I have always enjoyed trying new products, especially makeup and hair products. I love collecting eyeshadow palettes and blushes in particular. For my hair, I am on a never ending quest for volume! If I read about a product that claims to pump up limp hair, I will probably be trying it!
I don't try many facial skincare products because I tend to break out easily. I generally stick with my tried and true routine and deviate very little from it. I don't have bad skin (finally, after 10 years of post pubescence breakouts), but it can be sensitive. I would probably describe my skin as fair to light cool toned, with lots of freckles. I love my freckles!
This is a small collection of empty or nearly empty products that I have used. All of these opinions are my own! Please excuse the horrible photography, my house is dark and I only have a cell phone as a camera.
I LOVE DRY SHAMPOO. Especially THIS dry shampoo. I have tried many dry shampoo products, and I can say with certainty that this is my favorite. I found this at TJ Maxx, but I'm sure it can be found at drugstores as well. There are a ton of scents available, and every time I see a can of this, I pick it up. I never want to be without this product, so there are at least three more bottles in the wings when one runs out.
I don't wash my hair everyday. Many times I am running late and I simply don't have time to wash, dry, and style my hair. I just spray this at my roots all over my head, let it sit for 30 seconds or so, then gently massage it into my scalp. The. I brush through my hair to help disburse the product. Voila!! My hair is full and non-greasy. If I need to, I can run a flat iron or curling iron through my hair and it doesn't look like I skipped a wash. Plus, it smells really nice!
The only thing to be careful about when using dry shampoo is to not go overboard with spraying, as it can leave a white powder on your hair. I use quick sprays all over my head to avoid this. If I do end up spraying too much, I just have to work a little harder when massaging it into my scalp. When I used up this can, I started using the Batiste that has a touch of dark brown added to it to keep the white powder from showing up in your hair. I have only used it a couple times, but I love it! Smells like chocolate and doesn't leave white residue.
Overall, this is one of my top beauty products. I love that it is extremely effective AND doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
I am almost done with this product, there is just a little bit left in the bottom. A small enough amount where I can still hear the product in there when I shake it, but it's not coming out of the sprayer as easily as possible. Soon I will have to just store it upside down and pour it in my hand. So I think I can form a good opinion of this product!
If you are not familiar with this product, here is what the Birchbox website says about it:
"This paraben- and sulfate-free detangler seals the cuticles (the microscopic scales that compose the outermost layer of each strand of hair). It also smooths and moisturizes, thereby minimizing frizz, while safeguarding color and adding shine. Lastly, it provides protection against UV rays and heat. Happily, it accomplishes all this through a weightless, non-greasy formula that leaves behind an airy floral scent."I think what I like most about this is that you don't need a ton of product for it to be effective. I usually do four or five quick sprays on my shoulder-length hair and it's PLENTY to get my hair detangled. I do a lot of swimming in a salt water pool, and if I don't shampoo my hair afterwards, I will simply rinse the salt out and then use this product to help detangle and keep my hair from getting frizzy. It smells AMAZING, like a sweet dessert of some sort; I love that aspect of it! As for the claims about safeguarding color, I'm not so sure. I rarely color my hair anymore, so I can't attest to the validity of that claim. I ordered this product waaaaaaaay back in December of 2013, and I'm still using it. Granted, as stated above, I don't wash my hair everyday. However, I do use this product every time my hair is wet (either from swimming or washing). This bottle has lasted me quite a long time, which makes the steep price a little more bearable. I hate buying expensive products that run out quickly!
I'm not sure if I will repurchase this product, as I don't see it as being more or less beneficial than some other leave-in products I've used. I do feel like this was a good product to use and if I could get it more readily (it's only available at Birchbox, link above) and it weren't so expensive ($21.95) I would probably continue to use it. I have liked using it and will use it until the bottle is empty, but it was nothing life-altering.
Genetics have cursed me with very dark under-eye circles. I have only recently been more self-conscious of them, so that's what led me to my recent fascination with under-eye creams and concealers.
This was a deluxe sample size of this eye cream by Tarte. I got it along with a deluxe sample size of their maracuja oil, a small blush, and a small lip product. I mainly wanted the blush and the eye cream. I saw the word "brighter" on the packaging, so I was intrigued. Plus, I have found that I really like Tarte products, so I was in.
I didn't use this on a regular basis, as I kept getting samples of eye creams and would try those out immediately. So I don't know if I got the full effects of this product, but I do like it! I think it does a decent job of making my dark circles a little brighter, but I definitely still need to use a concealer in order to not look like a raccoon. The cream is moisturizing, and it only takes a little bit. If I ever went too heavy on this before I put my makeup on, then my makeup didn't stay as well. When applying this cream, I focused primarily on the dark circles under my eyes and blended it up and in past the inner corner of my eye and on the brow bone. This isn't a wrinkle filler (I use another cream at night for that), so I tried to keep it away from the outer corners of my eyes.
This is gentle and didn't irritate my eyes. I found it to be effective at brightening my eyes, but I don't know if I will repurchase. I have a ton of Strivectin eye treatment to use up (like, three large sample bottles I got in various gift kits), so this will probably go on the backburner for awhile. However, if I see another neat sample set that includes this, I wouldn't hesitate to use it again!
However, despite my carefulness in buying makeup products with SPF, I do occasionally get sunburned. I am a band teacher and during band camp this year I was very good about keeping my face protected from the sun, but I was very bad at keeping my legs protected! I ended up with a pretty bad burn on the backs of my legs and knees. Have you ever had a sunburn on the back of your legs? It's like the WORST spot. It hurts to bend your knees!
Luckily I had two small bottles of this from my Birchbox. I have been using Coola's sunscreens on my face and really like THIS and THIS as primers for my SPF-less foundation. So when I got this burn, I came home and immediately applied this to the backs of my knees and legs. Quickly, the burning sensation eased! It smells very herbally, which I rather enjoy. If you apply too much it can take a bit of rubbing to get it absorbed, so you only need a little bit. I used this for a couple of days, and I was very happy to find that my skin was moisturized, the pain of the burn was minimal, and my skin did not peel. My husband (who has beautiful olive skin that doesn't usually burn) went fishing in a boat and got a very bad burn on his shins earlier this summer. He put this on his shins and found it had the same results; very quick pain relief and moisturized skin.
I have been an aloe vera user for years, but this was much better for a couple reasons. First off, it was much less greasy and absorbed into my skin much faster. Second, it seemed to lessen the burn much quicker. While this is a rather expensive product, I am extremely happy with it and will be purchasing the full size bottle.
That's all for now! Again, all of my opinions are my own and are my HONEST thoughts regarding these products. I hope it was helpful!
Cheers,
Courtney
No comments:
Post a Comment