Silky, Smooth and Beautiful Hair - Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Review

A few weeks ago I was sent Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil to try out for myself.  Now that I'm back from India I thought I should get back to business and start reviewing again!  So normally, I do my reviews based on using the product on myself...couldn't really do that for this one.  Although the product has a lot of uses it's biggest use is to tame frizz in curly hair and make hair smooth and silk during blowouts.  Being that my hair is about the opposite of frizz and naturally as smooth, straight and silky as one can get I knew I had to bring in the reinforcements on this one - my friends!

So I contacted my friend Vicki who jumped at the opportunity to get a free blowout and test the product w/ me...I mean what frizzy, curly haired girl doesn't want a blowout lol!  It ended up being the perfect day for my experiment.  Slightly rainy, she had washed her hair that morning and under my direction put no product in it so the frizz was in full effect!

Before - Front

Before - Back

I started by wetting her hair, then I added a small amount of the Josie Maran Oil to the hair focusing on the ends which are the driest part of her hair.  Right away I noticed it had a very nice fragrance...not strong but very relaxing like an essential oil you might smell during a massage..there is no added fragrance so I guess the smell is all natural...I like!  Another thing I noticed was that it wasn't heavy or overly greasy...which is actually good for someone like Vicki b/c even though her hair is frizzy it's actually quite fine and light...therefore I didn't want to weigh it down or coat it in too much oil.

After the product was in her hair I started section by section blow drying her hair straight using a big round brush.  As I worked my way through her hair I was really liking what I was seeing.  The hair was smooth and straight and even the roots were blowing out super well!  Once I finished I put a tiny drop more between my palms just to smooth away flyaways at the roots and Voila...beautiful, gorgeous, straight, smooth hair!

After - Look How Smooth The Roots Are!

After- Back

After that I was having fun playing hairdresser so I decided to curl her hair again using my straightening iron.  I mean if I'm using a Josie Maran hair product I gotta give the girl some sexy Victoria Secret Hair right ;) The curls turned out fabulous and smooth and they held amazing...so nice to know the product didn't weigh her hair down in anyway or make it hard to work w/ afterward!  I shook out her hair a bit and it was still gorgeous curls!

Smooth Curls

 Smooth Curls - Back

This all happened on Monday, I saw Vicki last night for her one woman show Dairy-Free Love that's currently showing at Winchester Kitchen & Bar in Toronto (btw go check it out...great show and great food).  Anyone who knows about this or has seen the promo pics I worked on w/ Vicki for the show knows she has to put her hair into a beehive every night.  After the show miraculously enough she took out her beehive and her hair was still gorgeous, smooth and totally wearable!  B/c her hair is so naturally dry she actually only washes it once a week...man if I go more than two days my hair is an oil slick lol!

So definitely a Must Have product for those girls that need some taming of the frizz!  But I should also mention it's not just for hair!  It also makes a great moisturizer and cuticle cream (man I need that right now) and apparently it's great for ppl w/ acne, stretch marks, eczema and psoriasis!  Sounds like a wonder product to me!  The Josie Maran version is also 100% organic and natural.  It's cruelty free, paraben free, vegan and the packaging is recyclable!

Dairy-Free Love Promo Video

Last week I got the opportunity to re-create my beloved giant beehive and vintage makeup look for my friend Victoria Murdoch for a really cool promo video for her upcoming one woman show Dairy-Free Love!  I was actually a little nervous I wouldn't be able to re-create the epicness of my last beehive for a photo shoot we did a couple of mths ago.  Luckily for me, the hair gods were w/ me and I think I created an even better beehive then the first time!

Here's the promo video...you can even see me for a split second (or my mouth/hands at least).  I was her friend  "Tina" an important character in the show...never actually seen in the show (it's a one woman show after all) but referred to a lot.

Director: Robert Shaw

Makeup & Hair: Jessica Jean Myers

Dawn: Victoria Murdoch

There's also going to be a mini behind the scenes video to come later featuring me at work so stay tuned for that!

Here's a couple of behind the scenes shots from the shoot too!

Dairy-Free Love - Official Pics

I wrote to you last wk and shared some of my behind the scenes pics of the awesome promo shoot I worked on w/ my good friend Victoria Murdoch for her upcoming one woman show Dairy-Free Love!

Well photographer Joanna Haughton has already finished up all the pics and can I just say they are AMAZING!  Seriously, I'm going to share w/ you a bunch and I'm sorry there are so many but I just LOVE them all lol!  It really was a great team effort and there wasn't one weak element in the shoot - it just all came together so well and I love when that happens!

Btw, last time I mentioned I would give you a little write up about the show and I'm just going to steal this right from Victoria b/c being that it's her show she of course can explain it more eloquently then I can lol!

Savory Entertainment presents Dairy-Free Love. A play that examines life, love, and marriage through the eyes of pleasantly quirky, "Dawn", who uses her laptop and web cam to broadcast her daily live-streamed internet cooking show "Dawn's Delight's" to her loyal global audience.  This clever blend of comedy and drama takes the shape of a one-hour cooking demonstration, during which Dawn prepares a full batch of dairy-free chocolate mousse live onstage - all while sharing her own brand of advice through a series of laugh-out-loud personal stories.  The audience will laugh and cry with Dawn as she invites you into her home, her life, and her heart.  Dairy-Free Love is an emotionally fulfilling treat that will leave you wanting seconds!


Doesn't that sound great!

Dairy-Free Love Promo Shoot

Early last week fellow blogger & my long time friend (she was actually the first person I met & talked to at York University) Victoria Murdoch approached me about helping her out w/ Hair & Makeup for her upcoming promo shoot for her one woman show - Diary-Free Love.  The shoot was to take place on Fri. and I didn't have anything booked so of course being the good friend I am I agreed!  Also I knew Vicki would have awesome treats to feed us so how could I say no ;)

The theme was sort of vintage 50s/60s house wife but in a modern kitchen setting...another reason I agreed.  Anyone who reads this blog knows I LOVE me some RED lipstick, Mad Men style and Vintage Hairstyling!  There was actually an element of red woven throughout the shoot from Vicki's shoes, to her nails, to the lipstick and even the bowls she used as props.

I'll tell you more about the actual show when I have the "Real" Promo Pics to share w/ you...I'll let Vicki give me a little synopsis b/c anything I say isn't going to do it justice lol.

So as I mentioned before it was 50s/60s vintage all the way for styling.  Victoria has great features for this sort of look - perfectly full lips w/ a great cupid's bow (perfect for a bold red lip), pale creamy skin and full brows.  Plus, this shoot gave me another opportunity to work on perfecting an awesome beehive hairstyle!  I had brought a "hair rat" for stuffing for volume but you know what I didn't even need it...the pics - that's ALL Vicki's hair!  I was going for something over-the-top...even a bit cartoonish and I think I accomplished that one!

The photographer from the shoot was actually another fellow blogger and Vicki's old university roommate - Joanna Haughton.  So it was a really relaxed and fun half day shoot where we were all able to catch up, gossip and have some laughs.  I can't wait to see the finished product b/c I know it's going to be AWESOME!

Here's some behind the scenes pics.  Any pics where you see me working are courtesy of Joanna Haughton and her blog!

Yeah I did some MAJOR TEASING!

Joanna & Vicki 

Joanna is birthing a giant light here!

Every night during the show Vicki is actually going to make the dessert she is tasting in the pic - Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse - YUMMY!