Tag: blowout

KareCo Professional Brushes

Ever since learning to blow out my hair last summer, I’ve been pretty thrilled with my Spornette Prego Ceramic Styling Brush. I love the way the brush heats up, smooths my hair and finishes with the perfect bend. But I am always open to try out new beauty products – duh – and especially those that are found easily at great prices.

But don’t expect the budget brushes from KareCo to be cheap or unprofessional. Their Thermal Round Brushes have a specially designed dome that keeps heat moving throughout the brush. This lends to faster drying and more hold. I’ve found that my hair moves through the bristles slightly easier with the KareCo brushes too.

But that isn’t all this little dome does – it helps grasp hair at the curve of the brush keeping strands in the brush and not tangling or ending up around the handle. Hair stays in the brush from root to end so you aren’t repeating sections of hair should they slip. No wonder these are so well designed – they were once only available to professionals but they now can be found at Walmart. I love the 2″ inch barrel for more bend and the 3″ barrel for sleek, shiny strands.

Both sold at Walmart for $12.97 each.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Eva NYC DIY Blowout and GIVEAWAY

Remember this post from last week where I shared my secrets to an at-home blow out? I even hauled the hair dryer to the beach this weekend and my high school friends also gave rave reviews. I had to share the wealth, naturally. But first… before the juicy part. A new favorite I failed to mention last week. Actually, it was so good, I thought it needed its own spotlight:

Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo manages to refresh my dark brown hair without any white residue, but also with a pleasant, beachy fragrance. My hair is left smooth, not straw-like thanks to Eva NYC’s signature oils. I like applying to my crown, waiting a few minutes, then tousle with fingers for an extra lift. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks to eek out one extra day on my at home blowouts. The lightness of the formula keeps my fine strands from getting too heavy from product and oils. What a winner! Especially for $12.

Now, for the exciting part: time for a giveaway! So you can get your very own DIY Blowout, Eva NYC and I have partnered to give one lucky reader the goodies pictured about. Check here for a review of the Eva NYC Almighty Pro-Lite Ionic Dryer and Up All Night Voluminizing Spray.

Open to the US Only. Enter using the widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Creme

Frankly, I thought naming a hair product a BB Cream was embarrassing, cheesy and gimmicky. But then it worked on me. I snuck around to the hair aisle on Tuesday and tucked that puppy right into my basket. I do admit to giving it the stink eye on my bathroom counter. But I have to admit now, this stuff is gooooood.

The cream/gel hybrid went on my damp hair with a focus on the bottom half of my strands. As a note, my hair is just ever so slightly due for a cut (it has been months) so ends are a touch dry and my hair is a little dull from product (read a lot dull). My hair immediately felt soothed and nourished. After a rough dry, I started in with a round brush. As the strands left the brush, I immediately noticed a shine and bounce. I was deeply concerned this would weight down my fine hair. But it actually volumized.

The formula has that classic Pantene smell that I melt for – cue high school flashback. It also works to improve strength, shine, smoothness, moisture, frizz, and fly-aways. It also provides that crucial heat protection.

Bottom line: don’t judge a book by its cover (or silly name).

If found my bottle at Walgreens, but it is also available here online.

Brand Spotlight: Amika: love your hair and GIVEAWAY

Amika’s tag line is “heathy, easy and stylish”. Um, sounds about perfect to me. I’ve been imersed in the world of Amika for the past two weeks and my hair is softer, happier and healthier than ever before. I was able to try out quite a few products so, today I am featuring a little brand spotlight.

I’ve been trying out the Color pHerfection Shampoo, Hydrate Conditioner and Nourishing Hair Mask in the shower. My hair is super fine and been a little dry this winter, so I was angling to improve that situation. While my hair isn’t colored, the Color pHerfection Shampoo is chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, healthy fatty acids, Omega 3, 6 & 9, and the rare Omega 7 (usually only found in fish oil) to heal my drier hair. All these goodies come from Amika’s signature ingredient, the Obliphica Berry (Sea Buckthorn Berry), known for centuries renowned for its healing powers.

Hydrate Conditioner and Nourishing Hair Mask notched up the moisure element in my routine significantly. Both of these rich formulas infuse hair with fatty acids, proteins, anti-oxidants, and other nutrients. Somehow they are both ultra-creamy but leave hair balanced and voluminous. The Nourishing Hair Mask takes it a bit further than the conditioner with extra penetration, nourishment and repair. Both have a vaguely tropical scent. And I am not sure you’ll ever find me without one or the other again.

Amika Obliphica Oil Treatment might be the center piece of the brand. I was slightly concerned about the Obliphica seed oil for my fine hair, but it managed to deliver hydration without weighing my hair down or making it oily (this goes for all Amika products I tried). I was especially impressed I could use the Oil Treatment fairly liberally and I still had volume with loads of shine. It also helped on next day hair for a little boost at the ends. It also provides UV protection from environmental and sun damage. The treatment has that delicious and amazing argan oil while being free of parabens and artificial colors. Like the Oil Treatment, the Leave in Cream also surprised me by not weighing my hair down. I applied the cream and then slept on braided, wet hair. My waves were shiny, bouncy and healthy. I have a sneaking suspicion curly-haired girls would go nuts over this stuff.

Lastly, I’m embarassed to say I never use a heat protectant. Now that I a have mastered the blowout, I use heat tools much more often and I knew I needed to step up my game. Amika’s Obliphica Heat Defense Serum uses their signature ingredient’s omega 7 and vitamin C to protect strands. It revitalizes and forms a protective barrier. This layer also helps fight frizz. All three styling products have that tropical oil smell that I go bananas for, but it is very subtle.

And now for the juicy part… a GIVEAWAY. I am thrilled to be sharing one of Amika’s hottest tools with one of you lucky readers. I’ve been using a similar clip-less rod with four interchangeable barrels for the ultimate in styling flexibility. We are giving away Zebra Triple Barrel Pro Curler Set – it also includes a curling rod with interchangeable barrels and one of their famed ceramic irons. Guys, this set is valued at $300!

Enter using the widget below. Open to US Only and GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE WAS PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.