Carol's Daughter Marula Oil

There was a time I hated using hair oils or any hair products in general because I thought they were all sticky, greasy and would make my hair clump up into hard bits. It wasn't a completely irrational belief since many products that I had tried back then really did have that effect. Years later and several haircare products wiser, I can't imagine what life would be like without them. I've been a fan of a few haircut products from Boots, LaBella and Dove for a while which made me open up to trying more products. Recently I was sent a set of products from Carol's Daughter and I've only tried their Marula Oil so far. It's a part of their Curl therapy range and even though I only have wavy hair with slight curls, this range seems to be working great with it.

Ingredients: I don't really have much to say about the ingredients except that the product is free of silicones, paragons, mineral oils and artificial colors which means i works great with colored hair. At a glance, the ingredients seem to be natural or nature-derived and just generally good for your hair.

Packaging: I love it! The pump dispenser works smoothly and conveniently. The label's are an adorable shade of baby pink mixed with pale marsala (yay for staying in the pantone color of the year theme!) and the font is super cute too! The bottle is small and plastic so it's great to travel with. 

Consistency,Texture, Smell: The oil itself isn't runny. It looks like it has a yellow tint in the bottle but it's clear on your hand. I isn't stickily at all and feels smooth and heavenly to touch. It smells slightly fruity, floral and the only strange word that comes to my mind when I smell it is "vintage". 

Application: I use about 2-3 drops of this oil per application. Pump a few drops out into your hands and spread it through the hair. Be careful not to oversaturate the hair with the oil since a little goes a VERY long way with this product. 

The Marula oil instantly makes my hair calm and glossy (noticeably glossy). I use it only once after every wash and almost never need to reapply it. This product started in a box of products I wasn't sure about even trying and has quickly made it's way into an essential that my hair just doesn't feel right without. Ever since I tried this product, I have stopped using all my other hair serums, oils, creams, sprays etc. I highly recommend this oil for all types of hair even though it only specifies "curls".

Availability and Price: The price differs from store to store and website to website.

Ulta (Available in USA)

Amazon (available everywhere.)

It's easy to obtain the product online if you're located in India or UK. 

Tanaya <3

*This is a pr sample provided for consideration of review. The opinions in this post are unbiased and honest.

Hair Chalking for Dark Hair

Hello There!

So a little while ago I wrote an article about Hair Chalking for Dark Hair for Real Beauty Spot and thought it would be nice to share the article here as well. These tips would work for anyone with darker hair colors like dark red, brown, auburn, black, etc. Hair Chalking is a great way to add some temporary color to your hair. It's also the best way to try mermaid hair tips after your hairdresser refuses to do it with permanent color for fear of damaging your hair! That really happened to me and hair chalking wasn't a thing back then so I finally get to live my dreams...Haha.

"....

Hair Chalking DIY – How To Hair Chalk

Step 1: Choose your colors. While dark blues, greens and reds may look adorable in the pictures online, most of them don’t show up that well on dark hair so pick carefully. Go for brighter shades such as a bright teal, bright blue, yellow, or pink. Pastels look wonderful if they show up but that depends on the kind/brand of chalk you use too.

Step 2: Soak the chalk. Fill an empty pill-box, color pallet or spoons with some water and dip one end of the chalk in them. Drip a few drops of water over the top if you think the chalk isn’t soaking up the water on it’s own. This will help release the pigments.

Step 3: Soak Yourself! While the chalk(s) is/are soaking, hop into the shower and wash your hair. Use a clarifying shampoo that will remove the excess oil in your hair but skip the conditioner (that greasy stuff doesn’t let the pigments stick). Towel dry but not too much and change into an old tshirt because it may get dirty.

... Click here to read the entire article! 

PS: I know it might be annoying to be led to another page for the article but I hope I've sparked your curiosity enough to make you go check it out. Real Beauty Spot, being a different website that isn't owned by me, prevents me from posting the complete article here but I'm sure you'll find it worth the trouble. 

Let me know what you think and if you've ever chalked your hair in the comments below. I would love to see pictures of your hair chalking attempts on twitter/Instagram so tag me! 

Love,

Tanaya <3

Argan Dew Giveaway!

Hello there!

I'm finally posting this giveaway here on the blog. It is already active on Instagram. As you know, Argan Dew is a brand I've previously blogged about and their replenishing hair mask has quickly made it's way into my haircare routine. I initially tried a few samples of their products which is what made me fall in love with the hair mask and discover their brand. Since I can't imagine going a day without my Argan Dew Replenishing Hair Mask, I really wanted you guys to try it too and hence this giveaway. Argan Dew will be sending out the prizes directly. The giveaway is open to all USA and India residents.

5 winners will be picked. 3 from Instagram and 2 from here. You can enter on both places and to increase your chances of winning. To enter the giveaway on Instagram go here.

To enter through my blog, enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comment below to let me know if you entered! :)

Tanaya <3

New Haircare Crush & Staple - Argan Dew Replenishing Hair Mask

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now but I haven't posted much at all recently. I feel so bad about not giving this blog enough time recently but I've been caught up in something very exciting that's coming up and if you follow me on Instagram you probably know about it already. I will do a complete post about it soon but this post is about my new haircare product obsession.

A few months ago, a brand called Argan Dew contacted me and sent over a few samples of their products to try and review. Argan Oil isn't a new discovery anymore and beauty bloggers as well as beauty enthusiasts have been going crazy over this miracle ingredient. I expected Argan Dew to be another one of those hyped up Argan oil products that are nice enough but aren't good enough to rave about. Argan Dew's Replenishing Hair Mask was a much-needed product for my hair. My usual favorite - Matrix Biolage - had stopped working quite as well as it used to( I have no clue why). As a result, my hair wasn't getting the moisture it needed and was getting terribly dry. Argan Dew's hair mask is that weirdly wonderful product that works and makes a difference with one use. I'm absolutely in love with this product and I'm trying to figure out how to get a full size of it (Since it's available only in UK) before I run out of the samples I was given. Update: Soon after this post was published, Argan Dew wrote to inform me that their products are available worldwide through argandew.com or amazon and ebay. Lucky for us!

Texture, Consistency: The mask has a thick and creamy texture. It has the most divine fragrance I've ever smelled in a hair product which makes using the mask a wonderful experience. If you're not much into fragrances in your products you may not like it but I love it.

Result: My hair feels softer, glossy, healthier and moisturized. It feel so luxurious and soft that I have to actively resist touching it. Hahaha.

I would recommend this product to anyone dealing with dry and frizzy hair or split ends. Although I love the Hair Mask I'm not a huge fan of their Miracle Hair Oil so I wouldn't recommend it.

I hope this review helped you and let me know if you've tried this product yourself. What did you think of it? Will you be trying it out soon? I'd love to hear all about it!
Don't forget to follow on: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin' | SecretClosetShop

Tanaya<3

*The product mentioned in this post was provided for review. The opinions expressed in the post are unbiased and honest. 

Save The Blow Dry, Something you'll love-Review

As a beauty blogger you get sent many products. However, this was my first time receiving a shower cap. It just seemed strange to me that a shower cap would be sent for reviews. That was before I had seen this beauty. I had imagined the usual thin plastic and elastic strip shower caps that we all see and use everyday and even hotels provide you with. This shower cap is like no other I've ever seen before! First of all, do you see how pretty it is? It's so adorable and has bows all over it (I love bows). It's also the best quality I've ever seen. It has a really good quality outer layer which repels the water and an inner layer of super absorbent microweave which is like a towel. What that does is that it absorbs all the little steam or water droplets that may go near you hair making sure that your hair stays dry. It also makes the shower cap super easy to use. The cap is also used for dual usage because you can turn it inside out and wear it over your favorite hair treatment so that the towel does not get sticky. The usual cheap plastic shower caps never fit my hair and it's annoying but this one can probably fit hair that's twice as long as mine! I just love using this shower cap so much. If I start doing a favorites post this thing is going to be sitting there in every one of those posts because I use it almost everyday. I already know that if it ever gets damaged I will have to get a new once immediately because I cannot have a shower without it. I can just never go back to using ordinary shower caps again.

The only con about it? I was hoping that those bows would be made of real ribbons because they look so realistic! Don't you think? But real ribbon bows would be stupid and impractical because they would get wet every time you shower. So I guess we can ignore that. I still love my Shower cap with all it's colorful bows. 

That's the inner microweave towel lining. It really works like magic. It absorbs the water but barely ever gets wet. It looks so soft and comfy too.

Isn't this the prettiest? Now for the sad part. Save The Blow Dry isn't available in USA yet. But don't worry because they said they would be expanding to USA soon! And anyway, we beauty obsessives know how to get our hands on things that aren't available anyway. That's when all the relatives in UK get calls saying "please receive this package for me and ship it to me." or something along those lines. Hahaha. I know that's what I'm going to do as soon as I need a new one (doesn't seem like I need one anytime soon). If I visit UK I'm going to stock up on these for a lifetime. Meanwhile you can get it from their website here or http://savetheblowdry.com

So what do you think? Do you like it? Are all you beauties in UK going to try it? Let me know in the comments below because I love reading them. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin, GFC, Polyvore and Instagram. Tweet me if you try any of the products I talk about and if I've helped you find a new favorite product. :)

Tanaya <3 

Don't Despair, Repair! - Briogeo Review

This product is a deep conditioning mask for your hair. I loved the packaging when I first saw it especially because of the cute and colorful leafy pattern on it. I received this in my Ipsy bag and I was quite glad I did because I wanted to try something different. I hadn't tried any hair care products from Ipsy so I was excited to try this.

See the cute colorful leafy pattern? I couldn't stop staring at it and I want to draw it and click more pictures of it! 

When you open it up there's a thin lid in there which many products usually have but I don't know what purpose they serve. If you do know, please tell me. This thin apparently useless lid also has the same cute leafy pattern on it and that's the only reason that it hasn't irritated me already. 

The consistency of the mask itself reminds me of my favorite hair masque by Matrix- the Biolage Hydratherapie masque. In fact the result was almost identical. The Matrix hair masque is just slightly better I think but it's a negligible difference. The mask has a fragrance that I can't quite describe but I don't think it's strong enough to irritate anyone. If you do get this mask I recommend leaving it on for abut 10 mins and then massaging it into your hair and scalp before rinsing. It's the same process that I follow with my Matrix Masque and I think it works best for most moisturizing/hydrating hair masks. 

Below are a few random links where you can find the product and a few other random reviews by users:

https://www.briogeohair.com/product/dont-despair-repair/

Another one

http://curlmart.com/product/briogeo-dont-despair-repair-deep-conditioning-mask/

ebay

a better deal on ebay!

 I hope you enjoyed this review and tell me if you'll be trying this product soon. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin', Facebook, GFC, Polyvore and Instagram. Listing Social networks where you can follow me is getting boring. Do any of you know how I can get those permanent footer thingies for my posts with clickable links to all the sites? Please please tell me if you do! Anyway, have a great day.

Tanaya <3

This or That Beauty Tag : Part 2

Finally, after soooo long, Here’s the second installment of the This or That Beauty Tag. Its been so long since I did the first part but if you haven’t read it yet you can click here.

1) Lotion or Body Butter?
I have never had a Body Butter but I would love to. I’ve just always picked a bottle of body lotion or body puree over a body butter in the same scent. It could be because I lived in a very humid place so never needed much moisture but I can see my skin feeling the need for Body Butter now.

2) Perfume or Body Spray?
            Both! It would be inhuman to ask a girl to choose.

3) Body Wash or Soap?
    Body Wash. Definitely. You just can’t get the same amazing feeling of bubbles and softness with a Soap. And I love loofahs and loofahs can’t be used with a Soap.

4) Lush or other bath company?
     I really wouldn’t mind any company as long as the product smells wonderful and works well with my skin. I do love LUSH but I love other companies too.

5) Tan or no Tan?
     No Tan. Never had a fake Tan. Never desired to sit on the beach and burn to a crisp. Hahaha.

6)    Curly or Straight?
Curly. As a little kid I loved straight hair and straightened mine every opportunity I had but as I grew up I kind of just switched my love to Curly/wavy hair. I realized that I have beautiful natural waves and wouldn’t want to ruin them with a straightening iron anymore.

7)    Ponytail or Bun?
As much as I love buns I don’t think they flatter my face shape so ponytails it is.

8)    Hair Grips (bobby pins) or Butterfly Clips?
Bobby pins are way too cute and convenient.

9)    Hairspray or Gel?
None. But I guess if I really needed something it would be Hairspray.

10)                   Long or Short?
How about Medium?

11)                   Blonde or Brunette?
They’re both lovely but I’m partial to Red Hair.

12)                   Side Swept bangs or Full?
Either. Whatever looks good.

13)                   Up or Down?
        Down

14)                   Jeans or sweatpants?
        Jeans.

15)                   Long Sleeve or short?
      Short

16)                   Dresses or Skirts?
Dresses. I do like skirts but I don’t like the fuss of pairing them with a good top. Dresses are easy, classy, feminine and beautiful.

17)                   Stripes or Plaid/Tartan?
Depends on the color.

18)                   Flip Flops or Sandals?
I’ve lived 99% of my life in Flip Flops and Flats. But now I’m making an effort to start using more sandals. My answer shall be sandals. (I still love flip flops and their comfort and bright colors).

19)                   Necklaces or Bracelets?
Necklaces. No doubt about it.

10 ) Heels or Flats?
Heels. They make me cry and they make my feet hurt so much but I just can’t resist them.

21)                   Jackets or Hoodies?
Jackets because they’re most trendy. Besides, I have way too many Hoodies so it’s time to go Jacket-Shopping.

22)                   Rain or Shine?
       Rain

23)                   Summer or Winter?
Although I love summer trends and makeup and everything…I hate summer weather. So I choose Winter.

24)                   Fall/Autumn or Spring?
      Both
25)                   Favourite Ice Cream Flavour?
Tender Coconut/Lychee/Chocolate chip

I hope you liked this Tag that took so long to be posted. Leave me links of your posts where you've done this tag in the comments. 

I tag http://www.themakeupsquid.com http://www.twentythirtyglam.blogspot.com
http://perlasancheza.blogspot.com

Tanaya<3

The Fight For Frizz-Free Hair

Before you style your hair you need to repair it. The monsoons may be synonymous with moist and humid weather but quite ironically they dry out your hair. Dry hair is responsible for that annoying frizz in your hair which makes it look like a bird's nest. So before any birds decide to settle down in your hair, start a moisture-locking routine for your hair. Look for L'oréal's Liss Ultime line. This line Has a shampoo and conditioner that help lock in your hair's natural oils and prevent it from drying out. They also have a serum that detangles hair and calms down frizz. I have not had great results from this line but I know quite a few people who would vouch for it so give it a try. 

If, like me, your hair just doesn't like this line very much, you may want to try the Matrix Hydra-créme. Their deep repair masque can work wonders for the driest of hair! Since it is a hair masque and not a conditioner, you don't need to use it every time you shampoo your hair but I still do because I cannot get enough of this amazingly magical potion.

Next up is the Dove Elixir Nourished Shine. Even the guy that lives on that remote rock on Jupiter  may have noticed the blogosphere going abuzz about Argan Oil. The Dove Elixir Nourished Shine has this miracle oil and that was enough to convince me to try it. It is the perfect product to add shine to dry hair. 

As a general rule, don't color your hair during monsoon. Coloring dries out the hair that is already damaged by the weather. However if you do color your hair,  Lush's Daddy-O shampoo will give it some added moisture and also prevent it from going brassy. 

Once you've got the hair you want, you can style it. The easiest of the lot are the Summer Waves. You could achieve this look with a curling iron but the humid weather will just ruin it. Instead, split your hair into sections and braid each of these sections after a shower and while it's still damp. You may use a hair dryer if you're in a rush but I prefer to just let it dry naturally. Once it's dried, just open out the braids and brush through your hair. A few drops of serum later you'll have those perfect Summer Waves.

If you would rather tie up your hair, a fishtail braid or a French braid looks classy and yet edgy. 

For more hairstyles, click on the link below and check out this video by Blair Fowler:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XYFWmTI1w

I would love to know any other hair care tips or favorite hairstyles you may know and also any suggestions for what you would like to read about next so please leave a comment. 

T <3