Wednesday, November 24, 2010

New Kerastase Elixir Ultime: Versatile Beautifying Oil Review


I recently purchased Kerastase's Elixir Ultime, and here is a quick review on how I've found it so far.

I've finished my Shu Uemura Essence Absolue and Aveda Brilliant Gloss, and was looking for a new oil that smoothened my hair whilst giving it nourishment. Said to give nourishment, condition, shine and softness to the hair, I decided I had to give this oil a try.


In real life, the packaging is very nice, but not quite al luxurious looking as in the promotional pictures. The oil is housed in a 125ml plastic bottle with a gold coloured pump.



According to Kerastase:

" Our first versatile beautifying treatment enriched with a complex of four precious oils. Maize, Argan, Camellia and Pracaxi oils combine to create a luxurious Elixir for all hair types.
-with a few drops of elixir Ultime, hair is transformed into silky, weightless matter
- applied before cleansing, hair is instantly nourished and visibly regenerated
- applied before styling, hair is incredibly supple and protected."

1. Pracaxi Oil: Celebrated for its rich conditioning properties
2. Argan Oil: One of the rarest oils in the world, famed for its nourishing benefits
3. Maize Oil: A Kerastase heritage oil used in their first ever masque
4. Camellia Oil: A luxurious a fragrant oil extracted from camellia flowers


My thoughts:

Texture
The oil is pretty light as compared to thick and greasy. It also had quite a runny consistency. A little goes a very long way and spreads easily onto the hair, so only a tiny amount is needed.

Scent
To me this oil smells like an exotic beach holiday, with a hint of coconut. I like this scent alot, and so does my husband!

What did it do for my hair?
As a precleansing treatment on dry hair, you have to be careful not to apply too much as it is difficult to wash off and my hair felt a little oily afterwards. I tend not to use this as a precleanse much, and instead use it as a leave in conditioner/serum and finishing gloss.

As a leave in conditioner on towel dried hair, it made my hair feel more nourished, softer, smoother, and less dry looking. It works well as a serum to control fly-away or frizzy hair and to smooth the ends. Unlike alot of serums, this feels nice and really weightless in my hair. Used as a serum, it doesn't affect the volume of my hair.

It works beautifully applied sparingly as a finishing gloss on towel dried hair, leaving it extra super soft and sleek. I like using it this way the most because of the glossy look it gives my hair.

How does it compare to Shu Uemura's Essence Absolue?
Shu Uemura's famous Essence Absolue is a very very good oil, and has been identified as the secret behind Jeniffer Aniston's gorgeous hair. Like other Shu Uemura Art of Hair products I've tried, I absolutely loved it and used up every last bit of it. Both Essence Absolue and Elixir Ultime smoothed my coarse hair whilst providing it with treatment, leaving my hair soft and sleek. The Shu Uemura packaging appeals to me more than Kerastase's. The Essence Absolue is packaged in a sleek bottle which looks ever so slightly of higher quality.

However, the Shu Uemura oil has a thicker consistancy than the Kerastase Elixir and thus was much easier for me to apply too much and be left with slightly too greasy hair. The Kerastase Elixir is a lot lighter, and easier to apply & spread throughout the hair. I felt that when comparing the two, the Elixir made my hair softer and shinier than the Essence Absolue did. I also preferred the scent of the Elixir. Shu Uemura's oil is also slightly more expensive at £39 for 150ml.

I much preferred both these oils to the Morrocanoil which contained a lot of silicon and weighed my hair down.

Would I recommend it?
If you don't mind spending a little extra for shiny, sleek hair, then I would recommend it. However, there may be cheaper products out there that do the job just as well. What I especially like about this oil is that it is silicone free and does feel weightless on the hair.


Pros:
- silicone free
- multi-functional: can be used before shampoo as a precleanse treatment, on towel dried hair as a leave-in conditioner/serum, as well as on fully dried hair as a finishing gloss
- left my hair feeling nourished, shiny, soft and sleek whilst not weighing my hair in the slightest
- a little goes a long way, so the 125ml bottle would last quite some time


Cons:
-pricey at ~ £32, though I have seen it sold for ~£26 online

28 comments:

  1. I want to try this! Sounds good & I love Kerastase

    ♥xx♥

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  2. the promotional pictures would definitely tempt me into buying this!

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  3. sounds amazing. I really have to try it, my hair is so dry.xx

    http://provocativecouture.blogspot.com/

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  4. Hiiii, I came across your blog recently and quite like it... you sound very genuine with your reviews. If possible would you be able to let me know how you like the La Mer's Fluid Tint TM? I am thinking of purchasing it but wasn't sure how it compares to Laura Mercier's or Dior's Hydralife. Laura Mercier's is not hydrating enough for me but the Dior's made my oily T-Zone more oily... o.O Looking for something with sheer coverage and will give me a "bare skin but nicer" kind of complexion. Thanks. :)

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  5. /drools
    someday... when I win a lottery I'll get the one :D~

    Looks so good..

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  6. @HD I really like the La Mer fluid tint, and it attracts compliments on my skin whenever I wear it. It has sheer coverage and gives a natural looking finish. It also gives a really nice glow if applied sparingly. I can't compare how hydrating it is to Laura Mercier's TM is I threw that one out a coouple of months ago. As far as i recall, the La mer tint is more hydrating than Laura Mercier's. I haven't bought the Dior TM as the colours didn't match my skintone. but from trying out the testers, the Dior TM is the most hydrating out of the 3. I can do a review post on the La Mer fluid tint if you like. I was going to do a post a while ago, but forgot.

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  7. Is the scent really good?!?
    Happy Thanksgiving!

    http://themessenger-bag.blogspot.com

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  8. wow i wouldn't expect anything less in terms of price from keratase... but i guess you get what you pay for. i remember paying £24 on a keratase hair mask and i didnt even finish it :( thanks for the review!

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  9. Sounds promising, I have super thick/slightly coarse asian hair and it's seriously a pain in the ass to keep it looking under control. Love your blog, I've been a long time silent reader!

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  10. Yes! A review on Ler Mer sounds good to me... but no rush though, whenever you've got free time. :)

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  11. @Abigail NY Happy thanksgiving to you too. i really like the scent, but it won't appeal to everyone. Some might find it too strong.
    @L Thanks for being a long time reader! I know what it's like to have super thick coarse hair. It's why i keep my hair long, the shorter my hair, the bushier it gets.
    @HD Review on its way! Will publish it in Dec!

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  12. Lovely post; I think this sounds fantastic! I esp like the thought of the coconut scent because I find it so fresh and summery (perfect to help banish any winter blues!)

    This is definitely out of my price range but I find I'm far more willing to treat myself around this time of year and you mention that only a little of this is required so i'm sure it would last me ages :)

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  13. Thanks for the review! Do you know the full ingredient list for it?

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  14. @anonymous I threw out the box after I wrote the review, so don't have the full ingredients list on me. Sorry!!

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  15. thanks for the review. I have been seriously considering buying the elixir and wanted to gauge customer reviews first.

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  16. i am using kerastase elixir ultime ...i feel its a good product to soften your hair..im not sure if it has nourished my hair and the shine is close to the high end conditioners in the market ... but i expected more out of it ...if you like very shiny hair , then you still have to use a high-shine performance conditioner ...:)

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  17. My hairdresser recently used this on my hair and I really liked the result but wasn't sure if that was just because of the blow dry rather than the oil? Your review helps though and my sister also really rates this product so I'm going to go online and purchase! Thanks!

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  18. Hi everyone! I just want to know if Elexir is really that good because it has the same price as other Kerastase products.

    Thnak you. Janise

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  19. Your wrong, its NOT silicone free, argan oil is what has silicones.

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  20. i also buy this kind of oil to give it a try my hair is soft in just 2 drops...amazing and i love it...

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  21. I'm with the anonymous, it does have silicones. I bought it while ago, it has like two oils and the rest is -xanes and -cones.

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  22. The first two ingredients are silicones. :) Argan oil isn't terribly expensive and their fancy "Maize" oil is just plain ol' corn oil. Camellia is a good oil for your hair (from tea plants, I believe?), but that far down on the list probably doesn't do anything.

    So that overpriced hair "oil" has cheap fillers for the first three ingredients. Do yourself a favor and just get virgin coconut oil. If you want to get fancy you can purchase some argan oil (at a fraction of this junk, and pure to boot) and add it in.

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  23. I agree with Anonymouse @9:06AM about the first three ingredients. That's why I didn't purchase the product. It was used on me at a salon, and while it does feel good, I have better quality ingredients at home. But I will say that Argan oil isn't the cheapest out there; I have a 4 oz. bottle of it and paid over $30 for it, which is certainly cheaper than other places, but still not cheap. The oils alone feel great!

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  24. is it good for digital permed hair? when to use it/
    thanks!
    rose

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  25. It's an awesome product but it's not silicone free.

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  26. I feel I should warn people that this product does not work for everyone. If you have seriously frizzy hair do not be surprised if you get absolutely zero result from it. I found this product a massive waste of money - less effective than Frizz Ease which is one fifth of the cost - what a disappointment. All the positive reviews really made me believe that there was a solution to my frizzy hair, but sadly it was just a lot of hype, either that or other reviewers just don't have hair as frizzy as mine!

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  27. The first two ingredients are SILICONES.
    Maize oil is corn oil. Pracaxi comes from the amazon and known for its antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial properties..due to its chemical make up it will aid to retain moisture. Camellia is tea seed oil used in many ways from hair to making paint or preventing rust. Argan is only found in Morocco and know for its hydrating cosmetic properties.

    This product is a good one. Not as much Argan oil as MoroccanOil's hair treatment. It does smell nice and pricey. If you have a lot of frizz...use Kerastase's Oleo Relax products!! Its the best!

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