Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment and Oil Infused Hairbrush

Okay, so oil treatments have taken over the land of hair care, that's no secret to any of us. I'm a big fan of hair oils, and have tried and tested quite a range (I own 12, that's an obsession gone too far, I know) but 'Macadamia' is one brand name that keeps on popping up again and again when people discuss their favourite hair care products; it's been named as a rival to 'the original' Moroccan oil treatment in the quality stakes, but beating it in terms of price (for comparison 125ml of Macadamia oil will cost you £23.95, whereas 100ml of Moroccan oil will cost you £30.45).

Macadamia combine two natural oils (Macadamia and Argan) that have been proven to help maintain the health and strength of hair, as well as adding shine. Perfect for hair that is damaged either through length and daily wear and tear, bleach and other dyes, or excessive heat styling, then Macadamia's natural oils could give you and your hair that has seen better days a helping hand and a little nourishment boost.

Healing Oil Treatment

The healing oil treatment is raved about by many and is a favourite of lots and lots beauty lovers everywhere. It can nourish hair, protect, smooth frizz, reduce drying time (how? I'm not too sure!) and even extend colour. Sound like a miracle in a bottle? Well it is. Don't be fooled by how I only have a 10ml size bottle and think that this will be gone in a week.. this has been going strong since December! As with most oils just a little blob is needed, rubbed into the palm of the hands and then massaged through the mid-lengths and ends when damp or dry to transform the condition of the hair. I don't know how I ever lived without oils before now. I normally rub one 'pea sized' blob of oil through the mid-lengths while my hair is wet and then another through the ends once it is dry to make my hair smooth, frizz free, shiny and soft - everything that you could want your hair to be! Also, because it doesn't weigh the hair down and make it greasy I can also apply a little bit more as a shine 'top up' on the days inbetween washing. 

I chop and change between my two favourites: this one and the Moroccan oil, and I have to say that the Moroccan oil is actually slightly preferred. I would still recommend Macadamia oil as it works fantastically, is exceptional high quality professional hair care and is also cheaper than the Moroccan oil, but just for me and my hair Moroccan oil is the winner. Little factors come into play such as a preferred scent and slightly more intense formula meaning less product is needed just means that Macadamia is beaten to the winning post.

Oil Infused Brush

An oil infused hair brush? I don't know about you but that doesn't seem to be something that you hear about every day. This is a really good quality paddle brush (my favourite type to use for my huge mane of hair) with a strong wooden handle, clean and basic design, and plastic bristles. I purchased this mainly out of curiousity and how it would be able to work. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it, but the entire pad and bristles are infused with the same natural healing oil treatment that I have just discussed above. The brush isn't sticky, oily or greasy to the touch and I assume it is only infused with a small amount to avoid overload onto the hair. It is an ingenious idea in my eyes, why haven't more people thought of this yet?! To be able to brush and detangle your hair at the same time as treating it? It glides through the hair without a problem, no tugging at all and leaves it looking sleek and manageable. The effects aren't quite as instant and obvious as they are when directly using the oil treatment but I'm not seeing any downsides to using this brush. One thing I'm not sure about is whether or not the oil will run out? Can it stay infused forever or will I eventually be left with just a hair brush? I'm yet to find this out! 

I bought this set from a seller on eBay that included the 10ml bottle of the treatment and also the hair brush for £15.99, but unfortunately this seller doesn't appear to be selling those products anymore. If you are interested then you can purchase the Macadamia Oil Treatment in a larger size of 30ml for £10.75 from Beauty Bay here, and the infused hairbrush for £16.75 here. Even if you're not sold on the idea of the hair brush then just the oil is worth giving a go and there's a whole range of other products from them on Beauty Bay, including shampoo, conditioner, masks, combs, etc!

Are you a Macadamia fan? Which of their products have you used?

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Hair Oils Collection

|| Instagram: Hannahripley1

 

Hey girls. I'm sure you're all aware that 2012 was the year that using oil as a treatment for dry and damaged hair really took off, with countless variations from high end to high street and even Primark offering up different concoctions for us all to try, and I for one was fully on board with the hair oil hype. After trying out my first one (Babyliss Pro Argan Oil) it was love at first use and I was eager to see what else was out there on the market to give a helping hand to my frazzled ends. Needless to say, my hair's now in the best condition that I've ever had it, it's split end free and growing at a good rate and my only 'secret' would be the incorporation of oils into my hair care routine. Some are put on wet hair, some on damp, some on dry, most on both and are brilliant for using a 'finishing product' to keep any flyaways at bay on styled hair as well as using a healing leave-in treatment.

I know I've gone a bit overboard and don't need all these (there's 11), but hey - what can you do? There's a huge variety in my 'collection', ranging from the apparent 'best of the best' hair oil in the form of The Original Moroccan Oil, to the super pricey Ojon Rare Blend Hair Oil, the 'up and comer' in the popularity stakes: Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment, all the way down to the cheap and cheerful high street offerings of L'Oreal and Tresemme, plus a £2.50 tube picked up from Primark (Hask Argan Oil). There's obviously a range in prices and value, but also a range in quality and intensity, sizes that range from 10ml to 30ml to 100ml, and some bottles with pump dispensers and some with pourers. We all need variety in our lives.

L-R:
L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil, Tresmme Liquid Gold Restorative Complex, The Body Shop Mango Beautifying Oil, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Nourishing Miracle Oil, Avon Adance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil, Babyliss Pro Argan Oil, Ojon Rare Blend Oil Total Hair Therapy, Hask Argan Oil from Moroccan, The Original Moroccan Oil, Osmo Berber Argan Oil, Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment.

Longest photo caption I've ever written right there! This post isn't really intended to review any of these oils in full because that would take me far too long and you'd be here all day reading it too, plus I've already reviewed most of these individually anyway. If you're interested in reading more about any of the oils pictured then here is a list of the ones that I have reviewed with a clickable link to their post:

- L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

- Lee Stafford Argan Oil Nourishing Miracle Oil Treatment

- Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil

- Babyliss Pro Argan Oil

- Ojon Rare Blend Total Hair Therapy

It's quite hard to make much of a dent in any of these because with all of them only a tiny amount is needed with each use and a little goes a long way, plus with the way that I chop and change between which one I'm using I'm struggling to foresee even one of these running out any time soon - looks like I'm set for life on the oil front! There's none that I dislike at all, just some that are better suited to different circumstances or 'hair days', and some are more intense than others or better value for money, but all are good and I like using them all. I tend to stick to one that I use all the time for a week or two, and then I rotate things around and start using another for a while, but at the moment my three favourite ones are the Lee Stafford one, Babyliss and 'The Original', but ask me again in a month and I'm sure I'll reel off a different list.

Leave me a comment and tell me your current favourite!

*Just realised that I should have included some sort of non-bragging disclaimer to this: these have been accumulated over the course of about 10 months and weren't very expensive, and if they were then it was most likely a Christmas present! I also solemnly swear I will not buy any more!!

Monthly Favourites | December

 

Hello lovely ladies.

I always feel like I'm jumping in early when I do 'monthly favourites' but if I don't get it done now then I never will, and I like to highlight which products have stood out to me over the past few weeks and give them the praise that they deserve. This month contains 7 items and there appears to be a bit of a theme of 'mini' products or just generally small things (with the exception of the Clynol conditioning spray). It's a bit of mixed bag this one, varying from lips balms and hair oils, to an advent calendar! Read on to find out what I've been loving and why...

 

 

Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar

This advent calendar by Ciate was a birthday gift from my mum and has been one of the most exciting gifts I have ever received (it's the little things). This advent calendar has one mini bottle of Ciate nail varnish behind each of its 24 doors and has brightened up each of my mornings ever since the first day of December! If you follow me on Instagram (hannahripley1) you will see that I've posted a daily picture of the nail varnish which is behind each door, and it ranges from bright pinks to muted nudes, to bottles of caviar pearls, all the way to exclusive glitter shades. A nail varnish lovers dream!

 

 

Clynol Moisture Dream Conditioning Spray

Again, a present from my mum (she buys me great things!), but this one was a Christmas present last year and was unfortunately lost and forgotten about amongst the vast collection of hair products that I own and was sadly neglected. I came across this again when I was packing up for uni in September and it has been my go-to product while I'm away there ever since! It does basically what it says on the bottle and infuses a penetrative moisturising and nourishing solution into the hair in a handy 'spray-in' application to bring back a healthy bounce and shine. I apply this to wet hair and leave to dry naturally and I am left with soft, tangle free and frizz free locks.

 

 

L'Occitance Hand Cream

This was a freebie from Marie Claire magazine back in October and although I thought that the scent 'date bouquet' wouldn't be to my preference (it was the last one available), I actually really love it. The product is shea butter based and I already know that I will buy a bigger tube of this soon because it is not just 'one of the best', it is 'the best' hand cream that I have ever used. I can't get enough of it. It normally only needs to be applied once a day because it's just so intense and leaves not even a trace of residue on the skin after application. I know it's pricey, but it's worth every penny and I love it.

 

 

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream

A sample sized product that I received in a She Said Beauty Box and has not left my bedside table ever since! I put this on every night before I go to sleep; it absorbs quick and the faint scent of rose is very calming. The cream is quite thick but it is very nourishing and I am starting to notice an overall improvement to the quality of my skin and this will be one of the products to thank for that! When I wake up my skin is a lot fresher, less dull and looks smooth and hydrated so I would highly consider purchasing the full size of this product once my sample has run out.

 

 

Clinique 'All About Eyes' Eye Cream

 I received this small pot of eye cream as part of the Clinique Bonus Time offer back in October, and although it's only a 7ml pot a little goes a long way and this is going to last me forever! It's really thick and nourishing and I apply this both night and day to help reduce puffiness and dark circles and it is one of the best eye creams that I have ever used. It instantly hydrates my under eye area and calms any puffiness of the skin and helps to fade away the purple tinge of the dark circles. It absorbs into the skin pretty quickly which makes it easy to apply concealor to the area soon after.

 

 

Macadamia Natural Healing Oil Treatment 

Being only a tiny 10ml bottle I expected this to disappear pretty quick, but it's still going strong and I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the bottle after 5 weeks of regular use. This is a lovely hair oil to use, it's quite light so I have to use a generous amount of my thick and frizz-prone hair, but it doesn't weigh it down or leave any residue, it just makes it smooth, sleek and shiny. I use it in all sorts of ways; pre-washing as a treatment, when damp and leaving to air dry, before blow drying, and a finishing product to smooth the hair after styling and it always leaves my hair in amazing condition with minimal flyaways and high shine without the grease.

 

 

Blistex Lip Massage Balm

This is something that is totally unique to me and I've never seen anything like it, and to be honest I didn't mean to pick it up, I just wanted the cheapest lip balm that was in Asda and this was only £1.19. I've not had it for long but I really enjoy using it as an alternative to regular lip balm that you just apply onto your lips, this you instead rub over your lips and the ridges on the rubber applicator massage it into your lips for extra absorption instead of it just sitting on the surface of the skin. As with all Blistex products it is really nourishing and moisturising, I just especially like this because it's something a little bit different.

 

 

So, that's what little old me has been loving this December.

 

Busy few days coming up, as is expected with the festive season, and I have a night out with the girls planned for tonight and also for tomorrow night, and then I have an anniversary night away with the boyfriend booked for the night after that, and then before we know what's hit us, it's Christmas Eve!

 

I've got one more post that I'd like to slip in before Christmas but if I end up being too busy to squeeze it in then I'll take this chance to wish you all the happiest of Christmases and hope you all enjoy yourselves and spend time with your loved ones!

 

Merry Christmas!

♥ 



ASOS, Feel Unique & eBay Beauty Haul

Okay, we all know I've got a shopping problem, that was established a longgg time ago, and yes I am looking into rehab for exessive shoppers.. or maybe just confiscation of the bank card.

 

In this post are the little beauty bits and bobs that I have picked up in recent weeks and this was originally intended to be an 'online beauty haul' post ..until I accidentally stepped foot inside Superdrug too.

oops!

 

 

ASOS

- link -

How amazing are these super bright neon orange make-up brushes from ASOS? I absolutely love them! They were so inexpensive too; the set of 5 brushes originally cost £10.00 but I bought mine whilst there was a 20% discount code going around and got mine for £8.00 with free postage. The handles are quite short, making them easy to work with and the bristles are soo soft - plus, you'll never lose them in your make-up bag when they're this bright! The set includes: a powder brush, a lip brush, a shading brush, an angled brush and a blending brush.

 

 

Feel Unique

- link -

I moan lots about my She Said Beauty Box subscription but there is no denying that it has introduced me to some amazing products that I otherwise would never have tried! In November's box there was a sample size of Redken's new Smooth Lock shampoo and conditioner duo which I didn't think much of at the time of use.. but 6 days after washing when my hair was still perfectly styled, smooth, frizz free and minimal traces of greasy roots (nice, I know), I was very impressed. I could not stop running my fingers through my hair, amazed at how soft my dry and damaged ends were so I just knew that I had to purchase the full sized bottles. They're not cheap at about £11 a bottle so I never would have taken the plunge if I hadn't tried out a sample of them first. Available on Feel Unique at the moment is a gift set version of the duo with the full sized bottles available as a pair for just £17.00 saving you a huge 15% as RRP of the pair is £25.25.

 

 

SuperDrug

 

Ermmmm.. did somebody say '3 for 2'? Such an irresistable offer! I picked up the Rimmel Precious Stones nail varnish in 'Diamond Dust' because I already have the red one (Ruby Crush) and love it to pieces but on all swatches that I have seen this silver version looks much nicer so I thought that I would give this a try too as you can never have too many nail varnishes.

 

Another thing that you can never have too many of is lipsticks! I picked up this very bright pink shade from Rimmel's Kate Moss range in shade 20 as it is an apparant dupe for Mac's 'Girl About Town' at a fraction of the price - and look how well it matches my nail varnish! (See picture below)

 

My third, and technically free product was MUA's 'undressed' eyeshadow palette, which, as the name suggests is a dupe for Urban Decay's 'Naked' palette - why spend £36 when you can spend £4?? MUAs shadows are amazing quality, super pigmented and long lasting, and I was looking to extend my collection of their singles so just thought why not pick up a palette with 12 shades in instead.

 

 

 

 

eBay

 

I found a seller on eBay who I'm sure will gain a lot of business from me in the future: hairproductsonline_ltd and their stock is like a hair care and bargain lover's dream! I'd been eyeing up this Macadamia Infused Hair Brush on Beauty Bay (link) for literally months but was reluctant to spend £16.75 on just another brush when I already have so many ..so when I saw it being sold on eBay for £15.99 but with a 10ml bottle of the oil treatment too then I was sold and clicked purchase right away (link). Browsing this seller's stock I also noticed that they sold bottles of the Osmo Berber Oil Hair Treatment in various sizes. On Feel Unique this Osmo Berber oil costs £5.90 for 10ml but I found it for £3.20 on eBay (link) - if I can save £2.70 on something then I will; every little helps.

[Full reviews coming soon]
 

Last but not least.. I fell for the Bioderma hype and bought the make up remover solution in the 250ml bottle! You can shop around for it on eBay but I found it for the cheapest price that I saw and it was £7.49 plus £2.79 postage costs totalling £10.28 (link) which is quite an expensive total for something which is essentially a bottle of glorified water that can take your make up at the end of the day, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I've been using this daily for nearly 2 weeks now and my views on are just a bit 'meh', it's okay but not worth the hassle of buying from overseas or the price tag.
 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I should be shopping for Christmas presents instead of bankrupting myself on superficial treats but all of these were just irresistable!

 

Have you ever tried and loved anything that I've bought here?

 ♥