NOTD: L'Oreal Paris Lilac Coolers

When I picked up L'Oreal Lilac Coolers I was expecting a milky lilac cream that would be perfect for Spring. Much to my surprise upon swatching was to find that this polish is extremely sheer, and actually quite jelly in consistency and finish. Some research showed me that this polish was part of the Summer 2013 Miss Candy Collection, which consisted of 8 jelly polishes. 

This polish went on easily, with no streaking. These pictures are showing three coats. Because of the super sheer formula, you can still see the whites of my nails, which isn't a look I like. I prefer for my polishes to be opaque. Another aspect that I didn't like about this polish is that it bubbled. On quite a few of my nails I had tiny air bubbles dry in the polish.

I may try using this polish for a jelly sandwich manicure, or a gradient manicure in the future. Other than those options though, I cant see myself grabbing for this polish on a regular basis.

Influenster #MysteryBrand Revealed! Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser

A week ago I posted about Influenster's most recent Canadian Campaign: The L'Oreal Mystery Brand VoxBox. If you would like to see that first impressions post click here. 

Based on product smell and some Google sleuthing, I had guessed that the mystery product was going to be Garnier's new Damage Eraser line. Yesterday, a big white box showed up in the mail which confirmed that I was correct in my guessing. Inside the box was the complete, full-size line of Garnier Damage Eraser products. The line includes: fortifying shampoo, fortifying conditioner, split ends bandage serum, and strength reconstructing butter.

This line boasts that it is great for dry, damaged hair, which is exactly what I have. However, my hair also gets extremely oily, extremely quickly at the scalp. I like to say I have combination hair. Read below to learn more about this line, and my thoughts on each of the products.

Fortifying Shampoo

"Want to bring back strength, vitality & shine to damaged hair? Reconstruct hair's strength for strong hair that looks rejuvenated. The formula contains Phyto-Keratin complex, with plant-based proteins and active fruit concentrate, and cupuacu butter, with natural lipids. It works in two ways to strengthen and rejuvenate the look of hair."

This shampoo smells amazing, the whole line does! It lathers quite well, and my hair feels clean once I rinse it out, but not dried out. Although it is a good shampoo, it is nothing miraculous. I get similar results from Herbal Essences and other drugstore shampoos.

Fortifying Conditioner

"Want to bring back strength, vitality & shine to damaged hair? Reconstruct hair's strength for strong hair that looks rejuvenated. The formula contains Phyto-Keratin complex, with plant-based proteins and active fruit concentrate, and cupuacu butter, with natural lipids. It works in two ways to strengthen and rejuvenate the look of hair."

The real magic happens with this conditioner. It has quite a thicker consistency than most other drugstore conditioners, and works well at replenishing the moisture that my dry, damaged hair needs. I use this only on the ends of my hair. It rinses out easily, and leaves my hair feeling soft, manageable, and tangle free.

Split Ends Bandage Serum

"Formulated with Phyto-Keratin complex and cupuacu butter, each drop helps prevent split ends and reconstructs and preserves hair's strength. Apply on towel-dried hair to fragile or damaged areas. Do not rinse out."

This has been the magic step for me within this line. Once I am out of the shower, I brush through my hair, ring out any excess water, and apply a nickel to quarter sized amount to the ends of my hair. I find this serum is too moisturizing to use on my whole head. My hair dries, and I am left with soft, shiny, frizz-free hair. Most days I don't style my hair, but it looks great with this product so I don't have too. When I straighten my hair I have less fly-aways and frizz.

Strength Reconstructing Butter

"This rich, indulgent butter is designed to intensely reconstruct hair's strength for strong, rejuvenated and shiny-looking hair. After shampooing, apply to wet hair from root to tip. Leave on for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse."

This was a surprise item in the box, as we hadn't previously received a sample of this product. I am not normally a fan/user of hair masks, because I am too lazy to take the time. However, I am willing to try anything to hep with frizz, so I am going to be using this during my next spa day routine. I will report back with my thoughts once I have used this product.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this Influenster Campaign, and I'm so excited to bring life back to my hair with these products. If you would like to sign up for Influenster, for a chance to be part of the next Campaign, then email me at mybeautyfulladventure@hotmail.com and I will send you an invite.

First Impressions - The L'Oreal Canada Mystery VoxBox

About two weeks ago I received an email, informing me that I was selected to possibly be part of the next Canadian Voxbox, from Influenster. Influenster is a word of mouth marketing website that sends out free products, to its most influential members, in exchange for reviews shared over all aspects of social media. The more you share the higher your meter climbs. The higher your meter the more likely you are to get the next Voxbox &/or extra goodies to try.

I completed the hair care survey, but was told that unfortunately I had not qualified for this Voxbox. Just a few days ago, however, I received a red Influenster box in the mail. Inside were three unmarked L'Oreal products: a shampoo, conditioner, and split-end serum.

The card states that this is a two part Voxbox. First, we are to try the mystery products for one week, and complete a series of social media tasks trying to guess what the #MysteryBrand could be. Then in a weeks time we will receive the next box which will include the full size products, and the brand will be revealed.

After smelling the samples (for 10 minutes) I took to Google and searched key words/ingredients from the info card. My guess by smell alone was Garnier and Google confirmed that I had guessed correctly. I am 99% sure based on wording and ingredients that these are in fact products from the Garnier Damage Eraser line.

The line seems intriguing but I was a little skeptical, as I have yet to find a Garnier hair product I actually like. These samples blew my expectations out of the water! Not only do they smell great, and that scent lingers in my hair, but they leave my hair feeling smooth, and feeling silky. All without weighing it down. I have noticed a visible difference in the texture and amount of frizziness in my hair with only a couple uses.

I can't wait for the full size products to get here so that I can test out long time use. If is continues to impress me like it has, I will be buying this over and over again, whether it is Garnier or not.

Were you chosen for this #MysteryBrand Voxbox? If so, what are your thoughts on the products, and guesses as to what the brand is?