Bellabox January: Lots of Skincare and Haircare Goodies!

After my last Bellabox review for the December box, where I mentioned that the box was slightly disappointing to me, it looks like Bellabox has rebounded for January! It is full of samples, and a few cute little freebies to boot!

Bellabox January: Look ma, so much stuff!

This January's Bellabox has a mix of better-known drugstore brands (like Biore), as well as some niche brands (like Medavita), and some popular-overseas-but-not-so-much-here things (like Mane 'n Tail). And while the products in the box are mostly skincare and haircare, I didn't feel like it was overly repetitive. Apparently some other boxes got fragrance samples too, but mine had no fragrance at all. Some boxes also had Inglot makeup samples (I'm so jealous!), so I guess I got the box for the skincare junkies!


Bellabox January: My box was primarily focused on skincare and haircare
Without further ado, let's move on to see what's in the box!

Attempting to Curl My Hair For the First Time with Panasonic Hair Styler

If you've been blogging for 5 years like I have, you tend to think, "Oh well, I've been there, done that, nothing new." But life just has a way of throwing curveballs at you! After over 25 years of not doing anything at all to my hair - I have what is called "virgin hair" in hairstylist/hair-fanatic parlance, I finally attempted to curl and style my own hair, all by my lonesome self! And guess what - I came out totally unscathed! I mean, I didn't even have a burn mark on my neck or anything! (Although I almost touched the hot plate of a hair straightener because it didn't look hot...so there you go, I'm really a hairstyling dummy. Thanks Yvonne for saving my fingers!)

I can hairstylist! Obviously, my hairstyling skills are not the best.

So where and what was that marvellous place where I got to attempt to give myself a more jazzy 'do DIY style? None other than the OMY.sg Singapore Blog Awards event - it was some sort of event for all the beauty blogger finalists to learn more about some of Panasonic's beauty tools. Now I was aware of Panasonic (duh, who hasn't heard of them?) but more in the context of them being a player in the electronics/semiconductor space, so this was definitely the first time I've thought of the brand in the context of beauty. And lo and behold, it was certainly impressive!

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Review: Shampoo, Conditioner, Mousse, Hairspray

John Frieda, the well-established UK haircare brand known for its innovative solutions for all hair types, has officially launched in Singapore! And I am totally getting a sense of déjà vu just writing about John Freida again!

You see, back when my blog was still relatively new and when I was still a student in the UK getting my Masters degree, I had done a review on John Frieda's haircare products, namely the Luxurious Volume range, and I really liked it. Well guess what, it looks like this range is coming to Singapore now, and reviewing this range (or rather, re-reviewing this range) feels like seeing an old friend again!

John Frieda Luxuriuos Volume Range: Four awesome products for full hair!

The best part? This time, I don't just have the shampoo and conditioner only - instead I can bring you a bigger, better review with two more products! This time, I have the Touchably Full Shampoo, Touchably Full Conditioner, Building Mousse and All-Day Hold Hairspray. So if you want to know how they hold up to my fond memories of the product, do read on!

Keratinology Sneak Peek: Care for Salon-Treated Hair

Keratinology is a haircare brand that is a subsidiary of Sunsilk. Launched in September 2011, the brand specifically targets salon-treated hair. As the name suggests, Keratinology is a combination of the words "keratin" and "technology", and claims to work on the hair from inside-out to prolong hair life after salon treatment. The leave-in conditioner and heat treatment products won a Cosmo Beauty Award, too, so the entire line seems quite promising.

Keratinology has three ranges of product, each targeting different concern for treated hair. Let's start with the first range, which is the Advanced Reconstruction Therapy range. This range claims to help your hair recover one year of damage in five days (yes, one year in five days, I didn't type wrongly!). The range consists of a shampoo, conditioner, spa mask, overnight reconstruction serum, heat protector spray, and a dual treatment shot. The shampoo has apparently received raves from beauty editors, and the spa mask and dual treatment shot are two key products in this range.



The second range is the Korean Bounce Therapy range. As the name suggests, this is a range that is meant to care for curls and maintain their softness and bounciness. There are four products in this range - a shampoo, conditioner, mask and overnight treatment. The much-overlooked shampoo apparently is the most important step for curls and coloured hair. We were told that apparently it does make a difference to how long your hair retains its salon look!



Lastly, there is the Sun-Kissed Therapy, which isn't a tanning session for your hair (ha, ha, not funny, I know), but is a range that is meant to prolong vibrant hair colour. This has three products, namely a shampoo, conditioner, and an overnight treatment. Once again, shampoo is a key part of the haircare regime to prolong treatment.



We were also introduced to an iPhone app, the Keratinogram. The app basically has links to the product commercials and so on, but the really interesting bit about the app is that it shows you the cycle that your hair goes through, which stage your hair is currently at, and what products (Keratinology ones, needless to say) are recommended for your hair in that particular stage of its cycle. You basically start the app, and answer a few questions about the details of your last hair treatment and hair type, and the keratinogram is customized to your hair. It's free, so it's worth a shot - even if you don't plan on buying their products, it's interesting to see the cycle stages that hair goes through.

Screenshot from Appstore

Also, if you're interested, Keratinology is currently having a Facebook contest, with the grand prize being a trip to Korea! The Keratinology Facebook Page has more information on how to enter - it's quite easy though, you just have to upload a photo of yourself with your Keratinology product, and the photo with the most votes wins. The end date is 31 March, so there's still over a month to do it.

And now, for the fun part - random photos! There's me and Kristen, and some really, really bad lighting. The sun was streaming in from the window behind, so we both look pretty dark as a result. Oops.



These are of food - just because deep down inside, I'm an aspiring food photographer. Although my food photography (is that even a proper term?) isn't very great, I have to admit.



I know I should compile the three photos into one single photo. Unfortunately I'm kinda lazy in that aspect, so you'll just have to bear with individual food photos. But that's okay, right? I mean, who doesn't love photos of food?



I have to say, there is a great similarity between taking macro shots of food, and taking macro shots of makeup. The kind of camera angles and approaches towards picture composition is quite similar. Except that food is larger than makeup, so you don't have to squint as much.

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The Keratinology brand as a whole is rather affordable. Prices range from S$11.90 - S$22.90, and the products are available at Watsons. If you have salon-treated hair, or frequently go to salons to treat your hair, this range would definitely be of interest to you. If you're looking for an affordable yet effective way of caring for your hair, the Keratinology range is definitely worth checking out.

(Product information provided at an event. Opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

L'Oreal Professionel Haircare New Launches: Quick Look

L'Oreal Professional has launched a few exciting haircare products recently, spanning a huge range - everything from shampoo to hair masks, oils, and wax is covered. There's truly something for everyone here. Since I'm not that much of a haircare person, suffice it to say I was slightly overwhelemed at the sheer number of things you can do to make your hair better (so all that time I've been walking around with disgusting hair...Sigh).

Let's start with perhaps some of the more mundane products, shampoo and hair masks. L'Oreal Professionel has a range of haircare products, Serie Nature, which cater to users who want more natural haircare. Serie Nature boasts that 100% of its ingredients are of natural origin, with 95% being organic. Pretty cool, huh? There are two ranges within the Serie Nature brand - Riche Macadamia, and Couleur Botanique. Both Riche Macadamia and Couleur Botanique have a shampoo and hair mask each.



Riche Macadamia, as the name suggests, contains macadamia nut oil, and is meant to give an intense hydration to hair. The Couleur Botanique, meanwhile, is meant to hydrate coloured hair. The hair masks are really cool. They appear as normal ol' hair masks with a cream texture, but when you add the cataplasme spruce powder to the mask and whip, you get a foam-like texture that you then apply to your hair and leave on for 5 minutes. That was really cool.



Another range of products we were introduced to was the superhero-themed Techniart line of products. The hair styling wax is named Bad Mud, and the volumizing powder is named Super Dust - now, how cute is that?



Bad Mud, dubbed by L'Oreal the "shape hero" is a styling product midway between a wax and a clay. We were also treated to a very convincing product demonstration for Bad Mud - the hairstyler present styled the hair below using Bad Mud, and everyone present was ooh-ing and aah-ing over the transformation.



Super Dust, the "volume hero", is probably going to be a lifesaver for people like me, who have fine, limp hair that has no body. This is a white powder that reminds me of a dry shampoo, but it's meant for volumizing the hair. Like Bad Mud, Super Dust got to display its prowess with a demonstration, that was also quite convincing. Lookit all the volume! I got to try out the Super Dust later, and it did make my hair look more full. I really liked it.



Last, but certainly not least, we move on to my favourite product of the entire launch - L'Oreal's Mythic Oil. I've always stayed far away from hair oils, as I've always been worried that they would weigh down my hair. However, I got to try out Mythic Oil at the event, and I have to say, I was very impressed.



The hairstylist first applied a small amount (about the size of a 10-cent coin) to my ends, and then used a hairdryer to blow dry my hair. It wasn't a terribly complex process or anything, but after he was done, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it really did help make my hair more smooth and shiny-looking. It even helped with those pesky flyaway strands I had. It also It felt very lightweight on, and didn't weigh down my hair. The Mythic Oil can be used in a number of ways too (pre-shampoo, blow-drying, for frizz protection and so on), so I'm quite excited to see what else it can do.



And of course, photo time! That's me, on the left (with eyes closed and no makeup - yes, no makeup! It was just one of those come-from-work, no-makeup days), and Lynn on the right, together with a gorgeous L'Oreal intern in the middle. Anyway, I'll be using these products, and I'll report back with my thoughts on them after I've tried them out!

(Product was sent for review. All views are my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner for Oily Hair Review!

Liz Earle's Botanical Shine Haircare range launches today at Liz Earle shops, and at John Lewis on 6 September. In light of this, I thought it would be timely to post my review on this much-awaited haircare range. The range consists of both a Shampoo for all hair types, as well as three Conditioners, for dry, normal, and oily hair.



I've written on the background to the Liz Earle haircare range before, so I won't go into more detail, but if you are interested to find out about epic journeys of finding the right ingredient to make the shampoos lather or the conditioners smooth your hair, feel free to check it out. It's inspiring to see a company be so passionate about their products, and regardless of whether you like the product or not, you can certainly appreciate the passion!

I have fine, straight hair that often suffers from a lack of volume and has problems with being weighed down by hair products, so I've been using the conditioner for oily hair. Both products are in convenient flip-top tubes. Both products are scented, and I really love the scent - it's not the usual artificial fruity scent that most drugstore shampoos have. This one has a smell that is perhaps best described as authentically herbal, and I really like it. It's not annoying or irritating or cloying.

The shampoo is a clear gel texture that lathers well. I'm told that natural shampoos tend to have trouble lathering, so I was impressed by how well this seemed to foam. It doesn't foam as well as your typical non-natural drugstore shampoo, but it comes close.



I didn't have any issues with the shampoo - it rinsed clean without leaving any obvious residue, it left my hair clean without stripping it excessively. I quite like it.

The conditioner for oily hair was an opaque white lotion. It has a slightly thinner texture than the conditioner for normal hair, or for dry hair. The conditioner for dry hair is a lot more like a cream than a lotion. I'm not sure if you can see the difference in the picture below, but it's a lot more apparent in real life.



I really love this conditioner. It's one of the lightest ones I've tried, so I'd really recommend it for oily, fine hair, and for hair that usually feels like it has too much product in it. It didn't feel like it left behind a lot of residue, either. I also liked that it did make my hair feel softer and smoother.

It isn't a volumizing moisturizer, so I didn't notice any additional volume, but it doesn't weigh down my hair either. I think this does a really good job of both moisturizing without adding weight to the hair. I really love this, and I'm currently trying to use less of it so it will last longer.

I'm actually a greater fan of the conditioner than the shampoo, as you can probably tell. I like the shampoo and think it's good, but I absolutely love the conditioner. I'm no fortune-teller, but I half suspect that if Liz Earle ever brought it to Singapore (or for that matter any really hot and humid country) it will sell well, because a lot of oily hair problems are made worse in weather like that. Hair becomes a lot limper in such weather, so finding a conditioner that moisturizes while still remaining light is a challenge in such climates (and that's me speaking from personal experience). But for those of who do have access to Liz Earle and do have oily hair, this is really one to check out.

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Haircare Range: Launching in September!

After six years in the making, Liz Earle is finally bringing their much-requested haircare range to their customers, and with its awesome formulation and decent prices, it looks set to be a hit. The line consists of a Botanical Shine Shampoo for all hair types, and three Botanical Shine Conditioners - one each for oily, normal and dry hair.



So customers wanted a haircare range. Liz Earle launched a haircare range. But, I hear you ask, why would it take six years? Apparently making a shampoo with natural ingredients that performs the way your customers want is difficult, in all kinds of ways that as consumers we'd never think about.

Take for example the foamy lather that's created when you shampoo your hair. Most shampoos use SLS and SLES to create the lather, and most natural shampoos that didn't use either of those ingredients don't lather very well. However, due to customer feedback, Liz Earle wanted a natural shampoo that would lather, and thus the epic search for a wash active started. In the end they found a natural derivative of coconut, that was better for scalps that had sulphate sensitivity. And it really lathers very well too, and foams up as nicely as it's non-natural shampoo counterparts. Check this one out!



And just in case you're wondering, yes I did actually shampoo my hand at the Liz Earle event and take a photo of the lather for you guys to verify their claims of awesome lathering. So I totally embarrassed myself for a photo on my blog. Are you appreciative yet? :P

Liz Earle also had to search for a natural ingredient that would make hair smoother and shinier, and in the end they settled on apple and orange extracts. Hence the name Botanical Shine - because the range shines your hair using botanical ingredients! Then when the formulation was done, there was the fragrance, which also had to be created from natural ingredients. After trying out numerous fragrances, they finally settled on a blend of 8 essential oils, with carrot seed, vanilla and lemon oil among the components.

So what's in the shampoos and conditioners that Liz Earle are putting out? If you're like me, and you're interested in knowing what the raw ingredients look like, I have a few photos of some of the key ingredients.

The conditioners have yangu oil, which is derived from the yangu nut. I had no idea what yangu nuts looked like before, but now I do! And so do you!



The shampoo and conditioner for dry hair both have shea butter, derived from shea nuts. Despite hearing so much about shea butter (I mean, every other drugstore brand has something shea butter now), I've never actually seen a shea seed.



The conditioner for normal hair has meadowfoam seed oil. Okay, now I'm going to admit my ignorance, but I've never seen meadowfoam in real life before. Hey, I spent all my life in cities, I have an excuse! :P



What I really liked was that by tailoring the ingredients that went into each of the conditioners, they really created conditioners that suited each hair type. As you can see from the photo below, I have a small blob of both the conditioners for dry and oily hair types next to each other. I'm not sure how apparent it is from the photo, but the dry conditioner is a lot more creamy and thicker in formula, but the conditioner for oily hair is a lot more liquid, almost like a lotion in feel. (And yes, I did put blobs of conditioner on my hand and take photos of them - do you know how hard it is to photograph blobs of stuff? LOL)



Regardless of whether you actually end up liking the Liz Earle haircare range, you certainly can't deny that they do put a lot of thought into what goes into their shampoos, and there is much attention paid to ingredients and details here. I also was happy to know that ingredients like yangu oil and blue seakale are harvested in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. The yangu seeds are are collected by forest tribe community groups in Kenya, and the money goes back to them, which gives a source of income to the local people collecting them, most of whom are women, and in turn helps to preserve the trees and their ecosystem. That's pretty awesome, and I could really tell that they had a passion, not just for ingredients and formulating products, but also for the community from which these ingredients are sourced.

The shampoos come in plastic tubes with flip-tops at the bottom, and you get 200ml of product for a very reasonable £7.50. They are available from 2 September at Liz Earle stores, and will be available nationally at John Lewis from 6 September. If you're interested in finding out more, you can check out the Liz Earle Website, their Twitter page, or Facebook page.

(I was invited to a press event. I am not affiliated with or compensated by the company.)

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Review

My hair is really fine and annoyingly little. It has no volume, and it just tends to sit on my head like a dead dog. I often have trouble with styling my hair because it's really fine, very little, and has no body. I know people say layering is the key to giving fine hair body, but layering is tricky for me since I have very little hair. As a result, I don't actually do anything to my hair in the mornings, since I don't have a clue what to do with it, and because I'm just generally kind of lazy. I wake up, I comb it, and I leave. LOL.

Here's what I'm talking about. Yup, that's me. You can see why I have major, major hair envy whenever I see girls with lots of nice, thick hair:



So, one of my bathroom essentials is a volumizing shampoo for fine hair. Over the years I've tried a bunch of them, and some of them are better than others. The good ones give volume while still keeping hair soft and moisturized, while the crappy ones don't give any volume, AND leave your hair dry, tangled and damaged. And the middling ones often do one or the other - they may volumize your hair, but leave it dry, or they may give your hair softness but weigh it down.

One of the ones I've tried lately is John Frieda's Luxurious Volume range. The range seems to get raves from other people, and so I was excited to try the Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner. They have a range of products under the Luxurious Volume line, and if you're interested, you can view them HERE.

The packaging itself is in large blue tubes with fliptop caps. The shampoo comes in a clear tube while the conditioner has opaque packaging:



What about the product? The shampoo is a clear gel, while the conditioner is a milky, white gel with a slightly heavier texture. I particularly liked the shampoo, it lathers very well, so if you're one of those shampoo users who get a sense of satisfaction out of a good lather (I know I do!), this is definitely one to check out. The conditioner doesn't lather, but I like how it feels creamy without being too heavy. Both products have a very nice, light pleasant smell that I really liked, although I know smell is a matter of personal preference. It kind of reminds me of cucumbers or something. Another thing I liked about both the shampoo and the conditioner is that they rinsed off well - I didn't get product residue on my hair after a shower, and I didn't have to struggle to wash them off.

Here's a photo of a bit of the products on the back of my hand. As you can see, although they're both gel textured products, the shampoo is a little bit more runny, while the conditioner is more creamy:



After about 3 weeks of usage, I felt ready to give a review. I used the products as I do normally - shampoo, conditioner (every couple of days), and I just let my hair air dry. As you can see from my photo, my hair is REALLY limp, so I was skeptical about the effects it would have on my hair. But even with the first few days of usage, one of the first things I noticed is how the products really left my hair very soft, without leaving any residue or stickiness behind. I don't know why, but the John Frieda Luxurious Volume range really worked for me on this front. Even on days when I didn't use the conditioner, just using the Thickening Shampoo alone seemed to leave my hair soft. I was able to comb through my shoulder-length hair after a shower with no problems, whereas some other shampoos tend to leave my hair tangled and impossible to comb out after a shower. I really liked the softening effect these products had on my hair, and I think girls with hair that tends to dry out or get tangled easily will like the John Frieda Luxurious Volume range.

I also liked how both John Frieda products didn't irritate or dry out my scalp. Sometimes some really harsh shampoos tend to make my scalp flake, itch, or just generally get really irritated, but with both these products, I didn't have any problems on the irritation front.

Volume-wise, I felt that these products were also generally good. They gave my hair some volume, but not a whole ton. Then again, I wasn't expecting anything more than that, since it's hard to add volume to your hair with just shampoo, conditioner, and air-drying, without any additional styling products (I really need to get around to trying those). So I'm going to say that these met my expectations. The good thing though, is that neither of the products weighed down my hair, which I was partially expecting to happen, because of how smooth they left my hair. The first couple of times I used it, when I stepped out of the shower and combed my hair, I was thinking, "Wow, my hair is so soft. I bet it's going to be really flat when I wake up tomorrow", but it wasn't. So I was quite happy with that.

To me, the major benefit of John Frieda's Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner is that the products really soften your hair, while ensuring that it doesn't lose it's volume. So if you're one of those girls with relatively fine hair that is dry or tangled, and you want something to soften and smoothen your hair without making it lose it's volume, this is definitely one to try. This one will also please girls who want a shampoo that lathers and rinses well, as both products are really lightweight, and don't leave much residue behind. You can find out more about John Frieda's Luxurious Volume range HERE.

This product was sent to me for review purposes. I am not affiliated with the company, nor do I benefit from the links posted. This review is my complete and honest opinion after an unbiased trial of the product.