TIGI Bed Head Foxy Curls Hi-Def Curl Spray Review

If you are a girl with curly, frizz prone, dry hair then the TIGI Bed Head Foxy Curls Hi-Def curl spray is God sent for you.

The best hairspray for curly hair

I bought this from purplle.com (no... neither purplle.com nor TIGI are paying me for writing this review. Although, If anybody from purplle.com or TIGI is reading this then feel free to pay me.)

Packaging and appearance:
The product comes in a leak-proof plastic container with a spritzer attachment and hence I find it travel friendly. Also the bottle is such a pretty purple as you can see in the image above.

Product description behind the bottle:
Upgrade your curls to HD! Get highly defined frizz-free, separated curls. Spray in wet hair and style or in dry hair to touch up your curls. (This product definitely delivers what it says. It does make my hair frizz-free and also keeps it from tangling. And as promised this product does not make my curls clumpy and really does make my curls look bouncy and beautiful.)

Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat (SD alcohol 40-B), Polyacrylate-22, Methacryloyl Ethyl Betane/Acrylates Copolymer, Parfum (fragrance), Quaternium-52, Methyl Gluceth-20, Polysorbate 20, Oleth-20, Isopropyl C12-15-Pareth-9 Carboxylate, Tetrasodium Edta, Panthenol, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool. (Wow... did not understand a word there even though I typed it for 15min now).

Price: Rs. 915 (as sold by purplle.com)

Quantity : 200ml/ 6.76fl. oz.

Before I give you a detailed explanation of how good this product feels on my hair let me first tell you about my hair. I have frizz prone curly hair myself and before this product came into my life I have faced some serious ridicule from friends and family about how bushy my mane was. If you ever had hair like this then you have probably experienced too that managing and maintaining any proper hairstyle is next to impossible. While all of my friends had beautiful shiny hair I used to feel like I constantly had bad-hair days throughout the year every year. (Ah....! I only just realized - this is probably why I keep blocking out most of my teenage memories.) But those days are behind me now.

When I first decided to buy this product I thought it was a bit pricy but I had chopped off all of the chemically straightened hair and was desperately looking for something to bring my hair back to health which could also tame my hair so I shelled the money out. Well, do I regret or still think it is pricy...? Absolutely not! I have been using this product since 3 months now and I wash my hair at least twice a week and you can see from the picture above how much is used up. The thing about this product is that a little goes a long way. I have mid length hair and just 4 spritz is all it takes. Even though on the bottle they say you can use it on both wet and dry hair I have only ever used it on wet hair. I spritz it on towel dry hair and work my fingers through to disperse the product throughout the length of my hair. Finally I scrunch my hair a bit to enhance my curls and I let my hair dry naturally and the curls into soft, light, silky, shiny curls.

And unlike most hair sprays this does not spray like a deodorant but spritzes small quantities like an expensive perfume which is perfect because you will not get it on your face or run the danger of spraying a bit too much. And speaking of perfume this product smells sweet (actually a bit too sweet) like Skittles (omg... if you haven't eaten skittles ever then please go buy it here as it is the best thing ever....!) I am personally not a fan of sweet scents but since I use only small amount of this product I find it is not too overwhelming.

There are a few other thing I want to mention about this product - firstly, the spray does not make my hair sticky or greasy, secondly, it does not weigh my hair down and make it feel like it is made of wires, thirdly, my curly are now shiny and healthier looking than they ever looked in my entire life.

Also if you are not a person with curly hair and want to curl your hair to make it more lively then this product is fantastic. My sister who has fairly straight hair tried this on her hair and tried to curl the lower half of her hair and she absolutely loved it. It gives a good hold on your curls and if you have long hair and sometimes feel that your curls are getting limp because of the weight of the hair then this is perfect for you as it keeps your curls lively, perky and bouncy.

So overall this product gets double thumbs up from me and I highly recommend that you buy it if you have curly hair looking to curl your hair.

Also if you want to check out my curls in action you can go through my Youtube channel and subscribe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHciM8wE8UYy0tTiRWI9bTA/feed

Please share this review with any curly haired sister you might know so they can have great hair days too.

Finally guys this is my first product review and I hope you find it useful, If there is anything that I have forgotten to mention about then please ask for it in the comments section below
and I will definitely answer them all.

3 healthy snacks

I am a person who cannot hold with strict diets. In fact the very day I put myself into a diet I break it - absolutely no self-restraint at all. I must have tried just about all the different kinds of diet plans out there in an attempt to lose weight or stay healthy and I am sure I have failed to keep up with them all.

Now the only way I can eat healthy is by eating junk food in moderation and also I have managed to convert healthy fruits and vegetables into delicious snacks so that way I am not being over indulgent and I feel like I am eating almost right. 

Having said that, these days I find myself so busy that I hardly have time to hit the kitchen perky. So I tend to opt for food that can me made within moments and also the ingredients for which are almost always there in my pantry.

Yum yum

Cinnamon dusted apples

So without wasting much time I am going to talk about snack number 1 - I don't think you can ever come across an easier snack. It has two ingredients and takes less than two minutes to put together. Yeah... thats right!

There is nothing quite like crisp apples

Ingredients:

1 unwaxed apple

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Chop the apple into quarters and chop each quarter into three wedges. Cut the core out and tumble the pieces onto a plate.
2. Sprinkle over the ground cinnamon and toss to mix.

I like to eat this when I am catching the re-run of Big Boss in the evening but you can eat it anytime you crave for something crispy (apples can be crispy when they are fresh) or if you want to jazz up boring fruits. 

Apple and cinnamon... Best Friends Forever!

Also you can replace the apples with ripe bananas or pears or peeled and chopped pineapples.

Toasted and flavored nuts

Nut are good for you. I always have a small packet of almonds in my bag to munch on to satisfy hunger pangs when I am on the go. Also the oil in the nuts is good for your skin, it is great for you hair and I find this particularly useful now that winter is kicking in and every part of your body needs hydration.

Flavored nuts=healthy snacks

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed nuts (I use equal quantities of cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and pistachios) 

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon muscovado sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried mango powder

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method:

1. Into a pan set over medium-low flame tumble in the nuts and dry roast them till they are just beginning to take on color. 
2. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and stir till the sugar and the butter have melted and each and every nut is coated evenly.
3. Take this off the heat and tumble into bowl.

Let this cool for a bit and you are ready to enjoy straight away or store in airtight containers. I used to take this to work to snack in the bus on my way back home.

What more can you ask for when the end result is sweet, spicy, tangy and salty?

Strawberry and chocolate popcorn

The smell of popcorn being made in your neighbors house is enough to make you crave for them. As a snack these are very easy and quick to make and also so healthy for you. But when they come in strawberry and chocolate flavor you have no excuse at all really.

Clever popcorn; fulfils your chocolate craving along with any craving you might have for salty crispy morsels

Ingredients:

4 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 teaspoon salt

A handful of popcorn  kernels

1 bar good white chocolate

1 bar good dark chocolate

1 teaspoon strawberry jello mix

Method:

1. Into a high-sided, heavy-bottom pan set over medium-low flame add in the oil, the salt and the popcorn kernels. Cover with a lid making sure there is a small steam escape and let the kernels pop. When the popping has almost subsided you know you are done. Take this off the heat and uncover.
2. Meanwhile, break the dark chocolate into a bowl and melt either in your microwave oven or on double boiler. Give the same treatment to the white chocolates as well.
3. Add the strawberry jello mix into the melted white chocolate and stir to dissolve. Pour this over the popcorn. Pour over too the melted dark chocolate and stir so that the pale white of the popcorn is speckled with the pink and brown of the chocolates.

A mountain of popcorn

Pour this into individual bowls and enjoy movie hour at home.

Comment down below and let me know what you think about this particular blog and do not forget to follow to be known about my next blogpost.

Now, you can also watch me make these snacks on my YouTube channel

http://youtu.be/x7zXGSmQ7ws

Also, when you make these snacks take pictures and tag me on instagram @sriranjani_n because I would love to watch you do them.

You can also follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/AtRanjus 

Pesto Trapenese

This is my go to pasta sauce. I return to it from time to time because I almost always have all the ingredients needed for the pesto.

Is it too bad that I prefer this pesto over the green basil one?

You can use any pasta shape you want but I had a packet of fettuccine so thats what I went with.

Quick and easy pesto

Ingredients:
Half a packet pasta or your choice
3 ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup almonds
2 clove or garlic
A small handful of fresh basil
3 dried red chillies
50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
125ml (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
Salt to season the pasta cooking water
Half a loaf of baguette (optional)

Procedure:

1. Place a large pot of water on high flame and let the water boil vigorously. Season this water with plenty of salt and drop in the pasta. Stir once in a while and cook according to packet instructions or till the pasta is al-dente (cooked on the outside but the inside is a tiny bit uncooked; you need your pasta to be slightly undercooked because the pasta will continue to cook in its residual heat.)
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes and add it to the blender jar. Peel the garlic cloves and add them in too. Now break the red chilies and bung in along with the almonds and fresh basil. Cover and blitz till smooth.
3. Now hive off a small amount of the pasta cooking water and add a tiny splash of it into the tomato sauce. Pour over the olive oil too and blend again to emulsify the sauce.
4. Now drain the pasta and give it a toss or two. Tumble the pasta into a pan and add the sauce. Stir to coat each strand of pasta and add a splash more of the pasta cooking water if you pasta begins to get clumpy.
5. Strew more fresh basil and grate over as much cheese as you want. 

Always love a pasta dish when it is raining outside

Serve a generous amount of pasta onto each plate, grate over more cheese if you want and to mop up any bits of sauce from the place serve a few bits of bread on the side (this is optional) and eat.

I so enjoyed this. Truly yummy

Serves 4 greedy people.

You can also watch me cook the same on my youtube channel. Don't forget to subscribe and give the video a thumbs up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX9gGhCHoJc

You can also follow me on twitter
https://twitter.com/AtRanjus

Or on instagram
http://instagram.com/sriranjani_n

DIY gift wrapping idea (Starbucks mug)

I love gifts - giving them, receiving them, shopping for them, wrapping them, you name it....!

What with the birthday season (most of my family and friends are born between September to January so I refer to the colder months of the year as the Birthday season,) Halloween, Christmas and even New year just a few weeks away I thought this will be a neat idea. 

Have you ever experienced when you go out and buy an expensive gift for your loved ones and you spend just as much on wrappers, labels, tags and ribbons to make it look special? Well the idea I am proposing here will keep all of your pennys inside your pocket and give a great sense of achievement and pride when you are done. And also if the person hacks through the wrapper to get to the gift you will not feel as bad as you would otherwise feel because you have not shelled down any money at all.

It is my brother's birthday this month and he has been longing for a Starbuck mug since I was given a free tumbler by the store people (for being such a loyal customer and coffeeholic.) So I thought it would be a fun idea to gift him one.

Aw.. Just look at my brother in the centre... He is so pleased with his gift

Begin by purchasing a good size Starbucks mug and they will give the mug in a sturdy cardboard box. And when you are in the store deciding on which mug you should buy, get yourself a good pour over espresso (do not throw away the paper cup - bring it home with you.) Finally take advantage of the kindness of the staff of Starbucks and ask them if you can have few of their brown paper sheets. 

You will also need scissors, cellophane tape, a pen, a brown string and a couple of long golden strings.

Please forgive me.. I forgot to include the Starbucks brown paper (typical me...)

Step 1 : Finish you espresso in peace and cut the sleeve into two. Pry it off the mug gently; write a cute coffee quote on both and make a hole in a corner from the tip of your pen - keep it rustic.

The quote on the second half of the sleeve is from Justina Chen

Step 2 : Place the mug in the centre of the wrapping paper and stuff the ends in its mouth snugly.

I love this mug.. it gives such justice to the Starbucks logo

Step 3 : Tie the brown string around the wrapped mug and thread through one of the tags (I went with the second one) and tie again like you would tie your shoelace. Place this gently in the cardboard box. 

Look how the brown string is so shiny

Step 4 : Place the cardboard box on yet another Starbucks brown paper and wrap and secure with a cellophane tape.

I love the texture  and the print on the Starbucks brown paper 

Step 5 : Take a few long golden threads and twist them about to increase the thickness. Tie this golden string around the wrapped box and thread through the other half of the sleeve. Finally, tie the remaining bit of string like you would tie your shoelace and you are done.

Has brown on brown ever looked so pretty?

Give this to your favorite coffee lover and watch them unwrap and enjoy the smile on their face.

It was so satisfying to watch my brother try to carefully unwrap the present 

Go through the whole thing in black and white?

This effect came out so good - I couldn't resist it.

If you ever try this leave a comment below and let me know how yours came out and you can post a picture of you wrapped gift on my twitter account (#diywithranju). Also comment below and let me know if you eve did a similar DIY project.

You can also follow me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/AtRanjus
Also you can follow me on Instagram and Pinterest