L'OREAL ELSEVE TOTAL REPAIR 5 hair treatment for damaged hair

I admit. I bought this product because it is so aggressively advertised in Croatia that I really got curious. Maybe, I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't have a 50% off coupon, but since I had it, I took a risk.

Its original price in Croatia is 39,90 kunas (about 4 GBP, $8, 5.50 Euros) and you can find it everywhere (drugstores, regular stores, everywhere). I bought it in DM.

It comes in a 200 ml tube, which is convenient for the shower or the edge of your bathtub. I bought pink version (surprise, surprise) for damaged hair.

It is advertised as a hair treatment for damaged hair but since they advice you to use it after every wash, I think that it is a stronger conditioner.  I don't use it every time I was my hair, just once a week although I do wash my hair a couple of times a week because I have greasy hair. Could I use this one as my only conditioner? ABSOLUTELY YES!

I don't know if you can tell, yet, but...I am pleasantly surprised with this product, and to be honest- I LOVE IT!!! This product is everything that semi di lino diamante mask should have been, but for quarter of a price, even if you buy it for its regular price. If you find it on sale or use a coupon like I did, it is not comparable at all. So much better deal for your money.

This is what company claims:
It is so efficient because of an innovative formula with PRO-KERATINE (a combination of 2 amino acids found in keratine, which repairs the hair fibre and reinforces hair structure so that it regains its strength like new) and CERAMIDE (a patented compound from L'Oreal Laboratories replicates hair's intercellular cement, transforming the hair's surface to an even and smooth condition). 
It is called Total Repair 5 because you solve 5 problems (damage, thinning, split-ends, brittleness and dullness) with only one solution. Your hair will feel stronger, look fuller, look revitalized, have a healthy-looking shine and feel silkier.
Honestly, I agree.

The smell of this product is wonderful! I've gotten so many compliments that it really made me feel special. Not that I am not special all the time, but you know what I mean.
I was walking along the seashore in my summer dress, had freshly washed hair, and people were turning their heads because of this wonderful scent and actually asked me what it was... I swear. It was like a commercial ;). Yesterday, the same thing happened. I don't know. Maybe I am femme fatale this year? Who knows?

My opinion is that this is extremely nice product for the money. It nourishes the hair without leaving it heavy or greasy. And that comes from a person with very greasy hair. My hair can detect any "heavy" products because it will look like it died long time ago but haven't gone to heaven...Naughty hair...

You can't really put too much product on. It is very forgiving. If you do that, just rinse it thoroughly and you will be fine.
It even passed the ultimate test for me: combing out blond, colour treated hair. The comb was going through hair amazingly. No pulling, no damaging. Ughh... I loved it.

You can apply this products from your roots to the ends (I do that) and it won't leave your roots greasy. It is even adviced to do so.

Ingredients: aqua/water, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, quaternium-87, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, amodimethicone, cetyl esters, CI 19140/YELLOW 5, CI 17200/RED 33, hidroxypropyltrimonium hydrlyzrd wheat protein, hydroxycitronellal sodium hydroxide, arginine, trideceth-6, chlorhexidine digluconate, limonene, candelilla wax, linalool, benzyl salicylate, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, 2-oleamido-1,3-octadecanediol, caprylyl glycol, serine, cetrimonium chloride, glutamic acid, hexyl cinnamal, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl linolenate, parfum/fragrance.

My verdict is that this one is for the Try list! 

Which product would you recommend? Will you try this?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007

I Need A Refresh-Mint, Wet n Wild megalast nail polish

It seems that to me summer equals turquoise?! My nail polish, the dresses that I wear, my body scrub... Everything. I admit. Blue with all its shades (turquoise included) is one of my favorite colours.

Anyway...this polish, just like E.T. found its way home.

Since we don't have Wet n Wild products in Croatia, I ordered this and some other polishes from nonpareilboutique . I definitely recommend this site. It came quickly but it got broken in the mail. I e-mailed the company, sent them pictures of the broken polish, and they contacted me almost immediately apologizing for any inconvenience that I had, saying that they will send me another polish without any shipping charges for me. The new polish came in about two weeks so I really recommend them.

I paid $1.99 for this polish (it is its usual price in drugstores across America) plus shipping, which was reasonable. I am not sure how much it would be for just one polish because I made a bigger order but I think it is OK.
It always hurts when you know how much things cost in the States but we in Europe are kind of used to it.

Enough talking. Pictures are worth a thousand words...

 I was pleasantly surprised with this polish! $1.99 for a full size 13.5 ml/0.45 fl.oz bottle. You can't beat that.

 The thing I am not too crazy about is the brush. It is just too big or too wide. Yes, it is flexible but when it is bigger than the surface of the nail, well, that is just not good.


It is OK for finger nails but it might be hard to apply polish on your little toe. If a brush pass a little toe test, then it is approved by me. This one didn't do very well. I applied it but had to concentrate too much.

 The consistency of the polish is creamy and covers really well. At the picture above there is just one coat of polish. Yes, I know. AMAZING!!! I didn't even do the second coat. It would look perfect then but I didn't have the time. Partly, because it does dry a little bit longer.

This is also a shiny polish. I didn't apply any top coat and it looks great!
It held up amazingly as well. It lasted for 4-5 days on my hands (and I do a lot of cleaning, washing...), and on my feet it was even better.

The ridges that you can see on my nails are not from the polish. I was getting rid of my gel nails. And honestly, this polish handled that with grace.

So, it is a nice, affordable nail polish. Not as inexpensive if you order it online but nice. The brush I am not crazy about.

What do you think? Like it or not? Have you tried any other megalast polishes?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007

ORTIS FERO VITAL Liquid Iron

Hey everyone!

I know. I know. I am not too regular with my posts but hey, it's summer. Yes, not a very good excuse but my brain is taking some time off.

It is a new month, new week and a new day.

I finally decided to write a review for one of the products from my DM haul. 
Perhaps not very attractive topic but I wanted to write my opinion on it. This is going to be a shorter post, not very science based but you'll see how I feel about it.
You probably noticed that I am not writing a lot of makeup related posts. The reason is very simple. I am not wearing a lot of makeup. It is just too HOT! There are some days when I make myself to put on some makeup, because I am a makeup addict, but then...when I get out in the sun and everything starts melting of....then I remind myself that true beauty comes within ;)...

It is liquid iron time!!!

It could be wise to start with all the facts about this product.

It is useful if you tend to be anemic. It is sold in drugstores (I bought it at DM) and you don't need a prescription to buy it. BUT, it is only a supplement. You have to eat well while taking it.
It is a syrup and comes in 250 ml glass bottle. It has a cap with measures on it but I just use my soup spoon to take it. That is recommended dose for adults and children older than 8. You take it before your main meal and there is enough syrup for 25 days.

The colour of the syrup is dark brown and it contains B vitamins (B2 and B6) and folic acid.

Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, contributes to the beauty of your skin, hair and nails. It is also essential for nerves and eyes health. It is present in eggs, cheese, brocula, yogurt...
Vitamin B6 is important for immune system and metabolism. It is present in fish, poultry, bananas, brown rice... If you don't have enough vitamin B6 in your body, that can result with acne and skin inflammations.
Folic acid (vitamin B9) is also important for the beauty of your skin, hair and nails, as well for the health of your blood and nerves. It is present in eggs, fish, leafy green vegetables, green beans...

nutrition values

Ingredients: fructose, apple and plum juice concentrate, blueberry juice, ferrous gluconate, dried large nettle leaf extract (Urtica dioica 16.6 mg/10 ml, riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine-hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamin (B12), folic acid, maltodextrin.

And now, me:
It is not that it is a bad product, or it will harm you. No, that is not the case. It will actually help you if you are anemic. In any case, I am not a doctor and would advise you to ask your doctor prior trying this one. On the other hand, it is sold without any prescription so I don't think that it can be harmfull. To be sure- PLEASE, consult your doctor before you start taking it.

I hate the smell and the taste of this one!!! I T  I S  H O R R I B L E!!! It tastes exactly like it is called- liquid iron... It is like you are chewing your keys or some other piece of metal which was priorly soaked in some artificial sugar...and it stays in your mouth for so long. I spilled a little bit into my kitchen sink and it was disgusting. The smell was so strong. You can take it with some juice or water but I don't. I found peace with this one. I take my dose, stop breathing for a while and then drink some herbal tea or coffee to hide both the taste and the smell. I will use it up, but I will also never buy it again. If I'll have to take some iron, I will ask for pills. I am done with this one.

You can find it in DM and it costs about $18/13 Euros/10 GBP.

What do you say? Interested? Not interested?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007

DM Haul ( L'oreal Paris Elseve Total Repair with 5 results and Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub, ORTIS FERO VITAL Liquid Iron and GUAM FANGOCREMA for tummy and waist)

 Hey everyone!

Todays post is going to be a small DM haul.

I have 2 blogs. They both are beautyandbrains007 blogs but one is in English, and the other one (beautyandbrains007hr) is in Croatian. So, for my Croatian readers I did a post on DM's coupon booklet which you get if you exchange it for 50 points. I am not going to go into details, but I exchanged my 50 points for coupons valid through may and june. And...this is what I bought.

As you can see, I didn't go crazy. As I said many times before I like to use up products that I buy. I do have a lot of makeup compared to usual makeup bags that women have but I try to control my obsession and not to overdo as much as I can. I also organize it well, so I can see what I have and use everything.

All the things I purchased, I needed. Sort of... I purchased liquid iron because I need a bit more iron in my blood but it wasn't really doctor's orders. Its normal price is 99,90 kunas (about 10 GBP, $18, 13 Euros and I got it for 25% less = 74,92 kunas (about 7.5 GBP, $13.5, 9.7 Euros). For my opinion about it, click here.

L'OREAL PARIS Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub. I wanted to try this one. Never had it before and I liked their cleansing gel from the same line with a rubbery brush (I had the blue one). I am low on face scrub so this was the right time to check it out. Got 25% off from the original price which is 39,90 kunas (about 4 GBP, $7.50, 5 Euros). I paid 29,92 kunas (about 3.80 GBP, $5.25, 3.50 Euros). 
If you want to read how I like this product click here for my review of it.

 LACOTE , GUAM FANGOCREMA for tummy and waist. I had it before and loved it. Since I have important things coming in my life I decided to test it out one more time. Original price is 114,90 kunas (about 11.50 GBP, 14.50 Euros, $18) and I got 25% off which made it 86,17 kunas (about 8.05 GBP, 10.15 Euros, $12.6). For a review on it, click here.

L'OREAL PARIS ELSEVE Total Repair with 5 results. I wasn't sure which one to get but I decided on this pink one. What a shocker ?! This treatment costs 39,90 kunas (about 4 GBP, $7.50, 5 Euros) and I bought it for 50% less. This was the best deal!!! And if you are interested to know more about this product and see how I liked it, click here.

I got a lot of makeup coupons but I didn't buy any makeup items. I have been  good....

You can expect reviews on all of these items.

Every item that I bought was kind of expensive. That is why I chose them. I wanted to buy items that I really needed and get them for a good deal.

That is all from me for now. I hope you are having a wonderful summer....

Did you buy something interesting?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007

I am not affiliated to DM or any other company. I bought all the items with my own

money.

Balea cellulite meersalz peeling (Balea sea salt oil peeling)

Hey everyone!

This is going to be a summery post in turquoise...

 I admit. The colour alone had me at the store. I was looking for a body scrub and this one screamed "SUMMER?!" to me. It was in a nice jar, the colour was amazing and it seemed that it was rough enough... I like body scrubs with actual particles of anything in them. Otherwise, I don't have that new, fresh skin feeling.
I didn't even notice that it is suppose to help with cellulite. That is not why I bought it. It is not that I don't have cellulite but I made peace with myself and finally excepted the fact that I am a woman with all the imperfections that make me a woman. It is not like I am happy to have it but I know that no cream or cosmetic product alone will get rid of it. You probably have a question mark above your head :). I hope you understood what I wanted to say...

before 1st usage, mixed together

This is a very nice scrub. It is packed with oil when you first open it. I wasn't too fond of that. The more you use it, the less oily it is. It doesn't become dry, but the oil sinks into the product. I like it much more, now. If you just bought it and haven't used it yet, I don't recommend to take it with you on a holiday. Even when sealed, the oil will find a way to get all over your suitcase. That didn't happen to me but when I brought it home from the store, I noticed that the jar was oily and it was still sealed. Since I liked this product, I planned to buy a new jar at the seaside but now that isn't necessary because mine is well blended.

just to show you how loved it is :)

after a while, it becomes less oily and well blended

This scrub is recommended for all skin types. It is rough, but if you massage it into your skin,  all the ingredients melt together and sink into it. The skin feels wonderful after you rinse it off. I wasn't crazy about the oil part but more and more people like it as an ingredient of body scrubs. So, I understand why they did it. Your skin feels nourished even if you don't apply  lotion at the end. I always do. So, oils in scrubs are not a must for me. To me, that clean feeling is the most important. Although, this is an amazing product to prepare your skin for self tanning products. It will remove dead skin and nourish it for a more natural result.

The company claims (this is a DM brand product):
It purifies the skin, leaving it velvety soft. It contains caffein (which encourages skin metabolism) and sea salt gentle enough for all skin types. It both cleanses and nourishes the skin, increases its firmness and smoothness by removing all impurities and dead skin cells.
Use it couple of times a week for best results. Shake well before first usage.

Ok. I agree with everything. Except... Unless you want to remove stains from your wardrobe, don't shake it. Open it and lightly mix everything together with your hand.
 You should apply it to wet skin, massage it well into the skin, in circular motions and then rinse off. As I mentioned earlier, it is not well blended at first so you need to mix it all together (rigid part with oil).

I mustn't forget the smell. It is wonderful, light, summery, spa like smell. And it stays on your skin for a while. Not as long as I would like, but it is there in even more subtle and perfect version. It is the scent of a well-cared, clean, beautiful woman. Wow, I even got myself more interested in this product ;). Well, I like it.

So, my verdict is that this is a nice product! I really can't say that it did or didn't do anything to my cellulite. That wasn't my reason for trying it. But I assume that since it is a nice scrub, it will help any other product (cream or gel) to sink in better. So, if you use an anti cellulite product after it, it might work better.
I like the particles in it (they are not particles as for instance smashed almonds, it is sea salt that melts into the skin when you massage it, leaving it clean and nourished). I give it thumbs up.

Thumbs down for packaging which is cute but doesn't tame the oil when you first get it. Also, if you buy it to fight cellulite, I don't think this one would help you much. So that is something to keep in mind.

The jar contains 300 g of product and costs 32,90 kunas in my country ($7, 3.29 GBP, 4+ Euros) but when I looked for international pricing online, I saw that it is less expensive in Germany. There it costs about 3 Euros. You will get a lot of uses out of this one. It can be purchased in DM stores.

I like it and would buy it again. I think that says something.

What do you say? Like it? At least the colour :)? Tried it? Tempted?

Tell me...

Love, beautyandbrains007