HAIR | SEEN Shampoo and Conditioner - Haircare that Equals Skincare!

 

Press samples

Have you ever thought of good skincare as having good haircare as well? That's what dermatologist-developed brand is all about! Developed by Dr. Iris Rubin, SEEN promotes both healthy hair and skin and is especially the answer for those suffering with eczema, sensitive skin on the face and scalp and autoimmune diseases. Instead of hiding because of reactive skin or hair, this haircare brand let's you be SEEN!

HAIR | AG Care Vita C Collection (Smells Like Vanilla & Oranges!) #CanadianJuly

Press samples

For the first time in awhile, this is a haircare review where I have found the products made a noticeable difference to my hair and scalp! I was about to review the AG Care Vita C Collection anyway, but now that this month is all about Canadian brands, it kind of works out that this awesome brand was founded right here in North Vancouver, BC by husband and wife team, John and Lotte Davis, with all products being made in Canada! Their daughter Mackenzie Davis is also a great actress! I first noticed her as the cool new Terminator and then I really liked her in the movie The Happiest Season! She probably always has the healthiest hair ever! 

HAIR | L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Gloss Routine

Press samples 

I have been hesitant to review haircare since dying my hair purple since it is a bit of a routine to keep up with the colour, but now that the colour is seriously fading, I have been planning to go back to blonde/mushroom brown balayage around June. This means, my urge to hang on to my purple is not as intense so it felt like a good time to try some new hair stuff starting with drugstore great L'Oreal with their new Glycolic Gloss Collection!

HAIR | Helping my Sensitive Scalp with Mayraki

Press samples

Back in December, I was introduced to the haircare brand Mayraki and was a bit hesitant to feature the brand because the product and customer service reviews were very mixed, but I have spent so much time using and enjoying the products I was sent that it seemed a waste to not let you all know how they worked out for me so just for a moment, we are going to isolate the product from the reviews and see how they did!

HAIR | Olaplex Haircare Routine with No.3, No.4, No.5 and the Volumizing Dry Mist

 

Press samples

How many of you remember screaming when Olaplex No.3 was finally accessible to us normal people?! I had only used Olaplex products when getting my hair done in the salon and the No.3 Hair Perfector was all I heard about! So far, No.3 is the only Olaplex product I have used and I have been happily testing three others to see how my hair responds for the last couple of weeks. Spoiler alert - I have found both a must-have as well as a "this isn't working for me and I need to give it away" product! 

HAIR | Gisou Honey Infused Haircare Set

Purchased by me

Ah, trendy haircare. Sometimes I hate myself for giving into the hype of certain brands and Gisou ("hair" in Farsi) was one of them. I think Negin Mirsalehi is gorgeous (at least according to her Instagram page) and has deliciously looking healthy hair (again, according to her Instagram page) while also having an attractive story of how her family has been raising bees for 6 generations with Negin herself being a beekeeper! All of the Gisou products contain honey from the Mirsalehi beehives which is quite interesting, but I can't help but approach this luxury haircare line with a grain of salt because Negin's image is so incredibly curated (like many) that it's hard to know what's real anymore, but curiosity got the best of me and when the opportunity came for me to try sample sizes of all of Gisou's bestsellers, I thought "Why the hell not?"

HAIR | Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Set and Bum Bum Cream

 

Purchased by me

I feel like I have been writing this Sol de Janeiro post for the entire day, but when I look at the clock it has only been about 2 hours. I think because I woke up at the regular work time on my day off and then proceeded to do some stuff for my day job for like four hours which was way longer than I had expected, but I feel a bit better now going into tomorrow that I have gotten some the things on my very long to do list done! 

HAIR | Derma E Scalp Relief Hair Care Set

Press samples

I should have tried this Derma E collection a long time ago because the relief for my itchy scalp has been incredible! I received this in a press package quite some time ago and you know me, I take my time now with things because it's not worth the stress, BUT I really wish I had tried it sooner just so I could know that relief AND good hair could exist in the same universe! 

HAIR | BC Bonacure Time Restore Collection by Schwarzkopf

Press samples

As I approach turning 40 this July, I feel like suddenly I have officially turned the corner into "mature" skincare, haircare, bodycare, you name it - it needs care now! I still have yet to have major grey hair issues, but I have the few that pop up from time to time that I gracefully yank out and no more do NOT grow back in their place! While I have been using "mature skincare" aka very hydrating products for a few years now, I haven't really thought about mature haircare. I generally use products for dry and colour-treated hair, so I thought the newly revamped BC Bonacure Time Restore collection would be perfect for me or so I thought... 

HAIR | Elastine Propolithera Damage Repair Collection

 

Press samples

When it comes to bees, I think we can all agree that it is fantastic to see honey and propolis have such a presence in our beauty products and if I could have my own bees to take care, I think I would because these little critters are amazing! I have used propolis products in skincare and only once in haircare, in the form of the Gisou thermal spray, so using it in a full haircare routine was something new to me. I knew propolis was wonderful for the skin, but what about the hair? 

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 | Chi Essentials Keratin and Bonding Collection

Press samples

It has been ages since I have reviewed some haircare as it is actually one of my favourite categories of beauty to test out after skincare! I try to test out new things every month, but with September being #SampleSeptember, I focused on using up my little deluxe haircare sizes and then October just got too busy, but for the past month or so, I have been using Chi Essentials Keratin and Bonding Collection and have had a hard time giving it up to move on to another brand!

HAIR | Voir A Walk in the Sun Collection

 

Press samples

I am a little in love with Canadian haircare brand Voir and shortly after finally reviewing a number of products from their core collection, Voir released an extension to their Walk in the Sun line with a focus on damaged, sun-exposed and bleached hair that was gentle enough for everyday use while simultaneously hydrating and repairing the hair shaft. At the time of my first review, the only product in the Walk in the Sun line was the ultra fancy, delightfully scented Luxury Hair Oil so having more products that smell like this one was something I was overjoyed to try!

HAIR | Maison Jacynthe Ayurvedic Shampoo and Conditioner

 

Press samples

It has been a loooong time since I have featured this Quebec-based brand on the blog and I am so happy to do so again as the brand has come a LONG way since I first talked about Maison Jacynthe back in 2016/2017. At the time, Maison Jacynthe was one of the few luxury brands, especially Canadian brands, in the "green/clean" space. I think we have all reworked in our minds what green/clean means to us and now I love brands that use a blend of plants and science to create products with results! Maison Jacynthe has an amazing array of makeup, skincare, haircare and wellness products that are also vegan with no fillers and no artificial fragrance. 

HAIR | Getting to Know Voir Haircare (Made in Canada!)

Purchased by me

I first took note of Voir when I saw it grace @thestoryofmar's Instagram a number of times. When it comes to a good product/brand, Marion is one of the few I trust! Initially, the packaging caught my eye and then when I realized Voir was Canadian, I was even more intrigued as there are not that many Canadian haircare companies. I made in vow in 2020 to support more Canadian brands so this is when I made my first purchase!

HAIR | Sebastian Dark Oil Collection

I have been reviewing this Sebastian Dark Oil Collection for FAR longer than I normally would because honestly, I am having a hard time moving on.  Why you ask? Well, it's because this collection of products have been so damn awesome! In fact, even though I graciously received the products below as press samples, I ended up buying the Dark Oil Hair Oil from Chatters over the weekend because I wanted MORE of this collection!

Press samples

HAIR | JVN Hair Embody Daily Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner

Have you all started watching the new season of Queer Eye yet? I am saving them for when I have vacation next month to binge! A couple of months ago, I received a couple of JVN Hair products to try out to celebrate the launch and I have been making my way through them with my first review being for the Undamage Collection. Now, after a solid number of uses I have some thoughts on the Embody Shampoo and Conditioner!

 

Press samples

HAIR | JVN Undamage Collection and Instant Recovery Serum

It's heeeerre! I love the show Queer Eye and don't think I've made it through a single episode without crying so when I heard that hair and grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness was coming out with a namesake haircare line, I had a feeling that it was going to be special! Made with the natural silicone alternative hemisqualane, this ingredient is fast-absorbing and non-greasy and is an amazing hydrator with high spreadability thanks to its low molecular weight. This lightweight property also makes hemisqualane a great way to reduce frizz! 

 

Press samples

HAIR | Marc Anthony Dream Big Volume Collection

I constantly struggle with flat looking roots and the only time I get volume that stays is when I get my hair done at the salon. I watch my stylist work the round brush like nobody's business, but let's face it, it's next to impossible to replicate what they have done. My arms get tired from carrying the weight of a hairdryer and I can never get the back of my head to look as good as the sides because it's just not the same as someone physically being back there and having the right angle and force to pull hair into obedience! Even though I know that blow-drying with a round brush at the roots is best, I have never been consistent about doing it so I look to shampoos and magical hair potions to help me fake it and I have to say that the Marc Anthony Dream Big Volume Collection may have come to the rescue! Initially there were some products in here that I didn't believe would work, but then *VOILA* I had volume!

Press samples

HAIR | Shiny Hair with these Radiance Enhancing Products from Raincry

In addition to the eyes, the other part of me that I care more about now that half of my face is covered up is my hair. It's actually how I identify clients now so if someone changes their hair, I actually have to double check that it's actually who I think it is! While I used to have days where I would put my hair in a ponytail for work, I have found that I get almost bored with how I look now if I "take away" my hair if that makes sense? If anything, I now enjoy wearing my hair "bigger" and with more volume and have even been contemplating changing the colour completely just to have some fun! I almost feel a sense of disconnect with my appearance when half of my face is covered up so I am trying to have fun with what I have left! I have been enjoying trying out new hair products on a monthly basis and recently have been enamoured once again with some very nice products from Raincry that have made me not want to use anything else!

 

PR samples