Sparkled Beauty

Would you look at that gorgeous aqua and hot pink packaging!

This trio of L'Oreal Hair Expertise Fibralogy line was sent from the Influenster Vox Box program for review. I couldn't stop oh-ahhing for a long while :)

The idea of thicker hair both excites and cats a shadow of doubt in me.

I normally look for cleansing properties in my shampoo, conditioning work in my conditioner (obviously) and leave the thickening effect to the treatments. If this trio together can do all that, I am all set!

The essence of the line is Filloxane, a molecule proven to increase the section of the hair fibre, supposed to penetrate and diffuse the hair and remain up to 10 shampoos, creating a cumulative thickening effect.

Let's look at Fibralogy thickening shampoo and conditioner first.

I gotta say right away, the shampoo, leaves my hair with, instead of the squeaky feeling when you can hardly run your hand through the strands, the light and fluffy feeling, like it has been deep conditioned already. I am not used to this lol.

The conditioner enhances that feeling, being a nice companion to the shampoo. They both feel creamy coming out of the bottle and smell really nice.

Now I haven't strayed from the regular routine and tested the conditioner alone (the no-shampoo routine, adopted by quite a few ladies out there), so I can't confirm if it can perform the job for the whole line but, it is promising together with the shampoo.

The trick to bring that light thickening effect to the next level is the Fibralogy thickness booster, with L'Oreal highest concentration of Filloxane (5%).

Like a primer for your conditioner, it is a runny clear gel that goes on with no rinsing required. You apply a dime-sized amount of it from root to tip after rinsing out the shampoo and before applying the conditioner.

It also works like a primer - enhancing the volumizing effect and making it last for days. Mind you, it is not going to make your hair look like you just teased it like crazy but save you from that flat hair look without too much effort.

So if you have heard some raves about this line, you will hear them again here. Of course, hair products are just as personal as fragrances, but I hope you would give it a try if you are looking for volume.

I received a NYC package from Influenster Vox Box last week, as a gift after completing the review of NYC Big Bold products with a FOTD last month.

Reviews were not required for these but I thought some of you might be interested in seeing how more NYC products perform.

What I got, from L-R:
- HD Felt tip liquid liner in Extra Black (which I won't review, as I have others to finish before they all dry out)
- City Proof Twistable Intense lip color in Ballroom Blush
- Sun 'n Bronze bronzing powder in Hamptons Radiance, and
- Individual Eyes palette in Smokey Charcoals.

The Sun 'n Bronze bronzer looks quite nice with stripes of colours running through it. However, it shows up light on my skin tone.

The swatch on the left was done heavily with the darkest stripe only, with a narrow brush, for colour concentration. I tried to contour my face this way but the colour did not show up well. It would look nicer on lighter skin though.

On the right is how the bronzer looks all swirled together with a blush brush. Hamptons Radiance will add a touch of warmth all over face with a light sheen, like a finishing powder, not a bronzer per se.

Despite the name, the Twistable Intense lip color is a little sheer with the first swipe but buildable (the swatch is with 3 swipes). Ballroom Blush is a quite bold fuchsia pink once built up, has a nice sheen to it.

It lasts a few hours on me with eating and drinking and does not seem to leave any stain on the lips. It is comfortable to wear, and needless to say, the twisting mechanism and the light candy scent are appreciated.

The Individual Eyes palette has 4 eyeshadows - Highlighter, All Over Lid and 2 Crease/ Contour (powder), plus a primer and an illuminator (cream).

The eyeshadows are by themselves on the top half and on top of the primer on the bottom half. The illuminator is across the bottom, quite shimmery.

The eyeshadows are not extremely pigmented, take about 3 swipes in the swatches. They all have a satin finish, are easy to blend. The black could be more pigmented to support the Smokey Charcoals name.

The primer goes on as a skin-tone-coloured cream but dries to a powder finish. It does not improve the colour payoff but keeps the eyeshadows in tact for about 6 hours on me. I use the illuminator on the brow bone, toned down with the white eyeshadow from the palette on top.

The palette has a hard plastic sheet that fits on top of each pan to minimizes contamination between the two textures, simple and effective. If the colour pigmentation is improved a bit more, this could be a great smokey palette on its own.

Overall, the Twistable Intense lip color wins the competition. With the $2.99 price tag, I might have to check out the purple shade called Gramercy Park Plum soon. Check out the FOTD I did with all the products mentioned :)

It was a good round of Influenster Vox Box when they peaked testers' curiosity with a MysteryBrand box.

At the beginning of the month, Influenster sent out a box containing 3 hair care samples under the L'Oreal umbrella of 25 brands: a shampoo, a conditioner and a split-end serum for distressed, damaged hair (50ml each). We were encouraged to make guesses of the actual brand that makes them.

I was having some issue with my mail box, didn't get to test out the samples long before my blogger friends' disclosed the brand. So that was that :)

And the second box arrived, confirming the brand and revealing the product line - Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser.

The line features the Phyto-Keratin complex (a natural protein source with active fruit concentrate) and Cupuacu butter (a superfruit with protecting lipids) to reconstruct and preserve strength for strong hair that looks rejuvenated.

The packaging is eye catching with orange and green theme, and the scent is quite good and refreshing.

The basic first: Fortifying shampoo and conditioner in traditional 384ml bottles.

The duo does the job very well. The conditioner is very smooth and dense, like a hair butter almost and not the runny liquid kind. I was very impressed.

My hair feels soft (but not the softest I have seen) and light. The brushing every morning yield a little less fallouts, which gives me hope. I have been losing hair so much, it is not even funny.

Also, I am not sure these products are colour safe, so I did not use them as often as suggested.

Ingredients for shampoo: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coca-midopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Amodimethicone, CI 19140, CI 15985, Guarhydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, etc.

Ingredients for conditioner: Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Behentrimonium Chloride, CI 19140, CI 15985, Niacinamide, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Saccharumofficinarum Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, etc.

Now the Split End Bandage (125ml) is interesting! Advertised as a product to help prevent split ends, not cure them, the serum is meant to be applied on towel-dried hair to damaged areas, without a rinse afterward.

I use the product to the ends of my hair every time I wash it. The texture is that of a typical conditioner, smooths out easily on the hair. The pump 9with a locking mechanism) makes it easier too.

I do have a history with split ends if I don't have a trim often enough (which I don't), so I use the Bandage as often as I could, hoping it would prevent the issue. Time will tell. For now, my ends look as healthy as the rest of the strands :)

Ingredients: Aqua, CI 19140, CI 15985, CI 17200, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Niacinamide, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Saccharumofficinarum Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Hydrolized Soy Protein, Hydrolized Wheat Protein, etc.

And lastly, the Strength Reconstructing butter, a hair mask of sort, that comes in a 250ml jar. Plenty for your hair :)

As suggested, I apply the butter after shampooing, from root to tip, leave on about 5 minutes and rinse. Not very different from how I use the conditioner.

The butter is thicker than the conditioner and is meant to do more intense work. It feels more like a special treat to the hair, not just routine washing. Depending on the hair condition, I alternate them.

Ingredients (with a few repeats compared to those of the conditioner above): Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Candelilla Cera, Cetyl Esters, Glycerin, CI 19140, CI 15985, Niacinamide, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Saccharumofficinarum Extract, etc.

All in all, Damage Eraser is a good hair care line. Long term effects are to be further confirmed, but the products work well for what they are advertised to do during the testing period. I hope they work for you too, if you decide to give them a try.

A Maple Vox Box from Influenster was sent to my mail box while I was vacation. The first thing I wanted to try was the Montagne Jeunesse Pressed sea kelp Dead Sea Mud spa cause, like I said, I was on a mask kick :)

This mask is a bit different from regular sheet masks being a bamboo fabric mask, infused with clay. We all know the regular mud mask that comes in a tube or tub, so a mud sheet mask is something new.

Application is similar to other sheet masks - cleanse, apply, relax 10-15 minutes and massage it in - except you have to rinse at the end. But the washing is actually very quick and easy, I am a fan!

I'll spare you the scary image of me with the mask on :) The sheet is of a good size, with extra fabric to cover under my jawline, and it feels durable (not easy to rip).

Coming out of the pouch (as pictured), it is quite wet and messy but feels nice in contact. Once on, the mask is pretty cooling. I feel asleep wearing it and woke up with it pretty dried up. Oops :)

But even then, my face did not feel tight, a quick wash to clean the residue and I was ready for bed, a proper sleep this time. Not having to wash layers of mud off my face (like with a regular mud mask) is definitely time saving.

The mask does have a floral scent to it, not the typical mud mask scent. Those who are scent sensitive might not find this comforting. To me, I enjoyed a good "spa night" at home and the skin felt refreshed. That was all I asked for.

One thing to note: The cutouts for the eyes and mouth on the sheet are a little big for my face, so the area right under my eyes and around the corners of my mouth did not get the mud. Call me greedy, but those areas could definitely use some help, considering my age :)

Ingredients: Purified water, kaolin (natural clay), sugar, fragrance, Xanthan gum (natural thickener), Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice, sea salt, Propylene glycol, Citric acid, Fucus vesiculosus (seaweed) extract, Sorbitol (Plant origin), Laminaria digitata (sea kelp) extract, etc.

The mask retails $2.49, in a more affordable side of the sheet mask price range. Are you intrigued?