All posts by Chelle

Haircare: Drybar Triple Sec, Le Sherif & Detox

Hair

201609_drybar_triplesec_lesherif_drybardetox

Drybar is one of those haircare brands that you don’t want to fall head over heels for because the price tag is a little bit up there… but the reality is that when a product is GOOD, you know the price tag is worth it! (Seriously, I’m so in love with their shampoo and conditioner that I’m willing to fork over the $30 CAD each every now and then!)

So here’s some of the recent Drybar products I’ve tried out:

Drybar - Le Sherif
Drybar – Le Sherif

Drybar‘s Le Sherif is their firm hold hairspray that combines long-lasting hold with easy brushability for a high-control finish. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do when I put hairspray in my hair is brush through it afterwards, so I definitely cannot speak to the “brushability” claims. However, I can say that Le Sherif works well to hold my curls and waves in place all day long. HOW well you ask? Well, let’s just say that I shot this Empties video after my usual 8:30-4:30 workday and my waves were still looking rock solid:

Le Sherif does have a very strong scent that is identical to their shampoo and conditioner that I tried out a few months back. It takes some getting used to because it can be quite strong. This isn’t a deterrent for me, but it’s something you should be aware of if you’re susceptible to strong scents.

Drybar Triple Sec & Detox Dry Shampoo
Drybar Triple Sec & Detox Dry Shampoo
  • Drybar Detox: A dry shampoo that promises it works for all hair types – absorbs oil and impurities while adding body. For me, I wasn’t over the moon with this one as I’m just really not a fan of dry shampoos in general (they make me feel dirtier than I am!), however, my husband ended up LOVING this stuff. He’d blast it into the roots of his hair and it would soak up any oil or grease within a few minutes. So now it’s definitely his bottle of dry shampoo!
  • Triple Sec: A three-in-one volumizer, texturizer and dry shampoo. Now this one I loved! Since it’s not completely a dry shampoo, I felt this was lighter and less “gross” than if I applied a dry shampoo (hopefully there’s someone out there that understands what I mean). It soaked up enough of my hair oils, but it also added body and life back into my hair without giving me that super sticky feel that a texturizer often has. I also really appreciated the scent of this one as it didn’t smell like all the other Drybar products I own. This was a lot sweeter and less aggressively scented in comparison to the others.

Drybar products can be purchased on sephora.com or on Drybar‘s own web site.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara + #TheWink

Makeup, Reviews
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara + #TheWink
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara + #TheWink

This post is mostly a review, but there’s a wee introduction to Clinique‘s new editorial platform: The Wink at the end!

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara

The Lash Power Flutter-To Full Mascara is Clinique‘s new(ish) mascara. It promises to customize the amount of volume you deposit n your lashes so that you can go from fluttery to volumized.

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara - has a rotating cap to adjust the amount of product you get on the wand.
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara – has a rotating cap to adjust the amount of product you get on the wand.

You’ll notice a dial in the center of the tube that has increasingly bigger lashes drawn on to the cap. You can twist the cap to match the size of the lashes you so desire. Although I can’t find any instructions on what actually causes the difference in volume, my gut inclination is that the twisting mechanism tightens/untightens the barrel that the lash wand comes out through. The tighten the barrel, the less product you get on the wand, and vice versa.

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara - natural fiber mascara wand
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara – natural fiber mascara wand

The wand itself is made up of “natural” fibers – no rubberized brush here!

So here’s how it plays out:

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara - comparison
Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara – comparison – each “level” of volume was done with one coat of mascara.

Honestly, I really don’t notice that much of a difference when I twist the barrel any which way. I think the most volumized look is potentially SLIGHTLY more volumized than the first barrel turn, but not enough that it warrants creating that kind of mechanism for the product itself. (You could achieve that just by adding another coat of mascara really.) In the end, I think I preferred the look of the least voluminous look because it provided more definition to my lashes.

Other pertinent details: This is more a dry formula than a wet one (I prefer wet mascaras overall) and it left my lashes feeling a bit crispy (I tend to prefer a waxier feeling after it’s dried). Although this mascara wasn’t necessarily my bag, maybe the details above will help you decide if it works for you. Mascara is such a personal thing that it’s really hard to account for what other people are looking for.

OH! One *super* important thing to note: This mascara didn’t flake on me at all. I’m exceptionally prone to flaking mascara and this sucker did not budge!

The Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Fall mascara can be purchased on sephora.ca for $28 CAD or on sephora.com for $21 USD.

Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full Mascara + #TheWink

On October 6, 2016, Clinique also launched The Wink. It’s an editorial platform by the brand intended to help readers discover the people, places, ideas and stories that Clinique finds simply amazing – from across Canada and around the world. I know I was intrigued as soon as I saw an article on Crushed Macaron Ice Cream. That Red Velvet one is making me swoon!

The product/web site featured in this post was sent to me for consideration.

Halloween Nails for the Amateurs (aka me)

Miscellaneous, ,

Halloween Nails

Alright you guys, I am a gross amateur when it comes to applying nail polish, forget gorgeous nail art! (I’m in constant awe of my friend Kaitlyn who manages to pull out some insanely beautiful nail art on her gorgeous nails!) However, for whatever unknown reason, my nails have gotten long and strong recently, so I find myself wanting to do *something* with them.

And the easiest thing I know is a French tip because it’s basically fool proof since I use the nail stickers (I buy them for like 99 cents on Ebay!).

Left to right: Seche Base, Seche Vive, China Glaze Liquid Leather and Julie G Albuquerque
Left to right: Seche Base, Seche Vive, China Glaze Liquid Leather and Julie G Albuquerque

I’m personally not interested in the usual French tip colours of nude and white, so I opt to switch it up and play with colour. Since Halloween is around the corner, I wanted to stick with a seasonal orange and black nail. And since I did this just for me and wasn’t planning on doing a post about it, I really don’t have a step by step guide for you guys, but I can tell you about some of my favourite products for nails!

I don’t know how I did any nail polish whatsoever before I discovered Seche Vive/Seche Vite back in August. Seche Vive is the new gel-like fast drying finish, but I think a lot of people are already aware of Seche Vite (the original). This stuff dries so freaking fast and makes my manicure last at least 7 days (but really it’s usually closer to 10-12 days). I wish I’d gotten on the bandwagon a lot sooner because in the past my nails were always chipped by day 2!

Halloween Nails - polish being held is China Glaze Liquid Leather
Halloween Nails – polish being held is China Glaze Liquid Leather

The black nail polish I’ve been using for years is China Glaze‘s Liquid Leather. It’s not a single coat black, but it’s pretty darn close. (And if you watch Simply Nailogical, you’ll know that this one was one of the better black polishes in her recent roundup. It’s also one of the easiest to get your hands on that’s for sure!) One of the reasons I like this so much is I’ve probably had it for 4-5 years and although I can’t tell how much I’ve finished in the bottle, I can say that the formula remains just as fluid as the day I got it. No gunking up in this bottle!

Halloween Nails - polish being held is Julie G's Albuquerque
Halloween Nails – polish being held is Julie G’s Albuquerque

Although not available in Canada, Julie G‘s nail polish line is one I look forward to buying whenever I’m in the US and have access to a Rite Aid. Julie G is one of the original YouTubers I remember watching when I first got into the beauty world. When I first spotted her line while on vacation, I was happy to support her… and then even happier to discover that I really, REALLY liked her shimmery polishes (I’ve only tried one cream polish and I didn’t love it as much). This particular shade is Albuquerque and I’m drawn to it because it’s not only a stunning shimmery metallic orange, but it’s also the city Julie lives in as well as being the city that Breaking Bad took place in. (God I miss that show soooo much!)

Black nail with an orange tip
Black nail with an orange tip

In short, how I got this nail look is first by coating my nails with the Seche Base. Waiting five minutes, coating with one layer of black polish. Waiting another two minutes and then applying a second layer of black polish. I then coated my nails with a thick layer of Seche Vive so I could use the nail stickers soon thereafter. Thirty minutes and a load of laundry later, I then applied the French tip nail stickers, did two coats on the tips of my nails with orange polish, peeled off the stickers and re-coated them with Seche Vive.

This is the easiest time I have ever had doing French tips! In the past, I always had problems with the stickers yanking off the base layer polish. This time Seche kept my base layer intact! As you can maybe see from the ridiculous sheen in the photos, Seche Vive adds one hell of a glossy topcoat to my nails. It’s really, really nice to look at in person, but it’s hell on a camera lens!

Although this post was accidental and I hadn't actually done my nails with a post in mind (seriously, I think this is my first ever nail post), please note that the Seche Base and Seche Vive products were sent to me for consideration.