Redken Scalp Relief Dandruff Control Shampoo
Redken All Soft Conditioner
As we don't have Redken here in Japan, I didn't know about the brand at all until I've read a blog post or watched a video or something a few months ago. It didn't catch my attention by its looks or opinions by bloggers, but I found their Scalp Relief Shampoo on feelunique when I was looking for a good shampoo which doesn't irritate my scalp. I did a little research about it and read some reviews, and found out that people who had a sensitive scalp loved this product. So I decided to give it a try! To pair with this shampoo, I picked the best selling conditioner.
I was a bit surprised to see this white liquid as I didn't expect anything like this! It looks like a paint or something, a very unusual look for Shampoo.
It's recommended to apply on your dry scalp, massage into it and leave it for 5 minutes, then add warm water and wash your hair like you normally do. I tried this way but it didn't work for me. It made my scalp greasy somehow although usually it's very dry. Maybe it means it worked because my scalp was no longer dry but it shouldn't make it greasy either...right?
So now I rinse my hair with warm water first, then wash my hair with this shampoo. I think it does work, because since I started using this shampoo my scalp has calmed down. Before I had a serious problem with my scalp, sometimes it didn't let me sleep because of itching!
It smells minty and herbal which I am not a big fan of, but it doesn't leave any scent on my hair so it doesn't matter.
Then let's move on to this conditioner which I am in love with. This is definitely one of the best conditioner I've ever used. It makes my hair so soft as it claims. I cannot imagine how soft my hair would be when I use this conditioner paring with all soft shampoo!
It smells like coconut to me, although some people say it smells peachy and fruity. Is it my nose...? Again it doesn't leave a scent on my hair much, which is a shame because I like this smell. My mum has really stiff hair which is opposite to me, and she noticed the huge difference on her hair after she used this conditioner. She loves it and would like to repurchase it once we run out of it.
I really like Redken, it's not too pricey but does its job. Do you like Redken? What's your favourite item of it? :)
NUXE Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm 9.5GBP
I have very dry lips. I cannot live without lip balm throughout the year because even in summer my lips get chapped and sometimes start bleeding which looks gross! But another problem is that my lips are very picky. They are spoiled and they get chapped when I apply lip balm they don't like. What kind of lips are they? Anyway, it's really hard for me to find lip balm which doesn't make my lips chapped, I've tried lip balm from more than 30 different brands I guess.
When I heard that this product worked, I just knew it would work on my lips. I don't know why but I did, and the next moment I found myself purchasing it on feelunique. I didn't even think that it would be a waste if it didn't work.
It came in this little paper box. It was my first NUXE!
First of all, I LOVE this glass pot. It's frosted and that's how I like a glass pot to be. It's a little bit heavy to carry abound (some people mentioned that they leave it next to their beds so that they can apply it before bed, but I put it in my bad and carry it around) though.
It's got this very smooth texture that I cannot describe well. It's different from any other lip balm I own, and I've never seen this kind of lip balm before. Basically it's not like an oily-based lip balm, it's more like cream-based if that makes sense.
When I apply it on my lips, it feels like that this lip balm sticks to my lips and stays there for long. It keeps moisturizing my lips and doesn't get dry quickly. But the amazing part is that although it feels like a thin veil is sitting on my lips, it doesn't feel sticky or greasy at all. It's just moisturizing and feel silky.
It's got this amazing citrus and orangey scent that I love. I remember someone (I don't remember but one of those famous beauty bloggers) said that she preferred a sweeter scent and I understand that some people prefer a different kind of scent but I just cannot imagine someone saying "Ew, I hate this smell!" because it's such a subtle, refreshing scent.
Over all, it's one of the best lip balm I've ever used. The pot, the scent, the texture...I love everything about it. The most important thing is that it does its job without any discomfort. Also I think it will last quite long. I used to spend 1,000yen on one lip balm which lasted about a month, but this lip balm must last much longer. I am so happy that I finally met my must-have lip balm!
Now I'm very interested NUXE, do you have any favourite item of the brand? Would you like to recommend some products of NUXE? :)
Stila Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Palette 14.5GBP
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As you might know, I'm not a makeup junkie. I'm more like a skincare/haircare/bodycare/scent junkie. The reason why makeup doesn't excite me much is because it doesn't dramatically change my appearance. I think it's because I don't have deep sockets which is the typical complaint Japanese girls have (I guess) and also I'm not skilled so I just simply don't know what to do.
But as watching many beauty videos, I finally got to the stage where I wanted to change my appearance and made an effort. Well, that's my excuse to get this eyeshadow palette :P
This palette includes 13 different colours of eyeshadow, and all of them look wearable. The cover has got a magnet inside and it closes tightly. I love how it looks, I don't care the fact that it's too big and will never fit in any of my makeup bags.
It's got 7 matte shades and 6 shimmer shades. Apparently it's worth 78 pounds!
Here are the swatches!
1 - Pink Sugar
2 - Blush
3 - Rosey
4 - Toffee
I personally like Rosey and Toffee, I used those two colours to create this look below:
I know, you can't see much! Why does it happen all the time? How do people take their closeup photos which actually show the colours? Anyway I used Rosey on the outer corner of the eye, and Toffee to blend in. I applied a white eyeshadow on the inner corner of the eye which you cannot see in this photo...sorry.
5 - Linen
6 - Vanilla
7 - Sand
8 - Hazelnut
So, where is Hazelnut? What's the point of making an eyeshadow which doesn't leave a colour? I was disappointed on Hazelnut because I really liked Sand and Hazelnut, the only greenish colours in this palette.
I really like Linen and Vanilla a lot, they both are perfect for a base and a highlight.
9 - Caramel
10 - Almond
11 - Amber
12 - Apricot
13 - Merlot
These colours are very pigmented especially Caramel. I don't think Almond and Amber suit my skin colour unfortunately so I might not use them much. Do you have an idea how to use those colours without looking too orange-y?
Overall this is a very useful palette that I would like to use on daily basis. I'm much more excited to do my makeup every morning since I got this palette. I definitely have a positive opinion about Stila's eyeshadows now, the shimmer is subtle but definitely gorgeous.
I've been interested in another Stila eyeshadow palette which is 25 pounds. Have you ever used eyeshadows from Stila? What's your opinion about them? :)
Caudalie Divine Oil 25 GBP
I first got to know about this oil on essiebutton and ghostparties, two of the most famous beauty blogs. Both Estee and Kate said they loved the oil, and from what they said about it I knew I would love this oil. But I hesitated to buy it because it was pricey, but luckily I was able to get a few pounds discount on lookfantastic.com somehow.
I put the link of the product page on feelunique above because lookfantastic didn't have the same discount offer anymore, and I personally like feelunique more than lookfantastic because they are quicker to ship the products than another.
On feelunique it says..." Caudalie Divine Oil offers everything you need to make your skin
positively exquisite. This multi-use miracle oil is also great for your
hair, your nails, your bath and massages", basically you can use it on every part of your body. I remember Kate from ghostparties mentioned that she was using this oil on her face as well.
First of all, I love the packaging. How classy and beautiful is this bottle!! And I love the idea that it's in a spray bottle because it's obviously much easier to apply on your hair and body. Although the spray is quite direct, I think it's because the oil is heavy so it cannot be misty.
It contains grape oil, extra virgin argan oil, extra virgin hibiscus oil, sesame oil and shea butter to moisturize your skin.
I spray this oil on my arms and legs to prevent dry skin, and on the tip of my hair before blow-drying. It really does make my skin so soft and smooth, and smells AMAZING. I cannot even describe the scent, but according to feelunique this smells is the blend of moroccan rose, bulgarian rose, grapefruit, pink pepper, whilst cedar, vanilla and white mask. It does smell floral for sure but the base with vanilla and white mask is making this scent very mature and sophisticated, instead of a simple floral scent.
I'm addicted to this product now, I just cannot leave my house without smelling of this oil! Unfortunately the scent doesn't last long, and the bottle is too heavy and big to carry around. I wish they had a smaller size so that I can put it in my bag and reapply it during daytime. It prevents dry skin very well without making my skin greasy or oily. I think I've been using this for about 2 weeks now and my skin hasn't been in a better state.
I strongly recommend this oil if you're looking for a body oil. I'm not a big fan of floral and vanilla scents to be honest but this one is totally different from all the scent I'd known before!
Have you ever used this product? What did you think?
First of all, I'm sorry about the picture as it's a bit blur. I used my mother's camera this time and took quite a nice picture, but when I edited using Illustrator -I wish I had Photoshop- the picture became blur like this. I'm not a professional so I have no idea why but well, it's not the end of the world.
So I'm going to go through the products -from left- quickly!
1) Caudalie Zeste De Vigne Shower Gel : I finished the purple one called "Thé Des Vignes" the other day, and I loved that one so much. I thought of putting Thé Des Vignes in here as my favoruite item of the month, but this orange one is also very nice so I pick this one as my favourite. It smells zesty and fresh, it's perfect for a morning shower. It doesn't foam much and that's kind of annoying but the scent is amazing. I recommend this shower gel strongly if you haven't tried it yet.
2) Caudalie Gentle Cleanser : I LOVE this cleanser. Basically it's milky cleanser which you can use in both morning and night. I don't use toner to remove my makeup but this one takes everything off including my eyeliners, eyeshadows, foundation and mascara. It's gentle and moisturizing, which is perfect for my dry skin. Smells so clean and nice, I love love love this cleanser. I might repurchase it when it runs out.
3) Caudalie Beauty Elixir : I'm not going to talk about it anymore as you might get fed up but I'm going to repurchase it soon. I wish they had a bigger bottle like 500ml, I'm sure there is demand.
4) NEOM Real Luxury Organic Body Scrub : A very nice sugar scrub, could be the best one I've ever used. It makes my skin so soft and hydrated, and the scent is heavenly. I pair it with the body lotion in the same scent, it makes me so happy.
5) Pangea Organics Facial Mask : The best facial mask ever. It was 22% off on Vitacost, I will definitely repurchase it soon as my mum and I have used a half of it within a month. It stinks and looks gross but it does what it says on the package. "DOES EVERYTHING". If you want a baby-like-skin, get this mask. This makes it happen!
6) Jason Facial Wash and Scrub Apricot Scrubble : Usually I only use a facial scrub once a week or one in two weeks even as my skin is a bit sensitive, but I use this one twice a week. I just can't help it because it makes my skin so smooth. It's a gentle scrub so you can use it every day if you want, but I try not to use it more than twice a week because I heard too much scrub can be a cause of a skin breakout. This scrub smells very nice, and the apricot oil is very hydrating without making my skin feel greasy or oily. One of the best facial scrubs for sure. And also it's 43% off on Vitacost!
I hope you enjoyed it!
What was your favourite item in September?
BALANCE ME ROSE OTTO BODY CREAM : 18 GBP
It was about 2 years ago when I got to know about the brand "balance Me". It's a British beauty brand which makes the products with natural ingredients. It's categorized as "Natural Cosmetics" in Japan.
I always wanted to try their products so badly, but I hesitated to order online because the postage from the U.K. is quite expensive. And the products themselves are not cheap either. It was stupid of me forgetting to get it when I went to London, it totally slipped my mind because I was busy being amazed by the city! And then finally, FINALLY I ordered it on lookfantastic.com after a couple of years hoping to try out!
The first product I ordered is this rose otto body cream. The website says " Enhanced with a divine blend of rose otto, palma rosa and rose geranium essential oils for a unique, softening sensation" about the scent, which seemed perfect for me.
It doesn't contain the ingredients which could be a harm to your body. I don't like the scent of artificial rose fragrance like LOCCITANE, but I love the natural rosy scent.
This cream is rich and quite thick, but it doesn't make my skin greasy. But it could be too heavy for a summer in Japan. It's still very humid and hot here, and the day I tried it out for the first time was quite a hot day, I remember it was about 30-32 degrees in daytime, and it felt really sticky on my arms. Now the temperature is going down slowly but surely, I think this cream is going to be my favoruite for this autumn / winter.
What I love the most about this cream is the scent. It smells so so so good. I don't even feel geranium and palma rosa, I only smell rose. And this rose is a bit herbal and not too sweet. It spreads really well on my skin which means this big tube (200ml) will last long. Also I love the packaging, it looks very pretty!
Have you ever used any of balance Me products?
What is your favourite?
