The Easy Rider Giveaway!

  Kevin Murphy's Easy Rider single handedly changed my mind about the "coolness" of hair products.  It was the first exposure I had to this unique line from Australia.    It stuck me as innovative,  modern and effective.  I recommend it to my curly haired clients, men and women alike.  The universally appealing scent makes it unisex, as well as the packaging.  Its one of those marketing sweethearts-  it sells itself.  

  It's not just for curly hair though-  it will work in a number of different hair textures.  I use it to style short wavy cuts,  to add definition and de-frizz.  It also works great on long hair, as a texture cream applied while wet.  It tames the unruly and defines the dried out ends of a bleach blonde.  Its cruelty free!  It's water-soluble,  so it washes out with shampoo.  I find it works well on second (or third or fourth) day hair. 

   Some of the notable ingredients include: Green tea, Horse Chestnut extract, Jasmine,  tangerine and Lavender oil.   It smells incredible-  not too feminine or masculine,  mostly just clean and plant-like. 

  The packaging is minimal,  a light aqua green box,  with a handy closure.  Its 3.4 oz/100g,  which is a LOT of product in my opinion.  The box is easily re-purposed after the product has run out.  I LOVE when I can re-purpose packaging, and this box is very sturdy.    It is also recyclable plastic,  if you aren't the re-using type.   

   I tend to tread carefully with fine hair with this product, as it could weigh your hair down if not applied correctly, or too heavy-handedly.  Its definitely the type of product to be used delicately,  always starting with a small amount, and adding more as needed.   

     FOR MY FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY,  I will be giving away THREE of these babies!   The giveaway is open internationally, and closes on Feb 28th, 2014.  The winner will be announced here on my blog! 

To enter you must :

1. Leave a comment,  here on my blog.  Let me know if you have tried any Kevin Murphy products, and if so, which ones are your favourite.  Haven't tried any KM? Check out their website and let me know which ones interest you! 

2. Follow me on twitter at @wigsonsideways

3. Be 18 years old, or have parental permission.  

Be your own Pin up Dream!

 Back in December,  I was invited by my good friend Christine, to participate in my first ever Pin Up photo shoot,  with Shimona Henry of Pin-Up Perfection .  What an incredible experience it was!  


    I have never been confident in front of a camera,  especially in any "sexy" context.  I am the queen of carefully angled selfies,  but when someone else photographs me, I usually hate the results.  Even professionals.    Then I met Shimona!  I got my taste of pinup fabulousness and I am a believer. She is responsible for all the great pin-up photography in Vancouver.  She obviously has a monopoly on the market,  rightfully so.   She is quirky and funny, and puts you totally at ease.  You might get called a "Hussy" but it will feel so right.   She is full of energy and knows what she is doing.  It will go by fast and you will love the results.   She offers a wide range of packages on her site, and if you follow her facebook page, you will see she periodically offers really affordable packages to get a feel for what she does.  I am already planning my next shoot with her, with total excitement.

  Her packages usually consist of hair and makeup touch ups to full on makeovers with the talented Stella.   They have a room full of accessories, props, shoes and outfits.  They require to only bring your own stockings.  They play old timey jazz to get the mood started.   I got a hair touch up with Stella, but I had done my own makeup prior to the shoot.    The rest is easy,  you just teeter around in heels,  or roll around on the ground with Shimona's complete direction.  Then you wait,  you get a file emailed to you of proofs,  you select your images-  and next thing you know :

What's the story on Hyaluronic Acid?

 Lately,  I have been noticing a lot of cosmetic ingredients contain Hyaluronic Acid.  I am the type to question the ingredients contained in my skin care, and always enjoy a good research project.  Turns out,  Hyaluronic Acid is quite interesting.  Here are my findings.

   In the 1930s,  a friendly looking scientist,  Karl Meyer,  determined the properties of Hyaluronic acid,  known by many names such as Hyaluronan.  Turns out,  it's a diverse little acid,  with the reputation of being a "fountain of youth".  It's a naturally occurring carbohydrate that exists in our bodies.    It is said to live between cells,  giving our skin plumpness and youthful suppleness.  

       Hyaluronic acid has been used as a badass injection for knee and shoulders,  with unproven results and possible severe effects in this application.    Interesting, it is sold as an injectable lip and wrinkle filler,  known on the street as "Restylane" and "Juvederm".    It has been very effective in treatment of atopic dermatitis and post operative tissue healing.

    So,  should you look for skin care products that contain Hyaluronic acid?  Yes!  It will help your skin feel more moisturized,  and help build up your skin's natural barrier.  It is great for all skin types.  It won't be the most dramatic of skin care ingredients,  but its addition to your current routine will have long term benefits such as plumper skin with stable hydration levels.   For more dramatic results,   your doctor or dermatologist can give you injections of Hyaluronic acid, in the form of Restylane or Juvederm.

   My preferred cosmetic that include this ingredient,  is my DermaE Hyaluronic & Pycnogenol Eye Cream,  which has recently been repackaged and rebranded.     Eye cream can be tricky for sensitive skin,  and this particular eye cream has never irritated my delicate eye skin.

Pureology Nano Works Review

Pureology Nano Works

 As you may or may not know, I spend more than normal amounts of time fussing with cosmetics. Although I spend most of my days hair keeping,  I have a natural aversion to hair products.  I am a traitor to my industry,  I give my 100% honest opinion and truly- most hair products are useless, expensive and a lot of the times very damaging.   That is a separate topic for another day though,  and there are quite a few really amazing products out there too, so here is my opinion on Pureology Nano Works.  

    Let me be straight-  this shit is expensive.  really expensive at upwards of $92 CAD for a duo of shampoo and conditioner ,  each 8.5oz.   That's bogus and borderline offensive.    You actually pour it down the drain.    Needless to say, and here is where it gets messed up ,  but  I ACTUALLY BOUGHT IT.     In my defence, I got it at my wholesaler and got a better price,  but it was still effing expensive.  

    The packaging suggests it is extra special, sulphate free, intended for coloured "aging" hair.   Since I recently bleached the living shit out of my hair, I thought my hair deserved some love, and luxury.  I'm worth it baby,  you are worth some expensive self-spoiling too girl!  Turns out,  my first impressions are good.  

  Smell 

  Pleasant and unnoticeable afterwards.   Not too fancy,  but not cheap smelling either.   It didn't wow me, but I liked it none the less! 

  Formula

  Decent! Actually quite luxurious lather,  and rich conditioner.  Seems very concentrated and lather-y.  You'll like it.  It's very easy to throughly distribute, which is good for my because I am a lazy biatch/don't care too much.  

  Packaging 

  Boringly simple.  Not luxuriously packaged,  didn't feel special.  If I'm spending that kind of money on fancy products,  I want them to look special and unique.  What can I say,  I like pretty things!So sue me!

  

Results?  I love it.  It actually makes me feel anxiety that I like it, because I really don't need fancy shampoo.   But it makes my hair feel amazing.   It's really unusual for me to find something that works this well.     The price really pisses me off.  This is not affordable, it is not rational to spend so much on something that you wash down the drain.  BUT,  your hair is important ,  and anything that makes it easier to do my hair, is highly regarded in my life.   It leaves my hair soft, less frizzy and very manageable.    Since I bleached the living shit out of my hair, I have had a harder time letting it air dry into it's natural waves without it looking a mess.    But I have had a number of consecutive 
good hair days with little to no blow drying since using this combo.  

 Pureology,  you won this one.  I am sold on your pricey luxury in a bottle.  Kudos to you.

November Keepers and Losers

It's been a long time since I blogged,  please forgive me.  Mama Lace is back.  And here is mylittle list of keepers and losers for November 2013!

Keepers:

 1.  Bioderma Cicabio Creme. Amazing stuff.  I have minor eczema on my face that gets a bit blister like and crusty.  This stuff helped a lot in a very short period of time.  It has Zinc and Copper which have antibacterial propertie. AND not to mention Hyaluronic acid,  which is a very popular skin care ingredient these days and is said to help with acne scars,  atopic dermatitis and our old lady wrinkles.

2.Lush limited edition Santa Baby lip tint.

 Such a pretty red lip tint from Lush.  I have other Lush lip tints and I adore them.  This is a new favourite-  smells like sweet cola and has a slightly coral deep red quality.  I am very fair,  and this color looks really nice on my skin tone.  It's comfortable to wear,  has a very slight staining matte quality.  It's a modern classic red lip and an overall enjoyable experience.

3. Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes.     Thanks to blogger and YouTube lovely
 Essie Button (or Estée),  I tried out these amazing shadow tints.  Quick, easy, understated and soft.  I love the muted shades. It's simple to just swipe on your lids,   blend in with your fingers,  throw on some mascara and a red lip (Santa Baby?!) and you are CHIC AS SHIT.   Beautiful,  simple and classy like Estée.  I have the 3 colours recommended by Estée- Fuller Fudge, Whopping Willow and Lots O'latte.

4.  Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream.  I have been using this product on all of my curly hair clients.  Since I am gleefully self employed, I am not forced to use any specific brands in my salon,  and therefore try all sorts of hair products and brands.  I love trying new things on clients and think of it as passionate research.  So far,  I have had great success with this product.  It's lightweight enough,  yet very moisturizing and effective.   It tackles moderate levels of frizz if applied correctly.  I used a separate and twist method for curls and dry with a diffuser or hood dryer in salon,  but have air dried my own waves with this product with non-crusty results.    It has the typical musky Moroccan oil smell which is like a sexy man-  so that doesn't hurt.

5. Silky Chamomile Cleansing Oil from The Body Shop.  A newish product for me.  It didn't irritate my skin,  and it did a great job removing makeup.  I used to quite a few times to remove eye makeup.  It did and awesome job,  but does temporarily affect my vision.  I just get a bit blurry eyed and panicky,  but its nothing serious or lasting. 

 Sad Losers :(

 1.  Bangstyle Hydrating Shampoo.  Love the hydrating conditioner,  but something is mildly ghoulish about this shampoo.    Nothing has given me that level or scalp irritation before.  It was likely more of an allergic reaction than anything wrong with the shampoo,  but regardless my scalp hasn't been the same since.  I wanted to love it,  but this shampoo and I had a different destiny.

 2.  Olay CC cream.   Nope.    I don't want it.   I love Olay,  it has deep emotional attachment for me as it is the one cosmetic my mom has ever been passionate about.  But this stuff makes me greasy and starts out orange on me, then oxidizes oompa copper.    I am going to hold onto it to try it out as potential leg makeup,  as I am a pasty fool,  and I hate to waste.

DIY Natural Hair Mask!

This one is the simple miracle cure. One ingredient. Go buy yourself a nice ripe avocado. Cut it in half, pop out the seed , scrape out the green loveliness with a spoon. I smoosh mine in a bowl with my hands and apply with enthusiasm to your hair. It's fun! Squish squish squish . Massage it in, roots to ends. This is when you get your cling film out and wrap it around your head and hair to contain the green magic. After a minimum of 20 mins, hop in the shower and rinse well! It works! I wouldn't recommend this for those who have fine or limp hair. But those of you with chemical damage, heat damage, general dryness and frizz can use weekly.

Vintage Combs

Check out Oh Faro , home of some amazing frankensteined vintage costume jewellery and hair accessories. Oh I do love anything sparkly that would look delightful poking out of a delicately powdered poofy beehive.