My Natural Hair Journey

I thought I would tell you about my natural hair journey.

I started using relaxer when I was about 14-15 years old, I wanted my hair to look sleek and straight like all the people you see on TV. My hair didn't need the relaxer though and my mom warned me about using it but I was adamant and my mom finally caved in. My hair was long, quite curly and had a lot of frizz. After using a relaxer for about 9 years I noticed that my hair wasn't as long as it used be and it was quite damaged. I decided to stop using relaxer and had my last relaxer on the 10th May 2010. I didn't do a big chop as I was afraid to see what I would look like with short hair so I opted for a transition where I would have relaxed ends and new hair growth, I would occasionally get my split ends cut. I felt like the new hair growth was quite "harsh" but after a year the hair started to soften. The transition was really hard, it took a long time to finally manage it and then problems began.

Around November/december of 2011 I noticed that my scalp was itching and really dry, I went to the doctors and they gave me shampoo for fungal infections. When that didn't help I was sent to the dermatologist. Here I was told that I had psoriasis. I had to come in for five days straight and get coal tar massaged in to the scalp, I couldn't wash it out until the sixth day. It smelled horrible and it was almost unbearable but I had to hold it out until the last day. I was then given a coal tar shampoo that I'd have to use twice a week. After that ordeal I haven't had any problems and my hair started to grow again.

Alopecia: Fast forward to end of February 2014, I started to notice some hair loss at my right temple. It wasn't much but I still went to the doctors, here I was told that it was a fungal infection again and got a prescription for a shampoo. I kept losing hair but the doctor told me to keep using the shampoo and that it would be fine. By March/ April my hair loss had gotten a lot worse and I started to loose hair at my left temple too (hence why I've been MIA) and by May I had two big bald spots and each side of my temple. It had gotten to the point where I was afraid to comb my hair as it would just come of in a big chunk. I told this to my doctor who finally sent me to a specialist. I was here given a penicillin (that I've since been on three times) but they couldn't give me a reason for why I was losing my hair, I was just one of the unlucky ones that this happened to and that the majority who has had alopecia has had regrowth. For the first time since I started to lose hair, I've seen some progress here in July, I can see some new hair growth and the bald patches has gotten smaller. I can comb my hair without massive chunks of hair falling off. I've been wearing headbands for a long time now and get wait to get rid of them as soon as the hair growth is long enough.

I've been relaxer free for four years now (seen hair growth on my two bald spots) and couldn't be happier.

Alpha H Liquid Gold - A Midway Review

Alpha H Liquid Gold

I made a wishlist a while back that included the Alpha H Liquid Gold and a month ago I finally caved  in and purchased it. The Alpha H Liquid Gold has many qualities among them are tightening pores, helping with sun damage, pigmentation and wrinkles therefore giving a brighter and clearer skin.

My expectations were high as the reviews overall are positive if not great for this product.
I've been testing it out for about a month now and I'm sorry to say that I'm disappointed. I haven't noticed or seen any mayor changes to my skin. It says on the package for best results that you should skip the moisturizing part and here I saw that my pores had gotten a little smaller.

My expectations were as I stated above maybe to high as this was a raved about, holy grail skincare product and I expected fast and great results. This is what I have experienced with the product so far. I haven't finished the product yet but when I do, I'll let you know.

Have you tried the Alpha H Liquid Gold and what were your thoughts on it?

Morning Skincare Routine

My morning skincare, I do this every every morning and I've made it as simple as possible. I've condensed down to four steps.

Step 1: I start cleansing with The Body Shop Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash. After applying and rinsed off, you feel refreshed. I have an oily T-zone and it has helped a lot with keeping the oil way and has a mat effect. Its soap-free and therefore isn't drying on the skin.

Step 2: Then cleanse with a micellar solution and this time I'm testing out the La Roche Posay Micellar solution and so far I'm liking it. The fragrance isn't as strong as the Sephora Micellar solution. The LRP micellar is for sensitive skin and it doesn't contain alcohol, parabens and colorants. For all the ladies with sensitive skin, I recommend that you try this one out if you haven't already.

Step 3: I apply eye cream and the Avéne Soothing eye contour cream is still going strong. My eyes tend to get puffy in the mornings and the eye cream helps calming it down. It ads moisture without being creasy and is quickly absorbed.

Step 4: The last step is moisturizing. Currently I'm using the Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15. I got it as a sample when I purchased the Estée Lauder DayWear foundation. I've been using this moisture for some time now and on me it feels kinda greasy on the skin. The only thing I like about the creme is that is has SPF in it.
If you have any recommendations on a good moisturizing day creme please let me know.

This is my morning routine and I'm quite happy about it at the moment. You can read my evening skincare routine here. 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Stereo Rose

To be honest I've first heard about the MAC MSF Stereo Rose recently, I saw it in the new collection A fantasy of Flowers, which was launched in Denmark on the 24th of February 2014. I searched online and saw that this product was raved about a lot.
The MAC MSF Stereo Rose was first released in 2005, then in 2010 and again in 2013 in the Apres Chic collection and now in A Fantasy of Flowers collection.That is a total of four times and every time they are released they sell out fast. I don't get why an product that's so coveted doesn't get to be included in the permanent collection maybe in the future they would release it again or better yet, make it permanent.

I was contemplating on whether or not to get it as I've read that this product on dark skin doesn't look good and that it was not worth the hype. In the end though I went to the MAC store to see how it would look on me and that if I liked it, I could still get it without it being sold out.
I must say that in the pan this product looks absolutely gorgeous. It's described as a coral with golden and bronze shimmering nuances. The golden and bronze nuances runs through as veins and no pan is alike.
The MAC artist applied it as a highlight on me and I must say that I'm happy that I decided to try it out. When applied on me it looks more pink than coral. When I got home I tried combining it with MAC Gold Deposit and it looked beautiful.

I'm glad that I bought MAC MSF Stereo Rose and I know that I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. If you're contemplating about picking it up as I did, try it out first but do it quickly because it sells out fast! I know that if I didn't pick it up and it sold out, I would be kicking myself.

Are you going to pick it up or do you have MAC MSF Stereo Rose already and what do you think of it?

The Body Shop - Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

The Body Shop - Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

I´ve made a post on my current evening skincare routine, you can read about it here. I wanted to switch it up as I wanted to try a cleansing balm. Originally I had my eyes set on
the Clinique take the day off balm but its unfortunately not sold in Denmark any more. So I was delighted when I saw that in The Body Shop, they had a cleansing butter.
The scent on this is camomile and I like camomile but this scent is too sweet. It doesn't linger on after you've rinsed it of which is a good thing. The packaging is simple and I like the tin can, I find it a little unique.

I start of by using a micellar water and then I take a small amount of the cleansing butter. Rub it between my hands and it starts to melt, when melted it looks like an oil. I then massage it onto my face. The cleansing butter removes the rest of the makeup and is gentle enough to also remove eye makeup. It says that you can rinse of or remove with a wet muslin cloth. I would say that its best to remove it with a muslin cloth because when you just rinse it of there would still be some of the oil left on your skin.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter is on the expensive side but its worth the money as a little goes a long way and is suitable for all skin types.

Have you tried The Body Shop Cleansing Butter and what were your thoughts on it?

Yves Saint Laurent - Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick - 06 Pink in Devotion

The YSL Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks are quite expensive hence why I've waited so long to buy it but when I saw this colour I couldn't resist!
First of all the packaging on the YSL lipsticks are gorgeous, the gold with the silver initials and the colour of the lipstick showing through simply beautiful. Some lipsticks can have a weird smell but these have a nice fruity smell.
The YSL lipstick I have is Pink in Devotion 06. Its a pretty pink colour and it comes of as a bright pink. I have dark lips so looks a little darker on me and I like that way. The lipstick glides on smoothly, gives a beautiful shine without being sticky and adds a hint of colour as the lipstick is a little on the sheer side.
They are quite moisturising for a lipstick  which was a pleasant surprise. Another bonus is that its long lasting and it fades out evenly.

This is the first lipstick and the only one I have purchased from YSL but will defiantly not be the last.

Do you have the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks and what are your thoughts on them?