KMS Hairstay Style Boost Review

Hey everyone! Today I'm reviewing what may be the coolest hair product ever! It's KMS Hairstay Style Boost Weightless Style Foundation. It's a totally innovative product that can best be described as hair primer. Seriously, you put it in your hair and it makes your products last up to 3x longer, at least that's what the label says. I don't know what they base that on, but I could definitely tell that whatever products I use with this (especially volumizing products) last a LOT longer than they usually do.

But the really cool part is the way this product works: it comes out as a foam, then BAM! It starts crackling and cools in your hand, and when it's done you emulsify it in your hands and it turns into a clear liquid with kind of a lotion consistency. It's totally awesome! Okay, I know you're like... what the @#$% are you talking about?! But I'm serious, and to show you how cool it is, I made a little video demonstrating the product for you!

It's cool right?! I've seriously never seen anything like this before. Let's take a look at the ingredients of this awesome product:

Water, Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Dimethyl Ether, Trisiloxane, Polyquaternium-68, Pomegranate Extract, Black Pepper Seed Extract, Panthenol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lactic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-4, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sorbitol, PCA, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Fragrance.

And without the fluff:

Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Dimethyl Ether, Trisiloxane, Polyquaternium-68, Panthenol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lactic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-4, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sorbitol, PCA, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil,

Hydrofluorocarbon 152a and Dimethyl Ether are propellants. They make the product shoot out of the aerosol can - whoosh! Trisiloxane and Benzophenone-4 are UV filters. Polyquaternium-68 (Luviquat Supreme as it's known in the chemical industry) is a fascinating ingredient. It's a cationic film-former that smooths and conditions the cuticle, and adds body and hold. This is especially useful for curly hair, because the film will keep curls intact in extremely high humidity + the hold will not fade. When it's combined with Panthenol, it adds more shine and softness (so the hold isn't too firm), as well as elasticity. But don't worry, even with all that going for it, polyquaternium-68 is completely water-soluble. Now, do you see all those ingredients with the word "acid" in them? They're a group called Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA) Sound familiar? I've talked about them before in my KMS Makeover Spray review. Ammonium Hydroxide is used as a stabilizer. Glycerin and PCA are humectants, along with Sorbitol which is also a thickener.

So who would benefit from this product? Everyone! Especially curly hair and fine hair, trust me - you will LOVE this! It's even great used on it's own - but used with other products it totally rocks! I'm definitely buying another can or two of this, it's that good. Plus, it crackles! I've never thought a hair product could be fun to use... I wonder what they'll come up with next?

KMS Hairstay Style Boost comes in a 190 g/ 6.7 oz can and retails for about $17. I know I've been lacking reviews lately, but I'm really gonna try to put up some more! Oh and I have another tandem review with Recessionista coming up soon, so look out for that! Take care of your hair pretty people! XO

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CONTEST CLOSED

Thank you all for entering! The winner of the Hana Pink 1" Professional Flat Iron will be determined on 5/17 and notified ASAP. I'm so excited to see who wins! Hopefully this will be the first of many contests to come, so if you don't win, just enter the next one! :) Take care of your hair, loves!

Update 5/20: Congratulations Renee, I hope you love your iron! ♥

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Marrakesh Oil Review

Hey guys! Only 4 days left to enter the giveaway to win a 1" Pink Hana Professional Flat Iron, so go enter now and tell all your friends!!!

Today I'm reviewing Marrakesh Oil Hair Styling Elixir which promotes the use of Hemp and Argan oils. I've had it for a few months now and it's probably one of the best hair oils I've ever used! It makes my hair feel so soft and healthy, not to mention unbelievably shiny. Plus I love that it comes in a glass bottle. That's so rare these days, I really like it. I'll definitely be buying this again!

It's actually a simple product when you look at the ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Isopropyl Myristate, Aragan Kernel Oil, Hemp, Fragrance.

Really the only fluff in this product is the fragrance...which is interesting. It's like a mix of... well... honestly, it's hard to describe. The first thing that came to my mind (still does) is a pleasant mix of smoke and cookies. I know that's weird but it's the only way I can describe it! It kind of caught me off guard when I first used it, and I didn't think I liked it at first. But now, it's grown on me and I actually do like it. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't.

Look, I can sum this up easily: The first four ingredients are very effective conditioning silicones. Cyclopentasiloxane is great at protecting hair against heat and breakage, and it also breaks up other heavier silicones like Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, and Cyclomethicone. Isopropyl Myristate is the ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid. It's an emollient that reduces the greasy feel of products by replacing other heavy ingredients. Argan oil and Hemp oil are both natural oils containing vitamins that are great for your skin and hair. Now they are in kind of low doses in this product (and a lot of other "natural" hair oils) but I think they do make a difference.

Who would benefit from this product? Anyone with dry or damaged hair, especially if you use heat tools a lot. I don't think this is really limited to a certain hair type; everyone can use it. Finer hair may need less then coarse hair, but that's true with a lot of products. Also, if you color your hair this is great for protecting your color and keeping it bright and vibrant.

Marrakesh Oil comes in a 2 0z. / 60 ml bottle and retails for around $15. Stay tuned for more reviews and another tandem review with Recessionista! Take care of your hair everyone! ♥

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Pearatin Fortifying Repairative Serum Review

Hey guys! Just to let you know that my contest for the Pink 1" Hana Professional Flat Iron is still going on until 5/16 so be sure to enter and tell all your friends!

Today I'm reviewing Pearatin Fortifying Repairative Serum with ThermalColor Complex to "Reconstruct, Restore, and Shine. Time-released Creatine and Keratin Protein Treatment. Provides Thermal Protection and Locks In All Hair Color" This is quite a versatile product, because you can use it as a conditioning hair serum, thermal protector, and color catalyst. Usually I'm skeptical of color catalysts, because a lot of them don't do anything, but I think this one works! What you do is add one drop of serum per mixed ounce of color (or lightener) and mix it in. For example: 4 oz. of color = 4 drops of serum. I've noticed that my colors, especially reds, have been depositing deeper and richer, and last a bit longer than normal. It's now a staple in my product menagerie.

Let's look at the ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, SD Alcohol 40-2, Fragrance, Jojoba Seed Oil*, Creatine, Keratin Amino Acids, Pear Fruit Extract, Cranberry Fruit Extract.

Without the fluff:

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, SD Alcohol 40-2, Jojoba Seed Oil*, Creatine, Keratin Amino Acids.

A simple product, no? Towards the bottom of the label it says the asterisk (*) after Jojoba Seed Oil means Organic. It also says Pear and Cranberry are for aromatherapy purposes, it has food grade preservatives, no animal testing or ingredients, made with 25% PCR plastics, and uses soy inks! Wow, that's pretty cool!

So, by now you should know what the first three are, so I'll move on. Jojoba Seed Oil is an excellent emollient that adds a ton of moisture to dry hair and skin. Creatine is actually a protein derivative found in muscle tissue. Usually it's used in body-building supplements, but it appears that Loma has found a use for it in haircare as well. I talked about Keratin in my previous post about Rusk Keratin Smoothing Treatment, basically it's one of those ingredients that some people think works and some don't.

Who would I recommend this to? Everyone, especially if you're a home haircolor diva - and I know you're out there. Besides this being a great color catalyst, it's a great hair serum too. It adds a ton of healthy shine, protects against heat damage, and helps seal in haircolor. Plus it smells so good, like fruit punch! :)

Loma Pearatin Fortifying Repairative Serum comes in a 3.4 oz bottle and retails for around $17. There's also a bigger 12 oz bottle that retails for around $35.

Have YOU tried any Loma or Pearatin product? Or any other color catalysts? Comment and let me know!

Have a great weekend everyone, and take care of your hair!

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