Hair, its one of the first things anyone notices about you, that’s why every girl knows a bad hair day is a nightmare. What is the best way to get your hair noticed for all the right reasons? Well the answer is shiny hair. 

Every girl should want shiny hair, but how do you get shiny and healthy instead of greasy? Remember than shine is very different to greasy. Shiny hair is light and flowing where as greasy is weighted down and lank. This means it’s important not to layer too many products on your hair otherwise they will weight it down and you won’t get that healthy image you are after. 

There are so many products out there that promise shine, gloss or glistening hair, but which is the right one for you. Well we’ve take five products from cheap and cheerful to moderately expensive to work out which one is the best one for you to use. This means you don’t need to waste your money trying out different lotions and potions because we’ve done the hard work for you.

Charles Worthington Seriously Shiny Hair Taming Serum

This is a clear serum in funky yellow and green packaging. This is a pump action serum so you can control how much you use which is important as too much serum will leave your hair looking greasy. 

Pluses: this is a very light weight product which makes your hair very soft and shiny. It also can help to control fizz and make your hair more manageable. 

Minuses: the smell isn’t great and it can leave white marks on your hair straighteners. Its best used on wet hair so it’s not great to brighten up dry hair if you’ve no time for a shower.   

Star rating:  (3/5)

It’s great to use, shame about the smell.

TIGI Dream Drops Shine On Serum

This is a lightweight serum in a sleek clear bottle. This is again pump action and in enriched with vitamins and Jojoba oil. 

Pluses: can be used on wet or dry hair and protects from heat damage. The serum smells lovely and really does give salon results. 

Minuses: a little goes a long way with this product and too much can leave you looking greasy. Unfortunately the dispenser is a bit messy making it harder to control how much you are getting. 

Star rating: (4/5)

Wonderful product, but messy to use

Wella High Hair Gloss Serum

This product is a serum that is supposed to be good for coloured hair and help contain frizz whilst leaving hair silky and smooth. The packaging is a little dull but it is still a pump action dispenser. This is for use on dry hair only. 

Pluses: great for spraying on styled hair just before going out to give it that finishing touch. Also it’s good for if you don’t want to wash your hair but it still needs a bit of a shine boost. 

Minuses: this should only be used sparingly otherwise its just too much. The bottle is tiny and the packaging doesn’t look great.

Star rating:  (2/5)

Does all it should but just plain boring

Redken Shine Vinyl Glam 02

This isn’t a serum it’s a simple shine spray that can be used on dry hair. It comes in retro black and white packaging which looks fantastic.

Pluses: no sticky messy serums with this you can just spray and go. Gives a great shine and finish. Really nice smell. 

Minuses: you need to take it with you as it doesn’t last all day. Whilst the smell is nice it’s a bit strong to start off with. 

Star rating:  (5/5)

This is a retro packaging and a modern product combination which really works

GHD Thermodynamics Reflection Spray final Shine

For all you GHD addicts out there you will no doubt already be aware of the GHD’s Thermodynamics range. They compliment the GHD’s protecting your hair from heat damage. This spray also has UV protection. It’s designed to tame hair whilst glossing. It’s in a rock chick style black packaging and is again a spray rather than a serum.

Pluses: the UV protection is always important and this is handbag sized so easy to carry around. It gives a really good shine and the smell is nice.

Minuses: it’s very easy to use too much so that your hair is weighed down especially when spraying the back of your head. 

Star rating:  (3/5)

Great for those addicted to their straighters, less good for the rest of us

If all of that still sounds like too much money for shiny hair you can always try these home remedies. Try turning your shower to cold for the last few minutes. It’s a sharp shock but it is still one of the best tricks for adding extra shine to hair.

Try castor oil on your hair before washing to add silk and shine. Be careful though only a very little oil is needed otherwise your hair will be weighed down and lank. 

Occasionally rinse your hair with vinegar to make your hair soft and shiny. Make sure you rinse it off thoroughly with a nice smelling shampoo; you don’t want to smell like you’ve spent the day in a chip shop!

Other things to remember are to deep condition your hair on a regular basis. Use a clarifying shampoo to stop product build up leaving your hair looking dull. Also if you use hairdryers and straighters on a regular basis use heat activated products to protect your hair.

We have a wide range of shine enhancing products available in our shop, including GHD Reflection Spray, Redken Vinyl Glam and TIGI Dream Drops Serum.

Blue, eighties-inspired eyes were all over the Fall 09 runways – but how to translate this trend for spring?

Stick to bright, peacock hues, says celebrity makeup artist Sue Moxley. “The new pretty eye is awash with gorgeous colour: peacock green, or blue lit up with metallic shimmer is a great contrast with this season’s new nude lips and oh-so-pretty pink cheeks.”

A great product to try out this look? Bed Head’s Quad Shadow in Controversy. For day use the light nude shade as a base, and for night sweep the gray across lids up to the crease. Then use the fun blue or green in the crease and outer corner of the eye. Switch it up by using one color in the crease and the other as eyeliner – using a wet flat brush to apply.

Get the pretty pink cheeks Moxley mentions with ID Cosmetics I-Blush Trio. Use the rose blush shade alone for this look. Keeping the rest of the makeup minimal is key to any bold eye look.

Speaking of minimal, – nude lip, did you say? Try Bed Head Girls Just Want It lipstick in Peace, or if you really don’t have much natural pigment on your lips, go for something more like Bed Head Joy Stick in Fabulous. Too washed-out a lip is never a good idea.

Keeping up with the latest trends can leave your hair over-styled, over-coloured and in desperate need of a detox.

Using all of our favourite lotions and potions everyday clogs your hair up as make up does to your skins pores. The secret is to bring hair back to its natural state is to treat it as you would your skin; purifying and detoxifying locks to achieve a glossy, flawless, beautiful finish.

Luckily the experts at Wella Professionals have made detoxing your hair simple by creating a revolutionary ‘facial’ for your hair with the NEW Lifetex Two-Step Pure System (Wella Professionals Lifetex Pure Purifying Shampoo RRP £6.95/250ml, Wella Professionals Lifetex Pure Aqua Essence RRP £7.95/150ml)

When used as a weekly detoxer they remove build up of products and pollution to purify your locks leaving you with a sexy natural look, or fresh, squeaky clean locks that will help make the most of out your styling products.

www.wella.co.uk/salonfinder

Beauty Review: Nivea Visage q10 Plus Light Day Cream

I have been a loyal follower of Oil of Olay for many years. In fact, it the very first moisturizer that I ever used, all the way back when I was slip of a girl! But lately, I have been wanting to graduate to moisturizers new; especially since I had read that Oil of Olay tests their products on animals. Whether this is true or not, I know I would have a clearer conscience if I used a beauty product that was kinder to our furry friends.

As fate would have it, I was kindly offered a sample of Nivea Visage anti wrinkle q10 plus to try out and review. Since it’s been listed as cruelty free on many animal welfare sites, I jumped at the chance to try it out.

I was also rather curious to know what exactly q10 was. Recently I have been hearing this word being bandied about by various beauty experts, not to mention my own mother. Yet I still had no idea what it was!

Well today I can tell you what it is. Prepare yourself because here comes the science part. Ahem, Q10 is a co-enzyme, a natural active ingredient that we have in the skin. As we get older, our own levels of q10 decrease. Therefore the theory is that the use of a q10 product will reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

So I have now been using NIVEA VISAGE Anti-Wrinkle Q10 Plus Light Day Cream for about a week now. I can’t really comment on the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines yet since it states on the packaging that it will take four weeks to really see the difference. (Plus I don’t think I have to worry about wrinkles just yet. I am either in denial or just being positive, please let me be!).

What I really like is the neat ceramic pot it comes in. If you squint your eyes, it is reminiscent of the luxurious crème de la mer. Now for the product itself, I like how light it is and how quickly it absorbs into my combination skin. I think it is really is a case of a little goes a long way. Just a few dabs will do to feel moisturised enough.

Another bonus is that it is light enough to use under the eyes! I have to say that is one area that I always neglect. It has been said by many a beauty expert, that you need to use a different moisturizer for the eye area because it is so delicate. Hence the need for eye creams.

One more good thing to note is that this Nivea product contains sp 15! So you don’t have to worry too much about getting burnt if you are out and about (although I do recommend applying sunscreen if you intend on sunbathing).

If there is a downside, then I will say the smell. I personally don’t like to use fragranced products on my skin. I can’t quite pin point what kind of smell it is… watermelon? I’m not sure. There is a definite hint of something. However the fragrance is not entirely unpleasant or strong enough to bother me so I will continue to use this since I like the lightness of the lotion.

I was also sent NIVEA VISAGE Anti-Wrinkle Q10 Plus Sunkissed Skin.. It offers the same benefits as the day dream but this one will give you a glow. I thought it was going to be a tinted moisturizer but in actual fact it is a gradual tanner. Since I’m quite tanned already, I will be handing this over to one of my fairer friends to test out. I will report back with the results later!

I’d be hard pressed if I was forced choose between my favourite beauty products. One moment it’s blush, the next it’s lip gloss. I can however reveal that today my beauty must-have of the moment is – the mascara. Yes, with a simple wave of that magic (mascara) wand, we too can have glorious fluttery lashes to frame our peepers.

Let’s swot up on a little makeup history.

Should you take a wander down the historical timeline of make-up; you will find that the very first mascara was created all the way back in the 19th Century by a man named Eugene Rimmel! (Yes THAT Rimmel!) Such is the popularity of the mascara that in some corners of the globe, the word ‘rimmel’ means ‘mascara’. These languages include Portuguese, Romanian and Dutch (rimel).

A couple of years later, the year 1913 to be precise, a chemist named T.L Williams formulated a more modern type of mascara for his sister, Mabel (what a nice brother)

This formula, consisting of coal dust and Vaseline, proved to be huge hit with his sister. And so Williams decided to create a mail order company so that he could sell this wonder mascara to the masses. And thus his company, Maybelline, was born.

Back in those days, the mascara was applied by wetting a brush and rubbing it into a cake. How cumbersome! It wasn’t until 1957 that Helena Rubinstein introduced the tube and wand applicators that we know and love today

Mascara Galore

Believe me when I say I’ve tried a lot of mascaras: Shu Uemura, Bourjois, Maybelline, Anna Sui, Dior; from high end to high street. Talk about going on the lash!

But I think my wandering days are over. I’ve finally found my ultimate mascara. It’s by Majolica Majorca, a high street Japanese make up line by Shiseido

Initially I was actually searching for the famed Fiberwig mascara; but a good friend told me to try this brand out whilst I was in Japan. So whilst browsing one of the drug stores down Harajuku, I finally found a Majolica Majorca stand. I must say I wasn’t expecting much since it was a high street brand, but colour me astonished, I’m really impressed with the quality of the products. Not to the mention the extremely pretty swirly packaging which will appeal the girly girl in you.

Unfortunately I cannot read Japanese so I had to guess what some of the products were. I first picked up a mascara-like looking tube that was topped off with a white cap. It had Curl, curl, curl towards the sky written on the front of it. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Surely that’s not the title of the product? It’s far too long.’

Common sense told me that this was probably a lash primer so I bought that, followed by a tube capped in black. This one was had Hope My Lashes Are Full and Smooth printed on the front. I hoped so too and hurried home.

I did a quick search on Google and found out that the two items I had picked up were indeed called Hope My Lashes Are Full and Smooth and Curl, curl, curl towards to the sky.

The Review

I first unscrewed ‘Curl, Curl, curl toward the sky’ and found myself looking at, not a brush, but a comb. I’m not used to applying mascara this way so I really botched up my first application. I’m sure with a bit more practise I would be able to apply it smoothly but on first try it was very clumpy. Then I applied ‘Hope My Lashes Are Full and Smooth’ over it. Again, I would have preferred the ease of a brush to apply this.

I also found that with the combination of both the mascara and primer, it was extremely long wearing. This is positive and a negative. I’ve always been a victim of the panda eyes effect after a late night out, so at least I knew the make up was not going to go anywhere on a night out.

However it was very difficult to remove with just my cleanser. I found myself taking a lash or two out when rubbing vigorously to remove it.

Unfortunately wasn’t too impressed with how I looked in the end. The lashes looked far too fake and spidery. Though perhaps with a bit more practise, I can make it work, she says so optimistically.

Having said all that I DO recommend wearing ‘Hope My Lashes Are Full and Smooth’ on its own without the primer because boy! I really love how smoothly it goes on without any clumping. I have the tiniest eyelashes ever but with this mascara on, they really do look so much fuller and yet so natural looking. Another major plus point is that it is so much easier to remove without wearing the primer.

It really does what it says on the tin and it has now replaced Anna Sui as my no.1 favourite mascara.

On reflection, I think having the Majolica Majorca primer and mascara combination was far too potent for me to handle. Though I won’t be binning the primer; I think it works well as a general primer for less effective mascaras.

Unfortunately Majolica Majorca is exclusive to Japan. So if you want to get your mitts on these mascaras I would suggest having a hunt online. I managed to find it this website that sells this brand. If you know anymore, please let me know!

First off, I have to say “Hi!”. This is my first post over here at Girlz Night and I’m excited to be a part of this website!

Now, on with the beauty products!

I started using bareMinerals a few years ago after seeing the infomercial a few thousand times. It always peaked my interest, but I was hesitant to order something that was sold only on TV. When I finally heard that they were selling it at Sephora and Nordstrom, I thought I’d give it a shot.

Let me tell you, I’m glad I did! This is probably the best beauty investment I’ve ever made. I say investment because some people balk at the $60 cost of the starter kit. It is SO worth it though! I have tried converting everyone I know! So far the list of converters including my mom, my sister and a few friends.

Since I started using this product, my skin has cleared up. I have visibly healthier looking skin…and NOT just when I have the makeup on. My clean skin actually looks better than it did before! It feels soft and light on the face and depending on which brush you use and how much you ‘buff’ on, the coverage changes.

Once I purchased the starter kit, I became slightly obsessed with having ALL bareMinerals products and have splurge on quite a few eyeshadows, blushes and all over face colors. I have yet to visit a bareMinerals boutique, but I’ve heard that they are super cute and fun to shop in!

This is a great holiday gift idea *hint hint*. I’m actually giving this to my 14 year old sister for Christmas. I figure since she’s old enough to wear makeup now, she may as well wear something that’s good for her skin…and doesn’t make her look like she’s caking it on!

Ever used bareMinerals? Have an opinion on it? Leave a comment!