{RIP} DDF, Astrale Paris, Olay, Suave, Herbal Essences, H20+, and Lubriderm!

A collective RIP!!! A few of these were in my last hair care post so refer there for my thoughts.

The new additions:

Olay Clarify and Cleanse Daily Scrub

This is a great cleanser for those who need some acne treatment but don't want to deal with dry patches. It leaves my skin feeling very very clean. As an exfoliator, it's ok. It is definitely more for gradual daily exfoliation than heavy duty scrubbing, but whether that's a good thing or not depends on your skin. If you have sensitive skin, a gentle daily exfoliator may be more for you. I will be putting up a full review of this cleanse. I've had the pics for a while now but just haven't had the time to actually sit down and write the review haha!

Lubriderm Advanced Therapy for Extra-Dry Skin

This stuff works better on my hands than any other hand cream I've ever tried. It goes on thick, but absorbs quickly and isn't really greasy like other lotions. It's not specifically meant for hands, but that's what I've been using it for. I've always got it in my bag and it comes in handy all day long! Highly recommend!

DDF Aloe Toning Complex

Yeah, this one is completely gone, down to the letters on the bottle lol! I love this stuff and I've talked about it a lot in past posts. I don't know if I will repurchase because it is kinda pricey, but I am definitely going to keep and refill the bottle! I love how fine of a mist it sprays out!

Astrale Paris Toning Lotion

Astrale Paris isn't a very well known brand at all. I actually found this lotion at TJMaxx for $1, when retail is $12 I think, so definitely a deal!

What made me love it is the fact that it is alcohol free. It would just give my skin this boost of hydration under my moisturizer. And if I used it to make sure that my cleanser had removed all of my makeup it didn't strip my skin like other toners have. If I can find it in store again I will definitely repurchase!

March Favorites will be up later today!!!

{Samples} Target Beauty Is My Bag Sampler

I don't know if you guys had the chance to take part in Targets promotion, but I really hope you did. My sister actually filled out the form for me to get this sampler so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in the mail! Basically, it's a cute makeup bag from Sonia Kashuk filled with a bunch of samples and even a full sized lip balm from Neutrogena!

The clutch is really cute too! I'm not really into prints, but I do like it! I think you can actually buy this one at Target if you want. It's a bit smaller than I like than I like for a makeup bag, but I've still been using it a lot.

It came packed with lots of little goodies!!!

The inside is also patterned with the Sonia Kashuk logo, which is cute.

What came in mine:

L to R: Coupon booklet, Revlon Colorburst Gloss sample in Hot Pink, Frederik Fekkai Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner sample, full size Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm, Pantene Shampoo sample, Nivea Hydration Express sample.

So yeah, quite a lot of little goodies! I was most surprised by the Nivea Hydration Express lotion. It's very light but very moisturizing so I might pick it up when I finish my current lotions, which are Philosophy's Grace and H2O + Intensive Moisturizing Gel.

I was also surprised that they gave out a full size lip balm, especially since it's form a new range. I really like it too! It has a fresh minty feel to it!

Lots of good coupons too! Some highlights:

I bought their new dry shampoo with this! Love it!

They also had CoverGirl, hair color, hair care samples and more. I'm definitely gonna use them!!! I think everyone got the same stuff, but if you got something different in your sampler lemme know in comments! More reviews coming soon, as well as March favorites and a haul!

{Random Favorites} 3 Cheap & Effective Hair Care Products

The

Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Conditioner, Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo, and H2O+ Hair Repair Seaweed Masque.

So before leaving for spring break I realized that I never really do hair care posts. So I went and looked through my hair stuff and realized I use a lot of fairly effective products that came from the drugstore or were purchased at a low price elsewhere. My hair is very thick and very straight, so it tends to get oily pretty quickly. Therefore, I look for products that effectively clean and moisturize my hair without leaving it feeling greasy and heavy.

1. Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo

I love this stuff. I don't know what I will do if Suave ever decides to discontinue making it, but it is super cheap (I got the family size bottle for $2) and super effective. What a clarifying shampoo does, for those of you who have never used one before, is clean out all of the left behind hair oil, product, spray, etc. If you use a lot of hair sprays, gels, leave in conditioners, etc, they all leave a little bit of residue in the hair which builds up overtime weighing hair down, leaving it dull, etc. This shampoo gets rid of all that gunk and leaves my hair feeling really really clean. If you have dry to normal hair however, I would not recommend using a clarifying shampoo too often (more than once or twice every two to three weeks) because it can strip the natural oils right of your hair and damage it.

Now, Suave says that this is a daily shampoo. It's not. What I actually did was add a teaspoon of vinegar to my bottle which also helps clean the hair. I use this shampoo no more than once a week. I used to use this shampoo twice a month at home but at school I use it once a week. I swear they have hard water or something in the dorms cause my hair has been so bad lately, very heavy and its been getting greasy a lot faster. And I have thick hair which says a lot.

The odd thing I find with the ingredients list is that instead of using acetic acid, which is what is in vinegar that allows it to clarify hair if added to shampoo, Suave uses citric acid, which from what I've read is not as effective. If you want to make your own clarifying shampoo simply add one to two tea spoons of vinegar into you bottle and shake very well. It doesn't really make it smell worse either. But Suave really is a cheap and fairly effective clarifying shampoo if you are looking for a no-frills product.

2. Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Conditioner

I've tried the shampoo that comes with this but I didn't really notice much of a difference with it. I do like this conditioner though. I have really straight hair so it doesn't leave my hair looking tousled at all, but rather leaves my hair feeling moisturized but very light as well. I've noticed that with this conditioner my hair is easier to style, especially to curl. I have pin straight hair which resists any type of curling, but this conditioner makes it very easy to work with my hair. It's very light weight.

And it smells so good! Not a very strong scent, but very pleasant when showering. I never used to trust Herbal Essences because their products reminded me a lot of the Garnier shampoos which did absolutely nothing for my hair. I'm really glad I tried this one though cause it works very well for my hair type. And very cheap too, around $3.50!

3. H2O+ Hair Repair Seaweed Masque

Now, I know that H2O+ isn't a cheap brand or a drugstore brand, but I really only purchase what I find of them at Marshall's or TJMaxx, and I see this one there all the time for around $4.99, which isn't to bad at all. I don't think you can purchase this from their website anymore but check out your Marshall's or TJMaxx, because I've seen these there and have been buying them there for the past two years.If you rally can't find it, several drugstore brands like L'Oreal or Garnier have those little pots of hair masks. They are similar, but I really like the convenience of using a squeeze tube.

I've been using this so much that it's almost gone :( Will definitely repurchase! :)


What this is is a hair mask or conditioner, depending on the way you use it. I use it as a conditioner and it leaves my hair feeling sooooo moisturized! Every now and then my hair starts to feel very dry, damaged, dull, lifeless, etc, and I use this and presto! Hair is great again. The one thing I don't like is the smell. It has a very herbal, almost medicinal smell to it. It's not too overpowering and the smell doesn't really linger after you are done showering, but still kinda gross.


You can either use it as a mask by leaving it in for 5 to 10 mins in towel dried hair or you can use it as a conditioner. The way I condition is I was my hair first, put it in, clip my hair up, and then wash my face/body, shave, etc, and then wash it off at the end of the shower. If I put it into damp hair as a mask then my hair feels heavy and gets greasier faster because it's a bit too rich for my thick, straight hair. As a conditioner it works like a charm!



That's it for now! I'll finally have another Tip Thursday up again later today!