HAIR: Shaper Light Creamy Paste by Structure

With my hair at it's longest in about fifteen years and storms battering the country on an ever more frequent basis I've found that using just a hair spray or texturising gum hasn't had the desired hold on my hair when faced with stupidly strong gusts of wind. This means that I'm constantly hoding my hair down or resemble Cousin IT from the Addams Family. In the past, with short and spiky hair I've been a massive fan of hair styling products from Structure so when I was asked to try out Shaper Light Creamy Paste I naturally said yes and it jumped to the front of the testing queue.

A tub of Shaper will not break the bank, a chunky 100ml tub of the paste will set you back just £8.99 online. That's fairly reasonable I think for a hair styling product and given my positive experiences with the brand in the past I had high hopes that this could help keep my locks protected from the evil wind. 

This is what Structure say about Shaper over at their website here:

'A tad commitment shy? This light creamy paste adds texture, definition, natural finish and medium hold without sacrificing style flexibility. Changing your look during the day has never been this easy!'

Like all Structure products the paste has a clean, fresh fragrance. It actually reminds me of the smell of Dove soap! Don't ask me why but sniffing this reminds me of the smell of my aunts bathroom (it could be because she has massive jars full of Dove soap resting across the back of the bath).

Even with my hair now so long (the fringe comes down to my mouth) I only need to use a little of the paste when it comes to styling first thing in the morning. I apply it to damp hair and with a hold rating of 2/5 I didn't expect great things, just something. After applying the first time I let my hair dry naturally and the style was off my the time I got to work. Thankfully we have hairbrushes and I was able to easily re-style.

Every other application is followed by a good blast of the hairdryer to make sure it starts to 'set' before I leave the house. This tactic has resulted in better hold, a style that I want and it does add a touch of texture to my fine (thin, not fiiiiine) hair.

This kept my hair in place in gentle wind and in the absence of a gale it held in place for well over eight hours and as a bonus there were no hints of any residue or flakes in my hair even after I'd been fiddling around with it for hours. 

As my hair gets longer it does curl a little at the back - this paste keeps that well in check and for that I'm truly thankful. 

With a touch more hold this would leave me supremely confident in the hold ability come what the weather. It's got decent hold, would be great on shorter styles and does keep longer locks in check. With a reasonable purchase price thi does represent good value for money and it's one that will be used over and over again in this household.

RECOMMENDED

You can see my thoughts on other Structure hair styling products by following the links below:

Structure Transform Spray Clay
Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

Structure Transform Spray Clay

I have something of a soft spot for hair products from the Structure range, in fact, one of the first I reviewed here on the blog was a sample of Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive which, to be blunt was the bomb so when I was asked if I wanted to try Structure Transform Spray Clay I jumped at the chance.

This is what the company say about themselves here:

'Structure is a salon professional hair care brand, featuring a range of styling products for men and women alike. With edgy packaging, high performance formulas and a full product range, Structure is a must-have for anyone who's passionate about their hair and style! If you want style, you want edge and you want your dreams to be realised; you need Structure.'

With a hold level of three out of five I wasn't expecting a solid and crispy hold, and on further investigation this is recommended for short styles. I have to say, at £9.50 for a 150 ml tube it actually is quite cheap in the great scheme of things when you consider that only a few squirts will have your hair rock solid for hour after hour.

Seriously, three sprays onto slightly damp short hair, a quick run through with the palm of your hand and whack, the spikes are there - and it dries stupidly quickly which means no messing in the mirror holding them in place for ages until you have to leave the house (which is good in my case as I'm always running late).

Even with as I let my hair grow longer about a month ago this was a godsend and after styling into a cross between curtains and a quiff it kept my hair in place, even after a bit of rain and some pretty strong wind (the weather kind, not the type after a night on the curry). 

For me hold is important, how long it lasts and whether it leaves any residue as it starts to wear off. With spray clay it has a vice like hold (despite only being mid-range in their hold ratings), lasts for a good eight hours (even if I run my hands through - which I do a lot) and there are no hints of the dreaded white flakes. In the words of Alan Partridge - "back of the net".

This came as a PR sample some three months ago (they probably think I forgot about them) and I admit, I use it probably three times a week and still now I have over half of the bottle left. I had considered attempting to do a written Peter Kay impression (Clay.......in a spray? It'll never catch on) but hey, this stuff is the bees knees and if you are looking for an easy to apply hair styling product them this is for you. Affordable, great hold and no flakes. Get some, you won't be disappointed! 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

National Grooming Day - my routine

When I started writing this blog back in January 2014 I had what I considered a bit of an over the top grooming routine to try and hold back the ravages of time (and alcohol and cigarettes). The use of a shampoo and conditioner was a given, but from time to time face scrub, moisturiser and more care in the shaving stakes formed a routine that took minutes each day. Fast forward to today and it takes bloody ages…and that’s without all the face masks I keep slapping on!

So, what has been part of my grooming routine over the last few weeks?

IN THE SHOWER

Take two bottles into the shower (remember that advert folks?), not me, I take a bag full!

With all of the gunk that I add to my hair, particularly recently with the longer locks I do need something to strip it out before styling again. In the past I’ve been a fan of and written about Osmo Detoxifying Shampoo as a way of removing residue from waxes, gels and clays, but step aside…..I now have…..

Fish Soho Fiercefish De-Gunking Shampoo

A 250ml tube of this costs just £3.99 here. It promises to cleanse and remove product build up without leaving hair looking fluffy. Now I like this, it has a lovely fresh aroma that starts to wake me up in the shower, lathers up brilliantly and doesn’t morph into some chemical nightmare. That to me is a massive plus, but here it is, it actually does remove even the most stubborn hair product and does so without the need to endlessly massage your scalp and the strands of hair. 

If you haven’t tried it, you really should and soon.

Then it’s onto the face and prior to shaving I either use the awesome Face Scrub from Cornerstone (it’s soooo cool) to open up the pores on my face or alternatively….

Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energizing Scrub

This has a delicious citrus aroma and the scrub itself has the same properties as an orbital sander - the grains really do smash the dead and dry skin from your face as it removes any hints of dirt that can build up. As the grains are really abrasive little effort is required (always a bonus in my book) and as soon as it is rinsed off my face always feel so much cleaner, smoother and soft to the touch. Maybe its all in my head (a lot of stuff is) but it I swear using just this knocks years off me.

L’Occitane Cade Reinvigorating Shower Gel

The entire Cade range is fantastic - the aftershave is actually one I’ve written about before and is actually a good one for daywear. The shower gel however is a deep woody number that banishes body odour and lasts for ages. The fragrance of bergamot blended with juniper really does pack a punch and screams “I am rugged man”. 

At £14 for a 250ml tube of Cade this it does class it as expensive but a little goes a long way and it does last for ages (well over two months). If you haven’t smelt or tried this yet then why not?  

SHAVING

The Beard Doctor Forest Fuel

At £9.99 for 30ml this is quite reasonable and I’ve included it here as without this my shaving experience would probably be more brutal than normal. This is what they say about Forest Fuel over at the Beard Doctor site:

‘The Beard Doctors signature scent; Forest Fuel Beard oil conditions and nourishes the hair with vitamins. This promotes further hair growth. Forest Fuel will soften your facial hair which prevents irritation, beard itch and beard dandruff. The oils used in our formula are the closest match to oils that your skin naturally produces.

This scent oozes 'Alpha Male'.

Smells like: A fresh, deep spiced forest.’

As my beard grows I do suffer with that dreaded itch on my face - this does soften the bristles and I find that shaving after using (and once full beardage has been achieved and I’ve got bored of it) is a breeze, it also has a cracker fragrance to it and when they say it oozes alpha male they aren’t kidding. The blend of sweet almond, jojoba, cedar wood and pine really do gives this an earthy feel as soon as it wafts up the nostrils. That said, it isn’t actually that overpowering and doesn’t seem to interfere with aftershaves or colognes that are applied afterwards.  

Got a beard? Grab yourself a bottle of this beauty here. 

Wilkinson Sword Shaving Soap & Shaving Brush

After spending twenty years using gels and foams I’ve really gotten into using the old school brushes now and shaving soap. The shaving soap from Wilkinson Sword however is ridiculously affordable and a 125g bowl of the soap is just £2.29. The brush however will set you back £4.29.

The brush is actually much smaller than the other two that I have but I prefer this, it makes applying the soap far more precise and even when too much pressure is applied you don’t find rogue soap in your hair/ears/eyes because of long bristles. Good call designer type R & D people….

I really like the soap - it could be rubbish (it isn’t) but for me the fragrance is the clincher - it reminds me of my late grandfather. Don’t ask me why but it does and I can’t for the life of me put my finger on what it is. It is clean and fresh, subtle yet strong enough to leave just a hint on the skin for a good half an hour after shaving. In terms of how it helps with shaving, well it lathers up with minimal water, creates a good consistency and doesn’t clog razor blades which cuts down on actual shaving time.

Well worth a punt.

Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 Groomer 

I was in two minds whether to try this razor, I’ve been really enjoying using a safety razor recently but thought what the hell. I haven’t used a Wilkinson Sword razor since I was about twenty and their ‘safety’ disposable razor resulted in me slashing my face to bits. Boy they have come on a bit and this new offering is actually a good razor - with as the name suggests five blades. On top of this, it also has a built in trimmer for those sideburns and beard.

The trimmer is perfectly sized and after having my hair cut at the weekend I used it to square off my beard with my sideburns and I was pleased with the results.

At £14.99 for the shaft and one blade and with a four blade refill pack costing £9.99 it’s a on par with other similar products and thankfully for my wallet I still have some RazorBrite solution left that makes my blades last even longer.

The razor slices without dicing and as you would expect delivers a cool and clean shave. You won’t get that cut-throat razor shave feel but you won’t in my view with any razor like this on the market so you really can’t knock it for that. 

BEFORE LEAVING THE HOUSE

I’m all about the face contouring……erm…..not…..but I do now apply all sorts of lotions and potions. For the last week or so I have been using….

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Rich Cream

This came into my collection of lotions and potions after the other half attended a blogger event. It’s not a brand I had heard or, cared for or would be likely to just pick up but I have to say it does have a lot going for it. You can pick up a tub for under £20 and it promises to provide continuous hydration, for up to 48 hours intense comfort and protection against daily aggressions. 

It won’t stop a vicious mugger outside King’s Cross station on a dark December night but it does pack the skin with hydration and personally my skin looks revitalised after applying this. The dry patches of skin at my hairline were gone in a matter of hours and when looking in the mirror I think I look better at the end of the day so it does seem to keep on hydrating without leaving any greasy residue.

Rogue Lifting, Brightening Eye Serum

I have written about this before and it is still managing to hold back the years - it reduces the bags under my eyes, rivalled only by another brand I will be writing about soon (one to look forward to). Fine lines and blemishes are kicked well and truly into the long grass and that makes this one to definitely look out for if you suffer with dark or patchy eyes. 

You can read the full write up here. 

L’Occitane Eau De Cedrat EDT

I will be writing a full analysis of this beautiful fragrance from L’Occitane soon. In the meantime my first impressions! This is summer in a bottle, so light, fresh and packed with citrus it is perfect for long summer days and would work for daywear and those special occasions. 

A 100ml bottle of this baby will set you back £42 here.

This is what they say about the EDT over at the L’Occitane website:

‘The first impression of Cedrat Eau de Toilette is a cascade of freshness: a green, citrusy, joyful, sparkling scent. Then, very quickly, the undeniably delicate nature of the fragrance is revealed through the bitterness of the woody rind. Fine and distinguished, cedrat asserts its innate elegance, which blends harmoniously with that of bergamot. Aromatic spices and a slightly smoky, woody base enhance the overall impression of sophistication.’

I’m inclined to agree with that analysis to a point but actually I don’t think it dries down that much from the initial fresh citrus blast, but for me that is no problem, I love it. The absence of a woody base makes this a rival to a fair number of far more expensive aftershaves that have similar compositions.

Structure Transform Spray Clay

Clay? In a sparay? It'll never catch on......or will it? Well this has been keeping my locks firmly in places for weeks now. Even when my hair was really long this kept each strand in place, but it is short styles where this comes into its own. 

With spikes about two to three inches in length this is exceptional. After drying my hair it is simply a case of three sprays and then running my palm through my hair and it's done. No faffing, the spikes look choppy and they hold in an instant, the spray drying so quickly you really do have to act fast.

You can pick this up for around £7 for a 150ml tube and it is worth every penny.

I have written about Structure hair styling products before here and I'm yet to be disappointed. No residue, no mess, just a style that will stay in place for well over ten hours. 

So there you go, it’s National Grooming Day today, hence why I’ve decided to share my current routine. It goes without saying that I wouldn’t still be using these products if they were a bit rubbish but actually each one surprised me, particularly the Wilkinson Sword Shaving Soap.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Both the actual grooming and the products themselves!   

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook 

View Post

StoneFish Medium Hold Matt Texturising Clay

This is one of those blog posts I really hate doing - the slating review. 

In this case it is even harder as I’m a huge fan of Fish Soho hair products having taken #hairontour with SuperFish putty and Fishshape cream. 

Using the putty and cream firmly converted me but my faith was tested more than Abraham in Genesis* (sorry for an obscure Bible reference).

The product claims: 

‘Fish StoneFish Medium hold Styling Clay is great for short and choppy styles, Stonefish gives the ultimate textured look with a cool matt finish.’

When I first started trying this my hair was about an inch in length and I consider this to be short - correct me if I’m wrong, but my experiences are based on trying it while my hair grew from one to two inches. 

The clay is beige in colour, but looks off white due to the blue plastic packaging. It has a very subtle fruity whiff to it but nothing that could ever be considered to be over the top or likely to overshadow any other grooming products you might choose to add.

While writing this and considering the fragrance I had one of those childhood flashbacks that come on when my brain starts to access memories attached to smells. In this flashback it reminded me of the smell of groundbait - the bread based stuff we would use when fishing as kids. Weird! 

Anyhow, I digress as usual and will come back on topic!

Trying to extract the clay is a nightmare - I scraped and scraped away at it and it took five minutes to remove enough to spread across my fingertips and start to apply.

The clay does soak into the fingertips as they warm really quickly so no hanging around with styling.

At an inch in length I found that I had to massage the clay into the strands of hair and then re-apply more - it does have a fantastic matt effect but the hold wasn’t up to much for me. While taking into consideration that I have quite heavy hair, there are other products in the Fish Soho range that offer more substantial hold.

After about 3 hours the clay had come out as I touched my hair throughout the morning (this usually comprises of me with both hands on top of my head shouting obscenities at work over a minor matter). My hair started to feel fluffy and the style came out completely leaving me feeling quite self-conscious. That’s not a feeling I like at all.

Sorry Fish Soho but StoneFish just doesn’t offer the hold and at £5.99 for 70 ml pot this isn’t something I can recommend. I did try with it - I used it for weeks but it continually let me down and when I don‘t feel comfortable the poor souls who have to spend time with me feel the brunt.

In the interests of harmony at home and work I just won’t be using this again.

NOT RECOMMENDED

As I’ve mentioned above, if you are looking for seriously good hold you can do a lot worse than SuperFish Fishpaste Hardcore Hold Matt Effect Putty or if you have a longer style, you are better off looking at Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive.

Obscure Bible reference:

*In Genesis Abraham was tested by God 12 times. Known as the 12 tests of Abraham, the last of which was to offer his son up as a sacrifice.  

View Post

The Monday Montage

The last seven days have seen weird things happening with my blog - not only have I had the urge to write lots more but the traffic coming to my little corner of the Internet has gone wild.

My review of Dirty Burger from earlier in the month received over 1,500 page views in a day, Lush I Should Coco from March over 300 and my tattoo article over 200.  

So what has BKUK offered to people stumbling across my pages over the last week?

Tigi Bedhead Supercharge Duo Giveaway

After being open for a month on Saturday I drew the winner of the gift set. 

Congratulations again to John Wharff, owner of one of the coolest male beauty blogs around ‘Mr Wharff’.

Dirty Works Coconut Caress Body Scrub

Arty outside photographs were the order of the day again on Saturday when I likened Dirty Works Coconut Caress Body Scrub to sandpaper - it is a cheap and cheerful product that won’t break the bank but will strip away layers of dead or dying skin.

Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive

The surge in traffic aside, on Thursday I wrote up my thoughts on Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive. Personally I think this is one of the most bizarre posts I’ve ever done as I managed to fuse The Happy Mondays, glue sniffing and references to colleagues at work into what was originally an attempt at a serious review of a product I really was shocked by - for all the right reasons. 

Erasmic Lather Shave Cream and Brush

'Erasmic is orgasmic' was the punt I took when thinking of something funny to say but after my first experience of using a shaving brush instead of being lazy and using gel or foam resulted in some surprising results.

Coming up....

So what does the coming week hold? Well, I attended my first ever blogger event a few weeks ago with the lovely people from Ilumi to sample their new Chinese and Modern Asian range of gluten free meals. 

The night had so much to write about it has actually taken me days to write it up where I'm happy that I haven't missed too much out and where I think I do the products and evening justice.

In addition to this I’ve been trying StoneFish Clay by Fish Soho and trying to resist the temptation to eat Soap and Glory Sugar Crush.

I hope you have enjoyed one or two of my posts over the last week and feel the urge to return to check out my musings over the next seven days.

View Post

Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive

First of all, if you think this is going to be about some form of glue, glue sniffing or tips on what adhesive will get you tripping the light fantastic I will ‘fess up - this is actually about hair paste, for styling your hair.

*Whoosh* and everyone moves their cursor to the back button on their browser!

For those still reading (and without a nasty red rash and spots around their mouths) I’ll continue.

I’m not sure how the two samples of Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive came into my possession. One day it was another of those brands I’d never heard of, the next, there were two 15 ml sample sachets sat by the basin in the bathroom.

Paste was a product I hadn’t thought of using before - I’ve been through mousse (no thanks Nicky Clarke), wax (a deffo no-no Mr Wella), gel, cream and clay. Hell, at one stage in my youth I used hair spray - readers, picture a better looking Shaun Ryder* with his curtain hairstyle and that was me.

Paste had passed me by - to my shame.

After losing the Madchester compulsory cut of the 1990‘s I went to short spikes and that is how it has remained for years, and years and god knows, years.….

I’m trying to grow my hair out to sample a new style but with that comes the comments such as “your mullet is out of control - (JB**, 24 April 2014)”, which means that styling is a must. Gel has been tried and failed - the hold fades after a few hours and it doesn’t hold the style, wax is pointless in hair over 4 inches in length and clay would require a team of navvies to apply.

I wanted a sort of Beckham look with my hair swept back and staying back.

Structure claim that their Paste Flexible Adhesive defines and creates texture with a firm but flexible hold and a completely matte finish. Their strap-line to this is ‘Style is about instinct, creativity, passion. We’ll provide the tools. You build the structure.’

This is the first time I’ve read that and it has brightened my mood - someone somewhere thought that sounded cool or mysterious, and they probably were sniffing glue at the time!

On opening, the paste was stuck to the side of the packet - it’s like Polyfilla (that’s for filling cracks for those not familiar) it’s so thick and gooey. Fingers were dabbed in and it was like iron to a magnet. My fingers were covered and I had to wipe some off. It all wanted out!

It doesn’t really have a smell, or so I thought. My other half suggested it had a smell like Fructis hair products, which tended to have hints of apple. Personally I couldn’t tell.

My hair had just been washed and was damp when I extracted enough to rub between my palms - it spreads really easily and as you apply it onto the hair it soaks in quickly and almost immediately makes the hair pliable. It’s awesome for styling people.

After rubbing it into the strands of hair and down the sides I brushed in the swept back style. It was instant - where the brush had been the hair stayed and it was solid. Jumping up and down didn’t move the style.

My hair however wasn’t rock hard to the touch and wasn’t shining off the lights - it does have a great matte finish and how it feels is well….weird city.

I touch my hair throughout the day, and when I touch my hair with this in it feels a bit greasy - it doesn’t look it but one brush through with the hand and you are off to the bathrooms to wash your hands. It comes off to the touch.

That aside, after 15 hours the holding power is still there and you can’t grumble with that. If you are looking for bonus points for this, well there aren’t the slightest hints of white flakes, even in the morning. So no white flakes in your hair making you look like you haven’t heard of Head & Shoulders and no embarrassing flakes on your clothes while at work or out on the town. Result!

A 75 ml tune of this can be bought for around £9. Personally I’ve never, and I mean NEVER found a product that holds like this and is so easy to wash out. The only problem I find is that first thing in the morning I wake up looking like this….

Source

Forget the morning look, Structure has a styling product here that is simply fantastic for use on longer hair. A 15 ml sachet has lasted me a week up to now and I expect about another 3/4 uses out of what is left so this actually goes a long way for the price.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

*An image of Shaun Ryder is below - he was the lead singer of popular Manchester band Happy Mondays during the 1990’s at the start the mental music scene in my beautiful home town.

Source

**Names have not been changed to protect the guilty.

Thank you for reading, before you go I would love it if you could answer the two easy questions below. Please leave your thoughts in the comments:

1 - Should I continue to grow my hair out or go back to spikes like in the picture on my homepage?

2 - Should I dye my hair again? I've been going grey for 20 years, but haven't dyed my hair since I was 28 (7 years). 

View Post