L'Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, and Lustrous Serum Review

Disclosure: Affiliate links. Products free from Influenster.
"Hey Lyn, how's that whole 'blog more often' plan going for you?" "Hahahahaha SHUT UP."

Anyway. I got this hair stuff from Influenster, and I like it a lot, so I thought I'd share it with you. (In case you're not aware, anyone can sign up to get free stuff to try from Influenster. You don't need a blog, though I think the more social media followers you have, the more things they send you.)

I was interested in trying these products, because I've had really good luck with some of the L'Oreal Advanced haircare in the past. For example, the Total Repair 5 Extreme line is excellent for getting dry, damaged hair under control. The conditioner feels (and smells) really similar to the magical stuff they include with home hair dye kits.

The Extraordinary Oil line is marketed for "daily care for dry, lifeless hair," and it claims to be, "lightweight" and "non-greasy." This sounds perfect for me, because the lengths of my hair tends to be very dry and the roots are oily, which means that sometimes products designed for dry hair don't clean the grease out well enough or leave my hair weighed down, while those meant for oily hair strip it too much. There are tricks I can do like coating the lengths in conditioner before shampooing and/or shampooing the roots twice, but I would prefer to cut down on the number of steps in my shower routine as much as possible.

My assessment of these three products (shampoo, conditioner, and serum) is that they definitely live up to the claims. They leave my hair very soft and shiny but not weighed down. Here are comparison photos. In the first one, I shampooed and conditioned with some mediocre products that I had in the shower and that I'd been using semi-regularly, and then let my hair air dry. In the second photo, on a different day, I used all three of the products pictured above (the serum on damp hair after washing and before detangling, with which it helps a lot) and again let my hair air dry. I think the difference in shine and smoothness is pretty clear--even though it turns out that it is very difficult to take a photo of the side of your own head.

All three of these products have a pretty strong fragrance that is a sort of warm, amber scent. I'm not great at identifying and describing fragrances, but it's the kind of thing you would expect from products that are supposed to be "exotic." If you're tried the Suave Moroccan Infusion line, it's similar. I know a lot of people love this kind of scent, but I don't usually like it. In this case, however, it's started to grow on me--and it doesn't make me sneeze like some others do. The first day I used the serum, I could smell it all day and it was a little overwhelming. But I have used it many times since then, and now it seems just mildly pleasant. So if you don't like this type of fragrance, it's something to consider, but you might end up enjoying it anyway, apparently. If you are a big perfume wearer, however, it may interfere with the scent you wear. I will usually avoid other perfume on days I use these.

I also tried each of the three products separately in case it was only one of them giving me these good results. That is, I shampooed with the Extraordinary Oil shampoo and used a different conditioner and serum/treatment product, and so forth, with each one. I saw some improvement with each product separately, but not as dramatic as when using them all together. I would say if you want to try just one, you should pick the conditioner if you don't want as strong a fragrance, and the serum if you are fine with the fragrance and want to get the most impressive results from a single product. (There's also a leave-in "transforming oil-in-cream" that I didn't get, but I am now curious about it. I wonder if it would be too heavy for my hair.)

In addition to other oils and silicones, the serum and conditioner both contain a lot of coconut oil, which has been shown to be particularly good for hair. One of the suggested uses on the serum bottle is to apply it to hair before washing to nourish and protect the hair, which is also a great way to use plain coconut oil. The silicones in this stuff add an extra boost of shine and smoothness, in my opinion. (Nothing wrong with 'cones in hair products.)

I like this stuff as much as or more than any of the much more expensive hair products I've tried. The L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil products are about $6 a bottle. If shine and softness are your main hair goals, definitely give one or more of these a shot. The only potential downside I can think of is the fragrance, but as I said, I actually enjoy it now in spite of myself.

What about you? Do you prefer mild scents in hair products or is the fragrance part of what makes you enjoy them? I prefer skincare products to be unscented, but I do want some fragrance in my hair products--I'm just picky about what exactly they smell like.

Do you like skincare in your makeup? Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation in Porcelain: Review and Swatches

Disclosure: Affiliate links.
I really didn't have high hopes for a random new drugstore foundation sent to me for free from Influenster. I'm at somewhere around a 10% success rate for foundation even when I pick it out myself after doing research. Plus I have that apparently elusive neutral and very pale skin tone that means most "Porcelain" or "Ivory" shades are too cool or too warm. Shockingly, I ended up really liking the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation that showed up on my doorstep recently - in Porcelain, of course, which seems to be the lightest option.

(Note: Anyone can sign up for Influenster and get free stuff to test. It's not a blogger thing, though I think the more followers you have on social media, the better. I usually get one or two things from them a year.)

This foundation's schtick is that it contains vitamin C, so it's supposed improve your skin over time. It claims to "reduce the appearance of spots, dullness, and unevenness." Yes, any foundation should do that. That's the point. Note that they don't say it will make your skin look that way without the makeup on top of it. Oh, the joys of marketing copy. So tricky.

There are different forms of Vitamin C used in skincare, which have different properties, and some are more effective than others. The Better Skin foundation contains Actyl-C, which is a type of vitamin C patented by L'Oreal. It's 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, if that means anything to you. According to The Beauty Brains, not much has been published on it, but it can lighten dark spots.

Maybelline challenged people to use this for 3 weeks and report back. I used it for 3 weeks at the frequency that I normally wear foundation, i.e. once or twice a week. I didn't notice any improvement in my skin during that time. Would I have noticed results if I had worn it more often? That seems unlikely, since, as Beautypedia points out in their review, vitamin C has to be kept away from light to remain stable, and this is packaged in a clear bottle. It does contain SPF 15 in the form of titanium dioxide, so if you normally don't wear sunscreen at all (the horror!), then you might notice some "brightening" after using this foundation regularly as it protects your skin from tanning. I always use a separate sunscreen, so SPF in my foundation is just whatever. It can't hurt to have skincare ingredients in makeup, for the most part, but if you really want to treat issues you're having, you're better off using dedicated skincare products to do it, rather than expecting miracles from your makeup.

I don't really buy foundation hoping that it magically transforms my skin over time. I just want it to do its job. And this foundation does its job.

Porcelain is a pretty good match for me. It is just on the cool side of neutral, but close enough that when I blend it out, it looks right on me. It's very pale, and so it will probably suit me better in the winter. Despite my best efforts to wear sunscreen constantly, my face does darken slightly in the summer. You can see Better Skin compared to Maybelline Fit Me foundation stick, also in Porcelain, in the swatches below. The paleness of the two is comparable, but next to the Fit Me stick, the Better Skin foundation looks positively yellow. If I had a warmer foundation to swatch next to it, like Tarte Amazonian Clay in Fair Sand, I bet it would look relatively pink. Just guessing. You can compare the Fit Me stick to some other foundation in this previous post of mine, and maybe get a sense of how this one relates that way. As I've said before, the Fit Me stick looks almost perfect on the inside of my arm, but compared to my face and neck, it's way too cool. Swatching foundation on my arms is clearly not the best way to find my match.

Swatches of Maybelline Fit Me stick foundation in Porcelain and Maybelline Superstay Better Skin foundation in Porcelain

The first time I tested this foundation, I applied it with my fingers. I didn't like the results much at all. It looked too heavy and mask-like, not like natural skin. It has a matte finish that looks velvety when applied in a substantial layer. If full-coverage, matte foundation, you can certainly get those results easily with this Better Skin stuff by applying it with your fingers or a brush. You probably won't need to add concealer. It does feel a bit heavy on your skin this way, I found. I was paranoid that it would smear or transfer - I could just always feel it. But even applied at full strength, it doesn't settle into pores or emphasize lines, which is important to me.

I really prefer medium coverage and a more satin finish. In the past, I've tried using a damp Beauty Blender to sheer out full coverage foundations, like Revlon Colorstay, without much luck. A damp sponge works impressively well with Better Skin, though. I ended up with a medium coverage, semi-matte effect, which is just what I wanted. It does require some concealer in places, or you can build up layers where you need extra coverage. But it doesn't hide my freckles, for example, which I think makes it look much more natural. Sheered out, the foundation felt comfortable and light, and, again, didn't emphasize pores or lines. It can highlight flakiness a bit, so it's a good idea to moisturize well before using it. It worked well with or without primer. I posted a photo of my face with this foundation on it on Instagram, but it's not great quality, so I won't reproduce it here. But it's there for you if you want it.

Applied with my Beauty Blender, the Better Skin foundation set well and didn't necessarily require powder, though I prefer to add some finishing powder. As for the "SuperStay" part of the name: I wouldn't classify this as a long-wearing foundation. It's average. Personally, I'm okay with that, because I would much rather have something that begins to fade after 5-6 hours, but also doesn't turn into a mess when it wears off, than something that lasts 8 hours and looks like shit by the end. This foundation just sort of disappears slowly and evenly. It doesn't get all crusty or goopy or blotchy like a lot of others I've used. Obviously you can extend the wear with the usual tricks, like primer and setting with powder, etc., if that's your style.

I think this would be best for normal to oily skin, since it is very matte and feels a little drying during the first hour or so after applying it (another good reason to moisturize beforehand). If you have dry skin, it might be uncomfortable, and as I said, it may highlight flakiness (though I have used foundations that were much, much worse in that respect; it's not a serious issue here).

Overall, this is a pretty impressive foundation. I am picky, and I've been trying to find a decent foundation for a while now. I feel satisfied with this stuff that I didn't even pick out myself. That's kind of amazing. So even though it actually doesn't really succeed in the two things you would expect from its name (long-wearing and skincare), I'd actually recommend SuperStay Better Skin foundation, anyway, if you're looking for the same things in a foundation that I am.

Have you discovered any decent foundations lately?

Making my old Saucony Jazz shoes wearable again with Dr. Scholl's® Active Series® insoles (plus DRAMATIC and SHOCKING before and after photos!)

Disclosure: One of the products described here (Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles) was received for review from Influenster. It's program anyone can sign up for. This post also contains an Amazon affiliate link.

Shoe makeover: Before (with the insoles already inside)

Shoe makeover: After (Did you just gasp in amazement? You did, right?)

I was sent these Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles to to test out, because I am such an athlete. Um, what? Well, I don't have a car, so I do walk, sometimes at a brisk pace, depending on how late I am for something. Sometimes I also bounce around my apartment to questionable dance music. Or awesome dance music. Or both. So when I got these things, I wasn't sure what use they would be to me and what I would say about them, or if I would even bother blogging about them.

First I tried putting them in a pair of ballet flats that have got so stretched out that they are too loose. The insoles were too bulky for them, and I worried they'd just stretch the shoes out even more. But then I remembered my beloved pair of Saucony Jazz sneakers with the neon coral and blue, shoved in the back of the closet because I've worn them to death and they've lost their once delightful support and cushioning. Really, when these shoes are new, and for the first 6 months-year of wear (depending how much use they get), they are really the most comfortable things I've ever put on my feet. I'm actually on my third pair.