Ojon Rare Blend Moisture-rich Cleansing Conditioner.

Here's a review I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com, enjoy.

Co-washing, the art of using conditioner as shampoo, has gone commercial and is no longer reserved for the natural haired girls. With all the talk of sulphates being bad for your locs, companies have not only been churning out sulphate free alternatives, but are now dipping their toes into the idea of using conditioner as shampoo.

 

 

Ojon have released their take with the Rare Blend Moisture-rich Cleansing Conditioner, the founder of the company discovered the native Ojon tree in the tropical rainforest in Central America. In one year each tree produces less than 8,000 nuts, which only produce 3 cups of ojon oil. As you can imagine it is not cheap (£18.50 for a 250ml bottle), but not that expensive either, considering the oil is extracted using traditional eco-friendly methods and referred to as nature’s golden elixir. It is said that this potent and pure oil have a natural affinity with hair, restoring radiance, suppleness, bounce, body and volume to even the most damaged hair.

As you can imagine I was intrigued to see how it would work on my kinky, natural and dry hair. To start with it smells amazing and contains a blend of 7 oils including pure ojon oil, palm kernel oil, kukui seed oil, coconut oil to name just a few.  It’s sulphate and glycerin free and is geared towards those with curly, wavy, dry breakage prone hair. I was surprised at the gentle lather this produced, despite containing so many oils. This walked the fine line between cleaning my hair without stripping it, despite it being overloaded with product come wash day, but not weighing it down. Ojon also state there is no need to use a separate conditioner when using this, so great if you’re short on time, washing in between wash days or washing more frequently than usual.

As my first dip into the Ojon brand I was definitely impressed with how my hair felt even after only one use, my hair felt clean, hydrated and nourished. I have definitely incorporated this into my hair care routine, and am intrigued now to try other products from the range. I will of course still be including sulphate free clarifying and hydrating  shampoo’s intermittently to prevent product build up, especially on the scalp.

Have you tried anything from Ojon? Are you happy that co-washing is going commercial and no longer reserved for brownbeauties with natural hair?

 

The post Ojon Rare Blend Moisture-rich Cleansing Conditioner appeared first on Brownbeauty.

bareMinerals Bare Skin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation and perfecting face brush!

I took the opportunity to pick up the latest Bare Minerals Foundation and accompanying brush while in Atlanta recently, it's not due to launch in the UK until around September, but I think QVCUK while have an early pre-launch at the end of June.

 

The bottle is colour coded to represent the shade of the foundation inside, I was colour matched to the shade Bare expresso number 19 of the 20 shades available. This is touted to be the first liquid mineral foundation, formulated without water, silicone, oil, parabens or fragrance. It is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic and contains a non-chemical SPF of 20, it also contains vitamin C to help brighten the complexion. The brush has a little dip in the centre, once you shake the foundation well, you apply 1-6 drops, depending on the level of coverage you want to achieve and buff it into the skin. However I actually prefer to use my Real techniques buffing brush, so I don't think the brush is an essential purchase.

 



 



Bare minerals developed the tag line Shake, drop, buff to help you remember, you have to ensure you shake this foundation well, as it contains no binders it has a tendencey to separate. Despite the 20 shades I think darker skinned girls may still struggle to find a shade match, also the undertone of the darker shades isn't great, which doesn't help in shade matching.

 

SwatchedBlended

 

I would say my colour match is pretty good, although it does look slightly strange if I try to build up the coverage, but once the rest of my make-up is applied it looks ok. It controls oil well if my combination skin is properly prepped i.e. primer, light moisturiser etc. As my first ever bare minerals foundation, it's a lovely light weight formula, that evens out the skin quite well and is great for the warmer months. The omission of the usual nasties and addition of vitamin C and SPF is a nice touch, it's good to know something you are using can benefit your skin in the long run.

 

Will you be trying this new foundation once launched? Have you tried it already? What are your thoughts?

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today

 

Cane and Austin Ultra Sheer Weightless SPF50 Sunscreen.

I purchased this Cane and Austin sunscreen towards the end of last summer from SpaceNK, the one I was using at the time was making my already summer oily prone skin oilier. It's a chemical sunscreen, which is most effective when applied on bare skin, as it needs to interact with skin cells to be most effective.

 

This stuff is great, it's an extremely white watery liquid when it comes out, but does not at all leave a white cast and sits beautifully under make-up. It isn't cheap at £32 for just shy of 60ml, but it's fortified with anti-oxidants including green tea, vitamin E and Co-Q10, it's oil, alcohol and paraben free and has photo-stable technology.

A lot of brands are now bringing out there versions of this kind of transparent ultra sheer finish, but at the time I purchased this it was quite unique and is now one of my favourite sunscreens. This has an expiry date on the bottom (month and year), which I think is great, sunscreens become in-effective after a while and you wouldn't want to think you're being protected when you're not.

Have you tried this sunscreen or anything similar?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Urban Decay's Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder!!!

Urban Decay have been rapidly expanding their Naked range, I picked up the Naked Skin ultra definition Powder from Debenhams website a while ago, and I have been absolutely loving it!!! It comes in 5 shades and I have the second to darkest shade in the range, medium dark, it smoothes out the skin perfectly and never looks powdery and cost £22.

Urban decay say the powder is a silky, weightless, finishing powder that blurs imperfections, sets make-up and controls shine while leaving a luminous demi-matte finish.

I agree with most of that, but if you are super oily you will still need to touch up during the day. I have been absolutely loving this powder, it smooths and plumps my skin, which is contrary for a powder and never looks cakey. I'm tempted to pick up the pressed version for touch ups on the go.

Have you tried this powder or anything from the naked range? Any recommendations of other products from the naked range? Have you tried the pressed version and do you like it?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex