February 2019 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: February 2019

Pantene Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner Review

February 27, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

A few months ago, I reviewed the Pantene Micellar Shampoo and Conditioner haircare line, seen HERE. I did promise you guys that I will be investigating their Charcoal line as well, and today, we are finally going to talk about it and I’ll give you my opinion regarding how this collection perform based on my experience after using it for some time.

I’m not quite sure whether I’ve ever used a charcoal shampoo or charcoal conditioner in the past, but I’ve been really curious about them. It seems like they’re all the buzz nowadays. I do like the idea of using or adding activated charcoal to my haircare regimen since my hair tends to become a hot mess if I don’t wash it the following day, read more about that HERE. You can imagine my curiosity when I heard about the Pantene Charcoal line, so here goes my two cents…

Charcoal Shampoo Purifying Root Wash (10.1 oz – 17.9 oz: $5.99 – $9.99) – This is a purifying root wash shampoo which utilizes activated charcoal to deeply cleanse not only each hair strand but also the scalp. It’s meant to remove excess oil and product buildup from the hair which tends to weigh the hair down, thus looking flat and heavy. The result is a deeply-cleansed hair that looks bouncy, renewed, with volume, and fresh-looking even up to the next day without washing it. Kinda like a detox cleanse for the hair, it’s made without parabens, dyes, and silicones, so it’s perfect for those with color-treated or chemically-treated hair. The scent of this shampoo is surprising because it doesn’t have a strong charcoal scent, instead, this has some sort of a minty fresh clean fragrance which is really light and somewhat energizing to use. I love that this lathers well with just a few pumps and though I was worried at first that this might dry my hair, actually, it didn’t. I never noticed this stripping my hair off of its natural moisture. So technically, this is perfect for daily use. However, I still use my favorite daily moisturizing shampoo in combination with this, and that’s because we’re still in the cold dry Winter months and I need to keep some moisture in my hair somehow. I do believe that a combination of this charcoal shampoo plus your fave moisturizing shampoo would be a great tandem to help keep the hair at its best- not too oily and not too dry. I also believe that any charcoal shampoo like this one from Pantene is a must-have in the shower for twice or three times a week thorough detox hair cleansing.

Charcoal Conditioner Renewing Cream Rinse (10.1 oz – 17.9 oz: $5.99 – $9.99) – This activated charcoal conditioner doesn’t look very charcoal-ish by appearance and feels very light yet creamy. It also doesn’t weigh the hair down, and it’s infused with Vitamin B5, rich antioxidants, plus it’s formulated without parabens, dyes, and silicones. So, it’s color-safe and it works for processed hair. The scent of this is just like the Charcoal Shampoo above which is slightly minty fresh. I like this conditioner a lot because it doesn’t leave any residue on my hair and it doesn’t weigh on my very long strands. On top of that, it makes my hair look healthy and shiny without being too oily the next day.

Overall, I find these Pantene Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner to be somewhat better than the Micellar haircare line because I feel like these really remove excess oil and product buildup from the roots and they surprisingly don’t dry the strands. They’re pretty much perfect for everyday use and they keep the hair clean and fresh for longer period. Also, these are really lightweight for the hair so they make it bouncy. Apart from being friendly to color-treated and chemically-treated hair, these are definitely perfect for those with oily hair types. On the other hand, I still feel like I want to try and investigate some other activated charcoal-infused haircare out there, but for now, these are my fave Charcoal hair care products so far and they’re pretty much easy to find, not to mention being so affordable.

FYI: I will be testing the latest Pantene Rose Water Collection soon. Will update you guys about it.

Have you tried any Charcoal-blend haircare products before?

The Pantene Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner are currently available at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, and in most drugstores everywhere.

The Voyage Makeup Travel Case Review

February 25, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

As someone that travels quite often, I’m always juggling from one makeup case to another. For me, functionality is very important and I prefer the type that doesn’t take up much space in my bag, provided that it can also hold a substantial amount of beauty products. Lately, I got a hold of the Voyage makeup travel case from Case-Up Miami ($27-$33) which was sent to me, and I’m really amazed by the case’s usability.

First of all, the case looks sleek and has a neat and elegant design. It feels durable and it’s made of vegan leather. The case itself unfolds into three foldable mesh pockets with different compartments for compacts, palettes, lipsticks, etc. The mesh pockets are meant to keep the makeup dry and they are easy to clean with just one swipe of a tissue or a wet cloth. Also, this makeup case has a built-in hook/hanger which makes it easy to store and access the makeup from the inside. I like this idea a lot especially for traveling because sometimes there are some hotels that don’t have a lot of space for toiletries or for a few makeup cases, and I, for one, is guilty of bringing too many unnecessary makeup items, LOL. Because of that, I’ve been thinking of trying out some makeup cases like this Voyage which basically can be hanged behind the door with a towel rack, hook, or a doorknob. This concept saves space and prevents overcrowding the bathroom counter.

The Voyage makeup case feels strong and the rose gold zippers feel robust. Its 10” x 7.25” x 2.5” in size and is large enough to fit a lot of different kinds of makeup; from a few liquid foundations down to a few large eyeshadow palettes, plus some compacts, and even a beautyblender. There’s definitely a compartment for any of them. There’s even a place to organize a couple of makeup brushes and secure them in place with a protective flap which keeps them clean.

Unlike some makeup cases where you have to dig deep to find a particular beauty item, this Voyage case makes it easy to find the makeup product you want fast and easy. Also, this can fit anywhere, either in your gym bag or even in your carryon. It’s even hard to tell if it’s a makeup case or not because it looks pretty and versatile enough to be stored anywhere.

Overall, the Voyage makeup case is a functional makeup case that not only protects and organize each makeup item well, it’s also designed to maximize storage capacity while aiming at saving space either in your home or during your travels. Therefore, I recommend that you guys take a serious look at it.

The Voyage Makeup Travel Case comes in two different colors: Midnight Blue/Pink Blush: $27 and Prime Black/Copper Rose: $33. It is currently available at Amazon. For more information, visit its website at http://www.case-up.com

*nail color: Essie Paint The Gown Red, see the swatch HERE.

(Disclosure: Product sample provided by Case-Up Miami. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

Dry Shampoo Favorites

February 20, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Dry shampoos are for me those things I try to avoid using as much as I can, but it’s always a good idea to have them for convenience because you’ll never know when life happens and you won’t have the time to wash your hair. For me, they’re not only a time-saver, but they’re also a life-saver. They help to make me look human in times of busy days, sick days, or whatever it is that has kept me busy which therefore prevented me from cleaning my hair.

I honestly don’t like the feeling of using dry shampoos on my hair, not to mention any hairsprays or any additional hair products that could weigh down my strands because my hair is quite flat and straight. So, most of the time I prefer to wash my hair every day. But you know, things don’t always go as planned, and also, there are times when you just don’t feel like moving or doing anything and you opted not to shower. Yeah, we’ve all been there, after all, we’re just humans in this world, right?

I’m very picky with dry shampoos. I don’t like anything with a strong lingering and overpowering scent, and they may require a messy application and leaves messy powdery white residues that could stick to my clothes. I mostly wear dark solid colors and I don’t want to spend some time dusting these residues off my clothes when I’ve got somewhere else I need to be asap. Because of these reasons, there’s literally only four brands of dry shampoos that I like so far. I tried two dry shampoos from some other brands before but I got disappointed. So, I’ve been sticking with these four.

Here now are my four favorite dry shampoos as of the moment.

Dove Beauty Refresh + Care Detox & Purify Dry Shampoo (5oz: $4.89) – My first favorite dry shampoo and one of my fave drugstore finds. This dry shampoo is affordable, easy to find, and it works. It may not work as well as the high-end dry shampoos, but it gets the job done. It’s perfect for a hair that is unwashed for a day, but after two days, this may not be that good at absorbing oil anymore. Well, it depends, if you have normal hair, this might work for up to two days, but on me, this doesn’t help much if I go on two days without cleaning my hair. The scent of this is nice, kind of like perfumey fresh and it doesn’t leave any residue. FYI, I will be reviewing more types of this Dove dry shampoo soon, so stay tuned for that.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (1 oz: $10, 3.2 oz: $20) – This is the dry shampoo that impressed me immediately after spraying it on my hair. I love this a lot because this has a mild scent and it works well at absorbing oil from my hair. It also doesn’t weigh my hair down, and it can make my hair look clean and normal up to the second day without washing it. It also makes my hair look a bit volumized. This also doesn’t leave any residue but I don’t like that the regular/large size of this is a bit small for its price. Also, this dry shampoo used to be so easy to locate at my local Sephora, but now I have to order this in Sephora online or at Amazon. There are also other types of Klorane Dry Shampoo available, so I will be reviewing them as well here in the blog pretty soon.

Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (1.3 oz: $22, 6 oz: $44) – This is a luxurious dry shampoo with a very luxurious scent. It doesn’t leave any residue on the hair and its packaging is large. For me, this restores the look and volume of my hair and it makes it look really clean, crisp and airy. On the second day, with my hair being oily and all, this was almost impossible to work with and that’s after putting a lot of it on my strands. I can totally understand why some people gave this dry shampoo some lukewarm reviews. I think because this is a bit mild for those with oily-prone hair like mine. I believe this would work best if you have a normal hair type. Nevertheless, this dry shampoo is one of the best out there.

IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo (2 oz: $14, 6.3 oz: $27) – This is a superb dry shampoo that doesn’t have a very strong scent. Instead, it smells fresh and it leaves no residue. I love its large packaging and for its price, I feel like this is probably the best dry shampoo out there, especially in terms of its performance. This makes my hair look totally clean and fresh-looking, not just for one day without washing it, but even up to the second. This can definitely handle a greasy hair, although I think you may need to put a lot of it somehow. Overall, this gives me that normal-looking hair with some volumizing effects.

Do you have any personal favorites when it comes to dry shampoos? Do you use any dry shampoo at all?