Thank you Sephora, Stila, Bobbi Brown, Drunk Elephant, Lancome, and Olaplex!! ❤️

[angel7594]

I am delighted to have been selected to receive some new products to try from Stila, Bobbi Brown, Drunk Elephant, Lancome, and Olaplex. Thank you so much Sephora and @KatieBT for this wonderful opportunity!! ❤️

I will be reporting back soon to share my thoughts on each product, plus swatches and looks with the palette.

Here are some photos of the amazing products:

Everything wrapped so beautifully! ❤️

Bobbi Brown Night Drama Eye Palette, Lancome Hydra Zen Anti- Stress Moisturising Cream- Gel

Olaplex N. 4 and 5, Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner, Drunk Elephant D- Bronzi Anti- Pollution Sunshine Serum, and deluxe sample of Protini Polypeptide Cream.

Stila Heaven’s Dew All Over Glimmer Silverlake

Stila Heaven’s Dew All Over Glimmer Silverlake swatch:

Bobbi Brown Night Drama palette swatches:

[veronika23]

Olaplex No. 4 and 5 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner

So I know it took me a while to come back and comment on this but I wanted to really give it a try and I only wash my hair twice a week. In the middle of trying this I also wanted to compare it to something else.

Overall I am pretty impressed by the products. My biggest sticking point though is the packaging. It’s difficult for me to get the bottles open. That might not be the case with everyone but it is difficult for me. So much so I often have to use my teeth to get that cap open. I wish I they had a pump system or at the very least re think that cap.

Anyway, that aside, I am pretty amazed by these. Both products have a citrus/grapefruit smell but it’s not overpowering which is nice. The shampoo is somewhat creamy and lathers well. The conditioner is on the thicker side, which does feels very nice. I tried it a few times only using those 2 products with no styling products added afterwards. The results are quite impressive. Because it’s summer I let my hair air dry and don’t use any heat tools. I just twisted it up and let it dry that way. While these products do nothing for my waves, I think they might be too heavy, they do offer great results. In a way I am happy my hair dries more straight with these. It means less fuss to try and get those waves to work. I had another set of shampoo and conditioner that were designed for smooth sleek hair and when I let it air dry I did not get the results I got from Olaplex. Not even close. I was impressed that I didn’t have to use a leave in conditioner and that there was no frizz or “puffiness”. My hair is left soft and shiny. I mean I got all this just from using two products? That’s pretty freaking amazing! I usually at least need the leave in and a frizz fighter. My hair is pretty healthy so I can’t really comment on how it repairs damaged hair. For reference I have long fine non-chemically treated hair… and I have lots of it! Only once did I use products and heat tools. While the end results were nice the next day I needed to re-straightened my hair. I still have to figure out what happened there. It might have been the products I used or I didn’t dry it properly. Because I do have so much hair it’s hard to tell sometimes when it’s really dry. Can’t really say what caused this but still wanted to point it out. Since we are moving into fall soon I’ll be using these from now on and will be better able to get a feel for the product when combined with styling products and heating tools. Still though I am pretty happy with these and now know what the fuss is about! Thank you @Olaplexfor the opportunity to try these products!

[PinkEvergreen]

@veronika23 Thanks for your detailed review! I value all your experienced and very (brutally) honest opinions and will definitely be buying these once they come back in stock in Canada! 👍

[veronika23]

Awww thanks @PinkEvergreen! I hope you'll like them as well 🙂

[veronika23]

So I finally have a few thoughts on the DE and the Stila. I still want to wash my hair another time or two before coming back with my thoughts on the Olaplex

Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Serum

I first started by trying this product with a serum of mine but it didn’t blend so well with it and noticed a bit of pilling later on that day. I couldn’t really see much of a different either but maybe that’s because I used a very small amount. Not even a full pump. Then I tried a full pump with the DE Protini Polypeptide Cream (which has a wonderful light texture) and it looked much better. It applied very well. It’s a subtle bronze glow that gives your skin a little something extra. Although it’s pretty I’m not sure how I feel about it because I’ve had more redness lately. I think if I didn’t have the redness and was a bit less pale I would love it more. It’s great if you want to add a little something to your skin without using foundations, BB cream or powders.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream

This cream has a lightweight and silky texture. It’s like a mix between cream and gel. It applies very well and you only need a very small amount of product. If you apply too much it will turn white and at that point it’s harder to get it absorbed into your skin. Otherwise it does absorb well. I feel as though this cream gives me a matte finish if I don’t have my oil serum paired with it. I have dry skin and I find it hydrates pretty well on it’s own. I also couldn’t detect a scent to this product.

Stila Heaven’s Dew All Over Glimmer in Silverlake

I like the bouncy creaminess of the product. It’s an intense shimmer/micro glitter. You can apply it real quick with your finger on your eyes/lips or use a brush to apply as a highlighter. Although I don’t really like it as a highlighter because it’s too glittery for me. I prefer to use this as a topper on the lips, which will change the color of the lipstick you are wearing, or applying it alone on the eyes. But despite my best efforts this product gets everywhere. Those micro sparkles just end up around my eye area even though I am very careful when applying. This also means that it’s a bit of a pain to remove because it goes everywhere and it’s harder to get all the particles off your face. This is why I’m generally not a big fan of products like these. I do love the texture of it though.

[PinkEvergreen]

@veronika23 Regarding Stila Heaven’s Dew, I noticed how over-the-top sparkly it was in the PR photos. You confirmed my take on the situation.

Everyone knows I’m a diehard STILA - Heaven's Hue Highlighter fanatic, but that’s because it looks so natural and doesn’t cover my face with glitter.

I’ll be sticking with Hue and avoiding Dew lol 😂 

[Mcakes]

Thank you so much again to Sephora and Opalex for giving me these products to test and review! My hair care routine is something I admittedly don’t deviate from very often, so this was a nice change. I was sent No.4 and No.5 for this gratis, after reading the bottles and a push from a fellow BICer I went ahead and purchased No.3 so I could have the full experience (thank you for the enabling 😉).

Just as a background I have very long but thin hair that’s prone to breaking at the ends. I included a picture below and blocked out other unsuspecting parties lol. I typically use a deep conditioner every time I wash my hair, but to give these products a fair and honest review I refrained. The first week I used just No.4 and No.5 to see what it would be like. I washed my hair twice that week, which is pretty normal for me. I know fragrance isn’t the best thing to have in a product, but that is something that I enjoy in my shampoo &conditioner and these products didn’t really have a lasting scent. I didn’t notice too much of a difference with these products compared to what I usually use (Verb Shampoo and Conditoner), which is a good thing since I love how hydrating the Verb Shampoo and Conditioner are. The size of the Opalex bottles are smaller and is pricier by the ounce though. What made the biggest difference for me is the No.3!

I suppose it kind of is like a deep conditioner, but instead of applying it after conditioning it is applied before shampoo. When I started using this product in collaboration with No.4 and No.5 the following week I really started to notice a good change. My hair looks even shinier, feels stronger and the ends have been less dry in between washes. Incorporating No.3 into the mix even added some nice fragrance to my hair! It’s still not distinctive or overpowering, but I know it’s there and I like it haha. The three products work really well together and I’ve been loving the way my hair looks and feels. I’ll be curious to see if No.3 works the same with any shampoo and conditioner combo or if it just works this well with No.4 and No.5.

I’m just happy for the introduction to this brand and I’m definitely interested in trying more from this brand if they keep coming to Sephora! A serum would be nice 👍

[tsavorite]

@Mcakes,

I missed this!  This photo!  Your hair is amazing!  And I love your friend!   

What a beautiful llama!   🙂

[RaquelBT]

Hi @Mcakes,

Oh my! Your hair is absolutely stunning! It looks so long and healthy. 🙂

Best Regards,

❤️ Raquel

[Mcakes]

Thank you @RaquelBT 

[curlychiquita]

I love your beautiful long hair, @Mcakes!  I'm glad you like the Olaplex line!

[Mcakes]

Thank you so much @curlychiquita 

[angel7594]

Adorable photo, and your hair is lovely @Mcakes! Great Olaplex review as well! ❤️❤️

[Mcakes]

Thank you @angel7594  With all the time I spend on it, it better be right?! 😛 

[veronika23]

Awww cute pic @Mcakes!  Are you saying I need to get the No 3? 😄

[Mcakes]

Thanks @veronika23  Yes, I think you would really like No.3! At first it was hard to wrap my mind around putting it on before shampoo and letting it sit for 10 minutes. I thought, I have no time for all that! But then I realized I basically do the same thing for deep conditioner, the steps are just reversed lol 😄

[Aaliaa]

Haha, I feel you about the 10 minutes. I actually keep it on overnight and love the results! @Mcakes

[Mcakes]

Oh wow, really @Aaliaa ? Do you use a shower cap? I have one of the Sephora Collection overnight masks but have yet to try it out. I'm scared of it getting everywhere lol 😄

[Aaliaa]

Not really, it kind of dries down to feeling like you left a little conditioner in your hair. I don't wash my hair daily so I will do one wash and then apply Olaplex, tie my hair into a high bun and go to bed.  I'm personally used to sleeping with oil in my hair so it doesn't bother me at all. If you are worried about your pillow, use an old pillowcase over your normal one to avoid staining. @Mcakes

[veronika23]

10 mins!

hahaha. I added it to my love list. 🙂  Maybe I should give it a shot.  I was more into those types of treatments when my hair was really damaged but since I stopped coloring it I just don't think of using them. Maybe I need to see what the fuss is all about! @Mcakes

[Mcakes]

@veronika23 right?!!! Sometimes when I forget to put on some music before I shower I tend to cheat and rinse it out faster, but that's just because I am horrible at keeping track of time lol 😄 I don't use heat on my hair too often, so the majority of the damage I see is when my ends are dry and I'm trying to comb out tangles. Breakage happens! I get impatient and want it all out lol.