The Test Box – December Treats

Three little bottles that are magical for hair! These are some of the best that Kevin Murphy has to offer and these cute little sample size bottles are perfect for you to try out the product or if you are already addicted then these are great for traveling.

This little Test box of goodies is just what I needed for the holidays, a good hair refreshing treatment session and some super fantastic styling. I like to spend time over the holidays relaxing with face masks and hair masks and just catching my breath again before the new year starts. Just Cant get enough of The Test Box , it has been a fantastic year of trying out new products!

So lets get down to whats in the box, The Kevin Murphy Maxi wash , Kevin Murphy Born again treatment and the Kevin Murphy Motion Lotion! They are 40ml bottles and this sounds small but these go along way cause you use very little product.

This is a well thought out box as the Maxi wash and Born again treatment go so well together, When used together they become a power packed make over for hair, think of it as like a facial for your hair. The Maxi wash is  a detoxifying shampoo that contains AHA’s (fruit acids) that break down fatty acids for a clean, clear scalp. It helps remove build-up of unwanted products and chemicals, giving it a new clean refreshing start! So go ahead and give hair a great wash with the Maxi wash, it helps prepare hair to absorb nutrients so its perfect to then follow up with the Born Again Treatment

The Born Again Treatment Is designed in a way that the molecules are so small that they are instantly absorbed into hair and get to work right away. This treatment gives hair a boost and protects it from future damage while repairing hair , leaving it vibrant and shiny. It is the perfect partner for the Maxi wash! Then the third little bottle, The Motion Lotion, Is a great finishing product to define waves and curls. The Motion lotion is super easy to use and you just rub a tiny bit into wet hair and scrunch, it does not leave hair feeling sticky and is weightless on hair so you don’t feel like you have rubbed something on hair. Plus it helps control frizz so bonus 😉

These Lovely Kevin Murphy Products and tiny tester bottles are available to buy on The Test Box site so go check it out and do some Christmas shopping! They also have a stunning special running that all orders for December receive a free Test Box!!!! You do not want to miss out on that one.  www.thetestbox.co.za

 

Golden Glossy hair using Kevin Murphy products & The Glampalm curling wand.

This golden summer hair look is easy to achieve using a few great Kevin Murphy Products and The Glampalm magic wand.

I have done reviews before on the Kevin Murphy shimmer shine spray, It is a golden shine spray for hair that strengthens and repairs hair while giving it fantastic shine. I have paired this spray with the Kevin Murphy Shimmer Color bug , this is a non permanent hair color that rubs on easy and washes out. The shimmer bug shines golden goodness!! It is truly beautiful. Also a little trick I have learnt with the Shimmer bug is that it doubles up well as a skin bronzer and even an eye shadow!!!

With this you obviously need a product to hold your style and also to help give the Color bug something to stick to when rubbed onto hair. I have been playing around with the New Kevin Murphy Free Hold styling creme. The Free Hold Is a new product launched with the new Kevin Murphy men’s range, I  obviously needed to test it out. It gives hair a great medium hold while still looking natural, feeling soft and giving an amazing glossy shine to hair.

So down to the simple basics of how to get this look going..

1. Gather your products and switch on your curling wand
2. Divide your hair into sections by pinning the top up and starting at the bottom.
3. Use a small amount of the Free Hold and rub it between the palms of your hands and then smooth/ massage it into a section of hair. Seriously the smallest amount is good enough, u don’t need to over do it.
4. Use your color bug and rub it in firm stokes from top to bottom over the strand of hair. I divided my section into pieces big enough to curl and then color bugged the pieces one by one as it works better on smaller sections.
5. Use your curling wand to curl the hair or just add waves.
6. After you have worked your way through all your hair you can finish it off by spraying a good amount of Shimmer shine spray on.

It is actually so easy to do and the results are beautiful, I struggled to catch the exact shimmer of the hair on camera once it was done, but in the light it shines like gold!! I feel like this is great for a summer party look, beach party, new years dress up.It is an Impressive hair look that you can do yourself at home. The golden look on my dark brown hair gives it a nice golden brown/highlighted appearance with intense shimmer. Like I said, I struggled to capture on camera but imagine that hand swatch but on hair. With a brilliant glossy shine from the Free Hold.

I will have more Info and a nice review of the Free Hold going up on the blog soon as well as the details on the other New Kevin Murphy Men’s products launched now cause I think they would be good for Christmas presents for the men in your life! I know my hubby has taken too much of a liking to my KM shampoo lol, I have to hide it away from him!!!

Remember I shop for all my Kevin Murphy and hair care products on the Test Box site , www.thetestbox.co.za And they are having a special for December where you get a free test box with all orders! So go shop!

Xxxxx

Beauty Blogger – South African Beauty Blogger – Beauty Reviews

Kevin Murphy Hydrate Me -My hair’s best friend

Today I am telling you about the Kevin Murphy Hydrate Me wash and rinse. Basically my hairs new best friend! A product that is beautiful inside and out. If you have not yet tried any Kevin Murphy products then I strongly suggest you do! It is totally life changing for how you will look at hair care. Luxury like never before! These stunning products are available to buy from The Test Box site.

If your hair is dry / damaged and needs moisture, shine and softness then this is the product for you. If you are like me and and have gone from product to product searching for one that really gives moisture and takes away that hard dry feeling that thick coarse hair can have then you should go straight out and buy some of this! The Kevin Murphy Hydrate me range gives moisture to hair from the first wash and smooths it out fantastically. This means less frizz and smoothed over split ends making them loads less visible so that the overall appearance of hair is healthier and glowing!

 

You can feel even the wash (shampoo) nourishes and hydrates your hair, It is also sulphate and paraben free and takes only a small amount of product to do the job properly so you are getting a good long use out of it making it more value for your money. The Hydrate me Rinse (conditioner) is thick and creamy and beyond a pleasure to rub into hair, It leaves hair feeling completely moisturized while adding shine and softness as well as smoothing out frizz incredibly! I also have to just brag about how amazing these products smell, it is like aromatherapy while you wash your hair, I have never had a hair care range that smells so totally amazing!!!!

All Kevin Murphy products are also cruelty free and are designed in a way that the beautiful packaging in environmentally friendly. I don’t think you need any more reasons to go out and buy these? You Seriously just cant go wrong. The Hydrate me wash sells for R370 and The Hydrate me Rinse is R380 and you can click HERE to buy them online from The Test Box.

xxx

Pretty Messy Mellon – Beauty Blog – South African Beauty Blog

Glampalm Magic curling Wand – Review & product Details

I was lucky enough to receive a Magic Wand from Glampalm a few weeks ago. I must say it has totally changed the way I think about curling my hair. I have long thick hair that generally takes forever to style and its normally such a big mission that I couldn’t really be bothered. I have also for years been a ghd fan and I always thought other brands would not be as good. Well let me just set this straight now, Glampalm is absolutely magical 🙂 It is really a super fantastic product and works like a bomb. Plus you do not have to worry about damage too much cause of the mineral ore infused barrel, which leaves virtually no damage.

The Glampalm Magic Wand is true quality, from its looks to its feel and even the results that you get. From the moment it landed on my desk I was playing with it, I even turned it on at work and did a few quick curls at my desk and when I got home later those curls were still rocking and I had not even sprayed on any setting spray or anything!? I mean how is this possible, all the other curling methods I have tried I needed to use a hair spray with otherwise 5 minutes later my poor hair would be flat. The Glampalm Magic wand definitely does its job well.

The Magic wand comes in a stylish black box with a Glampalm branded slip cover that slips off. The box then opens up to reveal the curling wand displayed neatly inside. When you open the box up further you then notice that it comes with a little black heat resistant glove (This is just total genius!!) and the Curling wand it’s self has an impressive long cable with the no tangle swivel on the handle end and on the plug side it has this handy little rubber clip thing you use to neatly tie your cable when storing it. The wand also has a very clever safety kick stand that you can flip out so you do not have to put it down on fragile surfaces or risk burning your dressing table. This baby gets hot so be careful with her, I first though I wouldn’t need the glove it came with but trust me you will soon get into using it.

The Glampalm Magic wand has a 1 inch barrel that heats up in like 30 seconds! The wand is turned on by holding in the On/Off button till the red light blinks on, It is ready when the light turns to green. The wand has 3 temperature settings, Low for fine/damaged hair. Medium for normal  hair and then High for thick,coarse or ethnic hair Or just for days you wanna curl the hell out of your hair lol. But It is better for damaged hair or over processed hair to stick to the Medium or low Temperatures.

The basics of it is to turn the Magic wand on and wrap your hair around the barrel from the base up to the tip and hold in place for a few seconds, I hold it for about 7 seconds and then slide the wand out to reveal the perfect curl. You can play around with how you wrap your hair to achieve tighter or loose curls or just slight waves and also wrapping towards the face or the other way. So many different effects can be achieved and It is really so easy and effective that anyone can pull off perfect curls. The Glampalm Magic wand sells for R1799 on the Glampalm site , You can Click HERE to go straight to the site. Check it out and get yourself one! Its well worth it.

The Test Box! November, Its a real treat!

Oh look its November! where has this year gone!!!!! I Cant believe that it is almost Christmas. It is as if The Test Box is already trying to get us into the festive spirit cause this month’s box is an extreme treat!! A whole box full of goodies 🙂 The November box comes with:

• 2x Ghd hair clips
• 2x pink hair bobbles
• a funky bright pink brush
• Keune Design Color Care Shampoo
• Keune Design Color Care Conditioner

Such a surprise to open up a whole box full of goodies, I keep telling everyone to go subscribe to The Test Box! I get to be excited every month for my box of hair care pleasures. Every single box this year has been lovely and it has been so great getting to try out the amazing salon quality hair care products. I normally wouldn’t be able to afford buying all the full size Items to just try out, and then you still sit with the possibility of not liking the product. It is super easy to subscribe to The Test Box and at a bargain of only R160 a month delivered to your door! Click here to go to the easy Subscription page.

This months feature product range is the Keune Design Color Care range. In this months box we receive the shampoo and conditioner from the range. The range has Triple Color Protection and Sunflower Seed Extract that protect hair from UV-damage. Plus Natural Sea Silk adds shine and leaves hair silky smooth.

The Shampoo in our box is a 70ml bottle that will go a long way. You only need a little bit of the shampoo to work up a good luxurious foam that will leave your hair feeling refreshed and perfectly cleansed. The shampoo is a clear liquid with a very pleasant sweet smell that is not overly intense. The Keune design Color care shampoo helps strengthen hair leaving it glossy with new life and vitality. The Organic Argan Oil in the Shampoo gently cleanses and strengthens the hair. Hair is left shiny, soft and with a silky feeling.

We get a 50ml Keune Color Care Conditioner in the box, it is a luxury conditioner for colored hair. It is designed to Improve the condition of dry and damaged hair. Making hair more manageable while looking after your color, making sure you have longer lasting color with shine, softness and a vibrant glow! It ticks all the boxes as far as a good conditioner goes. Smells great and only takes a little bit to spread easily through hair. I Always leave my conditioner on for as long as I can before washing off so my hair gets a good dose. You Don’t have to over do it with this baby cause it is wonderfully concentrated.

Ps: I used the Joico Hair Shake to style.

Overall the Color Care range is amazing! I am happy to have had the chance to discover Keune because it is a wonderful brand! Our Box also contains a vibrant pink brush that resembles a tangle teaster, even tho it is not the original tangle teaser it still does a bang of a job! With two matching pink hair bobbles and two very handy Ghd clips this box has all your hair care needs perfectly sorted this month!! (I keep loosing these damn Ghd clips lol im sure they are partying it up with my missing socks!)

Go check out The Test Box website where you can conveniently buy all your salon quality hair care products and also have a look at subscribing for your own monthly box! I Cant wait for the December box 🙂

xxx

Joico Hair Shake Review and a easy hair look.

Joico has come up with a fantastic new product to add amazing texture and volume to hair. I have had this sitting on my beauty desk for a while now and have been playing with it to get the hang of using it and see what its all about.

The Joico Hair Shake is a Liquid to Powder finishing texturizer that adds life to hair by giving it great texture with lift and volume. Think luscious sexy big summer hair!! Hair with playful life! A great way to bring out layers and create sexy wavy hair with lasting volume that is still soft to the touch and non sticky. It can be used on all hair types and it super flash dries once it hits hair so there is no waiting for it to dry making it perfect for even the rushed mornings! The product also helps hold a style in place.

The Product comes in a beautiful black to grey fade bottle with a spray nozzle. It sprays out a clear fine liquid mist that quickly dries to a powder finish that is not visible and non sticky so you do not see or really feel the product on your hair. I have dark hair so I would have noticed quickly if I saw any powder residue on hair so that’s a fantastic feature!  The Joico Hair Shake also smells amazing, like a stunning floral perfume! It also has Joico’s Bio-Advanced Peptide Complex, designed exclusively to help repair and protect against future damage.

The Joico Hair Shake sells for R380 for a 150ml bottle and you can purchase it from The Test Box site. I can see me getting a very good amount of uses out of it cause it doesn’t take a lot of product to get the effect right.

Ok So think easy use = Shake well , spray spray spray and then scrunch and tease hair into the style you want. I like to lift up the top section of hair and get into the bottom areas to really get the volume going. Another great and easy way to style is doing a side braid with damp hair and then drying your hair with the hair dryer while its still in the braid and once its all dry you spray on the Joico hair shake and then dry it a tad bit more with the dryer to set. Then undo the braid and spray the hair shake onto hair and scrunch it to add texture and volume to the waves and then I just use my ghd to straighten and tidy my fringe. See pics below on step by step and the after result 🙂

You can also undo the braid and then do your thing with hair shake and then braid it again for a beautiful volumized messy braid. These looks are perfect for summer beach days!!  Head over to The Test Box site and shop for your bottle of Joico Hair shake!!

The Test Box – October Box – TIGI Oatmeal & Honey

I actually cant believe we are already welcoming October! This year has gone by so fast and we have seen so many really fantastic boxes from The Test Box this year! This month is another fantastic month as we explore some more TIGI products. If you haven’t already checked out The Test Box then you really should, for only R160 a month you get a box of amazing hair care samples sent to your door!!

Every month I am always so excited to see whats gonna be in The Test Box, this month my hair definitely needs some special love because I have again gone and added some highlights and put some color in and everything that I totally shouldn’t be doing to my poor hair. Lucky for me this months box has the TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey range in it. Like it was just sent from heaven for me! 🙂 The Box Contains a 50ml shampoo, a 50ml conditioner and a 10ml treatment. Thank the hair gods for The Test Box!!!

Ok so firstly this stuff smells so so yummy!!! like you could eat it yummy, I honestly think it really does smell like oatmeal and honey. The TIGI Oatmeal & Honey shampoo does its job super well, using only a little bit it foams up nicely and smells heavenly good. It is designed to be color safe so you don’t have to worry about that and it moisturizes hair with Wheat Protein & Vitamin E. The 50ml sample shampoo should be enough for you to wash your hair once a week for like 4 weeks so if you are using it properly you should get your month out of it.  Long enough to get you to the next Test Box YAY 🙂

The conditioner is thick and creamy with the same yummy smell!! not joking, it smells so yummy I had food cravings after washing my hair hahah. The TIGI Catwalk oatmeal and honey conditioner is for dry and damaged hair. It nourishes hair leaving it smooth, shiny and silky soft!  I left it on my hair for about 10 min before washing it off. It gives hair a lush feeling and you can feel it has smoothed hair and given it the good moisture that it needs.

The last little item in our box is the TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey Treatment , and OMG It is to die for! Same amazing smell as the shampoo and conditioner but even more hydrating and smoothing for hair. This is like a genuine treat 🙂 It leaves hair feeling super soft and smooth right down to the dry ends!! Also giving it a lovely bouncy, healthy feeling. I have never bought TIGI products before but I am sure glad that The Test Box decided to introduce us to them cause they are actually pretty fabulous! Like a hidden gem 🙂

Head over to www.thetestbox.co.za  , you can shop for all your salon hair care products and check out subscribing so you can also get your very own monthly box!

Thanx Again to The Test Box for a wonderful box!! Keeping my hair looking fantastic all year 🙂 xxxx

Kevin Murphy Shimmer Shine Spray

The weather is getting warmer and the spring days are looking lovely and with this comes thoughts of summer and hot days on the beach , Tanned bronzed skin and beautiful luscious hair. The Kevin Murphy shimmer shine spray is the Perfect summer finishing spray for hair, It gives hair a wonderful shine and smooth feeling while also strengthening and repairing hair. oooh and it smells amazing, Like a floral body spray.

The Shimmer Shine spray comes in a pretty shaped Kevin Murphy bottle and at rest it is a clear liquid with a layer of gold dust at the bottom, before use you shake it a little to mix it and it turns into a stunning golden bottle of shimmer brilliance! Looks like liquid gold in a bottle. All Kevin Murphy products are Sulfate free, paraben free and cruelty free so you can enjoy guilt free styling. The shimmer shine spray contains Vitamins A, C and E, Baobab, Immortelle and Bamboo extracts with the Light reflective technology from high-end skincare adds a brilliant shine to hair with no oily residue.

I find this to be the perfect finishing shine spray for after I have washed and straightened my hair and it just adds the most beautiful shine and revives hair in a way that makes my color look better. Also fantastic to spritz over curled hair to add mirror shine!! The most fantastic thing about the Kevin Murphy Shimmer shine spray is that it is not heavy on hair, you can go ahead and spray a good amount on without it being oily or weighing hair done! And I absolutely love the smell of it, it is so nice to refresh hair and gives it a lovely fragrance.

You can buy your self a beautiful bottle of shimmer shine spray from The Test Box for R350 , with summer coming it is definitely worth getting a bottle for those sunny days that we all long to have luscious touch worthy shinny hair that smells good too!

The Test Box – September box! Joico & Scruff…

This Months Test Box is as always a fantastic one!! Featuring one of my favorite hair care brands, Joico. The Box also contains a sample of Scruff Coffee Scrub. If you are not yet familiar with The Test Box, It is a South African subscription box that costs only R160 a month delivered to your door! Every month the box contains a different salon quality hair product and an extra little surprise. Its very easy to sign up for via a super easy debit order form and the service I have received from them has ALWAYS been amazing 🙂

The Joico Smooth Cure shampoo and conditioner in this months box is for frizzy, curly or coarse hair. Both the shampoo and conditioner have a lovely sweet fruity smell. This product works wonder to smooth out hair and dramatically reduce frizz, the shampoo is sulfate free and gently cleans hair leaving it feeling soft and still moisturized, remember that sulfate free shampoo’s don’t foam up as much as others and just cause its not foaming wildly doesn’t mean it is not doing its job.

The Conditioner is very creamy and you do not need a lot to cover hair. I sat for 10 min relaxing in the bath while I let the conditioner do its work. When you wash off the conditioner you can immediately feel how soft, moisturized and smooth your hair is! Its a wonderful feeling. The conditioner left my hair very manageable, it was not tangled at all after washing and was left smelling great. I normally kinda feel the need to go over my hair with the ghd after drying it to just get the little bit of frizz out, but the Joico Smooth Cure really did such a great job at smoothing my hair out that I didn’t even need to touch up with the ghd this time! I washed last night and slept with my hair loose and this morning my hair was still looking perfect, Amazing what a good hair care brand can do!! I have so much love for Joico products!

Sooooo 🙂 The other wonderful product in this months box is the Scruff Coffee Scrub!! I have been eyeing this product for a while now on The Test Box site so I am very happy that they included a sample in this months box. I am such a sucker for scrubs, I adore that smooth, hydrated, just scrubbed skin feeling. The Scruff Coffee Scrub is a proudly Capetonian brand, the scrub is hand made and natural, Its hydrating for skin and has antioxidant powers!! Suitable for even sensitive skin and can be used on face and body. If you are a Coffee Lover then you will most certainly and completely fall in love with this super product! It smells just like my morning strong filter coffee!! It has fast become my go to facial scrub and its great to rub on and sit and relax for 10 minutes while you enjoy the lovely coffee smell, makes for a super relaxing Sunday morning face treatment while you have your morning coffee! Go show the Scruff Facebook page some love And go buy your self some on The Test Box Site for only R145  for a 180g tub. I feel like I need to stock up with loads of this lovely scrub!!!!!!

Thanx to The Test Box for a Fabulous box as usual! cant wait to see the October box 🙂 If you are not already subscribed to The Test Box then I suggest you head over to their site and do so! Its such a bargain and keeps my hair healthy and looking great. I would be lost without my monthly box.

Ok so now my Hair looks Amazing and feels great, my skin is smooth and glowing, so I can definitely say this months box came in handy for prepping me for the weekend!! Happy Friday Everyone!!!! Here is a hair selfie 😉

5 Favorites Post

I have so many products that rotate as my favorite products but these 5 have stayed in the top 5 position for a while now so i think they are definitely worth mentioning to everyone!

ColourPop Eyeshadow: This ColourPop super shock eyeshadow in “Get Lucky” is my favorite eye color at the moment, It is an intense gold color and the color pigment is out of this word grand! The feeling and soft creamy texture of the product is also dreamy and it has fantastic lasting power. I always get the nicest complements when I wear this shade and I find the gold makes my blue eyes pop, Gosh I just love it so so much! We don’t get ColourPop in South Africa but I was lucky enough to buy this from someone. If you can get your hands on some or see it on a swap group then be sure to grab it up as fast as you can. I am considering bribing someone to ship me some 😉

Essence Lash Princess Mascara: I have used this one finished and that for me is an odd thing for a mascara cause normally mine dry up before I get around to finishing them. This was such a bargain buy at Dischem for R56 and it turned out to be the best mascara I have. I have been trying some top brands and this still kicked ass! It gives a deep black false lash look with thick long lashes!! I know, I know… every second mascara promises a “False lash effect” I Truly do feel that this one lived up to that promise! This will be the first mascara in a long time that i will repurchase 🙂 So Thanx Essence for making a fantastic product!

Lancome Nutrix royal Body Lotion: Winter is dry and cold and our skin tends to suffer from it, It is good to have a trusty side kick body lotion that you can trust and love to keep your skin looking its best and hydrated through winter months. My current favorite body lotion is this fantastic Lancome Nutix Royal. It feels good, smells good and does its job well so that is everything I need in a lotion. Great quality, a little goes a long way and nourishes skin perfectly to keep it glowing and even.

Kevin Murphy Plumping Rinse: Where on earth has this Conditioner been all my life?!!! I seriously have developed a very big Kevin Murphy addiction and its making me broke lol…. But hay it is oh soooooo very muchly worth it!!! Worth every last cent of it. I don’t always match my shampoo and conditioner, currently I am washing with the Kevin Murphy Hydrate me wash and using the Kevin Murphy Plumping Rinse. The Plumping rinse is truly a wonder product, It has become my holy grail of conditioners. the product is for people with thinning or fine hair, It is a densifying Conditioner that plumps up while strengthening and promoting hair growth. Well it does exactly that and that is not really what im using it for. I am using it cause of how it makes my hair feel, if gives my hair a smooth springy texture like no other conditioner has ever before!! It leaves my hair smooth and soft with incredible shine!! The kind of hair you just wanna sit and touch all day 🙂 So I will continue to spend all my money on KM! Go shop At www.thetestbox.co.za and check out all the products! Even if u buy the Little sample bottles in the May Test Box (its on sale at the mo) You will be hooked! Plus the sample size bottles are so Cute, ill be using them when I travel this weekend to the Blog Awards

Issey Miyake Pleats Please : I love buying a new fragrance, I collect them and have so many! A lot of the time I find that fragrances can smell so similar and I like to find one that really stands out from the rest! One that when people smell it and they know it then they know what it is that i am wearing! This Issey Miyake Pleats Please is very unique 🙂 To me it smells like pink sweets and is such a soft powdery, girly sweet smell. I absolutely adore it and the bottle has a awesome design! I bought a small bottle and i have probably been enjoying it too much because its basically half empty already.