Keep your husbands away from your cashmere

This jumper fitted me until Mr London put it in the washing machine accidentally. It is now being modelled by Miss London.

Uniqlo cashmere/merino jumper, RIP.

Andy Tauer Orange Star Review

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.

I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter - bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

In the desert by Stephen Crane

This was one of my favourite poems as a teenager, which probably tells you more than you'd care to know about the teenage me (with apologies once again to my parents for all the tiresomeness).  Wearing Andy Tauer's Orange Star brought memories of this poem rushing back.

I was lucky enough to win Orange Star from a draw on the excellent Persolaise blog http://persolaise.blogspot.com run in conjunction with the UK Tauer stockist, Scent and Sensibility www.scent-and-sensibility.co.uk.

On my skin, Orange Star is so green that it is almost bitter, but I like it. It has an intensely green and savoury note in the drydown on my skin, and I can't think how it does it from the listed notes; on my skin it almost smells like a vetiver/orris note, and reminds me of the similar chord in Maison Martin Margiela Untitled or Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir. I suppose it might be from the lemongrass mixing with some of the other listed notes, but it's quite curious. This isn't an aspect of the fragrance that I've read in other reviews of Orange Star, so I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced it.

I get the mandarin and clementine citrus hit in the opening, followed by a soapiness (presumably from the aldehyde in the formula) which mellows into the floral heart. The base of the fragrance is warm and spicy with the ambergris, vanilla and tonka, but still has the bitter green note that I can't quite put my finger on.

On my skin this isn't a clear and sparkly citrus, nor is it the orange popsicle that an orange/vanilla combination might evoke. There's citrus, but it's complex and interesting, and I like it all the more because it's a little bit dark and the evolution of it on my skin is unexpected. The longevity is also extremely good and I'd recommend testing to check if you like this before spraying liberally; one or two squirts give me a full twelve or more hours of fragrance. After a full day the bitter note has faded substantially, but the warm and resinous amber base remains, still with a breath of clementine.

Orange Star also recently won the FIFI UK award for the best niche perfume of 2010.

OPI Light My Sapphire nail polish applied

This picture is of OPI Light My Sapphire in bright sunlight, when the hidden gold and purple shimmers in the polish spring to life.

Most of the time, it looks more like this:

A blackened blue with indigo tones, and very subtle shimmer. A very nice dark nail polish shade, but not as fabulous as when the sun hits it.

This is with three coats; two coats was still a bit streaky to take photos of, although I would happily wear two coats in everyday life on my short nails.

No7 Poppy King Lipstick: Number 3 Glamour compared to Lipstick Queen Saint Pink

On the left: Lipstick Queen Saint Pink, on right, No7 Poppy King Glamour.

The No7 PK tube is a lot smaller, but there isn't much less in the tube: 3.5g compared to the LQ 4g.

There has been a lot of blogger buzz about the collaboration between the Lipstick Queen, Poppy King, and Boots No 7. Unfortunately these lipsticks are harder to find than hen's teeth; by the time I found them in a Boots shop my £5 off vouchers had run out. When Boots recently started up another 3 for 2 offer on No 7 I gave in and ordered some of the Poppy King lipsticks online.

Glamour is described as a flirty pink shade. The No7 PK lipsticks are quite sheer although buildable, and similar in texture to LQ Saints. There is no shimmer in either lipstick. Compared to Saint Pink, Glamour is a brighter, less browned pink shade.

On my lips, the colours aren't very different, although I think Glamour is a little more flattering. Saint Pink can make me look a bit washed out.

I find the texture of the LQ more cushiony. The No7 lipsticks also have a (to my nose strong) sunscreen smell to them, and contain a methoxycinnamate. This is good if you prefer sun protection in a lipstick, but not so good if (like me) you don't like this smell directly under your nose.

At £12 each, these are quite expensive for a high street lipstick. although they are less expensive than the Lipstick Queen at £17 each. I'd say they are worth getting in the current 3 for 2 deal (as long as you don't mind the sunscreen smell) but I'd hesitate to pay £12 each for them. I'd struggle to pay full price for any No7 item though, due to the frequent 3 for 2 and £5 voucher deals.

A not-Trollbead bead bracelet

The glass beads in this bracelet are all Artisan made. The bracelet, lock and silver beads are all Troll.

Left to right, glass beads are from: Summersday, Meesmerel, Summersday, Eagle Bay Designs, Eagle Bay Designs, and the next four all from Meesmerel.

Summersday is on Dawanda, and her beads range in price from €10 to €15. They sell out extremely quickly when she uploads a new batch, so it's worth adding yourself to the email notification list if you are interested in her beads. I've bought quite a few more from her since the two on this bracelet, and I'm very happy with them. She makes lovely floral beads, and quite often has single colour bubble beads, which are very versatile in combinations with more patterned beads. She is based in Germany, so there are no import worries.

Eagle Bay Designs is an American artisan, so be warned that you will probably be stung for VAT and the Royal Mail handling fee (£8!) on these (Customs seem to be checking everything at the moment). These are no less expensive than Trollbeads, but they're absolutely gorgeous. Even knowing that HMRC will stiff me on the purchase, I'm still tempted to order more custom beads from this bead maker.

Meesmerel is on Etsy, and her solid silver core troll-size beads are generally $20 each (the beads with specialist materials, like the Old Earth style, are a little more). She's based in the Netherlands, so no Customs sadness with this purchase either. I've also found her to be really helpful and accommodating - I've made a couple of custom orders with her.

BRIGHT Face of the Day with OCC Anime and La Femme products

I've been meaning to try the OCC Lip Tars for ages; since IMATS last year when UK bloggers first really started raving about them. While buying some La Femme eyeshadows and a blush from www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk (Lipglossiping made me do it) I finally picked up one in Anime, bright pink.

I think Anime breaks my camera, because it's actually even brighter than this in real life. It's an absolutely shocking bright, bright pink, and I love it.

The eye make up is quite simple; La Femme eyeshadows in Nude as a base, Beige Pink on my lid, Taupe in the crease and Emerald with Illamasqua Sealing Gel to line the upper lid. 

I'm also wearing La Femme blush in Satin Rose, a shimmering cool pink. 

Eyeshadows:

Blush

The La Femme blush and eyeshadows are £2.95 each, and are excellent quality, particularly for the price. They are a bit loosely pressed so you do get some dusty fall-out on the pan when you pick up colour with a brush (like the Sleek I-Divine palettes) but at £3 each it's a minor (and tolerable) quibble.

Quite a few of the La Femme colours have gone out of stock since I bought mine (blame Lipglossiping!) but they should be getting them back in stock quite quickly and it's worth keeping an eye on the Cocktail Cosmetics website. I bought a few other colours I'll show in another post soon with some swatches of all of them.

Alima Pure - Satin Matte Foundation review Olive 0

Pictured above - Satin Matte Foundation in Olive 0, sample Pearluster eyeshadow in Mocha, sample Luminous Shimmer Powder in Lumina and tinted Lip Balm in Pomegranate.

I've moaned before about how hard it is to get a good colour match for my pale olive skin. Most make up counters see yellow and try to match me with something warm, but I'm actually more of a pale beige with greenish undertones, and very yellow foundations make me look like something out of the Simpsons.

Alima is a mineral make up company that makes mineral foundation in a huge range of shades. My shade match is Olive 0, a pale (but not porcelain) olive beige shade. The Olive shades are beige without pink or yellow, the Beige shades are beige-peach with a hint of yellow, and the Neutrals are peachy without pink or yellow. I could wear (and have used and sampled, respectively) Neutral 2 and Beige 2 in the past, but Olive 0 is a better match for me. I have seen olive skin that's paler than mine (the girl in question quite sportingly described herself as having the complexion of the girl from The Ring) and I think if that's the case you'd need to go for a Neutral or Beige shade in 1 or 0 (if you're really extremely pale). Olive 0 is about a MAC 20 depth.

One of the things I really like about the Alima foundation is there is no bismuth oxychloride in it - the ingredient that can give many mineral foundation an almost metallic-looking 'glow' finish. I have tried brands that include this ingredient in the past and found that they made me look a bit like Data from Star Trek.

Picture of the foundation applied, with Lumina Luminous Shimmer Powder applied on the top of my cheekbone.

This one isn't quite in focus, but it does include the couple of spots I've helpfully grown to show the coverage that you can get with this foundation. It also shows that there is no tidal mark on my jawline.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Office

This is another of the American Apparel nail polishes I picked up recently as part of their three for £17 deal. Office is a minty green polish, and this picture in strong sunlight washes it out a little bit.

Going from pictures of Chanel Jade (which I wasn't quick enough to nab) this is a reasonable dupe for it, although Office is a bit paler. The American Apparel formula is excellent (picture is with two coats, and three days later I have minimal tip wear without a top coat) but the brush is rubbish; not evenly cut and a bit draggy. I really noticed the difference when I pulled out an OPI polish for my toes. I am really looking forward to Mermaid's Tears from the upcoming OPI Pirates of the Carribean collection, another creamy mint shade.

Another Nails Inc giveaway with June's In Style magazine

I only bought this month's In Style for the free Murad Vitamin C cleanser, but flicking through it saw that there's another Nails Inc freebie next month. In Style is giving away one of three Nails Inc polishes with the June edition, on sale from 05 May. I quite fancy the Candy Orange.

Face of the Day - Beaute Harlot Liqui-Gel Stain and Lady Stardust Gloss

I mentioned in my Armani Lip Wax post that I prefer to use Beaute Liqui-Gel Stains for a semi-matte stained-lip look as I find them less drying. I realised I'd never shown a picture of these applied, so here's that remedied. I also have a stinking cold (again) and my naturally pale lips and cheeks are now positively pallid, so the Liqui-Gel Stains are perfect for faking rosy cheeks and lips. 

Harlot applied to my lips on its own. It applies as a sheer, cool bright pink. It doesn't look very bright in this photo, but my lips are naturally very pale. This is one light coat, dabbed on with my fingers. It is easy to build up to a brighter pink. 

With Lady Stardust gloss applied over the top. Lady Stardust is a clear gloss with pink shimmer particles in it. It is very pretty and not too sticky, although long hair will adhere to it in windy weather. 

Harlot applied on my cheeks, and Harlot and Lady Stardust on my lips. The Liqui-Gel Stains give good cheek colour that lasts all day, and the gel texture makes them much easier to blend than a liquid blush. They also last well on the lips, and I like them as a base for a glossy lip as my lips naturally have very little colour. 

There are now a couple of UK online stockists of the brand; www.gurumakeupemporium.com and www.cocobeau.co.uk. The main website for the brand is at www.beaute-cosmetics.com. 

Clinique Event this weekend at Selfridges to launch new Chubby Sticks

Selfridges Oxford Street are holding an event to celebrate the launch of the new Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm sticks this weekend (16 and 17 April). Customers have a consultation to choose a colour and can then have their photo taken making their own Chubby Kiss picture in a photo booth. 4 passport size photos develop in minutes and can be taken home in a Clinique wallet. Each set of photos will be uploaded to the Clinique Facebook page, and you can go and have a look and tag yourself (should you chose to do so).

The picture thing is just a bit of fun, but the Chubby Sticks are lovely and well worth checking out even if you don't want your picture taken; I had a chance to have a look at them on Thursday evening and they feel comfortable on the lips and come in a selection of pink and neutral shades. They also twist up, rather than needing sharpening, so you don't lose half the product in the way you do with other chubby lip pencils. These launched at all Clinique counters yesterday, and are £14 each. They are perfect for quick and casual summer lips.

There is also a gift with purchase running at the Oxford Street Selfridges counter from 16 April to 05 May; a 7ml moisturiser to suit your skintype, a 4ml High Impact Mascara and 5ml All About Eyes with two purchases, one to be colour.

My favourite of the Chubby Sticks is this one: 02 Whole Lotta Honey, a warm honey shade.

Disclosure: product was provided without charge as part of a bloggers' event.

Caudalie Premier Cru The Eye Cream, and an £8 eye cream challenge

I've been using the Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream for just about three months now. I like it a lot; I might even go as far as to say that I like it a bit more than the Sarah Chapman Eye Recovery I was previously loyal to.

Premier Cru is a touch lighter in texture than the Sarah Chapman, but seems to be equally hydrating on my skin. Fine lines from dehydration have been kept at bay and although I haven't noticed a massive decrease in my dark circles I would say it has made some difference. The most noticeable improvement for me is that the skin underneath my eyes seems plumper and a little less sunken. This is one of the biggest changes that ageing has made to the area around my eyes; the skin appears thinner than it did in my twenties and the Caudalie does seem to have helped to support and strengthen the skin.

One of the best eye creams I've ever used is sadly no longer available; it was an emu oil/mango butter balm from an independent skincare line (my EMMU ladies might remember it - Naked Skin Millionairess Eye Cream). It was quite inexpensive too - less than $20, if my memory is correct. Browsing the internet recently, I found this Emu Oil eye cream by Emu Oil Well and at £8 decided to give it a try and see how I get on with it. I bought it from www.feelunique.com.

The Emu Oil Well eye cream isn't as rich as the Millionairess (the Millionairess was a similar texture to Dr Hauschka Eye Contour Day Balm, the Emu Oil Well is more of a common creamy texture). I've only used it for a week, so I'll report back in a month or so and let you know if my eyes go seriously downhill after swapping my usual expensive eye creams for this much less expensive one.

Disclosure: Caudalie Eye Cream was a PR sample.

If you love shiny fings - head to the WorshipBlues Emporium

This is one of my favourite necklaces, a shiny fing* made by Old Cow of Worship At The House of Blues (called He Stole My Kisses...And I Let Him). I quite literally stalked her blog to nab this necklace as soon as she put it up for sale, after longing for a WorshipBlues necklace for a while (and never quite being quick enough to grab one before it sold).

She is once again making beautiful jewellery, and it has a new dedicated home at www.worshipbluesemporium.blogspot.com. If you love whimsy and unusual jewellery, it is well worth a peek and a follow. 

*for the story of how shiny fings came to be so named, look here: www.worshipblues.com/2009/10/story-of-shiny-fing.html

Aftelier Perfumes Tango

Any discussion of the natural perfume movement will at some stage take you to Mandy Aftel. Ms Aftel is one of the pioneers of natural perfumery, and wrote the book 'Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume' in 2001. She also runs classes in natural perfume, and three of her fragrances have recently been nominated for the 2011 FiFi awards (the perfume equivalent of the Oscars).

I finally took the plunge recently and ordered a few samples from the www.aftelier.com website. One that I was absolutely sure I wanted to try was Tango, a smoky dry wood fragrance.

Tango opens on my skin as a spiced honey orange citrus, then the rich floral heart of the fragrance blossoms in a cloud of smoky tobacco; the coffee CO2 extraction in the heart notes lends a smokiness to the scent rather than an out and out coffee note. I get a soft petrol/tarry note about ten minutes into the fragrance that hangs around for an hour or so, until it morphs into the salty smokiness of the basenotes (I think both notes are from the choya; roasted seashells) rounded out by warm, slightly spicy ambery-vanilla tonka.

If you like the smell of Ojon hair treatment (some people love it) then Aftelier Tango is a must-sample. It's more of a Havana cafe than Ojon's Paris cafe (the smoke in Tango is from a good Cuban cigar, rather than a rough-as-guts Gauloises cigarette) but the feeling is similar, although much refined.

I love this fragrance. The disparate elements of the fragrance blend smoothly under Ms Aftel's expert hand (and nose), and it's unusual but not jarring, warm and alluring. I find it has good sillage and lasting power on my skin for a natural perfume, and lasts for a good three hours on me even without any layering. I do particularly like it layered over or underneath Aftelier Muse solid though; Muse is a simple warm amber fragrance that combines beautifully with Tango.

Aftelier fragrances are available from the website at www.aftelier.com, and 1/4ml samples of most fragrances are available for $6-$8 each (the exception is the  Parfum Prive, made from extremely expensive raw materials, which is $22 for a sample).

Giorgio Armani Lip Wax 4 - raspberry

Worst. Name. For. A. Colour. Lip. Product. Ever.

Really, I mean, Lip Wax? If that didn't make you think of epilating your upper lip, I'll eat my hat.

These are semi-matte lip stains, and #4 is a deep, neutral raspberry. It gives a nice bitten-lips-just-eaten-some-berries look. Unfortunately, it also sucks the moisture out of my lips. I can't use it for more than a couple of days in a row without my lips feeling a bit sore afterwards, and I have to use copious amounts of balm to prevent flakiness. Shame, because it's a very nice effect.

Swatched:

On my lips, dabbed on with my finger. Stronger colour can be achieved by applying with a lip brush. 

I can get a similar look without the dryness from rms Beauty Lip2Cheek and Beaute Liqui-Gel Stains. Beaute Liqui-Gel in Harlot is the closest colour match to Lip Wax #4, although it's a stronger berry tone.

Lanolips Lemonaid review

I'm still a total Lanolips convert, and haven't been tempted by any other lip balm since I started using it a year ago (my first post was in April last year: you can read it here). I've used up two tubes of the 101 Ointment and am now on my third, and I was very happy to be sent the new limited edition Lemonaid Lip Aid with organic lemon oil to try.

This is a treatment based on the medical grade refined lanolin found in all the other products in the range, with the addition of organic lemon oil to gently exfoliate the lips. It smells absolutely delicious; like traditional lemonade or lemon sorbet. I do find that it leaves my lips super smooth, but it isn't quite as moisturising for my very dry lips as the 101 Ointment so I tend to use the Lemonaid at night before bed to smooth my lips, and the 101 Ointment in the morning and during the day.

At the moment, this is listed as limited edition. I hope that it makes it into the regular line up, as it's an excellent, gentle lip smoother.  Available from Victoria Health here: Victoria Health Lanolips Lemonaid for £8.99.

Disclosure: product provided without charge by the company.

Karuna Hydrating Treatment Mask (sheet mask)

I love the feel of sheet masks, but find many of them tend to contain alcohol, which doesn't agree with my skin. This Karuna mask has many of the ingredients found in good sheet masks, but no alcohol.

The mask is a face-shaped cloth with holes for the eyes and nostrils. It fits over my (average sized) face comfortably. The treatment is a clear liquid gel that feels cooling and refreshing on the skin. It has very good ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide, trehalose, aloe vera and peptides. The remnants of the fluid can be left on the skin after using the mask, there is no need to wash it off.

I was sent this single mask as a sample in a recent order from Mise Beauty, so I can't testify to long term use. It did make my skin feel refreshed and hydrated after an extremely busy weekend last weekend, when it had been starting to look a bit green from tiredness and lack of regular meals. A packet of 4 costs £24, and I'd keep a pack handy for an instant skin pick-up.

Ingredients:

Available from www.misebeauty.com these also come in other varieties for anti-ageing, brightening, exfoliating, blemish treatment and antioxidants. 

HautTotes Kawaii Ninja bag, and help needed to pick a new bag

Really, all bags should have Kawaii Ninjas on them. It makes the world a better place. This is another bag from HautTotes on Etsy that Mr London bought for me for my birthday last year, and it's still available in the Etsy shop here.

On to my dilemma, and help needed. Melissa from HautTotes is launching a more formal version of her bags with a kisslock frame on KickStarter.com. I know I want to buy one, I know I want the gunmetal frame and the shoulder straps, but I can't for the life of me pick which fabric to go for. I am dithering between the Skull & Roses bag, or an Amy Brown fairy; Singular Wish (top left) or Fae Risque (2nd row right). Please help me decide?

The Kickstarter for HautTotes is at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hauttotes/when-fashion-meets-fantasy. 

Haus of Gloi Spring 2011 review

Selkie is a fresh, marine scent. When I first opened the pots it smelled mostly of ozone in both the bubbling scrub and the pumpkin butter, and I'm not a big fan of ozone as a note as it reminds me of washing detergent. However, after a week or so the blend matured and the salt, sage and wood developed, giving a lovely skin-after-a-day-at-the-beach smell.

Lassi to my nose is mostly mango with a lime/green tea kick. I get very little ginger in the bubbling scrub (I bought a sample size of this scent only). It's well done; fresh and fruity, but as I suspected not my cup of tea (I don't tend to like very fruity/foody scents). I am glad I tried it though, and if you like fruity scents this is a good one.

Milkmaid is a very pretty, soft milky floral. It has a similar feel to Troika from the regular line-up, but with some added delicate floral loveliness. The notes are described as milk, clean linens, musk and sweet pea. If I didn't already have three full size pumpkin butters on the go (and another on the way) this would be full jar worthy, but as it is I'm glad to be able to at least try it in the sample size. A nice choice for those who like subtle scents; if you liked Something Hopeful from the Valentine's Collection, I'd recommend giving Milkmaid a sniff.

I haven't tried Ploughman yet as it wasn't in stock when I placed my initial order from Spring. I have since placed an order for a full size pumpkin butter and bubbling scrub in this scent because 'dandelion, dirt, leather, carrot, tobacco and musk' sounds like entirely my kind of scent. It's gotten good feedback on Twitter from a fellow Haus of Gloi fan I often chat to.

The Spring collection will be up at www.hausofgloi.com until mid-May.

Flexitol Cuticle & Nail Cream review

I have problem cuticles. It's not just that they are dry, they are also incredibly thick and tough. I envy people with tiny delicate cuticles.

I've tried a lot of cuticle treatments and oils (OPI, Lush, Nails Inc, Burts Bees, Dior) and Flexitol works the best for me. It's not at all glamorous, but the combination of lanolin, urea and lactic acid in it help to keep my cuticles flexible and prevent them growing halfway up my nails.

I can't attest to the nail growth properties; my nails (like my hair) grow like weeds anyway and I have to chop them down every week for fighting (at karate). I do find my nails seem more nourished and flexible and I've had no flaking at the tip since using this (I use it at least once a day; I put it on in the evening or on the train on the way into London). It's a thickish cream with a medicinal smell.

The 20g tube is about £5, and I bought it at Boots (it's with the handcare stuff).

Ingredients:

Ayala Moriel New Orleans Perfume review

New Orleans is a recent addition to the Ayala Moriel stable of natural perfumes. It's a fragrance to celebrate the unique character and smell of New Orleans, and is based on two or three years of correspondence and trial scents between Ayala and Paula Stratton, a perfume enthusiast and former resident of New Orleans. You can follow the evolution of the fragrance here on Ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com.

New Orleans opens with a fresh lemon note on my skin. Ayala tinctured fresh Meyer Lemon peel herself as well as using lemon oil, which accounts for the clearness of the fresh lemon note, a lovely effect. Magnolia and other florals (tea rose, osmanthus, orange blossom) weave into the heart of the blend, and finally are supported by a mossy, salty base. Cypressmoss is used instead of the more ubiquitous oakmoss, and it does make the mossy base lighter although not in any way lacking in body (it's like finding a good unoaked chardonnay). There is vetiver and seaweed in the base, and although both of these notes give the salty sea and damp earth notes, neither overpowers the more delicate floral heart of the perfume. The earth, moss and salt convey decay and destruction, but the floral/citrus notes are wistfully hopeful. It's a beautiful scent and an interesting one that I love wearing.

I get at least three hours of wear from New Orleans, and I can extend that to five hours by using Gaia's (from thenonblonde.blogspot.com) trick of dabbing a dot of pure argan oil on my skin before applying the fragrance to my skin. The ghost of the perfume remains on my skin after it has mostly faded, but the sillage is always subtle and the fragrance wears very close to the skin.

I was curious about how New Orleans compares with Roxana Villa's GreenWitch (see my review of that here), also described as a marine chypre and one which has proved itself to be full bottle worthy for me (Mr London bought me a full-size 7ml flacon for our anniversary).  New Orleans is lighter and at the same time more summer/sultry; a hot and humid summer evening off the Gulf of Mexico, compared to GreenWitch's windy spring day on the edge of the Pacific or Atlantic. It's interesting to see how the characters of the two scents are both beautiful and yet entirely different. My love of sea and chypre means that I'm currently dithering over is whether to buy the 4ml mini size or the full 9ml flacon of New Orleans after I've finished my 1ml sample. New Orleans is a limited edition fragrance, and is available from www.ayalamoriel.com.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer review

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is the classic pre-wash hair treatment. I used this regularly during both periods I had blonde hair, and when the PR Officer for the brand offered to send me some for review recently I gladly accepted the offer.

Elasticizer is a good balance of oils, humectants and protein (elastin), with a small amount of silicone.  It's become quite fashionable to treat damaged hair with protein, but unless you also add moisture/oils, protein treatments can leave hair quite brittle and crunchy. Elasticizer leaves my hair feeling smooth, soft and silky but without weighing it down.

To apply, I dampen my hair with water, apply to the mid lengths and ends and leave on for about half an hour before washing and conditioning as normal. You don't need to use it near the roots unless you bleach your hair very regularly. I use it once a week as my hair is very long, if my hair was shorter I could use once a fortnight as I don't use heat or chemical dyes.

This doesn't contain any rare ingredients from hard-to-get-to places, but it really works. If you dye or otherwise abuse your hair, I would say this is one of the best products available to help maintain hair health.

Ingredients:

Disclosure: product provided without charge for review.