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

...read more ⇒

KMS Makeover Spray Review

Hello everyone! I don't know about you guys, but the weather here in Chicago has been CRAZY lately! Yesterday it was so hot and muggy out I actually had to turn the A/C on, and today it's so cold and rainy I'm turning up the heat! I hope I don't get sick. That would suck. I've already been sick once this year, I think that's enough.

But crazy weather aside, I'm very excited to review this next product: KMS HairPlay Makeover Spray - a matte spray that absorbs excess oil and refreshes your hair in-between shampoos. I'm a big fan of KMS, and one day I just happened to stumble upon this Makeover Spray. The name sounded interesting, so naturally I got it without even reading what it was. You know me: if it sounds cool, I'm getting it. So, when I got home and actually read the label, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was (basically) a dry shampoo. What it does is it absorbs the excess oil in your hair, without the heavy/cakey feeling that some dry shampoos tend to leave. The bottle says it's a matte spray, but I've used it several times (even my mom uses it) and given that the product has no hold, the matte effect is only temporary. Once the product sinks into your hair then it looks normal, neither matte or oily looking.

So what makes this Makeover Spray so good? Let's look at the ingredients. First the entire ingredient list:

Pentane, Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Alcohol Denat., Rice Starch, Water, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Grape Fruit Extract, Peppermint Leaf Extract, PCA, Tartaric Acid, Sorbitol, Pyruvic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Fragrance.

Now let's see it without the fluff:

Pentane, Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Alcohol Denat., Rice Starch, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Glycerin, PCA, Tartaric Acid, Sorbitol, Pyruvic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid.

I like that this product isn't loaded with a bunch of fluff. Pentane and Hydrofluorocarbon 152a are propellants that shoot the product out of an aerosol can. Alcohol Denat. (denatured alcohol) can give a product hold and may be drying to hair and skin. This is actually a good thing in a product like this. Rice Starch is an absorbent substance sometimes used in place of talc. Propylene Glycol, PCA, Sorbitol, and Glycerin are humectants that draws in moisture. Lactic, Tartaric, Pyruvic, Malic, and Glycolic Acid are all part of the same group of organic acids known as Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA). They are used to exfoliate, adjust pH, soften skin, and more.

I actually much prefer using Makeover Spray over dry shampoo. I feel like dry shampoos promise too much and only certain people can use certain brands - you know what I mean? Like, my friend Recessionista reviewed Tresemme's new dry shampoo and well, basically hated it - but a lot of her followers commented and said they love it! Dry shampoo is just one of those products that's gonna work differently for everyone. So yeah, Makeover Spray isn't totally a dry shampoo. It's like the diet Coke of dry shampoos - same effect, less mess. By the way, it smells just like the rest of the KMS HairPlay line: polar grape. It has the cool, refreshing scent of peppermint with a hint of grape; I love it! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a dry shampoo type of product, especially those with finer hair.

KMS HairPlay Makeover Spray comes in a 5.3 oz / 152 g can, and retails for around $15.

Giveaway coming soon! Keep reading, and take care of your hair! ;-)

...read more ⇒

KMS Sea Salt Spray Review

Hey everyone! Today I'm reviewing KMS California Hairplay Sea Salt Spray. Sea salt sprays are all the rage lately, because it seems like everyone wants that wavy, tousled, beach hair. I have to say that KMS really came through with this product because I think it's great! The label says it "adds fullness and texture like a day at the beach." and it really does, with a slight matte finish.

Besides the product itself, I actually love the fact that it's in a spray bottle! Goddd I wish more products used that instead of a finger spritzer, I just think it's easier. This way you never lose the tiny plastic caps that go with it. Don't you think? Maybe it's just my personal preference but I think a lot of people would like to have more products in actual spray bottles.

Jeez, rant much? LOL sorry. Spray bottles get me worked up I guess, haha. Anyways here are the main ingredients: Water, Magnesium Sulfate, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Isoceteth-20, Citric Acid, PVP, Sea salt, etc.Like I talked about in my post about Redken CAT, Magnesium Sulfate has a lot of uses, but for this product it's probably used to give your hair that matte finish, along with denatured alcohol (Alcohol Denat.) which can be drying to your hair but in this case it's sort of recreating the texture and body you get from being at the beach, swimming in the ocean, etc. Propylene Glycol: humectant, nothing new there. Isoceteth-20 is a synthetic compound made from fatty acids. It's used as an emulsifier. Citric Acid is a natural preservative used to adjust the pH of products. PVP is a film former that gives a light hold, nothing too heavy or drying. Sea salt has been around forver; people have been using it for hundreds of years. It's great at detoxing, drawing out impurities, exfoliating and softening skin, relaxing muscles when added to a bath, promoting circulation, I could really go on and on. And in case you don't know, sea salt is made by sea water evaporating by the sun, or other means.

Personally, I think the best way to use a sea salt spray is to use it on damp hair and let it air dry. When you use heat with a product like this, it sometimes can end up drying too fast and you might not get the full effect. Remember that this does give a slight matte finish, so I suggest not using any other products that add shine. They might not get along and end up canceling each other out... I know that sounds weird, but it really can happen. And don't think that you have to saturate your hair with this product--a light mist is all it takes. Quick tip: If your hair doesn't have that much of a natural wave, try setting your hair in loose pin curls and using low heat if you really wanna get those waves in your hair. I do it to people all the time and it works great!

OH! I almost forgot. It smells like peppermint-grape. I think it smells quite delicious, yet refreshing imho. =)

KMS Sea Salt Spray retails for around $13-$15, and comes in a 200 ml / 6.8 fl oz. spray bottle. All done! You can go shopping now! LOL just kidding. Take care of your hair!

...read more ⇒