Review- CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser gently cleanses the skin while helping to maintain the right moisture balance. It is proven to prevent moisture from escaping (evaporating) from the skin’s surface.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser provides gentle, effective cleansing while it restores and enhances the skin barrier. Its fragrance-free, moisturizing formulation is nonirritating and noncomedogenic (does not cause pimples or acne by clogging the pores).

I have to say this is one of the best facial cleansers I have ever tried!! It is so gentle and smooth and on the safe side for people with sensitive skin and/or for those who have super dry skin and are showing early signs of aging. Eek! At first, I didn't expect too much, but the power behind this cleanser is amazing! After just a few washes and within the first week, I noticed my tiny, pre-wrinkled, fine lines, are starting to fade and my skin is dramatically looking smoother and softer (more youthful, too) than before. I would actually pay a higher price tag for these results, but thankfully the cleanser is reasonably affordable and very accessible at major drugstores, that I can't help but fully embrace this wonderful skin-saver product! Also, as an added plus, the formula was created with a team of dermatologists and is recommended by skin experts and dermatologists alike. This is definitely worth a try, especially for someone who needs/wants a facial cleanser that is incredibly hydrating, gentle, and promotes youthful (say take away a few years!) healthy-looking skin.

Barbara says:

When it came down to it, I didn’t require much from an everyday facial cleanser—just that it effectively, but gently, remove dirt and not strip my skin. I’d tried cleansers that promised to moisturize but always felt my skin wasn’t really clean afterwards. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser turned out to promise something completely different along these lines and a very nice promise it turned out to be, too.

This cleanser contains goodies you might find elsewhere, just not all in one product—ceramides to soften skin, cholesterol (great stuff for your skin, though not in your body!), and hyaluronic acid (the main moisturizing ingredient found in every top of the line moisturizer). PLUS, it’s an emulsion which means it’s easily able to penetrate skin and it’s time-released so that its protective elements keep on working throughout the day.
Even if you use ex-foliating cleansers and deep cleaning cleansers, you still need something perfect for plain old everyday use. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser to the rescue. It can be found at a couple of chain drugstores and also ordered on the internet.

Review - NYC Cosmetics Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss

Color and shine on the go!

This high gloss formula smoothes & softens lips while indulging your senses in the scent & flavor of melon.

I like NYC Cosmetics. They are inexpensive and make a variety of products. This new lip glider is one of them. Down Town Brown is the color I have. It looks like a brownish-bronze color but it goes on very nude with a little bit of shimmer.

I like the fact that the body of this is slim and not short and stumpy like regular lip glosses. It fit in my makeup bag very nicely.

I wasn't crazy about the melon flavor. I wish they offered different flavors for the colors. Don't expect it to last very long. It averaged at about twenty minutes for me.

Overall, its OK when you consider the price and amount you get.

Trish says: Wow, I'm a huge fan of this lip gloss! It definitely exceeded my expectations and the melon taste didn't seem to bother me at all strangely. I tried it in "Carnegie Melon" which looks like a light rose shade. A little too light to wear alone for me, but when I used it on top of my lipstick, oh my, the shine and plumpness really came through and I'm overall very happy with the look! Maybe layering is the way to go with this gloss as it seems to add that extra pop, adding a fun and flirty look as well as feeling smooth and hydrating at the same time. For the price and high-shine glossiness, I would easily repurchase this when I run out! This definitely ranks among my favorite drugstore beauty finds!

Review- Strip: Ministry of Waxing, NYC Location

The name is a little odd but once it was explained to me, I kind of liked it. This is a Shanghai-based business and in China, government is run by ministries, not departments like it is here - thus Ministry of Waxing.  And if there was an official position of "Chief Waxer", Dejha at Strip would certainly get my vote!  When is the last time you felt relaxed while being waxed?  And how many of you go to waxing places that "double-dip" the applicator in the tub of wax?  Those are other people's skin cells in that wax pot!  Not so at Strip.  They have individual waxing kits hanging on the wall; that really put my mind at ease.  Plus, the space is super clean, inviting and sterile at the same time. Now granted, I have very high pain tolerance, but I barely felt a thing while Dejha waxed my legs except for the ankles and feet, which always smart.  Even that wasn't as bas as what I've become accustomed to.  Then onto the bikini.  Nothing fancy, just a clean up.  Can I tell you that it was so painless we didn't even miss a beat in our conversation!  They use a special soft wax for your more sensitive parts that hardens and doesn't use a muslin strip.  It totally makes all the difference!  Honestly I can't see myself going anywhere else for this service in the future.  Between the lack of pain, the cleanliness and the superior customer service, I'd feel cheated going to another waxer.  Keep your eyes on this place, it's going to be very popular!

Review- Mehron Cheek Cream

Colorful, Smooth and Long Lasting cheeks are applied with CHEEK Creams by Mehron. The Makeup Experts at Mehron have developed this super creamy CHEEK Creams that can be used as a blusher using their 80 years of experience producing Makeup for the Performers. CHEEK Creams are concentrated, making them easy to use for highlighting, contouring and lining the beauty of your cheeks. Don't hide your cheeks, accent their natural beauty with the effervescent colors of CHEEK Creams by Mehron. These CHEEK Creams are made to provide a smooth application over cream and cake bases. .3oz. $5.95.

I'm so glad Hillary introduced me to the Mehron makeup line! I absolutely love this Cheek Cream as it is so easy to apply and blend. (I use my fingers, as I am that lazy!) The color is so rich and nicely pigmented that I only needed a little to reach a desired effect. In the past, I've tried many cream blushes - from drugstore brands to expensive varieties- but this Mehron blush is a top contender, especially at such an affordable price and high quality! It's especially a great blush for a night out, but I also used it to blend in with my favorite daytime blushes for the office. By itself, the cream blush didn't seem to last all day long - but working it in with my everyday blushes, it definitely brought more life and color to the usual powder blushes I use during the day. I'm definitely a huge fan, and since it's so affordable, there's no guilt in trying a few different shades and adding more quality variety to your makeup kit! I'm totally hooked!

Review - Beauty For Real Illuminating Lip Gloss

Want to make your lips look extra pouty and plush? This refreshingly cool lip gloss features a cutting-edge plumping formula that penetrates deep within the skin's surface to help you achieve full, luscious lips. Plant-derived antioxidants like green tea and grape seed extracts work to firm and renew while aloe vera and avocado oil soothe skin, giving you a softer, prettier pout.

The best thing I can say about this product is that my roommate S. has stolen it. I was informed by my other roommate T. that unless I specifically demand it back, I will not get it back, because my roommate S. is obsessed with it. This all started several weeks ago, on T's birthday, when we piled into a car to go to a bar we'd never been to before, but sounded cool (and was, indeed, cool). Because it was dark, I thought it a perfect opportunity to test out this lip gloss because it has FREAKING LIGHTS ON IT.

There are two little LEDs on the cap of the gloss, so when you turn it on and apply the gloss, your lips are illuminated. "But, Movie Maven," you may be saying, "the lights won't help me if I don't have a mirror." Well, guess what - there's a FREAKING MIRROR ON IT TOO. One side of the square container has a mirror on it.

The lip gloss is fine. Run-of-the-mill, nicely plumping (apparently a bunch of my roommate's friends also used it and declared their lips to be fuller...I'm not sure I actually want it back now), and in good colors. But let's be real here, ladies. The lights are the selling point, and they are freaking cool.

Trish says: The packaging is definitely cute and practical! I'm a huge fan of the boxy tube and mirror. I agree with Movie Maven, the gloss itself is pretty nice. The shade goes on really lightly and adds that little bit of plump and shine, but nothing too outstanding about it. I'm a sucker though for products in adorable cases, so even though the gloss itself doesn't shine the way I would want it to, I can't help but carry it around in my bag everywhere I go. It's always nice to have with me and handy too, especially if you're trying to apply lip gloss in the dark!

NYC Maximum Boost Volumizing Mascara

 

Build each lash from root to tip for maximum volume ... silicone resin "wraps" lashes for visible thickness on contact. Pro-Vitamin B moisturizes and nourishes lashes for silky smooth texture. Shorter applicator rod delivers precision control.

As with all New York Color products, the main draw here is the price: this stuff is like $3! What! And as with all New York Color products, it is fine for the money. I would not say it is the most volumizing mascara I have ever used in my life, but neither is it completely ineffectual. Some of my friends and I had an analogy comparing a dude one of them was dating to Au Bon Pain: he was nice enough, but she was really only dating him because he was around. Au Bon Pain is fine, but does anyone ever seek it out? It's not really a destination restaurant; it's just the place you go because it's around the corner and if you don't get some coffee and a freaking pastry in your body right now you might stab someone. But it's pretty good coffee, and pretty good pastries, and you'd much rather have that than a bodega coffee and a croissant in a wrapper.

This mascara is like Au Bon Pain: not a destination mascara, but definitely better than nothing (or Wet 'n' Wild).

Review - Sally Hansen Insta-Smooth PODS Creme Hair Remover For Face

• Hair Removal has never been faster, easier, more convenient!
• First ever individual-use pods with built in applicator, give you precise results every time.
• Snap, smooth, go!
• No touch application, no drips and no mess! Perfect for upper lip, chin and hairline.
• Compact & convenient portable pods go wherever you do - for instant use, easy disposal.
• Great for on-the-go or last minute touch-ups.

"Whoever reviews this is going to have to admit to having hair on their face," Hillary told us when she was distributing products. This implies that having hair on one's face is something one would not want to admit. Guess what, everyone: I AM A MAMMAL. So I have hair on me. That's how we mammals work. I also have live young and feed them milk (I mean, I could if I wanted to). I'm not this lady or anything (who, by the way, looks like she would be totally fun to hang with), but yes, there are follicles on my face.

But we live in a society where ladies with mustaches are shunned to live on some remote island (Sicily, I guess), so Sally Hansen has tried to make it really easy for us ladies to get that pesky mammalian trait off our pretty faces with these PODS. I'm not sure why PODS is capitalized in the name of the product; it's not an acronym for anything. Pretty Odd Depilatory...System? That's what I'm going with. Because ladies, these PODS are odd.

Essentially, they are sort of like a ketchup packet, but for hair remover. You snap the packet in half down the middle, where there is a little strip of felt that is intended to be an "applicator" for the depilatory cream creme. The main problem I encountered first was that the depilatory cream creme did not want to ooze through the felt strip; rather, it wanted to ooze out of the sides of the packet around the felt strip. I've attempted to draw some diagrams to clarify:

 

Figure 1 shows the POD, unbent, from what we'll call the "top." In Figures 2 and 3, the POD has been rotated 90 degrees so that we are seeing it from the "side," and the "top" is now at the top of the diagram, rather than facing us. The cream creme SHOULD ooze THROUGH the felt strip, but instead went everywhere else. It is not pink, I just like that color.

The good news is that once you wrangle this cream creme on to your face, it totally works great! It does just what it says it will do - removes hair - and it doesn't smell that bad, which is nice because it's under your nose, and it doesn't make your face red or anything like that.

But the key here is that the whole purpose of the PODS is to be more convenient if you are "on-the-go" or something like that. Okay, first of all, I have literally never been in a situation where I have been like "Oh NO!! I suddenly need to remove hair from my face IMMEDIATELY but I just DON'T HAVE TIME OH NOOOOO." That's just not really a thing that happens. So if this cream creme is essentially the same product Sally Hansen sells in a little bottle, there is no reason to buy these PODS, even if they are capitalized.

Hillary says: I did say someone was going to have to admit that they have hair on their face, but I also lumped myself in there.  You'll never actually see it, but I too have hair on my face (atop my lip specifically).  I mow it down with whatever weapon is handy at the time, which is currently these pods.  I have to agree with Maven, they aren't as handy as they seem.  They do, however, keep the cream from invading my fingerprints so that I don't have to wash like 10 times to get the weird feeling off them (I feel that way about all depilatory creams).  On the down side, sometimes they squirt out the side & I end up using enough cream to remove a waxed, handlebar mustache.  Given the option, I would go with the new Odorless Sally Hansen Depilatory for faces as it comes with it's own spatula & doesn't smell 1/10th as much as a regular hair removal cream.

Review - Talika Instant Manicure

When added to water, this effervescent powder enables you to whiten and clean your nails in just a few minutes, giving you the benefit of oxygenation power and the rich cleansing and nutritional values of plant extracts.
Your fingers are delicately scented, you [sic] nails are protected with and [sic] imperceptible film and their tips become whiter use after use. Cuticles are made more supple and the skin around the nail is thoroughly cleansed.

In this review, I hope to channel the good people over at The Impulsive Buy. Their product reviews are a sight to behold.

It took me a while to try this product, because I so rarely have naked nails. My nails, like me, like to be clad in bright colors at all times. But I decided to give them a little rest and a little spa treatment with this Instant Manicure.

Before you go getting all excited, this is not really a manicure. It is part of a manicure, yes, but the name is misleading. Basically, you take this little packet of powder, throw it in a bowl, fill the bowl with warm water, and get to "wiggling" your fingers. (They used the quotation marks first; I am just being consistent with their conventions.) The first thing that happens is EFFERVESCENCE. As anyone who's ever drank (drunk? drink...en? and I was an English major, people) Schweppes knows, effervescence is just a fancy name for bubbles, the kind you get when you plop, plop, fizz, fizz or when you make one of those volcanoes with vinegar and baking soda.

So basically I figured I was going to be soaking my fingers in a bowl of Alka-Seltzer. But to my great delight and surprise, it smelled a fair bit better than Alka-Seltzer, AND it fizzed for a longer time. I didn't really notice a huge difference in the whiteness of my nails, but that's a really weird thing to be vain about. Almost as weird as eye whitening (the weirdest of all whitenings). But it felt nice on my fingers and even once the fizzing had stopped, the warm water was a lovely green color, like this:

So I sat there for a while, watching a syndicated episode of The Office that was on our DVR, with my fingers in a bowl of warm water that reminded me of Yellowstone National Park, until I realized that was a really weird thing to be doing.

The end result was that while my cuticles did feel nice and soft, it wasn't any more soft than if I'd taken a shower or done the dishes, and for $33 for 8 of these treatments, I can just stick my hands in some warm ginger ale.

Pros: Effervescence. Single-serving packets. Baking soda volcanoes. Soft cuticles. The Office on TBS and on my DVR. "Wiggling."

Cons: Costs $4 per single-serving packet. Needing Alka-Seltzer because you ate too much. Eye whitening. Being a weirdo with their fingers in a bowl of turquoise water.

Sultana says: I've been growing my nails lately so I was excited to try this. The bubbles were fun and it wasn't a long process but I honestly didn't see any results. My nails weren't any whiter and my cuticles looked exactly the same. At $4 a pop, I would skip this.
Perhaps you would need to use this continuously to see long term results. I think the price is a bit too high to maintain.

Hillary says: I have to totally disagree with the ladies on this one.  Although I'll admit, I sort of cheated.  I liked the fizzy feeling and after the "suggested" amount of time I noticed my nails were a little whiter (just a tad).  So I sat and I wiggled and I sat and I wiggled for at least 3 to 4 times the recommended 3 minutes.  Lemme tell ya, I had some gleaming white nails when I was done.  I don't know why the say to leave your fingers in for such a short time, because if you are willing to sit there & wiggle, eventually these little packets do wonders.  I'm currently a little compulsive about nail polish- the second it chips I either fix it or take it off (my teacher told me that chips scream unprofessional in the world of Make-up Artists').  So that's stuck in my head and I rarely paint them anymore.  But as long as they are super-white, I no longer care.

Review - Mehron Celebré Precious Gem Powders

Shine on with Celebré Precious Gem Powders developed by Mehron, Innovators of  Extreme Beauty Makeup. Celebré Precious Gem Powders are luminescent, radiant, sexy, glowing powders that will add a jewel like luster to your skin.These sparkling powders are made with a soft, silky powder that can be applied from head to toe for any occasion. Add a beautiful shimmer to skin for parties, dinners, professional performances or romantic evenings at home.

I have mentioned before that I think I was a drag queen in a past life. These Mehron Precious Gem Powders belong to that past-life drag queen. I need to think of a name for her to go with my burlesque name, Busty Springfield, and my roller derby name, Deathel Merman.

Now, Mehron, as you may know, is a professional stage makeup company. This means their products are SERIOUS, y'all. Like - you wear this stuff when you are doing a Broadway show or an America's Next Top Model Photo shoot. In almost any other context, Mehron is TOO INTENSE. I think this is true of these Precious Gem Powders, which are available in all 12 birthstone tones. I got Diamond (April), Garnet (January), and Topaz (November). They are sparkly, yes. And you get sparkles just about everywhere when you try to use them. So just be aware of that. I'm going to try mixing them with a little baby oil or something next time I use them, so I don't end up covered in sparkles. But they are VERY intense and would be good for Halloween (for normal people) or for Saturday night (for drag queens or straight girls who wish they were drag queens).

I do want to point out that Mehron, in their copy on the website (see above), suggests that this shimmer is good for "romantic evenings at home." I want to know whose idea of romance involves being covered in spark--

...oh, right. Those people.

50% Off a Beauty.com Gift Card- $15 for a $30 Gift Card- Hurry!

I just came across a site called TaDa.com & today until 4 AM PST they are offering $30 Gift Certificates for $15.  But wait, you also get Free Shipping!  The only downside is it is either one per household or one per person (the site says 2 different things).  But still, 50% off!  Woo-hoo!