Sephora Holiday Gratis 2022!!!

[heartsmyface]

Holiday Greetings to the lovely people of BIC whichever holiday you celebrate! 

As many of you are aware, @TeamBIC has this naughty little habit of turning into a bunch of festive elves and spoiling a random number of active BIC community contributors with a surprise holiday treat come this time of year!  Yeah the imagery is there of TeamBIC in pointy green hats making the magic happen while sipping on hot cocoa.

I’m sure all of you are eager to see what they’ve been up to this season!  I know I am!  They never fail to impress me with their creative box designs (my inner cat loves the boxes as much as the contents) Of course the contents are always wonderful too;);)

This thread is for expressing your community excitement, making wild or educated sleuthed-out guesses as to what could be inside  and for sharing with the community, photos of any gifts you receive, and also for congratulating other community members on their awesome luck and for making BIC the beauty haven it is!   

And once people have had a chance to try out their…ahhhh thé suspense is too much!!!😝, this is a great place to both write and read the best quality product reviews!  It doesn’t get more honest than from the mouths of BIC members you talk to everyday and who know exactly what kind of information you like!  It’s also a great place to ask questions on any products members have received and know you’ll get a speedy response!

I look forward to seeing all the photos

posted as members receive and open boxes, sharing in the joy and witnessing how everyone’s surprises work for them!

Speaking of gratis that works for me, I have been wearing the Kilian Apple Brandy fragrance from last year all week!!!  A continuous thank you to @TeamBIC for every single time I smell like spicy mince meat tarts🥰🥰🥰🥧

Also, I heard someone say today they finished their holiday shopping.  Show of hands, who’s finished or, ahem… started their holiday shopping?  😆✋🏻 I started and am nowhere near finished status; as collected and organized as that would be.  

 

 

[CynthieLu]

Thank you! 🌼 @quspork 

[cianni]

@CynthieLu first of all, obsessed with your hair color. it's soo stunning! i'm totally with you on the Buttercup heat settings. the medium setting is perfect for drying but not overheating/frying. i've been traumatized by hair straightners is the mid 2000s with that burning hair smell ahhhhh

[CynthieLu]

@cianni oooh yes so much needless hair cooking in the ol days lol 😆 the dark days are over 

This red hair dye is like a chameleon, every wash it changes a little, until I dye it again 🦊 good thing I have the k18 cuz I really put my tresses thru allot

[missjeanie]

@CynthieLu I need to practice with a round brush!  

[CynthieLu]

@missjeanie practice makes perfect 💞  I found these tutorials videos on YouTube for the Buttercup and creating different blow out styles, I'm hoping to work up my skill level and give a few a try. I know it'll take many attempts before I get the hang of it but I have the patience. You should check them out 😄

[haleyvvvv]

Glad you're loving the blow dryer, @CynthieLu!!

[CynthieLu]

Sooo much @haleyvvvv 😁 💛

[Loretta55]

Your photo is cute @CynthieLu. Glad to hear that you are enjoying the blow dryer.

[CynthieLu]

I'm sooo thrilled with the dryer 🤩 @Loretta55 Aww thank you, it was a struggle to find a shot 📸 

[Ispend2much6]

Today was "hair day," so I was able to try a few of the gratis products.  I used the K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Molecular Hair Repair Value Set – Full-Size Repair Mask & Free Travel Detox Shampoo , the JVN Complete Blowout Styling Milk 3 oz / 90 mL , and the Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryer .

This was the first time I have used a shampoo that contained charcoal. The K18 Detox Shampoo was very different from my usual OUAI Detox Shampoo and the Verb Reset Clarifying Shampoo 6.8 oz / 201 mL that I usually use.  The K18 really soothed my scalp, and my hair felt extremely clean! I could tell by the feel of my hair that any residual products were stripped from it, as it felt very thick and full, even while wet.  The disappointing result was that it completely stripped the last bits of hair dye from my roots.  I didn't like the scent at all; it reminds me of a bathroom deodorizer.  And, it does linger.  Fortunately using the JVN helped mask most of the scent.

I had tried the K18 Hair Repair one other time, and wasn't impressed.  I think I may not have used enough that time.  This time, I ended up using nine pumps.  The next time I use it I will focus more on the ends of my hair.  After I waited the suggested time of four minutes after application, I have to say that it did detangle my hair as well as any wash-out conditioner (but not as well as my beloved Kiehl's Since 1851 Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Hair Pak 8.4 oz/ 250 mL .

Here's a concern I have about the ingredients and if it's going to be a good product to continue using for my fine, dry, processed hair:  There are two types of drying alcohol in it- alcohol denat and isopropyl alcohol. Both are used as cleaning agents (hand sanitzer, etc.)

The JVN Complete Blowout Styling Milk 3 oz / 90 mL  was great.  After applying it and letting my hair absorb it for a few minutes, I blew dry my hair with the Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryer .  I used a paddle brush for all of my hair except for the front where I used a round brush. 

I already own the Drybar The Brush Crush Heated Straightening Brush and love it.  It smoothes my hair enough to let me style it with waves or curls if I want a sleeker look rather than just curling my hair after letting it airdry.

It didn't take long to dry my hair using one of the attachments.  I don't know how to use the cool shot to set my style, but I will look into that next time.  I just used the low heat setting and the fast speed setting.

My hair was looking extremely fluffy!  Usually it's pretty flat after washing my hair, so this was a very pleasant surprise!  I then curled it with my curling iron, and it seemed like the curls took more easily and lasted longer, as I didn't use hair spray on it right away and brushed the curls a few times, and they were still there.

I think it will be interesting to see what my hair does with a few consecutive uses of the K18 as recommended on the bottle.  It's really nice to have an option where I don't have to let a conditioner or mask sit on my hair for ten or so minutes after application, to just be able to wash and apply the leave-in conditioner.  I really like having my hair look so much fuller as I am in the process of losing hair (again.) 

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My hair looks shiny and healthy!! 

[PrettyPaint]

@Ispend2much6  You have such lovely hair! 

[Ispend2much6]

@PrettyPaint  Why thank you!!

[lmaster]

@Ispend2much6 ohhhh I see the fluff!! Looks great! 

[Ispend2much6]

@lmaster  Fluff is great, if in the right place. 😂

[lmaster]

Very true!! @Ispend2much6 

[quspork]

Love reading your initial thoughts on these, @Ispend2much6!

[Ispend2much6]

Thank you @quspork .  What a generous gift!

[haleyvvvv]

Thank you for the reviews, @Ispend2much6!! Your hair looks great!!

From what I've read and a little bit of science background, the alcohol in the products, some of them (including the two you named) actually are widely used substances that can help serve as a solvent to get ingredients into the hair follicle or spread better (amongst other common cosmetic uses). That being said they can be drying, especially in textured hair. There's actually at least two other alcohols in the product that aren't short-chain alcohols and one is considered quite good for smoothing the hair (cetearyl) and one is a preservative (benzyl). I just wanted to point out that alcohol doesn't necessarily equal bad; but of course everyone's mileage varies. I'm sure our BIC hair gurus have more information they can provide too. 

[Ispend2much6]

Thank you @haleyvvvv !  An informed consumer is generally a happy consumer. 🙂

[Loretta55]

Your hair came out great @Ispend2much6. Thank you for the warning on the K18. I spend too much money on coloring my hair to chance any product that will strip the color.

[Ispend2much6]

@Loretta55  Thank you and you're welcome!  It was the shampoo that did it.  It's supposed to strip residue from your hair, and it did!  I'm due for a touch-up in two weeks; whether it was just time for the roots to show that well I can't say, but I don't know how I'll find out as I'm not willing to risk it, as you said. 

I haven't noticed much dye removal with OUAI Detox Shampoo  or the Verb Reset Clarifying Shampoo 6.8 oz / 201 mL .

I can't tell how it did with the other part of my hair that's dyed.