Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Shampoo & Foam Conditioner in Blue Ginger & Micellar Water

Today's post is different than the norm for a few reasons. First, a big disclosure: I did not pay for these products, they were sent to me in exchange for an honest review by the company- via Influenster. So, thank you Influenster for including me in the Herbal Essences Voxbox. (As an aside, Influenster is fabulous and open to all to sign up!)

I will be posting a few new reviews soon, as well as some other posts- so if this isn't your cup of tea, stay tuned.

These products arrived on the perfect day- a hair washing day, two weeks out from a scheduled hair appointment. That means that my color isn't fresh, and I'm ready to test a new product.

There were two products in this box: the Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Refresh Blue Ginger and Micellar Water shampoo. Let's look at the claims. 0 dyes (great) 0 gluten (ok, cool but not something I look for in haircare), 0 parabens (cool) and 0 silicone (awesome).

This bottle contains 13.5 fl ounces and retails around the $5.99-$6.99 range since pricing varies per retailer.

I'll readily admit to my heart sinking when I saw the ingredient list. Take a look:

Ouch. So two sulfates and salt in the top four... all ingredients I don't like using on my hair. For the sake of the review- and knowing that my hair was going to get some TLC in two weeks- I forged ahead.

I forgot just how much sulfates make shampoos suds up. As I was testing it, I was flashing back to using Herbal Essences as a teen and how I'd beg my mother to pick up different ones at the local grocery store.

My hair felt pretty dry after using this before putting on conditioner- about what I expected. I wouldn't repurchase the shampoo on its own, but the conditioner made the overall testing experience worthwhile. I've also discontinued usage of the shampoo after giving it a generous three attempts (generous since it's been years since I've gone mostly sulfate-free!)


Now, the product I was more intrigued by: the foam conditioner.

The Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Refresh Blue Ginger and Micellar Water Foam Conditioner is again in that $6-8 range per retailer.

According to the brand, this product is specifically targeted at fine hair- something I've got. My hair is fine to normal but I've got a lot of it.

Look at the ingredients- I'm in for this one.

Be careful, this one squirts out fast. Admittedly I'm on a foam product kick, playing with foaming body washes, but this is a new one for me. It almost felt like a mousse.

Not only was this fun, but it took that squeaky dry (hello sulfates) feeling out of my hair that the shampoo imparted. I almost feel like the form of this conditioner helped out my hair in new ways. I'll admit that I normally have to dry my hair immediately and nearly sabotaged this review (or, at least the first trial since I'll always try a shampoo/conditioner at least three times before writing a review) by getting sidetracked because one of my favorite shows was back on and I got sucked in with a towel on my head.

Even if my hair could be straightened following some extended towel time, this usually means my hair is limp. Guess what? It wasn't- and I attribute this to the foam conditioner. I'll totally keep using this because it lacks any bad ingredients and I love the form.


I like the scent, even though it's one admittedly I wouldn't have picked up on my own. It's pleasant and light. I was scoping out other options at my local stores, which tells you I like it. I'm also curious about the dry shampoo because I'm a dry shampoo fiend.

All in all, I'm very grateful to Influenster and Herbal Essences for gifting me this set to try out. I honestly think this is a great pair. If my hair was used to some of the ingredients in the shampoo (like it was a few years ago), I think it has the potential to be a sulfate-using QBB shower staple. The scent is unique, fresh, and not overpowering. If you're not specifically avoiding those ingredients, I do recommend trying the pair out together. I wouldn't recommend the shampoo on its own because I found it drying- but the conditioner helped a ton. I will continue to use the conditioner, and may even try another scent.

It's very cool to see one of my old favorite lines continuing to innovate. And the conditioner? Holy cow that's innovative.

While yes, I did receive these to review, I hope that you'll see that I'm being honest about them. They are nice products, although one isn't suitable for my needs.

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Ulta Love Your Curls Kit

I think it's time I come to terms with my new reality: I no longer have straight hair. After years of longing after messy waves and spending a ton of time curling it, my hair has undergone an evolution. First came the summertime frizzies. Then, I started getting little curls around my forehead. Now, if I don't fully dry my hair, flat iron, and pin it up to sleep, I get waves.

This is a whole new world from someone who used to have hair that would shed a curl within 2-3 hours. So I'm still trying to figure my new hair out.

Enter the Ulta Love Your Curls Kit.

To be fair, this has a sample of one of the items I was mulling in-store and I thought it might be a good set to try. I'm not going to go too deep into each item, but if you're familiar with them please leave your thoughts in the comments!

This kit cost $9.99 and claims to be a $56 value.

Let's take a quick look at the products inside:

1. Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Oil (full size: $38)

Honestly, this is one of the products I was mulling. I'm at the end of my Drybar oil, and I love putting a bit on my ends. I'm a huge fan of Living Proof and nearly purchased the travel size ($20).


2. DevaCurl Melt Into Moisture (full size: $36)

This is a Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask. I've been loving a matcha cleanser, and I'm into hair masks... I'll probably try this very soon.

3. Matrix Air Dry Twisted Boho (full size: $18)

This is one of two products I don't see myself using anytime soon. I already own the Bumble and Bumble Don't Blow It cream and will be using that for quite awhile!

4. Bed Head Screw It Curl Hydrating Jelly Oil (full size: $21.99)

This is the other product I don't think I'll be reaching for. I'll play with it this winter because it perplexes me. That said, this is a huge product.

5. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel (full size $26-75)

I wish I'd seen this a couple of months ago. I'm very interested to pro/con this against my Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream!

6. KMD Moist Repair Anti-Breakage Spray  (full size: $23.50)

For some reason, I didn't photograph this. Whoops.

I'm in. I use a protein spray on my hair several times per month, and I'm always looking to rotate my products.

I'm so happy that Ulta is stepping up their game with these kits- I almost picked up a drugstore skincare one at the same time. I'm looking forward to digging into this kit- and figuring out my new hair!

Snow Day Beauty

With so much of the country experiencing snow within the past few days, I thought I'd re-start the blog by bringing you my snow day beauty favorites. This is the exact combination that I wore while shoveling for hours- and why I chose each carefully curated item.  This comes from a lifetime of living in areas with snowy winters- and never having the luxury of a garage/snow blower!

Please note the yummy throw- it may show up from time to time as a background. It seems right since we're talking winter. This picture really was taken by a fireplace (which was in use recently).

1. If you're planning to spend all day digging out in the snow, it's important to pamper your face a little bit more. I upped my moisturizer to L'Occitane's Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream ($34, 1.7oz)(sample from last holiday's L'Occitane Advent Calendar) to give just a bit more protection. It has 25% shea butter, which allowed my sensitive skin to deal with the cold elements with nary an issue.

2 + 3. UV protection is a MUST, and you'll be getting a lot more UV (reflection from the snow) than you may estimate. Even though it's winter, protecting your skin is essential. I trotted out my regular daily duo- Chanel UV Essentiale  Complete Sunscreen UV Protection Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($55, 1 oz) and Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 34 ($35.50, 0.6oz). In the time that I've been away from blogging, I have re-dedicated myself to a SPF'd lifestyle. This combo is my HG for use with daily makeup and provides as high of a SPF content as I can find.

4. A light base- I personally love Iope's Air Cushion XP as an awesome cushion compact. It's not available directly for sale online in the US, but it's worth tracking down. I'll post a full review in the coming weeks, as well as more info on how to find the most pale-complexion-friendly cushion compact on the market (IMO).

5. Even though I went au natural for blush and the cushion compact let my freckles (and rosacea) shine through, I have a few spots that I wanted to cover, plus my naturally-occurring dark circles. I could've pulled out my NARS Creamy Concealer, but Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($14) has been in my rotation far more often as of late. PS- my NW15ish skin likes shade 01- Bavarian Cream.

6. Right now, my hair is a few shades darker than my natural shade, so filling in my brows is a must or I look silly. I adore my Tom Ford Brow Sculptor ($45) in Chestnut for a quick one-step brow.  (In case you're curious, I love using MAC Cork with some Fix+ for additional coverage.)

7.  This was one of two totally unnecessary steps, but honestly I wanted to test this out after getting a deluxe sample during the holidays. Any totally neutral eye pencil will do, but I wore NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Angel ($24), a lovely nude shade. It's my eyes but better. It wore decently well while exerting myself, but if I was going to do this over I'd pull out Laura Mercier's Eye sticks.

8. Pick out your favorite waterproof mascara. This is the one that I have open right now, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara ($32).

9. Your lips will need some pampering. Do it up right with the Rolls Royce of lip balms, By Terry Baume de Rose. I pulled out the special edition from Holiday 2015- the Gold Baume de Rose Parure Lip Balm ($31). It's Baume de Rose with shimmer. It's the best of both worlds- the luxurious lip balm and a glittery gloss.

10. Let's be honest, friends. Shoveling is an awesome cardio workout. Continue smelling awesome with a little bit of perfume oil. I pulled out one of my favorites, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Perfume Oil ($35).

11. If you're heading out to shovel, or if you're simply taking a halftime break, a great dry shampoo is essential. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($28) is my HG and beats the pants off of any other dry shampoo I've tried.

If you want to simplify, simply edit out the mascara and eye pencil. I didn't wear them on the first day that I was shoveling.

What are your snow day beauty must-haves?

Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Red/Acajou

Eyebrows have gone from being an under-appreciated, over-plucked afterthought in the beauty world to an essential part of the perfectly done face over the past decade. For me, personally, even if I leave the house with only concealer, clear lip balm, and a bit of mascara, I always take the time to make sure my brows are on point.  It's mainly because my hair color is not what I was born with, and I need to give my brows a bit of love to pull it off.

I went brighter and darker red for fall this year, so my beloved Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder in Caramel wasn't working with my new shade. It's admittedly a work in progress, and I'm currently a Redken Chromatics 5C.  Here's a shot of just how bold it is:

Anything with blonde in it clearly wouldn't work, and I needed to amp up the pure red in my brows. Enter Armani Eye & Brow Maestro.

While browsing the new releases from Armani, I noticed that a new line of brow products had just been released: Eye & Brow Maestro ($34, 5g/0.17oz, Made in France). These lovely creams are touted as brow color, eyeliner, cream eyeshadow, and root touch-ups. Naturally, I was drawn to shade #03 Acajou (Red). I'll be honest, the multiple names for every Armani shade are really throwing me off.

I was the first one to try the tester at my local counter, and both the SA and I were shocked at what a perfect match the shade was for my hair. Here's a shot of one of my brows, with the product combed through. This was taken indoors, with flash. It's pulling significantly more orange in this shot. Unfortunately, my outdoor shots didn't turn out well.

Let's take a moment to speak about this shade. There is a beautiful shimmer present in the pot that doesn't translate into the brows. I suspect that it might show up if you used this product as a eyeshadow wash.

I've been using this for about two weeks, and I'm in love. This is a waterproof (I tested this and it's true) product that is so simple to use. Just dip a spooley brush into the product (or rotate it lightly over top of the surface) and comb into your brows. This sets quickly, and doesn't require any other product to set (unlike the powder/gel combo I was used to). It also gives a wonderful, natural finish. The product sits in the eyebrow hairs, not on the skin like a liner/powder. This is the most expensive brow product I've ever tried, but it should last awhile and is worth it in my opinion. I'm actually going to pick up the new brush soon as well.

Although I'm using it as a brow product, let's look at this swatched since it could work an eye product as well.

Outside, in direct sun:

Outside, not in sun:

Outside, with flash:

Looking at it as an eyeliner, I immediately thought of Clinique Brush-on Cream Liner in Black Honey. The Clinique is darker and more of a true raspberry, but they're both reddish cream liners.

Since I rarely see a comparison of redhead-friendly brow products (and admittedly they're difficult to find), I decided to pull all of them for a comparison shot. Armani Eye & Brow Maestro is by far and away the most pigmented, as well as the reddest. I hope this is helps other redheads!

This is outside, without the aid of direct sun:

1: Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro- 03 Acajou/Red
2: Bare Minerals Brow Color- Redhead (DC)
3: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo- Caramel
4: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo- Auburn
5: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz- Caramel
6: CK One Color Brow Pencil & Gel Duo- 200 Foxy Redhead


Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro is available in 8 shades, and is currently at Armani counters.