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Favorite Haircare Tools

September 17, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello all! In this post, I’m going to be rounding up some of my favorite haircare tools of all time. A lot of these tools are sort of old, yet, they still work very well. And because they have such good quality, I haven’t been tempted to update them. Also, I’ll give you my two cents regarding what I think about the very popular Revlon Hot Air Brush that everyone seems to love nowadays. Excited much?

Read on.

SinglePass Compact Travel Styling Flat Iron – This is my favorite travel iron. I take this with me all the time because I really like its compact design and its lightweight ergonomic style. This comes with a dual voltage, and the plates heat up easily. This even has a safety plastic case for easy storage and to prevent burns or potentially melting other surfaces. For me, this is super reliable, and has used this in almost all my trips; both local and overseas.

BodyWaver 1.75” Professional Ceramic Styling Iron for Waves and Volume – This is another one of my T3 faves, although this tool takes some getting used to for it to work really well, at least in my opinion. And that’s because this may feel a bit bulky although still very light on the hands. I usually use this to curl the tips of my hair in a sort of outward motion while positioning the barrel vertically. I believe this works very well for medium to long hair. The really good thing about this is once you develop a technique on how to use this efficiently, your curling process goes really fast because this heats up quickly.

GHD Eclipse Styler (new version – Platinum+ Professional Performance 1″ Styler) – This is a prior version of nowadays’ GHD Platinum. I haven’t tried that one yet because I never felt the need to update this really solid styler. This has been working well for me for years and looks good as new. In fact, this is my main hair straightener, and the T3 one above is my go-to for traveling. This tool heats up easily and notifies you with a sound. The heat is constant all over the plate, so it distributes evenly on the hair. Also, this doesn’t get too hot, so as not to damage the hair. You can also use this as a curler.

Babyliss PRO Nano Titanium Bambino Compact Dryer – This very small hair dryer is so easy to pack, so cute, and totally packs a punch in power. This isn’t foldable though, but this is a lot smaller than most travel hair dryers I’ve seen out there. The really nice thing about this is even though this may look like a kids’ hair dryer in real life, this will still dry your hair in minutes.

Bestool Boar Bristle Hair Brush – I’ve always wanted to have a boar bristle hairbrush because it helps to distribute the natural oil all over the hair and prevents frizz and split ends. This brush from amazon comes with a detangler and this really works to massage my scalp and prevent oil buildup.

Cricket Technique Barrel Hair Brush 2 inch – If you don’t have a curling wand or curling wands are not your thing, use this big round brush with your hairdryer to create big luscious waves. This brush distributes heat all over the hair because of its hollow barrel style. All you have to do is wrap the tips of your hair around this brush (away from your head) and heat it using your blow dryer. Voila! I love this a lot and this is so easy to use. Also, very inexpensive too.

Harry Josh Ultra Light Pro Dryer – A favorite among celebrities, this very cute, mint green, compact, and lightweight hair dryer is so powerful that this really dries the hair within minutes. This may not be a dual-voltage dryer (unfortunately), but this will really hasten hair drying time for medium to long hair. This has ion technology to eliminate frizz, and in my experience, my hair looks silkier whenever I use this as opposed to using other hair dryers.

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush – Lastly, I couldn’t resist but write about this very interesting hair dryer+hot brush hybrid. This is that perfect 2-in-1 hair tool that you can use easily and can give you a polished look within seconds. This is not really a hair straightener, but your hair will look a bit straighter with this. I think this is more like a blow dryer that gives you a salon blowout in minutes at the comfort of being in your own home. This can create a nice wave but won’t be as defined as with a wand curler. Nevertheless, the waves that this will create are really beautiful, I would say a la Kate Middleton, lol. I love this a lot even though this is bulky to store. I also love the affordable price.

There goes my faves in haircare tools. What are yours?

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Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo, Conditioner, Bond Smoother & Bonding Oil Review

June 16, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

It has been a few years since I reviewed the original Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3 (reviewed HERE). It was the product that started it all. Since then, Olaplex has released a couple of exciting hair care products that are meant to be restorative on the hair. As for me, I’m a loyal fan of the Hair Perfector and I use it regularly. It does help to keep my hair strands strong and less prone to breakage. However, I did wonder if I could fortify my strands further with the other products that Olaplex now has. So here’s my experience with their shampoo, conditioner, styling creme, and hair oil.

No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo (mini/3.3 – 8.5 oz: 14 – 28 USD) – I’m so glad that Olaplex released this. I’ve been wondering how their shampoo will be like, prior to them releasing this, and I think they’ve done a really good job with this product. I totally love the nice refreshing citrus/orange scent of this and I also love that this shampoo has a good weight to it. Not too watery, not too thick, and this doesn’t leave the hair too dry that it will feel stripped, nor does this leave the hair too heavy that it won’t have any volume. This is a shampoo for any hair type and is safe for hair that is color-treated. Also, this is made of clean ingredients.

No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner (mini/3.3 – 8.5 oz: 14 – 28 USD) – Just like the Bond Maintenance Shampoo, the fresh citrus/orange scent of this is totally a sensorial experience. I also love the consistency of this conditioner, which is not too thin and not too thick. Although I still only put a small amount of this on my hair, I still think that this conditioner is not the type that weighs the hair down. Most importantly, I really that this tames the frizzies and this makes the hair look shiny and healthy. On top of that, this conditioner is for all hair types and is color-safe.

No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Creme (3.3 oz: 28 USD) – With just the size of the mini version of the shampoo and conditioner above, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this leave-in styling creme until I’ve actually applied it on my hair. Like the products above, this has a very strong citrus/orange scent which I love and the texture of this is so thick. You only have to apply a pea size of this on the hair, or else your hair will look heavy and oily. Right after application, I felt my hair strands feeling a bit dry, I think because this a bit of alcohol in it, but after a few hours, my hair felt soft, looks totally well-tamed, healthy, shiny, and totally frizz-free even after walking outside with high humidity.

This product is Sulfate-free, Paraben-free, and cruelty-free, among other things. This also works for any hair type and can be used prior to blow-drying.

No. 7 Bonding Oil (1 oz: 28 USD) – What a cute hair care product this is, and this also smells really really good like the Olaplex products above, The orange/citrus scent of this is not too strong and not artificial. I also like that this is packaged in a sleek clear acrylic container. This may feel and look very small, but the overall design and aesthetic of this product are simply very stunning and very beautiful, which makes this a good decor in the vanity area as well.

Even though this may be small for its price, you only need a few drops of this oil to coat your hair and this doesn’t feel sticky nor does this add any weight to the hair. I actually find this to be ultra-lightweight, like the dry oil type, and per Olaplex, this protects the hair for up to 450°F/ 230°C. For me, this also tames the frizz, adds shine, and this provides nourishment. Additionally, this is also perfect for any hair type and is vegan, cruelty-free, and also gluten-free.

I really like Olaplex’s concept of restoring the hair’s natural vitality, which can be achieved by re-linking the broken bonds, and by adding extra nourishment on the strands. I also love that their hair care products can be used by any hair type, texture, or even if you’ve had hair treatments done. Our hair goes through a lot of stresses in life every day, which can manifest in split ends, frizzies, or even dryness and oiliness. It’s good to have some hair care products like these from Olaplex. I, personally, have noticed that my hair strands are slowly becoming thicker, stronger, and less prone to breakage.

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and the rest of Olaplex products

Ouai Shampoo and Conditioner for Fine Hair Review

April 9, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 1 Comment

Hello. In line with taking care of ourselves during these quarantine times, it’s very important to take time to breathe, relax, stretch, exercise, and have a good soothing shower. Remember: “A sound mind is in a sound body”. So, speaking of baths and showers, I have a haircare line to recommend, that is if, you haven’t tried this line yet.

The Ouai Shampoo and Conditioner for Fine Hair is a surprise love for me. At first, I didn’t expect much from this line, thinking it would be just like any of those shampoos and conditioners that claim to add volume and bounce, yet most of them didn’t really work for me. However, I do love a lot of Ouai’s haircare stuff, so, I gave this a try. My first impression of these? I was blown away.

As a side note, my hair is quite flat, straight, and has mostly fine strands especially in the inner layers, however, I also have some sort of thick strands mixed-in. On top of that, it tends to get oily. So, I always look for a good volumizing lightweight shampoo and conditioner to help with the issue. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like moisturizing haircare products. It really all depends on the situation. In fact, I’m planning to review the Ouai Shampoo and Conditioner for Medium Hair soon to see if that will also work for me. For now, let’s take a look at these.

Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo (10-32 oz: 28-56 USD) – This shampoo has a nice light floral scent (taken from Ouai’s Mercer St. EDP) which has a bit of lemon, jasmine, and musk. This has a very very lightweight feel that is definitely formulated for fine hair that needs volume or body. Also, this shampoo is color-safe, has no harsh ingredients, and this has Hydrolyzed Keratin which tames frizzies and flyaways. What I really like about this shampoo is that this foams and rinses the hair very well without having to use too much. This makes the hair feel so clean without drying it and this gets rid of excess oil. Along with the conditioner for fine hair, this shampoo delivers what it’s supposed to be.

Ouai Fine Hair Conditioner (10-32 oz: 28-56 USD) – This conditioner has a nice smooth feel that is quite fluid and totally light. This has the same ingredients as the Fine Shampoo which has Biotin and Chia Seed Oil but this is definitely not thick and this doesn’t weigh the hair down. The jasmine scent of this is quite more noticeable than the shampoo counterpart but still very very light. I really like that the effect of this conditioner plus the shampoo gave that right look of clean, soft, bouncy hair and with relaxed or tamed frizzies and flyaways.

Overall, I am utterly impressed with this Shampoo and Conditioner. I think these are becoming my holy grail haircare since there aren’t really many shampoos and conditioners out there that truly volumizes the hair and makes it look clean. On top of that, these make the hair look nice and still volumized even the next day, and with the sleek packaging along with the lovely light floral scent, I really recommend these for those with fine hair.

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