Tag Archives: Paraben-free

My Routine For Dry Hair: Scrub, Shampoo and Care

My-Routine-For-Dry-Hair-Scrub-Shampoo-&-Care-Aveda-Activilong

The Scrub and Shampoo

Recently, I tested the Matrix Biolage ScalpSync exfoliating treatment (1). As I often use hair care and oils, I want to clean my scalp without stripping once every 2-3 weeks, to let it breathe.

The product is like a traditional body scrub. You have to apply it before the shampoo, with light massage on the moistened scalp. In fact, I take time to perfectly rinse my hair and scalp before applying the exfoliant, because the day before I often make an oil bath.

Then I use the Repairing Shampoo 2 in 1 ACTIREPAIR of Activilong with avocado and organic olive oils (paraben free and silicone free (2), it makes more foam than usual. Proof that the exfoliant took away all product residue in the hair? I think so. This shampoo is very soft and creamy, so pleasant to apply!

The Excellent Care

I don’t use conditioner, I prefer masks for deep care. I leave the mask to damp hair as a leave-in conditioner for one or more days. My SUPER powerfull mask that dramatically softens my curls, Smooth Infusion – Smoothing Masque of Aveda (3). This product is fantastic!

This mask has a very strong smell like aromatherapy. Great! I add a few drops of: the Dry Remedy Oil of Aveda, or Repairing Oil “Fantastic Oil” ACTIREPAIR of Activilong. And I make Bantu Knocks. The result has an incredible flexibility and lasts up to 5 days, without adding product.

My other favorite is Dry Remedy Masque Hydratant of Aveda (4), when my hair is really thirsty. I don’t use as a leave-in conditioner. I keep it a few hours, sometimes overnight and I rinse and apply a styling product with a few drops of oil.

The Super Styling

Super effective on very dry, damaged and curly hair, the Repair & Styling Cream ACTIREPAIR of Activilong feeds and gives gloss to the hair (5). As it is very rich, very little product is enough. I prefer applying it to damp hair. Because I almost never use blow dryer to dry my hair.

Another option when I want to smooth out naturally, I apply to damp hair the Smooth Infusion style-prep smoother of Aveda (6). I comb the hair in a bun and let it air dry.

Do you know these products? I’m curious to know what do you think about them and how you use them for a better result? And what are your favorite products for dry, very dry, frizzy or damaged hair?

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Fashion & Beauty For Skiing in Val Thorens, France

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-6-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

My Selection For Skiing

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-3-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Naively I thought with the fresh air

of the mountain, I wouldn’t have to use too much skincares. Very quickly I realized that on the contrary must be redoubled care, between the sun with the strong glare on the slopes and the very dry heating air.

Photo montage above: 1. The cleanser and toner. I’ve never cleaned my face as often: in the morning, then upon returning from skiing or/and before dinner and at last before sleeping. So I chose very mild products to not irritate my really sensitive skin: Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Toning Lotion/Refiner and Perfectly Clean Triple-Action Cleanser/Toner/Makeup Remover, Estée Lauder.        

2. The face masks. For optimal hydration, I apply the AquaPrécis Masque Express Hydratation Dynamique of Uriage. It’s like an after sun exposure dressing. I leave it all night as a night cream. The morning after cleansing the face, I prepare my skin to the cares with the Vitamin Rich Detox Mask of Bio Beauté by Nuxe. I am not a big fan of its near-sticky honey texture, but I really enjoy its healthy glow effect. The skin is cleansed, with  a bright complexion.

3. The ski sunscreen. Cream + stick Very High protection, High altitude Photoderm Ski SPF 50 of Bioderma : very pleasant to apply with the boilerplate lightweight format that slips easily into a pocket of the jacket. By late afternoon, the Photoderm Après Soleil SOS (Intense Soothing mist) of Bioderma refreshes my skin. Lovely blue packaging.

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-1-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Glam on the slopes

Above: 1. The Yeti under jacket, my big crush! I didn’t know Yeti, a German brand based in Denmark and specialized in duvets. This under jacket is impeccably cut following the shape of body. I can stay warm without looking like a bag! It weighs nothing with an edgy look for skiing and town!   

2. Ultra glamour Pure Color Envy Sculpting EyeShadow 5 Color Palette, Estée Lauder. Beautiful colors and silky texture ranging from silver to purple (for intense smoky eyes). 3. I alternate the Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick, Estée Lauder with the 10 Cherry LushTom Ford 

4. On the ski gloves, my inseparable cream for the dry, chapped and damaged hands, High Nutrition Hands With Natural Cold Cream, Bio beauté by Nuxe. Very fluid, it penetrates quickly, leaving a slightly glossy finish on a nourished skin.

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-5-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

The Evening Glam 

Above : 1. The jacket for skiing, Poivre Blanc with a white and taupe sober look. It is extremely comfortable and warm in altitude. 2. My fragrance. Modern Muse, Estée Lauder. Discreet but present, feminine, elegant and lightly powdered, I like it a lot.

3. The body cares. Pleasant smooth creamy texture of the Magic TouchRituals. At first I was afraid it wouldn’t be nutritious enough for my very dry body skin. Actually not. Before applying, I mix the cream with the Contouring Concentrate of Caudalie for a toning and firming effect.

4. My other big crush, the wow ankle boots of Sam Edelman. Killer shoes! I wear them a lot at the moment! Well, on the picture, I suffered a bit, it was the first time I wore them (LOL!). Plus a vintage bag with a shiny parrot.

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-2-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Targeted Skincare Products

Do you know the excellent Radical Skincare? As soon as I started testing this American brand in late August, I found visible effects. My complexion had fewer imperfections and better skin texture. After a month, my skin was more toned and smooth.

Photo montage above: 1. The serum. Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum, Radical Skincare, to apply before the cream morning and night. 2. The face cream. Anti-aging Restorative Moisture of Radical Skincare.

3. The body cares. In the embroidered pouch from Kazakstan offered by a friend, two new creams of l’Occitane :  the Whipped Body Cream for hands and the Whipped Body Cream for body, both with shea. A pleasure to use: what a pity the body cream finishes so fast! 4. A view of Val Thorens (France).

Photo montage below : 1. For the eyes. Choose carefully adapted sunglasses for altitude (mines make fog!). Also to protect the fragile eye zone, I use the efficient Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Eye & Lip CreamCaudalie. One of the few creams that doesn’t irritate my eyes.

As I’m not a seasoned skier, I didn’t know what outfits to bring with me! So I make it really simple: black comfortable warm boots easy to clean.(2). Wolly caps a bit ethnic and lined with fleece (3). And a nice Poivre Blanc ski pants (4)

Mode & Beauté au Ski-Club-Med-Val Thorens-France-4-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Photos : Mademoiselle Le K – copyright 2014, tous droits réservés.

Informations   

The photos were shot at Club Med Val Thorens Sensations  

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FASHION, BEAUTY & HOTEL REVIEWS

My dry hair routine: four oils tested

Time to test some handpicked products over several months,

here is my dry hair routine: four oils tested. As most of you has already known, I love testing new oils to soften and nourish my really dry hair. Mostly 100% natural oils. Leaving mineral oils, additive… even if I sometimes use some, if I can avoid them, I avoid them. So I found two fantastic oils, which I became totally addicted : Regenerating Plant With Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil of Christophe Robin (picture 1) and Huile Solaire Merveilleuse Bio Evoa.

The first oil is a creation of the famous Parisian colorist, Christophe Robin. He selected “several 100% plant oils that complement one another, resulting in a deep and lasting rejuvenation.” An impressive list of Eco Cert certified ingredients: Prickly pear seed oil (antioxidant and moisturizing), rice bran oil (antioxidant and protective), sweet almond oil (nourishing and softening) and Inula flower (from the coast of Brittany) “which protects and revives the pigments in natural or colored hair.” Paraben, silicone, SLS, colorant free. With its super light texture (quite liquid) and delicious subtle fragrance, this oil is a must we take pleasure to apply and smell. I apply it every two days, strand by strand, no need to put a lot. The hair becomes really silky. As soon as I washed and rinsed my hair, I put a little oil throughout hair before untangle and tie in a bun to let it dry. The next day the result is stunning.

Indeed just as visible and palpable with Huile Solaire Merveilleuse Bio Evoa I discovered last summer during the Roxy Pro in Biarritz. Although this dry oil (quite thick) is “more rustic” than Christophe Robin’s oil. Its rich texture is not unpleasant and I like its vanilla scent.  This 100% organic oil is composed of organic safflower oil (moisturizes, nourishes), essential oil Pachouli (regenerative), Vanilla (fragrance), organic Apricot kernel oil (nourishing, moisturizing). Paraben-free and without PEG and nanoparticles, it respects the coral and the ocean. I use this oil for oil bath to repair or as a relaxing after shampoo once or twice a week. After the shampoo, I only rinse the hair that remains shiny and incredibly soft and supple for several days. I recommend you to test it this summer. My advice: I always apply any oils on slightly damp hair.

I also tested Rosazucena, Rosa Mosqueta Pure Oil from Panatagonia:

“Argentina, the 42nd parallel, the Pre-Cordillera of the Andes” … The traveler in me could not ask for more! Go around the world with my various tests of products (LOL). This rare oil obtained by cold-pressing, repairs the skin (acne marks, stretch marks, scars …). I always start from the principle that what is good for the skin, is good for the hair. And I tested this oil very focused on my mane. First point, as I have a lot of hair, I had to use it quite a lot each time. The pot containing only 20 ml, I could not do more than 2-3 oil baths. To stretch the texture, I had to wet my hair more than usual. The combination of oil and wet hair is not very successful at the moment: the stickiness of hair is  not very sexy. Against by the aftermath of the oil bath, the locks are superb, smooth and relaxed. Do not use this oil to style hair, but only as a treatment to nourish and sheathe the structure of the hair (which seems inflated, as boosted after the oil bath).What a pity that I could not make it last another month test!

On the other hand, I had a huge disappointment with Essence Absolue, Nourishing Protective Oil of Shu Emura, based on camellia oil. I can not read the oil’s ingredients on the package. Course I understood there was camellia oil, but what else? Never mind, I was quite excited to test the famous Shu Emura oil. We are all conditioned by the “supposed to be” great selection products of women’s magazines! No comment! Well I found this oil NOTHING especially: the smell (neither good nor bad, nor simply present) and the texture (yes it is an oil and that’s it!). After 2-3 uses (where I used a lot of product), my hair was even drier and more brittle than usual. In short, this is a VERY DISAPPOINTING oil and NOT AT ALL  FOR my very dry hair!

Photos : Mademoiselle Le K – copyright 2013, tous droits réservés.

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