REVIEW: LUSH Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar and Jungle Conditioner

Oh hi there blog, it's not like I forgot about you and haven't updated you in a while!  Nope, that's definitely not what's happened at all!

But you'll forgive me if I make penance through a review of two amazing LUSH products, right?  I had a fairly sizeable LUSH haul recently (I'll review more in later posts), but the products I've been using and enjoying the most are the solid shampoo and conditioner bars.  I purchased them as a lark, (solid shampoo - hah!) but have now been converted.  I'll go through each bar individually however, so in case you just want one or the other, you can skip through.

KARMA KOMBA SOLID SHAMPOO BAR

Firstly, we have the shampoo bar.  As with most LUSH products it smells fan-freakin'-tastic.  Orange oil, pine and patchouli give off a scent that is clean, zesty and citrus-y, without being overpowering or cloying.  It does stick around however, so if you're sensitive to the scent or not a fan of any of the other Karma products at LUSH, you may not want this all up in your hair.  Even a day later the smell will linger enough that every breeze (or gratuitous hair toss) will waft the scent back to you, or anyone else you happen to be with at the time.

'But how do you wash with this hockey-puck shaped monstrosity?' I hear you ask.  Well, this rather dense little block of goodness is exceedingly easy to use.  After dampening your hair, you just take the bar, rub it in the water with your hands, and when it's nice and wet, slide that bad boy over your hair.  I like to do 3-4 passes, one on each side, and the back, from scalp to tip.  Then, get your hands into your hair and lather.  This bar lathers like crazy, due to the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).  This may be a no go for you, as some people aren't fans of it/it doesn't agree with them, but I've had no ill effects with it so it suits me.  Think about what's right for you!

And the results?  Super clean hair.  It even has that 'squeaky clean' feeling which I'm a fan of, but for those who aren't into it, following up with a conditioner is a must.  This thing is made to clean and smell amazing, which it does on both counts.  But this is only part of a match made in heaven.  We've reached the halfway point, but to get to the summit of happy hair mountain, we gotta go through the Jungle.  

JUNGLE SOLID CONDITIONER

More malleable than the Karma Komba, this conditioner gives off the impression of softness right away.  With cocoa butter as a primary ingredient, it melts into the hair.  It's scent is not as sweet as the Karma Komba, but it's very complementary, and blends right into the fresh and zesty olfactory sensations from the shampoo bar.  

In a very similar fashion to the shampoo, I give it a few swipes in the hair, but I let it rest for a bit before rinsing by going about the rest of my shower routine (body wash/soap - shaving - defeating the sea monsters that threaten to come up through the drain - etc.) and then rinsing it out.  My hair is noticeably softer and less tangled after this, replacing the squeaky clean feeling of the shampoo with a wonderful softness.  It probably wouldn't be enough for someone with super dry hair, but even though I consider my hair to be a bit dry and unruly, it still has worked really well for me.  My hair has been altogether less frizzy and even lasts a bit longer without washing due to these two bars.

SUMMARY

These two bars are a great combination.  They have an awesome scent, clean and condition well, and are free from silicones - something I noticed in the beginning of using these bars was that my hair (which was usually very frizzy and fluffy and out of control with regular liquid shampoo and conditioner) was that it seemed to get worse.  It seemed even drier than normal, and I thought for a moment - 'What have I done!?'.  But after a few more weeks, my hair responded really well, I'd wash my hair in the evening and the next morning it'd be perfectly soft and silky, and more controlled.  Perhaps the silicone buildup in my hair had prevented me from seeing how bad my hair had become.  I feel these two products have helped repair some of that damage.

So final thoughts - give them a go!  They may surprise you!

They might look like they're tussling, but it's totally a bro-hug.

Overall: 5/5

REVIEW: HadaLabo Gokujyun Oil Cleansing

I'm nearing the end of a lot of my products, and I've decided to try some new things. But in order to test the new, I'll need to appreciate the old, and everything that it has done for me.  The HadaLabo Gokujyun Oil Cleansing has stuck by me for the past 8 months (seriously, that's some seriously good product time!) and I'm down to the last few drops in the bottle.

Here's a brief review on what it does, taken from the product description on Sasa.com:

Hadalabo Gokujyun Oil Cleansing formulated with high purity olive oil to deep clean and gently remove dirt, excessive oil and stubborn makeup instantly.
It contains Super-Hyaluronic Acid, a hydrating ingredient, to provide deep moisturization, leaving skin suppler. At the same time, it is added with cationized hyaluronic acid to form a moisture-locking film on the skin surface. It keeps cleansed face never taut. Skin pH balanced, low irritation, free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol & colorant.

So how does it perform?  Let's have the pictures speak for themselves!

I generally use this cleansing oil as a makeup remover before I then move to another foaming cleanser to clean my face and any residue, so I decided it'd be best to test the oils ability to remove various types of makeup. As you can see I have (starting from the left) foundation, eye liner, mascara and a super red lipstick.

After applying a bit of the oil (make sure your hands and skin are dry!), I massage it in. As you can see the makeup has already started to blur and run. After this step you should rinse with water, and watch the oil emulsify and become milky. If my camera skills were better I'd try and capture that, but I was afraid that my clumsy one-handed state would drop my DSLR into the sink, irreparably damaging the lens. Or something.

Instead, you get this lovely picture, which is my freshly rinsed hand. As you can see, there is little makeup left over, except for a dab of lipstick on my wrist. As the rest of the lipstick smear is practically eradicated, I might attribute this to user error. I probably did not rub the oil in enough before I rinsed. But for the rest of the makeup, nary a trace has been left behind, and the skin looks smooth and bright.

SUMMARY

I really loved this cleansing oil. The first time I used it, I think I actually had an audible 'wow' at how easily it took my makeup off, but still kept my face quite soft and moisturized. There is a barely perceptible smell (to me) of olive oil to the cleansing oil, but it's only due to the actual olive oil in the ingredients. Some people do find the smell stronger, so your mileage may vary. The oil is very good at what it does however, and I'd recommend you give it a try.

Overall: 4.5/5

REVIEW: Organi Manuka Honey Peel and Day Cream

I am not good with aggressive sales clerks.  Especially those of the product demonstration variety, where upon locking eyes with you, they thrust their product of choice into your face and say, "Do you have a moment?". I usually try and prepare a phrase beforehand, "I'm late", "I'm not interested", "I lost my entire extended family to a skincare product demonstration just like this", but despite this, the second I hear, "I'll give you a product demonstration for free" I'm hooked in.  They can probably see the poor university student desperation in my eyes, or something.

Now, I do spend a fair bit of my meagre paycheck on skincare and cosmetics, so I know my way around the block when it comes to affordable products. I had to stop my jaw from dropping and shattering over the linoleum floors of my local Westfield when I found out that the honey peel alone cost $150 (Australian dollars).

In any case, after one fast-talking and rather charming salesperson, who would not take no for an answer, I found myself with one arm noticeably smoother than the other, a much lighter wallet, and a little paper bag filled with Organi products. I purchased the honey peel, but that was only after the salesperson took pity on me and threw in the day cream (which is another $150), and I was assured that both products should last me a full year.

Now that I've had a chance to use it a few times in my home setting, I thought I'd share a review for those out there who may be considering Organi products for themselves.

Taken from the Organi website, they claim:

The Organi range of superior quality, purity, effectiveness and eco-friendly skincare provides the results you've been looking for. Created & developed in Melbourne Australia, this range is not only effective and advanced, but also free from unfriendly synthetic ingredients, making it one of the few active skincare ranges safe to use, leaving skin beautifully healthy and radiant.

I love the idea of organic skincare (especially as I'm sometimes a little concerned when there are product lists that list 101 different chemicals with somewhat troubling and hard to pronounce names), but lets see if the products themselves impress.

MANUKA HONEY PEEL

Good enough to eat?

As you can see here, it is an orange goo that smells pretty divine.  It comes in a rather weighty glass container, and looks quite fancy on my bathroom counter.  In fact, it may be the best looking skincare product I have in my lineup at the moment, and there are some adorable Etude House products tucked in there.

Not nearly as orange as they'd have you believe.

All you need is a little blob on the provided spatula, and that is generally enough to cover my face. I have a smidge less than normal here, as I'm just testing on my arm.

Glides on like a dream.

Once it's been slathered on (best on slightly damp skin), I gave it 10-15 seconds before I started to rub it in.  That's when the fun begins.

Slightly gross, but very fun.

As you rub in, the gel becomes very watery, and these little lumps of dead skin begin to form. Neat! It's sort of engrossing to look at the dead skin cells begin to slough off and form into little piles. That was on me? It's both cool and digusting.

The piles have reached their final form.

When I reach this part on my face, I generally have a tough time on a certain area of my chin in actually getting the piles of skin off. They seem to stick on and I have to follow up with a gentler scrub to actually get them to come off or I'm left with little lumps of dead skin, half attached to my face. Not pretty.

Notice the difference!

The skin on my left arm (the one on the right in this picture) is a lot brighter and smoother after applying the honey peel. It's even a bit glowier!

DAY CREAM

And now for something completely different.

After the honey peel, it's recommended that you follow up with the day cream as a moisturiser.  At the product demonstration I was shown how the day cream goes on very smoothly onto freshly exfoliated skin, but has a much harder time seeping into the rougher skin of a non-exfoliated arm.

Applied in dabs.

Then smoothed in, leaving no trace.

It leaves a soft, matte finish, soaking straight into the exfoliated skin.  My skin feels velvety smooth and a lot more frictionless.

SUMMARY

Would I purchase this again?  Considering I'm nowhere near the end of either tub, it's hard to say whether this is a holy grail product or not.  I do like the results, but I'd probably see if there is another peeling gel out there that suits my needs and is a bit more economical.

As far as the day cream goes, while it smells great, and leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth, I have used it on my face, and while it feels good at first, can turn my oily T-zone into overdrive on hot days. I'll have to re-evaluate in the wintertime.

Overall:  4/5