Recent Beauty Hits and Misses, the Aveda Edition

Somehow I got on the Aveda gifting list. I don’t know how but I have been rejoicing for the past few months. Once a month, I get a box in the mail with a couple Aveda products and each time it arrives I squeal for joy.  I’ve been an Aveda fan for decades. I used to hide my Aveda products back when I was a trainer for The Body Shop because I didn’t want my colleagues to know I was carousing with the competition (though Be Curly is worth being caught cheating). I have a little bottle of their Stress-Fix on my bedside table and love adding some of their Stress-Fix oil to a bath. A few of the things they’ve sent me and whether they are hits or misses:

Aveda Hand Relief

I received the limited edition tube of this hand cream that donates $4 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation with each tube sold. It’s the same product, so it’s worth it to buy this version. And well, it’s worth it to buy this all together. For me, it’s a hit.

I have a ton of hand creams, and they all seem to be in general the same. But this is the first one in a long time that stands out to me. It’s super thick, but it absorbs quickly and leaves a dry enough finish that you can use your SmartPhone. I love the herbal/lavender/day spa scent too. For two months it has become part of my bedtime routine – a big dollop is rubbed into my hands and cuticles and then up my forearms to my elbows. If I’m feeling tense I touch a bit on my temples and behind my ears so I smell it. It’s a very relaxing scent and even though I’ve put it on my face, I haven’t experienced any redness, irritation, or breakouts. Oh, and this is made in the USA so even more of a hit!

Shampure Dry Shampoo

Wish you could find a non-aerosol dry shampoo? Aveda has one and it’s not too shabby. You pump this, and it leaves a soft dusting of the product. I think it would be better for lighter colors of hair, but with some brushing it will disappear in dark hair. It doesn’t leave the hair gummy or too dull, but I feel you need to practice to get the perfect amount in the right place on the scalp. It’s easy to put in too much at first. However, unlike a different powder I tried in the past, this one isn’t messy and there’s no chance for spillage. It has the classic Aveda scent which I like in a body wash or shampoo but found too intense for my dry shampoo. However, others like it and if you use Batiste, Tresseme, or Klorane you may not find this to be too scented. So not a win for me, but not a total miss. It gets positive reviews online so it may be the hit you’re looking for.

Damage Remedy Split End Repair

I don’t get this. The product is very thick and not terribly emollient. When I added it to the tips of my hair, even with a teeny tiny amount, it made the tips look heavy, a bit dirty, a bit greasy, and not at all more healthy. I tried it three times, and then gave up. Maybe this would be great for really coarse and thick hair but not my tresses. Miss.

Thickening Tonic

I’ve used Rusk’s Thick for a long time for volume and have found few products that work as well without causing dryness, greasy roots the next day, or heaviness.  After my shower, I spray a few blasts to my roots and then blow dry with my head upside down (or for curls scrunch upside down with a diffuser). Aveda's Thickening Tonic is the second best volumizer I’ve tried. This doesn't give quite as much volume, and doesn't seem to last Day 2 as well as Rusk.  Also, the scent was too strong. I find this with many Aveda products; I know their scent is their signature but with products that go near the scalp and heat up with the body it can be way too much. Again like the dry shampoo, this gets rave reviews online. While it may be a hit for others, for me mainly based off the scent, it’s a miss.

Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze

A hydrating lipgloss? Sounds great! However, this didn’t hydrate, it didn’t offer a lot of gloss, and was mega goopy with a heavy minty herbal scent that I didn’t enjoy smelling all day. I received Raspberry Tea which I thought would be a perfect neutral gloss to wear over lipcolors or for a casual weekend look, but it was too opaque, too pale, and too unnatural of a color for me to carry off. Miss.

Pearl Essence Single Eye Color

I received Aveda’s eye shadows in Dusted Sage and Balsam. I like these a lot. Good pigment that you can build up, good formula that doesn’t crumble and doesn’t crease on the lid. You can make a pretty green smoky eye with these two for the holidays – put Dusted Sage over the lid and a bit above the crease, Balsam in the crease and along the edges, then wet an angle brush, put in Balsam and use like liner. Add a bit of sparkle over it and plenty of mascara for a super festive look. Hit!

Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color

I received this in Poppy. The color is much darker in the tube than on the lip. Again, the mint is intense. The smell, the tingle, it bothered me and instead of soothing winter-chapped lips it irritated them. And I was irritated that what looked like a lovely berry went on with the color intensity of a tinted balm. Others seem to love this stuff, so it may just be a miss for me.

Sun Care Protective Hair Veil

Super old review; I got this over the summer. I went to the beach the day after I got my hair colored. I coated the heck out of it with this spray and covered with a bandana. I went in the ocean, I went in the pool, I came home with hair the same color it was when I left the salon. I didn’t try to look cute with this, I sprayed enough to look greasy so I can’t say if it works as a veil for everyday use. Also please note this doesn’t have the normal Aveda scent – it’s an herbal citrus blend but very subtle in this spray. So I guess I’d say this is a hit!

Sun Care Hair and Body Cleanser

I also used this product this summer and never got around to reviewing. It’s to remove chlorine, salt, and buildup. I felt so strongly about this product I wrote a note in my phone back in August that says, “Aveda sun wash: though it’s a good product that gets the job done thoroughly yet gently, the herbal citrus scent is too reminiscent of what we ex-lifeguards used to scrub the concrete bathhouse floor.” But I have to say it really works. I used it on Emerson’s hair after the pool and ocean and it would leave it soft and happy. It’s also great for skin that is dried out and feeling coated from the pool – you feel clean and hydrated and back to normal. That is if you can get past the scent. So… hit if you have a stuffed up nose.

All in all, this gifting program has continued my love affair with Aveda.  It has helped me branch out and try lines like their cosmetics that I had never before considered.  I often receive free items in the mail I haven't asked for and I feel awkward wondering what to do with them when they're products not right for me or products I don't like.  I'm glad to report that this has been a positive experience with Aveda and has even inspired me to purchase more from their line in place of other brands.  Well done, Aveda!