RUSK Deepshine Color Care Invisible Dry Shampoo

I absolutely love using dry shampoo. It's perfect for those in between shower touch ups, and it's so quick and easy. I was recently given Rusk's Deepshine Color Care Invisible Dry Shampoo to try out, and I LOVED it!

When you have colored hair (like me!!), in order to preserve the color you generally try to wash it less, but when your hair gets greasy just hours after a shower (also me...), you can't be constantly washing it; this is where dry shampoo is the answer.

I have ashy blonde hair which makes it an ok type color for using baby powder as a grease absorber, but darker hair colors may have trouble getting the grey out of their hair. Also, when you use baby powder, your mop smells like baby powder... (duh), but not with Rusk's dry shampoo! The Deepshine Color Care invisible dry shampoo is not only invisible (wooh) it has a really pleasant scent that smells like a freshly shampooed head o' hair.

Directions are super easy. Just shake the bottle, spray it into your hair,
wait a minute and then comb through and style as normal.

the nozzle

Good for:

• gals whose hair gets greasy quickly (ie. me)
• gals with colored hair (also me)
• lazy people (also me)

This dry shampoo retails for $19, a little on the pricey side for me, but since it's not an everyday sorta product, I'll definitely splurge a little.

The complimentary products mentioned in this review were provided to me by People StyleWatch Style Hunters. All opinions are mine.

Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips Starter Kit (People StyleWatch Style Hunters)

Last week, I was sent the Sally Hansen Gel Nail Strips Starter Kit by People StyleWatch Style Hunters.
The kit itself comes with all you need to create a long lasting gel manicure, such as a mini LED Lamp with Auto-Timer, Gel Top Coat, 16 Gel Polish Strips, 2 Nail Cleanser Pads, Cuticle Stick, File & Buffer. I was sent the color, "Red My Lips" but the starter kit also comes in "Shell we Dance" (a pale pink) and "Wine Not" (a slightly sparkly berry colour).

A couple of months ago, I purchased an at-home gel kit, so I was ready to compare this starter kit (which was much more affordable at only $29) to the kit I used by Red Carpet Manicure.

Everything that comes in the kit

The instructions are simple:

1. Push back cuticles with orange stick and file nails with dark pink side of file.
2. Open up gel nail strips container, and find strips that fit for each nail; set aside.
3. Cleanse nails with cleaner pads.
4. Peel off front of gel strips, peel back off gel strips. Affix to nail, using warm hands and cuticle stick to properly adhere strip to nail.
5. Use light pink side of file to file the excess strip off the tip of nail.
6. Apply a thin(!!) coat of gel top coat.
7. Cure under LED lamp, and wipe sticky residue off with cleaner pads.

Overall, I had several issues with the kit! Although the instructions themselves were easy to follow, the biggest issue was with the application of the gel nail strips. Not a single strip fit any of my nails (most were too wide), and each of them had to be cut down and shaped to size. In no way is this time efficient (something this nail kit is supposed to be!!). I've used regular nail strips before, even Sally Hansen's Salon Effects, which I LOVE, and never had this problem until now.

You can see the jagged edges in this picture (pre-cure)

Thumb after cure - sides are still jagged

The strips themselves didn't adhere to my nails properly, either, and most had significant lifting even before curing with top coat. The mini LED light is simple to use (and safer than a UV light), although being able to cure only one nail at a time is a bit time-consuming. The top coat didn't give my nails that shine than my other gel topcoats have either, but it did the job.

finished nails - not too much shine, lifting is apparent

Once the nails were cured and cleansed, the lifting became even more apparent close-up. The kit promises up to two weeks of mirror shine and no chipping, but my nails peeled off within 24 hours when I gave my dog a bath; my regular gel nails last anywhere from two weeks to four weeks.

The individual products in the kit are useful and make for an affordable gel manicure, but the strips themselves are the ones with issues. Problems with sizing, jagged tips, and lifting make this particular kit a bit of a flop. Sally Hansen also sells a gel polish kit which comes in 16 colours (which would be applied like a regular nail polish, but cured under the UV light). I probably won't be buying the gel nail strips in the future, but I may give the Sally Hansen gel polish a try!

The complimentary products mentioned in this review were provided to me by People StyleWatch Style Hunters. All opinions are mine.

Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara Review

Last week, I was sent a tube of Christian Dior's Diorshow Mascara to try out, courtesy of People StyleWatch Style Hunters! Diorshow is described as a backstage cult-favorite that was originally created for models on the catwalk.

This legendary brush came after a true moment of inspiration. Dior makeup artists would use plush toothbrushes to coat models lashes backstage to create show-stopping, catwalk lashes and volume when a regular mascara wand just wouldn't do. It's also available in a waterproof formula.

I love the packaging!

The bottle and packaging are both simple, yet eye catching and quite luxe. Now, one of the first things you notice when you open the mascara is that it does have a perfumed scent, which although is light, it might irritate some people. (note, its only perfumed in the mascara bottle, once it's on your lashes, the smell dissipates).

The brush on this mascara is literally amazing! It's pretty huge, holds a good amount of product on it, and does a great job sufficiently coating every lash. It's also substantially bigger/rounder than most mascara wands. Here's a closeup!

Here's a before of my lashes:

No mascara - click the photos to make them bigger!

And an after:

just one coat!

After one coat, not only did my lashes have much more volume, but they actually looked quite a bit longer as well! One coat is enough for a day-time look, but the mascara is really buildable. After a few more coats, this is what it looked like:

Which is a HUGE difference from my bare lashes! I kept looking at my lashes in a mirror and they were so thick and long, it looked as if I had falsies on. Now, this look is more suitable for night time events, but even with all that mascara on, my lashes remained soft and fluffy. There was also no smudging throughout the entire day (yes!), and none of those little flakes you get from drying mascaras. The formula combined with the huge brush (which was key in creating those long, thick lashes) was really great. 

Even though the mascara stayed on all day without budging, it was simple enough to remove with my usual makeup remover, Vichy's Pureté Thermale.

My only gripe about the mascara is the price. It's sold at Sephora for $25 which is more than I usually spend on mascara, but to be honest, I'll probably wind up buying this in the future as I've never used a mascara that gave me results like these! 

Dior.com is also offering complimentary ground shipping from now until December 31, 2012 with code DIORPSW2012.

The complimentary products mentioned in this review were provided to me by People StyleWatch Style Hunters. All opinions are mine.