August 28, 2014

Smart Beauty Smart Blonde High Lift and High Lightener & Platinum Blonde Toner Review

For the second bleaching of my hair I went back to using my Smart Beauty bleach. This also links back to my Gatsby Ex Hi Bleach Review I wrote months ago (this is the part 2 as to how I got my hair blonde).

Although I do try other bleaches once in a while, I am quite loyal to Smart Beauty's bleach and have been using them since 7/8 years ago. So I always have them stocked in my house. Superdrug is currently selling them for half price £2.45, so yes I did empty the selves. >.< Starting on the review~

The box contains:

• An instruction leaflet
• Gloves
• Brush
• Powder bleach 15g x 2
• Developer cream 40ml x2
• Platinum Toner 25ml

The process is simple, you mix the powder bleach and developer cream together, then apply it to your hair and let it process for 1 hour. The bleach does process quickly, so you need to work fast. I applied a plastic bag around my hair after application, so that the bleach doesn't dry and become powdery. Also to keep in the heat from the head, to help the bleach develop faster and more effectively.

The bleach is smooth, the consistency isn't thick or runny. The brush is meh, its not that good. It's easier to saturate the bleach with your fingers. The bleach doesn't contain ammonia, so its more gentler to your hair than other bleaches, causes less damage and doesn't have a strong smell. 

The toner is lilac, which helps to counteracts yellow and brassy hair. It toned the ends of my hair to platinum. The toner conditions the hair and leaves it soft, however its not has conditioning as an actual conditioner/mask. 

Hair colour before the second bleaching:

Results after the second bleaching:

I am aware that my hair is very damaged. It was already this damaged from the bleach I used in the first bleach round. This bleach did not cause extra damage to my hair, so to props to Smart Beauty. Otherwise my hair would have broken off. .__. 

Pros:

• Affordable
• Doesn't contain ammonia
• Doesn't damage hair
• Lifts up to 7 shades
• Comes with a toner, so no need to buy one separately

Cons:

• No tray/tub to mix the products together
• Itches your scalp

Rating: 7.5/10

Would I repurchase?

Already have countless times~ ^^

Would I recommend?

Yes! Very affordable and one of the least damaging bleaches i've tried. Its does the job and lifts up to 7 shades. It doesn't cause extra damage. However your hair will be dry, which is the same from all bleached, so just condition your hair loads. It comes with a toner, so you can spend less money. Overall a great bleach. ^^

Have a good day~ ^^

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August 22, 2014

Bleach London - Total Bleach Review

The packing of the kit caught my eye, I love how modern chic the design is. I've also seen a lot of hype on Bleach London products so I thought i'll give it a try. 

The box comes with:

• Instruction leaflet
• Developing lotion (peroxide) 80ml
• Bleaching powder 25g x 2
• Reincarnation mask 50ml
• Tray
• Tint Brush
• Gloves

From the content of kit the itself, I can tell that Bleach London has put a lot of thought into it. They've added a tray for mixing, which I like as some bleaches kits that don't contain one. They've also taken the tint brush into consideration and designed it with a long tail, making it easier to section your hair. Lastly they've added a small 50ml size of their Reincarnation Mask into the kit, which is great as it not only allows the user to repair and hydrate their hair after bleaching it, but to try out the mask before they purchase the full size. 

Instructions:

• Pour the 2 packets of bleach powder
• Pour the whole bottle of bottle in
• Mix until a cream consistency is achieved

The process is very simple. The tray was a bit small to comfortably mix everything together, so it took a while to mix it. I found that the bleach powder was very dusty, so be careful that you don't breath any in. The consistency of the mixture was creamy, smooth and thick. The tint brush was great, it made application to the roots very easy.

I ended up using 2 boxes, as my hair is long and just to ensure that my whole head was saturated with bleach. I was surprised as to how quickly the bleached starting lifting, my roots was already a yellow colour at 30 minutes. It didn't itch my scalp during the process, however my scalp had a weird numb feeling after rinsing.

Hair colour before bleaching:

Personally I think my hair colour is great for this review since its multicoloured~ xD You'll be able to see how much the bleach lifts on dark hair, already bleached hair and on semi-permenanct dyes.

Hair after 1 hour of bleach:

My hair colour is uneven since I had multi-colour, another bleaching will do the job~ ^^. The roots  lifted to a bright yellow. The brown sections lifted a bright orange. (My natural hair colour is black, so the results will vary for people with natural brown hair) The bleached sections lifted to platinum and there is still a tint of pink where the pink dye previously was.

The Reincarnation Mask did a great job, it made my hair very smooth and manageable. The mask offers the same results as more expensive masks like the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Mask, except that it requires you to leave it on for longer (10-20minutes) instead of 3-5mins.

Pros:

• Simple and easy to do, great for beginners
• Does lift colour up to 7 levels
• Does not burn the scalp 
• Comes with a great repair mask thats does the job

Cons:

• More damaging than other bleaches I haves tried (VERY damaging)

Rating: 6.5/10

Would I repurchase?

Maybe - great value for the whole kit and powerful lifting the bleach does. However its more damaging compared to other drugstore bleaches i've tried.

Would I recommend?

Depends - if you're not concerned about the condition of your hair and want a strong lifting power then yes. This bleach lifted my hair more than other bleaches in the drugstore. However this bleach also is definitely the most damaging bleach i've tried, my ends are now fried, so I need to trim my hair >.< If your hair is already damaged or you won't want a huge amount of damage to your hair then no. I recommend to try a different and less damaging bleach.

Have you tried any of Bleach London's products? ^^

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August 19, 2014

Getting Rid Of Red Hair!: JoBaz Hair Colour Remover - MAX Strength Review

I've had red hair since November, so 8 months (click here to see~). I've never stuck to one colour for so long! So now i'm finally getting rid off it. For the next few posts i'll be taking you guys along with me on a hair adventure to lilac hair! Or maybe blonde, if I find that I like it too much. ^__^

So the first step I need to do is to remove the red hair dye. In order to do this, i'll need to use a hair colour remover. Which is a product that removes artificial colour by shrinking the artificial dye molecules so that it will wash out. Normally I use Colour B4, however i've been spending too much. >.< So I opt out for JoBaz's Hair Colour Remover as it is a faction of the price. I'll be using the max strength as I have a build up of brown and red hair dye. 

The box comes with:

• An Instruction Leaflet
• A - Activator
• B - Remover
• C - Buffer
• Gloves

Instructions:

• Mix A and B together then apply the mixture to your hair
• Leave it for 30 minutes to process
• Rinse with warm water for 10 minutes
• Then apply C and lather your hair for 1 minute
• Rinse for 5 minutes, then apply C again and use it like normal shampoo 

If the dyes are fully removed, then the results should be black roots, brown (due the peroxides in hair dye, which would have lightened my hair) and bleached blonde ends (as I bleached my hair blonde last year and for my pink dip dye). 

Like with all boxed hair colour removers, THEY STINK! Like rotten eggs, so I highly recommend you do in it room with open windows or ventilation.

Hair colour before using the colour remover:

Instead of following the instructions, I left it on for 1 hour just to ensure that all the artificial dye molecules have strunk. When I washed my hair with C - Buffer, my hair felt really weird and straw like. But once I applied conditioner my hair felt soft again. It didn't make my hair dry or damage it.

Hair after the rinsing and blow drying:

I was quite surprised that all the permanent hair dyes were removed. The pink on the other hand is still there as its a semi-permenant dye. So the colour remover doesn't work on stain dyes like Directions, Manic Panic, Smart Colours etc

Hair the next morning, in bright sunlight:

You can see the colours more clearly here. I'm left with a brassy brown, blonde and pink. Its decent enough for me to walk out the house. But as Guy Tang (hair artist) would say - it looks ratchet. xDD Surprisingly enough, when I went out to run some errands, people came up to me and complimented my hair. Does society like brassy/ratchet hair or something? 

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• No ammonia
• Removes permanent hair dyes
• Gentle
• Doesn't further damage hair
• Works just as good as Colour B4

Cons:

• Smells like rotten eggs
• The smell lingers around
• Does not work on semi-permanant dyes

Rating: 8/10

Would I repurchase?

Definitely - very affordable and friendly to your pockets.

Would I recommend?

Yes! It does the job and removes all traces of permeant hair dyes and doesn't further damage your hair. Just keep it mind that it smells and the smell does linger around~

Have you tried a hair colour remover before? ^^

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August 17, 2014

KPop Diet #8: Secret's Methods To Maintain Silm Figure - I'm In Love Diet

On Lee So Ra's Music Plaza, Secret revealed how they maintain their slim figure.

Sunhwa: When she has time and is not on schedule, she does 1 hour and 30 minutes of aerobic exercises on a empty stomach. So that she'll be able to eat all day.

Hyosung: Only worries exercises when she has gained weight

Hana: She eats what she wants for one meal a day. Hyosung and other celebrities such as Ga In have been on a One Meal Diet too, click here for more on the 'One Meal Diet' 

Ji Eun: When she's on a diet, she reduces her calorie in take by decreasing the number of meals she eats. She will either skip breakfast and eat little for lunch + dinner or she will skip break and and lunch and only eat dinner. (one meal diet)

What do you think of Secret's methods? ^^ 

For Secret's strict diet you can click here to see what they eat~

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August 16, 2014

Revlon ColourStay Moisture Stain - 050 London Posh Review and Swatch

The Moisture Stains have 12 colours in the range, each colour is named after a popular vacation hot spot. The colour I will be reviewing is London Posh - a peachy nude with subtle gold shimmers. A great colour for everyday wear and for smokey eyes. The colour pigmentation is great. It has a doe applicator, which enables precise application. However when I applied the product, it was uneven and patchy, I had to rub my lips together so that the product would melt and even out. 

The texture of the product is like a lip gloss, except that its more runny and slippery. If you put too much on, it will feel heavy as it is quite thick. It hydrates the lips very well. As for the stain factor; this colour doesn't stain the lips, as the colour is light. I can't say for the darker colours. It has a nice shine, making my lips appear full. The product has a subtle paint smell? Not a nice scent but it does fade away. Lastly it as a decent wear time, it lasted around 3 hours. 

Pros:

• Moisturises 
• Not sticky
• Nice shine
• Pigmented
• Decent wear time - 3 hours
• Nice packaging

Cons:

• Heavy
• Slippery
• Transfers
• Does not stain
• Has a paint scent

Rating: 4/10

Would I repurchase?

No, I purchased this due to the hype but personally I found it to be a product to disappoint.

Would I recommend?

No, the product it quite heavy and does not stain. The moisturising factor is great, but thats what lip balms are for right? There are similar products on the market that offer better results.

Have you tried the Moisture Stains yet? ^^

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