My Hair Care Products: Macadamia, It's a 10, Dove, and Garnier

I've been long-plagued with coarse, frizzy hair that has no volume up top but never fails to curl and become unruly below. I have to use the highest heat on it to even get it to sit flat. Given that, I've tried out a few products and wanted to share my thoughts.

Macadamia Leave-In Cream

To be honest, I don't feel this is at all worth the price. It doesn't do anything to my hair and will very quickly look greasy if you put more than a dime-size amount. I'm also not a fan of the smell, which is this strange herbally-scent. You're supposed to apply it to damp hair, but I honestly don't notice any difference between when I use it versus when I don't. I can only trust that it's doing what it claims to in terms of protecting my hair from the elements. 

The one thing this does have going for it is that the ingredients list isn't terrible as far as hair products go, so I don't feel bad sleeping with it in my head. The large bottle will also last forever. However, I will not be repurchasing this.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin 

This is noticeably more effective than the Macadamia at smoothing out my hair, but is also plagued with a rather harsh ingredients list (containing parabens and other nasties). However, I do find this leaves my hair significantly softer and more tame if I spray it in while damp. The caveat is I don't really care to sleep with all the chemicals in my hair, so I end up not using it except for prior to straightening my hair. Decent product, but hopefully I can find a more natural alternative.

Dove Dry Shampoo

This is the best one I've yet tried, and from a performance standpoint it's top notch. It gives my hair volume and texture while also effectively keeping it oil-free the whole day. I use it solely on no-wash days. The one issue I have with it is the scent. It's overwhelming, to the point where everyone around me can smell it on days when I use it. This isn't so great for subtlety. The scent itself is a heavy artificial fragrance, and I personally am not the biggest fan. I'll be trying something else after I'm done with this bottle.

Garnier Anti-Humidity Hairspray

This line has multiple products with a range of hold capabilities, and this one, which is labeled as a "Volumizing" hairspray is medium-hold (3 out of 5 on their ranking). I wish I'd gone with a stronger hold, because this just doesn't keep my heavy hair up for more than half the day. Additionally, it can make your hair hard and clumpy if you overspray it.

I do like the scent, which is a very subtle candy-sweet smell. It also works better than nothing at adding a bit of volume to the roots, but again it's not that effective overall.

Ciate Mini Mani Month Set: Pepperminty

There's nothing like some great post-holiday sale items. I've long wanted to expand out my limited nail polish collection, and found the Ciate Mini Mani Month Set on sale from Nordstrom. The price worked out to under $2 per polish, which I thought was a pretty great deal.

It comes with 17 mini colors plus one full-size of a pink glittery shade called Serendipity, two caviar blends, two glitters, and a top and base coat. I'll be doing reviews on the colors one-by-one as the weeks go past, but overall I'm very pleased with the purchase. Truthfully, I don't see myself getting much use from either the glitters or the caviar because it's a bit of pain to have to apply those to wet nail polish (plus I find the caviar never stays put). But the colors are gorgeous, and the first one I wanted to feature is Pepperminty.

I used the base and top coat too, which were pretty fantastic. The top coat set after just a couple minutes.

Pepperminty is a pastel greenish-blue shade that is just beautiful. I've already received multiple compliments on the color. Additionally, it seems to be wearing well, with hardly any chipping after a few days. This is a great color for the winter / spring, and I'm looking forward to getting plenty of use from it. 

SK-II Cellumination Mask-In Lotion

I purchased this item almost a year ago, during a phase of skincare obsession. It's a very pricey product, retailing at $75, though I got it during a Sephora discount period for just over $60. Relative to the rest of the SK-II line, this is actually quite "affordable", in that their typical products retail for well over $100. I'll admit I haven't really used the others in the line, but was quite disappointed with this product.

For starters, even after months of use I'm still confused as to what this product is designed to do. The description states it's "A mask in the form of a toning lotion that delivers immediate and long-lasting hydration." It describes it as a pre-lotion that's meant to enhance hydration. The fluid has a slightly milky and very runny consistency. Unfortunately, I've found minimal to zero hydration benefits, which rather goes against its definition as both a "mask" and "lotion". On the plus side, there's zero residue, as the product absorbs quickly and disappears almost immediately on the skin. But that leaves me skeptical as to whether it's actually done anything.

On the anti-aging front, I've also not noticed any difference. I've used other creams and products that get the job done far better than this seems to. Overall, it's like a very expensive water for the skin, and I will not be repurchasing it.

The Body Shop Honeymania Eau de Toilette

I hauled this item a few months ago, and have since used it almost daily and wanted to provide an updated review. To be honest, none of The Body Shop products I purchased in my original haul met expectations. For this Eau de Toilette, while I love the floral honey scent, I find the scent fades within a couple of hours maximum (and usually even before that). It rather defeats the point of a fragrance if you have to reapply every hour.

For now, I've decided to step away from additional The Body Shop purchases, which just really haven't cut it in terms of overall quality.

Bourjois: Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and Healthy Mix Concealer

I've heard a lot of buzz over the Bourjois Healthy Mix line of skin products, but as a U.S. resident had never given much thought to owning them. However, recently I had a layover at London Heathrow, and decided to give the foundation a test after seeing it at the Boots there. I have to say I love how Boots has trial versions of most foundations available at the display, which makes it so much easier to color match before you buy. 

I immediately fell in love with the formulation for the Healthy Mix Serum foundation, which comes out like a thin gel. I have dry skin, so most foundations end up looking cakey or accentuate patches of dry skin. So anything that is moisturizing and offers a dewy finish is completely up my alley. Note, they have a similarly named foundation line that's just Healthy Mix (not Serum), which is far more of a traditional matte formula. It didn't work for me, but I could see more oily-skin users enjoying that.

The foundation claims to have "Vitamin-rich fruit therapy" to counteract fatigue, with extracts of lychee, goji berries and pomegranate. It has a fruity-scent when you first pump it, but that goes away and I personally find it very pleasant.

For reference, I'm an Asian with typical olive undertones, and shade 52 was a pretty good match for me (a little light but definitely wearable). I apply about one pump with a damp sponge, which gives just the right level of coverage and keeps it looking natural. It's very light, and considering I usually just stick to BB cream this feels like a perfect step up.

As for the concealer, to be honest I only tested it once at the store. I picked that up in 52 as well, and found it a bit cakey for my liking (it doesn't have the gel texture) but still got it because there was a buy one get one half off deal, and because I don't currently have a concealer in my collection. I'm not a big concealer user overall, since foundation or BB cream is generally enough for me. But if applied lightly around problem areas, this could be very useful.

Overall, I'm fairly impressed with the line and understand the rave reviews. The foundation retailed at 10.99 pounds and the concealer for 7.99 (half off made it 4). This converts into about $24 total, which is on the high-end of drugstore prices but which I feel to be relatively worthwhile for the quality.

The only caveat I'll add is that I dislike how neither product contain sunscreen. I'm someone who will never go outside without sunscreen on, so unlike with other BB creams / foundations, I have to first apply sunscreen and then this on top. A bit of a hassle.

Michael Todd: Intensive Organic Cream Eye Treatment

It's unfortunate, but this eye cream is probably one of the worst I've ever tried. In terms of texture and scent it's passable, but the problem is it seems to do more harm than good. Every time I use this for two or more days straight, I end up developing red spots all around my eye area. These go away once I stop use, but it's absolutely unacceptable in my opinion for an eye cream to do that.

The cream has a medium texture that's not too runny or thick. It sinks in well, but the applicator is honestly horrendous - it's difficult to press down on, and always dispenses far more product than you need.

Overall, I would warn everyone to stay away from this. I'm going to use it purely as a hand cream from now on.

Kiehl's: Ultra Facial Cream Review

Aside from just body moisturizers, I've also been on the hunt for a nourishing facial night cream. I picked up Kiehl's famous Ultra Facial Cream, which is apparently made with extracts from desert plants that work to protect skin from the cold and dry winter air. So far, it seems to be living up to its 24-hour moisture promise, leaving me with moisturized, non-greasy skin all night and into the morning.

The cream itself is plain white and unscented, with a surprisingly light texture that isn't greasy and is very easy to apply and absorb into the skin. You probably could use this during the day but I've been solely reserving this for evenings. It does live up to its word, for I wake up with my skin feeling normal and not tight, despite having the heater running all night.



I think this may just be my new night cream, winning out even over my Shiseido White Lucent by being non-greasy and just solid all around. The only caveat is it does contain parabens (preservatives), which is rather disappointing for a brand that's built its image around natural, high-quality products.