Today's hair

My hair is still in the three braids from yesterday. So today I poked a hair stick through the bases of the two side braids, then wrapped the braids around the stick as a Chinese bun. Then I wrapped the middle braid around the Chinese base.

I got the metal hair stick back in a winter swap on UTT back in 2014.

I liked it. It looked very complicated when it really wasn't.

Hair inspiration

That looked simple enough, but of course it will look different with my longer hair.
So, three three-stranded braids...

It got pretty nice and flat, but it looks nothing like the picture I was inspired by.

Shorter and thinner hair is simply better for creating cute updos...

Chunky infinity braid

This braid has been on my "Want to learn" list for quite a while. I'm not entirely sure if it's even doable on yourself, since I have yet to see that as a video. It's always someone else to do the braiding. Maybe the weaving motion is too difficult and delicate.

I talked a coworker into letting me try it on her (The same one I did the dragon braids and the rope braids on) and it's definitely a difficult one to master.
I think I did a pretty good job until I ran into her first layers, then the cool texture of the "weaving" was ruined.

(Awkward cropping due to being in the middle of work)

Olaplex no. 6 review

I was planning to post about the Olaplex no. 6 right after the Olaplex no. 3 review, but I needed a little more time to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Why?

Because this thing is just... Meh.

I mean, I wasn't particularly anything with the Olaplex no. 3, but maybe that was a remarkable result in itself: I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't disappointed either. But then again, my hair usually has opinions about conditioners, so that was a result in itself.

But it's the same with the Olaplex no. 6 Bond Smoother: My hair is just meh about it.
It's nice.
Good, comfortable texture: Not too thick, not too runny.
Mild scent. Not unpleasant, not too noticeable.
It's just... Nice.
For the price I had really expected something else. Anything else really.

Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Isohexadecane, Coco-Caprylate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Isododecane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Propanediol, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Fragrance (Parfum), Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citral, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Citronellol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Hydroxycitronellal, Etidronic Acid, Tocopherol, Geraniol, Potassium Sorbate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Phytantriol, Sodium Benzoate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract, Filtrate Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Gigartina Stellata Extract, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil.

Okay, I feel like I've been harping on about overly long ingredients a lot lately, but WTF?
Why is this list so long? What does Olaplex possible think they can get out of 45 ingredients (!) that they couldn't get out of 35, 25 or even 15?
Why?
All you get out of it is increasing the risk that you have added something that some customer doesn't tolerate.
Oh, and their famed, patented ingredient Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate that they keep advertising about is ingredient # 11 on the list. The ingredient list should have ended there, really.

Just meh.

2019's Christmas calendars

Instead of the Essie calendar, I got the Ciaté Christmas calendar. The colours in this one just looked way more fun and interesting, so Essie lost the bid for my attention. As much as I love dramatic polish on my toenails, I just can't justify getting two nail polish calendars in one year.

I mean: Look at this. Look at the range. That is a fully stocked nail polish collection right there, with a wide range of colours and polish types. How could I resist?



I got the Rituals calendar as planned and it's just as cute and festive as last year.

I have "parked" it on top of a book shelf for now.

I also got the Lyko calendar as planned, but it's definitely lacking in the holiday spirit. It's kind of sad and graphic in a boring way, so it's a good thing the drawers slides out and I can just store it under some books or something.

I got the big Body Shop calendar as planned, and although it's very cute it also feels little childish.

I found a surprising newcomer on the Christmas calendar market: A Schwarzkopf Christmas calendar with only hair products in it. How could I resist?

Look how cute it is with soft pastels and winter scenery!
Five calendars were more than I planned, but meh, what can you do?

Last calendar is for hubby. It's a grooming calendar for men, and although I think the contents looks a little basic, maybe hubby will think it's fun. At least he has something to open that isn't candy. Last year I tried to get it, but it sold out before I could get my hands on it.

I also made an advent calendar for hubby. It contains running equipment.

Foreo Ufo review

I almost got the mini Ufo instead of the flagship model. It seemed a lot pricier for the big model, just to have a device that can cool and hook up to your phone. But in the end I got the big model anyways. If I was going to splurge, this seemed like a silly detail to hold back on.

First I was really annoyed when it seemed this thing was dependent on the app to work, but then it turned out you only need the app to change settings. You scan the barcode to switch between settings/programs, other than that you just press the button to go.
I feel that the developers missed a good opportunity to let you put your own routine together though!
When I left this as a comment for my app review in the app store, my review was deleted. Hmpf. Not cool.

What I like about it
It seems like a good little moisture and absorption booster. It combines LED light, massage and heat for the mask type I got, but also has a cool routine for another mask type.

What I dislike about it
The little masks you're supposed to clip in there are honestly bad. They slip out of the locking ring and crumple up.
I'm not impressed by the app itself. It keeps needing to reconnect with my device, which should not be necessary.
Also the "Make my day"-program makes the Ufo heat up a lot. Like, a lot. Enough to get really uncomfortable so you have to move it around to keep it comfortable. I know I'm not a skincare expert, but this seems like a bad idea? I mean, I wouldn't want to subject my hair to something that is so hot that it's uncomfortable to touch, so... Ehh.

And maybe it's just me, but I felt that the program was definitely too short to cover my entire face with it? I used the little routine three times on my face: Once for the forehead and once for each cheek. That feels better and less rushed. Maybe if this thing came as a full face covering mask, I could see the point of this?

So I wasn't a fan of the sheet masks that were intended to go with it. But it worked well for helping drive oil into my skin, and it worked very well on top of a sheet mask and a silicone mask. As long as there is a bit of "slip" so it can glide around over the skin. I will probably use it like this in the future.

But overall I'm not really that impressed. I see this thing collecting dust on some shelf. Soon.

Balmain products review

   

I bought the Balmain products solely because I felt I deserved something pricey and luxurious. 

I'm honestly a little disappointed. I figured they would look better in real life and that the website pictures didn't give them justice.

But in real life they just look.... Dunno. Too simple?
I mean, the simple white bottle thing can look really clean and nice, but it just looks boring.
At least the logo is inflated with the size of the bottle with the big bottle.

Since I bought the Balmain products solely because I felt I deserved something pricey and luxurious, this left me having mixed feelings about the products. The big revitalizing conditioner felt slightly boring, but still managed to feel stylish and "clean". But somehow the smaller moisturizing conditioner just felt sad. Maybe because it was so small, maybe because it was missing a label in the back? I don't know what it was.

I'm probably just going to leave them on the bath tub for "decoration".

Not that I'm going to bother with an analysis, but here is the ingredient lists...

Balmain Revitalizing Conditioner
Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Amodimethicone, Peg/Ppg-14/4 Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Tridecyl Salicylate, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-10, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Trideceth-10, Cetrimonium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Rice Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Wool, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Lecithin, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Silanetriol, Melaninate, Plyperfluoroethoxymethoxy Difluoroethyl Peg Phosphate, Superoxide Dismutase, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Linolenate, Glyceryl Linoleate Diatomaceous Earth, Lactic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum.

Balmain Moisturizing Conditioner
Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Isopromethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-53, Dimethylpabamidopropyl Lauryldimonium Tosylate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Polyquaternium-10, Trideceth-5, Parfum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylglycerin, Lactic Acid.

Balmain Curl Cream
Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Myristyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-10, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Pvp, Polyquaternium-22, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Chloride, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum.

2019's Christmas calendars

The first Christmas calendar I knew I wanted for 2019 was Rituals 3D calendar. I absolutely loved it last year!

I even kept the cardboard Christmas three from last year.

I also want the Essie Christmas calendar. I almost got it last year, but then it had way too many red-ish colours in it for my taste (Gotta love unboxing videos!) and I opted out because I wanted a bigger range of colours.

 

This year the colour span seemed way better in my opinion. Not that I really need more nail polishes but, meh. Still something I want.

I also want the Lyko calendar this year. It looks pretty promising.

Unboxing video in Swedish:

The last one I think I will get is Body Shop's Dream Big This Christmas Ultimate Advent Calendar, which is the biggest of three Body Shop calendars.

Body Shop is one of those brands I never really used a lot, but it has received amazing reviews in unboxing videos.

Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro

 

This thing is a major step up from my Neutrogena facemask. Also in price. Maybe especially in price.
Some quick math tells me I could have re-purchased the Neutrogena mask and 18 of the "charges" (Had I not hacked it) which really hammers home the point of what an investment this thing is. Ouch.

It looks something like the robot Maria from the Metropolis movie, I think?
I had hubby try it on and he immediately started wandering around stiff-legged and going "beep boop" so I guess it's not just me thinking that it looks like some sort of robot.

As pretty and shiny and futuristic this mask looks, the straps for it just look sad and cheap. It is literally just ordinary elastic bands.

I'm not sure if the nose and mouth holes look cool or mildly creepy? Is it so you can sip your cocktails while you use it?

I mean, I guess it's pretty convenient, but it's not like I can't wait the three minutes for the mask to finish.

The SpectraLite FaceWare has 100 red-mode LEDs and 62 blue ones, which is great! One of my critiques on the Neutrogena mask was how few LED lights it has. They could easily have fitted more in.

One thing I dislike about it, is that it doesn't have a good gravity point. I would like it to rest in any other position basically. Maybe it should have come with a holder or something. I don't want an expensive device like this flopping around when I put it down.

Does it look cool or creepy?
I'm not even sure.

Before I tried it on, I would have said the nose and mouth holes were a little pointless, but after trying it on, I'm happy they're there. Since it follows the shape of the face, there isn't much room for air flow.

The red LED lights stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, which can help with the appearance of wrinkles, sun spots, redness, and sun damage.

The blue LEDs fight the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria that causes breakouts and supposedly regulate oil glands, which prevents future breakouts.

Compare the density of the LED-lights between the Dr Dennis Gros mask and the Neutrogena mask.

Although Neutrogena mentions the wavelengths of 415 and 633 nanometer in the instructions manual, it doesn't actually say that their mask emit those exact wavelengths. This makes me a little suspicious, because wouldn't you want to emphasize this? "Hey, science says this is the best so this is what our product does!"

Some difference in looks! The Neutrogna mask look like a cheap welding mask (And again I feel the need to humblebrag about that I'm a pretty good welder). The Dr Dennis Gross mask look like a pretty, shiny and futuristic mask.

The Dennis Gross mask follows the face contours, which makes it a lot better to see with. The Neutrogena mask sort of shines more "into" your eyes because it's just one big curve. Even though 3 minutes is so short a time, it's still nice that you can actually read or look at a a screen while it works.

I was curious about the difference in weight since the Neutrogena is basically cheap plastic.
Neutrogena's mask weighs in at just 77 gram. That is of course without the charge, but that one is always either on a table or in my pocket.

The Neutrogena mask has an external battery pack of 4 AA-batteries. The Dennis Gross mask has an internal battery and is powered by a USB cord.

The Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro weighs in at 264 gram.
About 3 ½ times as much.

Okay, here was a strange little detail:
In all the reviews I read about this, they only describe the device using blue light at 415 nm and red light at 633 nm. But the mask actually use more wavelengths: 415, 605, 630, 660 and 880 nm.
It's not written too clearly though, but it seems it uses blue (415 nm) and amber (605 nm) for the anti blemish light and red (630 nm), deep red (660 nm) and infrared (880 nm) for the anti-aging light.

Insert sarcastic comment about the state of journalism here.
Seriously. Some reviewers haven't even bothered to read the instructions.

I like that this is a quick, simple and product free booster for my skincare. Just put it on, press the button and wait three minutes. Or try to read/watch something for the three minutes. It's doable.

What I dislike? Hm. Not really anything I guess? I don't expect miracles from this though. Just a nice little boost for my skin.