You can take it home with you: the hairdresser

Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System

Stay with me.

We all love the way our hair feels fresh out of the salon and we also feel instantly lighter and brighter, perhaps there's even a skip in our step. 

Ahh, fresh coifs. Smooth waves or straight strands, nary a hair out of place, but once faced with having to maintain such an amazing feat I find myself quivering in fear that I won't be able to replicate my hairdresser's handiwork.

Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System works some serious voodoo magic on my ofttimes unpredictable hair, but how does it work?

The shampoo and conditioner both cleanse and hydrate as expected, while the keratin (protein) smooths each individual hair shaft. Upon dragging a comb through my hair, I immediately noticed the teeth encountered little to no resistance. A veritable Slip n' Slide situation.

Finally, Tresemme's Heat Activated Treatment takes things one step further by acting as a barrier, it also decreases styling time and increases the smooth factor. Tresemme suggests using a flatiron after blowdrying your hair, but I usually skip this step because I don't mind the flicks at the ends of my layers.

Shiny, happy hair

Granted, it is winter in Melbourne which means most days the frizz factor is low. However, it'll be swell not having to constantly duke it out with my halo of frizz come spring.

The goods:

• It takes about eight minutes to dry my hair.
• Second day hair looks just as splendid.
• My coloured, fine, frizzy, wavy hair is in l-o-v-e.
• Cheaper and safer than the once popular Brazilian Blowout.

The mehs:

• Looking to curl your second day hair? Think again. My hair is determined to remain unfurled. I mean, you can curl your hair, but it might take extra elbow grease, a little patience and texturising spray.

And that, my friends, is how to bring the hairdresser home.

//Edit: I guess you gotta take the good with the bad, but this stuff managed to dry out my scalp. It's the middle of winter in Melbourne, it's dry and my scalp just couldn't handle it. I've since taken Tresemme's 7 Day Smooth System out of rotation and went back to basics.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System (Shampoo, Conditioner and Heat Activated Treatment:

• $10.99 AUS / $4.00 - $7.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 3 out of 10 bags — maybe I'll be ok to use this come summer.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• I've been a brand commitment-phobe when it comes to hair products, but I think I'll stick with Tresemme. So, yes.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Currently wearing: Chanel's Gardenia

Chanel's Gardenia

The camellia flower is native to Japan and various parts of Asia, it's also the chosen flower of Chanel. The only thing is the camellia flower bares no discernible scent; turns out this was a sticking point for such a notable couturier and perfumer. Fortunately the gardenia's physical attributes and geographic location made up for what the camellia lacks, a scent.

And this is how Chanel's Gardenia, part of the Les Exclusifs De Chanel perfume collection, came to be.

Gardenia starts out very robust, but it quickly quiets down. Chanel describes the scent as exhibiting "green notes, its creamy heart, and a trail full of fantasy." Yet when I smell it, call me crazy, I think of the colour purple.

This particular bottle is a major investment, as a result I read loads of reviews and boy are they mixed. One reviewer said, "Even the best sometimes fail and, here, Chanel failed. A harsh and cheap plastic/coconut white floral that would be an awful choice even as a freshener for a dog's basket. Meh..." His commentary made me smile and it reaffirmed we all don't have to like the same things. I also found that Gardenia was repeatedly compared to Dior's Poison, perhaps an affordable dupe?

Others complained about Gardenia's longevity or lack thereof and I'd have to agree. Gardenia is unfortunately one of those perfumes that requires reapplication throughout the day. It's even suggested by layering Gardenia over freshly applied moisturiser will help with its lasting power.

Gardenia is exclusively sold online and at Chanel Beauty and Perfume Boutiques.

Not sweet enough: MAC's Patisserie

MAC's Patisserie

I swear I'm on a never-ending quest to find the perfect shade of "my lips, but better." But like my skin, my lips are fickle too. There are some formulas out there my lips wholeheartedly embrace, others not so much.

Case in point: MAC's Patisserie, a brownish pink with flecks of golden shimmer.

Swatch of MAC's Patisserie

Seriously guys, it's as if someone is walking around with a magnifying glass only to highlight the fact that my lips resemble the Sahara desert. For whatever reason Patisserie is on a mission to suck what little moisture is left in my lips.

Can you say drought?

In regards to wear time, Patisserie maxes out just shy of lunch -- call it 3 to 4 hours. And in that block of time I grew very self conscious and weary as I knew my lips were being ravaged.

Wearing Patisserie

Patisserie is pretty, but I might have to tuck her away until Spring. Do you ever have this problem with certain lipsticks? Or maybe it's just me.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's Patisserie:

• $36.00 AUS /  $16.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 6 out of 10 bags — the hunt continues.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Fathoms Deep is oh so enticing, but I must be good. Right?

How to apply almost every single shade from Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette. Almost.

The palette in question

Urban Dacay's Naked 3 palette happens to be my most-loved and used eyeshadow palette ever and I have no qualms about recommending it to others. But what do you do whence confronted by all twelve shades; some might tuck it away, curl up in a ball and call it a day. Others, like myself, will rise to the challenge and find a way to use them all.

Mersaedes, this one's for you.

Let's get started.

Tools of the trade

Here's what you need:

• Primer, preferably one without shimmer
  • NARS Smudge Proof Primer - appears white, dries clear
  • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original) - beige in colour
  • Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer - beige in colour
• A foundation brush and Q-tips for post-application clean up
• Spooly brush to rid your lashes of any mascara clumps
• Eyelash curler
• Mascara
• Brown Eyeliner - I'm in love with Marc Jacob's Highliner Gel in Ro(Cocoa)
• A blending brush or you can use the double-ended brush that comes with the Naked 3 Palette. I used UD's brush to prove that it's possible to execute these looks with a mediocre brush.

Steps 1 & 2:

• Grab your brown liner to tightline. I can't evenly apply eyeliner to save my soul, so I prefer to do this method as a cheat for fuller lashes.
• Apply Limit on your eyelid and blend out any harsh edges just above your crease.

Steps 3 & 4:

• Highlight your brow bone with Strange.
• Next, apply Burnout to the outer corners.

Steps 5, 6 & 7:

• Highlight the inner corners of your eyes with Dust 
• Apply Mascara
• Clean up any fallout

Now, you can stop here or skip steps 6 and 7 to take this look a bit further.

Step 8:

• Contour your outer crease with Factory to add a bit of dimension
  • Be sure to blend like it's your job

Steps 9 & 10:

• Lightly dab Trick on the centre of your eyelid for a pop shimmer.
• Starting from the outside and working your way in, line your lower lash line with Darkside and blend into Dust. 

Steps 11 & 12:

• Load the smaller end of the brush with Blackheart to define the outer v.
• Smoke things out some more by layering Mugshot over Blackheart and Trick

Steps 13 & 14:

• Build up the shimmer factor at the centre of the eye lid by layering Buzz over Trick.
• Finally, paint on a healthy helping of mascara and be sure to clean up eyeshadow spillage from the under eye area.

Close up of the final look

Jush your hair, pucker your pout and grab your dancing shoes because it's a three day weekend.

What sort of eye looks have you put together with UD's Naked 3?