Ogario Hair Care

I have been really excited to write about this, as I feel I have taken a small part in the journey of this brand, and therefore it has a little place in my heart.

 Ogario is made by Rachael and Norris Ogario, and is still a relatively small brand. Norris has a clear passion for hair, and is a hairdresser in his own salon in the Islington area. He and Rachael have decided to embark on the exciting journey of creating their own hair products, which they have tried and tested on the customers in the salon.

I have met both Rachael and Norris, as the came into Fenwick Tunbridge Wells to launch their brand and to educate us on their products. They both clearly have so much passion for their products and really do believe in them. We are the very first store to have Ogario, but you can now find them in a lot of Planet Organic stores and Wholefoods in London. They also sell online but want to keep their niche reputation. Even though it is a small company, they have won loads of awards and have been mentioned in the infamous Beauty Bible. This has really worked in Ogario's favour, as the products have flown off the shelves in Fenwicks, and customers interest in the brand continues to grow.

They wanted their products to be natural and have long term benefits for the hair, and so have made three ranges: Hydrate and Shine, Revive and Shine, and Restore and Shine. Apart from the Restore Range which consists of their only mask, the other two ranges have a shampoo and conditioner in both large and travel sizes.

The Revive and Shine range is better for people with thinner hair, and it aims to boost the hair and add shine. The shampoo smells so delicious, a bit like sweets!

As I have very thick hair that is prone to dryness and damage, I have been using the Hydrate and Shine range, along with the Restore mask. The hydrate range is great for people with dry, damaged hair, or for colour treated hair.

Starting with the shampoo, this foams up really nicely and washes the hair beautifully. It has Moringa in it which is a hydrating ingredient that can be found in things such as the Emma Hardie Cleanser. You don't need much of the product at all, and the honey gives it it's silky caramel constistency. It has a very natural scent, with a hint of spice to it which is really energising.

The conditioner is really really thick and has genuinely transformed the condition of my hair. Since using this, my hair has been so much more managable, and my ends haven't been as tangled and knotted. This has Marshmallow in which instantly makes it sounds delicious, but it is actually a herb that has super hydrating properties. Again the scent of this is fairly spicy but it has a real sweetness to it aswell.

Finally, the award winning Restore and Shine mask. I've just recently had my hair cut so want to keep the ends hydrated to the max with this product! This is the product that really got Ogario noticed, and it can be found in the natural beauty bible. This is to be applied to partially dry hair, so towel dry your hair after shampooing. I apply this to the lengths of my hair and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It smells like Lemon sherbert and is so zesty and fresh! It leaves my hair feeling really boosted and soft.

I highly recommend trying this brand as they use all natural ingredients and it has really improved the condition of my hair as well as lasting me ages! The price points are really reasonable and the little travel sizes and jet sets would make perfect gifts for someone! Find out more about the brand using he link below.

www.ogariolondon.com

Ariana Grande Lipstick 2.0

Yes that is right, I have purchased the latest edition to Ariana Grande's collaboration with Mac for their Viva Glam campaign.

Whereas the first colour was very dark and reflective of the 'Dangerous Woman' stage of Ari's life, (read review here) this one is bright bold and beautiful, and I'm so happy the sun is staying for a little longer this year, as it's a great summer colour. Saying that, I do think it will work with some plummy autumnal looks for the up and coming season.

The formula is matte again, but I feel like this one is creamier than some other Mac mattes. It definitely doesn't have the chalky feel to it and it is really long lasting but not drying.

There is also a matching gloss again, but as I'm not a gloss kinda gal, I stuck to just the lipstick.

I believe it is described as 'Orchid Pink' and I bloody love it!

Thanks for reading guys!

Skin Laundry Express Laser Facial

You may have seen on my Instagram story that on Tuesday, I was lucky enough to be invited into Liberty to try out the Skin Laundry Laser Facial.

As the brand has only just launched in Liberty, I was excited to see what it was about.

I have never had laser on any part of my body, so to have it on my face for the first time was a little intense.

The brand itself is American, and is meant to be about the perfect Californian glow-y surfer girl complexion. Aesthetically, I love the image of the brand, and the clean sharp packaging looks like something I would love to have in my bathroom. They also have some really cool tote bags which I have my eyes on, as not only is it a handy bag, but the brand logo doubles up as my initials too so I fancy carrying one of those around.

The 'Skin Laundry' counter itself is really nice. I love the earthy driftwood style the counter has, and the facial menu is up on the wall so you can see what you're letting yourself in for.

Like any treatment, there are contraindications to the facial, especially one which features laser, so make sure you turn up early to go through the checking in process for first timers, as there are a few questions to answer.

After that, you're good to go, and your therapist will escort you up 2 floors to the treatment room.

The rooms reflect the counter with a driftwood wall, and also a cool personalised skin laundry surf board.

As with most treatments again, you will have to remove your face makeup, however you can keep on any eye make up as you wear goggles throughout the whole treatment.

The first part of the treatment is the YAG laser, which dissolves any dirt on you're face and clears any congestion. It also reduces pigmentation  and promotes collagen so you get a more youthful complexion The feeling was like hot spitting rain on my face, or almost a bit like intense pins and needles, but it didn't hurt at all. She tested it on my hand before so I knew what to expect. The only time I felt most sensitive was on the upper lip and around my nose where I have sensitive skin due to eczema.
The only other disconcerting factor during this part is the burning smell, but the lady confirmed that it happens to everyone and it is simply the smell of the dirt being removed from your face and dissolving.

After this, you have the IPL light, which even with eyes shut and through the goggles, is like a little fireworks display. This is what gives your skin an instant glow, and the therapist holds the light over your face, with intervals of bright flashes which you can't feel at all.

After the light, they wipe on a cooling gel and leave it for a few minutes. After that, they wipe it off and that's it! You're done! 15 minutes later you leave with a glowier, cleaner, and more youthful complexion than when you went in.

Despite the sensitivity around my nose and mouth, I feel the treatment actually worked best on that area, as the red blotchiness I tend to get around my nose was completely gone straight after the treatment. In fact any redness or discoloration was completely gone, which is one of the desired effects from the treatment.

Left: before treatment with pigmentation and red blotchiness.
Right: After treatment a day later with a more even skin tone.

Not only this, but another instant effect I saw was that any congestion or spots I had were instantly brought to the surface and especially the remnants of hormonal spots I had on my chin had instantly turned into white heads, so if you're thinking about getting the treatment, make sure you aren't going anywhere afterwards, or you bring your makeup bag with you! The woman who did my treatment was lovely, however she did refer to my few spots as acne which I thought was a little harsh!

So my verdict?

 A 15 minute facial you could get done in you're lunch break (provided you don't mind going back to work a little spotty and bare faced) is great, especially if you're going on a night out or to an occasion and need a boost to get you a fresh faced glow.

The facial has instant results which is good for someone who likes to see instant results.
If you like a relaxing treatment where you can unwind then you probably won't like this treatment, The tag line to the treatment after all is "No downtime. Just results"

It's not a typical luxe treatment, it is results driven and a quick in and out. At £50 a go, it is quite an expensive luxury, but the results have been rumored to be addictive, and people have been favoring the treatment over botox.

You can buy treatments in bundles which reduces the price to soften the blow, but the icing on the cake, is that your first treatment is 100% completely and absolutely FREE!
I certainly hope to return in order to get that LA perfect glow.

Ren Hydro Boost

As a huge fan of Ren products, when I saw that they needed testers for their new product that was under wraps, I knew I wanted to get a sneak peak of what they had in store. I had to email them telling them which products I used and why I loved them so much. While a one product answer would have sufficed, I think I wrote a five page essay on the tens of products I had tried, and how they had dramatically changed my skin.

Sure enough, a few days later, a package turned up and my door, and there wrapped in cute sparkly blue paper was the Ren Hydro Boost, a never before seen full sized product just for me! I thought I would get a small sample size so was delighted that I had the product as it would appear on shelves.

Although the product can be used by all skin types, I was really happy that the product targeted skin's hydration, as mine has been particularly parched recently with all the sun we've been having.

The flash hydro boost goes on after cleansing and before your usual skin care. You rub the cream onto the skin and then wet your finger tips and massage to activate the hydro boost. The first thing to mention about this product is the amazing smell. It smells clean, and purifying which is exactly the ethos of Ren.

I find the product soaks in really quickly, and makes my skin feel instantly plumper and more comfortable. I find my makeup goes on nicely afterwards due to the soft and plumpness to my skin, and the long term effects mean I have been seeing less fine lines.

I read in the Guardian the other day that Sali Hughes was a little let down by the product. She said it "throws a chalky cast over the skin (I don't even need to experiment to know that on a woman of colour it would be a disaster)" because of this chalky residue. 

I can honestly say I haven't found that at all, and that the product completely soaks in so long as enough water is added to the fingertips when massaging in, therefore anyone of any skin tone could use this product as it almost turns to water which is absorbed instantly. I can only think that she hadn't used enough water to activate the cream to water consistency needed to make the product work at its absolute best.

I have loved adding this new step into my cleansing and moisturing routine, and think that this will have to become a permanent product in day to day life. This product is £34.00 however you only need one pump of the product for it to work it's magic and after a couple of months it is still going strong!