Can we just talk about this hair.
I had a date Saturday night, so naturally I set aside an hour and a half to get ready (#obviously). To be honest, I‘m not sure what I was most excited about; the date itself or the getting ready part. I received the new Garnier Fructis Full & Plus line earlier this week and have been dying to wash my locks ever since.
Housed in a pink bottle (I die), this line is composed of specialized products to boost hair mass. The formula is packed with pomegranate, which is known for its ultra-nourishing and anti-oxidant powers.
Now I naturally have thick hair, but I’m always on the hunt for volume. I just love the look of voluminous hair, but just because a product promises you volume, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll deliver.
The Garnier Full & Plush line is comprised of five products: shampoo and conditioner (C$5.29 each), Ends Plumper (C$5.79), Voluptuous Blow Out (C$5.79), and the Amp Spray Mousse (C$5.49).
I want to preface this post saying that I actually gave myself a blowout for the purposes of this post (and my date). Meaning that I used a round brush with a blow dryer and then set my hair using curlers. This routine always gives me volume, but I did notice a difference, which we will get into.
As always, I started off with the shampoo and conditioner in the shower, then after, on towel-dried hair, I put the Ends Plumper on the ends of my hair (I always have to use a split-end tamer otherwise they get really coarse). The Ends Plumper plumps out thinned ends; I don’t necessarily think it smoothes the ends, but instead adds thickness to them. After, I ran a dime-sized amount of the Voluptuous Blow-Out crème, which is a blow-out bodifying treatment that’s supposed to instantly make you look like you have more hair, give all-over fullness and shape and structure. Finally, I sprayed the Amp Spray Mousse to my roots for some lift. From there I blowdried my hair with a roundbrush and set it with curlers. After half an hour I took out the rollers and was left with this.
Okay, so like I said, I always have big hair when I roundbrush and set my hair. There was a noticeable difference in the texture of my hair with this line though. Surprisingly, it started in the shower with the shampoo, which I actually had to use a lot of to lather up. Even after it rinsed, my hair had that starchy feel to it. Out of the shower it kept that starchy feel, which although isn’t the most pleasant feeling, it’s the tried and true way to get volume and make it stick. My hair stayed voluminous all night and if there was a point where I wanted a little more volume, I would just tease it at the roots with my fingers to bring it back up.
Hands-down my favourite item from the line is the spray mousse. I usually apply a volumizing mousse or gel to my roots, but it’s messy. This stuff sprays right on, so it’s way easier to target the product where you want it.
Overall, I was super impressed with Full & Plush. It definitely delivers, however, I wouldn’t use this for everyday wear. I would reserve it for days where I know I’ll need the volume.
Have you tried Garnier’s Full & Plush line? What were your thoughts?
Please note, this post contains products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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So once the calendar hits May, it’s pretty much self-tanner time.
Okay, I know technically it’s still April, but usually when I travel I like to slather the stuff on and because I have a ton of trips coming up, my self tanners have been getting a lot of use (it doesn’t matter if I’m going to Saskatchewan or Alberta… people don’t need to know that I’m not in Mexico or anything…).
I’ve blogged about a few different self-tanners so far this year but I haven’t had a chance to review Vita Liberata yet. I’ve actually had this guy for a few months now and although I have used it a few times, it’s one of those luxury-brand tanners that I feel like for the price of a bottle of it, it deserves some serious reviewing (heck, if I’m going to spend C$65 on a tanner, you better believe I’m gonna look up blogger reviews first).
The Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse is available at Sephora and is in the same category as my beloved St. Tropez (AKA ridiculously expensive, but leaves you with a nice, natural-looking glow). It’s billed as the “world’s longest-lasting tan mousse and available in three shades: fair, medium, and dark. I have the medium shade and find it gives a nice glow. I honestly wouldn’t bother with the light; stick with medium or dark. This super fast-drying tanning mousse with pHen02 technology gives a long-lasting tan result with instant colours and a tan that develops over four to eight hours. Best of all, it’s supposed to last up to two to three weeks. It’s infused with cucumber (keeps the body hydrated and helps eliminate toxins), witch hazel (renowned for its antioxidant and healing properties) and papaya (improves the tone and texture of the skin).
Okay, so when it comes to self-tanners, there’s two faux pas. Does it streak and does it smell? No and no. This has Odour Remove Technology for zero self-tan smell and is tinted, so you actually see the tan when you apply it (helping with surprise streaks). Although I wouldn’t say it’s completely odourless, it does have less of a smell than others I have tried.
For those who haven’t tanned before, it’s best to apply on showered, freshly exfoliated skin. Make sure you don’t moisturize. Because this is a mousse, you have to get a mitt to apply it (they also sell one for C$8, but you don’t have to use theirs, lots of companies make these). The mitt really does make the application way easier and helps with a fast, streak-free coat. I do find the mitt slips on my hand, so I usually apply a hand moisturizer prior to popping that mitt on so it sticks. I tan at night, so I can sleep with the stuff on, but you only need four to eight hours for the colour to develop before showering to remove the colour guard. You’ll appear really dark (you may get comments that you look orange), but don’t worry, it’s the colour guard, once you shower it’s not as dark and looks more natural. This does leave you with a nice glow after one use, but if you really want to look dark, I recommend applying it two or three more times.
Overall, this does leave you with a nice tan. I personally don’t find a difference between this and St. Tropez (other than the price, St. Tropez is around C$50). Is it the best tanner I’ve tried? No. Although it’s billed as being long lasting, I don’t find it lasts anywhere near two to three weeks on me unless I apply it religiously. I’m lucky if I get one week out of it. With that being said though, it has many other amazing qualities. The fact that it doesn’t smell is a huge plus for me. Like I said, you should wash off the colour guard, but since this stuff doesn’t bother me, I’ll go 24 hours before washing it off since I look darker anyways. Also, I love how you can see the actual product on your skin when applying it. Since I’ve been tanning for years, I can get a pretty good coverage, but if you are new to the game, seeing where the colour is going is a huge plus.
I typically find bronzing mousses expensive in general, and I certainly think that $65 is crazy for a self tanner, but it does it’s job and does leave you with a nice glow. If you have an event coming up, I would splurge, but I certainly wouldn’t buy this for everyday wear since it is so expensive (or you could even mix and match this with a more reasonably-priced tanner).
Have you tried Vita Liberata? What were your thoughts?
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When it comes to spring nail colours, pastels rule. And when it comes to pastels, mint shades will forever be my fave to rock.
So this brings me to today’s post. No matter how many pinks you have or purples or blues, you’ll forever have a favourite. Whether it’s the perfect shade, the perfect texture, the perfect brush or the longevity of the polish, there’s one shade that sticks out (for pinks, it’s OPI Mod About You). When it comes to mints, my forever favourite was Essie’s Mint Candy Apple, an iconic cult-worthy mint shade that bears some resemblance to Tiffany blue (swoon). But then OPI introduced a heart-stopping mint shade in their Hawaii collection and that changed everything.
That’s Hula-rious is hands-down my fave from the spring 2015 Hawaii collection and a gorgeous mint creme polish. This guys leans more towards the greener spectrum of the mint shades (whereas Essie’s Mint Candy Apple is more blue), but it’s certainly been a toss up in which mint to wear (#firstworldproblems).
Is this corner we have Essie’s Mint Candy, an opaque Tiffany-blue mint which is so refreshing. It’s like Listerine for your nails. It’s clean, fresh, and perfect for any function (think baby shower, wedding shower, heck even a wedding). It’s one of those shades that is so basic, but one that you can wear anywhere. The only downside is that I’m personally not a huge fan of Essie’s brush and the longevity of their polishes aren’t the greatest on my nails. This one though is a staple for any collection.
Overall, I do find OPI’s formula and brush to be better than Essies. Their lacquers last longer on my nails and that ProWide brush does a better job of painting on the colour. Although both shades are technically classified as a mint, they are different. OPI’s That’s Hula-rious! is more of an Easter-egg mint green, making is more season appropriate, whereas I find Mint Candy Apple can be worn really any time of the year. To be honest, it would be really tough choosing a favourite between the two since they are on different spectrums of the mint wheel.
Essie’s Mint Candy Apple is part of their regular line, whereas That’s Hula-rious is limited edition… for now. I feel like a shade like this one though would be something they would keep on in their permanent collection.
Do you have a favourite mint polish?
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