Tag Archives: products

Apr1

Olay Double Action Day Cream & Primer Review

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Olay Double Action Day Cream & Primer Review

Hello everyone! Today, we are going to be reviewing the Olay Double Action Day Cream & Primer that I got during one of my winter TJMaxx Hauls. After close to two years of using the Garnier SkinActive gel moisturizer, I was ready for something new and purchased the Olay moisturizer, instead. I have a very normal skin type so I don’t need anything too fancy when it comes to moisturizers and this one really did the trick:

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I had been planning on reviewing this moisturizer as soon as I started using it but other posts got in the way. And, that’s a good thing because I was hooked after trying it out just a few times! My first impression when starting this moisturizer was its lovely pale pink color and how rich and creamy it smelled. It has a baby powdery aroma but it’s not overpowering in the slightest, which is great because that scent is normally not my cup of tea.

After my first use of the Olay moisturizer, I quickly learned that a little bit of it goes a long way. The amount pictured on my hand fully covers my face and neck and even though I have been using it morning and night for a month, I still have half a jar left. It takes a hair more effort to get this moisturizer fully absorbed and it leaves my skin feeling oh so soft afterwards.

The Double Action of the Olay moisturizer means that it is a primer too and I never really realized that primers were a good thing to use until using this moisturizer. I wait for a half hour or so to apply my makeup after my skin care routine and my makeup sits so well on top of it. The makeup that I use looks bolder and brighter and every time I have painted my face, I have been getting compliments. It also helps prevent smudging and you can’t beat that!

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^^^ My makeup had been on all day in that picture and it still looked fire. 😀

I am so pleased with the Olay Double Action Day Cream & Primer and would happily use it again, so good thing I have another jar handy!

What is your favorite moisturizer? What is your skin type like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Mar31

March 2022 Finishes

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March 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone and happy last day of March! As per ushe, we will be discussing my beauty finishes for the month and there were a lot of them. I love months like these because then I can move onto other products in my stock pile, which helps justify future skin and bath and body care hauls! Lol, let’s get started:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Hand Creams: We are not going through all of the different hand creams that I used in this post because I reviewed them all in this one. I will say that the eos Pomegranate Raspberry was definitely the best of the bunch and you can skip on the Renew and B&BW ones! The eos hand cream ruled – it smelled great and it really helped with my dry hands and the redness that comes with it.

Farmacy Night Mask: This night mask was a freebie from my last Sephora Haul and it was fine. It took me a little over a week to finish the trial sized jar and a little of it went a long way. Was it the best night mask I’ve ever used? No. Was it the worst? No. It did feel nice on my skin but I also noticed little to no difference in how it looked or felt and I wouldn’t use it again.

PTR Moisturizer: I used my Beauty Insider points during my Sephora Haul for the PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer and I wasn’t overly impressed by it. I always thought that a gel moisturizer was as light in texture as moisturizers go but this one proved me wrong. It was insanely light, applied easily, and my skin did feel water drenched as per its namesake lol.

It took me about four days of morning and nighttime use to finish the tester bottle and even though I kind of liked it, I wouldn’t seek it out again. I think that this moisturizer would be great for people who really suffer from dry skin. However, my skin type is normal and it felt like it was too much for what my skin needs.

Although there were a lot more “wouldn’t use agains” than usual for my March Finishes, I am okay with it because I was happy to use them up. In this case, I am A-okay with a fifty percent success rate!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Mar21

Face Mask Festivities: Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing the Vitamin B Night Mask by Farmacy, which I got as a freebie during my last Sephora Haul. Shopping online with Sephora provides lots of options for free product and I always try to make the most out of my purchase with trial size face masks and moisturizers.

This new face mask was free with a twenty-five dollar purchase and it was a no brainer because I love me a night time mask. While I enjoy pre-shower clay or exfoliating face masks, night time ones are a no muss no fuss option and it makes me feel pampered even while I’m catching Z’s. Let’s get to it:

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When first opening the Farmacy Vitamin B mask jar, I was obsessed with the pale blue color and I also liked that it was scent free. I don’t mind skin care with a bit of scent to it but no one wants an especially potent product, especially before bed! I used about three dollops with a Q-tip to cover my face and neck and it felt so nice on my skin. The gel like texture was cooling and it was much needed because I had spent the evening at the park with my niece. We were running around the entire time and as soon as I got home, I got ready for bed lol.

In the thirty or so minutes before nodding off, a majority of this mask absorbed and I knew that the remainder would continue to work its magic throughout the night. When I woke up, my skin felt really smooth and it also looked way less tired than I felt because my legs were like jelly!

While I liked this mask, it probably isn’t one that I would go out of my way to use again. My all time favorite night masks are The Body Shop’s Vitamin E and Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Masks and I can’t help but compare every mask I use at bedtime to them. As a freebie, the Farmacy mask was great but it doesn’t hold a candle to my tried and true faves.

What is your favorite face mask? What is your bedtime beauty routine like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar18

Hand Cream Battle

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Hand Cream Battle

Hello everyone!! Most people carry a small tube of hand cream on their person to apply as needed when on the go. Myself, on the other hand, can’t stand using lotion during the day because of its texture and only use it before bedtime. In my beauty stock pile, I noticed that I had quite the selection of hand creams and began the process of using them up in late February.

Today, we are going to put them to the test for the best purse, pocket, or car worthy hand cream to help beat dry skin when on the move. Let’s get to it:

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eos: I freaking loved this hand cream and consider the Shea Better by eos to be the full package when it comes to combating dry hands. First of all, the scent was absolutely delightful. It smelled fruity without being too sweet and was so nice and light. The eos hand cream absorbed quickly and didn’t feel greasy in the slightest. I also noticed the biggest difference in how my hands looked and felt after using it.

When my hands get dry, it’s not so much the texture of them as much as the redness that bothers me. The eos hand cream made my hands incredibly soft to the touch and it also eliminated the redness after just one use. It took me about six uses to complete the tube.

Renew: The Renew Intensive Skin Therapy hand cream was pretty good. It wasn’t as effective as the eos cream but worked better than the Bath & Body Works one, putting it smack dab in the middle. This hand cream had little to no scent, which is fine by me. I would rather a product be scentless than have a fragrance that I can’t stand! It was the lightest in texture out of the three hand creams and absorbed quickly. I liked how soft it made my hands but it did little to no help for the redness. I finished this small tube after four uses.

B&BW: I received the Bath & Body Works Vanilla Butter Cream hand cream as a freebie and I loved the way it smelled when I picked it out. It was rich, creamy, and, of course, I love all things vanilla. However, it was a totally different story after using the cream because it was really pungent once on the skin. When it comes to lotion, I don’t really mind what it smells like because I only wear it at nighttime. I couldn’t picture using this one during the day, though, because it was so overpowering.

In terms on how well it worked, I was unimpressed by this hand cream – especially considering it’s close to eight dollars for one travel size tube. The B&BW hand cream felt the greasiest and didn’t absorb nearly as well as the other two. My skin did feel somewhat smoother after using it but nowhere near how the eos and Renew left my hands feeling. It took me about five uses to finish this hand cream and I wouldn’t go out of my way to use it again unless I got it as a freebie.

Out of these three hand creams, the eos Shea Better is the perfect one to have on the go. If I did use lotion throughout the day, I would happily purchase it for myself and am admiring its excellent results at this very moment!

Which beauty products do you keep on your person for on the go use? Do you prefer scented or unscented lotion? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar17

Pixi Beauty Peel & Polish Review

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Pixi Beauty Peel & Polish Review

Howdy everyone! This past week, my mom treated me to a couple of new products including a face mask and the Peel & Polish by Pixi Beauty. I absolutely loved the instanatural mask as per yesterday’s post and I was eager to try the Peel & Polish because I have never used any skin care products by Pixi before. Despite its not so pleasant scent, I would use it again! Let’s discuss:

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My first impression of the Peel & Polish was how it smelled because it was… interesting lol. It seriously smelled like vegetable broth and it was quite pungent. I have never used any product that had this aroma before and I can’t say that I was relishing the fact that I had to rub it on my face! Thankfully, the directions said that it only had to be left on for two minutes because I couldn’t imagine having it on for any longer than that.

I applied the Peel & Polish just before getting into the shower and I was interested in seeing the results because two minutes isn’t a very long time for it to sit. I was surprised by how well it worked after scrubbing it off because my skin looked noticeably brighter and it felt nice and smooth. This product was also so gentle, which made me even more impressed with it.

I could tell that it had made a difference when using it on Sunday morning because Saturday night is mine and Johnny’s game night. Saturday night is our standing date night in and we stay up late listening to music, playing board and video games, and talking until we’re practically falling asleep in the living room. Needless to say, my skin always looks dull and tired the following day!

I don’t know if I would go out of my way to order just the Peel & Polish from Pixi Beauty but if it were on promotion, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. According to the reviews on Pixi’s website, it is a product that its users can’t live without so maybe I’ll feel differently after finishing up the trial size bottle!

What is a beauty product you can’t live without? What is your favorite skin care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar16

Face Mask Festivities: instanatural Exfoliating Glycolic Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: instanatural Exfoliating Glycolic Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Face Mask Festivities! It has been a while since I tested out a new face mask so I was very excited when my mom gifted me one by instanatural. This past week, I tried out lots of new skin care compliments of my last Sephora haul and I wasn’t loving the way my skin looked after the fact. I think it was too many new products at one time and my face looked dull and clogged by the time the week was out.

Thankfully, the Exfoliating Glycolic Mask by instanatural did the trick and this is a mask that I would happily use again. Let’s get to it:

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Upon opening the new mask, my first impression was how happy I was that a little spoon was included to ladle out the product. I think this is such a nice touch and I love when companies do that! When I opened the jar, I could see why it came with a spoon because the mask was fairly thin and runny in texture. As a side note, it also smelled exactly like the gingerbread cake that my mom makes which was a nice bonus lol.

I used about three spoonfuls to cover my face and neck and let it sit for a little under fifteen minutes before washing off. I really enjoy using masks with exfoliating properties because it feels like getting a double treatment. I was eager to see the results when I got out of the shower and I was very impressed.

This instanatural mask not only scrubbed all of the yuck from the past week away but it left my skin looking so much brighter and radiant. It was such a huge difference from the way my skin looked prior to using it and it also felt soft and smooth to the touch. I am writing this post about an hour after using it and my skin still feels tingly, cool, and invigorated. It was like a mini spa treatment right in my apartment!

I’m excited to use the instanatural Exfoliating Glycolic Mask again and it is one that I would definitely recommend. This mask was gentle despite the intense exfoliation it provided and I am loving the results! 😀

What is your favorite face mask? How do you pamper yourself at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Mar13

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hello! I don’t shop with Sephora often but, whenever I do, I make sure that my purchases are made online. Sephora’s online promotions pale in comparison to an in store shopping experience and I always receive lots of free goodies with a fifty dollar purchase so that I qualify for free shipping. And, we all know that that isn’t hard to do!

It had been a while since I restocked my Better Than Sex mascara and I was almost out of the tube that I have been using. I spent fifty-four dollars on my order and got all of these freebies to show for it:

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The Haul:

  • 2 Better Than Sex mascaras by Too Faced
  • PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
  • Fresh Sugar Lip Mask (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
  • Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask (Free with twenty-five dollar purchase)
  • Clarins serum and moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)
  • Herbivore Pink Cloud moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)

Other than Bath & Body Works, I would definitely say that Sephora has the best promotions to give you the most bang for your buck. And, it should because the products are expensive! The Better Than Sex mascara is the only “high end” makeup that I use and it is a whopping twenty-seven dollars per tube. Being able to test out all different kinds of brands and products FO FREE really helps to soften the blow for high priced purchases.

During my online shopping with Sephora, I usually find something that I can use my Beauty Insider points with and typically use my rewards for skin care. While they have free makeup and hair care available, I don’t do my hair and makeup every day, more like once a week, so a trail size mask or moisturizer makes more sense for me. I went with the Fresh Sugar Lip Mask, which I can’t wait to try because my lips are always in a permanent state of chapped. I also cashed in for the PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer for something different during my skin care routine.

Sephora also offers a plethora of Beauty Deals online and you can get a free trial size product with a twenty-five dollar purchase. Like free shipping for fifty dollars, this is not difficult to get and just one Better Than Sex mascara got me over the twenty-five dollar mark. I chose the Vitamin B night mask from Farmacy for this freebie because it has been a while since I had a new Face Mask Festivities on my page. Keep it posted for a review on this mask soon!

Finally, with every online purchase you can pick out two free sample products which is a nice touch. I always go the skin care route for these samples too and ended up with two moisturizers and a serum sample. With all of these freebies combined, it makes every online order with Sephora well worth it and I feel like I got a deal for how much I spent.

Of course, it’s always fun to poke around in store at Sephora and see everything in real life. I recommend going home and ordering the products you have your eye on online, though, so you can score a great deal too!

Which store offers the best promotions? What are your thoughts on any of the products in my haul if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar8

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Hello! During my first in store shopping trip to Bath & Body Works in forever, I got an amazing deal on the foaming hand soaps that Johnny and I love so very much. They were $3.50 each AND I got twenty-five percent off of my purchase to thanks to my coupon. It doesn’t get much better than that and now I am well stocked for months to come in the hand soap department of my stock pile. Check it out:

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Would I Buy Again?

  • Pink Pineapple Sunrise: YES
  • Cozy Vanilla Almond: YES
  • Turquoise Waters: MAYBE
  • Mango Papaya Paradise: YES
  • Blueberry Bellini: MAYBE
  • Peach Bellini: YES!! (My favorite!)

Shopping in store at Bath & Body Works was such a treat because it had been so long since I could actually smell the products that I was going to buy as opposed to just crossing my fingers with online orders. However, after a while of smelling literally everything the store has to offer, everything starts to smell the same! Most of these soaps were ones that I took a whiff of before adding them to my basket but some of their names sounded good enough that I didn’t bother.

Johnny is very partial to tropical scents, which B&BW had a lot of in their new spring line. The Pink Pineapple Sunrise and Mango Papaya Paradise are both delightful and definite safe bets if you are ordering online. The Turquoise Waters was just okay, though, and I wish I would have went with another fruity soap rather than beachy. If you are a fan of the sandy beach scents, you will love it!

The Cozy Vanilla Almond was also a really nice one that I picked out more for me because I love anything vanilla. It has a light scent but still smells so lush and, dare I say, COZY. This one and the Peach Bellini would make great gifts because it’s hard to picture someone not liking it. The Peach Bellini is my all time favorite scent so maybe I’m a little biased but I always have to purchase one during my soap shopping. 😀

The Blueberry Bellini soap was one that I didn’t test out in store because it had the word Bellini in it lol so I figured how bad could it be. It didn’t blow me away but I also didn’t hate it. It just smelled blue if that makes any sense! This is one that I probably wouldn’t buy again but am fine with using it or being gifted with it.

Overall, I am really pleased with my haul because I consider it a GREAT SUCCESS when all of the soap scents are tolerable. The awesome deal for them also made this purchase even better!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? What kind of scents do you like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar7

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Hello! It has been a long while since I’ve shopped in person at Bath & Body Works because of the pandemic. Their foaming hand soaps are a staple in my apartment so Johnny and I have just been ordering them online for the past two years. It has been fine but it’s also very hard to judge how the soaps are going to smell online!

This past week, I had a freebie coupon as well as one for twenty-five percent off of my purchase and I decided to go to the actual store to cash them in. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the soaps which I got for a steal at $3.50 each but, today, let’s take a look at this freebie. It smells SO GOOD:

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I have tons of body wash and lotion in my beauty stock pile and, honestly, don’t need more of either one. But there is nothing better than free and I went with a travel sized lotion in Whipped Berry Meringue. Using lotion on my hands and stretch mark areas have become an ingrained part of my bed time routine and I definitely had less lotion than shower gel in my hoard.

The best part of shopping in store with B&BW is, obviously, being able to take a whiff of each product. However, by the time I was done soap shopping I was all smelled out and didn’t even bother smelling my freebie lotion until I got home. The name had me sold already because I highly doubted that Whipped Berry Meringue was going to smell bad lol.

After smelling my new lotion, I knew that I was so right because it is delightful. It is nice and light without being overpowering with notes of mixed berries, lemon, and cream. It actually smells a lot like the berry Lip Smackers that I loved oh so much in my youth. This is a perfect scent for spring and if you have been doing your B&BW shopping online, it is a safe bet to purchase.

Whether shopping in store or online, nothing pleases me more than adding to the ol’ stock pile and it’s even better when the products are free or discounted. If you don’t receive coupons in the mail from B&BW, do yourself a favor and sign up today for the best steals and deals!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? What is in your beauty hoard? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

SkinLab Revitalize & Hydrate Gel Cleanser Review

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SkinLab Revitalize & Hydrate Gel Cleanser Review

Hello! As you guys all know, I am an absolute skin care fanatic and take great pleasure in my twice daily routine. I have a lot of brands that I enjoy using and I was particularly fond of SkinLab before the pandemic began because I would get it for a song at TJMaxx. After seeing the twenty dollar price tag on Amazon for the products that I was getting for six bucks at TJs, I moved on to less expensive brands.

It had been ages since I did actual shopping at TJMaxx so I was so happy to find some SkinLab cleansers during an outing because they were cheap and I had never used them before. Then, during a more recent haul, I bought another of the SkinLab Revitalize & Hydrate Gel Cleansers super marked down on clearance. I just couldn’t help myself!

I have been using the Revitalize & Hydrate cleanser for about two weeks but I feel SO conflicted about it so let’s discuss:

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I don’t know about all of you, but I have a really difficult time using products when they don’t smell good. In fact, if it were up to me, a majority of the products that I use other than shower gel would be unscented. And, unfortunately, that’s where I’m at with this cleanser because I think that it smells awful! The first time I tried it, I seriously almost just let it go down the drain because it smelled like cleaning products.

I have this little quirk where I refuse to not finish something, whether it be a product or a book that I hate so I couldn’t let the scent of this cleanser get me down. Especially due to the fact that it makes my skin feel So. Freaking. Soft. Washing my face with it feels even better than my normal skin care routine and I can’t stop touching my face after my shower. So, you can see why I feel very conflicted!

You know that feeling when you just can’t wait to finish a product because you have been using it for forever? That’s how I feel with this cleanser and I haven’t even been using it for that long. Lol, if scents don’t bother you, then I guess give it a try. But, if you’re sensitive to the way things smell, definitely skip on this one. And I still have a bottle and a half to go, smh. *Face palm*

What is your favorite scent? Do you have to finish a product once you’ve started it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah