Aveda Body Wash

Several months ago I recieved a gift box of Aveda's Energizing and Calming body cleansers ($14 each). At the time I wasn't too thrilled at the gift, as I believe my bathtub was already cluttered with at least 1-2 bottles of body wash already, but I did feel sorta fancy at receiving them so I put them in my shower for future use.

Now, I find I use these almost exclusively when I shower. I don't know if they really do much as far as "energizing" or "calming" me, but they smell divine and just feel very luxurious. And my skin has felt fairly well moisturized and clean after washing with one of these products.

I've never been one to splurge on body wash, I figure they all work pretty much the same and so usually get something from the drugstore for $5. When I run out of these I'm not sure I'll be able to justify shelling out the cash to buy a replacement... but I know I will be temped to. I think that says a lot about how much I've enjoyed using them.

Aveda- Sap, Shimmer, Brush

I was at an Aveda salon today returning the Sap Moss Shampoo ($12) that I bought a few weeks ago (didn't like it at all- the texture is too sticky, I like my shampoo to glide a bit more so it doesn't feel like I'm tugging at my hair). The store would only offer an exchange or store redit, so I was looking for something to exchnage the shampoo for and started wandering over to their makeup. A sales associate soon came over and she was showing me Aveda's new fall makeup collection. She decided to try one of the Inner Light Shimmer Accent gels ($20) on me-- she patted a bit along the top of my cheekbone and on under my eyes, explaining how it would help brighten up my complextion and make me look a bit more awake.

After she's applied the gel, she leads me to a mirror to check out the results. I don't know if it was the lighting or what-- but the shimmer made the teeny, usually non-noticeable fine lines around my eyes totally obvious! It was horrible! I tried to smile and thank the lady for her help and go off to browse through some other section of the store, but inside I was thinking "um... NO."

Eventually I settled on this wooden brush ($12). It claims to add volume and lift to the roots, and reduce stress on your hair. We'll see. So far Aveda's 0-3 with me (see post on their Pure Abundance Hair Potion), but I've been needing a good brush so I guess it works out.

Anyway, have a good weekend, everyone! =)

Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion

So I've been reading a lot about these new hair powders that act like a dry shampoo-- you use them at your roots to absorb oil so that you can go longer between hair washings. Sounds pretty brilliant-- your hair doesn't get as dried out from too frequent shampoos, and if you spend time getting that perfect blow-dry or other straight or curly styles, you want to extend the life of your styling efforts as long as possible.

The two main products I keep seeing over and over in magazines are Bb Hair Powder ($19- $34) and Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion ($22). I've recently been dissapointed by my first foray into Bumble and Bumble hair products (with their Surf Spray) so I decided to try the Aveda Hair Potion first.

I went to the Aveda store at the mall and was able to find the Hair Potion quickly (it is clearly being highly promoted) and my first reaction was "I'm gonna pay $22 for this?" The bottle is tiny. I believe its contents are just under an ounce in weight. But I figured it's powder, which doesn't weigh much or take up much space, so there must be a decent amount of it in there and decided to go for it... being sure to also ask about their return policy just in case.

The stuff itself is pretty nifty. It's a powder that, as soon as you rub it between your fingers, turns into a sticky paste. When sprinkled directly onto your roots it feels cool and tingly. However, its merits kinda ended there for me.

One thing I found odd was that all the magazines advertised this Hair Potion for its oil-absorbing qualities. However neither the in-store ads nor the bottle itself really even mention this effect. They seem to be marketing it mainly as a way to give more body and volume to fine hair. Anyway, I tried it out-- sprinlling the powder directly onto my roots and rubbing in from there, another time forming the paste in my hands and transferring to my hair afterwards... I tried it on several different occasions, trying to give it a fair shot to show me what it's made of.

Well, it would at first fluff up my hair at the roots, but then 5 minutes later it'd fall flat again. And when I attempted to use it to absorb the appearing grease on my 3rd day post-shampoo, it didn't seem to really do anything. If anything, since it turned into a paste the stickyness of the paste only seemed to make my hair feel more greasy, or like it had way too much product in it (I guess that could've been my fault, using too much powder, but I tried to use it sparingly).

To sum up... I will be returning the teeny little bottle today.

I'm still debating whether I want to try the Bumble and Bumble version. I've heard raves, and I've also seen many reviews complaining that since their new formula is an aerosol spray, it's very messy and tends to get powder everywhere. In fact I read at least 2 accounts where the use suggested spraying it on while standing in a closed shower stall, then running out quickly so as not to inhale the fumes. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to splurge on a fancy hair product I'd rather not have to run screaming from it, much less risk my life while doing so (I can see myself now trying to escape the shower and tumbling over the edge of my tub). I am however curious of another product I recently heard about, Satin Sugar, that I may try... Then again perhaps I'll stick to good, old fashioned corn starch for a while.