Reviews and Other Stuff

Favorite Hair Texture Sprays

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast review

 

Hey All! In my previous haircare review, I mentioned that I’m obsessed about texturizing hair sprays. They come in different names, some are called Dry Texture Sprays, Texture Mists, Dry Sprays, Hair Texturizing Sprays, and even Wave Sprays, Salt Sprays or Beach Sprays function the same. I started using these sprays around the same time that I fell in love with dry shampoos (see my favorites HERE). For me, I love the way these texture sprays look on my hair, especially if you find the right texturizing spray that suits your hair type.

 

Lately, there’s been a surge of different types of hair texture sprays from different brands. While they’re not all created equal since most of them come in different formulations, I find that they all give this hair definition and texture that looks “lived-in” and “effortless” which I really really like. Also, I like the way they add texture to my layered strands and the way they lightly hold my hair in place. Some may also add volume and that’s a huge plus because it’s like getting a dry shampoo and hairspray in one.

 

I tend to like lightweight hair texture sprays which means I don’t like anything that grips on my hair too much to the point that my hair would look dry and stiff. I also don’t like anything very sticky. A tad sticky yes perhaps, but it has to be very flexible.

 

Here are my favorite hair texture sprays.

 

Liquid

The liquid form of texture sprays tend to be lightweight and may have a slightly sticky feel, although some could get really heavy on the hair, while some could make the strands stiff and dry. These type of dry texture sprays are almost similar if not identical to sea salt sprays and wave sprays. They crunch the hair in varying levels of strength but they don’t necessarily add volume. Most of these are great for medium type of hair. For my preference, I like the ones that are very light and with a nice irresistible scent.

 

Alterna Caviar Resort Sea Tousled Texture Spray

 

Kรฉrastase Aura Botanica Beach Wave Texture Spray (5.1 oz: $28) – This pretty much takes the same scent as the whole Kerastase Aura Botanica haircare line (read the Kerastase Aura Botanica Shampoo+Conditioner review HERE). If you’re familiar with that line, then you will find the scent of this texture spray to be familiar as well. This has a nice light perfume-like scent. It sorta relaxes the hair and it gives a nice soft textured effect. It does give a slight “wet” look effect and it tends to grip the hair strands a bit stronger than most liquid textured sprays I’ve tried, but it’s flexible enough to be brushed. It makes the hair stay in place and it defines each strand well.

 

Alterna Caviar Resort Sea Tousled Texture Spray (4 oz: $28) – Similar to the Kerastase Aura Botanica Texture Spray above but this one has a slightly fresher scent and it gives a bit of hair volume while it mildly crunches the hair. You don’t need to use a lot of this and it gives a nice lived-in look. This could also work as a hair perfume or hair fragrance mist, just like the Kerastase texture spray above.

 

Living Proof Instant Texture Mist (5 oz: $26) – This has the lightest grip of all the liquid texturizing hair sprays I’ve tried and it smells divine. It’s perfect for keeping the strands and hair layers in place after straightening the hair. It doesn’t crunch much and it doesn’t add volume, but it keeps the hair looking naturally defined and clean. The spray nozzle of this delivers a very nice fine mist.

 

Aerosol

The Aerosolized type of hair texturizing sprays is my most favorite. This type not only defines and holds the hair together, but they also add some volume. It’s really like having a volumizing dry shampoo and hairspray in one.

 

Moroccanoil Dry Texture Spray

 

IGK Beach Club Texture Spray (1.7 oz: $14, 5 oz: $29) – This has a coconut scent that I kind of find to be quite too strong for my taste, but this definitely adds texture and volume to the hair like no other. I just love the way this looks on my fine straight hair. It makes my hair look more alive, defined, volumized, fresh, and truly bouncy.

 

Moroccanoil Dry Texture Spray (1.6 oz: $11, 5.4 oz: $28) – With a nice floral-powdery scent, this texture spray feels and applies more like a dry shampoo that adds a really nice hair definition but not necessarily too much volume. It doesnโ€™t crunch much either, but it just defines and holds the hair in place while absorbing excess hair oil.

 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray (2.2 oz: $22, 8.5 oz: $46) – This has similar characteristics to the IGK Beach Club Texture Spray above and yes, I like this a lot too. I even like this more than the Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (seen HERE) because this smells so good and it works very well for my hair type. For me, this gotta be the most perfect hair texturizing spray in terms of scent, volume, grip, and look/effect on my hair.

 

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast (3 oz: $15, 7.5 oz: $29) – I’ve ignored this dry shampoo several times because I honestly wasn’t sure what this was for. That is, until, I saw that this is an Allure Best of Beauty Winner and people rave about how good of a texturizing hair spray this is, especially for fine hair. So, I decided to give this a try. I really like the smell of this, and this texture spray pretty much functions like the IGK and Oribe ones above. Yes, this does give a nice hair lift, but it’s also true that the volumizing effect of this lasts for about 2-3 hours only. After that, you really need to reapply, and that’s why I always have a mini size of this in my tote.

 

Amika Un.Done Volume and Matte Texture Spray (1 oz: $10, 5.3 oz: $20) – Another one that is so similar to the IGK, Oribe, and Living Proof dry texture sprays above, but you may find the scent of this to be too strong. I generally like the feel and smell of this at first spritz, but after a while, the scent can be overpowering and kind of old lady-like for my preference. But that may just be me, some of you guys may actually find the scent of this to be totally fine.

 

Foam

 

ouai dry texture foam

 

Haven’t experimented much on foam hair texturizing sprays or in any other type of texture sprays other than mostly the liquid and the aerosolized powdery form. So far, in the foam type, I only like the Ouai Dry Texture Foam (5.8 oz: $28) which smells nice and it’s also a creamy lightweight foam that adds grit and texture to the hair, along with some really good volume. This is great to use even before styling or to refresh the hair and add some volume the next day without washing it. I find that this works well for my fine straight hair. Read more about this product HERE.

 

hair texture spray

 

Final words, if you’re new to dry texture sprays and your hair type is fine, you may wanna try the aerosol types and I highly recommend the ones from IGK, Oribe, Living Proof and Moroccanoil, or you can try the Ouai Dry Texture Foam above. If your hair is medium, thick, wavy, or curly, you might enjoy any of the liquid types, or you can still try the one from Ouai.

 

Are you a fan of hair texture sprays? Which one is your favorite?

 

 

Glossier Mini Haul

glossier generation g

 

Hey there! Heard Glossier got a new addition to their beloved Balm Dotcom salves. Upon checking out their website, it looks like they’ve also added/updated a few more other products as well, including the newly reformulated Glossier Generation G sheer matte lipstick. Curious as always, I decided to try their newest Mango Balm Dotcom flavor, and I also ordered another flavor from the same line which I haven’t tried before. Also, in this review, I’ll feature one new Generation G lip shade.

 

glossier balm dotcom coconut

 

See below.

 

glossier review

 

Balm Dotcom (0.5 fl oz: $12) – This is probably my most favorite Glossier products of all and I keep buying this because I really love how versatile this balm is. You can use it for just about anything and it doesn’t irritate the skin. It’s a very thick salve that truly soothes and moisturizes the driest area of the skin no matter what the season may be. Also, the flavor/scent of this is always very rich and definitely true to its description. On top of that, the packaging is so cute and easy to store or carry.

 

glossier balm dotcom review

 

  • Coconut – Untinted. This is the scent/flavor I didn’t talk about during my previous Glossier review, seen HERE. I’m usually not a fan of strong coconut scents, but this one is not overpowering. While this definitely smells like true fresh coconut, this actually kinda reminds me of that dreamy tropical paradise escape we all have in our bucket list.

 

glossier balm dotcom mango flavor

 

  • Mango – The latest addition to the Glossier Balm Dotcoms, and this does not disappoint. It’s got a true juicy mango scent with a hint of bubblegum perhaps, and it has a light coral tint that disappears easily upon application. The scent of this travels easily across the room and you can notice it as soon as you unscrew the cap. It is that good.

 

glossier generation g lipstick in like

 

Generation G ( 0.1 oz: $18) – This is Glossier’s sheer matte lipstick line that has recently been reformulated. I got so curious about this, and guess what? I actually prefer this new formula compared to the old one. See the Leo shade in its old formulation HERE. The old formula tends to get really dry on the lips over time.

glossier generation g lipstick in like

  • Like – Described as light cool pink according to Glossier’s website, this appears like a light nude mauve on my pigmented lips with a soft-focus blotted effect, even though it looks kind of dark purple-violet inside the tube. I find this to be perfect for my lips this Spring and coming Summer for a sheer mauve pop of color, and it’s quite moisturizing as well. This also feels light, comfortable, and it doesn’t transfer much. Since this is sheer, the lasting power is around 2-3 hours after eating or drinking. I think the Dior Lip Glow in Matte Raspberry (seen HERE) is very much similar to this in terms of texture and finish. Further, this has a light jasmine scent that goes away a few minutes after application. I really like this sheer matte lipstick/balm a lot, and this “Like” shade definitely deserves a lot of likes because it seems universally wearable enough as an everyday lip shade with its perfect natural nude-mauve tone. Since I like this lipstick a lot, I’m planning to review the whole newly-reformulated Glossier Generation G lipstick soon. So, stay tuned for the swatches.

 

glossier

Have you been loving any Glossier products lately? Which ones?

 

The Glossier Balm Dotcom in Mango and Coconut and the newly-reformulated Generation G lipstick in Like are currently available at glossier.com

 

 

Clean Fragrance Review

clean scent review

 

This Spring and for this coming Summer, I’ve made it a point to venture into light clean fresh fragrances. I’m kind of tired of wearing heavy scents, especially those with strong alcohol notes. As the sky gets brighter and the daylight gets longer, I needed a few new light scents that could lift up my mood and inspire me throughout my activities. I wandered inside Sephora a couple of weeks ago and stumbled into a few Clean fragrances. We all have known, seen, and probably tried some Clean scents before, but on my part, I feel like I haven’t really taken a closer look and tested their fragrances thoroughly. I do know that their stuff seems to really gear towards light scents.

 

Clean scents are definitely scents that are meant to be light and clean. They’re made of simple, sustainable, and cruelty-free ingredients, with the concept of giving back to the community and improve their lives with every Clean fragrance made.

 

Upon trying a few scents at Sephora, I noticed that some of the scents really appealed to me, while a few also repulsed me, and there were also others that made me nostalgic or even gave me a few mixed emotions. Ultimately, I brought home three travel-size scents that I knew will be the ones I’ll be reaching out the most this season.

 

Clean Reserve

 

clean citron fig

 

Citron Fig (0.34 oz: $28, 3.4 oz: $98) – This has a very citrusy green scent, but it’s quite light, fresh, and somewhat tart. I like this note of citrus a lot because it’s not so acidic and you can’t detect any alcohol content in it even if it’s in there. It’s just pure lemon and citrus from the beginning ’till the end, and it’s the kind of scent you would wanna wear from Spring until Summer.

 

clean reserve rain

 

Rain (0.34 oz: $28, 3.4 oz: $98) – Also available in Clean Classic, which is a lighter note compared to the Clean Reserve line, this Rain scent is the complete definition of a no-fuss, fresh, light, scent. It reminds of me of fresh morning dew, light rain, misty grass, fresh water, and delicate flowers along the meadows. Now that’s deep, LOL, but yeah, Imagine that! It smells simple but describing it is actually complicated. All I know is that it is so fresh, interestingly light, dreamy, and just beautiful. This gotta be my most favorite Clean scent of all.

 

Clean Classic

 

clean fresh laundry

 

Fresh Laundry (0.34 oz: $24, 1 oz: $44, 2 oz: $74) – Inspired by freshly laundered linens under clear blue skies (per Clean Beauty’s website). A lot of people love this scent. This has a soapy cotton and linen scent that will definitely remind you of freshly cleaned clothes, whether dried under clear blue skies or baked out of a dryer, LOL. But yeah, the concept is there, and though I find the soapy scent of this to be a little bit too much, I still like its unique scent. It’s quite similar to the Clean Warm Cotton fragrance, but that one is just way too strong for me. Now, a lot of folks are saying that this particular scent smells like the Vicktor&Rolf Liquid Diamonds, which is one of my most favorite scents ever, reviewed HERE. Honestly, this Clean Fresh Laundry doesn’t really smell like the V&R Liquid Diamonds. I think they’re way too different from each other, even though they both have this hint of “freshly cleaned clothes” smell. Fresh laundry mainly smells like pure clean linen, while Liquid Diamonds has a lot of floral notes to it.

 

Other Clean scents I’ve tried and not photographed here in this review.

 

Acqua Neroli – exactly like Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino. Not sure which came first, the chicken or the egg? Hmmm, seems like Tom Ford had it first.

Sel Santal – very much like Le Labo’s Santal 33, though a bit lighter, and cheaper as well.

Skin – not a fan of this. The scent is too much. Like sweat.

Solar Bloom – so intrigued by this. I couldn’t quite discern the complicated notes of this. It’s like fresh floral, earthy, and somewhat has coconut in it. I may wanna purchase it soon.

Warm Cotton – way too strong. It’s very soapy.

 

clean beauty collective fragrance

 

What I love about Clean scents is the fact that they tend to have this linear type of fragrance. The scent pretty much smells the same from the moment your first spray it on the skin until the very end of its lasting power. Their top notes and their dry down don’t change that much and I really love that in a fragrance. However, since these are light fragrances, expect to notice that they do fade a lot sooner than most perfumes.

 

Are you a fan of Clean fragrances? What’s your favorite?

 

The Clean Classic and Reserve scents are currently available at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, andย Birchbox