Coco and Chino's
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Beauty

Ouai Leave In Conditioner 140ml – October 2022

I recently picked up the Ouai Leave In Conditioner 140ml to try and tame the frizz of my hair, especially during the extra humid days. The Ouai brand is a new one that I had never tried before up until recently with this purchase, so I was very excited to finally try it, and the leave-in conditioner is their best selling product. It has also won a Reader’s Choice Allure Beauty award in 2020. So, over the last few months I have been testing it out on my hair, applying it after I get out of the shower and have towel dried my hair. Let’s get into it and talk about this very popular hair treating conditioner.

Products & Textures
– Ouai Leave-In Conditioner 140ml; a leave-in conditioner that is in a mist form, it is designed to help detangle hair, heat protect, de-frizz and soften hair. It is formulated with evening primrose oil, argan oil, botanical antioxidants of tamarindus seed extract, baobab seed extract and hydrolysed enzymes. The heat protection in this conditioner can provide heat resistance for up to 232 degrees celsius, it can also repair dry ends, protect against breakage, hydrate the hair, control fly-aways, provide shine and help reduce tangling. It has a lovely scent too, with notes of bergamot, Italian lemon, violet, apple blossom, white musk, raspberry, jasmine and sandalwood. It definitely smooths my hair, keeps fly-aways down and gives my hair a nice shine. It’s very easy to apply as well, just a few spritz while the hair is still damp and it’s applied. One downside is sometimes the next day or two days after applying the leave-in conditioner, there can be a bit of a layer of residue left on the hair, like it builds itself up into a layer of film and if it not washed out, it can start to flake and crust. It doesn’t always happen but it has happened.

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– Ouai Leave-In Conditioner 140ml;
Australia: $43 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora.

USA: $14 (45ml) – $28 (140ml) USD
Available: online at Ouai, online & in-store at Sephora, Ulta and Target.

UK: £24 GBP
Available: online at Ouai, Cult Beauty, Space NK, online & in-store at Selfridges, Harrods and John Lewis.

New Zealand: $49 – $105 NZD
Available: online & in-store at Sephora NZ, and online at Fish Pond NZ.

Canada: $18 (45ml) – $36 (140ml) CAD
Available: online & in-store at Sephora Canada.

My Thoughts & Impressions
– Ouai Leave-In Conditioner 140ml; I’ve been trying this out since I got it about 6 months ago now, it has the most loveliest scents. The notes are simply gorgeous and it really does make your hair smell uber pretty. In terms of the de-frizz and smoothing, yes, it definitely accomplishes those. The texture of it is so nice, soft and creamy, it’s almost crazy to think it can come out as a mist, but it easily does. And the spray bottle is pretty easy to use as well. One thing I notice is that I do sometimes get a thin layer of residue, like a built-up layer of film on my hair if I don’t wash my hair the very next day. So if you’re in between washes, I don’t think it’s an ideal time to apply this, which is a shame because it is to be applied in damp hair more commonly, which is usually after somebody has washed their hair. However, if you’re not planning to wash your hair after, keep in mind of rinsing your hair out instead so it stops any chance of residue build-up. Now, I enjoy the product and it definitely does what it is meant to, but would I repurchase?, I think I would try other anti-frizz products first and see if there isn’t something else I like more, before I would repurchase this one. Because while the product works well for its purpose, the cost of it and the fact that sometimes it has a build-up of residue that layers up, I don’t think its on my re-stock list. Whether I’m using it wrong, I’m not sure, but I don’t like sticky-ness or build up in my hair. I will still use up the rest of this until it’s empty.

Disclaimer: the product featured in this post was purchased by myself with my own money. This post is not sponsored, not paid for and not an ad-post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. All photos in this post were taken by myself and are copyrighted, they require permission from myself for any reuse or republishing.

Beauty

No.7 Protect & Perfect Day/Night Creams & Serum – October 2022

Introducing the new No.7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day SPF 15/Night Cream & Serum range from No.7 Skincare. Featuring a SPF day cream, a hydrating night cream and a hydrating serum, this range is perfect for your daily routine. I was lucky enough to receive this range on my desk a few weeks ago and have since been testing out each product. This is a post of review and more information about availability, it takes a deep dive into how I’ve found using this range, so lets get right into it..

Products & Textures
– No.7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day SPF 15/Night Cream 50ml & Serum 30ml; the protect & perfect intense advanced range features a day cream with SPF 15, it is formulated with shea butter, ginseng extract, hyaluronic acid, rice peptides, an antioxidant complex and the age defying patented complex collagen peptide Matrixyl 3000+. It is designed to hydrate the skin for 24hrs, reduce fine lines, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, soften and protect the skin from harsh UV. It takes a little longer to absorb into the skin but it does after a few moments, and I find a little greasy feeling due to the SPF in it. The day cream comes in a white frosted glass tub jar that holds 50ml, it has a sealable screw on lid. The night cream is formulated with vitamin A, C & E, shea butter, collagen peptide Matrixyl 3000+ and also hyaluronic acid. It softens, hydrates & moisturises the skin. It absorbs quite well, almost like melting into the skin, and it never leaves the skin with a greasy feeling. This one has to by my favourite, it is so hydrating and really softens my skin the most of the three products. It comes in a teal green glass jar with a sealable screw on lid and is also 50ml in net weight. The serum is formulated ginseng extract, alba leaf extract, hyaluronic acid, pro retinol and the patented collagen peptide Matrixyl 3000+. It is to be used underneath both of the moisturising creams upon all applications. It absorbs nicely into the skin and also does not leave any greasy feeling. I find it absorbs quite well into my skin and instantly makes it feel hydrated, softer and more supple. It comes in a teal green squeeze tube with a nozzle to dispense at the tip, it holds exactly 30ml in net weight.

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– No.7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day SPF 15/Night Cream 50ml & Serum 30ml;
Australia: $35.99 – $43.99 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Priceline.

USA: $24.99 – $29.99 USD
Available: online at No7 USA, Target and Walgreens.

UK: £22.45 – £24.95 GBP
Available: online at No7 UK and Boots UK.

New Zealand: $64 – $116 NZD
Available: online at Body Care Direct, U Buy and Ninth Avenue.

Canada: $29 – $35 CAD
Available: online at Pharmaprix, Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart Canada.

My Thoughts & Impressions
– No.7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day SPF 15/Night Cream 50ml & Serum 30ml; after trying all three of the products over a few weeks, I have to say that the night cream is my favourite of the three. The night cream, is lightweight, it absorbs nicely into my skin, doesn’t have any greasy or sticky feeling afterwards and it hydrates fairly well. Making my skin feel softened, more supple and smooth. I love putting it on after cleansing, then serum. It has a little bit of a scent that is pleasant and fades pretty quickly. The day cream is formulated with SPF 15, it softens my skin and although it takes a little longer to absorb into the skin, it still does it pretty good. It does have a bit of a fragrance but its pleasant enough. I enjoy using this in the morning. The serum is formulated ginseng extract and alba leaf, it is softening, hydrating and makes my skin feel supple. I enjoy it too, in ordering of faves, I would say 1. night cream, 2. serum and 3. the day cream. I have enjoyed using this trio of skincare goodies from No7 and would recommend them to anyone with sensitive and normal-to-dry skin like me. Would I repurchase? as for the night cream and the serum, I would, as my skin has loved both of those. As for the day cream, I don’t think I would as it does have a little bit of a greasy feeling after application (due to the spf in it I assume), and it does take a little longer to absorb entirely into the skin. That wraps up my review on this range of products from No7’s Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced line. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next upcoming review post.

Disclaimer: the products featured in this post were sent in to me for consideration with no obligation to post. This is non-paid for, non-ad post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. All photos in this post were taken by myself and are copyrighted, they require permission from myself for any reuse or republishing.

Beauty

Colourpop Cosmetics Heart Pressed Powder Blush – September 2022

Introducing the Colourpop Heart Pressed Powder Blush featuring the two shades I picked up from their range! I ordered these a few months ago during a restock, they always sell out because they’re very popular, however lately they seem to be more permanently available which is nice. I am always a sucker for cute packaging so these love heart compacts always appealed to me, ever since they first released them in their valentines day collection! I initially wanted to order them back when they first ever dropped but they sold out so fast, including any restocks, they were always limited. So when they decided to bring them back permanently, I knew it was the time to finally get my order in. I chose the two shades; ‘Flirt Alert‘ and ‘Kiss N’ Tell‘, with the Flirt Alert shade being a dusty mauve-pink and Kiss n’ Tell is a mid-tone warm peach-pink. I’ve been using them over the last few months and have gathered my thoughts for this review, so lets dive right into it. First of, by taking a closer look at them below..

Products & Textures
– Colourpop Cosmetics Heart Pressed Powder Blush in ‘Flirt Alert’ & ‘Kiss ‘N Tell’ 4.45g; these blushes are very finely milled and easily build-able. With a perfect tone for soft, subtle, natural or full glam looks, its easy to use to achieve a desired result. The powder is a silky formula that adheres to the skin and lasts all day with little-to-no touch ups needed. It is the cutest compact shaped in a love heart with frosted softened plastic casing and a built-in mirror under the lid. The compact clips shut tightly and is quite sturdy, terrific for taking on-the-go in your handbag, or on trips with your makeup bag. They’re a great way to liven up your overall complexion and they come available in six different shades to suit different skin tones, they weigh 4.45g in net weight. Each shade has a different casing colour to suit the tone inside.

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– Colourpop Cosmetics Heart Pressed Powder Blush in ‘Flirt Alert’ & ‘Kiss ‘N Tell’ 4.45g;
Australia: $19 AUD
Available: online at Colourpop Cosmetics.

USA: $12 USD
Available: online at Colourpop Cosmetics.

UK: £10.60 GBP
Available: online at Colourpop Cosmetics.

New Zealand: $21.12 NZD
Available: online at Colourpop Cosmetics.

Canada: $16.72 CAD
Available: online at Colourpop Cosmetics.

My Thoughts & Impressions
– Colourpop Cosmetics Heart Pressed Powder Blush in ‘Flirt Alert’ & ‘Kiss ‘N Tell’ 4.45g; firstly, I love the packaging of this range of blushes. The heart shaped compact, frosted soft plastic, coloured themes, the built-in mirrors, the way they snap lock shut, I just love them! Secondly, I enjoy the various colours in the range of shades, I feel like they’re all different to each other and there really is something for each person. I like that they’re a pretty big decent size at 4.45g and that they’re good quality, easily built-up and very silky powder, pressed quite well. They’re very affordable too, the price point is very decent and reasonable, plus the extra good news is that Colourpop ships internationally to just about everywhere. They have a huge range of super shock blushes too and cream stick ones. I love being able to take it on trips with me and it easily slips into my makeup bag. Repurchase? I would repurchase my fave colour in this range, I like a lot of the others but there is one or two that are my faves and that is ‘Flirt Alert’, I think I would pick that one up again for sure. That wraps up my thoughts on this range of heart pressed powder blushes from Colourpop.

Disclaimer: the product featured in this post was purchased by myself with my own money. This post is not sponsored, not paid for and not an ad-post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. All photos in this post were taken by myself and are copyrighted, they require permission from myself for any reuse or republishing.

Beauty

Galen Leather Co Makeup & Toiletry Bag – August 2022

Introducing Galen Leather Co! A gorgeous family business local to Instanbul, Turkey, who handcraft quality stationery and leather goods. One of their gorgeous items is the Lunar Makeup & Toiletry Bag, which I was ever so lucky to receive and try out, it fits so many of my favourite makeup products in it and the quality is amazing! First off, lets start off with a bit of a backstory. Galen Leather Co’s Story; it all started when female founder Zeynep was sadly diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a rare type of head and neck cancer) and was told treatment would leave her without the ability to speak for a year, so having to find a job that would allow her to continue working but without speech, Zeynep started selling samples of leather and vintage kilims online where she only had to email customers to correspond with them. So along with her brother Yusuf, and her husband Yunus, Zeynep continued selling the samples and it was going terrific. The sales were mounting up, it was getting harder to keep up with the demand, and their vendor was starting to be unable to keep up. So with a few new ideas on how to change the issues, Zeynep and Yusuf started taking classes and learning how to craft their own leather pieces, they began creating new goods, with the work being laser cut and hand stitched, everything was taking off nicely.

In 2015, they relaunched their online store and began partnerships with shipping companies to start doing international orders. This saw them expand the list of products they handmade and a little while later, Zeynep returned to good health and got her voice back. Things were great for three years until sadly, Zeynep passed away in July 2019. Zeynep is survived by her husband Yunus, son Cagan and brother Yusuf, who have lovingly carried on the family business. So needless to say, I am very proud to have discovered them and their story. Take a look at the gorgeous lunar makeup bag I have that is un-dyed and simply perfect quality, as well as the gorgeous turkish coffee, earl grey tea, Nazar evil eye charm bracelet and fresh towelette from all the way in Instanbul, Turkey…

Product & Texture
– Galen Leather Co Lunar Makeup & Toiletry Un-dyed Leather Bag; made of 100% genuine vegetable tanned leather, un-dyed with a very natural colour, this makeup bag is brilliant! The quality is so great, its very sturdy and features YKK zippers, a large internal elastic pouch, two smaller sized elastic pouches and one zippered pocket for extra storage space. It’s perfect for carrying foundation bottles, lipsticks, eyeliner, mascara and all your other cosmetic items, whether you’re applying makeup on-the-go, are travelling around, or are a MUA doing clients. It is a size 9.6″ x 5.5″ x 2.5″/24.5cm x 14cm x 6.5cm, so it has a lot of room! It is hand stitched with waxed polyamide threading so it lasts a very long time. I enjoy taking it with me on trips, it’s so useful for storing your most-used products too, even on top of your makeup dresser.

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– Galen Leather Co Lunar Makeup & Toiletry Un-dyed Leather Bag;
Australia: $93 AUD
Available: online at Galen Leather Co.

USA: $59 USD
Available: online at Galen Leather Co.

UK: £52 GBP
Available: online at Galen Leather Co.

New Zealand: $103 NZD
Available: online at Galen Leather Co.

Canada: $81 CAD
Available: online at Galen Leather Co.

My Thoughts & Impressions
– Galen Leather Co Lunar Makeup & Toiletry Un-dyed Leather Bag; I really enjoy how big this bag is and how much can be fit in there. The quality is so terrific and I can definitely see the genuine 100% leather lasting a long time. I like how many items it fits at one time and how sturdy the zipper and pouches are. You can see a lot of love goes into making these hand-made products from Galen Leather Co. I enjoy taking this one on trips with me, I can put my Charlotte Tilbury foundation in it, my MAC lipsticks and Makeup By Mario lipsticks too, as well as my Benefit Cosmetics eyebrow pencils and the Wander Beauty mascara, it all still zips up perfectly, too. It’s also very useful to be used as a toiletry bad or skincare, it can really be used for many purposes. I also am proud to feature a product that is from a company that was founded by a female and all the work she did to get the business off the ground, along with her dedicated brother and husband, so I am very proud to be supporting Galen Leather Co and in honour of Zeynep. I highly recommend taking a look at their website as they also make stationary goods and have a huge variety in their extensive range.

Disclaimer; the product featured in this post was kindly gifted to me with no obligation to post. This post is a non-paid for, non-ad post and is posted simply because I wished to. And as always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. All photos in this post were taken by myself and are copyrighted, they require permission from myself for any reuse or republishing.

Beauty

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi Glow Highlighter – July 2022

Introducing the new coveted Limited Edition highlighter from one of my faves, Charlotte Tilbury. This newbie has been out for just a few months and so many vendors have sold out so fast! It is a multi-glow highlighter that combines the effect of a liquid highlighter and a powerful powder in one, I have picked it up in the shade Romance Light and it’s been the most popular shade out of the two that were released. To find out why and see a lot more about this gem, including how I incorporate it into my rotation, just keep on reading below..

Products, Textures & Formulas
– Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi Glow Highlighter 7g; the highlighter comes in a round plastic compact with built-in mirror and 7g in net weight, the packaging is a gorgeous light pink mother of pearl specked cover and gold outer casing, the front cover on the lid has the iconic Charlotte Tilbury CT with the T inside the C, as you can see in the above photos. The formula is a combination of finely milled pearls that are light reflecting, smoothing polymers for a soft-focus finish, silky mica for a soft-glide application and rich emollient oil to widen the spread in applying and softening the finish. The texture is like a combo of a smooth liquid highlighter and a powerful powder in one. The highlighter product inside is embossed in such a stunning pin-quilted pattern that starts of light and goes toward the pink pearl finish, it is like an ombre effect going across the pan. The swatch is a gorgeous light pink pearlescent effortlessly swiped with subtle pink sparkles throughout.

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi-Glow Highlighter 7g;
Australia: $61 AUD
Available: online & in-store at Harrods and possibly in-store at Mecca (‘Dream Light’ is still available online) and ‘Dream Light’ is also still available online at Charlotte Tilbury.

USA: $45 USD
Available: online at Charlotte Tilbury and Harrods (they ship internationally).

UK: £35 GBP
Available: online & in-store at Harrods, and ‘Dream Light’ is still available online at Selfridges and Cult Beauty.

My Thoughts & Impressions
– Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi Glow Highlighter 7g; I knew I wanted this highlighter as soon as I saw it previewed on trendmood, it looked so uber stunning! I adore the pin-quilted pattern on the top and the ombre effect of the colours as they go across the pan. I have always been a fan of Charlotte Tilbury since I first tried them about two years ago now. I just love her releases and this is another one for the books. It was released in a limited edition campaign, so I knew I had to be quick! It has since sold out in most vendors, however, Harrods ships worldwide and it is still available online at their website (as seen linked above under ‘worldwide prices & availability). The highlighter is so stunning and I think it would go well on many different skin-tones. I also felt like the net weight size is really generous too, it has a good depth in the pan and 7 grams of weight. I also couldn’t go past the packaging on the top of the compact, not only does it have a built-in mirror but it also has a pink mother of pearl flecks throughout the top face of the lid. The highlighter lasts so long on the skin as well, I have so far worn it for 6hrs max at a time and I never have to touch up. So it begs the question, would I repurchase?, yes! I most definitely would, however being realistic, it’s limited edition… so that may be hard, I think I may even get a back up now while it’s still available.

Disclaimer; the product featured in this post was personally purchased by myself, and this post is a non-paid for, non-sponsored post. And as always, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. All photos in this post were taken by myself and are copyrighted, they require permission from myself for any reuse or republishing

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