Review: Hask cactus water collection

Hi beauties,

Today’s blog post is a review on the Hask Cactus water shampoo and conditioner. I was kindly gifted these products to try out and so glad that I got picked to test them out because otherwise I would’ve never discovered what amazing, natural products they are! Read more to find out why I love them so much…

In today’s post we are are going to discuss a few different aspects of the products and break them up according to the following: packaging and product as a whole, scent and product finish & longetivity.

Packaging and product
At first glance, the packaging of this product is very sleek and easy to use. The product is 355ml and comes in a long skinny bottle that makes it easy to bring along with you when you are travelling. The bottle has a pop top style lid that makes it easy to get the product out as well as easily controllable to get the correct amount you need.

The shampoo is colourless and can be seen through the “see-through” bottle it is encased in. Whereas the conditioner is white in colour in a milky coloured bottle. The font and detail on the front of the product catches your eye and makes you want to display them in your shower loud and proud!

In terms of the product itself, I thought the consistency was perfect, it wasn’t too thick and clumpy nor was it too watery. Upon application, the product was easy to massage into the scalp and seemed to do as it claimed being a “weightless moisture shampoo and conditioner”.

Scent
I wanted to give the ‘scent’ its own paragraph to emphasise the magnificent smelling product this is! As well as being titled ‘cactus water’ is also contains Prickly Pear seed oil which really comes through when using this product. It does have a tiny hint of a fruity scent, although nothing overpowering and is easy on the nose.

Product finish and longevity
In terms of the product effect after washing and drying my hair, it definitely left my hair looking silky and smooth. I usually have wavy to curly hair, but depending on the shampoo/conditioner I use, it could turn out very straight or very curly (I just never know!) With this product, I noticed that it helped keep a curl rather that straighten out my hair – which I love!

Not only did this product achieve what it claimed to achieve, it also was an A+ on the longevity side of things! You may be wondering, how do you measure longevity in terms of shampoo and conditioner? It’s pretty easy to do so – mainly assessing when my hair becomes oily! Although, this product does contain natural oils in the shampoo and conditioner itself it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated it to be. My hair lasted about 2-3 days before it started to become oily, this is on par with other products but I can usually last 3-4 days before having to wash my hair again.

Overall thoughts
Overall, I did enjoy using these products and would definitely repurchase again in the future! The product is definitely not only a perfect product to use, it is also environmentally friendly and does not test on animals (big A+).

Overall rating: 8/10

In terms of purchasing this product, it can be purchased from the following retailers:
Hask website
Hask Instagram
Priceline – RRP $14.99AU
Kmart – RRP $9.00AU
Chemist Warehouse – RRP $12.99AU
Target – RRP $4.79USD
Ulta – RRP $5.99USD

I’d love to know if you’ve tried any Hask products and what you’re thoughts are!

Stay beautiful,
Alyce xx

*DISCLAIMER: all opinions are my own and all pictures were taken by me. I was sent these products for free, although the links posted are NOT affiliate links.

Review: Opallac gel polish

Hi Beauties,

Today’s review is going to be on Opallac gel polish. I was first introduced to this product at the end of last year by a friend and decided to test it out myself. I ventured online and bought myself the starter kit and a few colours to get me underway.

I’m not the type of person to usually get my nails done on a regular basis, but just whenever I feel like it. I was a bit apprehensive to use this kit at first as I am not the best at painting nails and didn’t know how complicated the gel application process would be.

Gel starter kit:

The kit includes the following products:

1. Gel 7watt LED lamp
2. Base coat
3. Top coat
4. 3 gel colours
5. 2-in-1 shine and soak solution
6. Remover wraps
7. Nail file
8. Buffing block

The kit also came with a step by step instruction manual, which also included illustrations throughout the manual – this made it super easy to follow.

Firstly, you are instructed to clean your hands and buff your nails ready for application. After your nails are prepped you are ready to start the process. As suggested, the base coat goes on first which you apply a clear layer of the lacquer onto each nail and put it under the LED light for 90 seconds. This step is as easy as it sounds, although I find that this can be the make or break of how your nails are going to turn out. I made the mistake upon my first application, by applying a lot of product as I didn’t know whether I should apply a thin layer or build the product up.

As I initially applied too much product I found that it tended to drip and spread onto my skin whilst I had it under the LED light, which in turn hardened on my skin and I couldn’t get it off. Due to this, I have learnt to apply a very thin layer of base coat in order to prevent it from spreading to my skin. Other than that minor mishap, it was a fairly easy process.

Next, it was time to apply colour. You are instructed to apply 2 layers of colour (or more) depending on your desired look – although 2 layers will usually suffice. After each layer of application, you are to cure it under the LED light for 90seconds each coat. Similarly to the first step, this step is easy – given you have a steady hand.

One of the last steps is to put on the top coat, which is used to seal the colour. Similarly with the base coat, only a thin layer of the top coat is necessary. It is also instructed to cure this product for 90 seconds.

Once the above 3 steps are completed, the last step is to wipe over you nails with the shine and soak solution to get rid of any stickiness. Once this step is completed, your nails should be dried instantly and you’re ready to go on about your day. It’s that simple.

As you can see from above, the steps involved are fairly simple and can be done with ease by people with little to no experience doing nails.

The thing I love about this product is that you can have salon finish nails without going to a salon (what a bonus!).

So now that I’ve gone through the process, what are my thoughts?

PROS:

• Everything can be purchased in one kit
• Inexpensive for the product you are receiving
• Easy to use
• Great range of colours available
• Available to purchase in store and Online
• Can get your nails done under 30mins (depending on each individual

CONS:

• Too much product can lead to a bit of mess
• A few products needed to get started
• Can start to peel off after a few days – dependant on application
• Can ruin your nails when taking the product off

The above pros and cons are based on my personal experience using the product over the past 6 months.

Price:
RRP $99 – for all the products you get, this is a reasonable price in my opinion. Opallac tend to have a few sales throughout the year, along with Priceline – so you can grab it a reasonable price.

Colour range:
Opallac offers a range of different colours as well as types of colours available, these can be split into the following:

• Core gel polish – 27 colours
• Sheer gel polish – 3 colours
• Sparkle gel polish – 21 colours
• Colour changing gel – 4 colours

Longevity:
Overall, the products claims to last up to 14 days. In my opinion, the product has never lasted 14 days but lasts well over a week to a week and a half – which is still really good in my opinion! It also varies, dependent on how each person looks after their nails.

Removal:
I find the removal process to a bit tricky and time consuming. You firstly need to file down your nails to get rid of the shine then use the shine and soak solution on the nail wraps and apply to your nails for 2-3 minutes. It usually doesn’t work too well for me and I just end up peeling them off which ruins my nails a little bit. This is my personal opinion, but I’m sure if you do each step properly it will work well. I believe the nail removal wraps are an ingenious idea and assist with the removal process quite well, without having to use the usual cotton balls and foil = A+ in my opinion!

Overall thoughts and suggestions:
Overall, I really enjoy using this product and will continue using this product to do my nails in the future. It not only makes my nails look nice and professional, but assists with the growth as well. I would recommend this product to anyone and do have a few suggestions which may better the product in the future.

Suggestions:

1. Possibility of offering nail tips. I love using the gel polish but I have short nails. I would love if there was an option to buy nail tips and glue from the website and give my nails a bit of a boost.

2. Battery operated LED light. This is only a personal preference – it would be good if there was an option to have a battery operated light – which is handy if you are going away and wanting to do your nails on the go.

Example of it on my own nails (Colour: Dear Sheer)

About the product
Where can I get this product in Australia?
Opallac Website
Priceline

Judging panel:

Lasting-power: 7/10
Formula: 9/10
Colour availability: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10

Overall rating: 8.5/10

I’d love to know if you’ve tried the Opallac gel polishes and what you’re thoughts are!

Stay beautiful,
Alyce xx

 

*DISCLAIMER: all opinions are my own and all pictures were taken by me. I am not sponsored in any way and the links posted are NOT affiliate links.

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Hi Beauties,

It’s been a while since my last blog post but I’m back with a review on the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. This product is a recent addition to my collection and I have been testing it out over the last few months. I originally purchased this product back in March when Priceline had their 40% sale and I couldn’t go past this product without picking it up.

This foundation is the first Bourjois product I have ever tried and had heard rave reviews about it, so decided to pick it up and test it for myself. Judging but the name of the product, I expected the coverage to be light but have a dewy finish to reflect the radiance-boosting claim. I was a little shocked when I first applied the product to find that it was actually a matte finish. It does claim to be semi-matte, but would suggest that this is more suited to oily skin than that of drier skin.

I do like the feel of the product itself, as it is a gel application – similar to that of a lot of primers. In terms of application, I usually use sponges to apply my foundation, but in this case I use a dense brush to apply the foundation evenly. This foundation works really well with brush application as I find it does not leave brush marks and applies evenly and effortlessly.

I have collated some pros and cons below, which I have found whilst testing this product:

Pros:
– Lightweight
– Even application
– Long-wearing
– Hypoallergenic

Cons:
– Only 3 colours available: Light Beige, Vanilla and Light Vanilla
– Quite expensive for a drugstore foundation – RRP $35AUD
– Not great coverage

Wear test
After purchasing this foundation I was intrigued to see how long-wearing the product would be so I decided to put it to the test and wear it to work everyday from 7am-7pm. Over the course of the day, the product was consistent from morning to evening although there were some patches that became prevalent particular on my t-zone. I don’t usually have oily skin so I can’t say much in that department, but as it is not a heavyweight foundation I would imagine it to not be such an issue. (Unedited photo below displaying Bourjois foundation on the skin)

Judging panel:

Lasting-power: 7/10
Formula: 9/10
Colour availability: 3/10
Value for money: 7/10

Overall rating: 7/10

 

About the product
Where can I get this product in Australia?
Priceline

How much does it retail for?
$35 AUD

 

Stay beautiful,
Alyce xx

 

*DISCLAIMER: all opinions are my own and all pictures were taken by me. I am not sponsored in any way and the links posted are NOT affiliate links.