As you probably already know, I am a total fiend when it comes to hair care. I have tried enough products that I can safely say that I have an opinion on hair care that you can trust. Of course, no one product works on everyone, but these are a few that probably have a much higher success rate. Here are three of my absolute favourite hair care brands, listed in no particular order.

This brand of shampoos and conditioners have achieved HG status for me, and that is saying something when it comes to me and haircare! Yuko Phiten is a hair-straightening brand (so ladies who like your curly hair, you probably want to stay away) that adds such wonderful silkiness and softness to your hair, it's amazing! Back when I had 'virgin' hair, the Color Lock-In Care range did absolute wonders, making my hair look incredibly silky, like it had just been heat-styled. Now that my hair is coloured and damaged, it's not doing quite as good a job, but I think that's just because I need to switch to their KokoroG treatment shampoo, for dry and damaged hair. Either way, this is still a keeper for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve the look and feel of their hair!

Macadamia Natural Oil is a brand I discovered right before I started travelling, and I absolutely adore it for my colour-damaged hair. I use the No-Tangle Prestyler which is great for protecting your hair from heat damage and adding silkiness, as well as the Deep Repair Masque, which has helped immensely to keep my frizziness and damaged ends at bay. I also have the Nourishing Leave-In Cream, which is a gorgeous, thick cream that leaves the hair feeling smooth and slightly textured when applied to damp hair. All products from this range have kept my hair healthy, thick and glossy-looking, which is why I keep repurchasing their products.

muk spa is quite new to the haircare market, though muk is not. Their argan oil range is an absolute dream to use, because they use the best ingredients, and their products are formulated so that they penetrate into the hair shaft to deliver their moisturising goodness, instead of just sitting on the hair. I love their Argan Oil Treatment, which is a serum packaged in a dropper bottle that literally sinks into the hair the minute I apply it - no nasty oily residue whatsoever! Another product that stood out for me was their Shine Spray, a lightweight hair serum that you spritz into your hair - no patting or smoothing or combing necessary. This one I think is amazing for adding some shine to a hairstyle!

If you're a loyal reader of this blog (thank you, by the way! ♥) then you'll have seen that I am obsessed with hair products. If you're new to this blog or simply haven't read many of my posts, then here's an introduction. My name is Emily, and I am a hair-product-aholic. I have tried all brands, jumping from one brand to another on a whim, leaving a trail of unfinished (sometimes almost unused) hair products behind me. Walk into my bathroom in Melbourne and you'll find boxes and boxes worth of hair products, just sitting there. And that's excluding the hair products I've already given away.

What I want? It's simple. Sleek, shiny hair. Hair that doesn't kink or frizz. Hair that doesn't need styling. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!

Anyway, I digress. This review is of a hair product that I personally have found surprisingly effective and more importantly - affordable. Why pay more when a cheaper product can do it for you for a fraction of the price, right?!

Packaging
Love the clear bottle, love the pump. It works beautifully and smoothly, so you can control exactly how much you want to dispense.

Product
This contains one of the most marketed and most celebrated oils out there at the moment, Argan Oil. Miraculous Oil is different however in that it is enriched with weightless Argan Oil, meaning that it can be used by all hair types! It is liquid, and basically looks and feels exactly like any other oil out there. But once you apply it, it sinks into your hair and doesn't leave any greasiness or heaviness behind. You can apply it either to damp or dry hair, though I find that applying it to damp hair helps it settle the hair a little bit better. If you have about shoulder-length hair or coarse, then pump out product the size of a 20 cent coin, and that will do. Shorter hair, or fine hair, will only need about a 5-cent coin's worth. Long hair will need slightly more, so remember to play around with the quantity that you apply until you get the perfect amount, and please never, ever apply any kind of moisturising, oil-based product onto the roots of your hair!
There are so many ways you can use this product, including: as a hair mask (apply a couple of full pumps all over your hair and leave it on for about 20 mins before you hit the shower, or you can actually leave a thick layer on overnight before hopping into the shower the next morning, just bear in mind that you'll have to have a change of pillowcase ready); as a booster for your hair conditioner (just dispense a couple of drops into your regular conditioner and rinse off after a couple of minutes as usual); as an everyday leave-in conditioner (apply it anytime to tame flyaways and boost shine); and my favourite - post shower, to allow the hair to settle and dry without frizzing up.
This hair oil also smells lovely - a kind of fruity fragrance that isn't too sweet - too bad it doesn't last very long after you apply it!

Performance
I don't expect miracles when it comes to my hair products, just some semblance of normal will do. This particular hair oil does exactly what it says. It doesn't claim to repair damage that's already been done to the hair. All it says is that it helps to smooth the hair, softens it, and boosts shine.
Smoother hair? Check. No more frizzy flyaways. Softer hair? Check x2. My hair is much softer and tangles less when I use this. Boosts shine? Check. I'm not talking runway-type shine here, particularly for me with my hair type, coupled with the fact that I never style my hair. But if you do style your hair, the finished result is much shinier with this oil than without.

Price
The RRP for this product is AUD 11.95 per 150mL bottle in Australia. That's pretty damn impressive, given what the product can do.

Overall, this oil would perform miracles (ha, see what I did there) on anyone with normal to fine hair. If you have slightly coarser hair, like mine, I would also recommend it - it performed just as well as higher end products for me. Oh, and if you don't believe me, read countless other voices and experiences here.

As you all probably have already noticed, I've moved to Malaysia to handle some things, and though I have plans to move back to Melbourne, I'm not sure when that will happen just yet.

So for now I'm keeping myself occupied with Malaysia, and what comes with it. One of the things that comes with Malaysian weather is the insane humidity. My hair used to be straight enough so that it wouldn't look weird after being affected by the humidity and heat, but it's changed now. So what I get is this puffy, frizzy, half curly mess that is just depressing to look at. Especially in photos.

So I've started to blowdry my hair everytime I have an event to attend, or photos to take. I'm a pretty low-maintenance type overall, so I hate that I have to add an extra step in my morning routine. Though I would love to eliminate blow-drying completely, it seems to have become necessary, and so I have instead incorporated a product that has helped me cut down my prep time instead:


The David Babaii Blow Out Rapid Blow Dry Spray is love in a can. This spray is essentially a two-in-one (YESSSS!) heat protectant and blow dry speeder-upper. It reduces the amount of frizz I get in my hair after a blow dry, and I love that I don't need to apply heat protectant underneath it first, because this already is one. It cuts down my blow dry time by an impressive amount - it usually takes me forever to blow dry my hair because it is quite thick. My hair is sleek, glossy, and shiny by the time I'm done, and I don't need to sacrifice any volume or suffer any greasiness for it.
This retails for AUD 24.50 per can and is available at Priceline, and in selected salons and pharmacies nationwide in Australia.

I already blogged about the David Babaii Miracle Elixir in a previous post listing my haircare routine, and it is still a part of my haircare routine today. It is a very lightweight leave-in spritz that doesn't need to be combed in or messed with - simply spritz it onto your tresses and let it work its magic. What you get in the end is extra shine, and not the least bit of frizz. I use this right after blow-drying and it works a right treat. Not to worry if you have thin hair - this hardly leaves any grease behind, and doesn't weigh the hair down at all. I even spritz it onto my boyfriend's hair after he's done styling it, but he doesn't like it because it makes his hair too soft - a positive, negative review, in my eyes!
This retails for AUD 29.95 in stores.

Another product I am absolutely in love with (and I use this on days when my hair just won't behave, and when I don't blow dry it) is the muk spa Argan Oil Treatment, pictured below in the far left.


This miraculous product is the reason for the improved health of my hair ever since the damage it suffered after I had it balayaged. The genius people behind this hair serum have formulated it specifically so that the molecules responsible for incredibly smooth, glossy hair, are absorbed into the hair, instead of sitting on top of it. This helps to keep the hair grease-free and light, whilst still delivering all the beauty of argan oil directly into the shaft of the hair. I swear by this, and I haven't stopped using it since I found it.
This bottle retails at AUD 34.95, and is available at selected stockists - see www.mukhair.com.

In this day and age, everything is possible, and anything can be done. I am all for treatments and add-ons that enhance your natural beauty, and that you yourself have carefully researched and contemplated before actually undergoing them.

Some things that I would definitely get done:

Eyelash Lift

I remember watching Lisa Eldridge's post on her eyelash lift and wondering when it would arrive in Australia or Malaysia where I would finally be able to try it for myself. The difference between this new technology and old eyelash perming, is that this new technique actually lifts the lashes at the very root, giving you a much more dramatic lift to your lashes compared to the curl of the eyelash perm, which shortens the lashes because of the curving effect that it gives. The technology has, in fact, arrived on Malaysian shores, in the form of a Japanese technology called the Japanese 'wawa' eyelash curl, which literally means 'doll' eyelash curl. I am heading back to Malaysia in about a month and can't wait to try it on my stick-straight, downward pointing eyelashes.

Eyebrow Embroidery



Opinions are very divided when it comes to eyebrow embroidery. Some are all for it (particularly Asians with sparse hair) and have had marvellous experiences, and some have had the most horrendous experiences, including bad shaping of the brow, unnatural-looking colour, and the fading out of colour that ends up with an ugly red or green tint. I recently read about a new technique in Malaysia called the Bonbrow, and after following up with some bloggers and checking their experiences a few years post-Bonbrow, I have come to the conclusion that I would very much like to try it. So wish me luck! I will, of course, report back with the details once I've had the procedure done.

Hair Extensions



I have seen many a lady-friend get hair extensions, and they have always looked glamorous, healthy, and quite natural. I am a huge fan of playing around with my hair, and am not opposed to have it chopped off on a whim, so I am definitely open to finding hair extensions or wigs in Melbourne that can help me extend the length of my hair, whether it be for a few months, or just for the night.

Are there any procedures or treatments that you are thinking of having done? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post contains a sponsored link, and is written in accordance with this site's Disclosure Policy.

Most of you would have seen my Instagram updates of my brand new hair colour, and a lot of you have emailed me already, asking about the process and price.

I've put together a little video of the process, and my overall experience with Oscar Oscar Salons, at their brand new salon in Highpoint Shopping Centre. It looks absolutely gorgeous, glossy, and so chic!


Most of the process is explained to you in my video (embedded below), so here are just a couple of pictures to show you the overall process and look of the salon.





Thank you so much to the team at Oscar Oscar for giving me the best hair colouring experience I have had in a very long time, and if you're interested in getting your Balayage on at an Oscar Oscar salon, check their salon locations out here.

Also, I have a little bonus for all Emily's Anthology Readers!
Get a free style cut with your next colour at Oscar Oscar if you are a Highpoint or Southland customer! Just print this voucher and present it at your next appointment.


I hope you guys found this video helpful! x

Ever since starting my blog and YouTube channel, I've gotten countless requests to write a haircare post or film a haircare tutorial, especially when I started growing out my hair.

I've held off filming this because I personally didn't feel like I should, since I wasn't yet happy with the condition of my hair. Recently, however, I have started noticing a big improvement in my hair's health and appearance, and I thought this would be the perfect time to film this!

My hair isn't quite perfect yet, but I am still pretty happy with it, so here is the tutorial!


Products mentioned:

Kérastase Cristalliste haircare range (read the full review here)
Yuko Phiten Lock-in Color range (read full review here)

Batiste Dry Shampoo - I've reviewed the Batiste Dry shampoo many times, both on my blog and on my YouTube channel. It is a gorgeous dry shampoo that works wonders on even the most greasy roots. It also helps create a little bit of volume whenever I spritz it onto my roots, which is a big plus (Batiste also have a volumnising range, just in case anyone is interested!).

Macadamia Natural Oil Leave-in Cream - a thick leave-in cream that works beautifully at creating frizz-free, glossy locks. This does weigh the hair down a little, so I recommend this for coarser, or thicker hair. I applying this to damp hair because it creates a lovely textured, beach-waves kind of effect. This is what my hair looks like when I apply this to my damp hair:



David Babaii Miracle Elixir Nourishing Spray - a gorgeous oil spray that has been kept pleasantly (and surprisingly) lightweight, whilst still delivering moisture and shine to my hair. I love how light it is, and how glossy my hair looks after its been spritzed on. You can also spritz it on heavily and leave it overnight, and after you wash your hair the next morning, it feels so much softer and smoother!

Macadamia Natural Oil No Tangle Leave-in Spray - another one of my favourite products. I absolutely love the MNO range and this product is no exception! This is much lighter than the leave-in cream, and also prevents tangling and provides heat protection for styling.

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque - an amazing hair masque that provides much needed moisture to my dry, damaged ends. It smells heavenly, and does exactly what it sets out to do. I have softer, smoother, more glossy hair, and it lasts for days and days!

ghd anti static comb - an effective hair detangler that is sleek, lightweight, and sturdy.

I hope you enjoyed this video, and that you found it helpful! x

If you have fine, straight hair, yes, you get compliments all the time on how lovely and silky your hair is, but one thing most people don't realise is that it is a total b*tch trying to get your hair in an updo.

My hair isn't fine or silky, but it is quite difficult to work with, and quite layered at the ends. It's not easy when I want to create an updo, but with the help of these products, I've been managing quite well.

The key to easy styling is to first prep your hair, so that it holds in place more easily, and moves when and where you want it to. Pictured above are some of my favourite products for creating textured, style-friendly hair.

Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe Sea Salt Texturising Spray
Most hairstyles nowadays are quite undone, and chignons and buns are now styled with loose, wavy curls that create volume and frame the face beautifully (unlike sleek do's, which can be quite harsh). If you have naturally wavy or curly hair, spritz this all over your damp hair, then blowdry with a diffuser head, or scrunch your curls in as you blowdry. This will give you beautifully textured hair to work with.

Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Tousling Spray Gel
This product has slightly more hold compared to the Toni&Guy spray, and would be more appropriate for people with finer, more difficult to manage hair. It tousles the hair beautifully, and even someone like me who barely has any wave to my hair, can see a little texture going on. This spray can be worked into either damp or dry hair, but if your hair is more straight than curly, I suggest spraying it onto damp hair and scrunching it, as with the Toni&Guy spray above.

Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Hairspray
Once you're done adding texture (and a little bit of hold) to your hair, you want to add more hold. This way, your hair won't fall out of place before you get the chance to pin it into position. The Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Hairspray has just the right amount of hold, so that you don't get that irritating, sticky, pulling effect when you're trying to style your hair, but your hair still manages to stay where you need it to stay.

Remember that these products are only for prepping your hair to make it easy to style, so don't forget to use your heat protectant before styling if you're going to be using tools, and remember to finish everything off with a shine spray and a hairspray to keep your locks shiny, and your hairdo in place.

I hope this post helped anyone who has a little bit of difficulty styling their hair. Thanks for reading! x

Happy Monday, everyone! I have finally managed to record the voice over (eep, my first ever!) for this video, and I'm so glad to have been able to upload it so quickly for you guys.

This tutorial features the Halo Satin Styler in a hair tutorial, to get the incredibly chic messy chignon that the gorgeous Alexa Chung wore at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

I hope you enjoy the video, and please leave a comment telling me if you liked the video! ♥



Products mentioned:

Halo Satin Styler
Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume
Macadamia Natural Oil Pre Styler (review here)
Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Spray Gel
Herbal Essences Hairspray

Check out some previous hair tutorials that I posted in collaboration with Herbal Essences! Here's a sock bun tutorial, and here is a more polished chignon tutorial.

Thank you for watching! x

If you love your hair, you know the brand Kérastase. There's no other way to put it. Kérastase is the brand everyone wants sitting in their shower, that's how good their haircare is.

I have always been a haircare nut. I have tried so many brands I can't even remember how many there have been, and I am so bad that I can't even finish a shampoo before I move on to another. It's not easy to impress me when it comes to haircare, and so far amongst all the products I've tried, only three have stood out. I'll mention them in another post or video, but suffice it to say that this new Kérastase range has become the fourth ever product range to truly impress me, hair-wise.

Kérastase shows their true understanding of market needs with the Cristalliste range - it is aimed at young women with oily roots and dry ends, who use a lot of heat styling, and whose lifestyles demand strong, healthy hair. The range is the first to utilise the liquid light technology, which corrects the hair fibre to create a smoother, more reflective texture.

Packaging
The packaging on this range is so beautiful - pinky bottles with metallic, hot pink print. The shampoo comes in a clear plastic bottle with a screw on cap, and the conditioner, a snap on cap with an opaque pink bottle. The most beautifully packaged product in this range is the hair serum, which comes in a clear glass bottle with a pink tint and a dispenser that dispenses the perfect amount of product. LOVE.

Product
Shampoos and conditioners are more or less similar across the board in terms of texture, so I won't go into detail here. The serum is lovely and light, and very easy to smooth onto the hair. It doesn't leave a sticky residue on your hands and doesn't weigh the hair down at all.

Performance
This is the part I've been dying to tell you all about! I fit the target demographic to a tee, with long hair, oily roots, and lots of heat-styling. Before I started using this range, I was still trying to correct my hair from when it was treated with a straightening formula a few months ago. I had dry, frizzy ends, and I was desperate to smooth them out.
I know this sounds unbelievable, but I experienced instant results with this shampoo. After just the first wash, the fall down from my hair decreased noticeably, and my hair was visibly stronger and smoother. I have used this range for three weeks now and my hair is getting better and better! Perhaps the most outstanding result of all is the condition of my ends after the three weeks - they are so much smoother than before! I used to drown my ends in serum to get rid of the frizziness, but now I barely have to use anything.
My hair also falls out less, which is an achievement only the Activance was able to provide before this.

All in all, this is a fantastic haircare range. I would pay the purchase prices three times over for the results I am getting, and that is no exaggeration! If you have hair like mine, I highly recommend this range. You will not regret it!

The Cristalliste range retails at the following prices:

Bain Cristal Fins Shampoo for Fine Hair AUD 38 (250mL)
Bain Cristal Epais Shampoo for Thick Hair AUD 38 (250mL)
Lait Cristal Conditioner AUD 44.50 (200mL)
Lumiere Liquide Serum AUD 44 (50mL)

These products were sent for the purposes of review and consideration in accordance with this site's Disclosure Policy.

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a fab Friday, and that you're all psyched about the weekend! If you have plans and want to look glam, I have just the product for you!

As you all probably already know, I have been putting together reviews of products that eliminate the need for third party treatments at the salon, and that are easy to do at home. The product I am reviewing today has been chosen because I absolutely love how it gives me that salon-style perfect blow out.


I was recently allowed the fantastic opportunity to trial the Silver Bullet Super Pod, an incredibly quick way to style your hair. This device is basically hot rollers on steroid, featuring a 'pod' like device that heats up each individual hot roller in less than 10 seconds!


To use this device, all you need to do is pop a roller and a clip into the centre of the pod and press down till you hear a click, then wait a few seconds. The platform pops back up, and the device makes a little beeping sound to tell you that the roller and clip are ready for use.


The device eliminates the waiting time that you would normally experience with regular hot rollers, instead heating the rollers up in mere seconds, and allowing you to heat as you go.


The rollers are sold separately in boxes of 4, and come in 4 sizes - Extra Large (48mm), Large (42mm), Medium (36mm), and Small (30mm), and the clips are standard sized and sold in boxes of 6.

If it's that gorgeous blow out style that you're after, which for some reason is so difficult to create outside the skilled hands of hairstylists, look n further than the 48mm and 42mm styles, which help to boost your hair at the roots, and create gorgeous, understated waves. I did just that with my sister's hair for her graduation, and it turned out beautifully and lasted the entire day.
It only took me about 15 minutes to get her whole head of hair in rollers, and we let it sit for another 15 minutes whilst I did her makeup, and that's it!


What I like about these rollers is the fact that there is hardly any frizziness at all to the hair once it is styled. A lot of heat stylers can cause some frizziness if the hair isn't blow-dried and then straightened first, but these rollers create voluminous, silky hair even without prior blowdrying and straightening.

The 2 smaller rollers create more of a curly hairstyle, and should be left in longer so that the curls take shape. I would recommend leaving them in for at least 20 minutes and spritzing a strong, flexible hold hairspray on your hair so that the hair keeps its shape.

Overall I think this is a fantastic, high-quality device to have in your hair styler collection, so long as you have the cash to spend on it! Silver Bullet have conveniently put together a kit that is available for purchase, which includes the Super Pod, 4 Extra Large Rollers, 4 Large Rollers, 4 Medium Rollers, and 12 Roller Clips, and retails for AUD 343.65. Alternatively, the Super Pod is available to purchase individually for AUD 199.95, and you can purchase the rollers separately (AUD 23.95 - 29.95) to create a style that you like most.

The Silver Bullet Super Pod and its accessories are available for purchase from www.i-glamour.com.

These products were sent for the purposes of review and consideration in accordance with this site's Disclosure Policy.

Hello everyone! I am back with a brand new hair tutorial today. This one is pretty simple - it is a sock bun tutorial, something that's been making its way through the internet all in a frenzy. Mine is pretty late on, but I figured it might still be useful to some people, plus I was pretty chuffed myself to have nailed the sock bun ;)



This is extremely easy and takes very little practice to master, and it is quick to do so you can just throw it together and walk out the door in a matter of minutes.

So here I go:


Start with a sock. I chose a thick, fluffy one so that it would make a larger, fuller bun. Snip the toe-end of the sock off so that the sock becomes a tube. Pick a sock as close to your hair colour as possible, so that if your hair doesn't manage to cover the entire sock, it still looks natural.


Then, roll the sock inside out, and keep rolling until it becomes a little sock doughnut - or donut, whichever you call it.


Now it's time to work on the hair. First, prep your hair by spraying the Tousle Me Softly Tousling Spray Gel by Herbal Essences all over your hair, from the crown all the way to the ends. You want to create a sleek finish so it's alright to spray the hairspray from the roots to the ends of the hair.


Secure your hair with an elastic that is the same colour as your hair. If you have heavily layered hair, spritz a little bit of hairspray onto your ponytail before moving on to the next step.


Backcomb your hair using a fine-toothed comb. This will give your hair both volume and hold.


Now pull the end of your ponytail through the doughnut. Try and splay your hair all around the doughnut, and then roll the hair down and tuck it underneath the doughnut, in the direction of the arrow in the picture above. Continue rolling and tucking the hair underneath the doughnut until the bun sits on the top of your head.


The bun should be pretty secure by now, but you can make sure it sits firmly on top of your head by securing it with some bobby pins.


Finally, finish the hairstyle off by spraying the Herbal Essences Set Me Up Hairspray all over your 'do.


And you're done! You can now rock the sock bun anytime, anywhere :D

So Herbal Essences sent me a press release the other day with some fabulous hairstyles and step by step instructions on how to achieve them. I took a particular liking to the low chignon and I thought I would share it here! I am using Herbal Essences products to create my look :)


So let me just dive right into it!










I have to say, for their price, the Herbal Essences products actually held up really well! I wasn't expecting them to be so effective, particularly the Tousle Me Softly Tousling Spray Gel. Kudos to the Herbal Essences team for producing such lovely products.

Look out for a sock bun tutorial that I have coming! x