Caudalie Divine Oil

This is by no means a new product... let's just say i've re-discovered it. 

I always love oils, especially dry oils. why? I can use it in many many ways.

Lately my hair ends has been suffering more than usual... oh well.. beside straightening my hair, these days I often dye it too. my LUSH R&B has been working over time... and I guess it is time to give my hair rest from it. I believe in switching products as hair needs changes ... doenst mean that I fell out of love with it... just 'taking time off' ... if it makes sense.

With that... enters Caudalie Divine Oil. I first discovered it during a trip to France. French pharmacies are like Disneyland ... arrays of skincare stuff... so many creams... so many oils... so many... many many things... One that stood up was this pretty bottle of Divine Oil from Caudalie. I usually use Nuxe's dry oil... but being me... I just have to try new product!

The oil is lovely, light and wonderfully fragranced with white floral fragrance. Soft, not overpowering... almost calming to my nose.The website mentioned that it is made of blends of wonderful oils... grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan. plus... they thrown in polyphenol anti-oxidants too. Plus... Caudalie will plant a tree for every bottle sold!

Enough marketing... let's go to the juice inside the bottle... The oil is easily absorbed by damp skin and towel dried hair... and my hair has been looking better with little mix of divine oil in my regime. Sometime I apply it alone after towel drying my hair or mix it with pea sized Lush R&B. I think it helps 'seals' in the moisture from Lush R&B and of course, adds gloss on my lackluster hair...

On dry hair, it makes my hair look oily. i usually mix with water or hair treatment water like this Lucido-L spray. 

For those with softer hair , I guess massaging in a single spray on towel dried hair is enough in order not to weigh down the hair too much.

My skin is loving this oil too! again, in my opinion, it is best applied on towel dried skin. This oil has saved my skin during winter! after bath, i would apply it liberally before towel drying, massaging in slowly while enjoying the lovely fragrance. then I would apply my body butter/creams as usual. 

One thing that makes this bottle of oil stands up is the design! i just love the substantial feeling of the glass bottle with grape bunch silhouette stamped on the bottle, pretty on the eye, but makes holding and spraying the bottle with wet/damp hand easier. and the cap... i just adore the wooden-inspired cap. not wooden, but totally looks like wooden cap. pretty pretty!

Bottomline:

dry skin/dry hair savior for me with wonderful soft fragrance and pretty bottle. a must try!

(picture from uk.caudalie.com) 

Roger & Gallet Huile Sublime Bois D’orange

I am loving my oils these days. Dry oils, layered with my regular body butter has been my skin-saver this winter. And I am exploring more dry oil variations these days.

Roger & Gallet is French brand famous for their toilet soaps. They are scented and super lovely, reminded me of my childhood soaps... You can easily get Roger & Gallet products in various pharmacies and supermarket , like Monoprix, in France.

This dry oil contains 6 active plants oil with softening and nourishing properties. Also enriched with orange essential oil and vitamin E to make your skin soft, supple and satin smooth.

First, the fragrance… it is lovely sweet orange with woodsy base. I am loving it. Always freshened me up!

The oil is also lovely, silicone free and easily absorbed by my thirsty skin. But the soothing effect doesn’t last as long to me, I feel the need of topping up with more oil after a few hours. Comparing dry oils I tried so far, I still prefer Nuxe and Caudalie for their more moisturizing properties.  Amidst this dry winter weather, this is not moisturizing enough for me. But it might be a favorite when I am back in the tropics.

What I love the most from this baby is the packaging. No, not cutesy packaging, but the practical spray top and small, well decorated glass bottle. It fits into my travelling bag nicely.

Bottomline,

Super practical and pretty bottle for travelling. Not moisturizing enough for winter, but might be perfect for more humid summer days!

Beauty 911 - Beauty Oils

One item which I never ever leave out from my travelling pouch is, obviously, beauty oils. I always have spot for a tiny bottle of baby oil. When I have extra space, I squeeze in dry oils such as Nuxe Huile Prodigiuse or The Body Shop Beautifying Oil.

  

(picture from johnsonsbaby.com)

Not once or twice did one of my oil collections safe me from beauty 911. 

Let’s start from the top: hair. I applied baby oil on my split ends when once I ran out of conditioner. Just beware, baby oil overdose will make your hair appear greasy, apply one little drop at a time. I find dry oil to be less greasy to the hair.  Work it always from tip, allowing each oil drop to get absorbed before adding more. I never apply oil nearby my scalp, for simple reason, I don’t want to look like a wet rat.

(picture from fr.nuxe.com)

Not a surprise here, oils are fantastic 911 moisturizer. I like to use it after bath before towel drying my skin. Apply generously over wet skin; then dry your skin with towel as usual. This will make skin feels less oily, but just nicely moisturized- especially when you are using baby oil.

(picture from thebodyshop.co.uk)

I love a little dry oil for my cuticles too. Little goes long way here, unless you fancy oily fingertips. 

Last but not least, my favourite way to use oils... as make up remover. Of course; don’t slather your face with it. Dip your cotton ball or Qtips and wipe... voila... make up gone! For more stubborn stuff, like waterproof mascara or MAC liquidlast eye liner, apply the oil lightly and let it rest for 5-10 seconds, then slowly massage to dissolve the pigment residue. Wipe with tissue paper to absorb the oil, then wash with facial cleanser as usual.

One thing I wont use my baby oil for is... face moisturizer. I don’t think baby oil is as easily absorbed by facial skin than body skin. Moreover, some might find the main ingredient, mineral oil, might be irritating for more sensitive skin.

Bottomline... always have a tiny bottle of your favourite beauty oil in your luggage!

The Body Shop Beautifying Oil in Moringa

Recently, I am drawn to everything oil… cleansing oil, dry oil, massage oil… you name it! Of course I have to grab The Body Shop’s new beautifying oil. 

 (picture from thebodyshop website)

TBS claimed that this dry oil is suitable for body, face and hair. Well, I am going to use it only for my body and hair… for simple reason, I am already happy with my L’occitane cream & Clarins Lotus oil for my face. Plus… I don’t like overly fragranced products on my face. And these oils are surely heavily scented. The Body Shop USA website lists 11 variations, but I think in Asia, there’s less. I picked up Moringa, which has creamy white floral scent which I adore. 

The oil is supposed to moisturize, smoothen and illuminate skin. My skin has been ultra dry lately, and extra moisture from any product, is greatly appreciated! So, I tried this on my bare skin after shower on my left arm and compared it to Nuxe Huile Prodigiuse on my right arm. Well, I can say both are as easily absorbed and pretty much equally moisturizing on the skin. But Nuxe oil wins in the illuminating department.

For the hair, I do think TBS oil is more easily absorbed than Nuxe, leaving my dried hair lightly moisturized with little extra healthy sheen.  

I am so happy to find out that this product doesn’t contain silicone products. Yes, it means it is not going to be as light on the skin/hair… but lately I’m just bored with the silicone feeling most hair serums and oils give. 

Here’s the ingredients list:

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Dicaprylyl Carbonate (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil/Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Moringa Pterygosperma Oil/Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil (Emollient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-t-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (Antioxidant), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil (Emollient), Ascorbyl Palmitate (Antioxidant).

Bottomline,

I am loving this on my hair. Definitely going to repurchase when I run out. For me, TBS beautifying oil is going to be on heavy rotation with my favorite Vrai oil.