HairHouse WareHouse - An Unkind Review

Ok, so as a friend kindly pointed out to me, I should not have had my hair done somewhere that uses the word 'ware house'! However, was hoping to get my blonde redone on a budget, as most blondes know, it can be quite expensive to upkeep.
This is quite possibly the worst experience I have had with hairdressers, and I have a had quite a few bad experiences in my time, including a Carol Brady hair cut at age 15, but that is another story, and one I wish to forget.
This particular franchise that I am talking about can be found in the country town of Gympie, in Queensland, Australia.
I have blonde for quite sometime now, and enjoy going blonde for the Summer and darker for the Winter, a routine I have developed over the last few years. This year I have stayed blonde longer than usual, and have been trying to create my 'perfect' blonde shade, that I haven't achieved yet.
There was a young girl (20 years old, and liked to talk about her footballer boyfriend, and told stories that involved her wanting to yell at people) that attended to my hair, after she was finished and blowdrying it, I had to point out to her, that I had an orange band near the top of my hair, about 5cm wide, which she was going to let me walk out with if I hadn't mentioned it to her.
The end result - over toned very, very blonde hair. Of which i didn't make much of a fuss about, thinking after a few washes, the colour will warm up and that will be fine.
She hadn't shown me the back of my hair, so I hadn't noticed until I got home the ends of my hair were orange as well. I was mad!
Went back and made a complaint to the owner, who tried to justify why it was my hairs fault the colour had turned out the way it did, of which I kindly pointed out that it was disgusting that he would think it was satisfactory to let someone walk of the salon with horrible looking hair. I agreed to go back and have them attempt to tone it again.
The 'store manager', a young girl barely just finished her apprenticeship, attempted to give me a lecture about what we had talked about, I soon put this twit in her place, saying there is NO excuse for a salon to allow someone to walk out with their hair looking worse than what it had done when they walked in.
I believe I have reasonable expectations when things don't work out, but I strongly believe that this brand is made up of inexperienced staff who lack any skill and who certainly do not cope when someone has a complaint.
I would warn anyone thinking about going into any HairHouse WareHouse, to do so with low expectations and with extreme caution.
Definitely do not go there for eyebrow waxing - but that is another friends story.
Enter at your own risk!

Thalgo Eye Masks - A Treat for the Eyes

As we continue to head into the colder weather, my skin, without care, goes dry very quickly. This includes around the eyes.

I try to be 'good' by using an eye cream every night, however, all to often I become far too slack and it is not until I notice how dry my skin under the eyes are, and how much more noticeable the fine lines are before I get back into routine.

Last year after a facial at a beauty salon the Thalgo Wrinkle Control Eye Patch Masks were recommended to me. At a price of $70 for 10 I find it a very good investment.

I find the results to be quite amazing. My under eye area is hydrated and tightened. If I have been overly slack I will use the masks twice a week for 2 weeks and then back to once a week. I really notice a    difference in the definition of my fine lines.

Cass's Eco Beauty Creations

With Facebook becoming a world wide social network, online shopping was bound to become big, competitive business!!! I am usually quite sceptical of bothering with Facebook business's and granted, this one is created by a high school friend, and one would think bias would follow, but I can promise I do genuinely love this scrub.

Her Facebook page is 'Cass's Eco Beauty Creations', and she has done much research and trials into the creation of her products, all of which are completely natural. I recently purchased her 'Geranium Oat Sugar Scrub'.

I have been using this on my face once to twice a week, and anytime that I have had a big night out on the town and wake up with overly dehydrated skin. Made with essential oils, my face instantly feels refreshed and the dry feeling is gone almost instantly. This is a product, coming into Winter, I will for sure be purchasing again.

It comes at the bargain price of $6 + postage (we live in the same state and postage was $6). She puts much effort into the presentation and packaging, so whether you are buying for yourself or as a gift getting sent straight to someone, you know it will be packaged beautifully. Online and on her products, she lists the exact ingredients that go into all of her products, all of which most people would have heard of before and all of which she has researched to come up with this final product. Have a look!

Hair Straightening

Last year I purchased a deal from the online company Groupon, the deal was one I could not refuse, it was $99 for permanent hair straightening plus a trim and wash and blow-dry normally $460.

My hair, as pictured below has distinct pointless waves through it, constantly frizzy ( despite if I am dark or light), is super thick, and generally looks terrible if I wear it out without doing something with it. I normally opt for a 'scrunched' beach look, however, have been yearning to have straight hair!!! 

This was take a few hours before the appointment

The system used at the Venus salon in New Farm, Brisbane, was called Bio-Ionic Retex Hair Straightening. I could not possibly be happier with the results.

I wake up each morning not having to tend to it at all, and can easily wear it out. Post washing, I blow dry, and if necessary (which isn't usually, I am just extra cautious) quickly run an iron through it to. Much easier and quicker then pre treatment. Due to the thickness of my hair, it can take 45 minutes or longer from blow drying to ironing to finish. I don't miss have the 'scrunched' look, and am loving my new straight hair.

This was taken 3 weeks post treatment

I must also give a great review of the salon I went to. I had one girl work on my hair throughout the entire procedure (which took almost 4 hours), she was absolutely delightful. If I ever go back to Brisbane, I will certainly be visiting them for my colours and cuts.... and when required, straightening.

Garnier BB Cream

Looking for an alternative to mineral powder make-up, I was wanting to try a tinted moisturiser. Why? Simply for the easier, quicker application. No sooner had I decided this, Garnier began advertising their new BB Cream.

What can I say? They certainly made some big promises! From radiant skins to covering imperfections, I knew I wanted to try this right away.

Considering the girl in the ad already had clear, perfectly toned skin, I was sceptical. I was right, to be sceptical. This cream did NOTHING! The coverage was non-existant and I found my skin to be oily and shiny when I wore it. This is certainly one product, I will not be going back for. This price is relatively cheap, but certainly not even worth it.

My search for a tinted moisturiser will continue.... another day.

Search for a moisturiser in a very cold climate!

I’m so sorry for neglecting this blog and not posting for a few months! But so much has happened, life has been a bit crazy. For starters, I packed my bags and moved from the glorious sunburnt country to Vancouver (enjoying my first visit to Europe beforehand) on a working/holiday visa; found a job and a house to live in; and have just been getting life started in general. This change has sent my skin a little haywire…believe me, it is cold over here! Weather I am just not used to and neither is my skin! So I have been on the search for the ultimate facial moisturising cream as my skin dries out so quickly due to the cold, wet, windy weather.

I was previously using Estee Lauder, however going through duty free on my way from Europe to Canada, I made the most of the opportunity of goods at a cheaper price and picked up perfume, makeup and Dior moisturising cream (gotta love duty free!).

This time around, I purchased the Dior Hydra Life Sorbet and I’m still not one hundred percent sure what I think of this product. At night time, I feel as though I could continue applying layers of this to my face (which means I have used a lot of product in not a very long time!). On the plus side though, it definitely doesn’t leave my face feeling oily and the product really sinks into the skin rather than just sitting on the surface like some other brands I have tried (I’m talking to you L’oreal!). I wanted to compare the Sorbet to the Cream to see the difference, so also picked up the Dior Hydra Life Creme. I definitely need less of this product on my face as it gives a true moisturising affect.

Will I buy this product again? Yes, for sure.

Next question of course is will I buy the cream or the sorbet? I think I will buy the cream for evening and the sorbet for day. The sorbet feels lighter on the skin so perfect for daytime, whereas the cream is ultra moisturising which is what I need for the evening, to help repair the dryness of my skin while I sleep. 

2012 - Welcome Back!

It has been quite some time since our last post, but we have tried quite a few products since then, so have lots to review!
More blogs to come very soon!