Bellabox January: Lots of Skincare and Haircare Goodies!

After my last Bellabox review for the December box, where I mentioned that the box was slightly disappointing to me, it looks like Bellabox has rebounded for January! It is full of samples, and a few cute little freebies to boot!

Bellabox January: Look ma, so much stuff!

This January's Bellabox has a mix of better-known drugstore brands (like Biore), as well as some niche brands (like Medavita), and some popular-overseas-but-not-so-much-here things (like Mane 'n Tail). And while the products in the box are mostly skincare and haircare, I didn't feel like it was overly repetitive. Apparently some other boxes got fragrance samples too, but mine had no fragrance at all. Some boxes also had Inglot makeup samples (I'm so jealous!), so I guess I got the box for the skincare junkies!


Bellabox January: My box was primarily focused on skincare and haircare
Without further ado, let's move on to see what's in the box!

Attempting to Curl My Hair For the First Time with Panasonic Hair Styler

If you've been blogging for 5 years like I have, you tend to think, "Oh well, I've been there, done that, nothing new." But life just has a way of throwing curveballs at you! After over 25 years of not doing anything at all to my hair - I have what is called "virgin hair" in hairstylist/hair-fanatic parlance, I finally attempted to curl and style my own hair, all by my lonesome self! And guess what - I came out totally unscathed! I mean, I didn't even have a burn mark on my neck or anything! (Although I almost touched the hot plate of a hair straightener because it didn't look hot...so there you go, I'm really a hairstyling dummy. Thanks Yvonne for saving my fingers!)

I can hairstylist! Obviously, my hairstyling skills are not the best.

So where and what was that marvellous place where I got to attempt to give myself a more jazzy 'do DIY style? None other than the OMY.sg Singapore Blog Awards event - it was some sort of event for all the beauty blogger finalists to learn more about some of Panasonic's beauty tools. Now I was aware of Panasonic (duh, who hasn't heard of them?) but more in the context of them being a player in the electronics/semiconductor space, so this was definitely the first time I've thought of the brand in the context of beauty. And lo and behold, it was certainly impressive!

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Review: Shampoo, Conditioner, Mousse, Hairspray

John Frieda, the well-established UK haircare brand known for its innovative solutions for all hair types, has officially launched in Singapore! And I am totally getting a sense of déjà vu just writing about John Freida again!

You see, back when my blog was still relatively new and when I was still a student in the UK getting my Masters degree, I had done a review on John Frieda's haircare products, namely the Luxurious Volume range, and I really liked it. Well guess what, it looks like this range is coming to Singapore now, and reviewing this range (or rather, re-reviewing this range) feels like seeing an old friend again!

John Frieda Luxuriuos Volume Range: Four awesome products for full hair!

The best part? This time, I don't just have the shampoo and conditioner only - instead I can bring you a bigger, better review with two more products! This time, I have the Touchably Full Shampoo, Touchably Full Conditioner, Building Mousse and All-Day Hold Hairspray. So if you want to know how they hold up to my fond memories of the product, do read on!

Keratinology Sneak Peek: Care for Salon-Treated Hair

Keratinology is a haircare brand that is a subsidiary of Sunsilk. Launched in September 2011, the brand specifically targets salon-treated hair. As the name suggests, Keratinology is a combination of the words "keratin" and "technology", and claims to work on the hair from inside-out to prolong hair life after salon treatment. The leave-in conditioner and heat treatment products won a Cosmo Beauty Award, too, so the entire line seems quite promising.

Keratinology has three ranges of product, each targeting different concern for treated hair. Let's start with the first range, which is the Advanced Reconstruction Therapy range. This range claims to help your hair recover one year of damage in five days (yes, one year in five days, I didn't type wrongly!). The range consists of a shampoo, conditioner, spa mask, overnight reconstruction serum, heat protector spray, and a dual treatment shot. The shampoo has apparently received raves from beauty editors, and the spa mask and dual treatment shot are two key products in this range.



The second range is the Korean Bounce Therapy range. As the name suggests, this is a range that is meant to care for curls and maintain their softness and bounciness. There are four products in this range - a shampoo, conditioner, mask and overnight treatment. The much-overlooked shampoo apparently is the most important step for curls and coloured hair. We were told that apparently it does make a difference to how long your hair retains its salon look!



Lastly, there is the Sun-Kissed Therapy, which isn't a tanning session for your hair (ha, ha, not funny, I know), but is a range that is meant to prolong vibrant hair colour. This has three products, namely a shampoo, conditioner, and an overnight treatment. Once again, shampoo is a key part of the haircare regime to prolong treatment.



We were also introduced to an iPhone app, the Keratinogram. The app basically has links to the product commercials and so on, but the really interesting bit about the app is that it shows you the cycle that your hair goes through, which stage your hair is currently at, and what products (Keratinology ones, needless to say) are recommended for your hair in that particular stage of its cycle. You basically start the app, and answer a few questions about the details of your last hair treatment and hair type, and the keratinogram is customized to your hair. It's free, so it's worth a shot - even if you don't plan on buying their products, it's interesting to see the cycle stages that hair goes through.

Screenshot from Appstore

Also, if you're interested, Keratinology is currently having a Facebook contest, with the grand prize being a trip to Korea! The Keratinology Facebook Page has more information on how to enter - it's quite easy though, you just have to upload a photo of yourself with your Keratinology product, and the photo with the most votes wins. The end date is 31 March, so there's still over a month to do it.

And now, for the fun part - random photos! There's me and Kristen, and some really, really bad lighting. The sun was streaming in from the window behind, so we both look pretty dark as a result. Oops.



These are of food - just because deep down inside, I'm an aspiring food photographer. Although my food photography (is that even a proper term?) isn't very great, I have to admit.



I know I should compile the three photos into one single photo. Unfortunately I'm kinda lazy in that aspect, so you'll just have to bear with individual food photos. But that's okay, right? I mean, who doesn't love photos of food?



I have to say, there is a great similarity between taking macro shots of food, and taking macro shots of makeup. The kind of camera angles and approaches towards picture composition is quite similar. Except that food is larger than makeup, so you don't have to squint as much.

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The Keratinology brand as a whole is rather affordable. Prices range from S$11.90 - S$22.90, and the products are available at Watsons. If you have salon-treated hair, or frequently go to salons to treat your hair, this range would definitely be of interest to you. If you're looking for an affordable yet effective way of caring for your hair, the Keratinology range is definitely worth checking out.

(Product information provided at an event. Opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

L'Oreal Professionel Haircare New Launches: Quick Look

L'Oreal Professional has launched a few exciting haircare products recently, spanning a huge range - everything from shampoo to hair masks, oils, and wax is covered. There's truly something for everyone here. Since I'm not that much of a haircare person, suffice it to say I was slightly overwhelemed at the sheer number of things you can do to make your hair better (so all that time I've been walking around with disgusting hair...Sigh).

Let's start with perhaps some of the more mundane products, shampoo and hair masks. L'Oreal Professionel has a range of haircare products, Serie Nature, which cater to users who want more natural haircare. Serie Nature boasts that 100% of its ingredients are of natural origin, with 95% being organic. Pretty cool, huh? There are two ranges within the Serie Nature brand - Riche Macadamia, and Couleur Botanique. Both Riche Macadamia and Couleur Botanique have a shampoo and hair mask each.



Riche Macadamia, as the name suggests, contains macadamia nut oil, and is meant to give an intense hydration to hair. The Couleur Botanique, meanwhile, is meant to hydrate coloured hair. The hair masks are really cool. They appear as normal ol' hair masks with a cream texture, but when you add the cataplasme spruce powder to the mask and whip, you get a foam-like texture that you then apply to your hair and leave on for 5 minutes. That was really cool.



Another range of products we were introduced to was the superhero-themed Techniart line of products. The hair styling wax is named Bad Mud, and the volumizing powder is named Super Dust - now, how cute is that?



Bad Mud, dubbed by L'Oreal the "shape hero" is a styling product midway between a wax and a clay. We were also treated to a very convincing product demonstration for Bad Mud - the hairstyler present styled the hair below using Bad Mud, and everyone present was ooh-ing and aah-ing over the transformation.



Super Dust, the "volume hero", is probably going to be a lifesaver for people like me, who have fine, limp hair that has no body. This is a white powder that reminds me of a dry shampoo, but it's meant for volumizing the hair. Like Bad Mud, Super Dust got to display its prowess with a demonstration, that was also quite convincing. Lookit all the volume! I got to try out the Super Dust later, and it did make my hair look more full. I really liked it.



Last, but certainly not least, we move on to my favourite product of the entire launch - L'Oreal's Mythic Oil. I've always stayed far away from hair oils, as I've always been worried that they would weigh down my hair. However, I got to try out Mythic Oil at the event, and I have to say, I was very impressed.



The hairstylist first applied a small amount (about the size of a 10-cent coin) to my ends, and then used a hairdryer to blow dry my hair. It wasn't a terribly complex process or anything, but after he was done, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it really did help make my hair more smooth and shiny-looking. It even helped with those pesky flyaway strands I had. It also It felt very lightweight on, and didn't weigh down my hair. The Mythic Oil can be used in a number of ways too (pre-shampoo, blow-drying, for frizz protection and so on), so I'm quite excited to see what else it can do.



And of course, photo time! That's me, on the left (with eyes closed and no makeup - yes, no makeup! It was just one of those come-from-work, no-makeup days), and Lynn on the right, together with a gorgeous L'Oreal intern in the middle. Anyway, I'll be using these products, and I'll report back with my thoughts on them after I've tried them out!

(Product was sent for review. All views are my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)