Bumble and bumble Straight Blow Dry Cream

Hello there!

I've got a review for you today of a product that I really thought I wouldn't love.

Pretty bold statement to make in the second line of a blog post isn't it?

After attending a Bumble and bumble event a few months ago we were kindly given some mini products to try. The Straight Blow Dry Cream was one of them and I remember thinking 'oh great another hair cream'

I really need to apologise for that!

It wasn't that I thought it would be useless and B&b have rubbish products at all - it was just because I've tried COUNTLESS of these hair creams to no avail. They never work and end up coating my hair and making it greasier, which it needs no help doing at all!

This lightweight and heat activated balm helps to smooth and straighten hair making it sleek and more manageable. It contains a very rare gemstone blend to loosen the hairs natural curves as soon as you add heat, it also improves hair condition over time to make it softer and easier to deal with.

They say this is for anyone with curly, thick, coarse, frizzy and any other kind of unruly hair - however I have to say that mine is none of those things and that I'm just lazy with styling my hair properly.


So how do you use it? Just apply to damp hair and dry it section by section, finishing with straighteners if necessary.

Does it actually work? Here's what my hair normally looks like, this is drying it with a hair dryer and a brush:

It's a bit straggly but mostly straight apart from the ends, nothing straighteners wouldn't solve right?

The next time I washed my hair I did exactly the same thing apart from using the blow dry cream:



Can you believe the difference???

I am honestly amazed at how straight my hair is just by using this product

This could mean that I could potentially completely ditch the straighteners, how amazing would that be?!

My hair would definitely love it if I stopped using anything like straighteners and for £23 for 150ml of the blow dry cream I think this is an absolute bargain to save my hair!

What do you think? This might be the miracle hair product that I've been looking for!

Have you tried the Straight Blow Dry Cream? What did you think of it?

L xxx

Beauty Rehab

Hey everyone!

It's that time again when I've almost filled another bag full of empties and need to share them with you. Again I've been pretty good but my stash just isn't going down, facial skincare seems to take up so much of it and you just can't pile it on or use it up like you can others like body moisturiser!

So without further ado here's my recent empties:

Clarins Cleansing Cream  - quite a good sample to try though I'm not sure I'd purchase the full size,felt a bit greasy which is surprising as my skin is on the dry side now
Vichy Densifying Care - honestly, I'm not sure what this is but I used it as a moisturiser. It was quite nice but I've never seen anything like it in the shops!
Benefit Porefessional - another travel size used up, I'll need to stock up somehow for my future travels! It's a great primer for all round
Rimmel Brow This Way - the high street version of Benefit's Gimme Brow, admittedly not as good but for my minimal budget whilst I'm saving it has been great. I've bought another to keep me going!

Antipodes Reincarnation Exfoliator - I have really liked every product I've tried from Antipodes but this one did feel a bit on the safe side, as a scrub it had more of a powder texture so was a very light scrub. Wouldn't repurchase but does smell amazing!
Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask - I need this in my life again, I must repurchase it but I'm using it as an incentive to use up all my other hydration masks and oils!
Rimmel Stay Matte - still the best powder out there for me, works a charm and doesn't break the bank, winning.
Models Own 4 way Nail Block - Can never go wrong with one of these blocks, makes me have natural looking manicured nails, perfect for work.

Sachet central this month!
Bb Color Minded Shampoo and Conditioner - really liked these and have miniature versions to try soon!
Rodial Stem Cell Facial Oil - REALLY liked this, shame about the £60/30ml price tag which means that I will never be able to afford it :(
Kiehls Cucumber Toner - as someone who can take or leave toner I was surprised how refreshing this felt though I can't say I would purchase the full size
Philosophy Keep the Peace cream - can't say this was for me, felt too perfumed and my skin didn't have a positive reaction
Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - Really liked this when I had a full pot of it, the minis are great for travelling
StriVectin Antioxidant Defence Lotion - this was a lovely sachet too and my skin drank it up, haven't tried much from Strivectin before so would like to try more

Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum - this was a nice serum and my skin seemed to drink it up but the tester was really stingy. Not sure I'd purchase this
Jurlique Rosewater Mist - not a toner fan but I can't say this did anything for me
REN Global Protection Day Cream - not a fan, my skin didn't like this as it felt greasy and brought me out in a few spots
Vichy Dermablend - love this foundation, looks so natural on my skin and I have already repurchased

White Company Shampoo and Conditioner - these were from a set of testers given to me, I still stand by my statement that shampoo and conditioner need not be expensive
Stile One Step Primer - really liked this but it's expensive for the effects that it has, I've used cheaper with the same effects so I wouldn't repurchase right now
Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense - this was light and didn't weigh my hair down but didn't feel any positive effects either!
Nip and Fab No Needle Fix Serum - full post coming on this one soon but I personally prefer the Dragon's Blood serum from N&F

No7 Brush Cleaner - This was sometimes useful but tended to leave a film on the brushes so I gave up in the end, made them far too oily
St Tropez Body Moisturiser - lovely moisturiser pre tanning as it's so light, would buy this if it wasn't more expensive than other moisturisers that do a similar job
Aussie Color Mate Shampoo - Aussie is my favourite hair brand, their 3 min miracle is my favourite conditioner and this shampoo is also on my repurchase list
SachaJuan Hair Repair - this was a lovely conditioner but nothing on the 3 min miracle mentioned above, wouldn't repurchase

JPG MaDame perfume - I have 2 bottles in the sidelines, favourite scent EVER
S&G Slimwear - Not sure this does anything at all to help reduce cellulite but extra moisturisation can never be a bad thing
Nioxin Scalp Treatment Spray - I think has gone off courtesy of the weird smell, can't comment on the effects of this one
Nip and Fab Cleansing Oil - after finding out this has mineral oil in I've been avoiding using it on my skin so it's just going to go in the bin now

Nars Creamy Concealer - new fave concealer, hydrating and good coverage, already repurchased
Nip and Fab Viper Venom Eye Roll On - really liked this, would repurchase when I finish some others in my stash
Caudalie Polyphenol Protect Fluid - not sure if this was a serum or not but it was lovely and hydrating, as an extra step with SPF I'd consider buying this
Caudalie Polyphenol Anti Wrinkle Defense Serum - another lush serum, my skin drank it up and felt really hydrated, would consider purchasing this

I have definitely been a busy bee finishing these up. As a quick life update I've just bought a house this week (SO SCARED AND EXCITED!!!!) so now using up my stash has become a huge priority so that I don't have to lug it all with me when I move all my stuff out!

I'll be starting working my way through more samples so the volume of products can be reduced as much as possible, big efforts are needed!

What have you been using up recently? Have you been getting through products at this rate?

L xxx

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Protective Primer

Hey there!

If you've read our recent post about the Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble event in Boots then you will also know that we were really impressed with the products we were shown.

I've been working my way through my stash recently but I'd also been looking for a hair product, preferably a spray that could cover the requirements of a heat protector and also a leave in conditioner. Did such a thing exist? Well I found this little beauty on the shelf:

The Bumble and Bumble (Bb) Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer was something that stood out to me from the shelf; the neon coral is one of my favourite colours and seeing as it was in a spray form I just couldn't resist!

There are 2 sizes of this product available in store,the 250ml bottle costs £19 and there was a smaller bottle available too. On line it shows up as a 60ml bottle costing £7 but I'm pretty sure in store there was a smaller size for a larger price - it's a little confusing!

The protective primer is sold as a sublime pre-styler for a total transformation of your hair.

The product is infused with six featherlight oils to soften, detangle, defrizz, tame flyaways, ease styling, and protect against breakage, heat and UV all in one go.

That's quite a claim really isn't it?

It's therefore claimed to be for people with dry, coarse or brittle hair - mine is definitely dry so I figured it would be worth a go for me!

You need to apply this to damp hair before styling, using the spray was super easy and it creates a mist rather than dumping a load of product onto your freshly washed hair. As I've mentioned many times on the blog I don't use many hair products aside from hairspray when I curl my hair, I don't find they work well with my hair and give much of a positive effect at all. Some oils have been ok, but can seem to coat my hair rather than actually penetrate it and do some good.

So far though, this one has been an anomaly!

Spraying this on my hair after washing and before drying is such a simple thing but it makes such a big difference. My hair feels so much smoother and in much better condition after only a week's worth of usage.

Even though it's just a spray I can't believe how different this product is from so many others I have tried before it. It's supposedly for dry, coarse or brittle hair. My hair is dry from being so long but it isn't generally coarse or brittle, and it can easily become greasy from applying products to it, no matter how 'lightweight' they claim to be.

This spray has genuinely had such a great effect on my hair that I would definitely consider trying out more products from Bb, I will certainly be making a wishlist in time for my birthday later this month!

Have you tried products from Bumble and bumble? What's your favourite?
Do you prefer spray type products or serums?


L xxx

Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble Event

Hey All

Last weekend L and I headed off to our local boots for a Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble event. We were both really excited as it's been a while since we've been to a beauty event with each other as circumstances lately mean we have both been mega busy.

We've both tried the Iconic primer from smashbox and drooled over the Full Exposure palette so were excited to go and see more of the products in action.





It started off by showing us the Bumble and Bumble Blow Dry Cream. Neither of us really use many hair products like this so were intrigued to see it. It's fair to say we were all very impressed with the results. A small amount of the cream was rubbed into dry hair (the model in the photos below has curly almost crimped like hair until it was blow dried as you see below!) then the hair was blow dried straight using just hands.



It was so quick and eliminated frizz so well. It seems perfect and we can't wait to try it. They also do three different types we are both eyeing up the repair one.

We've both used the Ojon oil before so it was great to hear more information on it. L can't wait to try the Rare Blend Rejuvenating oil as this is a lighter texture than the original so won't make hair greasy and M can't wait to try the Rare Blend Moisture Therapy to help with dryer ends. We resisted these on the day but will be back to pick them up soon.





Next we were shown Smashbox. It was great to get hands on with the products and try so many. We ended up with such soft hands after trying on the primers. The luminizing primer gave a great glow and will be amazing for summer nights, while we both love the hydrating and light versions which left the skin feeling so soft.

They have such a huge range of primers it can be really overwhelming to see them on the shelf but going through them individually was really helpful to see which does what, especially learning about their Primer Water which sounds like a must have!

The star of the show had to be the Double Exposure palette it has the most amazing colours and the potential to be a great all rounder. It has the nudes you'd want for everyday with some great blues and purples for smokey eyes. A great thing about the double exposure palette is that the shadows can be used wet.

Most of the time I'm dubious about this as when you wet shadows they tend to get that film layer on top you then need to scrape off. With these you can get loads of water on the brush and in the eyeshadow, apply it and then the shadows dry up and are back to  normal. Below shows how amazing the blue looks wet.





The 15 hour wear hydrating foundation is another thing we can't wait to try. We find no matter how much we love a foundation we always think there is better. With Smashbox all the products are tried in a studio on a set for lasting ability. It's a medium buildable coverage that feels great on the skin. This one could be a winner.

The eyebrow kit looked so good, it has a wax and two powders to create the brow that you want, from an ombre brow to changing your look dependent on day or night. This was one thing that L couldn't leave behind!

M is currently on a make up spending ban so had to resist purchases this day. Roll on 20th May!

Luckily we had a few goodies given to us so that we can try out some of the Bumble and Bumble products and Smashbox.

What are your favourite products from Ojon, Bumble and Bumble and Smashbox?

There's definitely a growing wishlist for us!

Love L and M

xxx