Coming to a drugstore near you: New haircare from L'Oreal, Pantene and Clairol

Here's a wrap-up of some new haircare products that are coming to a drugstore near you in 2014 (some of you may have already spotted some of these in your area!). I want to thank several of you for the heads-up about these new products here on the blog, on social media and via email--I really appreciate the tips!

First up, lots of new haircare from L'Oreal:

image source: lorealparisusa.com

NEW L'Oreal Advanced Haircare Volume Filler Fiber Amplifying Concentrate

(retail: $6.99)

New products from Method, Pantene and Herbal Essences

Big thanks to reader M. for leaving a comment on the You Tell Me page the other day with info about some new products now available at drugstore.com. Let's start with the newest shampoo and conditioner from Herbal Essences:

 image credit: drugstore.com

NEW Herbal Essences Moroccan My Shine Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner

(retail: $4.49 each at drugstore.com, 10.1 oz)

The Walgreens website only has the conditioner at this time; it's currently on sale for $2.99. 

From the drugstore.com website:

Damaged, dull hair screaming for a miracle?  Conditions for a nourishing revival.  With a touch of Morocco's legendary Argan oil, this formula works to revive natural shine, softness and strengthen against future damage. 

Nourishing Shampoo with Moroccan Argan Oil and luscious scent.  Prime it right.  Also try Moroccan My Shine Conditioner.  As rare as a Miracle.  It is said that for centuries, Moroccan women have used Argan Oil to preserve and enhance their beautiful skin, hair, and nails.  The legend of the miraculous Argan Tree and its precious oil spread to the world with the 1867 Paris debut.  With Argan Oil. 

New Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Créme

What, you say?

Pantene is coming out with a BB cream.

But Pantene is a haircare brand.

Yes, I know. It's a BB Cream for HAIR.

This was pretty much my inner dialogue when reader Alina on Facebook so kindly shared this information with me. A BB cream for hair will be on drugstore shelves this month:

image source: beautyhigh.com

New Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Créme Beauty Balm for Hair

For all of the details about this new haircare product, visit the Beauty High website here.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around this one. Thoughts?

Thanks so much for the heads-up, Alina!

New Pantene Truly Natural and Truly Relaxed Collections

I spotted one of the new Pantene Truly Natural products at my local Rite Aid the other day, and I also noticed that both the new Truly Natural and Truly Relaxed collections are now up on the Pantene website. There are some products that look quite promising in these new lines, including a new co-wash conditioner, argan oil serum and more. Take a peek:

image source: Pantene website

Here is the product I spotted at Rite Aid the other day:

 New Pantene Truly Natural Clarifying Shampoo

Keep reading for more information about this and all of the other products in these new collections...

Spotted: new skincare and haircare products from L'Oreal, Neutrogena and Pantene

I've got some new product sightings for you today, so let's jump right in!

Remember the sightings post I did a couple of weeks ago where I showed you the new Neutrogena Naturals Acne Cream Cleanser? Well reader Tiffany just spotted that product, along with two other new Neutrogena Naturals products at her local Target and was nice enough to share:

image credit: Tiffany for Nouveau Cheap

New Neutrogena Naturals Acne Cream Cleanser, Acne Foaming Scrub and Acne Spot Treatment

Keep reading for more new product sightings...

New drugstore keratin haircare product wrap-up

I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the new keratin haircare collections currently hitting the drugstores so, if you are too, here's a quick wrap-up (let me know if I'm missing anything!):

New TRESemme Keratin Smooth Collection (click here for product info).

Keep reading for more new keratin haircare products now hitting drugstores...

Spotted at the drugstore: new products

 I've got a few new drugstore product sightings for you today, but first I wanted to let you know that in addition to the Spoiled by Wet n Wild Holiday 2012 Nail Pails, some CVS locations seem to have brought back the Summer 2012 Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Pails. I spotted a few of these recently, so in case you missed out on them last summer, you might have another shot at them:

For details about the Summer 2012 Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Pails, click here.

Keep reading for more new product sightings...  

Spotted: new makeup, beauty tools, nail polish, skincare and haircare (and dupe alerts)

Lots of new beauty products hitting drugstore shelves these days, and I'm doing my best to help us all keep up with them! It's exhausting when the seasons change and the new crop of products come in, but it's also very exciting...so much possibility and potential, right?

So let's start with CVS sightings!

Reader Amelania spotted a new CVS house brand dupe of L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base:

image credit: Amelania for Nouveau Cheap

CVS Makeup Perfecting Face Primer

(retail: $9.99, 0.6 oz)

Review: Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner

When it comes to me and haircare, "silicone" is not a four-letter-word (aka: bad word, evil word, horrible word). I know that for many of you (especially you curly-haired folks) silicone-free haircare products work best, and I completely understand that. For some, products containing silicones (especially those that are not water-soluble and don't break down when you cleanse the hair) are a big no-no because they can build up on the hair and eventually cause hair to look flat, weighed down and generally icky. I get that. I absolutely get that.

But for me personally, when it comes to haircare products, silicones work wonders. I've tried going silicone-free many times, and my hair just never looks as good as when I use haircare that does contain silicones. I do understand though, that silicones can build up on the hair, and that you do need to use a good clarifying shampoo about once a week to avoid build-up. 

For example: have you ever loved a haircare product and the way it made your hair look, only to discover that a few months into using it, the product magically stopped working? That could very well be because the silicones in the product built up on your hair and gradually made your hair look flat and lifeless. The next time this happens, try using a clarifying shampoo (I love the ones by Suave and Vo5) for a day or two, and return to using your favorite products. You might just find that they start working again.

Well that was an incredibly long intro to this review, but I just had to get that out there because when I saw the new-ish Aqua Light collection from Pantene a while back, I thought to myself: "Dare I?"

I did, and now I'd like to share my thoughts with you! I picked up both the shampoo and conditioner at Rite Aid a little over three weeks ago and have been using both ever since:

 Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner

(retail: around $6 each, 12.6 oz)

Target haul, coupon FAQs and a great deal at Albertsons

I'm a Chatty Cathy today, but it's just because I've got so much information I want to share with you about how to save some money on beauty products this week (and in the weeks to come). So please take a moment to read through this if you can--I hope it helps some of you!

In my frenzy to show you the deals I scored at Rite Aid this week, I completely forgot to mention my Target shopping trip! I won't get into the details of what I purchased (paper towels, band-aids, laundry detergent, stuff like that) but I DO want to mention a few things to help you maximize YOUR savings the next time you shop at Target.

I purchased $54 worth of products at my local Target yesterday and only paid $35.16. How? By combining Target coupons with manufacturer's coupons (and of course purchasing products that are on sale doesn't hurt either)! The Target coupon booklet that was sent in the mail last week was FULL of items that I already had coupons for (clipped from the Sunday paper) so it only took a minute to pair the coupons up for extra savings. And I got an even better price on the products that just happened to be on sale this week.

For those of you who are skittish about trying to "stack" coupons, let me reassure you that this is completely legitimate and most stores (Rite Aid, CVS, Target, etc.) will let you do this. Still not convinced? You can find confirmation of this directly on Target's website. From Target.com:

Reminder: We accept one manufacturer coupon and one Target coupon for the same item unless either coupon prohibits it.

So if you experience any issues when making a purchase (this has happened to me before), I've found that some cashiers are not aware of this policy. So when it doubt, ask to speak to a manager because chances are, Target WILL accept both their own coupon + a manufacturer's coupon (unless there is fine print somewhere on the coupons that prohibits this). There is absolutely no harm in trying, and if it doesn't work, just kindly let your cashier know that you no longer want to purchase the item. Don't ever feel like you're locked in to making a purchase just because it's already been scanned. It's your money, and you have the right to cancel the transaction if you're not getting the savings that you had planned on getting. :)

Another thing I want to mention is that, if you see a coupon in the paper, etc. for something that you already love or use on a regular basis, clip it, no matter how small the savings. Before I became a coupon-clipping maniac, I remember seeing a coupon for $0.25 or $0.50 off and thinking, "Meh. Why bother? I only want the coupons that are for $1 off or more". But as I illustrated in my last post, sometimes you can stack these smaller coupons and sometimes you can use them on a product that's already on sale that week, and BINGO, you're looking at saving a lot of money (or possibly getting the item for free).

Also, be sure to READ your coupons carefully. For instance, in last week's paper, there was a $0.75 off coupon good for any Dial Body Wash or multi-pack bar soap. At first I thought, "OK, I'll clip and it maybe a good sale will come around. On its own, this isn't too great of a deal." But then I re-read the coupon and discovered that the fine print ALSO said that this coupon was good toward Dial HAND SOAP. Now we're talkin'! Dial has released hand soaps in the same fragrances as their new NutriSkin Body Wash line, and they're fantastic. Also, the regular retail price of these hand soaps is just $1.25 at Target. So using my coupon, I was able to snag this hand soap for just 50 CENTS!

I've just got to share my best deal from my trip to Target this week with you, because I know a lot of you will be able to appreciate this. lol! I wanted to get Mr. R some new inserts for his work boots. Target is currently having a sale on Dr. Scholls inserts and the price for the men's inserts is $8.59. That is a heck of a deal, considering that the exact same inserts retail for $14.95 at my local Albertsons. But I also clipped a coupon from last week's paper for $2 off one pair of Dr. Scholls inserts, bringing my cost down to just $6.59. Compared to $14.95, I am just so proud of this deal! :)

Moving on to Alberstons! I always, always scan the haircare, body care, facial care, deodorant, lip balm and makeup sections at my local grocery stores, because you NEVER know what kind of crazy deals you might find. Depending on the particular store, a lot of products tend to go on clearance rather regularly. The reason you can find such great clearance prices at your local grocery store probably has a lot do with the fact that grocery stores have VERY limited space on their shelves. If products are simply not selling, they need to get rid of them ASAP to make room for products that WILL sell. Or, maybe a brand is undergoing a makeover, in which case the store needs to get the old product off the shelves ASAP in order to bring the new products in. So their loss can be our gain, and I've found probably my best deals to date on beauty products at my local Albertsons, Vons, Ralphs, etc. You never know what you might find, so don't overlook these sections the next time you're at the grocery store.

For example, it's no surprise that everyone and their mother has Pantene products on clearance right now. We all know that Pantene has undergone a major makeover, so retailers need to get the old stuff off their shelves ASAP. In addition to finding the old Pantene products at places like Big Lots, definitely check your drugstores (Rite Aid currently has all the old Pantene products on clearance for 50% off) and DEFINITELY check your grocery stores because you might find something like this:

Now, I don't know if Albertsons will let you use the Pantene coupons that were in last week's paper ($1 off 2 products) but if so, you're looking at two full size bottles of Pantene haircare for just $3. Let me know if you've tried using Pantene coupons with clearance items. I'd love to know if it worked for you!

Thanks for reading!

A Target girl goes to Walmart...

I've never tried to hide the fact that, if faced with the choice, I will shop at Target any day over Walmart. For many reasons, I just prefer Target over Walmart, and I very rarely visit my local Walmart (which would explain why I rarely mention Walmart on Nouveau Cheap--sorry to you Walmart fans!).

But after hearing so many of you talk about All You Magazine (which can only be purchased at Walmart, to my knowledge, but I could very well be wrong!), I braved the crowds and visited my local Walmart the other day to get a copy (the last time I had been there was last year when Walmart started selling Hard Candy cosmetics).

Since shopping at Walmart is a rarity for me, I decided to make this trip worth my while and do a full investigation of their beauty section.

First, I FINALLY found the elusive Dove Pomegranate & Lemon Verbena body mist I have been scouring my local drugstores for (click here to see how crazy I am about this body wash).

Dove Go Fresh Body Mist in Pomegranate & Lemon Verbena (retail: $3.47 at Walmart--currently on Roll Back)

While not an exact duplication of the scent of the body wash, this mist was still lovely enough for me to buy without hesitation. This scent is tart, sweet, refreshing and I swear I would drink it if I could. If you are a tart fruit scent lover, you need to sniff this one ASAP. I haven't stopped wearing it since I bought it.

Next, I also spotted these new Dial hand soaps (I am such a sucker for new hand soap scents, and I'm also a sucker for interesting bottle shapes, so I had to get these):

Dial Vanilla Creme & Soy Extract Hand Soap and Dial Cherry Blossom & Almond Hand Soap (retail: $1.47 each at Walmart)

What really drew me to these new scents is that fact that neither one smelled like I expected it to smell. When I see the words "vanilla creme" and "hand soap" I usually can predict that it will smell very synthetic and not at all like vanilla. I was wrong about this one, because to me, it smells like almond cream (maybe this has to do with the fact that it contains almond oil and actually no vanilla fragrance, which is kind of funny). It's a nice, creamy almond scent to my nose, and not obnoxious at all.

And when I saw that Dial was bringing cherry blossom and almond together in one scent, I knew I had to get it (who doesn't love the smell of the original formula Jergen's lotion?). But I was quickly surprised to discover that this scent is not a dupe of Jergen's, but actually a very soft, milky scent that I found surprisingly unique. Definitely give these two a sniff when you spot them!

Next, I remembered one of my lovely Twitter followers had told me a while back that Pure Ice released a new collection of nail colors. Sadly, the new collection at my Walmart was almost completely wiped out, but I did manage to snag this new shade, which immediately caught my eye:

Pure Ice Nail Color in Once Again (retail: $2 at Walmart)

Holographic micro-glitter floating in a swimming pool-blue base? I am ALL over it. I'll definitely swatch this one so please check back--and please don't spoil it for me in the comments and tell me this color is awful! I haven't seen any reviews or swatches yet and I want to be surprised when I try it. :)

So after putting the above products in my shopping basket, I made my way to the checkout lines and stumbled across a big display with little "First Look" tester bottles of the new Pantene collection (click here for the details of Pantene's makeover, in case you missed it). I couldn't resist these little "Try Me" packages for $1.97, so this one went into my basket:

What do you think of Pantene's new, more colorful packaging? And did you see the "Coming Soon" blurb above? They're going to be releasing a whole slew of new styling products as well as these new shampoos and conditioners soon. If you're interested in knowing what I think of these sample bottles when I try them, let me know and I'd be happy to review them.

And last but not least, I finally got my copy of All You Magazine. Yay!!

If you are not familiar with All You, it's a monthly magazine that is filled to the BRIM (I mean just about every other page) with fantastic coupons that are NOT exclusive to Walmart. Yes, there are a few Walmart-exclusive coupons here, but 95% can be used anywhere. And these coupons are GOOD, folks. Most are for $2, and there are BOGOFREE coupons as well. Oh, and thanks to the lovely Cheapalicious for pointing out that in this very issue, there is a coupon for $5 off a $10 purchase of NYC Cosmetics! My head is spinning when I think of the ways you can maximize your savings with just that coupon alone!

Aside from amazing coupons, each issue is filled with other money-saving tips and tricks, lifestyle advice, and sooo much more. I read mine cover-to-cover the other night and I am very excited to try some of these tips, such as how to maximize your savings at your local dollar store (love that!).

Like the cover says, this magazine pays for itself and then some (each copy is just $2.24). But if you don't want to buy the actual magazine, definitely check out the website. There are great printable coupons there (including lots of beauty products) and most are for either $1 or $2 off.

That's it for my Walmart report. I think I'm set for the next six months or so until I hear about something else that becomes irrisitable and I find myself in a Walmart store once again!

Major news for Pantene and Got2B fans...

Wow, first it was Sunsilk (click here for Sunsilk's makeover news) and now Pantene and Got2Be are joining the repackaging/redesign game this year!

Procter & Gamble will be repackaging all Pantene shampoos and conditioners into "more colorful bottles, while styling products will have a metallic look".

The most important news, for all of you die-hard Pantene fans, is that Procter & Gamble will be reducing the Pantene collections down from 14 to 8, so if you have a holy grail product that you love from Pantene, read on:

The new Pantene line includes Fine Hair Solutions, which offers three versions: Flat to Volume, Dry to Moisturized and Fragile to Strong. For medium-thick hair, there’s Medium-Thick Hair Solutions in four versions: Frizzy to Smooth, Breakage to Strength, Dry to Moisturized and Flat to Volume. For curly hair, there’s a Curly Hair Series in two versions: Curls to Straight and Dry to Moisturized. For color-treated hair, there’s Color Hair Solutions in six versions: Color Preserve Shine, Volume, Smooth, Blonde Expressions, Highlighting Expressions and Brunette Expressions.

I am personally nervous because one of my very favorite products by Pantene is their Restoratives Anti-Breakage conditioner, and I can't tell from this info if they're scrapping the entire Restoratives line or not. Just in case, I might start stocking up!

Next up, here's the scoop on Got2B's new look. Warning: if you love the look of the current Go2B products, stock up on them now because the packaging is about to receive a major makeover. But it doesn't appear that they're actually discontinuing any products--they're just repackaging:

Drugstore hair styling brand göt2b has gotten a makeover. Hitting shelves this month comes a new look for the brand.

The core line along with signature lines— smooth operator, fat-tastic, guardian angel, 2sexy and glued—now all have a unified, modern look, according to the company. Each mousse and spray will have a similar shape and look, no matter the line, so that the brand is instantly recognizable.

Also, each product is now packaged in brushed silver canisters for a more unified effect, said the company.

(All info courtesy of Happi.com)

So, ladies and gentleman, how do we feel about all this makeover madness in the drugstore haircare aisle this year??

Review: Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Breakage Defense Conditioner

Why do most drugstore deep conditioners fail to give me what they say they're going to give me? Case-in-point, Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition 3-Minute Undo (you can see my full review here). This product weighed down my hair, left it feeling limp and greasy and did nothing to improve the overall dryness of my hair. At all.

When I tried Sally Beauty's GVP (Generic Value Products) version of Joico K-PAK, I soon realized that this product is actually not a deep conditioner but more of a protein treatment (two very different things). So while I really like it as a protein treatment, it failed to give me the instant oh-my-hair-is-so-incredibly-soft results that I yearn for in a deep conditioner. (To see my full review of GVP's version of Joico K-PAK, click here).

But all of that disappointment has led me to a few amazing products recently, which brings me to this review:

Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Anti-Breakage Conditioner

Let me first say that I haven't been a big fan of Pantene in the past. For some reason, their products just don't seem to work well with my hair, and I have always attributed that to the amount of silicone-based ingredients in their formulas. While I don't claim to be a chemist or expert in the world of haircare ingredients, I do know that silicone-based ingredients are what make hair feel smooth and slick, and it's these same ingredients that can build up in your hair and, ultimately make your hair feel limp, heavy or greasy over time. If you've ever had a favorite product suddenly stop working for you, it could be due to silicone build-up. If the silicone-based ingredients in your product are not water-soluble, it can be tricky to remove them from your hair. This is why I personally like to use a good clarifying shampoo about once a week (one of my favorites is Suave Daily Clarifying--click here for my review) to remove the silicones from your hair. Sometimes all you need to do is clarify to get your favorite product to start working for you again.

Sorry for the tangent--let's get back to the review! So I had a $1 off coupon for any product in Pantene's new Restoratives line, which led to me to my local CVS recently. Admittedly, since I'm not a big fan of Pantene, I really didn't know which product to try. When I don't know much about a new product line, I tend to use some crazy logic in selecting my purchase. I usually go for the product that has the least amount of units remaining on the shelf. I actually use this logic when shopping for food as well (if there are several different flavors of a new brand of drink, I'll buy the flavor with the least amount of bottles left on the shelf because I always think, "OK, this MUST be the best flavor because it's the most popular.") Sometimes this silly logic works for me, sometimes it doesn't. Leaving my fate in the hands of the general population is scary, I know, but sometimes consumers know best!

So that's what led me to purchase Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Breakage Defense Conditioner. It was the last tube left on the shelf while all of the other Restoratives conditioners had 5 or 6 tubes remaining. The entire line was on sale for $3 each, so with my $1 off coupon, I was good to go!

Before I go any further, I want to be clear that nowhere on this tube does it state that this product is a "deep conditioner". I am calling it one because that's how this product performs for me, and plus it's in a small tube (8.5 oz) as opposed to a bottle, like other Pantene conditioners. Also, there is a shampoo counterpart to the Breakage Defense Conditioner but I did not purchase the shampoo.

The first thing I noticed about this product is the size of the opening on the tube:

That is one teeny-tiny opening for a cap that's about 1-1/2 inches wide! I'm not sure why they made the opening so small, but for my hair, which is quite long, I felt like I had to squeeze that tube for hours before enough product was in the palm of my hand.

Let's talk about the product itself:

I couldn't really capture the pretty color of this product on my camera. It is a light violet-lavender shade (so pretty and so unexpected!) and the smell! My goodness, this product smells divine! It reminds me of sweet plum candy. Yum.

The texture of this product is rich, thick and creamy. When I apply it to my hair, it feels like a deep conditioner. When I work it through my hair, I can instantly feel it start to work. My tangles start to melt away and I can feel it coating and moisturizing my hair with every minute that passes.

For the past several weeks, I've been using this conditioner 2-3 times a week. I apply it after shampooing and I leave it on for about 3 minutes in the shower. When I rinse, I immediately know that it's working because my hair just feels so much softer than before I use it. It rinses easily and I'm telling you, my hair feels brand new when I'm done. It's soft, it's silky and--here's the best part--it doesn't feel heavy or weighed down!

Let me stop right here and tell you that I have long hair that's oily at the roots and very dry at the ends. My hair is color-treated and it's fine in texture. Also, I have naturally wavy hair that is VERY demanding if I want to wear it wavy. I can't use products that will weigh it down or my curls will fall flat instantly. If I choose to straighten my hair I usually just use a hair dryer and that leaves my hair pretty straight but still bouncy because of my natural wave.

Over the past several weeks, I've tried wearing my hair wavy and also straightened after using this product. Guess what? It rocks both ways! If I wear my hair wavy, my curls are light and springy and never feel weighed down. If I wear my hair straight, I don't even need to use an anti-frizz cream when I style it. This conditioner alone makes my hair incredibly soft and manageable.

I've got to say, Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Breakage Defense Conditioner is a hidden gem in the drugstore haircare aisle. You may have to search a bit to find it, but if you've got dry hair that needs help, yet you tend to steer clear of heavy products that may weigh down your hair, this may be your ticket to super soft, bouncy hair. It definitely works for me and I haven't had any trouble with build-up so far (though I do use a clarifying shampoo once a week).

One last note: Although this product is for "Breakage Defense", I haven't really experienced a dramatic improvement in that area yet. My hair doesn't break super easily to begin with though, so I don't know if I would notice improvement even if it was improving the strength of my hair.

Have you tried any products from the Pantene Restoratives line?