HAIR | Virtue vs. The Inkey List Scalp Exfoliant (Luxe vs. Reasonably Priced)

Purchased by me

Back in 2019, I got into scalp exfoliation and did a review of the Kristin Ess Bubble Mask and Scalp Scrub (here) as they were interesting products at the time with "entertaining" textures. They still are very unique ways of getting rid of scalp buildup, but I did find them a bit cumbersome to use at times even if they did the job. Last year, I was introduced to two scalp exfoliants - one fairly expensive and one relatively inexpensive so I decided to buy both and see how they compared to each other! Let the battle begin between Virtue and The Inkey List!

HAIR | Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Collection

Press samples 

Back in my Tata Harper days, whenever I had a shift at Sephora Pacific Centre, the Tata Harper end cap was always close in proximity to the luxury haircare brand Alterna. I had never heard of the brand until a couple of years ago and when I started looking into it, I put it on my wishlist, but because of the price point I could never decide which products to try. Now, I am more willing to spend on haircare, but mainly on treatments and masks versus shampoos. 

HAIR | Carina Organics Citrus Shampoo and Sweet Pea Conditioner

 

Purchased by me

Local love has been a focus of mine since the pandemic started and though I have shopped from Sephora and other American sites here and there, I have tried my best to keep it local (also I don't like the exchange rate!) and more importantly to products and brands that I truly enjoy. Carina Organics was started in North Vancouver back in 1972 and is still family-owned and run! Their claim to fame, at least when I first heard of them, is their shampoos and conditioners which are pH-balanced, vegan, cruelty-free, safe in rivers, lakes and oceans AND made with ingredients sourced locally! It really doesn't get better than that!

HAIR | Joico Defy Damage Collection

It has been forever since we have chatted about shampoos, conditioners and masks so we need to change that since I am obsessed with my hair! I would say that after skincare, I have an overwhelmingly obscene number of hair care products and I secretly think that I get my hair coloured just so I can justify the "supporting" hair products. I do enjoy being blonde and after switching my colour around for a few years, I have found a happy place with a warm balayage that lasts me around 8 months before feeling like I need a colour refresh with JT at Civello on South Granville. Yes, JT is a colour genius and knows how to blend the blonde so that it lasts, but I have to do my part when it comes to home care and that means constant heat and UV protection as well as hydrating masks. The Joico Defy Damage collection protects all hair types from heat styling, UV exposure and environmental exposure preventing frizz, breakage and dullness. Well, sign me up!

Press samples

HAIR | Playa Clean Hair Care from California

I honestly thought I had been chatting waaaay too much about haircare last year, but when I look back at blog posts from 2018 there really weren't that many in comparison to skincare or makeup! I use so many different hair products and even though I still have an overwhelming amount of haircare to share with you, much of what I use depends on the current colour of my hair. When I have blue or purple hair, I tend to stick with just colour-preserving shampoos in comparison to when I am blonde-ish and need to go back to purple shampoo. I will be sticking with dark blue for now until probably the Spring and because I haven't had to bleach my hair since last May it actually feels like relatively normal hair again. 

PR samples

GIVEAWAY | Fall Hair Care for All with Live Clean!

I will admit that it was a bit of a bummer leaving for vacation while it was summer and then coming back to the beginning of Fall, but at the same time there is something about the start of Fall that excites me. It means bringing out my cozy sweaters, my vampy lip colours and wearing socks to sleep (I don't know why I find this comforting, but I do!). The start of Fall also signals the start of new beauty routines namely skin and hair which is why Live Clean and I are partnering up to bring ONE lucky reader some amazing new hair care to make sure your hair is hydrated, happy and ready to brave the colder weather!

PR Samples

HAIR | Live Clean Mineral Clay Rebalancing Shampoo and Conditioner

When I had virgin hair, the words "clay" and "rebalancing" would not freak me out like they do now. I recently used a "clarifying and rebalancing" treatment from a very expensive haircare brand and was shocked at how drying it was for my hair. It honestly destroyed it to the point where I had STICKS of straw for hair and I had to mask and oil my hair like crazy to even get it back to half the softness it was. When Live Clean released their Rebalancing Shampoo and Conditioner, I hesitated with trying it because I couldn't have what happened before happen again! 

PR samples

HAIR | GLISS Hair Repair Color Guard with Keratin Technology

You have probably heard of the hair care brand Schwarzkopf, the brand behind got2b, Keratin Color and ULTIME. When it comes to drugstore brands, got2B is one of my favourite drugstore brands and when I saw a new line that used keratin technology to repair and restore colour-treated hair, my blue hair at the time cried with excitement.

Launched in Spring of this year, the Canadian GLISS lineup contains five hair repair formulas with different goals in mind. I immediately jumped to the Colour Guard ($9.99 CDN each) formula with its promise of protection using a UVA/UVB filter and providing up to 12 weeks of colour protection for coloured hair while keeping hair looking shiny. If you had been in the shower with me the first three times I washed my blue hair, it was a scary sight! After that, all I could think about was keeping all that colour IN MY HAIR instead of in my bathtub! 

HAIR | Remington UV Baked Ceramic Hair Dryer

2015 was the year of HAIR for me. I have never used so many different hair products and hair tools in my entire life! I have a whole new appreciation for those who work in the hair industry because it is all still a black box to me. When I hear the brand name Remington, I trust it right away. My first straightener 15 years ago was from Remington and I used it for all of my university YEARS before it finally crapped out. Hair dryers have been in my life for a shorter time as I was a fan of air-drying my hair, but now I take my showers later, my hair is longer and I have come to despise sleeping with wet hair. My old hair dryer was quite heavy and the KISS Tornado (review) sped up my dry time, but left me with frizz. The Remington UV Baked Ceramic Hair Dryer* ($29.99 USD) promises quick dry time, less frizz and more shine thanks to UV baked ceramic technology baked into the dryer grill. It’s also pretty and purple – my favourite colour.

EVENT | Aveda Sessions #3 Botanical Therapy Treatment + GIVEAWAY!

I am an Aveda Vancouver Ambassador. All treatments are complimentary.

After going ash blonde during my last Aveda Institute visit four weeks ago, I have since learned that even with cutting down my hair washing to twice a week and using purple hair products, blonde can lose its brightness fairly quickly. For my third session with Aveda, my appointment was with Advanced Grad, Tatiana, who greeted me with a huge smile as well as a lovely head of hair!

We chatted about what we felt my hair needed and in addition to a tone-up, I mentioned my hair was feeling excessively dry. Tatiana immediately recommended the Botanical Therapy Treatment (starting at $40 CDN)) that is only available in salons as each treatment is curated to your particular hair needs. I will start this post by saying I am completely sold on whatever magical properties this BTT contains! I swear that I now have magical fairy hair.

In addition to the BTT, I also got my blonde toned up and kept the ash blonde I had done last month. What I found absolutely amazing about the BTT was that unlike other conditioning treatments that last all of a few days, this treatment lasts EIGHT FREAKIN' WEEKS! The treatment itself is a proprietary mix of essential oils and what I refer to as Aveda Fair Dust which I'm sure is an incredibly concentrated mix of conditioning ingredients. It is sprayed on (see empty bottle above) and takes just FIVE minutes to work. It is then rinsed out and right away, my hair felt plump and thick.

I thought the feeling wouldn't last, but it has been almost a month and my hair feels almost like before I started colouring it! I can curl my hair with a flat iron without having to oil it up to give the iron something to glide on! The BTT seems to have formed a protective layer around each strand of hair preventing both moisture-loss and further external damage. It is truly amazing how weeks later, my hair is still benefitting from this treatment.

I can't keep this Aveda fun all to myself so as an early Christmas present, the Aveda Institute is offering the magical Botanical Therapy Treatment to one Cosmetic Proof reader!

Terms of the Giveaway

• Valid for Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto Aveda Institute locations
• Giveaway ends on November 30th, 2015 at 11:59pm
• The winner will have 48 hours to reply once they are contacted
• Do not follow only to unfollow (I have a VERY good memory!)
  
  
  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

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HAIR | Maple Holistics Natural Argan Oil Shampoo and Silk18 Natural Hair Conditioner Review

Have I seriously not talked about shampoo since before the summer?! Well, lemme tell ya, I feel like I have been thrown into shampoo and conditioner boot camp ever since going blonde June 26th, 2015. I remember because it was THAT momentous a day. I have now become very selective about shampoos as they have to be safe for blonde and such, but now that I am using purple S & C's to keep brassiness at bay, I have found it difficult to have BOTH clean and healthy feeling hair.

After getting a bit frustrated with the purple S & C game, I was approached by Maple Holistics to try their Natural Argan Oil Shampoo* (8oz/$12.97) as well as their Silk18 Natural Hair Conditioner* (8oz/$12.97). After having a look at the ingredients and feeling confident that all that hard work bleaching and toning the crap outta my hair would go unharmed, I said "let's do it!"

EXPERIENCE | Aveda Canada Revisited - Getting Highlights and Going "Ash Blond"

At the end of July, I announced that I had become an Aveda Institute Vancouver Ambassador which, in all honesty, is something I feel more comfortable doing as going blond has given me a whole new appreciation for hair care. Between my skin and hair care regimes, I probably appear somewhat vain because I seem to spending immeasurable amounts of time on just the top part of my body! What I can truly say though is that having hair I love has made me feel so much more confident. Yes, inner beauty is more important, but this post is all about the HAIR.

After having a haircut and styling session last month (read all about it here!),I decided it was time to let Aveda do something about my summer blond that was getting a little too orange for me. I was greeted by the lovely Amy who got me settled and all cozy with a very FAT September issue of Vogue and a cup of Aveda's herbal tea. Amy then asked me a simple question,"What do you love and what do you dislike about your hair right now?" The answer was easy. I wanted the orange and brassiness taken out and possibly a darker hue for the Fall season. What I loved? I loved the length of my hair and the way the balayage was growing in so what Amy and I decided on was to tone the blond and add some low lights to give my hair some "refinement". 

HAIR | KISS Tornado Ionic Hair Dryer Review

I did not start feeling the need for a hair dryer until my mid 20s. Maybe I started caring about my hair more in terms of styling, but because I take my showers at night I generally don’t NEED to have my hair dry by a certain point. I have always had longish hair, but for the last 2 years I have kept my hair quite long which means that air-drying can take hours. I also tend to take my showers relatively late at night and we all know how uncomfortable it is to sleep with damp hair. Not to mention how f’ed up it looks in the morning!

I have a standard drugstore brand hair dryer that draws so much power my lights flicker when I put it on the “high” setting and while it does the job, it is heavy and still takes me a solid 10-15 minutes of shaking and moving the hair dryer along the length of my hair to make sure I’m not causing my hair any heat damage. Most of us are more familiar with KISS as the creator of all things nails, but ever since the KISS Instawave (review) made its way into my life I have been wondering what hair tools KISS would come up with next! The KISS Tornado Ionic Hair Dryer*($34.96 CDN) is unlike any other hair dryer I have ever used. What sets this hair dryer apart from all of the others is a patent-pending 360 degree rotating air booster that allows for rapid blow drying with minimal heat damage as hot air is no longer concentrated on one area of the hair.

EXPERIENCE | Aveda Canada Institute Tour, Haircut & Review in Photos

Earlier this month I was invited to be an Aveda Institute Vancouver Ambassador which I did not hesitate to say “yes” to as I have been a long time user of their Rosemary Mint Shampoo and the “shampure” scent of the Hand Relief Moisturizing Hand Cream is just to DIE FOR. The first order of business was a hair appointment and tour of the Aveda Institute in Vancouver located on Water Street in the ever eclectic Gastown in downtown Vancouver. It is tourist season so this area was bustling with activity on the day of my appointment. For those unfamiliar with the Gastown area, this is the City’s oldest neighbourhood and has been designated a national historic site. There are loads of fun eats, treats and little boutiques that both visitors and locals enjoy regularly throughout the year.

HAIR REVIEW | John Frieda Frizz Ease & Colour Refreshing Gloss to the Rescue!

I feel like John and I should be on first name basis now since he’s been in my life so often the last couple of months! I had mentioned awhile back in a Beauty Panel post (here) that John Frieda’s Frizz Ease* was a must-have for any bad hair day and even though much of my frizz has been tamed with the Conair Ultimate Brush (review) I have recently been suffering from a bad case of “baby hairs’'”. All over my head that seem to worsen with the heat. I HATE IT. I am also in desperate need of a cut and colour and have been holding myself over with the John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss* until I can get my act together and get my derriere over to a salon!

HAIR | John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Colour Protecting Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner Review

John Frieda hair products have been in my life since I was a teenager and through a couple of beauty boxes, I was able to try (and fall in love with) one of my favourite products, the Frizz Ease Extra Strength Serum. Up until last year, I had never coloured my hair so I never gave “colour protecting” products a second glance. Well, now with my fast-fading ombre hair, I am forever determined to keep the colour intact for as long as possible! The Brilliant Brunette series does just that! There are two sets of products in this line: the Multi-Tone Enhancing Shampoo and Conditioner and the one that I have been using over the last 2 weeks, the Colour Protecting Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. Made with crushed pearl powder and sweet almond oil, this duo is all about colour preservation and rehydrating colour-treated hair because DAMN does it ever get dry!

The almond oil is what made me love the smell of both products and although I understand that the “stand-up” style packaging gets you EVERY last drop of product, when the bottles are fresh and full there tends to be a lot of spillage when stored in the upright position! With regards to the shampoo, I felt like I had to squeeze out a little more than I normally would to get a good lather going (yes, yes I know it’s NOT always about the bubbles), but without a certain amount I can’t really clean my hair of the hair spray, dry shampoo and texturing spray that I add to my hair for lift on a daily basis (yes, those are my hair secrets).

Final Verdict: While this duo didn’t blow my mind, my hair did feel quite hydrated. I could skip my hair oil a few nights because my ends just didn’t look like they needed the extra moisture blast. My scalp still felt a little dry at times, but my hair was totally fine. I think I’m just weird. I can’t quite tell if my colour has been preserved at all since it has only been a short amount of time, but I liked the fluidity of the formulas of both the shampoo and conditioner and will continue using them once I get my hair re-ombred. Now, THAT will probably be the true test! 

John Frieda products can be found at London Drugs, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Rexall, Jean Coutu, Shoppers Drug Mart and Lawtons.

HAIR | Live Clean Age Resist Collection Review

Oh my! It has been EONS since I have done a hair product review! For awhile there, it was shampoo after shampoo, but I started getting REALLY selective after getting my hair coloured. When I was approached by Live Clean to try some of their haircare, keeping my colour intact while nourishing my now drier hair was my main priority and they reassured me that the Age Resist Collection would be perfect for my needs. With the same eco-friendly formulations as Live Clean’s other haircare lines, Age Resist targets the symptoms of aging hair like: dullness, lack of shine, dryness and loss in hair density. Apparently, your hair is BEST in your 20s and starts to lose some of its natural lustre in your 30s thanks to a decrease in sebum. Seriously, in Biblical times when we all lived until 40, we wouldn’t have even seen the need for a haircare line like this one! I actually have noticed consistent dryness in my hair even before colouring it and although I have my favourites, I still find myself having to switch up my haircare a bit every month or so. I’ve never believed that hair can “get used to something”, but it really does seem to happen…

HASK | Macadamia Oil Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner + GIVEAWAY!

My mission this season has been about hydration whether it’d be skin or hair.  Now that I have coloured hair, I am completely OBSESSED with making sure my hair feels healthy. Back in October, I raved about the HASK Macadamia Oil hair treatments (review) and still religiously use the oil on the ends of my hair to keep them shiny and hydrated. When it comes to hair care though, I feel like treatments are like the “extended family” and the only way to know the heart of a line is by their shampoos and conditioners.

As I have mentioned previously, all of HASK’s products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, alcohols and artificial colours which means that both the Macadamia Oil Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner* ($5.99) are perfectly safe for colour-treated hair. The scent of course, is of yummy vanilla nut and has certainly made my hair look and feel less brittle. I found that also using the hair mask was what really made a difference at least at the beginning. I don’t really understand hair, but the hair mask seemed to set me up for the week with the shampoo and conditioner more or less maintaining my hair’s softness.

One thing this duo does not do is volumize so if you have fine hair, I’d probably use a different HASK line as all of them are hydrating, with the Macadamia Oil line being for very dry hair. It certainly didn’t weigh down my hair and because I add volume using texturizing dry shampoos I wasn’t too fussed. This is such an affordable little duo and to be perfectly honest, works just as well if not better than certain more expensive salon brands I have tried. In addition to macadamia oil, there is also coconut and jojoba oil in the shampoo and the addition of shea butter in the conditioner less than halfway through the ingredients list.

Final Verdict: For me, the wow factor really comes from experiencing all 4 products in the Macadamia Oil line. They all really compliment each other and enhance each other’s efficacy.

So, of course it’s Friday and we are one week into December so why not have a giveaway seeing as how “giving” is what this season is all about?

Terms of the Giveaway

• Open to North America
• Giveaway ends on December 17th, 2014 at 11:59pm
• The winner will have 48 hours to reply once they are contacted.
• Leave a comment below telling me which of the 4 HASK hair lines suit your hair needs best

GOOD LUCK!

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HASK Macadamia Oil | Nourish and Revive Dry Hair with Shine Hair Oil and Deep Conditioner

I have really been struggling with my hair as of late and in addition to trying out some new shampoos (review) I have also been experimenting with some new hair treatments from HASK. If you haven’t heard of HASK before, they have 4 main lines: Argan Oil, Keratin Protein, Macadamia Oil and Monoi Oil each of which contain shampoos, conditioners, shine oils and deep conditioning treatments. All of HASK’s products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, alcohols and artificial colours and what I love about all of their products is that everything is incredibly affordable.

Lush | Moisturize your Locks with Blousey Shampoo and Retread Conditioner!

One thing that I have really been struggling with lately is dry, unruly hair. My hair is quite coarse which means that if it gets dry, it just gets frizzy. My baby hairs are everywhere, my bangs refuse to cooperate and I am HATING IT ALL. I am still fighting as we speak although I am trying to pay as much attention to my hair needs as I do my skin needs. What I know my hair needed was moisture. Lots of it! When it comes to Lush shampoos, I have only tried Seanik (which I love), but wanted something that was both gentle and hydrating. The combination of Blousey Shampoo ($25.95 CDN) and Retread Conditioner ($29.95 CDN) seemed to be a potent one as both aim to repair, nourish and provide some serious conditioning to damaged and dry hair.