May Favorites!

Sunday, May 31, 2009 –

Hello everyone! It's the end of May, so here are my favorite products for this month! I've picked favorites in different categories: Shampoo, Conditioner, Deep Conditioner/Treatment, Smoothing/Shine, Volume, Straightening, Texture, and Hairspray (I have so many I figured I'd give hairspray its own category lol). So here are my May Favorites.



Shampoo: L'Oréal White Violet - Perfect for pale blondes!
Conditioner: Redken Real Control - For those who need intense moisturizing.
Treatment: Redken Extreme CAT - A must-have protein treatment to strengthen your hair!
Smoothing/Shine: S-Factor Smoothing Lusterizer - For beautifully soft and shiny hair, this is a staple!
Volume: Redken Blown Away 09 - The best for big hair lovers!
Straightening: FX Flat Iron Spray - For super straight, silky hair.
Texture: TIGI Bed Head Hair Stick - A very versatile product, great for giving funky texture.
Hairspray: Bed Head Masterpiece - Controls hair without feeling gunky, & gives massive shine.

So those are definitely my favorite products this month! I've reviewed some of these products, and included the link, but if you have a question about something I haven't reviewed please comment and ask and I'll be more than happy to answer! Happy June everyone, take care of your hair! ♥ ♥ ♥

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Redken Blown Away 09 Review

Hey guys! Today I'm reviewing a recent purchase, and new favorite of mine: Redken Blown Away 09 Protective Blow Dry Gel. I know the word gel might raise some flags, but it's actually really light on your hair, and creates incredible volume! It also has a very clean, sort of citrus-like scent--I like it. It lives up to its name, because I was Blown Away when I used it, and saw the results it gave! Bye-bye root lifters, this is now my go-to volumizing product.


In case you're unfamiliar with Redken styling products, the number indicates the amount of hold and control that product will give you. The numbers go like this: 01-05 is light/mild, 06-15 is medium, and 16-26 is maximum. Blown Away is 09, which means it holds, but it is not heavy.

The main ingredients are: Water, VP/Acrylates/Lauryl Methacrylate Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. Jeez, could that second ingredient pick a name please? LOL. Basically it's what gives the product the gel consistency, as well as providing control and body to the hair. Our favorite humectant, Propylene Glycol is included as well, to keep the moisture in your hair. Triethanolamine (or TEA) is an emulsifier, typically used to increase viscosity in a product and adjust the pH. PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is an emollient that has some conditioning properties as well.

As with any volumizing product, a little goes a long way. This is a very useful product for creating volume, body, and thickness--but used incorrectly could end up showing unsatisfactory results. Like always, the directions on the tube are quite vague. "Style: Appy desired amount to wet hair and blow-dry." -_- I don't think that's very helpful, so here's what I do:
  • Apply a small amount of Blown Away into your palms. It may take you a few times to get the amount just right for your hair, but I suggest starting with a quarter sized dollop and going from there.
  • Focusing on the roots, apply Blown Away to clean damp hair. If you want, you can comb it through.
  • Rough dry your hair before actually styling it. A rough dry means just blow-drying your hair until it is 80% dry.
  • I suggest using a round brush for maximum volume. A vent or styler brush will work too.
  • Be sure to use your cool shot button! It really does serve a purpose, LOL. Hot air creates a style, and cool air sets it, so be sure and cool shot each section of hair you blow-dry.
I think I might do a post on all about blow-drying soon. Good idea? Well, we'll see. 

Redken Blown Away 09 comes in a 5 oz. / 150 ml tube, and retails for about $15. Personally, I think it's worth every cent! Be sure to check out my May Favorites coming later today, and take care of your hair everyone!! ;-)

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FX Special Effects Flat Iron Spray Review

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 –

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I'll try to not let it happen again. ;-) I also wanna wish one of my favorite youtube gurus, Elle (allthatglitters21) a happy birthday! She turned 21 on monday. ♥


Anywhooo, today I'm reviewing an excellent drugstore find, FX Special Effects Flat Iron Spray. This spray says it "Works to smooth dry damaged hair by sealing and protecting the hair from harmful thermal styling. Smooths and conditions, while providing a heat memory thermal protective shield to your hair for flat iron or curling iron." I gotta say, I LOVE this stuff! It's my one of my favorite flat iron sprays. It really smooths and straightens even the coarsest hair. I've even used it on very damaged hair, and the result was beautifully straight, shiny, healthy looking hair. I definitely recommend giving this spray a try.

Its ingredients include Water, PVP/VA Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, PVP, Carbomer, and Panthenol. PVP/VA Copolymer is a complex hair fixative, which gives great flexibility to hair, and is a very common ingredient in hairspray. Go check your product labels and see how many have it, you might be surprised. Propylene Glycol is nothing new, and PVP or Polyvinylpyrrolidone is another ingredient that gives hold and repels moisture, similar to PVP/VA Copolymer. Carbomer stabilizes, and thickens a product; It will also promote shelf life. And Panthenol as I explained in my Halo post, is Vitamin B5--which is very good at conditioning and filling in damage on the hair shaft.

I feel like this may be a bit too heavy for fine hair, but other than that, I think most every hair type can use this spray. The directions say: "Dry hair completely. Shake Flat Iron Spray well in order to mix ingredients thoroughly. Spray evenly on section by section evenly throughout and smooth the hair with straightening irons." When I use it, I spray it on dry hair. I spray it on every section before I flat iron it, focusing more on the midshaft and ends, where more of the damage is. Have you used this product before? Comment and tell me how you use it, and what you think of it. =)

FX Special Effects Flat Iron Spray comes in a 6 fl oz or 177 ml bottle, and can be found in most drugstores for around $6-$8.

Take care of your hair, and be sure to comment! ♥

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Redken Blonde Glam Collection

Friday, May 22, 2009 –


Hello everyone! Just wanted to update you guys on the new and (hopefully) improved Redken Blonde Glam Collection, which includes both professional and retail products! Here's what's included in the collection:

  • Blonde Glam Shampoo & Conditioner: Great for gently cleansing hair, bringing out highlights, and adding shine.
  • Blonde Glam Dream Whip Protective Softening Mousse: This mousse brightens blonde hair, adds body, softens, protects from heat, and adds shine.
  • Blonde Glam Color Enhancers: Available in two shades, Perfect Platinum (for icy cool blondes) and Rich Vanilla (for warm golden blondes). They condition hair and deposit color-enhancing pigments to keep your blonde hair looking fresh. These have replaced Pure Pearl and Fresh Gold, which were my favorite color-depositing conditioners, so hopefully the new formulas are just as good or better! As soon as I get my hands on some I'll do a review!
  • Redken Shades EQ Conditioning Color Gloss: Two gorgeous, brand new Violet shades have also been released. 08V Iridescent Quartz and 07V Crushed Amethyst. I've seen the swatches of these shades and they are so pretty! I can't wait to use them.
  • Redken Color Fusion: The new Fusion shades are 12Av, 9Av, and 7Av. There are also new Double Fusion Blondes and Double Fusion Browns in Titanium for the coolest light blonde, or super metallic brown.
  • Blonde Icing: Redken's Blonde Icing is now new and improved! This cream lightener quickly lifts seven levels while diminishing brassy, warm undertones. Available in Power Lift and Ammonia-Free.
I'm so excited for this collection! Expect reviews for a lot of these products very soon. I hear the Color Enhancers won't come out until June, so I guess I'll have to wait, but I'll look around anyways. But if you're a blonde I highly suggest trying the shampoo and conditioner, they really do make blonde hair sparkle, and they smell great! Go to a Redken salon and ask them to use it on you if you're unsure. Anyways, be on the lookout for reviews, because I'm sure I'll be reviewing everything in this collection pretty soon. Take care of your hair everyone! =)

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Bed Head After-Party Review

Thursday, May 21, 2009 –


Hello, hello! Review Time! This review of Bed Head Afterparty has been requested by a lovely blogger named Recessionista! Check out her blog, Nouveau Cheap, it really rocks! Especially for beauty lovers on a budget!


I had actually been avoiding writing a review on this, because pretty much everyone else has... but whatever! It's for her, she rocks, and I know at least she will read it LOL!

Bed Head After-Party is a "Smoothing Cream for Silky, Shiny, Healthy Looking Hair!" It comes with a warning: YOU MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR TO USE OUR PRODUCTS. Agreed! Haha, that always makes me laugh. This product claims it is "The perfect party favor. After-Party hair creme for silky, smooth, shiny, healthy looking hair. Control the funky fly-aways and silk-ify your hair." Silk-ify... I think I'll start saying that now, haha. But I do agree with their claims, After-Party will leave your hair smooth, shiny, and silky. It's light enough to be used by most hair types, and smells absolutely divine.

The ingredients include Water, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, and Propylene Glycol. Dimethicone is a popular silicone, and is also one of the heavier ones. However, since this product is water-based, and one of Bed Head's most popular products, I don't belive this will prove to be a problem for most people; you'll just have to try it out for yourself. I'm noticing that Cyclopentasiloxane is becoming quite popular in hair products, and for good reason. It's an emollient that is starting to be used more and more, because it makes the hair less susceptible to breakage, and easier to comb through. If you can find a product that uses Cyclopentasiloxane as its main ingredient, I'd give it a shot. A lot of my favorite products have it as the main ingredient, second to water of course. Dimethiconol is another silicone derivative, and is somewhat lighter than Dimethicone. And of course you should all by now know that Propylene Glycol is an emulsifier.

The only problem I have with this product is the obvious one. I won't go into detail, but I'm pretty sure we all know what it looks like. I think it's funny, and I love the hot pink, but I know that some people don't buy this simply because of the packaging. It's disappointing too, because this really is a great, versatile product. My solution? Change the bubble cap to a cube. What do you think?

Also, I've heard from quite a number of people that this product has a hidden side-effect: it will get rid of the smell of smoke from your hair. I'm not sure what ingredient makes that happen, but a lot of people swear it works. I don't smoke, so I don't know if it does, but I'll try it on some of my smoker friends and let you guys know what happens.

The directions say: "Smooth on dry hair and party on!" I think that's kind of vague... kind of really vague so I'll tell you how I use it! I've used it on wet and dry hair, and I've found that it works both ways equally well. 

  • For wet hair: Shampoo, condition, and towel-dry the excess moisture out of your hair. Pump a small amount in your hand (usually I use about the size of a chocolate chip, but longer/thicker hair may need a bit more so experiment), and run it through the middle of your hair down to the ends, especially making sure to coat your ends thouroughly. Blow-dry, style, look flawless! ;-) 
  • For dry hair: Apply a pea-sized amount in your hand, emulsify it between your palms, and run it through the middle of your hair, taking the time to smooth out your ends. Kind of like using your two hands as a flat-iron, know what I mean? And use whatever is left on your hands for any fly-aways on top of your head. It's important to not put too much on top of your head because there is the potential that your hair will look too shiny-almost greasy looking.
Bed Head After-Party comes in a 100 ml or 3.4 oz bottle, and retails for anywhere from $15-$18. This often comes in a duo with Headrush or Superstar Blow-Dry Lotion, usually for like one or two dollars more, which is a steal! So keep your eyes open for those! Take care of your hair everyone! XOXO

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