Aveda Smooth Infusion...not a smooth move.

Oh Aveda....I had high hopes for their Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother but it let me down. I bought this product while I was in Seattle and liked that it advertised that it defends against humidity for up to 12 hours. The saleswoman also said it would be a great product for my type of hair (medium frizz and waves in humidity).

The instructions say to apply a small amount of this through wet hair before you style it. I found that when I applied this product to my hair and then blow dried it, it had little to no effect. It had a better effect at fighting frizz when I air dried my hair, but it always looked greasy.

The smell is not too bad, but I personally find it displeasing. It smells like a combination of black licorice and mint. It does contain some great ingredients like Aloe Leaf Juice.

I think the packaging is quite nice, though. It has a pump dispenser that locks, which is very nice for traveling. It is also made out of 100% recycled material.

I have used about half of this bottle and I will not be purchasing this item again nor can I reccommend it to you. Save your $24-28 and buy a different product from the Aveda line. It's still a great brand!

The Last Heat Protectant I'll Ever Use

I cannot stress enough how important it is to use a heat protectant on your hair when applying any sort of heat to it. There are so many out there to choose from (and I've probably tried them all!) and Catwalk by TIGI Sleek Mystique Haute Iron Spray is by far the best.

I purchased the 6oz spray can from my favorite stylist (Katey Sparks at B&G House of Style in Kennewick, WA...she's amazing!) after she used it on my hair while styling it. I could not believe the beautiful shine it gave my hair without feeling greasy or weighed down. My hair also felt so soft, I could hardly believe it was my own! The scent is a little perfumey, but not too bad. It kind of smells like Juicy Couture perfume.

Be careful not to use too much of this product on your hair or it will look and feel greasy. Use a light hand because a little goes a long way. I like to spray a light mist on my hair before blow drying it and again on each section of hair as I flat iron it. I have very thick hair with medium frizz and Sleek Mystique works magic on it. It makes my ends look great, too.

I cannot reccommend this product enough! You can find TIGI products at stores like Target and Fred Meyer, but the products they carry are limited and I have not found the Sleek Mystique collection anywhere other than my trusted and accredited salon (which is where you should buy them anyway!). You can expect to pay around $14-18 for the 6oz spray can and it should last you one to three months, depending on how often you heat style your hair.

Go get it!

MUFE's 'Mat Velvet +' Review

If you're like me, you'll read every review online and watch every tutorial on YouTube before purchasing a piece of designer makeup. I found a lot of positive reviews on this foundation and very few negative ones, so I decided to try it.

I have oily/combination skin. I was looking for something with full coverage and that was long lasting. This makeup has amazing coverage, however it lasts about 4 hours before you have to do touchups. I loved that MUFE offers a wide array of colors to choose from and for once I wasn't automatically the lightest shade!

I would not reccommend this product for one big reason: if you have any dry skin whatsoever, Mat Velvet + will cling to it and magnify it like a spotlight. Do you have wrinkles? Expect Mat Velvet + to exaggerate them, as well.

This was the biggest problem I had and because of it, I will not be buying this product again. If you have 'normal' skin, this would be a great product for you. Us girls with oily/combination skin will have to keep looking.

Channeling Rapunzel

I have recently become obsessed with hair extensions. I made the mistake of cutting off my beautiful, long auburn locks at the wish of my boyfriend (now ex) 5 years ago. He obviously didn't come up with the best ideas...but that's another story.

Since then, I have not grown my hair past my shoulders and I miss it dearly. I have been blonde, brunette and everything in between. I'm ready to go back to my roots - literally.

I have scoured the internet for reviews and my YouTube history is sick of me typing in the same thing over and over again. I'm just so torn!

At first I was going to choose FoxyLocks Extensions. It is beautiful hair, but they don't have very many color options. I am also not too thrilled about ordering something from the UK. I mean, the monetary exchange and the extra shipping charges and the long wait...ugh. I don't have time for that. Most people who did reviews seemed pretty satisfied with this product, but some people said that the ends were thin and they shed.

THEN....

I found Luxy Hair Extensions. I love the auburn color that they have. At first I couldn't find any horribly negative reviews about this product. After more digging, some people said that they shed a lot and had a lot of breakage. One person even said that the company was a lot of 'smoke and mirrors'. Yikes! I'm not one to let one bad review stop me so Luxy is still in the running.

A favorite YouTuber of mine, HairGirl247, was raving about Lush Locks. She claimed they were the best. When I went to their website to look at their products, it said they were out of stock on just about every item. Sigh.

Then came the best/worst...

HeadKandy Extensions...where do I start? I think they have been around longer than the previous two companies. Some reviews said that the clips often came broken, they fell apart, they became unmanagebly tangled after a few uses, when washed they lost color and sheen, etc. A lot of people said that they re-did their extensions and are now much improved. What to believe?! The thing that I liked about this company is that their wefts have more hair than the others. I have very thick hair so that is extrememely appealing to me. Is it worth taking a risk?

I am pretty sure I'm leaning towards either one 160 gram set from Luxy hair, or possibly two 120 gram sets. Like I said...I've got a lot of hair to blend.

Any thoughts/opinions?

Thanks!