Review: L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil 100ml - RRP £9.99

Around 6 weeks ago I was lured into the temptation of trying this oil when the advertisements and blog features for it were literally everywhere and I just couldn't seem to get away from them; I couldn't resist and off I hopped to Superdrug to pick myself a bottle of this new hair oil by L'Oreal. It was on offer at the time with 1/3 off so I got it for £6.66 and at this very moment in time the same offer is on at Boots so go and grab yourself a bottle now! The bottle that I got is for 'all hair types' but there is another variant that is specifically for coloured hair (this one has a red pump if you're looking out for it).

This versatile hair product is intended to leave hair silky and soft without flyaways and can be used in multiple ways: as a pre-shampoo treatment to put on before washing, as a finishing product to perfect your style, or my personal favourite: apply while damp and use before blowdrying/leaving to dry naturally.

It is described as being a '5-in-1 miracle hair perfector' and the five hair benefits that is boasts are: 1) Hair has a glowing shine - check! I definitely agree that it leaves my hair shiny; not greasy. 2) Feels intensely nourished - half check! 'Nourished'? Yes. 'Intensely nourished'? I suppose this one is a little bit of a matter of opinion but for me I wouldn't say the nourishment levels blow me away - it is still pretty good though. 3) Flows with silky softness - check! I apply this when my hair is damp and once it is dry I can swish my hair about and look just like the typical girls on hair care adverts. 4) Seems sumptuously smooth - check! I always look out for the key words in hair products such as 'seems', 'appears' and 'looks' smooth/healthy/repaired/shiny because they shout out to me that it's effects are just an illusion and the benefits to your hair are just a quick fix. This is telling me that it will make my hair 'seem smooth', not actually 'be smooth' - does that make sense to anyone but me? But as long as they're upfront about it I'm okay with this not giving my hair long term benefits and only making it smooth for just the time being, probably until it's washed out, as long as my hair is smooth for a little bit it's okay. Finally, 5) looks beautifully perfected - check!

As it's important to some people when choosing a product I thought I would point out that this is silicone based and therefore not a very natural product; silicones provide a quick-fix beneficial illusion to the hair, like I was talking about in point #4 about making hair 'seem smooth'. If you are wanting something like this to be a permenant solution to damaged ends then you are looking in the wrong place as this isn't going to penetrate your hair shaft at all to repair and improve the condition of it. However, if what you instead want is a smoothing finishing treatment that L'Oreal should have instead named something like 'shine serum' instead of 'extraordinary oil' then this is something that you should try out.



The bottle looks luxurous and is made of glass too, making it look quite expensive and I love having this sitting on my dressing table, looking like a pretty bottle full of liquid gold. I really like that the bottle has a pump dispenser because often pouring straight from a bottle can lead to a bit of a mess and too much product being wasted. I'm really generous with the application of this and that's because my hair is very long, thick and dry - I need quite a lot of product with anything that I use anyway but it's so porous that it drinks up any oils and treatments like a dream, so although the directions on this are to use 'two pumps' I happily use 3-5 and my hair isn't left greasy, sticky or with a lot of build up but of course it's a matter of trial and error to find out what's right for you and your hair. I've done a bit of math with how long I've had this for and how often I use it and figured out I've used around 50 (give or take a couple) pumps of this and the pictures show how much is still left in the bottle so I've got a feeling I'm going to stuck with this for a long time!

This is my 'weekend oil' as it's my favourite one that I use when I'm at home, and my 'through the week oil' is the one that I love using while I'm at uni at that's the Babyliss Pro Argan Oil that I did a detailed review on here: link. The Babyliss oil is my all time number one favourite, but this L'Oreal is sitting pretty in second place of many that I have tried and when it costs less than £10.00 for 100ml of product it is one that I would recommend to anybody.

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Review: Babyliss Pro Argan Oil

After religiously using this hair oil for over 6 months I thought it was about time I did a little review on it and shared it's wonders with you all. Using oils in hair care, in particular Moroccan oil and argan oil, has taken the beauty world by storm in the past few months and if it's something that you haven't tried yet then why not? If you're using the right one and the right amount then oil is reaaally good for adding moisture to those dry and brittle ends that are often a problem with long or over processed hair.
 

This hair oil treatment from Babyliss was my very first dip into the realm of argan oils and I've not looked back since! After loving this one so much I decided to try out alternatives from other brands to see how they faired in comparison but this is the one that I have always come back to. It's not a particularly high end brand and it's by no means top of the list in the highest rated hair oils, and it isn't very costly either - it's just a really good quality and good value for money helping hand for my dry ends. I bought this from eBay back in May of this year following a recommendation from Kayleigh (Couture Girl) and the seller that I both bought this 100ml bottle from can be found here: link. At the time I purchased this oil it cost me £14.58 and it has now been reduced to £13.14 which is a really good price for the amount of product and and the quality (especially when compared to other brands such as the original Moroccan Oil which will set you back a similar price for a quarter of the amount of product), BUT even better than this, I have since seen this same product on Beauty Bay for just £10.95 with free delivery (link) so snap it up from here if you're interested!

 

As you can hopefully tell from the pictures I am not even a quarter of the way through this bottle and it has been used after every wash (with a couple of exceptions) for six months, so I thankfully won't be running out of this any time soon as a little bit goes a really long way. One thing I'm not keen on is the dispenser for this bottle as it makes it quite easy to pour out too much product which leads to wastage sometimes and it's always best to start with a little amount and add more if necessary - you can't take it away once it's on your hair. I add the amount shown below through the midlengths and ends of my hair after it has been towel dried - my hair is really long and thick and this amount is plenty enough for me even at my hair's most unruly state!
 

 

 

Described as a 'nourishing oil treatment' this multi-purpose oil is ideal for all hair types and can be used to style, smooth, condition, tame and treat dry and damaged hair. Although I have spotted some silicone based ingredients on the ingredient list (which some people prefer to steer clear of), this is alcohol free and absorbs almost instantly into the hair leaving it shiny but not greasy. Unlike some similar oils this does not leave a residue on your hair; it is completely absorbed. This oil feels really luxurious to use and it smells gorgeous too! It can be used to protect from heat damage and protects and strengthens the hair which in turn reduces the amount of split ends and frizziness.

 

My last hair cut was back in May (yes, criminal, I know) and that is the same time that I began using this product. Yesterday, I got my hair cut for the first time in 6 months and I only made that decision because I was examining my hair and noticed my very first split end since having it cut all that time ago. I don't know about you but lasting six months without a hair cut and only discovering one split end at the end of it is pretty impressive to me. In almost 20 years of life my hair has never managed to last that long without being cut before (I am always one for regular trims) and I put this down to two factors: regular use of this hair oil and a reduction in use of heat tools. This oil is now a staple product in my hair care routine and it always leaves my hair feeling extra conditioned, soft and smooth. It does not only benefit the hair externally as a quick fix, but actually penetrates the hair and really nourishes my locks for a silky smooth finish.

♥

Splashing Out At Avon | Haul

Once upon a time, I used to be Avon representative. 

It wasn't a very fun job at all and I certainly didn't reap all of the benefits that they promise to you. Working on 11% commission only on sales over £75 is hardly a big earner and a lot more time and effort goes into the process than is originally advertised. You must go essentially go door to door around your neighbourhood, or pester the other females in your life, delivering and handing out brochures in hope that someone will flick through and place an order. A few days later you must then trek back out again to collect these brochures from every house and people are supposed to leave them on the doorstep with their orders filled in but many people do not do this and you must pester them for it. Then, online you must order each of the products ordered by your customers and they are delivered to you, to your house. Here comes the bad part: you must then go out again to each customers house, this time with their products, and deliver them but also collect the money in cash there and then from the person. What happens if you go all the way to a persons house with their order and they aren't in? You can't leave it on the doorstep and walk away, then you haven't collected the money for it. So that is the tricky part of actually making sure that people are in and have cash available to pay to you when you arrive. By the time you have stopped pestering your customers, handed out their products and collected payment, you must then send away all of the money you collected and send it off to Avon. If you are short on the amount of money collected for some reason, maybe you couldn't get hold of somebody or maybe they changed their mind, then the money must come out of your own pocket to make up for it. Also, each customer is entitled to a refund too if they so wish and this must come out of your own pocket. All in all, not a simple process! 

On my first attempt I made sales of £32, so received no commission. On my second attempt I made sales of £45. But still received zero commission because I hadn't reached the £75 sales threshold. By this time I decided to give up as I had badgered my neighbours, family, and my mum's work colleagues for 2 months and had put in a lot of my own time to deliver their products to receive nothing in return for it. 

So, one day last month when an Avon brochure landed up on my doorstep for the first time since I moved house, I realised that some poor soul must be trying their hardest to make a few sales so I had sympathy and put in an order to help them out! Avon has never really been a brand that has appealed to me and for some reason I think it's always had the stigmata that it is for older people. I had a good flick through and saw a lot of things that caught my eye - here is what I ordered:

(I haven't tried a single one of these products yet so there will be reviews to come, I just want to show everybody what is out there and the range of products that are available; there is more than just nail varnish and foundation sold by Avon!)

Morroccan Argon Oil Leave In Treatment 30ml - £2.99
This was going to be a sure order for me. It's currently Avon's featured product with an introductory price of just £2.99 (usually £5.00). I've seen this pop up on blogs time and time again and each time the review on it was positive. I'm a huge fan of using oil on the ends of my hair and I am looking forward to trying out a super cheap alternative to others on the market and seeing how it lives up to the other leading brands.

Morcoccan Argan Oil Shampoo 250ml - £1.50

Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner 250ml - £1.50
If I was getting the leave in oil treatment I thought that I might as well go all out and get a matching set of shampoo and conditioner to reap the full benefits and get the advertised '360 nourishment'. At £1.50 for a 250ml bottle that's an absolute steal and it isn't going to be the end of the world if I don't love it.

Acai Berry & Shea Oil Hair Souffle 125ml - £1.25
Ever the lover of deep conditioning masks and leave-in treatments to help out my damaged hair I couldn't resist ordering a hair 'souffle'. I've never heard of a mask be called a souffle before so I don't know if there's an actually difference or if it's just Avon trying to be different. The directions say to distribute evenly throughout wet hair after shampooing, leave for 5 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. It smells absolutely GORGEOUS and I love that there is a warning on the tub that the product is not edible! The tub isn't very big so I'm not sure how long this will last but I am looking forward to rotating this into my shower routine and hope it will nourish my hair a bit.

Strawberry and White Chocolate Shower Gel 200ml - £1.30
I don't need another shower gel at all, I have a cupboard full of bottles waiting to be used! I was attracted to the idea of a strawberry and white chocolate scent though and it won me over by being so cheap too. This is something a bit different to the usual scented shower gels that you find and I thought that I would enjoy it and at least give it a try.

Blemish Clearing 3-in-1 Cleanser/Scrub/Mask 125ml - £5.00

Blackhead Clearing Daily Cleanser 125ml - £4.50

Pore Penetrating Invigorating Scrub 75ml - £4.00
I've been looking to try out a new skin care regime for quite a long time as mine is a bit all over the place at the moment. I do use a cleanser, exfoliator, toner and moisturiser but each one is from a different brand and I feel that if they were all from the same brand or range then they would work in harmony with each other and the results would be stronger. If my thoughts on this are true or false could somebody let me know??
Anyway, Avon stocked three different ranges in their skincare: Blemish Clearing, Blackhead Clearing and Pore Penetrating and across all of the ranges there was an offer of 3 for £6. I couldn't decide which range I wanted to go for as I could do with benefits from all three, so opted for one thing from each range to give them a try and see what I think. I was originally just going to go with the 3-in-1 Cleanser for £5, but if I could get another 2 products for an extra £1 it would be silly not to! I made a fantastic saving of £7.50 with this offer and got almost two products for free.

Total: £14.54

I think that's such a bargain price for 8 products, including a shampoo, conditioner, oil treatment, deep conditioner, shower gel and full skin care set! All of the items appear to be good quality too so the quality isn't compromised with the price.

Do you ever order from Avon? Have you ever been a representative too?

♥