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Wednesday 8 October 2014

Review: Faith in Nature Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner

My habits when it comes to shampoo and conditioner are pretty simple - if it's on offer that week, it's going in the basket. (Although I had a particularly bad experience with the Fibrology range from L'Oreal - put simply, DO NOT BUY. It made my hair brittle, frizzy and dull and I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy) Other than that, I always rely on my trusty Tresemme heat protectant spray to prevent my locks getting too frazzled while heat styling (which, let's be honest, I do very little of.) Despite my fickle purchasing patterns, I've started developing a preference for products with more natural ingredients, and will try to buy certified cruelty-free products when I can find them.  Because of this, I jumped at the chance to review some haircare from Faith in Nature - a company which prides itself on creating environmentally friendly products that are both affordable and high quality. The lovely Nikola who works for Faith in Nature gave me my pick of the entire range. It was a fairly obvious choice for me - their award winning coconut shampoo and conditioner* would be just the thing to transport me to the Caribbean holiday I could never afford. Ahh, bliss.


The products come in two sizes, 400ml for £5.50 (I genuinely think that's very reasonable, and this is coming from a frugal student) and a whopping 5 litre bottle for £50 - perhaps a good option for mobile hairdressers and start-up salons? It's an idea. The bottles themselves are a simple, functional design and the cap is easy to open (does anyone else really struggle with irritating caps in the shower? I'm looking at you, Radox shower gel) and close.
The scent is pretty darn glorious. Exotic, holiday coconut. I'm happy to announce that it subtly lingers for days afterwards in your hair - much to my pleasure.
The consistency of the conditioner is a little thinner than what I'm used to. I'm guessing this is because it has fewer chemical than other brands? Not entirely sure. The shampoo foams up beautifully though and leaves my hair - literally - squeaky clean. I've been using them together now for about two weeks and I'm so happy to report that my hair is looking so much brighter and silkier than it has in a while. That vile Fibrology stuff really did a number on it (I saw so many positive reviews...why?) so I think this was just the thing to get it into a more natural, soft state.

I can wholeheartedly recommend these products and am really looking forward to exploring the rest of the brand. Pineapple and Lime shower gel is next on my hit list (can you tell I need a holiday? Boohoo.)

So, looking for vegan, organic and cruelty free haircare? Faith in Nature has you covered. With 15 gorgeous natural scents to choose from, you're bound to find something you love.

They also have a 3 for 2 offer on gift packs at the moment which would be a great way to sample lots of their products!

Final Verdict: Well worth a try. Beautifully scented and excellent quality from a great ethical company.

Lauren

Monday 11 August 2014

Sleek Pout Paints

 
From L-R: Cloud 9, Lava, Pin-Up, Port, Peek-A-Bloo

Each tube contains 8ml of product which goes a very long way. Thanks to how highly pigmented these are, you probably only need about half as much as you'd think, and even less when you start mixing them. The packaging itself is cute and I appreciate the clear tubes. They have a very sweet almost bubblegum scent straight out of the tube but this doesn't last after application.The Pout Paints are £4.99 each and available at the Sleek website or in most Superdrug stores. 

Cloud 9
Cloud 9 is a pure white highly-pigmented gloss. I wouldn't recommend wearing this alone for fairly obvious reasons. My main issue with both this shade and Pin-Up is that they had a much thinner consistency and the product had a tendency to separate into pigment and clear gloss. I tried shaking and squeezing the tube which seemed to help a little but not as much as I'd have liked. I'm not entirely sure if it's just mine or if the whole line has this issue but it's definitely something to be aware of. Cloud 9 is primarily there to act as a lightener for other shades when mixing and in this respect it does a great job. You may have to use quite a bit to get your desired colours though so this is probably one to stock up on if you're big on mixing your own shades.

Lava
 A really beautiful pure orange shade. Lava had great coverage, stunning pigmentation and didn't settle into lines. Definitely a stand-out shade and ideal for Summer days and nights.

Pin-Up
 A blue-based red with a few technical issues. This is a pretty colour and decent enough for mixing with others but I probably wouldn't wear it alone. It almost immediately settles into lip-lines and bleeds. I have a feeling that it has just separated over time because I've seen some perfect swatches on other sites. Boo! Luckily this isn't a super unique shade and I have lots of other reds in my collection.

Port
 A blue-toned deep raspberry pink. Reminds me a lot of Raspberry Pie in Revlon Lip Butters and Apocaliptic in the Rimmel Apocalips but not a dupe by any means. I always gravitate towards these beautiful berry shades and I'm really glad I got this one! It's easily one of the best for application and looks gorgeous mixed with anything.

Peek-A-Bloo
The dark horse of the bunch, this mid-toned blue is ideal for alien role-play and darkening your unique Pout Paint mixes. Smooth and pigmented, this surprised me in the best ways. Peek-A-Bloo is less glossy than some of the others which makes it ideal for mixing. Also gives your teeth the Ross-from-Friends-nuclear-white glow. Bonus if you're feeling brave.

Here are a few of my own blends, including a perfect home made nude!




Ooh, so peachy.

The biggest problem overall with these products is that they're just a straight up pain in the arse to apply and keep topped-up through out the day. Much like the Apocalips but even more difficult to reapply thanks to the lack of applicator. I applied all of my shades with a lip brush (disposable doe foot applicators would work well too) and used a plastic tray as a palette. Not exactly a bathroom-at-the-pub friendly kit. The best thing I can recommend for these is buying a little pill tray/organiser (you can usually pick them up at Poundland or any chemists) and storing your mixes in there. This should keep them fairly air-tight (not that they dry out, I left my palette out overnight to check) and safe. Then you can keep a retractable lip brush in your make-up bag to reapply on the go. It's still a lot of effort but that's the trade-off for custom lip colours I suppose!
Wear time is nothing to write home about. They matte down a little over time but still transfer on most things. Eating will definitely require a top up afterwards. Saying that, if you apply very thinly to well-conditioned lips you'll be left with a very pretty stain that will last much longer.

Final Verdict: Inexpensive, fun to play with and a great range of shades with infinite possibilities. Awkward to apply and the wear time isn't great.

Bonus: My mess post swatch session!


Lauren