February Favourites│Beauty

February passed by so quickly! I had a pretty nice month, including Valentine's Day - Weekend <3 I hope you had an amazing day with your loved one (s)! Moving on to favourites, beauty-wise. I have a few skincare & haircare products I absolutely adore.

Hair

Morocanoil Treatment ($.43.00) The most raved hair oil for years, I've finally given in. I was always interested in trying out this oil, though some may think is overrated, I don't. I started compulsively buying hair stuff ever since I got my hair bleached & currently trying to stop, hah! We all know I won't. This oil has transformed my hair from brittle, dry and damaged hair to nourished, repaired and strong hair* It contains fatty acids, omega-3 oils and vitamins that instantly add shine. I've also used it when I'm using hot tools as it absorbs instantly to fill gaps created by heat. I could tell a BIG difference when using heat protectans vs. this. The scent is soooo good, I would probably repurchase this!

*used daily, 2 pumps (I had extremely dry hair), combined with the Morocanoil Intense Hydrating Mask (used twice a week)

Morocanoil Intense Hydrating Mask ($.34.60) As you may already know, my hair has gone through chemical process, and this 5 minute revival treatment saved it. Is ideal for thick hair, and it hydrates and conditions the hair dramatically. I read through lots of reviews if it was better to leave in the treatment for longer than recommended (5-7 minutes). I would obviously think more time = better results. But  it turns out the hair only needs that amount of time to be repaired or hydrated. Morocanoil says: As protein is active, if it is left on hair past the recommended 5–7 minutes, dry or brittle hair may be experienced. So if you were thinking of leaving on your treatment all night, I'd say you think that again :) I believe it applies to all hair masks. 

Makeup

Tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation ($.38.00) I got this foundation last April (woah!) and it's still about 3/4 full. What I like about this foundation is that it has a matte finish and it lives by its name, it is actually full coverage. I like wearing full coverage on some parts of my face (cheeks, chin) because I like hiding my freckles and imperfections. The shade I have is Light Medium, I know Tarte has released a few more shades specific for yellow or pink undertones. By the time I got this there were only like 4 shades available and I was a bit tan, I might have to get a lighter shade now since my skin tone has changed (Don'f forget to use your sunblock ^^) But since I always forget or rather skip it, I like that this foundation has SPF 15, so it covers and protects at the same time. All in all 9/10 foundation.

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ($24.00) this is the first concealer that actually works covering dark circles and other imperfections on my face. It has a very creamy texture. I have it on the same shade Light Medium and it fades away under eye dark circles. If I apply too much it will crease, so a tiny amount is more than enough.

Chloe Eau de Parfum ($95.00) Still my absolute favourite perfume!

Skincare 

Embryolisse Lait- Crème Concentré ($.28.00) I got this moisturizer back when I was in Tokyo at Loft, a lovely department store in Shibuya. I use this twice daily (6 months of use) 

after I wash my face. My skin is softer, hydrated and nourished. This product has 3 uses: as a primer, moisturizer and make-up remover. I mainly use it as a moisturizer, the formula has nourishing ingredients that restore the skin natural glow and gives boost to tired dehydrated skin.

Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque ($.39.00) A cult favourite, this clay-based masque is perfect for deep clean twice a week. It's quite refreshing and oh so easy to get off, which I love. I hate masques that are hard to get off! My skin feels soft and refreshed after use. 

Lips

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint ($3.99) loveliest drugstore lip balm with SPF, very hydrating and smells great!

What are your beauty favourites this month?

Lust List │Platforms, Skirts, Shorts & Hair Indulgence!

Here's a little list for February's most lusted items. Platform shoes have been my favourite and I absolutely love these Choies white platform shoes that are Stella McCartney inspired (FW '13-'14) and much cheaper, of course! & the 4.5" gray heels from Jeffrey Campbell. Platforms look absolutely adorable paired with high waisted shorts and flowy dresses and skirts. Now moving on to skirts and shorts, I love floral and fruity prints, black and white and pastel colours. Lazy Oaf always comes up with the most adorable prints, like the Check it Out Skirt. The Sweet Grapefruit Bag matches perfectly with any of the shorts, a good spring- summer accesory. Finally hair products, of course. I recently discovered Amika, a genius haircare brand that contains sea buckthorn berry (obliphica). I'm currently using the Color PHerfection Shampoo and my hair feels so nourished and hydrated after every wash I just feel I need more! I tried the oil treatment at the salon and it left my hair soft and supple even after using heat tools.

What's on your wishlist this month? 

Bleached│My Double Process & Tips for Bleached Hair.

About a month ago I decided I wanted to go blonde, the lightest blonde possible. I got inspired by japanese fashion icon Ayano Sasaki who is known for her great lilac hair and great fashion sense, of course. I'm pretty impulsive when it comes to taking decisions like this so I just went for it. Honestly, I had no idea how hard it would be to take care of bleached, processed, fried hair! Bleach is pretty much the worst thing that can happen to your hair, especially if it's dark (like mine). I wasn't worried though, since I had strong and healthy hair. Now I've learned it isn't as easy as it seems but overall I'm pretty happy with the results. I'd like to think my hair has been grateful, it's still damaged and brittle but it's been improving. Being consistent on hair treatments has definitely helped.

How it started

I was looking for silver hair, so I had to bleach it first, but the first time I got it bleached it turned out yellowish (which I hated) so I bleached it twice (big mistake) Not on the same day though, I waited a week. During that week I took care of it by not washing it everyday and applying hair masks and hair oils. 

Everything was done by a professional at a salon, I was warned it would be damaged and I had to be extra caring after it. 

The first time I bleached it, it was so yellowish and very uneven. I hated it. So I waited a long week and bleached it again. This wasn't the smartest decision. My hair reached the lightest tone of blonde it could, but it was brittle, fried and even worse on some parts. One of the reasons this happened was because I had previously dyed it medium brown, and I had red undertones. 

After two weeks my hair started looking better as I continued using silver hair shampoo (purple shampoo) and deep repair hair masks and treatments. At first I left the purple shampoo for about 20 minutes, but figured this would dry my hair even more, so I went to a beauty supply and got Silver Hair cream treatment, this conditions and gives back my hair the silver tone. Having bleached hair isn't easy, you can't brush it when it's wet, can't use heat in any way, and it breaks quite a lot. Here are a few recommendations to keep your hair on your head:

Repair Masks 

Macadamia Natural Oil Repair Mask: this mask works like magic, it heals and nourishes extremely brittle and dry/damaged hair. It contains Macadamia nut oil and Argan oil. I alternate between the Morrocanoil Mask, using it once or twice a week.

Morrocanoil Hydrating Mask: this mask is super hydrating, I use it once or twice a week depending on how many times I wash my hair. I find this is way lighter than the Macadamia Mask. I add the Morrocanoil Treatment for a deeper treatment. 

Aromi di Firenze Silver Hair Mask: the purple shampoo I use is the same as this mask, though it isn't super hydrating/ repairing, it works for what's intended. It fades any unwanted yellow tones on my hair. 

Other products I'm currently using/testing:

Morrocanoil Treatment

Organix Morrocan Argan Oil

Redken Extreme Shampoo

Redken Extreme Conditioner

Amika Color PHerfection Shampoo

Aromi di Firenze Silver Hair Shampoo

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner

Alterna Bamboo Luminous Shine Mist

My hair still has split ends and damaged parts, but it's getting better. Here are some tips if you're planning on bleaching your hair.

Be patient. You won't see results as quick as you expect. Bleaching your hair is a long, tiresome process. Most importantly, don't rush. Your hair needs time to get better, protein has to be built and recovered again and this takes a considerable amount of time. 

Don't use heat. Heat weakens hair and it's important you don't use heat at least on the first few weeks. Also wash your hair with cold water, this helps.

Don't over-condition your hair. Applying tons of products at once will only get your scalp oily which will lead you to wash your hair more often, and you don't want this. You should wash your hair only 2-3 times a week (or less).

Choose the right products. Using the right hair products will help improve the health of your hair quicker. (i.e thin hair, coarse hair, etc)

Go to a professional. Bleaching your hair on your own isn't a good idea.

Some hair inspiration :)

What do you think of bleached hair?