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Curly Girl Review: Phillip Adam Curly Hair Shampoo

It’s been a while since my last curly girl post, but I’m excited to bring them back this spring, starting with today’s review of the Phillip Adam Curly Hair Shampoo*.  Phillip Adam is a Canadian hairdresser who’s worked in the hair industry for nearly 50 years. His desire for clean and high-performance hair products led to the creation of his own eponymous line of safe and effective hair care and body products.  The entire range is biodegradable, cruelty-free, and made without dyes, parabens, SLS, petroleum by-products, GMO’s, or gluten. The majority of products, including the Curly Hair Shampoo, are also entirely plant-based and vegan.

The Curly Hair Shampoo ($15 CAD for 12 oz), specifically created for us curly folks, is intended to leave hair cleansed but also sufficiently conditioned to define and control curls.  It’s a spin on the company’s bestselling Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo, only in this one, the apple cider vinegar has been replaced by an extra dose of pea protein and guar to add a little weight and help control frizz.  In addition to curls, the Curly Hair Shampoo is also recommended for colour treated, dry, or damaged hair.

I really like it.  My hair needs moisture, like all curls, but it also has a tendency to get greasy at the roots and can be easily weighed down by heavy products.  The Curly Hair Shampoo strikes that perfect balance for me: it cleanses the scalp thoroughly and does a great job cutting through any product buildup, but doesn’t leave the actual strands feeling dry or stripped.  The shampoo lathers extremely easily as well -- definitely top tier of all the natural shampoos I’ve used -- and as a result, I need less product to get my hair clean.

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New at the Drugstore: Nude By Nature

I’ve always advocated for more accessible natural products, so as soon as I heard that Nude By Nature, a well-known Australian natural mineral makeup line, was launching exclusively in Shoppers Drug Mart this year, I was pretty excited.  Up to this point, our only widespread healthy “drugstore” makeup options in Canada have been Burt’s Bees and a select few Physician’s Formula Organic Wear products, so this is a huge step forward. Nude by Nature markets itself as high performing natural formulas free from synthetics, silicones, talc, and parabens.  The entire line is 100% naturally derived.

I’ve been trying out four products over the last several months -- three purchased by me and one that I received free from ChickAdvisor -- and I’m excited to share my thoughts on this new Canadian launch.  Keep reading for my take on everything...

Perfecting Primer ($32 for 1oz)
I don't typically use a face primer, so if I hadn't received this mini from ChickAdvisor, I doubt I would have tried it on my own.  The Perfecting Primer is silicone-free and has a similar consistency to a light lotion or moisturizer. It's invisible on the skin and creates a good, hydrated base for makeup application, but I haven't found it does anything more than my normal skincare routine.  I did a side-by-side comparison one day with the primer on one half of my face and just my regular skincare on the other and both sides looked and wore exactly the same throughout the day. Without the silicones, the primer doesn't do any intense pore-filling or smoothing and I haven't found it prolongs the wear of my makeup either. I don't think it's a bad product, but, for me, it just feels like an unnecessary extra step. I've also read a lot of comments about the primer's strong fragrance, but I've noticed very little scent at all.

Perfecting Concealer ($24 for 0.2oz)
Dark under eye circles are one of my biggest skin woes, so I’m always up for trying concealers that promise lightweight and luminous coverage.  The Perfecting Concealer is a squeeze tube liquid concealer that checks both those boxes, but I have somewhat mixed feelings about it on the whole. Overall, I like it a lot. Coverage is fantastic and it does a great job brightening the under eye area without looking heavy or cakey.  I’ve also used the concealer to cover blemishes and redness and it works well for those purposes too.

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Sample Stash #20: Deluxe Mini Edition

It’s been a long time since my last sample stash post, but I’ve been using a fair number of minis recently, so it seemed like a good time to bring the series back.  There’s only so much information you can gain from a small sample sachet, but deluxe samples and trial size minis can give you a great impression of a product without a big commitment.  


Good Medicine Beauty Lab Purity Perfectly Clear Skin Tonic
When I first received the Purity Skin Tonic (in my October Goodbeing Box), I disliked the scent enough that I could barely bring myself to try it, but six months later, either the scent has mellowed or my nose has, as it’s no longer an issue.  I still get a hint of pool water, but it’s not acrid or offensive, and the product now smells mainly fresh and a little herbal/minty. It works incredibly well on my skin too! The tonic combines soothing, anti-inflammatory, and clarifying ingredients and I notice my skin is smoother and my pores look a little more refined since using it regularly.  It’s safe to say that Good Medicine Beauty Lab is firmly back on my wishlist and I’ll certainly consider a full size of Purity once I’m done with the mini.

 Andalou Naturals Probiotic + C Renewal Cream
I’ve written about how disappointing some of Andalou’s reformulations have been for me, and unfortunately this is another product to add to that list.  The old version of the Probiotic + C Renewal Cream was one of my favorite moisturizers -- I’ve gone through at least two or three full pots of it -- so when I needed a new moisturizer, I thought I’d give the new incarnation a try.  In terms of scent and feel, the two are very similar, however the ingredients have changed considerably and so has the effect of the new cream on my skin. One of the most significant changes is that sunflower oil, which used to be the second ingredient, is now lumped in at the end, amongst small percent ingredients like hyaluronic acid and calendula extract.  The new formula uses a higher amount of glycerin and lists its first oil, jojoba, as the fifth ingredient. Ultimately, the new version left me with minor congestion on my cheeks and seemed to have my skin producing more oil throughout the day. Definitely not something I’ll be purchasing again.

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