A pleasant surprise: The Body Shop Facial Washes

I enjoy The Body Shop mostly thanks to the gorgeous smell of their products. I was mostly buying body lotions, as they smell awesome and there was no risk of doing any charm to my skin. I was sceptical about their facial skincare products and wasn't even tempted to try it out, until I have run out of face masks from Poland. In UK the choice of masks is very poor, most of the stuff available in pharmacies, supermarkets and Avon is clay-kind of masks, which I don't really like. I prefer "sink in" type of masks, the ones you apply like cream and leave to absorb, no need to wash off, I like to use them overnight. The only place where I managed to find this type of masks (in reasonable prices, as I wasn't even looking among posh brands) was The Body Shop. I have bought two and since there was "3 for 2" offer I grabbed vitamin E facial wash. My newest Korean face foam from Mizon turned out to be rubbish and postage from Korea takes up to two weeks, so I really needed something to wash my face with until another order from Asia arrives. I didn't really expect much of this product, I just hoped it won't dry me out as badly as Mizon. Surprisingly TBS face wash turned out to be so nice I didn't have to make another order from Korea...

Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash

Product description: A gentle facial wash that lathers on the skin to leave it feeling clean, soft and refreshed.
INCI: Aqua, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil/Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance, Benzyl Benzoat, Hydroxycitronellal, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Geraniol, Tocopherol, Linalool, Citronellol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, CI 17200/Red 33, CI 14700/Red 4

In the ingredients list we will find soybean oil, rich in B vitamins, vitamin E and K and Omega-6 fatty acids. Soybean has antioxidant and moisturising properties. There is also wheat germ oil, another source of vitamin E and antioxidants.

The facial wash has pale pink colour, creamy texture and Nivea creme-like scent. The tube is made of soft plastic and contains 100ml of product. It doesn't really leather much, but is a bit slippery, so it's easy to spread on face. It is indeed very mild, doesn't leave skin feeling dry and tight. In comparison to Korean face washes it's not very efficient, the tube lasted only for a bit over month.

But it's not only the mildness that got me into this foam. Primarily thanks to this product I discovered that my skin doesn't like alkaline products. On Snow White and Asian Pear blog I've read negative review of Mizon's foam, that was referring to it's high alkaline pH. Out of curiosity I've bought on e-Bay pH tester strips, which arrived after I've bought TBS wash... So when I was buying TBS wash I didn't know what pH level it has. When I tested both foams it turned out that my Vitamin E wash has slightly acidic pH 6. The immediate effects of using non-alkaline foam was lack of skin dryness and tightness and the long term use effects exceed my expectations - for the whole month during using TBS facial wash I didn't experience a single break out, only during my period one single spot has arrived. One! That's amazing! It's because our skin has naturally acidic pH, which helps to create protective barrier against harmful bacteria. If you use alkaline products, you lower your skin's pH level, weakening it's natural protection system. Thanks to acidic face wash your skin has better ability to protect itself from acne causing germs. I really wish I would have known about it before, it would save my skin so many breakouts...

Price: £8,50 in The Body Shop store.

Pros:
+ creamy texture
+ mildness
+ healthy for skin, slightly acidic pH
+ doesn't dry out skin

Cons:
- doesn't last very long, what makes it a bit expensive
- doesn't leather much

Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash

Product description: The Pomegranate range addresses the signs of ageing. This cleanser softly cleanses and refreshes skin.
INCI: Aqua, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Coconut Acid, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Isethionate, Zea Mays Starch, Parfum, Bisabolol, Creatine, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, p-Anisic Acid, Punica Granatum Extract, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Limonene, Geraniol, Ursolic Acid, CI 77891

This face wash contains moisturising Brazil nut oil, which thanks to high selenium content has anti-oxidant properties. There is of course pomegranate - both fruit extract and seed oil. Pomegranate is a powerful antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin brightening properties. Wash contains also apple fruit extract, which is natural preservative and is rich in skin brightening vitamin C. SLS has been replaced with milder detergent - Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate.

The soft plastic tube has 100ml capacity. Wash has pearly colour and creamy consistency, although not as creamy as Vitamin E wash. It's not very clear on the picture but it leathers much better than Vitamin E wash and it's also more efficient. It has fruity smell, but not sweet and temping smell you would expect from Body Shop - it's smell of over ripe fruit, weird, but bearable. Pomegranate face wash is very mild, doesn't sting my eyes, there is no skin dryness and no tight feeling after use. Similarly to it's Vitamin E cousin it has good for skin, slightly acidic pH 6, thanks to which I haven't experienced any major break out. In general I don't believe in anti-ageing properties of product like face wash, because you wash them off and they have only short contact with the skin, although I have impression that my skin is firmer since I use this wash. But it may as well be some placebo effect ;)

Price: £11 - more expensive than Vitamin E wash, but lasts for longer, so the value would be similar.

Pros:
+ leathers up better than vitamin E
+ a little goes a long way, I use it twice a day from over two months and still got 1/5 of the tube
+ mild for skin and doesn't sting my eyes
+ doesn't dry out skin
+ slightly acidic pH 6

Cons:
- weird smell of over ripe fruit

Summary
I am pleased with both products and I'm sure I will re-purchasing them. I did enjoy my foamy Korean washes, but now since I know that my skin doesn't like high pH, I won't buy them without checking pH level first. Cat Catus from Snow White and Asian Pear blog together with other blogers has created on-line index of facial cleansers pH, which is very handy and worth having look at. Not everyone is sensitive to pH level, but I would recommend trying out products with different pH - it may turn out that one simple change in your skin care routine may make huge difference in your skin condition.

New snail cosmetics from British company!

Among the Korean cosmetics there is a lot of snail products to choose from, so many companies have something to offer: Mizon, Missha, Secret key, Tony Moly, Skin Watchers, Shara Shara, Mypu, Etude House, Benton, Skin79... Thanks to growing popularity of  Korean cosmetics we tend to think that snail products are characteristic for Asia, however snails have been present in Western and European cosmetology as well. I remember that as a kid I saw on some QVC-style home shopping channel advert for miraculous wrinkle erasing snail cream (my access to the TV was restricted, so as soon as I got a chance to watch TV I was watching anything, including these stupid commercials :P). Once you start to search for it, you will find quite a few non-Asian snail cosmetics - Chilean Elicina cream (probably the very first snail cream ever), German Schnecken gel, Portugeese Baba De Caracol or Polish Snails Garden. Recently in a magazine I came across review of Britain's very own snail gel from Dr Organic, a newbie released in April this year.

Dr Organic is cosmetic series created by Holland & Barrett - company producing supplements (vitamins, mineral, herbs) and natural cosmetics.

I'm normally quite sceptic for all the organic products, but I must say that ingredients of Dr Organic cosmetics were a pleasant surprise. At the moment Dr Organic's snail line contains six products:

Gel Face Serum
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) seed oil, Aqua, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Snail secretion filtrate, Glyceryl oleate citrate, Rosa canina (Rose) fruit oil, Glycerin, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Moringa oleifera seed oil, Persea gratissima (Avocado) oil, Benzyl alcohol, Xanthan gum, Sodium phytate, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic acid, Cymbopogon flexuosus (Lemongrass) oil, Levan, Olea europaea (Olive) leaf extract, Decyl glucoside, Zizyphus jujuba (Jujube) seed extract, Alcohol, Phenethyl alcohol, Citric acid, Citral, Linalool.

Face Gel
Snail Filtrate, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Lime Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil. Aloe barbadensis lead juice, Aqua, Snail secretion filtrate (Helix aspersia muller), Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 cocoate, Sodium hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium sorbate, Ethylhexlglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium hydroxide, Litsea cubeba oil, Cymbopogon schoenanthus oil, Citrus aurantifolia oil, Citral, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool.
 
Gel Cream
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Aqua, Snail secretion filtrate, Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl stearate citrate, Cera alba (Beeswax), Isoamyl laurate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) butter, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) butter, Sodium hyaluronate, Argania spinosa (Argan) kernel oil, Prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil, Macadamia ternifolia seed oil, Persea gratissima (Avocado) oil, Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Punica granatum (Pomegranate) seed oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet almond) oil, Glyceryl caprylate, Tocopherol, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Chondrus crispus (Carrageenan) extract, Xanthan gum, Chamomilla recutita (Chamomile) extract, Tilia cordata (Linden) extract, Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) extract, Melilotus officinalis (Sweet clover) extract, Altaea officinalis (Marshmallow) extract, Malva sylvestris (Mallow) leaf extract, Litsea cubeba (May chang) oil, Cymbopogon schoenanthus (Lemongrass) oil, Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) oil, Sodium phytate, Sodium benzoate, Potassium sorbate, Citral, Limonene.
 
Gel Eye Serum
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Aqua, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) seed oil, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Snail secretion filtrate, Glycerin, Aleurites moluccana (Candlenut) nut oil, Glyceryl oleate citrate, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Moringa oleifera seed oil, Benzyl alcohol, Xanthan gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium phytate, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic acid, Levan, Olea europaea (Olive) leaf extract, Decyl glucoside, Zizyphus jujuba (Jujube) seed extract, Alcohol, Phenethyl alcohol, Citric acid.
 
Moisture Mask
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Aqua, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl stearate citrate, Snail secretion filtrate, Glyceryl stearate, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, Macadamia ternifolia seed oil, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil, Isoamyl laurate, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet almond) oil, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) kernel oil, Tocopherol, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Xanthan gum, Glyceryl caprylate, Glucose, Sorbitol, Sodium glutamate, Urea, Sodium PCA, Glycine, Lactic acid, Hydrolyzed wheat protein, Panthenol, Chamomilla recutita (Chamomile) extract, Melilotus officinalis (Sweet clover) extract, Malva sylvestris (Mallow) leaf extract, Tilia cordata (Linden) extract, Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) extract, Altaea officinalis (Marshmallow) extract, Plantago lanceolata (Plantain) leaf extract, Artemisia umbelliformis extract, Litsea cubeba (May chang) oil, Cymbopogon schoenanthus (Lemongrass) oil, Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) oil, Sodium phytate, Sodium benzoate, Potassium sorbate, Citral, Limonene.
 
Gel Hand & Nail Elixir
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Aqua, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) seed oil, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Snail secretion filtrate, Glycerin, Glyceryl oleate citrate, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Benzyl alcohol, Xanthan gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Litsea cubeba (May chang) fruit oil, Cymbopogon schoenanthus (Lemongrass) oil, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic acid, Sodium phytate, Alcohol, Citric acid. 
 
One of the main ingredients in the series is soothing and moisturising aloe, we will also find many various oils and plant extracts. The face gel has much better ingredients than the famous snail gel from Mizon, but it's also adequately more expensive  - £19.99 for 50ml while Mizon is around £4 for 45ml. Anyway, as soon as I finish off my current face gel and eye cream I'm going to try Dr Organic.
You can buy Dr Organic products from their shops across the UK or on their official website. Good news for people form outside the UK - company is shipping to European countries for  £6.95.
 

Why it's important to check ingredients? L'oreal Youth Code Night Recovery Cream

One of the advantage of working in the superstore is possibility of being the first to grab a bargain. Some time ago we had range change in our skin care section and I grabbed discontinued L'oreal's night cream for £3, while the full price was £15 or so. Product was discontinued because L'oreal decided to refresh the range and change the packaging.
I must admit that I wasn't planing to review this product. I bought it only because I realised I am running out of my night cream and it takes at least two weeks for order from Korea to arrive, so I needed something quickly. From all the superstore available night creams I got that one, not only because of price, but also because I feel sentimental about L'oreal. My friend gave me for my 16th birthday L'oreal Pure Zone (line designed for young, acne troubled skin, discontinued now) gift set, that contained face wash, toner, cream and some spot product in handy cosmetic bag. I enjoyed using the series, however as a teenager I didn't have any regular income (no pocket money :P) and I struggled to save money to buy the whole series again, so I had to choose one favourite product (cream) and continued using it for through the whole high school. The cosmetic bag in this gift set was great - I still use it now, after 7 years and it's in great condition :)

But let's focus on the Youth Code. I bought it couple of months ago, when I was waiting for my Secret Key's set to arrive. I used it only couple of times, it seemed ok, but as soon as Secret Key arrived I have put it away and forgot about it. About two weeks ago I finished my snail cream and the snail gel is too light for night use, so I started to use L'oreal again... here it is:

The cream is packed in heavy, glass jar, 50ml capacity. Jar was packed into cardboard box, box was sealed in foil. Unfortunately I have thrown away the box, so I can't give you original product description, but the new version's description is:
Mature skin and young skin behave differently when exposed to external aggressions. As you age, skin takes longer to recover and responds more slowly.
L’Oréal Paris introduces new Youth Code Night Recovery Cream, inspired by gene science.
Every morning, wake up to visibly younger-looking skin:
1st morning. Intensively hydrated, skin appears less creased. Complexion is refreshed.
After 7 nights. Skin recovers a smooth, more rested appearance and signs of fatigue appear reduced.
After 28 nights. Wrinkles appear visibly reduced. Skin looks rejuvenated.

Promises, promises...

 

Cream has nice, lavender colour, the colour appeals to me as something shooting and calming (again: promises, promises...). It also has very strong smell - smell is very characteristic, perfume like, posh. It stays on skin for a long period of time, on the face we will smell it only for a while, but at the moment I have it on my hands and every time my hand goes close to my face I can still smell it (after 30mins), even though I catched cold and my nose is blocked. This intensive smell is the first thing that rose my suspicions: do my wrinkles need perfume?

Cream has nice texture, rich, but not too heavy. It absorbs fairly quickly and leaves skin matte, so matte that there is still no shine in the morning. I have oily skin and I suppose I could use this cream on a daytime, but in reduced amount, as it leaves film on the skin. Moisturising effect is fair. So what's my problem with this product?
Since February I am taking antibiotics to keep my acne at bay. My acne type are painful bumps on the skin, accumulating under the skin surface (professionally called nodules), they take long time to heal and leave scars. Usually there was only one, max two appearing at once on my face, mostly around mouth, chin and lower cheeks area. Since I'm on antibiotics I didn't have a single nodule, sometimes before my period some pimple would appear, but nothing major or painful. So my nodules stayed away until I reached for this cream - after week of using it three nodules appeared. Three! That's my record! I have never ever experienced three at one time before! The first one went away quickly, the second one I nipped in the bud (my irreplaceable Lioele Acne Patches), but the third one was haunting me for good couple of days. What annoyed me the most was the fact, that they appeared on my jaw line, place that was always trouble free, where my skin used to be fair and smooth. Despite of this cream I didn't introduce any new product into my skincare, I didn't change the diet or supplements, I didn't change antibiotics dose, I wasn't before my period - so I am 99,9% sure the Youth Code is to blame.
I decided to look into ingredients list. I have already thrown away the packaging, so I had to research for a while to find the ingredients list, but when I found it I am no longer surprised that I caused me to break out:

AQUA / WATER, SQUALANE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, CETYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG40 STEARATE, MYRISTYL MYRISTATE, OCTYLDODECANOL, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, SORBITAN TRISTEARATE, MANNITOL, POLYACRYLAMIDE, TEREPHTHALYLIDENE DICAMPHOR SULFONIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, PANTHENOL C1314 ISOPARAFFIN, TRIETHANOLAMINE, CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, LAURETH7, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CYCLODEXTRIN, DISODIUM EDTA, FAEX / YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM SUCCINATE, SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS / SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT, MORUS BOMBYCIS / MORUS BOMBYCIS ROOT EXTRACT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, CHLORPHENESIN, CI 15985 / YELLOW 6, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, CITRAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, ALPHAISOMETHYL IONONE, BENZYL BENZOATE, GERANIOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN. 

Let's state something - I am not ingredients expert, I still have to google a lot and go through the ingredients with CosDNA. But even I can see that this ingredients list is up to no good. First we got slapped in the face with silicons, then potentially comedogenic surfactants (Cetyl Acohol, Myristyl Myristate), then there are two UV filters (in a night cream? What for?) and then finally yes, we do have some good ingredients:
Yeast extract - rich in protein that can nourish the skin, contains beta glucan that can prevent skin from ageing and improve skin immunity and moisture; rich in various vitamins B that can flatten wrinkles, reduce pigmentation and soften the skin.
Baikal Skullcap root extract - used in traditional folk Asian medicine thanks to it's anti-inflammatory, shooting, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. It soothes irritated skin, prone to allergies, rashes, eczema, preventing inflammatory process in epidermis. The extract of this plant tones skin and stimulates natural collagen production. It also showed whitening effect on skin and ability to reduce sun and age induced pigmentation.
Chinese mulberry root extract - stimulates collagen production, has a strong brightening effect, lightening sun and age spots,has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on skin, healing and calming irritations.
And while you think everything is going to be alright, the ingredients list finishes of with... wait for it... 4 preservatives and 9!!! fragrance agents. I really don't understand how my skin could resist those three good ingredients...
CosDNA ingredients analysis [HERE]

Price: I bought it as a discontinued item fo only £3, the new version costs about £16.

Pros:
+ mattifies skin, no shine even in the morning
+ moisturises

Cons:
- INGREDIENTS!!!
- strong smell
- price, for those ingredients that price should be illegal, seriously.

Summing up: well, considering how little I payed for it, I don't really regret the purchase - it was an interesting experience, I would have never thought that cream can "defeat" antibiotics. I am going to avoid this comapny's creams, which is a bit of a shame, I have theirs toner and micellar solution, that have nice, simple ingredients lists and perform well. I should have check the ingredients list before I actually bough it/applied it on my face, but I didn't thought about it, as I bought many Korean products without the ingredients check and none of those harm my skin in any way. Just to give you some comparison: have a look onto Secret Key's snail gel ingredients, product made by company considered by some bloggers with more experience in Asian skincare and able to spend more money on it, as an "average brand", brand that is relatively cheap. A few good for skin ingredients right at the top of the list, no preservatives, only one fragrance agent. And all of that for 1/3 of L'oreal's price...

Beautiful shiny hair: Shwarzkopf Essence Ultime Diamond Color Illuminating Oil

Some time ago Schwarzkopf developed with Claudia Schiffer two new lines of cosmetics - Blonde Ultime (hair colourants) and Essence Ultime (haircare). In Essence Ultime line we can find basic stuff like shampoos and conditioners, but also spray conditioners, hair masks, BB cream for hair (kind of leave-in conditioner) and hair oils. One of this oils it the topic of my review today :)

Product description: Dazzling colour luminosity with diamond gloss serum & UV filter for coloured, highlighted hair. Application:
1. Pre-wash for colour sealing
2. After-wash on damp hair to seal and smooth
3. Style-finish for illuminated colour and shine

Oil is in a nice, plastic bottle with 75ml capacity. The bottle has handy pump applicator, which makes application nice & easy. The pump reaches right to the bottom of the bottle, so there shouldn't be any problems with using up the product.

As we can easily expect from drugstore oil, it is not 100% natural product, it contains silicones, perfume (limonene, geraniol) and colourants (CI 40800 - beta carotene). Despite of this it also contains:

• Sunflower Seed Oil - provides a rich source of unsaturated linoleic and oleic fatty acids and Vitamin E. It creates protective film protecting skin/hair from water loss.
• Apricot Kernel Oil - rich in essential fatty acids, which are vital components of the human organism. It creates protective film on the skin/hair.
• Octocrylene - an oil soluble, water resistant absorber covering UVB and short UVA (a.k.a. UVA-2). It is a relatively weak sunscreen, inadequate when used alone. On the other hand, octocrylene is very stable and it both protects and augments other UV absorbers while improving their uniform skin coating. 

Full ingredients list: Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Helianthus Annus Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Octocrylene, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, Beznzyl Salicylate, Alpha-Isomethyllonone, Coumarin, Geraniol, Citronellol, CI 40800.

I take care for my oily hair in similar way as for my oily skin - I use basic and lightweight care in the morning and more rich, heavy stuff, that may increase oiliness at the nighttime. Originally I intended to use this oil at nighttime, but it turned out to be surprisingly lightweight. This oil is not very greasy, my damp hair absorbs it quickly. I apply the oil to my fringe and close to the roots, but it doesn't make my hair look greasy, just shiny and smooth. For one application I use 2-3 pumps, a little goes a long way. After two month of using every other day I used only 1/4 of the bottle. Typically for Schwarzkopf product it smells beautifully, the smell stays on hair for a while.

As you can see my hair doesn't look greasy after oil application, just nice and shiny.

Price: about £5, I bought it on offer for £3. In UK it's widely available in many drugstores and supermarkets.

Pros:
+ lightweight, doesn't make hair greasy
+ beautiful smell
+ gives hair glorious shine
+ little goes a long way
+ handy pump applicator

Cons:
- contains silicones, colourants etc. - no use for people looking for natural haircare
- quite pricey for an oil - we could buy two 100% natural oils in this price
- weak UV filter

In general I am pleased with this product, however I am not sure about re-purchase - I would like to try 100% natural hair oils (but if they turn out heavy I will continue using this one in the morning). If you don't mind silicones in you hair care routine this is definitely worth trying.

My battle with hairloss: Dr. Wolff Plantur 21 Shampoo review

I think that every girl has noticed at some point increased hair loss. My hairdresser has told me that's normal to experience it around solstice - and I had always experienced almost animal-like "fur changing" twice a year. However after last solstice my hair was falling and falling... and my bathtub drain was getting blocked with hair more and more often. The point where I said "ok, that's enough" was in April, when my drain was getting blocked after every hair wash (so basically every day). Even though I know it's only my hair there I was still pretty disgusted and struggled to unblock it. Looking for some solution to my hair loss I came across Plantur range.

 

Product description: The nutri-caffeine complex in Plantur 21 helps to prevent an energy deficit in the hair roots. The caffeine in Plantur 21 primarily slows down degradation of the important energy carrier cAMP.

It can be detected at the hair root after just 120 seconds.

An additional effect comes from the valuable micro-nutrients biotin, magnesium, calcium and zinc. They are important factors for healthy and vigorous hair growth.

The Nutri-Caffeine Shampoo has also been developed for colour-treated and stressed hair. It contains conditioning agents that repair the externally stressed hair. This represents no burden on the hair, since no silicones that weigh down the hair are used.

How to use: Apply on wet hair, massage scalp and leave for 2 minutes, then rinse. Use on a daily basis.

The shampoo is clear and has weird consistency - it's not too rare or too thick, but something about that consistency has made me think "so no foam I suppose...". But surprisingly it does create a lot of rich foam. 2 minutes are passing by quickly, I just count slowly to 120. I have very oily hair, so to make sure my hair is properly cleaned and to save Plantur I first wash my hair with standard shampoo, then with Plantur. Plantur cleanse well, it does not tangle the hair more than any other shampoo (I always have to use conditioner).

In Plantur 21 series we can also get tonic and conditioner. I was afraid of tonic as one I was testing Alpecin Liquid (same company and also containing caffeine) and it was stinging my scalp as hell. The conditioner I decided to skip as I read some review about it and apparently it wasn't very good at detangling or smoothing out hair.

The shampoo surprised my on how effective it is, I noticed some improvement just after week of every day use. I have long hair and I still grow it, my hairbrush is always full of hair, so I can't judge my hair loss by hairbrush - but I can quite easily judge it by my damn drain blockage. Before Plantur I had to unblock it every day, after week of using Plantur I had to do it every other day. In July, after two months of using Plantur, I had to unblock my drain only once a week. At the moment I am using the shampoo only about twice a week, just preventable. What's interesting I'm still one the one bottle that I have bought in April (250ml), so it's super-efficient.

Ingredients of Plantur 21: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Caffeine, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Citrate, Polyquaternium-10, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc PCA, Niacinamide, Limonene, Linalool, Biotin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

There is also version "for hair after forty" - Plantur 39. It's slightly more extended, contains tonic and two kinds of shampoo and conditioner: 1. for fine and brittle hair, 2. for colour-treated and stressed hair.
The difference between series 21 i 39 is that Plantur 21 has nutri-caffeine complex, which prevents poor hair growth and hair loss that was triggered by stress and a supply deficit of the hair roots. Plantur 39, on the other hand, prevents hereditary hair loss. The phyto-caffeine complex helps the hair roots protect themselves against the consequences of decreasing estrogen levels.

Ingredients of Plantur 39 for fine and brittle hair: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Laureth-2, Panthenol, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Chloride, Caffeine, Propylene Glycol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Parfum, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Potassium Sorbate, Polyquaternium-7, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hexyl Cinnamal, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc PCA, Niacinamide, Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Ingredients of Plantur 39 for colour-treated and stressed hair: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Caffeine, Glyceryl Oleate, Coco-Glucoside, Parfum, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Polyquaternium-10, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Hexyl Cinnamal, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc PCA, Niacinamide, Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, CI 47005, CI 42090.

Price: £8.99 in Boots. It's probably the most expensive shampoo I have ever used, but totally worth it!

Pros:
+ super efficient
+ creates nice, thick foam
+ no silicone
+ WORKS

Cons:
- opaque bottle, I can't see how much I got left
- may seem a bit expensive for a shampoo, but considering how efficient and effective it is, there is no con here really

Summing up: this stuff really works, strongly recommended :)

Some pics of my hair:

May 2014: Plantur 21 + Herbal Essences Sensuously Smooth Shampoo & conditioner. I must say tat Herbal Essences "classic series" is my discovery of the year, hair so lovely after them and this smell... I'm close to the orgasmic screams from their commercials ;)
My hair is a little dried out and damaged (pic taken after second in my life colourisation), but no split ends.

August 2014: Plantur 21 + Herbal Essences Shimmering Colour and Sensuously Smooth conditioner + Shwarzkopf Essence Ultime hair oil (review coming soon). My hair is nourished, shimmering, nice and soft in touch. Magic!

Balance Active Formula Vitamin C Elixir Serum

Hello!
Today for a change I got a review of European product - my first Vitamin C serum.
Vitamin C is a popular ingredient in skin care products as it has many positive properties:
- brightens and evens out skin tone
- as effective antioxidant fights free radicals and supports UV protection
- works anti-inflammatory and can speed up healing process
- stimulates production of collagen is skin, making it smoother and firmer.
So if you have acne and scars or spots and would like to take care of them without resigning from anti-ageing products, Vitamin C is what you should look for in cosmetics!

Product description: Brighten up your day, starting with your skin! Balance Active Forumla Vitamin C Elixir is a concentrated and fast absorbing Pro-Radiance "Serum-Powder Mix" that contains active levels of Illumiscin* and Stay-C 50**.
How to use: Before the first use, pour the content of the vial in the Serum bottle, reclose the bottle and shake well in order to dissolve the Vitamin C powder in the liquid. Apply the Serum-Powder mix by gently smoothing it over face and neck. Use within 1 month from mixing and shake well before each application.

*Illumiscin® - patented complex of stabilised Vitamin C, Zinc PCA and Oleuropein, the most powerful plant active from the olive tree. Illumiscin has been proven to reduce the appearance and size of age spots, for brighter and more even skin tone.

**Stay-C 50® - is form of stabilised Vitamin C.

In the packaging we will find 20ml of serum in plastic bottle with pipette applicator (also plastic) and plastic vial with 1.8g of powder. Both bottle and pipette feel rather cheap, but well, we don't buy the product for bottle, do we? :D
Powder and serum are mixing up easily into smooth, runny, opaque liquid. Mixture has a little bit chemical lemon scent, like washing up liquid :P I am using the whole pipette content for my face, it takes a moment to absorb, but it's a good chance for some face massage :) In theory this serum is supposed to be followed by some cream, however for me it feel moisturising enough, so I just use it on top of Hada Labo lotion and follow by BB cream only. For more dry skin you may want to top it up with some moisturiser, for my oily skin this serum is enough, sometimes even too much for the am use.

Because the mixture has only one month life (in theory), I can't remember last time I was using any product so religiously, without any breaks to try something different. I use the product in the morning and in the evening every day, the month time is about to pass next week and the serum is almost done, so the capacity of product is well measured to it's short life.
I must say that I'm quite happy with how the products works on my skin. Used with whitening Hada Labo lotion helped me to brighten up my acne scars, took away redness of the troubled areas of my face. My skin is in good condition, maybe not especially radiant, but for sure not dull and brighter.

Price: I bought the product in TK-Max for £4.99, and the label says the RRP is
£10.99, however on Amazon it's £4.99 as well and on e-Bay we can find it in range of prices from £5 to £12.

Pros:
+ it does brighten and even out skin tone
+ easy to apply - cool pipette applicator
+ cheap, considering the result

Cons:
- only one month product life
- cheap feeling of the bottle
- chemical smell

Summing up, I'm quite glad I came across this product. It worked out quite well for me, probably if I would use it longer it would give even better result, however I have some other products waiting for their turn, so I don't plan to repurchase so far. But I definitely would be looking for some Vitamin C products in the future, perhaps famous It's Skin Effector.

Serum Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Tocopheryl Acetate. Carbomer, Ascrobyl Glucoside, Olea Europea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Zinc PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Parfum.
Powder Ingredients: Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate.
Ingredients Analysis [HERE]

Crabtree & Evelyn - La Source Mini 60 Second Hand Fix Kit

Good evening xx
Unusually for this blog, today I am going to review European product today. I actually received it by accident, but I like it so much I wouldn't be without it!

So first at all - how did I accidentally get it? I ordered some cosmetics from Korea and parcel must have fallen apart on it's way, as I received it in special Royal Mail's bag for damaged parcels. It was still kind of holding together, just side of the box was torn. When I had unpacked it, it turned out that there is completely different product inside...

Sorry for poor quality.

This is a picture which I took as a proof to contact the seller, that I received wrong item. Seller told me that they never seen this product and there must had been another parcel that fell apart and Royal Mail's people must have mixed them up. Anyway, Seller been absolutely ace and send me stuff that I ordered again, so I ended up having this for free ;)

Now for the actual review :)

Product description: Restore dry, parched hands to silky smoothness in just two easy steps with our La Source Mini 60 Second Hand Fix Kit - a rich blend of nourishing marine extracts and intensive shea butter.
How to use: First apply La Source Hand Recovery, our revolutionary hand treatment that cleanses, exfoliates, and moisturises. Follow with our intensive La Source Hand Therapy hand cream for beautifully soft hands all day. Our Mini 60 Second Hand Fix Kit is perfect for travel and on the go treatment and care.

The Kit contains two 25g tubes: hand scrub and hand cream.

Unfortunately I cannot show you the cream, as I use tones of hand creams and it's long gone. But anyway, hand cream is a hand cream and there is no magic in it - thick consistency, pleasant smell, well moisturising, but takes a moment to absorb. Can be easily replaced with any other hand cream.

The main reason for this review is Hand Therapy, which is a scrub. Do you sometimes after applying hand cream feel that under the first layer of skin is still dry? This products fixes that problem. It's absolutely phenomenal!

This scrub has very thick and kinda dry texture. It has really nice scent, floral and marine note, quite fresh and feminine. It contains very fine peeling grains, so it's suitable even for sensitive skin. It's supposed to be applied and massaged into dry hands, but because of it's thick and dry texture this may be a little difficult. I always start off dry, then add a few drops of water and continue massaging. It gives a bit of warming sensation on the beginning. After washing off with water I can immediately feel that my hands are smoother and softer. Brilliant <3

Price: £8 on official Crabtree & Evelyn website.

 Products are available separately in 100ml versions, but they are quite expensive - £18 for Hand Recovery (cream) and £16 for Hand Therapy (scrub).

Hand Therapy Ingredients: Macadamia  Ternifolia Seed Oil, Calcium Stearate, Sodium Chloride, Maltodextrin, Pumice, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Butyrosepermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Eleais (Palm) Butter, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Extract, Algae Extract, Emulsifying Wax NF, Isopropyl Maristate, Water, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2 - Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Methicone, Cetaryl Alcohol, Sucrose Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Fragnance, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Eugenol, Linalool, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.
Ingredients Analysis: http://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic_09ac135739.html

Are European BB Creams worse than Asian ones? Avon Ideal Flawless Skin Loving Beauty Balm review

I decided to have a closer look at some non-Asian BB Creams. I've came across a few opinions, that it's just a marketing catch and European BB Creams are just foundations only named "BB" on the packaging. Are they really so poor comparing to Asian ones? Let's have a look!

Product description: Lightweight beauty balm with mineral pigments feels breathable and delivers moisture and SPF15 protection without clogging pores. Infused with moisturisers, antioxidants, minerals and vitamin E to help hydrate and protect your skin.

The full size product is 30ml tube. There are also 4ml sample tubes, I was using 2ml sample sachets.

This BB Cream - in opposite to it's Asian origins - has 5 shades to choose from. As a pale person I was testing out three of the brightest ones. 

Depending on lighting the difference between shades is very subtele or even invisible. The darkest one from shades I tested - Natural Beige - is the most pinkish one.

The consistency is quite rare, but still good enough for easy application. Unfortunatelly either cream is not very efficient or the samples are not very generous - one sachet lastes only for two easy applications (I think I could get a third one, but with a lot of hassle). Coverage is delicate - it just covers blackheads and evens skin tone a bit. I would say it looks natural on face if it wouldn't roll so much in my wrinkles :( The glow effect is not too strong, can do without mattifier. As for sebum control it' neutral, my face became oily after 2-3h, my standart time. After 6-8h it's starting to look a bit patchy a cakey.

Price: full price is £12, but depending on offers you can get it from £6.

Pros:
+ five shades to choose from
+ hades I was testing matched well my complexion
+ doesn't smudge during application
+ glow effect is not too strong
+ easy to get thanks to many Avon Representatives

Cons:
- rolls up in my wrinkes
- after some time becomes cakey and patchy

Overall I think it's not a bad product, you can find a lot of positive reviews about it across the Internet. I think it'w worth a try, your Representative can get you samples.

So, are the European BB Creams worse than Asian ones? Not necessarily. Sure, there is some marketing catch about the fact, that suddenly BB Creams became more popular and almost every Western company made their own BB Cream. But I think, that before we criticize them just because they're Western, it's worth to try few of them out. When Garnier made their BB Cream you could order a free sample throught the website - I did try it, but quite a while ago, so I don't remember much details about it, but it didn't harm my skin and certainly was better than some foundations. We should remember the fact, that ingredients of Asian BB Creams are not top secret, everyone can look them up, so knowing the ingredients why Western companies wouldn't be able to make a good BB Cream as well? We should also remember that not all of Asian BB Cream are awesome - my favourite ones are Asian, but mostly because I tried out more Asian than European ones. Avon's BB Cream isn't worse quality than some of the Asian BB's I tested.
In the future I am going to test out some more European BB's, my priorities are Avon Solutions, Oriflame and Simple.

Active ingredient:  Titanium Dioxide 5.40%

Other ingredients: Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Pentyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Trifluoromethyl C1-4 Alkyl Dimethicone, Nylon-12, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Polysilicone-11, Quaternium-90 Bentonite, Aluminium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Stearic Acid, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Undecylenate, Ethyl Undecynelate, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactoone Crosspolymer, Tetrasodium Edta, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl, Dimethicone, Propylene Carbonate, Hexylene Glycol, Calcium PCA, Hexyl Laurate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polylyceryl-4 Isostearate, Methicone, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces/malachite Ferment, Saccharomyces/Tourmaline Ferment. 

May contain: Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Iron Oxides, Mica/CI 77019