Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant

Anyone else hate buying everyday  beauty products? Things like deodorant, razors, toothpaste? Obviously I still buy them, but I'd much rather spend my money on more glamourous things like makeup, skincare and body products.  But the basics needs to be bought as well, and as far as deodorants go I've always stuck to the typical aerosol cans; usually whatever's on offer.  Working in a busy kitchen, especially in the recent warm weather, I felt my choice of deodorant wasn't doing it's thing basically and decided to look for an alternative.

I'd heard great things about the maximum protection deodorants by Sure but had always been hesitent to part with that much money for a deoderant.  At £4.50, they're pretty much twice the price of a normal cream deodorant, but are also supposed to be twice as effective so I thought it may be worth the investment, as in theory applying it every 48 hours (as Sure say you should!) it should last twice as long!

Sure recommend that for best results you apply this at night before bed, which seemed a little strange but I went along with it anyway.  Apparently our body's temperature isn't constant throughout the day and it goes through a cycle called the 'circadian rythym.' This makes the skin more receptive at night when your body's resting, which allows the formula to build up a strong layer of protection for the day ahead.  It also stays put if you have a shower the next morning.  I tend to shower in the evenings but, I did try this out and I'm happy to say I could still smell the fragrance of the deoderant on me post-shower.

As I said it did feel a bit strange not applying a deoderant on the mornings, I actually grabbed it to apply again before putting it back. I went about my day at work, and even after an 8 hour stint in the kitchen plating up meals, I still felt fresh and dry.   I was even more dubious the following day, and I must admit I didn't feel quite as fresh if I'm being honest.  I did notice a slight wetness on day two (sorry, gross I know!)  although I did still smell pretty fragrant.  I think if I wasn't running around the kitchen like a crazy lady it might have lived up to it's claim.  For the most part, I've been applying it each night after a bath or shower, so it won't quite last twice as long like I'd hoped.  Having said that, it's one of the best deoderants of tried and I won't be rushing back to an aerosol any time soon.

  

Review: Soap & Glory Glow All Out

It's no secret on here that I'm a big lover of Soap and Glory; ever since I tried their Calm One, Calm All over five years ago, I've been hooked and have tried so many of their products.  One thing I love about them is they're continually bringing out more products and I was so excited when they added a makeup line to their range.  For the most part, the makeup line is great and I've liked pretty much everything I've tried and this is yet another product to add to their 'hit list'

Glow All Out is described as a 'luminising face powder' which I guess is more or less the same as a highlighter.  Although while some highlighters can be overly glittery or shimmery, this is way more subtle.  It gives a beautifully subtle sheen to the skin that is perfect for this time of year.  My skin can often look dull and tired and this perks it up just the right amount.  Soap and Glory say you can apply this over the whole face, but I just apply it to the tops of my cheekbones.  Even though it's subtle, I think the whole face may be a bit too much, and you really would 'glow all out' (see what I did there?!)

To be honest I'm not overly keen on the packaging.  While the cardboard is strong and sturdy (in a similar way to the Benefit boxed powders), I still suspect it will pick up a few knocks fairly easily, and I'm not sure how long it'll look so white and pristine either... I think after a couple of month, general wear and tear will stop it from looking so pretty!

I bought this product a couple of weeks ago, and I've used it pretty much every day since.  I've even added it to my most basic of make up routines; the one I tend to do for work, or if I'm just in a rush.  I haven't swatched it for you in the photos as it's that subtle, it's really hard to capture how lovely it is with my basic camera. 

At £11, it's not the cheapest out there, but Soap and Glory is currently part of Boots' 'buy one, get one half price' offer, and is also often on 3 for 2...  either of which would justify a cheeky splurge if you ask me!

Osmo Blow Dry Potion

"Once upon a time in a land far away, a potion was sent from your fairy godmother..."*

I've mentioned the Osmo blow dry potion in a couple of posts now - my haircare routine and my August favourites, so I decided that since I clearly love it so much I should give it its own review!  As I said before, I picked this up from my local beauty supply store completely on a whim; I'd gone in for a Tigi hairspray that they were apparently selling off, but were sold out of, and while browsing, I spotted this and decided to give it a try.  The product itself comes in  250ml bottle with a nozzle type applicator.  It's a bit of an odd shape with it getting slightly wider towards the top, and its a lovely pinky purple colour.  To be honest it actually does look  a bit like a "magical potion" sat on my dressing table!

Osmo say:

"Transform hair with this specially forumlated styling lotion designed to thicken and hold all styles.  Enjoy an efortless blow dry expirience while reducing friction and breakages causedby heat stying.  Hair is left full, static free and healthy."

So basically it claims to add volume to the hair while giving it a bit of hold.  So is it any good? Well, in short, yes it is! After washing and towel drying my hair I take about a 50p sized amount and rub it in my hands, then apply to my hair.  The product itself is very liquidy so be sure to squeeze the bottle gently or you'll end up with way too much product. It's described as a "thickening" product and oposed to a "volumising" one and I'd say that's about right.  It certainly doesn't give me masses of volume, but on a day to day basis, that's not neccissarily what I want.  My hair can sometimes appear a bit flat after blowdrying, but since using this I've defintely noticed my hair appear thicker and not so stuck to my head.  It leaves my hair feeling sleek and smooth, which is a huge bonus as it means I don't have to go over it so much with my GHD's.

I've found it also helps to keep my blowdry in place.  As my fair is more on the fine side (even though I have loads of it) I tend to find the ends of my hair, mainly at the front, can become a bit wispy and out of place as the day goes on.  This is no longer the case, my sleek 'do' has stayed put for much longer, with little to no static, which is another thing that used to drive me mad! It also really helps if I've chosen to curl my hair.  I like quite loose waves for a casual look, and tend to brush my curls out to aheive this.  This stuff helps to stop my hair just going frizzy when I do this, and also keeps the waves in place.

One last point; I can't end this review without mentioning the smell, which if I'm honest is what swayed me into buying it in the first place! I was in two minds until I gave it a whiff! It smells devine; it's really fruity and reminds me of some kind of cocktail.  Beautiful, but I'm fairly sure it won't taste as good as it smells!

I believe the RRP for the Osmo blow dry potion is around £8.  I paid £5.99 for mine, and I've seen it  at various prices around the web.  Feel Unique currently have it on sale for £7.99 but if you shop around, I'm sure you could find it cheaper.  Having said that, I'd happily pay the full price for it as it really has worked wonders on my hair!

Have you tried any Osmo products?

*those are the wesbite's words, not mine!