Derma MD Skincare Review: Part 2 + GIVEAWAY!

As promised, I'm back to share my thoughts on the final four products that I was so kindly sent to review by the folks at Derma MD. Two of them were my favorites of the whole bunch, so I'm very excited to share the details with you. In this post, I'll also be giving away a complete Wasabi Acne Kit (5 products!), so be sure to enter below.

Let's get started!

In my first post, I talked about my morning skincare routine, but only teased the two "last step" products -- one of which is the Eliminate Eye Cream and the last of which is the Daytime Moisturizer SPF 50.

The Eliminate Eye Cream may have been my least favorite of the products I was sent, and not because it was bad for any reason, but more so because it's quite expensive (it retails for almost $60 on the Derma MD Web site) and I can't say that I really saw it making any difference as compared to other, much more affordable eye creams that I've used. I will say that the texture is quite nice, although the bright yellow color scared me when I first opened the tub. It sort of reminds me, both in texture and scent, of the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, even though I know that's formulated to be for your entire face, not just your eyes. I'd probably pass on this item if I was spending my own money, but do think that it's a nice eye cream if you're looking for something high end.

The Daytime Moisturizer is quite nice because it has such a high SPF, so you don't have to worry about whether or not your foundation has sun protection in it (a lot of foundations in the natural genre don't have sunscreens). It has a very light, pleasant scent, even though it's free of artificial fragrances and it's also oil free, so it did a nice job of hydrating my skin without making it feel too heavy or oily. This product goes for $45 on the Web site, so especially if you take advantage of my 50% off coupon code (just enter "Gabby" at check out), this becomes really affordable! The only caution I would put out there is that it did leave a little bit of a white residue on my face if I didn't blend it in particularly well. That's fine for me because I ALWAYS wear a foundation on top, but if you're one of those girls that prefers her skin bare, just make sure you do a good job blending it in as you apply it.

Now onto my favorites!

I think by far the Lightening & Brightening Creme is the best product that I was sent. Since I've struggled with acne for so long, I tend to have issues with hyper pigmentation from acne scarring. The scars are so hard to cover up with foundation/concealer and since I have oily skin, the coverage tends to wear off quickly. Although I can't say that my skin is 100% even after only a month of using this creme, I have seen a dramatic difference in the overall look of my skin and plan to repurchase it when I run out (which will likely be in about another month, based on how much I have left after 30 days).


My scars are definitely lighter and less visible, and even my rosacea has improved, giving my whole face a much more even appearance. I also absolutely love the scent of this product. To me it smells slightly of peppermint or spearmint, although technically I think I'm smelling the licorice root that is one of the primary ingredients. I use this product as my nighttime moisturizer and, I'll tell you, I often can't wait to finish my routine for the night so that I can use this stuff.

The final product I would like to talk about is my second favorite and that's the Wasabi Resurfacing Anti-Acne Pads. The first time I tried these pads, I actually thought they felt really scratchy on my skin, and I was concerned that they were going to cause irritation, but over time I got used to the feeling and actually started to realize that I was exfoliating my skin as I was using them to remove my makeup (these are GREAT at removing all of your foundation and face makeup, but I would NOT use them on your eyes). I also never experienced any redness or irritation afterward.

The only downside is that the tub clearly only comes with thirty pads, so if you're planning to use them nightly as a makeup remover, as I did, they will last you only one month and the price is really expensive if you think of them as makeup wipes (they retail for $41). It's not something that I could afford to purchase on a monthly basis, but I recognize that good products come at a higher price point, so I would definitely splurge on them once in a while, or maybe buy some and save them for that time of the month when maybe your acne flares up more than normal. In sum total, if the resurfacing gel is the miracle product that you use in the morning, I think these pads are the miracle product of the evening.

And one last thing! They are safe to use on body acne as well, so if you suffer from pimples on your décolletage or back, as I do, these can dual purpose there as well.

Now on to the giveaway! Derma MD was kind enough to provide me with a 5-product Wasabi Acne Kit to giveaway to one of my readers to try! The kit contains the cleanser, toner, resurfacing gel, zit zapper and 30-day supply of Wasabi Acne pads. This is over a $100 value!

To enter, you'll need to follow 3 easy steps:

1. Use the widget below to enter your email address so I know how to contact you if you're the winner
2. Use the widget to "Like" Derma MD's Facebook page
3. Leave a comment on this blog post (and use the widget to verify!)

The contest will be open for TWO weeks after which a random winner will be selected and contacted by me via email. This contest is only open in the continental US and you must be 18 years of age or have your parent's permission to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Derma MD Skincare & Wasabi Anti-Acne Kit (Part 1)

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by a company called Derma MD who had seen some of my skincare reviews and was interested in sending me some products to try. If you've read any of my other skincare reviews, you'll know it's a topic I'm super passionate about, but also pretty skeptical about. I've tried more than a few products that claim to do all sorts of things, and the vast majority never live up to their claims.  I agreed to try out the products since they were from an all-natural line with great ingredients (no parabens, no SLS, no phthalates, etc.), but I honestly didn't expect much. And for that very reason, I'm even more excited to let you know that I have really loved the results I've seen from using these products over the last 30 days.

I was sent quite a few products to try, so I've broken this review up into two parts. Today I'm going to focus primarily on the Wasabi acne kit that I was sent, and then in a few days I'll follow up and review some of the creams and ancillary products that I was sent. And after I post Part 2 of this review, I'll be setting up a giveaway so that one of you can win the Wasabi acne kit that I'm talking about today! I've also got an awesome 50% off coupon code for you to use if you decide that you'd like to try some of these products for yourself.

One more thing before we get started. I hope by now you know that I would never give a product or company positive remarks if I didn't absolutely mean them. So even though I did receive these products for free, you can feel good that my review is 100% honest. I'll even call out the parts of the products that I didn't love as much or feel could be improved, because let's face it, even products that you love are never perfect. On to the review!

The Clear-ifying Wasabi 3 Step Acne Kit comes with a facial cleanser, toner, resurfacing gel and "zit zapper" for $89.95. I'd say that the cleanser in the kit is about a 30-day supply, but there is more than enough toner and "zit zapper" to last you well beyond that (likely 60-90 days). The resurfacing gel is a little harder to judge because of the packaging, but I assume that I have at least another 15 days left in that baby (so about a 45-day supply). You can also purchase a much bigger size of the cleanser separately for $38, so you wouldn't have to re-buy the whole kit every month (that could get really expensive!).

Let's talk about each of the individual products that come in the kit:

• Wasabi Anti-Acne Cleanser: I use one pump of the cleanser, which has a gel consistency and is clear in color, to wash my face, and find that it creates a very gentle lather (not a ton of foam) and rinses without leaving any residue. My skin definitely feels very clean afterward, although not uncomfortably stripped or tight. The cleanser has an interesting scent that at first sort of reminded me of Bengay, and although it does tingle a slight bit when you use it (likely from the wasabi), it's not unpleasant, and after a few uses I didn't even get bothered by the scent at all. I use the cleanser morning and night, after removing my makeup.
• Wasabi Toner: Next up is the Wasabi toner, which has a very light, pleasant scent and doesn't sting or burn the skin at all (really this whole kit is super gentle and great for sensitive skin like mine). The mist feels really refreshing, and for me helps me feel awake in the morning! The only thing I'll say about this toner is that the spray nozzle could be improved. It's a bit too narrow and forceful, which makes it hard to gently mist your face. I think I waste a lot of the product because I'm kind of squirting it all over, hoping to cover my face, and I only make my target once every few spritzes. If I were to do this again, I'd probably just buy another spray bottle with a wider nozzle and put the product in there so I didn't feel so wasteful.
• Wasabi Resurfacing Anti-Acne Gel: If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the Wasabi anti-acne resurfacing gel is probably the miracle product in the line, although the company does say that the ingredients are meant to work together across all of their products. I take one pump of this light, gel-like serum and put it all over my face (avoiding the eye area) twice a day. It dries pretty quickly and absorbs into the skin without any residue. From an ingredient standpoint, it contains 4-5% niacinamide, which is vitamin B3, and apparently clinically recognized as an ingredient that reduces redness and inflammation.
• Zit Zapper: As you need it, you can use the zit zapper (I only use it at night) on any acne spots or blemishes. It comes in a little roller ball for easy application and contains salicylic acid, which anyone who has acne issues should be very familiar with! I haven't used this a ton, and honestly am not sure that it's quite as effective as it may claim to be (or quite as effective as sulfur-based acne spot treatments), but the extra dose of acne medication can never hurt, and I do like how portable and easy to travel with the product is.

I'm going to go into detail about the rest of the products I received in part 2, but I do want to mention that after using the three products above in the morning, I also finish off with an eye cream and daytime moisturizer that has an SPF 50 (how awesome is that?). Then at night I use two extra products that may just be my favorite of the whole bunch, so I can't wait to tell you about them.

Now for my favorite part: the results. I swear to you, my skin has not been this clear and even in MONTHS. I have tried so many different acne kits and never noticed much of a difference at all. But my blemishes have most definitely reduced significantly, my redness has improved, as have the appearance of my acne scars, and I can even say that my skin has been less oily overall. At first I felt like it was a lot of steps to do twice a day, but once I started to see that things were actually working, I became more than happy to spend an extra 10 minutes in the bathroom. I have struggled with acne for so long that I feel so relieved to have finally found a product line that appears to jive with what my skin needs/wants.

Of course, it's important to note that we all have different skin types, so I can't promise that everyone will get the same results -- but if my other likes/dislikes in skincare have resonated with you, I'd encourage you to give this line a shot and see if it works for you as well. In truth, I've actually really wanted to keep the giveaway kit for myself, because I love it so much, but definitely wouldn't want to cheat you guys out of the opportunity to give this stuff a try. :)

If you want to try these products, or any other products on their site, the folks at Derma MD have been kind enough to set up a special promo code for Beauty Babble readers. Just head to www.dermamdskincare.com and use the promo code "Gabby" in your shopping cart and you'll receive a whopping 50% off your order! I know that the prices for these products are a little high, so hopefully this helps make them more affordable for you -- and I know I'll be using the promo code myself to stock up for when I run out of the ones I've got.

Like I said, I'll be posting the second part of this review early next week and will give you all of the information that you need to enter the giveaway, so stay tuned for more soon.

Have you tried anything from Derma MD's skincare line? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Sigma Makeup Brushes: Four Years Later

I can't believe that it's been over 4 years since I started writing this blog! Time really does fly. :) I still remember being around when the YouTube beauty community was in its infancy and Sigma makeup brushes were ALL the rage. Everyone talked about how they were the absolute best alternate to MAC brushes, which were so crazy expensive that most folks couldn't afford to buy them. And like many girls, I rushed to load up my brush collection with Sigma brushes, buying what now seems like a crazy 27 brushes in one go. Truth be told, I went through a bit of a crazy makeup phase in 2010 altogether, and am still trying to work through a lot of the products that I bought that year!

That said, at the time I wrote a glowing rave review on my Sigma brushes and followed up with a blog post on how to clean/take care of them. For the most part, I don't really take back much of what I said in those original posts, but needless to say, I thought it would be interesting to share a unique perspective on how these brushes hold up after four years of nearly daily use.

Let's start with a couple of generalizations, and then I'll get into some specifics around certain brushes. Overall, I find that Sigma's eye brushes hold up WAY better over time than their face brushes. Of the 12 face brushes that I started with back in 2010, a mere four of them remain in my collection to-date. Over time, I found that even with gentle care, their densely packed blush and powder brushes just started to shed all over the place, and that is a huge pet peeve of mine. There's nothing more annoying than having to spend 10 minutes picking tiny brush hairs off your face after using a brush. Several of the other brushes just got really coarse or lost their shape over time and wound up in the trash can.

That said, of the 15 eye brushes that I purchased, I still have 13 of them in my collection, and of those 13, I actually lost one of them, so really and truly only one eye shadow brush has gone in the trash in 4 years. The brush that I tossed was their goat-hair pencil brush (was the SS219, not totally certain what it's called now) because the fibers got so incredibly coarse that it actually became painful to use. Outside of that one brush, the only other obvious wear has been in the form of two of the synthetic blending brushes shedding consistently -- the SS224 blending brush continues to shed a lot and has lost some of its softness, but is still useable. The SS??? (all the writing has rubbed off sorry!) blending tapered brush honestly isn't tapered any more, as most of the brush hairs have fallen out, but it still works as a great crease brush so I don't mind all that much. Outside of that the only complaint that I can make is that some of the lighter colored brushes have taken on some staining over time, but I think that's probably normal and partially my fault, since I don't clean them every single day.

The latest brushes to bite the dust

Specific to the face brushes, outside of the shedding, the large foundation brush (SS190) that I complained about having a loose handle 4 years ago is still hanging on, but since it hasn't fallen off the brush still gets some use every now and again (although I've primarily moved on to Real Techniques for face brushes, which I'll talk about in another blog post). The brush that lasted me the longest and only recently met its maker was the angled contour brush (SS168), which like the pencil brush, just became so coarse that it was uncomfortable to use (that and the fibers totally lost their shape so it wasn't very effective any more).

All in all, I am highly impressed with how the eyeshadow brushes have lasted and truly believe that I can easily get another 4 years out of them, which makes them tremendously worth the cost. I know Sigma's prices have gone up over the 4 years (I originally got 27 brushes and a brush roll for $225 and now their 29 brush kit is over $400), but their brushes are still cheaper than MAC brushes, so among the higher-end brush market, I believe they are still a good deal.

Would I recommend buying their face brushes? I'm not honestly sure. I don't think I'd buy back the ones I had in their original collections, but they have expanded their line SO much in four years that I might try some of their newer lines, like the Sigmax Kabuki Kit or Mr./Mrs. Bunny line -- those look to be made of different material that may hold up better with less shedding.

Have you ever purchased brushes from Sigma Beauty? Have they held up over time? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Review: EcoTools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge

Shannon Sullivan, one of my current favorite YouTubers, recently started using a konjac sponge to clean her face, so it was through her videos that I first heard of the idea of using a facial sponge. I had wanted to try one and probably would have purchased one in my next VitaCost haul, but instead I got lucky enough to receive something very similar in my most recent VoxBox from Influenster! This sponge was by the brand EcoTools, which just so happens to be a favorite brand of mine, so I was doubly excited to try it.

The promise of this product is that it's a gentle cleansing and exfoliating alternative to some of the more popular motorized cleansing products on the market, like the Clarisonic. Personally, I had tried the Clarisonic years ago and really didn't like it -- even when using the sensitive brush head, I found it to be way too harsh and irritating on my sensitive skin, and I actually felt like it made my skin MORE oily because it was buffing away too many of the natural oils on my face. I know many people really like the Clarisonic, so it's definitely an individual experience -- it just wasn't for me.

The EcoTools sponge is specifically marketed as being good for sensitive skin. It's made with 100% natural ingredients, is fragrance and colorant free, and made with konjac, which is a root plant that grows in south Asian countries. I've done some research on konjac, and it appears to have a lot of infused minerals and vitamins in it, and has special properties that make it particularly gentle (this site has an interesting explanation). Although I'm not certain how much of those ingredients are infused in the EcoTools sponge, I can most definitely attest to its gentleness!

When I first took the sponge out of the packaging, like any kitchen sponge you'd buy, it was really hard and rigid. But just like the box says, it becomes incredibly soft and supple the moment you get it wet. The sponge also has a tapered edge on one side, which makes it great for getting into the creases and crevices, especially around your nose.

I've been using the sponge for about 2 weeks now, and I'm still not sure if I see a huge difference in my skin because of it, but it certainly makes for a more luxurious and pampering kind of face washing experience, and I'm enjoying having it in my routine. I guess time will tell if any of the benefits truly pay off.

The box claims that the sponge can last for 1-3 months, which is a kind of large window if you ask me. My one complaint is that even after ringing out the sponge and laying it on the side of my sink to dry between washes, if I use the sponge twice a day it never really fully dries between uses. I know that wet things can harbor bacteria much more than dry things, so it makes me think that the shelf life of this sponge might be way closer to the 1 month mark than the 3 month mark, although in doing some research I've found that some people sterilize their sponges by placing them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes or by placing them in a bowl of warm water and microwaving for 2 minutes. I haven't tried this yet, so I'm not sure if it works or if it ruins the fibers, but I can let you know in a few weeks if that's of interest.

At just $5.99 per sponge, it's really affordable, especially compared against the price of Clarisonic brush heads, and even within the konjac sponge market (Boscia charges $18 for their sponge and even Dr. Sponge charges $8.50).

Have you used a konjac sponge in your beauty routine? Share your thoughts below!

Review: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish

As I mentioned yesterday, as part of the Influenster Vow VoxBox, I received a complimentary bottle of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish in the color Barracuda, which is a light blue that goes along with the bridal theme of the VoxBox. And since you already know that I am semi-obsessed with nail polish (I counted the other day and I have more than 40 colors...yikes), I tried this one the day that it arrived in the mail.

I loved the color immediately and got a ton of compliments from my co-workers, but wanted to test it out a second time and document the experience for you guys so you could get a really thorough review. Let's start with what the Web site claims this product is supposed to be -- 7 products in one -- a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, top coat, chip-resistant and gel shine. It claims that the "unique precision brush" and "VitaCare technology" leads to a flawless finish and 10-day wear. It also provides swatches for the 60 colors available (wow), although I'll say right off the bat that the color they have listed for my shade, Barracuda, really isn't a great match (their swatch is much more gray and muted than the actual polish).

Generally speaking, I really love the color and I think the application is standard. The pic stitch really shows the progression of my nails -- the top right is after the first coat (pretty thin and streaky), the middle picture is after the second coat (getting there although not 100% opaque) and then the bottom picture is after 3 coats. The big picture is three coats plus a top coat, because even though they say this has a built in top-coat, I'm not sure I trust it. :)

I'm not sure how I feel about the "unique precision brush" because I actually found it to be too big to really be precise on my small fingernails. It does have a tapered edge, which is hard to see in the picture, but I found that the brush nearly covered my entire nailbed in one stroke, which made it a little hard to get in the corners. However, for some this could be ideal, because it means you can paint your nails faster.

I'm not sure that this polish really lives up to the 10-day, chip-resistant claim, but I will say that the two times I've worn the polish it has lasted longer than I expected, and that's 4-5 days. Typically nail polish tends to chip on me pretty quickly (within a day or 2) so this definitely exceeded my expectations! And although I think you'd really need to wear this polish consistently over a period of time to notice the effects of the growth treatment and strengthener, I did feel like my nails were stronger and longer after wearing this polish (whereas with other polishes I wear my nails always feel more brittle and breakable afterwards).

I've had some poor experiences with Sally polishes in the past, but this one gets an A in my book. Have you tried any Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes before? If so, let me know what you thought and what your favorite color was!

Always a Bridesmaid: The Influenster Vow VoxBox

As you know, I'm part of an online influencer community called Influenster, and every quarter or so, I get a wonderful box of products to try and tell you guys about. Recently, I qualified for the Vow VoxBox, which made me a laugh a little, because it's clearly geared toward women getting married, and although I am attending four weddings this year (and am a bridesmaid or maid of honor in two of them), I am about as far away from marriage as a gal can get.

At the end of the day, it meant that a couple of the products (like a coupon for a free wedding web site) just weren't relevant to me, but I'll still give you a rundown of what was in the box (and a sneak peek of what I plan to blog about shortly!).

1. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish in a gorgeous shade called Barracuda -- it really is the perfect bridal blue (and stay tuned, because a Nail of the Day featuring this color and my review of it is coming next!).
2. A Tide to Go pen -- ladies, I don't care if it's your wedding or not, this is something I keep in my bag at ALL times because I am a perennial spiller and can't seem to get food into my mouth. Although it's not good for all fabrics/colors, it works wonderfully on simple cotton or poly-blend items and can really save you when you're in a pinch.
3. An Eco-Tools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge -- Eco Tools is a great brand that I really love, and there has been SO much hype around these facial sponges lately that I was really excited to get this guy. Review coming soon!
4. Pure Silk shaving cream and Olay Regenerist Luminous, both of which I am gifting to my best friend Melissa who is indeed a bride, since the ingredients don't quite meet my eco-standards. So maybe she'll review them on her blog soon. :)
5. A coupon for a Riley & Grey wedding website, which again, doesn't quite apply in this situation.

Overall, it was bit hit or miss, but I was super excited to receive the first three products and look forward to sharing more about them soon. Thanks Influenster!

Aveda loves its Customers! All about their awesome birthday freebie.

Lately, I feel like I've been talking about the fact that I work in marketing a lot (sorry, I hope it's not getting annoying). But I say it because I think it predisposes me to be a bit more critical of companies. I don't just care about the actual products that they sell, but I care about the WAY they sell them and how they treat their customers. Ultimately, no retail company would be able to exist if we, the customers, never bought their stuff. Yet so many companies take us for granted and act greedily, or just don't treat us like they have our best interests at heart.

Not the case with one of my favorite skin care, hair care and body care companies, Aveda! I've been shopping at Aveda for years, as I feel like their brand really fits me -- I'm not a crazy tree hugger, but I have a true appreciation for the power of plants and natural, earth-based beauty products. Although their products aren't 100% safe/non-toxic, they are all formulated without parabens, phthalates and sodium lauryl sulfate, which for many people are the "big three" to avoid, and for the most part when I review the ingredient labels, I don't see a ton of stuff that I find particularly startling.

Now, aside from my love for Aveda, I should also mention that July is my birthday month, and there's nothing I love more than beauty products and celebrating my birthday, than celebrity my birthday with FREE beauty products. A lot of companies have started instituting various loyalty and retention programs that reward you with something special on your birthday, but boy oh boy do those rewards vary. At DSW, I got a $5 off coupon. At Sephora, as I'm sure you're all familiar with, I got a Make Up for Ever sample with a mini lipstick and mascara (probably worth a similar $5). Stuff like this is nice, and I certainly enjoy receiving anything at all, but in the scheme of things it doesn't move the needle a whole lot in terms of increasing my spend with the company or making me love them more as a brand.

Aveda, on the other hand, has got it right. I got a coupon in the mail saying that if I came into the store I would get to enjoy their Pure-Fume experience where they give you a free beauty product made with a custom blended aroma of your choice. Now, I was expecting to walk in, get to sniff a few scents and walk out with a travel sized perfume sample, but that wasn't the case at all. The woman helping me sat down and showed me a chart of aromatherapy oils, then explained the essence of the scent and what emotion each was supposed to help with (i.e. calmness, energy, comfort, etc.). In between sniffing each, she asked me to sniff some coffee beans to neutralize the scent (how fancy) until we found the "one" that really spoke to me. When we found my scent, she asked if I wanted it mixed into a body lotion, shower gel or perfume, and I asked for a body lotion.

From there she disappeared behind the counter and returned to hand me a giant, 6.7 fl oz bottle of hydrating body lotion mixed with my scent. I was floored! I never expected to receive a full-size product! I stopped to ask the woman if this was right, and if I was being given the birthday gift meant for VIP customers or something, but she just smiled and said she hoped I enjoyed the lotion. I thanked the woman, left and immediately visited the Aveda web site where I saw that their 6.7 oz body lotions typically cost $27!  

Normally, companies really do reserve these super special, expectation-exceeding moments for their very best customers, of which I don't think I fit, as I spend roughly $50-$100 a year at the store, at most. But this showed me that they really do appreciate me as a customer and appreciate the business I bring into the store, regardless of the amount. And really and truly, it's elevated how I feel about the brand, and may very well make me think a little harder about other products from their line that I'd like to try.

If you want to learn more about Aveda, you can visit their Web site, and if you too want to get an awesome birthday freebie like I did, simply sign up for their emails and they'll send you a coupon in your birthday month. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Are there other companies that do a really great job at showing they appreciate you? Let me know in the comments below, even if they are outside the beauty industry!

How I fell OUT of love with Tweezerman tweezers: Sharpening Review

If you follow my blog regularly, you may recall that a few weeks ago I posted about my experience at the Benefit Brow Bar, and in that post, I commented that I was there to try out the service specifically because my Tweezerman tweezers had become dull and no longer gripped and plucked my eyebrows as they used to.

What I may or may not have failed to mention in that post is that I'm a bit of an eyebrow phenom. First thing I do every morning as I sit down to do my makeup is flip my mirror over to the magnifying side and stare at my eyebrows. For some super strange reason I get such joy out of finding those sneaky dark hairs trying to mess up my brows and then yanking them out (is it just me?). So when I bought my Tweezerman tweezers a few years ago, I breathed a hefty sigh of relief and said to myself: "Finally! I have found that magical pair of tweezers that I will own for life thanks to their free sharpening guarantee!" Since the tweezers were over $20 (plus tax), and I had been used to buying the $5 or less cheapies at the drug store, this was a big splurge for me. But I had heard from countless people that these were the creme de la creme, and the reviews online were nothing but stellar.

In all fairness, the tweezers DID do a great job for the first 2 or so years that I had them. At first, dare I say, they were TOO sharp and I had to be careful not to cut or pinch my skin with them. But slowly over time, and quite naturally I assumed, the tips became dull and eventually would only grip the longest, most easily accessible hairs, which didn't do me much good.

So off they went to the free sharpening gods and, true to their word, it took a whole 6 weeks for my tweezers to arrive back in my possession. It not only cost me $6 to ship the tweezers to their New York office, but also cost me ~$40 in eyebrow waxes that I simply had to get while I was waiting for their return (ok, maybe I could have purchased a cheap pair of tweezers to tide me over, and true, they didn't charge for return shipping, so I should give credit where credit is due).

I was SO excited to get my tweezers back, and initially, I was SO impressed. They packaged my tweezers in a really nice leather storage case and added a protective plastic "shield" to the tips. But then I went to use them, and said to myself, "Wait a minute, these aren't working any better than when I shipped them in the first place." At first I tried to convince myself that my tweezing technique was just a bit rusty after a six week break. But I've now been using the tweezers for a month and it isn't getting any better.

No joke, it seems as though the fancy tweezer gods didn't do a darn thing to the tweezers that I sent them. No matter how I turn the tweezers, grip the tweezers, switch hands or angles, the damn thing will not grip my eyebrow hairs. The experience has turned my favorite morning ritual into one that I now dread, because I know that I will be taunted by those annoying little hairs that I can no longer pull out with the flick of a wrist.

If this were just a normal pair of tweezers, I wouldn't care a lick. But when you promise to the world that these are top-of-the-line, that you'll have them for a "lifetime," and that there is free sharpening to guarantee all this, the company really has to deliver! There's nothing that disappoints or angers me more than a company that makes false promises to try and sell their product.

At the end of the day, the tweezers still did their job for 2 years, so I probably paid the same amount for my Tweezerman tweezers as I would have for a number of cheapies that get duller faster. But people let's be real. Don't sell me some snake oil and tell me it's a cure for cancer.

Have you ever purchased a pair of Tweezerman tweezers and had them sharpened? Did your experience go better than mine? Let me know in the comments below.

Nail of the Day: OPI's Mermaids Tears from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection

I seem to be on a cool color kick these days, despite the fact that you'd think summer is the perfect time for all of your gorgeous pinks, reds and oranges. I wanted to do something a bit more funky and different so I chose Mermaids Tears from OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection. It's definitely an unusual color and not one that I wear often. 

Surprisingly, this polish has pretty decent opaqueness -- it took just two coats to get the solid finish shown here. 

Is there life left in my lipstick? How to get the most of your makeup with Every Drop

Let's start with the obvious: beauty products 'aint cheap. Then, if you want to use mostly natural and organic makeup, that can feel like the understatement of the year (shouldn't the products that are good for you be MORE accessible rather than less?). Add to the situation the fact that I am most definitely operating on a beauty budget and don't have free reign to purchase whatever I'd like, whenever I'd like to, and it becomes that much more important for me to fully use up the products that I do buy and enjoy.

Of course, here's where the manufacturers dupe us! They put lip glosses in extra long plastic tubes where neither the brush nor a Q-tip can reach, leaving a giant glop of product stuck at the bottom. Foundations are in odd-shaped glass bottles where product clings to the sides and feels irretrievable. Lipstick manufacturers try to trick you into thinking that you've used up the product when it no longer twists up past the top, but secretly they've stored a good inch of product below the surface. And don't get me started on perfumes! How many times has an expensive scent's pump just magically stopped working with plenty of product left inside, yet the top doesn't come off no matter what you do?

I can't say that I've solved the perfume problem, but I have made headway when it comes to scraping out every last drop of other hard-to-reach items like foundation, lip gloss, lipstick and anything that comes in a tube (eyeshadow primer, concealer, face primer, etc.), primarily thanks to a product line by that very name: Every Drop.

Perhaps off topic, but in case you didn't know, I am pretty obsessed with The Container Store (so obsessed that I have been to TWO grand openings in the last year). Now, you may have never really thought of The Container Store as a great place to shop for beauty items, but their displays at the front of the store almost always have some awesome beauty hack items (in addition to the products I'm about to talk about, I've also gotten a really fun Herban Essentials aromatherapy towelette kit from this section and an adorable sunglasses-shaped contact case).

The last time I was there, I was desperately searching for a few low-price items to push my order over the $100 mark (I was at $90 and if you spent $100 or more you got a free $15 gift card for your next visit). While I'm searching through the racks I spot these babies:

At $3.99 and $4.99 each, the price was perfect and I just knew that I could put them to good use. Let's talk about the Beauty Spatula on the left first.

• This thing totally saved me when my Gabriel Cosmetics foundation (beautiful glass bottle, but incredibly hard to get all the product that clings to the sides out) started to run out. The unique tapered and flexible edge of the tool allowed me to get into nearly every crevice of the bottle, and it kept me going in foundation for 2 weeks after I normally would have tossed it.
• As the packaging says, the other great thing about this tool is that it's made of plastic, not cotton like a q-tip, so it doesn't absorb any of the product that you're trying to scrape out, rather it's all there for you to actually use!
• Although I didn't need the length this time, another cool thing to point out is just how long this tool is. So if you're trying to scrape the last bit of shampoo or body lotion out of a tall container, this baby's got you covered in that arena too. 
• My ONLY gripe about this guy is that it's actually a bit harder to clean than you would imagine, and because the tip is white, it's got a tendency to stain a bit. I routinely wiped mine off with a tissue after each use, but tiny bits of makeup tend to get stuck on the underside of the wand and in the crevices where the tip meets the base. Even when I rubbed it with rubbing alcohol, I couldn't get it 100% clean. Since I know the alcohol disinfects I am fine continuing to use it, but they may want to make the tip removable so that you can fully clean it at every angle.

Now let's talk about the lip spatula!

 

• All of the benefits that I previously talked about definitely still apply here, although the cool thing is that this guy can actually be used as an applicator as well. I've tried it out with both lipstick and lip gloss, and although I didn't think it did a great job at applying lipstick (it's not quite flexible enough to truly apply to the contours of your lips, it works great with lip gloss. 
• For some reason I find this one easier to clean and I love that the tip is pink (plus I've noticed less staining on this one -- I think the tip is actually made of a less porous, more rigid material here, which might be helping). 

When scraping out the last drips and drabs of your lipstick tube, I actually like using my Sigma lip brush the best, because it can get the product out and be used as an applicator. Using my lip brush has allowed me to extend the life of my favorite retired MAC lipstick shade for 2 whole months! Like I said, you'd never know just how much lipstick is actually left in the tube if it was up to the makeup companies...just try it next time you think you've used up your lipstick and you'll be shocked!

Theres's one other product I want to talk about quickly. I purchased mine at The Container Store, but notice that Every Drop also sells a variety of these (and they may be better, but I can't say since I haven't tried them myself). The product I got was the Squeeze Ease Tube Squeezers to help with the annoying problem of product being stuck up inside a tube -- you know it's there, but you just can't get to it! The premise behind this product is that it squeezes out the air within the tube so that it pushes the product down and it can't escape back up into the tube. As you move it down, it shifts the product toward the nozzle so you can squeeze it out easier.

Although my tube squeezers worked ok on medium sized tubes like a toothpaste tube, I found them to be less effective on smaller tubes for beauty items because the seal wasn't tight enough. Conversely on larger items, the tail end of the tube was actually too big for the tube squeezer to fit around. So, great in concept, but lacking a bit in practice.

All in all, having these tools at my disposal has saved me a lot of money and has kept me from needing to run out and buy new versions of my favorite products as quickly. Do you have any tips or tricks for sticking to your beauty budget or using up every last drop of your products? Let me know in the comments section below!

Review: Michael Todd True Organics Acne/Oily Skin Regimen

I've been sitting on doing this review for more than 6 months now, because I wanted to make sure I was giving you the most robust and fair information. More often than not, I find that people do these skin care product reviews after only using the stuff for a few weeks, but I truly believe that the test comes with time. It's easy for you to feel like you're seeing dramatic results after a few uses, probably because your excitement over having a new product colors your perspective. But after using something over the course of a few months you have a much better idea as to the impact the products are having on your skin. One other thing to keep in mind: I have very oily, acne-prone skin, and even beyond that, the quality and receptiveness of my skin to certain products will always be a very individual experience. So use these reviews as a foundation to craft your opinion, but remember that your results may be markedly different!

Let's start with the positives:

• The folks at Michael Todd truly make an effort to eliminate the most widely recognized "harmful" ingredients. All of his products are paraben-free, sulfate-free and free of phthalates, triclosan, formaldehyde and other really toxic stuff. Most are 90%+ vegan, and although these products aren't listed in the Cosmetics Database, I checked some of the ingredients that sounded less familiar and nothing came up as higher than a 4 on the toxicity scale.
• The products are all incredibly gentle, which is great for my sensitive skin. Nothing I used made me breakout or feel irritated, and even the toner was gentle, with absolutely no stinging.
• Most of the products come in big containers that last a long time. I've been using the face wash for more than 6 months and am just now finishing my second bottle. I'm less than halfway through my second bottle of the toner, and because I use scrubs sparingly, I've still got about 1/5 left of the scrub (I rescind this comment when it comes to the serum and moisturizer, which I'll comment on shortly).
• I really do like the Charcoal Detox cleanser. It's probably my favorite product from the line and something I would definitely repurchase in the future. The gel cleanser consistency feels great on the skin, and it really does an excellent job at removing makeup without ever making your skin feel tight or stripped. A small amount goes a long way, so again, the product will last you a long time.

Now we need to talk the negatives:

• The company's practices give me the skivvies a bit. They border way too close to those infomercial/used car salesman marketing tactics that just rub me the wrong way and make me wonder if anything they are saying is actually true. Case in point -- they position their regimens (and a number of other products) as "on sale" with great discounts that are valid only until a certain date. But I have visited their site tens of times and this regimen has never once NOT been on sale at that same deep discount. As a marketer myself, I understand that this makes people feel more urgency to buy the product NOW, but as a customer, I want companies to not treat me like an idiot.
• The packaging for their serums (and some moisturizers) is TERRIBLE. They are put in packaging with a pump that cannot be removed, so once the pump gets clogged, malfunctions or just can't reach the rest of the product, you're stuck and have to just throw the product out. This happened with my carrot facial serum, which ran out after less than 1 month of using one tiny half pump per day.
• I'm really not convinced that these products are the be-all, end-all of acne skincare. Sure, if you look on their web site they show one picture of a woman whose cystic acne was completely cured using these products, but I'm skeptical. I found the cleanser to be very effective, but didn't feel like the other products did much at all, and they certainly did not cure my acne. If you have hormonal acne, or acne caused by something going on INSIDE your body (not just acne because you sleep in your makeup and never wash your face), no skin care regimen is going to completely change your biology. So buy these products with a grain of salt, use them for what their worth and just temper your expectations.

Talking specifically about the products, I also really like the Jojoba Charcoal facial scrub. It's a medium grit scrub that does the job without being overly abrasive. The color is black (as is the cleanser), so it might startle you a bit initially, but if you can get past that, it does a nice job. I'd pass on the moisturizers and serums, as I think you can get a much better product at a better price, and I'd say the toner is very take it or leave it (I don't notice an effect from using it at all).

I previously did a review on the Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Facial Mask and that stuff I LOVE. It's got glycolic acid in it so it gives you a great peel, and the smell/texture is just like pumpkin puree. Check out that full review for more information. :)

Have you ever tried products from the Michael Todd True Organics line? If so, tell me what you think in the comments below!

Nail of the Day: OPI's What's With the Cattitude?

Even though we're super close to summer, I felt in the mood for a springy nail color today, so I chose one that's been in my collection for a while, but that I haven't pulled out in a very long time: OPI's What's With the Cattitude, which was part of the Shrek collection back in 2010!

Although I love the end result, I can't help but admit that the application was incredibly streaky and transparent. It took three coats to get an opaque look and even then it was a bit streaky on a few nails. Not totally sure if that's because the polish is 4 years old or because it's just not the best formulation!

Either way, I'm already enjoying the pretty robin's egg blue!

Review: Gabriel Cosmetics Moisturizing Liquid Foundation

When it comes to switching over to natural and organic makeup, some products -- blush, powder,

bronzer, eye shadow, even eye liner -- are super easy to find. I've always said that just because I want to use natural products doesn't mean that I want to compromise on quality, and in those areas, your choices, shades and formulas are plentiful. Unfortunately, when you start looking at things like foundation, concealer and mascara, suddenly your choices feel more limited. There are lots of BAD products out there -- mascaras that don't do anything or dry out after a week,; concealers that give no coverage or are either too liquidy or too sticky; and foundations? Well that's the mack-daddy of bad. I'm talking no coverage, poor color selection, formulas I don't care for (i.e. loose powder or cream compact) and can we say expensive?

I had heard of Gabriel Cosmetics, but after a few bad experiences with buying natural foundations online, I was a little skeptical at buying yet another product from a Web site where I couldn't see the colors or test the formula beforehand. Then I found out my local Whole Foods carried a selection of their products, and even better, had a 100% refund policy if I wasn't satisfied, even if I had tried the product a few times. Now, even though they had some testers out, the woman wasn't all that excited about helping me after pointing me in the right direction, so I still had to do some experimenting in terms of looking at the colors. And between my rush to finish grocery shopping and the poor lighting in the store, I did a quick formulation check on the back of my hand, grabbed the lightest two shades (pale ivory and soft beige) and hit the checkout.

At this point it's been a good 6 months since I made those purchases and I've just about used up the product, so let's talk pros and cons:

Pros:

• This may be the best formulation of natural foundation that I've tried. A lot of companies say their products are buildable, and sadly that often turns out to be a lie, especially if you are truly looking for a full coverage foundation. Yet this product absolutely is. You can so easily use a small amount and get very sheer coverage that just evens out your complexion. But pile on a bit more product and you totally and completely achieve a full coverage look.
• Even better than the fact that you can choose how much coverage you want is the consistency and finish. This stuff is like silk. Whether you are piling on a little or a lot, the foundation dries to a satin, only slightly dewy finish. Your face looks fresh and healthy, and not oily, although I still choose to powder after because I prefer a matte finish. If you have dry or normal skin and have trouble with foundations feeling tight on your face, this would be perfect for you.
• The foundation comes with natural sunscreen ingredients so you don't have to worry about using a separate sunscreen or be concerned about harmful ingredients that have snuck in.
• While definitely not cheap, at $28 for 1oz the product is totally comparable to other mid-end foundations, yet a heck of a lot less than something like the $45 you'll shell out for Chanel or NARS.

Cons:

• It wouldn't be a fair review if I didn't point out the two cons to this foundation. The first is that the packaging is glass and doesn't come with a pump. In fact not only does it not come with a pump, but despite searching, I didn't even see any options to BUY a pump (something that a company like NARS does offer). This means that I wound up using clean q-tips each day to scoop out the right amount of product, as tipping it over onto my hand inevitably had me pouring out way too much and thus wasting it. 
• The color range is a bit limited, and I wound up having to mix the two shades that I purchased to get a good match (Pale Ivory was way too pale, even for my very fair skin, and the pink undertones in Soft Beige were way too pink for my more neutral skin). The line has 11 shades, which is a bit light in comparison to the 20 shades of NARS Sheer Matte or the 15 shades of Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation. For my next purchase, I'm tempted to try the Neutral Beige color, which says it's for light/medium skin with neutral undertones, but since I really am very fair, I'm a bit nervous that the undertones will be right but the color will be too dark. In fact the company actually carries another brand of natural makeup called ZuZu, which seems to have more options for people with light skin like me, so I may try that as well.

Overall, I am pleased with my purchase and feel like I could definitely recommend the foundation to others looking for a product that performs well and doesn't make you worried about the ingredients! 

Have you tried the Gabriel Cosmetics foundation or any of their other products? If so, let me know what you think in the comments below!

My Experience at the Benefit Brow Bar

For a long stretch of my adolescence, I religiously got my eyebrows waxed by the same amazing aesthetician in my home town. I trusted her, she took her time and the results were amazing -- and affordable. But as I got older, started earning my own money and...ahem...needed to start sticking to a budget, eyebrow waxes were one of the little things that I decided I could live without.

I invested in the creme-de-la-creme of tweezers (i.e. Tweezerman) and with their lifetime free sharpening guarantee, figured I was set. Amazingly, the tool stayed sharp enough to effectively tweeze my brows for no less than 2 1/2 years. But then overnight the blades became so dull that they wouldn't grip a single hair, and I realized it was a sign that professional sharpening was overdue. So, I sent off my tweezers and read that they'd be returned to me within 4-6 weeks....wait, 4-6 weeks? That's fine and all, but seeing as these were my only pair of tweezers and that I would start to resemble a Neanderthal after not plucking a single hair for 6 weeks, I realized a return to waxing would be in order.

Since I was getting my hair done at ULTA, I decided to make an appointment at the Benefit Brow Bar to see what the fuss was all about. Sure I stared longingly over at the Benefit counter each time I came into ULTA, but I never really understood what would make this any better or different than any other wax.

My experience began right on time and I perched myself into the chair, which was a little different than the laying-on-a-table wax that I'm used to. Dianna -- the aesthetician -- so kindly took the before picture of my brows shown below (Hi Dianna, if you're reading this!) and then began penciling in a shape. This was differentiator number one, because previously I've just had the aesthetician dive in with the wax and start stripping away the hair. But Dianna took her time, carefully adding color and removing it as necessary until arriving at a shape she liked. It made it feel like a more personal, custom experience, as she took into account the rest of my features and the shape that would work best for me. I professed to not loving my straight across brows and wanting more of an arch, so Dianna promised she'd make that happen.

From there we moved into the waxing and tweezing, which seemed to hurt less than usual, although I'm not sure why, the two of us chatting all the while about beauty products, making friends in a new city and the benefits of tweezing vs. waxing. When my brows were in good shape, Dianna proceeded with differentiator number two and something I've NEVER had done during an eyebrow wax -- she pulled out some concealer and worked to lightly cover up all of the spots that otherwise would have been bright red and made me look like an alien for several hours. This small touch was so delightful! 

She then proceeded to ask if she could touch up my foundation a bit (I guess I was looking a little chalky) and after talking casually about a few Benefit products that might work for me, I was on my way. No high-pressure sales pitch for Benefit products, no attempt at forcing me into making another appointment -- let's call this differentiator number three (as this is something you're usually subjected to at salons and spas, and it 'aint pleasant!). The whole appointment took 30 minutes and I never once felt as though she was rushing, even though there was clearly an impatient woman waiting to have her appointment begin after mine.

Since I had been growing my brows out for several weeks in anticipation of this appointment, I think I forgot for a minute just how much well-groomed brows can change your face. When I looked in the mirror with my freshly waxed eyebrows, my eyes looked larger and my whole demeanor seemed to shift. Somehow I felt just a little bit more confident!

So have I been converted back to a waxer with this experience? We'll see. Although the appointment was not outrageously expensive at $20, I would likely need a wax every 2-3 weeks to maintain my pristine look, and that can get expensive quickly. But I will say it was most certainly a pleasant experience and something I'd recommend to others AND consider doing as a treat for myself every once in a while.

Have you ever tried the Benefit Brow Bar at your local ULTA? Share your story in the comments section below!

Glamming it up with the Mary Kay Summer Glam Box from Influenster

I don't know about you guys, but there's little more that I find thrilling than the opportunity to try out a completely new brand of makeup, especially if it's something you'd never really considered before or wouldn't have voluntarily bought yourself. And thanks to my Influenster membership, I was recently selected to receive some complimentary Mary Kay products to test out and review for my social communities.

I'll be honest -- Mary Kay, along with other independent sales consultant driven businesses like Avon, Scentsy, Stella & Dot and the like, have always kind of freaked me out. Although I love beauty, makeup and jewelry, I absolutely HATE being subjected to a sales pitch or being pushed to buy products I don't absolutely love. And the one time I agreed to help out a lady in my community, who was a Mary Kay representative, with her "model portfolio," that is exactly what happened. She turned the situation into an opportunity to corner me and try to get me to buy stuff, even though her invite hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. I digress. All this to say that while I'm sure Mary Kay products are fantastic, I've never really thought about trying them because I've always been afraid that I'd lose the independence of buying what I want or need versus what I'm pressured into. More on this later!

As part of the #MKGlam Influenster program, I received a wonderful assortment of products all themed around creating a great summer look! Inside my box was:

• Cream Eye Color in Apricot Twist
• Translucent Loose Powder
• Lash Love Mascara
• NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Mango Tango
• Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black (with small applicator brush)
• Bronzing Powder in Light-Medium
• Mineral Cheek Color in Shy Blush
• A Cream Eye Color / Concealer Brush
• Large Powder Brush

(P-S: None of these are affiliate links, just here to be helpful!)

Since I received the products, I've been playing around with them and am excited to share my first impressions with you. Let's start with the products I love:

1. NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Mango Tango: This stuff is wonderful! When I first looked at the tube I got a little scared because the color looks quite bright and red, but in actuality this is the best of both worlds for a lip gloss. It's certainly pigmented, and pigmented enough that you don't actually need to wear a lipstick underneath, but it's not SO pigmented that you can't sheer out or build up the color to suit your preferences. This wound up being the perfect coral shade for summer and it's quickly become my go-to lip gloss that I carry around every day in my purse. (This product retails for $14, so it's mid-range in price.)
2. Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black: It'll be interesting to see how long this stuff lasts (I've had issues in the past with gel eyeliners drying up before I can use very much of them), but at first blush, this stuff is really great. You only need the tiniest amount to get dark black application, and it applied so smoothly without any weird clumps or chunks. I wish they carried this in more colors! (Retail price: $18)
3. Bronzing Powder: Since I'm fair skinned I have a hard time finding a powder that doesn't make my face look ruddy or muddy, but still gives me some color, and this definitely fit the bill! The pigment was just right and the texture was smooth and blendable. It has a very subtle shimmer to it that is just enough to create a sun-kissed glow and not make you look like a disco ball. (Retail price: $18)
   
4. Mineral Cheek Color: Guys, this is a total dupe for NARS Orgasm blush and at half the price (just $12!). I feel like that's enough said!

As for the products that fell flat for me:

1. Cream Eye Color in Apricot Twist: Unfortunately, with my super fair skin, this stuff just did not show up on my skin. I tried layering and layering and you couldn't even tell that I had put on any eyeshadow. I also wasn't crazy about the texture (very oily, in my opinion), but in general, I don't love cream eyeshadows, so it probably has less to do with this specific product. I would be excited to see how this looks on darker skin tones, as I imagine it would show up better. (Retail price: $14)
   
2. Translucent Loose Powder: Like cream eyeshadows, I'm also not generally a fan of loose powders -- they're just so messy! But I give Mary Kay credit for packaging this powder with a great click to open/close technology that actually helps keep things a little bit cleaner. That said, maybe I was just using too much of it, but despite the "translucent" name, this stuff actually made my fair skin look whiter and pretty chalky. I had to go back in with my typical powder afterward to smooth things out and add color to my face. (Retail price: $16)
3. Lash Love Mascara: I consider myself to be a mascara connoisseur -- I think it's one of my favorite beauty products and I am constantly trying out the latest and greatest from multiple brands. So this stuff, especially compared to my current favorite mascara (Too Faced's Better Than Sex) just didn't cut it in either the lengthening or volumizing categories. I found the application to be pretty sticky and despite multiple attempts at layering, it just didn't make my lashes longer or thicker. I also found it pretty challenging to remove at the end of the day, despite the fact that it's not a waterproof formula. (Retail price: $15)

All in all, I've really enjoyed getting the chance to try out products from this brand, and indeed it has made me curious about what else they have to offer. I also discovered that Mary Kay now allows you to complete online orders through their Web site rather than having to visit a consultant in person. Clearly this has its up and downs because you can't try the products before you buy them if you aren't seeing someone in person, but perhaps for me it's a better option as it eliminates the possibility of a hard sell. 

If you're interested in learning more about Mary Kay products or buying some yourself, you can visit their Web site at www.marykay.com -- from there you can place your order straight away or get set up with a consultant. 

Have you ever tried anything from Mary Kay? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

GIVEAWAY & Review! Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks

Over the last 6 months, I have really started getting into face masks. I'm not much of a bath-taker, so for me, a rich, luxurious mask is a great way to feel like I'm pampering myself and doing that little something extra to feel relaxed. For this reason, I was really excited to get a face mask to try in my most recent Influenster VoxBox, but as you may remember, I wasn't blown away by it and I clearly mentioned that in my blog post about the box. So when the company that had provided me with that particular face mask -- Montagne Jeunesse -- offered to send me some additional face masks to try AND sponsor a giveaway for the readers of my blog, I was super impressed. To me this really showed that the company cares about their customers, wants them to be satisfied, and wants to find something that works for them, rather than letting them judge an entire company or line by one product.

A few weeks later I had received an awesome sample pack of 5 face masks to try out --the anti-stress cucumber peel-off masque, the crushed spearmint tea tree pore cleaning facial, the crushed raspberry fruit smoothie masque, the hot chocolate self-heating face masque and the apricot scrub. And just so I'm being super clear, Montagne Jeunesse NEVER said that I had to provide a good review of their product in exchange for receiving these samples, nor did they say that I had to write a good review in exchange for the giveaway. So please know that all opinions that I share are true and mine alone.

In the two weeks since I received the sample pack, I've had a chance to use the hot chocolate masque and the apricot scrub, and I have absolutely loved them both. I am a chocolate FIEND so naturally the chocolate masque was the first that I wanted to try, and literally guys, it smells and feels like you are smearing your face with rich, creamy chocolate. It took all the will power I had to not want to eat the entire thing (that and the fact that it isn't actually edible, of course!). The masque had a faint hint of orange scent to it, but it wasn't overwhelming. And it self-heats as you apply it to your face, which feels wonderful, especially up here in the northeast where it's still pretty cold from winter. I left the mask on for about 15 minutes and it didn't get hard and crunchy like some masks do, but rather stayed pretty soft and smooth and was easy to rinse off with warm water. Afterward my face felt so smooth, refreshed and soft. Remember, I didn't actually like the first mask that I tried from this brand, so now I was 1 for 1 and curious to see what I'd think of the next product.

In all honesty, I really loved the apricot scrub too. For this mask, you were supposed to cleanse your face and then apply the scrub, massaging your skin as you go, before letting it sit for 10-15 minutes. The scent was deliciously fresh and fruity, but I will say that the exfoliating beads were moderately intense, so if you don't like that, you'd probably want to stay away from this one. I didn't feel like it was too rough or scratchy on my skin -- rather I liked the exfoliating power -- but if you are looking for a simple, very gentle scrub I wouldn't recommend this one. After about 10-15 minutes this one did harden on my face, but it was still really easy to rinse off with warm water. My favorite thing about this mask was just how much my skin glowed after I dried it off! It wasn't oily, but just looked so fresh and clean, the pores around my nose and cheeks looked visibly smaller (I have huge pores there) and when I applied my moisturizer you could just tell that my skin was soaking it up so much better.

I must admit that so far, this brand is converting me from a naysayer into a fan, and although I still want to try more products from them, I already know that I'd love to repurchase the chocolate mask for those special occasions, and maybe even include them in gift packs for friends in the future. At only about $2-$3 per mask, these babies are SO affordable and because they are individually packaged, you have the opportunity to try lots of different varieties instead of spending $20-$30 on just one type to use for a long time.

Now here's your chance to win a sample pack of 5 Montagne Jeunesse face masks of your own! Here are the rules to enter the giveaway:

1. Use the widget below to enter the contest, either by entering your email address or connecting with your Facebook account!
2. Leave a non-anonymous comment on this blog post telling me why you want to win this giveaway!
3. Use the widget to like Montagne Jeunesse's US Facebook page
4. You'll receive extra entries for Tweeting about the giveaway, but this is completely optional :)
5. You MUST be 18 years of age or have your parent's permission to enter the giveaway. Giveaway is open to residents in the United States and Canada only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway will be open for 2 weeks and once it closes, the winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours. I will also reply to your comment on this blog stating that you are the winner as an extra verification step so you feel secure. GOOD LUCK and feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions! :)

If you'd like to follow Montagne Jeunesse, they are all over social media! This is not a requirement of the giveaway, just sharing these links for fun!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/montagnejeuness

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/montagnejeuness

Instagram: http://instagram.com/montagnejeunesse