8 Thrifting Tips From A Former Thrift Store Employee

I'm going to share some of my tips for shopping in thrift stores. I worked as a manager for a non-profit thrift store for years, it was one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. Before working there, I was a huge thrift store shopper and I became an even bigger one during my time there. I don't work in a thrift store anymore, but I still go to them all the time, it's one of my favourite things to do! Hopefully you'll find some of these tips (and a rant) helpful and let me know some of your finds if you do!

1. Don’t get carried away. Set a budget and stick to it!

It’s easy to get caught up in those low-prices but keep yourself in check before you buy the whole damn store. Those $3.00 tags add up! You also want to avoid the mentality of “Well, it’s only a few bucks and if I don’t wear it, I’ll just re-donate it”. Be super careful with this mindset, this is a sure-fire way to end up with a pile of shit that you don’t even like and you STILL spent money on it. Everyone’s price range is different, but personally I set a spending limit of $50.00 unless a once-in-a-lifetime find crosses my path.

2. Try on EVERYTHING

I don’t care if it’s the exact same pair of jeans in your usual size that you own 10 pairs of already (“But I don’t have it in this shade of indigo!”). Jeans are a good example of a clothing item that gets “broken in” the more you wear them. Pay close attention to the fit of everything. Where your knees rest in your jeans might have been 6 inches higher for the original owner and you’ll see that wear and tear. Or maybe you don’t quite fill out the ass groove left behind (pun intended) like they did, leaving you with a soggy bottom. Save the hassle of returning, try it on.

3. You CAN return or exchange items

Speaking of returning items, it’s pretty rare to find a thrift store that doesn’t accept returns or at the very least, exchanges. Unless you’re absolutely positive you won’t be bringing it back, be sure to ask the employees anyways before buying. That black silk top you tried on looked amazing under the fluorescent lights but it wasn’t until you brought it home under your own lighting that you noticed that oil stain…Keep your receipt and the tags on until you’re sure!

4. Be open-minded

You hear this a lot in thrifting guides and that’s because it’s true. If something looks even remotely your style, try it on. If it isn’t your size but looks like it might fit, try it on. If it’s from the men’s or children’s department, is remotely your style and looks like it might fit, try it on. You see where I’m going with this? TIP: Don’t only limit your browsing to your size section. Customers (and even employees) misplace items in the wrong spot ALL THE TIME! Check in the section with size but also a few sizes above and below yours, you’d be surprised what’s in there.

5. Check the change room rack and accessories

Looking through everyone else’s discards on the change room rack is one of my favourite things to do. Think about it, everyone else has already done the work for you! I can’t even tell you how many gems I’ve found for myself while cleaning out the change room rack. Checking the change room rack is especially important to do on a busy day, the more people trying things on, the less hunting for you.

Check the accessories! Every knows that you can wear a cheap outfit but pairing it with quality shoes and a nice bag can really elevate your whole look. Believe it or not, but mid to high-end bags and shoes are not as rare a find as you might think. Belts are also something that’s commonly overlooked in thrift stores, but nice leather belts can cost a pretty penny at retail prices and thrift stores are over flowing with them!  Ask an employee if they have any gold/sterling silver jewelry in the cases, most will know if they do. Check the sunglasses, too – thrift stores get a lot of cute, quirky sunglasses.

6. Thrift store donations are not washed before being put on the sales floor

Contrary to popular belief, thrift stores do not wash the clothes before putting them out on the sales floor. My store put out 1000 items of clothing a DAY – can you imagine the logistics and cost of washing 1000 pieces everyday?! Thrift stores rely on their donors to wash their clothes before donating them and honestly, it’s just common courtesy to wash before you donate. An actual person has to open those musty old bags, you know! The things from donations that I’ve seen and had to deal with personally would give you nightmares (don’t worry, those things don’t make it to the floor). Just wash everything before you wear it and you’ll be fine.

7. Thrift store employees know if you’re trying to scam them (Spoiler: This is a rant)

You know who you are, that person who rips the tag off so you can innocently say to the employee “This one doesn’t seem to have a price on it. Must be free! Hyuck hyuck hyuck!” Hilaaaaarious. We’ve neeeeever heard that one before! Or worse, that person who switches the price tag with a lower priced item. WE KNOW! WE’RE THE ONES WHO PRICE EVERYTHING, FOOLS. Everything is priced using a “base price” guide. Example: all shoes start at $6.00. Changing the tag on a pair of shoes to $1.00 fools no one, and it just makes you look like an asshole. If the employee doesn’t call you on your bullshit and lets you get away with it, it isn’t because you’ve bamboozled them, it’s because they’ve dealt with too many other assholes that day and they’re tired. Go away.

8. Nice neighbourhoods VS. Regular neighbourhoods

I know everyone loves to prattle on about going to thrift stores in nicer neighbourhoods because they think they produce better treasures since the donations tend to be from wealthier people. This is true to an extent but know that the competition is fiercer in these locations and you’ll spend more time digging. The store I worked at wasn’t the nicest one in the city and I’ve seen some crazy good stuff come through.

For fun, here’s a tiny list of things I’ve seen:

• Brand new, current season wool J. Crew $400 winter coat, tags on.
• Frye $600 leather riding boots, mint condition.
• TWO vintage wool Hudson’s Bay Blankets (and I bought one of them!)
• Brand new Lululemon leggings, $90, tags on

My point is, it doesn’t really matter how fancy the location is, you’ll find some good stuff if you look regularly.

BONUS: Enjoy the process!

If you’re serious about thrifting you have to put the time in, there’s no way around it. Not every trip is going to reap rewards and you need to accept this before you start this journey, but if you’re committed, the rewards can be sweet. Go often, be nice to the employees (we’re more helpful to the friendly regulars and if we know about specific things that you like, we might even put them aside for you) and most of all, just have fun. It’s like having every store clearance in the same place! 

FabFitFun Summer 2018 Box | I'm Easily Influenced: Part 2

I was going to hold off on writing about FabFitFun again, but I thought to myself "Self, if I was someone who was thinking about getting this box, I would want to know NOW!". So, I'm going to take my own advice and just post it and hopefully my thoughts on the stuff I got for Summer 2018 will help someone. Here we go!

Foreo LUNA fofo (retails $89 USD)

Let’s start with what everybody is interested in. The Foreo LUNA fofo was this season's big draw for everyone to buy this box. Hell, I know it was mine! I've had a different version of the Foreo on my Amazon Wishlist for a year and when I saw this version was going to be in this Summer's box - well, it's the reason I pulled the trigger. Supposedly the LUNA has censors that, when used with their app, measures skin moisture levels and gives you cleansing recommendations that are personalized to you. I have yet to get the app to work for me, so I can’t comment on it, BUT I have seen less than favourable reviews of the app on the Play Store so take that however you want. My biggest reason for wanting the Foreo was to use it in addition to my Clarisonic. I use my Clarisonic exclusively in the shower, and I wanted something to use by the sink which wouldn’t be as messy – and for that purpose, the Foreo is a good solution. But I’ll be honest, I don’t reach for this as much as I thought I would. I would also never use this as a replacement for my Clarisonic, the power just isn’t there. With that said - Does it cleanse your skin nicely? Yes, absolutely. Is it fun to use? Hell yeah!

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator with Microderm Exfoliating Crystals (retails $34 CAD)

This is essentially just an exfoliator but the "exfoliating crystals" are no joke. They’re so fine and they work well without being too abrasive. What I like most about it is the consistency of the cleanser portion, it's thick and doesn't immediately dilute into some gloopy mess making all its little scrubbies slide around. Its also made in Canada, not tested on animals, vegan, gluten-free, 99% natural, paraben-free, and sulfate-free – pretty good!

Marianella - Hawaiian Black Lava Body Caviar with Charcoal (retails $48 USD)

I have a lot of feelings about this one. I really wanted to love this, in fact, I specifically chose this item instead of another option (FabFitFun lets you choose between a couple of different options for some items in the box). I'm constantly stocking up on body exfoliators because I epilate my legs and it helps a ton, so I thought this would be perfect. It has a lot of nice ingredients for a body scrub such as (according to their website): Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt, Charcoal, Dead Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, European Fine Sea Salt, Vitamin E, Coconut Oil, Honey, Green Tea Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Olive Oil, Coffee, Brown Sugar, and Soy Bean Oil.

From reviews I've read, it seems that people either love or hate the smell – unfortunately for me, I fall into the later category. To me, this body scrub is so incredibly oily and the oil just sits on top of the scrub in the jar, meaning you've gotta stick your finger in the little tub and mix it all together every time you use it. It’s also fairly messy to use and leaves a ton of oil on the bottom of my shower making it a slippery accident just waiting to happen. It also leaves a residue on my skin that I have to wash off with soap immediately. /Rant

Pier 1 Marble Dish (retails $15 USD) 

Not much to say about this one. It’s a little trinket dish with gold trim. I’ve seen some pictures that others have posted where the gold trim was pretty scratched up around the edges, thankfully I don’t have that issue with mine. All in all, it’s just OK.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (retails $45 USD)

Lately I’ve been getting into using “peels” in place of your conventional physical exfoliators once or twice a week and I’m quite enjoying them. I’ve tried a couple others recently (such as the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel and another from Riversol) but this one from Elemis is a nice middle ground for someone like me who just wants to dip a toe into the world of face peelies. Elemis describes some of the ingredients as: “Natural fruit enzymes of exfoliating Papaya and calming Pineapple smooth and clarify the complexion”. I think that’s a fair assessment. It has a smooth lotion consistency, it smells sweet but not overpowering and my skin feels soft after waiting 10-15 minutes and rinsing it off. I like this!

Summer & Rose Rocky Palm print towel (retails $55 USD)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that nothing in this box cost me full price, but it’s items like this one that make me stop and think – Are people actually paying full price for some of these things? First of all, $55.00 for this?! Get the hell outta here! Sure, the print is cute and summery (*see the top image), but let’s get real, it’s a microfiber towel. For the price Summer & Rose is charging for this on its own, I would expect the colourful print to be visible on both sides instead of just one. It’s cute and I’ll use it, but let’s not forget: IT’S A TOWEL THAT COSTS $55.00.

Tarte Tarteist PRO Glow Highlight & Contour Palette (retails $59 CND)

I’m a makeup hoarder so this was the item I wanted the most other than the Foreo. There was a chance FFF could have sent the Tarte Pro To Go Eyeshadow Palette and Sex Kitten Eyeliner (combined amount to $54 CAD), which was the other option, but I was really happy to get the highlight and contour palette. Some of the highlights aren’t good matches for me but I’ve used them as eye shadows instead and they’re still pretty. There’s a cream contour called ‘Shade’ (bottom left) which is interesting but unfortunately the colour doesn’t work for me.  ‘Strobe’ (top right) and ‘Stunner’ (middle right) are great highlighters and mixing them together have given some serious glowy results. Sculpt (bottom right) is a great contour/bronzer for me too, so this palette is a complete win for me!

Coola White Tea SPF 50 Moisturizer (retails $44 CAD)

This sunscreen/moisturizer has a lot of claims next to its name, such as having 70%+ certified organic ingredients, being water resistant (up to 80 minutes), cruelty free, gluten-free and vegan, just to name a few. I’ve worn this a couple times by the pool and it did a good job of protecting me from the sun, it has a nice fresh scent, and the texture is nice - it leans more towards a ‘moisturizer’ than a ‘sunscreen’. However, as someone with oily/combination skin, this was a bit too oily for me. If you’re someone with normal/dry skin, this may be a great option for you.

That's it, that's everything I got in my FabFitFun Summer 2018 box! Overall, I've been more than happy with the things that I got (for the most part...looking at you, Marianella...) and I would definitely consider getting the next box for Fall. BUT! These boxes are seasonal (4/year) and for Americans they're $49.99 USD/season. For Canadians, with shipping and the Canadian exchange, it's closer to $80 CAD. If the price was also $50.00 for Canadians - it's completely worth it. For $80.00? Well, at least for me, it's a tough call. 

FabFitFun Starter Box Summer 2018 | I'm Easily Influenced

Like most people, I’m easily influenced into buying what people on the Internet tell me to buy. So, it should be no surprise that I was already done for as soon as I discovered the r/BeautyBoxes subreddit.

Unlike some people online, who each seem to be subscribed to multiple boxes all at once, I’ve only ever been subscribed to one service in the past, TopBox. When I subscribed to TopBox many years ago, it was one of the first (and only) Canadian subscription services available at that time and while I haven’t been subscribed to them in years, I still appreciate that they’re looking out for us Canucks. I wasn’t subscribed to TopBox for long because I quickly grew tired of getting teeny tiny samples, not to mention most months seemed to contain one black eyeliner or red lipstick after another…I mean, that’s fine if you’re Marilyn Monroe or Marilyn Manson, but it got pretty damn boring after a while.

Anyways, the folks over at r/BeautyBoxes were constantly raving about the Mother of all subscription services, FabFitFun. All full-size products, but also a mixture of items from accessories to housewares to makeup and bath and body products – basically anything cute that will fit in a box! Best of all, FabFitFun offers a one-time deal to those who aren’t subscribed to them, called a “Starter Box”. For 8 bucks ($10-ish after the CAN conversion) FFF will send you a box of 4 items to give you an idea of what their regular boxes would contain.

My reaction was something like this:

I ordered the Starter Box on May 28^th and received it on July 3^rd. FFF says that Canadians can expect their boxes within 14 business days. I think most Canadians are used to having to wait a little longer for packages to arrive at our doorsteps anyways, but for some reason Canada Post decided to skip over me in Ontario and send my box all the way to Nova Scotia, only to send it back to Ontario.

So, now that I’ve rambled long enough, here’s what I think of the stuff I got. I also want to mention, I’d seen a lot of spoilers from others on r/BeautyBoxes and not all Starter Boxes come with the same items. I really wanted one particular box and somehow against all odds, it’s the one I got! So here goes…

Summer & Rose ‘Brittany’ Tote in Cobalt (retails $54)

I really like this tote! It’s nicer than I was expecting and the nautical rope handles are really cute. The inside is lined with some kind of material that seems like it would be easy to wipe down (would be useful should you need to carry a damp beach towel or something) and it has two little pockets inside.

Free People Understated Vegan Leather Eye mask (retails $40)

I wouldn’t quite use the word “understated” to describe this mask with its metallic stars all over it as but, whatever. I will say this is a cute looking eye mask and does what it’s supposed to do. It has a removable gel-like pouch that you can put in the freezer and then put back inside the mask for a nice cooling effect; I actually did do this and it was nice. For my own lifestyle, however, I can’t see myself using this very much.

AHAVA Dead Sea Water Mineral Hand Cream 150ml (retails $33)

This hand cream seems to be included in every Starter Box and I can see why. First off, the tube is massive! The smell is nice, I like it, but I can definitely see why some people say the scent is too intense. The cream itself is moisturizing, non-greasy and fast absorbing, what more could you want?

Spongellé Body Wash Infused Buffer in Freesia Pear (retails $16)

I was most excited for the cheapest thing in the box, what does that say about me? It’s a sponge that’s infused with body wash, you get it wet and give it a squeeze and a ton of suds appear! I feel sort of dumb because I’ve used it three times now and I still can’t figure out how it keeps lathering so well. When will it run out of its glorious bubbles? The sponge itself is somewhat rough in texture because it’s a “buffer” but it isn’t scratchy and it works really well. I’m obsessed with the Freesia Pear scent - I already want another one!

So, those are my thoughts on the FabFitFun Starter Box I got. I miiiight have also bought their Summer 2018 box…OK, I did buy it. I might do another one of these with all the stuff I got in that box but it’s going to be long as hell and I don’t know how to edit myself. Oh well.

4 Summer Essentials: Avoid Looking Like A Hot Mess When It’s Hot as Balls Outside

I can only stand being outdoors for about half the year. Spring and Fall are my jam; Winter and Summer can go shit in their respective hats.

What’s not to love about Spring and Fall? The weather is perfect.  You can get away with going out in a cardigan or denim jacket, throw on a cute scarf and sunglasses and you’re good to go. Oh, and let’s not forget about ALL THE BOOTS!

Winter and Summer? I’m either getting all the moisture sucked out of me and constantly clutching my Carmex or on the complete opposite spectrum, I get to be constantly damp and feel like I’m living in Satan’s anus.

The latter is where I’m sitting today, but fret not, I’m going to share with you a few things that have helped me feel a little less like a puddle.

Avène Thermal Spring Water

Yeah yeah, I know. It’s fancy water in an aerosol can but I’ll be damned if I don’t love spraying my face with it all day. First of all, to anyone wondering, that’s no longer sweat that’s all over my face but ThErMaL SpRiNg WaTeR. Secondly and seriously though, I do find it to be quite hydrating and it is pretty refreshing to use throughout the day. I also like to use it before applying any serums or moisturizers to help them sink into my skin.

Revlon Kiss Balm

I love these! I have the Strawberry and Cherry ones and not only are they actually moisturizing, they’re not sticky, they leave a really nice and noticeable tint behind AND they’re SPF 20. Honestly, I can’t deal with lipstick in the summertime because I’m trying to use as few products as possible, it’s too damn hot to be fussing around with products! Don’t get me started on lip gloss in the summer, which practically slides off my mouth before I even leave the house. These lip balms are a perfect and they smell nice too.

Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream 

This is what I use as a day time moisturizer and I especially love using it when I get out of my (ice cold) shower. It absorbs pretty quickly, it smells nice, and the texture is super light. Its name says “Gel-Cream” but it’s definitely all gel. The product description says it has grape water, apple water (is that even a thing?) and Vitamin E, but I swear it also has some kind of cooling properties because my face feels cold for a while after I use it and that’s all I’m looking for during a never-ending heat wave.  

The Body Shop – Body Sorbet in Satsuma

We all know that Satsuma is an addictive, heavenly citrus smell from the Body Shop, so let’s get that out of the way. This is a great body lotion and my go-to in the summer. The texture is so weird to me, but I love it. The texture feels somewhat matte, it’s hard to explain but trust me on this, and it absorbs almost instantaneously.

Can we sense a theme here? I don’t want anything sticky on my body when it’s 40 degrees and my body is sticky enough! ANYWAYS, I also love the fact that it comes in a tube and you don’t have to screw around with a slippery lid, sticking your hand in a bunch of lotion and getting it under your nails.

So, that’s it. Apart from my constant bitching about how hot it is outside and how I feel like I’m on fire, these are some of the things that have been making my life a little bit easier. If I had to recommend only one of these products to you, it would be the Revlon Kiss Balm because even when I’m sitting in front of my fan looking like a hot mess, I look like a GLAMOUROUS hot mess. Happy sweating!

Sephora Canada - Ranting about Rewards

I need to rant about Sephora Canada rewards. 

I feel like I’m stuck in a bad relationship but because I still have some fond memories of the good old days, I haven’t been able to muster the balls to cut ties with them. Not to mention, Shoppers Drugmart is slowly but surely creeping up on Sephora’s territory with their Beauty Boutiques constantly adding new brands, NARS being their newest acquisition. Plus, Shoppers Optimum points are about a million times more useful than Sephora’s points will ever be because THEY CAN BE USED TO BUY THINGS I ACTUALLY WANT, YOU BLINDING NEON NARDS!

It’s no secret that Sephora doesn’t really give a red cent about its Canadian consumers.

Oh, I should also mention that Sephora are now adding MAC to their rolodex, so now I’ll be able to buy it in not one, but THREE different locations in my same mall. So, thanks, I guess?

You guys remember how things used to be for us Canadian shoppers, right? Sure, before Sephora opened their Canadian warehouse we’d have to put up with long shipping times BUT the rewards options alone were worth the wait. So, what the hell happened?

These days, the rewards are totally bogus. There used to be a section specifically for Canadian Rewards – which, by the way, Americans used to still be able to access and apply to their orders, as if they didn’t get every perk already! -  and the rewards were actually things worth getting. Nowadays it’s like, how many perfume samples does one person need?

Up until two weeks ago I’d been sitting on over 1000 points for over a year because the rewards weren’t even worth the tiny bottles they were packaged in. Don’t even get me started on any rewards worth 750+ points which are sold out in the blink of an eye.

You can imagine my surprise when a couple weeks ago I was browsing the Sephora site and noticed a ton of 100-point rewards I’d never seen before. Drunk Elephant, Bite, ABH, Caudalie, Dr. Dennis Gross, Fresh – my eyes just about jumped outta my damn head! I couldn’t let this pass me by and placed an order just so I could use up all of my points, because who knows when Sephora might bless us with table scraps again?

And wouldn’t you know it, out of curiosity, I checked the site the next day and all but two of the rewards were gone. Sold out. Who would have guessed people would be interested in items other than single-use foundation samples? If I hadn’t checked when I did, I would probably still be burdened with unusable points myself.

As much as I’d love to say that I’m done with Sephora, I know that isn’t true. However, this post is me letting go of any hope that they might do right by their Canadian customers.   

Stila's Eyes Are the Window Palette in 'Mind' | Review & Swatches

It seems like every time I turn around I'm being bombarded with images and videos and pre-release "reviews" (more like ads, amiright?) of the next biggest palette.

Cool ones, warm ones, smokey ones, the only palette(s) we'll ever need or desire! There's a million to choose from. And we want them all, don't we?

Never mind that all of the most popular palettes are warm and "bronzy" which actually only look good on about a third of the people who buy them BUT that's a rant for another day...

Now, I'm no stranger to the palette hype, I get sucked into their vortex all the time! But one thing most of my palettes (and probably everyone else's) have in common is that about 90% of their shadows are entirely shimmery. Oh sure, most brands will throw in the conciliatory matte blending shade or two, usually some form of brown or cream colour. But the reality is two mattes don't cover all your bases, especially if said palette is claiming to be "everything you'll need" to create complete looks.

So when I was given a Sephora gift card last Christmas I knew an ALL-matte palette would be just the thing to round out my shadow family. Surprisingly, finding a GOOD matte palette is harder than you would think, almost impossible it seemed. But after much digging I finally found the one...

Oh you fancy, huh?

Enter in Stila's Eyes Are the Window palette in 'Mind'. There's actually four palettes in the "Eyes" range but I believe that Mind is the only all-matte of the four.

Look at that packaging! So gold, much fancy! Not to mention the mirror included is huge, which is a giant plus if you do plan on having this be the only palette you use or travel with. In fact this actually was the only palette I used for close to two months; I was that obsessed!

You might be thinking: "But surely you can't use ONLY matte shadows day-to-day! If palettes have taught us anything it's that we must constantly glitter like the night's sky!" and there was definitely a time when I would have agreed to you.

If you've never experimented with all-matte eye looks you'll quickly realize that crease colours and blending like a pro are EVERYTHING. All-matte eye looks somehow come off as super effortless and super polished at the same time. It's like a whole new world of possibilities for your eyes!
Colour (and blend) me impressed!

My favourite is second from the left!

I feel like while the 'Mind' palette does tend to lean on the warmer side of things there are still enough nude/purple/grey shades to make some pretty decent cool toned variations. I mean, there are some shades which I hardly touch (like that orangey brown bottom centre) but that's pretty par for the course in most palettes, isn't it? I have to say my favourite shade in this entire palette is the bottom left shade, a pinky brown. It's my go-to crease colour hands down.

As far as colour pay-off goes, they're pretty good. A few of the lighter shades are a bit chalky but nothing a half-way decent primer can't fix. Plus, you can already tell how much I enjoy that
cream colour since I've already hit pan on it.

This palette was a little on the pricier side at $59.00 but I do truly feel like for a good all-matte
set of shadows that you'll get tons of use out of it's not so bad.

Stila's Eyes Are the Window palette in 'Mind' get an 8.5/10.

Ojon Rare Blend Total Therapy Hair Oil | Review

I want to set the record straight - I'm not someone who's lucky. I honestly can't recall a time I've ever won ANYTHING (except for one time when I won $40 at a bingo with my Grandma) so you can imagine my surprise when I won the 'Ojon rare blend Total Therapy Oil' off of a well-known Youtuber's give-away. Out of 100,000+ entries, I was 1 of 5 winners! I was pretty excited, not only because I actually won something but also because I won somewhat of a luxury hair product at $39.00 and I NEVER drop any serious money on hair products. I hardly bat an eye at spending $25.00 on a lip gloss but hair products? No way.

The 'Ojon rare blend oil' describes itself as "So potent that just one precious drop of this multi-tasking wonder protects, nourishes to repair and transforms dull, dry or damaged hair to vibrant health. Hair instantly looks glossier, shinier; suddenly feels softer, silkier, more luxurious." - those are some mighty claims, huh?

The 'Rare Blend Oil' that I received is one of three that Ojon apparently makes and is marketed as the "Total Therapy" version. While mine has the yellow, white and red trifecta of colours, the other two also have different colours and uses. There's the 'Rejuvenating Therapy' (yellow, white, yellow) and the 'Moisture Therapy' (yellow, white, blue). I assume mine being the 'Total Therapy' version contains the benefits of all three? I can only make assumptions here since their descriptions are practically exactly the same.

So first of all, what is it with expensive liquid products not coming with a pump?! Foundations are notorious for this and you either end up wasting product because it spills out too fast (not to mention the risk of ruining your clothes...I hope I'm not alone on that one) or spending extra time trying to be careful not to have any aforementioned spillage and tipping out one drop at a time.

The Ojon is exactly like this, which is one of a main reasons I wasn't thrilled with it. I do feel bad complaining about something I got for free  but what can you do? Don't get me wrong, the tri-coloured oils look really cool in the sleek glass bottle and it's fun getting to shake them all up to get an orangey-pink hair goo. But that's pretty much where the fun ends. Carefully unscrewing the top and trying to dump a small amount of oil into your palm is no easy feat. More than once I've emptied too much in my palm and thought "Oh well, I'm sure it'll be fine" only to have my hair look worse than before I even washed it. I know that's nit-picky since ultimately the amount of oil being used each time is my own fault, but still.

Not wanting to waste a product that wasn't cheap (even thought it was technically free for me), I emptied the entire contents into another sleek glass bottle - this time with a pump! At last, I thought, I'll be able to cater the exact measurements of oil to my specifications, it'll be glorious! Not so.

It seems every time I tried to use the Ojon oil with my new fancy pump the results were roughly the same. Each time only slightly less oily, it didn't seem to matter that I was only using 1-2 drops of this stuff - Slickcity for miles.

Could it be that maybe the Ojon oil is just too rich for my hair? It's entirely possible. Perhaps someone with thicker or natural hair would really benefit from this product and I hope they do! But my sad limp hair can't wait to kiss Ojon goodbye. I've already bought a drug store replacement so hopefully you'll be hearing a more positive review about that one.

I didn't notice my hair to be any softer, silkier or luxurious. It was certainly shinier due to the oil but it wasn't in a good way.

All in all, Ojon's rare blend - Total Therapy Hair Oil gets a 2/10 for me.