Batiste Dry Shampoo Review- Original & Blush

sample pack sent for review

blush scent

original scent

Up for review are two Batiste Dry Shampoo Spray's in scent Original & Blush sent to me for consideration from publicity. They were kind enough to send me two of the full size bottles which is appreciated. Batiste dry shampoo spray is a product I have seen all over the web yet to date have never sampled it so I'm grateful to have been given these to test out. There seems to be a lot of good reviews for this useful little spray and my findings will be posted below after some product information:

Batiste Dry Shampoo Spray: Original & Blush Scent

Batiste Dry Shampoo is the quick and convenient way to get soft, clean and fresh smelling hair, without water. Batiste offers an instant fix by revitalizing greasy, dull and lifeless hair. Batiste thickens thin fly-away hair and adds texture and body for that easy style solution. Simply spray it on and comb it out.Directions:Shake can vigorously,Spray evenly over hair 

Since summer is approaching us quickly this means unwanted oily and greasy hair for some of us. Luckily, Batiste Dry Shampoo can help you say goodbye to those bad hair days with one quick spray. Batiste is ideal for creating body you crave, while ditching the dirt, oil and grease as it freshens hair in minutes and brings life back to dull, lifeless hair!  Batiste works by penetrating the hair shaft to absorb oil, dirt and grease. Have a beach day planned and no time to wash your hair afterwards? No worries, Batiste is the perfect accessory for your beach bag as it is available in a travel size!

Full size retails for $7.99 while the “on the go” size retails for $3.99

Available in two scents: Original and Blush
Batiste comes in 2 sizes:
5.05 fl oz: $7.99
1.6 fl oz: $3.99
Available at Ulta.com, select retail stores and www.BatisteHair.com

 

Pro: eliminates oiliness, instantly refreshes hair, great for travel, great for instant touch ups when you can't shampoo, great for bed stricken people, cruelty free, affordable price points, two scents, adds some volume, no powder residue if massaged in properly

Con: the original scent is too floral for me, I found it strong. Blush scent was more subdued

***Note: This is not a substitute for washing your hair & scalp-just a quick fix***

My results: Before I post my results I just want to reiterate the note above that even though this helps instantly clean up your hair you should not use this in lieu of washing your hair and scalp as the scalp is a living tissue that gets rancid due to the oils if not wash either daily or every other day. This is a great product for those quick touch ups, emergency hair care when traveling, for bed stricken people,camping trips, when you temporarily don't have access to water, after a workout at the gym or just to "clean" up your hair when you have to go outside for a quick trip to the grocery store. This was such a pleasant surprise to use and my results were much more positive than what I experienced with that horrific Victoria's Secret So Sexy Dry Shampoo spray. You guys remember my rant on that post! That link is to be found in the sidebar if you want to read it. Maybe that's why I never tried another dry shampoo. In any case, this brand is ten times better and it actually works!

Packaging: these come in two different sized metal canister spray bottles- a small 1.6 and 5.5 ounce sizes. You have the option of three different scents: original and blush and refresh. Original is in the blue can and blush is in the pink can. It's really easy to use: You shake well and hold about 12 inches and spray into your hair and scalp or anywhere you need to get rid of the oiliness and add some volume. You then massage in with your fingers and comb through after. The can's are travel friendly and can easily be stored in your purse or gym bag.

The formula: The spray comes out in a very light powdery wisp form and it looks like white powder has been applied on your hair when you first spray it. You need to massage in the area you sprayed with your fingers and the powdery film will disappear and leave no residue behind. It really cuts the grease and oiliness leaving your hair with a fresh cleansed look and feel. I tested this over the weekend on Sunday after not shampooing the night before to see how it would work. I need to shampoo my hair every day because the crown part is very fine and falls flat when I wake up the next morning. I also used this again this morning after shampooing instead of using hair spray to see what it would do. It still added a little bit of volume which is always a plus! The hair on my crown is fine in texture and it plumped up a bit so I imagine someone with thicker hair on top would get a better voluminous effect. The spray really makes your hair look and feel cleansed! It's a fabulous handy product!

The scents: I honestly didn't like the original scent because it was a very strong floral and you guys know how I dislike those type of scents. It wasn't as bad as the VS So Sexy scent but still not my type. This of course is purely a personal matter of taste in smell. It might be more pleasant to those who enjoy floral. I was afraid the blush was the same but surprisingly Blush was much better and subdued! I don't know if it's a floral but it just smells fresh and lighter. I'm glad they have different options so now I know to purchase the Blush formula. It also meshes into your hair after a while and dissipates not interfering with your shampoo where as the original scent seemed to linger on my hair all day.

*** Just found out they have a third scent called Refresh***

I'm going to give both scents one collective rating in terms of it's function and usefulness but I want to mention the original on it's own would probably receive a four star rating only because I was put off by the scent. It's only fair that I mention this as to share the info with other people who don't really prefer floral scents. I definitely would recommend Bariste dry hair shampoo spray to everyone because it works as a quick fix for fresh clean looking hair! It get's a 4.5 starfish rating for it's formula, easy function, affordable price, being cruelty free and benefits of use when traveling. it's a must have in your gym bag or hair product arsenal for touch ups! A better scent in the original formula would have gotten this a higher rating but it's still a best pick! Dry shampoo has long been a secret of hair stylists everywhere for giving models that voluminous bow out hair look during a photo shoot and now you know a trick of the trade for yourself! Have you tried this yet? Stay beautiful! XOXO

Availability: Ulta $3.99 - $7.99 1.6 ounce & 5.5 ounce spray

1 OUT OF 5 STARS

1 RATING=WORSE 5 RATING=BEST SUPER STAR=SUPER PRODUCT!

PACKAGING:: 5 stars

CLEANSE & REFRESHES:: 5 stars

EASE OF USE:: 5 stars

FORMULA SCENT:: 4.5 stars for Original  5 stars for Blush

PRICE & VALUE:: 5 stars

OVERALL PRODUCT:: 4.5 stars

Sephora Ojon ShampooTrade In Get Free Shampoo!

 

Calling all Sephora Beauty Insiders-You can bring any brand of empty shampoo bottles and Sephora will trade them in for one full size Ojon Shampoo and one full size Ojon Conditioner. How great is that! Free stuff! Trade in is for Sephora Beauty Insiders only in stores starting today until the end of May or until limited supplies run out. Hurry in and grab some. Stay beautiful! XOXO

Hair Care + Earth Care

Come in to any Sephora store during the month of May for a free sample duo of the new Ojon™ damage reverse™ Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner. While supplies last, no purchase necessary.

Beauty Insiders Only!
Bring in any empty full-size shampoo or conditioner on May 12, 2011 and receive one full-size set of damage reverse™ Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner for free. While supplies last.*

*Offer available in select locations only, please check your Sephora location for details. 

BWC Mint Shampoo + Conditioner

Today's review is for another great set of products from Beauty Without Cruelty-Rosemary Mint Tea Tree Shampoo + Conditioner. Some product specs form the manufacturer:Supplemental Facts: Rosemary-Mint-Tea Tree Shampoo is a special, plant-based formula that thoroughly cleans your hair while promoting a healthy scalp, Nature's vital botanical and pure organic aroma-therapeutic essential oils stimulate circulation, clarify and refresh. Penetrating plant proteins combined with panthenol restore body and shine while improving its look, feel, and texture. Your hair and scalp will be naturally clean, healthy, and refreshed.Gentle enough for daily use.Organic Ingredients100% Vegetarian100% Pure Organic Essential OilsS.L.S. Free.No Synthetic Fragrances Paraben Free .While my sample size was small it's enough to have lasted me from the day my package arrived with still a couple of applications left so I can post my results on them starting with the shampoo first: the first thing you will notice is the amazing minty scent! I'm a mint fanatic so it was a joy to use. I have to be honest though, the rosemary on the label had me worried as the rosemary scent in Wenn hair products I have tried are a little strong but here in this formula it's rather unobtrusive because the mint and tea tree is more predominant. It was a very invigorating sensory experience and I couldn't stop lathering up my hair because I didn't want to leave the shower! The formula is a golden shade almost gel like consistency which gives off a really nice lather with a minimal amount of product. I felt the tea tree oil working to make my scalp squeaky clean as tea tree oil is a wonderful cleansing ingredient. I discovered and fell in love with tea tree oil when I was a teenager and use to use it as a toner on my face. That stuff really works to give you a fresh antiseptic clean feeling. The conditioner has the same great scent except the formula is thick creamy white as most conditioners are and requires more product. It runs out faster than the shampoo but all conditioners do this and I always wonder why they don't provide a larger bottle of conditioner-it's one of those unsolved life's mysteries. I get amazing shiny hair, a very clean scalp and some moisture to my locks. I would need to use this more to see how much my hair changes from being really dry at the ends but it did make my hair really soft with a great amount of body. This is definitely something I would order again as I sometimes use Wen hair care on and off when I can afford it and this is the same or comparable to that system (the scent is much better with this plus it lathers up-Wenn does not lather) but the price is twice as less as Wenn and you don't have to belong to a club to purchase this. It gets a five starfish rating for being 100% natural, organic, cruelty free and just a great shampoo. The price is a bit more than your usual drug store brand but with little product needed and a large 16 ounce size it should last you a long time plus you have the added benefit of having a product which is 100% naturally organic in ingredients, cruelty free and can be found from various online merchants such as drugstore.com, Amazon and others as well as the Beauty Without Cruelty website. Stay beautiful! XOXO

Availability:BWC Rosemary Mint TeaTree Shampoo Conditioner $10.95 16oz

  

Victorias Secret So Sexy Dry Shampoo

Up for review is Victoria's Secret So Sexy Clean & Go Dry Shampoo for all hair types. After having had bad experiences from the past with VS products from the "So Sexy" line I'm really unsure why I wanted to try this product out so badly. It appears that almost everything scented from the so sexy line has somewhat of an obnoxious chemical odor to it. I guess my need for wanting to try out any dry shampoo was far greater than remembering the past odor of other items from this line. Another reason was because the cost was less when I used a promotional code. For those of you who may not know what a dry shampoo is and what it does let me tell you. A dry shampoo is in a hair spray formula that is meant to be used between hair washing to remove excess scalp oil, odor and add volume to uncleaned hair without the use of added water. Typically in the past it has been used for those who are bed ridden, or who travel a lot as touch ups and should not be considered as a replacement or substitution for actually washing your hair. Your scalp is a living organism that will become rancid due to oil build-up if you don't wash your hair regular so a dry shampoo can be considered an emergency touch up. In recent years dry shampoos have become all the rave for stylists at backstage runway shows, photo shoots and such because it's a quick easy way to absorb the oil in the hair  so a stylist can achieve a voluminous body hairstyle look. Dry shampoo's are also beauty insider stylist secret to giving celebrity clients with thinning hair a more full body look. Angelina Jolie swears by baby powder in her hair for loads of volume but I'm sure her stylist uses dry shampoo as baby powder would show up in her scalp but the principle is the same. I wash my hair every day because it's so flat on top so this is the main reason I have been wanting to try a dry shampoo and even though this one is not the best quality I'm going to shop around for a better brand soon. About this dry shampoo-some ingredients contained in the formula are oat and rice powders for absorbing excess oil and is meant for all hair types even color treated hair. My results:Firstly what you notice is the scent and it's odor is completely obnoxious like chemical fumes! I used this on the weekend without going out or shampooing to see how effective it really works and while it may have absorbed the oil just a tad my hair didn't feel really clean not making me confident enough to actually use this then go out in public without washing my hair. Maybe good for an emergency when traveling. It  also really didn't do that much for added volume to my hair-hairspray would have been better.The powdery spray is not that sticky and has no residue that clings to your hair which was nice.The container is really empty-mostly air and runs out too fast! It's not worth the price at all. My end results,this dry shampoo gets only one starfish rating only because it's cruelty free so if your desperate for an emergency quick fix and can't find an alternative you might buy this. It definitely could be improved upon with more product, a better scent and better formula. Who want's to pay for a canister of air? Anyone try this dry shampoo out? Stay beautiful! XOXO

Availability:Victoria's Secret $14  4 oz size

TRESemme 5X Shampoo + Conditioner

Up for today's review is TRESemme 5X Smooth & Silky Shampoo-Conditioner for dry damaged hair. I reviewed another formula TRESemme shampoo-conditioner awhile back and my findings are pretty much the same with the exception of finding my hair fell out more using this formulation type and while it's not 100% certain that this actual formula made my hair more loose there is no other new hair product that I'm using. So unless it's just one of those months when your hair seems to be weaker my assumption is it must be either the shampoo, the conditioner or both. I would really be interested to know if this 5X Smooth & Silky formula has done the same for others so feel free to post about your experience if you have used this.This formulation has vitamin and silk protein which promises to moisturize dry hair while giving it 5x smoother silkier feeling hair. It does make my have less frizz with some added moisture, not a great deal but much better than real cheapie generic drugstore brands plus it's a salon quality line. You get 32 ounces that lasted me over a month with daily use even though the conditioner runs out faster along with the added benefit of pleasant smelling hair which lingers all day. The value for this is amazing and it's cruelty free so it gets a 3 starfish rating from Venus. I'm doing something new with my reviews by adding a rating system and since this blog is dedicated to all things Venus it seemed apropos using starfish rather than just stars. Plus it's cuter! I would give it a higher rating but I'm convinced this makes your hair loosen out more than another formula but still it's pretty decent and very affordable.Stay beautiful!  XOXO

Availability:Mass Market $4.00 32 ounces  

Victorias Secret Flexible Hold Hair Spray

This product is something mentioned many times on my blog but I never got around to reviewing it plus it's one of those products that take you by surprise by actually becoming something you can't live without. Believe it or not it's Victoria's Secret Flexible Hold Hair Spray from the Secret Garden Collection. There were more scents available in this collection for hair products but now only four scents left for you to choose from.  I'm still peeved at VS for discontinuing the Strawberry & Champagne scent! I'm a long time fan of Love Spell so that's the scent of this spray that's being reviewed. The non-stick formula  has nourishing ingredients such as provitamin B5. The initial reason purchased this was because I'm a fan of the Secret garden Love Spell shampoo & conditioner which I'll review soon and figured why not get the hairspray to make the scent last longer in my hair because this is a scented hair spray. It surprised me how lightweight, flexible my hair felt without that hard sticky crunch residue you usually get from hair sprays. Also because of it's low price I didn't have high expectations for it but rather was just using this as a means to add extra scent to my curly locks. Seriously though, price and brand aside it's really fantastic. This was one of those items I reached for time and time again this past summer to control my frizz because I accidentally discovered after using the shampoo & conditioner and flipping my hair while it was still damp then generously spraying this all over my hair and scrunching the curls a bit that when my hair dried on it's own the curls were perfectly defined frizz free. Not to mention how great my hair smells throughout the entire day. It also added a decent amount of volume to the top of my hair which is where it's finer and the hold lasted all day as well. It's one of those stock up on items that I can't live without now and with the special offers of buy 3/$21 it's easy on your wallet. I should mention it works all the same without using the Victoria's Secret shampoo  conditioner. Love Spell is luxuriously scented with luscious peach, cherry blossom and white jasmine. Stay beautiful! XOXO

Availability: Victoria's Secret $10 or 3/$21

Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curl Iron Review

My Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron arrived yesterday giving me a chance to test it out for a couple of days so here is my review. I have to say this is the best curling iron I have ever tried! let me give you some product stats before talking about my results. This new model curling iron has one inch (25mm) barrel which is the second smallest barrel model,there are two more models that make larger curls and waves. It has a light purple color handle with gold tourmaline barrel and a pull out gold stand to protect your counter surface from the heat. It has a side dial for 30 different heat settings so you can custom heat according to your hair type. So say you have hard to curl straight hair you can turn up the dial 21 to 30 or if your hair is curly and thin stay within the 1 to 5 range.The unit also features an auto shut off  and dual voltage so you can travel with it internationally. This curler heats up fast,within 30 seconds and the best part is that the heat flows evenly until you shut it off. Meaning  that the curling iron is at it's optimum heat from beginning to end so whether you want to take your sweet time styling your hair you'll always have the unit ready without loss of heat. Included in the package you also get a nifty black storage case that you slip on over the barrel to protect any surfaces from damage or to use when you store/travel the iron. Tourmaline Ceramic Technology allows infrared heat to penetrate follicles reducing hair stress for less damage,smoother looks,less frizz,less static and no damaging hot spots. The handles is almost 2 feet in length but allows for a very comfortable grip when you style your hair. You can get curls and waves by placing hair under the spoon or create flips by placing hair over the spoon. The spoon is that top part of the lever mechanism which holds the hair. Each curl only requires a 15 to 30 second hold under the iron to create. Lastly you have a 24 month limited warranty. You have a 2 year peace of mind if the unit needs fixing or replacing. We all know Tourmaline dryers and styling tools can cost anywhere from $100 to $300 depending on the salon brand. This curling iron has that same technology, a modern fun design and a two year warranty for a ridiculous price! Plus one time only free shipping on the site. Skip the fancy brands and grab one of these before there gone! $18.99 Are you kidding me! Loves it! As for my results with: It heats up super fast with a red blinking indicator light. The light stops blinking after 30 seconds when the unit is ready to be used. The dial setting of choice for me was 5 because my hair is naturally curly and fine. It was so easy to grip and curl at a vertical angle with only 30 seconds on hold releasing my hair to absolutely perfect curls. The curls were soft,shiny and smoothed out with no dry frizz, almost better than my own natural curls. Someone wanted to know how long the curls last so I'm happy to say they held up all day and night. Even though my natural hair is curly I did use a curl cream on my damp hair then air dried my hair without a blow dryer and after the curls were set hair spray was applied. My choice of products were MoroccanOil Curl Cream & Victoria's Secret Hair Spray. Believe it or not that hair spray is perfect for my hair type and it smells awesome! I'll be doing a review on it soon. You should definitely use a smoothing or curling hair serum to help maintain the curls especially if you have really straight hair then set with hair spray allowing your style to last all day. The tricky part is sectioning your hair and doing each section with the curler. You can use hair styling clips and pins to hold each hair section in place until your ready to curl it. If you can get someone to help you you'll save some time but it's not hard to do on your own. I'm gonna post some curling tutorials to help everyone out soon. Hey if I can do my own hair, which I suck at by the way, then anyone can! This one inch barrel is the best size because the curls are not too tight and not too loose. But you can adjust  the curl size by grabbing less or more hair. You also get perfect model beach waves with this unit. I don't get excited about hair products or  styling gadgets that often but this is a plus in performance and value. You must grab one for yourself.  I'm off to register my unit for that 24 month warranty.  Stay beautiful!  XOXO

Availability: Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron 1 inch $18.99 + free ship

Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron

I just put in an order for this new style Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron in the one inch barrel size. My old curler and I mean o-o-o-l-d just died on me. This came highly recommended in a beauty magazine for creating soft wavy curls plus it's in a lovely shade of purple and a super great price! Although my hair is naturally curly sometimes my preference for loose waves over my unruly banana curls give me a more stylish look. To avoid the frizz in my curls I straighten my hair first then re-curl with a styler creating perfectly sleek curls. The one inch size is great because the curls aren't too tight or too loose. I'm also loving the product stats that promise to protect your hair from burning but I'll give you all the info when I actually get this at home and test it out.  Conair also has a huge assortment of fun stylers even a cool clip-less cone curler-it's very chic and with these affordable prices maybe I'll buy that next. Check out the site and grab one now with a limited one time only offer of free ground shipping!  XOXO

Availability: Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Curling Iron 1 inch $18.99 + free ship

Jesus in Givenchy ?

Um mmm so this is interesting. Givenchy created this golden crown of thorn headpiece as part of a 1930's inspired evening wear trend fashion editorial for Vogue Italy. While there was no official reference to Christ listed it doesn't require brain surgery to get the point-no pun intended.  I made mention of this quote once today but will say it one more time because it's apropos Ars Gratia Artis even if it's the art of fashion. Opinions?  Stay Beautiful!  XOXO

TRESemme Remoisture & Protect Shampoo/Conditioner

I wanted to review this really great shampoo/conditioner set that I purchased at the store because it works well and is priced right.This is another one of those items I've been using for awhile now and think it's time for a review.If I wait till the bottles empty out I might forget to talk about it because it lasts long.I've been using this for a month now and it's not even half way finished.TRESemme Remoisture & Protect Shampoo-Conditioner set is a great hair care product.This formula contains pro-vitamin B5 and aloe making your hair 7X stronger and healthier.The most prominent result I noticed was the incredible shine.My hair is super glossy & healthy looking.I got a decent amount of moisture added to my hair as well as noticing less frizz.My hair de-tangled nicely while using this and I love the fresh citrus scent that stays with you all day.I felt my scalp being refreshed as I was shampooing the product in which btw-you only need a small amount because it lathers well.It's not the most incredible shampoo/conditioner that I have ever tried but it's a whole lot better than regular drug store brands which are useless.Another reason for sharing this with you because of it's amazing savings on this super 32 oz size & price.If you really want your dollar to last but not have to suffer with those horrible cheapie shampoos that dry your hair then you should definitely try this brand and at under five dollars each for more product-it's economically beautiful! XOXO

Availability:Mass Retail Outlets $4.69 each {price may differ from merchant}

Modern Geisha Hair For My Birthday

I'm going for Modern Geisha which I use to wear to death during my NYC school days 

 

 Revlon Colorist Black #20 as my kit because it lengthens the color life

So another HAPPY BIRTHDAY is here once again this year for me and I'm going to be offline for awhile to celebrate but I'll be back real soon with more reviews and my almost finished Essential Wardrobe Guide plus I'm in the middle of testing out new products which I'll post with my return.As for this not so epic august event I'm going for a Japanese theme celebration with an authentic Japanese dinner  so I figured why not go for a modern day Geisha hairstyle as well.This easy look was always a favorite of mine but I stopped wearing my hair like this for some time now-don't know why.I love love love anything Geisha inspired-I'm that weird freaky person who read the Memoirs of A Geisha novel when it first came out like ten times then saw the movie Oh...I don't know...maybe 50 times.No Joke! I can lip sync along with the characters while their speaking-that's how well I know the movie.Anyway I need to shock-up my hair color as well because it's reverted back to my natural dark chestnut-auburn highlights.I can't stand the reddish highlights.But I color like maybe once a year now or twice if I want that intense black look for a special occasion or just to freshen up my look and since it's been like almost  a year I want to add a little drama for my birthday.I'll be using Revlons Colorist Hair Color System.This isn't a new product but since it's what I have been using to color my hair I thought why not do a quick review on it.The kit has your usual suspects-you get gloves-developer-colorant and a booklet but you also get a conditioning color booster glaze which you use once weekly for two minutes to maximize your hair colors life.The color booster is a thick gel like cream that matches the shade you have chosen.The formula is tinted so your fingers stain a bit while you apply it to your hair after shampooing but it rinses right off when your done.The color really comes out fresh and vibrant.I also noticed that the color booster lasts longer than stated on the box and you only need a quarter size amount for your entire hair.I have really long hair and add a bit more but it still lasts almost over two months for me.You also get nice color coverage and your hair feels really silky.The shade I'm using for this right now is Black 20 but it's hard to find in stores now so I alternate with Revlon Color Silk which has a nice Blue Black.The Blue Black is a cool tone and is great for not giving your hair brassiness so you might want to keep that in mind if you generally use a black hair color.I don't know why this is so hard to find in stores- it's a great system for maintaining the longevity of your hair color.I'm glad I stocked up on a few of these when they came out-lol! I love that the intense black shade masquerades my own reddish highlights.So there you have my little review. I generally hate my birthday but I love parties so it works out.Stay beautiful XOXO