This week I am pleased to share Kristen's new reviews on hair care products. Kristen is a 26 year-old government employee and mother of one from a Texas town just east of Houston. Kristen frequently makes trips to Houston for cosmetics and skincare and the people at the Laura Mercier counter and the Sephora store know her by name. She has combination skin that is exacerbated in the summer (due to the extreme humidity in Texas) and normal to dry in the winter. She is acne prone with redness around the nose and chin and a handful of red acne scars, which she is always looking for something to even those out. Kristen has large, almond-shaped blue/green eyes that she considers to be her best feature. She is a natural brunette but highlights so it's blonde and "Julia Robert's curly" that she straightens. Have a question for Kristen? Email her here.

And now for Kristen's reviews!

   Since I have naturally curly hair that I straighten AND highlight (and so happen to live in the humid state of Texas where you pray for the humidity to be less than 70%), I try to keep good care of my hair. It is medium textured, on the dry side, thick and long (think Julia Roberts), so I am always on the lookout for products to keep it soft and smooth when I want to wear it straight. I came across some new products recently, so read on for the verdict.

Redken All Soft Addictive
Since it has the words "all soft" in it, I was drawn to it immediately. All Soft Hair Transformer comes in a small spray bottle and is to be used in the shower, after you shampoo your hair and before conditioning. Actually, I don't know that if it's really supposed to be used before or after conditioning as it doesn't say, but it only says "after shampoo." But that's how I use it. It is touted as providing softness to dry hair. It has the list of the usual softening agents of jojoba oil, avocado oil, and proteins. It smells nice and clean. I did notice a slight difference after using it. It says you can use it once for every 5 or so shampoos, but I really could only tell the difference with the first application. It's a decent product, but I wouldn't pay $14.95 for it again. There are other All Soft products, so you can check them out at a salon near you.

Redken So Long Heat Treat ($12.95)
This is a leave-in conditioner for after you've washed your hair and you're ready to style it. It's heat activated, which was exactly what I was looking for since I use a hair dryer and a flat iron. The first time I used it, I used way too much. I sprayed it liberally thinking the more conditioner, the better. I was wrong. It made my hair feel like I hadn't washed it in a few days and kind of gooey. I was bummed, so I put it away and a couple of weeks later, I tried it out again. I sectioned off my hair like I normally do and sprayed a couple of squirts per section and combed through. By not spraying as much, I could tell the difference after I dryed my hair straight. My hair was quite smooth and it wasn't frizzy at all. Sometimes when my hair is too clean, it frizzes until the next day when it's become slightly dirty, and I think that's true for most people's hair. Right now, I am on my third day of a blow out and my hair is still smooth (and doesn't smell). Usually, I'll wear my hair straight the first 2 days, then have to pull it up in a twist, then wash it again, but I didn't have to do that this time. Nice, smooth, straight strands I could wear down for three days. I got an extra day from it and that's important to me. I wouldn't say it's a revolutionary product, but it is nice... that is, until the next big thing comes along.

Matrix
I bought the TexTrix Texture Blast Spray and the GlowTrix Luminous Creme Smoother from the new line. The texture spray comes in a pump bottle and I found it useful on my hair dry, after drying and before ironing. It can be sticky and drying, so you only need a squirt. I like to use it on my ends when I don't want them to flip up and it holds them down pretty well. I spray it, then run the iron over it. And it smells wonderful. Although I do not set my hair with rollers, I think this spray would be great to provide some hold. The Luminous Creme Smoother is designed for after drying and ironing to give your hair a soft look and to tame frizzies. I also use it when I pull my hair up and it gives it a more polished look. It's a nice product, but I really don't use it all the time, nor will I purchase it again. There are much cheaper ones out there that work the same or better.

L'Oreal VIVE Smooth-Intense
Browsing through the drugstore, I happened upon this trio of products in orange bottles that are targeted for "dry, frizzy, or rebellious hair." Thinking that they were talking to me, I bought the Smooth-Intense Shampoo ($3.99 for 13oz), Smooth-Intense Conditioner ($3.99 for 13oz), and Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Serum. What really made me curious is that they are from L'Oreal, who also makes Kerastase Oleo-Relax (an expensive salon product that has made quite a name in the beauty industry, AND is hard to get a hold of), but these are cheap! I wondered if they were the same product, like L'Oreal to Lancome, Honda to Acura, and Toyota to Lexus. After all, they have the same distinct orange packaging, targeted for the same type of hair, and made by the same company. In a word, yes. I was almost irritated, but relieved at the same time. I'd recently purchased the elusive Oleo-Relax trio from Kerastase from a place in the U.K., so I was irritated that I'd spent so much money, but relieved, too, in that I could buy the L'Oreal product with the same efficacy for pennies compared to what I paid for Kerastase. And the bottles of shampoo and conditioner are huge and less than $4.00 each. My hair is much smoother, easier to style straight and just looks great. I will say with a bit of shame that I have used salon products for 10 years, never thinking twice of paying high dollar for "better products." Loving these products just make me wonder what else is out there in the drugstore that's fabulous and won't empty my bank account. And if you're significant other is like mine in that he has a coronary when you buy a $30 conditioner, he will be relieved.

Thanks, Kristen. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!

Be sure to visit CosmeticConnection.com this week for a chance to win a Three Custom Color Specialists' Perfectly Pink Palette. This is a beautiful lip color collection, and we only have five to give away!