MUK hair tools reviewed: Style Stick 230-IR and Curl Stick
The muk Style Stick 230-IR and Curl Stick are the newly released hair tools from muk, and two items that I was VERY excited to try after seeing them in action at the muk media launch.
Style Stick 230-IR
As someone that loves my flat iron to death for both straightening and curling, I was very curious to see how the new Style Stick 230-IR flat iron compares to my trusty ghd. The specs for the Style Stick 230-IR are impressive: tourmaline ceramic plates, adjustable temperature (from 80°C – 210°C), ionic technology to counteract static, sleep mode, universal voltage (great for travelling), and a 12 month warranty. After using it for a month, I’m quite impressed by the Style Stick and I would say that in terms of performance it lies somewhere between the ghd IV and the ghd Gold Series (I’ve previously blogged about the comparison between the two ghd Stylers here) but it does have some perks that even the Gold Series doesn’t have.
The Style Stick heats up to the maximum temperature within about 10 seconds and straightens hair fast-similar to the ghd Stylers. For me, the real test of a good quality straightener is the ability to glide through my (very colour damaged) hair without snagging to create smooth curls- this is where it performs surprisingly well (better than a ghd IV which retails for $249, and almost as good as the ghd Gold Styler, which retails for $269). The curls from the muk Style Stick generally lasts for at least 2 days, which is impressive. The variable temperature settings is a pretty big advantage that the Style Stick has over the ghd family of Stylers- not only does it allow people with fine hair to avoid unnecessary heat damage, and higher temperatures for thick stubborn hair- but it also means that I get better control of how fast I want to work while I’m styling.
I don’t tend to get staticky hair myself, so I would be very interested to hear whether the ionic technology makes a big difference to counteracting static- as far as I know, the ghd family of hair straighteners do not use ionic generators.
muk says…
The ultimate tool for creating beautiful hair, the muk Style Stick 230-IR utilises a revolutionary strip of powerful far infrared lights imbedded in the iron’s ceramic plate to infuse a gentle heat deep inside the hair shaft. The end result is effectively straightening hair with a single pass, whilst at the same time infusing hair with amazing shine, moisture balance, and protection against thermal damage.
The Tourmaline ceramic plates provide the ultimate surface for smooth, static free shine. Tourmaline plates are manufactured by combining ceramic and tourmaline ingredients. Because of this combination, muk Style Stick 230-IR offers better results and more heat protection for your hair, compared to flat irons made by ceramic materials alone.
RRP: $199.95
Lores Giglio and the muk Style Stick in action!
muk Curl Stick
Keep reading after the jump!
Posted by myfunnyvalentine on May 15th, 2013 in Hair, Reviews | 0 comments.muk Spa Argan Oil Hair Care Review: Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments
A month ago, an intimate group of excited Melbourne based bloggers and beauty editors gathered for the launch of the new muk Spa Argan Oil range. muk founders Mark Gariglio, Scott Reynolds, and Janelle Reynolds spoke about the inspiration behind the new muk Spa products and the ingredients that they used to formulate each product.
We were also privileged enough to see a demonstration of the new muk hair styling tools Curl Stick and Style Stick by the artistic director for muk- Lores Giglio (more on that in another blog post).
muk says…
Introducing MUK SPA. A natural based, premium high performance range of five products including shampoo, conditioner, masque, treatment, and spray shine. Muk Spa is designed to restore the vitality and condition of your hair with luxurious formulations containing high concentrations of pure Moroccan argan oil- commonly referred to as ‘liquid gold’. It provides repair, moisture, and softness for dehydrated, damaged and brittle hair with a delicious fragrance of sandalwood and wheatgrass.
The new muk. Spa range consists of 5 hair care and style products:
muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Shampoo 300mL $26.95
muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Conditioner 300mL $26.95
muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Mask 250mL $26.95
muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Shine Spray 100mL $34.95
muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Treatment 100mL $34.95
For a full range of stockists see www.mukhair.com
The stand out product out of this range for me, and the star of the collection according to muk founder Mark Gariglio (pictured above), is the Argan Oil Repair treatment. It is an oil based serum that is designed to nourish the hair, impart shine, provide thermal protection, and protect the hair from the elements. I’ve been applying a small amount after towel drying and before blow drying – the stuff makes my colour damaged, dry hair look and feel amazing. My colour damaged hair seems to dry faster when using this too- I’m told that the product does this by reducing the porosity of the hair shaft when applied (a life saver since blow drying my porous, bleached hair is the bane of my existence). Once I start swimming again I’m going to take Mark’s advice and apply this to my hair to protect it from chlorine.
AND- it smells amazing- citrusy, woody, and wonderful. One of these days I will succumb to the temptation to rub the Argan Oil Repair Treatment all over myself.
A few things to be to keep in mind with this product. Firstly, don’t over apply, or else you end up with crunchy hair post blow drying (I use around half a teaspoon). Secondly, the Argan Oil Repair Treatment is quite thick and rich- it is designed for medium to thick hair and may be too rich for fine hair (use the Argan Oil Shine Spray instead if you have fine hair). Thirdly, be careful with the dropper – the thickness of the product and the large dropper size means that it’s easy to get the product all over the side of the bottle and I’m hoping they change the packaging from the dropper to a pump bottle very soon because I hate losing precious product!
Keep reading after the jump!
Posted by myfunnyvalentine on May 3rd, 2013 in Hair, Reviews | 0 comments.YSL Vernis A Levre Glossy Stains Review Pt 2: Brun Glace, Camel Croisiere, Violet Edition
Hi everyone!
I was so impressed with my previous YSL Glossy Stain purchases that despite my vow to reduce makeup spending I had to “invest” in some more. The colours that I had my eyes on were unfortunately not available in Australia so I purchased them from the Nordstrom (thanks Xiao !)
I’ve reviewed #5 Rouge Vintage and #9 Rouge Laque in my previous post. Just like the other Glossy Stains I’ve used previously the colour and the shine of these lasts for hours on the lips.
*pic heavy post*
Colour, texture, performance.
#2 Brun Glace is a pigmented deep rusty brown, which has a lovely sepia vintage photography feel to it. Strangely enough some days it looks more berry on my lips. This is my favourite Glossy Stain out of the bunch- such a beautiful autumnal colour that wears beautifully on the lips for hours. For such a dark colour it applies and wears really evenly (unlike Violet Edition which is gorgeous but settles into lip lines)
#6 Camel Croisiere is a sheer caramel toned coral nude. With each reapplication the colour becomes less muted ‘caramel’ and progressively more ‘coral’.
#1 Violet Edition is a very pigmented deep vampy plum. It is a gorgeous gorgeous colour, but it I am a bit disappointed with how the colour tends to become a little bit patchy and uneven on the lips within about 15mins of application (the more layers the worse it is), particularly with dry lips. I’m still glad I have it though because it’s a very unique colour/texture and I have nothing like it in my current stash.
Keep reading after the jump!
Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Apr 11th, 2013 in FOTD, Reviews, Swatches, YSL | 0 comments.Tags: Vampy, YSL Glossy Stain
L’Oreal Color Riche Lipstick: Review and Swatches
L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival took place a couple of weeks ago, and I fortunately enough to get a preview of the products that makeup artist extraordinaire Rae Morris created for the runway shows. I won’t have the time to cover all the makeup that I had received- I am only going to concentrate on the products that really stood out for me.
These Color Riche lipsticks were used on the runways (you can find images of the runway look on the L’Oreal Paris Ausralia facebook page) and having never tried these before, I was quite impressed with the product texture and performance . My favourites are Intense Fuschia, Plum Passion, and Nude.
Color Riche lipsticks pictured above (from left to right):
Sensual Rose, Velvet Rose, Nude, Intense Fuschia, Plum Passion, Rose Tendre
Keep reading after the jump!
Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Apr 6th, 2013 in Drugstore, Lipstick, Reviews, Runway, Swatches | 0 comments.
Tags: L'oreal Paris
Illamasqua I’mperfect Collection: Immodest Lipstick, Katie & Ambition Blush Duo
Hi everyone!
We’re back to makeup talk 
Here’s a couple of exciting new releases from the new Perfectly I’mperfect collection by Illamasqua.
Illamasqua says…
The world isn’t perfect. But who wants to be perfect anyway? I’mperfection is an open invitation to stand up and show the world what makes you perfectly, imperfect. We want you to highlight the features other brands encourage you to cover up and celebrate your imperfections like badges of honour. So show off your freckles. Make beauty spots more beautiful. Shine a light on your birthmarks. And be proud of your scars. Because life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about celebrating who you really are.
“Within the word imperfection you’ll find I’m perfection; sometimes the soul of the word is staring you in the face. It is our so called flaws that make us unique. The beauty is in our differences, our imperfection is our beauty.” Alex Box- Creative Director.
Katie & Ambition Blush Duo:
I love the idea of a blush duo- I find that I almost never finish an entire blush on it’s own, and it would be a terrific space saver for travelling. The thing to watch out for with these duos is that you need a smaller brush to pick up the product than you would for a single blush.
Ambition is a plummy pink with very subtle gold shimmer -> sex in powder form. This is my favourite out of the two colours and quickly becoming my go-to blush for absolutely every type of look. It gives you such a amazing natural but complex flush (try it with nude lips- it is unbelievable), and can be layered to create a statement cheek.
Katie is a very pale matte bubblegum pink. It is paler than my skin tone, and although the pigmentation of the product itself is good- it doesn’t show up on my cheeks. This would suit super pale skin tones (I’m looking at you Michaela ) better than mine.
* here is a pic of me wearing Illamasqua Ambition blush on the apples of my cheeks. I’ve used MAC Bronzer to contour here as well underneath my cheekbones, a full FOTD with Ambition, Immodest, and a speckle eye will be posted shortly*
Keep reading after the jump!
Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Mar 28th, 2013 in Blush, Lipstick, Reviews, Swatches | 0 comments. Tags: matte lipstick
Optometrist/beauty blogger/crazy cat lady. It's Jenny, NOT Jennifer. jenny@myfunnyvalentineblog.com
