The Range That Tamed My Hair | Beauty

When it comes to looking after my hair, I often feel like somewhat of a stressed out mother - I try everything to talk sense into it, but it just won't listen. The amount of products I have gone through hoping that they would tame my hair is ridiculous, and while they often helped me out with one of my many 'hair problems', I never found the one that would banish them all.

I've mentioned my hair problems on my blog before - my hair is really frizzy and usually pretty dry, it tends to get so tangled that I can hardly brush through it and my ends like to split. Sounds real nice, huh?
Looking at my hair's current condition, I was really intrigued by the "Envy Blow Dry Set"* I was recently sent because the company claims their products to "work for any hair type and have proven repair and protect ingredients throughout the range". They wouldn't be the first to fully repair and tame my hair, would they?

They would be indeed.

The Blowdry Set comes in very pretty box set which includes their "Dual Fix 12", "Gentle Cleansing Shampoo" and "Gentle Detangling Conditioner" - those three combined are supposed to help you create healthy, glossy hair.
The "Dual Fix 12" is a professional salon treatment which helps repair all hair types - on top of that, it also claims to rehydrate the hair, reduce frizz and the appearance of split ends as well as providing amazing shine and a weightless silk effect. It can either be used in the 'intensive use' method or a 'regular use' one. I went with the latter.
The shampoo claims to remove impurities while also strengthening the hair with a blend of keratin and silk proteins, whereas the conditioner (which is infused with the same blend) is supposed to provide superior detangling, leaving the hair shiny, soft and manageable while also reducing frizz in the progress.

Now, those claims to make the products sound like they could potentially work miracles and also walk on water, but after having used these for a couple of washes, I can say that they do actually do what is claimed on the tub as well!

The first thing I noticed when using these products was their smell - I couldn't quite put my finger on what they actually smell of, but they definitely smell citrusy. The smell lingered in my hair for almost a day after the wash, which is amazing because it added to the clean feeling I had after washing it!

I also like that Envy's products are fairly easy to use. The shampoo is a little more runny than others I have used, but that's nothing major. All three of them are insanely easy to work into the hair, which means that I no longer have to struggle to make my shampoo lather!

What I loved most about using this set, however, are the results I could see right after the first wash.
 I was actually shocked at how shiny my hair looked! It looked like silk, and felt as light as it, too, even though I have very thick hair. It was also so much easier to work with after I used this set - it was a lot easier to detangle and didn't get frizzy once! I might've shed a happy tear, not gonna lie, especially since my split ends, which I should really have trimmed soon, don't look half as bad now, either.

In conclusion, I have really stumbled upon some miracle products here. I'm insanely happy with the way they improved my hair's contidition! Sadly, they are rather expensive, being priced at £40 - definitely something for a birthday or Christmas list because even though it's pricey, the results you'll receive are worth every penny!

What is a miracle product of yours?

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Battling Frizz With John Frieda | Beauty

I love summer because of its warm weather and ll the swimming and sunbathing I get to do. But sadly, all of these things do take their tool on me throughout the season, wearing me out more than I'd like them to.

My body's never really handled extreme temperatures, whether it's boiling hot or freezing cold, but something that I hadn't experienced until this summer is my hair turning into what feels like dried leaves, crisp and dull.

Now, put the fact that my hair's usually really frizzy anyways into the mix and you have one big, tangly mess that is impossible to deal with. At one point, once I had managed to comb through it, it would go back to its original condition mere ten minutes after I had left the house.

As you can imagine, I was pretty fed up with dealing with hair like that on a daily basis, so I decided to check out some new haircare bits that I hoped would help me with what was starting to look like a birds nest on my head.

When I was wandering around the drugstore, I saw that there was an offer for John Frieda's Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth shampoo - what a mouthful - with which you get a small travel sized tube of it for free, so I decided to see if it could help me.

The shampoo claims to "provide immediate frizz-resistance and with continuing use the benefits get stronger - providing even smoother, more manageable and frizz-free hair over time" and I can very well stand by that statement.

After the first use, I noticed that my hair had gone a whole lot softer, and even though it was still quite dry, all the frizz had gone completely. My hair was so much easier to work with after the first wash, even though outside, the temperature was still around 35 degrees.

I've used this a couple of times since then, and my hair has only continued to improve. It both looks and feels more smooth and silky after every wash, with no frizz in sight.
I can finally comb through my hair again without feeling like I'm ripping half of it out, and styling it isn't a problem anymore, either.

On top of that, this shampoo smells absolutely delightful. I'm not a fan of really strong smells in any kind of product, but this has a faint, pleasant smell of fruit, which sticks around for at least a day after you washed used it.

Overall, I would highly recommend this product to anyone who is struggling with really frizzy hair that is hard or impossible to manage as you already can see the results after the first wash and with every use, the shampoo keeps improving your hair's condition.

It's a little pricier than your average shampoo at 8,99€ for a 250ml tube, but those extra Euros definitely pay off in the long term.

Have you tried any other products by John Frieda that are worth picking up?

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July Favorites | Beauty

Without me even noticing, July has come and gone, and we're well onto summer holidays now with today marking the last day of this semester. How has all of this happened so quickly? I feel like within the blink of any eye, all the time in between Christmas and now has passed. Am I the only one who feel like this? Because frankly, that's quite scary.

Anyways, for most of July, a heat wave has been sweeping over Germany, leaving us with hot and humid weather, which don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed to the fullest, but that situation also forced me to alter both my make up and my hair care routines as the heat was slowly starting to wear me out - that definitely shows in this month's favorites.

Benefit's Erase Paste (27€)

Desperate and tired of my daily struggle with the dark circles under my eyes, I picked this up at the beginning of this month as I had read some really good reviews on it and hoped that it would put an end to the endless battle I've been fighting.
And it totally did! Every single penny spent on this was absolutely worth it.
The concealer's very creamy in consistence and takes some time and patience to blend in, but once it sits in place, it provides medium to full coverage, letting my dark circles dissapear almost completely! It doesn't go cakey or slide off my face throughout the day, which is great for hot summer months like this past one-
If you want to find out a little more about this product, you might want to check out my review on it.


Pantene Pro-V 'Repair and Care' Conditioner (4,99€)

As I mentioned, my hair went through a phase when it was frizzy and dry no matter what I did this month, making it almost impossible to style, let alone brush.
When I talked to my Mom about that, she recommended this conditioner to me, and as I found that Pantene Pro-V products seem to work best for my hair anyways, I decided to give it a go.
I was seriously suprised by the results when I used this for the first time. My hair went from being one big, frizzy mess to smooth and soft within just one wash, and it stayed that way even on the second day after I washed it.
I've been using this product ever since and I'm so pleased with how my hair's condition improved, so this one's definitely one to stock up on on my next trip to the drugstore.


Essence All About Matt! Oil Control Paper (1,99€)

Unlike for students from other countries, school always ends at the end of July, meaning that I had to spend most of the heatwave in crowded classrooms and halls - at 36 degrees Celsius. As you can imagine, there was a lot of sweating involved.
To keep me from feeling insanely gross and like I'm melting altogether, I wanted to purchase oil absorbing papers. I knew that my Mom loves the Shiseido ones she owns, but I decided to go for the Essence option as they're only a tenth of the price.
I have to say, I did get quite a few weird looks when I slapped these on my face, but they had the exact effect that I wished for. They absorbed all the sweat, leaving my face looking slightly matte.
These are definitely a must when you're travelling or attending a festival this summer!


Essie 'Bikini So Teeny' Nail Polish (7,99€)

I was in a drugstore in Berlin, waiting for my friends to pick up some bottles of water, so, as I always do, I wandered around the make up counters and ended up at the Essie one. As I had always admired their polishes but never actually owned one, I decided to pick one up. Damn impulse buys.
'Bikini so teeny' is a light blue shade that has some slight, almost not noticeable glitter running through it.
I've never had a nail polish last me this long without chipping. I wore this for around a week and it had only chipped slightly on one of my nails, and I was only wearing two coats of it.
With its great quality and its shade, which I find perfect for summer, this has easily become my favorite nailpolish ever.


PS... Love Eyeshadow (1,50€)

I also picked this up when I was having a look around Berlin's Primark. I heard mixed reviews about their make up range and wanted to try them out for myself, and as this was so cheap, I simply couldn't resist.
There is no shade name available, but the one I own is a light nude, very glitter shade.
There definitely is a little fallout to expect to respect with this one as it is pretty glittery, but when worn with primer underneath it, it lasts all day long.
I've even received a few compliments on this one, which I had never expected from an eyeshadow that cost me less than two Euros. This one's definitely a winner in my books!


What have you been loving this past month?

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