Quinoderm on Dark skin. CAUTION!

I suffer from mild ( if you can call it that) acne and  have used Benzyl Peroxide based cream Panoxyl with great results and no problems.
Now my skin in the past 6 months has taken a turn for the worse and no other remedies were working. In desperation after finding out that panoxyl had been discontinued tried Quinoderm. BIG mistake. Did it help alleviate my spots. Yes. But i have been left with dark marks the likes of which i have never seen before! URGH. I thought because i had used a Benzyl peroxide product in the past, i would be OK. I wasn't. I've been left with horrible dark marks i am now having to get rid of, which will take months at the least. So if anyone with dark skin is planning on using Quinoderm i say be careful and you may be left with dark marks. Oh and it burnt! Oh how it burnt.

Texture Control Moisture Intensive Dual Conditioner. Could this be a dupe for Lustrasilk Shea butter and Mango cholesterol?

Back in the day on every hair board one deep conditioner that everybody loved was Lustrasilk Shea butter and Mango cholesterol. Naturals loved it, relaxed heads loved it, when it was for some bizarre reason  discontinued. Do the people at Lustrasilk have no internet connection?  It was a bestseller!
Anyway the only reason why i decided to take this little trip down memory lane was because of a deep conditioner i recently bought. "Texture my way, Natural Hair therapies Texture Control Shea Butter and Olive Oil Moisture Intensive dual conditioner"

I applied it to dry hair ( something i haven't done for a while) left it on for quite a while and rinsed out. My hair was easy to detangle felt soft, moisturised and as i was washing it out a fragrance arose. A memory awakened and like the memory of a love lost, a thought about Lustrasilk Shea butter and mango cholesterol surfaced

I...I.. remembered. It smelt like Lustrasilk, made my hair feel like Lustrasilk. Could it be?
If your hair loved Lustrasilk it may very well fall in love again with this, its Doppelganger ( kind of creepy)
BUT BE WARNED. IT CARRIES A TERRIBLE CURSE!
I'm joking it doesn't have a curse. It has something much worse for some people. A SILLICONE!
As the two people that read my blog know ( thanks mum and Dad!) i use sulphates so sillicones are no problem for me personally.  If you have a problem with them, then i guess skip it.

Its thick orange and quite creamy but yet still liquidy if that makes sense

Here is what the product claims to do and the ingredients.

Regular deep confitioning is essential for natural hair health and manageability. Texture Control Moisture Intensive Dual Conditioner is the right treatment for repairing, reconstructing and softening chronically dry, lifeless hair. This protein- rich formula is enhanced with Shea Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil to soften, strengthen, shine and revitalize lack-luster, hard-to-manage hair textures. When used either as a co-wash or rinse out conditioning treatment, this deep moisture therapy leaves hair feeling hydrated, softer and healthier, while stretching your natural texture, making it easier to comb & style. With NO SULFATES, PARABENS, PETROLATUM OR MINERAL OIL, its an ideal remedy to manage and soften coiled, frizzy, curly, wavy and mixed-textured hair.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerine, PPG-1 trideceth-6, Diectyldimonium Chloride, Shea butter fruit, Olive fruit oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Carrot seed oil, Panthenol, Soluble Collagen, Tocopherol, Nettle Extract, Rosemary leaf extract, horsetyail extract, Safflower seed oil, Polyquatenium-37, Propylene Glycol, Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Lanolin Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol, parfum, d-Limonene, Propylene glycol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone PEG-8 Laurate, Benzyl benzoate, Linalool, 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, Hydrolized Quinoa, cl 42090(Blue 1), cl 16035 (Red 40)

Their website, where you can view the whole product range

 http://texturemyway.com/

TWO THUMBS UP!

Dimples Hot wax Mug- Remove hair and get a free Coffee mug!!!

Unwanted hair?
Broken a mug?
This product is right up your alley!
 Self waxing kits typically cost around £8.99-£15, in Tesco, superdrug boots etc. For something that you can often abandon halfway through due to- tiredness, boredom, pain and a just sod it! mindset,  I'm not washing a tenner down the drain. So i went off to my spiritual home of the Afro hair shops of South London ( never leave me) for the always significantly cheaper alternative. ( Seriously a giant bottle of nair is like £1.49. I'm not buying it for six quid from tesco! Allow it)
Anyway i didn't find the brands i have used in the past and instead  found Dimples Hot Wax mug. For £3.49. ( online its between £3-5) I have self waxed before and if you haven't try starting off with the self wax strips. This post is for experienced waxers! The reason i was going DIY is because of the horrible ingrown hairs i got on my last "professional" waxing session and the astronomical costs in the UK, plus the inept and offensive waxers i seem to find and  i was going it alone. Plus maybe you just don't want a stranger touching you or looking at your bits( if your doing it in intimate areas).

I wanted to use a hot wax based product without strips because i read that this is best for those with curly hair and helps to reduce the chances of ingrown hairs.

Anyway the novel thing about this is it comes in a mug that you sit directly on your cooker. I prefer this to the microwave method and you must stay and watch the wax. The instruction manual is thorough and you MUST adhere to it. Waxing can be dangerous but if you follow the manufacturers instructions and use your brain, apart from pain you shouldn't have any problems.

I was happy with my results and followed up with an anti ingrown hair solution- Skintight. I will continue to use this and i'm going to try their sugaring version next.

What Dimples say:
http://www.lincocare.com/Brands/Dimples/Waxes/HotWaxMug/

Dimples Hot Wax Mug is suitable for removing hair from face, body, bikini line and underarm. The warm wax opens the pores surrounding each hair to provide a very strong grip, allowing hair removal at the root. Very effective for strong hair, especially around the bikini line and providing results lasting up to 6 weeks. Free from chemical additives, preservatives or fragrance and suitable for sensitive skin.

• Peel off wax
• For short and coarse hair
• For sensitive skin
• 200g 

Any queries contact me, and i will update you if anything happens. Bye

New product line alert: Aunt Jackies curls and coils

 Look what i saw when i went to the hair shop. Another addition to the curl products currently being cranked out at a fast pace by the mainstream hair company's years after the independents have trail blazed.

Aunt? Miss?  What next granny? Nana? Madame?

Hmm these products look strangely familiar???
http://www.missjessies.com/shop
These mainstream companies are cloning harder than the Samwer brothers!!!!
And about 5 years too late! Better late than never eh?
If the price point is good and the product works does it matter that its been "inspired"?

Well i like the names, there is the oh so clean shampoo
knot on my watch detangler
in control conditioner
and curl la la curl custard


http://www.auntjackiescurlsandcoils.com/

I would try if they had a deep conditioner or moisturiser.

Nice and curly same day repair creme conditioner review and ingredient list

Nice and curly same day repair creme conditioner

The ingredients look good the effect, not so much. I really wanted to like this. The ingredients look good, it smells like sherbert dip dab, the packaging is nice its cheap £2.99, what is there not to like?

Alas it just really didn't do anything. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. I tried it a few times and the effect was meh.

Maybe it would fair better with heat???

 What they say:

Same Day Repair Creme Conditioner is designed to nourish, repair and condition your curls to

bring out the fab in your naturally curly style. Enriched with Aloe, Sea Grape Extract and Argan Oil,

Same Day Repair Creme Conditioner hydrates and nourishes each curl from root to tip, restoring

hair's natural moisture balance, elasticity and shine. Used daily or as often as you need Same Day

Repair Creme Conditioner will instantly love your curls back to life and back to fabulous! Same Day

Repair Creme Conditioner.... fabulous served daily

The directions say: After shampooing, massage a liberal amount of Same day repair creme conditioner throughout the hair. Massage into scalp and comb through with wide tooth comb. For more intense conditioning, let sit for 15 minutes with a plastic cap. 

as a co wash: Wet hair thoroughly. Distribute throughout the lengths of the hair and massage into scalp. Rinse and repeat.

It is most probably a dupe of the III sisters of nature conditioner since they are essentially the same product range  Want evidence? Click here!

If i can be bothered I'll use it with heat and get back to you.

Bye xxx

Revlon ColorBurst lipgloss Rosegold

A very pretty shimmery peach that I've layered on top of my lipstick today ( i never wear lip gloss alone)

What revlon say

A pop of weightless colour with vivid, mirror-like shine. Outshines everything but you!
•Micro-crystal formula for 5X the shine of patent leather
•Plush applicator shaped to curves of your lips for smooth, even application of colour
•Revlon ColorBurst’s Elasticolor™ technology for rich colour with a weightless feel
•Moisturizers and anti-oxidants such as sweet almond oil and vitamin E conditions and improves lip texture
•Available in 14 vibrant, on-trend shades 

I guess.
Its just lipgloss.

  
Lip pics soon!

The troubling Imagery of Sleek's new 2012 Collection.

Sleek makeup has been around for nearly two decades. It started off as a brand that catered to  non white women. It was mostly sold in Afro hair shops and was a budget brand. The brand then launched in Superdrug. It got a lot of online fame with its pallettes which lead to it rebranding itself to be for "everyone" whilst discontinuing many shades of lipstick and foundation that suited darker skins.
They began to change their advertising to include this new demographic of "everyone" aka white, by using more and more "ambiguous" models and catering to beauty bloggers and collaborating and certain events.

Was I becoming bitter then? To be honest it left a sour taste in my mouth, but its something that has happened is happening now and will continue to happen. The only British brand to cater to dark skins became "mainstream" which often means us darker skinned people get in a word shafted. Whatever. It happens. Its business. I see many non white women buy from the likes of Rimmel, Bourjois and Max factor etc and they neither advertise with anyone with skin darker than white and certainly do not create any products for us! But i suppose their reasoning is  white women will not buy from a brand that heavily features ethnic minorities.

I had already said see ya to Sleek after their ridiculous "natural collection" where the blush did not even show up on my skin. But today i stopped dead in my tracks.

As you know 2012 has been the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics. The best of British etc etc etc. Well Sleek have a 2012 collection to coincide with this. A pout polish named  glory, an eyeshadow palette named pride and a blusher named Glory.

Hmmmm.

Anyway nothing wrong with that. What i find disconcerting is the choice of Imagery in conjunction with the language  used with this.

The model is blonde and blue eyed ( her eye colour is actually "enhanced")

she has the British flag in the background. A crown on and Jewellery entwined on her wrist with royal imagery as well. The blusher has a statute on it and a little cute button saying "i love GB". With Glory, Pride and Honour is the tag line.

Now i have no problem with patriotism or Nationalism.

What i dislike is this.  Britain  is a nation full of different peoples. Due to the UK's Policy of empire building and Imperialism. For a Brand that claims to be for "everyone", that was even able to expand due to ethnic minorities lining its pockets,  this collection's imagery and language is a farce. In a time when Devolution is a hot topic, where the riots of last summer actually revealed things that people did not want to see, where we even have a 2012 Olympic team that is multicultural, this is what Sleek Makeup have come up with. Really??? Sleek. Really? You couldn't show all the peoples that makeup this Sceptered isle?? Coming together in a positive way?

I guess you're not really British unless....................... *giggles*

I'm not even going to go deeper down the Rabbit hole with what i could say.
Suffice to say me and My sister will never purchase another product from Sleek.