Review: Origins Checks & Balances Frothy Face Wash

Note: this post was written originally around January 2012. At that time I was still in college. Somehow it got lost in all of those posts I "posted"!

I got this wash as a Christmas gift from my mother. She bought it in a holiday set from Macy's (along with the A Perfect World facial moisturizer).

This product is, as the name describes, a very frothy, fluffy face wash. You squeeze out a little bit from the tube and just rub it all over your face. Afterwards, you gently massage it into your face, and then you wash it off. This product is ideally for combination and oily skin types. Or at least the lady at the Origins counter stand told me later on.

My first impressions? Pretty darn good.

The face wash, despite not having any "special ingredients" like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, actually cleaned my face pretty well. It got rid of all of the oil and even the excess makeup that I was not able to get off originally. Also, it really really cleaned my face well. My face LITERALLY felt "squeaky clean".

I usually use this twice at night in the shower, and once in the morning.

A great plus is that this is in a tube, which means that it is more hygienic than if it were in a jar. Also, a little bit goes a long way, and one bottle can last me a long long time.

This wash has gotten great reviews all over (you can check makeupalley.com for this), and I think it lives up to its reputation.

The only thing I don't like about it is its price. It costs $19.50 for 5 oz at Sephora, and I couldn't find it any cheaper anywhere else. I guess the good thing is that it lasts a long time, but the problem is that, since I am still in college and am about to go to med school soon, this is A LOT. 

Would I repurchase it? If I had the $$, yes. But since I don't, I have to stick to cheaper things.

Who would I recommend this product to? People with oily or combination skin.

Would would I NOT recommend this product to? People with dry skin.

Have you guys/gals ever used this product? If so, do you like it or dislike it? Leave a comment!

<3

Sources: 1 / 2

Review: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

I bought a two-pack of this lotion from Costco about a year ago. I had heard great things about this brand, and, seeing that I needed some more lotion and that this formula had great reviews, I decided to go for it - big time.

A two-pack of this at Costco costs about $16. Really cheap for such a great lotion!

The ingredients are, according to drugstore.com, as listed:

Active Ingredients: Dimethicone (1.25%) (Skin Protectant)

Inactive Ingredients: Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour (Oat), Benzyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Sodium Chloride, Water


What do I think of it?

Pros:
-Very emollient
-Able to absorb into the skin
-Very protecting
-No weird smells or fragrances
-Simple ingredients
-Has oats as a soothing ingredient
-Prevents drying, chafing, etc of the skin
-Can be used on face and body

Cons:
-None

I give this product a 10/10 for sure. I would recommend it for people of all skin types, except for those who are allergic to oats, of course.

Seriously, this is a great product! I would definitely repurchase it. But first I'm going to try out some other lotions to see how they are like.

Source:

Fall brings dry skin issues...

Like I've written about on previous posts, apart from my face, I have pretty dry skin. Lately, with the whole fall season picking up into pace, I've been getting really dry hands and feet. I've resorted to using petroleum jelly and coconut oil to moisturize at night. Lolz for the emollient materials!

Products I am using as of late:

Petroleum jelly


Coconut oil

C.O. Bigelow's Lemon & Pomegranate Lip Cream (will review later):

Beauty product (clipped to polyvore.com)

Sources: 1 / 2 / 3

NOTD, 9.16.2012

   

At the request of one of my friends and long-time followers, I decided to do a Nails of the Day photo. Lately I haven't really been painting my nails because we're in Gross Anatomy Lab all the time, and well, when you're dissecting and everything, it feels kind of.... "gross"!

Don't get me wrong - I actually really appreciate anatomy lab as a course and have learned a lot from it. I just don't feel that having manicured nails and everything is very helpful during lab. And also, because of lab, the nails chip a lot more.

Apologies for the nail chipping - I've been running around a lot and have to do a lot of random stuffs!

Anyway,

Bottom + top coat: Sephora by OPI Nail Treatment - 3 in 1 Base, Top, & Strengthener

Middle 2 coats: Julep Nail Vernis - Anne

<3

Review: Giovanni 2 chic collection: Shampoo, conditioner, Leave-in Conditioning & Styling Elixir

 

I was fortunate enough to recently receive (usable) samples of these product from my mom. Giovanni is a haircare line that I have always admired but have never really bought for economical reasons.

I use shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner typically every night; and how did I think of these products?

Pros:
-Very smooth and useful
-Did not leave any knots in my hair (conditioner worked well)
-No frizz
-Did not make my scalp feel itchy

Cons:
-The elixir felt kind of sticky and stayed on as if it weighed down my hair
-The cost! Each of these full-sized products costs $9, and that's for 8.5 fl oz shampoo, 8.5 fl oz conditioner, and 4 fl oz leave-in conditioner. Compare that to Tresemme (which I normally use) - $4 for 32 oz. And Tresemme (which is my HG shampoo/conditioner) gives similar results - especially the conditioner.

Overall? If someone really wants nice hair and has $$ to spend, I would say go for it. However, for me, I won't be purchasing the full-sized products. I'll stick to Tresemme and my typical leave-in conditioner (Fruitopia Hair Serum, click here for review) for now.

All right now, enough of this, now back to work for me!

<3

Source: 1

Project X Pan - 2 month update

In one of my previous posts, I listed several products I had wanted to use up (see pics above) in an effort to increase the "turnover rate" of my makeup/skincare supply, so to speak. Here is a ~2 month update:

1. Fresh's Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo: Finished about 1/3 of stick, still working on rest.

2. ELF Brightening Eyeliner in Coffee: Currently use as brow pencil, and is shorter than the Wet N' Wild ColorIcon eyeliner. Still working on it.

3. Wet N' Wild ColorIcon Brow & Eyeliner in Dark Brown: No progress, will probably finish after finishing ELF coffee eyeliner (both will be used as brow pencil).

4. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Cream (Light 4-5 shade) - Hit more pan, used more up.

5. CoverGirl's Eye Enhancer's 1-Kit Shadows in Pink Chiffon - Already all finished.

6. Santee’s Shimmer EyeStick in Blue - Haven't made any progress on this.

7. ELF's 27-piece Shimmer Palette: I've hit pan on several eyeshadow shades (on the left side of the palette). Will probably throw away the lipstick shades (they taste pretty nasty and do NOT smell right...)

8. Carmex Moisture Plus stick - done.

9. Fruitopia Hair Serum - still have about 1/7 or 1/8 of bottle left.

10. (Lately added) - Clean & Clear Finishes Even Tone Cleanser - done. Click here for my review on it.

I will retire the finished items - #5, 8, and 10 from the list, and will give updates on the rest of the stuff laterz.

We'll see how this next month of Project X Pan turns out!

DIY natural deodorant

So many articles lately are talking about how toxic aluminum-based deodorants/anti-perspirants can be. I will not go over them, as there are countless articles that go over about it better than I could (these articles are listed at the bottom of this post).

One of the better ways to go around this is to make your own deodorant using other products. I've made a recipe that I think works pretty well so far. Of course, this is not my own recipe that I came up by myself - I've linked below a lot of places I got sources from.

My recipe:


1 tablespoon arrowroot powder ($0.28)
1 tablespoon baking soda ($1.50)
20 drops tea tree oil ($10)
10 drops orange oil ($8)
3-4 tablespoons coconut oil ($8)

Mix it all together thoroughly, and put it in the fridge to set (the melting point of coconut oil is 77 deg F).

End result:



And guess what? It really does work well! Now I don't have that bad stuff and don't feel guilty about putting on deodorant anymore. And it's really cheap too - can make batches after batches for a very low price! (See the prices I listed for the full-sized products above. Overall, per batch, it's cheaper than any natural deodorant from stores, comparable to drugstore priced, aluminum-containing deodorant).

Hurray! If you try this, lemme know how it works out =D

Aluminum-based deodorants/anti-perspirants:
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2011/07/02/antiperspirant-health-hazards.htm
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-alternatives-to-toxic-deodorants.html
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/underarm-care/tips/is-antiperspirant-toxic.htm
http://www.futurederm.com/2008/09/30/does-it-work-secret-clinical-strength-anti-perspirant/
http://www.futurederm.com/2009/03/20/deodorant-parabens-good-aluminum-bad/
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/skintype/deodorant-and-anti-perspirant-ingredients/
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-health-risks-behind-antiperspirants-deodorants-14097.html?cat=69

DIY deodorant links:
http://lanapurcell.tumblr.com/post/5065222525/why-i-heart-coconut-oil-diy-deodorant
http://www.vintagesavoirfaire.com/2012/04/diy-coconut-lime-deodorant/
http://www.good.is/post/strong-enough-for-a-hippie-diy-deodorant-to-handle-the-sweaty-season/

Get to know me tag...

1. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead? yes!
2. A big poofy dress or a short party dress? Usually a short party dress; I'm pretty short so if I wear a big poofy dress it looks disproportional.
3. Are diamonds a girl's best friend? Perhaps? I would like to think rubies and sapphires are in there too.
4. Is your hair up or down today? Up. I'm always on the go!
5. Do you straighten your hair? Maybe at most 5x/year. My hair is naturally straight so I straighten it only if I want to... paralyze the strands.
6. Favorite mascara? I'm still searching for a HG mascara but currently Maybelline Falsies Black Drama Waterproof
7. Do you get your nails done? No - I've always done them myself, even for my HS prom and college formals!
8. Small or large purses? medium and large
9. Jeans or sweats? jeans
10. Do you wear clothes/shoes/jewelry that's uncomfortable?  Only if it only has to be for a short while, and there's a really good reason
11. Do you text message a lot? It really hones into the person who I'm calling/texting and his/her preferences
12. Whats your favorite color? purple, pink, light green, black, red
13. Heels or flats? flats! though short heels if they're comfortable
14. Would you ever leave the house without makeup on? Mhm. especially if I'm going to the gym
15. Walmart or Target? Target
16. Do you think lip gloss is the best! I think they're ok, depending on the situation.
17. Do you own any big sunglasses? Yes!
18. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? about 30 minutes
19. Gold or silver? Silver I guess.
20. Do you like to wear dresses? yes, but for utility purposes I stay with... jeans and scrubs ^_^;
21. In the last 48 hours have you hung out with a guy? no. yes, if you count the guys in my study group?
22. Do you like to hold hands? mhm =D
23. What do you notice when you first meet a guy? eyes, smile
24. Do you like making eye contact? I try, though I'm not always good at it... shy/nervous anyone?
25. Would you kill for chocolate? YES.. I'm always craving chocolate!
26. On a scale from 1-10 how fun is shopping? Depends on what I'm shopping for, groceries, clothes, etc.
27. Do you yell a lot? nope
28. Do you wear sweatpants/pajamas to school/work? Do scrubs count?
29. Have you ever dressed unlike yourself to impress a guy? Maybe during parties or something? I usually dress in the way that makes me comfortable.
30. What makeup could you not live without? eyeliner + concealer
31. Do you fall in love easily? No.
32. Do you have cramps? No. (Why was this asked?!?!)