Thursday, February 5, 2015

InstaNatural Argan Oil Hair Mask Review

A quick disclaimer before I start. This is a sponsored post. BUT although I am sponsored by InstaNatural to write this post, I have tried some of their products before this one! Furthermore, these are my own personal and truthful opinions regarding their products. InstaNatural is not in any way requiring me to write a positive review!
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The last few months, I've been getting into natural skincare products. I realized that a lot of our everyday daily products like cleansers, shampoos, and even nail polish have a lot of harmful chemicals that in the long run can be really harmful to my body. As I started doing more research on natural skincare products, I stumbled upon InstaNatural on Amazon.

For a newer and not as well known brand, InstaNatural has incredible reviews for all of their products! Thus, I decided to give them a try. The two that I've tried are their Vitamin C Serum and Advanced Action Retinol Moisturizer, both of which I have enjoyed immensely! I'll do a review on these products in another post.

Anyhow, I recently received a sample of InstaNatural's Argan Oil Hair Mask, and I was super excited because I had previous positive experiences with their other products.

The Review:

First Impression!
My first impression of the Argan Oil Hair Mask was IT SMELLS AMAZING and looks pretty delicious too haha.

Let's start with the cons...
In my humble opinion, the mask kind of let me down, granted that both times I've used it so far, I've left it on way longer than the suggested 10-15 minutes. I kept the mask on for almost three hours the first time and 30 minutes the second time--oops! In the end, my hair looked more like second day unwashed hair. Thus, I admit I still need to try the mask for the recommended time before I can form a really conclusive opinion on the product.

Now for the pros!
However, since these two uses, I do believe that my hair has become somewhat smoother and softer then I remembered it to be at the beginning of the school year. These changes are consistent even on days when I wash my hair and don't used the mask, which suggests that the mask may actually have the potential to treat dry, damaged hair! Yesss!!

The future...
Anyhow, I'll continue using this product at the moment because I've been complaining about my hair feeling dry for the longest time. (Blame my bitter sweet memories of soft, lush hair in middle school and high school. Arggg~).

I've read some reviews on Amazon where people have said they use it as a regular hair conditioner, so I'll give that a try as well!


You can find the Argan Oil Hair Mask product on Amazon for $17.95 at the moment: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MNK9R5Y

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Beaten Coffee--Sore Arms, but Totally Worth It!

It seems like I've been writing a lot about drinks recently, like the green tea latte and the... or never mind. Maybe not. I've posted recipes for a few other drinks--but more than half a year ago! By the way, check them out! Black sesame banana drink and chocolate raspberry smoothie.

However, today, my focus is on beaten coffee! Have you heard of it before? Me neither, until earlier this week! Apparently it's also called Indian Cappuccino, and it's super creamy, affordable, and--oh my gosh--DELICIOUS! You know how I said I've been enjoying green tea lattes before my workouts? Well, I've been enjoying this even more, which is not necessarily good because sometimes I just can't help myself to another cup!
What's even better about this recipe is that there's so few ingredients. You really need only four ingredients, and you'll likely have all of them in your cupboard already!
Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp Instant Coffee Granules 
  • 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar (or to your liking--I prefer less sweet)
  • 1 tsp Water
  • 1 cup milk of choice
Instructions:
  1. Combine instant coffee, sugar, and water, and mix ingredients together until the mixture thickens and lightens. The texture should be almost that of marshmallow fluff! For me, this takes about 10-12 minutes. 
  2. Heat up milk, and add the mixture to the hot milk.
  3. Stir and enjoy!
Super simple! Look at how dark the mixture was in the beginning! Almost black :)
However, as you continue mixture with your spoon, the color gradually lightens and the mixture begins to thicken.
I've tried using a whisk to make this before, but for some reason, it didn't seem to work as well as with a spoon.... Not sure why, maybe just magic? Haha, just kidding! 
As for the sugar, you can adjust it to what ever suits your taste. You can even choose not to add any! And I know because I accidentally left it out once. Oops! But it still tasted great, albeit a little on the bitter side~
Look! So thick :) Beaten coffee is somewhat tiring to make, but don't give up! It's worth it. Totally.
Go try it! And if you do, tell me how it goes!! :)

Saturday, January 17, 2015

WishTrend - Korea-Based Skincare and Cosmetics

Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post.

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know about a website to find quality skincare products and cosmetics from Asia--WishTrend.com. While they are based in Korea, they ship globally, and their website is completely in English, which really helps people like me who loves Korean products but don't know a bit of Korean!

What makes WishTrend really stand out among other online skincare/cosmetics stores is their YouTube channel WISHTrendTV and their blog Wishtrend Glam. These videos and articles gives you a bunch of tutorials, product suggestions, trends, and more! Furthermore, these resources are super easy to understand, informative, and have really good image/video quality.

WISHTrendTV

Wishtrend Glam

Here are some articles and videos that I've really enjoyed:

Meanwhile, product-wise, WishTrend has a huge variety, from makeup and skincare to hair products and even men's products! They also have a section of products with free shipping, which is great if you want to save on shipping costs. Furthermore, almost all product pages includes:

  • A brief description of the product
  • The product's features
  • Recommended uses
  • Detailed closeups of the product
  • Instructions
  • Product information
  • Ingredients
  • Reviews
I recently just ordered the Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil (free shipping!!), which I'm really excited for. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes when I receive it~


If you are interested in purchasing any products, you can use the code "WISHJAN2015" for 10% off any purchases $55 and over. 

Furthermore, if you sign up through this link, you can receive $5 to use on your first purchase! Enjoy~

Where do you purchase most of your skincare/beauty products?