Category Archives: sarahfynn

Favorite hair products of 2024

  , , , , ,
Comments Off on Favorite hair products of 2024

How’s your January going so far? Good , I hope! We’re almost at the finish line!

Today I have a shortlist of some of my favorite products I discovered & used last year. 2024 was my year of healthy hair, so I spent time & effort researching & trying new products.

1. Briogeo don’t despair repair deep conditioning mask- when I thought to do this post, this was the 1st product that popped up in my head! I love this product so much that I kinda overused it and it broke off my hair lol. It is a protein rich mask so just be mindful how many times you use it. I love this mask because it’s detangling but helps to reduce shedding, strengthens and conditions the hair! If you find your hair just feels limp & it’s shedding a lot don’t despair! try this mask! My advice will be to balance this mask with a moisture treatment too, so use once every 2 weeks/monthly depending on your hair needs. It broke my hair because I was using it right after getting a texture release and as that is amino acid based, it was too much protein on my hair and too much protein causes hair to be brittle & easier to break off. This is not the fault of the product but mine which is why I still love this product and will recommend it.

2. Affirm Light Creme hair dress- I was first introduced to this product when I went to Elite hair lounge in Feb 2024. I loved how light it felt on my hair. Fast forward to May, I did my texture release and the stylist recommended the same product to use as my Keracare buttercream would be too heavy. I got it and fell in love with it. Its lightweight as the name suggests and it does well to add moisture to the hair. It’s a nice ‘hair cream’ I used during the week to add moisture.

3. Tgin honey miracle conditioner- this product went viral in the natural hair community when it first arrived but I never got to try it because it was never available in the UK. Last year as I was looking for moisture deep conditioners, the girlies were still raving about the conditioner so I decided to finally try it. This deep conditioner is amazing and I will be writing up a full review soon

4. Olapex 4c shampoo- everyone knows how I feel about Olapex by now, and this product? This clarifying shampoo is no different! It leaves the hair clean but not stripped! I use this on a monthly basis to clarify and chelate my hair. It works for 4c hair. If you want to read my full review of all the Olapex products I have used, check it out here

5. African pride moisture miracle pre poo- another viral product in the natural hair community and it deserves all the hype & more! if you’re looking for a moisture pre poo treatment this is it! I’ve been through 2 or 3 tubs of this! My full review is here

6. Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™Moisture + Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment– This one came in the gift set with the don’t despair deep conditioner and I love it just as much. It really works to soften the hair. I find that some leave ins just leave the hair ‘wet’ but don’t really soften it. This doesn’t do that.

These have been my top 6 products of last year and I will/ have repurchase/d everyone of these again. More products worthy of a mention is the Paul Mitchell skinny serum which came recommended by my stylist. I don’t know how but this helps to dry my hair faster! and it doesn’t weigh the hair down or cause it to revert. You literally need a tiny bit. If you use a lot like I did when I started using it, you will feel the difference after the hair is dry. it feels a bit sticky?( lack of a better word). Another product I have to mention is the Cantu protective styling hair freshener. I call this hair perfume because it smells absolutely amazing. We all know how braids can get a bit musty after some time, get this! Just get this if you want amazing smelling hair.

That’s all folks! This year I’m focusing more on length retention but the search for better products/brands is still ongoing. I learnt about many brands last year, I’m just patiently waiting to finish up my batch before getting new products.

laterr

Round Lab 1025 Dokdo On The Go Kit Review

  , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off on Round Lab 1025 Dokdo On The Go Kit Review

Hihi everyone, I hope all is well

As you know, last year I rediscovered K beauty and ordered from Stylevana for the very first time! Several orders later I’ve been trying so many new (to me ) K beauty brands. One of those new brands was Round Lab. They had a trial set that I thought was the perfect introduction to the brand. In this post I will be reviewing the products in the set

I got the Round Lab 1025 Dokdo On The Go Kit which comes with a cleanser, toner and lotion(emulsion). The set is currently out of stock at Stylevana but the products are available to get individually.

Cleanser

The 1025 Dokdo Cleanser is formulated with hyaluronic acid and ceramides to gently cleanse the skin without disrupting the skin’s barrier. I’m currently using this in both my AM & PM routines. The formula does foam up nicely and I find it to give a thorough cleanse without leaving my skin dry. I really like this cleanser and I’ve had no issues again. A little goes a long way

Toner

a fuss free toner, it was nothing special tbh and I had no issues with it. I didnt experience any brightening as promised but I liked how it felt on my skin. Will I buy this as a stand alone product? probably not as there are other k beauty toners i love

Lotion

This was the star of the show for me. The lotion was lightweight and incredibly hydrating. This has triple hyaluronic acid and promises to provide deep and long lasting moisture and soften rough texture and skin! It delivers on that promise! I didn’t need a moisturiser after the lotion and its something I will definitely look to buy again

Conclusion

I hope this set comes back in stock soon because its the perfect intro to the brand, and the sizes make it perfect for travel. I would buy the full sizes of the cleanser and lotion again as I really enjoyed them. The set is really geared towards all skintypes but I think dry to normal skin will benefit the most. Round lab is available from Boots in the UK if you wanted to get them quicker! Or Amazon

SupraFade Hyperpigmentation Review

  , , , , , ,
Comments Off on SupraFade Hyperpigmentation Review

hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a full review of the Supradafe hyperpigmentation serum I finished last month

Suprafade is the first product from HUE, a black owned skincare brand based in the UK. The promise is “A serum formulated with 7 active ingredients and antioxidants working synergistically to target the signs and causes of hyperpigmentation, discolouration and dullness. Engineered to be gentle enough for nightly use, our formula starts working in as little as two weeks. To ensure maximum efficacy and results, we always use ingredients at their active level. “

Experience

I introduced this to my routine on 9/6 very slowly. In the first week I used it once then twice in the 2nd week- I do this to prevent any irritation when starting new products. I started using nightly from 23/6. I finished the product 20/8. I experienced no issues with the serum.

Suprafade has no noticeable scent and I didnt find it particularly hydrating. It layers well with other serums with no pilling and works well with retinol ( I use MEdik8’s r-Retinoate® Intense) and acids with no issue

The serum has really big claims, on the website they claim: In a consumer study, participants agreed that there was a dramatic improvement in hyperpigmentation within 6 weeks. 2 weeks- 80% agreed skin tone was more even. 4 weeks- dark spots were obviously reduced. 6 weeks- complexion was significantly more even

For me the experience was very different, by 4 week I couldn’t really tell if my dark spots were fading or not, infact by the time I finished the bottle I was still on the fence. June to Aug were bad skin months for me, I had a lot of texture and spots that led to new hyperpigmentation. I’m not sure if the serum helped deal with that. I had 2 old spots I really wanted to target with the serum and to me they dont look any better.

Mark 1 is an old hyperpigmentation spot Ive been trying to get rid of and it was what I wanted Hue to target. I can barely tell the difference by the 20th when I finished the serum. Mark 2 looks slightly better but 3 is also confusing, Im not sure if there was any improvement. Other areas of my face are also the same I can barely see a difference.

I do like the texture of the serum, its very lightweight and it pairs well with other products. Whilst its not the most hydrating serum out there it is ok. I also like the pump jar it came in.

Verdict

To be totally honest, I’m disappointed with the serum. I saw so many good reviews and improvements from other people but I really cant tell if the serum did anything for me. I did have bad skin this summer as I have new pigmentation spots to treat but I wanted the serum to target older spots I had. Side by side pictures tell me there was hardly any improvements. the newer pigmentation spots look slightly improved? Im not even sure

Will I repurchase? Honestly I did consider it because perhaps I needed more time with it? however after 8 weeks of daily use and not seeing major improvements, I didn’t want to spend another £52 on it plus shipping. I wont repurchase.

If you want to check out Suprafade, check the website here

The Best sunscreen for Dark skin

  , , ,
Comments Off on The Best sunscreen for Dark skin

Hi hi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a list of my fav sunscreens for you, these are across different price points and brands but the best thing about them are that they are all 100% invisible on dark skin! Check out Part 1 of this post with more suitable sunscreens here

Paula’s Choice RESIST Anti Aging Skin Restoring Moisturiser SPF 50 £39 – this is one of my top 5 sunscreens because its simply amazing! An SPF moisturiser with broad spectrum protecting and feels light on the skin with a dewy finish? Paula’s Choice did their thing with this

Garnier Ambre Solaire Ultra-Light Sensitive Sun Protection Face Fluid SPF50+ 40ml £13 – this is a dupe for La Roche Posay shaka fluid but the reason why I like the Garnier version more is because I don’t find it as matte. This is also frequently on sale and very accessible. This is a great option for oily skins. Its very watery and light weight

SuperGoop Play SPF 50 £22 – My first every SPF from Supergoop and I loved it! another SPF moisturiser that you don’t need to use a cream underneath. 100% invisible on the skin

BeautyPie Super Healthy Skin™Featherlight UVA/UVB SPF 50 Sunscreen + Primer £15 or £50 – If you are a BP member then you really should try this! This was one of my fav products from them when I was in the BP club. This isn’t for everyone though because it is very very dewy and does sting the eyes a little bit lol. I still loved it though and went through many bottles of this stuff. Its £15 for members or £50 for non members( it is not worth £50 though in my opinion)

I hope you found this helpful. I have a lot of sunscreen videos and reviews under my Dark skin sunscreen tab on the menu above

stay safe

Shein Soft Gel Nail Tips Review

  , , , , , ,
Comments Off on Shein Soft Gel Nail Tips Review

Hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I am sharing my thoughts on the Shein soft gel press on nail tips. If you are a DIY gel x girl, stay tuned for more

Shein soft gel nail tips come in a variety of shapes and colours. I chose to get the french manicure nail tips because I’m not that great at drawing the white lines on. I also played around with lengths and shapes so I got ballerina and almond in medium lenght and square in short.

My experience
I’ve been using these since the beginning of this year. It’s been heavy in my rotation. They come in the standard nail sizes so I don’t have an issue with getting a good fit. Each pack also comes with a lot of pieces so they last a long time. The application is easy, these are soft gel tips so they require uv glue and lamp.

Application method & Tools

I use the gel x method for these nail tips. I use the Beetles nail glue ( review here) , BTART solid glue and Mylee clear builder gel and top coat (review here). For nail lamps, I use the Markatt goose neck nail lamp for flash curing then the Mylee UV nail lamp for a full cure.

Nail prep( filing, cuticle prep, cleansing)

Beetles UV nail glue then cure. BTART nail glue in the inside of the tips and flash cure till all nails are completed. Then fully cure

Rhinestones/stickers/ decorations(optional)

Builder gel then cure. Top coat then cure

The whole process from start to finish is about 1.30hrs

So I absolutely love these pre made French tips because it saves me so much time and effort having to draw the white tips from scratch. Whilst I love them. It took a little bit of trial and error to get them right

When I first started using these tips, I started with the Beetles Builder gel. After a few days, the white tips started fading and even some cracking. It was horrible. And this would happen to alll most all nails. I never liked this Builder gel anyways, but for these soft gel tips you need to seal it with a Builder gel and top coat.

I then decided to experiment with other sealants so I tried the Beetles UV glue, Beetles base coat, Mylee Builder gel and Mylee base coat. All of these gave me better results than the Beetles Builder gel but I still had fading after 5 days wear with the exception of the Mylee Builder gel. That Builder gel lasted a full 7 days before some chipping however the one I had was a light pink shade so I decided to get a clear one and try again.

I purchased the Mylee clear Builder gel followed the same application method above but decided to do 2 thin coats of Builder gel, fully curing each layer before using the Mylee top coat.
SUCESS!

This way gave me the best results. My nails now last till whenever I decide to take them off, usually after 10 to 13 days! No fading. No chipping. The nails themselves are also great quality, they do not split/crack after they are fully cured.

Verdict

I love these shein nail tips. I’ve got them in different nail shapes and lengths and even some colour pre made French’s too. This makes it so easy and quick to do a quick manicure especially when I am short on time. These are the dupe to the BTART nail tips but I haven’t tried those yet. The shein ones are great and I highly recommend them. They have a variety of pre made frenchs both classic and coloured and in all the shapes & lengths!

I’ve been using the gel x method since December of last year and I absolutely love this method. 

love Sarah