Aveda Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Hair Treatment

Aveda is a relatively new brand for me and I have branched out from the using the makeup to adding the hair care products to my beauty product line up.  I have heard the most amazing reviews of their Smooth Infusion hair care line and I will order several bottles of the shampoo and conditioner when I am in need of some new products.  I just bought new liter bottles of my favorite Biolage Color products so this won't be anytime soon but a review will be forthcoming once I get to try them out.  One of the few hair products that I was actually in need of is a new deep conditioner so I started my love affair with Aveda hair products by ordering one of the best selling formulas.

The Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Hair Treatment is designed to help hydrate and repair signs of surface damage.  I have both problems with my hair all the time since it is chemically treated and heat styled on a regular basis.  The best deep conditioner that I have found so far is from the Carol's Daughter line at Sephora and the Aveda formula is on par with it, I am glad that I have two formulas that I love just in case either ever becomes unavailable.  Both formulas are quite similar and I will touch on why I love both of them after a few more details about the Aveda formula.

"Intensive treatment packed with quinoa protein strengthens damaged and chemically-treated hair with deep repair.  Quinoa-packed treatment fills in damaged cuticles to help strengthen and reinforce hair—which also makes it more resilient to future damage.  Replenishes natural oils with jojoba, to leave hair looking and feeling healthy, shiny and strong.  Part of a four-step restructuring system.", states the Aveda website. 

The Aveda treatment is top rated and best selling for many reasons, the biggest one being that it is very effective and really improves my hair.  I use it once a week for about five minutes in the shower and it guarantees that I will have a good hair day after use.  It hydrates well and rinses clean without leaving any traces of residue behind.  This mask hydrates the dry and damaged areas of my hair and helps to restore shine to the areas that need it most.  It helps to repair signs of surface damage, improving the overall look and feel of my long thick hair.

The proteins in this product will help to fill in the cracks and weak areas of my hair but cannot repair or bring hair back to life.  It helps to smooth the surface by filling in the top cracks and reducing the appearance of frayed ends, both of which I need with my love of heat styling.  My hair is soft to the touch and overall I am very happy with the results that I get from this product.

I get great results from both this product and the Carol's Daughter Monoi Mask, the Aveda product might come out on top for me because of the fragrance.  The Aveda product has a slight herbal fragrance, it is light and doesn't bother me at all.  The Carol's Daughter product has a strong tropical floral fragrance which might deter some users of the product and therefore I would recommend the Aveda product over the other for anyone who has issues with or doesn't like much fragrance in their hair products.

This was a great introduction to Aveda hair products for me and I will be buying more from this company.  I think my next purchase will be the Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner and perhaps the same products from the Color Care line.

photo courtesy of Aveda

Aveda Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color

I have been getting more and more obsessed with Aveda every time that I visit my salon and see more of their products on the display.  I have a hair appointment next week and that means that I have been stalking the Aveda website and looking to see what products that I might want to try this time around.  Early last week, I decided that I couldn't wait and I ordered a few of the Nourish-Mint Lipsticks and have been playing around with them ever since they have arrived.  I have tried to limit the amount of lipsticks that I buy and I have failed every single time that I try and do this so I have just decided to give up and keep buying more lipsticks...

I have said before in this blog that lip products are the one item that I prefer with natural or organic ingredients.  I once read that the average woman eats about eight pounds of lipstick over her lifetime and using a more natural product will eliminate some of the chemicals that are ingested.  I am not saying that I will only be using natural lip products but I will be trying to find more brands that fall into this category.  Aveda falls right into this category and I couldn't wait to order a few lipsticks from their website.

The Aveda website states the following about their Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color, "75% of women noticed fuller lips after 2 weeks*.  Smooths appearance of fine lines by 26%**.  Increases moisture by 26%**.  Contains refreshing aroma-flavor with the certified organic essential oils of peppermint, vanilla, and ginger." 

These lipsticks smell very similar to the C.O. Bigelow Vanilla Mint Mentha Lip Shine and I love that aspect of the product!  I ordered lipsticks that are in the Berry and Rose families to start with and will continue to purchase more from this product collection.  I surprised myself by not ordering a red shade but I wanted to add some different shades to my collection and I am sure that I will be ordering some red hues in the upcoming weeks. 

Here are the available shades from Aveda!

- 510 Fossil - neutral gold rose with light shimmer
- 520 Sutra - cool earthy rose with light shimmer
- 531 Blushed Honey - cool bronze rose with high shimmer
- 711 Butternut - warm rich brown
- 821 Kashmir Brown - shimmery natural nude
- 312 Lychee Splash - shimmery coral pink
- 320 Sugar Apple - cool deep violet pink with shimmer
- 330 Mulberry - warm rosy pink with light shimmer
- 935 Magenta Berry - deep magenta
- 611 Stargrape - cool shimmery violet plum
- 908 Snapdragon - warm saturated red
- 909 Rare Orchid - cool red violet
- 410 Wild Plum - soft shimmery plum
- 430 Cerise - deep red plum
- 721 Poppy - bright cool red
- 907 Wild Fuchsia - bright fuchsia pink
- 720 Hot Pepper - deep warm spicy brown
- 733 Cherry Bud - warm brick red
- 913 Cana - intense red-orange

I bought Mulberry, Stargrape, and Cerise.  Mulberry is the easiest of the shades to wear, it is semi-sheer rosy pink that works very well with my pale cool toned skin.  I can wear this one with any type of eye makeup look or for a more natural look.  Stargrape is one that I have only tried once or twice at home so far, this deep satin plum will work well later on in fall and will be best for getting dressed up at night.  I would not be able to pull this off in a professional environment because of the contrast between my pale skin and deep hue but someone with a deeper skintone would not have that same issue.  Cerise is listed as a "red plum" but I found it to be more of a warm plum than having a "red" cast to it.  I would use Cerise in the same way that I would use Stargrape, Cerise is a warm plum satin that will be a great shade when dressing up and going out this fall. 

I found that the Aveda lipsticks are not as pigmented as many of the other ones on the market.  If you prefer a more pigmented product than I recommend NARS or Urban Decay.  Nourish-Mint can be described as having a medium pigmentation, every shade appears nicely on the lips but the effect is not as dramatic as a full pigment lipstick.  These lipsticks will be an easy transition for someone who prefers sheer lip balms or lip glosses to a traditional lipstick.  The majority of these shades will be easy to work into a more professional look, exceptions will only be with the deepest of the lipstick shades.

My favorite aspect of this lipstick formula is the hydrating property.  These lipsticks hydrate and feel like a traditional lip balm and help to care for the lips while providing a great color.  The downside here is that this formula tends to come off pretty quickly and does not last much longer than three or four hours (without eating or drinking).  This is common issue with very hydrating lipsticks so I am not surprised but I would love for these shades to last a bit longer than they do. 

I am already making a short list of shades that I will pick up from the salon on my next visit.  I need to get a red from this formula, therefore my top pick is Poppy.  My other choices are Sutra and Magenta Berry.  Sutra will be a good neutral for me and Magenta Berry will be a good fall bright for me to work into my makeup look.

photo courtesy of Aveda

Aveda Fall 2013 Collection - Heart Lands

Aveda has released their fall beauty product collection and therefore today we are going to look at a more natural based makeup line today.  I am not someone that buys only natural or organic products (obviously) but I still get a bit freaked out about the fact that the average woman consumes about seven pounds of lipstick in her life.  I am most likely to try some type of more natural lip product because of that fact and would like to reduce the amount of chemicals that I am taking into my body as much as I can.  So its time for me to look more closely at Aveda and what lip items and shades they carry.  Plus I go to an Aveda salon so I have pretty easy access to many of these products which is a big bonus.

The fall collection for Aveda is named Heart Lands and is inspired by the beauty of the autumn months.  This collection focuses on natural beauty and shades that could be worn equally well in the city or for a weekend trip to the country.  This is a very different collection from many of those that I have reviewed so far and I am excited to see the other side of fall beauty.

The Aveda Heart Lands collection!

Petal-Essence Single Eye Color - Let eyes blossom, with our flower wax-infused, soft-to-the-touch shadow. A silky powder-both color-true and crease-resistant-that builds and blends effortlessly, surrounded by a soft floral aroma.
- Dusk Orchid - deep violet with shimmer
- Hyacinth - pale lilac satin
- Antique Gold - medium gold with shimmer
- Viridian - deep forest green matte
- Bronze Patina - deep bronze matte

Petal-Essence Eye Definer - Drawn from jasmine petals and geranium leaves, aromatic flower waxes make this formula creamy, blendable, smooth. Line, define, accent, or shade-our pencil stays color-true on eyes or brow, while still respecting the delicate skin around the eye.
- Night Lily - deep violet navy
- Juniper - deep forest green

Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color - 75% of women noticed fuller lips after 2 weeks. Smooths appearance of fine lines by 26%**.  Increases moisture by 26%**.  With refreshing organic spearmint and vanilla flavor.
- Sweet Plum - medium violet plum cream
- Redwood - deep warm red cream

Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze - Give them some lip-with 12 lip gloss shades, from nude to bold: infused with plant emollients and clinically proven to moisturize, plump and smooth the look of fine lines. Refreshes with an organic vanilla and mint aroma and flavor.
- Honey Tree - medium nude shimmer
- Winterberry - deep cool berry shimmer

Nourish-Mint Lip Liner - Feed your lips-with luscious, creamy color that shapes and defines-made richer with plant waxes and fruit butters. Nourish-mint Lip Liners provides generous coverage while helping to reduce feathering of other lip color. Refreshing, with certified organic peppermint flavor.
- Plum Petals - deep berry
- Red Petals - deep red

My first purchase from the Aveda makeup collection will be one of the Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze and I am sure that I will want more than one shade of this product.  I want to buy the Honey Tree from this collection and I found several other shades that I will add to my order and I am considering Winterberry too.  I'm not sure that I love either of the lipstick shades and I want to test one at the salon to see how pigmented they are before I start ordering them.  To finish up my shopping of this collection, I would like the eye shadows in Antique Gold and Bronze Patina so that I can make more neutral eye looks with my Naked Palettes.

I will report back on the Aveda glosses and see if I can work a few more natural products into my makeup collection.

photo courtesy of Aveda

Aveda Spring 2013 Collection - Art of Nature

Aveda is still a brand that I am somewhat newer to, the salon that I go to carries the makeup and skincare lines but I have progressed any further than looking at the displays and gazing at all the pretty makeup colors.  Not that I need another makeup line to collect items from, but Aveda is very unique and contains many formulas that are much more natural than many of the products that I currently use.  So far, I have been most enamoured with the blushes and many of the eye shadow shades, the lip glosses and lipstick lines don't contain unique shades and I already own many of them.  I have a hair appointment at the end of next month so I will be following up with some products reviews if I decide to purchase from the makeup line.

I am hoping that my salon has the new spring collection from Aveda on the makeup table by the next time that I am visiting there.  Art of Nature is the newest collection from this company and it contains products for every facial feature in hues of reds and pinks.  The model for the collection has pale skin and reddish hair so I know that this collection will have products and shades that are flattering for me.  I am in the market for a pinkish red lipstick, this is the one hue of red lipstick that I don't own and I want to add to it my collection by very early spring. 

The new collection from Aveda is called Art of Nature and contains a series of lip products and shades that will be perfect for the spring and summer months.  I can see red and pink lip hues already and I can see that this will be a great spring collection for me.

Here is the newest collection from Aveda!

Petal Essence Single Eye Shadow Color - Let eyes blossom, with our flower wax-infused, soft-to-the-touch shadow. A silky powder-both color-true and crease-resistant-that builds and blends effortlessly, surrounded by a soft floral aroma. Shades from shimmering to matte.  Non-fading.  Talc- and mineral oil-free.  Ophthalmologist-tested.  Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) clamshell and paper sleeve.
- 984 Bare Bellis - satiny baby pink

Petal Essence Face Accents - Let your color bloom: bronze, highlight, flush or blush with our flower-based face powder bouquets. Blend and build, with a trio of long-wearing colors inspired by—and infused with—aromatic florals.  Tri-color palettes.  Talc- and mineral oil-free.  Infused with a soft floral aroma, with certified organic lavender.  Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) clamshell and paper sleeve.
- Hibiscus - nude highlighter to soft coral to bright coral

Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color - Plumps naturally over time-without irriatation.  Smooths appearance of fine lines by 26%.  Increases moisture by 26%.  With refreshing organic spearmint and vanilla flavor.  New packaging reduces waste by 33%.
- 914 Sheer Melochia Bloom - light baby coral

Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color - 75% of women noticed fuller lips after 2 weeks.  Smooths appearance of fine lines by 26%.  Increases moisture by 26%.  With refreshing organic spearmint and vanilla flavor.  New packaging reduces waste by 33%.
- 913 Cana - intense red orange

Nourish-Mint Lip Liner - Feed your lips-with luscious, creamy color that shapes and defines-made richer with plant waxes and fruit butters. Nourish-mint Lip Liners provides generous coverage while helping to reduce feathering of other lip color. Refreshing, with certified organic peppermint flavor.  Infused with our U.S.-patented Berry/Lipid Moisture Complex to help protect and replenish.  With certified organic jojoba plus plant lipids to lend moisture.  Pencil made of responsibly-sourced pine.  Housed in a 80% post consumer recycled carton.
- 916 Cocoa Bean - matte sienna
- 917 Barberry Bloom - matte intense red-orange

Petal Essence Eye Definer - Drawn from jasmine petals and geranium leaves, aromatic flower waxes make this formula creamy, blendable, smooth. Line, define, accent, or shade—our pencil stays color-true on eyes or brow, while still respecting the delicate skin around the eye.  Ophthalmologist-tested.  FSC logo on pencil indicates wood came from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.
- 918 Wild Indigo - matte midnight blue
- 990 Jade Vine - matte bright grass green

Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze - Give them some lip-with 12 lip gloss shades, from nude to bold: infused with plant emollients and clinically proven to moisturize, plump and smooth the look of fine lines. Refreshes with an organic vanilla and mint aroma and flavor. After 8 weeks of use significantly.  Increases lip moisture by an average of 25%.  Taps peptide technology to plump lips by an average of 13%-for lips that appear naturally fuller.  Smooths the look of fine lines by an average of 26%.  Glides on smooth for even color release and a satin shine.  Nourishes, with pomegranate oil.  100% recycled newsprint shell.
- 915 Kukui - shiny cinnamon brown

I think that I like the two lipstick shades the best in this collection evne though the descriptions of them suggest slightly warmer tones than how they appear on the website pictures.  I now really need to see these colors at the salon and I hope that I can see them the next time that I visit.  The lighter shade could be perfect, I just hope that it not too peachy and it actually is more like how it appears o the website.  I have a feeling that this collection could be one of the best for me this spring or a total disaster.  This will be one of those collections that I need to see in real life before I purchase any of the shades from it...

photo courtesy of Aveda

Aveda Fall 2012 Collection - Passion Flower

 

This is the first season that I am looking at the color collection from Aveda, now that I have found an Aveda concept salon to visit, I am much more excited about this brand and all the different products that they carry.  So far, I have had the shampoo and conditioner used on me at the salon however I haven't bought anything yet and I have decided to begin to slowly pick up a few items each time that I visit the salon.  My salon carries the skincare, haircare, and has several makeup tables so I have tons of products to chose from and try out.  I am excited  to try all of the products from this brand but I must say that I am the most excited for the makeup line and the upcoming fall collection that was just released.

The new fall collection is named Passion Flower, it only contains four new products and therefore is one of the smaller collections that has been released this season.  Aveda makeup products are more natural and contain many natural ingredients and pigments.  I am more interested in skin and hair care products that are natural and organic as makeup will sit on my skin and not be absorbed the way the products in the other two categories can be.  My stance on natural makeup is that it's a nice to have but not a "need" to have.  Lip products are the one item that I would be most likely to purchase more natural or organic line of products as this product is easiest to accidently ingest.  How many of use have gotten lipstick or gloss in our mouths and didn't realize it right away?

The collection description is as follows, "Luxurious petal tones grounded by sophisticated neutrals."  The collection offers petal tones in several lip products and one eye shadow shade.  The last group of fashion magazines that I read are all over the deep berry lip tone and I am now checking out some lipsticks in this hue to wear the rest of this season.  I will have to look for these exact shades the next time that I go to salon!

Here is the Passion Flower collection!

Nourish-mint Soothing Lip Color - Plumps, smoothes, and moisturizes.
- 907 Wild Fuchsia - bright fuchsia pink
- 908 Snap Dragon - warm saturated red
- 909 Rare Orchid - cool red violet

Nourish-mint Lip Liner - Reduces feathering of lip color.
- 380 Foxglove - matte nude pink
- 480 Tarragona - matte warm berry

Petal Essence Single Eye Color - Soft to the touch eye shadow.
- 926 Night Iris - satiny plum berry

Nourish-mint Hydrating Lip Glaze - Lip gloss infused with plant emollients.
- 910 Star Dahlia - red berry with shimmer
- 911 Gilded Lotus - shimmery camel neutral
- 912 Pearl Rose - soft rose with shimmer

I usually start with buying lip colors when I try out a new color product line so I will follow that same trend with Aveda.  My favorite pieces of this collection are the lipstick and the lip gloss, I love that both of these formulas contain spearmint oil (mint is a favorite ingredient of mine for lip products!) and that means that I know that I will love these formulas.  From the lipstick shade range, I want the 907 Wild Fuchsia shade (the one that I have pictured here) and I might try the 909 Rare Orchid shade to fulfill my need for a deep burgundy shade of lipstick.  For the lip glosses, I am going to start with a more natural shade so I will buy the  912 Pearl Rose.  I can wear this light rose against strong eye makeup or really with any look that I can dream up.  I also could wear that lip gloss hue all year round and I can see myself loving this shade (if I love the formula enough) and I bet that I will be buying a few more shades of this product.

I am so excited for my next salon visit so I can play around with the Aveda makeup tables!

photo courtesy of Aveda