Monday, June 18, 2012

enjoy shampoo + conditioner {review + giveaway}

Like I mentioned in my last post, my hair and I do not get along. Even though my hair is naturally dry, I still color-process and heat-process it and use all sorts of fancy products to get my locks to mind their manners (fyi: i'll be doing a whole post of my fav hair products soon!). In my search for my the perfect products, many, MANY products have failed me. There are so many gimmicky products that claim miracles and do absolutely NOTHING, so when I find a product that actually makes a visible difference in my hair I am overjoyed. I've been experimenting with quite a few new hair products recently, and I honestly hated like five or six products in a row. They either didn't do anything or made my hair feel worse. Then these babies arrived in my mailbox.

I've heard so many good things about the Enjoy Luxury line from bloggers, YouTubers, and magazines over the past two years, but to be honest...I never gave it a chance because I thought it might be an overhyped, super-expensive product. While the price tag isn't small, I can now say that it is a great product. I've been using the Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner for a few weeks now, and I have seen a noticeable difference in my hair's texture and manageability.


Enjoy Sulfate-Free Luxury Shampoo 10.1 fl oz / 300 ml $24.14
When I saw that this shampoo was sulfate-free, I had my doubts. I've had REALLY bad luck with sulfate-free shampoos. I know that they're better for color-treated hair, but I honestly cannot stand a shampoo that doesn't lather. I also feel like most sulfate-free shampoos leave my feeling oily and flat. With all of that said, I could not have been more wrong about this shampoo. It lathers just as well as a normal shampoo would, and it leaves your hair feeling clean and not stripped. I really love this shampoo. The only thing I can fault it on is the packaging and the smell. I feel like the shampoo's quality matches but the price tag, but I feel like the plastic bottle does not. I wish it came in a little sturdier, higher-quality packaging. Also, I am not crazy about the fake banana scent, but I can live with it because it doesn't linger in your hair for too long. With all that said, it's my new go-to shampoo!


Enjoy Luxury Conditioner  10.1 fl oz / 300 ml $27.84
This conditioner is definitely more of a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment than a traditional conditioner. It's super rich and moisturizing and has an extremely thick consistency. My hair is very dry, so I only wash my hair about 2-3 times a week- so I can use this conditioner every time I shower. If you have normal hair, this conditioner might be better as a once a week treatment. Again, totally in love. My hair has been smooth, manageable, and much more obedient :) I have noticed less breakage on my ends, and I have had a substantial decrease in fly-away, wayward pieces of hair. I love, love, love this conditioner, but again...not a fan of the scent or packaging. This super thick conditioner would be much easier to use in a container with a screw-on lid. The plastic squeeze bottle is just too hard to get product out of. It also has a fake banana smell, but I love the texture of this product so much that I let it slide!

I would highly recommend this shampoo and conditioner to anyone with color-treated, very dry/damaged hair. It's definitely more of an investment purchase, but it might be a nice treat to use once a week if you're on a budget! Enjoy is sold exclusively at professional hair salons, and you can find a salon near you at the Enjoy Hair website.

I can now say that I'm definitely a fan of the Enjoy Luxury line, and I'm so happy that one of my readers will get a chance to try out these products for themselves! Enjoy has generously offered to giveaway one set of the Enjoy Luxury line!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Product was sent for review; however, all opinions are my honest and genuine thoughts. Enjoy is generously providing the giveaway prize. 

yu-be skin and body {review + giveaway!}

While my facial skin is as oily as can be, my lips, hair, and skin are on the opposite end of the spectrum- super dry...and I mean dry. Alligator skin, flaky lips, and straw-like hair are not a good look, so I've made it my lifelong mission to find the most hydrating products to alleviate my dry skin. I'm always drawn to the moisturizers with fancy packaging and delicious scents, and while they do provide moisture temporarily, I don't really feel like they're treating the dryness- they're just covering it up. 

I recently had the opportunity to try out a few products from the Yu-Be line, and I jumped at the chance because I had recently seen the line mentioned in Lucky, Elle, and InStyle. Apparently, Yu-Be's Moisturizing Skin Cream is the #1 selling medicated skin cream in Japan, and their entire line of products are medicated moisturizers formulated for sensitive skin. I was really curious to see how my skin reacted to these products because they seemed kind of hyped-up. I tested out five products in total, and I was really impressed overall- definitely lives up to the hype. 


Moisturizing Body Lotion 10.25 fl oz / 300ml $29 : This body lotion has a glycerin-based formula with vitamin E, B2, and camphor. I really liked this lotion. While it wasn't greasy, it did take a few minutes to absorb into my skin completely. My skin felt completely moisturized and stayed smooth all day long. The camphor smell is definitely there (smells like Vicks Vaporub or menthol), but I noticed that it faded away completely about 1-2 minutes after applying the lotion. I also really like the functional packaging of this product. I love products that have pumps, and this lotion also has an additional piece that goes underneath the pump for traveling to prevent spillage.  This product can be apparently be used on your body and face; however, I wouldn't use it on your face unless you have very dry skin. The price is a bit high for a lotion, though- even a very good lotion.

Foaming Skin Polish 7oz / 200g $18 : This exfoliating product contains rice bran grains, ginger and ginseng extracts, green tea, geranium oil, and camphor to gently remove dead skin while providing some hydration. I really like this scrub because it's a good moderate level of exfoliation. The rice bran grains are small enough to be gentle and non-irritating, but there are enough particles in the product to actually provide exfoliation. The skin polish is slightly moisturizing, but it's doesn't leave any film or residue. I didn't notice any smell with the skin polish, and I've really been enjoying using this before self tanning. This scrub is another product that can be used on the face or body. I really do enjoy using this product, but again...a little pricey!


Heel & Elbow Moisturizing Socks 1 pair / $13 : These are very thin socks that cover the heel of your foot or your elbow. They're made with a bacteria-absorbing material called chitosan, but they feel like a normal cotton sock. Basically, you soak your heels or elbows in warm water, apply the moisturizing skin cream to are, and cover the area with the socks to lock in the moisture overnight. I did feel like this product made a big difference to my dry heels, but I'm not really sure the socks were necessary. I think that normal socks could have easily been substituted in- the skin cream is really the miracle worker, not the socks.

Moisturizing Skin Cream 1.25 oz / 33g $16 : This cream is the signature product in the Yu-Be, and it's apparently the #1 selling medicate skin care cream in Japan. This thick glycerin balm can be used for extremely dry skin, cuticles, chapped lips, cracked heels, calluses, and sunburns. I really do love this stuff. So far, I've enjoyed using the skin cream as a heavy-duty lip balm, hand cream, and cuticle cream. The cream resembles a body butter in appearance, but it feels more like a hydrating makeup primer when you apply it. It's not greasy or oily, and while it does have a slight camphor smells at first it dissipates quickly. I do not use this as an all-over moisturizer- it's more of an ointment for severely dry areas and problem spots.

Lip Therapy 0.15 oz / 4.2g $5 : This lip balm contains camphor and vitamin E to sooth dry, chapped lips. It's unflavored and has a light and slightly sweet rosemary scent. It's extremely moisturizing, yet there isn't a greasy or glossy appearance to the lips after applying this balm. I've been using this lip balm every day underneath my lipstick or lipgloss, and I feel like it's a great lip primer. Although it's marketed solely as a lip balm, I feel like this product could also be used on cuticles or extremely dry patches of skin. 

Overall, I really enjoyed using Yu-Be's entire line, and I think the products are unique and effective. I'd definitely consider purchasing all of these products; however, I'm not really sure the socks are worth the money.  I do think the prices are a little on the steep side, but I can appreciate that they're multi-functional and gentle enough to use on your face and body. In my opinion, the standout is definitely their signature moisturizing skin cream.

Now on to the fun part! Would you like to try out these products for yourself? Yu-Be has kindly offered to send an Ashley Brooke reader a sample pack of products to try out for themselves! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Products were sent for review; however, all opinions stated my genuine and honest opinions. Yu-Be generously offered to provide the giveaway prize.