Products I wanted to try in 2009

You may (or may not) remember that a year ago I had
a list of 12 products I wanted to try in 2009. Did I try them? More information below.

- Dollop Hair Pomade 70g $27.50 – I bought this in January or February, and still have some left. A little goes a long way!
- Holistic Hair Sea Spray 250ml $23 – This is good for spraying into hair before blow-drying to give some definition.
- SHE Australia Face Serum $24.95 (I think) – Have not tried this, and I happy with the serum I’m using at the moment (Pacifica Organics), so I probably won’t try this anytime soon.
- Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil 100ml $30 – I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m still keen to.
- SHE Australia Dusting Powder $12.95 – I haven’t tried this, but I’ve bought so many mineral eye shadows in the last year, that it might be time to stop buying them for the time being. Technically, this isn’t an eye shadow, but that’s probably what I’d use it for.
- Sparitual Nail Polish $29 – I’ve got this in Up at Noon (bright pink) and Gold Digger (gold), both very nice.
- Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint $32 – Very nice, but unfortunately it has now been discontinued. I had it in Sugar Cane (light pink) and Off-Beet (dark browny-red).
- Natures Gate Organics Advanced Care Upper Tanagement Self-Tanning Creme $25 – I haven’t tried this, and I’m still keen to, but I can’t find it anywhere (it used to be available at Health 2000 in Lower Hutt).
- Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Cocoa Butter & Cardamom Lip Balm - SPF 8 15g $15 – The Crabtree & Evelyn store in Wellington sold out of this pretty quickly (and they don’t have any of the Naturals range anymore – was it limited edition?), but I picked this up at David Jones in Brisbane. It's a nice bronzey colour with some subtle gold shimmer, and nice taste, although perhaps a bit too sweet.
- Primal Earth Organic Shave Gel 175ml $8.99 – Great! I have used the Extra Sensitive one, which is free from artificial colour and fragrance. It’s also available in Aloe Hydrate and Menthol Cool. It is designed for men, but there’s no reason why women can’t use it!

- Latential Latentialme Eau De Toilette $99.95 – I bought this as a Christmas present for myself with money from my parents and grandparents. I ordered it off the Viola Organics website, because Commonsense Organics no longer stock it. It’s lovely – a spicy floral that is a great scent for summer.

- Lafe’s Natural & Organic Deodorant Stick 71g $15.99 – I haven’t tried it yet, but I would still like to.

Products I want to try in 2009

I tried a lot of great products in 2008, and there’s more I’d like to try this year. Here’s a list of twelve – one for each month perhaps.

- Dollop Hair Pomade 70g $27.50
- Holistic Hair Sea Spray 250ml $23
- SHE Australia Face Serum $24.95 (I think)
- Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil 100ml $30
- SHE Australia Dusting Powder $12.95
- Sparitual Nail Polish $25
- Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint $32
- Natures Gate Organics Advanced Care Upper Tanagement Self-Tanning Creme $25
- Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Cocoa Butter & Cardamom Lip Balm - SPF 8 15g $15
- Primal Earth Organic Shave Gel 175ml $8.99
- Latential Latentialme Eau De Toilette $79.95
- Lafe’s Natural & Organic Deodorant Stick 71g $15.99

Watch this space, I’ll keep you all posted about which products I’ve tried, and what they were like.

Shampoo and Conditioners

Shampoos and conditioners need to share a blog post. They go together like peas and carrots. I use Sukin Purifying Shampoo and Nourishing Conditioner, both suitable for all hair types. Both shampoo and conditoner are $12 each for 250ml, $17 for 500ml, and $27 for 1 litre. I have both them in the 250ml, and I've had them for about four months - they're nearly empty now. I only wash my hair twice a week though, and I'm the only one using them. Actually, the conditioner only gets used once a week, because I use a hair mask weekly.

I have also used Ecostore Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner, for dry/damaged hair (my hair is dry and frizzy, though my roots can get a bit greasy). I've also used their Manuka and Sandalwood Shampoo and Conditioner for dandruff, as I have mild dandruff. Ecostore also has Rosemary and Orange Shampoo and Conditioner for fine/oily hair, and Aloe Vera Shampoo and Conditioner for normal/dry hair. All are $10.95 each for 200ml, and $35.95 each for 1 litre.

Some other options:

For fine/oily hair: Trilogy Clarifying Shampoo and Conditioner $25 each for $250ml (these and all Trilogy shampoos and conditoners can be used for all hair types, but are especially good for those hair types specified)

For normal to oily hair: Giovanni Golden Wheat Shampoo and Conditioner $20 each for 250ml

For normal to dry hair: Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Shampoo and Conditoner $20 each for $250ml

For dry/damaged hair: Nature's Gate Chamomile and Lemon Verbena Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner, $16 each for 350ml, Trilogy Gentle Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner $25 each for 250ml

For colour treated hair: Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo and Conditioner $20 each for 250ml, Aveda Color Conserve™ Shampoo and Conditioner $39 for 250ml of shampoo, $39 for 200ml of conditioner, $94 for 1 litre of shampoo, $109 for 1 litre of conditoner

For dry/colour treated/frizzy hair: Trilogy Smooth Shine Shampoo and Conditoner $25 each for 250ml

For dry/flaky scalp: Nature's Gate Organics Tea Tree and Blue Cypress Soothing Shampoo $16 each for 350ml, Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo and Conditioner $20 each for $250ml

For sensitive scalp: Holistic Hair Sensitive Scalp Shampoo and Conditoner $25 each for 250ml

For itchy scalp or oily hair/scalp: Aveda Scalp Benefits™ Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner $34 for 250ml of shampoo, $34 for 200ml of conditioner, $81 for 1 litre of shampoo, $81 for 1 litre of conditioner

For all hair types: Natural Instinct Natural Shampoo and Condtioner $9.99 each for 250ml, $14.99 for 500ml, and $24.99 for 1 litre, Nature's Gate Lavender and Aloe Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner $16 each for 350ml, Aveda Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner $10.50 each for 50ml, $29 for 250ml, $69 for 1 litre

For volumising: Nature's Gate Organics Lemongrass and Clary Sage Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner $16 each for 350ml, Aveda Pure Abundance™ Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner $34 each for 250ml, $81 for 1 litre of shampoo, $69 for 473ml of conditoner

For curly or wavy hair: Aveda Be Curly Shampoo and Conditioner $35 for 250ml of shampoo, $35 for 200ml of conditioner, $94 for 1 litre of shampoo, $94 for 1 litre of conditioner

For men: Aveda Men Pure-Formance Shampoo and Conditioner $45 each for 300ml