Not A Fan Of...

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Ultimate Repair Express Mousse Treatment

Schwarzkopf Mousse Treatment, 125ml ($8.99)

I really do not like this. 

This is a leave in treatment with 3x liquid keratin and it's meant to repair your hair without overburdening it. You are advised to simply put 3-6 pumps into towel dried hair and comb through and leave-in. 

The only thing that I like about this product is its packaging. The black and gold packaging looks sleek, and it comes in a sturdy, easy to grip bottle. But that's about it. To me, this product is all looks, no substance.

The mousse formula is interesting and easy to use but the novelty of it wears off quickly and at the end of the day, you have a product that does NOTHING.

I have long hair that's coloured and often styled with heated tools. But if I follow the instructions and only put in 3 pumps of product, it still weighs down my hair and makes it slightly sticky and stiff. I get the same results whether I let it air dry or follow up with a blow dry.  

2 pumps of product

My hair can only handle about 2 pumps of product (see photo above). However at that amount, even though it doesn't weigh my hair down, it doesn't add anything either. It just leaves my hair with the product's sickly sweet scent, which I also happen to really dislike!

I should have known better and left the bottle on the shelf. I had previously tried the Repair and Gloss Treatment Spray from the same Ultimate Repair range and hated it so I don't know what possessed me to buy the mousse! I definitely won't be repurchasing or trying more from this range!

Summary

Positives

• Mousse formula, easy to use
• Sleek packaging
• Sturdy, easy to grip bottle

Negatives

• Does not improve hair condition
• Weighs down hair
• 3-6 pumps leaves hair feeling stiff and tacky
• Strong sweet scent (though admittedly, some people may like this)
• Opaque packaging makes it difficult to see how much product is left

Schwarzkopf makes some fantastic hair products but unfortunately this is not one them. Well, not for me anyway!

xoxo

Have a lovely day!!

April Favourites

April has been a very unhealthy month! Public holidays, long weekends, chocolate... It was all about junk food and late nights and my skin didn't appreciate it at all! To help keep breakouts at bay, I used a topical treatment which was effective but also created a few dry patches on my normally oily skin. In the end, the favourites of April were mainly guided by the changes in my skin condition. 

1. Rose-hip Vital Rosehip Oil (1.01fl.oz./30ml, $19.95 )

Rosehip oil's full of essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants and it does a lot of great things for your skin. It can help reduce the appearance of scars, burns, uneven skin tone, sun damage and more. For me, this has reduced my skin's oiliness and made it more supple. 

Last month, this was great as a dry skin saviour. I normally only use this at night (right before moisturiser) but I doubled up to really help the dryness. I dabbed a tiny bit on the dry areas in the morning and it really soothed my skin and reduced redness and any peeling. 

I've tried several brands, Trilogy, Sukin, Kosmea and now Rosehip Vital. They've all been great! The main thing you need to look for is that it is certified organic, cold pressed and deep orange in appearance.   

2.  Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer (0.85fl.oz./25ml; $15.95)

This primer is meant to hide wrinkles, pores and other imperfections and improve your skin's overall radiance. But this is my second tube and I still haven't noticed such changes upon application. 

So you may be wondering why this was a favourite in April. Well, that's because this silicone primer creates a great, smooth base. It added just enough slip to really help my make-up glide over my skin and not cling to dry patches. Just take care to avoid the eyes with this because the extra glide factor that it gives ends up translating to smudges.

L-R: Primer thickly applied; Primer blended out

In my opinion, this is a very basic, no frills primer that gives you a very smooth barrier between your skin and make-up. It makes a great base that everyone can use, unless they're allergic to silicones or very oily. I will definitely be reaching for this more over winter.

3. Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in #857 Golden Tan (1fl.oz/30ml; $19.95)

For a while I was consistently using L'oreal's True Match foundation but it's not very compatible with dry skin. It clings and definitely accentuates dry patches. 

So I switched over to Covergirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 foundation. It's a primer, foundation and concealer all in one and contains SPF 20 to boot. 

I have a lot to say about this foundation (I think it really is fabulous!) but I'm going to keep it short because I plan on doing an updated face base post for the cooler months and it will include a full review of this.

L-R: Flash; No flash

Here's a swatch. The two swatches above show what half a pump of product looks like and how it blends out. Hopefully if you look at the right side of each image you can see how flawless the finish is.  

I love this foundation and I think it's definitely worth all the hype. It's a full coverage foundation that lasts all day without looking/feeling heavy or clinging to dry areas. I still like to use a primer with this but, unless I want a really flawless look, I skip right over the concealer.  It's quick and easy to use and simply amazing. I'm already on my third bottle!

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in #415 Pink in the Afternoon ($7.00@ Cosmetics Fragrance Direct)

I absolutely adore this pink lippie by Revlon and I hate that it's discontinued. It's getting harder and harder to find but it's definitely still available at discount cosmetic stores and online. 

L-R: Flash; No flash

Pink in the Afternoon is very aptly named. It's the shade of pink that comes to mind when I think of an afternoon tea party. I picture a lush garden with ladies in gorgeous dresses, holding champagne glasses with lip imprints on the rim in this exact shade.

I can see it being a fantastic 'my lips but better' colour for some, but on my naturally deeper lips, it's noticeably different and comes off as a warm, rosy pink. It's a feminine, slightly peachy, pink creme lipstick that's non-drying and very easy to wear. Grab it if you can find it!

5. Australis Make-up Finishing Spritz (150ml; $14.95)

I love this mist! Not only is it hydrating and soothing with rose water and aloe vera, it also gets rid of make-up cake face and contains a fixative polymer to help your look last longer. It's also vegan friendly!

I mainly save this for summer and nights out but it got a bit of a work out last month. I used it before and after foundation in the mornings, and again in the afternoon just to refresh my make-up and keep everything moisturised. 

The only problem that I have with this is it's nozzle. It doesn't give off a fine mist and my current bottle is actually a bit clogged so it doesn't spray evenly either. However, I haven't found that to affect my make-up. I've been through several bottles of this and it has never caused any smudging or make-up runs. This is a great, budget buy!

5. VO5 Smoothly Does It Conditioner (300ml; $4.99)

In my last empties post, I briefly reviewed the 'Give me moisture' conditioner that's also part of this VO5 range. I shared how much I loved its consistency, ingredients, multi-functionality and most importantly, results. I hoped that this would be just as good but it's not. 

This is BETTER!

It's pretty much 'Give me moisture' on steroids. It leaves my hair feeling twice as soft and smooth and even less frizzy and puffy. It makes my hair effortless to manage and I actually didn't straighten or curl my hair in April because it looked so great on its own!

6. Organix Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Light Penetrating Oil (3.3fl.oz./100ml; $24.99)

I bought this in early April and it's been a great addition to my haircare routine. Apart form this 'light' penetrating oil, there is also a standard and 'extra' penetrating formulation in this range. They're all meant to smooth and add shine to fine, brittle hair, just at different intensity levels. I went with the 'light' one to really reduce the the possibility of greasy hair. 

This is very easy to use and it absorbs quickly but I never use it on dry hair. I apply this on my towel tried hair from the mid lengths down to my ends and follow up with a blow dryer whenever I can. I find that the heat really helps to smooth everything out and make my hair feel nourished and soft.  I do still get results when I let my hair air dry but it just isn't as good. 

I get the best results when I use this after the 'Smoothly Does It' conditioner. When they're combined, my hair becomes so extremely silky and soft that I can't even feel the ends! I have layered hair and I can normally feel the different layers as I run my fingers through because the ends are naturally dryer and rougher than the lengths. But that is not the case when I use the two together! The final product is so silky that it just feels like I have long, continuous strands of hair with absolutely no layers. Amazing! 

7. FOCO 100% Pure Coconut Water (1000ml/500ml; price varies)

L-R: 1000ml carton; 500ml carton

This is what it says it it - 100% pure coconut water. There's a lot said about the health benefits of coconut water, and I do feel better when I have some before a workout, but I really just like how it tastes!

I've love fresh coconut juice and whenever I visited south east Asia, they became an integral part of my diet. This obviously doesn't taste like what you get straight out of the coconut but it comes pretty damn close! There's no added sugar and it's just naturally sweet and refreshing. I think they make a great alternative to packaged juices or soda. 

This particular brand is sold widely in Asian Grocers so it's pretty easy to find. And I really like how it comes two sizes - 1litre carton perfect for the fridge and a 500ml carton for travel. I always have several of both on hand so you can probably consider it an obsession!

xoxo
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Recent Empties #1

Over the last fortnight of so, I've finished quite a mixed bag of products. From haircare products to a drink, here are my 6 latest empties.  

1. VO5 Give Me Moisture Conditioner (300ml, $4.99)

I really like this range. The unique packaging was what caught my attention first but the product itself is pretty impressive. I love how all the conditioners in this range are multitaskers. Not only are they conditioners, they are also meant to be left in a few minutes like a mask and provide protection from heat styling. 

Give Me Moisture has ingredients like pearl extract, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, argan oil, sunflower seed oil, and rosemary leaf extract. The formula's very creamy and smells nice. My hair feels super soft as it's rinsed out and when air dried, my hair is also noticeably smoother, softer and sleeker. I don't know how well it protects against heat because I still always use a heat defence spray but it definitely helps improve dry hair. I also have Nourish My Shine and Smoothly Does It from this range and I can't wait to try them!

2. Oral-B 3D White Glamorous White Rinse (473ml, $5.99)

I believe this is marketed under the Crest brand in the U.S but the product and packaging is the same. I like this mouthwash. It is alcohol free and doesn't have that intense taste like other brands. It's also pretty interesting because if kind of froths in your mouth a bit as you swirl it around. 

This claims to whiten your teeth in seven days if you use it for 60 seconds twice a day and it did work for me. Just don't expect a dramatic change. My teeth only whitened a shade so it was only barely noticeable. However, a plus is that it didn't cause any major sensitivity issues. 4-5 days in I was a bit worried because I could feel the beginnings of sensitivity but it never got worse and I finished the bottle with no problems. I would advise you to stay away if you are already dealing with sensitive teeth. 

3. Sunsilk Co-Creations Addictive Brilliant Shine Deep Nourishment Mask (200ml)

This is an older line that's discontinued but I bought a few a while ago when Coles was clearing them out. After having tried it, I completely understand why it was discontinued. It did absolutely nothing for my hair!

The packaging and fragrance was okay but nothing special. It feels thick when first scooped out of the jar but as you massage it between your fingers you quickly realise it actually isn't creamy at all. It doesn't feel soft when rinsed out, instead it actually feels drier like with shampoo and a lot of times I had to follow up with extra conditioner. I also didn't see any results when my hair was dried. It didn't look softer or shinier. Don't bother even if it's in a discount bin for $1.

4. A'Pieu Glow Nail Touch Base Coat

This base coat is from a Korean brand and I got it as a gift. This was an okay base coat. I liked how it was just the right consistency, went on very smoothly, dried quickly and prevented staining from darker colours. The slight peachy tint also helped to veil any discolouration on my nails. But I hated the small brush and I didn't notice my polish lasting any longer with this on. If you're only looking for a basic, quick drying barrier for your nails, this would be worth a try. 

5. Australis Eyeshadow Primer (10ml, $12.95)

I didn't like this at all. It created a smooth base to work on but it didn't do anything for controlling oil on lids or extending the longevity of my eye look. After a few uses it also became very difficult to get any product out. I was swirling and swirling the applicator around for ages. And as you can see, the packaging is unnecessarily bulky (the tube is only down the centre) and very flimsy. The cap came off pretty early on and it must have fallen into my room's blackhole because I never saw it again. For a similar product, I'd go for the $3 ELF eyelid primer instead.   

6. Hong Da Ma Green Tea (1500ml, around $3.00)

I love this lightly sweetened green tea. I find products like Lipton Ice Green Tea to be far too sweet and you end up losing a lot of the green tea flavour. With this, the ingredients are just green tea, jasmine, sugar and water and that's exactly what it tastes like - chilled jasmine green tea with a tiny dash of sugar. This means the earthy/slightly bitter green tea flavour is definitely still there. 

Every 600ml contains only 134kj/32cal,  and 7g of sugar. The only problem is that not many Asian grocers stock this so it's rather hard to find. But try it if you can get your hand on it because it's a super convenient way to get iced tea and it's very refreshing!

xoxo
And that's all from me. I'm close to finishing quite a few products so you'll probably be seeing Empties #2 very soon! Bye!