-
Hair La Vie for Dry Winter Hair
Since I prefer to use organic beauty products, I am always on the lookout for new organic products on the market. Sometimes, it takes me a handful of tries until I find one that I like because I’m super picky. I recently started using the Hair La Vie collection from La Muse Beauty. When the cooler temperatures roll around, my hair and scalp get dry, and I needed something that doesn’t only address the moisture in my hair, but the moisture in my scalp. I noticed a difference after about 2 weeks.
My absolute favorite item is the Moroccan Repair Serum. As long as you start at the tips of your hair and work your way up to the root, it isn’t greasy at all. Plus it smells fantastic! My hair is balayaged at the moment, so the coloring products have made my hair more frizzy than usual, and the serum smooths it just right without it looking “piecy” if that makes sense.
I use the serum on my towel dried hair as opposed to after it’s already dry. If your hair is extremely frizzy, try it both ways; you might prefer one way or the other.
The shampoo has a thinner consistency than I’m used to, so I pour it right onto my hair instead of putting it in my hand first, so I don’t waste any. But it lathers up nicely (even without SLS) unlike some of the other organic shampoos I’ve tried. I NEED that lather!!! One of the shampoo’s ingredients is tea tree essential oil which great for scalp imbalances. It also has a cooling sensation on your scalp upon application.
The conditioner is really thick which I love. It really seals in the moisture which as I mentioned, gets sucked right out of my hair in the colder months. It also doesn’t leave a residue behind, like some conditioners do. It is a wonderful detangler as well, for those of you with long locks that brush your hair in the shower after conditioning.
All in all, if you struggle with dryness or damage (who doesn’t?!), I really recommend these products. They also have a hair mask and vitamins if you struggle with hair thinning. Check out their entire line of products here: https://hairlavie.com/
Revitalize & Restore Shampoo and Conditioner: $43.50 each/8fl. oz each
Moroccan Repair Serum: $29.50/2fl. oz. -
Google Home Review – Smart, Real Smart
As the world of home automation gets closer and closer to Disney Channels “Smart Home” (I may have given away my age a bit), we’re starting to see various products talk to each other more and more. From Smart Locks, all the way to changing colors on your Living Room, there seems to be no end to making your home interact in a highly modular setting. A lot of contenders have entered the scene, most notably Amazon’s line of Smart Home products (Alexa, Echo). But Google recently unveiled to the world why they are the king of A.I and are not to be taken lightly with the Google Home.
Design
The Google Home might look basic from a design stand point. But as noted from their flagship Smartphone (Pixel/XL) its trying to keep a minimalist approach, while fitting in within the walls of your home. I currently have two; one is located perfectly in the kitchen, while I have the other in my room. It isn’t anything too flashy, and I think that’s what drives the appeal to it. Of course, if you want to bring a bit more flair to it, they offer different colored bases (metal and fabric) for $20.
Blends very well with my kitchen! It has a slight slant on top to use the capacitive touch buttons to control the volume. On the back, you have a mute button, if in case you don’t want Google constantly picking up what you’re saying. Google Home does a great job at picking up what I say. The sound quality is great for an apartment, but if you are looking for a substitute for your main speakers, I would hold off on that. There is no distortion of sound at maximum volume, but in larger homes/apartments, they don’t fill up the place, but rather keep the volume to that room solely. Regardless, it still carries quite a bit of sound.
Back of Google Home. One of the main reasons that I was keen on playing with Google Home was for the Multiroom Functionality. Many companies have had something like this before. But Google would rather play nice then separate themselves from the competition. With big audio companies like Harmon Kardon and BOSE that will soon offer their hand in being ‘Cast-Friendly’, it will never be easier to set up an entire house with Wi-Fi enabled speakers. And for those who already have speakers and don’t want to get rid of them, Google has Chromecast Audio. Just plug it in an audio jack, and you now have a ‘Cast-Ready’ speaker without having to spend $150+ on new audio speakers.
Not only is the hardware compatibility great, but the various amount of Cast Ready Apps that are for available use. With Google apps like Youtube and Google Play Music, and the inclusion of a 6-Month Trial Free Program for Yotube Music, you have a huge library of music you can listen to. Couple with the fact that it also teams up with other Smart Homes (Samsung Smart Things, IFTTT), it won’t ever cause an issue on your ever growing Smart Home.
Software
However, while the idea is cool, the simplicity is not. Downloading the Google Home App is perhaps the easiest part of it. When it comes to pairing the speakers, its not as easy as you would have hoped for. It’s a bit of a learning curve. First off, be mindful that that the account that you connect Google Home to will be the account that will have music played from. So if for example your roommate is listening to a song on Google Home and you are also on the same app, it will stop one of you from listening to music. Also, depending how close your router is, you often will get a bit of delay within all your speakers. Often while playing music through my Smart Phone, I’ll hear one speaker drop but come back within a few seconds. However, casting is very simple and anyone can cast music as long as they are in the same WiFi.
A look into Google Home. The Google Assistant itself is far from perfect but it does a good job at just about anything you throw at her. I often asked Google Home to set an alarm, remind me of an event and it will do it with no problem. You will get instances where she doesn’t quite understand what you say. I asked for the Moana Soundtrack, and instead gave me another Album. You also have to be mindful with the music app that you wish to play from, especially when asking Google Home. Another BIG issue for me is that Google Home does not have any other language pack aside from English. However, when I asked to play a song in Spanish, it understood what I was saying (even if she repeated it back in a broken dialect). I personally wish I could customize my greeting to Google Home, but I understand that Google wants to keep it all around.
At least someone thinks I’m cool. Final Thoughts
If you are looking to begin your journey into a Smart Home, I think this is a solid place to start. The Google Home is far from perfect, but it is a good start into something great. And with the current price of $129, it doesn’t hurt to pick one up for the Holidays.
-
Google Pixel – Worth the wait, but just short of perfect.
The saying goes: big things come in small packages. And while we can’t say that for the Pixel XL, we can certainly give it credit for keeping it safe, in terms of design and finish but giving a new spin on the UI and Android OS.
At first glance, the Pixel doesn’t seem like much. This is Google’s first phone but the exterior gives it an iPhone look, without having the iPhone’s iconic middle button. I found myself trying to tap on an invisible button, but with enough uses, you will soon forget about it and start using its finger print sensor, located on the back of the phone. It has a good weight to it, which gives it more of a finished feel. Nowadays, it’s very hard to find a smart phone that doesn’t have the same metal/aluminum finish. The old rhetoric stays true for this design: if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. And with the rectangular bezel, camera placement and overall body, it pays homage to what works currently in the smartphone world.
Google has done an incredible job at optimizing the battery life and speeds on the Pixel. I t is extraordinarily fast, with very few lag inputs. The battery life on the Pixel XL is just as impressive. While a 3,450mh battery may not mean much with bigger batteries like the S7 Edge, its held out on strenuous tasks that I’ve assigned it to do. I’ve never had to charge it more than once a day. I connected two Bluetooth devices (my smartwatch and headphones) and watch Netflix on it for about an hour. The result? It barely dropped down to 15%.
Something that Google has proudly boasted is the camera quality. Being a skeptic coming in, I couldn’t possibly believe that it could rival Samsung’s flagship phones in term of camera. Perhaps even against the iPhone 7, I would have expected to see major differences within it. But it did. Taking photos on the Pixel XL in low-light is hands down, by far the best I have ever seen on any smart camera out on the market. It rivals virtually all smartphones that talk about its impressive aperture. Taking a few shots in comparison, you can see the difference this makes and how astounding it is.
Pixel XL Camera. 
S7 Edge Camera. However, when it comes to taking a photo in natural light, it doesn’t shine as bright as the Galaxy S7. In fact, the colors do not pop as much as one would have hoped. Regardless, it is all up to the photographers tastes and what they want. But these are note-worthy differences if you happen to be a fanatic of mobile photography.
Another great addition is Google Assistant. In essence it’s a Google Now v2.0: a more robust search function with more “smart” capabilities. Google Now assists with everything from Calendar appointments upto recent searches on your purchases. It takes it a step further with an AI, and can be a lot of fun when you set it up. But while it can make your life a bit easier and is more reliable, its still not “smart” enough. It recognizes my voice just fine. Its just not as personal and intuitive as I would have liked it to be.
I welcome the Google Pixel as a great contender between Samsung and Apple. It certainly has the potential to be greater (especially since it will always be the first one up in Android Updates.)
-
Our Tech Guru: An Introduction
Hi! My name is Ivan Gaton and I’ll be your Tech Guru for HEYDOYOU! I’m an avid fan of all things tech related and I want to help you make your life a little easier and your home a lot smarter! Being a New York native, I’m no stranger when it comes to being exposed to new tech. I’ve worked in various technology companies over the years and seen the trends that come and go. But the best part of being around all of it, is seeing how you can utilize these tools to empower your lifestyle. After all, why work harder when you can work smarter?
Just looking casual, as always. When I am not writing about the latest gadgets, I usually am watching sports (avid NYCFC and Yankees fan), taking mobile photography or writing a draft for my latest comic idea. I also have a strange affinity for Dunkin Donuts coffee.
Don’t be shy and follow me!
_ivangaton (For Blogging and Photography)
gatonivan (Follow my Art Page too!)@ivangaton (Twitter!)
- Asian, Austin, Australia, Baltimore, Chicago, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, WorldWide
Flawless Skin: The Art of Multi-Masks
Bring multi-masking to the next level by targeting face and hair simultaneously. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite masks of all types for next-level productivity.
These products from emerginC, ClarityRx, NIUCOCO, Surya Brasil and ALL CAPS are sure to make you a masking pro in no time.
A rich, buttery, creamy mask with coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid that soothes, hydrates nourishes. Suitable for all skin types. Excellent for red, sensitive, dry, tired skin.
$50 via www.emerginC.com
Put your skin in check with this intensive face mask for clarifying your skin, removing impurities and clearing pores. Enriched with vitamins, pure herbal extracts, and nourishing oils, your skin is never overly stressed from the mask and is instead left revived, clear and refined.
$27.50 via www.clarityclinicalskincare.com
This nutrient-rich serum and styling oil does it all, including detangles ends, protects against heat styling, and adds high-octane shine. This multi-tasker is infused with extra virgin coconut oil, guava fruit extract, and sunflower seed oil—it’s brain food for your hair that encourages smoothness, nourishment while helping the hair look bouncy and luxurious.
$50 via www.niucoco.com
Surya Brasil henna creams offer a more natural way to cover your gray or change your hair color while protecting your scalp and simultaneously coloring, conditioning and strengthening your hair. Designed for a beauty hair treatment, Surya Brasil’s luscious Henna Cream texture is both rich and silky with a mild, pleasant scent. Easy to apply on clean hair, it provides a sensation of intense care and comfort during coloring.
$17.50 via www.SuryaBrasilProducts.com
All Caps is the only cap that will extend the time, effort and dollars spent on your hair. This new-to-market cap preserves styling whether in the shower, sleeping or at the spa and can also be used for overnight hair treatments or masks.
Uses:
- Reversible cap can be used to keep hair treatments from transferring to clothes or furniture
- Cap can be worn as a shower cap to wash product off face
- Keep face masks or treatments out of hairline
$52 via www.AllCapsHair.com
-
Holiday Season Gift Ideas: Jennie Links Jewelry
Winter is coming so this can only mean one thing: the holiday season is near! Now is the time to start your gift search for that special woman in your life, and what a better gift than to frost up your lady with a little ice.
Launched this September, Jennie Links is a fine jewelry brand composed of handmade-to-order pieces produced in New York City. Founder and Creative Director Jennie Jackson’s design aesthetic is based on bringing refined minimal essentials direct- to-customer through online only sales on www.jennielinks.com.
The Jennie Links collections are meant to seamlessly fit any wardrobe with perfectly fitting customized creations. Designed with both the minimalist and maximalist in mind, Jennie Links encompasses the necessary elements needed to complete the perfect jewelry chest. With the added value of direct-to-customer pricing, these minimal accents are the ideal ‘link’ for both the simplistic architect of fashion and the layering maven.
Jennie Links is a revolutionary approach to fine jewelry pricing and customization. As a fashion industry professor, Jackson became frustrated with the degree to which fine jewelry is marked up because of expensive ads and storefronts.
The pricing is set to disrupt the luxury jewelry market and ranges from $200 – $6,500. Offering only 18K gold and VS G color diamonds, Jennie Links is for the discerning customer with impeccable taste.
All rings are offered in quarter size increments, allowing the customer to have a final piece that is their size without any rigged adjustments. While shopping for her wedding ring, Jackson realized perfectly fitting rings were not a concern of the large luxury houses. In order to solve this problem, and offer customers a true fit, she founded Jennie Links as a way to finally have the pieces she desired in exactly the right size and color of gold. All pieces are offered in yellow, white and rose gold. Customers choose what color or combination of colors they want per piece.
