Product Reviews

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Product Review: YRU ANGL Winged High Heel Pointed Toe Pump

March 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I have a massive collection of amazing shoes. Some are conservative pumps, others are sky-high stilettos. There are Tod’s driving loafers. Then there is my Pieces of Art Collection. These are the ones that I keep in clear boxes so I can display and admire them when they are not in use.

The latter are where these pumps are categorized. This pair of YRU ANGL Winged High Heel Pointed Toe Pump remind me of a few decorated high end pairs I have including several from Sophia Webster’s amazing, over the top line. What I like about the YRU pumps is that they are at a price point that they can be worn more frequently, not just on special, make sure to get my shoes in the picture occasions. I have a few highly conservative pinstripe pantsuits that the style of the leg is quite long, and I love that I can wear these heels and when I cross my legs these fun, fantastic stilettos peek out from under my pant leg – a bit of whimsey and personality for an office setting. If you have a creative job in a corporate setting, these are perfect.

I tend to gravitate towards thicker heels, so I am delighted that the 4.25 skinny stiletto is as stable. I was able to walk around at a brisk pace (while carrying heavy items) with ease – and not just â€high heel ease. As far as size, I’m closer to a 7.5 but decided to buy the size 8 since they dont offer half sizes. As with many stilettos with high vamps, it took a bit of wiggling for my foot to get in but fit perfectly once they were on. So if you are a half-size on shoes, I would recommend going to the larger size.

I’m very impressed with the craftsmanship on these shoes: though they are not leather, they look and feel like it. They come in high-end packaging and include extra heel taps to keep your pumps looking and feeling new. The quality of the shoe box is excellent too – reinforced cardboard that is meant to protect the heels and they aren’t crowded in the box at all.

I opted for the black, but they are also available in creamy white if you are looking for a fun and comfortable wedding shoe.

All in all, these are fun heels that are actually quite versatile. The comfort factor makes them ideal for a night out or a long day. But they are definitely meant to be shown off!

YRU ANGL Winged High Heel Pointed Toe Pump

Product Review: Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror

February 4, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I was recently sent the Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror for review. It comes with a razor holder, a hook with a sticky adhesive side to hold the mirror and the mirror itself.

At first I was disappointed that the mirror was not a heavier glass mirror, but the reflection is actually very clear and crisp. Legitimately, it is better to not have an actual heavy glass in the shower, especially considering the fact that I’m a bit clumsy in the morning (well, all day, but especially the morning) and I can see myself reaching for my shampoo and knocking a heavy glass mirror and it shattering on the floor, which would really not be good. The adhesion is excellent, once it is placed on the surface, I don’t think this is going anywhere even when exposed to moisture (but apply it when the shower surface is dry when installing). This is superior to so many of the shower mirrors out there that just have a suction cup to adhere it to the wall. And it took less than a minute to set up, which is a lot better than shower mirrors that install with hardware!

FOR THE GUYS: The benefit of a fogless mirror in the shower for the guys is obvious to be able to shave in the shower for both convenience/speed and to take advantage of opening the pores and softening the hair shaft for a nice, close, smooth shave, and it keeps the sink clean from shaving cream and shaved off hair clean-up. It is also nice to have a razor that becomes warm and hydrated in the shower and can air-dry on its holder and stay clean, sanitary, and rust-free.

FOR THE LADIES: Some benefits of a fogless shower mirror for the ladies are being able to tweeze eyebrows or any unwanted facial hairs while the follicles are steamed and opened, making tweezing easier, to be able to see your face during any product applications such as facial masks or scrubs, to check thoroughly for unwanted armpit hair that needs to be shaved, and my personal favorite, using it with my Clarisonic skin care brush. Since the Clarisonic can be used in the shower, I like to be able to see that I am using it evenly and assess areas with blackheads that could use another once over.

Now here is my favorite part: from the point of turning off the water in the shower, as a rule of thumb, one has three minutes to capture that optimal window of applying moisturizer to skin before skin starts drying out, so I like to apply my face moisturizer before I step out of the shower and having a fogless mirror in the shower is a nice way to do that.

The Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror is a great choice as a shower mirror as it stays clear and fog-free, is shatterproof, and strongly adheres to the shower wall. I’m really glad I to have tried it!

Find it at Amazon.com.

After steaming my pores open with some fresh Eucalyptus under the shower stream, I took my trusty Clarisonic to my face in the clear view of the Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror

Disclosure: I was sent this product for free in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Topganic Style + Go Moisturizing Cream How to Best Use

January 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment

REVIEW: Topganic Professional Collection Style + Go Moisturizing Cream Keratin Protein Intensive Repair

I was excited to try the Topganic Styling line, especially Topganic Style & Go because it is packed with such good ingredients AND I have been looking for a quality cream-based styling agent for the harsh, cold winter months when hair can get especially frizzy and dry.

Why Use Topganic Style & Go

My goal was to find something conditioning that doesn’t leave hair waxy or dull or give the appearance of an old-lady set to hair but still provides structure.

Topganic Style & Go does a great job on all these requirements. STYLE & GO MOISTURIZING CREAM WITH BRAZILIAN NUT OIL WITH KERATIN PROTEIN INTENSIVE REPAIR

Styling Products for Dry Hair

STYLING GOAL: I was going for a soft, loose, smooth wave done with a big round brush and my CHI Hairdryer.

My hair is not naturally smooth and quickly loses a curl without at least a medium hold product, yet I wanted it to remain touchable so my goal was limited-to-no hairspray.

I also wanted a smooth, well-conditioned look that has some hold and structure to the wave but still remains a healthy, shiny and not a waxy or stiff look.

Topganic Style & Go works very well for this purpose. I think it would also work well for a nice sleek straight blowout style.

What are Topganic Style & Go FEATURES?

This has several conditioning ingredients and nutrients great for getting hair into strong shape while providing styling.

Some ingredients include:

Brazilian Nut Oil
Keratin Protein repair
several conditioning and moisturizing ingredients for hair and scalp including minerals that are great for hair like Selenium (excellent for the scalp)
Zinc to prevent hair shedding (great if you are suffering hair loss.)
Other conditioning properties include Shea Butter
for moisture omega 6 & 9 fatty acids.

Is it Suitable for Daily Use?

It is suitable for everyday use. This product really focuses on scalp health, an important foundation for healthy hair.

What is the SCENT?

This features Brazilian Nut oil, which smells wonderful but it definitely scented even after it is dry in your hair, so it is not necessarily suitable for a scent-free office. But it is a very lovely scent. Note this is not an Ojon nut type of intense scent, it could compliment any fragrance you are wearing, but it is strong enough (in my opinion) to compete with conflicting scents such as florals or single note scents. The scent may have seemed too strong to me because I probably used too much, as discussed below.

How to Best Use Topganic Style & Go

APPLICATION/USE

The Instructions say apply as much as needed and I applied too much. The consistency is more like a lightweight conditioner, but it is a very concentrated formulation, more like a thick cream. A small amount will do the trick for my past bra-strap length hair I probably would use a few pumps for a collective size of quarter or so per each side of my hair, a little extra on the dry ends. Evenly comb through. Dry and style as usual. I didn’t use hair spray but it would not be too much product if one wanted to do so.

VERDICT

I really loved the bounce factor of my hair, the smoothness, shine and how soft it felt. It held a soft wave well when used with a blow-dryer and brush. LOTS of great ingredients.

The consistency is deceptive, not too much product is needed, making this a very nice value.

I am happy to find a nice styling product for winter. Good product for styles that need a bit of product to hold the look such as a French twist or braid, loose chignon or bun, or an up-do.

Topganic Style and Go on my dry hair

Number 4 High Performance Hair Care What to Know

December 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

So now that it has been almost seasonably chilly for a whole three days now, I am rather jealous of my friends who are going on holiday to warmer climes. If you are headed off for a well deserved trip, it’s a great time to check out an excellent hair set we were set for review.

Number 4 Haircare Hydrating Holiday Jet Set

Number4HairCare Hydrating Jet Set comes with Hydrating Shampoo, Hydrating conditioner, Super Comb Prep & Protect and Fleur de Temps Body Lotion and Mini Darlings plus L’eau de Mare Brush (specifically for wet hair).

Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Holiday Jet Set

Ingredients

There are many quality ingredients in the Number 4 L’eau de Mare Hydrating Conditioner. Some ingredients are commonly seen in small doses even in drugstore brands shampoos, but many of these ingredients are only found in higher-end products. Some notable ones that caught my eye:

Vitamin B5 for shine
Gooseberry Oil is one of the ingredients in their Liquid Purity complex cocktail – if you haven’t used a hair product with Gooseberry Oil in it, you are in for a treat. And if you have used Gooseberry Oil products in the past and can’t find a good one (such as all us fans of the discontinued Neil George Gooseberry Oil hair care line) you will really like a shampoo with Gooseberry in it.
Jojoba similar in structure to the hair, fills in tiny cracks in the hair and makes it smooth and not crunchy feeling
A bunch of good anti-aging ingredients. Don’t just think of anti-aging ingredients if you are over a certain age think of it as if your HAIR is LONG then it is OLD. If your hair is longer than your shoulder, and it grew that long at the average rate of half an inch a month, how old does that make the last few inches of your hair, plus all the abuse your hair has taken during that time with styling, flat irons, swimming, sun, chemicals, highlights and coloring. If your hair is long, it can use anti-aging ingredients.
Color protecting ingredients that are also good for scalp health. These include algae, soy, tea.
Hydrating and Strengthening Ingredients: such as Burdock Root, Oolong Tea, Irish Moss, and Vegetable Protein (Vegan).
There is also Silicone, smoothing to be sure, but FYI if you are attempting to avoid Cones of any kind.

Scent. Spa like scent, Fragrance Notes: Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and Patchouli. I really primarily smell Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and NOT the Patchouli once hair is dry.Very nice experience while lathering, hair is still scented when dry, but not so strongly as to compete with your chosen fragrances but noticeable when hair is in motion. Smells clean.

There is a very nice, rich lather, very thick and full feeling. The instructions say to wash twice, but my hair felt clean with one good head massage and wash, working up a nice lather throughout my hair. (NOTE: I did NOT have styling product or hairspray in my hair before washing, if I did that might indeed require two washes) The instructions indicate that if you want more lather; add more water not more product. A quality shampoo and conditioner like Number 4 Hydrating doesn’t require as much product as some shampoos and conditioners to get a good result. I advise using less shampoo and conditioner than you think you might need and adding more if necessary. For example, I decanted just enough conditioner to apply to one side of my hair, then once I massaged it in it was really enough for both sides. I used it throughout my hair and left it in a few minutes. It absorbs nicely and washes out clean. My hair is past the small of my waist but not hip length and it is a rather thick, so I tend to need more product than some to coat my hair. The bottles seem somewhat small, but based on how little is needed; it is a good deal and a nice size for travel without having to skimp on product use.

Even wet my hair felt different than usual after washing and conditioning, soft of expanded and strong feeling, not quite left with a coating of product per se, but the surface felt different, as if I already applied a leave-in product to smooth the surface. To find out what this affect was, I opted NOT to use any additional product while styling my hair.

ON PRE STYLE ROUGH BLOW-DRY

After using the brush designed for wet hair that comes in the kit (which while my hair did NOT have tangles post conditioning, it is nice to have a brush that is gentle enough for wet hair, especially when you do have to detangle or comb through styling product) I did a quick rough dry“ no real styling and LOVED LOVED LOVED the shine and bounce. Without any additional product my hair was soft with just a tiny bit of flyaway, but it is the first few days of real cold here in New England this week. Not bad for no product added.

The bounce in my hair was a pleasant surprise since I am overdue for my regular trim, and they are pretty lifeless the week before a trim, so I will be remembering to use Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner the week before a trim to get some life back in dull ends. The shine and bounce remained with hot roller styling.

The Fleur de Temps Body Lotion is a solid lotion, but the Patchouli scent was much stronger than in the shampoo and conditioner. If you work in a fragrance-free work environment, it might be a bit of a strong scent, but otherwise it is a lovely consistency of lotion.

And if you are headed off on vacation (and even if you aren’t) – the Super Comb Prep and Protect is a great UV/Color Polar Shield – don’t let the sun wreck your color! It also contains the Liquid Purity Complex so you will be conditioning your hair with that great Gooseberry Oil as you protect your hair. Nice multitasking combo.

VERDICT

SHINE SHINE SHINE!!
Softness, bounce and swing
Nice lather, just a bit of product goes a long way.
Light scent once dry
My really dry ends that badly need a trim don’t look so dry
Hair color was not stripped or faded after use
The brush is incredibly gentle and far less hair is left in the bristles after brushing vs other high end brushes.

Find the Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Holiday Jet Set Pack at Number4Hair.com for $25.

After using Number 4 Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and styled with Topganic Style & Go Moisturizing Cream with Keratin from Brazil