Hey Everyone!
I hope you all are having a fantastic day and a fantastic
week! For the second installment of the
Yearly Favorites of 2013 series, I’ll be talking about what I’ve been loving putting
in my hair and on my skin. So, without
further ado, let’s hop right in!
Haircare
Garnier Pure Clean
Clarifying Shampoo: This is my first experience with a clarifying shampoo,
but I’ve got to say, it’s been a fantastic one.
I’ve already noticed a significant difference with my hair- it’s cleaner
overall, and it really does pull every last ounce of product out of my hair
when I use it (once a week, typically every Sunday). Definitely follow up with a deep conditioning
treatment when you use it however – I switch between my Macadamia deep repair
masque and my Aussie 3 minute miracle.
John Frieda Smooth
Start Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner: I began using this shampoo and
conditioner after hearing about it on Amarixe’s channel (Allison’s channel) on
YouTube. I love her videos, and highly
trust her opinion, and her description of the products was exactly what I was
looking for. I really wanted a thick,
super moisturizing conditioner, and this is exactly that. Leave the conditioner on for 2-5 minutes (I
tend to leave it in on the longer side), and you get luscious locks, almost as
if you’ve just done a deep repair masque.
Silky Sexy Hair Frizz
Eliminator Serum: A new product for me this year, this Frizz Eliminator has
been my newest weapon in my ever-lasting battle against hair frizz. My hair has always been frizzy and oddly
textured, making fly-aways a problem, but this serum tames my hair and gives it
a smooth, finished look. I’d previously
been using the John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum and had stopped for a while, and I
honestly couldn’t say which I liked better, but they are definitely comparable. If you are looking for a good frizz eliminator,
or just want to try a new one, definitely check this one out.
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy
Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner Spray: This leave-in conditioner spray is
just as important to me as using a heat protectant is. Whenever I heat style my hair, whether it be
just a quick blow-dry, or a full on flat-iron or curl job, I spray this and
heat protectant on like there’s no tomorrow.
And the best part? It doesn’t
build up in my hair and make it look as if I just put a bunch of product in my
hair. But, my hair will feel smoother,
silkier, and be softer, and thanks to it, I know my hair has better protection
against all of the heated treatments that I am using on it to style. I highly recommend this product- I initially
tried it out in the travel/trial size from Ulta before investing in the bigger
bottle, so you always have that option as well.
Macadamia Deep Repair
Masque: This is probably one of the most moisturizing hair products I have
ever used, hands down. This even beats
out my Aussie 3-minute miracle, which you know I love. I do still use that, but just not as
often. This masque is incredible, it
makes your hair feel smooth, silky, smell amazing, and just feel
incredible. Never has my hair felt so
great!!! If you have never tried this
out but are not sure about buying a full size product, it does come in sample
packets at Ulta, that you can try out.
Skincare
Olay Fresh Effects
Moisturizer: My new favorite facial moisturizer, this reminds me so much of
Clinique’s dramatically different moisturizing gel, it is so light yet packed
full or moisture for your skin. It has a
really pretty sheen to it too, so your skin gets a glowing effect to it too
after application. I’m obsessed with
this- it’s replaced all of my other moisturizers completely.
Soap & Glory Hand
Food: My ‘splurge’ hand cream, I have gone through countless bottles of the
mini size of this and finally committed and bought the larger bottle. I love this cream so much – it doesn’t leave
my naturally oily, yet somehow dry hands, feeling greasy, and is super
moisturizing, especially around my cuticles, where I really do need an extra
boost of moisture. I highly, highly
recommend this if you are looking for a good basic hand cream.
St. Ives Daily
Hydrating Body Lotion with Vitamin E: A recommendation from NikkiPhillipi
on YouTube, I tried this out recently and was instantly hooked. This lotion has serious moisturizing powers
and has helped my skin since I’ve started using it. It does come in a super large pump-style
bottle, but it goes quick. I’ve only had
mine a few weeks, and I think I’m almost half-way through mine already! And it’s really cheap! Definitely a great buy considering the
effectiveness and the prices of the other ‘fancier’ lotions out there!
Boots Expert Sensitive
Gentle Refreshing Toner: My favorite toner of the year, I’ve gone through
countless bottles of the stuff. I first
heard about this from MissGlamorazzi, and was instantly hooked. It takes off so much excess dirt and makeup
after washing your face; that you can visible see the buildup on your cotton
ball or cotton pad. EW! Despite that being disgusting, I’m grateful
for the discovery. This has seriously
helped my acne-prone skin and oily skin so much this year; I can’t recommend it
enough to you all. As far as I know,
(and this may be completely wrong) it is only available at Target.
Maybelline Clean
Express Make-Up Remover: This is some serious business makeup remover. I initially began using it when I got tired
of rubbing the heck out of my eyes every night trying to get my Maybelline
Falsies mascara off (when they say waterproof, they mean it!). So, I decided to try the make-up remover by
the same brand, thinking that might make some sense and help the
situation. And I was right. The mascara began sliding right off, it was
amazing, the difference it made. I
highly, highly recommend this stuff even if you don’t use that particular
mascara – I’ve tried it with others, and it still works just as well! Definitely my new favorite eye makeup
remover!
Well, that is it for my favorite Hair and Skin products of
2013! I hope you have all discovered
something useful from this installment of my yearly favorites! Let me know in the comments below what YOU
have loved this year for products of any kind, and what I should be trying out
next year in 2014!
Until next time,
Allison
