Review: Davines Love Curl Conditioner

OK, I already adore the  regular Davines Love Conditioner (which is also fantastic for curly girls), so when I ran out my first jar, I had to try Davines Conditioner - Love, Curl . It is definitely curl-enhancing and it makes my hair feel smooth and soft.  I have kinky/curly hair and I would recommend it to people with naturally curly and/or thick hair.  Mine is sort of like Tracey Ellis Ross.  The texture of the product is very very thick and heavy - thicker than most conditioners that I have ever used.  Because of this, I don't need to use a lot. 

The way that I use conditioner most effectively is that I part my hair in sections, apply some conditioner to one section and starting from the roots, twist that section around itself so that the product squeezes downward and is subsequently concentrated at the ends.

The only complaint that I have is of the packaging - it is made out of a thin plastic, which is good from an environmental standpoint, but it cracks easily.  Luckily, the integrity of the actual product wasn't compromised, and it was nothing a little tape can't fix.   Another negative point for me is that it smells like grapefruit.

First few ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl  Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol...

It also include parabens,  pistachio oil, more silicones, polyquaternium-10, and rice bran wax among other ingredients.  If you are looking for something totally natural with no parabens and no silicones, unfortunately, this product is not for you. 

Hmmm now I wonder what my next Davines purchase will be! I am definitely an enthusiastic fan!

photo credit: amazon.com

Review: Dr. Eckstein Kräuter Supreme Night Cream and Eyecare Balm

I can't believe I haven't written a review on this either! One of the few brands that I am faithful to.  Dr. Eckstein isn't 100% organic or natural, but I think most of the products are based around natural ingredients, chosen to solve specific skincare issues.  I am probably on my third for fourth jar, and one lasts a long time.  My order arrived in the beginning of February, and I am almost half-way through the jar now at the end of June.  What is great about it is that it helps clear up acne and discolorations left by blemishes.  I use it EVERY night after cleansing.  When I strayed, what do you suppose happened? HUGE pre-menstrual zits, that's what! When using this, I forget how bad my skin really is.  If you have acne and haven't been satisfied with the moisturizers that you have already tried, the Kräuter Supreme is worth a shot at $28. It is seriously amazing.

This past winter, the corners of my eyes became red, dry, and flaky.  There is always something new going wrong with your body when you start getting older!  Eye creams are very expensive, but this was reasonably priced at $22 for 0.5 oz.  Beauty Habit has it marked as an "Eye Wrinkle Cream" but it is actually called an Eyecare Balm. Luckily, I don't have to deal with wrinkle or lines yet, and I think adding an eye cream will delay signs of aging.  I got this the same time as my Kräuter Supreme (at the beginning of February) and have barely made a dent.  It has a very rich texture, so I really only need a pin-head size for each eye


photo credit: beautyhabit.com

Reviews: Karuna Anti-Blemish Mask and Avène Eau Thermale

Last night I used the last Karuna Treatment Mask and remembered that I didn’t post any opinions on it.  I really have to give this a positive review because it totally calmed and soothed my skin when I got back from vacation and I felt sunburnt.  Another thing that helped was spraying my skin about 3 times a day with the Avène spray that I usually keep in my purse, but I am sure the other mineral water sprays out there like Evian and La Roche-Posay will work just as well.

Karuna Anti-Blemish Treatment Mask: 4 individually wrapped masks for $28.  I bought a box from Henri Bendel during the winter and have used the first two intermittently and not according to directions, so I was just “meh” about them.  But when I came back from vacation a few weeks ago, I had to go through my skincare arsenal to find something to soothe my skin in order to prevent my nose from peeling.  I put on the Karuna mask and instead of peeling it off after 20 minutes and washing my face like I normally did, I fell asleep with it on.  A few hours later, I woke up with a feeling of “OMG WTF is going on with my face???!!!?? Oh that’s right, I’m wearing a mask” and took off the mask, which was mostly dry.  My skin absorbed a lot of the liquid that the cloth was infused with and my face looked and felt smooth, hydrated, and plumped up with nourishment. Not rinsing it off is the key! I will definitely buy this again, and I would like to try the exfoliating mask sometime too. Though a complaint I had is that some of the writing on the box is in white, which makes it extremely difficult to read.

Avène Thermal Spring Water: 50 mL/50 g/ 1.76 oz for around $7. I prefer the smaller version in order to keep in my purse and because I think the spraying mechanism on larger size may clog before using the entire bottle. From the time that I laid out in the sun too much, I knew I needed to do something to prevent peeling and to heal the damage.  Not only did it help soothe my skin from the sun and from traveling, I think that it helped prevent blackheads and small spots from appearing because from the time I stopped using it, those started to reappear on my face.  It is either that or the sunshine, so I have started up using the spray again to test my theory.  I really think that the minerals found in spring water that helps skin – I observed that French people had really nice skin, and they drink a lot of spring water that lists the minerals right on the bottle’s label!

photo credits: skinstore.com and amazon.com 

French Beauty Product Shopping

So in Paris I visited Mademoiselle Bio and the famous Pharmacie on Rue de Four, which was an absolute madhouse! So far I have only tested 4 products well enough to make reviews, so here we go:

1. Bioderma Photoderm Mineral SPF 50+ Fluid .  The news of the U.S. F.D.A.'s plans to update their sunscreen guidelines have hit the beauty blogs, but many have known for years how these guidelines do not refer to both UVA and UVB rays.  I have heard that international, in particular French, sunscreens are truly broad spectrum protection.  I chose this one for no particular reason, though I knew La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen was very popular.  I might have chose this one because of the price (my shopping basket was filling up!).  Overall, I thought it worked pretty well - on the day that I only applied it once, I got burnt on my nose:-( Goes to show - when you are on the beach, remember to reapply and still wear a hat! A fedora worn low seemed to be the hip thing to do. Another thing is that it is very WHITE.  I am black. It left a white cast on my face, which didn't exactly look great, but hey, neither does sunburn!

photo credit: amazon.com

2. Douce Nature Savon d'Alep Nature. I use a bar of Savon d'Alep in the shower, so I was hoping that this would be easier to use.  Ehhhh, not so! It doesn't really foam up that well, so I have had to use this on my shower puff with my regular soap.  I didn't see any benefit or adverse effects, so I can't say that I would buy this again.  It is made with olive oil and laurel oil, typical with the Aleppo soaps.

3. Galénic Gommage soyeux au savon noir.  I have been a long-time fan of black soap.  I am a repeat consumer of Tadé Turkish Black Soap, since my first purchase of it in France about 6 years ago. I was used to seeing more of a rough/solid texture, so  the gelatinousness and loose particles of this one by Galénic threw me, and I didn't expect much out of it.  Boy was I surprised when I used it! I foamed beautifully - I didn't need as much black soap as what I would normally use. The results were the same - super smooth skin.  There is no rhassoul clay or laurel oil in this black soap, the first few ingredients are: water, olive acid, olea europea fruit oil, argania spinosa shell powder, glycerin, fragrance, argania spinosa kernal oil, etc. The price and size is better for Tadé, so I will stick with that brand.

4. Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. So.  A common product I saw on Into the Gloss between supermodels and fashion people and Julia Restoin Roitfeld and  beauty directors is this.  It has to be good, right? Well, it is. I have very dark hair, and there was no white powder or anything like that.  This was the first time I have even used a dry shampoo and it is love! Now that outside decided to get super hot, and I am on an exercise kick, I will probably use it more often in the fall when I straighten my hair more. I am also still curious about Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray, so I might try that one of these days too.

I still need to conduct further tests on a peel for scars, a cream for acneic skin, and a bio micellar cleansing solution. Can you believe I didn't buy any nail polishes?

Summer Perfume Picks

Floral: Editions de Parfums Fredéric Malle Lys Méditerranée.  One of my favorite scents.  Ideal for summer and for those who love France (don't forget that France extends beyond Paris!).

"Heavy": Paco Rabanne Lady Million.  I would say that is heavy for summer.  I think it is a sexy skin scent that starts out a bit fruity (mostly raspberry/bitter orange/grapefruit on me) and then settles into something more interesting. Nothing revolutionary, but it smells great. Dominique Ropion, one of the creators, is famously know for the best tuberose fragrance in the history of perfumery, Carnal Flower. Yes, that is my opinion, but many people will agree with me!

Sweet: Hermès Un Jardin sur le Toit.  Amazing! I am usually not impressed with the scents Hermes puts out, but this is fantastic. I got a sample with my Lady Million purchase, and my friend and I were bowled over by how great it smelled. Starts out very "bug spray" but turns into the ideal fruity scent for adults.

Masculine: Lanvin Vetyver.  I got a sample of this recently, and I think it smells gorgeous.  It is a soft, mossy vetiver that is perfectly light for summer. 

As you can see, two scents are old, and the other two have been released within the past year or so.  A good fragrance knows no age!

photo credits:  barneys.com, sephora.com, basenotes.com, and amazon.com

Review - Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20

I have to give this product two thumbs up.  It didn't solve all of my discoloration problems, but I am happy with the results.

I used the Even Better moisturizer in the mornings, and did notice an old acne scar fading after 4 weeks.  The 6th week passed on May 14th (almost 2 weeks ago) and I definitely see a difference.  Last year I ran out of some of my tried-and-true skincare products so I had a few very nasty pimples that left lasting marks (imagine this: one didn't go away for a few weeks even after getting a professional facial so I finally squeezed it, and 4 adjacent pores emptied out and it took quite a few minutes to get all of the gunk out) and they are almost gone now.  I also noticed a difference on my overall skintone.  My cheeks are naturally lighter than the rest of my face, which is common with women of color, and today I did notice that there was visibly less of a difference.  This never really bothered me beforehand, so this is a pleasant surprise! 

I will say that I noticed that I  developed a few tiny blemishes here and there, rather than one or two pre-menstruation.  No big deal though - they disappeared quickly.

When I mentioned before that it didn't affect all of my discoloration, I was referring to the area around my mouth.   Immediately next to the side of my mouth it is very light, and then in the smile crease area, it is dark.  So unfortunately, this highlights the hair that grows on my upper lip D=  Realistically, I will probably have to get professional peels and things of that nature to solve that situation because of the skin gathering in that region that causes the shadow...

So I am now wondering when I run out, will I have to repurchase? I am assuming that the blotchiness  won't return, and my night cream (Dr. Eckstein Krauter Supreme)already helps fade acne scars, though it works more slowly compared to Clinique's Even Better day moisturizer.  I apply the cream sparingly, so I barely put a dent in the jar - it damn near looks unused, so I will probably be using this at least through September.  I will continue to use it every morning, but I will be vacationing in a month, so after my skin gets some sun,  I will see if any unevenness comes back.

photo credit: clinique.com

Review - Goe Oil

OK, I've had this Goe Oil at my desk for a week and have concluded that this is the best thing I have every used for my hands and cuticles! I have terrible cuticles (it doesn't help that I pick at them) and the handsoap at my work is cheap and drying, so I need help.  This SOFTENS and MOISTURIZES my hands and cuticles! After a day I could see a difference, and it has kept up every day that I used it.

What I've tried:
Burt's Bees lemon butter cuticle cream
Dior crème abricot
Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand lotion
Trader Joe's A midsummer's night cream
Qtica cuticle cream
Karen's Body Beautiful hand lotion

...and so on.

The only con is that Goe Oil can be a bit greasy feeling for a few minutes after applying.  But I just try to rub my hands over my torso or elbows so it's not a big deal. 

It also had an herby medicinal fragrance that is covered by monoi, but the smell dissipates quickly (and I like it, anyway).

I am contemplating buying a tube for home, it will probably work wonders straight out of the shower...