First Impressions: 'Beautiful Ends' Hair Mask by Herbal Essences

Hi!  Now I don't know about you, but one problem I've always had with my hair, is split ends. So when a product comes along promising to make them "beautiful", then I have to try it!  

The product in question is Herbal Essences' 'Beautiful Ends', a five-minute "intensive mask" which promises to "leave your hair strong against damage to carry on...and on...and on".  Almost sounds too good to be true, and I even snapped it up half price in Boots this week (it normally retails at around £4.79, which is bargainous enough anyway, but I nabbed it for a thrifty £2.39!).  To be perfectly honest, I have been meaning to pick it up for quite a while, its not Herbal Essences' newest product by any means, but for some reason I can never justify spending on hair products (however much makeup I buy!), so the cut-price deal was the perfect excuse!

So, first impressions: Packaging is pretty, and I always like something which looks good and does good!  Its in a tub with a screw-on lid as opposed to one which snaps on, which prevents leakage if you have the product in a bag or something, and even though bottles tend to be less messy and easier to use in the shower (less slippery!), I prefer it when hair product comes in tubs, because - unlike squeezy tubes or pump-tops - you can make sure that you scrape out every last scrap of product!

As with most Herbal Essences products, it smells divine: very fresh and fruity, as its meant to be raspberry, but also a little perfumey which I like, as it gives the smell a little more of a salon feel.  The product itself is a creamy conditioner consistency, nothing much to be said there, although perhaps it is a little thicker than regular conditioner, as you can see from the picture of my hand.

When I actually smoothed it on in the shower (after shampooing my hair), the mask felt really velvety and soft, although I wasn't sure how much of it to use at first, but now I'd say just a little more than your usual conditioner.  The instruction recommend to put on the mask "from root to tip" with extra concentration on the tips - personally, I wouldn't put too much of it near the roots as this can weigh your hair down, but the mask is actually surprisingly light, and afterwards I didn't feel that it had weighed my hair down at all.

I left my hair to dry naturally, and it dried into nice curls without any frizz, which doesn't happen often!  Even when I combed my hair out, it stayed in soft waves, and the ends didn't look frazzled and my hair wasn't frizzy at all - result!  However, even though my hair is still lovely and soft, and doesn't have any frizz, if you are looking for a product to give you very smooth,perfect hair this might not be for you - it is rather lightweight for a hair mask,so it may not be for you if you have very thick hair (although it could work as a conditioner).  But for wavy-haired girls prone to a bit of frizz like me, its fab, as it eliminates frizz whilst still allowing your hair to bounce into its natural waves without weighing you down.  

As for helping out with my split ends, maybe it will, maybe it won't.  After my first use they look pretty good, but I'll have to use it a little longer before I give you a solid opinion on it.  But since it smells great, and only costs a few quid, I'd say to give it a go!

Have a fantabulous day!

  xxx

Autumn Lookbook: Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1lYHFLp03s

Hi!  Today I have my second Youtube video - an Autumn Lookbook!  I hope you enjoy it, as I've had a lot of fun creating the looks and making the video - enjoy!

xxxx

PS - I apologise, I couldn't get a thumbnail of the video to upload to my blog, so you can just click the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1lYHFLp03s

Everyday Makeup Products

Hi! I was wondering what to do for a post today, and I thought "my makeup looks pretty decent today!".  So I'm going to tell you about the makeup products that I use for everyday looks, like this one.  Keep in mind that I'm no expert - makeup's really just about trial and error, and finding out about what works best for you - so experiment! :)

Here are all the products - I've counted and there are nine in total.  Seems like a lot for just one face of makeup!  I should also point out that I've chosen not to include a mascara - I could tell you that its because everyone likes different mascaras, so I couldn't pick the best one.  Or...I could tell you the truth that I forgot to include it in the picture!  (for everyday makeup I use Avon Superextend mascara - its very subtle, more lengthening than volumising, so if you're into more natural mascara's its one for you!)

Here's my makeup for today - I've taken two different pictures so that you can see what it looks like in different lighting, so I can tell you that there was no crafty editing involved - these are what the products really look like on my face!

After using a moisturiser and primer, I usually start with concealer.  First I have Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer to cover up blemishes ('blemishes' being a the less gruesome word for spots and redness) which I'm sure you've already heard great things about in the blogosphere - its got a good, full coverage and fab staying power, and dries very matt which is a lifesaver when you have oily skin like me!  However, I personally prefer not to use this under my eyes, it creases like crazy one me!  So instead, I'm currently using this Mac Moisturecover concealer to cover dark circles.  Until recently, I had never actually used any Mac products (WHAAAT?! I hear you cry) and this concealer was given to me by a friend who it was a shade to dark for - and I love it, its great, buildable coverage, and doesn't crease under my eyes (and I've been looking for a long time for a concealer which doesn't do that!).  Maybe I'll save up for some more Mac products in the future..!  I've found the best way to apply both of these is with clean fingers, using a gentle blending motion under the eyes and on redness, and a mixture of tapping and blending on blemishes.

Moving on to foundation - and a very special one at that.  Guess how much it costs? Guess! Guess! No?  I'll tell you then: £2.49. For a FOUNDATION.  How crazy is that?  Its from NYC, (New York Colour) and its their All Day Long liquid foundation - you get 27.3 ml, which isn't too bad (most foundations are 30 ml).  And of course, I would not be raving to you about it if I didn't think that it was a worthwhile product. Now, it doesn't have spf, but that's not a big problem this time of year (at least not in Scotland, where the sky is permanently purple in autumn!).  I wouldn't say it exactly stays 'all day long', but if you help it a little with a primer and set with a powder, it lasts me all day at school (which is at least six or seven hours) and into the afternoon.  I wouldn't recommend that you apply this with your fingers, but instead I use a big brush making gentle stippling motions over the skin - this way you get the best coverage from the product, but its coverge is pretty great anyway, as I only need one pump for my whole face.  The stippling motion also prevents you from messing up your concealer, and covers raised blemishes much easier than swirling motions - if you find a foundation doesn't apply so well one way, don't give up immediately: some apply better with fingers, some with brushes, some with sponges.

The then go on to powder and blush - this powder is Rimmel London's Stay Matt powder, and I find that it basically does what it says on the tin!  My blush is from Sleek, in the shade Rose Gold, which is completely gorgeous - it has a subtle gold shimmer through it which you can see in the light, so I like to brush it up onto my cheekbones so that it also acts as a highlighter!  It doesn't show up in the pictures of my face, but it s a beautiful warm pink, great for the autumn season, and the pigmentation (as with all Sleek blushes!) is just fantastic.

On my eyes I love to use my Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay - I chose to get the Naked 2 because the colour range has more cool tones (the first Naked palette is a bit warmer), which suit my colouring better.  Today I decided to wear the shade Suspect (a very shimmery beige-gold colour) all over the lid, with the shimmery whitish-pink colour as a highlight on my brow bone and tear duct.  I then shot a bit of Tease (a matt light brown) from the palette through my crease - this colour is also perfect for filling in my eyebrows, I'd recommend it for pale brunettes like me, as its not too dark or too light either.  I then winged out my eyeliner, which is Rimmel London's Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, my favourite as it never smudges or creases, and comes with a perfect little brush to put it on!  After my, um, forgotten mascara, I then ran Rimmel's Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal pencil onto my waterline - these pencils are amazing, they're smudge-free, waterproof, and really highly pigmented. 

After finsihing my eyes, I then went onto lips, where I only used one product: Maybeline's Baby Lips lipbalm.  I have the shade Cherry Me, which is a really pretty sheer reddish-pink colour.  I really do think that Baby Lips are worth the hype, as they're very inexpensive and work brilliantly - it leaves my lips so soft and smooth, and the smell is amazing! (Cherry Me is smells not only like cherries, but also really fruity and tropical!).

I hope that you enjoyed this post - more fashion will be on its way soon, but I've been so busy lately, and school uniform and comfy clothes aren't the most interesting of outfits!  But now that I've got some free time, there will be more, and I'm even going to make another Youtube video since I enjoyed making my last one so much! (if you haven't seen it, click here to go to my London Haul post)  If you want to find me other places online, my Instagram is @rebekharhia, which I've been using a lot lately!

Have a fantabulous day! :P

  xxxx