New in #85

artdeco Aussie Biotherm CadeaVera catrice Garnier L'Oreal Lancome LVLY by Paola Maria New In Pantene Yves Saint Laurent

New in #85

Admin   October 26, 2019   Comment  

 LANCÔME Teint Idole Ultra 24h Wear & Comfort SPF 15 Foundation

008 Beige Opale

Before I got this I took a sample in Müller along with four other foundations and this impressed me so much I went to buy it as soon as I was finished testing all five (I actually got one more from that test, but later, after I gave it a second try). I posted before/after, close-up and extended wear time pictures on my IG stories, along with first impressions and it's still highlighted if you're interested. It's definitely one of the most beautiful foundations I've tried. It's got good medium coverage without looking heavy. It doesn't emphasise texture, pores or lines, though it doesn't hide them - that's what I do actually miss at this foundation, since it was expensive, but the shade makes this foundation worth it for me. It sets to a satin-matte finish and one with a healthy look to it. Staying power is also very impressive and it's holding so well though the day, it doesn't go cakey, or slip into pores or lines, plus it lasts longer than my cheaper foundations and even when I don't use any powder or a setting spray. I can see why it's been so popular for many years. When I started getting into makeup this was all the rage on forums, but I couldn't find a match for me (008 is one of the more new shades), so I ended up getting the discontinued Color Ideal instead which I loved anyway. I was going to order this online since my local Müler has shade 005 as the lightest one, but as luck had it I ended up going to Ljubljana and discovered with that Müller Rudnik has 008 and 006. The first is a fair shade with a neutral to slightly pink undertone and 006 is the yellow version of it. With the help of a lovely sales assistant I picked shade 008 as the best match for me, which is the one I also predicted would fit me with the help of followers on IG (thank you!). Müller just happened to also have a -25% on one product that week and I ended up paying 37 €, which is cheaper than in online shops. 

Müller, regular price 49.79 €, about 10 € less online.

CATRICE Dewy-ful Lips Conditioning Lip Butter 

060 Don't Dream it, DEW it!

I have this in one of the original colours, 010 Yes, I DEW, which is super pale and makes me look dead, but I've always loved the formula. It only took me a year to get a wearable shade, but Catrice finally make me part from those 4 €. Formula of these is so comfy, it's pretty much the same as their old Beautifying Cushion lip glosses or the more well-known Clarins Instant Lip Perfectors. I use it instead of a lip balm. Shade 060 is a sheer medium rosy shade, super wearable and I know I'll use it all the time. These are really worth having if you haven't tried them yet and you should be quick about it if you want them because I heard they'll be discontinued.

Müller, 4.39 €

CATRICE Demi Matt Lipstick

100 Nude Crush Everyday

The initial launch of these completely passed me by, I mean I was aware of them, but you know how Catrice discontinues everything, so most of the time I just don't find it worth trying their stuff because it's gone so fast. However, one of my IG followers asked me if I tried these yet and when I swatched them in the shop I liked the look of this shade. This is so far Catrice's best formula they made in terms of comfort, pigmentation and how smooth it looks on the lips, gliding over dry patches, but it doesn't shine in the staying power department like their Ultimate Colour did. Formula is very lightweight and comfortable, while the finish is the promised demi matte. It's somewhat similar to Bourjois Rouge Velvet The Lipstick, but not properly matte. I like the packaging, it looks more interesting than their previous tubes. 100 Nude Crush Everyday is such a lovely nude shade, neither warm not cool, it just sits perfectly in the middle and it's also not too pale. Catrice likes to repeat themselves when it comes to shades, but I've not seen one like this one before. 

Műller, 4.39 €

CATRICE Lip Coconut Balm

010 Coconut Kiss

I was going to take the pot version, which has some good reviews online, but the last second I changed my mind and got this one I've read zero reviews about. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't do that, though this one isn't terrible. I like super soft lip balms like Palmer's Swivel Stick which is the only other lip balm I own and is one I've been using for many years, but this Catrice one is more like a very basic lip balm, so more on the waxy side, though not at all too hard to apply. The main minus is that this is white, so you get those lovely corpsy white lips with this and it's not a lip balm you'd carry around to apply in public, which is why I bought it because I have the huge "kid's stick glue like" Palmer's at home. As a plus I can say that it last nicely on the lips, it does nourish as it should and it smells lovely like coconut.   

Müller, 4.39 €

 ARTDECO Eyeshadow Base

I watched this Youtube video how to prevent foundation from slipping into smile lines, since so many foundations make mine look so much worse than they are without makeup and the main things used were an eyeshadow primer, a loose powder and a setting spray. Me being a beauty blogger, I of course had nothing in stock that would be younger than 3 years, so it was high time to renew my stash. Just like Lancome foundation this eyeshadow base was THE base to get back then alongside with the cult Urban Decay. Then I opted to buy the latter and it was great, but this time I wanted something easily accessible. I realised we still have basically nothing here apart from (judging by reviews) mediocre Essence and Catrice, so I got this one. It comes in a pot which is not ideal, but we'll see how long it will last before drying out. Artdeco has a sample in the shop and texture surprised me because it's not some thick formula, instead it's pleasantly creamy. This is much more balmy than I expected, I thought it's going to set to a matte finish and feel more silicone-y. Regardless, eyeshadows go over it nicely and nothing gets stuck on wet/sticky patches. With this my eye makeup lasts intact all day. I don't normally have much problems with my makeup on my eyes lasting well, but with this it truly was like freshly applied and blended 8-9 h later. I wanted to use it on my smile lines and I have a few times, but sadly I discovered this has shimmer. None of the reviews mentioned it and I didn't spot in in the shop because it's quite subtle.

Müller, 6.99 €

CATRICE Prime & Fine Multitalent Fixing Spray

I've gone through many setting sprays reviews and apparently Morphe is "the" stuff at the moment, but from brands we have in our drugstores, this was highest rated. The bottle is so small with only 50 ml and after three days of use about 2 cm were already gone, which I was not happy about. First few sprays shocked me how awful the mist is because it didn't resemble anything fine and I got big drops unevenly on my face. The second use was better, still I'm not completely sold on the atomiser, it should be better - I actually got three mists after this one and those have incomparably better sprays (I'll talk about two more in next New in). You really have to press it hard all the way and quickly, otherwise you get this useless spritzy fake mist. This is very wet for my taste and it takes long to dry, it actually smudged my mascara once. When it dries it sets to an invisible/natural finish and it's not matte at any point, nor is it glowy. While there's a lot I don't like at this spray, I'm impressed with its performance. My highlighter and blush were like freshly applied 7 hours later, though it was worn off on the side where I constantly touch my face. It's not outstanding, I'm guessing the high rating is more connected to the price than quality and I particularly bothered by the mist, but it really prolongs the staying power of makeup. 

Müller, 4.69 €

PRIMARK My Perfect Colour Bake it Setting Powder

Nude

I got this on a whim because it was the cheapest and easily accessible powder I could find in Slovenia. I think I only saw this shade, which is a pale vanilla colour, but the might be more colours. I love the packaging of this, it's the best one for a powder because there's no need for shaking the product though a few holes that most powders have, instead it has one of those tension meshes, where you dip the brush into the pot and the elastic mesh helps you get the product out - this is kind of worth it for the packaging alone because it's an experience using a packaging you don't have to shake to get the powder out. Powder is very fine and it blurs pores as well as helps a bit with lines (it's no magic though), but when used it for baking it becomes cakey especially under the eyes. Applied just with a fluffy brush it performs much better, but any more than that it looks heavy and obvious. In terms of holding back oil - it's not super matte, it doesn't leave my skin looking flat and it isn't drying on me, however, after a few hours my forehead is shiny, so I don't think this is for oily skin. Shade is pretty much transparent, but it oxidises in a thick coat under my eyes and gets an a yellow hue.

Primark, 3.50 €

ARTDECO Anti Pollution Spray

I planned on getting Morphe's version, mostly because the mist is very praised for being fine and then I saw this in Müller. It's somewhat similar because it's got water + glycerine as the first two ingredients, but this one is much more bare in terms of nourishing ingredients and I'd still say go for Morphe instead if you have the chance. This promises to hydrate, protect and fix makeup in place. The mist is so unbelievably fine. I've had water sprays before, but this is so much finer. It's like a delicate cloud of fine moisture - Artdeco has a tester in the shops, so you can try it for yourself to see what I mean. I had doubts about this actually doing something for prolonging makeup since ingredients are nothing special and I was sure it's going to be just a basic refreshing mist, but it helps the makeup melt in better as well as stay fresh a lot longer. Just like at Catrice's spray my blush and highlighter, which are usually the first gone were still vibrant 6h later (I didn't check any more after that). My makeup also didn't slip into lines, but it it wipe off on the sides of my nose. Spray is scented, so not ideal for sensitive skin, but it's a nice, subtle scent that disappears quickly. 

Müller, 12.99 €

GARNIER Ambre Solaire Sensitive Advanced Protecting and Hydrating Face Mist SPF50

I got this to top up my sunscreen protection, but I don't trust it 100% that's it's enough on its own. My experience with spray sunscreens has not been the best as those couple I had were very greasy, while this more lightweight. There's some wet feeling when you spray it on and I noticed this has powdery particles that catch on peach fuzz making it very apparent (before I tried this spray, I had no idea I even had that much of it), so this is not something to just spray on the face and be done with it, as you have to a least press it lightly with hands to blend in those powdery particles. It's got sunscreen shine, so a powder or matte foundation is needed and it's probably going to look bad on oily skin, though the feeling is very light and it doesn't feel very greasy to the touch. I apply two coats and it still feels light plus the makeup applies over it ok. It's also good over the makeup, but like I said you just have to press it into the skin a bit to get rid of the powdery particles caught on fuzz. It's got a sunscreen scent and it's not easy on the lungs when you apply it. So far I like this, though I have doubts it will last long. Maybe the body version is about the same that I could buy that one instead. 

Müller, 6.99 €

LVLY Skin Toner

This toner has a glycolic acid second on the ingredients list, so it's one of still rare affordable AHA products in our drugstores, however, for some reason it's not stated neither on the front of the bottle, nor in the description. Why not shout it from the rooftops, since I'm fairly certain this would gain more attention with disclosed AHA content on the front instead of manuka honey, I have no idea. But it has caused small problem, as the reviews on meindm are very mixed with people reporting thing burns their skin, which is to be expected from an AHA product, though the actual percentage of glycolic acid is not stated. It shouldn't be used as a regular toner. There really should be a label explaining what this product is because not everyone reads the ingredients list. It's a regular liquid toner that doesn't leave any residue behind and it's not sticky, it smells clean like soap or shampoo. I've said many times that I don't even feel a 30% content of AHA's on my skin, why I don't know, so it's no wonder this feels like regular toner to me and I can use it as much as I want everywhere I want. I've had reports on my IG that it's a brilliant formula for problematic skin, but I actually broke out on my cheek while using this (not because of this), so it's not keeping my skin clear, though those spots healed to only a mark within a day or two (it wasn't the only thing I used of course). Straight after application when this dries, my skin feels soft almost like I used a velvet primer. I'll keep using this so I have my chemical exfoliation/AHA use covered in my skincare routine. 

DM, 2.99 €

CADEA VERA Vital Day Q10 Anti-Falten Crème LFS20

Mini 5 ml

I got this because it's got SPF 20, ias n 99% of SPF day creams here there's an SPF 15 and this is the cheapest with a bit more. Nivea and Olay have expensive formulas with SPF 30. I don't like this. It's not super thick, but it's not a lightweight formula. It absorbs quickly, but leaves this annoying suffocating filter on the skin. I also felt my skin wasn't moisturised enough. But hey, I got a useful sample pot for 70 cents that will come handy.

Műller, 0.69 €

PANTENE Hair Biology 

Full & Vibrant Rejuvenating Mask

Hair Biology is a new line by Pantene that's was apparently designed for mature women, which made me chuckle. They have this brochure next to it and apparently I'm not old enough yet to be using these masks and I should be using Cleanse & Reconstruct because every young person has oily roots and dry ends. Anyway, I don't buy into this age-appropriate hair care and got two hair masks, but they also have accompanying shampoos and conditioners. Full & Vibrant is designed for thin and coloured hair. The thin part has me worried that it might be too light, but I bought it because it might prevent the colour from fading fast, as mine is (I so wish I achieved a lighter shade of blonde that I'd actually be able to maintain with regular toners). They have a more appropriate one for me, one for grey hair, which I assume contains violet pigments to fight yellow tones. Even though this is meant for thin hair, in my opinion this is much better suited for hair like mine - thick, dry, coarse and coloured because the formula is thick and it might weigh down thin hair. It's another amazing Pantene hair mask, it did everything I need - intensely nourish, leave my hair somewhat softer and tamed. 

De-Frizz & Illuminate Reconstructing Mask

This version is designed for dry hair damaged by colouring. I can't really tell a difference between this and their Repair mask or conditioner. It's a similar thick consistency, but the scent is different, it smells close to Fructis Hair Food Banana. It's another fantastic quality mask in our drugstores, just more expensive per ml (you only get 160 ml here) and in a prettier packaging. Both Hair Biology masks worked equally fantastically on me.  

DM, 6.49 € for each

PANTENE PRO-V 3 Minute Miracle Intensive Repair Conditioner

The more of these Repair line products I buy, the more I'm impressed, yet I don't see much of a difference between them. While the mask is indeed more nourishing and might be too heavy for some compared to the regular Repair conditioner, this 3 Minute version conditioner feels the same to me. Again it's a wonderful product for my very dry, coarse, many-times bleached & coloured hair. Any one of the products from the Repair line you get, it's great, this one is 50 cents more expensive than the conditioner in the same 200 ml version.

Interspar, 3.49 €

L'OREAL Excellence Crème 

8.1 Light Ash Blonde & 9.1 Natural Light Ash Blonde

Interspar had a discount on these, like they do about every two months I noticed and I stocked up on these two shades that I've used up many boxes of. I use them for toning, so I mix them with a different, weaker 3% developer to avoid excess damage. They work better for me than regular purple toners because my hair is still too dark to be toned with those and blue-green ones don't really exist. 

Interspar, 5.09 €

AUSSIE 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor

Mini 75 ml

This was a GWP when I got Pantene, a bit random, but the size is a good one. I've already used up several of these and I currently have the Colour version, which I haven't actually touched since I discovered Pantene. But before Pantene this was my favourite drugstore hair treatment. It smells like bubble gums and it's enough to nourish even my hair.   

YVES SAINT LAURENT Touche Eclat Le Teint

I've always wondered what this foundation is like. I got a shade that's much too dark for me, B30, so I had to try it with TBS Adjusting Drops and even with those it wasn't light enough to wear in public. I think the original lightest shade B10 is an equivalent of Mac's NC15, which is too dark for me, while the new BR05 shade looks more promising, but it's not accessible to me at the moment. This is one of the most beautiful foundations when freshly applied I've tried. It's got the dewy characteristics, but a dry-to-the-touch formula, which is what I look for. It's got a radiant finish without glitter, shimmer or greasiness. It can look a bit greasy towards the end of the day (I didn't wear powder or anything else with) and it creases, but it doesn't slip into pores. I think that with powder it would perform well. Coverage was hard to determine to me because the shade was so dark, but I'd say light-medium as it didn't cover spots on its own at all and I double-layered there. It lasted well on my skin, much better than I expected for a glowy foundation, as 6-7h after application it was still on my face, except it completely wiped off a spot I had and the sides of the nose.

YSL Touche Eclat B30 mixed with The Body Shop Adjusting Drops, which in my experience don't mess with the original formula of foundation.

BIOTHERM Skin Oxygen Cooling Gel

This has alcohol very high on the list, which I'd sort of expect in something that's called a cooling gel (alcohol or peppermint or both). I find that unacceptable for such an expensive moisturiser and for such a price I only expect the best things, which this has barely any of. There's a drop of hyaluronic acid and that's pretty much it. It's a basic moisturising gel-cream formula. It absorbed fast, left a silky finish, but it wasn't cooling as promised. It's scented with a typical fresh fragrance.

Have a great day!

New in #80 - Hair Care Edition

Aussie Balea Fructis HASK Herbal Essences Joico Kérastase L'Oreal New In Olaplex Pantene Schwarzkopf

New in #80 - Hair Care Edition

Admin   June 09, 2019   Comment  

 JOICO K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor

I used to have this product many years ago when I had highlights and then dyed my hair red and back to my natural colour, but I have not repurchased it since because Redken's Anti-Snap was enough as a protein treatment. This is an amazing product I highly recommend to anyone who bleaches their hair or uses high lift colours. Since I bleached my hair again, it got even more coarse to the touch than it usually is and I misdiagnosed the problem that I need more moisture (due to it felling hard to the touch and not brittle). Because heaps of oil and moisturising treatments weren’t doing much, I did a strand test where you take a hair, wet it and stretch it gently. My hair overstretched and looked like a chewing gum, which meant I needed proteins. This is what I went to first because I trust Joico the most. Reconstuctor is an intense protein treatment that contains the highest content of Joico's special quadramine complex, which contains human hair keratin protein in a wide range of molecular sizes - that's what they say. As far as I know proteins adsorb to the hair in a matter of seconds and the general recommendation for this is to leave it on for 5 minutes, but they also say it can be left longer for even better results. The texture is very strange, mine was almost like it's separated and lumpy, but I shook the bottle to mix it and it became more creamy. It's not as easy to spread as Olaplex, so I have to use more product and I have concerns how long this bottle will last me. Since it's a protein treatment, it's advisable to use a moisturising conditioner after as proteins can make the hair feel hard to the touch and the conditioner makes the hair more pliable again. For my dry hair I have to use something after, otherwise it feels like I used nothing and Intense Hydrator that I had in my stash from before proved to be the perfect match and these two did an outstanding job. Together these are way, way better than Olaplex (it's a different type of product though, but equally meant for bleached, coloured and damaged hair), however, Reconstructor should only be use on hair that lacks protein (usually it’s coloured and very damaged), otherwise it can make your hair brittle and I think Olaplex is a safer bet if you’re not sure. Reconstructor has a great banana-like scent that luckily overpowers the strange scent of Hydrator.

Ingredients.

Notino, 18.40 €

OLAPLEX n.3

A repurchase. While I can't report the magical before-afters the internet is forcing on us all (it takes a lot more than unwashed and uncombed hair pic vs a fresh dye + blowout pics to convince me, as they are so easy to cheat), I read the science behind it and how it was supported by the more science-y hair bloggers, so I want to use this as a way to maintain the health of my hair. And indeed despite all the bleaching and colouring, my hair is not snapping off and I easily fixed the coarseness with protein treatments, so it's in good condition. It reconnects the broken sulphide bonds between keratin plates that are ruined by bleaching, colouring and heat tools. It's meant to be applied to freshly washed hair, left on the hair for a least 10 minutes, but I leave it much longer and then wash it off with a shampoo. Just like at protein treatment you need to use a conditioner after. Though there is only 100 ml in the bottle, one lasted me a very surprising 6 and a half uses (I had to open the new bottle for the last one). It's very easy to spread and though I never felt I was frugal with it, I got me through way more uses than expected. Like I said this isn't the same type of magic transformation product as Joico K-Pack or Schwarzkopf stuff I mention bellow, but it does make me feel safer when I doing my hair colour experiments.

Notino, 23.10 €

 SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Tone Enhancing Bonding Mask

Cool

This exists in three versions: Keratin Restore for all blondes (and other colours of course), Warm blonde for enhancing warm shades and Cool for neutralising yellow tones in very pale blonde hair. I got the latter. I'm already a fan of Blondme colour line, especially the bleach, so this is first my try of their hair care and I'm very, very impressed. I've only used the Bonding Potion and the Bonding Mask together, so I'm not sure about these two separately, but together they are like magic for freshly bleached and abused hair. My hair actually felt better after a bleaching session plus toning after I used these two than before colouring. It was silky, soft and nourished. Mask has a pudding consistency, so it doesn't have that normal rich, heavy texture I like, so it was surprising to me it worked so well. All Schwarzkopf products I've tried so far also have a lovely scent and this was no exception. The purple tint isn't as intense as at Ice Cream shampoo I have (that one stains the hands), plus I just toned my hair when I used this, so can't report just how much it's capable off, but any toning that happened was only on very pale blonde hair.

Ingredients.

Notino 10.40 €

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Keratin Restore Intense Care Bonding Potion

This is meant to be used with the Bonding Mask, though I see no problems with using it with other moisturising masks too, it just might not have the same effect and I only plan to use these together. It's an intense protein treatment, so you have to use a moisturising treatment with it to make the hair soft as proteins can make the hair feel hard. They call it a bonding product, the same way Olaplex is described, but while the latter clearly names the ingredient that rebuilds the bonds (bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate), Schwarzkopf is more vague on their website and apart from proteins I can't see a bond rebuilding ingredients, but I'm hardly an expert (the bleach and the mask contains succinic acid that's supposed to protect the hair bonds, but they don't mention it rebuilds them). Hydrolysed proteins such as keratin in Potion adsorb to hair temporarily filling the gaps where the loss of natural protein keratin occurred, while Olaplex rebuilds the sulphide bonds between the keratin plates. You're meant to apply this first and then the mask on top. It's a gel-cream type of product with a medium consistency that is assisted by a high concentration of silicones to help it spread with ease and also instantly makes the hair less tangled and easy to comb through. I used about 6-7 pumps for my long hair and I expected to use more based on experience with other products, but it can be distributed very easily. Like I said above together with the mask they made my hair feeling and looking so great, actually the effect was completely comparable to the more expensive Joico K-Pack Reconstructor & Hydrator duo and better than Olaplex, so these are an equally excellent option, just pick the Keratin Restore version of the mask if you're not a blonde (though if your hair is dark, it won't matter anyway). 

Ingredients.

Notino, 10.40 €

KÉRASTASE Chronologiste Essential Balm Treatment

This is very expensive, but only at hair care I tend to splurge because I see a difference between the cheap and expensive stuff due to my hair having a thicker texture than most (it's been described as "prickly" by others or as if I'm always wearing hair spray). I've been buying their outstanding, but sadly discontinued Nutritive Masquitense Epais-thick for years, so I got this is a replacement due to the overwhelmingly great reviews. It doesn't state for what kind of hair it is, only that it revitalises and adds bounce plus shine, all I can say is that it looks thick and smells like some perfume that is very familiar to me, but I don't know which it is. I haven't had a chance to use this yet, even though it was one of the products I was most looking forward to trying, so when I do finally use it, I'll post an update on Instagram Stories and add it as an update in my monthly favourites.

Ingredients.

Notino, 32.20 €

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL BC Bonacure Fibre Force Fortifying Primer

One review said this is Olaplex in a spray bottle, only better. While I'm not very trusting when it comes to hair reviews, since my hair is thicker and drier than most, I still wanted to see if it's decent. It’s got hydrolysed keratin high on the list and smells so nice, the nicest of all Schwarzkopf products I have. I've been using this for a month now and as expected for a protein product it makes my hair frizzy or at least it doesn't tame it well, but it's definitely contributed to the health of my hair. I won't use it all the time because there needs to be good balance between protein and moisturising care (overdoing either doesn't end well), but I think this will replace Redken's Anti-Snap in my routine. It's very light, non-sticky and doesn't interfere with my other hair care, so it's a nice option probably even for hair that gets oily fast. I need to use it longer, to see how it fares long term.

Ingredients.

Notino, 10.20 €

 L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinary Oil Intense Nourishing Shampoo

I always buy the clear version of Extraordinary oil which I adore, but I got this one to try to see if it’s even better, as this one claims to be for very dry hair and the clear one is just for dry. Unfortunately it did not convince me as much as the clear version. Despite the creamier texture it doesn't make my hair as smooth and it leaves my hair just a touch too squeaky clean for my taste (since my hair is dry I don't want to overly strip the hair), but it produces a very rich foam. The scent is exactly the same as all Extraordinary product, so an oriental clean scent with some cinnamon like tones. I'm sticking to the clear version, but this one might be worth a try for those who found that shampoo too heavy for them.

Ingredients.

Spar, 3.35 €

 PANTENE Pro-V Glatt & Seiding and Repair & Care Conditioner

I got these because I saw great reviews on Amazon and they are selling well there. I tried Repair first and was amazed at how good it is. It left my hair moisturised, actually soft and even a bit shinier (doesn't happen to me often, that's why I add shine with oils). It's definitely one of my favourite drugstore conditioners and cheapest, so I'd be buying this one a lot for sure and I want to explore more of their products. I used a lot at once because the texture is thick and one bottle of 200 ml won't last me long, but for the price I'm not complaining and I found that Interspar and DM sell a a 300 ml version. Scent is pleasant, it's one of those classic warm-clean hair care scents and though it's not very strong, it lasts a day on the hair. 

The Glatt aka Smooth version in the US version didn't impress me as much as Repair. It was ok, but it didn't leave my hair as smooth and soft, though it wasn't terrible and it's still a nice buy for a drugstore, but Repair is my new big love. I'll try other products from Repair line for sure.

Ingredients Repair.

Ingredients Glatt.

Müller, 2.99 €

 GARNIER Fructis Oil Repair 3 Wunder Butter

Fructis mask looked promising to me because it has coconut oil high on the list of ingredients, but then after I bought it I heard it's not so good, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's quite thick, so you use a lot of it at once because it doesn't spread as nicely as more liquid formulas, but it's not problematic. It smells lovely, Fructis-like, so fruity sweet, I think it's mango. This was better than I expected. It felt nourishing enough for my hair and the effect lasted long enough, it just didn't do anything for the frizz and it didn't leave my hair as soft as Pantene, but it's one of the better ones, definitely better than Herbal Essences and I like it more than the Banana Hair Food. 

Ingredients.

Müller, 4.65 €

HERBAL ESSENCES Repair Moroccan Argan Oil

I got this one also based on Amazon best sellers. I used to love their Hello Hydration mask, but I haven’t seen it in ages, just the conditioner, however, these new bottles popped up in the drugstores, which are considerably more expensive than their "regular" lines such as Hello Hydration. This one was the first I tried in my attempt to restore my faith into drugstore hair care (with the notable exception of Aussie) and I'm not super impressed by it. It was merely ok, it could be more rich, though it should be enough for someone with moderately dry hair. My issue with it is that it didn't make my hair soft, so it felt a bit hard to the touch and since I used this after Schwazkopf Blondeme duo, the difference was that much more noticeable. I used a lot of it for one use and left it on for 30 minutes, but still it didn't wow me as much as I hoped. As is usual for HE, it's heavily scented and the whole time it was on my hair I just could not figure out what this scent is trying to be, as it's like you'd mix an oriental-smoky, fruity, candy sweet and floral fragrance in one bottle - it's going to be a love or hate relationship with this one for most I think. It also lingers on the hair for at least a day and my shower cap still smells of it. Since I tried Pantene, I rate it even lower and it's a lot more expensive.

Ingredients.

Müller,  7.99 € (400 ml)

 BALEA 5% UREA Dusche + Shampoo

I got this because I hoped the Urea content will help with my dry scalp. I've tried so many anti-dandruff shampoos, so I wanted to go to another direction with this. It's merely ok. It does nothing for my scalp and it doesn't remove build up well, but it's not drying like most such cheap shampoos are. Formula is thin and I need to use a lot for it to foam, even then it's nothing comparable to the rich foam that L'Oreal shampoos produced. I had hoped for a more creamy, rich and nourishing formula, but it's far from being a bad shampoo, it's perfectly nice for something so inexpensive and I've almost used up the bottle. 

DM, 2.25 € 

AUSSIE 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment

I wanted to buy the original Reconstructor that I used to buy, but they didn't have it in the shop, so I got Colour instead. I always assumed they are all very similar, though the original Reconstructor is by far the most popular and it's the only I tried before this one. In terms of effect original Reconstructor and Colour are very similar and the main difference is the scent - Colour has a milky candy fragrance instead of the original bubble gum. It's one of rare drugstore conditioners that is moisturising enough for my hair, as well as it manages to make my hair feel softer than others. At drugstore conditioners the moisturising effect doesn't last as long on me as at salon treatment and I need to use more leave-ins, but regardless Aussie treatments are still well worth buying. It's nice to be reunited with this, for the price it's really good. 

Leclerc, 6.99 €

 L'OREAL Elseve Total Repair 5 Extreme

One more drugstore hair mask, I really went to town this month with hair care, but I go so quickly though this stuff I like to stock up well. I've gone through several pots of the "regular" Total Repair 5, which I consider one of the best drugstore treatments (together with Aussie and recently Pantene), but I've never tried this Extreme version. I wanted the yellow ceramide one, which I couldn't find anywhere, but this one also contains ceramides, though very, very low on the list (2-oleamido, 1-3 octadecanediol). Ceramides are often described as cement that keeps the hair together, the glue that binds keratin plates. It has the same scent as Total Repair, which reminds me of the sweet scent of roasted chestnuts. Just like Kerastase mask it didn't get its turn yet, but once it does, I'll post an update on Stories and add it to the updates part of my monthly favourites.

DM, 5.99 €

 HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner

I already posted about this one in the Empties, where I expressed my disappointment about it, though granted I did use this one before the protein treatment, so that could have been the problem.  Ingredients are ok, I'm bothered by the fragrance on 4th place, but it has lanolin on 5th place which should help seal the moisture in. Oils are after 5th place, but there's several of them, not just argan. The mask is nicely thick, just the way I like it and it's possible it would feel heavy on thin hair, but I can't say for sure. There is 50 ml in the packet which was just enough for one use for my long thick hair, but for some this could last up to 3 uses and certainly 2 for most. It's got an orange scent with some oriental feel, so it's not a zesty fresh type of scent. At first the effects of this were ok, it wasn't amazingly nourishing for my hair, but pretty good for those 2 € I spent for this. However, by day two my hair was so dry and far from being soft. I decided to use just a conditioner because I didn't want to wash it again, so I used Aussie's conditioner while in the shower. I'm sure that for most this will be a good deep treatment to use when the hair needs a pick me up and they come in a small packet which might be convenient for those who rarely use deep treatments and don't want a full bottle lying around for ages, but for my hair it wasn't enough. 

Ingredients.

Müller, 2.75 €

HASK Argan Oil Repairing Hair Oil

I grabbed one of these oils too, though I've always walked passed them because they look like little samples with only 18 ml. Ingredients look good with the classic two silicones at the start and argan oil on third place (don't know the percentage, but it's thinner than Moroccanoil with the same first three ingredients) and as an extra keratin amino acids on 4th place. The latter is a humectant (it draws water) and not a protein treatment. HASK has four versions of these, two, macadamia and monoi coconut are similar to this one with a different oil, while Keratin Protein contains two proteins, so I actually see it as a different product than the other three. It's got a medium consistency, though it's still pretty liquid for a silicone oil and it does its job of giving shine, taming the hair and detangling. Due to such small size, I won't use this regularly because I'd use it up in a matter of weeks (I've already used up a almost half), but this a nice size to keep in the purse. I think this formula will work for thin hair too as it's really not heavy and definitely not greasy.

Ingredients.

Müller, 2.75 €

  

 BALEA Langhaar Mädchen Hair Oil Intense Repair

I got this for one reason only: it's 150 ml for 4.99 € making it the cheapest such serum per ml in our drugstores. I use these oil serums as heat protectants (anything with dimethiconol works) and since I have to use a lot of it, I get the cheap stuff for the job. Before I had the discontinued Balea Wunder Serum which on it's own wasn't anything special, too light for taming my hair, but as a heat protectant it was lovely because it didn't leave my hair wet and I could get to work immediately (I use a combination of serum oil and Moroccanoil Defender spray. It might seem an overkill, but I want my hair protected). This has a very similar light-medium texture as the Wunder Serum and it's not super effective on taming the frizz like heavier oils do on me such as Orofluido, Moroccanoil or Precious Argan, but like I said I use it for other things. It's got an obnoxious vanilla-coconut scent that everyone apart from me will surely love (I like more perfumey vanillas and this is more car freshener vanilla, so super basic). For the price and the purpose I use this is good, it's would also be nice for girls with less thick hair than me, but it's not as light as Luxurious Coconut (I have a mini guide here). It contains sunflower oil on 4th place, that's why it's so much lighter than other oil serums, on 5th place is coconut oil which is good to see and buriti oil on 6th place, which I can't find whether it penetrates the hair shaft like coconut oil or it just deposits on the hair, but it doesn't matter, not at this product anyway. 

Ingredients.

DM, 4.99 €

 SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Blond Toning

Steel Blue

I've already used a half of this mixed with Sand and it wasn't great mix for toning orange-yellow hair, so I got an extra tube of just steel blue to do it again. For a demi-permanent colour this is pretty drying, more so than the bleach, which was surprising. On the second toning I used 3/4 of Steel Blue and 1/4 of Sand that I had left. I expected it to turn grey-blue when it was processing, just like those toners for very pale blondes turn purple, but it surprisingly turned pink-violet. It toned golden yellow hair best, which is a level 9-8, while it turned my lightest pale yellow strands (level 10) blue silver grey, which I did not like at all and shade Ice would have been better for those. The orange strands level 7-8, which I expected it will tone based on reviews and colour theory were left the same as without a toner, so my hair was looking very uneven with ultra cool and warm bits. I hoped this toner will help with the orange-reddish bits, but it only works properly on golden medium blonde hair.  

Notino, 9.90 €

L'OREAL Excellence Creme

8.1 Natural Ash Blonde and 7.1 Ash Blonde

I got these to tone my hair, since Schwarzkopfs Steel Blue didn't do the job properly. I decided to mix these two because I've used 8.1 alone before and it didn't tone the reddish-orange bits, it only toned the lighter hair. Because I've been balayageing my hair slowly, I had all kinds of shades on my hair due to my hair being so dark and thick, one session could only get me a couple of shades lighter at a time. Ashy tones are great for toning orange hair and I've seen a Youtube video showing how 7.1 works, so I'm hoping it does a better job than Schwarzkopf's Steel Blue. Well, I sort of screwed up, though that depends on what can constitute as a screw up, since my hair is now in the coolest shade it's been, but sadly I started up a blonde and ended up a light brunette. Though I predicted 7.1 will be darker, I thought mixing it with 8.1 will keep it reasonably light. While my hair is now without red bits and there's only a slight goldish hue present, it had undone my balayage and lovely highlights, which I'm disappointed about because now I'll have to do it all over again (I've tried washing off the colour by chelating and using anti-dandruff shampoo, but this formula is proving difficult to wash out for now). To be fair now I'm thinking it was probably the only way, otherwise I'd be stuck with red-orange bits forever clashing with the lighter toned parts, but I really got used to being blonde and I loved it so much. We'll see what I'll do next. Maybe it will wash off in time, but the final colour I got was exactly the shade on the box of 7.1 and actually my original "goal colour", it's just when I got to blonde I got a bit greedy and wanted to be lighter. Also 7.1 lightened my uncoloured hair and it did a surprisingly good job of getting them to a light-medium cool brown, so if you have natural dark brown hair and want to go a few shades lighter, I highly recommend 7.1, you'll get a less warm result than with 8.1 or 9.1. 

By the way, this is my favourite box dye because it makes my hair feel so nice and the conditioner is one of the best I've tried (plus it's 60 ml bottle, not a tiny satchel). 

Interspar, 5.49 €

Have a great day!