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TBF Project:Blog
Posted by Dain, Thursday, October 12, 2006 8:48 PM (Eastern)
The cosmetics industry is so full of copy. If you're reading this blog, you probably know all too well. So many claims, such high hopes, only to be dashed by the realization that a lot of it is placebo effect: the hype, the way the product feels, the way the product smells, the way the product is packaged, how much it costs, celebrity endorsements. If you're lucky (or judicious in your choices), you'll see effects, albeit not exactly a "miracle", but soon enough the magic wears off. A beauty junkie becomes jaded very quickly.
No exception is the haircare industry: 5x stronger hair in nine days! 98% frizz reduction! Double the shine! I've heard much about Kérastase. First it was Madonna, who loved their Maquintense. This was many years ago, and the brand was available only in France. The buzz quietly increased. In 2001, when I visited Paris, the brand had drawn enough notice for me to recognize it and be curious, but not so much that I considered really looking at it. Too expensive, I thought, who needs to pay $50 for conditioner when I'm plenty distracted by the supermarket shampoos? So. Instead, I sniffed (and didn't understand) L'Artisan, and passed the Kérastase on.
Safe to say, the Kérastase fad, it has exploded. It's in CVS (a local drugstore chain), and it's on drugstore.com. Everyone who's anyone (i.e. celebrities and stylists, who get it for free) uses it, it always tops the best lists, Kérastase has become golden. So much so that it has inspired copycats. I've tried the copycats. And now, I've tried the real thing.
Two products, from the Resistance line. Bain de Force Shampoo and the Ciment Anti-Usure Fortifying Treatment. Both are intended for the most damaged, delicate hair, reversing the signs of damage. Basically, it claims to turn straw into silk. Virgin hair for the most debauched strands. My hair was damaged at the time; I had been swimming every day for a month and a half, in strong sun and salt. No amount of conditioner, however, deep, seemed sufficient. I hacked most of it off. And then, these two beauties came.
QUALITATIVE IMPRESSIONS: How disappointingly small. Together, they cost, what, $70? It was hardly decent, these tiny bottles. Old adage holds, however. A little goes a looooong way. They're still with me, now, in spite of consistent use. The smell is not unpleasant. I don't like it, either. But it's not deal-breaking. The texture of the products is very standard, deceptively light in feel (it's not rich or unctuous, but more like products for normal hair). Very French names (bad or good? question of taste): "Power Shampoo" and "Cement Anti-Use/Damage Strengthening Treatment". Shampoo requires very little to be effective. Conditioner is very weak, at least for my dry hair, and does a poor job of detangling (but my hair is very thick). Must use another conditioner as moisture ballast and detangler, but this can be indifferent (or, hmm... John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler?). ........Brilliant discovery. It is even better as leave-in conditioner. You use less, and it stays in your hair for full effect.
And the quantitative results? A miracle. I cannot do justice. It does exactly what it promises to do.
beauty, hair care, kerastase
Labels: beauty notes, hair, kerastase
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