Showing posts with label Sebastian Professional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sebastian Professional. Show all posts

Sebastian Professional Potion 9

I'm rarely so impressed by a hair product as by this one. It's one of my favourite new discoveries lately and a new warrior in my war against the frizz and dryness. Potion 9 is a leave-in conditioner/styling product hybrid that promises to condition the hair as well as give hold, shine and tame it. It's been on the market for nearly 20 years and a best seller for much of that time. Now if that's not a sign of quality, I don't know what is. 

Texture: A light serum-gel that is bright orange. It applies evenly due to the slip it has. I can't feel it on my hair no matter how much I apply it and I think it might be appropriate for someone whose hair aren't as thick as mine and it shouldn't weight it down, but I haven't had the chance to try it on such hair. 

How to use: It doesn't actually say how much you should use on my bottle, so I just apply a few pumps on my waist-length hair. It can be used on damp hair before drying (with a hair drier or air dry) as well as on dry hair to add, as they say, texture.

Effect: I really like this! Applied on damp hair before blow-drying it really tames my hair, makes it much sleeker than when I just use my regular products, it feels moisturised and even a bit silky. It's very good especially in combination with Sexy Healthy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave-In conditioner, or as I call them - the golden team. I used it also on someone else who has the same type of hair as me, on who I usually do a blow out plus straighten her hair and the final result was much, much better than usual. The hair was sleeker, there was almost no more frizz and looked more healthy. This is a product that really makes a visible difference on rebellious hair.
The only problem with this is that if you want your hair curly as I do, the silkiness this gives means that the curls drop faster and it's more difficult to get volume because of lack of texture, however, if you like to wear your hair straight, the effect lasts longer.
There is this pin on Pinterest that I saw after I bought Potion 9. It's says "Apply to wet hair and your hair dries into long waves. Buy at Target." I kind of hate these random things people write under images. Anyway, I tried this on damp hair without using heat styling and let my hair air-dry. And I hated it. It's been a while since I let my hair air dry and I forgot how unkempt my hair looks naturally. I have natural messy curls that can't decide whether they are curls or waves (it's waist-length, so the weight of the hair is preventing it from curling nicely) and Potion 9 didn't make them any prettier or more defined (try Tigi's Curl Amplifier instead, it actually works because it has more hold). Also my hair gets super knotty and really dry if I don't use heat tools to tame it and then a lot of damage occurs because of that. This is a product that performs best with heat tools on my hair. 
On dry hair, it works like a mix of silicone serum with a very light hold gel. It tames the hair, makes it more shiny and also gives a bit of hold/texture due to the slight stickiness.

Scent: If you're familiar with Avon's hair serum this has the same scent. To me it smells exactly like a salon.

Packaging: An airtight bottle with a pump. It works great and I have no complaints, the only thing is that you can't see how much product is still in there, but that's the problem with most products anyway.

Ingredients: I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the ingredients. They are lovely and from what I can tell,  it's a very good leave-in conditioner with jojoba oil high on the list (one of the best oils for hair), safflower seed oil, panthenol (moisture and shine), a few proteins and etc.

Price and availability: I got my small 50 ml bottle on Look Fantastic for 12€, but there is a full size available with 150 ml for 22 €. I love that they offer a small size to try, every company should follow their example. 

This is a brilliant product that helps taming frizz and is a lovely leave-in conditioner. The light texture should work on most types of hair and shouldn't weight it down (though there is a light version available). I'll definitely buy a full size once my trial version runs out, but I suspect these 50 ml will last a while.

Have a great day!

New In #13

Müller had a 20% off some high-end mascaras and I couldn't pass up the chance to repurchase one of my favourites. This time I got the Star version of Hypnôse which is in a glamorous shimmery packaging and has a different wand, however, the formula is the same as the original waterproof one (I actually wanted the Doll version, but the only one there was already opened, used and put back in a box. Who does that!?). I'll do a post where you'll see the difference between the original, but so far I'll say I prefer the original wand. 
Regular price in Müller is 33.99 € (27.19 € with that discount).

The lightest shade is a bit dark for me, but the formula is very similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in terms of coverage and how almost invisible it looks on the skin, but the finish is different, it's more satin/matte. There will be a review, but you can read a review of the CC Eye cream here.
It's priced probably around 14 €, I'm not sure because I bought it with a coupon.

I grabbed this at the registers in H&M because I liked the colour and I was curious about the formula. There are several shades, I remember a couple of pinks and a red, this one is a warm, pink-raspberry shade. These are like liquid lipstick that are very pigmented, but staying power is not that impressive. Review with swatches will be posted.
Priced 3.95 €.

Look at that adorable packaging! It's supposed to be scented and after reading a few reviews I expected a heavy scent, but I barely smell anything at all. The colour is beautiful and the quality of the polish is nice. I'll post swatches.
6.99 € in Müller.
I've been on a search for a new powder and I'm considering maybe taking a plunge and buying the famous Guerlain Meteorites. Whilst researching online, I found a review comparing essence pearls (not sure which TE was it) with Guerlain's (not is a sense that they are dupes) and the reviewer said that it's a lovely highlighter, so I picked them up also to see how I get along with the concept of powder pearls/balls. I only purchased them a couple of days ago, but first impressions are good. It's a very subtle highlighter, nothing exceptional, but cute and nice to have if you manage to still find them. I'll post a review with swatches soon.
3.59 € in DM.

This shade immediately caught my attention in the shop and I have nothing similar in my collection. It's a bleached (muted) neon coral-pink that is quite a statement shade. I'll post swatches. 
2.49 € in Müller.

essence all about matt! fixing compact powder
I'm so fed up with my Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and as I said, I've been researching online for my next powder. Honestly, I'd never even look at essence powder in a shop, but a lot of people seem to love it and it's cheap so when I had a discount in DM I just tossed it in the shopping basket. It's has a high rating on Make up Alley, but I suspect it's more due to the affordable price than it being absolutely fantastic. First impressions are ok, I like it better than MAC's, but I've only been using it a few days. I'll update you on how I like it in time, I think I need to get through the top layer first to see how good it actually is.
3.29 € in DM.

 Pantene Expert Collection Anti Age conditioner
I haven't bought anything from Pantene in about a decade. I never liked the brand and their ridiculously retouched advertising campaigns make me angry, but I heard good things about this conditioner and I can't resist trying a supposedly nice drugstore treatment. I've only used it once and I need a bit more testing before giving my assessment, but so far I'm not impressed.
7.49 € in Müller.

Sebastian Professional Potion 9
One of my readers alerted me that there was a 20% off code on Look Fantastic (thanks Sunshine!) and I couldn't pass on buying Potion 9 and Bumble and bumble Pret-a-Powder. Potion 9 is a leave-in conditioner and styling product in one. I am very, very impressed by it and it's my favourite thing out all the stuff I bough recently. I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw the ingredients and it's fantastic for my super dry hair even though it feels almost weightless. There will be a review.
Regular price 11.75 € for 50 ml on Look Fantastic. There also a larger size available.

Phyto 9
Nourishing day cream with 9 plants
This is a very hyped up moisturiser for hair that is silicone free and after reading a ton of very favourable reviews I expected a lot, but I was disappointed. I'll do a full review, however, I can say that this is not enough for my dry hair and it feels weird, like applying a face/body moisturiser.
15.85 € in Leposana (Leclerc), which is a lot cheaper than online. I love that shop!
I don't know why, but I really, really wanted this. It's an interesting concept of a dry shampoo, volumising powder and style extender in one that really appealed to me, even though I use dry shampoo only occasionally, usually on the 3rd or 4th day after I washed the hair and only to make it smell nice and refresh volume, not because it's greasy. There will be a full review with more details, but I'll just say that is smells absolutely divine and gives a lot of volume. 
I paid 21.16 € with a code on Look Fantastic, regular price is about 26 €.

Redken diamond oil shampoo and conditioner samples
Shampoo: I had a 10 ml sample that I used up in one wash. It smells so lovely, it reminds me of something, but I think it's something tropical. The texture is somewhat creamy, but not hydrating. I find it leaves my hair too squeaky clean, but I can comb through it after washing. I wouldn't market this as shampoo for dry hair, but it should work for other types of hair.
Conditioner: A bit too thin and runny for my liking. It has the same scent as the shampoo. 10 ml was not enough for my hair, so I couldn't properly test it, but it certainly wasn't moisturising enough for my hair.
Ingredients of both shampoo and conditioner here.

 Balea Summer 2014 LE Carambola Lambada and Mango Mambo
Like last year, Balea released a tropical inspired LE that includes shower gels, body lotions and a deodorant.
Carambola Lambada shower gel - I think this is my favourite out of all tropical scents by Balea. It's fresh like a grapefruit scent, but with some sweetness. Lovely!
Mango Mambo shower gel - the same mango scent as last year. Super sweet, like a cocktail or candy (Haribo bears).
0.99 € in DMs (Did anyone else notice that they are 14 cents more expensive than last year?).

I repurchased one of my favourite shower gels.This smells so flipping amazing, it always makes me smile.
0.99 € in DM.

Garnier Ultra Doux Honey Treasures Reconstructing Shampoo
An average drugstore shampoo with a creamy formula. It doesn't strip the hair nor nourish it and it leaves the hair quite tangled. It foams a lot, which I'm really enjoying because I've been using sulphate free shampoos for a long time now and I've developed this contempt for them. It smells very generic, soapy clean but a bit sweet, though nothing like a proper honey scent. It's a shampoo for those who just grab something at the drugstore and don't really put much thought into hair care because they don't need to. I'm disappointed, but what can you really expect from a shampoo this cheap.
Ingredients here.
2.89 € in DM for 400 ml, there is also a smaller size available.

Nivea Double Effect Auger Make-Up Entferner
I couldn't find my regular Maybelline remover in DM, so I picked up this one. It's the same concept, a two-phase oily make up remover that I use for removing waterproof mascara. It's less oily than Maybelline's and this one doesn't make my vision blurry either, but it's less effective and it takes a lot more rubbing to get the mascara off, hence why I'm not impressed. I like the packaging of this one more because it has a flip lid. 
Ingredients of Maybelline's and Nivea's side by side here.
4.29 € in DM.

I've said on several occasions that I genuinely dislike this hair mask and I still do. However, my mother adores it (go figure) and I bought it for her as a Mother's Day gift after she ever so "subtly" implied with an empty pot in her hands that her favourite mask had run out. It usually happens this way, I give her something I don't quite like and then I end up repurchasing it for her because she loves it (I bought three of Deborah lipsticks in a row). The bow is the maximum extent of my decorating abilities.
15 € on eBay from this seller (much cheaper than elsewhere).

Have a great day!