L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Conditioner

After trying the L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Shampoo, I wanted to try the conditioner as well to see if it strengthened the results. The Triple Resist range from L’Oreal aims to reinforce and nourish broken or brittle hair, making it appear healthier and to help prevent breakage. For a 400ml bottle, you can expect to pay roughly £3.99 depending on where you buy the product from. When I bought my bottle, it was on offer in Wilkos for £2.99.  

What I love about this range of L’Oreal is the packaging. Instead of a boring conditioner bottle, this one comes in black and bright pink. The packaging instantly stood out to me on the shelf in the shop and it is far more attractive than others I have on the shelf in my bathroom. The bottle has text giving the name of the product and what is does printed in white although some is highlighted by the pink. The bottle states that this shampoo is for fine and fragile hair and Loreal explain that ‘you put your hair through daily torture and sometimes it can lack essential nourishment. Weakened, your hair has a tendency to break and fall out.’

The opening of the bottle is at the bottom, like with most conditioners and is a pink flip cap. The cap opens really easily and the bottle only needs a gentle squeeze in order for the white conditioner to come out. The conditioner is quite thick in consistency but not so much that you cannot smooth it over your hair easily. This also has the same scent as the shampoo from the same range, which is quite floral and girly.

When applying the conditioner, I did so only to the ends and the middle of my hair. I never put conditioner on my roots as it tends to make my hair greasy and besides, this one aims to helps broken ends which is exactly what I needed. While the conditioner is quite thick, you don’t need to use too much of it. I have hair that goes half way down my back but I only used a small blob of conditioner. This means that the 400ml bottle will last quite a long time, and even longer for those with short hair.

When just using the shampoo, my hair felt great after a shower but with the addition of the matching conditioner, I couldn’t believe the results. My hair was instantly a lot softer and smoother than it would normally have been at this point, especially when wet. I could comb through my hair with complete easy and no time was spent getting those horrible knots out. After blow drying, my hair felt thicker than normal, soft and it also smelt fantastic. I love how the scent of the conditioner sticks to hair after rinsing it out and drying it. The scent also lasts really well, which is something I don’t get from many other hair products.

Combined with the shampoo, this conditioner works exceptionally well. I have noticed that my hair falls out and breaks so much less than it did before I started using these products so it’s nice to not find random hairs all over my clothes and my flat.

Sanctuary Body Wash

Since being bought a big Sanctuary gift set for my birthday, I have fallen in love with the brand. Everything I have used so far has been great. This review is for the Sanctuary Body Wash which is available from Boots and the Sanctuary Spa. It costs £5.50 for a 250ml bottle.

The body wash comes in a clear plastic bottle which has a frosted pull off cap. The bottle has the Sanctuary Spa name and logo printed on the front as well as a small description of the product. The bottle is nice enough but it is a little plain. If it wasn’t for being able to see the product inside, it would be extremely boring. The actual body wash is a wonderful light orange colour which also has capsules of sesame oil and jojoba inside and these are a darker orange. I think that these small capsules are what help to make the body wash look so attractive. It breaks up the monotony of a one colour body wash and it looks a bit different from anything else I have in my bathroom.

When using the body wash, it has the consistency of a thick gel. However, due to the added capsules, it is not the smoothest of gels but instead has a bitty texture to it. Now, this body wash doesn’t later up very well so you do actually only need to use one dollop of it. To begin with, I thought I wasn’t using enough as it didn’t lather up well but after trying out different measures of the body wash, I’ve realised that it doesn’t matter how much you use because you get the same results regardless. Although this body wash doesn’t lather up well, it does feel fantastic on the skin. The small lather feels very soft and silky and luxurious on the skin. When washing, you can feel the small capsules on your body but they don’t hurt or rub at all and they wash away easily instead of ending up being stuck in the bottom of the bath or shower like scrubs do.

Sanctuary use a mix of spices in their products which gives them a quite unusual scent to them. I do like the smell of Sanctuary products though and this one especially. Hot water added to the body wash makes the bathroom fill with the rich, spicy fragrance and it is extremely refreshing. This body wash has a scent different from any other brand I know and it definitely stands out to me.

After using this, my skin feels incredibly soft and smooth but the scent does not last. Not too long after getting out of the bath or shower I notice that my skin doesn’t really smell of anything much at all. I really love how this smells in the shower but it is such a shame that my skin doesn’t get to smell of it afterwards. For the hefty price tag of £5.50 a bottle, I want more than just a nice smelling shower. So, because of that, I am not completely impressed with this product.

Palmolive Soft & Gentle Aroma Therapy Sensual Antiperspirant Deodorant

I have tried many deodorants in the past and I generally tend to buy them depending on the price, not the brand. At the time of purchase (which was a while ago now) the Palmolive Soft & Gentle Aroma Therapy Sensual Antiperspirant Deodorant cost only £1 and was on offer in Wilkos. The actual fragrance of this product is Wild Rose and Vanilla.

The deodorant comes in your average canister for this kind of product. The colours on the canister are mostly pink and white, with the bottom being a bright pink with white covering the top two thirds. The pop off lid matches the bright pink colour at the bottom of the canister. The words Soft & Gentle are printed on in large letting which makes the product stand out on a shelf. There are also pictures of flowers which makes it appear feminine.

Once the pink cap is off, it reveals a push down white spray nozzle. With a first, hard press, the nozzle releases the deodorant. It is advised that you spray this roughly 15-30cm away from the body. The deodorant comes out quickly once the nozzle is pressed in a white spray form. One thing I dislike about this deodorant is how thick the spray is. My flat is pretty small and the bathroom has no ventilation so if I use this product in there, the room fills up and makes it hard to breathe. Instantly though, you can smell vanilla with the hints of rose coming out slowly. The vanilla is by far the strongest of the two scents but I don’t mind this at all as I love the smell of vanilla.

Palmolive claim that this product is ‘specially formulated to battle unwanted wetness and unpleasant odours throughout the day.’ They also claim that it has a 24 hour formula which can keep you fresh and dry. I do find that this deodorant lasts for a good few hours, helping to keep away sweat and any unpleasant smells that this can cause. However, there is no way it lasts anywhere near 24 hours. I don’t even think it really lasts for 6. Maybe the whole 24 hour thing is for people who barely sweat at all and not normal people.

While this deodorant has a lovely scent, it just doesn’t last which is a shame. This is one of the few deodorants which doesn’t leave horrible white marks but it also doesn’t do what I need it to do. For £1 though, I guess I can’t complain too much. 

Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Gloss Conditioner

My lovely mother in-law bought me a bag full of Schwarzkopf hair goodies for my birthday. Schwarzkopf Gliss isn’t a brand I had ever used before and I was looking forward to using something a bit different from what I would normally buy. The Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Gloss Conditioner claims that it can repair hair cells to give 130% more shine.

The bottle of conditioner comes in a wonderfully girly bottle. The colour of the bottle is a light, sugary pink with a silver flip cap at the bottom which is also how the bottle stands up. The bottle has the Schwarzkopf logo right at the top with Gliss printed in large, bold letters underneath it. It also states that this is a hair repair conditioner and aimed at people with brittle or dull hair. Compared to the packaging of other hair products in my bathroom, I do like this one more. The colour is brighter, the bottle sleeker and it generally just looks nicer.

As my hair is pretty long and very fine, it doesn’t look very full or healthy most of the time. I get split ends extremely easily and blow drying and straightening doesn’t help this. I like my hair to look as nice as possible though and have been looking for a shampoo/ conditioner that makes it look healthier for a long time. This conditioner claims that it contains proteins that are identical to those in actual hair which makes it able to repair deep inside the hair. This sounded like a pretty good claim to me but was it true?

After shampooing my hair, I used a dollop of the conditioner (probably a bit more than most people would) and covered my hair with it. After leaving the conditioner on for a couple of minutes, I rinsed it out and covered my hair with a towel straight after getting out of the shower. Even before combing through my hair I could feel that my split ends were not nearly as dry as normal. Once combed through, my hair felt so much more healthy than I had been used to. The comb glided through my hair instead of me having to take a long time to get through it.

After blow drying, I could see the effects rather than just feeling them.  My hair is softer, smoother and definitely shinier after using this conditioner and it also smells really nice too. My boyfriend regularly comments on how nice my hair smells now since using this. Also, as I do have fine hair, I find some conditioners too harsh to use every single day and I generally have to change up what I use. However, this one does not weigh down my hair at all but instead, it feels soft every single day.

I absolutely love this conditioner and it is now my new favourite. A 200ml bottle of this conditioner will currently set you back £2.49 from Superdrug.

Asda Moda Feather Print T-Shirt

White is a colour that doesn’t generally see the inside of my wardrobe. Although it is not all black in there, I do like to wear darker coloured tops but this year I felt like a bit of a change. When I saw the Moda Feather Print T-Shirt in Asda, I had to have it. This t-shirt is available in sizes 10-22 but right now, it is sold out online, showing how popular it has been but it would normally cost £10.

This top is not completely white, which is why it stood out to me. Printed on the front is a feather design which is made up of pink, black, white and tiny bits of green. The feathers begin on each shoulder, facing inwards and getting slightly thinner the further down the top it goes. To me, this looks like the opposite of angel wings because if you inverted the design, that is what it would look like. The feather design is absolutely beautiful, with the feathers being outlined in black and showing the pink, white and green in the middles. Also, the large white parts of the top have a slightly darker, burnt out white spotted print on them as well which again, breaks up the monotony of the colour without making it look too cluttered or busy.

This t-shirt only has tiny sleeves which is another design detail that I really like. The cut of the t-shirt is very relaxed but very modern too. The front is straight while the back is slightly longer and curved at the bottom. The style and cut of this t-shirt makes it look very casual but the design is what makes it that little bit more special. Due to the colours mixed in with the white, this top is colourful but not over the top. Being made out of 100% polyester, this isn’t made from the best material but it is lightweight and breathable. The fit also isn’t skin tight which makes it a really nice fit for the summer.

This is by far one of my favourite t-shirts right now and it was a fantastic price so great value for money.

Veet Easy Wax Electrical Roll On Kit

What you get in the kit

I recently signed up to a site called Bzzagent, where you get to trial products and spread the word about them. My first campaign was for the Veet Easy Wax Electrical Roll On Kit. Inside my pack was the main roll on kit, which consisted of the heating device, a 50ml refill for legs and arms, 12 waxing strips, 4 wipes and instructions. I also got a refill pack for bikini lines and underarms. The retail price for the main, big kit is £29.99 and refills are roughly £9.99. (They are a lot cheaper on Amazon though)

I have never waxed before having always used razors so I was a little wary about what using this would be like. However, Veet claim that this product uses the same ingredients as salons and can give salon waxing finishes at home. I do get bored of shaving my legs at least once a week but have always been too scared of the pain of waxing. Before using this product, Veet recommend exfoliating the day before you intend to wax and for hair to be between 2 and 5mm long.

The device

So having exfoliated the day before, I got ready to be in some serious pain. The heating device is easy to assemble. All you need to do it plug it in to the mains, the other end plugged into the device and then pop it into the base stand. The refill pack slots into the device easily. Once the heating system is on, there is a little red light at the bottom which indicated it is heating. The heating device is quite plain as it is mostly white with a bright pink cap and pink sides which are made from rubber. This makes it easier to hold in the hand and less likely to slip.

On the top of the refill is a roller, which is what is used to put the wax on your legs.  

First use

The device with heated wax

Veet say that the device should take around 20 minutes to heat up properly. This can be tested by moving the roller on the top of the device. If the device is heated properly, the roller will move freely but if it doesn’t, just leave it to heat up for a bit longer. Mine took quite a bit longer than 20 minutes to heat up enough to be able to use the product though. After 20 minutes I couldn’t move the roller at all. After 30 it moved a little bit but it wasn’t until after 45 minutes that I could move it enough that wax showed.

At this point, I was getting bored of waiting and just wanted it to be over. I had my waxing strips all laid out on the table in front of me ready for use as well as the wipes to get rid of any excess wax. I must say at this point that this wax does not come off with water so the wipes provided must be used. So, once the device had heated up enough to use, I slowly rolled the wax on to the middle of my leg in the direction of my hair growth. With the right pressure, the peach/ pink coloured wax provides an even line on the skin. At this point, I immediately applied the waxing strip and got ready to rip it off.

The ripping of the strip was by far the scariest part of this whole process. Veet advise to hold the skin down taut before ripping it off for better results. The sound of the wax strip being ripped off was far worse sounding than it actually felt. While I cannot say that it didn’t hurt at all, it wasn’t nearly as painful as I had imagined it to be. Instead of actual pain, I would describe the feeling as slight discomfort more than anything but I think I would get used to this quickly if I were to keep on using the wax.

However, on one part of my leg I did end up using too much wax and removing this did hurt like hell. You only need to use one roll of the wax – do not go over it more than once and this is where I went wrong. The wax was too thick and the strip did not rip off easily. Instead, I had to do it slowly which is why it hurt so much. Lesson learned though.

How well does it work?

My leg after use

While the pain was minimal, I wasn’t completely impressed with this product. For the price, I wanted my legs to be completely hair free but this wasn’t what I got. Although I made sure to wax on lines right next to each other, covering everywhere with hair, I was left with small bits of hair on both of my legs. Considering the hair left on the waxing strips, I thought I had got it all but apparently not. The hair on my legs wasn’t too long, maybe only 2-3mm so it wasn’t too short nor too long compared to what Veet recommended.

After waxing, my legs were left feeling quite tingly and extremely sticky. Veet supply for wipes for use after waxing due to the wax not being able to be removed with water. The wipes come in small foil packets and are extremely oily to the touch. These removed the residue wax on my legs really well but my legs were left feeling very oily afterwards. Luckily I was having a shower after waxing so I didn’t mind this too much.

Due to the wax not removing all of the hair, I had to go over parts of my legs with a razor. This kind of defeats the point of waxing in my eyes but maybe as it was my first time, I didn’t do it as well as I should have. I also ended up using the whole 12 waxing strips so to use this again, I need to purchase some more.

Overall

Due to the price of the starting pack, I am not as impressed with this product as I could have been. Although I was left with random hair on my legs, that parts that were waxed properly were extremely smooth and felt wonderful. The refill pack has enough wax in it for 4 uses on legs so I will buy some more strips so that I can use it again. It seems silly to waste something so expensive. 

July Glossybox

July's Glossybox has finally arrived!! I'm not sure why this month's box came so late into the month but I was still excited when it turned up. This month's Glossybox is titled 'Seaside Splash' and contains summer must haves for face, lips, hair and nails. 

This month, we get something a little different from the usual pretty pink box and instead, the box is a lovely turquoise colour with coral and starfish pictures on. I really like this box even though it doesn't match the others now but it is bright and cheerful. 

This is what my box included this month:

1. Ciate London Paint Pot (Full Size 13.5ml £9)
2. Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz (Full Size 100ml £6)
3. Pukka Ayurveda Radiance Serum (Sample 10ml worth £6.40)
4. Alterna Haircare Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist (Sample 25ml worth £4.60)
5. Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Rose Essence Tint (Sample 7ml. Full size 50ml is £29.99)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this month's box. The only thing I'm not so sure of is the Coola sample. It is supposed to be applied every 2 hours while in the sun and as the sample is only 7ml, it won't really last long enough for me to decide if I really like it or not. I think I'd be lucky to get one day out of the sample. Other than that though, I'm quite excited to try a new nail polish and especially the facial spray as I work somewhere that gets extremely hot during the day. 

How is everyone else liking their boxes this month?