Finished Products and Hits and Misses / Disappointing Products (July 2013)

I get a feeling of satisfaction once I finish a product. I suppose it is because I experiment with more things than any one individual practically needs. I know, I know! Shame on me! I think it has been a few months since I last posted a post about my finished products.

In the first part of this post, I will provide a brief review of each of the products I finished. The second part of this post, I will talk about products I tried and was absolutely disappointed with. It has taken me a few hours to write this post, so I truly hope that some of you readers will find it helpful. 

Part I: Finished Products 

ZOYA Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover, MAC Half 'n' Half Lipstick, ALMAY Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, MAC Volcanic Ash Face and Body 2-in-1 Scrub-Cleanser, OXY GLOW Neem and Tulsi Face Wash, Organix Deep Penetrating Moroccan Argan Oil, Victoria Secret PINK Spring Break Body 2-in-1 Scrub-Wash, and Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Body Wash. 

ZOYA Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover
Price: $10.00
Store: I purchased this remover from ULTA. 
Hit or Miss? Hit!
Nutshell: A little bit of this remover goes a long way! I only have to damp a cotton ball once with this remover and that amount is enough to remove polish off of all of my fingernails. I don't have to scrub my nails to remove the polish. I don't have to continue dampening the cotton ball. I place the wet cotton ball on my nail, hold it down gently for a few seconds, and then wipe off the polish from my nail in a single swipe. My nails do not look dried out or discolored. I really liked using the Sally Hansen's nail polish removers before I discovered the ZOYA remover. I suppose I am now more attracted to the ZOYA remover because of the company's claims to be a "natural" brand. It is definitely a laughing matter for nail polish remover to be "natural" per se, but I am just hoping that this remover contains less chemicals as the company has advertised. I did not observe a difference in the way Sally Hansen or ZOYA made my nails appear or feel, but one cotton ball dampened with ZOYA lasted me for all of my fingernails, while I had to continue wetting cotton balls with Sally Hansen's remover. The ZOYA remover smells "herbal" to me, like a nature/organic themed spa. It carries a lavender aroma, unlike other removers that smell like the chemicals they contain (alcohol, acetone, etc.). My nails feel smooth after I have removed the polish. Although I do not wear glitter polishes, I have heard that this is a superb remover for stubborn glitter polishes. I believe this was my third bottle.

MAC Half 'n' Half Lipstick
Price: $15.00
Store: I purchased mine at a Macy's MAC counter. 
Hit or Miss? Miss!

Nutshell: MAC's amplified creme formula is amazing. The color glides on smoothly and does not suck up the moisture in your lips. This may be awfully hard for you all MAC lovers out there, but I have not been able to find a MAC lip color that has given me the goosebumps of excitement. I own MAC's Creme in Your Coffee, which is a creme sheen formula lipstick. The Half 'n' Half shade looked awful on my lips. This shade exaggerated my lips lines and did not spread out on my lips evenly. 

ALMAY Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Price: $4.99 - $7.99 (The price varies from store to store and also by size. These wipes are sold in three different sizes: travel (15 pads), regular (80 pads), and jumbo (120 pads). 

Store: I have always purchased these pads from Meijer, which is a grocery store like Walmart and Target. Meijer always has a sale right when I need to restock my stash. ALMAY has released a new line of eye makeup remover pads. I believe the new line is a mere marketing scheme - new packaging, but same product. I still have two more of these to go through before I need more. I think once I am about to run out, I will purchase the new pads and post a comparison review. 

Hit or Miss? Hit!
Nutshell: I don't wear eye makeup very often. A simple winged liner look is my favorite to wear on a regular basis. When I do wear makeup on my eyes, I typically use a primer, three shades, and mascara. One or two ALMAY pad is enough to remove these products from each eye. My eyelids don't feel sticky or dry afterwards. Even if I do not experience a tacky feeling, I do like to rinse off my whole face with little bit of cleanser and water after removing the eye makeup. Whether you have dry, oily, or normal skin, I would recommend the oil-free pads over the oil-based pads. The oil based pads are too "oily" and leave behind an oily film over your eyelids. Although these pads are meant for the eyes, I like to use the oil based pads to remove richly pigmented and matte lip colors. 

MAC Volcanic Ash Face and Body 2-in-1 Scrub-Cleanser Limited Edition
Price: $28.00
Store: I purchased this product from a Belk Mac counter last Summer. 
Hit or Miss? Hit! 

Nutshell: I don't think I can justify why I love this scrub so much. I suppose I really enjoy the experience of washing my face with this black sugar like scrub and the clean, bright look I get afterwards. Black is one of my favorite colors. I also really like the scent of this scrub. I don't quite know how to describe this scent. It is spa-like, but not necessarily a herbal, organic sort of scent. Using this product has not caused any acne breakouts or dry skin. I think it is a medium-strength facial exfoliator that you can use twice or thrice in a week as the product label instructs. It gives you a clean feeling, especially if you wear sunscreen all day long like me. I have not found this product useful for deep pore cleansing or minimizing of pores. Unfortunately, I have yet to find such a magical facial scrub / cleanser. I don't suffer from acne except for an occasional hormonal teaser here and there, but the pores on my nose are a big pet peeve. 

OXY GLOW Neem and Tulsi Face Wash
Price: Approx. Rs. 100/ or 125/
Store: I found this gel cleanser at a store called Amartex Industries, Ltd. in Panchkula, Haryana, India.  
Hit or Miss? Hit!

Nutshell: A gentle gel cleanser. This cleanser gives your face a refreshed, clean, and crisp feeling. I look forward to washing my face in the morning with this cleanser. The gel turns into a creamy texture and lathers up like gentle soap. I enjoy the herbal scent of this cleanser a lot more than the metallic scent of the acne cleansers (with 1-2% salicylic acid) that I have used in the past. This cleanser was as helpful during minimal/occasional hormonal breakouts as any other salicylic cleanser I have used. I did not experience any reaction to this cleanser. It was not at all harsh or drying. It feels like you are using basic, simple face soap.

Organix Deep Penetrating Moroccan Argan Oil
Price: $5.99 
Store: I bought this product at Walmart. 
Hit or Miss? Eh! 
Nutshell: I like using this product for styling purposes after I wash my hair. I like to air dry my hair. My hair washing routine is as follows: shampoo, rinse thoroughly, conditioner, leave conditioner in hair for a few minutes, rinse out using the a detangling brush, and then towel dry hair for 15 minutes. Massage the scalp and polish hair with oil. Brush hair again with detangling brush. Rub a little more oil on my palms and smoothen out the ends of my hair. It takes an entire day to completely air dry my hair. My wavy curly locks build up throughout the day. All in all I believe that this oil does help maintain a conditioned appearance throughout the day. If I don't use this oil while brushing, then my hair does look a little frizzy as it dries out. I would not recommend this product for deep-conditioning and overnight treatment purposes. I would recommend purchasing this deep penetrating version of the Moroccan Argan oil rather than the original, which I have listed under disappointing products. *I have had a keratin treatment done on my hair. I would describe my post keratin treatment hair type as wavy (no longer heavily curly), voluminous (not as voluminous as before b/c of decreased frizz), and only minimally frizzy. 

Victoria Secret PINK Spring Break Body 2-in-1 Scrub-Wash - Jasmine-Lime, Hibiscus-Passionfruit
Price: $16.00
Store: Victoria Secret 
Hit or Miss? Hit!
Nutshell: Smells amazing. Lathers up and cleans well. I look forward to my showers and truly enjoy using this product. I think my body skin type is normal. I don't really bother with lotions and creams as I don't really find a need for now. I enjoy taking hot showers though, so sometimes my legs dry out and need a little moisturizing. I like the granulated "scrubby" texture of this body wash. 

Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Body Wash 
Price: $5.00 (I received mine for free because of an in-store coupon.)
Store: Bath & Body Works 
Hit or Miss? Hit! 
Nutshell: Smells like a mixture of fruity candy and flowers. Again, I feel the same about this body wash and the one mentioned above. I got this travel size one for free with a coupon. 

Part II: Disappointing Products

Sonia Kashuk Tinted Lip Balm SPF 15 (Spring 2013 Collection) - Hint of Berry

Pros: Good pigmentation (medium coverage), sunscreen, and metallic scent. The scent is not overwhelming, but whenever I wore this balm I got a weird metallic taste in my mouth. 

Cons: Limited color selection, heavy-waxy emolient texture, will not pair well with lipsticks, and only looks moisturizing, but actually dries out lips. 

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Liner - Nude

Pros: None

Cons: No staying power, not mechanical/retractable, needs sharpener, shade not compatible for anyone but fair skinned girls, and grainy in appearance. People thought something was wrong with my eyes or I had not washed my face after waking up in the morning when I wore this liner. I had purchased it with the intent to wear it as a bottom lid water-line liner for a bright, doll eyed look, but this was a waste of money. It has a smooth kohl like texture, but it did not even stay in place for a few minutes. As a extra consideration, I don't have watery eyes. I know some girls' eyes get a bit watery because of makeup, but fortunately my eyes don't get watery easily. 

L'Oreal Moisturizing 48 Hour Sunscreen Day Lotion SPF 28 - Sensitive Skin

Pros: Significant amount of sunscreen. 

Con: Heavy, greasy, and does not blend well into the skin, leaving a white grainy appearance on my face. I had a little bit of a breakout on the forehead after using this lotion. 

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polishes (Summer 2013 Collection) 

Pros: Beautiful color range. 

Cons: Messy application, horrible staying power, and thick tricky formula. These polishes required four coats minimum for uniform application. The chipping occurred within hours of painting nails and even when base coat and top coat was used. Do not allow the low price tag to tempt you into buying these adorable summery colors that remind you of the beach, sand, waves, and mojitos. These polishes are awful in quality. 

The Holy Grail of Palettes... The Urban Decay Naked Palette 

I know that this will come as a shock to a lot of you makeup lovers. Trust me, I was as shocked as some of you. I had high expectation for this palette. I know I do not wear eyeshadows too often and am not a makeup application expert, but I was not able to make these shades look good. The shades blended in too much and gave off a dull and muddy appearance. I am not a big fan of smoked neutral eyes, which is what I got when I used these shades. In addition to the unappealing appearance, I found that the shades were not as pigmented as my MAC eyeshadows. I have to slightly dab my brush in a MAC shadow and that is enough, but I had to swipe the UDN shades three to four times with my shader brush to pick up enough color. 

I would recommend Lorac's Unzipped palette over the Urban Decay Naked palette. I am able to achieve fresh, bright, and well-defined neutral looks with the Lorac palette. 

Boots No. 7 Botanics Clay Mask 

This product dried out my face. It did not clean out or minimize the appearance of my pores. I did not feel like my face looked refreshed or bright after using this mask. Honestly, after giving this product a few tries and noticing no improvement or even a superficial cleanliness, I find this product useless and a waste of money.

The Shea Moisture Hair Care Collection

I tried the following products prior to trying out keratin treatment. I thought to try out some cheaper options before spending a lot of money upfront on a keratin treatment. My hair is not dyed/color-treated or excessively heat treated. I straighten my hair using a flat iron very rarely for special occasions. My hair feels soft, but it looks rough because it is very thick, curly, and frizzy when wet. I just wanted a product to make my hair less frizzy and manageable so that I did not have to put it up in a bun all of the time.
Deep Cleansing Shampoo - awful smell. If you have dry scalp, used Selsun Blue Medicated shampoo instead of this gimmick potion. I did not see any improvement for dry scalp with this shampoo. I occasionally experience dry scalp due to climate changes or stressors (like exams) and Selsun Blue has always worked well for me. I just thought to try something new and "organic" but that was an incorrect decision.
Balancing Conditioner - awful smell. After using this African Black Soap three piece collection, my hair felt like I had come out of the pool. I felt like I had high levels of chlorine/salts in my hair.
Scalp Elixir - smelled awful, nauseating.
Curl and Style Milk - used this as a daytime leave-in conditioner. This product did not maintain my curls or provide a smooth, conditioned appearance. I felt like I had lather my hair with mousse. My hair felt brittle and stiff. I could not run my fingers through my soft locks of hair. If anything, this product worsened the condition of my hair.
Deep Treatment Masque - used this product as a leave-in overnight conditioner. I observed no improvement whatsoever.

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil 

This product did absolutely nothing for my hair type. I would apply this product and my hair would just drink it all up. My hair remained frizzy. I would recommend the new "deep penetrating" version of this oil for styling purposes.

Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy

I had a horrible experience with this shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner that is recommended as the aftercare regiment for the keratin treatment I have gotten is very expensive. The shampoo and conditioner (8 fl. oz. each) cost a total $40-50. In attempts to save money, I thought to alternate washes between the aftercare regiment and the Organix regiment. I have alternated washes using the DermOrganic Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner, which worked out fine, but this shampoo and conditioner was awful. My hair felt so dry and brittle during and after washing it with Organix Brazilian Keratin shampoo and conditioner.

Organix Macadamia Oil Intensive Moisture Mask

I think beauty companies need a vocabulary lesson or bit of chastizing for these exaggerated claims. When I look at the label promising me hydration and intense moisture and then my hair has the same old frizzed look, you bet your buttocks, I am slightly angry my the manipulation of advertisements via product labels. Where is the fine print? Where is the little symbol (*) with a caveat? I observed no hydration or decrease in frizz; not even superficial improvement while or after rinsing it out of my hair. 

The End... 

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