Category Archives: Hair

Lisap Top Care Hydra Care Review

Hair

This post is sponsored by Lisap.

New on the market is Lisap‘s Top Care Hydra Care range. Manufactured in Milan, Italy, this brand is producing their Hydra Care range as an answer for those of us with dry, damaged hair that’s a direct result of our lifestyles.

When I was first approached by Lisap to try out their Hydra Care range, I found myself nodding my head in agreement with their press sheet:

Hydra Care was created for hair that is frequently shampooed (yep, that’s me – I wash my hair daily) and weakened by the over use of blow dryers (yep) and hair straighteners (and yep!). It leaves hair feeling light (it actually does) and makes it easier to blow dry, style and comb.  Its formula is enriched with Papyrus Extract, Ceramide A2, Hydra Care Complex and the perfect balance of nutrients to ensure the hair is intensely nourished and exceptionally soft. Top Care Hydra Care is also totally free of artificial colourings, sulphates and parabens.

So with all of that in mind, I was definitely eager to try out their range!

Lisap Top Care Hydra Care - shampoo and conditioner
Lisap Top Care Hydra Care – shampoo and conditioner

The whole Hydra Care range contains their Hydra Care complex which is a natural complex formulated to seal raised hair cuticles, Keratin that attaches directly to natural Keratin in the hair for a detangling effect, papyrus which is rich in minerals, sugar and hydrating agents, wakame (Japanese seaweed extract) which is also rich in vitamins and minerals that protects the integrity of the hair structure and combats hair stress, and finally, Ceramide A2 which strengthens and restores cellular cohesion to maximize the hair structure.

Obviously, the first two items I tried out from Lisap‘s Top Care Hydra Care range was their shampoo and conditioner. As far as products go, these feel like fairly standard products. It lathered well and rinsed out as I would expect which is a huge relief. Why is that a relief you ask? Because I’ve used hydrating hair products in the past and they’ve left me with a really awful texture to my hair – gunky, thick and hard to rinse out. Not the case with Hydra Care!

Lisap Top Care Hydra Care Nourishing Cream and Nourishing Mask
Lisap Top Care Hydra Care Nourishing Cream and Nourishing Mask

If you’re looking for a boost of moisture for your hair on days you know you’re going to be styling it heavily, the Nourishing Cream is there for you. It’s basically a combination leave in detangler as well as a hydrating agent for when you’re going to be heat styling your hair. I found it worked really well when I used it on my hair and followed it up with some heat styling. It was less necessary on days when I just pulled my hair back and ran out the door to work.

If you’re in need of some serious hydration for your hair, you can always use the Nourishing Mask in place of the conditioner. This is a much thicker cream that you leave on for about ten minutes in order to let the product really sink in. Again, I thought to myself “oh no this is also going to be too heavy for my hair” and again I was totally disproven! The Nourishing Mask is super luxurious and left my hair feeling light, fluffy and hydrated after use!

As I’ve mentioned a few times in this review, I was really into the idea of this product being for those of who wash and style our hair daily, but I was a little bit worried that the hydrating aspect would be too much for my hair. This never turned out to be the case! And while my hair got the hydration it needed, it was also incredibly fluffy and light. I was astonished with just how bouncy my hair was after using these products! Usually volume and hydration don’t go hand in hand, but that was absolutely the end result for my hair!

I’m also really happy to report that the Lisap range of products is not expensive either! The shampoo and conditioner are around the $12 mark, and the Nourishing Cream and Nourishing Mask are closer to about $17. If you’re interested in finding out where you can pick up Lisap products, call 1-800-667-5954 or visit www.lisap.ca.

What I Bought This Month – November 2016 Haul

Hair, , ,

Amazingly enough, even with the Sephora VIB Sale, this month has turned out to be a low spending month! Sure, this post is going up a bit early and I could potentially buy something before the month ends but I kind of doubt it. So this post is entirely my VIB sale haul!

Urban Decay Full Spectrum ($64 CAD sale price, regularly $80)
Urban Decay Full Spectrum ($64 CAD sale price, regularly $80)

If there was one palette I knew I was going to be buying this holiday season, it was the Urban Decay Full Spectrum! As soon as I laid my eyes on it, I knew I wanted it in all its rainbow glory.

Urban Decay Full Spectrum ($64 CAD sale price, regularly $80)
Urban Decay Full Spectrum ($64 CAD sale price, regularly $80)

I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but the prices of Urban Decay palettes seem to be going up rapidly lately so I was more than a bit shocked when I saw the price tag was a whopping $80 Canadian! Like what the HELLLLLLL. So I crossed my fingers and toes and prayed this wouldn’t sell out before the VIB sale. It didn’t, and I was able to get it at the $64 price tag which is at least REASONABLE. UD has got to callllm down with these price hikes though… they’re getting out of control!

Huda Beauty Sasha #11 lashes ($17.60 CAD sale price, regularly $22)
Huda Beauty Sasha #11 lashes ($17.60 CAD sale price, regularly $22)

Since I want to find out if I am desperately in love with Esqido lashes, or if it’s really just the cotton band that makes them so wonderful, I decided to pick up a pair of Huda Beauty false lashes in #11 Sasha. They also have a cotton band and they’re about half the price of Esqido. We shall see!

Sephora Collection Early Rise Mini Travel Eyelash Curler ($8.80 CAD sale price, regularly $11)
Sephora Collection Early Rise Mini Travel Eyelash Curler ($8.80 CAD sale price, regularly $11)

I got the Sephora Collection Early Rise Mini Travel Eyelash Curler because I really love how my current Sephora Collection lash curler fits my eyeshape and I’ve completely run out of curling pads for it (why don’t they sell them individually???). However, I am really not enjoying this mini size of the curler. It’s harder to use and just doesn’t feel the same. And oddly, I can’t use the curling pads on my older model because they just don’t fit the same way. So annoyed.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe ($18.40 CAD sale price, regularly $23)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe ($18.40 CAD sale price, regularly $23)

I’m a huge fan of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow and had previously gone through a pot of the Blonde shade. I felt like Blonde was a little too pea soup in colour and opted to get the Taupe shade this time ’round. Buttttttt Taupe is feeling surprisingly dark on me and I don’t know if it’s just because it’s been a long time since I’ve use Dipbrow (probably close to a year since I ran out), or if Taupe is just that much darker than Blonde. I’m still getting used to it, so we’ll see how I like it in a month or so.

And there we have it! Pretty restrained this month I’d say! Let me know what your favourite purchase has been in the last month – beauty or otherwise!

Haircare: Drybar Triple Sec, Le Sherif & Detox

Hair

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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.