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I have the unfortunate habit of washing my hair on the daily, which often leaves my strands feeling, dry and split. So I'm always on the look out for shampoo that cleans my oily hair well, whilst still leaving it soft and silky. However Pantene's Sheer Volume Shampoo just didn't hit the mark for me. It's a rather basic shampoo; it cleans my hair and that's about it. I do like that it doesn't weigh down my hair, so my short bob hair cut can stay looking voluminous throughout the day. My real issue with this product is the sulfates it contains which leave my scalp feeling uncomfortable. I find Pantene’s shampoos to be on the harsh side, and sadly this is no exception. Otherwise I do enjoy the sweet floral scent and the simple but practical packaging. If you wash your hair less often than I do, and have a more tolerant scalp, then this offering from Pantene may be a good product for you.

As a girl who likes to wash her hair daily, I’m always on the hunt for a conditioner that moisturisers my hair without leaving it feeling heavy. Pantene’s Sheer Volume conditioner promises just that, yet I feel its performance is lacking. It’s a rather standard conditioner, neither good nor bad. Strong typical Pantene scent and convenient flip top bottle make it a pleasant conditioner to use on the daily. However I feel that it doesn’t leave my hair feeling particularly smooth, rather a little frizzy. I do love that it doesn’t weigh down my short hair, which can sometimes look a bit flat and oily by the end of the day. So although it doesn’t add volume to my hair per se, I do appreciate it not making it feel heavy with product as some conditioners do. All in all, Pantene offers a decent conditioner that’s good to use on an everyday basis. Just don’t expect it to perform any good hair day miracles for you.

I was really excited to try this foundation, really, really excited. Several months ago Beautyheaven had sent me the original version of this foundation and since then it has been my go-to choice of base. The sheer fact I’m on my third bottle is no less proof of how much I love that foundation. The one flaw I could find was that my skin would look a little bit shiny by the end of the day, so I was over the moon when I heard L’Oreal had brought out a mattifying version. Housed in a simple plastic tube with a tapered nozzle that allows you to dispense the perfect amount, this product is really travel and user friendly. Being a silicon based foundation, I found that it would blend really well into the skin, smoothing over and decreasing the appearance pores. It doesn’t grab to dry patches either. The overall feel is not too heavy but I still get a high amount of coverage that manages to conceal redness and most of my pigmentation spots. The finish is matte, but not so much so that your complexion looks flat and unnatural. Although this foundation does not last the 24 hours it claims, it still does a fantastic job at controlling shine throughout the day. It is also worthy to note that L’Oreal gives you 35mL of product, which is 5mL more than the average foundation. A nice bonus for a foundation that already performs so well and that I’ll definitely repurchase.

For a person that suffers with oily skin, mattifying primers are a must-have in my makeup collection. Applying half a pea-sized amount of L’Oreal’s new mattifying base to my entire complexion is enough to keep my foundation from moving throughout the day and increases its transfer resistance. Housed in a simple travel friendly tube, I will commend L’Oreal for making this product so functional and user friendly. The tapered nozzle allows you to dispense just the right amount of product, and the instructions on the back of the tube are easy to follow for first time primer users. The product itself is a clear unscented silicone based gel that blends incredibly smoothly into the skin, feels lightweight and decreases the appearance of pores. However, if you are not a fan of that potentially slippy feeling that silicon primers inherently have then this product may not be for you. I personally don’t mind it and never felt that this primer was blocking my pores either. Overall this is a really great product from L’Oreal that does precisely what it says on the tin and is definitely worthy of a repurchase.

When a mascara promises bambi-esque lashes, I'm already sold. Claiming to volumise lashes to give that doll-eyed effect, L'Oréal's latest addition to their mascara line-up definitely stacks up. The adorable metallic pink and black tube is always easy to find in my makeup bag, albeit a little bulky. But the main differentiator is the ultra-flexible wand that does take a little practice to get use to. The brush is conical in shape, the bristles perhaps more sparse than what I expected. Nevertheless, a few coats delivers long thick lashes with a slight bit of clumping for that doll-eyed effect. Where this mascara does fall short is its inability to really hold a curl, and that is does smudge on my lower lash line a little (given, all mascaras will smudge on me except for tubing ones). L'Oréal have definitely released a great all-rounder mascara, but if they released a waterproof version I would not hesitate to repurchase it.

When I'm on the hunt for a new foundation, I look for claims of long-lasting high coverage and a smooth semi-matte finish. L'Oreal's latest addition to the Infallible line ticks all those boxes, promising a flawless complexion that stays fresh all day. After prepping my skin with a primer, I dispense about half a pump of this foundation on to the back of my hand and use a synthetic bristled brush to buff this into my skin. Compared to most liquid foundations, this one is fairly thick so you'll only need to use a small amount. Any more and you'll risk a cakey complexion, as the foundation will start to settle into fine lines. I'm around a M.A.C NC37 during the winter and shade 150 Radiant Beige is the perfect colour for me. What I love most about this foundation is the lack of pink tones in this particular shade, as I tend to struggle with that in lower end brands. One thin layer of this foundation gives me medium coverage with a satin finish, hiding redness but not dark hyperpigmentation. It is also important to note this product contains quite a strong soapy floral fragrance that may aggravate sensitive skin. Topped off with a powder, my skin stays shine free for 4 hours, a feat considering how oily my skin is. I do find that the foundation will wear a little unevenly throughout the day, collecting slightly around my eyes and nose. The product does also have an added SPF18, perfect for everyday wear but not flash photography. All in all, L'Oreal have released a solid performing foundation, which I would happily continue to use but perhaps not repurchase.

Rich and luxurious, I thought this offering from L'Occitane would be a no-go for my oily skin. But I was pleasantly surprised by the hydrating properties of this cream sans oiliness. I use this after my night-time cleanse, and I find that it instantly takes away that skin-tightening feeling that my toner tends to leave behind. I do feel that in the short amount of time that I've used my sample pot my skin looks more plump and radiant when I wake up in the morning. The cream itself is incredibly smooth, with a lovely fresh floral fragrance that smells amazing as you massage it into your skin. The moisturiser absorbs quickly and I do believe a little goes a long way with this rather expensive product. L'Occitane have done well with this radiance boosting gem, and I can imagine those with drier skin than mine would still really love this.

I've tried similar volume powders from other brands, but it wasn't until Beauty Heaven's Beauty Degustation Event that I learned how to use this innovative gem. Some people sing high praises about this volume in a bottle whilst others just seem to despise the product. I believe that is due to how susceptible Schwarzkopf's Instant Volume Powder is to user error. The volume-boosting product is a slightly gummy translucent powder that gives the hair texture whilst being completely matte and undetectable to the eye. It allows my smooth straight hair to have the grit of second day hair minus the oil build-up at the roots. I prefer to flip my hair in sections to the other side of my head and tip a small amount of powder about an inch away from the root. Gently ruffle the hair to disperse the powder evenly. Instantly the product provides grit to the hair that ensures long lasting volume. However the packaging is my main gripe. The sifter isn't fine enough to gently distribute the powder, and because the powder is so lightweight I find it difficult to gauge whether I'm tipping out too much or too little. Cons aside, I really enjoy the volume and bounce my hair has after I've used this styling powder. What is even better is that the product takes about three washes to completely get out of your hair, meaning for someone who washes their hair everyday I can get still get a generous amount of volume for the next two days. Schwarzkopf have really changed my hair styling game with this product and I would definitely consider repurchasing this in the future.

To cut to the chase, this foundation and I did not get along well at all. The consistency is bizarre, a grainy mousse that's a blending nightmare resulting in a tragic case of the cake face. Even with my trusty synthetic buffing brush this foundation crumbled as I tried to blend it into my skin, bits of foundation flaking onto my floor. Instantly the foundation changes to a more powdery texture that feels very lightweight on the skin. That's where the positives stop, as the foundation begins to collect in every little fine line on my face, even ones I didn't even know existed. To make matters worse it also accentuates every conceivable dry patch on my skin and before you know it I'm left with a cake face. The foundation is about as matte as matte can get, and as someone who is normally a fan of this finish I felt that this crumbly mousse made my skin appear dull rather than just shine free. Lasting power was rather mediocre too, the foundation surviving maybe three to four hours on my oily- combination skin. The coverage is light, medium at best, and will surely not cover skin imperfections like blemishes. This foundation is a dry skin no-go, but if you have oily skin with immaculate texture then maybe this could work for you. In this mystery trial team show down, I do believe the other foundation is a similar but far more refined version of this product, out performing it in nearly every aspect.

I've yet to find a dry shampoo on the market that I'm satisfied with, and unfortunately this one just doesn't cut it. As a person who washes their hair everyday religiously due to a bad case of oily roots and dry ends, I was hoping Schwarzkopf's dry shampoo would be a game changer, but it isn't. The aerosol can distributes the product evenly, but I find the powder a bit heavy in my hair. Furthermore, the white cast it leaves on my black strands is beyond unattractive and it takes a fair amount of brushing to get rid of it. The scent of household disinfectant isn't that pleasant either. To top it off, the can leaked after only two uses and when I shake the container it feels half empty already. It's clear that this is the weakest product in Schwarzkopf's new line of aerosol hair care, but if you want to try one product, I'd highly recommend the dry oil mist instead.