Review | Tangle Teezer

As my hair has got longer, its become more of a nightmarish tangle, so I thought I'd try out the Tangle Teezer well known for its kick arse knot fighting abilities.

The Tangle Teezer has fast become an iconic hair tool, with its bright colours and funky design.

I picked my teezer up from Boots for £10.99 and is the original design. It has 2 different lengths of soft, bendy plastic bristles, long and short in an alternating pattern and fits comfortably in the palm of my hand.

I have to say I was skeptical about whether this would work well, and after using it for a few months I can safely say its pretty good!

I wanted to do a comparison test to show how good the teezer really is. I don't normally brush my hair from root to tip when its wet but it was the best way to show how it works.

Before

Using a wide tooth comb I brush from the top of my head and immediately get stuck, so gently start again, then get stuck again and then again. Not so groovy.

After (just the right side)

 The tangle teezer is so smooth and took me 2 seconds to go through the left side of my hair

One of the down sides I must admit is is that fluff gets stuck in the bristles very easily. I took this picture a few hours later after my hair had dried and all the fluff from my jumper ended up in my brush! Its also not as smooth when I brush my hair dry, it can get stuck in some of the stubborn knots and take a few tries to work through. But all in all its a good brush and I would definitely would recommend it :)

Jeni xo

Review | John Freida Beach Blonde

Hi Guys!

I know its been rather a long time since my last post. Truth is I've had a lack of blogging motivation and haven't come across anything that has got me excited in a while.

But fear not! Today I come back with a review of John Freida's returning classic Beach Blonde.

I'm always chopping and changing hair products trying to find THE ULTIMATE products for my hair type but alas its still a searching struggle. I've tried it all from all natural shampoo bars (a dark time in my hair history) to a little more pricey-er chemical laden bottles of promise. I try to pick budget friendly products and if I can pick things on offer I will! This funky fresh little collection caught my eye and it was on offer so I went ahead and picked up the Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo and the Kelp Help Deep Conditioning Masque. In addition to the collection there is a Smooth Seas Detangling Conditioner and a Sea Waves Sea Salt spray to bring out your inner mermaid.

Information |

Brand | John Freida

Product | Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo & Kelp Help Deep Conditioning Masque

Size | 250ml (shampoo) 150ml (masque)

Price | £5.89 each (I bought each for £4.00)

Made in | the E.U

Would I re-purchase | yes! 

Shampoo Ingredients |

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside Sodium Chloride, Betaine, Parfum, Cocamide Mea, Benzyl Alcohol Polyquaternium-7, Dipropylene Glycol, Malic Acid, Menthyl Lactate, Menthol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate Benzophenone-4, Glycine, PPG-9 Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylisothiazolinone Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, CI 15985, CI 42090, Limonene, Linalool.

Masque Ingredients |

Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Parfum, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Palmitate, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Menthol Menthyl Lactate, Polyquaternium-28, Glycine, Malic Acid, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Benzophenone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Cetearyl Glucoside, Methylisothiazolinone, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, CI 15985, CI 42090, Limonene, Linalool

At the time I bought these I was messing around with my hair care routine and washing my hair too frequently so my natural shampoo was leaving a residue. I bought the shampoo to deep clean my hair and the masque just damn tempted me! I use these maybe once a week to clear away any product build up. Lets start with the scent. OMG this stuff smells beyond amazing! Its fresh, its minty, it smells clean and by golly the sent stay in your hair for days! 

The shampoo does a great job of stripping away dirt and grime and leaves hair feeling fresh and clean, I always use it in conjunction with the hair masque; which in turn leaves hair feeling wonderfully soft. I leave it in for about 3 minutes, longer if I'm enjoying a bath and wash it out well. I suspect that this (the masque) is what really leaves its sent behind.

Pricing wise I don't think its too bad a price for the shampoo as it lasts ages. Its quite a thick clear shampoo and you can't squeeze too much out of the bottle so you won't over use the product, but the masque is such a tiny amount for the money, you want to use it sparingly, a little does go a long way but its too costly in my eyes, even if it does smell like heaven!

All in all I have enjoyed using these products and will continue to do so till they are all used up and I move on to my next search!

Jeni xo

Review | Boots Botanics 81% Organic Hydrating Day Cream

As you may know I've started to incorporate more natural products in to my life. I had been using argon oil as a daily facial moisturiser but decided I wanted to try something different for a little while and when I found this in Boots and it didn't cost the earth I grabbed up a tub to try.

Information |

Brand | Botanics
Product | Hydrating Day Cream (81% organic)
Price | £8.99
Size | 50ml
Purchased from | Boots
Made in |
Would I re-purchase | yes

Ingredients |

Aqua (Water), Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil*, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*, Glycerin*, Rosa canina seed oil*, Cetearyl glucoside, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter*, Cera alba (Beeswax)*, Glyceryl stearate, Alcohol denat.*, Cetearyl alcohol, Xanthan gum, Sodium benzoate, Limonene, Potassium sorbate, Citric acid, Citronellol, Pelargonium graveolens flower oil, Citrus aurantium dulcis peel extract*, Linalool, Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) fruit oil, Citrus medica limonum (Lemon) peel oil, Geraniol, **Parfum (Fragrance), Citral

* Ingredients certified as organic by the Soil Association for use in cosmetic products

** Ingredients certified as organic by the Ecocert Association for use in cosmetic products

Product Description |

This hydrating organic moisturiser glides onto the skin to soften and help improve texture.

Rosehip is combined with Jojoba Oil and Cocoa Butter to instantly nourish and leave skin looking fresh and radiant.

Rosehip is nature's nourishing gem. The seeds are a rich source essential Omega oils, which help to improve suppleness and keep all skin types beautifully soft and healthy looking.

Our beauty scientists use active plant extracts approved by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to bring you beautiful skincare that's proven to work.

• We've taken steps to reduce our impact on the planet at every stage in this product's journey.
• Formulated without parabens.

I love how plain and simple the packaging is. Its not loud and shouty just simple white with a little colour, nice and clean looking.

I've been using this for over a month maybe even 2 months now. The scent is rosehip and its really lovely and fresh but quite strong which I personally don't mind but others might.

The cream itself is very thick but once your rub it between your fingers it melts and smooths in well enough. 

On application it feels wonderful and soothing and leaves my skin looking matte. Its a bit hit and miss under different foundations though due to the mattifying effect. If you have a foundation that's more on the thicker side eg/ Revlon Colour Stay it can be a bit difficult to get an even coverage, in my personal experience that is. If the foundation is lighter its not too bad, but I have found my self reaching for a little coconut oil to add after to make my face more slippery for foundation application.

Its a brilliant formulation with so many organic, natural ingredients and because its so thick a little goes a long way so it lasts a really long time. I know I have at least another months worth of product in the tub so makes it good value for money. I'd love to try more from the line, not all of the Botanics range is as organic and natural as this one, but the ingredients are much nicer than your run of the mill.

Hope you've enjoyed this review,

Till next time

Jeni xo

Review | Sukin Cream Cleanser

As you may know, over the last few months I've become increasingly aware of what products I'm using and what I'm allowing my body to absorb through topical application. Its an on going and slow transition between the using up of old products and the replacing with newer, healthier ones. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on the Sukin Organics cream cleanser. But before I move on to the review I thought I would share a bit of research on the brand. I love a good bit of research and I think knowing where your product has come from is becoming a must for me.

About the Brand |

Sukin Organics are an environmentally conscious Australian company that offer over 50 carefully crafted personal care products produced with the best natural ingredients. Free from harsh chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), synthetic fragrencense, animal derivatives, harsh detergents, propylene glycol, artificial colours, triethanolamine, mineral oils, EDTA, or parabens. 

Sukin also aim to 'give back' to local communities, aligning with a variety of eco-initiatives each year.

Product Information |

Brand | Sukin

Product | Cream Cleanser Sulphate & Paraben Free

Price | £8.15

Purchased from | Holland & Barrett

Made in | Australia 

Would I re-purchase | Yes!

Let me start by saying how beautiful this smells. It has a fresh citrusy-orange scent. Its light and creamy and a dream to use. I use it both morning and night, at night as a secondary cleanser to my oil cleanse. It doesn't dry out my skin and leaves it feeling clean and fresh and ready to take on the day!
Its not what I would choose to remove my makeup at night but can get the job done if needed.
There are a couple of ways to use this, you can either apply the cream, the swipe off with a cotton pad, or how I use it which is massage it on then remove with water. I don't take this off with my flannel, just water and my hands. Its become a firm favourite for me and something I will definitely buy again, and maybe even try more of this wonderful brand!

Jeni xo

Review | Brow This Way Styling Gel

I never used to care about my eyebrows, and thus left them alone, naked for years. A few years ago I discovered that most women actually filled in there brows and how much it could change and finish your look. And since then I have been on a quest to find eyebrow products that work well for me. I never know what shade to use and sometimes its helpful to have a variety anyway. So a few months back there was a 3 for 2 offer on at Superdrug and I decided to pick all 3 of these up!

Information | 

Brand | Rimmel London
Product | Brow This Way Styling Gel
Colour | Blonde, Mid Brown & Dark Brown
Price | £3.99 each
Purchased From | Superdrug
Made in |
Would I re-purchase | yes

Ingredients |

CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, AQUA/WATER/EAU, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, TALC, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, ACRYLATES CROSSPOLYMER, CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, AMMONIUM ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, BIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHICONE, POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE, TRIBEHENIN, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, LAURETH-7, LECITHIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, CHLORPHENESIN, DIMETHICONOL, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, ALCOHOL DENAT., PROPYLENE CARBONATE, XANTHAN GUM, GLYCERIN,DISODIUM DECETH-5 SULFOSUCCINATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DISODIUM EDTA, LAURETH-30, SODIUM PCA, UREA, LAURETH-4, HEXYL CINNAMAL, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, LIMONENE, TREHALOSE, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, HEXYLENE GLYCOL,POLYQUATERNIUM-51, LINALOOL, GERANIOL, BHT, CITRONELLOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, TRIACETIN, SODIUMHYALURONATE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE. [May Contain/ Peut Contenir/+/-: IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]

The gel like most eyebrow gels comes in a little tube with a spoolie applicator. They are very easy to use and are very light weight. You can wear them alone or over another brow product as a form of setting gel. When I'm in a rush I have used them on their own and they do offer just enough colour for you not to look naked face.

My most used shades are the Blonde and Mid Brown. I find that the Dark Brown is too dark for me but can really aid in adding drama to a dramatic look. Also I have found with the 2 darker shades a light hand is needed in application, otherwise you end up with too much excess product on your eyebrows. These are simply to coat the hairs but using too much of a heavy hand gets it all over the skin.

 I have very sparse dark blonde brows that are very hard to match

You can see what I was talking about with the tail of my eyebrow the product getting on to the skin if your not light enough

The product boasts being smudge proof, fade proof, and keeping your brows fixed all day which surprisingly I would have to agree on all three things!
Over all I think these are very good gels and the pigmentation I'm really happy with. Out of the 3 colours I would go back and pick up the Blonde shade, but I'm so glad I've tried all 3! I find this shade works best for me as it just adds a nice finish to my brows.
If you have any brow product suggestions I would love to know! 

Jeni xo

Review | L'Oreal Skin Perfection Correction Day Moisturiser

Today's the second instalment of my L'Oreal Skin Perfection review(s). Today I'm sharing my thoughts on the Correction Day Moisturiser.

Information

Brand | L'Oreal Paris
Product | Skin Perfection Correcting Day Moisturiser
Size | 50ml
Price | £14.99 (but I paid £9.99 on offer)
Purchased from | Boots
Made in | Germany
Would I re-purchase | No

Ingredients |

AQUA / WATER, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERIN, ISOPROPYL ISOSTEARATE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE, OCTYLDODECANOL, CETYL, ALCOHOL, SILICA, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, TALC, PTFE, POLYETHYLENE, EPERUA FALCATA BARK EXTRACT, PEG-100 STEARATE, STEARIC ACID, STEARYL ALCOHOL, CARBOMER, ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CETEARYL, GLUCOSIDE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PALMITIC ACID, ADENOSINE, POLOXAMER 338 AMMONIUM, POLYACRYLDIMETHYLTAURAMIDE / AMMONIUM, POLYACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE, DISODIUM EDTA, CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, LENS ESCULENTA SEED EXTRACT / LENTIL SEED EXTRACT, DEXTRIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, CI 16035 / RED 40, CI 17200 / RED 33, LINALOOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, LIMONENE, CITRAL, CITRONELLOL, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE

'In your 20's and 30's your skin is still young but not always perfect.

Stress, fatigue and an unbalanced lifestyle can affect skin quality causing irregularities to appear: imperfections, enlarged pores and an uneven skin texture.

New Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser helps transform the appearance of skin quality, as if perfected.Pores look virtually undetectable, tone looks more even, skin texture feels silky-soft.The silky-smooth cream locks in moisture for up to 24 hours of hydration.'

The moisturiser itself comes in a pretty hefty glass tub with the same ombre effect glass colouring as the serum and a metallic pink screw top lid. The product is tinted a pale pink colour with a soft perfumey fragrance and has a relatively thick consistency. It absorbs nicely into the skin leaving it with the same cool feeling as the Skin Perfection Serum, skins left soft and smooth to the touch. Although it has a thicker consistency it doesn't feel heavey on the skin or greasy, and has an ever so slight mattifying effect, which doesn't last overly long. 
Hydration wise this leaves my skin feeling pretty happy all day long and I haven't found it to really add to my oily skin problems.
I feel like in using this and the serum has helped reduce the appearance of my pores, and makes a nice makeup base. 
Although I've had good results with both products I won't be re-purchasing them. Now I'm over my traumatic rebellion from my no-poo experiment, I feel I want to re-discover more natural products again. I feel like I've been bit of a yo-yo in my skincare/haircare interest and morals for the last god know's how long, so I do appologise for the mental whiplash! But I do hope you've enjoyed the review and stay tuned for my next post!

Jeni xo

Review | L'Oreal Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum

Hey everybody today I bring to you the first half of the L'Oreal Skin Perfection review. I picked this serum up back in January with my Boots Advantage points along with the correlating moisturiser and thought I'd do two separate reviews on each, starting with the serum.

Information |

Brand | L'Oreal Paris
Product | Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum
Size | 30ml
Price | £16.99 (but I think I paid £11 with points)
Purchased from | Boots
Made in | Germany
Would I repurchase | undecided

Ingredients |

ALCOHOL DENAT., AQUA / WATER, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, LINALOOL, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, DROMETRIZOLE TRISILOXANE, BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, BHT, COUMARIN, BENZYL BENZOATE, GERANIOL, CITRONELLOL, LIMONENE, CI 17200 / RED 33, CI 19140 / YELLOW 5

'Refines skin texture, tightens pores, evens and brightens skin tone'

'LR 2412 + Perline-P'

This particular serum is targeted at women aged in their 20's and 30's, when our skin is still young but not as perfect and elastic as it was in our teens. Its meant to help relieve the signs of stress, fatigue and an unbalanced lifestyle. (I contest to all of these things!)

The serum comes in a glass bottle with a pink obre glass effect and a hot pink plastic pump dispenser and plastic cap. It only has a very faint scent that is barely there, its a subtle perfumey scent. The serum itself is white in colour with a faint iridescent shimmer. It has quite a slippery texture and smooths in to the skin leaving behind a nice cooling effect. Since I've been using this, day and night, I have to say I have actually seen results and I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm always dubious about anything with big claims. The overall look and quality of my skin has improved. Although pores do not tighten I've found they look less noticeable and I'm some who has very large pores.

Although this has work really rather well for me I'm unsure if I would repurchase another one, as this is 100%  a chemical cocktail. I bought this right after I quit no-poo and was having a bit of a crisis (am I the only one like that?), I would like to get back on track with my natural skincare but that will have to wait till I've used this all up, along with the moisturiser.

But in a nutshell I have enjoyed using it and I'm glad that I can give it a positive review! Hope you have found this helpful!

Jeni xo

Review | J.R Liggett's Shampoo Bar

Happy February!

Sorry for the lack of post's recently, I launched a new blog JENI WREN all about my birding exploits and have been spending most of my days off watching anime and drawing recently, so again sorry for the neglect, but I'm back and as motivated as ever!

Todays post is a review of the J.R Liggett's shampoo bar. If you read my last post you'll know I quit no poo, it wasn't really my bag and you know thats ok, I'm currently really happy with the quality of my hair at the moment on regular shampoo and conditioner and it seems to be growing really long now! (yay!) but I still wanted to review this bar and let anyone wanting to try it, know what to expect,

Information

Brand | J. R Liggett's

Product | Old Fashioned Shampoo Bar Virgin Coconut and Argan Oil

Size | 3.5 oz / 99g

Price | £8.99

Purchased from | Amazon

Made in | Doesn't say

Would I re-purchase | no

Ingredients 

Olive oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil, fresh pure New Hampshire spring water, sodium hydroxide (a binder), Organic Virgin Coconut oil, Organic Argan Oil and Vitamin E added, with natural Coconut fragrance.

First look at the ingredients list every thing looks really good, it mostly just nutritious oils and spring water. As for the natural Coconut fragrance, I wouldn't say I could actually pick that up, it smelt just of unscented soap.

The bar its self is tiny and very hard and square, so the first few times I used it, it was with difficulty. It was hard to roll the bar around in my hands to get a lather going because the square edges wouldn't allow for roll-ability. But after a few washes it did begin to take on a rounder shape and use was much easier. 

I found the easiest way to use it was to get a good amount of product on to my hands to start with before applying it to my hair. Surprisingly enough this lathers extremely well even with a lack of a lathering agent. I would focus all my lathering just on my scalp and leaving the ends of my hair alone. 

After rinsing this out of my hair will feel super, squeaky clean  and  it does feel very very different than it would do with regular shampoo.

A lot of reviews I read said that people gave up using this pretty much straight away, as they were used to brushing out their hair once it was washed and found they couldn't get a brush through their wet hair. Which would be very true I feel had I tried to actually comb my hair, I did run my fingers through my hair and it does have an odd sticky feeling and feels snaggy. But my advice is, if you do try this bar DO NOT BRUSH YOUR HAIR WHEN IT IS WET! Leave it till its mostly dried then brush and I promise it will be fine.

After my first wash with this my hair was horrendous and stringy and gross. But after approximately 3-4 washes everything evened out and my hair was fine. While using this I did notice that I had an awful lot of build up on my combs and brushes but no poo forums said that was normal and its just your hair sort of detoxing. I didn't use a conditioner but followed with an ACV rinse and over the course of my months use my hair did eventually start to feel softer.

I used this for just over a month and in that time, the molecular structure of my shampoo bar changed, it went from looking like shampoo bar to a weird sticky, jelly mess, which I later found out was due to storage. As this bar is oil based, after use it really needs to dry out. Forum advice said to use a wooden soap dish and leave it to air dry well other wise it will turn to a sticky, unfortunate mess like mine. It still worked okish but kept falling apart with more use. 

Hope you found this review helpful if your planning on trying this out. Just remember that its not normal shampoo and there is an adjustment period where your hair does look shit for a while till it gets used to what you are doing.

Jeni xo

Review | Roots by Lush

Finally, here is my review of the Roots hair treatment mask that I've been meaning to post for months! I've long since finished the pot and when I took my photo's I was down to the last two uses I think! Enjoy!

Information

Brand | Lush
Product | Roots Hair Treatment
Size | 225g
Price | £10.25
Made in | UK
Would I re-purchase | Yes!

^Ingredients List^

I have always been a lover of hair mask, especially ones that smell good, and this smells amazing! Its so minty and fresh with a hint of grapefruit. I like to reserve this as a special treat for bath times :)

The directions say to use on dry hair and massage into the scalp for 15 to 20 minutes but I found that this didn't work particularly well for me it just felt all snaggy and horrible. So I decided to try it on wet hair before shampooing and it worked so much better. It has such a cooling fresh feeling on the scalp. I like to massage it in for about 5 to 10 minutes then leave it in for another 10 before soaking it out, following with shampoo and conditioner. This always leaves my hair smelling lovely and feeling nice and soft.

As for any added oomph and volume I didn't really notice any. My hairs quite fine but I do have a lot of it and it can be quite heavy so it didn't really add any extra body, but I do enjoy it as a stimulating treatment. 

Have you tried Lush Roots? What ya think?

Jeni xo