September's farewelled products

 

This post includes a lot of travel sized products used up during my recent trip - surprisingly I even managed to finish off a few makeup items while I was away! That takes a little edge off any shopper's guilt I may have from the subsequent indulgence perhaps?...

 

Skin care

 

92) Gaia Skin & Body Foaming Cleanser (50ml travel size) - This is formulated for normal/combination sensitive skin and I found the gel formula a refreshing way to cleanse my face in my morning shower.  It wasn't overly foamy and the citrusy floral scent was perfect for the summery climate!

93) La Clinica White Brilliant Intensive Correction Hydrating Night Cream (50ml/1.76 fl.oz)* - This moisturiser feels richly moisturising, softening without the greasy feel of some other night creams I've tried over the years and it penetrates quickly so it doesn't feel claustrophobic or suffocating on my skin overnight.  I've yet to find the magic bullet that zaps all pigmentation but you know I'll keep on trying! 

94) Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes (10 travel towelettes) - It's pretty obvious I bought this pack for travel!  I've used these wipes before and previously I found them a little tingly and astringent.  My summer humidified skin tolerated them better this time around so I'd now consider them for a summertime travel cleansing option.
 

Hand and body care

 

95) Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser (50ml/1.77 fl.oz travel size) - I was spoilt with Aesop toiletries during our one-night stopover in the Tokyo Park Hyatt so once I'd used this I took the rest of the bottle with me to finish it off - they're not going to leave a half-used bottle for the next guests after all! The scent is a zesty wake me up combination of Geranium Leaf, Mandarin Rind and Bergamot Rind which certainly clears the head so I loved it.  The gel formula is low foaming so easily rinsed off and my skin felt refreshed afterwards.  In-shower indulgences are something I do feel conflicted about though because it does all go down the drain after all so I don't know if I would rush out to spend almost $50 on a half-litre bottle...but you know this one is going to tempt me because of the associated memories of Tokyo. I might drop a hint to the family if they don't know what to buy me for Christmas perhaps???

 

96) L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream (30ml/1.oz) - I've raved about this silky shea butter hand cream many times before and it's still my favourite so it's going to pop up here again!

 

97) Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Exfoliating Body Towel (1 textured towel) - I'm guessing these towelettes are primarily for pre self-tan exfoliation but I used this as a once-off treatment for my upper arm bumps (keratosis pilaris) and if I could easily buy a box of these I would - even if only for travel - because I felt instant smoothing results! Fingers crossed Sephora Australia stocks this line when they finally open their doors.  Thanks to lovely Larie for sending this out to me in our swap!



 

Hair care

 

98) & 99) Unico Intensive Shampoo & Intensive Conditioner (250ml each)* - This was really interesting because I was recently able to compare these directly to Aesop hair products and I can say Unico definitely hold their own.  I used the intensive shampoo and conditioner daily and I had "happy" hair - by which I mean fresh smelling, volumized, soft hair which you is just what you want from a salon shampoo and conditioner isn't it?  (Read here for my full review.)

100) & 101) Aesop Classic Shampoo & Classic Conditioner (50ml each) - More luxury hotel freebies that I had the pleasure of using! These reminded me a lot of the Unico products as they're also botanical hair care products, this time enriched with herbal oils such as Rosemary Leaf, Cedarwood Bark and Lavender and the scent is similarly green and fresh.  I had the same "happy" hair really - the only differences are the conditioner is slightly thicker, and more like a conditioning crème, and the price point is higher ($29AUD for 200ml full sized bottles). 

 

Cosmetics

 

 I'm on a break from the beauty diet but I did manage to finish a few of the makeup items I took away with me... 



102) Sportsgirl Pout About It crème lipstick (Beauty Queen) - This is a soft baby pink lipstick and not something I'd usually wear at work but it was a subtle holiday choice and a more fun, summery alternative to my usual nude-mauve selections.  These lippies aren't tested on animals and at around $9.95 are a good local budget beauty buy.

103) Models Prefer Anti-Wrinkle Concealer (Light) - Funnily enough, Light wasn't quite light enough for me so I couldn't use it as a brightening or highlighting concealer.  Coverage-wise it offers medium coverage which on the plus side doesn't settle into lines so it was good enough for everyday wear. 

104) Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious Waterproof Mascara (Blackest Black) - A reasonable waterproof mascara that thickened my lashes and held fast through exercise although it didn't do anything to the length of my lashes - I don't need longer lashes anyway! Unfortunately I managed to bend the wand after only a few uses which was annoying, although prestige makeup houses now sell those bendy wand mascaras so...

 

Fragrance

 

 105) Balenciaga Rosabotanica EDP (1.2ml sample) - This fresh and summery spicy floral fragrance is going to be the scent that reminds me of my holiday and I bought a full size bottle at the airport. Top notes: blue hyacinth, fig leaf & petitgrain; middle notes: rose, grapefruit, cardamom & pink pepper;  base notes:  white amber, cedar, vetiver, patchouli & woody accords.

 

106) Shiseido Zen EDP (1ml sample) - Yes, I know it's clichéd but I packed this vial for Japan!   Top notes are grapefruit, sweet bergamot, orange, pineapple,  and blue rose. Middle notes are freesia, gardenia, violet, lily-of-the-valley, Chinese rose, red apple and lotus blossom and the base notes are patchouli, cedar wood, musk and white musk, amber and frankincense.

 

That's it for the latest empties then...Japan drugstore shopping post next!

 

 

 (Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

 



REVIEW: Unico Intensive Shampoo & Conditioner

 

My poor hair has put up with a lot of experiments and abuse over the years (bleaching, colouring and OMG even perming it back in prehistoric times!) and considering all THAT(!) I was never one to think too much about what I used for my daily hair care.  I unquestioningly (and ignorantly) used the same old drugstore brand for years and years and...well you get what I'm talking about!

 

Happily I have quite resilient and forgiving hair and even more happily I've become a just a little fussier about what hair care products I use these days.  I prefer my shampoo to be less about detergent and more about caring for my hair - and the less harmful chemicals to apply to my scalp and wash down the drain the better too.  As you know I'm regularly colouring my hair - and I'm in a gradual transition stage at the moment - so I really don't want to do anything to risk my salon colour either.

 

Okay - with my wordy prelude out of the way let's talk about Unico Hair.  Unico is an Australian boutique hair company which has been established for 15 years, with 3 salons in Melbourne and their own range of natural hair care products.  Unico's philosophy is to "...create a product that is near enough to natural as possible, being completely chemical free and not harmful to hair." 

 

Given the choice of what to review I went back to basics and selected Unico's Intensive Shampoo and Intensive Conditioner because they're "... great for hair that has been chemically treated [that's me]. Particularly good with straight hair [that's definitely me] and also works well with grey providing it is not too coarse. With an added UV protection it helps protect the hair from fading, ensuring colours remain bright and vibrant [Yep, that's me too]."  Sounds like pretty much everything I need in my hair care then!

Unico Intensive Shampoo

What Unico says: 
"Lavender, Rosemary and Cypress pure essential oils [are] combined with plant derived ingredients to produce a mild formula designed to cleanse without stripping colour or natural oils. Containing 5 vitamins, Vitamins B5 this helps in preventing grey hair and hair loss, Vitamin E which helps improve scalp circulation, which means the end result is Healthy, Sparkling Locks!

 

 Benefits

4 vitamins to keep hair moisturised, UVfilters, Revitalises and moisturises after chemical services"

  

My impressions:

The first thing is the invigorating and rather unisex essential oil scent.  The fresh green aroma is completely different from anything I've ever tried before but a scent like this is my idea of "clean" and I liked it at first sniff. 

 

As my hair is medium-short at the moment I don't need any more than say a 10 cent piece sized squirt of shampoo to be able to work it all the way through my hair which means the 250ml bottle should last a long time - if my husband doesn't get into it!  The colourless gel-like shampoo produces a medium lather and a single application is enough to thoroughly cleanse my fine hair - I wash my hair every day and I'm happy with how it's looking. The formula certainly hasn't stripped away my hair colour or dried out my hair at all so I'm going to continue using this until the last drop.

 

 

Unico Intensive Conditioner

 

What Unico says:

 "Intensive conditioner is specially formulated for colour treated hair without being too heavy, the hair is left revitalised and moisturised after being chemically treated. Containing essential oils, Lavender, Rosemary and Cypress which are great for helping hair loss, dandruff, oily hair and coloured hair. Containing vitamin B5 this helps prevent greying hair and hair loss, Vitamin E which helps improve scalp circulation, the result is naturally soft, shiny and healthy hair.

Benefits
4 vitamins to keep hair moisturised, UV filters, Revitalises and moisturises after chemical services"

 

My impressions:

The creamy white conditioner has the same wonderfully refreshing essential oil fragrance as the shampoo. Again I only need a small amount to condition my hair from the mid-length to the ends and it rinses out easily. It's nice to see me actually using my shampoo and conditioner at the rate of 1:1 for a change so I won't be left with a half full shampoo bottle and no conditioner this time!

 

The conditioner leaves my hair easy to detangle and comb through when wet and my hair has good body and shine when dry so it's looking pretty healthy for middle-aged, colour treated hair.  Also, I find I don't need a ton of thickening spray to get my hair looking less *ahem* fine either so it's definitely not weighed down.

 

 

********************************

 

Unico products are Australian made from pure plant ingredients, vitamins and essential oils.  The shampoo and conditioner are $22AUD each which is reasonable for a salon quality product.



 



Where to buy online:

 

Adore Beauty

www.adorebeauty.com.au

To visit click here

 

Bellabox Australia

www.bellabox.com.au

To visit click here

 

 

 

(Products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)