Product Review - Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo and Treatment /Conditioner

Since I have been using my favourite Nexxus Salon Hair Care Therappe Shampoo and Conditioner set almost every day for more than a year, the combination seems to be losing its effectiveness.
 My hair stylist commented that I should change my shampoos once in a while as they tend to loose their effectiveness after prolonged use.

I was recommended the Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Shampoo and Treatment (a.k.a Conditioner) by the sales person at a hair salon (At Richmond Centre, near Sears) which carried more than 50 different types of shampoo. She was so sure about her recommendation that I thought I would give it a try though I was still a little hesitant since I am not a fan of 1L shampoo/conditioner bottles without pumps. It was a good thing that the store sells the pump. I definitely recommend buying the pumps since it is not the most fun thing to hold a 1L shampoo bottle with soapy hands and have it land your toes during the shower.The shampoo was C$21.99 and the treatment/conditioner was C$22.99, which is still a great price for the 1L combination.

My experience  

I love the smell. Very refreshing, like a cologne. The shampoo bubbles up really well and my hair feels super clean after just one wash. The treatment/conditioner is a lot thicker than the usual moisturizer, smells good and really moisturizes the hair.

Verdict

I love it and my husband raves about it. My hair feels very silky and soft the next day. The Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Shampoo and treatment is definitely the best shampoo and conditioner set that I have tried so far if only I have discovered them much earlier. Definitely a must have in your bathroom!

Product Review: Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot (Pimple/Acne treatment)

I was super happy a week ago when I received a package from my sister. She was raving about a miraculous pimple/acne treatment - Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot! She claimed that the pink powder spot was able to cure pimples that were about to come out when she applied the treatment to them overnight. Needless to say, I was looking forward to the package since the product is not sold in Vancouver. It is retailing at US$15 on www.amazon.com.

What is it?

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot is a pimple/acne treatment. It comes in a package that includes the AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot (an over night treatment), the AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Water (a day treatment) and Q-tips for application.

I wish I could tell you what the ingredients are but I could not read Korean and so I have no idea. I read from some other blog reviews on the product and they mentioned that the ingredients include salicyclic acid and sulphur powder. Quite possible but I don't know for sure and I am not unable to find the ingredient list from Etude's official website.


Directions

Pink Powder Spot (Night Treatment)

• Do not shake before application 
• Dip the Q-tip into the powder portion of the solution
• Apply on acne/pimples
• Let the pink solution dry before you go to bed (to avoid staining your pillows)

Pink Powder Water (Day treatment)

• Shake the Pink Powder Water (Day treatment)
• Dip the Q-tip into the solution
• Apply on acne/pimples
• Blend the white solution into skin before applying make up

My Experience

The night treatment is pink. Upon application of the Pink Powder Spot, my face feels nice and cooling. It feels and smells like calamine lotion (solution used to prevent itch when you have chicken pox or itch of any sort).

The  day treatment is white. It doesn't feel as nice and cooling as the night treatment but it definitely doesn't feel sticky like most pimple creams.

The treatment is MOST effective for spots that are just about to come out. The ones that you can feel the bump but cannot see the pimples yet. It seems to sooth the redness and nip problem in the bud. For pimples that are already full blown, it takes about 3-4 days before the pimples disappear completely. Still impressive compared to my current pimple cream (which takes at least 7 days). I can definitely see significant improvements day by day.

My Verdict

I am absolutely impressed with the effectiveness of the Pink Powder Spot! It is effective not just the pimples but also on lightening pimple scars. I have tried other pimple creams before but this is the most effective one I have tried. Even though it is just a small 5 ml bottle, I only used 1 Q-tip per day so the small bottle is probably enough to last for at least 6 months.

No worries for any important interviews or meetings that normally cause breakouts since the Pink Powder Spot can literally erase the spot overnight if spotted early. This is definitely my go to pimple solution from now on!



Useful links:

What causes adult acne and how to prevent it
Dr Wu Intensive Acnecure spot treatment with BHA

Product Review: Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment

Hello! This is my first product review on my blog.

My existing shampoo and conditioner was running out and I was at Costco and came across the Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment Set selling @ C$17.99 + tax. The reason I bought was that it is "Sulfate Free".

Why Sulfate Free? This requires an entire blog by itself. Do checkout sulfate-freeshampoo.net  and it has a very good article written on it. Basically sulates in shampoos give you the alluring bubbles in shampoo ads and they are strong grease removers. Unfortunately, it comes with some downsides, especially for those with sensitive scalp, dyed hair, oily hair and skin and those with eczema. Sulfates in shampoo also cost premature hair loss by causing damage to hair follicle. Isn't it a good enough reason to go sulfate free?

So how was the shampoo? First thing first. The smell. Not your sweet heavenly kinda of smell but I was expecting worse since it is Macadamia Oil. To set your expectation right, it was not sweet smelling but neither was it awful. It smells kinda tropical. It does not put me off but it does not motivate me to use it either. It lathers decently. Not as bad as I thought. I was expecting no bubbles. Then again, I have used baking soda to wash my hair before, so it was quite pleasant to have some bubbles. It cleans pretty well, no less than my previous shampoo containing sulfate. I would still use baking soda once a week as it really cleans all the hair products off the hair. Hair was clean, light and definitely soft after use.

What about the conditioner? It was actually really good. Same smell as the shampoo. My hair felt really good after the conditioner, very moisturized indeed. My hair used to feel very dry but after 2 days of the shampoo and conditioner, it looks shinier and definitely feels more silky.

I only tried the treatment oil once as I generally shampoo my hair before bed. I did not want to risk getting the oil on my pillow and hence my face since I may get breakouts. I have tried 3 different types of hair oils before - Joise Maran Pure Agan Oil, Josie Maran Argan Oil Serum and Marc Anthony's Macadamia Oil treatment. it ranks highest in terms of moisturing. However, I prefer Josie Maran Argan Oil Serum because it has a more pleasant smell.

Overall conclusion, I like the Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil shampoo, conditioner and treatment set and would definitely recommend my friends and family to use them.

Update on 16 June 2013:

After 2 months of using the shampoo combination and especially after I bought the Nexxus Shampoo and Conditioner set  a few days ago, both my husband and I concluded that the Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Shampoo was causing our higher than average hair loss during shampooing. As such, I am changing my recommendation for the Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Shampoo. Buy the Nexxus Shampoo and Conditioner Set instead! Much better, especially in terms of keeping hair loss during shampooing to a minimum.