VO5 Shampoo and Conditioner

Hi everyone, my last post for November concerns something I have been meaning to tell you all about for a while now, and that is the VO5 Shampoo and Conditioner range. 

I don't think these products have had enough recognition yet and I can honestly say I think they are the best conditioners I have ever used. This rather bold statement is due to a number of things; the price, the quality and the actual variety in the range. Firstly, they are £1.79 for 500 ml, the size shown, compared to say a Keraste which are usually at least £12.00 for 200 ml. They leave my hair feeling silky, soft and manageable, and that's something for bleached and heat damaged hair. Lastly, is the variety, there are so many combinations, my personal favourite is above, the conditioner is rich and the shampoo does the job without leaving my hair a bit greasy (something I found with the "Give Me Moisture" shampoo).

They aren't going to be for everyone, probably not those with fine hair which hasn't been coloured because the range os so rich. However, I would particularly recommend these if you like the Aussie range as this is better and cheaper!

Let me know what you guys think of this range.

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L'Oreal Perfect Clean Foaming Scrub

The past two weeks, Winter has really been taking its toll on my skin despite my normal skin care routine. Its become very dry, but the spots keep coming and at the end of the day my face has that horrible greasy feeling, so whilst browsing Asda (classy, I know) I came across the L'Oreal Scrub. It was on offer, £3 instead of the normal £4.50 so I took the plunge. I must admit I think I was taken in by the "Scrublet" (their words).

So what do I think? Well, it smells sort of like that fake grapefruit smell, I don't really mind it and I find that with most scrubs anyway, St Ives and Neutrogena.

I really like the texture, because it is actually gentle, especially in comparison to say, for example, the St Ives Apricot Scrub which is another favourite of mine. It leaves my face feeling fresh and my pores look much better.

I actually really like the "Scrublet", I have used a much harsher exfoliant from The Body Shop in the past and this feels much softer whilst still achieving a good result.

So, overall I really like this product, I thought it was a bit of a gimmick but it really does work!

Film Review: Skyfall

So, this is pretty much the film of the year, there is a lot of hype, and I do not think it disappoints and I am not a really a Bond fan. The film follows 007's usual antics of charming the socks off any woman and shooting some nasties but I found the storyline gripping and was actually attracted to Daniel Craig.

Why is this film so different to the other Bonds? I would say this is almost Bond 'stripped back', there isn't lots of gadgets, there isn't Hallie Berry walking out in a bikini but there is drama and a true story. i don't want to give too much away, but there is also a brilliant twist at the end. I have read that Daniel Craig didn't really want to continue with the franchise, I don't think you can blame him after the first two he made, but this has pulled it back and I hope he sees that too. Not that he has much of a choice, he is locked into his contract for another two films anyway.

There is one small thing that has already been widely criticised and that is the product placement, the famed Heineken scene is quite funny, I bet they are loving all of the media attention too, bad publicity is good publicity and all that. But, that would be my only criticism. The best film I have seen all year!

Nail of the week: Essie Plumberry

Hi all, here is my nail of the week Essie's Plumberry. Now, I am sure if you are reading this, you already know how wonderful Essie polishes are, so I won't rattle on too much about that. But, they have only been available in the UK for a few months, so if not, go and try!

This week, I have opted for an a plum shade, as the name suggests. Now, this colour is beautiful, BUT, I don't think it is as great on as it looks in the bottle, which I was really disappointed with. It has come out more of a dark fuchsia in my opinion, so I would say the emphasis is on the 'berry' rather than the 'plum' which is more what I was looking for.

However, the colour is very complimentary to a pale skin tone like mine, and the wear time is great with a bit of Sally's Insta'Dri, so not all bad.

Schwarzkopf got2b Powderful

I have recently road tested the new hair volumizing styling powder from Schwarzkopf and I thought I would add my opinion to the already mixed reviews. Before I let you know what I think, I should warn you that my hair although long doesn't take too much to get volume, I bleach it so it is fairly dry and it's thick, so with a bit of backcombing I can get some volume. However, I was recently looking for that extra boost because my hair is looking a bit limp whilst I'm waiting for a cut.

So, first things first there are two ways to apply the product, either directly onto the roots, or onto your hands and then massaged in. I have tried both methods and personally prefer to put it onto my hands first, its allows you to control the amount of powder you are using. If applied directly onto the roots, it will make your hair rough and knotty, as many previous reviews have described.

The formulation isn't like anything I have tried before, it's a powder but upon contact with the skin, it seems to react with moisture and turn almost tacky (I have tried to show you this in the photos below). This doesn't feel particularly nice, but I don't think you are going to get the same results without it.

Put onto my hand

After about 3 seconds, no rubbing in.

Once in the hair, it does give instant volume, and for me, it certainly lasted until my next wash. This i believe is both good and bad, its good because you aren't constantly re-doing your backcombing, its bad because the tacky formulation means I want to wash my hair before I re-style. I don't wash my hair everyday, so this is a major downside. You cannot just brush this stuff out, for example, like dry shampoo.

Overall, I really like this product if I am going for a night out, it does give great volume and it is different to anything I have tried before, but it isn't something I will be using everyday. I can bear the tacky feeling in exchange for the volume pay off, but only for one night out not all day, and I expect if you slept with it in, you are going to need a Tangleteezer to sort your hair in the morning.

Has anyone else tried this product?

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