SPOTTED: Goody Spin Pin & Modern Up Do ($1 ea!)

I spotted an entire display of Goody brand Spin Pin and Modern Up Do hair accessories at my local Dollar Tree in both the light (for lighter hair shades) and dark (for darker hair shades).  Like everything that is sold at Dollar Tree these are selling there for $1 each.  I have recently seen these on sale at major retailers for the full retail price, so I was surprised to see these at Dollar Tree.  I received my first box of Spin Pins in my Voxbox and I instantly fell in love – so I made sure I picked up another box of these at Dollar Tree for a back-up.  I also picked up one of the modern up do’s to leave in my purse and/or car glove compartment.

In case you are not aware of how amazing these products are – the spin pins will give you a flawless looking bun in a matter of seconds.  All you do is spin these corkscrew looking pins into your hair (it doesn’t hurt – if you’d like you can see my full review here: http://shannonseyeonbeauty.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-goody-spin-pins.html ) whereas the modern up do will give you a flawless looking up do in a matter of seconds.

Swatches: Wet n Wild Shimmer the Night Away

This is Wet n Wild’s limited edition 8-pan palette Shimmer the Night Away.  This is one of the 3 new limited edition palettes (well, really 2 new since one is a re-release under a new name).  This is the purple palette.  I admit I was hesitant to purchase because purples aren’t really my favorite shadows – they usually contrast against my skin tone and make me look like I have a black eye.  I did pick it up because my Walgreen’s was having all Wet n Wild products on sale with a buy one get one 50% off deal.  So of course, I bought the first palette for $4.99 and got this one for $2.50.  I felt the price was justifiable to pick it up.

I will say I was not particularly wowed by the color payoff on this palette.  Sparkle ‘Til Morning is SO gorgeous, pigmented and wearable that this just fell flat for me on the love-o-meter. The darker shades pop more whereas the purple – even the blue tend to fall a little flat.  Sorry to say – but I’m not a terribly big fan of this palette.

Swatch: Wet n Wild Mocha-licious

This is the Wet n Wild lipstick in the shade Mocha-licious.  I picked this up at Walgreens on a rather impulsive buy.  These Wet n Wild lippies retail for $1.99 each but Walgreen’s tends to have Wet n Wild products on sale with a buy one get one 50% off sale – which is the deal I bought this particular lipstick with.

Mocha-licious is a stunning dark warm mocha brown shade.  With my skin tone I typically veer towards browns because they just compliment me so well and I’m comfortable wearing them.  My lips are pigmented on their own but this shade just gives my lips a nice deeper shade which is subtle (at least in my case).  I can’t say it would be subtle for all, but if you have medium-tan to dark skin I would say you’d enjoy this.  Then again for the price you can’t go wrong!

REVIEW: The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

I picked up this Tea Tree Face Mask at The Body Shop kind of on the fly a number of months back.  I was talking to the girl that works in one of my local stores (she and I suffer from similar acne problems and have taken similar dermatologist prescribed medications).  So to say I trust her opinion is a pretty solid statement.  She’s even steered me away from purchasing certain things so that’s customer service to say the least.  I was looking for a couple different things and this mask was recommended to me by the girl in the store so I picked it up.  She did advise you can use it different ways, as a mask, as a cleanser, etc.  I even read a few different reviews on The Body Shop website with how people use it.  Some find they like to put it on then get in the shower and then wash it off.  I use it in a combination of ways and each has been pretty positive for me.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product comes packaged in a round screw lid tub which contains 3.85 ounces of product.  This retails for $15 but The Body Shop is known for constantly running buy 2 get 2 free sales or buy 3 get 3 free sales.  Currently they are running a store and site-wide 50% off sale so this is selling for $7.50.  Groupon also pairs up with The Body Shop to offer $20 Groupons for the store – so you’d spend $10 and have $20 taken off your bill – further reducing your payout.

PRODUCT

The product itself is a bright green moderately thick cream.  It does have a distinct tea tree scent to it, which can tickle your sense of smell if you get close to it.  This is featured in the tea tree line which is geared towards individuals with problem skin (acne blemishes).  This is geared towards being a mask but it can be a multi-use product and everyone who uses it, uses it in different ways that they find works best for them.  The product is a cooling face mask with cleanses, soothes and refreshes the skin.  It aids in removing impurities and absorbing excess oil.  I will say it does all of these things and more.

PURCHASING

This can be purchased from any The Body Shop store location, The Body Shops online website and Beauty.com.  I have also seen The Body Shop products sold at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s locations – but it’s really hit or miss as it depends on what they receive in and how quickly they sell.

OVERALL

As I’ve stated this can be a multi-purpose face mask/cleanser.  According to the product you should “Smooth a thin layer onto pat-dried skin, clean face and neck with your fingertips. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes (mask will not dry). Then rinse off with clean water and pat skin dry. Use once or twice per week, after cleansing.”  I’ve used this as a mask and found the tingling sensation can become all too much for my skin – so I sometimes put this on my face before getting into the shower and I let the warm air mesh with the product and do it’s own thing.  I have also used this as a skin refresher after using an exfoliating face wash (whether by using a product or using a exfoliating face brush).  In this case I rub a small amount of product into my cleansed face, leave it on for a minute or two, and then rinse off.  It can leave my face a little tight feeling, but it’s nothing some moisturizer won’t ease up.

I do know if you use this product and you find it is not for you, or you’ve had a reaction to it the store will allow you to bring it back in to explain your situation and will aid in finding a new product for you that will not upset your skin/etc.

RATING

A-

Shannon’s Origins Black Friday Haul!

The week of Black Friday leading up to the day after Cyber Monday Origins was having a deal where you could get $10 off your order and get free shipping.  I tried a few samples of Origins products at Sephora and planned on picking up a bottle of a few things at Sephora but decided to get them straight from Origins because of the money off deal.  I also made this purchase using my Ebates account so I got 8 or 9% cash back on top of what I spent.

I did run into a little technical difficulty when trying to submit my order.  Origins website was still advertising the coupon code for the $10 off but when I went to submit my order (it had just turned midnight) the website had a technical difficulty and was not allowing the code – stating it had expired.  I e-mailed Origins and the next day they had sent out a mass e-mail to all letting them know that due to a technical glitch on their website they extended the code for an additional two days to make up for any inconvenience it ma have caused.  As soon as I read the e-mail I immediately threw the two items I wanted into my online cart and purchased.  Shipping was really fast – I received my order not even a week after placing it.

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Origins Zero Oil

-          Origins Clear Improvements

Swatches: Wet n Wild Sparkle ‘Til Morning

This is Wet n Wild’s limited edition 8-pan palette Sparkle ‘Til Morning.  I have to say out of the limited edition palettes that came out this year; this has to be my absolute FAVORITE!  It’s so gorgeous, pigmented and such fun sparkly colors that can be worn all year long.  These retail for $4.99 but are usually on sale buy one get one 50% off at Walgreens.  I BELIEVE these limited edition 8-pan palettes are only available at Walgreens – but don’t quote me on that because my CVS does not sell Wet n Wild (tear).   Do note these swatches are without a primer.

If you are not familiar, the palette includes two separate “instructional” shades but you can switch it up if you’re feeling fancy.  As with most Wet n Wild 8-pan palettes one side is more colorful while the other is more of a neutral look.  Personally I completely LOVE this palette it’s just perfection.

SWATCH: Wet n Wild Cherry Bomb Lipstick

This is the Wet n Wild lipstick in the shade Cherry Bomb.  I picked this up at Walgreen’s on an impulsive buy.  But I will say I’m glad I picked it up because it’s GORGEOUS!  I’m always so amazed by how pigmented and fabulous Wet n Wild lippies are.  For the price $1.99 you can’t go wrong.  Walgreen’s is also infamous for doing buy 1 get 1 50% off sales and they occasionally include coupons off items in store.

Cherry Bomb is a true deep, dark blood red shade.  This color is not for the faint of heart. I’m not particularly comfortable with bright reds on my lips BUT this is so deep it’s gorgeous. It’s dark enough that it looks nice against my skin tone without making me incredibly uncomfortable.  This is really a fabulous shade for the fall and winter months.

Shannon’s HED (Hair Education Defined) Giveaway Winnings!

About a month or so ago, a beauty blogger, StephsBeauty was hosting a giveaway on her blog hosted by HED (Hair Education Defined).  She tested out some of their products and hosted a giveaway featuring the three products she enjoyed the most.  I believe the products retail for about $100 for the three that I received.  The package was shipped direct from HED and included the three bottles of product, a packing list and an information card on their line.  I’m really excited to try the items out to see how they do for my hair.

Here’s what I received:

HED-Overdirect Shine Serum

According to the brochure this product is “A shining star in the new collection, this lightweight designer hair ‘exlier’ works in sync with the cut to create maximum body, shine and fabulous finish.  What’s the message in this bottle? Pure magic! pH 4.5”

HED-Depth Deep Conditioning Mask

According to the brochure this product can “Achieve a deeper level of added care and repair for dry, damaged or chemically-treated hair in need of a more therapeutic treatment.  Rich with antioxidants, grape seed oil and green leaf help to repair and protect the hair.  pH 4.5.”

HED-Interior Leave-in Conditioning Cream

According to the brochure this product does “Great style starts from the inside out, with a luxe leave-in cream that creates healthy, shiny and manageable hair.  High performance ingredients like avocado and jojoba seed oils team up to moisturize, detangle and protect hair from drying and damaging elements (like thermal heat or hot, dry weather). pH 5.3.”

Shannon’s The Body Shop Super Haul!

This is a belated The Body Shop haul.  I had purchased another Groupon for $10 for $20 worth of product and since I wanted to pick up some of their tea tree line (they were having their buy 2 get 2 or buy 3 get 3 free sale) I decided to pop in and take full advantage.  I originally went in wanting the Hemp hand cream but when I got there I noticed they had a gift set for $20 which included the full-sized hand cream as well as some other items.  The $20 would be the same as the single hand cream – but unfortunately gift sets are not included in the sale.  So instead of getting less for my dollar, I bought the gift set and then just went crazy throughout the rest of the store.  Everything I purchased was from the tea tree line and because I had to spend like $6 more to get my rewards points I decided to just pick up a large body wash because it was useless to spend $8 on 2 miniature products I didn’t really want.  ANYWAY!

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash (x2)

-          Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

-          Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash (x2)

-          Mini face scrubber

-          Coconut Shower Cream

-          Hemp Hand Protector Gift Set – Includes Cream, Body Butter and Foot Cream

So there you have it, my The Body Shop haul!

Trader Joe’s Health & Beauty Haul!

As you may have noticed I’ve been obsessed with Trader Joe’s as of late. With that I’ve also been interested in some of their beauty products.  Someone I used to go to high school with had posted about their mango shave cream and how moisturizing it was so I decided on my next trip I’d pick it up.  My skin, particularly my legs, goes absolutely INSANE in the winter.  The dryness of the air just eats my skin up and my skin ends up just hurting, especially after applying lotion it just stings – it’s craziness.  So I have hopes that this will help.  I also picked up their moisturizing cream because they had a sample bottle out and my hands were super dry so I used it and it made my skin soft, no obnoxious scent and it worked nicely.  I figured I’d bring this one to work and leave at my desk – I have a tub of Nivea lotion but it’s SOOOOO thick that it’s not user friendly, especially when I’m trying to answer the phone when it’s not completely rubbed in.  I’ve dropped the phone on my desk a number of times (LOL!).  I then picked up a complete body cleansing system.  I had read some things about it after talking to a few people on Instagram about it.

A quick run-through of what I picked up:

Trader Joe’s Shave – Moisturizing Cream Shave in Honey Mango

Trader Joe’s Moisturizing Cream for extra dry skin

Trader Joe’s Complete Body Cleanse

Received my specialized Mario Badescu Samples

About two months ago I went browsing on the Mario Badescu website.  I have heard many rave reviews on their acne line and while I was getting frustrated with my own skin I decided to sign up to receive some samples to try out the products.  I was considering getting some from Ulta, but the Ulta website doesn’t stock the products and I wasn’t going to drive 1+ hours out of my way to the only Ulta around me.

I filled out the requested survey which based around me and my skincare concerns.  About a week later I received a specialized e-mail from one of the Mario Badescu skin care advisors who reviewed my information and decided on what particular regime I should try.  The e-mail was very informative, advising what product to use when, where and how often.  I was also advised that due to a significant increase in sample requests orders for samples were being released in 5-6 weeks after the initial submittal went through.  This was also before the hurricane which put New Jersey and New York under a lot of trouble due to the flooding and power outages, so the samples took a bit longer, which was quite expected and I’m not complaining in the least.

I received my package and was quite surprised with the volume of samples.  The product contains enough for at least 1-3 usages (depending on the product).  But here’s what I got in my package:

- Enzyme Cleansing Gel

- Special Cucumber Lotion  

- Hyaluronic eye cream

- Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 17

- Drying Mask

- Healing & Soothing Mask  

- Drying lotion

- Buffering lotion

- Drying Cream

Shannon’s Walgreen’s Beauty Haul!

This was not an expected haul – but I was going into Walgreen’s to pick up a carpal tunnel wrist support (its fabulous getting “old” LOL).  I was also slightly agitated because my boyfriend had gotten into an accident in my car earlier in the evening and my car was looking hurt.  So I went shopping to feel better.  I spotted the limited edition Wet n Wild display with the 8-pan palettes so I grabbed the two palettes that stuck out to me the most.  One was more intriguing to own than the other but since it was buy one get one 50% off I felt it would be stupid to not pick them both up.  I also grabbed some of the Wet n Wild lippies because they are such fabulously pigmented lipsticks for such a great price -- $1.99 each, plus they were on sale buy one get one 50% off.

Here’s what I picked up:

-    Wet n Wild – Sparkle ‘Til Morning (Limited Edition)
-    Wet n Wild – Shimmer the Night Away (Limited Edition)
-    Wet n Wild – Cherry Bomb
-    Wet n Wild – Mocha-licious
-    Sinful Colors - Faceted

Shannon’s Free Lady Gaga “Fame” Perfume Gift Set

Let me start this off by saying this certainly was not supposed to be free – but after a lot of back and fourth a credit was extended to my credit card as a “I’m sorry we screwed up.”

As most of us know, Lady Gaga came out with a new perfume titled Fame.  The perfume got a lot of notoriety because it’s a black liquid (which does not transfer to your clothing) and when she was telling people she wanted to make a fragrance she kind of said she wanted it to smell of blood and semen o.O.  I received a sample of the perfume at Sephora and ABSOLUTELY fell in love.  I was going to buy it right then in the store, but my boyfriend told me I should check online to see if I could get a better deal since it was the holiday season upon us.

I did a lot of searching online and the toss-up was between Macy’s and Ulta.  I decided to go with Ulta because of their reward program.  Not that it really matters because I don’t shop at Ulta very much because the one store near me is an hour away and it’s in the most horrendous excuse for a mall I’ve ever seen.  ANYWAY!

The Ulta website stated the gift set included a 3.4 fl oz bottle, a bar of soap and a 0.34 fl oz roller ball.  I clicked on the image associated with the description and the gift set shown was exactly what was listed on the website.  So I went back and fourth with myself “Do I really need this?” and I just bit the bullet, ordered it and about a week later it was delivered to my house.  Upon opening the box and pulling out the gift set I realized the gift set I received was for the 1.7 fl oz bottle.  I didn’t order that, so I sent Ulta an e-mail inquiring and on the next Monday (I sent the e-mail Saturday) I received a generic e-mail back telling me to ship it back to get the right product.

Then the cycle continued – I called Ulta since I figured talking to a human being would be easier than trying to get the problem across in e-mail.  After explaining to the customer service rep she forwarded an e-mail off (they have the weirdest chain of command BTW) and I got a call back from the customer service rep later in the day.  Basically saying we screwed up, but too bad for you. They thanked me for pointing out the mistake (?????) and said if I was still unsatisfied I could return it to get what I wanted – which isn’t even available to their store.  That made no sense to me, so I inquired further about well, if I bought product X and you sent me product Y shouldn’t you willingly exchange it for what I wanted?  Even if you admitted you made a mistake on your website, but you’d honor it since I didn’t make the change on their end.  I then get an e-mail from an apparent supervisor, who basically told me return it and get your money back and order it from another company that has what you want because the tech group made a mistake but there’s nothing they can do to fix it.  So that ticked me off.  I work in purchasing as a living and one thing that boggles my mind is bad customer service.  With so many businesses trying to save money and doing things online and preserve face, a little goes a long way and bad customer service echoes so much louder and clearer than good customer service (sadly).  So in an aggravated “fury” I e-mailed them back saying this is the worst level of customer service, provide me with a prepaid UPS label for return, credit me back once received and don’t expect business from me in the future.  Later on in the afternoon I got an e-mail back from the rep stating as a one-time courtesy they’d extend a credit to me for the amount paid and I could keep the product.

I was flabbergasted.  I wasn’t expecting that in the least but I do say it was a nice gesture on their behalf for remedying the situation.  Granted, I didn’t get the exact product I was looking for (size wise) but to get a set for free as an apology?  Thanks, Ulta.

Shannon’s Belated Walgreen’s Haul!

 This is a belated haul from Walgreen’s.  This is the product of what happens when I have to go to the pharmacy because someone (even if that someone is myself) doesn’t feel well and needs some sort of medication.  There are a few Walgreen’s around me that have designated areas for their clearance items and I typically hit those up after carousing the beauty section.  This particular day there were a few items in the clearance section that I snagged, while the polishes I grabbed in the little partitioned area in the beauty section.  I was kind of excited to get the two Sinful Colors polishes since they were available on “limited edition” displays as they were not part of the permanent line.

Here’s what I picked up:

-    Gillette Fusion Instant Hydration Moisturizer (for my BF)
-    Personal care Kit – includes nail file, nail clippers (2 sizes), cuticle pusher and tweezer.  This was like 99 cents on clearance
-    Sinful Colors – Leap Frog
-    Sinful Colors – Winterberry
-    Wet n Wild Fergie – Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night

Shannon’s VitaCost Beauty Haul!

This is about a two month old haul from VitaCost.com.  VitaCost is a website that sells beauty and health items at a discounted price.  Their prices typically beat out the prices you’d find on Amazon or any other beauty product retailer (for the most part).  They also offer incentives to get $10 off your purchase by referring a friend and having them sign up – while the friend also receives $10 off by signing up through your referral link.  I do admit you think you’re getting a fabulous deal – but the only downside is you have to pay for shipping which is (typically) a flat $5.99.  So in essence you are really only saving $4 off your order – but nonetheless you’d be spending less than you would anywhere else, so it’s kind of a wash.  But anyway onto the haul!

Here are the items I purchased (please do note these are first time buys for me but I did research the brands and purchased some items I saw recommended by a few of the YouTubers I subscribe to):

-          Nature’s Gate Biotin Shampoo

-          Nature’s Gate Biotin Conditioner

-          Dr. Woods Shea Vision Pure Black Soap with Shea Butter

-          Alba Botanica Natural Acne Dote Deep Pore Wash

-          Kiss my Face Natural Moisture Shave Cream

-          Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin Spray

-          Mygrastick Roll On (migraine roll-on relief)

-          Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads

BTW if you have an Ebates account you can get 3.0% cash back on your purchase – so even more savings!

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of these products or have you purchased anything from VitaCost?

Images are mine do not take or use. Thank you.

Sinful Colors Metallic Nail Polish (old) Haul

 This is a haul from August (I KNOW!) and this is the number of polishes I just went crazy and had to purchase.  I got these for 99 cents each at Walgreen’s, which is a great deal because in my opinion Sinful Colors makes some really nice polish shades and they last on my fingers with a top coat.

These polishes were from the Metallic display, which featured solely metallic looking nail polishes.  I only purchased the shades that appealed to me the most – which if I recall correctly was 5 out of the available 7.  Don’t fret – I realize with Sinful Colors their limited edition displays are around only for a while and then they are gone BUT Walgreen’s is known for stashing polishes away (from limited edition displays that don’t sell) and then bringing them out when Sinful goes on sale for 99 cents to get rid of their stash.  I’ve found the Grecian line polishes months and months later at select Walgreen’s for sale for 99 cents, WELL after I was kicking myself in the behind for not picking a few shades up (that I fell in love with the swatches online).

Here are the color shades I picked up:
-    Precious Metal
-    Zincing of You
-    Hot Wired
-    Super Nova
-    Gone Platinum

Received my BzzAgent CoverGirl Flipstick BzzCampaign!

I was invited to take part in the CoverGirl Flipstick BzzCampaign.  I was pretty excited to be invited into the campaign because I saw the campaign discussed on the BzzAgent Facebook page – but at the time I did not receive an invitation.  I did not connect the dots that the Flipstick lipsticks were the line that was currently out in stores that aided in creating an ombre lip.  That is until I was at CVS and I glanced through the CoverGirl section and spotted the line.

Last week I received my BzzAGent kit and was excited to see I received actual lipsticks instead and three separate shades at that!  Even more excited I was when I saw the shades were complimentary toward my skin tone.  I am a sucker for brown lipsticks since they compliment me so well  - all of which are gorgeous.

The three shades received were: Minx, Stunner and Vixen.

Along with the intro kit I received a stack of coupons (if anyone wants coupons let me know).  I also received a booklet discussing the product as we BzzAgents typically receive as an intro to any campaign.

Overall I am pretty excited to play around with these some more.

Eve's Holiday Giveaway! :)

Eve, a fellow beauty blogger (both on Blogger and LUUUX) is hosting a giveaway.  Eve posts very informative posts and reviews on products she's tried and she's also very grateful of her follows and this past year has been known for providing giveaways to them monthly. This months holiday inspired giveaway involves three separate sets: Tarte The Stand Out Limited Edition Best Sellers Kit, Tarte Eye-ssentials Amazonian Clay Discovery Kit and the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Set.  If you're not a follower of Eve's I suggest you check her out, she's a really great asset to the Blogger community (as well as the LUUUX community!)

Note: Image is not mine it belongs to Eve.

Trader Joe’s Beauty Haul

This is a Trader Joe’s beauty haul from earlier last month.  I was going into Trader Joe’s to pick up some food items and decided to grab a few things in the beauty section.  Liliana had posted about the face wash and I decided to pick up a bottle to try out for myself.  I admit, I purchased it but haven’t tried it yet.  I’ve been using a skincare routine and I’m trying to see if it’s working – basically I’m allowing my skin sometime to get used to the routine to see if it’s going to freak out.  The bottom line is the face wash was created with a dermatologist who sells a similar version for a larger price tag.  If you want to read about the All-In-One face wash from Trader Joe’s marketing words – see here: http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=257.

While looking through the beauty items I noticed they had a tea tree line of shampoos and conditioners and I figured I’d grab it since me and my boyfriend get very dry scalps (even though my hair gets oily).  A dry scalp usually leads to incredible itchiness and/or dandruff so I have hopes this will help the both of us.  That is, if I can get my boyfriend to use it.  Last I picked up a jar of coconut oil because I saw a post by Lyndsay talking about how this is great to moisturize your legs when shaving.  I was hoping my Trader Joe’s would have a smaller jar, but this was the only size available.  The woman that worked there told me it’s great to use as a moisturizer (as in slathering on and leaving for a few and/or shaving) she also said it’s good to cook with and she even said her sister-in-law uses it in her coffee.  That made me raise a brow because I love coffee …. so perhaps we’ll see!

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Trader Joe’s Nourish All-In-One Cleanser

-          Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo

-          Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner

-          Trader Jot’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Review: Burt's Bees Intense Hydration (BzzCampaign)

I was selected to take part in the BzzAgent BzzCampaign for Burts Bee’s Intense Hydration line.  I was surprised when I received my box and found full-sized products for their cleanser, night cream and mask.  I was expecting perhaps a full-size cleanser and then deluxe sample sizes of anything else that might be provided.

My skin is normally oily, but when I am being strict on my face cleansing routine to combat my acne, I tend to get dry in certain areas if not my whole face.  Adding an astringent (acne toner) on top of it can just make my face SO much more drying to the point it’s annoying.  I don’t always use a strong astringent on my face I typically reach for my tea tree toner – but some days the heavy duty stuff is “necessary”.  Out of all this, I will say using the hydration cream cleanser has certainly brought the moisture back to my face effortlessly and has made a noticeable difference.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The products are packaged in typical sleek and/or rather “plain” packaging which is the signature Burts Bees look for their face care lines.  The Intense Hydration cream cleanser comes in a 6 ounce bottle (retails for $9.99), the intense hydration mask is in a 4 ounce bottle (retails for $17.99) and the Intense Hydration Night Cream is in a 1.8 ounce container (retails for $17.99).  The cleanser and mask are in flip-top squeeze bottles, while the night cream is in a screw top container.

PRODUCT

The product is geared towards hydration and hydrating it does.  The one thing I do want to mention is that for me, it has a borderline strong lemony scent to it.  It’s the first note that hits me and lingers.  Now I love lemon in food, but the scent is rather boisterous.  It’s not overwhelming to the point I can’t use it, but it definitely hits me every single time I use it.

According to Burt’s Bees (taken from the Burt’s Bees website):   Clary Sage, a remarkable botanical that thrives in its harsh environment because of its ability to retain moisture, is the inspiration behind Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration, our natural ode to soft, supple, revitalized skin and our best natural anti-aging solution. Our cream cleanser leaves your skin incredibly soft while our day lotion, eye cream and night cream help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Add the treatment mask for an immediate dose of hydration to give your skin a revitalized look.

PURCHASING

The line is available for purchase at major retailers such as Target and Walgreens.  It may be available at CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart but I personally have not looked for these items at those stores so I can’t say for sure. I do know the line is available on the Target and Walgreens website as it is also available on Drugstore.com

OVERALL

I would recommend this for anyone who has dry skin or has occasional dryness.  It certainly aids in moisturizing and bringing moisture back to the skin.  If you don’t have dryness or occasional dryness, I can’t say I’d recommend this for use.  The line has helped bring moisture to my skin after my sometime harsh acne treatments and it does prep my face for my after shower/face washing routine.  The scent is rather noticeable, but it’s not overwhelmingly unpleasant – but if you don’t enjoy lemony fragrances, then you may not like this one since even while it’s on your skin you can smell it.

RATING

B

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SUPER Belated CVS Haul!

Yes, super belated.  These pictures have been sitting on my camera for … ever.  Like what, almost 2-months? I think … but it’s something like that.  I went into CVS because I had ECB’s to use up, plus that week Physician’s Formula was buy any item over $10 gets $7 ECB’s back.  I almost bought the bronzer the week prior, but a blogger on twitter saw my tweet and replied to me letting me know PF products would be on sale the following week – so I sat tight and waited for Sunday to roll around.  I tend to be an impulsive shopper and my need for the PF product was impulsivity so I’m surprised I waited.  But in the end I’m glad I did because I was able to get a lot more product for my money than just getting one and paying full price for it.

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser

-          CVS Purifying Mint Masque

-          Physicians Formula – pH Matchmaker Powdered Bronzer

-          Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder 

-          Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in Galactic