First Impression: Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream

Recently, I've started using Fekkai's Brilliant Glossing Cream, which is something completely new for me! I'm usually not a fan of styling creams because I find that they weigh my hair down, but I definitely haven't encountered this issue with Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream!

The formula is superb, boasting a main active ingredient of pure olive oil that helps to tame your frizz and amp up the shine in your locks! The feel of the product in lightweight, but does a great job of slicking your hair back into a sleek pony or taking a dab in your palms in ruffling it up in the roots of your curls for added volume. And, might I say, when tested against an ethnic hair type like mine, it excels!

My overall first impression of this multi-dimensional product is that it's a great buy at only $25 for 4 oz. and, a little goes a long way! You can find Fekkai's Brilliant Glossing Cream online or at retailers such as Ulta.

Have you tried Fekkai's Brilliant Glossing Cream or their Brilliant Glossing line? What are your thoughts and recommendations?

Five Golden Rules To Recreate Perfect Blowouts

We all love that "fresh-from-the-salon" feeling and know that there's nothing like a good hair day to skyrocket your confidence. I mean, honestly, your hair is least cooperative thing on your body! But, as with many great luxuries within this beautiful world, it's completely unrealistic to visit your nearest blowout bar/salon and get that feeling every day. However, you could probably achieve this exact feeling of confidence if you tried a DIY blowout at home! 

I know, what you're thinking... "There's no way I can recreate my perfect blowout! I'm not one of the pros." There's actually not much to it if you stay true to the golden rules of perfect blowouts!

1. Cleanse It - Use a nourishing, but lightweight shampoo and conditioner.This is essential. A great blowout is all about the free movement and volume that your hair has. Cleansers that pull your hair down are a no-no, so I'd advise skipping deep conditioners here.
2. Prep Your Hair - Apply a foam,volumizing product to the roots, heat protectant and only apply treatment oils to the ends of hair. This is basically reinforcing Rule #1, we're still going for a weightless quality here. I'm a big fan of Aveda's Phommolient Styling Foam and DryBar's 100 Proof Treatment Oil here.
3. Get your tools together! -  Having all of the necessary materials assembled is essential and will make your blowout go by a lot quicker. I regularly gather my brush, a fine tooth comb for detangling and parting, 1 small size claw clip,  4 large duck bill clips, a 1" barrel brush and your hairdryer. Depending on the length of your hair, you may want to up the barrel brush size.
4. About The Hairdryer - Get a powerful hair dryer. This is where you want to make an investment. A good hair dryer will be lightweight, have various heat settings and will come with a nozzle attachment so that you can easily work in tandem with your barrel brush.
5. Ready Your Work Area - Sectioning and Parting your hair will help you immensely when working through your blowout. I like to part my hair in 4 quarters, and work in small sections of hair about 2"-3" in size. When drying focus on getting to the roots with the barrel brush to add volume and thoroughly dry for optimal results.

These rules have really helped me when venturing into doing blowouts at home. I promise, if you stay true to these rules, you'll like your final look a lot! 

Let me know in the comments below if you have any additional tried and true rules to recreating your perfect blowout! I'd love to hear from you!

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Review: DryBar Happy Hour Shampoo and Weightless Conditioner

I think that I can safely assume that we've all heard of the powerhouse company, DryBar, a premium blow dry bar. This incredible company brings together the crème de la crème of feminine indulgence, classic chick flicks, champs, enviable decor and perfect pampered tresses all under one roof! Well, this year, DryBar has taken it up yet another notch and released their own line of hair products. This allows you to recreate your favorite blowout at home with the same products and tools the pros use!

Being the blowout fanatic that I am, I was all too willing to take these products for a spin. I started out with the Happy Hour Blowout Shampoo and Happy Hour Weightless Conditioner. The packaging is nothing short of spectacular, in true DryBar fashion. Sleek, functional and well-designed with cheeky "pun-intended" names referencing the "bar."

Both the Happy Hour Shampoo and Conditioner contain a crisp, fresh and luscious perfumed scent that sticks to your locks. I was particularly impressed with the formula of the shampoo as it thoroughly cleansed the oiliness of my hair but still left it feeling un-stripped.

The Weightless Conditioner is the perfect accoutrement to the shampoo and stays true to its "weightless" claim. While it doesn't possess a thick consistency, you'll notice that after applying the conditioner and rinsing, your hair feels completely nourished and is easily detangled. However, the true magic happens during the blow out. You'll be amazed at how well these products assist you in getting that airy and lightweight feel that is the essence of every blowout. To be honest, I haven't had this kind of success with an at-home blow out with any other shampoo and conditioner combination!  

Here's a couple of snapshots from my trial run with the products...

All in all, I'd say that the performance of the products is absolutely stellar. If I had one criticism, I'd say that I wish you got more product for the money. Both the Happy Hour Shampoo and Weightless Conditioner come in at 8.5 oz of product for $23 each. 

If you're a first timer, I recommend heading to your nearest DryBar location and picking up a complimentary sample pack of Happy Hour.If you're fully committed to trying out the DryBar hair products or tools, you can find them at any DryBar location or online, and you can also find them at Sephora.

Let me know in the comments what you think of DryBar's Happy Hour Shampoo and Conditioner, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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