TGIF!!! Over the Easter long weekend, I've done some shopping.  I know it's not sale season, but I managed to find some great deals here and there!

Ever since I went ombre, I have become really conscious about the "health" or the condition of my hair.  I have never ever take care of my hair like that because I didn't feel the need to when I was younger.  But after being exposed to more and more hair care products/information (thanks to YouTube, Stacey Brennan, and Emily from THISWASFOREVER), I realize I am not treating my hair very well.  So this time, after damaging my hair by leaving hair dye on for a wee bit too long, I am determined to "revive" it, or at least condition it to prevent it from getting worse.  And here's what I'm currently reaching for the most...



"Wow!  That's a lot of hair products!"  I know!  I think so too.  I do use them all but hear me out...  And since this post is going to be VERY long, I have sectioned it up!

1. Shampoo and Conditioner

Left: LUSH BIG Shampoo; Right: L'Oreal Total Repair Replenishing Mask

I used the LUSH Cosmetics BIG Shampoo every day.  Yes, I know, you're not supposed to wash your hair every day but I just can't stand how greasy my hair would get.  My hair gets greasy even at the end of the day even I just washed it 16 hours ago.  It also smells too... yikes!  I think after a whole day of work I deserve some refreshment by just shampooing my hair.  You may think that this small tub might not worth the buck, but a little goes a long way because this lathers up crazy.  I use about a little less than a quarter size amount and that's probably too much.  I massage the product on the scalp and bring the lather to the ends and then rinse it out thoroughly.  I especially like this one because it makes my hair squeeky clean and SHINY.  My hair is not dull per se, but it gives it an extra lift.  Literally!  I do find my hair have more volume after using this shampoo.  I don't think I have used something quite like this and I'm enjoying it!

LUSH BIG Sea Salt Shampoo

LUSH BIG Sea Salt Shampoo

Since I do wash my hair so often, I make sure I do condition it as well.  And my go to conditioner is the L'Oreal Paris Total Repair Replenishing Mask. I have had this for ages but I have never opened it.  It is not until I coloured my hair that I decided to take it out from my cabinet and use it.  My friend Jill from Batting a Lash had talked about using this as her conditioner before, so did Emily, so I gave it a shot.  It makes my hair really soft, silky soft! They probably have changed their packaging since I acquired this one. (I don't even remember when!)  I'm hoping that it works the same because I'm gonna need one when I run out.

L'Oreal Paris Total Repair Replenishing Mask

Last week, you have read my experience on the L'Oreal Paris Féria Wild Ombré dip dye kit (go check out the tips and tricks I learned from L'Oreal Paris Official Hair Colourist Christophe Robin).  Now you can have a chance to win the same kit I used too!  It is most suitable for Medium to Dark Brown Hair, but I heard lighter brown hair girl can do so too (don't quote me though).  But I also got something if you want to go blonde — the L'Oreal Paris Superior Preference LB01.  If you're itching to switch up your hair colour, enter here for a chance to win the follow two hair dye kit.

Prize #1:

1 Box of L'Oreal Paris Féria Wild Ombré dip dye kit in 060 Medium to Dark Brown Hair
a Rafflecopter giveaway

On the last day of Toronto Fashion Week, there was one more fashion show happened outside of the tents.  It was the Lucian Matis's Monochromatic Collection.  I had the opportunity to go backstage and chat with the Revlon Nail Expert Leeanne Colley and Gucci Westman Lead Assistant Mimi Imanishi.  First let's talk about the nail looks:



The above nail tips were hand painted by Leeanne Colley and her team for the show. Going with the Monochromatic theme, Leeanne came up with the charcoal black and vanilla nail designs for the show.  In the Monochromatic Collection, Lucian played with textures like leather as oppose to prints like his other collections.  Therefore, Leeanne wanted to create texture on the nails to compliment the collection.  Leeanne said  “I created a combination of sharp geometrical lines to complement Lucian’s monochromatic look. The whites in the collection are winter whites, soft and creamy not stark. I’ve combined them with a rich charcoal gray and strong black accents.”

I'm digging the porcelain shade

The leather-like finish is actually sponged on by using 1 layer of Revlon Nail Enamel in Iconic (a charcoal grey), 1 layer of Timeless (light grey), and finally another layer of Iconic and sponge it to give the texture.  After the center part, they used acentone to clean up the sides.  To create that creamy vanilla ice cream colour, Leeanne used a layer of Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel in Porcelain (vanilla cream), a layer of Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Spirit (white), and then another layber of Porcelain to finish it up.  Here's the end results

Model is photoready even pre-makeup... life's not fair... =P

To compliment the boxiness in the clothing of the Monochromatic Collection, Leeanne also created some outlined mani.  She used the fine tip of Revlon Nail Art Expressionist in Night & Degas (the black one) to outline the nails.  She said everything is hand-drawn, talk about skills.



Leeanne was so down to earth and enthusiastic, I got to chat with her more about nails.  I asked her to give us some tips on at home manicure.  She said the key is how you hold the brush.  When you take the brush out from the bottle, you could brush one side of the brush along the side of the bottle, so that only one side has nail polish on it.  Then you would place your brush on the center of your nail and push it towards the cuticle, then brush it back to the tip of the nails.  This way, you can avoid having too much nail polishes on the cuticles and avoid smudges.  I also asked if she has some tip for nail art because I struggle with my right hand all the time.  She said start with the hand that you have the most trouble with.  It made so much sense, because if you were to start on your easy hand, by the time you're done, you will be tired and frustrated, and don't want to do the second hand.  But if you start with the trouble hand, then when you're done, you know your easy hand is gonna be easy, and you will be able to go through with it :D.

Warning: this is going to be a slightly pic heavy post

Entrance of WMCFW

Last week was the time of the year again when every fashionista in Toronto (and nearby cities) gets excited - it's Toronto Fashion Week again, or, better known as now, World Mastercard Fashion Week!  I had the opportunities to attend a few shows on Day 2, as well as going backstage for a bit between shows all thanks to Maybelline's #tweet4aseat Twitter contest!   And I am very excited to share with you my experience!

First thing first, you gotta think of your outfit for fashion week.  I pulled out what I have in my closet, and here's the look:

Top: J.Crew denim shirt | Skirt: J.Crew tweed skirt | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Shoes: H&M x MMM glass wedges | Bracelet: Pinkbarry | Necklace: House of Harlow 1960