Review: Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque

Hello Everyone...

For me as a beauty conscious person I am always trying to perfect out my imperfections. I try my level best to maintain a strict routine to take care of myself.. And let me tell you it's showing good results.. But my hair and nails are probably the most neglected of the lot... I have extremely frizzy and dry hair .. So when I discovered the God-sent tool called "Straightener" I knew I could be one of those normal people who looked presentable at any time of the day... I gradually began relying on the straightener to do everything including swishing the wand at me to produce Cinderella-ish locks... But unfortunately it was no fairy Godmother and soon I began to realize that just simply straightening will not give me those coveted locks...My hair became dry and dull and not to mention all the deep frying I was subjecting it to, it gradually began to wither off and fall apart ... So I took matters into deep consideration and I tried a multitude of products on this unmanageable mess that settled on top of my head.. And this is one of those products….

Product Claim: Macadamia Deep Repair Masque is a hair reconstructor that penetrates and rebuilds damaged hair for improved health, shine and elasticity with no weigh down. Ideal for dry, damaged or color-treated hair of all textures.

• Provides deep nourishment & ultra conditioning hair reconstruction
• Rebuilds stressed, damaged hair
• Leaves hair silky, full of movement and bounce
• No weigh down

Judgement:

Packaging: It comes in two sizes: 500ml and 250ml... Both are packaged in a very gorgeous twist open tubs with incredible brown and green designs.

Product: This product is so excellent that I just couldn’t believe my eyes. It is perhaps the only product that has worked wonders for my dryness. And I started seeing results from the very first use… So initially when I analyzed my hair I found that the dryness affected my hair from mid length onwards. So I took a small amount of this masque which is very thick and a pale beige - pink color and applied it from mid length… I then used a a frizzy taming conditioner to the upper portions of my hair.. I found that using this in conjunction with a frizz tamer conditioner produces amazing results… After leaving it on for quite some time I rinsed it off and towel dried my hair… When my hair was fully dried I found my hair was much smoother, softer and more manageable, less tangled and it was gleaming!!!! I was shocked… Never has any hair product shown results this fast… I found that the whole trick lies in the fact that the longer you keep it in your hair the better the results are...

Also you only need a small amount so this tub is going to last me a looong time… I only use this once a week because I do not have the time otherwise … I also noticed that it did not leave any residue on my hair or made it sticky and fine…This is a life saver for all those whose hair has lost its luster and health..

Price: AED 190 for 500ml (I know it's really expensive but it will last for more than 6 months and it's truly worth it)

Availability: Nazih Beauty Supplies 

Verdict: Will definitely re purchase

Exploring Boots #2

O boy!!! I just love the month of April and I can make a pretty sure bet it's because my birthday is coming up..But then again knowing that I am only growing older and not any younger I'm seriously debating as to whether or not I should make April my pick of the lot... Anyway guys here are a few picks I made at Boots ;) ......

1) Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover 150ml - AED 35 - For the first time in my life I got a waterproof mascara... It was so waterproof that many makeup removers were bending their knees before her.. So I decided to pick this one up cause it was on the list of best eye makeup removers of Cosmopolitian.co.uk... To know the verdict stay tuned to my blog cause there's going to be a detailed post on it soon..  

2) John Frieda Frizz Ease Hydrating Conditioner 250ml - AED 60 - As many of you'll know I am not a hair person... Definitely not one who takes care of their hair so that it's on its  best behavior on the days to follow...So when I picked up this conditioner I myself was pleasantly surprised.. Since it was on the slightly expensive side I used it sparingly just on the tips of my hair.. It was a pretty decent conditioner, quite thick in consistency and having a regular conditioner scent. It definitely made my after-shower straightening and styling much more smoother and quicker. But one thing I was hoping to achieve was more hydrated and softer hair which it did not provide. So I guess I will not be re purchasing.

3) Boots Lipcare Co Enzyme Q10 Lip Balm - AED 14

Boots Mango and Orange Blossom Lip Butter - AED 10

These two lip balms were impulsive purchases as I love practically all lip products. But they were a good deal as they are really moisturizing lip balms and very light weight. They made my lips quite supple and soft just after a couple of uses. The Mango and Orange Blossom smells divinely sweet but not over whelming... And the other one is fragrance free.. Though both are clear lip balms without any tints, they both impart a sort of shine/gloss to the lips.So its even more perfect to use over matte lipsticks...

4) Boots Body Butters in Vanilla & Almond 200ml - AED 55 each - Now here's something on a more familiar note... I'm obsessed with body butters and thick consistency creams as they serve well for a night routine and so I got this on a buy 1 get 1 free offer and was simply delightful... Click here for full review

So that's it guys... Have a smashing week ...

P.S. 

1) Over the weeks to come you may/ may not find my regular posts and this is purely because I trying to manage my time between my new found work , my ever so demanding Princess and some other new commitments... So I have just decided to slow down a bit.. Hope all of you'll will understand and support.. (And yes I do have a ton of posts in my mind just waiting to be written down and photographed...)

2) My main reason for procrastination is that my snaps are terrible and I really wish I could get an amateur photographer to do my 101 pending makeup swatches...

Over & Done With #3

Hello Ladies...

Settling back home in Abu Dhabi means only one thing.. Its time for the huge cleanup and here's what I found that's going in the trash can...

All products are available in local supermarkets unless explicitly mentioned.

1) Tresemme Salon Silk 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner 900ml - AED 30 - This used to be the staple shampoo in my shower... I must have used at least 6-7 bottles of this and it really controlled my frizz and made it smooth... It really made me feel like I was using some salon product because it really worked for me and this surprised me because not many shampoos controlled my frizz... But sadly after using this shampoo continuously it sort of died on me and now I’m not wowed after my shower... I don't know if I just got used to its effects or whether it stopped working on me (I've heard that a product can fail to perform anymore after you use it religiously for a long time). Will not be purchasing again.

2) Sunsilk Co Creations Damage Reconstruction 200ml – AED 8.75 – This is a conditioner I would definitely not pick up since I know for a fact that my hair damage cannot be repaired… I constantly use heat and a lot of products that I am not willing to give up.. So the only reason I picked it up was that when I went for swimming lessons ages ago someone told me that using conditioner on your hair before getting into the harsh chlorinated pool water will sort of lessen the damage your hair might be prone to and this was the only one available in the grocery… And yes this conditioner did help my hair in that way…  It was more of being safe than sorry… Before using this conditioner, after a lesson, my hair was all dry and scratchy but after I used this my hair was the regular mop… (Sheesh but it really made it hard for my swim cap to stay on.. ) . Will not be purchasing again.

3) Loreal Elnett Satin 75ml – AED 14.45 – This is am amazing hair spray.. It actually made my curls stay on for around 5-6 hours and this is great because my hair is straightened and nothing can hold the curls… But it stinks a bit and tastes real bad if it gets into your mouth… Already have a backup …

4) Lush Hair Doctor 95g – AED 65 – I actually bought this for my hubby who was having terrible dandruff issues but he never used it and although I had a clean scalp I was forced to use it up… It really smells bad and has a cooling sensation when applied on your scalp… But I’m not sure how it works since I did not have any problems to begin with… I do remember though it was messy to wash off… Don’t think I will purchase again for the unreasonable price…( Available at Lush store in Al Wahda Mall)

5) Dove gofresh Body Wash in Cream Oil and Pomegranate & Lemon Verbena – Click herefull review and price.

6) Bath & Body Works Hand Cream - Click here full review and price.

7) Sebamed Moisturizing Cream 75ml – AED 33 – This was an average cream. There was nothing particular about it that was great and moreover it was quite greasy on my dry face.. So imagine the oil slick it would cause on oily skin type people… But it would be a good night cream since it does have beneficial points like an ideal pH value and Vitamin E. Will not be purchasing again

8) Vaseline Total Moisture 24hr Nourishing Lotion 400ml – AED 20 – I am so disappointed with this lotion since I heard so many nice reviews on it and I really wanted it to work since it has one of my favorite ingredients: Oats.. Oats is especially good to soothe skin issues like Eczema.. But this lotion sadly was not moisturizing enough… It was light and had a clean fresh fragrance but was ineffective when it came to hydration… I felt that I had to re apply so many times to combat dryness. Will not be purchasing again.

Travel Shopping #2

Good Morning Everyone

I can't believe it.. There's just one more day for 2013 to end.... Ackkkk time is leaping...As I told you earlier here's the rest of the shopping that I did before I came here...

1) Garnier Fructis Shine & Hold Hairspray 250ml - AED 24 - Since I have straightened hair whenever I do curls I need hairspray to hold them.. I've heard this is a nice smelling one so decided to try my luck.. Wonder what is in hairsprays that make them stink...

2) L'oreal Elnett Satin Diamong Hold Hairspray 200ml - AED 30.25 - This is my trusted hairspray but it really stinks and tastes awful if you get it into your mouth .. But it holds my curl for quite a good time...

3) Pantene Smooth & Silky Oil Replacement Hammam 200ml - AED 16.95 - This is like a deep nourishing conditioner to be used after your normal conditioner and with a frequency of once or twice a week...

4) Revlon Hairbrush - AED 16.75 - Needed a fancy hair brush.. I've worn out my old one.. Can't been seen in public with it...

5)Evian Facial Spray 50ml - AED 16 - I saw this product in Najla's Blog when she was showing her makeup organization... It's basically the purest mineral water from the Frence Alps (or something of that sort...).. It is targeted at hydrating the skin...

6) Energy Cristal Serum 60ml - AED 26.25 - I have used this serum a long time ago but not long enough to form an opinion since my sister borrowed it from me and never returned... Thought I'll give it a try .. It mainly induces shine and seals up your splits ends...

7) L'oreal Elvive Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz Serum 50ml - AED 34.50 - Whenever I buy hair care products I try to go for the anti-frizz line because all I am concerned about is taming my ferocious frizz down.. Thumbs up for the argan oil in it...

8) Bioderma Sensibio H2O 100ml - AED 33 (Boots Pharmacy)- I don't think I can travel without this...  And you can see my full review here 

9) Bourjois Tease Me Deodorant 150ml - AED 12.50 - I really wanted to get a deodorant and not an antiperspirant which is bad for you.. But almost everything on the shelves was antiperspirant except for this.. Also this was paraben and aluminium free.. Great product...

10) Hairbands - AED 4 each (AD Coop)

11) Yardley Poise Perfume 75ml - AED 46.75 (AD Coop) - I am so not a perfume girl but I'm all for the fancy bottles.. Seriously I did not even test the scent... Just got them for the fabulous packaging...

12) Sapil Ecstasy Perfume 100ml - AED 40.50 (AD Coop) - Isn't that cap adorable.. Couldn't resist.. The fragrance is mmm.. I don't know..

So that's it guys... That's all I purchased... But I haven't bought all of these stuff with me here... 

Travel Shopping #1

Hello People...

How are all of you'll doing..? I'm doing great.. We had a safe and pleasant journey and now we're just chillin... Or rather my hubby is in the state of tranquility and I'm struggling to pacify the lil one and trying to get her to adjust to the luxuries of Kerala - mosquito bites, hours of power failure and of course drenching humidity… Just kidding…

So I thought now will be a good time to show you guys what I shopped in Abu Dhabi for this vacation… The reason I did not do it any earlier was because I was shopping till the 11^th hour and also it was in the last minute I decided what to carry and what to leave behind… And here's the loot...

All the items are from Carrefour...

1) Cottage Bath & Shower Gel in Fig 750g - AED 22.50 - I saw a lot of new foreign products in Carrefour that I haven't seen elsewhere. This shower gel was one of them and after sniffing it I decided to bag it home.. It has a very nice subtle sweet scent..(I was looking so weird in Carrefour sniffing and smelling all the bottles)..Click here for detailed review

2) Pantene Smooth & Silky Shampoo & Conditioner 400ml each - AED 15.25 each -This is my preferred   set of shampoo and conditioner... I feel that it sort of preps my hair before straightening that the straightening time gets reduced by half

3) Fa Shower Cream - AED 9.95 - I always thought Fa products were those cheap quality ones that I never bothered to try them.. But the surprising fact is that they are produced by Schwarzkopf ..I chose this shower gel since it is for dry skin but at the same time quite light weight. Also it smells great and has my favorite ingredient , Yogurt.

4) Bourjois Shower Cream - 250ml - AED 13.50 - I was quite surprised to find Bourjois skin care line. So wanting to try that I picked it up ... I did use it a couple of times.. It really has a very swet scent and the scoop of the product is that it is paraben free.

5) BIC Lady Disposable Razors (5 pieces) - AED 9 - Every lady needs them while travelling... It's always best to buy disposable of practically everything when travelling.. that way you'll practically be weightless while returning or as in my theory you can stuff yourself with goodies from the touring destination!!!

6) Steripod (2 pieces) - AED 19.25 - I had seen these on YouTube and been wanting to buy them but it was Naznin's blog which actually informed me that it was available in UAE supermarkets.. They are a perfect cover for your toothbrush and in addition they kill the harmful bacteria in your toothbrush.

7) Neutrogena Deep Clean Make Up Remover Wipes - AED 25.50 - Wipes are God sent when you are travelling. I'm sure I won't remove my makeup if it's the usual lengthy procedures that I follow . So wipes are like that multi functional products you have to carry along.

8) Loreal Hydra Total 5 Wipes (25 wipes)- AED 23.50 - This is what I initially bought but I found that it was not very efficeint in removing my makeup so I left it behind.

9) Dove Purely Pampering Nourishing Lotion - This is a brand new moisturizing lotion contain almond cream and hibiscus.. Sounds so yummy I could eat it ...But its for all skin types so I ain't having any high hopes for it.. Let's see...

10) Cool & Cool Body Butter in Cinnamon 250ml - AED 42.50 - I spotted from very far... I saw that they had 3 different colored tubs.. One was Cinnamon, one was Mango and Vanilla and the last one was coconut ... 

11) Nivea Repair & Care Lotion 400ml - AED 20.25 - This is a repeat purchase.. I love this moisturizer.. It is very light and yet deeply hydrating.. Will feature this in my next Moisturizer Madness series...

12) Loreal White Perfect Day Cream 50ml - AED 43 - I always lookout for moisturizers that have an SPF and do more than just moisturizing like anti blemish or fading scars or evening skin tone... Thought I'll try this one since it has SPF 17 PA++ ...

  

13) Carrefour Cotton Rounds - AED 3.50 - A girl's best friend...

So guys there are some more items but I'm going to put them in another posts or this will be terribly boring...

Take care n God Bless...

Glambox # 2 - September 2013

I know its been quite a while since I've posted anything at all... I've just been busy which can very well be translated to "I've been lazy!!" .. Sometimes I'm like that .. I refuse to budge out and nothing will interest me... Anyways this was in the mail a week back or so and has been sitting in my closet ever since.. So let's indulge in it right away...

Inside the box:

• A SpaCordon Pass for one person
• A Glambox card stating the products in the box with their full sizes and prices. (This month the card had some serious printing errors so they sent the corrected one by email)
• 2 full sized and 3 sample sized products

Glambox September 2013

More on the products:

1) Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals:

Original Size - 100 ml = AED 224 , 50 ml = AED 144
Sample size - 35ml ~ AED 78

This is a really decent sized sample. It smells amazing ( Duh! It contains roses!!) and is something similar to the Bioderma Sensibio H2O..I've always wanted to try something from Nuxe but I was kind of hoping for the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse dry oil that was included in some other boxes this month.. 

Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water

2) Dove Hair Therapy Oil Replacement:

Original Size - ?
Sample size - 30ml

There is some error in the price and size of this product. But I'm so happy about Dove being included cause it's one of my favorite brands ever.. This is a leave in treatment for damaged hair which is totally me..

Dove Hair Therapy Oil Replacement

3) Dove Hair Fall Intensive Roots Treatment:

Original Size – 49ml = AED 34

This is one the full sized product in the box. I have heard raves of this product particularly from Naznin, a fellow blogger (Click here to view her blog). This has 7 individual vials of product in it to be used every alternate day.I'm in a bad hair fall situation now so super duper excited to try this..

4) Angel Perfume:

Original Size - 50ml = AED 299
Sample size - 5ml ~ AED 29

I'm not a perfume girl but I love perfume bottles and this one is super beautiful. It has a fresh cologne scent and is really strong.

 

Angel Perfume

5) Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Scrub:

Original Size - 150ml = AED 35

This is a full sized product. I love Neutrogena range of products because at one time they really helped me control my acne but they are not much oriented towards dry skin people.

Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Scrub

Total Value of box ~ AED 176

This time I'm way better satisfied with my glambox than before... So guys stay tuned for reviews on these products. Do let me know if you need any products to be reviewed first.

Over & Done With #1

Hello Divas...

"Over & Done With" will be a series of posts wherein I show you products that I've completely used up and categorize it into as either Will Purchase Again or Not.

These products I have listed below were collected over a period of time and may include skin care, makeup or hair care. So let’s hop right in…

1. Freeman Papaya & Lime Shine Conditioner 400ml - AED 14-16:

This is such a disappointing product. It’s true I haven’t found a conditioner that actually imparts shine to the hair but the least every conditioner does is conditions or rather softens the hair and makes it less tangled. But this condition even failed in that area and the only good thing about this conditioner is the fragrance which is like a tropical paradise. And yes of course, I will not be purchasing it again. 

2. Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion 400ml - AED 19-21:

This is a really good creamy moisturizer that is not greasy and you don’t have to work hard to rub it in as it is readily absorbed into the skin. It has a very delicate scent of Shea butter. The only problem is that it is a bit sticky to touch though not too much. Will not be repurchasing it. 

3. Johnson's 24 Hour Moisture Soft Cream 300ml - AED 16-18:

This is one of my favorite and staple moisturizer. It is the right consistency, not too thick and not too light. It makes my skin so soft and supple and does last for quite some time. The fragrance is very light and fresh. Yes will definitely repurchase.

4. Pantene Pro V Smooth & Silky Shampoo 200ml - AED 7-9:

I was seriously blown away by this shampoo. I just bought it because it was a nice travel size. This shampoo really smoothes dry frizzy hair as it claims. Awesome product. The whiff would be a normal shampoo scent. Will repurchase and also want to try out the conditioner from the same range.

5. Ponds White Beauty Natural Day Cream 50g - AED 16-18:

This one is a disappointment as it did not live up to its claim of evening out skin tone and reducing dark spots. To the most it’s a light and easily absorbed moisturizer in a pretty jar.

6. Freeman Facial Moisturizing Cleanser in Kiwi & Yoghurt 150ml - AED 21-23:

Have you used a product that you feverishly hate? Well for me this one is in the list. Now I am a person who tries to make a product work around at least till the entire tube/jar is over but this one, I have to throw it off. Now I have seen cleansers that claim to be moisturizing and still dry out skin or those with unpleasant scents but I haven’t seen a cleanser that does not even remove a tiny bit of dirt from your face until I bought this one. It does not cleanse at all. Will definitely not repurchase. Sorry I forgot to notice the scent in my fury.

7. Byderm Atopia+ Emollient cream 200ml - AED 50:

This is a cream suggested by my doctor as an inexpensive dupe for Bioderma Atoderm PP. This comes amazingly close to it as it’s a light weight, non greasy formula that is free of fragrance, parabens and coloring. It is also hypoallergenic which makes it perfect for eczematic candidates like moi.. This is available only in pharmacies but you can purchase it without prescription.

So do you have any products that you absolutely detest? If so do let me know in the comments below.

P.S. The above products are available in leading hypermarkets like Lulu, Carrefour, KM etc unless otherwise stated.