Yves Rocher Beautifying Dry Oil...

In case you didn't notice and I have mentioned this already (yes, I'm getting old so I often repeat myself), it would seem that every brand out there is coming out with body oils and since all are pretty expensive it's nice to see budget friendly options popping up here and there. Last summer I was truly wowed by Garnier's Triple Nutrition Miracle Oil which I use often at the end of my shower. When I bought it, it was less than $5.00... major score!

Yves Rocher...

A French brand that's been around for 50 years, it started in an attic in Bretagne France where Yves Rocher insisted on controlling every steps of production from harvesting the plants used in his products to the distribution to ensure the highest possible quality at a fair price. I can't remember the last time I went into one of their shops which can be found just about everywhere. I think it was when my daughter was a baby for an Hamamélis body lotion, one of their most popular offerings. I honestly don't know much about their products but recently the window of the boutique in front of which I walk by almost everyday had been calling my name.

A beautiful display of shower gels! A collection called Jardins du Monde (Gardens of the World) and at 3 for $15.00 it was hard to resist. As I was about to pay for the ones I chose (I will of course review them) I noticed another display with little bottles of oil with the mention "New"...

Hmm interesting... $11.00 instead of $20.00 for 100 ml (now this doesn't mean much because they always have specials) why not give it a try? I sprayed my arm, surprised by the strength or the pump that yielded almost enough for both my arms. At first scent the mild flowery fragrance was quite pleasant and it didn't appear too "oily". I know this is a weird statement considering I was trying an oil but they are not all created equal as you will see below.

Yves Rocher Huile Sèche Sublimante (Beautifying Dry Oil)...

This oil is a little surprising, in a way it feels more oily but at the same time dryer than others I own. It goes on more easily but doesn't penetrate my skin as well as sweet almond oil or coconut oil for example, two of my everyday budget friendly favorites. It's a little more moisturizing than Garnier but the fragrance is not as pleasant to me.

From the website:

Silky and sublime skin.

The Beautifying Dry Oil is perfectly absorbed by the skin to nourish it intensely.
Result: nourished, softened and beautified, the skin reveals its true beauty.

The Plus: an oil that is dry to the touch.
- 99% natural ingredients,
- Tested under dermatological supervision,
- No preservatives, no paraben, no mineral oil, no animal extracts.

Perfectly absorbed by the skin to nourish it intensely... Not really. It's ok but if you have dry skin this oil may not make much of a difference on it's own. It will "beautify" because it stays on the surface for quite some time but the look on skin isn't as nice as when I use Nuxe's Huile Prodigieuse or Caudalie Huile Divine. It's weird but for some reason it doesn't look as "polished". One would think oil is oil but apparently it's not the case.

About the ingredients...

99% natural... This oil is mainly composed of esters which is not a bad thing because they are emollient but they don't provide the same feel as real oils. This is also the reason why this product is so affordable. The andiroba oil and sesame seed oil are way down on the ingredient list. Andiroba oil is extracted from the seeds of the carapa guianensis tree which is found in the Amazon. This oil is a rich source of essential fatty acids including oleic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic acids but sadly there is so little in this formula that it's highly unlikely going to make much of a difference on the skin. Still, it was nice to learn about a new oil.

The fragrance...

As mentioned at first it's lightly flowery but sadly that freshness doesn't last. It transforms in about ten minutes or so and I'm left with some sort of a dried fruity nutty smell that I can't really describe and after half an hour or so it settles into it's final stage, a fragrance that I don't fancy as much as the other oils I own.

Some reviewers on Beauté-test have compared the fragrance of Yves Rocher Beautifying Dry Oil to Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse... They are nothing alike, not one bit! Gardenia and magnolia are there at the top but my untrained nose doesn't pick up any orange blossom, bergamot or mandarin. It's not as complex and the base is again, nothing like Nuxe. It's just not as elegant but for an inexpensive out of shower option it ain't bad. On wet skin it lasts about one hour and on dry it can linger for close to three.

How I use it...

At the end of my shower I spray liberally on wet skin, gently massage and pat dry with a thick towel. It's perfect for light daytime moisture but I do have to use a more serious moisturizer before bed. Also in summer I tend to reapply a light layer of body oil during the day on arms and legs for the effect but mainly for the fragrance since I rarely use perfume when the weather is hot. I don't think I'll use this one during daytime since I'm not much of a fan of it's fragrance.

Do I recommend Yves Rocher Beautifying Dry Oil? Yes and no.

Yes since it's a nice inexpensive option (just make sure to take advantage of one of their many promotions) that offers light daytime moisture and can be enjoyed again during the course of the day if you like it's fragrance. Great as a cheap pre-shampoo hair treatment.

No if you have dry skin. This will not be enough but can be a complement if for instance you use a non fragranced body lotion in the morning you could spray on arms and legs once the lotion has fully penetrated for a little extra.

Make sure to try it and wait at least thirty minutes to an hour before deciding if you like it's fragrance because as mentioned, the flowery first notes do disappear.


Reviews:

I found no reviews for this product on Makeup Alley
Beauté-test: 4.4 / 5 stars for 36 reviews.

Ingredients: isopropyl palmitate (a palm oil based emolient), octyldodecanol (emulsifiers and thickening agent), coco-capryulate/caprate (a mixture of esters of coconut alcohol with caprylic acid and capric acid), ethylhexil palmitate (a derivative of palm oil), ethylhexyl stearate, hexyldecanol, hexyldecyl laurate, carapa guaianensis seed oil, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil, parfum/fragrance, tocopheryl acetate, bht

To read about my favorite fragranced oils so far click, here.


Have you started to "lighten" your body care routine moisturizer-wise? 

Hair Quest: The Results!

Last June was just horrible in Montreal! Rain, humidity, more rain!!! If only we could have a refund for it but apparently that's not the way it works. So now we're left with twenty days of Summer and we'll probably have a few more hot and sticky ones as was the case this past week.

Saturday I did my hair color and it was perfect! I mean the color was great and styling was a breeze. I ended up with beautiful sleek shiny hair. The weather was just amazing! Sunny, a bit of a breeze and most importantly, no humidity!

Garnier Fructis Style Thermo Sleek-Spray / Review

In my Quest to find the perfect anti-frizz styling products, I recently purchased a few Garnier Fructis products. I've already reviewed the Triple Nutrition Miracle Oil, here. This week I've been experimenting with the Thermo-Sleek Spray.

How did I use it?

I'm not going by the first two times I tried it since on those days we ended up with rain and it was extremely humid. I don't think anything would have made much difference on my type of hair.

Yesterday...

On towel dried hair. The spray is not that great so I sprayed about ten times in my hand to apply to the length and another seven times or so close to the roots, about one inch from them. Using a comb at this point is a good idea to help spread this gel like liquid evenly. I let my hair air dry about 30 minutes or so before using the blow dryer and honestly, I don't know how this product would fair with a regular blow dryer, I have a pro version that gives a lot of heat and this does make a huge difference as far a end results are concerned, especially for me since as I've mentioned before I have super thick hair.

Blow drying my hair I was a little annoyed by the steam the product caused. It was as if my hair was catching fire! It was not but still a bit scary. Once I was done I did have perfectly straight hair so I figured I'd skip the flat iron. One hour later my hair didn't look so sleek. It was starting to do it's own thing, again! Normally I would have dragged my feet back in the bathroom to plug in the flat iron but yesterday was one of those super hot days so my hair ended up in a bun.

This morning...

My hair feels a bit dry, almost "staticky" which is a little weird for Summer. I do have some frizzes but it's not as bad as with Frizz-Ease reviewed, here. Because of that dry sensation I will not use the flat iron today. It's Saturday anyway and I don't want to damage my hair. I'll simply use a bit of oil to tame it and will likely wear it up again.

Would I recommend Garnier Fructis Style Thermo Sleek-Spray? It's a no for me but yes for some.

It didn't give me the outstanding results I was looking for. If you have thick/coarse hair, I don't think you'll fair much better than I did. If you have medium to thin hair that's already on the "straitish" side then I believe you will likely end up with good looking straight hair. I paid under $4.00 for this but if you have long hair you will find the bottle to be on the small side. It's only 150 ml so if you wash your hair every two days on average you will use this product pretty quickly. I've used it three times and already a fifth of it is gone.

The fragrance is on the strong side when you apply it but fades nicely after an hour or so which is a good thing since I'm not that much of a fan of the "Fructis" smell.

This product seems to have been on the marked for a while in Australia (maybe in other parts of the world as well) but it's not showing on Garnier's Canadian, American or French websites. There aren't many reviews of it either but from the ones I've read Gariner Fructis Style Thermo Sleek-Spray appears to get an average of 3 out of 5.

I will not repurchase but again, it's not because it didn't work for me that it won't for you.

Favorite Body Oils of The Moment...

I don't know if it's because Summer is fast approaching (in some parts of the world... somewhere... I hope) but recently I've noticed several entries about oils. For hair, face or/and body, it's a fact that they are gaining in popularity, fast!

I have mentioned before that for years and years, in my teens and twenties I used baby oil (I still do from time to time) at the end of my shower on wet skin, pat dry, soft skin for the day! These days I enjoy avocado, sweet almond and argan oil for moisture, all these, except maybe for argan oil, are quite affordable and I use them freely. The others, the more pricey fragrant ones I have, I use instead of perfume.

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil / Review

What can I say about this other than Wow? What a cheap thrill!

When I go to the drugstore I usually spend most of my time in the cosmetics department and when I roam  through the other sections it's mainly for something specific, an essential that has to be replaced. The other day I spent a little more time in the hair products section in search of hair styling items and stumbled upon this oil. On special at $3.99 I figured why not give it a try.

Top 10 of current drugstore favorites for Fall & Winter

There are some basics for which it's not necessary to spend a fortune. I thought it would be fun to do a top 10 list. These are my current favorites from the drugstore.

Nivea Extra Nourishing Body Milk $9.99
2x a day for continuous moisture. You can read my review of it here.

Dove White Beauty Bar $1.99
I've started using this again recently after years of sobbing it. Super cheap, I like it for either hand washing in the bathroom or for the shower. Available fragrance free.

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash $10.00
Non drying, a cream gel formula that lathers lightly. Great option for when winter skin gets dry and itchy. Available fragrance free.

Eucerin Foot Cream 10% Urea $17.99
For extremely dry feet, color and fragrance free. Worth every penny. I didn't pay as much for my tube. If I remember correctly it was about $11.00.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter $9.59
Favorite shade, Pink Truffle. On me, it looks very natural. Like an improved version of my natural lip color. Not exactly a lip balm, but less drying than a regular formula.

Petroleum Jelly $1.00 and up
This is a must have. It's easy to keep a small jar in our purse. On super cold days it can easily be applied on nose, cheeks, anywhere that needs to be protected from the wind and the cold. You can get some at the dollar store but if you prefer, there's a non petroleum product available, Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly for $7.49.

Head & Shoulders Classic Clean 2-in-1 $7.99
I tried last spring to change. No go! If I want to keep my sanity, not itch, this is what I have to use.

Distilled Witch Hazel $3.99 for 100ml
Morning and night, my favorite toner ever. I've written an article about this marvelous potion. You can read it here.

Unscented baby oil (light grade mineral oil) $3.00 for 592ml
This would be the generic version. All the major drugstore banners have it. Great to use on wet skin after showering to seal in moisture. Just pat dry. You may not even have to use a body lotion with this. In Summer I rarely do but in Winter I do so most of the time. Now of course you can go for any scented baby oil. It's just that last Spring I kind of got sick of the fragrance so I opted for unscented.

Garnier Nutrisse Cream Hair Color $11.99
Just a few months ago I was still using a hair color by L'Oréal. I was not satisfied with it anymore because after just a few shampoos I could see some grey reappear. As if the color had not penetrated the hair properly. Garnier gives me better results for less. Most of the time, you can find it for under $8.00 a box which is good since I need 2 to cover my thick long hair.

All the prices listed are from Well.ca. Most of these products will, I believe, be less expensive at your local drugstore, plus, they're often on sale which is nice. For all the major banners, you can have a look at their weekly flyers online on their respective sites.

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici.