OUAI Hair Oil Review

OUAI is one of those brands that burst onto the beauty scene and had everyone paying attention from day one. There's just something so delicious about luxury and high end haircare and I'm a total sucker for beautifully scented and effective hair products so OUAI is right up my street. Created by celeb hairstylist Jen Atkin (the woman responsible for a lot of the Kardashian's much-coveted 'dos), OUAI products are designed to nourish and care for the hair and showcase its natural beauty. The collection includes sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, styling sprays, treatment masques, that dry shampoo foam that I am far too curious to resist trying and a hair oil, which I have to show you today.

For the past few years, hair oils, creams and leave-in-lotions have been my thing. There was a time when I used them almost obsessively to keep my lengths and ends healthy and hydrated and I do believe that a touch of oiling makes a considerable difference to my medium/thick hair and stops it frizzing out. 

The hair oil is, incidentally, made up of quite a few different oils including African Galanga, Ama and Asian Borage, all of which I'd never actually heard of before and all of which are said to protect and nourish the hair. Some more familiar oils found in the rather extensive ingredients list include Argan, Jojoba, Sweet Almond, Rice Bran and Soybean. The OUAI hair oil features the brand's signature scent- a beautiful floral fragrance that lingers brilliantly.

OUAI Hair Oil Ingredients:

 Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Isododecane, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Dimethiconol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Jojoba Esters, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Coconut Alkanes, Kaempferia Galanga Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Parfum (Fragrance), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Polysilicone-15, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Beta-Carotene, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Methyl 2-Octynoate, Citronellol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxycitronellal, Geraniol

The OUAI Hair Oil is a do-it-all multitasking product and there's no real rule book on how to use it but personally I have been dispensing one or two pumps into my palms, rubbing my hands together and lightly smoothing over dry hair. This keeps fluffy, frizzy, wispy bits of hair in check and makes my head smell generally beautiful (which is probably secretly the real reason why I like the product so much).

Other suggested uses include working a few pumps through towel dried hair and leaving to dry naturally- I'm feeling inspired to try that next- and using the oil as an overnight mask and rinsing in the morning. Yep, I'll try that too. 

You can find OUAI Hair Oil for £24 as well as other OUAI products at Panache Cosmetics. * Receive a 7ml sample of OUAI Repair Shampoo and Conditioner with any purchase from the OUAI collection. One gift per customer, subject to availability while stocks last. 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil Review

This spritz on moisturiser has been getting quite a lot of blog/magazine space since it's launch and now that I've used it myself I can certainly see why. Spay-on body moisturisers are probably my favourite products for fuss free application and Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil really takes the cakes on all counts. Scented with a more subtle citrus-floral version of the original 8 hour cream fragrance, the oil spray has been getting quite the work out since I received it as I apply it liberally to my limbs when I'm fresh out of the shower, spritz a little into the ends of my hair when I fancy it and pretty much spray it on my skin randomly whenever I darn well feel like it.

The product is made up of a variety of oils including Tsubaki Oil (I'd never heard of it either) which contains a high concentration of Omegas 6 and 9 as well as Grape Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil. The Miracle Oil is infused with Ginger Root extract that is said to aid in improving the texture and tone of the skin, Vitamin E, Rosemary extract and Boswellia Resin which is an anti-inflammatory that soothes red or unhappy skin.

On the skin, it has a sort of dry-oil feel and it doesn't feel sticky or uncomfortable, which is always a major bonus, especially as Spring is (allegedly) here and we all start to ease up on the use of heavy body creams.
Though the All-Over Miracle Oil is in fact designed to be used all over, I am yet to put this on my face. Yes, the bottle is emblazoned with For Face, Body and Hair, but I am pretty hesitant to spray this anywhere near my face. I might even go as far to say that I have an irrational fear of using it on my face. If you have this and you use it on your face, please let me know!
Overall, Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil is one of those impressive multitasking beauty bits that you'll want in your handbag/bathroom/cabin luggage (it's 100ml, hoorah) for whenever you need a little hydrating boost. I'm loving using it now and I just know it's going to be a favourite during summer to add a bit of glow to my arms and legs.

It's £29 at any Elizabeth Arden retailer including Look Fantastic - I got mine as a free gift when I subscribed to Harper's Bazaar ;)

Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Reveal - Day #11

On the 11th of December we've got a gorgeous hair oil from Italian brand Davines.
I like this oil for three reasons:
1. It smells delicious
2. It feel great
3. It's called a potion
That's right, a potion. Because I'm exceptionally immature, if a beauty product is labelled as a potion, I'm pretty much instantly sold.
Davines Ol Absolute Beautifying Potion is designed for 'all kinds of hair' (their words, not mine) and is essentially a fantastically scented hair oil with added silicones.
The calendar contains a 30ml travel size of the potion that features a Roucou Oil (rich in beta-carotene) base and can be used on both damp or dry hair. This will come in very handy for me because I like my hair to smell nice (and this stuff smells amazing) and I often go without conditioner, so a couple of little pumps of this through my lengths and ends will suffice I think.
The Absolute Beautifying Potion is part of Davines' Ol range which also includes a Shampoo, Conditioner, All in One Milk, Body Wash and Hand Balm.
Frustratingly I can't actually find this on the Liberty Website but I have found the full sized 135ml version on various sites for around £30 and the travel sized 50ml bottle for £18.15 from Fruugo.

A Little Bit Luxe: Rodin Olio Lusso Oils

For the past week or so I've been trying out the Luxury Face Oil, Body Oil and Recine Luxury Hair Oil by Rodin.
Olio Lusso is Italian for 'Luxury Oil' - a collection of gorgeous elixirs created by stylist Linda Rodin on the basis that beauty should be simple. Now in her sixties, Rodin is a walking testament to her own product - an uber fashionable older woman indeed!

Linda Rodin for Karen Walker Eyewear c/o oystermag.com

Luxury Face Oil

This very luxe face oil is a beautiful, aromatic combination of Jasmine, Rose Hip Seed, Sweet Almond, Jojoba, Evening Primrose, Apricot Seed, Arnica, Calendula, Neroli, Sunflower and Argan oils (phew). Each oil is benficial in its own way ( for example Neroli fights aging, Arnica reduces swelling), so it makes perfect sense to put all of these super oils together to create one brilliant formula!

Olio Lusso claims to be suitable for all skin types from dry to oily. I've been trying it on my combination/ dry skin and I'm pretty impressed so far!
I've been applying the Luxury Face Oil religiously since last Friday both in the morning and last thing at night
After exfoliating, I pat a few drops of the luxury oil onto my (slightly damp) face and it sinks in beautifully, leaving a subtle healthy sheen without any greasiness.
*The face oil is great to apply a few minutes before your foundation - it acts as a lovely primer to smooth out your skin ready for makeup application.

Luxury Body Oil

A 'rearrangement/ of the oils found in the face oil, the Luxury Body Oil is once again super-moisturising, gorgeously scented and totally wearable thanks to it's no-grease factor!
I rub a few drops of this into my arms and legs (paying special attention to elbows and ankles) after my evening shower when skin is still a bit damp, before jumping into bed and letting the oils work their magic.

Rodin by Recine Luxury Hair Oil

The Luxury Hair Oil formulated by Hairdresser Bob Recine combines apricot kernel, calendula, sunflower seed, sweet almond, neroli and jojoba oils with rosemary and juniper to create a multi-tasking hair product that leaves your locks looking and smelling fiiiiine.
This oil can be added straight to damp or dry hair or added to your conditioner for extra oomph. The oil can also be used as a styling aid and a nourishing scalp treatment.

Presented in a gorgeous glass dropper bottle, the Luxury Face Oil costs £92 for 30ml while the Luxury Body Oil has an rrp of £68 for 120ml and the Recine Luxury Hair Oil is £60 for 30ml. Available here at Beauty Works West.

*Please note that the bottles shown are sample size which I received for review. Have you tried anything from the Olio Lusso range?

Thanks for reading :)

Review - Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme

I was lucky enough to receive this little treat in the Boudoir Prive October Beauty Box and I really feel I need to spread the love for it because I've found it to be truly fantastic.
Now, I'm not going to lie, hair oils kind of scared me until recently, and I was even more fearful of the 'pre-shampoo treatment' concept of this. It seemed a little odd at first, but it really is quite straight forward - put it in the lengths and ends, leave it for at least 5 minutes, then shampoo it out. Simples!

I roadtested the oil last friday night and the first thing I noticed was the distinctly familiar scent of monoi oil. It is a rather pungent scent, but a nice one that always reminds me of the beach because I used to slather my legs in tahitian monoi oil before hitting the sand back in Australia.

Something I've noticed a lot of people mentioning is the funny consistency of the product - it solidifies very easily, and in this Autumnal weather, that's bound to happen. An easy fix is to roll the bottle in your palms for a minute or run it under hot water until it liquifies again.

The full sized product - £24 for 95ml

So I put the oil in my (rather thick) lengths, did the washing up and had a nice cup of tea, then shampooed my hair twice in the shower and conditioned as normal.

The scent of the treatment still lingered after I had shampooed twice and conditioned so I was rather pleased with that!

After I towel dried my hair, I thought I'd be a bit cheeky and add a smidge of the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment from the september box for extra nourishing power, and I'm pleased to report it went exactly to plan! Once my hair had dried naturally, I noticed a definite glossiness to it. It looked healthier and bouncier and just more 'done' than before.
The real cherry on top is the fact that my hair remained that way for the past three days - soft, shiny and smelling lovely - not greasy at all!
 I really couldn't be more impressed with this product - so much so that tonight I've gone for round two and I've actually been sitting here typing this with a generous drop of Huile de Palme working it's magic as I blog!  This hair oil treatment really is a star product and would definitely benefit anyone who wants to inject a bit of life into their tresses.

For further information on Huile de Palme and other Leonor Greyl products, click here and have a gander.

Heres to a good hair day tomorrow.

Hannah Rose xxx