Crece Pelo Treatment Mask from Dominican Hair Care

I received Crece Pelo Treatment Mask free of charge from Dominican Hair Care in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This mask uses extracts from 15 different plants to improve texture, strength and shine as well as encouraging hair growth. Crece Pelo means hair growth in Spanish, and it is the first ever phytotherapeutic treatment in the Caribbean.

Every woman wants great hair but sometimes that can be difficult to achieve, especially if you regularly use hair dryers, straighteners, curlers etc - like me! My hair is very fine so I often use styling products to help control the fly-away strands but this often results in my hair lacking volume and looking dull. When I read about the Crece Pelo Treatment Mask, I thought this would be the perfect remedy for my damaged hair.

The mask comes in a large tub which has plenty of room to get your hand in and is white in colour. It's not as thick as it looks but still has a good consistency and is easily applied. First, shampoo hair as normal, then when rinsed, smooth the treatment mask through hair from root to tip. I found that massaging it into my scalp worked well too. Once your hair is covered, you are recommended to leave it in for around 15 minutes before rinsing. After 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly and breathe in that gorgeous smell - it really is lovely!
Once rinsed, my hair actually felt pretty soft and my brush glided through with ease. I didn't bother using any other products but dried my hair with the hair dryer then straightened as normal...

It's a bit difficult to see from my pic due to the poor quality of my camera, but my hair had a lovely lustrous shine to it after use to the point that even my other half noticed and that's saying something! The usual problem I have with static was non-existent and my hair was definitely more manageable than normal. Above all else, it smelled absolutely gorgeous - it was the first thing I could smell when I awoke the next morning.

Overall I really loved this product and would definitely continue to purchase it in the future.

Check out the Dominican Hair Care website for more great products.

Monoi Oil & Perfume from Yves Rocher

I was sent two products free of charge from Yves Rocher, in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Monoi range of products came highly recommended to me when I was trying to decide what to review, so this is what I opted for and it didn't take long to see why they were so popular!

Monoi Traditional Tiare Oil

This is a multi purpose oil which smells absolutely gorgeous! It is rich in Monoi de Tahiti which helps protect the skin from dryness and is fantastic at enhancing and prolonging your tan. It can also be used on hair to leave it feeling soft and supple.
Firstly I decided to use it on my hair as it suffered pretty badly during the winter months and I don't really take as much care of it as I should. Now, I couldn't find any instructions for use regarding applying it to my hair so I just improvised.  first, I wet my hair then poured a a small amount of the oil into my palm and rubbed them together. I began to massage the oil into my scalp and smoothed it down the length of my hair until I felt I had covered everywhere. This didn't take much oil, mainly because I was a little worried in case my hair came out looking greasy afterwards. I have to say that this process was one of the best I've experienced, mainly due to the exotic smell of the oil - it took me to paradise! Once the oil was applied, I shampooed my hair as normal and applied a small amount of conditioner - this is a must for me as I have fine fly-away hair which can be quite unruly.
Even after a thorough clean, the smell of the oil was still really strong but this pleased me no end as it's a smell I adore and gave me an air of confidence. I dried my hair using the hairdryer then straightened it as usual and WOW, it looked so amazingly shiny and was uber soft to touch. I couldn't help but go running into my daughers' room screaming at them both to sniff and feel my hair and the feedback I got was 'when can I use it, it's lush?'.
Surprisingly for me, I still managed a full 2 days before having to wash my hair again and each time I swooshed my hair, that glorious smell of a tropical holiday came flooding back.

When used as a body oil, it was very easy to apply and spread really well. My body/legs felt well nourished, highly moisturised and had a really healthy glow which I couldn't wait to show off. Adding a few drops to bath water creates a really luxurious bath and leaves your skin soft and smelling deliciously fresh.

Monoi Eau des Vahines

This is one of the most delightful perfumes I have ever smelled and it has a really exotic feel to it like you've just been transported to a luxury Caribbean Island. You get a really decent squirt with each press and just a small amount sprayed on wrists and neck is enough to last all day. Personally I also like to give a couple of sprays above my head then stand under so it showers me. I used this in the mornings and could still smell it when I went to bed at night, it's that good! I usually find that the less a perfume costs, the quicker the smell disappears, but this really isn't the case with this. I don't usually turn heads but I noticed many noses twitching as I swooned past in the local supermarket and I have to say, I felt pretty damn good about myself! My confidence seemed to go through the roof and all because I knew I knew I smelled good. I even had a couple of women stop me and ask what it was I was wearing and when I told them, they were amazed ...especially when I relayed the price to them too!

Both of these products impressed me no end and were extremely fitting for this time of year. They are suitable for everyday use and due to the quality, a little goes a long way.

Both products are available from Yves Rocher:
Monoi Traditional Tiare Oil currently costs £5.95 for a 100ml bottle.
Monoi Eau des Vahines currently costs £13.50 for a 100ml spray.
(All prices correct at time of post)

Bling up your nails!!

Anyone who knows me, follows my blog or regularly reads my posts will know how much I absolutely love nail colour and experimenting with it ...despite not being anywhere near an expert! I recently visited the Metrocentre and couldn't help but drift into Primark where I found this fab bright pink nail polish for either 60p or 80p - an absolute bargain and in such a great colour. The nail decals shown above I spotted in Claire's Accessories. They were on one shelf marked up at £3.50 but then I spied these ones on a 'Special Offer' shelf for only £1.50 and couldn't resist.

Ignoring the rough edges, I have to say that the nail polish seriously impressed me. It has a 60 second drying time so you can apply a second coat almost immediately (it definitely needs 2 coats for a decent finish). The colour is nice and strong and has a lovely shine to it.

I only used a couple of the decals because I wanted to keep it nice and simple but they were so easy to use that it actually surprised me! Simply wait until your nail polish is dry, decide where you're wanting to place your decal, remove it from the backing sheet and stick in place. Give it a gentle rub over to make sure it's well stuck and hey presto, instant glam! I've had a few nice comments when out and about so it was definitely worth the effort - not that it took much. lol

Despite being so cheap, I've been wearing this polish for the last 4 days and it's only just beginning to chip off around the nail edge - and that's despite my overload of dish washing. One of the small diamantes fell off a decal but apart from that, they have stayed putt and lasted well.

Cheap as chips and a great way to bling up nails!

Organyc Cotton Pleats & Intimate Wash

I was recently sent some Organyc products free of charge, in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As indicated by the name, Organyc offer a wide range of organic natural feminine care products including sanitary protection, maternity wear and beauty and baby care, all made using organic cotton wool offering exceptional softness. You can rest assured that Organyc products are also free from Parabens, Synthetic ingredients, Perfumes or Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP).

For the purpose of this review, I chose Cotton Pleats and Intimate Wash as these were both relevant to me and something I use regularly, although different brands.

Firstly, it's the Cotton Pleats which come in a 100g pack, and are 100% organic.

As you can see, this has a a nifty drawstring top to keep the cotton pleats free from dirt and dust. I often find with this type of fastening that the strings break, but this is really sturdy and strong which is a bonus for me.
I'm not sure what anyone else thinks, but when I read 'organic', I often think that it's not going to be quite as soft as your average cotton wool but I'm pleased to say that I have been proven so wrong with this product. I regularly use shops own brand cotton pleats/balls for applying creams and removing make-up and I'd actually say that this is softer than a few of the ones I have tried. It's easy to pull of the right amount and although it is really soft, it's also incredibly strong! I also know that I'm being extra kind to my skin when using this so it's a hit all round for me.

The Intimate Wash comes in a 250ml bottle and has a pump action lid. Simply twist to open, pump out required amount then twist again to close. 

I often find that using soap for more intimate areas can cause irritation, so I regularly use intimate hygiene washes instead as they tend to work in harmony with the bodies natural oils. This particular wash is safe for use by both men and women which makes it a bit different to others I've tried as most are catered specifically for women. 

This comes out in the form of a clear liquid which isn't overly runny ...slightly gel like. It does have a very slight 'plant like' smell but nothing overpowering and I only noticed it for a few seconds. The wash contains organic calendula & chamomile extract as well as aloe vera and cornflower to cool and soothe the skin. I have used this daily with no irritation or unwanted smells and love how fresh and clean I feel afterwards. It lathers up well and 1 pump provides enough for a thorough wash.

Overall I would highly recommend both of these products as they're kind to your skin, natural and really work!

Organyc Cotton Pleats cost £2.99 for a 100g pack

Organyc Intimate Wash costs £6.95 for a 250ml bottle

There are loads of other great products available too so please click here to check them out.

Vintage FNUG Natural Nail Polish from My Pure

I received a bottle of FNUG Natural Nail Polish free of charge from My Pure, in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

FNUG natural nail polishes are fast becoming one of my favourite brands. Not only are they hard-wearing and easy to apply, but the ever expanding range of colours keeps them exciting and modern.
I have tried a few of these polishes now, and each one has impressed me with the depth of colour which can be achieved with only one coat. Some will require two coats, but that's pretty much dependent on the colour of choice.

For this review, I chose the Vintage nail polish as I really love dark colours and find they can look classy on any length of nails ...which is great as mine are struggling to get any length at the minute!

Now, I have mentioned before that I am far from being an expert at applying nail polish so I do apologize for these looking a bit slap dash! I did take my time but often find that the darker the shade, the more mess I tend to make. The main problem I had, was that I chose a reasonably warm day to paint my nails and as I'm not the quickest, it was drying faster than I could apply it which is why some areas appear darker than others. I really love the 'cherry red' colour of the lighter parts, but I equally love the darker shade which is what I was trying to achieve. The brush is a lovely size and covers around half of my larger nails with one swoop, but as I went back to re-dip, the varnish had already partially dried resulting in the slightly streaky effect. I did give it a second coat and tidy up the edges, but by this point I had nail polish up my arms and everywhere so forgot to take some pics!

Never one to give up, I removed all the polish and proceeded to try again - this time on a cooler day! Success!! The colour glided on lovely and after only one coat, I was satisfied that I had the perfect colour ....

It's a bit difficult to see by my pic (I'm not a photographer either), but one coat provided a gorgeously deep burgundy colour which was uber shiny and extremely flattering.
My daughters were also huge fans of this colour so think this may be one I'll have to hide!
Although FNUG nail polishes are chip resistant, I still only manage to get a few days wear before having to remove and reapply, but this is more down to the amount of dishes and household chores I end up doing rather than the polish not being much good. My daughters lasted for just over a week before they noticed any signs of chipping so it's definitely dependent on lifestyle. My nails always feel stronger and more conditioned during and after using FNUG, due to the added silica and vitamins.

Another gorgeous colour which will flatter nails of any length!

FNUG Natural Nail Polish in Vintage, is available to buy from My Pure at a cost of £12.00 for an 8.5ml bottle.