Cleanser Review: GARNIER green labs Smoothing Milky Wash Hyalu-Melon

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for the GARNIER green labs Smoothing Milky Wash Hyalu-Melon

Availability: This retails anywhere from $8 - $10 and can be purchased at cvs.com, target.com, and walmart.com along with their physical store locations that carry the brand (you might want to call before showing up there if you really want this specific item) along with garnierusa.com. 

Would I buy this again?: No.

What is this product designed to address?
According to garnierusa.com:

For dehydrated skin, fine lines

Removes makeup and impurities for smooth, glowing skin without the tight skin feel for bouncier skin over time.

Garnier Green Labs Smoothing Milk Wash is a gentle milky facial cleanser. This soft and indulging formula, with Watermelon and Hyaluronic Acid, removes makeup and impurities, and works to improve dehydrated skin and fine lines for skin that is smoother and bouncier. This vegan facial cleanser is suitable for all skin types and skin tones, allergy tested & dermatologist tested for safety and suitable for sensitive skin. No sulfates, microbeads, parabens, or dyes.

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Glycerin: Attracts moisture to the skin.

Hyaluronic Acid: Is able to hold 1000x its weight in water, helps increase moisture in the skin by binding water.

Watermelon Fruit Extract: Watermelon contains Vitamins A, B, and C which aid in giving the skin a glow. It is also rich in water and has a hydrating effect.

Coconut Acid: Has antimicrobial properties.

Salicylic Acid: Exfoliates the skin, helping create a smoother texture.

What is the texture like?

Despite this being called a "milky" wash I'd describe its texture as being that of a soft, hydrating gel that foams up lightly.

Is it scented?

This has a slightly sweet, fruity, yet clean scent. I'd say it smells like an aloe-scented item mixed with a watermelon-scented item.

 

My overall experience/comments on the product:

Despite only having used this twice so far I have to say I wanted to be more impressed than I am. This doesn't foam up a lot, which you all know is a thing that I don't love in cleansers and thus I feel like I have to use more product than I normally would to produce a foam that I like. Generally speaking, it is alright and leaves my skin feeling clean and soft after use but I will not be going out to purchase it again.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Serum Review: The Ordinary "Buffet"

 The Ordinary "Buffet"

Availability:  This is available at ulta.com, sephora.com, and deceim.com along with their physical store locations. It retails at $16.80 for 1 fl. oz. (30 mL) or at $30.20 for 2 fl. oz. (60 mL). 

Would I buy this again? I'm not sure yet.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?

According to sephora.com:

What it is: A multi-peptide, lightweight, water-based serum that targets multiple signs of visible aging at once and is great for those looking for solutions for signs of aging and supporting visibly healthy skin.
Skin Type: Normal, Dry, Combination, and Oily
Skincare Concerns: Fine Lines/Wrinkles, Dryness, and Loss of Firmness/Elasticity
Formulation: Serum
Ingredient Callouts: Free of parabens, formaldehydes, phthalates, mineral oil, oxybenzone, coal tar, and sulfates SLS & SLES. It is also vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.
What Else You Need to Know: This product is vegan, cruelty-free, and formulated without alcohol, silicone, nuts, gluten, and fragrance. The total concentration of these technologies in the formula by weight is 25.1 percent.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Once again, according to sephora.com:

-Matrixyl 3000 and Matrixyl Synthe-6 Peptide Complexes: Help to reduce the look of lines, wrinkles, and surface irregularities.
-Hyaluronic Acid: Supports hydration and acts as a delivery system to enhance skin exposure to actives.
-Syn-Ake Peptide Complex: Improves the look of lines and wrinkles.

What is the texture like?

This has a lightweight, watery feel to it. 

Is this scented?

I'd describe the scent of this as being lightweight and just ever so slightly sweet, kind of like a very diluted sugar syrup. I don't notice a scent when applying it to my face.

What has my experience with the product been like?

This review is a first impression of the product given that I've been using it for under a week. I'm running low on serum and have been wanting to purchase this for a while now. In addition, I wanted something I could use during the daytime without any AHAs or irritating ingredients so this seemed perfect. Thus far, I feel like it gives my skin a nice boost of hydration and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth, and supple. As I always say, I'm glad to do updates if you'd like, or I will do a full update whenever I finish it up in an empties post.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I paid for this myself.

Serum Review: The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane

The Ordinary 0.5% in Squalane

Availability:  This is available at ulta.com and deceim.com along with their physical store locations. It retails at $7.50 for 1 oz. (30 mL). 

Would I buy this again? Honestly I think I would be safe upping to perhaps the granactive retinoid 2% in squalane going forward.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?

According to deceim.com:

This water-free solution contains 0.5% pure Retinol, an ingredient that can reduce the appearances of fine lines, of photo damage and of general skin aging. While Retinol has been studied extensively, it is irritating to the skin and newer technologies exist that mimic the visible effects of Retinol without causing skin irritation.

Caution: Retinol can cause significant irritation, redness and peeling, especially around the eyes and mouth, in the early stages of treatment while skin builds tolerance. If you have not used high-strength retinol formulas in the past, we strongly recommend that you start your retinol regimen with our Retinol 0.2% in Squalane and adjust to higher strengths of Retinol 0.5% in Squalane and Retinol 1% in Squalane as your skin builds tolerance. You will achieve the same end results without the unpleasant redness and peeling along the way.

Note: Water can affect the stability of retinol. Additionally, plant oils in retinol formulations can trigger lipid peroxidation and can impair retinol integrity. This formula does not contain water, silicones, plant oils or alcohol.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Outside of the Retinol this also contains:

Squalane: Squalane has anti-inflammatory properties, is lightweight, and helps smooth the texture of skin. 

Jojoba Seed Oil: Has hydrating, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.

Tomato Fruit Extract: Has anti-inflammatory properties.

Rosemary Leaf Extract: Has anti-inflammatory properties.

What is the texture like?

This has a lightweight, oily feel to it. 

Is this scented?

Despite having no citrus ingredients, this has a citrusy scent to it.

What has my experience with the product been like?

So just a heads up, this product is meant to refrigerated after opening which is written in tiny print on the bottle. Initially I went for this because I didn't realize that the granactive retinoid solutions came in squalane and are more stable, so I will be trying those going forward. Additionally, this review is a first impression of the product given that I've been using it for under a week. I'd like to say that I am impressed that this is formulated with so many anti-inflammatory ingredients to keep the retinol from irritating the skin. I have been able to use it nightly without any redness or irritation. I instantly felt a change in the texture of my skin the day after I used this and honestly I feel like I can attribute that to the squalane as, you all know, I adore squalane and the way my skin feels when I use it. That being said, I was breaking out before and my skin has stopped breaking out so  I feel that's a sign the retinol might be working. Although, my spot treatment might also be working... it's too soon to say. Given that I don't have too much in signs of aging my main hope with this product is to help reduce how frequently I've been breaking out (which is partially due to me taking hormones and adjusting, so they're a bit all over the place) and sebaceous filaments on my nose.

 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I paid for this myself.

Eye Serum Review: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Hello folksickles. Today's review will be for The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + ECGC.

Availability: This product retails at $7.50 for 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) and is available at sephora.com, ulta.com, target.com, kohls.com, and deceim.com along with their physical store locations.

Would I buy this again?: I think so.

What is this product designed to address?

According to sephora.com this is what the product is and what it does:

What it is: A concentrated serum with high-solubility caffeine and green tea cathechin to visibly reduce eye-contour pigmentation and puffiness.

Skin Type: Normal, Dry, Combination, and Oily

Skincare Concerns: Dark Circles, Puffiness

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Again, according to sephora.com:

Caffeine and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG): Help to reduce the look of puffiness and dark circles underneath the eyes.

What is the texture like?

I'd describe the texture as a gelatinous, viscous liquid that feels refreshing when applied. 

Is it scented?

I will preface what I'm about to say that I only smell the product when I smell it from the bottle or the back of my hand; I don't smell anything when I apply this to my eye area. That being said, this smells truly bizarre - I'm getting a coffee bean scent, which is expected, paired with a scent that I can only describe as being that of a shoe repair shop - they all have a very distinct scent and I cannot tell you if it's leather, glue, shoe dye or some sort of combination but I get that note here and it's... odd!

My overall experience/comments on the product:
I've only used this consistently now for about a week so I would consider this review as more of a first impression and nothing super thorough although, as I've said many times in the past, I am happy to come back and give an update if anyone wants one. If not, an update will show up whenever I'm done with this in an empties post. Also, this has shockingly low reviews on sephora.com but at this being a mere $7.50 for a whole ounce of product I was willing to try it out. Personally, it works for me, at least thus far. I notice a reduction in the puffiness of my eyes and they appear somewhat brighter to me. That being said, I don't have significant under-eye circles so the brightening effect might be more of a placebo affect. That being said, puffiness is something I do frequently contend with and I find that this does a good job of minimizing mine. In addition, this feels refreshing when I put it on but I like to layer an eye cream over the top of this just to give me that extra hydration. In my opinion this is a nice companion to an eye cream that might be giving you the hydration but not the anti-puffiness and brightening effects you're after. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Best of 2021 Favorites

Hey folksickles. Here I thought I was late to the game posting these but last year I didn't do a favorites of the year until April so I'm feeling better now. Anyway, I feel like this list will be shorter than years past as I stuck to mainly the same products and things in 2021 so, there's that. But alas here are the products and things I very much enjoyed and would repurchase. I will say that I don't have photos of the products here because I've used up many of them and thrown them away but... there's always Google and in the instance that I've reviewed a product, the product name will be clickable and you can take a gander at the review.

1. Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant with Lactic Acid: I love this scrub so much! It remains fairly scrubby even with water added and I love that it's a combination of physical and chemical exfoliants. It smells absolutely delicious, like really good fresh strawberries and leaves my skin feeling like a baby's bottom. It has somewhat of a hefty price tag but given how far a tiny bit of it goes I find that it's genuinely worth the money. It also provides a nice radiance to my skin and isn't irritating at all. I have to add that I bought this bottle in 2020 and it's still going strong in January so even though it's pricey, it lasts a very long time and you don't need a lot at all!

2. ColourPop Just A Tint Lip Crayons: You know I've raved about these lip crayons before and this time I'm omitting a particular color because sooner or later literally every one I own has made it to a favorites list. I love how smooth and hydrating they are while leaving a pretty pop of color behind.

3. UGG Ansley Bow Moccasins: Ok so I don't really talk about fashion at all on this blog but I just HAD TO mention this because I am so blown away by them. Now, I wasn't the biggest moccasin wearer and in fact I didn't wear them at all but one of my friends got a pair of these fuzzy moccasins in 2019 and said they were super comfy which had me wanting a pair. I mean I got my first pair of proper UGG boots (they Bailey Bow, if you're curious) in 2019 and I absolutely LOVE them, they're super cozy and warm but the slip-on, slip-off aspect of the moccasins got me curious. So when I saw that these were on sale I decided to go for it. Well, these are BEYOND my expectations. I wore them out in 30 degree (F) weather and with bare feet and they kept my feet warm and feel like sticking your feet into cuddly warm clouds, it's just wonderful. That being said, I like to wear nylons with them when the temperature falls below 35(F) just to protect my skin against the elements. They are perfect to throw on for shopping or driving or just generally when you want comfort and can't be bothered with boots (alas they're not rain or snow-friendly, I haven't really worn them in either condition but I wouldn't try it).

4. Maya Chia The Straight A Serum Advanced Gentle Retinol Treatment: This is a joy to use for nighttime. In terms of retinols I've found in the past that my skin tends to get irritated by them if I use them too frequently or, because I don't have any particularly significant signs of aging, I don't notice that retinol treatments make a difference to my skin after I spend time building up a tolerance to them. This, however, was worth the investment in my opinion. First of all, it's genuinely gentle, I can use it nightly without any issues. It has a beautiful rose scent which I find soothing - although I would suggest avoiding this product if you dislike rose scents or are allergic to roses. In addition, it just gives my skin a beautiful glow and radiance. I still don't have aging issues to comment on.

5. m-61 Hydraboost Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF 40: The reason I love this sunscreen so much, other than being a pale AF person who's also a retinol user, is its texture is just SUBLIME. Oftentimes sunscreen can be thick or sticky but this has a beautiful lotion-like texture that absorbs nearly instantly. I know this is technically not supposed to double as a moisturizer but personally I find that on top of a facial oil, this hydrates adequately enough for me to not need a moisturizer with it. 

6. Virtue Curl Line: Given how much I love Virtue, when the curl line dropped I picked up all the products in it - the shampoo, conditioner, and the curl-defining whip. I have to warn you ahead of time that while I like the products, they are intensely moisturizing so if your hair is curly and oily, this might be a skip. The line is designed to help enhance curls and give them the hydration that they're often missing, so when I purchased this I was thinking, well my hair is wavy so maybe this will help it somehow because Virtue always does the most for my hair. Friends, my hair is so curly now, as in it looks like I purposely went and curled it but I didn't, it just falls into this really lovely curl pattern. If you need something for your curls or you're someone who curls their hair and wants their hair to stay curled I would highly suggest looking into this line of products. The whip isn't my favorite though, honestly, because it's a bit heavy for my hair and my canister of it broke with plenty of product left inside, but I really love using the shampoo and conditioner!

7. Orly Nail Lacquer in Kiss The Bride: This is such a pretty pastel bridal/ballet type pink that looks elegant and is just perfect for absolutely any occasion.

8. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter: I love this primer because it creates a really beautiful, glowing finish on the skin. Everything you put on top of this just glides on beautifully and takes on that really pretty glow. I feel like it just makes the skin look really healthy. Additionally, the bottle lasted for nearly a full year of continuous use which I found impressive.

9. Trader Joe's Watermelon Facial Mist: You folks might remember how much I loved this when I purchased it last year so when I saw it again at Trader Joe's I just had to have it! This smells nice and gives the skin a wonderful, refreshing boost of hydration. For a $4 mist it is worth every penny!

10. LUSH Rose Jam Body Spray: This body spray just smells absolutely delicious! It took a while to figure out how much to spray, as a small spray can go a long way here but I've been really enjoying it. 

11. Bath & Body Works Pineapple Mango Scented Candle: It just smells so good! A wonderful candle for the summertime or for when you're longing for summertime.

12. Bath & Body Works Tiki Beach Scented Candle: A repeat favorite! I love this candle so much and have mentioned it in many favorites posts in the past. In fact I have it burning as I'm writing this, it just smells so delicious and comforting.

13. Lune+Aster 05 Porcelain Skin Tint: I have been really enjoying this lately! The way that it just glides onto the skin so beautifully, has a nice satiny glowing finish to it, and gives me good coverage without me needing to use a ton of product just makes me really happy. 

14. Juvia's Place I Am Magic Concealer: I really love the satiny, glowing finish this has (this seems to be a trend this month, ha!). I also really love that it's incredibly high coverage and a little goes a long way. I feel like this is going to last me a long time. The only complaint I have with this is that the applicator wand is gigantic and it's hard to get precision with it. I would recommend going in with another tool or even your fingers (if you're using this for yourself only) to deposit product as, like I said, you don't need a lot at all! It lasts a very long time and I think it's fantastic!

15. Essie Passport To Happiness: I really love the color mint, as many of you know so honestly it does make me genuinely happy to see this color on my nails when I use it.

16. Asakuki 300ml Ultrasonic Diffuser: So the diffuser I was using before this broke and I decided to replace it with this one. I really love having a diffuser in general but I like the design of this - I think it looks like a cute little bulb and I like the "wood" grain print on its base. These come in different shapes and sizes but something about the bulb-shaped one was really appealing to me. 

17. Trader Joe's Oatmeal & Honey Pure Vegetable Soap: I've mentioned my eczema on and off on this blog and this year it attacked my knuckles to the point of drawing blood - this soap honestly brought my skin back to normal. Granted, it took several weeks but I notice that when I'm washing my hands when my eczema is active on them, typical hand soaps tend to be extremely stripping and drying whereas this leaves my skin feeling super soft and replenished. It also foams up quite nicely. 

18. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: I haven't used this in a while and now that I am, I see such a difference in just the texture of my skin and a reduction in redness. I know that I always rave about squalane but the difference it makes when I don't use it and come back to it is just so noticeable to me. My skin is A LOT less inflamed or dry and its texture is so buttery smooth. Every time I put makeup on I marvel at how smoothly everything goes on and I know it's squalane's work. 

19. Soap & Glory Original Pink The Righteous Butter Body Lotion: This seems to be that magical product that keeps both the soles of my feet (although I wish it was just a TINY bit more hydrating there) and my legs feeling soft. It also just, to me at least, smells absolutely incredible! It has quite an intense sweet floral scent that I really happen to enjoy.

And now, a show I really loved. I feel like I watched so much trash anime last year that I can't say anything other than this moved me enough to recommend that others watch it:

20. A Place Further Than the Universe: It's been a while since I've talked about what I've been watching and, well, this was a re-watch but I've never talked about it here so, why not? I feel like, personally, during the holidays especially, but usually always I like to watch shows that are action-y but also wholesome and this really fits the bill. To sum it up, this show is about a group of four girls going on a trip to Antarctica, the challenges several of them overcome in order to even be able to make the journey in the first place as well as the challenges they face when there. Overall the show may look kind of random and whatnot at first glance, but it's really inspirational in a YOLO kind of way, which you know I love, and does a beautiful job of covering themes like friendship, loss, and striving toward your goals. 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I paid for all these items with the exception of the m-61 and Lune+Aster products which were provided free for testing purposes. 

December 2021 Arrivals

Ok folksickles! Look at me for a change, pretty much only buying essentials. 

1. ColourPop Mini Haul: Frankly this started off with me looking for who had the best Black Friday deal for setting powder and decided well, since I'm here, and running low on masks, let me replenish on the ones I like. Oh well, since I'm here, let me just treat myself to this palette. Alas:

Fourth Ray Beauty A-HA Moment exfoliating enzyme Mask

Fourth Ray Beauty The Big Detox Mud Mask oof! I forgot until I reread in my own review that this is difficult to wash off, they did change the packaging so maybe they made the formula a bit better too?

Smoke 'N Roses Palette

no filter loose setting powder in Soft Pink

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above. 

December 2021 Favorites

Hey folksickles,

Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in December :) 

1. bh cosmetics Weekend Festival Palette: I'd been playing with this palette in the middle of the month and I realized I was really looking forward to using it and really enjoyed creating looks with it. It's very pigmented, has a beautiful color selection, and the shades just blend beautifully. 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: My wife gave me the palette as a gift a while back.

December 2021 Empties

Happy 2022 folksickles! (I write on 12/7 lol, but alas, gotta be prepared). Wishing you all loads of wonderful makeup and skincare discoveries this year!  

1. Kiss Lash So Wispy Lashes in Pompadour x3: These are a pretty, voluminous wispy lash. They're very lightweight and fairly easy to apply which I appreciate.

2. beauty 360 100% Acetone Pro Strength Nail Polish Remover x2: This nail polish remover makes super quick and easy work of removing my nail polish, which I appreciate. 

3. Soap & Glory Scrub for Joy: This scrub has a delicious grapefruit scent and is nicely exfoliating while being gentle on the skin. It's always a joy (haha!) to use this and I am glad to have had it.

4. Fourth Ray Beauty Acai Face Milk: Alas I have finally used up the last face milk in the set! Honestly, this was the first one I tried and I loved it initially but then I kind of fell off loving it. Maybe because it's wintertime now but I feel like I prefer a product with a slightly heavier, more emollient texture and while this provided hydration to my skin I honestly wanted a bit more.

5. Nature Republic Hand & Nature sanitizer gel in Rose: This hand sanitizer has an absolutely delicious sweet rose scent and I appreciate that it sanitized the hands without drying them out.

6. Lune+Aster 05 Porcelain Skin Tint: Y'all I am SO SAD to have finished this up. I love that this product is a medium to full coverage tinted moisturizer that is super thin and lightweight. It has a slightly satiny finish to it that I'd describe as a "natural matte" - your skin just looks healthy and is neither powdery or intensely glowing. I LOVED that this product went on smooth without gathering in anyone's lines and wrinkles and thus didn't create any texture even on mature skin. The latter part obviously doesn't refer to me but I did like recommending this particular product to clients because, as I said, it gave good coverage without being heavy and just looks like skin. I would highly recommend checking it out.

7. Laneige Water Sleeping Mask: This is a very lightweight, hydrating sleeping mask with a gel consistency. I really liked the extra boost of refreshing hydration that this gave my skin.

8. Trader Joe's Hair Mask: This is a nice hydrating mask that doesn't leave my hair weighed down but definitely adds hydration, softness, shine, and manageability to my hair. I was able to get two uses out of the packet and I'm fairly happy with it. 

9. beauty 360 Original Nail Polish Remover Pad: I purchased these to use on my feet since my local CVS, unfortunately, was closing and out of the liquid remover. These work fairly decent and do a good job of removing my nail polish. I'm able to get both feet done before it dries. That being said the pad is a bit thick which, overall, is not bad but it's difficult to get it around the cuticle area to remove nail polish there. 

10. Trader Joe's Formula No. 3 Winter Citrus Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash: Honestly when I saw the name of this product I was genuinely skeptical and even a bit... uncomfortable. As someone who's spent many years in the beauty industry I can confidently say that many products that claim to do several things generally will do one thing well and the rest of them in a whatever manner. So I figured this would either be too drying to use as a hair-care product or too emollient to be a nice body wash. Color me impressed because I was in a pinch of switching shampoos and had put this in my shower so I figured YOLO, if it dries out my hair I'll throw a hair mask on or something. Now, it works nicely as shampoo and as body wash. I'd personally describe its texture as being something akin to Johnson's baby shampoo although I wouldn't recommend getting this in your eyes as I'm sure there will be tears. I would say using this as a conditioner is a stretch, it doesn't have the same slip or hydration so if you're a regular conditioner user, I'd stick with using your conditioner after. It has a very light citrusy, slightly pine-y scent. 

11. CVS Ultra-Soft Cleansing Wipes - Fragrance Free: I mean nothing really to write home about when it comes to these baby wipes. I use them to wipe down makeup and dusty furniture. These have a nice thickness and moisture content to them. 

12. Oribe Serene Scalp Exfoliating Scrub: Personally I found this just ok. This is meant to help with dandruff and has both a physical and chemical (salicylic acid) exfoliator. I will agree with its "serene scalp" claim as this is a fairly gentle scrub. That being said, I personally prefer something a bit more intense for several reasons. Firstly, my hair is long, so despite this having a little applicator tip it's still difficult to directly deposit the product on the scalp... despite me not having that much hair in the first place... Additionally, when I am afflicted with dandruff I tend to get it in... somewhat mound-like areas dispersed through the scalp and the flakes tend to be sizable instead of small, especially right around my forehead/bang area. When I use this, it just doesn't attack the flakes as aggressively as I'd like, especially for a product designed to only be used once per week. I grittier scrub tends to actually lift the flakes off my scalp. 

13. Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Too Shy: This shade is a gorgeous blue but unfortunately it's developed quite the funky scent. 

14. Dove exfoliating body polish in pomegranate seeds & shea butter: I was honestly not expecting much from this body scrub and was pleasantly surprised. I'd describe the texture as having a gentle grit - it's scrubby enough where you definitely feel something is happening but it's not as intense as say a salt or sugar crystal. This also has a really yummy scent to it. 

15. Aveeno baby eczema therapy moisturizing cream: I mainly purchased this because I figured since it's designed for babies that it would very gentle on my compromised skin. That being said, for me personally, this works best layered over cortisone. It doesn't clear up or relieve my eczema on its own. I like that it's more lightweight and quick-absorbing versus other things I've tried because most of my eczema flareups now occur on my groin/crotch area (it isn't fun!) and having that area feel wet or heavy just leads to further discomfort.

16. MAKE UP FOR EVER Lab Shine Metal Collection in M0: Unfortunately this has developed a really off scent. I've probably held onto it for too long because I honestly really loved the Lab Shine collection and this gloss in particular - the glosses came in pretty colors and finishes and were long-lasting without being sticky. They were literally the perfect gloss!  That said, it's time to let it go.

17. OVERTONE Blue for Brown Hair Coloring Conditioner: I used this over both my natural hair - which is a light to mid-tone ash brunette and then over a violet-red-brunette hair that's been highlighted. In both instances I can't say that this showed up in a way that one would definitively say my hair looked blue. Sure, there were maybe a few strands that turned definitively blue but overall the effect this had was that it made my hair overall look darker and more cooler-toned which is... fine... but it's not really what I paid for. Personally, I find that it's false advertising to say that this is meant for brunettes and it's meant to make your hair literally blue when it doesn't really do that - the only people whose hair I've seen this turn blue are those with pre-lightened hair that was blonde or extremely light brunette to begin with. Even the swatches on the website show the darker brunette hair going cooler-toned but not necessarily blue.  

18. Trader Joe's Vitamin C Serum: I like how this serum has a nice citrusy scent and feels moisturizing. I find that it gives my skin a pretty glow.

19. Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover: I really like this because, while it doesn't really remove cuticles, it softens them quickly so I can gently push them down and get nicer looking manicures. 

20. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea nourishing body wash: I've mentioned many times that I really like these to shave with and they're available in bulk at BJ's so that's why you keep seeing them on here.

21. e.l.f. HD Powder: Personally I found this just ok and, to be fair, comparable to other HD powders on the market. That being said, my under-eye area still creased when I was using this and, based on how I currently use powder, I prefer a less "smoothing" type under the eyes because I find that this settles rather strangely and it's mostly because I tend to be a bit heavy handed with my under-eye powdering and need a powder that can settle nicely without sliding on itself or getting cake-y. 

22. Virtue Volumizing Mousse: I really loved this mousse because it gave my hair volume, fullness, and a feeling of thickness that... coming back from the damage I had in my hair from both stress and bleach it just feels so much thicker now and this definitely helped it feel healthier.

23. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter: I really liked using this as an illuminating primer - it gave my skin a beautiful glow and lasted a really long time - I used it for nearly a year before it ran out completely. Although I really like the product I feel like I can probably find something at a lower price point that would give me a similar effect. 

24. Cala 3D Faux Mink Lashes in Wisper: These were a really pretty kind of spikey-ish pair of lashes. I didn't super love their shape but they were fun to play with.

25. Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream: I was using this to give my hair a boost of hydration at the ends and this did a nice job of giving me hydration without being heavy.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Lune+Aster, Oribe, and Laneige products.