Dry shampoo roundup: Klorane, Lush, Suave

(L-R) Klorane, Lush, Suave

So you ladies know my love for Batiste, but I've been making a few dry shampoo discoveries since then. Here's a quick review of three more dry shampoos:

Klorane - expensive and worth every penny

This version is Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle for oily hair and boy does it ever perform. It's invisible, gives great volume and turns greasy hair into freshly washed shiny bouncy locks - which will last about 24 hours believe it or not. It's scent is fresh and it's paraben-free. Love!

It IS pricey though so if you swing by France stock up on these babies. They're about 8 Euros there and double the price in Hong Kong at HKD169. But if I run out I will totally repurchase at that price, it's that good.  

I save this for days when I know I'm going to have to look great after work. 

Check out Eli's review of the Oat Milk version for normal - dry hair. 

Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo - Smells great, performs... not so great. 

This was a major disappointment for me. I picked it up because it smells of grapefruit (duh!) is silicone free and doesn't come in an aerosol can making it plane-friendly. 

BUT, it's awful to brush out of dark hair as it's very white, it's heavy and it doesn't LAST. My hair's greasy again in a few hours! Plus, the dispenser's awful, always use it on your hands first then run it through your hair - even then, it'l be messy. Even worse, it's expensive at HKD130 - you do get a massive amount with 115g.

I'm using this right now, very lightly, on clean hair that needs some texture. 

Suave Professional Dry Shampoo - Very transparent, doesn't last all day, smells delish, cheap

This is probably my cheapie-fave, beating Bastiste. At HKD40 from Fanda it won't break the bank and unlike Batiste, it's very translucent - even with light brushing, it won't show up on dark hair. It's not the longest lasting though - your hair will be rather greasy again by the end of the work day, but it's often enough for the 8 hours or so you need to look presentable. It's also awesome for adding volume and texture to clean hair. Oh and it smells of sweet peaches. Yum. 

I use this on normal days when I skip the morning hair wash and just-because days. 

Autumn/Winter Skincare Routine

(Would have taken a better picture but my camera died on me)
L-R: Olay Complete Moisturising Lotion, Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum,
Clinique All About Eyes Serum, Natio Eye Gel, Clinique MoistureSurge

Winter is just around the corner for us in Australia and I have been tweaking my skincare routine to deal with the change. While summer is all about sunscreen, exfoliation and brightening products, my winter skincare routine revolves around hydration.

Products that I have left in my routine are Clinique MoistureSurge, Natio Eye Treatment Gel and a Clinique All About Eyes serum. The latter was part of a Clinique travel exclusive set and I have only just started using it since the weather started getting chilly. I can't say if it has improved the area around my eyes but it feels quite refreshing especially on days when you didn't have enough sleep.

Yummilicious: LUSH Almond & Coconut Smoothie

It's FRIDAY! *wheeeee*

(Does imaginary cartwheels.)

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, on to the review! *grin*


LUSH seems to be another brand I'm slowly but surely getting sucked into. In my UK trip a few months back, I sure made my rounds there and stocked up on a few goodies. And one of the products I picked up was this - Almond & Coconut Smoothie.

No, it's not a drink smoothie. Yes, it's a soap.

And its scent is absolutely divinely yummilicious!

My Favourite Things: LUSH Mask of Magniminty

I was never one who really believed in jinxes. I mean, yeah, I know sometimes I say things like, "I hope I don't jinx myself." But I never really believed I would.

And then I really did.

Speaking to a relative (lovely teenage girl with pimply issues) the other day , I was sharing with her about how finding the right skincare product is the secret of having a gorgeous glowy skin.

And how having since met the right products for MY skin, it's been behaving so well, and I've been having a blast.

"I hope I don't jinx myself," said I. And boy I sure did.

Perhaps it was also a new product I tried which my skin clearly wasn't on friendly terms with, but shortly after that conversation, my skin erupted. It started with a huge zit on my nose, and just as that one died, another one started on my chin.

And just as that one was dying, I could feel another popping up along my jawline.

Thank heavens I have a new friend in LUSH's Mask of Magnaminty.

I knew it was time to start masking, but instead of go-to Himalaya Herbals Neem Face Pack (which I recommended to the relative, and she later reported back saying it has helped her skin a lot), I decided to give Ms Magnaminty a shot. Just this week alone, I've used it twice. And am very happy with the results.

Perhaps it's also the insane heat this past week or so, but my face has just been very, veeery unhappy. Besides the huge zits, my skin has little little rash-like bumps, and is dry and flaky. But still oily. It wants to be both Saudi and Sahara. Because it's greedy like that.

Application and product description

Applying with my fingers straight from the pot (I know it's not the most hygienic, but the alternative is too troublesome), I spread it out on my face, slapping on a little more for the problem areas.

Let it set for about 20 minutes, then apply a bit of water to the now-dry face mask, and use it as a scrub. Finally wash it off thoroughly.

First off, the smell. Let me warn you - it stinks! Well, in the tub anyway. Thank heavens (as Kahani assured me), it doesn't smell quite so bad on. No idea why, but it's a good thing. Apart from the mint, there are a heap of other scents, which is just beyond me to describe. But yea, it stinks.

Texture wise, it applies just okay. It doesn't spread at thickly or as easily as the Neem but that's not really much of an issue. You'll just need to do a few more finger dips and go over your face another round or so until you're satisfied with the coverage.


(A greenish paste with grains in it, it doesn't look much better than it smells.)

As it has little grains of what I believe must be ground Aduki Beans in it, you might wanna do the applying at your sink, or risk sowing ground Aduki Beans on your dressing table. But once on, it's fine as long as you don't touch your face. I usually spend my "setting time" reading in bed. And I love the cooling sensation it gives my skin while its on.

It washes off very easily, much easier than the Neem too. And the results? Calmer and happier skin. With ingredients like bentonite gel, kaolin and honey, I'm happy to note the mask dried up my existing pimple, and pretty much killed the up and coming one. The rash-like bumps calmed down a little and my skin is generally improved.

Price

Kahani and I bought a big tub from Hong Kong and split it. And I really can't remember how much it cost, but I remember it was a rather pricey purchase.

I'm really happy to note that in the UK (where I'll be heading quite soon), it's rather affordable at £4.25 for 125g, and £7.50 for 315g. Now I'm wondering if I should get a back-up tub.

Conclusion

I really do love this stuff. It kills the zits and works great in keeping my skin calm and happy. And if reasonably priced, won't burn a big hole in the pocket. Not bad at all, right?

I think I'll go mask now.

Grapefruit Shampoos: Lush Happy Hippy & Mannings Strengthening & Repairing

It's a sad fact that Malaysia lacks Grapefruit scented shampoos. Or grapefruit scented most things. Boo. So I do got a bit boinkers when confronted with grapefruit anything.

Look at that pic, if I wish hard enough and you wish hard enough think we can reverse the sizes? Because I'd LOVE to have a giant bottle of Happy Hippy and am currently wondering what I'm to do with the rest of the Manning's shampoo. Why?

Mannings Shampoo
This smells like everything I'd want any grapefruit shampoo to be. Only once it's rinsed out the smell disappears. No happy days of sniffing my locks. *sighs*

And it's not harsh, it's really really gentle. Too gentle maybe. At the end of the day my hair lacks bounce and is somewhat limp. I tend to use this when I'm washing my hair for the second time in a day (in this weather can you blame me?) or if my hair seems dry (hardly ever).

If you're looking for an affordable nice and mild creamy shampoo with a gorgeous grapefruit scent (that doesn't last), you'll probably LOVE this. At HKD27.90 it won't break the bank - you just have to fly to Hong Kong to get it!

Lush Happy Hippy
I owe a vote of thanks to the lovely Plue for this fabulous Chrissy pressie! Until I took a whiff of this "real grapefruit juice" containing shampoo and shower gel I had NO IDEA grapefruit products could smell sooo goood. It's the freshest, juiciest grapefruit scent you can imagine and guess what? It scents your hair so you sit around in a happy cloud of grapefruit all day.

It is quite harsh though, and can be drying as a shampoo and shower gel unless you're an oily gal like me. I use it as a once a week clarifying treat or when I need a pick me up.

Now for the real problem. We have no Lush in Malaysia and it's crazy expensive in Australia and Hong Kong - the two nearest destinations. I'll have to beg the next UK-bound person to pick up a 250ml bottle for me - it's only £5.50 there. I'd buy more but Lush products, being all natural, don't keep that well and considering how sparing I am with this it may go bad before i get to the end of it.