Shiny, smooth, frizz free hair anyone? Review of Kerastase Oleo Relax Serum!

So my hair salon recently started carrying a number of new lines to tempt me with, including Kerastase.  I have heard nothing but raves for this line and how it can restore even the most damaged hair to a glorious shiny mane.  My hair dresser loves it & because she knows my love of all things product, she samples different things from their line on me each time I go see her.  Just a reminder about my hair type.  I have fairly thin, dry, color treated hair but plenty of it, so it appears thicker than it is.  It has some natural wave to it & it can get large if I don't work to tame it down.  


One of things my stylist used on me was the Oleo Relax Serum.  This is what it looks like.  

She applied about 2 pumps of the serum to her hands and then worked it through my hair, primarily to the mid shaft and ends, just before blow drying.  You can actually use this on both damp or dry hair.  I've read that people have great results either way and you have to do some experimenting to see what works best for you.  I have only used this on damp hair so far, so I can't comment on using it dry.   Also my own experimentation has found I can use 1-2 pumps.  I think the recommended amount is 2-4, but I would definitely work up to that as it could make your hair shiny for all the wrong reasons. 


This does have a distinct scent to it.   Ready for this one?  Okay to me it smells like a cross between suntan lotion and roses.  I'm sure that was exactly how they hoped one would describe it, because who wouldn't pair those two things..... I would certainly try & give this a sniff before buying it, because the scent is distinct and does linger in your hair.  


So what were the results....pretty flipping amazing.  My hair felt so incredibly silky and smooth, without any straight ironing or additional help.  For even better results I only need to do a little round brushing while blow drying.  That gives me a smooth, salon like finish.  Admittedly I've used other serums that have produced similar results.....

But the biggest difference is that this lasts until you next wash your hair.  With this in, my hair stays smooth & relatively frizz free pretty much no matter what I throw at it...exercise, weather, sleep, etc.  It's that good.   In fact, it's been raining here all week and normally this would pouf out my hair in no time.  Not so with this.  My hair actually stayed smooth & sleek, even with the weather.   


I have never had this kind of lasting result with another serum, cream, leave in conditioner, etc.  Nev-ah.  And this is a girl who has tried A LOT of hair products.  I will unfortunately want to re-purchase this, because I can't imagine living without it. 


I say unfortunately because here's the not so good.  This is quite pricey, at least I think so.  This cost $41CDN for this 125ml bottle.  Now granted this is a great great serum that will last me quite awhile, but it is expensive and worth considering.  Actually the whole Kerastase line is quite expensive, so you may not want to go falling in love with their line if this isn't in your budget.  For me it's too late, but you can still save yourself. 


So what do you think, will you try any of the Kerastase line or do you think $41 is a ridiculous amount to pay for a hair product?  What is your favourite hair serum?

Giveaway win and First Nail of the Day Post!

The lovely Charlotte of Mason Jars & Fireflies had a giveaway that I won recently.  If you don't know Charlotte please check out her blog, she writes about all sorts of things including beauty, life, her upcoming move to Denver and does a fabulous good idea/bad idea post on Fridays. 


So what did I win?  Well she gave away a bottle of Revlon's Perplex nail polish,  the much sought after dupe for Chanel's Paradoxal.   Perplex is said to be almost identical in color to Paradoxal, a beautiful mix of gray, violet and plum.  Chanel polishes usually cost around $23, which is out of bounds for this beauty budget girl.  So I was thrilled to get my hands on this hard to find dupe!  

Here is what it looks like, 

Ok admittedly I did a poor job of slapping this on and normally I'd be a bit more careful, but I really wanted to get some photos of this polish.  I've heard that people get frustrated with the drying time for Revlon polishes.  I did find it took a while to dry, but that was just more time for me to have an excuse to sit & watch a trashy reali...I mean 60 minutes.  


I personally love these kinds of colors and look forward to wearing it, although I'll likely use it as more of a fall or winter color.  


So what do you think?  Is this your kind of color?


Thanks again Charlotte!

Ahem, remember me?

Hello everyone!  I'm back...sorta.  I know I said I'd only be gone for about a week, but somehow that time stretched to almost a month.  Wow, time flies by.  


First a bit of an update.  I have had a change to my job situation, which will mean longer days & more time focused on work...and less time for blogging.  Having said that, I have missed the blogging world and all my blogosphere friends and am looking forward to catching up with all of you.  A special thanks to those of you who have reached out to me & left either an email or comment wondering where I am.  That was very sweet and I appreciate it so much!  I hope you'll be patient and stick with me as I transition through all this and try and fit everything in to my life.  


Just for fun, here is a bit of a look in pictures at a few things I've bought, or gotten in the mail, recently.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on some of these, if you have anything in particular you want to know more about just let me know. 


Looking forward to catching up with you and your blogs...missed you too! 


Tracy

Time Out!

Photo Source

Hi all, just wanted to let you know that I am taking a bit of a blogging break for about a week.  I have a few things on the go right now, but I'll be back soon with some new posts and to catch up on all your blogs!  Enjoy the sunshine that has finally arrived :)

Review - Tarte Lock & Roll 12 hour eyeshadow!

Do you ever put things away to try later and then forget you own them?  Yah, me neither.  Okay maybe just this once, with the Tarte Lock & Roll 12 hour eyeshadow.  This came with my Glitz & Glam kit that I got in November.  I put it with my other products to be tested, but this rolled under something else and I didn't re-discover it until recently.  It was all rather exciting actually, almost like I had just been shopping but without the money drain!  


Here is what Tarte tells you about this product; 


Unlike traditional cream shadows that crease and smudge, this new twist on the makeup artist trick is waterproof and creaseproof. The matching loose shadow in a roller ball applicator easily glides over cream shadow to lock color in and add luminosity so color lasts all day.
The ingredients contain mineral pigments & vitamin E and are formulated without mineral oil & petrolatum, phthalates, synthetic fragrance and sodium lauryl sulfates.  They are cruelty free and dermatologist tested.


Here's what it looks like, I have it in the colour bronze; 

My thoughts on this product; 
This is pretty goof proof to apply.  The cream comes with a little brush & other reviews have mentioned that it would be easier to use with a doe foot applicator, and I agree with that.  

It's not too bad thou, I just swiped a bit on my lid and used my finger to blend it.  You do have to work somewhat quickly to blend before this dries, but it gives you plenty of time before it sets. 


I shake the rollerball a bit just to get the product down to the end and then do the same thing, swipe it over the cream shadow and use my finger or a brush to tap it on and then blend it out with a blending brush.

I think the point is to get the powder on while the cream shadow is still setting up and a bit tacky.  But then that's it, you're done.  


The swatches; 

Bottom to Top: Cream alone, Shadow alone, Both together

Another set of swatches with the colors blended out a bit more;

Bottom to Top same order as above

You can see that they are less shimmery and intense when blended out, which I personally prefer.  But if you are really going for that dramatic look, you can also easily achieve that as well.  

Although I haven't actually worn this shadow for a full 12 hours yet, I've worn them all day and found that these have great staying power & didn't crease on me.  There was a slight bit of fading, and some of the shimmer did stray a bit by the end of the day, but nothing 
dramatic.  You can also really sheer this out to make it completely appropriate for a daytime look and decrease the amount of shimmer.  Blend this up into the crease, and this is the only shadow you would need for the day.  

You can also experiment with layering other shadows overtop, which I haven't done a lot of yet.  I did wear the cream one day and just added a little Wet n Wild Brulee to my inner eyelid, which turned out great.  I also think the cream on it's own with a little mascara, would be great for that 'I just got off the beach now let's go out to dinner', look.  The only thing I wonder about is how this will last in the heat, not completely sure about that one.  I also think the shimmer could stray a bit more in the warmer months, but time will tell.  For now, I really like this eyeshadow and would definitely consider getting it in other shades.  

There are seven different shades currently available, which you can see here.  These are available for $17 for 0.14oz of cream/0.05oz of powder, and can be purchased at Sephora or through Tarte Cosmetics.  

What do you think, have any of you tried these shadows?
Tracy