Maša M blog
Neomejen svet lepote.

Blogmas 2017 #11: Simple hair care routine and best products of 2017

simple hair care routine

My bathroom and cabinet are filled with skincare and make-up but for some reason, I manage to keep my haircare products in check. I don’t have a very sensitive scalp or any particular hair issues so I can afford the luxury of constantly trying out new products that enter the market.

Simple hair care routine – shampoo and conditioner

simple hair care routine L'Oreal Elseve L'Occitane

I always start with shampoo and continue with conditioner. For a while, people were saying to apply conditioner beforehand and I tried that a couple of times. Honestly, I didn’t see any difference. I try to wash my hair with lukewarm water whenever possible. This year, my #1 choice of shampoo and conditioner was the L’Oreal Elseve Extraordinary Clay purifying shampoo and conditioner. I’ve gone through three bottles of each and couldn’t bring myself to use many other shampoos instead of these. They have a great smell, the shampoo really felt purifying and the conditioner left my hair super soft and less frizzy.

Once every few weeks, I also apply the L’Occitane revitalizing fresh cleansing scrub – I wrote a whole post about it *here* for those of you who want to know more. In short, it’s a cleansing shampoo to really get rid of all the build-up on your hair. I’d definitely recommend the investment since you’ll be hard pressed to use this 150ml bottle in 12 months.

Simple hair care routine – hair luxuries

simple hair care routine Avon leave in conditioner

My all-time favorite hair-care product is the Avon Advanced Techniques Quick Touch leave-in conditioner. I swear that I have been using about 3 bottles of this for the past five years at least, perhaps more. It’s definitely not the most luxurious product based on ingredients (perfume and alcohol are very high up there) but for some reason, this makes my hair look like silk. I can apply it all over my hair and scalp without having to worry about any greasiness or weighed down hair. A product I absolutely adore and costs next to nothing.

simple hair care routine L'Oreal

Another product I discovered this year (year of oils, remember?) is the L’Oreal Professionel Mythic Oil. This is a mixture of silicones and oils and, when applied sparingly to the roots, makes your hair look soft and silky. I use it on my ends whenever I’m late with a hairdresser appointment and it really masks the fact that my ends are already split.

Simple hair care routine – new products for 2018

simple hair care routine Olaplex

In the following year, I’m very excited to try out some new products. First is the Olaplex #3 for home use. I always get Olaplex full treatment in my hair salon, but I’ve actually never tried their products on my own. Somehow, the idea of Olaplex always seemed super professional to me and therefore something that you cannot attempt on your own. Turns out, it’s really as simple as any other conditioner, so I can’t wait to give it a proper go!

simple hair care routine Vichy Dercos Densi-Solutions

I’m also really excited to try the new Vichy Dercos Densi Solutions thickening balm, shampoo and concentrate. This new Vichy line is promising visibly stronger and denser looking hair that also looks softer. I’m excited to see how it will work for my hair.

What were your hair care favorites of 2017? I’ll be happy to find out about them and perhaps add some more to my wishlist! Until next time, stay beautiful!

Empties #8 (hair & body care)

It’s been almost six months since my last empties. The results are tragic – a full bag of empty product, so many that I cannot possibly fit them into one post. Today, you can read all about my hair and body care products. This post will be followed by skincare and make-up empties in the following week. Let’s jump right into it.

Empties: hair care

empties shampoo loreal elseve

I haven’t been very good when it comes to shampoos because I’ve been loving the L’Oreal Elseve Extraodinary Clay&Purifying shampoo and conditioner so much. Again and again, I’m amazed how clean, shiny and fresh my hair feels after use. I especially like the fact that it prolongs the time during washes for a day, if not more. I’m now on my fourth pack of these. On the other hand, I wasn’t too impressed with Precious Argan shampoo and conditioner. I didn’t like the scent and my hair got greasy very quick. Wouldn’t repurchase either of them.

empties shampoo nivea pantene briogeo

I was also relatively pleased with the Nivea Care & targeted care shampoo and conditioner for dry hair. My hair was soft and more manageable, but products for dry hair really shouldn’t be used by those of us who have problems with greasy scalp. I should have paid more attention to that. I also used up two samples of Briogeo Don’t despair, repair hair mask and didn’t find them to be revolutionary. In fact, they didn’t do anything that a regular conditioner can’t do. Last but not least, I also used up the Pantene Aqua Light shampoo which was good for my hair but made my scalp itchy and dry.

Empties: body care

empties shower gel nivea afrodita just

I generally forget to save up shower gels, but I really wanted to show you these two – Nivea Waterlily & Oil and Afrodita Sweet almond oil gel. They are similar in the sense that they both lather up nicely and have a wonderful smell. I would repurchase those but I need to get through my stock of Afrodita shower gels before that. I also used up what is probably my tenth bottle of Just Intimate Gel. It’s not irritable and I think that’s extremely important when it comes to personal hygiene.

empties deodorants nivea le couvent des minimes dolce gabbana

Last but not least – deodorants. All three have been lying in my empties bag for months, since I’m now a religious user of Mirta deodorant (you can read all about it *here*). I cannot many nice words about the Nivea Pure&Natural deodorant except for the fact it doesn’t contain aluminium salts. It didn’t fare well when it comes to body odor. I could probably say the same about the Dolce&Gabbana Light blue deodorant, but I only used this on special occasions and didn’t put it through as many paces. On the other hand, I have only nice words for the Le Couvent Des Minimes deodorant with essential oils. It did the job and I personally think it’s worth the money, since it took months to use it up.

If you used any of the product above, I’d love to hear your opinion about them. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Catrice ICONails review

I only take up the task of writing about nail polish on my blog a few times per year. There are a few reasons behind that, two most important being that I have blogger colleagues that only deal with nail polish and are much better in reviews than I am and also that my nails really don’t love any nail polish I put on them. That being said, I still enjoy painting my nails and trying new formulas and every once in a while I find a nail polish which really tickles my fancy. New Catrice ICONails definitely did.

O lakih za nohte na svojem blogu pišem le nekajkar na leto. Za to obstaja kar nekaj razlogov. Najpomembnejši je, da imam blogerske kolegice, ki se ukvarjajo skoraj izključno z laki in so bistveno boljše v opisih formul in njihovi primerjavi. Drugi, prav tako pomemben razlog pa je, da moji nohti enostavno ne marajo skoraj nobenega laka, ki jim ga ponudim v oceno. Ne glede na povedano sama še vedno uživam v lakiranju nohtov in preizkušanju novih formul, pri čemer občasno naletim na kakšno, ki me res prepriča. Catrice ICONails vsekakor sodi v ta razred.

ICONails Gel Lacquer is a new line from the well known Catrice brand. The line will replace the current Ultimate Nails line in May. I only managed to find about six different shades on the stand a couple of weeks ago and chose two – coral Nails On Fire and gray-blue Cloud Nine. In May, Catrice will be launching all 45 (!!!) colors and I’m sure I’ll be adding a few more to my collection. Besides the color polishes, Catrice also included a Gel top coat with hybrid technology that promises prolonged wear time for up to 10 days (3,79€).

ICONails Gel Lacquer je nova linija vsem dobro znane znamke Catrice, ki bo v maju nadomestila sedanjo linijo Ultimate Nails. Na stojalu sem pred tedni našla le kakšnih 6 odtenkov, zato sem izbrala dva – koralnega Nails on Fire in sivo-plavega Cloud Nine. Po prvomajskih praznikih na police prihaja vseh 45 (!!!) barv in prepričana sem, da bom svojo zbirko še dopolnila. Poleg barvnih odtenkov Catrice v okviru ICONails linije pošilja tudi Gel nadlak s hibridno tehnologijo, ki obljublja podaljšano obstojnost do 10 dni (3,79€).

ICONails promises a gel-shine finish and a maximum wear time up to seven days. Honestly, I find claims like “up to seven days” a bit funny since that can only mean one day, but since most formulas don’t even last 48 hours on my nails without chipping, I don’t give them much attention. I also cannot completely agree on the gel shine claim. Formula has a nice shine but I don’t think it can compare to a gel finish without a proper top coat.

ICONails obljublja gel-sijaj zaključek in maksimalno obstojnost do sedem dni. Iskreno povedano so mi trditve, kot je “do sedem dni” smešne, saj lahko to pomeni tudi samo en dan, ampak glede na to, da na mojih nohtih praktično nobena formula brez krušenja ne zdrži več kot 48 ur, se na takšne trditve ne oziram kaj dosti. Tudi glede gel izgleda se ne bi mogla popolnoma strinjati, saj formula sicer ima lep sijaj, vendar pa se ta po mojem mnenju brez nadlaka ne more primerjati z gel zaključkom.

So far, I’m being quite critical and I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re even reading this post. The reason is simple: ICONails is the first formula in years that held on my nails for four days (without top coat) and six days with a top coat. Even on day 7, my nails looked good enough that I would be comfortable going into work like that. Such hold is something almost supernatural for my nails and I’m equally impressed by the price since a single bottle only costs 2,89€. Now, you can probably understand why I’ll be adding more colors to my collection.

Zaenkrat samo kritiziram, kajne? Se sprašuješ, zakaj sploh bereš ta zapis? Razlog je preprost: ICONails je po letih prva formula, ki je na mojih nohtih zdržala brez krušenja štiri dni (brez nadlaka) in šest dni z nadlakom. Tudi sedmi dan je bila škoda tako minimalna, da bi šla s takšnimi nohti povsem mirno še v službo. Takšna obstojnost je za moje nohte nekaj skoraj nadnaravnega, enako kot obstojnost pa me navdušuje tudi cena, saj steklenička stane le 2,89 €. Zdaj razumeš, zakaj bom še dopolnjevala svojo zbirko?

A quick word or two about the bottle and the brush. Catrice certainly achieved expectations with both. ICONails bottle is square which makes for easier storing. On the back side the name of the shade is easily visible. There is a dual cap system – the top comes off and underneath you find a handy brush holder. The brush itself is quite wide and rounded at the bottom which makes for an easier application on my nail shape. It only took me three strokes to cover the entire nail with this brush.

Še besedo ali dve bi namenila steklenički in čopiču. Tudi z novo linijo so pri Catrice dosegli moja pričakovanja. ICONails steklenička je kvadratna, kar vsaj v moji zbirki pomeni lažje shranjevanje. Na zadnji strani je jasno in hitro opazno označeno ime vsakega odtenka. Pokrovček je dvojni – zgornji del se sname in razkrije priročno narebreno držalo čopiča. Čopič je dokaj širok in na koncu zaobljen, kar pri moji obliki nohtov omogoča lažji nanos. Sama sem s tem čopičem celoten noht enostavno prekrila s tremi potegi.

I was looking for similar shades in my collection and I’m happy to report I didn’t find any. The coral Nails On Fire is clearly different from the orange Essie Meet Me At The Sunset and looks a bit more similar to the L’Oreal “granate” Cherie Macaron, but the latter has a more apparent pink undertone.

V svoji zbirki sem skušala poiskati podobne odtenke, vendar jih nisem našla, kar me iskreno veseli. Koralen Nails on Fire se očitno razlikuje od oranžnega Essie Meet Me At Sunset, nekoliko bolj pa je podoben L’Orealovi “granatici” Cherie Macaron, vendar ima slednji veliko bolj opazen pink podton.

I also didn’t find a polish in my collection which would compare to the ICONails shade Cloud Nine. The closest I got was the Bell Hypoalergenic in shade 45, but it’s clearly more blue while Cloud Nine comes from the gray family.

Prav tako nisem v svoji kolekciji našla nobenega laka, ki bi bil primerljiv z ICONails odtenkom Cloud Nine. Še najbližje mu je prišel Bell Hypoalergenic lak v odtenku 45, vendar pa je tudi za izrazito bolj plav, pri Cloud Nine pa so bolj izraziti sivi podtoni.

As said previously I can’t wait for the entire stand since I have quite a few fun colors on my wishlist. I would certainly recommend you take a look when the entire collection hits the shelves since it’s a really great nail polish with an awesome price. Until next time, stay beautiful.