Guest Blogger! Dove Hair Care

In the interests of delivering fab blogs to you our readers, we thought we would get in guest bloggers from time to time to review products for us. This month, meet Stace's sister Sam, who will be reviewing the newest addition to the Dove Hair Care range.

First, let's find out a little more about Sam!

 

What is your desert island product you can’t live without?

Blisteze – very simple but the most amazing product for keeping my lips soft, stops them from cracking and protects them from the elements in both summer and winter.

What do you enjoy about beauty products/make-up?

I like the uniqueness of make up to the individual – everyone has their own way of applying make up and likes/dislikes with regards colour and style, which means we may not all agree but it allows you to be creative and experimental.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I would say my inspiration comes from everywhere – more often than not I’ll see someone in person or a magazine whose make up looks good and I think I’ll try that next. I definitely rely on recommendations when it comes to beauty products - particularly from my sister!

What’s your beauty cheat?
Face wipes – great for those days when you really can’t be bothered to remove make up, cleanse and tone (come on we all have those days)!


Do you have a beauty secret tip you would share with us?

Not sure if this is much of a secret these days but cottons ear buds are amazing for tidying up your nails when you paint them and removing any mistakes from round the ages – because we can’t all keep in the lines!

Thanks Sam! Let's find out what you thought of the products...

Dazzling, trouble free hair.... not just on the adverts

Now we have all heard this before ... promises of lustrous, shiny, tangle free hair, but somehow in reality you never quite match up to the supermodel in the advert!

These are the exact thoughts I had running through my head when a box of samples turned up from Dove (via BzzAgent – a word-of-mouth media and marketing company). I have received lots of different samples/campaigns since I joined Bzz Agents from shavers to sweeteners to test the products and tell everyone what I think of them, good or bad.

Turning up in the post in a fancy box designed like a gift I was greeted with 3 full size bottles from the Dove Therapy Intensive Repair range – one shampoo and two conditioners plus 10 smaller samples of the express treatment conditioner.

Straight away I gave one to my mum and gran who both face two quite different challenges with their hair; one has very fine hair and the other quite thick and curly. One thing we did all agree on was we don’t have the time or inclination to use leave in conditioning treatments; so a daily conditioner that claims it can give all the benefits of a treatment after just one use but for much less time and hassle –fantastic!

Now I have to say, putting my cynicism aside, I have been really impressed with this product and so have the friends I’ve given samples to. My hair is really soft without being fluffy (which some rich conditioners can do to my hair). Plus I invariably wash my hair in the evening giving me ten minutes extra in bed in the morning and I’ve found since using this I haven’t woken up with that ‘bed hair’ that is lifeless and messy – so another bonus for my lifestyle. My Mum, with the curly thick hair, even found it softened hers up.

The science behind the product is a patented Fibre ActivesTM technology that repairs your hair from the inside out and I have to agree I actually did have noticeably softer, smoother hair after the first use – check out my pictures and see what you think!

Before using the shampoo

After using the shampoo

Most people who know me will back me up on this but I am not one to use fancy, expensive, timely products and my skin/hair care regime is fairly simple (and probably a bit lapse at times!) I wash condition and go - so this product suits me. What will be interesting is to see if it’s sustainable as I change my shampoo and conditioner every so often because I find my hair gets too used to the same product. So watch this space....

All my samples were snapped up very quickly helping you all stay beautiful!

Dove intensive repair range can be bought from most supermarkets and chemists, retailing at around £2.50 for 200ml.

Sam x

Foundations put to the ultimate test - part four

Hi guys, and welcome to the final part of my foundation mini series. I love doing mini reviews like this as it means I get to try a little bit of a product I would not normally try, and I always think holiday is a great place to put these products through their paces.

So today I will be looking at Max Factor Second Skin foundation. This retails in most high street chemists for about £12.99 for 30ml, so compared to my other reviews, this one is probably the most middle of the road affordable foundation. I have to confess to not ever trying the Max Factor brand before, so was excited about trying this.

The original marketing campaign for this product was big. This sample originally came in the post after signing up on their website, and everything was explained inside the cardboard cut out. Not very helpfully they sent me Golden, which is far to dark for my pale skin, and I think this didn't help with my thoughts on the product overall...

The claims of this product are large, not only does it profess to give you a perfect, undetectable finish, but many buzz phrases like 'skin-inspired', 'foundation breakthrough' and 'synchronizes with the skin'. Mmm not sure about any of those...

So the initial product was a lot more solid than some of the other ones I tested, which for me was a good thing as it didn't have a watery texture. Thumbs up so far.

This Golden was only the colour darker than natural, however even on my sun kissed skin, it really was quite orangey and far to dark. Leaving the colour out of it for a moment, it had a very wet, sticky feel to it, something I hate with foundations, it has to feel comfortable for the whole day.

The foundation sunk quickly into my skin, but I found this not a good thing as it seemed to sit in my lines and imperfections, almost highlighting them rather than hiding them.

I have to be honest, I found the foundation very uncomfortable, and the added orange line around my face forced me to take this foundation off before venturing out of our apartment.

The final face was ok in the photo, but I could not have had it on my face for too long.



I know there are a lot of Max Factor fans out there, so I would be interested to hear if I just had a bad experience, and what you think of their products?

Out of all the foundations, as you know I went on to buy Estee Lauder as this most impressed me, but I would also consider buying Maybelline for it's incredible value for money. Clinique and Max Factor will not be adorning my make up collection.

Hope you have enjoyed this Foundation Mini Series, and we have lots more exciting things coming soon on our blog so watch this space!

Stay Beautiful!

Stace x

Foundations put to the ultimate test - part 3

Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying our 'mini series' on foundations!

Today I am going to talk about Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid. This can be bought in high street chemists like Boots and Superdrug for £8.20, so a lot cheaper than Clinique and Estee Lauder. But do you get what you pay for??

This foundation has some very high claims to live up to 'Flawless' 'seamless' 'luminous' and 'smooth' were just some of the buzz words on the packaging. I am always a believer that less is more, and they should probably try and do one thing well, but nevertheless on with the review!



The foundation was a good consistency feeling quite thick.

It slid on to my face with incredible ease that surprised me. As this was a cheaper brand than I usually use I had ideas of clumpy, hard to blend foundation. It was quick and easy to apply, and needed minimal blending into the rest of my skin, a bonus for someone who always struggles with time like me!!

It did look smooth, so one tick to one of the product claims, but some of my darker blemishes really showed through even after an extra bit of application, so flawless would get a big cross next to it from me!

Looking at my final face, this finish would be fine for a day at the office, as it lifted my skin (not quite luminous, but better than going naked!). I wouldn't be happy with this finish for a big night out or special occasion.

I think for the price, this one does its best, and could be an office staple, but it wasn't for me. After an evening out to a restaurant where we sat outside in mild humidity, it felt very sticky to touch, and this made me wonder whether had I used it for more than the one night it may have reacted with my skin and caused an outbreak.

So far this was my least favourite.

The final review in my foundation mini series will be Max Factors second skin foundation.

What foundation are you using at the moment? Let us know on twitter @beautyu

Stay Beautiful!

Stace x