Some new and fairly new, wallet-friendly products I've been trying out recently. Read on to see what I think of them. * Some products featured here are press samples.
L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise OleoTherapy Deep Recovery Mask ($8.99; drugstore.com) - Its a deep conditioning mask that claims to nourish and soften hair that's prone to heat damage from styling. I've used it a few times now, always not more than once a week and quite like it. It does the job effectively and definitely softens hair to a good extent. The only qualm though is that the scent is quite strong and it leaves a bit of a residue behind that takes some elbow grease to wash off!
Burt's Bees Coconut and Pear Lip Balm ($3.29; drugstore.com) - Love this as a light, day lip balm. The scent is lovely - its a mild fruity scent mixed in with a bit of creamy coconut. The balm goes on clear and does the job well when my lips aren't too dry! There's also no minty tingle which is good considering that's how I prefer my lip products.
Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask with Active Charcoal ($6.99; ulta.com) - Its a quick, one minute mask that helps unclog pores and refresh tired skin. I like that Biore packed it as single use packs, great to travel with as well. The mask warms up on contact with water, doesn't dry, but does manage to leave skin feeling squeaky clean and bright when washed off. I left it on for about a minute and washed it off and followed up with a good moisturizer. Definitely an affordable mask from the drugstore I'd recommend.
St.Ives Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask and Even & Bright Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub ($4.29 each; drugstore.com) - Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask, is nice as a scrub than as a mark. Its creamy without too many large granules and washes off without leaving any kind of residue behind. It tends to dry me out quite a bit when left on the skin for a few minutes or when used as a mask. The Even & Bright on the other hand leave skin fresh and clean and oddly enough, isn't as drying as the Oatmeal Scrub. The granules aren't too large or scratchy, just some tiny ones in a creamy base, so if physical exfoliators with larger granules aren't your thing, this is a nice one to try. I can see myself reaching out to it a lot more, come summer.
Hard Candy Lashaholic Mascara ($7; walmart) - Lashaholic is Hard Candy's newest mascara. This is the first time I'm trying out anything from Hand Candy. Its a mascara that is supposed to lengthen, separate and volumize. But, I do feel its more of a separating mascara with very less volume and length. It does clump quite a bit, so be sure to use a lash comb if you have a clumping problem with most mascaras and or stubby lashes like mine. Its decent for the price, but could be a bit more lengthening and less clumping.
Essence Get BIG Lashes Triple Black Mascara ($3.99; ulta.com) - I haven't had much luck with essence mascaras, but this one is probably the best I've tried from the brand. It volumizes to an extent, lengthens well and doesn't leave lashes crunchy. Its not waterproof and removes off easily with any facial cleanser.
Clearsil Daily Clear® Refreshing Superfruit Scrub and Refreshing Superfruit Pads ($4.47 - $5; drugstore.com) - Both targeted at acne prone skin, so I don't use them regularly. Just when I have a blemish here and there when I need to quickly help calm it down. I love the scrub - its got fine granules with the least amount of grit and brightens very well. Its not drying and leaves skin super soft. The Superfruit Pads are a tad stronger though, especially on sensitive skin - they sting a bit when applied onto any blemish prone area. Its probably a quicker fix, but definitely stronger than the scrub and not something I would suggest on a regular basis, even if you have an acne problem. The zesty, Superfruit Scrub though, is a really refreshing one to try.
Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleansing Towelettes ($6; burtsbees.com) - I don't use wipes as a regular makeup remover, but they are useful while traveling, swatching a ton of things or to take care of small makeup mistakes. These ones by Burt's Bees smell fantastic and do the job effectively. I haven't tried it to remove eye makeup though, but its a refreshing wipe for the face. The towelettes are soft, 99% natural and great value for money!
L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise OleoTherapy Deep Recovery Mask ($8.99; drugstore.com) - Its a deep conditioning mask that claims to nourish and soften hair that's prone to heat damage from styling. I've used it a few times now, always not more than once a week and quite like it. It does the job effectively and definitely softens hair to a good extent. The only qualm though is that the scent is quite strong and it leaves a bit of a residue behind that takes some elbow grease to wash off!
Burt's Bees Coconut and Pear Lip Balm ($3.29; drugstore.com) - Love this as a light, day lip balm. The scent is lovely - its a mild fruity scent mixed in with a bit of creamy coconut. The balm goes on clear and does the job well when my lips aren't too dry! There's also no minty tingle which is good considering that's how I prefer my lip products.
Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask with Active Charcoal ($6.99; ulta.com) - Its a quick, one minute mask that helps unclog pores and refresh tired skin. I like that Biore packed it as single use packs, great to travel with as well. The mask warms up on contact with water, doesn't dry, but does manage to leave skin feeling squeaky clean and bright when washed off. I left it on for about a minute and washed it off and followed up with a good moisturizer. Definitely an affordable mask from the drugstore I'd recommend.
St.Ives Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask and Even & Bright Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub ($4.29 each; drugstore.com) - Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask, is nice as a scrub than as a mark. Its creamy without too many large granules and washes off without leaving any kind of residue behind. It tends to dry me out quite a bit when left on the skin for a few minutes or when used as a mask. The Even & Bright on the other hand leave skin fresh and clean and oddly enough, isn't as drying as the Oatmeal Scrub. The granules aren't too large or scratchy, just some tiny ones in a creamy base, so if physical exfoliators with larger granules aren't your thing, this is a nice one to try. I can see myself reaching out to it a lot more, come summer.
Hard Candy Lashaholic Mascara ($7; walmart) - Lashaholic is Hard Candy's newest mascara. This is the first time I'm trying out anything from Hand Candy. Its a mascara that is supposed to lengthen, separate and volumize. But, I do feel its more of a separating mascara with very less volume and length. It does clump quite a bit, so be sure to use a lash comb if you have a clumping problem with most mascaras and or stubby lashes like mine. Its decent for the price, but could be a bit more lengthening and less clumping.
Clearsil Daily Clear® Refreshing Superfruit Scrub and Refreshing Superfruit Pads ($4.47 - $5; drugstore.com) - Both targeted at acne prone skin, so I don't use them regularly. Just when I have a blemish here and there when I need to quickly help calm it down. I love the scrub - its got fine granules with the least amount of grit and brightens very well. Its not drying and leaves skin super soft. The Superfruit Pads are a tad stronger though, especially on sensitive skin - they sting a bit when applied onto any blemish prone area. Its probably a quicker fix, but definitely stronger than the scrub and not something I would suggest on a regular basis, even if you have an acne problem. The zesty, Superfruit Scrub though, is a really refreshing one to try.
Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleansing Towelettes ($6; burtsbees.com) - I don't use wipes as a regular makeup remover, but they are useful while traveling, swatching a ton of things or to take care of small makeup mistakes. These ones by Burt's Bees smell fantastic and do the job effectively. I haven't tried it to remove eye makeup though, but its a refreshing wipe for the face. The towelettes are soft, 99% natural and great value for money!
I loveeee the St. Ives scrubs. I use the Blemish Control Apricot scrub. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteYou'll love the Pink Lemon one then!
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