Happy Monday! Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend, especially my fellow Edmontonians braving the cold weather with me! I've got a big announcement today, but you'll have to get all the way to the bottom of this post to find out. See you there!

A few months ago I received the entire range of products from the Amazon White Clay line made by Taya. Taya, which means "I Am" in the Wayuu dialect, is a beauty brand specializing in hair care products. While I'm not typically too picky about my hair products, what appealed to me about Taya is their commitment to being sustainable and environmentally responsible. What that means is that their products are sulfate, paraben & animal product free, and they don't use any animal testing. In the Amazon White Clay Thickening collection all the products include organic ingredients found in the Amazon Rainforest.

So before I can dive into a review, let's talk hair. Everyone has different hair characteristics and care regimens, so this review is based on what I've experienced and how I use the products. I have medium-thick hair with roots that like to become greasy and ends that are dry and prone to splitting (I also blame our weather...). I wash my hair every other day, blow drying only when necessary, and my hair has been chemically straightened every 2 years for the past 5 years. When I use a hair dryer I try to remember to use heat protectant spray and seal in my ends with Moroccan Oil. So as you can see I try my best to keep my hair happy, but I'm not the most diligent with protecting it either.

Taya's Amazon White Clay collection aims to thicken hair, and has a total of 8 products which I've been testing out for the past two months. Amazon white clay, Croton Lechleri resin, and raw avocado oil are the main ingredients working together to add body and shine to hair, making it feel richer and volumized. On a side note, the entire range of products has a natural, clean scent to it. After I used the products for the first time, my boyfriend took notice and commented on my hair smelling great. Thanks Taya!

Amazon White Clay Thickening Shampoo ($20) - the formula of this shampoo is different from your typical runny shampoo. This shampoo is quite thick, as if there is a lower water content, giving it a gel-like consistency. You need a fair amount to build up a lather in your hair. After rinsing, your hair feels really clean without being stripped of its natural oils.

Amazon White Clay Thickening Conditioner ($22) - a little goes a long way with this creamy formula. I apply it to the ends of my hair, and I can immediately tell the difference after rinsing as my hair feels incredibly smooth. After drying, my hair is soft and the ends feel like they've retained a lot of moisture.

Amazon White Clay Thickening Creme ($22) - on days when the weather was drier I would apply a small amount to the ends of my hair before blowdrying. This allowed for my hair to stay frizz-free and straight. Surprisingly enough, the product was lightweight and didn't weigh my hair down. It's a great product to use and my dry ends look healthier after application.

Amazon White Clay Thickening Leave-In Mist ($22) - like other leave-in treatments I either spray this into the ends of my hair before or after drying. It leaves hair soft by nourishing each strand and gives it a fresh scent.

Amazon White Clay Hair Spray ($24) - a medium hold hairspray with a pump nozzle. I'm not the biggest fan of hairsprays that dispense in this way, as I have a lot of difficulty controlling where it goes and my fingers always feel so weak! The formula works great for keeping flyaways and baby hairs in place, but it doesn't do much for curls. It is lightweight and allows hair to remain flexible but it's not a product I would consistently reach for.

Amazon White Clay Thickening Whipped Clay ($24) - similar to a mousse, this whipped clay is great for creating texturized hair styles. Applied at the roots and blow dried it gives hair volume, but I also find it feels heavier and makes my scalp oilier than usual. Using it at the ends of hair for curls and scrunching is great, but again it does make hair feel heavier and gives it a bit of sticky texture.

Amazon White Clay Thickening Hair Spray ($24) - now this is the hairspray that I like. Aerosol, easy to control, and strong hold. It works great to hold any style in hair, and it doesn't leave hair feeling hard and clumped together. It does have a bit of a different scent to it though since it is an aerosol formula.

Amazon White Clay & Acacia Collagen Hair Plumper ($24) - at first I had no idea what this product was for, but it's come to be my favourite one in the entire line. It's a mousse & hairspray all-in-one, which I apply to my roots before blow drying. I instantly get volume once the area is dried and my hair doesn't feel like there's any product in it, leaving my hair feeling light and lifted all at once.

After two months of use I can confidently say that my hair does indeed feel fuller, but it's not a dramatically noticeable difference. Holding my hair in my hands it feels thicker to a certain extent, as if I have more hair, and it's much easier to work with. I would say the Amazon White Clay line by Taya is great for people with fine hair, or for anyone that's looking to get more body and volume without weighing their hair down. But even if you don't want the volume, an added bonus is that many of the ingredients are hydrating for your hair, keeping it in good shape.

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Now here's the big announcement: What better way to celebrate the holidays and ring in the new year than with a giveaway? So I've teamed up with Taya to bring you my biggest giveaway yet, the entire range of products from the Amazon White Clay line. That's a $180+ value in products! So let's make it a new year's resolution - you get the products and promise to pamper and take care of your hair!

This giveaway is open internationally, as I want to thank ALL my readers for the continuous support! If I could I would gift this set to each and every one of you! To enter, follow the instructions in the widget below. Giveaway ends January 1st, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Monday! It's the start of a new week, and the start of my holidays, so let's make this post short & quick! This week I have something completely different to share with you - one of which I'm sure many of us ladies are familiar with: the hair straightener.

Two months ago, Misikko contacted me and offered to send me one of their best flat irons to try out and review. Misikko carries a wide range of salon grade flat irons and hair dryers, and I'm actually amazed with the fact that there are so many different ones available out there!

The one that I received is the Hana Professional 1" Ceramic Flat Iron with Tourmaline. The tourmaline component is incorporated into the ceramic plates that should hold up and never peel or split with use. Tourmaline itself is a mineral, and when used in the plates it generates a negative ion boost to give hair shine by neutralizing the positive ions in our hair to give healthy, smooth results. The flat iron promises to provide maximum frizz-free shine, and has "floating plates" so that it can glide over any amount of hair of any texture to straighten it. With the ability to flash heat between 140-450 degrees Fahrenheit, it seems to promise quite a bit.

After 2 months of testing out the Hana Pro flat iron, I have to say I quite enjoy it. Once the iron is turned on, it heats up almost instantly to the temperature I need. The plates guide very smoothly against my hair, without feeling like its pulling or gripping tightly onto my hair strands. It straightens my hair faster than any other iron I've purchased in the past, and the results are long lasting. My hair just feels so straight and smooth after use, and I would definitely recommend this iron!

Now this iron can be used with wet or dry hair, and it works equally as well for curling hair. I actually love using this for curling as it gets the job done so fast! This particular flat iron retails for $205, but is currently on sale at Misikko for $130! So take a look if you're interested - all flat irons from Hana come with a silicone heat proof mat and a heat resistant storage bag for safety and portability.

*Disclaimer: this post contains a sample provided by PR for consideration of a review

Earlier this week, I received one of the Summer 2013 limited edition Luxe Boxes from Loose Button. For those of you unfamiliar, Loose Button is a company that specializes in putting together personalized beauty boxes for subscribers. Their system is a bit different from others, in that they offer seasonal boxes: 4 boxes each year, ranging from $24-$26/box based on the subscription plan chosen.

The Condition Culture edition Luxe Box features six full size products from Condition Culture: a Featherlocks Hair Feather, 3 Colorsmash Hair Shadows, 1 pack of Knotties Hair Elastics and 1 pack of Knotties Hair Bands.

To be honest, the hair feathers are something I probably wouldn't use often, if ever, really. But they're a great accessory to have around that I could put into my hair if I decided to for a party. The feather is quite soft, and heat styling can't damage it which is a huge bonus. The hair elastics and hair bands work quite well, as I've been using the hair bands to hold my hair back while doing makeup in the morning or washing my face. The hair elastics come in a variety of colours and designs, and have a fairly good grip on my hair. They leave a very minimal (you could hardly notice it) bump in my hair after taking them out, unlike the regular thin elastics that I use.

What I was most interested in trying from the box was the Colorsmash shadows, as I've heard a lot of nice things about them. This product is an industry standard that is used to colour hair, and it's supposed to have great staying power in hair until it is washed out. The packaging is similar to a blush, and the texture comes out to be a bit of a thickened powder. The lid twists off, so it's more secure than a flip lid, and I know that it'll be great for travelling if need be as it won't open in my bag spontaneously.

I'm not big on funky, bright haircolours, so what I wanted to do was create an ombre-like look in my hair with the brown shade - Cocoa. The product itself was incredibly easy to use and apply, but it was very messy. I made sure to put a towel on my shoulders to protect my clothing, and the towel came out to be pretty dirty at the end of the application process. As you can see in the photos below, my hands were covered in product, but the good thing is that it washes out easily with soap and water.

The Cocoa shade did grip onto my hair pretty well, and I finished it off with hairspray to seal in the colour as directed. When mixed with the hairspray, my hair felt quite a bit thicker, as it made the product wrap around my strands of hair. Combing it out was difficult, and a lot of the product fell out of my hair in the process. The colour therefore faded, and was harder to see. I did like the end result though, as my ends were subtly lightened and it wasn't permanent either.

The removal process was fairly frustrating for me. I washed my hair twice, until there wasn't much colour left in my hair - but when I went to blowdry my hair, I found that there was still product sticking to my strands. This could be one of two things: either I suck at washing my hair, or the product was stubborn and harder to wash than the packaging had suggested. So do keep that in mind if you try out the Coloursmash product range.

Overall, this Luxe Box wasn't bad. There are products I've already been using quite a bit (love the hairties!), but I do wish I could make use of the pink and blue Coloursmash products though. Maybe this upcoming Halloween? This Luxe Box is available for order until July 7, 2013 - check it out on the Loose Button Website.

*Disclaimer: this post contains a sample provided by PR for consideration of a review

Anyone heard of a blow dry bar? Blow dry bars are out there to set and style your hair just by washing and blow drying it - no cuts or colour. I had read about them in magazines and editorials the past, but had no idea that something like it existed in my city until Tracey, the owner of Blo here in Edmonton, contacted me and gave me a run-down of their services.

Blo Blow Dry Bar - 10158 109 Street - Edmonton AB

Blo has been open here in Edmonton since June of 2012, conveniently located in the heart of Edmonton along 109 Street. Thinking about hair services really put me back to the year of my high school grad - I remember paying some crazy exorbitant price ($100+) for my updo! But here at Blo, it costs $35 for the wash, blow, go service, and $65 for updo's which allow for more creativity. The price is definitely much more affordable in comparison with a salon when you need to get your hair done for a night out!

On the morning of my appointment, as per usual, the sky decided it was time for a silly snowstorm - but I was determined to get my hair done! Walking into Blo, I couldn't help but notice the large windows allowing natural light to brighten the entire place - natural light really helps to brighten the mood and help people feel calm, which is great to help you sit back and relax during your appointment. I was greeted warmly by my stylist and given a 'menu' to choose a hairstyle from. From skyscraper straight to boho chic or even rockstar curly, there are so many options available. I opted for the "Holly Would" - volume and fun, flirty curls.

After taking my jacket, my stylist seated me to have my hair washed and prepped. The warm water coupled with a head massage and conditioning treatment was so relaxing, it was so hard not to fall asleep.

While the girls here at Blo aren't required to have hairstyling certification, each employee goes through a training program called "Blo-U". Everyone is trained in the 7 basic blow out styles, and must accumulate hours of practice before working alone. Everyone does have an interest in hair styling, and I'm sure some have a passion for it! My stylist (pictured above) is actually working towards her hairstyling certification and has a huge interest in esthetics - it really put me at ease thinking she has had lots of practice working with hair, and I knew I was in good hands.

At the end of the day, I would say I left the salon pretty satisfied with my hair - it was glossy, soft, and set perfectly. The stylists at Blo were so friendly, the environment was clean, and the appointment lasted about 30 minutes. It wouldn't take much time out of your day to get your hair done for an event! Blo also hosts 'Blo Parties' for groups, and offers bridal services. There really is something for everyone! Booking appointments are simple with their online system, and at $35 for a hairstyle, I definitely recommend Blo - you'll be happy with your hair and look great for the big night!

All photos thanks to Ray Bulatao Photography
Disclaimer: this hair service was provided for review purposes, but views expressed in this post are solely mine. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.