Spring RAOK revealed

It's been so long since I joined a raok, but I remember now why I missed it so much.  I put together a short collage of all the fantastic box that was gifted to me recently.  There are some amazing products and I am really looking forward to trying them out and reviewing a few of these.

The box contained:
* Clarisonic brush replacement head
* Chanel rouge coco shine in Sari d'eau
* Aveda hand relief
* L'occitaine Pivoine Flora hand cream
* Godiva hazelnut creme coffee
* Lush 25:43 perfume, Ma Bar, Whoosh, Ice blue soap, Demon in the dark soap
* Aveda soy candle
* Gourmet Dog treats and biscuits

It was such a fun package to open up and I had so much fun! Thanks mm16 for this amazing package!

My Salon Experience Review: Paul Henri (Aveda Salon)

I really hesitated to write this review as I support anything with the Aveda mark on it.  I believe in the business ethos, the natural ingredients, and the holistic and earthy approach to beauty products.  But it stops there to be honest. I have frequented Aveda spas and salons for close to 5 years now.  Each and every time, it has been great, but unfortunately, I can't say that my experience was the same with the Paul Henri Aveda salon in Ipswich.

The first time I went there was roughly 4 months ago.  My haircut was way too short, and I left feeling like a boy.  I chalked it up to having a entry level stylist, because I was tight on cash that trip.  So, this previous trip, I was determined to have a senior stylist cut my hair.  I won't mention names on this review, but just know that this is a senior stylist that I am reviewing.  At a whopping £38.95 for a hair cut, I expected a lot more from a senior stylist. 

The first problem was the condition of the salon when I arrived.  England is experiencing their summers, and needless to say that it has been HOT!  Not only did the salon not turn on their A/C, but the door wasn't even propped open.  I should have walked out immediately, but I was desperate for a hair cut, so I just dealt with the heat.  Next, the senior stylist was in a foul mood, because she said that their system was down.  Ok sistah, I get that it's stressful, but it ain't my fault the system is down so a smile would have been great.  The hair wash, hair cut, and check out barely lasted 30 minutes.  She did a rush job on everything.  I asked her if she thought the cut suited me, and she really couldn't be bothered to engage in any conversation with me.  How odd is that? A hair stylist that doesn't talk to their customer?  I was so put off by this point.  I asked her to layer the back of my hair a bit more for volume, and she couldn't be assed to do that either, giving me some lame excuse as to why, but the truth was, she just couldn't be bothered as her mind was clearly on something else and stressed.

Oh well, I won't be returning back to Paul Henri which is a shame as I love the fact that they use Aveda products.  So my quest for a half decent hair salon continues. 

So that is my experience with the Paul Henri salon on Upper Brook Street. 

CONS: Overpriced and Inexperienced staff members.

PROS:  Centrally located and uses amazing Aveda products.

**Edit**
I also need to mention that on my first visit to Paul Henri, I was offered a drink and also a complimentary head/scalp massage.  I was not offered either of the two on my 2nd visit.

UPDATE:
Since the publication of this review, I have gotten 2 harassing comments.  I published and responded too the first comment but didn't get a response.  The 2nd comment arrived over a year later. This racist comment will be taken as harassment and if it does continue, I will make sure I contact the police.  

My Monthly Rejects

Do you know what I mean when I say a product was a Long haul?  You know, those products that you hate but don't want to waste, so you use it but it feels like it takes FOREVER to finish?  Well, I got two of those types of products to review today. 

Let me start off by saying that I didn't pay full retail for either products (thank god!) nor did I buy them at a shop, otherwise I would have returned it immediately.  I had no choice but to use it as it's very hard to sell used bath & hair products online, so I just grin and bear it last month, and I'm ready to unleash my honest review about these products.

The two culprits are:
Aveda's Shampure Conditioner and Baylis & Harding balancing body wash

 

I take no pleasure in writing a poor review on any product, but I can't help but feel cheated out of my hard earned cash, so I must tell my readers about my experience to these products.

Let me start off with the Aveda product.  I absolutely love Aveda. I love their products, their ethos...I mean seriously I should be an Aveda spokesperson.  I just don't understand what happened with this product.  Perhaps, I got a bad batch.  All I know is that I love Aveda's shampure scent, and roughly two years ago I used the shampure shampoo and I loved how cleansing it was.  So naturally when I saw this conditioner going on ebay, I bid on it instantly.  The conditioner left my hair feeling brittle, dry and flat.  I have thin short hair, and I was just shocked at how my hair could be both dry, brittle AND flat.  I did all variations of application of this product.  I used a little one time, I used a lot the next time.  It didn't matter the length of time that I left it on; absolutely nothing worked for me.  So having doing all that, I realised that it wasn't my application, it was the product.  It did absolutely nothing for me, in fact I think I had the worst hair days when I used this product.  Sadly, I'll never be buying this hair conditioner again. 

Retail:  £36.50 for 1 liter

So obviously that's a lot of wasted money right there.

The next product that I was disappointed by was the Baylis & Harding sweet mandarin balancing body wash.  Fair enough, I haven't tried any other body wash to compare.  I have no complaints about the scent, as what it says it is, is exactly what it is.  You get a lightly scented sweet citrus body wash, which I always tend to like.  It was the texture and lather that left me very disappointed.  The texture was this gloopy almost jelly like substance that didn't lather as well as I thought it would.  I tried this product as I have seen this brand being carried in a lot of shops.  I was shocked that the body wash felt too mass produced in quality to rationalise the price that they ask for this.  

So that was my money wasted this month.  Ahhh, the life of a product junkie :)

The products I am using this week

Today I shall commence with spring cleaning.  I'm ready! It's time to dust, clean, organise everything. Am I a nerd for being excited about this? lol.  That is my plan today.  Well I do have to some paperwork, but other than that, I will be a cleaning machine until my cold medicine kicks in and makes me drowsy :)

Ok! So what am I using this week?  Basically it's whatever I got new from last week, so this is a haul/"what I'm using this week" post.

My new items are:

* Aveda hair conditioner in Shampure

I love the way this product smells. It brings me euphoric pleasure, but it doesn't make my hair happy at all.  It's unfortunate that I ended up with a liter bottle, because my hair is quite dry and brittle after use.  Oh well, you live and learn....this won't be repurchased ever again.

* Aveda volumizing hair mist

Another Aveda product that smells amazing.  It's that fresh, herbal, botanic, earthy scent that Aveda just gets so right.  This helps slightly with volumizing my hair, but since my hair is so flat, it needs a bit more to make it plump up, so sadly, after I use this, I will not be repurchasing it either

* Clinique 7 day scrub cream

This lovely deluxe sample came free with a magazine.  It's one of those products that I enjoy, but never enough to buy the full retail bottle of.  It's a great daily exfoliater, but I tend to like creams that have a bit more exfoliating beads.  It's still lovely and a great product for those who want a daily scrub.  For now, I will stick to my Clarisonic.

* Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner mist spray

A gentle and lightly scented toner mist.  I was worried that this would be too sweet and powerful, but it isn't at all.  This is also my first Elemis product that I tried, and I'm very happy with it.  I'm eager to try more from this UK line.

What are you using this week?

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

TUNE OF THE DAY

TOP - Turn it up

 

My favourite samples this week by Aveda and Sisley

I absolutely love samples.  I think they are imperative in trying out a product prior to purchasing it (especially the more expensive products).

This week, I was able to try two samples that I loved and liked.  I definitely wouldn't have purchased either product without trying them first, since it would have been an expensive trial.

Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Treatment Masque &

Sisley Hydra-Global Hydration Intense anti-age cream

 

Let me start with the product that I absolutely loved!

The Aveda treatment mask left my hair feeling so soft. I can't remember the last time my hair felt this way.  It must be the buriti oil that is found in this product, but I honestly can not say that I have tried another hair masque better than this.

I was pleasantly surprised, and my quest to acquire a larger bottle has begun.

I think I found my hair masque H.G. (holy grail).

 

Priced at:

4.2 fl oz  (125ml)- £21.50

8.5 fl oz  (250ml) - £35

Next product is by Sisley - 

This extremely expensive skincare product was a blessing to have tested.

I'll be honest, I don't think I would pay $250 (yes ladies, $250!!!!) for this 1.4 oz full size bottle.

I actually love botanical scents, but the Lavender and Sage was overpowering in this product.

I think if you have sensitive skin, or sensitive to heavily scented products, this is definitely not for you. I have samples some very expensive face creams in my life, and this happens to be one of them. I do enjoy pampering my skin with expensive face creams, but a sample is where I draw the line. Maybe I'll change my tune at 40 or 50 years old, but as a 31 year old, I definitely wouldn't invest this kind of money in a face cream.

I will say however, this face lotion does not dry greasy, it quickly sinks into the skin, but for those who have dry skin, I feel this might be a little too light textured. Overall, I enjoyed using this sample this week, but because of the price point, I will not be purchasing the full size product (at least not until I win the lotto :p).

What samples have you tried that you loved or hated?