Cheap Thrills: L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Lustrous Oil Serum.

This is a product that I discovered purely by chance. I was on a trip with hair that was getting exceptionally frizzy and I picked a bottle of this up in a supermarket not expecting much. However since then it has not only become something of a staple in my (rather minimal) haircare routine but  Mr C&C also uses it and has been impressed!

I was expecting this to be the usual type of cheap hair serum/oil that is loaded with silicones but it doesn't appear to be. Instead it contains a blend of oils, sunflower, coconut and soy to be exact, along with extracts of gardenia and rose. 

This serum makes my fine processed hair soft and manageable and even imparts a little shine which isn't that easy to do to blond hair. It stops my hair from getting frizzy and it does all of this without leaving lots of build up that weighs hair down and dulls it.

I use this daily on damp towel dried hair and apply it through the length of my hair but you can also apply it just on the ends. It instantly absorbs and hydrates my hair and I never have to fear applying too much of and ending up with lank or greasy hair. My hair is always left looking full and bouncy and healthy with minimal effort on my part. 

It smells very good indeed, it has that warm Argan/Moroccan type fragrance that's pleasant but not overpowering - this won't make you headachy or interfere with perfumes.

If I haven't already tempted you, you can also use this as a pre shampoo conditioner or smooth it over dry hair to tame fly-aways and add even more shine.

This versatile product is easily available from drugstores and it only costs - wait for it - $7.99. 

No wonder I have multiple bottles of this around the house! 

cvs.com 

Cheap(ish) thrills: Nexxus Therappe Shampoo & Humectress Conditioner.

The brand Nexxus is a bit of a conundrum for me... 

Somewhere in the middle of a luxury brand and a drugstore one it's self styled as 'Salon Hair Care' but I don't recall ever having seen it in a hairdressers. And although you find it in drugstores and supermarkets it's not sold at drugstore prices.

It has a huge stable of products and of the ones that I have tried there have been more misses than hits.  

However, there are two Nexxus products that I like very much indeed: Therappe Shampoo and Humectress Conditioner. I tend to think of these as being the anchor products of the range as they are the most well known and they were also my first introduction to the brand, and although I don't buy either of them with any regularity they are, tellingly, the only two that I have repurchased.

Therappe contains rosemary, chamomile and nettle, it produces plenty of rich lather but feels gentle and doesn't leave my hair feeling stripped or tangled.

Humectress is fairly thin for a conditioner (it is more like a shampoo in it's viscosity and appearance) yet it does do a fabulous job of putting moisture into my hair and keeps frizzy ends at bay even in the most humid weather thanks to the coconut and honey it contains. And it never weighs my hair down or makes it appear flat.

In spite of their different ingredients they both have a similarly pleasant fruity scent that isn't too sweet or overpowering and my hair simply looked good and felt great when I used these two  products together. 

Perhaps the best testament to them is the fact that I used these two gi-nourmous bottles up without putting them aside out of boredom or swapping them out for other products. Therrape and Humectress have been off my radar for some time but I will certainly be picking them up at the store again sometime soon!.  

Empties February 2016.

I finished nine full sized products and thirty three samples in February. I'm not sure why there were so many samples as I have plenty of full sized products on the go, I guess I just wanted to switch things up a little!

Bodycare:

Scottish Fine Soap Company Au Lait Body Butter. Even though this has mineral oil as the second ingredient I liked it a lot. It is thick but absorbs well without being greasy and has a comforting, old fashioned powdery fragrance. 

Ole Henriksen Body Sleek Hydrating Lotion. On the other hand this was something for which I had high hopes but was disappointing. I liked it's fresh light summery scent and it hydrated my skin well but it took an age to sink in. I found that I couldn't actually rub this in, I just had to smear it on and leave it to absorb - very odd.

Haircare:

Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture and Volumizing Spray is a great texturizing spray. In fact I may actually prefer it to Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray although obviously it doesn't have that gorgeous signature Oribe fragrance.

KMS HairStay is a light spray that did what it says on the tin and kept my hair frizz free, I liked it a lot.

Skincare:

Skin Owl Eye+ came in a very generously sized pot which I found wasn't that practical or hygienic. As for the formula itself,  it had an instant lifting effect but it made my eye area feeI sticky which was uncomfortable. I wasn't a fan of this.

Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex was a perfectly good skin oil but it didn't wow me. I did love the way this was packaged with a rollerball which made applying it a breeze and meant I didn't waste a drop. 

Odacite Pure Elements Po+R (Pomegranate and Rose Geranium) was effective and felt very luxurious and indulgent - a very, very nice oil indeed. It was a fairly thick oil that smelt fabulous. I found that it did a great job of hydrating and plumping my skin and it absorbed so well that I could use it under make up. This was a skin savior in the extreme cold. I am very impressed by the Odacite oils that I have tried and think that they would be great to use as targeted treatments rather than everyday oils (purely because of their price).

Caudalie Grape Water is one of my favorite hydrating spritzes. It is an unfussy product that is very calming and refreshing.

Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence left my skin feeling slightly tacky. Honestly, it didn't make a big enough difference to warrant adding another step to my skin care routine.

Radical Extreme Repair Cream was a dreamy night time cream. It was silky and rich and plumping.

Make Up:

Clinique Chubby Stick in 'Whole Lotta Honey' was a brown toned nude that was a flattering color match for me. I prefer these 'regular' Chubby Sticks to the 'Intense' ones as they are quite moisturizing, almost a cross between a balm and a lipstick.

Dr Jart+ Premium BB Cream failed to convert me to the BB cream phenomena. It felt quite nice on application but left my skin looking flat without any radiance or glow and made my pores look prominent.

Perfume:

Byredo Rose of No Man's Land was a rose fragrance that was green and spiky. I found it refreshing and would recommend it as a Summer scent.

Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom had a lovely warm base with a lighter floral on top. I liked this a lot but it lasted next to no time on me unfortunately.

I don't think I did too badly at finishing things up in February and it's always good to use up samples. I have a feeling that March is going to see an even bigger Empties pile though...

Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner.

Whilst Rahua isn't the most expensive haircare range available it certainly isn't cheap and I try to stockpile samples of it whenever I can get my hands on them... So I was delighted when I received full sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner in my Christmas stocking this year. Not only is Rahua

something that I would most certainly call a luxury product it is a joy to use and it is extremely effective. It leaves my fine processed (colored) hair feeling very soft and silky yet still manageable.

The principle ingredient in Rahua is the oil of the rahua nut which is sustainably grown and harvested in the Amazonian rain forest by indigenous women. The molecules in rahua nut oil are smaller than in most other oils so they can penetrate into the hair shaft to bond and repair it which leads to stronger hair. They are also of benefit to the scalp which also promotes healthy hair.

Rahua products are organic and cruelty free. They are sulphate free so are kind to color treated hair as they cleanse it without stripping or damaging. They are also paraben and gluten free and vegan. 

The shampoo uses coconut oil and shea butter to gently cleanse the hair and contains quinoa extracts that capture and hold moisture in hair.

The conditioner, which can also be used as a leave in styling product to tame frizzy hair and hold it in place, contains moisturizing aloe and green tea extracts that help protect hair.

Both have a distinctive, delicious nutty fragrance that is a little woody thanks to the use of Palo Santo oil, an oil that is  extracted from tree bark and is much used in aromatherapy. 

As the shampoo is sulphate free it doesn't lather freely so you do need to work it into your hair and scalp a little. You don't need to use a lot of shampoo, you just need to spend a little time working with it. 

Similarly with the conditioner, you don't need a lot but it does work best if you leave it on for the recommended three minutes.

Both products rinse out easily leaving no product build up so my hair feels not only clean but fuller, extremely soft yet still sleek and manageable .Rahua is definitely one of my very favorite shampoo and conditioner combinations!

You can find Rahua at us.spacenk.com cultbeauty.co.uk or buy it directly from rahua.com

The shampoo is $32.00/27GBP for 275ml and the conditioner is $34.00/28GBP. 

Empties January 2016.

I have been very busy and whilst that always seems to make the time fly by I am a little dazed at how quickly January has passed by! During January I made great inroads into my stash of samples and although I only finished eight full sized products I used up thirty four samples. (And some of them were really more like minis than samples).

Dial NutriSkin Lotion was a whopper of a bottle, it was good and did everything it promised to but was a very basic body lotion. I don't use them often but when I do I'm always impressed by Clear products. Total Care Conditioner was very good, really thick, it could almost double as a mask. I liked the scent of Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Shower Gel immensely, it was not too sweet and very appropriate for cooler weather. 

I have used many samples of Oribe Supershine Cream and loved it but for some reason when I bought the full sized version I bought Supershine Light. It worked just as well but the lighter formula meant that I used much more of it and sped through the tube. I adore this hair product but when I buy it again will get the regular one as it will last me longer and this isn't a cheap product. Crabtree and Evelyn Handcreams are some of my favorites and I usually carry a mini one in my bag. This was the first time I had used the Rosewater one and it smells amazing! It has a delicate rose scent that's clean and it is my new favorite of the range. 

 I really did not like the Weleda Skin Food sample I used. It was much too thick and greasy with an odd 'health food shop' type of fragrance. I also didn't like By Terry Mascara Terrybly. It was a wet formula that I found to be very clumpy and cloying. It contained fibers that flaked off as the day went on - I was very disappointed by this. 

I had been excited to finally try out Alpha H Liquid Gold but I didn't find it to be rave worthy - it was OK but there are plenty of other glycolic toners that I prefer - I like the other Alpha H products that I have tried so this was a let down for me.

The pot of Oribe Masque for Beautiful Colour was a very, very, lovely hair mask. It smelt divine and was very rich so I didn't need to use lots of it. Moroccan Oil Body Souffle was a very effective body cream but I associate the scent so much with haircare that I thought it was odd to use on my body!

Skincare wise, of course, I loved Sunday Rileys Good Genes, it is one of my all time favorite skin care items and I use it almost every day. I also enjoyed  Darphin Intral Serum. I was very impressed by Vichy Neovadiol Magistral Elixir (what a name!), a face oil formulated for older skins. It is a dry oil that smells wonderful.  I used this after flying and it replenished my skin overnight leaving it plumped and soft the next day. I also like Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream very much. In spite of the name it is very gentle and comfortable. I'm very impressed by this range and have liked everything that I have tried from it so far.

My favorite product of the month has to be Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. It smells like a delicious pastry and while there's some serious tingle going on when you use it yet didn't harm my skin. When I rinsed it off I could see a huge difference, my skin looked radiant, very clear and brightened. I followed it with Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask which cooled everything down and gave a good dose of hydration. I will certainly repurchase the pumpkin mask and am keen to try more masks from PTR. I am so happy to have found this product and to have made a huge dent in my stash of samples!

Empties November 2015.

It's hard to believe that it's already time for another Empties post (and even harder to  believe that it's November's empties!) but indeed it is and once again there's a fair amount of products that I managed to get through - twenty two samples and eight full sized products.

Full sized old favorites on the pile were Sunday Riley Good Genes and Ceramic Slip, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Nia24 UVA/UVB Sunscreen (I don't like Nia24 Mineral Sunscreen at all but this one is rather good.)  I also really liked the full sized Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel that I used up and I'm sure I will repurchase this at some point.

Sample wise I was impressed by Natura Bisse Essential Shock Intense Cream which was very hydrating without being at all greasy. Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum and Fresh Rose Face Mask both smelled heavenly and both were intensely hydrating.

Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Serum and Eye Lifting Balm were lovely products, they were effective yet gentle. 

Once again I enjoyed a generous sample of Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream. Another haircare mini that impressed me was Malin+Goetz Cilantro Hair Conditioner which left my hair feeling very soft and smelt fresh and uplifting (but not like cilantro!).

I had been looking forward to trying something by The Organic Pharmacy but was sadly disappointed by their Honey & Jasmine Mask. Although it did moisturize my face it was very thick and emollient and didn't feel comfortable to apply. Also, it irritated my skin when I first put it on and the jasmine scent of this was so strong and sickly that altogether I found using it an unpleasant experience.

Caress Body Wash in 'Love Forever' was another product that I disliked. I didn't like the scent or the cheap looking packaging and the product was a weird dark magenta color which I found very off-putting.

Finally, Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes Mascara looked amazing when applied but it had a strange round wand that wasn't the easiest to use. It really clung to my lashes, making an awful scratchy sound and pulling up my eyelid as I dragged it through the lashes and it was time consuming to apply - a very odd concept all in all...

I think this was a pretty diverse selection of empties made up of both old and new products with some good, some bad and some just average.  What do you think?