reviews for DB's Transisitioning Cream (TC).  I chose the Curl Smoothing Cream (CSC) instead because both products contain coconut oil but according to the ingredient list, it had less of it. Many people believe coconut oil can make protein-sensitive hair feel dry.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Tips: Etude House Precious Mineral Bright Fit BB Cream in Honey Beige



So this is just a follow-up to my original review comparing Etude House and Skin 79

FYI:

  • The BB Cream does have English on the box, so you will be able to read the list of ingredients and instructions
  • The date on the tube is the manufacturing date, not expiry date

Saturday 9 March 2013

Wash Day Reviews: Bee Mine Bee-U-Ti-ful Conditioner

My Hair Situation


So for years I've used Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose conditioner as my go-to for moisturising. Whether I was natural or relaxed, this easily accessible natural health store find was my staple. I first heard about it on longhaircareforum.com and even now it still seems to be the holy grail item of the decade.

 The problem is--it does nothing for my hair.

I've pre-pooed with it, instant conditioned with it, used heat for 20 minutes post wash and used no heat for an hour. No matter what--it does nothing for my hair. The best it's ever worked was when I mixed it in equal amounts with Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Conditioner and a bit of honey. Taking that mixture and going under my dome dryer for 30 minutes seemed to do the trick. Until I realised--why should I have to go through this much trouble for it to work?? Even now, I still wonder why I keep using it. If it weren't for it being natural, I probably would have given up long ago.

Thursday 7 March 2013

Review: Revlon Precision Clear Lash Adhesive

As a newbie to the whole false lashes thing I found myself forever hunting for the perfect eyelash glue. When I bought my first pair of dolly lashes, I was determined more than ever to wear them but seriously was terrified of the lashes lifting off my eyelids in the most embarrassing and irredeemable of ways.

And to complicate things more everyone persisted you get glues in black because there was this whole thing about white glues not drying clear (which obviously messes up your swag...).

Of course all the pros are down with  Duo.  Every time I went into Sephora I was tempted to pick up that little tube. But here's what stopped me:

Tuesday 5 March 2013

DIY: Pre-Relaxer Base Cream

A couple of touch-ups back I made the horrible mistake of working out and washing my hair way too soon before my relaxer. This resulted in the worst relaxer burns of all time. So a couple of weeks ago when I was ready for my next touch-up I decided I wouldn't let this happen again. Of course, I was ending a whopping 15-week relaxer stretch meaning fighting with the new growth to detangle my hair put me at a huge risk for another burn. Also my scalp itched like crazy forcing me to again wash too soon (3 days) before my touch-up. Yep. I needed a serious scalp base if I wanted to avoid disaster.

Friday 1 March 2013

Skin 79 and Etude House BB Cream on Darker Skin

BB cream is typically an all-in-one product which is supposed to be healing/moisturising with coverage and sun protection.

I won't go into detail about these companies/products because there are countless reviews elsewhere. BUT few of them feature darker skin. Most people will say automatically that Korean BB cream will not work for us but this isn't always the case.

When reading reviews, many compared Skin 79 to Etude House, saying it was a much better brand. I ended up torn between either matching my tone or trying what was popular.