Review: Olay Pro X Spin Brush

This product was recommend to me by Ashley at The Via Media of Beauty.

I bought this in a bundle pack (above - with the face wash AND scrub brush) at Sam's Club for about $38. Sold separately at WalMart, the scrub brush is $28, and the face wash is $17. 

The pack also came with two brush heads and batteries for the brush.

What Olay says:

Is it time to rethink your daily cleansing routine? Designed by a team of dermatologists along with Olay, the Advanced Cleansing System is as effective as a system sold by skin professionals for nearly $200.* Professionally and clinically designed to cleanse 6 times better**, the Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System also sets your skin up for supersonic anti-aging moisturization.†
Click here to see its 4 professionally designed features.

System includes:
2-speed facial cleansing brush
Soft bristle replaceable brush head

*System with normal/dry cleanser.

**than basic cleansing

† Helps maximize the immediate hydrating effectiveness of your anti-aging moisturizer.

My Thoughts:

Brush - The brush is great.  It's battery powered which is kind of a pain.  I would prefer it to be rechargeable. I've gotten my brush wet several times, so yes, it actually is water proof.  It's fairly light-weight.  It has two speeds.  The slower speed is practically useless.  I've been using my brush for maybe 2 or 3 months now and I have never used the slower speed.  I actually feel like the faster speed could stand to spin a little faster!  It does take a little maneuvering to get into the corners of my nose (different noses may not have this problem), but it does do the job there as well! 

The replacement heads are sold at WalMart for about $10 for two.  Not a bad deal.  I'm still using my first one with no problems.  :)

Facial Wash - I do have a problem breaking out with everything I put on my face.  I gave up my Purity cleanser for two weeks, and ONLY used the Olay Pro X Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser day and night.  My face remained smooth and I had very few break outs (none that I would attribute to this product).  I do feel like there could be more scrubbing beads in this wash.  I've been using my other face washes again (which work FANTASTIC with this product) and I've found that my Philosophy Microdelivery face wash, which seems to have more of a texture to it than the Olay wash, works better.

Overall:

I do think this product is a wise investment! I've since recommended this product to my mom and sister - they both love it too!  :)

Review: Trind - Moist and Shiny

This is a little old.  I did this review a few weeks ago for Makeuptalk.com.  Better late than never!

Pros: Shiny, kept nails moisturized, stronger nails, good buffer
Cons: dried cuticles

I received this item for free as part of a review.

The 14 Day Challenge:
When sent the product, I was asked to use this system everyday for 14 days.  On day 1, I buffed my nails (the only time I was asked to do it).  Then I applied the Nail Balsam, let it soak in for 2 minutes and massaged the rest into my cuticles.  Over that, I applied the Nail Repair.  Each day, I used non-acetone nail polish to remove the product and do it again everyday thereafter.  I was asked to remove it everyday and start fresh.

**I used an additional cuticle oil in conjunction with this system. 

The Buffer:
The buffer works very well.  :)  It helped to smooth my nails out nicely and get them ready for the application.  However, I feel like the exact same thing could be purchased at WalMart or Sally's and you'd be able to accomplish the same thing, but with a cheaper product. 

Nail Balsam:

I actually REALLY like this product.  It smells pretty much like hand lotion in a nail polish bottle.  I can't really speak to how well it nourished my cuticles because I do believe the constant use of nail polish remover dried them out immensely.  However, I will be continuing to use the Nail Balsam when I do my nails and see if I notice a difference.  My cuticles are ALWAYS dry, but during these last two weeks, they've been so dry they were bleeding.  Again, I can't say it was the actual products fault for sure.  But for now, I will lay the blame on the nail polish remover. 

The balsam did help to nourish my actual nails though.  When they have no polish, they seem to be more shiny and healthy than they used to be.  :)

Nail Repair:
The Nail Repair is basically a very quick drying (maybe 30 seconds?) top coat.  I do believe the purpose of this product is to seal in the Nail Balsam and protect the nail from tears and breaks.  I feel it did help to strengthen my nails, even though I did have 2 breaks.  My nails feel a lot sturdier.

Overall:
I will continue using this system, but I'll just do it once a week when I regularly paint my nails.  I really do feel like the constant use of nail polish remover ruined my cuticles.  Since I feel like my nails are stronger, I hope I'll be able to grow them out nicely! 

For the sake of less pictures, I'll just show this hand!  My typical swatching hand.  :)

 

 

Review: ConAir - Perfect Pony

So basically, this little tool here is the business!

I took a picture of the back of the box so yall could read the instructions.  It's super easy.  You make a half ponytail, put this underneath, put the rest of your hair from the bottom over it and secure it in a full ponytail. 

It's comfortable, lightweight, flexible, pretty much undetectable, and CHEAP!  I think it was like, $4 at Ulta.

Here's some proof for yall!

NOTE: I've found that this product works best when you spray your hair upside down with hairspray.  I sprayed my hair with hairspray before I took the "before" pictures and did NOT add anymore after putting the Perfect Pony in.

Before:

After:

Review: Estee Lauder Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup

This is a super old picture of my foundation... lol  The label is worn off now!

I purchased this product online from Estee Lauder a loooonnng time ago!  I saw someone use this to conceal a spot in a YouTube video and I knew I had to have it! 


What Estee Lauder says:

"REPLACED BY
Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF 15

PRODUCT DETAILS
We're excited to announce that Maximum Cover makeup has been given a new name and a fresh, updated package.

Please be assured the formula remains the same, with all the natural-looking, full-coverage, long-wearing benefits you love."

Haha!  Alright, let's look up that one!

Here's the new info:

"BENEFIT
12-hour wear

COVERAGE
Full; SPF 15

FINISH
Matte

PRODUCT DETAILS
12-hour staying power.

Soothing, natural-looking, liquid-creme makeup for concealing all skin imperfections, including surgical and acne scars, birthmarks, sun spots and varicose veins.

Helps protect with SPF 15.

Full Coverage

• Natural-looking
• Long-wearing
• Non-transferable

Suitable for post-surgery use as directed by your physician. Developed and tested in collaboration with surgeons and dermatologists.

FORMULA FACTS

• Dermatologist-tested
• Non-acnegenic"

The price of the one I have, $29.50, and the new one, $32, obviously differ.  This new one also comes in 6 shades, while the old one comes in only 4 shades.


I'll continue to review my product as I would have anyway.  And when I run out of this one, I will purchase the new one!  :)  




FINDING YOUR SHADE:


As I mentioned, this one only comes/came in 4 shades.  At first, I ordered the wrong shade for myself.  But Estee Lauder has amazing customer service.  I sent the other one back and they quickly sent me my other shade.  Of course, in the department store, you would have had better luck selecting the right shade, assuming they carried it.  

APPLICATION:


This product, new and old, come in squeeze tube packaging, which I am certainly a fan of.  You don't need to really worry about bacteria getting into the product and it's not really very messy at all.  I just squeeze some product (you need very little - more on that later) on the back of my hand and use whatever foundation brush I want.  I do prefer a brush to apply this rather than fingers due to the extreme full coverage.  Also, be careful to use JUST enough product.  This can get cakey fast.



COVERAGE:


Like I just said - it's extreme!  This could definitely give you a completely flawless, mannequin-looking face.  Of course, I don't want to look like a mannequin (not all the time anyway...lol!).  I primarily use this as a concealer.  It's great at covering redness and under eye circles.  


Big bonus - you need VERY little product to cover your face.  A little goes a very long way so be very cautious when squeezing the product out of the tube!

This amount will cover my wrist. 

STAYING POWER:

This product has incredible staying power!  It's marketed as water-proof and sweat-proof and IT IS!  If you put this all over your face and went swimming, I wouldn't be surprised if you still had flawless skin when you were done.  My Philosophy cleanser takes this off really well, but when I use a different cleanser, I can still see this makeup on after my shower. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

- Not many shades (new or old version) is a big no-no.
- The application is great but beware of cakiness.
- The coverage is amazing.  My HG concealer.
- The staying power is also super fantastic.


I HIGHLY recommend this product.  Keep in consideration that I don't use this as my foundation, but mainly as a concealer.

Have you tried/Will you try this?

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation

According to Maybelline:

"100% VELVET-MATTE PERFECTION
AIR-SOFT FEEL
Ideal for Normal to Oily Skin

"Why You'll Love It

• Revolutionary air-soft mousse provides perfecting coverage for 100% velvet-matte perfection
• Ideal for normal to oily skin
• Fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested, allergy-tested, non-comedogenic – won’t clog pores, safe for sensitive skin

For Best Results
Apply smoothly and evenly to your face and blend with your fingertips.

Awards
#1 foundation in the world"

This foundation is available in 16 shades.


FINDING YOUR SHADE:

So first off, picking out your shade is not easy.

Why?
- The container is short.
- The lid is NOT accurate to the color in the bottle.
- You can't see in the side of the container very well.
- The glass on the bottom is SUPER thick and there's a huge label on the bottom.

So, that's why I have two.  :-P


APPLICATION:

The application is not very flexible.  From the container, you can basically ONLY use your fingers.  I tried my Sigma F60 foundation brush, and the product just gets super crumbly - as you can probably see in the right hand container pictured above.

Applying the foundation with my fingers isn't a huge deal for me, but it may be for you.  I'm not sure what your preference is, so that's why I mention it!  :)

I use the darker foundation (the right hand side) for my looks on my blog.  You can't tell in pictures that the color is off for me.  For reference, that dark color is Nude - Light 4.  The left hand color, the one I wear during the day, is Classica Ivory - Light 2.

COVERAGE:

I absolutely love the coverage of this foundation.  When I started using the darker foundation for blog tutorials, I knew I had to get this to wear in my regular daily life because the look was so nice.

Like I've mentioned 100 times in my blog, I have a really bad complexion.  Coverage is definitely very important to me.  This foundation, because it's a mousse, feels very light when applied.  You really do get a velvet-matte texture to your skin.

For me personally, if I don't set this with powder RIGHT AWAY, it creases quickly.  But once it has a powder over top, it's great.  :)

I would DEFINITELY NOT recommend this for a person with dry skin.   When I have a little dry spot on my skin, this foundation really accentuates it. 


STAYING POWER:

I don't find this to be particularly long lasting, but I don't find that with most foundations.  The staying power is average for me.  My skin has a tendency to get really oily during the day so I don't blame the product for this. 


FINAL THOUGHTS:

- It's hard to find your shade
- The application is finicky
- The coverage is amazing
- The staying power is average

I guess I'll give this a 4/5.  I'd do a 3.5/5, but the coverage is enough to bump it up.  :-P

Let me know what you think!

Swatches: LORAC - Private Affair Palette

This is the LORAC Private Affair Palette.

You can find more info about it on Sephora.

So, for $38 you get the 6 shadows, an eye primer, and a double ended brush.

BRUSH:  I can't speak too much about the brush because pretty much as soon as I got the palette I gave it to my sister.  I'm not a huge fan of double ended brushes because they can't go in my brush holders.

PRIMER:  This is a decent primer, but far from my favorite.  The full sized primer (this set includes a smaller version) is $20, and with the Urban Decay PP being only $18, I'd suggest save your $2 and get that one!  Anyway!  I like the packaging.  It's just a basic squeeze tube which is better than the UDPP packaging.  However, I find the primer to be very chalky.  Also, I feel like the staying power is not as good as other primers I have used.  It does crease after several hours (maybe a full day).

SHADOWS:  The shadows are gorgeous colors!  I particularly love the 4th color in the palette (the taupe color).  ALL of the shadows are shimmery, which isn't my favorite.  I don't like to use ONLY shimmery shadows on my eyes all the time.  In terms of traveling, I wouldn't bring only this because I like to have mattes too.  These shadows are also super powdery.  They give a lot of fallout and they take a bit of work to build up, but once they're built up they're lovely!

OVERALL PACKAGING:  The packaging is convenient because it's got the drawer underneath the shadows which hold the brush and the primer.  The palette feels like it's good quality.  It's got a plastic, purple alligator skin design everywhere on the outside of the palette which is easy to keep clean.  There's a mirror in the lid of the palette.  However, the material around the shadows is fabric, so I've been super crazy about trying not to make a mess when I use the shadows.

My overall rating:  3.5/5

Here's some random looks:

This first look is done using only the first 3 colors in the palette.

*****************************************

This next look is done using the last 3 colors in the palette.

Swatches: Beauty From The Earth

Left to Right:
Lemon, Tangerine
Raspberry, Crush
Karma, Grape
Purple Iris, 24Kt Gold
Blueberry, Peacock
Green Apple, Envy
Whisper

I figured I'd review and swatch these for y'all because I've been using them so much lately.

These are Beauty From The Earth (BFTE) multi-purpose minerals.  Well, actually I just checked the website and they're called multi-use minerals now.  But I bought these long ago!  And they were multi-purpose back then!  Haha!  The business has grown quite a lot it seems since I purchased!

Since the site has changed so much, please correct me if any of my information is outdated!

• It seems like some of the colors I have may have been renamed or are no longer carried by the brand.

These minerals come in 5 gram sifter jars with 1 gram of product in them, which is actually more than you would think.  I've owned these for probably 2 years now and I haven't run out yet... not even close!

The jars retail for $6.50 for the full size jar and $2 for the sample size.

Top: Taken without flash.

Bottom: Taken with flash.

The quality of these minerals is fantastic.  They are super pigmented, they don't get muddy when they're blended and they have good staying power.

My favorites (of the colors I have) are Blueberry, Raspberry, 24kt Gold (which I don't think is available anymore?) and Lemon.

My overall rating:  5/5

Let me know which colors you have or if you plan to purchase from this company!

FOTD: ELF Quad in "Ivy"

This look was done using the ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Ivy.

The quad retails for $1 from Target or EyesLipsFace.com and probably wherever else ELF is sold.



I recently did another post talking about the same line of quads in a different color, Drama.  Though they're the same line of quads, the quality between the two differs VERY much.



I wasn't impressed at all with this quad.  Was it a waste of a dollar?  You know, maybe.  The quality is just not great.  The colors are not very pigmented and quickly turn "muddy" when you're trying to blend them.  The only thing that really saves this look is the eye liner - not even an ELF product.


Main colors I used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Ivy
• Smashbox e/l in Wish (sparklie dark green)

ELF Quad in Ivy.


Have you all tried this palette?  Did you guys have the same problems?

FOTD: ELF Quad in "Drama"

*******************************

Both of these looks were done using the ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Drama.  The shadow is just applied two different ways for each look (obviously...lol).

The quad retails for ONLY $1 from Target or EyesLipsFace.com and probably wherever else ELF is sold.


Main colors I used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Drama.
• Make Up For Ever e/l in oL
• L'Oreal HIP Cream e/l in Black

The color payout of this palette (in THIS color) is really great!

Just a warning!  I've also done a look for an upcoming post about the Ivy palette and the color payout isn't nearly as great as this.  So I can't say that they're all of equal quality, but the Drama palette is really great!

 ELF Quad in Drama

Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple

Photo Courtesy of: Sephora.com

Description on Sephora:

What it is:
A highly effective one-step facial cleanser.

What it is formulated to do:
Philosophy Purity Made Simple is a ph-balanced formula that rapidly dissolves dirt and makeup while deep cleaning pores. The best-selling cleanser contains infusions of sage, chamomile, and carrot.

What else you need to know:
Purity Made Simple is part of a collection of Philosophy products designed to soothe even the most dry and sensitive skin.

Research Results:

-100% reported that the cleanser is gentle enough for the eye area.
-97% reported effective removal of dirt, oil, and makeup.
-97% reported a clean, residue-free finish. 

My Thoughts

I have skin that breaks out very easily.  Pretty much if you look at me the wrong way, I get a breakout!  I've got to be super careful about the products I use on my face.  I bought a sampler kit of Philosophy products several months ago and was introduced to this product.  I've been using this ever since!

This retails from Sephora.com between $10 - $45.50. 

Pros:
- A little bit goes a long way!

- Within a few days of starting to use this, I noticed a significant reduction in black heads.

- It removes makeup VERY well, including eye make up.  After I wash my face with this, I usually don't even need eye makeup remover.

- It doesn't irritate my eyes.

- It is not drying and gentle enough to use several times a day (if you want! lol).

- The condition of my skin has improved tremendously since I started using it.  So much so that people now tell me "Wow!  You have such clear skin!"  Considering my mother once affectionately referred to my complexion as looking like "hamburger meat" that means a lot!

Cons:
- Pretty much my only con with this product is the price.  But it works, and it works WELL, so I'm willing to pay for it! :)

Final Recommendation:

This is an amazing skin cleanser.  If you have problem skin, especially acne, I would definitely recommend you try this!  It's made a huge difference in my complexion.

I give the Philosophy Purity Made Simple facial cleaner 5 out of 5. 

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments!

Review: Laura Geller Spacklettes

Moisture Compound SPF 30 -
Pros:
-Moisturizing
-SPF 30
-Non-greasy
-Goes under makeup easily

Cons:
-Smells very much like sunscreen


Spackle - Under Make-Up Primer -
Pros:
-Non-greasy
-Moisturizing
-Has a faint smell that goes away quickly.
-Dries fast

Cons:
-Don't really notice a difference in making my makeup stay longer/look better
-Does not have that silicon feel, which I definitely like.


Spackle - Tinted Under Make-Up Primer in Bronze -
Pros:
-Non-greasy
-Moisturizing
-Has a little smell that takes like, a minute to go away.
-Has a little shimmer

Cons:
-Bronze look is barely noticeable, and I'm almost as white as they come!
-Shimmer is hard to detect under a foundation
-Probably more of a product to wear alone


Eye Spackle -
Pros:
-Does great covering imperfections around eyes
-Blends well
-Doesn't get streaky
-Helps eye shadow adhere and makes the color "pop"

Cons:
-My eye make up still had a tendency to crease.
-Smells chemically, but of course, you don't smell your eyes so it doesn't really bother me.
-The color it comes in is pretty pale and I'm not sure if it would work well for all skin tones.

Lip Spackle -
Pros:
-Really blanks out lips
-Thicker texture than eye primer
-Spreads easily

Cons:
-Feels chalky if you get it on your mouth
-Effect doesn't last long without a lipstick/gloss over top
-Emphasizes cracked lips.



Of course, these are all just my personal opinions. Things that may not work for me may work for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'm always excited to hear from you!