Review: Bodycology Charmed Apple Nourishing Body Cream

Source
FTC: I received a sample of this product from the manufacturing company.

Confession: I love sour apples. Sour apple fruits, candy, desserts, etc. So thus, when I received a sample of this product, I was super thrilled I got the chance to use one of these products!

Ingredients:

Water, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Fragrance, Dimethicone, Acetylated Lanolin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Tocopherylacetate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Cetylalcohol, Triethanolamine, Disodium Edta, Benzophenone-4, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin. May Contain: Red 4 (Ci 14700), Yellow 5 (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 (Ci 15985), Blue 1 (Ci 42090), Red 33 (Ci 17200), Ext. Violet 2 (Ci 60730), Green 3 (Ci 42053).

What did I think of it?

Pros:

• Very moisturizing
• A lot of emollient ingredients
• Great price - $4 at Walmart for 8 oz (though not sold online)

 Cons:

• Did NOT smell like real sour apples. Smelled like some sort of candied, super super sweet thing. Sounds kind of nice but actually it was just this weird twisted thing.
• Was pretty sticky in the morning on my skin
• Did not like the super excessive amount of dyes on my skin

Honestly I didn't really like this product. I guess I was sad that there were no "sour apples" for me this time. Oh well.

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Review: L'Oreal Paris EverPure Moisture Restorative Masque

Source
FTC: I bought this product with my own money.

Here's another haircare product I've been fortunate enough to try. In a (perhaps futile) effort to preserve my hair and prevent split ends, I've been trying different deep conditioning products and leave-in additives. I was fortunate enough to happen upon this product during a sale at Target (I bought it for $4 instead of the normal $8.99 price).

Ingredients:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Esters, Fragrance, Trideceth 6, Methylparaben, Benzophenone 3, Ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Linalool, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Citric Acid, FIL D34879 2

I basically just slathered this onto my hair after putting and rinsing out the shampoo in my hair.

Pros:

• Really conditioning and smoothing to the hair
• Nice, strong smell
• Detangles
• Vegan product  - all vegan ingredients (cruelty-free anyone?)

Cons:

• Price: $8.99 on Online Drugstore for 5.1 fl oz 
• Ran out quickly - only lasted for 3 weeks of use

Honestly, this product was interesting to try but it wasn't anything spectacular. There isn't much spectacular about the product itself, as apart from other such products. I don't think I'll repurchase this product though; I'll try others and seek out a truly amazing one.

Review: Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave-In Conditioner

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Ever since I over-shampooed my hair during college and started getting split ends, I've been searching for a solution that would help me grow out my hair while preventing those nasty little buggers. This lead me to a whole realm of haircare I had previously never sought out before - leave-in conditioners, hair serums, deep conditioners, hair masks, etc.

Thus, when I received a generous sample of this product, I was super delighted to try it.

Ingredients list:

-Prickly Pear Cactus Extract: Hydrates hair.
-Antioxidant Green Tea and Vitamin B5: Help protect hair and promote shine.
-Arnica Extract: Fights frizz. 

Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl peg/ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Amodimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polyquaternium-59, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Opuntia (Prickly Pear Cactus) Tuna Flower Extract, Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, PVP, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.

What was my experience? Well, I put it into my hair every night for 2 weeks. A two-week worth sample. Wow.

Pros:

• A little goes a long way!
• Great extracts and ingredients' incorporations
• Really light
• Didn't make my hair feel greasy
• Made my hair feel really soft, silky
• Helped deter split ends

Con: 

• Price: $23 for 8.5 fl oz at Sephora

Honestly, even for the price, I think it is a good product as it doesn't make my hair super greasy like other other hair serums I've tried. However, it is a pricey product.

Review: Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil

Photo Source
FTC: I am not compensated for this review. I received a sample of this from Essie.

I received a sample of this product quite a long time ago from Essie. At the time, I was pretty skeptical about nail oils and their purported effects on the cuticle. Boy was I surprised.

Ingredients:

Cottonseed Oil, PPG 15 Stearyl Ether, Polysorbate 81, Soy Bean Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate (A269), Vitamin E Acetate, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, D&C Violet 2, D&C Red 17

A cursory glace shows that this product is basically just oils, preservatives and dyes. Seriously. There is hydrolyzed collagen but I doubt that it actually penetrates the skin since it violates the 500 Dalton rule (basically any molecule that is more than 500 Daltons in molecular weight cannot penetrate the skin's barriers, source). Thus I don't really count it as an efficacious ingredient.

Results?

Pros:

• Very nourishing, especially when put on at night, post-shower
• Very soothing on nails
• Moisturizing to skin around the nails
• Emollient effects

Cons:

• Felt icky and sticky if applied during the daytime
• Price - $8 at Ulta for 0.5 fl oz. I've used Palmer's Cocoa Butter Oil and received similar results, and that costs $10.99 for 5.1 fl oz at CVS.

Ultimately, I think this oil is a nice thing, but it's a bit overhyped.