Vitapointe Leave In Conditioner Review

Just a short and sweet post about Vitapointe.

I saw it at Savers and it was really cheap £1.60 for a 30ml tube. It was the right size for travelling and you can also get the 50ml tube for £2.10 (which I bought as a second tube for home after I tried this!)

I like the simple packaging and the fact it's applied like a body moisturiser, only to hair like Vita5 Hair Booster from Australia. Feels more like I'm moisturising and not just using a serum or oil to coat hair. The conditioner is a bit oily looking and you only need a pearl size glop and no more. I spread on my palms and smooth it through my ends.

The stuff smells powdery like baby soap and it really does make dry ends feel softer. It reduces frizzies and makes my hair smell nice. I will always go back to this simple but effective stuff!

Edited to add: This stuff contains mineral oil so I've given it a rest as I'm trying to go all natural. I'm now using coconut oil.

Shikakai Powder For Hair

I was carrying this to the showers at my gym and when someone saw it, her eyes practically popped out of her head. What was in the bottle and why was I taking a shower with it?

I bought a box of shikakai powder from the supermarket after reading about the benefits. It's known to add shine, strengthens the roots, eliminates dandruff and most important to me, reduces hair loss. It was only £1.30 and it's a dried herb powder that you mix with water and clean your scalp with it.

Shikakai contains sapons which are surfactants. It mildly cleanses and the PH is 4, slightly acidic which is the right level for keeping dandruff at bay and closing hair cuticles. Shakakai basically gets rid of dirt and oil and makes hair shiny, similar to doing a apple cider vinegar rinse.

I recycled a nearly empty squeeze bottle of honey which had crystallised. I added hot water and powder to make a runny paste. Honey is good for hair, I figured. The mixture smelt muddy so add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance.

I wet my hair and applied it to my scalp and massaged it in. There were no suds and it was gritty, like a scrub. I let it sit in my hair while I was doing my normal shower routine. When I rinsed, I could instantly feel my hair was softer and smoother. It was amazing!

When my hair dried, it smelt a little muddy (because I did'nt add fragrance) but it subsided after a few hours. Let this be a warning if you're planning to use it when you're going to be around other people-use essential oil!  My scalp felt like it had been scrubbed clean and even though I didn't use conditioner, I didn't feel like I needed to.

I like shikakai because it's all natural, cheap and mild on my hair. Good for gentle and frequent cleaning as my fine hair looks dirty by the second day of washing. As for reducing hair loss, I'll keep using it and let you know how I get on!

Washing and Conditioning a Worn Out Leather Bag

I bought a Marc Jacobs Tina turnlock tote at the charity shop for £55! It needed a good cleaning inside and out as the lining looked like eyeshadow had exploded on it and the leather was dry in some places. With a little TLC, I knew I could revive the bag and make it an aged treasure.

The most effective way of cleaning the lining was hand washing. While I don't recommend this on very expensive leather bags, I did'nt have too much to risk because the leather is dark brown so water stains was'nt too much of an issue.  

Step one: I turned out the lining and washed it thoroughly with detergent and warm water, being careful not to let the leather get wet. Keep a towel handy for sopping up splashes. When the water ran clear, I wrung it out and hung it up to dry, keeping the lining kept separate from the leather. 

Step 2: When the lining is completely dry, turn it back inside. Now it's time to condition the leather. I use Wheelers leather balm which is made from beeswax and is perfect for moisturising. Make sure the leather is clean so wipe it down if needed and unfasten buckles so you can access all areas. I squirt a 10p amount of balm on my palm and massage the leather all over with my hands. Pay attention to edges and dry areas. Keep applying more balm and work the leather until it feels like the upper layer is saturated. 

Step 3: Hang the bag up to dry over night. It will be a little sticky on the surface but the bag will be usable after a quick buff. With further use the leather will suck up the balm throughout and be lusciously thick and supple.

The bag is ready for use and the leather will beautify with age.

Tah dah! A reconditioned bag with smooshy buttery leather. 

DIY Nail Repair With A Teabag And Nail Glue

My pet hate when growing nails is accidentally ripping them across the nail bed. However accidents happen and a tiny little tear turned into this as I was getting dressed. Quelle horreur! As you can see, the rip is over the pink of the nail and there was no way I was going to cut off the hanging bit.

I went to two beauticians near my work but they were both booked out. I had to resort to a DIY nail repair and it turned out to be effective and cheap, using nail glue and a teabag.

1) Start with a clean and dry nail.

2) Take a teabag and cut two small rectangles to fit over the tear, one larger than the other.

3) Place the smaller rectangle over the tear, add one drop of nail glue and use a paper clip to ensure that the paper covers the tear. Work quickly because the glue dries fast. (It's easier to handle with tweezers but I didn't want glue on mine.) 

4) The glue should still be a little gummy for the larger teabag piece. Center it over the first piece and add another drop of glue. Ensure that the pieces are well adhered, leaving no air bubbles.

5) Add another drop of glue or two to seal. Let the glue dry completely.

6) File the glued area with a course nail file. Then use a smoother file to buff the surface.

7) Here's the finished work-broken nail fixed! You can paint over the repair but nail polish remover will dissolve the glue (especially if using acetone). You will need to repeat this process until the tear grows out. 

Rayban Wayfarer 2140-A Asian Fit. Yes It Exists!

If you're Asian, chances are you've had problems fitting big plastic frames. I've wanted Rayban Wayfarers for ages but they they slide down my face. When I smile, my cheeks smudge the lenses. Ever had this happen to you?

It's especially frustrating because I wear glasses and have the same problems finding  frames. I have two pairs of new glasses going to waste because they don't fit and stick on silicone nosepads fall off. I'm still wearing the same plastic frames from 10 years ago because they actually fit me! The glasses are made by Ray Ban so they must be doing something right-especially when I found out they make an Asian Fit for Wayfarers.

I managed to track them down on Smartbuyglasses (known as Visiondirect in Australia). The catch is that I had to wait months for my order to be located in Hong Kong, sent to the company's warehouse and then dispatched. The latter step was really quick because they use a courier service, however they did at first send a normal fit pair in error and that was after six weeks of waiting! They offered a 5% discount for waiting (twice) so it worked out to only cost £80 including shipping. However these ones are made for the Asian face which is better than anything I could buy on the high street. 

The first I noticed was the frames are huge for a 54mm lens. So ladies, be aware this is the bug eyed version. Most opt for the 50mm lens and the classic style is the 47mm (which I found too small for my face.) 

The nose pads are more prominent than normal and I think narrower too (perhaps this might just be because of the 54mm lens version). I will have to get the arms adjusted so they fit around my ears but after that, they are a perfect fit! No cheek smudges and no falling down my nose. 

So if you have a low nosebridge, consider the Asian fit. It really does exist. If only Rayban did them for prescription frames, I can finally replace my current glasses!

My Thrift Shop Haul

You know that saying "when it rains it pours"? That's how it feels like when I'm charity shopping. There will be many times where I'll walk away with nothing or in this case, I've found three dresses and a handbag and clutch. All stuff I need!

1) Body con dress £6.50

2) Mango duffel bag £9 and Banana Republic clutch £7

3) Vintage shift dress £6.50

4) Warehouse peplum dress £6.50

Bioderma H2O Sensibo vs Pure Beauty Perfect Cleansing Water

I was obsessing over the Bioderma micellar water. Goodness knows why since I have every kind of makeup remover there is, including cleansing water from Asia.

What intrigued me was that you did'nt have to rinse it off. Which is brilliant for when I'm too lazy to cleanse before bedtime.

I managed to hunt down a London stockist, John Bell & Croyden, near Bond St tube station. The 100ml bottle is perfect for travelling and it's £4.50. (Of course it's much cheaper to buy it in bigger bottles, and if you get it in France.) 

I could'nt help noticing another woman in the queue to pay with the same bottle, probably on the same mission to try this stuff.

I wanted to test the difference between the Bioderma and Pure Beauty versions of micelluar water since they looked the same. On the outside the only difference was the packaging (in which the pump instantly wins). Pure Beauty is made in Korea and Bioderma is made in France. Pure Beauty is cheaper and is only available in Asia. The feel and the appearance of both products is the same. Both are non fragranced. 

Just a warning the next pic is kinda gross. I removed one side of my makeup with each of cleansing waters and here are the results. As you can see, the right pad removed more makeup than the left. Guess which is which?

First of all, while they felt the same on the skin, Pure Beauty left a thin greasy residue. The instructions said you need to need to rinse off and I agree. The Bioderma left a very faint residue, something I can easily overlook if I'm tired or if the air is dry. However in both cases I don't feel thoroughly cleansed unless rinsing is involved.  

In terms of effectiveness, Pure Beauty is the one on the right. If I need to wash my face afterwards in both cases, I prefer Pure Beauty as it removes more makeup. 

Later I found out that the Nuxe cleansing water sample I had in storage was also a micellar solution. It works similar to Bioderma and smells heavenly.

Cleansing oil is still my favourite form of remover. There's no faffing about with wiping/friction and dirty cotton pads. It was nice to try cleansing water but they are no different to conventional make up removers. Except they're less effective (harder to remove waterproof mascara) and their appearance is like water. 

Has you tried Bioderma H2O? What do you think of it?