Dry shampoos: Garnier Ultra Doux citrus extract, Schwarzkopf Cotton fresh and Schwarzkopf Got2be Volumania refreshing styling powder

Let’s continue where we started last week (read previous posts here and here) and review another 3 dry shampoos I used up.

GARNIER ULTRA DOUX CITRUS EXTRACT DRY SHAMPOO

Price: 5,25€ in DI drugstore in Belgium (certainly less everywhere else).

Scent: it has very light citrusy scent (I thought the scent would be stronger when I first used it).

Colour and performance: the powder has white colour but it is very milled and not very visible to the point that I wandered from time to time if there was something coming out of the spray or not. It worked ok, but if you have very oily hair this shampoo may not be strong enough to clean it. It is useful for 2nd day hair but that’s it. I wouldn’t repurchase it as there are more effective dry shampoos I like better.

Garnier Ultra Doux citrus extract dry shampoo

SCHWARZKOPF COTTON FRESH

Price: 3,69€ in DI drugstore in Belgium, also available in other drugstores.

Scent: it has very strong scent, mix of the baby powder and citrus scent. If you don’t brush it well from the hair the scent will linger all day long. I got used to the scent (I guess I had to since I bought 2 bottles) but if don’t like strong scents in the products this dry shampoo may not be for you.

Colour and performance: white powder here as well. If you spray it from the distance it is not very visible, but closer to the roots and in bigger amount it can be very visible so pay attention. It is a heavy duty dry shampoo which means it really soaks up the hair oil and leaves hair fresh, almost dry feeling. I don’t think I’m going to repurchase it since I like Batiste better. Anyway, the shampoo is very effective if the strong perfume doesn’t bother you.

 Schwarzkopf Cotton fresh dry shampoo

SCHWARZKOPF GOT2BE VOLUMANIA REFRESHING STYLING POWDER

Price: I can't find my receipt but it was less than 5€ in DM drugstore in Slovakia (I haven't seen it in DI drugstore in Belgium).

Scent: if you spray the shampoo and you close your eyes you will think you‘re lying among strawberries! It smells completely and strongly like this fruit, even my boyfriend noticed and determined what kind of scent I was wearing. That said it will take over your perfume so you better have something fruity on you.

Colour and performance: it doesn’t say on the bottle that it is a dry shampoo but it really acts like one. It refreshes 2nd and 3rd day hair, soaks up the oil well and makes your hair easier to style. It has white powder consistency like dry shampoos; you spray it the same way, although closer to the roots than usually. It gives you little bit of volume but not as much as Got2be Powder’ful volumizing styling powder so I wouldn’t buy it only for this purpose. Overall it is interesting product and I would be willing to repurchase it if it didn’t have that strong strawberry scent.

Schwarzkopf Got2be Volumania refreshing styling powder

I hope these reviews help you to decide what to buy and I will definitely test more dry shampoos and report back to you.

Back to basic: how to take care of make-up brushes

I recently posted 2 articles about must have brushes (face and eyes separately) but there is definitely more to be said. Once you buy brushes for your make-up application you need to know how to take care of them so they last you long time.

If you have acne-prone, sensitive skin or you work on other people, you should always clean your brushes after each use. If you quickly need some clean brushes (for ex. if you don’t have many brushes and you use them for several make-up applications at the same time), you can use alcohol cleanser. Spray the brush with it and use the paper tissue to wipe the colour off. It will dry within seconds and you can use the brush again.

Alcohol brush cleansers: Makeup Atelier Paris and Peggy Sage

It is not recommended to clean brushes only with alcohol cleanser they should be cleaned with special soap/cleanser that you can buy from companies that sell brushes or you can just use gentle shampoo (for ex. Johnsons&Johnsons Baby shampoo). The drying time is lot longer than with alcohol, approximately 5-8 hours. I clean my brushes with shampoos that didn’t do well with my hair, this way I don’t waste them totally.

As you can see on the picture I have lot of brushes. In fact I don’t like cleaning brushes so I have several sets of them to use and every 2 weeks I clean them all at once. I keep dirty brushes in the special drawer so that they don’t mix with clean ones.

How I clean my brushes:

1. I use rubber glove to protect my hand and it also cleans the brushes easier thanks to its scalloped texture. I bought mine in IKEA (at the kitchen department) for 3€, Sigma sells similar one for 35$, what a waste of money I say.

IKEA glove

2. I add shampoo to the glove and rub the brush on it till water becomes clean again.

3. After all my brushes are clean, I take a paper towel and squeeze extra moisture out of them.

4. I lay the brushes horizontally with bristles in the air and let them dry.

5. Once they are dry and if I’m not going to use them immediately, I put them in the brush guards. They not only protect them from the dust but also keep them in their original shape. You can buy these brush guards on Ebay (I bought set of 50 from user maaqii for 4,19$) or on Amazon.

I hope I gave you some ideas what should you do once you invest in brushes and you want to take good care of them. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send me an email. I’m planning on posting little overview on companies that sell makeup brushes to give you an idea what and where to buy.

La Roche-Posay CICAPLAST B5 Soothing repairing balm

The winter is slowly approaching and it will be difficult time for my already dry skin. But unlike some years ago I have very powerful balm now. I’ve been using it for 4 years since one very cold winter when my skin started to peel off like crazy. You could actually see huge patches coming off and I didn’t know what to do with it. I couldn’t wear any make-up which was of course very tragic. I tried all kind of creams and nothing worked. I complained to my friend Beata who mentioned this cream that she heard was used by patients after chirurgical procedures to accelerate scars healing, and that it worked for her. It was a love at first try and since then it became a total winter must for me. I cannot imagine being without Cicaplast during the cold weather anymore (well, unless spending it somewhere in the Caribbean).

Price: it costs around 10-12€ for 40ml and you can buy it in pharmacies in Europe. I think the price is very reasonable for such a skin saver.

Scent: it doesn’t have any scent which is logical since it’s supposed to sooth irritated skin.

La Roche-Posay CICAPLAST B5 Soothing repairing balm

Consistency: I was very surprised first time that it’s not a thick cream. The consistency is similar to Nivea in white bottle (not at all to the old school Nivea in blue bottle), it is easy to spread and blend.

What it promises (according to the La Roche-Posey website): Cicaplast accelerates reconstruction of the skin barrier thanks to a formula that combines: 

• A copper/zinc/manganese mineral complex to stimulate the production of new cells,
• Madecassoside to encourage proper cell organization and procure fast, high-quality epidermal repair, 
• Its insulating texture is enriched in anti-bacterial agents to protect the skin. Invisible and non-sticky, with easy spreading. This soothing, moisturizing treatment relieves itchiness and tight sensations. 

My experience: I must agree with all of above since it really quickly soothes and repairs the skin. When my skin was at its worst I used the cream 4-5 nights in the row and the skin had totally changed to the better. It was again looking beautiful, healthy and without any dry patches. Girls, if you suffer from dry skin during the winter this is a remedy for you!