Amanda Burnett

Lifestyle & Beauty

Hair

My May Ipsy Bag | A Full Review

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Welcome back to my blog! This week has been crazy. I was hoping to have this post up last week but long story short, my computer was stolen. I will most likely make a YouTube video better explaining everything that happened. I’m just happy to be blogging again. Now let’s look at this month’s Ipsy bag!

On May 11th, I opened my mailbox to reveal my favorite pink package from Ipsy. This was more exciting than usual because it was a day before my birthday so it kind of felt like a birthday present!

The Bag:

Glitter heaven! This bag is my favorite bag I’ve received so far! I’m obsessed with all things sparkly so this bag is a dream. I usually put my collection of Ipsy bags under the sink for when I need a travel bag but this is way too pretty to just put aside. This will be sitting pretty on my counter full of my everyday products!

The 5 Products:

Nature Cartel Multi-Purpose Stick in GlowBal Awakening

When I first tried this product, I wasn’t too impressed. It’s a very subtle highlight with not too much pigment and I guess I was hoping for it to be more dramatic. If you’re wanting a subtle highlight, it is actually pretty. I also thought the tone would be pink because the product itself looks pink. Surprisingly, it’s a golden tone!

Alterna Haircare Bond Repair Leave-In Hair Protection Spray

I explained in my previous hair blog post that I don’t like to use heat on my hair so I thought I wouldn’t have a use for this product. Although, it’s getting warmer outside which could dry out our hair so I spray this when I’m going to be outside for long periods of time. It smells so good and makes my hair feel soft! It’s also vitamin-enriched so you can feel good about spraying this all over.

F.A.R.A.H Brush in 22E Shade & Blend

Brushes are always good to have and I’m loving the double ended brushes! As you can tell, I’ve been using this brush a lot already! I always end up packing these when I’m going on a trip. Two brushes in one – very convenient! The bristles are extremely soft and apply product beautifully.

Pixi by Petra H20 Skindrink

When I saw this product in my bag, I squealed. I absolutely love Pixi beauty, I even made a blog post about my Pixi collection. I’ve heard great things about this H20 Skindrink so I applied it and was pretty impressed! This contains aloe vera, green tea, and rosemary extract. It smells amazing and it made my face so smooth and soft. It felt truly hydrated! I can’t wait to order the full sized.

INMO Velveteen Dream Eyeshadow in Super Bass

I’ve been wearing this eyeshadow almost every day since I opened it up! It’s such a pretty sheer pink. It’s great for everyday wear. The texture is very silky and stays on the lids without creasing.

That’s my May Ipsy bag review! Overall, I’m very happy with everything that I got in my bag this month. Especially the bag itself! Again, I’m sorry this post is up so late. Things are starting to fall back into place. Thank you for your patience!

If you’re interested in getting Ipsy, I have a referral link just for you! Check it out.

My Hair Journey: Damaged to Healthy

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The Damage I Caused

Three years ago, my hair (left picture) was in the worst condition it has ever been in. It was beyond damaged, constantly falling out, and the color was awful from dying it so much. You can clearly see the damage in this picture. I was in a dark place around this time so whenever I was sad, I would cope by changing up my hair. It got to the point where I was box dying my hair at least once a month. Are you cringing? Ugh, I know I am. I would also take the scissors and chop away even though I didn’t know what the heck I was doing and I would straighten it almost every single day.

Finally, I decided I needed to stop doing all of this damage to my hair because now, I was regularly breaking down over the damage I’ve caused. That’s why I took the picture on the left. I told myself that from that day forward, I wouldn’t dye my hair anymore, I wouldn’t cut my own hair especially when I’m upset, and I’d try to go without any heat products. We were going back to our natural roots. Literally.

Did I go through with all of that? Yes, for the most part. I did end up going to the salon and getting some highlights after a few months because my hair was in this awkward color phase from fading and the grow out. I also let them fix my hair cut. It was kind of embarrassing but I guess taking your emotions out on your hair is more common than I thought. I just promised to let the professionals take care of it next time.

My Hair Today

Two years later, my hair is so much healthier! (Right picture) You can see the shine, the thickness, and the length improvement. Those are my natural waves too! My hair was so damaged three years ago that those waves barely even existed. I’ve learned to love my natural waves so I don’t even feel the need to use any heat products on it anymore. If you’d like to see current pictures of what my hair looks like, head on over to my Instagram! I get many compliments on my hair lately and it means so much to me because little do most people know, getting it to this point was a true struggle.

If you’re currently in the situation I was three years ago, here are a few tips:

  • Take a break from dying your hair if that’s what you do often.
  • Step away from curling irons and straighteners or at least minimize the usage.
  • Heat protectant is an absolute must when using heat tools.
  • Use a deep conditioning mask once or twice a week. I use coconut oil and that has helped greatly.
  • Do not pick up the scissors when you’re upset. Find something else to distract yourself with.
  • Don’t give up. Even if you don’t see your hair getting any healthier right away. It’s a process, you’ll see results soon!

Want some more secrets on how to grow your hair long and healthy? I recently created a post with in-depth tips and tricks! Check it out here.

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett

L’Oréal’s Elvive Rapid Reviver Deep Conditioner – Review

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When I first signed up for Influenster, I was excited to start reviewing products that I’ve tried. I realized shortly after signing up that you could end up receiving a VoxBox of items for free to review! This, of course, was exciting and I hoped to eventually get that opportunity. I’ve spent months reviewing products just for fun for about a year. Last week, I finally got an email informing me that I was going to be receiving my first VoxBox! Even better, it was going to be a new deep conditioner from L’Oréal Paris. I buy products regularly from this brand so it’s a brand that I love and trust. If you’ve also read my previous hair posts, you know I love trying new hair products. I was so excited!

I received this product a couple of days ago and I went to try it out immediately. This was actually good timing too because I was running out of my other conditioner!

The Elvive line has three deep conditioners, and I received the Extraordinary Oil one. This conditioner claims to be 2x more nourishing than a leading conditioner. It has a 20% conditioning serum and contains Sunflower and Camellia oil to hydrate each strand of hair. I have very thick, wavy, and dry hair so I’m always looking to find a good hydrating conditioner. Also, this conditioner claims to work in only 60 seconds! Most deep conditioners I’ve tried instructs you to leave the product on for at least 3-5 minutes. So this deep conditioner is perfect if you’re a busy person!

My Experience:

After I rinsed my hair with shampoo, it was time to put this deep conditioner to the test! My first impression was that it was a nice thick consistency and it smelled nice. It was very easy to work the conditioner through the ends of my hair and I could already tell that it was going to work well. Even though it says it works in 60 seconds, I did end up leaving it in a little bit longer because I took that time to shave my legs. When it was time to rinse it out, I was very impressed. It came out easily and my hair was already feeling detangled and very smooth. But how was it going to look and feel after it dried? The answer is, alive. So many conditioners make my waves in my hair weighed down. My waves almost looked like curls! It was like my hair was brought to life. My hair was also very soft and smooth! No tangles or frizz.

My final verdict is that this product is amazing. I’m definitely a fan. The price of this conditioner is about $4.99 so it’s a great product for the price!

I did receive this product complimentary for testing purposes but this review is completely truthful!

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett

10 Tips To Grow Your Hair Long and Healthy

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My Hair Background

Whenever I get compliments on my hair, people always want to know how it’s so thick, long, and healthy. I will tell you, it was a process and I had to make many changes. I wasn’t always so lucky. I did make a blog post on my hair journey if you’d like to get more of a backstory on how I struggled with my hair a couple of years ago. Now, I do have naturally thick hair but the things I did to my hair years ago really damaged it. Today, I can honestly say my hair is in the best condition it’s ever been and I’m so excited to share some tips that I’ve been doing so I could hopefully help some of you! 

There aren’t any miracle cures that will help your hair grow drastically overnight but these are the things I personally do that definitely have my hair growing at a steady rate every month. Keep in mind that if your hair is extremely damaged, your main focus should be getting it healthy again before expecting to see huge growth difference. 

*Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. At the event of a sale, I will earn a small commission. All links in this post are for products I actually use.

10 Tips To Grow Your Hair

  1. Keep the hair dying and use of hot hair tools to a minimum. I’m going to be honest and tell you guys that I used to dye my hair almost every month and I used to straighten my hair every single day. Those were my bad hair habits and they had my hair falling out! Today, I only use a straightener or curler maybe two times a month. I’ve been embracing my natural wavy mess!
  2. Stop washing your hair every day.  I used to see this tip all over the internet and I used to roll my eyes. People swore by this and I thought it was just gross. But then I got desperate and tried washing my hair every other day or sometimes only twice a week. At first, it was hard because my hair got so gross the second day. But I realized you want to welcome that natural oil your scalp produces. It’s actually really good for the health of your hair. I noticed my hair was shiny and a lot less dry even after finally washing it! 
  3. Use a hot oil treatment (once a week) before washing your hair. I usually warm up some coconut oil and distribute it all over my hair the night before my “wash day.” You could totally do this an hour before your shower in the morning, but I like doing the overnight treatments. If you do this at night before you go to sleep, just make sure you use a hair cap or put a towel over your pillow so you don’t get the oil all over. I’ve seen an amazing improvement in my hair ever since doing this step. You can also buy some great hot oil treatments at the store, I just prefer to use coconut oil! 
  4. Give yourself a scalp massage. Every day, I flip my head over for a few minutes and give my scalp a good massage. It can feel silly to do this but flipping your head over gets the blood flowing to your scalp which helps promote hair growth! I’m not 100% sure if my hairs been growing because of this technique but I will say that it feels really good so I continue to do it anyway. 
  5. Daily Vitamins + Biotin. A lot of people will tell you that you just need to always eat healthy but if I’m being honest, I don’t always eat super healthy. Guilty. So every morning, I take a daily vitamin and a biotin supplement. Most daily vitamins do have some Biotin in them but I take a separate Biotin supplement for an extra boost. Biotin is great for healthy hair!
  6. Invest in a nice hairbrush. Brushing your hair, especially when its oily, can really benefit your hair. Remember when I said natural oil from your scalp is good for your hair? If your brushing that oil throughout your hair, its benefiting more than just your scalp. Although, if you’re using a really old worn out plastic hairbrush, it might be doing more bad than good. A hairbrush made with boar bristles is highly recommended. 
  7. Never skip heat protectant. On the rare occasion that I do use heat on my hair, the first thing I do is grab my heat protectant. I currently use the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In. It’s absolutely my favorite hair product right now. No more crazy split ends! 
  8. Get a satin pillowcase. I was using a satin pillowcase way before I knew that it was good to use for your hair! It’s luxurious feeling and is very gentle on your hair. 
  9. Trim, trim, trim. I’m not the biggest fan of this tip but I do know that it’s actually beneficial and works. I trim my own hair at home because I know I won’t be getting too much cut off and it’s free! I’m not saying you should do this though, especially if the thought makes you uncomfortable. It’s just what I do. Cutting off any split ends every couple of months actually makes my hair look healthier right away and it continues to grow after. 
  10. Be patient. I use to try these tips and be mad when my hair didn’t grow down to my waist overnight. Getting your hair healthy and growing again is a process. My hair was severely damaged two years ago, and now its the healthiest it’s ever been. It might take a year or two but long and healthy hair is definitely possible!  

I hope these tips helped!