New Liebster Award!

Last month the beautiful and very talented Mary, of WNDRLNDS nominated/tagged me for the Liebster Award, a fun chain sort of post where you tag other bloggers to answer questions and its a great way to learn more and share more about yourself and fellow bloggers.
Last year I did a Liebster Award post so if your interested go check it out!
>>>>LIEBSTER AWARD 2014<<<<


The rules for the Liebster Ward are as follows:

• Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you.
• You must answer the 10 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
• You  must pick five nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions.
• You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
• You must inform the people you nominate that they have been nominated for the award.

But as I have already participated fully before I'm just going to answer the questions, hope thats ok with you guys! 

1. Who or what inspired you to start blogging?
YouTube inspired me and the fact that I loved trying out products and I had all these opinions and no where and no one to share them with!

2. What is the meaning behind your blog's name?
Elf's Beauty came about through my middle initials, E.F, so many people miss read it as Elf and I was struggling to come up with a good name so I thought, 'Hey Elf's Beauty!'

3. Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert, I'm so shy and quiet in person, I do eventually open up and become an extrovert but on a whole I'm pretty much a wall flower!

4. If you could change your name, what would it be?
This is quite a hard one, there's loads of names I like but when it boils down to it, I think Jeni suits me best :)

5. What is your favorite quote?
'Happy girls are the prettiest' - Audrey Hepburn. Because it doesn't matter how you look, if your happy your beauty shines through.

6. If you had to describe yourself as one animal, which animal would you be? Why?
If I could choose my animal I'd 100% be a cat, I love them, but to describe my self as an animal....I couldn't do it so I googled and ended up doing a What animal fits your personality test, turns out I'm a Wolf, part of a pack, but sometimes a loner. That's pretty much me!

7. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Work hard, enjoy life now, make a damned decision!

8. What is your favorite brand of makeup?
I try out so much that I don't find I have one that I really love, but I do currently like MUA as there products a pretty inexpensive and not too bad a quality.

9. What are your tips for new bloggers?
Blog for you. Don't try to be something your not and have fun with it!

10. Where do you see yourself in 50 years?
I'll be 76 so hopefully retired and relaxing happily married for a million years and with some grandbabies.

11. What is the best post you've written?
I think one of my fave posts what my BATTLE OF THE BRANDS I had so much fun doing the post and I think it was so interesting in terms of looking at cheap vs expensive, I definatly want to explore more of these types of post, I have a concealer one I've wanted to do for a while so maybe soon that will be up!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers its always fun doing these sorts of posts, its like doing an imaginary interview and I get to share more about me! Have a great day!

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

The Hair Diaries | Quitting...

So just over a month ago I went no poo. I was so excited to try this, looking forward to long, healthy locks and reducing my chemical footprint on the eco system and less chemical intake into my body. I thought I could do it, how hard could it be not to use shampoo and have dirty hair for longer than it was clean.
I'll tell you, hard.

I quit no poo.
I'm sorry I just had too! I so badly wanted this to work for me. I had done so much research, joined groups, bought special brushes, tea bags for rinses, raw honey, bentonite caly. But I just couldn't deal.
It was taking me so much longer to wash my hair, making sure I got my scalp clean, spraying in my ACV rinse, washing everything out super duper well. I would have one maybe 2 good hair days a week and the rest of the time I had to have my hair scraped back in a high bun hiding my hideous mane. I was also OBSESSED! I mean all I did was think about my hair. Check the facebook page continuously, experiment to no avail. It was insane.

I thought about quitting and kept thinking, 'It'll get easier, better'. So I kept on trying, till one day, I washed my hair, and I was due round a friends for dinner and when my hair dried, it looked stringy and greasy and that was the straw that broke this camels back.

I grabbed a shampoo and washed and conditioned my hair.
For the first time in weeks I felt good! Crazy how hair can impact a person so much! So after that I just gave up on no poo.
It just isn't for me. I'm still interested in using products that are better for my body, with less harmful ingredients but I know that the no poo method just isn't my cup of tea.
And its strange I don't feel like I failed, just you know tried and gave up real quick.

So I'm currently back to using regular, old shampoo and conditioner till I run out of that. Plus when your a hair care whore to start with and go from just trying so many different hair care options to using pretty much nothing its bit of a shock! Just saying!

I will review my J.R Liggetts Shampoo Bar as I feel it was/is a good option to try if you are going no poo or are just curious, so watch out for that!

Also I have been nominated for the Liebster Award thanks to MARY FROM WNDRLNDS (she has an AMAZING blog) so keep you eyes open for that post too!

See ya around!

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

Review | Sanctuary Spa's Wonder Oil Serum

Information

Brand | Sanctuary Spa
Product | Wonder Oil Serum
Size | 30ml
Price | £19.50
Made in |UK
Would I re-purchase | Maybe...

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isononyl Isononanoate,Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil/Macadamia Seed Oil Esters, Butylene Glycol,Sodium Chloride, Punica Granatum Seed Oil,Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Squalene, Ozonized Oryza Sativa, Callus Culture Extract,Limonene, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil,Disodium EDTA, Cymbopgon Flexuosus Oil,Citral, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosteryl Macadamiate,Linalool, Phytosterols, Sodium Hydroxide,Geraniol, Tocopherol, Farnesol, Myristoyl Tripeptide-31.

This little bottle of wonder serum was bit of an impulsive buy (I was also feeling flush!), I was looking for something that would be a nice added extra in to my skin care routine for winter. The formula boasted to have the 24 hour nourishment of an oil while feeling light weight, with the added benefit of being anti aging too. So I thought why not give it a shot.

This unique formulation, combines an oil & serum in one product. Just a few shakes before use effortlessly blends the two phases of the formula together so you can get all the skin improving benefits of an oil in a texture as light & quick absorbing as a serum.

The oil phase: a blend of skin nourishing oils including moringa, jojoba & pomegranate oil to give an instant & intense hydrating boost to the skin.

The serum phase: is powered by an active anti-ageing blend including red rice stem cells to rejuvenate & firm the skin.

Wonder Oil works to reduce the appearance of fine lines & boost elasticity for a rejuvenated looking complexion. Provides 24 hour hydration, softening & smoothing

to promote healthier & plumper looking skin. Instantly absorbs into the skin for a fresh, non-greasy finish.

Wonder Oil is the perfect daytime partner to our bestselling Therapist’s Secret Facial Oil - the ultimate nourishing & indulgent night time treat for your skin.

Being an oil based serum, the oil sits at the top of the formula, and all you gotta do is give the bottle a good shake to combine the oil and serum together. The oil serum has an extremely silky texture and is a dream to apply. I started off using this both day and night but the formulation was far too much for me during the day, it would make my already oily skin even oilier, so I decided to stick with using it as a night only serum in place of my moisuriser. It is more target towards those with normal to dry skin.
It has a really peculiar scent that I can't quite put my finger on, its not unpleasant at all, smells like a sweet but I can't for the life of me think what one!
I honestly didn't notice any change in my skins over all look and feel, but I did enjoy applying it of a night time. It kept my skin hydrated through the night. Its something I wouldn't mind re-purchasing but its a little too expensive to consider keeping as a constant in my routine.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Jeni xo

Love Lula | January Beauty Box

Since going no poo, I've become a little more conscious about what I'm putting on my skin and as I've wanted to try a beauty box, the LOVE LULA BEAUTY BOX stood out as it selects organic and natural beauty products to try out.
For a pay monthy subscription its £12.50, 3 monthly £37.50 and a year is £150.
I have a 3 month subscription gifted to me by my dad for Christmas and this is my first box!

 I used this exfoliating cleanser the other day and is smells really lovely and is a pretty good exfoliate, I had some dry skin on my nose that just didn't want to budge, after using this its gone.

I hope to do a first impressions on the Funny Bee BB cream soon, and this is a little sample of the Vinali day cream.

I tried this out the other day, the scent isn't all that and its very very thick but seemed to do a pretty good job.

So far I love this hand cream! Oh my gosh it smells amazing! It has a strong lavender scent even though its meant to be rose scented (it does contain lavender) and it last on your hands for ages.

This is everything I got in my January box and I'm really happy with its, you get a decent amount of product to try out which is cool and I'm already excited to get my February box!

Jeni xo

The Hair Diaries | No Poo, One Month On

On the 5th of December last year I quit shampoo and took up a more natural approach to hair care. This last month has been full of ups and downs and many many bad hair days. And I fear I have yet more bad hair days to come.

For those of you who read my last post I have been using a completely natural shampoo bar by J.R Liggetts and an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse to wash and condition my hair.

After my very first wash may hair was...different. It felt waxy and thick and heavy so I smoothed it into a side plait and left it be.

Day 2 my hair was way greasy! But I soldiered on knowing I shouldn't wash it straight away.
The second time I washed my hair it was again iffy, the roots were fine it was just the length of my hair that was waxy feeling like I hadn't washed everything out of it, but it was not as bad as before, and the day after it looked much better. Every time since then it has washed better and better to a point where it looks nice enough on my wash days now. Any other day after wash day is a whole different kettle of fishes!

I've been pushing my wash day's to every 3 days using a home made dry shampoo. But my hair I think is still transiting as its getting very oily. I get one day during my wash cycle where I can wear my hair down, the rest of the time its up in a bun.

I have recently found an amazing FACEBOOK FORUM for all those who are no poo and low poo. Its full of great advice and you can simply ask a question and someone will answer it! Through this forum I have found out that you really should push your washes to a minimum of 4 days, so for me if I wash it on a Monday morning I won't wash it again until Friday morning. And anything that is classed as sebum removing, such as dry shampoo, actually count towards a wash! so this last week I have been pushing 4 days between washing and cut out dry shampoo in the hopes my scalp will wise up and produce less sebum/oil soon.

Another helpful tool is a Boar Bristle Brush (BBB) which is used to help spread the oils down the hair shaft to reduce the oils on the scalp and condition the lengths which seems to work ok I think.

Along with no poo I haven't used ant heat on my hair for at least 3 months! I plan to do monthly updates on my no poo journey as I'm finding it challenging and exciting at the same time!

Until next time!

Jeni x