The internet made me do it! - Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes

The Real Techniques Core collection had been on my radar since its creator, Samantha and Nicola Chapman of YouTube's Pixiwoo,  launched their brushes. I cannot justify spending £45 on one make up brush so always seek to gain optimum value when purchasing an item, far too many other priorities (Housing, Council Tax, life..) these brushes drew my attention as they had a decent price point, were created by professionals who seemly had taken their years of 'on the job experience' and put it to use.

What made me eventually go out and purchase these brushes? It was the swathes of online reviews and comments recommending the set and begging for more items.

Whilst today's post isn't really a review of the brushes - there are enough out there in the blogsphere - I wanted to take time out to acknowledge how much I value the post of others online, be it bloggers, YouTubers or someone commenting on a post etc.. when it comes to recommendations for products / goods. 

Ultimately I wanted to take a post to say a big thank you to the Internet. I am far too discerning with my money to throw it away and so value the honesty and time that many have taken to upload their pictures, thoughts and opinions on the huge range of products doing the rounds. 

This week I listened (eavesdropped) on a conversation between two women on the bus as one described how she tried out a product that a had been touted as a 'must have product'  but had found it to be crap on her. Her friend admonished her apparent stupidity at purchasing this item without looking online to see what others of a similar skin tone thought and if there was a cheaper alternative. It was at this point that I acknowledged that I no longer had to rush to find out what is in fashion / on trend as I have access to all this information, and better -real consumers opinions,  at the click of a button and a decent Wi-Fi connection.

So a big thank you to all of you who comment on articles or posts; create blog entries or videos; Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat or just spread the word over your new found product of choice over the phone. I value your opinions and the time you have taken to do so. 

What products have you purchased as the result of internet recommendations?

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisture & Shine Shampoo (Sulfate Free)

Co-wash, no -poo, pre-poo - it can all get a bit confusing when embarking on your hair journey. When it comes to my routine I'm a firm believer in shampooing. With the amount of oil, cream and general pollution in London (did you see the Smog last week?) I feel that I need help to remove dirt and refresh my hair. So, knowing that some shampoos can leave hair stripped due to the amount of pesky sulphates they may contain, I embarked upon a quest to find a decent shampoo that didn't reduce my hair to straw and left it clean. 

My hair is quite fine, super fragile and prone to dry periods due to transitioning. This shampoo allowed me to wash and massage my scalp without any tangles or clumping.  In January I was reduced to tears, having to cut out a section of tangled hair due to the dryness and subsequent matting from a shampoo I tried leaving my hair a mess. Returning to this shampoo was a god-send as it always leaves me with plenty of slip and a feeling of being moisturised.  The low price point gained it another other tick in the plus column. I wash my hair every one to two weeks and use a small, 10p size amount for each wash (usually no more than three max per session) and have repurchased this shampoo three times in the last 18 months- hubby likes it too methinks!

Where do you fall on shampoo or no poo line?

As long as Creme of Nature keep this shampoo, I know I will not be abandoning this part of my wash day routine.

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer Review

I'm in love with L.A Girl Pro.Conceal HD Concealer.

Over the last year I sat back and watched as American YouTube and beauty bloggers extolled the virtues of these concealers. Admittedly I was impressed that the 18 shades within the range afforded women of colour an opportunity to indulge. Over the years I have developed a love-hate relationship with my MAC Select Cover up Concealer (creasing, oxidisation)  and was on the search for a new product to help me through a beloved friend's wedding. I knew I would be out for the whole day and didn't want the day marred by frequent touch up breaks, so I turned to the Internet for suggestions.  The overwhelming glowing reviews, coupled with its dupe like status for MAC's ProLongwear concealer made these concealers an easy choice.

L.A. Girl is a brand not readily accessible for this London gal, so I had to turn to the good people on ebay to hook me up with my bounty. Thankfully I had my goods within a week and have been completely blown away since.

I decided on Toffee as an under eye brightener. The tube has a brush applicator that I had to really work (initially) to get the product out, the consistency was thick and I took heed of the warnings to work fast as it dried quickly. The product didn't crease after being set with a light dusting of powder and has replaced my Select Cover Up as my go to concealer. 

Overall the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer is an excellent product and worthy of its Internet hype. On the negative it is not readily accessible for those of us not in the UK but this is easily corrected by auction sites such as ebay. I have already decided to purchase a few other colours in the New Year when the post settles down. I remain impressed with their colour range and the affordability of each tube - I paid less than the MAC for both products, including postage.

H&M - Nailed it!

H & M - Nailed it by blkmimildn featuring a black nail polish

Nail polish is an excellent way to add a bit of drama to your outfit.

I've recently been loving H&M's Nail polish on my nails since the change of weather.

 Great colours, excellent value and decent longeivity  = winner

ORS HAIRepair Straightening & Strengthening Treatment Review

ORS Straightening & Strengthening Treatment  Review 

Since I begun my transitioning journey I've been amazed at the  sheer versatility of my afro hair. Twist Outs, Bantu Knots, Flexi Rods, Roller Sets - I feel like I've been slowly working my way through the large arsenal of techniques to explore my hair and discover various finishes / styles.

 As the Natural Hair movement continues to breakdown barriers it seems that hair companies have cottoned on to the fact that there is an appetite among some to switch up curly hair and rock a strait style / texture for a short while. ORS Straightening & Strengthening Treatment is one such offering and I was excited to receive an invite to attend their event in  March to learn more (more on the event below). I was intrigued to learn how the process worked as my hair is fragile right now due to transitioning and I didn't want to antagonise it further.

The process 

I decided to try the treatment and made sure to read the detailed instructions twice but still ended up hacking the process!

What I did: 

1.    I washed my hair with the HAIRepair Shampoo.
2.    Used  (A) Clarifying shampoo.
3.    Applied  the HAIRepair conditioner to my hair, taking care to saturate it.
4.    Pumped out the correct amount of  (B) Foam Activator, I used three pumps.
5.    Combed through (B) Foam Activator through my hair with a wide tooth comb. 
6.    Covered my hair with two carrier bags.
7.    Consulted that Processing chart and waited nine minutes.
8.    Washed out (B) Foam Activator and the HAIRepair conditioner. 
9.    Using a mircofibre turban dried my hair to a damp texture. 
10.    Sectioned hair into four, applied (C) Seal & Smooth Leave- in Conditioner.
11.    Blow dried my hair on a medium setting. 
12.    Using my flat iron, set it to a medium temperature. 
13.    Marvelled at how gorgeous my hair was as I passed the flat iron once through my hair . 

It really was a simple process. My hair didn't fry and I really enjoined the texture. I decided to use this product on two separate occasions before posting as I wanted to fully test the affect (if any) the product had on my hair. At each application I am please to say that I haven't experienced any adverse effects and my hair has returned to my 'normal'. In order to retain the texture I should point out that I made sure to avoid excess water, by this I mean refraining from heavy workout sessions and sticking to light oils. My scalp likes to be washed after two weeks so this was the maxim length of time I had the treatment in before washing my hair again.

ORS Straightening & Strengthening Treatment Event  29th March 2014

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I was reassured by the honesty of the presentation: ORS are clear this is not a product to be used as a regular substitute for chemically straightened hair and are keen to stress this to avoid abuse by users thinking it is - going to great lengths to hammer home the number of passes on the straighteners and length of time to leave the foam activator on hair etc. The models used at the event I attended had differing hair textures and I made sure I watched the model who matched my 4A/B/C (lol) texture.I met some fabulous bloggers, many I regret not keeping in touch with after as I loved how passionate they were about what they were doing. The inclusion of the ORS Ambassadors was a beneficial as it enabled me to see how versatile the ORS's products are and their reach to everyday women in various parts of the world.

Overall ORS's Straightening & Strengthening Treatment gets two thumbs up from me. A valuable addition to any Natural / Transitioning woman's styling arsenal!

Have you tried any similar treatments?

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H #13 Sienne

In February I set out to purchase a foundation and initially headed over to MAC in Selfridges for the Matchmaster; fortunately the snotty sales assistant caused me to leave the store in disgust and I found myself at the Lancôme stand in Boot's Oxford Street.

The makeup angels were with me as I have found my newest go-to foundation!

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H #13 Sienne

It appears I have missed the bus with this one as Lancôme's Teint Idole Ultra 24Hour has been around for a while. I was quickly matched to #13 Sienne. I found that it's lightweight texture sunk into my skin, not leaving a nasty cloggy feeling I previously found with other liquid foundations. There wasn't an offensive smell; I suspect the low SPF of 5 was a pay-off for good colour coverage. Many foundations accused of being ashy or changing often have SPF of 15 or higher in them, affecting their ability to retain their colour integrity. The lovely sales assistant was so confident in the product I didn't feel that she was pushing it on me and was happy to try to provide me with a sample but she'd run out of containers. Past experience has taught me to hold off buying a foundation from a new source until I've had time to test it out in natural light. However, it was as if the Teint Idole Ultra just spoke to me, reassuring me that it would be OK and to take the chance. A believer in signs, I decided that the earlier bad service had been needed to place me at Lancôme's counter and promptly purchased a bottle.  I'm glad I listened to my gut as I love it. While the idea of wearing anything for a full 24 hours breaks me out in a cold sweat, the foundation does have a lot of staying power. I haven't had to worry about re-touching or irritation to my sensitive eczema prone skin. A damp beauty bender had been the most effective way for me to apply the foundation and I adore how easy it is to build up coverage when needed. 

Lancôme

Over the last couple of years I have consciously tried to shift my purchases to brands that make an effort to represent women of my skin hue. The fact that Lancôme reportedly created a Women of Colour division to tackle the problems associated with producing foundations for black women (ash, redness) had me sitting up to take notice.

Source: Daily Mail

A quick google search will show that Lancôme have featured black women in thier adverts / campagins for a while. Their recent appointment of Lupita Nyong'o further cemented my decision to continue in this manner as I grow tired of brands who either continue to ignore, or worst, pay lip-service by chosing women who are lighter than my mediterarrian friends and bleating that they service all women! With a price point comparable to other brands that women of colour frequent in droves, I'm increasingly of the opinion that if I dont start supporting brands that are clearly reaching out to me with quality, well thought out products, I can't continue to complain.

Have you tried Lancôme, what are your thoughts?

Filofax Love: Filofax Metropol Personal Organiser

Every New Year I become really excited; despite this electronic age I'm an old fashion chick who loves nothing more to write my appointments in a diary. My mother gave me my first diary when I first left for University; It was a A5 day-to-a-page and I loved it. I used to write copious notes, documenting what I did and where I'd been.

I felt like a change and began researching other alternatives and decided upon a Filofax. This was the easy part, deciding which Filofax style I wanted to try took me two months; keep in mind that some people have  their Filofax's for years, I knew I wanted to get this right. During this two month period I stalked the aisles of WHSmith and John Lewis, I knew I was obsessing when I began taking pictures of the various Filoxfax styles side by side and drooling over them. Eventually it was the texture of  the Metropol (Personal) that sold me and I made my purchase - not looking back since.

I have a mobile / smart phone so don't need  a diary......

There is something final about placing an appointment in my diary, I find that I'm less likely to change or flake on the event.  I have to work at being organised and find the additional inserts / side pockets help me to keep track of projects. Since having my son I've had to become uber organised due to additional doctors, hospital, midwives and other baby appointments; my filofax has been getting some serious love.

How do you organise yourself: mobile / on-line / diary?