scent

REVIEW: Herbal Essences bio:renew Shampoo & Conditioner 400ml, £4.50 each

Letting Life in in North Carolina with Herbal Essences Bio:Renew
Standard

Image result for herbal essences bio renew“Letting life in – combining the beauty of nature with the power of science, for hair that smells incredible and feels full of life”

Thanks to SuperSavvyMe’s Savvy Circle, we were sent a whole parcel of their new Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Shampoo and Conditioners to test and share. They sent through a pack which had loads of info and 3 sets of shampoos and conditioners:

  • White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint (for volume)
  • Rosemary & Herbs (for moisture)
  • Coconut Milk (for hydration)

We tested these with the help of some of our friends. We were sad to miss out on the other 4 variants (for repair, cleansing, smoothing and shine) as these would probably have suited us more, but we were still eager to see what the new Herbal Essences bio:renew range was all about.

Why were we so excited?
We already highly rated the Nourish Me Butter shampoo and conditioner (followed by the Bee Good line) from the existing Herbal Essences range. It excels for a drugstore product available at a more than reasonable price, especially with frequent promotions.

How is bio:renew different?
The range is silicone, colourant, parabens and gluten free. We were surprised they were not SLS (sodium laurel sulphate) free but welcomed the progressive attitude that the new range embraces. It is pH balances and safe for colour treated hair.

Herbal Essences sent us info on how bio:renews brings us closer to nature. The only way it did that was when we took some of our samples to the US and into the North Carolina woods…at the end of the day, shampoo and conditioner is not a natural thing.

What did we think of it?
Overall – we felt that the new scents were pleasant, the product was pleasant to use but did need to dispense a little more than usual to achieve the same results. With the slightly higher price and increased amount required – this brings it in at a higher price point than the existing range. The results are good, but not any better than the original range. So unless you are looking for a shampoo/conditioner duo that is silicone, colourant or gluten free then we would suggest sticking with the original range purely from a price/performance perspective.

However, this product is better for the environment – so with that in mind or if you suffer with buildup or have coloured hair then it’s worth giving this range a whirl.

Our favourite so far? The rosemary and herb <3
Our least favourite? The white grapefruit and mosa mint smelt somewhat artificial.

UNBOXING: You Beauty Discovery August 2014 – Summer Essentials

Standard

The theme of this box was Summer Essentials.

The selection varied wildly in value this month. We were lucky enough to get the premium products we wanted which was lucky as they were the only two we would have been really happy with. Hopefully YBD will improve the options in future.

 BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8878

BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8886

 

EUCERIN: Sun Mattifying Face Fluid SPF50, 50ml
Value: £15.00 (full size product)
BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8879
“A sun fluid for the face that has a three-dimensional protection system: It provides high UVA protection, UVB protection and biological cell protection which strengthens skin’s own cell protection and DNA repair mechanisms. The light fluid is suitable for combination to oily skin, and provides a non-shiny and non-sticky feeling, leaving a mattifying effect on the skin. Also suitable for sun sensitive skin.”

BT INITIAL THOUGHTS: We’re interested to see how this performs and how it looks/feels on the skin. We’re not entirely sure why you would want this above any other skincare product with high SPF or a normal sunscreen.

THE BEAUTIFUL TRUTH (review): This seems both a good product undergoing identity crisis…after using it during a period of 3 weeks alongside a normal sunscreen on our bodies and with and without makeup, we are not really sold on it. Mainly because we are not sure when/why to use it or therefore why anyone would buy it. Maybe we are missing something?. It is not without its merits – it is not oily and feels great on the skin (compared to an ordinary sunscreen). You can apply makeup pretty well on top of it, but it does feel heavier than a lotion with SPF and with continued use, made our combination skin slightly more oily. If it were waterproof, then we’d totally understand the benefit as it would be perfect for the beach, but as it is, we’re not sure why you’d use it in place of a high SPF BB cream or moisturiser, especially at the price. £15 for a relatively small bottle (which is plenty enough for a 2 week holiday)? we’d rather buy some Clarins 🙂

Score: 3/5…mainly because we can’t figure out why you’d buy it

 

GAZELLI: Triple Youth with White Oil Duo, 10ml (5ml x 2)
Value: £16.00
BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8881
“Gazelli’s Luxury Discovery Set is the perfect one-week introduction to the Triple Youth Range, and includes an Ultimate Firming Serum and Intensive Age-Repair Cream to give your skin the ultimate rejuvenation.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This has to be our first beauty product made in Azerbaijan! Just on this basis and the product’s luxe feel, we are excited to try this 🙂

 

EXTRA TREATS:

JIMMY CHOO: Eau de parfum and MAN Eau de toilette (2ml x 2)
Value: £3.59 (£1.92 + £1.67)
BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8882

“Luxury in a bottle.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We’re always happy to receive mini-sprays as these are useful when travelling and much better than tiny one-use samples. We like the inclusion of both the men and women’s variants. Nice touch 🙂

 

4-way Nail Buffer
Value: Unknown, £2 estimate
BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8883

“On-the-go nail perfection.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Some people got a lipstick instead of the nail buffer. As it’s just an added extra, we’re pretty happy with this nail buffer as it will get used, even if it is a bit bulky.

 

FACED 3-LURONICS: Instant Effect Cream Serum, 2ml
Value: £1.66
BeautifulTruthsBlog1408YouBeautyDiscovery_8884
“Visibly reduced wrinkles and expression lines”

BT INITIAL OPINION – What a crazy named company! This product might be good, but doubt we’ll be wowed by this little sachet. Still, a nice extra.

 

OTHER OPTIONS:
Peggy Sage: Nail Polish (Summer & Nude Collections)
Rose & Co: Cherry Kiss Lip Balm
Daniel Sandler: Long Lasting Waterproof Eye Liner (Aqua)
Marsk: Gold Eyeshadow “Rich List”
Louise Galvin: Sacred Locks Treatment Masque
Justbe: Hydrating Serum

OVERALL VERDICT:

We think if we hadn’t got the items we’d really wanted, we would have been slightly disappointed with YBD this month. Not because it doesn’t deliver value for money, it always does – but because we’ve been so spoilt in previous months that we’re used to having a hard time making a decision between lots of fabulous products. As we managed to get the Eucerin and Gazelli, our luck was in this week…together with the 4 extras! The summer theme was tenuous, but we loved our box regardless. We would never have tried products like the mattifying sunscreen or potions from Azerbaijan without this service and YBD remains our favourite subscription beauty box.

Box price: £6.95 inc shipping
Total value: £38.25

Note: We paid for this You Beauty Discovery Box with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of You Beauty Discovery? Sign up here http://www.youbeautydiscovery.co.uk