Thursday, February 12, 2009

Mane Concern

How to Take Care of Your Precious Hair

My Current Hair Length: Hip long

My Current Hair Condition: Straight, Rebonded, Frizzy underneath and at the ends, Tends to be dry.

My Hair History: Rebonded 4x in Dec'06, Jun '07, Oct '07, Nov '08. Dyed 1x in Nov '08. Last cut, Nov '08.

My Hair Care Regime

Step 1: Use tried and tested effective shampoo and conditioner everyday.

I have tried Pantene Normal, Herbal Essence Normal, Dove Normal, L'oreal Elseve Normal & Anti-frizz range, Silkpro Normal & Colour Care Range, Vidal Sasson Deep Moisturizing, VS Weighted Straight, and VS Diamond Shine Moisturizing Range, Charles Wallington Trial Pack, Asience Colour Shine & Deep Nourishing Range.

For my hair condition, I rank:

1st: Asience Deep Nourishing Range (Conditioner and Treatment specially recommended)
2nd: L'oreal Anti-frizz Range (Anti-frizz Oil specially recommended)
3rd: Vidal Sassoon Diamond Shine Moisturizing (Conditioner is good)

The rest, I think are not up to standard at all, and does not do effectively what is claimed on the bottle. I personally hate Herbal Essences and dislike Silkpro. Silkpro is overly advertised.

Step 2: Apply after wash leave-in conditioner or oil to last the whole day

I have tried $2 hair oil bought from the neighbourhood market, $15 hair oil sold to me by a home-based hairstylist, $16 hair mist from a shopping mall hairdresser, Watson's olive hair oil, Charles Wallington oil spray, Liese oil spray, Good Look jojoba hair moisturizer, Body Shop brazil nut anti-frizz cream, L'oreal Elseve's Royal Jelly Day Leave-in Conditioner, and Night-time serum.

I rank according to effectiveness on my hair:

1st: Liese & Charles Walling Oil Spray (works immediately, but quite costly for everyday use)
2nd: Body Shop Brazil Nut Cream for Anti-frizz (works but does not lasts, expensive, does not spreads well and easy to finish consumption.)
3rd: Any normal hair oil from the market, or Watson's house-brand will do.

Honestly, for healthy hair, there is really no need to apply too much of these after-shampoo products. My mum just uses 1 drop of $2/bottle oil, which can last her more than a year, for maintenance. And her hair is softer than mine. I spend a little on these is because of my damaged frizzy hair after all the rebonding. Please do not waste your money if you don't need it. =)

You may want to try Ginvera Olive Oil at $4 from Watsons.

Step 3: Treat/Mask Hair once/twice per month

I have tried Mineral Mud, Dove Mask, Pantene 1 shot tube, L'oreal Elseve Royal Jelly, Asience Treatment.

I rank by economy to effective ratio:

1st: Mineral Mud (lasts 3 days to a week)
2nd: Asience Treatment (very expensive for the 1 use tube)

Don't ever buy Dove hair care products. They are a body care brand, and do not produce good shampoo and hair-related products. The mask is no use at all. I don't even feel the immediate effect.

L'oreal Elseve Royal Jelly Range is totally no use at all. Don't bother.

I suggest you will have to experiment on your own for this part, as most good hair treatment come from salons. Get your trusted hairstylist to recommend you an economy tub for frequent use. Hair treatment normally comes in quite big pots, so be careful before you go for it, because if you don't like it (which you will know on first try), you will be wasting the whole pot, that means - $ go down the drain.

Otherwise, you can try a Homemade/DIY treatment:
- Fill a 500ml cup with plain water.
- Fill the other half with Apple Cider (can be bought from NTUC).
- Stir and mix well.
- Pour it on the ends of your hair. Remember not to condition your scalp. Keep treatment to after the 10-20cm mark of your hair length.
- Massage your hair with your hands, like how you wash chopsticks/long hair.

If you are scared of the Apple Cider, you may wear a glove.

Take care & good luck.

Step 4: Comb, comb, comb

Long hair entangles very fast, especially in windy Singapore. Frizzy hair is worse. So comb your hair whenever you have the time. I do it every time I go to the washroom, and especially after waking up in the morning and at night. Untangle ALL tangles. If you lazy, and decide to leave that difficult bunch there, it is going to snowball into a BIG entangle clump and form knots! So be careful. I understand how long this process can take. I take at least 15 minutes to comb well.

Step 5: Do not lie on your hair during sleep

Put your hair up on the pillow during sleep. Do not lie on your hair, as you tend to toss and turn during sleep, such that all the long hair gets entangled in the morning.

Step 6: Comb hygiene

Wash your comb by combing your hair during shampoo and washoff. This saves time and effort to clean the many teeths.

******

I think that's all =)
I hope this sharing helps. Though your hair may not be in the exact same condition as mine, I think some parts would more or less apply, as ladies nowadays all do a lot of rebond, dye and perm that damages the hair.

If you have other hair conditions, and good recommendations for your hair type, do post a comment to share with me.

I cannot cannot control when my hair turns white when I grow old, but at least, I will do my best to keep it shining and healthy while I can! All the best, take care.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Asience Deep Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner & Treatment

Asience Deep Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner & Treatment

Available: All leading stores (I bought all 3 at promotion set price)

Volume: As labelled under images below.

Star Properties: Specially made for Asian hair.

Asience Treatment - 180g
A highly concentrated formula* containing precious essence of natural Asian ingredients. It repairs and treats damaged hair fibre. Hence, each and every strand is strengthened from the core. *compared to Deep Nourish Conditioner

Asience Deep Nourish Conditioner - 550ml
Perfect blend of nourishing ingredients to penetrate deeply into dry/damaged hair fibre to smoothen and nourish from within.Leaves hair ultra smooth and frizz-free.

Asience Deep Nourish Shampoo - 550ml
Perfect blend of nourishing ingredients to penetrate deeply into dry/damaged hair fibre to smoothen and nourish from within.Leaves hair ultra smooth and frizz-free.
Photos and captions by courtesy of Kao Singapore
I have just started on Asience immediately after finishing my bottle of L'oreal Anti-frizz Range. Actually, I bought this Asience set more than 1 year ago, after my friend raved about how good it is.
And I must say, it is really effective in keeping my hip length, coloured and rebonded, damaged hair, smooth and straight, not just for the moment after wash, but for an entire day or two!
I especially like the conditioner (the shampoo feels pretty normal amongst good brand shampoos, in terms of effective hair texture). It makes my frizzy hair really soft and silky. Plus if I use the treatment, my hair will be even softer and silkier for two full days. Till a point, I don't feel the need to wash my hair once a day. (I normally wash my hair once a day as it returns to its damaged state after a long day out.)
Compared to L'oreal, which is really effective and my all-time favourite, I think Asience has proven to outshine it, as it lasts so much longer, so I can walk around confidently without getting irritated over my frizzy ends.
As its tagline goes: "If you want to be beautiful, you will be beautiful".
I love it: 4.9 hearts

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA+++ (Pink - whitening)

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA+++ (Pink - whitening)

Available: Shop & Save $11.60, Guardian $11.10, and all other leading stores

Volume: 30ml

Star Properties: SPF50+, UVA & UVB Protection, PA+++

Biore seems to have hit the spot when it comes to packaging and content for this new product.Bottled in a feminine hourglass figure baby pink 30ml bottle, are the essential ingredients of a good sunscreen.

Any sunscreen that fully takes care of your skin should have at least SPF30, UVA and UVB protection with PA+++. Note the 3 pluses for PA. Buying any sunscreen that says only UVA or PA++ etc, is equivalent to wasting your money, and getting cheated. Some sunscreens, though often cheaper than a full content product like Biore, it compromises on your skin.

Thinking it would be in cream form, I was very surprised to see it in liquid powder form, aka milk. It is the same baby pink as the bottle, so I think it's likely to have man made coloration, but should not be a problem. I can't read the content as it is all in Japanese. I like the milk form as I only have to drop 3-4 droplets to cover my face, and that means it can last really long. The milk looks thick enough to be genuinely content rich, not water rich, which means your money is well-spent.Note: I have been using my current 50ml milk sunscreen for 2 years, and it still has not finish.So saying, $11.60 could probably last me 1 year 3 months, making it less than $1/month. $$$ =)

My sensitive skin has not reacted to the product, so it should be well-suited for all skin types.

Being small and with an attractive packaging, it should make a nice asset to be seen in your little handbags, should you think it necessary to apply more sunscreen in the middle of the day. No more troublesome transferring of creams into small bottles. =)

I love it: 5 hearts!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Positively Nice Girl

Truth. Beauty. Freedom. Love.

Hi Everyone!

I am from Singapore. I started this blog to document beauty products that I've used and beauty news that I've read, as reference in case I forget. I also started this blog to show that beauty need not come at big expense, as long as people like you and I collaborate and share what we know. I believe that quality can be found in products that are not high-end, and this blog is my quest to uncover them!

While I blog, I go around reading a lot of what other people are writing, and I keep a blogroll of them in the left sidebar. I also like viewing youtube videos related to beauty. So at any point in time, if you think you've something to show and tell me, please feel free to comment and/or post a link to your blog or video. =D

The beauty profile below is not only a personal record but for you to refer, so that you may assess if my reviews makes sense, and check if my products will suit your skin.

Thus far, thank you all for reading Positively Nice, and may you be blessed with great health and a beautiful life!

Yours truly,
PosiNice

My Beauty Profile

Skin Type: Dry Sensitive

Beauty History:
- Only started skincare (using cleanser) at 19 years' old
- Only started dabbling in makeup at 19 too
- Started choosing my own haircare brand (not share with family) at around 15
- Only started buying my own shoes and choosing my own clothes at 18

My Holy Grail
(Will indicate my dream HG, and my budget HG. Those un-indicated means my current, dream, and affordable HG)

Skincare

Daily
Cleanser: Decosmet Gentle Cleansing Gel (HG)
Budget, Favourite + Most effective claims: Pure Beauty Pomengranate (highly recommended)
Toner: Nuxe 3 Roses Toner (HG, I swear by this for dry skin.)
High end toner: Ole Henrikesen
Budget, Favourite + Most effective claims: Pure Beauty Pomegranate, Hada Labo
Serum: Jericho Dead Sea Mineral Serum (Am looking for a cheaper alternative, but highly recommended if you can spend)
Eye Cream: Esmeria Anti-Wrinkle Serum (HG, very effective, do try if in Malaysia)
Moisturizer: Hada Labo
Night Cream: Garnier White Night Lightening
Favourite Night Cream: Bio-essence Tanaka White Night Renewal Cream (HG)
Sunscreen: Eversoft SPF 30 Tinted, and SPF50 Moisturizer
Favourite Sunscreen: Sunkiller Clear Water Kiss Me SPF50 PA+++ (Also acts as my makeup base.)
Makeup Remover: Laneige Professional Makeup Remover Refreshing Cleansing Oil
On par: kawaii TOKYO Melting Dew
Favourite Budget Makeup Remover: MUJI High Moist Sensitive Cleansing Oil

Twice A Week
Exfoliator: Dead Sea
Favourite Exfoliator: NuTeen Blackheads Away Gel/Ginvera Marvel Gel
Leave-on Overnight Mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

Once A Week
Wash-off Mask: Blanc de Blanc 3-in-1 Hydro Gel (for eyes and lips as well) =)))

Treatment(s)
Acne/Pimple Cream: Mentholatum Acnes Sealing Gel/Himalaya Herbals Acne-n-Pimple Cream
Ampuole: Sensual, and something else from France
Scar fading: Hiruscar, Zhi Yang Gao (Chinese cream)
Chapped Lips: Make Up Store Aroma Balm (apply and leave overnight)

Body
Shower Foam/Gel: Dettol (for practical, hygiene/anti-bacterial purposes)
Favourite Shower Foam/Gel: Palmolive Thermal Spa with micro Kaolin Clay beads
Body Scrub: Garnier Bodylight (Don't like. Have not found a favourite.)
Moisturizer: Garnier Bodylight (Don't like.)
Favourite Body Moisturizer: Nivea Whitening

Hair
Shampoo: Asience Deep Nourishing
Conditioner: Pantene Clinicare Hair Time Renewal
Treatment (Twice a Week): Asience Deep Nourishing

Hands
Hand Cream: Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy/TBS Cocoa Butter/Nature Republic
Budget Hand Cream (which I also LOVE): Nivea Pure Moisture
Nail File: Jericho Dead Sea Almond Infused Filer, Sephora Glass File
Cuticle Oil: Jericho Dead Sea Cuticle Oil
Nail Polish: Rimmel London Lycra Pro (budget) / OPI (brush not as good, but superstay and non-chip)

Makeup

BB Cream: Dr Jart Black Label
Loose Powder: Nature Republic Eau de Shine
Eyeliner: Maybelline Gel Liner (Black) /Spring Heart Long-staying Pencil Liner (Coloured) / MM Autmatic Liners, L'oreal Superliner (for short-wear, non-watery eyes, winged-tips and opened ended lining), e.l.f Liquid Liner
Eyeshadow: Urban Decay, Others I use are Silkygirl/In2it/O2 Skin/Majorlica Majorca
Favourite eyeshadow: Canmake Palette
Budget eyeshadow (lasting and still got nice colour): O2 Skin (only $2 during sales)
Eyelash Curler: Manicare
Mascara: Sasa Super Dolly (best all-in-1), Make Up Forever Waterproof Mascara, Braphy Vibrating Mascara (best CURL CURL CURL + volume volume), Maybelline Intense XXL (2-in-1, aka Volume + Lengthening), Fiberwig (best lengthening), Gokubuto (best volume)
Eyebrow Pencil: Pupa, Rhomlon
Blusher: Benefit Sugarbomb
Favourite Blusher: Benefit Sugarbomb, O2 Skin (so pretty box)
Lip Balm: Burts' Bees Pomengranate
Alternative: Mentholatum Lip Pure Lip Balm / Maybelline Lip Smooth Natural in Peppermint / Balm

Cosmetic
Lipstick: GOSH! Velvet Lipstick in Exotic 82, M.A.C Petals and Peacock (Limited Edition)
Favourite Lipstick: GOSH! Velvet Lipstick in Exotic 82 /Maybelline Watershine / O2 Skin Moisture Lipstick
Lip Gloss: Elf, M.A.C Lipgelee, M.A.C Cremesheen Lipglass, Canmake Nude Gloss / The Body Shop gloss, Urban Decay Pocket Rocket
Matte Lip Cream: NYX in London
Budget (but also non-drying) Lip Gloss: Silkygirl
Concealer: Canmake

Makeup Tools/Accessories
Brushes: Makeup Store Retractable Blush Brush (highly recommended), Sasa Lip Sable (highly recommended and cheap), M.A.C 217, RealTechniques blush brush.
Eyelash Curler: Canmake Pink
False Eyelashes: 1000Hours, Nature Republic

Love

Truth. Beauty. Freedom. Love.

To be Positively Nice.

 
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