Review: Decleor Aroma Night Ying Yang purifying night balm

I mentioned in a previous post that the Decleor Hydra Floral Moisturizing Mask reminded me of how much I actually like Decleor products, and made me decide to get some more Decleor stuff. Well, I did, and now I thought I would share what I thought of their Aroma Night Ying Yang purifying night balm, a completely new product for me, but I saw that it had excellent reviews, and since I've never really used night face masks, I thought it could be interesting to try what having a face mask on during the night might be like.

I must say that using face masks during the night might not be for me. This mask is rather greasy, no matter how much of it you apply, and while it didn't really make my hair or pillow cases dirty or anything, I did find it a bit weird to go to bed with such a greasy face. I also thought the balm might have "soaked in" by morning but nope, my face was just as greasy when I woke up too, so I did need to clean my face thoroughly as soon as I woke up, to get rid of the stuff.

But! Even though the Decleor Aroma Night balm feels greasy, it definitely does not make my skin greasy at all! Instead, my skin looked excellent after having used this, so it really does work! If you have oily and combination skin, like me, and don't mind the greasy feeling at night, this is definitely worth trying, because I was really impressed with how my skin looked afterwards!

The Decleor Aroma Night Ying Yang purifying balm smells wonderful too, so it is definitely a more high end product than some of the other skin care I use. And while this might seem like an expensive balm, it actually isn't, since a little really goes a long way with this balm. You only need to use very little at a time, so I think one small jar will last for quite some time, to be honest.

So I came to the rather weird conclusion that I probably won't be getting this again myself, because I am just weirded out by the greasy feeling of it, but I would still really, really recommend it to others! Because while it seems weird that something greasy, with essential oils, would improve already oily skin, it actually does! So give this a try if you have any skin problems like that at all!

Review: My first GlamGuru box

I've been wanting to try beauty boxes for quite some time now, and I even ordered one (a Beautylishious one, that I wrote about here) some time ago, but my first beauty box turned out to be a really bad experience, because it was never sent to me, even though the seller of the Beautylishious box claims to have sent me several, but I never got any of them, and none of my other orders ever get lost (and I order A LOT of stuff online, but of course the Beautylishious owner can't know that...), so I simply do not believe that they were event sent! I did have to pay for the boxes that never arrived, though, and the communication with the seller of the Beautylishious boxes was really bad as well. So I would really not recommend trying these beauty boxes out, seems like a scam to me!

Still, I decided to give beauty boxes another try, and ordered one from GlamGuru, a company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, where I live as well. I figured THEY couldn't say stuff got lost in the mail, since I would actually be able to pick the box up myself, after all. But this company actually surprised me by delivering the box to my house, for free! How nice is that? So I was thrilled with this beauty box company before I had even seen the box, basically.

But the box itself was also rather impressive when I saw it. Well, maybe not the outer box, it looks like this (the scratches on the side are my fault!):

And the inner box is really nice, a chic black one, that I will be keeping for something else for sure:

I also love all the pink paper the products are wrapped in:

And as for the products, the variety is really nice, there's a little bit of everything in this box. I got:

- Some Facial Vitamin Capsules with Black Caviar, by Beyond Professional. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? (and judging by the price if you want to buy a full pack, it actually is, too!) But these capsules are supposed to be used by women over the age of 40, it says, so I am not sure how suitable they are for me... Still, I'm going to try them for sure! Well, at least one of them...

- A tester sized Kava Kava 60 Second Mask for Dry/Damaged Hair. I actually have a full sized version of this hair mask already (I reviewed it here), but the mask is really great, so I don't mind getting more of this stuff at all!

- A Pupa Milano Lip Perfection Natural Shine Gloss, in a shade that doesn't seem to be great for me, at least at first glance, but Pupa really makes great stuff (I've tried one of their primers for instance, read about it here), so I will definitely give this a try anyway!

- A Barbara Hofmann brush. I believe it is a eye shadow brush? Kind of weird to add that to a beauty box, I think, but good makeup brushes are always good to have, so I can't complain about that...

- A small bottle of Payot toner with wild rose hip. Payot is a brand I haven't tried yet, so I am happy to give them a try, and it actually doesn't bother me at all that the bottle is small, since I am not very big on toner anyway, so this is just a product that will be fun to try, not much else, for me.

- A Payot face cream. Will go well with the toner, I suppose. So I guess I will be using them together. Also tester sized.

- A Sothys Paris (another new brand for me!) hydrating face cream, tester sized. But should also be nice to try. I tend not to buy new face creams that often, due to having problematic skin, so getting them in a beauty box is a great way for me to be forced to try new face creams, hehe!

- A small bottle of Uniq One All in One Hair treatment. I've actually heard about this brand before, and wanted to try it, so it's really great to get a sample of this! Especially considering that reviews that I found online for this specific product were really good, so this seems to be an excellent product too!

- A Kaiser nail file, by far the worst product in the box. I don't know about you guys, but I already have way too many nail files, and seem to get more of them whenever I have a manicure or pedicure (which is quite often, ahem!), so I really could have done without this. So if I could give GlamGuru some advice for the future, it would definitely be to leave nail files out of the boxes in the future!

But other than the nail file, I was really happy with my GlamGuru box, and I will definitely be getting the next one too! I haven't tried the products yet, as I only got my box yesterday, but I will be reviewing all the ones worth reviewing separately in separate posts, in case anyone is interested in the products I got. And if you would like to get a GlamGuru box, too, they do ship internationally, and you can get a box here.

Review: Bliss Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk

I love Bliss and their awesome products, as well as Soap & Glory, another brand founded by the same woman that founded Bliss. So I am always really excited to try out new Bliss products, but when I ordered the Bliss Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk, I wasn't prepared for how similar it would be to Soap & Glory's Peaches and Clean Cleansing Milk. But these products really are quite similar (even the bottles look the same!), except when it comes to the scent. Peaches and Clean has a peachy scent, after all (hardly surprising, considering the name), while Bliss Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk has a nice citrus/grapefruit scent.

I must say I prefer the scent of the Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk, but I think that's mostly a matter of personal preference.

Another thing you should know is that you can actually leave the Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk on for a bit longer, for like 5 minutes, if you want a more thorough cleansing of your skin. I don't think you can do that with Peaches and Clean, because I've tried it by accident once, and it really made my skin sting, but the Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk doesn't do that, so you can use it as a faster version of a face mask from time to time as well, if you want.
(I must admit I don't do that though, if I want a face mask, I put an actual face mask on instead, so I am only using this cleansing milk when I am in a hurry)

I have oily/combination skin and this really helps clear my skin up. So I can definitely recommend it for anyone looking for clearer skin. I will get this cleansing milk again for sure, and maybe alternate between this and the Peaches and Clean one.

Review: Chanel Miroir Double Facettes Mirror Duo

I've mentioned at least twice before (here and here) that I got a Chanel Miroir Double Facettes Mirror Duo on the Strawberrynet makeup sale a while ago (why the mirror was included in a makeup sale is beyond me, but I did get a nice discount on it, so I am certainly not complaining!), and now I have had a chance to try this mirror for some time, so I thought I'd share what I thought of it.

First of all, I will say that no-one really NEEDS a Chanel mirror of course, but if you are like me, it is a nice purchase since using a mirror like this instantly adds some glamour into your daily makeup routine. The mirror looks very chic, very Chanel and is well made. So one of the mirrors does indeed magnify, while the other mirror is more of a normal mirror.

I am happy I got this mirror, it looks exactly like it does in the pictures on Strawberrynet in real life too, doesn't seem to be very fragile, so I don't need to worry about scratches and such just yet, and I will happily carry this mirror around with me for now. It's fun pulling out Chanel stuff out of your bag when you need a small pick me up, even if it is just a mirror!

Review: Revolution Kava Kava 60 Second Mask For Dry and Damaged Hair

I mentioned that I really like Kava Kava's shampoo for dry and damaged hair in my previous post, but the hair mask, that you are supposed to be using with this shampoo is actually even better than the shampoo!

Why is that?
First of all, the texture and the scent of this hair mask is just lovely, you don't need to use a lot of it at a time either, since a little really goes a long way with this product. It also gives you just wonderful results, my hair is both softer, less dry and more manageable with this hair mask, which really impressed me.

I also like that you don't need to leave this hair mask in for a really long time, 60 seconds is all it takes, and while I am someone that showers pretty fast, I will admit that I usually do have 60 seconds to spare in the shower. So this mask works really well for me!

I will definitely be getting the Kava Kava 60 Second Mask again, and would highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble with dry hair. It's organic and cruelty free as well, and while I know this hair mask can be rather hard to find in some areas, I did see that there are some of these masks available on Ebay, so if you don't manage to find Kava Kava products, like the 60 Second Mask For Dry and Damaged Hair, anywhere else, you might want to give Ebay a try. Here is one auction, where you can get the 60 Second Mask, for instance.

Review: Kava Kava shampoo for dry and damaged hair

I tried the Kava Kava shampoo and hair mask for blonde hair a while ago, and was really pleased with both products, so when I saw that Kava Kava also makes a similar set for dry and damaged hair, which is not a very far off description of my own hair (well, it's not so damaged, but dry for sure!), I really wanted to try the Kava Kava shampoo and hair mask for dry and damaged hair too.

And I have to say that these products are really good as well! They don't look as cool as the purple Kava Kava products for blonde hair, but looks aren't everything, and they do work wonders!

This shampoo doesn't really have a very distinctive scent, but I don't really mind that, since the hair mask, that I always use after the shampoo (but more about the mask in a separate post) smells quite nice.

The shampoo is hydroganic and organic as well, and is cruelty free, which is very important to me these days, when choosing a shampoo, so I can't really think of anything bad at all to say about this shampoo. Especially since it's available in really big bottles too (that's the kind I got myself)!

Highly recommended, I will definitely be buying this again. The only problem is, I can't decide if I like this shampoo or the Kava Kava shampoo for blonde hair better. So I guess I will just have to alternate between the two... Oh, well!

If you're interested in reading more about this shampoo, I recommend Kava Kava's own website, where they have a description of it as well.

Some of my new Chanel stuff is here!

I mentioned in a previous post that I order several Chanel products when Strawberrynet had a makeup sale recently. I still didn't get everything I ordered (even though the Dior products I ordered around the same time have arrived already), but I did get the mirror and the lip stick I ordered, so I will be reviewing both of those shortly.

 

Another thing very high on my beauty wish list right now...

... is the rather new scent Jour d'Hermes, the new Hermes scent. I've actually had a chance to take a whiff off this, and it smelled absolutely divine! So I really should get a bottle for myself as well!

(pic from Fashion Copious)

At the top of my beauty wish list right now...

... is a Garnier product, namely their 5 Sec Perfect Blur primer, which has gotten quite excellent reviews almost everywhere. And since I am yet to find the perfect primer (even though the MAC one I tried a while ago is pretty good), I am hoping this primer might be what I am looking for.

I must go by the pharmacy (that usually has a pretty good selection of Garnier products) to see if they have this soon!

(pic from Ebay)

Review: Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lip Balm

I mentioned in my post about my 2 new Dior lip products that I would be reviewing my new Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lip Balm, and well, now it's time for that review.

I was actually not sure about getting this product, since the whole idea behind this product is that it "awakens" and strengthens your own natural lip color, and to be honest, I wasn't really sure what shade that would be in my case, and if I would like it or not. The main reason being that I like nudish lips, very light pink ones, and I suspected that that would actually not be my natural lip color. But after having tried the Lip Glow, I must say I was happy with the results. The color of my lips, after I applied this was very similar to how my lips look without anything on them, just a bit darker, which looks really, really natural and nice. It actually looks like you haven't used any lip product on the lips at all, which is very, very nice, if you ask me!

The packaging of the Lip Glow Color Awakening Lip Balm is not as luxurious as what I am used to with Dior products, though, the case looks kind of plasticky.

But the Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lip Balm moisturizes your lips quite well, too, besides changing the color of the lips, which was a nice surprise. And the texture is really nice and buttery too.

So while this is not my favorite lip product of all time or anything, I am still really happy I gave it a try, and would probably buy it again, for days when I want a natural lip look, if you know what I mean.

Besides the packaging, which wasn't a hit for me, at least compared to other Dior products, the only downside of this product is the price. This is pricey for a lip balm, after all, but I think it will last me for quite some time, so maybe it's not as expensive as it seems for that reason?

Review: Lee Stafford Poker Straight conditioner

I mentioned in my previous post, the review about the Lee Stafford Poker Straight shampoo, that I wasn't very pleased with the conditioner from the same range either. But I will say that the conditioner was a tiny bit better than the shampoo, since the texture of the conditioner was quite nice. But other than that, the Lee Stafford Poker Straight conditioner has the same problems as the shampoo, mainly that the scent is very strong and not nice at all, that the bottle is quite bad and hard to get anything out of.

The conditioner also doesn't do anything about making your hair straighter, which was a huge disappointment, since that's why I got this product in the first place, and it also doesn't hydrate my hair at all, my hair was always very dry after I used this.

You also really need to use quite a lot of this product in order to feel like it's enough, so the small bottle I got, would not last me very long at all, if I kept using this. But I actually won't do that anyway, since I didn't like this conditioner one bit, so in my case that won't really be a problem, but if you are reading this review in order to figure out if you will manage with one bottle of conditioner per one bottle of shampoo, the answer would definitely be no, at least if you have longer hair. In that case, you definitely need to get at least 2 bottles of the conditioner!

That said, though, I really wouldn't recommend the shampoo OR the conditioner, they just didn't do anything at all for me, and there are way better alternatives out there, so I'd highly recommend trying other shampoos instead.

Review: Lee Stafford Poker Straight Shampoo

I've been trying out a lot of hair products lately, as you might have noticed if you've been reading the blog for a while. I've actually had the Lee Stafford Poker Straight set, consisting of a shampoo and a conditioner for quite some time, but I really did not like these products, which made it hard for me to use them often enough to be able to review them. I do think you need to use products you review more than once before you can give a verdict on them, and after I tried the Lee Stafford Poker Straight Shampoo for the first time, I was so disappointed, I really didn't want to use it again!

Why was I so disappointed then?
First of all, I absolutely hated the scent of this shampoo. As you may know, if you've been reading this blog for a while, I like girly scents (which is why I am a big fan of Soap & Glory, for instance, I suppose) and this shampoo really smells like a man's Eau de Cologne, and not even a nice one.

Second of all, the bottle is really bad. It's hard and impossible to press, which makes it really hard to get anything out of the bottle, even when the product is brand new and full. So I can only imagine how hard it will be when there's just a bit left.

I also didn't think that the shampoo did much for my hair. In all fairness, I should add that the bottle itself says that you should use a whole range of the Lee Stafford Poker Straight products, and not just the shampoo and conditioner, but I personally do not have the time to use 4 or 5 different products on a regular basis, so I just used these 2 products, which might mean that they didn't live up to their whole potential. If I would have actually been using the whole range, maybe I would have seen the point, but as it is now, I think the shampoo was really bad, it made my hair smell quite horrible (the scent is quite strong too), but didn't seem to clean it well. And as for making the hair straighter... I really didn't see any difference at all.

So this shampoo really didn't have any redeeming qualities at all for me, which was surprising, since I did do some research on this before buying these products, and a lot of people seem really pleased with both the shampoo and the conditioner. But I really think using the whole range might make a huge difference.

But I will not be buying this shampoo again, that's for sure!