Hair Supplements..part 1

I've recently purchased some silica-based hair pills after reading Laura's post about hair supplements and her evolution so far. I've been taking these for five days only so i can't comment too much about the effects. However, i think i am beginning to see something.

...It all started with my hair being thick and strong and everything, but losing luster, getting a bit brittle (many little hairs on the skin after brushing it, anyone?), and most important of all, falling. Now let me be clear, i don't suffer from anything in the family of chronic or exaggerated, i am not 'losing my hair'. It's just that i'm bummed at the 20-50 hairs i lose every time i wash my hair, or i comb it, or style it etc. It's worse since my hair is very long and thick so to be able to properly take care of it (washing, blow drying, styling) would imply a time period of about two hours. If i do it normally like everyone else i always end up with a bunch of ripped hair. Not pleasant at all.

And i don't think you have to have a 'problem' with your hair to start taking supplements. I mean after everything we're putting our hair through on a daily basis this is the least we could do. 

Getting back to the story, the supplements i am taking are made by a Swedish health store chain named Life, and they're nothing complicated- just bamboo extract,Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5 basically), Biotin and a complex of other B vitamins- B1, B2, B6, B12. It also contains, of course, the silica extract (a silicone) which makes about 60% of this supplement (or more). 

Now, the changes. It's not like my hair grew like Rapunzel's in three days. I've been taking these for five days only, remember. However, i noticed i am not losing as many hairs as i did before- perhaps less than a forth of what was happening down my shower drain. Brushing my hair is also easier in the sense that i can properly use my brush throughout my locks and not worry about getting it out full of hair- i don't shed as much as i did, basically. And i'm happy with it.

I was a little bit worried in the beginning because of the Pantothenic acid which the SA at the Life store warned me about- it can cause acne or skin oiliness. It hasn't happened so far, which i enjoy, but still, fingers crossed- i'm supposed to go through 60 tablets, one a day, thus two months until i can finally deliberate on these supplements. And if everything is going well, no breakouts, i am going to upgrade-Viviscal i mean, or something more concentrated B vitamin-wise.

Therefore, i definitely think supplements should be tried by everyone who's experiencing mild hair loss, occasional breakage, etc. Or if you also want glowing skin and stronger nails- my supplements advertise these effects as well, so there you go. 

I'm going to do a bit of a diary follow-up here and note my weekly results...apart from the lashes therapy as well. Two months more to go (minus five days)!

Finds part 2

This is a bunch of cheapsters i got with my Rimmel 'haul'. They're mostly drugstore items but i tried some before, so why not go back.

Lumene Natural Code Volume Maximizing mascara

I usually love everything Lumene makes because they're a bit on the organic, naturally enhanced cosmetics side. The first thing that caught my attention was this mascara's wand- huge, similar to Diorshow. Whoa.

It can be a bit hard to work with until you get used to the new humongousness you must handle, but the effect is totally worth it. Huge-sized brushes come with sticky, gooey drying mascaras but this one is very natural (too natural?), you can easily build it up. My favorite quality of this mascara is that it gives soft lashes-no more crisps. I never go for the natural lash look so i mainly use it on top of my 'primer' (Max Factor Masterpiece that is), to make sure everything is kept in control and it all looks nice and 'clean'. However, i'll try it several times before committing to a final opinion (tried today only).

Glowing Body Powder

I needed something cheap, effective and pigmented for this weekend, so i figured why not give H&M a chance. This is a rather revamped product i believe, it's been on their stands for months. It's basically a huge pan filled with glowy, golden champagne-toned body powder. The packaging isn't sassy at all, a clear lid and a silver compact, no brush, no fuss. However, it does a great job at what i need it for...therefore thumbs up. I didn't even have to literally pay for it since i got it courtesy of some customer coupons. I'm not THAT cheap, you know, but when i need something just for occasional use, well, why not.

Helena Rubinstein Illumination Powder

I didn't actually need this (since i already have Clinique's Blended Face Powder) but it was on sale, so i got two of these, 02 Medium and 01 Light (i guess. Light went to my mom as a present). The medium one is a tad more pink-ish than i'd fancy but it's not disturbing. it's meant to gently set the makeup while illuminating the areas such as forehead, bridge of the nose or under the eyes. I tested it and loved it. Now we'll see what happens in about 5-6 days (upcoming review).

Eyebrow Palette

This is a cheap find- again. I had to choose between this, which retails for about € 5, and Smashbox's Brow Tech, many times more expensive. I find there's a similarity between this and the Brow Tech in Brunette. I like the brown triangle, it's very versatile and combined with a hint of the darkest and a bit more of the lightest, gives the most natural appearance. Time to give my old H&M brow duo a break.

Happy Birthday!

'Today' is my oldest brush's birthday- it's turning six. The birthday is actually an occurrence from around the end of september but i figured the time's up anyways. I purchased it while vacationing in Italy in the autumn of 2004 and it's the oldest thing in my makeup stash. It's been through quite a lot-bouncing around in my makeup boxes during five tempestuous moving processes, two years of dorm life, migrating from one city to another, one country here, another one there. I purchased it at UPIM, an Italian CCO (i guess that's the best equivalent i can find).

It has definitely seen better days. The handle is scratched a bit, the bottom part of the paint has chipped off a long time ago (silly me, i didn't think of the clear nail polish trick..), and it has shed a low number of hairs over the years.

I got paranoid one day and fixed it with a pair of pliers- thought the hairs were 'loosening' and didn't want to lose the brush. 

 I didn't, it hung on for dear life, despite all the mistreatment and abuse it's been subjected to (scalding hot water baths, improper storage, combing the hairs to make them 'straight', yep, a lot of bad stuff has happened to this little fellow). 

Against it all, the brush is still soft, has about 90% of its original hairs (it shed a tiny bit only) and perfectly workable. I still use it for blushing the cheek apples because it's quite 'small', it fits perfectly for contouring or blushing on small areas when i don't wanna do the 'swipe' thing. 

I paid about  €12 on it, which at that time was quite a bunch of money. It's hand-made in India, the hairs are natural (goat i suspect, they're not incredibly soft to be something else) and the handle is sandalwood. The transparent paint coat would have lasted even longer if i hadn't stored it in a mug (!) where i kept my toothbrush as well (!!!), therefore it chipped because of the water on the bottom of the mug...and moist residue, and everything else. Sorry i mistreated you little fellow. Happy birthday.