We Talk Shop

Maybelline has already defined themselves with their pink and green tube, but they define a lash in a whole new way with Define-a-Lash mascara. The unique, flexible brush glides along your lashes, leaving just enough color to lengthen without clumping. It’s not as bold and thick as Great Lash or Dior’s DiorShow, but it’s the first mascara I’ve used that adds just the right amount to your lash.

Get it: It shouldn’t be the only mascara in your arsenal, but it should be one of them. Look for it at in the cosmetics aisle of any grocery or pharmacy chain for around $5.

I tried this on a whim one day when I was ordering from Sephora and needed to boost my subtotal up a bit to qualify for free shipping! Little did I expect to find one of the most convenient products I’ve ever tried. This product is perfect for travel, it easily slips into your purse or makeup case. One liquid-filled cotton swab is enough to take off your eye makeup, but I tend to use two for heavier applications, one for each eye. Each swab is filled with aloe vera and vitamin E so it’s gentle, and if you happen to get a bit overzealous with your makeup application, it’s also ideal for touch ups.

Get it! I took this on my last two trips, and I still have half a box left. The small plastic box contains 24 swabs and can be purchased for $5 from Bare Escentuals or Sephora.

My toddler son got some of that fancy foaming soap for Christmas last year. We finally finished the bottle, which tells me that we don’t do a good enough job washing our hands. In attempt to do better, to use more soap this cold and flu season I bought another kid-friendly soap: Huggies Clean Team Hand Soap.

It’s a cute bottle with a hippo’s head for the spout. It dispenses a foaming soap — which I love because it just is cooler than regular soap, but more importantly for young kids is that the soap can 1) be seen by the kids and 2) stays on their hands. My only complaint is that I’d like more soap to come out with each pump. I have to double-pump to get enough soap to wash my hands.
But the really cool part is that there is a red light that flashes in the hippo’s head. It stays on for 20 seconds — the amount of time you are supposed to was your hands. Try it folks. Even if you don’t buy this product, try to wash your hands for a FULL 20 seconds. It’s longer than you think. Great idea, especially this time of year. With the MRSA virus speading like wildfire, the best thing we can do as parents is to all wash our hands.

Watch an animated demo.
Read about hand washing on my Mom blog.

Get it: It’s about 3.99 for the dispenser. I got mine at the grocery store so I’m sure you can find it most places you normally purchase hand soap.

I love Fekkai products, especially the glossing cream that shopgirl_joyce just reviewed. When I first saw this glossing product, I knew I had to try it, but was disappointed that it didn’t live up to my expectations, or to the quality I expect from this brand. The product promises a “lightweight, brilliant shine,” but I think someone forgot to add the shine to my bottle. Fekkai products aren’t cheap, and I stubbornly have used almost the entire 5 fl. oz. bottle, convincing myself it must be doing something other than smelling good (I had to award one star just for that.)

Forget it: Skip it and go for the glossing cream instead. But you want to try the mist anyway, you can find it on Amazon, Sephora, and Bath and Body Works for around $22.

I’ve been using this cream for the past two years. My hair is very thick and wavy and I straighten it about 3x a week. I put a small amount of this after I shower on the ends of my hair and a little bit after I straighten it. The result is bouncy, soft, shiny hair! It doesn’t weigh my hair down at all, however you have to be careful not to put any of this on or near your roots. It may not be suitable for those with fine hair since this product does contain some olive oil. The smell of this cream is heavenly- if they ever make a perfume like this I’ll probably buy it. I also like the tube packaging so you can get every little drop of product out of it. It is expensive but for those who blowdry and straighten their hair a lot like I do, it’s definitely worth every penny. It protects your hair from drying out and getting damaged.

Git it: Pricey at $26.50, but look for this in your local Bath and Body Works, some stores have started carrying this and you can get it cheaper when they give out those $10 off $35 coupons (provided you buy something in addition to make the total of $35. I usually just get additional antibacterial stuff).

All good face wash stories must come to an end. This will be the last leg of my facial foaming cleanser trial. I know, I know…I can feel the disappointment, but I need to go back to a consistent facial cleanser so my face can recover. Alas with all the high-end product disappointment (with the exception of Shiseido, I decided to take a moderate approach (for my wallet that is) and took a drive to the local Walgreens to pick up some Oil of Olay Foaming Face Wash. I’ve used the moisturizer before and Oil of Olay has never failed my mom’s face, so I figured it was worth a try.

*Wash, wash, wash* Aaaannnnnd…*Drum Roll*…. TADAAA! Well, my face felt clean with the exception of the slight layer of residue left behind. Yeah, film on your face does not signify a great face wash. I can at least say that it didn’t feel like lotion on my face *COUGH* Kiehl’s *COUGH*.

There you have it….

Fogit it! If you can….$7.99 at your local Walgreen’s. I’m sure you can find it at any of your local drug stores (that is if you want to walk around with residue on your face).

Eventually, I went back to the one trustworthy face wash I could count on. Dove Unscented Beauty Bar with Dove ¼ moisturizing cream. It does the job and my face doesn’t feel overdry.

***** (five stars)
Git it! $10.94 or less for a pack of 8 at Wal-mart or your neighborhood beauty aisle.

The End.

cleanser, face, face wash, facial care, facial cleanser, skin care, skincare

We love the frog toy holder and how it looks on the bathtub wall. I especially like how many toys it holds and that you can hand a wash cloth from his foot — and that you can place shampoo and soap on top. This gadget holds quite a bit and keeps Junior’s bathroom organized!

We’ve had this up for about 7 months when it came crashing down. I think the glue just wore out, but I am hopeful that we can buy new glue and get it back up. I’d give it 5 stars, but will have to deduct one since it fell down.

Get it! Target carries it in the baby section, but you can find it almost anywhere you buy baby stuff. It retails for about $24.99.

Alright, so Pure Simplicity’s Soy “Sensitive Skin” Calming Self-Foaming Face Wash was a flop. I had to give my face some time to recover from the dry patches, but I was definitely ready to move on.

I called my cosmetologist friend for a new recommendation. We’d decided I was keen on the gentle foaming facial cleanser route and settled on:

Kiehl’s Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser

She’d never used it herself, but Kiehl’s has a long standing tradition for upholding the highest standards. I mean, it has been around since 1851. That has to say something, right?

So one new face wash and discount later, I was on my way.

Was it gentle? Yes. So gentle. Foaming? No. Not so much. A facial cleanser? It was so gentle, I couldn’t tell it was even cleaning my face. I would equate it to rubbing lotion on my face to wash. It felt thick, non-foaming (FALSE ADVERTISING!) and uncleansing. I even had the bf try it out. Same result. We had to resort to body soap to get some kind of cleaning action on.

Please, please, please…

Fogit it! $17.50, 8.4 fl. oz. Available online, in any participating highend store (i.e. Saks Fifth Avenue, Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom, Barney’s NY) and Kiehl’s freestanding shops. Only if you’re feeling adventurous and think your face can overcome the “not even remotely resembling a facial cleanser” factor or unless you control the “mind over matter” power of a Buddhist or Hindu monk that may turn this cleanser into a true gentle foaming facial cleanser. Good luck!

…Stay tuned for Face Wash 5: The Great Beyond (yes, number five!)…

It’s that time of year again! Bath & Body Works is having their THE BIG semi-annual sale. It was this same sale last year, that I’d picked up a “soy” face wash. Soy is good for the body, right? Why shouldn’t it be good for the face, my face?

Although I had had success with both Shiseido: The Skincare [gentle cleansing foam] and Peter Thomas Roth: Beta Hydroxy Acid 2% Acne Wash, I wanted to keep trying a greater variety of skincare. Just as in the case of my face building a resistance to topical treatments, I didn’t want my face to build a resistance to the positive effects of the face washes I’d already used by being repetitive in the use of them. I wanted to keep my face on it’s….figurative toes? hahaha

Enter,…

Pure Simplicity: Sensitive Skin Calming Self-Foaming Face Wash SOY

Okay, so my skin isn’t sensitive. It’s normal. But I figured, this face wash will be new to my face and maybe it’ll wake up some glow I hadn’t discovered yet.

I washed, I patted and stepped back to look at my face. It felt fresh, clean, soft and then *ERRRRRK*..the sound of screeching tires. What were those spots above my eyelids? What were those patches on the grooves of my cheeks?

DRY SKIN.

*Gasp* Pure Simplicity Soy had dried out my skin! But, I thought it was supposed to be for “Sensitive Skin.” It’s simply stated on the bottle. But, I thought Soy was good for you. Again, simply stated on the bottle. Just goes to show you when trying out new products, don’t judge a bottle by it’s cover. Although it was too harsh for my skin (maybe my skin is more sensitive than I thought it was?), I passed it on to the boyfriend (note: Boyfriend has sensitive oily skin). He had better results with the soy. He hasn’t really gotten into the habit of daily face washing. When he does use it, it seems to do its job. I’m glad I can offer him the option of trying some more upscale products as opposed to the regular body soap.

In the end….

Fogit it: $12.50 ($6.25, during Bath & Body Works: THE BIG semi-annual sale) at Bath & Body Works or online. I wouldn’t try it again with my skin, but maybe it’ll work wonders for those with more of a built-in oil factor like the boyfriend.

…Stay tuned for Face Wash 4…

Rarely do we write about things we aren’t happy with, but here’s a product that I recently purchased that just didn’t live up to my expectations: Neutrogena’s On-the-Spot Acne Treatment. I paid about $6; maybe a buck more, maybe a buck less, but should have opted for one of the other acne treatments. Shopgirl_trang’s recent posts about facial soaps inspired me to be better to my skin and to seek out remedies for what ails me.

Since this isn’t a glamorous review, I’ll get right to it. What I don’t like about this cream is that is says it’s the “Vanashing Cream Formula,” but it is a white cream that you have to rub into your skin. I was hoping the liquid was clear, but it’s white and doesn’t exactly vanish — unless you rub it enough so that you practically rub it off. When I put it on in the morning, I feel like I have to rub it off so that it won’t be seen and I can apply my make-up.

As for it’s acne-reducing effects, it does seem to help. I just don’t like how it goes on and how it doesn’t seem to dry fast enough. At night, I don’t want to leave it on because I think it will rub off on my pillowcase. And, you have to put it on like a lotion, thus getting the medicine on parts of your skin where you don’t really want it.

It would be better if it were thicker — and clear.

Don’t get it, but if you want to try it, I got my tube at Publix.