The Dry Shampoo Contest

I am an avid dry shampoo user. My hair tends to get very oily at the roots but since it is not good to wash your hair everyday, I rely on the stuff to extend the time between washes which lets be honest here, is only every two days and not every three to four days (my hair would be serious grease ball styles if I left it that long). I use it every second day when I haven't washed my hair the night before. I have tried many different dry shampoos in a bid to find the perfect one. In this contest, I will be comparing 4 of the most recent dry shampoos that I have used which are easily accessible from Priceline, Woolworths etc. I will look at 3 different areas in particular: effectiveness, smell and value for money. 


Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo - $15.99 (250ml)


Effectiveness: The effectiveness of this dry shampoo is decent; however, I feel like I need to use quite a bit of product to get my hair to the point where it doesn't look like a hot mess. Does it's job, but nothing to dance around about. Rating: 3/5. 

Value for Money: This dry shampoo is on the slightly higher end in terms of price when you compare it to other dry shampoos in Priceline and Woolworths, but there are always sales so I suggest to wait until it goes on sale. Rating: 3/5. 

Smell: Loveeeee the scent of this. It smells like a salon and lingers in your hair for a few hours after spraying it. If you're not one for scents or are sensitive to scents, skip this. Rating: 4/5. 

Overall Rating: 10/15



Batiste Dry Shampoo - $9.99 (200ml)

Effectiveness: The effectiveness of this dry shampoo is decent; however, I feel like I need to use quite a bit of product to get my hair to the point where it doesn't look like a hot mess. Does it's job, but nothing to dance around about. Rating: 4/5.  

Value for Money: I feel like for the price and the amount you get, it is great value for money. Rating: 4/5.  

Smell: The great thing about this dry shampoo is that there are many different scents for you to choose from. I'm sure you could find one that you like. My favourites are the tropical and the blush scents. Rating: 4/5.  


Overall Rating: 12/15


Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo - $13.50 (115g)

Effectiveness: This dry shampoo does a decent job at soaking up the oils and adds some volume to your hair while it's at it. This one is a little different in comparison to other dry shampoos as it is a white powder. I find that this is best for night time use because it's too fiddly to use in the morning. In fact, every time I use it white powder falls on my face. How I use it is to apply this to my roots at night, sleep on it and let it soak up the oils at night which means no white cast and less dry shampoo use in the morning. Rating: 3.5/5.  

Value for Money: This product will last f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I have had this product for several months now but does not look like it's been touched. Rating: 5/5

Smell: For me, the downside of this product lies in the smell. It says it's meant to be a light citrus scent but to me it smells like lemon-scented toilet cleaner. Luckily I don't find that the smell lingers in the hair. Rating: 1/5.  

Overall Rating: 9.5/15



Tre Semme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo - $11.49 (170ml)
This product is not pictured because well, it's in the trash. I tried it several times before succumbing to the fact that it just did not agree with my hair. I have heard numerous people say great things about this dry shampoo but for me, it did not like my hair. It is an aerosol can, like most dry shampoos out there. 

Effectiveness: To put it bluntly, this product made my hair look oilier than it originally was and left a sticky, tacky product-laden feeling in my hair. Not effective at all for me. Rating: 0/5.  

Value for Money: This product is not too bad in terms of value for money for the amount of product you get, but did I mention the sticky, oily feeling that I got in my hair after using it (Nope? Didn't think so!). In that sense, this wasn't value for money but a waste of money for me (sorry, Tre Semme). Rating: 3/5.  

Smell: This product does smell amazing. It smells like you have just been to the hairdressers kinda smell. This didn't make up for the fact that my hair looked worse after. Rating: 4/5.   

Overall Rating: 7/15




CONTEST WINNERS

Overall
The overall winner has to go to the Batiste Dry Shampoo. They are the most effective and convenient dry shampoos in my books with some great scents. I will always have one of these on my dressing table. Honourable mention does go to the Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo as I tend to use both on the days I don't wash my hair. Lush's dry shampoo is used at night to soak up those oils overnight and Batiste is used in the morning to tend to those oilier sections. 

Value for money 
Hands down, Lush's No Drought Dry Shampoo is the most value for money dry shampoo I have tried so far. Who knows when I will need to purchase another one. It'll probably expire before then!

Smell
Toni & Guy's Cleanse Dry Shampoo. Mmm.. salon smelling hair...

What dry shampoos do you like?

Jess

xoxo

Trash Diving: Makeup, Haircare and Nails

Welcome to a new segment on my blog that will be lovingly named "Trash Diving". It's a take on the "Product Empties", "What's in my Bin?" etc. videos/posts. Basically, I will be writing about skincare, makeup, haircare and nail items that I have thrown out or will be throwing out because they are finished, didn't work for me or because it's simply time for them to be thrown out. 

Today's post will cover makeup, haircare and nails and I will post about my skincare items soon. I find makeup and nails the hardest items to finish up whereas I can go through skincare a lot faster. These posts will not occur monthly which other bloggers and you tubers can do.. I simply do not finish products fast enough!

Makeup
Inglot Cream Concealer in 24
This is my "holy grail" concealer for blemishes. On my oily/combination skin it stays put all day and especially if you set it with powder. This colour was too dark so I purchased the same concealer in the shade 26 which is lighter. I mix the two together to get the perfect shade. 

Verdict? This concealer will always be my go-to concealer for blemishes. It doesn't budge once you set it with powder. Who doesn't love that?! I will repurchase this and have already purchased a new one! 

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara
Lets me provide you with a quick overview of the lashes I have ... straight lashes that point downwards and struggle to hold a curl. I also struggle to find mascaras that don't smudge. Not the most ideal lashes to have are they? But you have to work with what you've got! 

This mascara claims to improve the overall appearance of your lashes and reveal longer, more luscious lashes. While I found that this did add some volume and length to my lashes (nothing to boast about), it did not hold my curled eyelashes and smudged after 2 hours. I used this only when I knew I'd be out for a quick lunch, coffee etc. Bit of a bother really. 

Verdict? I will not be repurchasing this mascara. Panda eyes are not cute. The end. 

Haircare
Lush - Rub Rub Rub
I bought this product initially as a body scrub; however, was told by the sales assistant when I bought it that it could be used as a shampoo too. I purchased it to replace my Lush - Ocean Salt which I previously used as a body exfoliator and since it was much cheaper (try $22.50 for 120g of Ocean Salt vs. $12.95 for 250g of Rub Rub Rub) I thought I'd give it a whirl. It does smell quite fresh (I'm terrible at describing scents!) and I quite like the smell. However, I have to admit that I much preferred the Ocean Salt in comparison to Rub Rub Rub in terms of its 'exfoliating abilities' but I much prefer my own scrubs to the Ocean Salt (see my DIY post here). 

As a result, I ended up using this more as a clarifying shampoo. The first ingredient is sea salt which helps get rid of the build-up from hair products and daily grime. I found it particularly good to wash out my weekly coconut oil hair treatment as I find my usual shampoo is not strong enough and I can be left with a oily cast in my hair. I only used this on a weekly basis though. It would be too stripping to use every time you wash your hair.

Verdict? I'm not going to repurchase this right now. I have the Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo on my list to pick up (I may have already done a sneaky purchase on lookfantastic) as I've heard great things about this as a clarifying shampoo. If I don't like it, I will repurchase this but as a clarifying shampoo and not an exfoliator. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical
I posted about this in my Colours of the Rainbow Tag (Link!). I love this dry shampoo. It does it's job well - soaks up excess oil from second-day hair and also adds volume to your hair. The only downfall with this product is that it can leave a grey cast on my black hair so I spray it under the top section of my hair to hide it. I have tried the Batiste version for dark hair but this also left a slight cast and I didn't like that smell as much. The tropical scent which smells like coconut is definitely my favourite. 

Verdict? Yes, I would definitely repurchase this. Unless I find a dry shampoo which I don't have to be too careful with a white cast left on my hair, it will always be on my dressing shampoo. Jodi on YouTube from Goo Roo Beauty recommended Toni & Guy's Dry Shampoo on one of her videos so I picked it up from Coles for $12 on the weekend since it was on sale. I have tried many dry shampoos so I will be doing a comparison post about them. 

Nails
O.P.I - Lincoln Park After Dark
Definitely a cult favourite nailpolish. It's a dark almost black purple but unfortunately OPI nailpolishes just don't last well on me. Don't get me wrong though, I love this colour and especially during autumn/winter. I'm throwing this out because it has simply dried up to the point where I can't even open the bottle anymore!

Verdict? I will not repurchase this. This colour is definitely "dupe-able" and I'd rather buy a similar colour from Essie, Revlon or Rimmel which have a much better staying power on my nails. 

What products have you all finished lately?

Jess

xoxo

Colours of the Rainbow TAG!

Hi All,

So I've been watching a lot of the Colour of the Rainbow Tags on youtube lately. If you are unfamiliar with this tag, this tag was created by Becky from TalkBeckyTalk on youtube. The idea of the tag is that you have to list you favourite beauty or fashion item for each colour of the rainbow, with the addition of pink! 

Let's get started!

Red
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

This top coat has been in my nail collection for quite a few months now. I was tossing up between my beloved red nail polish or this top coat for this tag. I settled on this top coat because without fail, it doesn't matter what nail polish I'm using, I will always finish it off with this. Admittedly, it is not the fastest drying top coat but it definitely reduces the drying time and leaves my nails with a nice shine when it's dried. 

Orange
Illamasqua Blush in Lover (Top Blush)


I loveee me some blush. I would choose blush over bronzer any day. I really do believe it adds 'life to your face' as they all say. This colour came in a blush duo along with the colour 'Lover' (bottom blush), which sidenote, is also amazing. It's the perfect peach colour for my medium olive skin tone and I gravitate towards the blush at least a few times a week!





Yellow 
L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil


This product is marketed as nourishing hair oil for all hair types and contains avocado and grapeseed oil. I use this product two different ways - sometimes I will use both ways on the same occasion and other times I will just use one method, depending on what I feel my hair needs that day

First Method
I dispense 1 pump of this product into my hands and apply it to the mid-lengths to ends of my damp hair. I then blow-dry my hair as normal. I find that when I use this product my hair is a lot softer and silkier. 

Second Method
I dispense 1 pump of this product into my hands and apply it to the mid-lengths to ends of my dry hair. I find that this helps to add shine, softness and eliminates frizz. 

Green
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical


Within the last 6 months I have changed from washing my hair everyday to every second day. I know it's bad to wash your hair everyday but I found that my hair was too greasy to leave it a second day. However,I have to say that after a couple of months of not washing my hair everyday, it seemed like my hair was getting "used" to it and appeared less greasy than when I first started washing it every second day (maybe it's just me?!). Nevertheless, my hair can still get greasy on the second day and this dry shampoo is a life-saver. It definitely reduces the oily build-up (ew!) in my hair. I've tried different scents from the brand, but prefer this one. It smells like coconut!

Just a word of warning, This dry shampoo sprays out white. Having black hair this is definitely not ideal. As a result, I spray this at least 20cm from my head, underneath the top layer of my hair and at my roots. I find that by not spraying it directly to the top of my 
head, if there is any white residue it can't be seen. I 
leave it for a minute or top, rub it in with my hands and 
then brush it through. 


Blue
Sally Hansen Nail Polish in Pacific Blue


There's a lot of hype surrounding this nail polish, and with good reason. It's the perfect 'happy blue' as I like to call it. Perfect against tanned skin and for the summer (I am so jealous of anyone who is heading into summer right now!)














Indigo
My 'Indigo' Dejour Jeans


As someone who is stands at a whole 5ft (and a half!), it is so difficult to find jeans that fit me properly. If you have the same problem and live in Melbourne, I highly recommend Dejour Jeans. They are located on Sydney Road, Brunswick and do have a facebook page so check it out! Basically, their jeans are all around $50 and they have jeans for both men and women. The beauty about Dejour Jeans is that they tailor your jeans to fit you on the spot .. at no extra charge!! It also doesn't matter if the jeans are one size too big.. they will alter them to fit you perfectly. $50 for tailored jeans is one of the best deals I've 
come across. 

Violet
Michael Todd True Organics Blue Green Algae Toner


Not a very appealing name with 'algae' in there but definitely a lovely product. I use this in the morning after my cleanser. It smells like lavender and leaves my skin feeling refreshed in the morning. It's marketed as an antibacterial toner that helps to eliminate toxins, nourish and clear the skin. I feel like it has improved the clarity of my skin since using it and that's always a winner in my books. 










Pink
Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie


I know this isn't technically 'pink', but I couldn't do this tag and not put it in. It's the perfect berry colour for my skin tone and I literally use this everyday for work. It glides on easily and leaves behind a nice stain when it wears. It doesn't have the best staying power but with dry lips like mine, I'm willing to choose moisture over lasting power any day. Mine is on it's last legs, but when it's finished I will definitely be repurchasing. Revlon lip butters are one of my favourite lip products of all time. 









Multicoloured
Tweezerman Mini Tweezers


These are definitely the best tweezers I have used before and it seems to pull it even the smallest hairs. Enough said really!












So there you have it!
My Colours of the Rainbow Tag. Hope it was helpful to at least one of you :)

Hope you are all having a lovely day,
Jess
xoxo