2015 HAIR AND BEAUTY FAVOURITES (SO FAR!)

Hey hey hey!!

I hope you guys are good! I’ve just started a little internship and I’m going to Agios Nikolaos in Crete, Greece at the end of the week and I’m so excited! I’ll be posting pics on Instagram and Snapchatting (when there’s wifi lol!) so follow and tune in. I can’t wait to just relax by the pool and get some sun!

I figured that I should do a 2015 favourites post. As we’re halfway through the year now (OMG this year is going at lightening speed!), I thought it was only fitting to tell you about the products that have helped my hair and skin this year. Obviously this year, I’ve used loadssss of products, including some of my old faves. So instead of listing every single one, I’m just going to tell you about the new ones (if you’re interested in seeing my old faves, pop back to one of my first posts).

HAIR

1) Vatika Naturals Enriched Coconut Hair Oil
You guys already know how much I love coconut oil but Vatika Oil is like supercharged coconut oil and I love it. It is basically coconut oil with ayurvedic ingredients added to it. These ingredients include henna, amla and lemon. This oil is amazingggg! I’m not a huge fan of the smell so I don’t use it to seal but I use it for my hot oil treatments and I add it to my deep conditioners. My hair is always really soft and shiny when I use it.

2) Organix Conditioners
Ok this is a very general one but Organix has basically changed my life. Of course, I’ve used Organix for a long time now but this year I’ve tried some different varieties of Organix and I’m just amazed. I really can’t choose a favourite. Aside from the Keratin Oil one, the Argan Oil & Shea Butter one and the Argan Oil of Morocco one, this year I’ve used the Coconut Water conditioner and the Coconut Milk conditioner and I love both. They leave my hair feeling soft and moisturised and they provide lots of slip for detangling. If you prefer really thick conditioners, I would go for the Coconut Milk one. If you prefer lighter conditioners, the Keratin Oil one. The others are sort of in between those two. I’ll definitely be trying more Organix conditioners.

3) Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strenghten, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque
This one was kind of a happy accident. My mum went to New York earlier this year and, seeing as hair products are cheaper and more readily available there, I asked her to buy me some stuff. I actually asked her to get the JBCO leave in conditioner but they had run out in Target so she got me the masque (along with the styling lotion, which is also fantastic). This stuff is amazinggggg!! It was sooooo moisturising and it has lots of slip, so I could actually detangle with it. It had a really nice consistency so it was pretty easy to apply to my hair. The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the smell – it kind of smells like Play-Doh. It’s not a strong smell though so, once you’ve rinsed it out, you won’t smell it anymore.

I’ve run out of this masque sadly but this is what it looks like

4) Henna
With this one, I’m going to have to put a disclaimer out there: DO NOT USE HENNA ON YOUR HAIR WITHOUT DOING THE PROPER RESEARCH! I will be doing a post on henna soon (actually a few posts because there’s so much to say about it) – I just want to assess my results for a little bit longer before putting the info out there. But henna has really helped my hair. It has made my hair stronger, thicker and has helped me to retain length. It also increases shine. If you are going to use henna, ensure that you get BODY ART QUALITY HENNA! In many shops, they sell all sorts of things and stick a “Henna” label on it – if it’s not body art quality, it’s not doing anything for your hair.

This is the type of henna I buy – I get mine from Shea Butter Cottage

BEAUTY

1) Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush
This thing is the best. I know there are so many varieties of vibrating cleansing brushes out there e.g. Clarisonic etc but this is the only one I’ve tried and I’m a fan. It really cleans my face deeply – my face always feels so fresh and smooth after using it. It’s a really great way to exfoliate and soften your skin.

2) Raw shea butter
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now know how much I love raw shea butter for my hair but I have recently started using it on my face and body and WOW. My face is softer, clearer and smoother than ever. Shea butter contains Vitamin E, which is great for healing scars, blemishes and discolouration. My skin just glows when I use it. I really like to slather it on at night so it really soaks in and works its magic while I sleep. Yeah I kinda look like a greasy chip at night but so what??

3) African Black Soap
This is another one that has really helped with clearing up my skin. I wouldn’t say I ever really had crazy acne but I break out sometimes and the spots leave scars. This has really helped. I use it on my face and body and my skin has never felt smoother, softer and shinier.

You obviously don’t have to use this exact brand – any GOOD black soap will suffice

4) NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and Radiant Creamy Concealer
Now I’m really not much of a make up person simply because I’m just not that good at it so I tend to stay away from it as much as possible lol!! I usually use the Bare Minerals powder but when I want some extra oomph, I use this NARS foundation. The concealer is fantastic at covering up my dark circles and any red spots I get. The foundation is really light and it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything when I wear it. ONE pump gives me full coverage but, if you want even more coverage, add more layers. I got both of these at Selfridges. I use the concealer in Caramel (Medium/Dark 2) and the foundation in Cadiz (Medium/Dark 3).

There we go beautiful people!! Of course, there are other products I’ve used this year so far but these are probably my absolute faves! Try them out and let me know how they work for you.

Email me or comment below with any questions! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter! Like on Facebook and add me on Snapchat! Share on social media!

Tara xXx