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Foil Pouch Review: Matrix Biolage Exquisite Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

It's that time again, folks! Foil pouches abound! I made an Ulta order recently that got split into two separated shipments (tinyrage) so I got a bunch of little sample pouches. Normally, I don't use/review the haircare stuff. I'm pretty happy with Pureology shampoo & conditioner these days. My hair needs moisture, volume, and color care. But I've had good luck in the past with Matrix stuff, so I thought it would be worth testing out.


The Smell
It is obviously a "salon" shampoo. It smells like the inside of a nicer salon. I found it slightly floral, slightly musky. Like a softer mens cologne. My hair doesn't smell that strongly once it dries, but my bathroom smelled delightfully professional during my shower. The conditioner smells almost identical, just slightly sweeter.

After One Use
When I opened the pouch for the shampoo, it kinda gushed out into my hand. This stuff is not your typical thick shampoo. It is more liquid, probably due to the oil. I rubbed it together in my hands and then massaged it into my hair. There wasn't a whole lot of lather to be found from this stuff. Once I rinsed it, my hair felt smooove. You can definitely feel there is oil in this shampoo. My hair felt like I had just done a hot oil treatment.

The conditioner is much like every other conditioner: thick and creamy. No shenanigans here. I applied it to my hair and massaged it into my scalp. Five or so minutes later, I rinsed. My hair felt slightly smoother. Honestly, it wasn't especially mind-blowing...not like the shampoo.

Once my hair was towel-dried, I definitely felt a difference. My hair felt smooth as silk. Which, to be honest, isn't generally the preferred texture when you have a pixie-ish cut. I broke out my blow dryer and dried my hair about 85%, which is what I normally do. Most of my hair still felt really soft and smooth. The only weird thing was that my bleached front section felt very dry. It was also kinda frizzy. That section is super damaged (hooray bleach) so I wasn't surprised, just disappointed. But I had volume and shine, which is nice.

After Using the Whole Sample
I got four uses out of this packet, which isn't bad for a sample. Honestly, my first use felt the same as the last. I stopped blow-drying my hair, and the crispiness was reduced a bit...but not much. The one thing I did notice is that my hair didn't feel super greasy after a day of no washing (I wash my hair every other day). A lot of shampoos with lots of oils can get weird after 24 hours, but not this stuff. I think it you have severely bleached/highlighted hair, like I do, then this might not be for you. If you have normal-to-dry hair that is single-process treated, you will probably really like this stuff. I wish this stuff was sulfate free, however. I worry about it stripping out my louder color. I am quite happy to be going back to my regular shampoo.

Would I Buy It?
No. It doesn't do enough to lend volume to my superfine hair, and I don't like how dry my bleached section feels afterwards. It just isn't for me.

If you want to check this stuff out for yourself, I suggest you read the Makeup Alley Review before purchasing it. I found it at Ulta, and on Amazon too. 

Shampoo at Ulta
Conditioner at Ulta

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