Drugstore Beauty HAUL!!

So excited to do my first haul (if 11 items count as a haul…tonight, I say they do)! Now, I wouldn't normally be doing something like this so close to Christmas, however last Friday I had an extra discount because I work at this particular drugstore. So I mean, come on…gotta take advantage of THAT ;)

I haven't been using these products long enough to give a good review on them, so for now I'll just tell you what I got/first impressions. I plan on reviewing some of these in detail later. 

1) Eucerin Intensive Repair Very Dry Skin Lotion

My dad seems to love Eucerin lotion so I thought I'd give this a try - my hands have been horrible dry since I started working, and I desperately needed something. So, I ignored all the pretty bottles of yummy smelling lotion and went with this serious stuff. I'm not incredibly impressed so far. Now, I'm someone who usually HATES putting lotion on her hands, however I had been using a small container of lemon-scented lotion that my mom picked up from a hotel and I loved using that stuff. Eucerin is just ok to me so far. It takes a long time to rub the lotion in fully and even when it does soak in, my hands still have a greasy feeling to them that takes a few minutes to go away. My dryness seems to be a little better, but not drastically. I'll definitely use this bottle up, but we'll see if I actually start experiencing results…

2) eos Shaving Cream in Vanilla Bliss

I had looked seen this on pinterest before and wanted to try it, and I was so surprised to see my little drugstore carried it! I immediately snatched the bottle, knowing ahead of time it didn't contain parabens…but I failed to read the rest of the ingredients. I got home and found out it contains petrolatum. I decided to go ahead and keep it (if it had been lip balm or lotion, ect., I wouldn't have), but after one use I wish I hadn't. Not to be gross, but my legs are dry and a little scaly looking in some areas. This stuff does nothing to moisturize. …To be honest I'm glad :P Now I don't feel as sad never buying this product again, despite the cute packaging and the fact that the pump looks like the head of a Star Wars droid… 

3) Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara

I heard good reviews on this mascara from one of my favorite youtubers, and since it contains no parabens, no harsh chemicals, no GMO's, no synthetic colors, no synthetic fragrances, no synthetic preservatives, and is cruelty free (phew!), I thought I'd try it. I also got an awesome deal - this brand is very expensive, but I got two for the price of one! To be honest, I'm not sure of this stuff yet. Reviews to come.

4) Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette in Petal Pusher

Detailed review to come later, however I can tell you right now I won't be purchasing because these eyeshadows contain parabens (as you can see, and will continue to see, I was exhausted and shopping late at night after work. My head wasn't in the game…)

5) Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Eyeshadow Pencil (seen between eos and mascara)

I cannot wait to try this out! It just…looks like fun ;) And it has good reviews online. I bought this in color Pixie - it's a very light taupe with a hint of gold in it. So gorgeous!

6) NYC Individual Eyes Eyeshadow Palette

This eyeshadow palette in Smokey Brown was created specifically for brown eyes. I've used it once and love the colors, but I'll have to give a better review later. I bought this mainly because I thought the fact that it came with a primer and highlighter was cool, but I'm disappointed in the highlighter - it's mainly sparkles. 

7) Wet n Wild Pressed Powder in number 815

You may have read my ravings about the Wet n Wild Coverall Foundation (here), so I thought I'd pick up the pressed powder to go with it. I've only ever used loose powder before, and I have to say, I think I'm a fan of pressed - as least this one. It goes on lightly and when over foundation, it doesn't really highlight dry spots like powder foundation does (if you apply it directly to skin after using moisturizer, I've found it does bring out those dry spots more). It provides a very minimum amount of extra coverage.

8) Softlips Intense Moisture in Berry Mint

First application - holy moley that menthol burns. After a little bit…THIS IS THE BEST STUFF EVER! One day later - what was I thinking?! I wish I could return these. I got them as a deal - two for the price of one, $2.99 - and first of all, I forgot to look at the ingredients AGAIN. Petrolatum, right there smack dab in front of my eyes. Not to mention a bunch of other stuff that you should avoid in lip balms. This stuff provides moisture for a few minutes but the end result literally dries out your lips. I've gone back to using just my tinted lip balm from NYC because it's ten times more moisturizing than this stuff. My poor lips feel like they've been beaten. If anyone has any suggestions for lip balm that actually works, please share!

9) NAILS - Broadway Real Life French Manicure Fake Nails in Petites and Sinful Colors Professional nail polish in Ruby Ruby

Lots of people have been coming into the store lately with fake nails and…they just look so pretty. I haven't worn fake nails in nearly two years and decided I'd pick up another box. I also wanted a real red nail polish (literally my first!) for the holiday season and this was the truest red in this brand. Painting my nails tonight with it, hopefully the results are good :)

10) Leggs Opaque Tights

I still haven't tried this on to see if they come close to fitting my short frame :P I'd just been seeing so many fashion pictures on pinterest of these cute outfits with dresses and skirts paired with black tights and had to pick up a pair! We'll see if I can pull these off ;) 

So there we are! 11 items…I feel like I'm missing one to be honest, so if it pops up I'll include it later :P  

Do you have a favorite drugstore product?

Product Review: Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush

(Read my first impressions on this blush)

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush

I bought this blush in the color Mellow Wine for $3.99, I believe (plus a discount), along with Wet n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation (read the review here). After a few weeks, this is my opinion:

Overall, the color is beautiful. On the pad it looks rather dark, but if you apply a light amount, it's actually a very soft pink that adds a natural glow to my features. (FYI, it looks like sparkles are in the blush when you look at the pad, but I haven't noticed any rub off onto my face). 

I tried using my L.A. blush brush for application but soon switched to my e.l.f Total Face Brush (it came with it's own applicator brush, but we all know those things are blech). This blush is SUPER pigmented, and I found the smaller brush made it harder to evenly distribute. Speaking of which, I'd say this is the only con for the product. If you don't mind some extra blending, then you won't have a problem. Personally, I find that annoying; maybe I'm just lazy, but I prefer to get a good amount of blush on my brush and it apply it quickly and evenly without having to worry about looking like a clown. However, if I get too much on my face (which has pretty much happened every morning), I just take my fingers and swirl it upwards along my cheekbones and it evens out. I recommend LIGHTLY sweeping your brush over the blush and then knocking some off on the side of the container. 

In addition, the color doesn't stay throughout the day. It never completely fades, but I definitely notice the pink is barely there by the mid-afternoon/early evening. 

**It's a great blush if you don't mind extra step of blending :) **

Would I recommend to a friend? Yes

Would I buy again? Excluding the fact that this blush will last me 10 years since I don't have to use much, I'm really not sure if I will. The fact that it contains no parabens or fragrance is a plus, the shade is beautiful and I'm curious about the other colors, but the application can be annoying to me personally.

Rating: For the $, 3.5 out of 5

Product Review: Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick

After doing some research, I figured the Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick was a 50-50 chance. However, they were cheap ($1.99 each), and so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Boy, do I wish I hadn't.

I bought 2 colors. One in number 903C "Just Peachy" and the other in 910D "Red Velvet."

But first, the kinda goods:

I grabbed the Just Peachy because I was looking for a good pinkish-nude color and thought this looked perfect; nope. Now, I will say the color of this one gorgeous, however it's not at all nude like it might appear. It is CORAL with a tint of peach. A perfect summer color, just not what I was looking for.

I've never been one for dark shades…well, let me rephrase that. I've never been able to pull them off ;) However, I thought I'd give a red a try and see what happened. Red Velvet is a very pretty color, bit of a brighter red with a strong pink undertone…it's really almost a deep, bright pink. Perfect for a fun, vintage look if you prefer such a thing.

However, the bad stuff…

I just…I'm sorry. I've tried a couple of other Wet n Wild products and plan to try more, but these were a total bust. I don't know what makes me different from the good reviews out there, but these just don't work for me.
First of all, I read the color lasts up to 6 hours. Okay, the red does stain (the lipsticks are a matte finish, fyi) but the true color doesn't last. As far as the Just Peachy…I wore it to work one day and an hour later I checked in the mirror to see how the stuff was lasting and the color had clumped in a line in the middle of my lips. Embarrassing. The other day I tried the red again and the color would NOT spread evenly over my lips (not to mention the stuff smudges like crazy, gotta be extra careful it doesn't leave your lip line).

I apologize for not getting pictures of the colors in RL, but I couldn't get pictures that conveyed their true color well enough. Plus, if this is a bad review, are they really necessary? ;)

However, if you put swatches of the stuff on your arms (which I did when trying to take photos for you) they'll last for up to 2 days and counting *cough*

Overall, though the colors are beautiful, it isn't worth the hassle and constant-checking-up-on, even for the low price.

Recommend to a friend? Nope.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.

Product Review: Wet 'n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation

A little while ago I gave you my first impressions on the wet 'n wild Coverall Creme Foundation. I think I've given it sufficient time and am ready to give you my overall thoughts on this foundation.

(I laugh when looking at this picture because I know my photographer-best-friend is going to be cringing at it's masterfulness ;D What can I say, I have no talent, but I try, and so that counts for something.)

I had mentioned in the previous post that the foundation smells a little odd. I have to say I don't even notice the smell anymore and it doesn't bug me, so if that made you skeptical I would say don't worry about it. If it doesn't bother ME, who is very sensitive to any sort of fragrance, it probably won't bother you. ;)

PROS:

This is now my favorite foundation I've ever tried! I can't believe this stuff is so cheap, it works that great. I bought this foundation in number 815 FAIR, and it matches my skin tone perfectly. I love the creamy application of the foundation, however it dries to a matte finish instead of dewy (which is fine by me).

The foundation is best for dry/combination skin, I'm guessing. It fades only slightly throughout the day, however never collects in a certain area. As someone who struggles with dry skin, whenever I check in the mirror to make sure everything is staying put,  my dry spots aren't at all "enhanced" (something my previous foundations never did for me).

*This foundation also contains no parabens or fragrance*

CONS:

The packaging. This is probably why this product is so cheap. While the packaging isn't terrible, and I like the fact that it isn't an open glass bottle that would allow more bacteria to enter, I did have a bit of a problem with it exploding the other day. I guess some pressure got built up inside of it and the foundation was just overflowing without me squeezing the container; I ended up putting the excess in a plastic bag so I didn't waste any =P It hasn't done this again, and so I'm not going to let that keep me from repurchasing it.

The coverage isn't quite what I'd want it to be, however it's better than anything else I've used (I keep saying that…). The product says on the packaging "medium to full coverage." It's a little buildable, but it doesn't seem to completely cover dark spots that I have or extra red acne-prone areas (just so you know, I also don't use concealer at the moment). If you have really inflamed acne or extra dark scars, you'll want to use something in addition to this. I'm still pretty content using this coverage, though.

In conclusion, I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this foundation. When I get some "extra" money to spend on lots of makeup, I'll probably try another foundation, but for now I'm sticking with this.

Recommend to a friend? Absolutely
Rating: For the $, 4 out of 5.

The Greedy Christmas List

That time of the year is upon us….it is coming. It is almost here…

IIII'M SO EXCITED!

I literally haven't been excited for Christmas for the past 2 years (bah humbug, Grinch much?), so the fact that I'm already in the Christmas spirit BEFORE Thanksgiving makes me so very happy. I'd seen a similar post to this on another blog and thought it would be kind of fun, and maybe also what I list will give you ideas on what to gift your friends and family this Christmas!

This is labeled my "greedy" Christmas list because of several reasons: 1) It's "tradition" to give a wish list idea to my family for gift ideas, and so I might've thought of these after I'd already created my list, 2) I felt awkward asking for these just because they might've seemed like something more what I would buy for myself, not ask someone to buy for me (cuz I'm odd like that), 3) they might be ridiculously expensive and literally "greedy" …but fun to think about ;)

1) Mint Heart Bow Makeup Bag from windsorstore.com 

Seriously, how cute is this? (trying to ignore the bad picture, that is). I've been really getting into this blue color lately, kind of resembling a Tiffany Blue. How tastes change…

2) Black/Gold Knit Flat Wallet from windsorstore.com 

3) Total Character Layered Necklace and Layered Cross Necklace from forever21.com

I've really been wanting to get some dainty layered necklaces lately. The second one isn't that dainty but I mean how fab is that?! ;) 

                                  

4) Etsy Retro Art Wall Art

I need some wall art in room that I'm redoing, and I'd love something with color. These two are my favorite out of this style. I'm not someone who's obsessed with everything Paris-themed, I just…really like these pictures. I adore pictures of ferris wheels…don't know why. 

Aaaand more wall art from redbubble.com 

 So cute!! 

5) Real Techniques Makeup Brushes. If I had to pick one for now, it would be the expert face brush because it is multi-purpose ;) 

6) 24-Hour Faux Leather Satchel from forever21.com. I'm a bit obsessed, this is SO cute. I would like it to be a little bigger however, so I didn't put it on my "official" list. 

7) A Camcorder. I don't have a picture because I, obviously, don't know which brand, ect., is the best, but I've actually been wanting one of these for a while for when I'm with friends (friend, that is ;) ). Now that I have this blog and a secret ambition to get on youtube (I guess the cat's outta the bag now), I would love to someday get one of these! :)

What's on your Christmas wish list? :)

2013 AMA's Best and Worst Dressed

I didn't watch the AMA's, one because I don't have TV, two it isn't the grand event of the year for me (I'm 100% the movie world, hurry up and get here already, Oscars!) However, I love seeing what everyone wore, and best and worst lists just keep popping up over the internet, so I decided I'd better do one as well. 

I'll start this post off by saying that I'm no expert in fashion, and most of my opinions are just that - opinions. So apologies if I insult an incredible work of understated art that's speaking to the world through fabric, but that's just not me.

I also like to keep things classy, so I'm completely eliminating dresses that are "obviously" immodest (whether you dress "modestly" or not, you know which ones I'm talking about!)

WORST: Paula Patton

Combination of a dress + nightgown + beach maxi coverup? Just not sure about this one, Miss Patton. 

BEST: Brandi Cyrus

Brandi sparkled in a sequined white gown perfect for the upcoming snowy-weather, plus…who doesn't absolutely love those shoes?! Her beautiful neutral makeup and red lip added some class.

WORST: Emma Roberts

Everything about this is wrong. Was she attending a 70s parties? Smokey makeup, shiny shoes, and a baggy clutch to fit the baggy…something. So Glad you are confident to wear what you want to wear, Emma. I will say your hair and makeup are gorgeous. 

MIDDLE: Katy Perry

The polka dots make my eyes go wonky, and I've never been a fan of random roses with scary leaves on a dress. And to me, the added organza gives this dress a cheap feeling - but that's just me. However, I say middle on this because I love the shape of the gown, her makeup is gorgeous, and the clutch is practically amazing.

WORST: Kelly Osbourne

The purple hair is staying for a looong time, and I've come to accept that. But that dress…completely overwhelming with the hair color + heavy bangs + sparkly clutch. Very unflattering, unbalanced look.

WORST: Keltie Knight

Sparkles, or confetti…and jewels…and a summer beachy wave…and...a peacock? I'm not sure, some sort of feathered friend, maybe an exotic chicken...

WORST: Lil Mamma

Sorry…way too much matching happening on the hair and dress. My initial impression was Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Creepy. 

BEST: Jennifer Hudson

This dress is simple but obviously a love it or hate it dress. Right now I'm loving it simply for the colors because I got into this combination late in the summer. I love how most of the dress is orange (a flattering color on her), and then the pink peeks through with a pop down by the legs instead of trying to mix the two colors together in some sort of crazy pattern. She kept her makeup and jewelry low-key as well to balance the bright colors.

WORST: Zendaya

The super long hair, super long tunic thing, and then the pants and thick heels? Zendaya, you seem like a cute, sweet girl, but this screams blah. 

You may think I'm super picky when it comes to fashion. Hey - you'd be RIGHT! But I believe in speaking my own opinion and so there you have it. 

A common theme I saw on this red carpet was white (I listed only three, but there were more…), which I thought was interesting for November, but hey - they aren't freezing in the North Country like me, and I never did like the no-white-after-summer rule.  The messy, beachy hairstyle, whether your locks be long or short, still seems to be staying strong. While I think the look is very beautiful, I'll admit I'm a little sick of it. Overall, not really impressed with the fashion displayed at the American Music Awards (anyone else agree the 2013 year for fashion has been…lightly put, crazy?).

Product Review: Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser and Acne Soap

I've mentioned before that around six months ago I went to see my doctor about my acne because it was getting worse and worse and the whole lower half of my face was just in pain. My doctor recommended the Neutrogena acne products, first suggesting the soap and if that didn't work, the Ance Stress Control foaming cleanser. 

I'm going to say right off that these products were REGRETS and I would never buy them again.

Neutrogena Acne-Prone Skin Formula Soap: When I first tried this product, even though it dried me out a little I thought I might be able to get away with it by combining moisturizer into my routine. However, after about three days, I noticed my skin was getting very red. I never experienced much itchiness with this soap, but my face started looked like I had a sunburn. Not a good sign, peeps. So, I set that aside and purchased the foaming cleanser.

Neutrogena Acne-Stress Control Foaming Cleanser: It took one wash for me to realize this wasn't going to work for me. My face was immediately super dry, itchy, and had that sunburn-red look to the nose and cheeks. I didn't realize until after doing some research just how drying any sort of foaming cleanser could be. I think I used it once more (because I'm delusional) before officially deciding I couldn't work with it. 

A few months later (earlier this month I believe, actually), my skin had gotten to a point where it was much clearer and, besides struggling with some dryness, I wanted to try the cleanser again. I considered the fact that perhaps my skin being so irritated before was the reason this was too harsh on my skin the first time. …That was dumb reasoning. Again, after one wash, my face turned red, and this time the redness stayed literally for two days and my face was hot (again, like you get after spending too much time at the beach). 

I'm not saying these products are horrible and no one should buy them - I'm sure this works for some people, especially those with not-so-much sensitive skin and oilier complexions. (In fact, I think my mom might be using the rest of the foaming cleanser at the moment, and it doesn't seem to be bothering her.) However, if you have dry, sensitive skin like I do, absolutely positively stay CLEAR of these cleansers! I'm afraid to try anything else Neutrogena now. 

  

Have you used either of these products? Share your experience! :)

DIY: from Purse to Clutch

My friend gave me this purse quite a few years ago when I was in a "small purse phase" (now it doesn't fit half of the stuff I carry with me ;) ), but I still really liked the look of the purse and didn't want to trash it. I soon realized with a pair of scissors only, I could create a pretty cute clutch.

Materials:

1 small purse

1 pair scissors

 All I had to do was cut the straps off, which wasn't hard at all. 

Tada. 

It's not easy taking selfies with a honkin' heavy camera…and I just realized I forgot to twist the swivel screen out of the way… 

 

So there you go. Just about the easiest DIY ever created on the planet - my kind of project ;) 

What's your favorite DIY?

Product Review: TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray

   After I cut my hair short, I started blow drying it everyday to achieve the optimal volume/blow out look and soon realized I desperately needed some sort of heat protectant. My ends were starting to get frizzy, and for me that's a big no-no.

   I decided to try TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray, which I bought for under $4 at Walmart. The reviews I read were half and half, but since it was so cheap and a spray (I was hesitant to buy any sort of lotion for fear it would be too heavy in my hair) I decided to give it a chance.

   Overall, I like this spray. There isn't much a scent to it, just that regular product smell, so that was a plus. I do notice a difference in my hair when I use this in that my hair looks much smoother and blow dries with a nice, healthy-looking shine.

    However, one downfall is that you have to be extremely careful with the amount used. I have thin-medium thick hair, I'd say, and I'll never just spray the product through my hair. I spray ONCE onto my hand and then run my fingers throughout all my hair and use my brush to make sure it is completely evened out. Two sprays is even too much for me, as I tried that the other day and my ends were a little stringy. It may differ with your hair type, but this is what doesn't work/works for me.

     Would I like something a little lighter? Yes, however I'm satisfied overall with the quality of the product despite the adjustments and am content with continuing to use it.

      **Just remember, if you're in the habit of doing your hair and then your makeup, make sure to wash any hair product off your hands before applying the makeup. :)

Product Review: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation

I'm spoiling with a post every day ;) I have a lot of things to review since I just got started, and since I did just start the blog I figured I might as well get as many posts up as I can to get things rollin'.

I've used Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Classic Ivory for about 6 months now. I have both pros and cons with this foundation.

PROS: When I first got this foundation, I knew I needed something to help with my acne and dark spots and not accentuate my dry areas. I do believe after about a month I started noticing an improvement, a lightening, on the darks spots from my face, and it didn't break me out. However, if you have dry/combination skin like me, you will need to moisturize before applying. It still wasn't the best for my dry spots, but I dealt with it.


CONS: Not until I started using a new foundation did I realize just how off this shade was for my skin tone. I'm so embarrassed now. I got this foundation in the lightest shade, and it was still too dark for my pale skin. I didn't notice a huge difference when I first started wearing it and thought I could get by, but now I realize it was quite a stretch. If you have very pale skin like me, you may not even be able to find the right shade.
The coverage is not what I'd like it to be at all. I didn't realize it was going to be a light coverage, and by the middle of the day, sometimes even before, my dark spots showed right through and it looked like I wasn't wearing any foundation at all.


If you have a clear complexion that needs tone correcting and enhancing, this would be a beautiful coverage for you. If you don't mind a foundation not covering all your imperfections, I'd still recommend this because I do believe it helped my skin overall. However, if you have dry skin and want a fuller coverage, I'd steer clear of this foundation.

First Impressions: Wet n Wild Foundation and Blush

On a whim yesterday (I seem to do that a lot) I bought a container of Wet 'n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation and Wet 'n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Mellow Wine. Since today is only my first day using the products, I'm not going to give a full-blown review obviously, but I just wanted to express what my first impressions are on these products.

First of all, the PRICE of these!! The foundation was only $3.99 and I believe the blush was $2.99. The low price almost made me nervous as far as the quality, but I decided to get them anyways because I didn't know exactly what I wanted yet, but I needed something to hold me over until I did.

Reviews online are encouraging - people seem to really love these products and only complained that the blush is extremely pigmented and easy to get too much. But anyways, on with MY thoughts.


Foundation: The only con so far is that the smell is a little odd. I don't notice it when it's on my face, but as I was putting it on it smelled a little funky. Again, not too strong and not enough to bug my sensitivities. The cream spread extremely easily over my face as well, which I absolutely loved (I do have dry skin and applied moisturizer on first, so that could've been part of the reason). The bottle says it is medium-full coverage and I was skeptical at first, but at the moment I'd say it's probably a medium coverage. It's doing a fairly good job of covering my blemishes, but my dark spots are still peeking through a bit. However, it seems to be much better than the foundation I had been using, Neutrogena Healthy Skin (review here).

Blush: People weren't kiddin'. I very, very lightly swept my (own) blush brush over the powder and swept it gently over my cheeks, and there was quite a bit of color. I ended up using my fingers to rub it over my skin a little for blending. However, if you make sure to use the right amount and not too much, the blush is soft and beautiful looking. It seems to be very flattering against my skin and eyes.

Soo, we shall see how well the product stays on my face throughout the day and if it ends up aggravating my dry, acne-prone skin. I'll post a full review of the products in 1-2 weeks. :)

Product Review: Aveeno SE Daily Detoxifying Scrub

    I thought I'd kick things off with a review on the facial scrub I've been using for about 14 weeks.

I had been dealing with a horrifying acne breakout/dry facial spell and had no idea what to get for my face. I even ended up going to the doctor and getting a medicated cream, which helps but dries my face even more. So, on a desperate whim at Walmart, I snatched Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub and threw it in the cart, then headed home to read up on reviews (which I found to be good, so that was a relief).

So, on with the PROS:

All that talk about the first wash being able to notice a difference is hogwash, right? Well, half and half with this one. After the first use my skin GLOWED. It felt soft and was radiant. Over the next few weeks, my skin slowly started clearing up. I wouldn't say this scrub helped with my dry skin, but it didn't make it any worse, either. I believe it really helped with the bad breakout I was experiencing, and the consistency of the scrub doesn't leave ANY residue (the smell isn't strong at all either, which I like).  This cleanser also contains NO parabens. Until the past few weeks, I would've sworn by this scrub.

CONS:

There are…chunks in this scrub. I mean, it's a detoxifying scrub, so there's obviously going to be something in it. If you rub your face too hard when washing, they can feel like they're scratching your face. I nearly threw this scrub away after the first couple days because of that fact, but then I realized that if I rubbed more gently on my skin then it didn't irritate my face at all.
The bottle is poorly made. I didn't have trouble with it until about 2 weeks ago, and all of a sudden the cream would NOT COME OUT. I even stepped on the bottle to see if it would come out :P This isn't just my particular bottle either; nearly every other review I read online complained of this. I ended up having to cut the bottle open and put the rest of the contents into a plastic container, which is unfortunate because now it's become a little watery from not being packaged right in the shower.

After 14 weeks, it seems to have stopped working some of it's magic. Now, this could be because it got diluted when I made the container switch, but sometimes my skin is picky and likes something for a little while and then completely flips over. I think I'm almost ready to go out on the hunt again for another facial wash…

Would I recommend this facial wash? Despite the cons, I definitely would. I still believe this works great for normal/dry skin (my face isn't oily much, so I'm not sure about that) that is also prone to acne. Of course, everyone is different, but I'd still encourage you to give it a go if you're in the market for a new facial cleanser. It's fairly cheap too - between $5-$8 depending on the store you use. I think I bought mine for around $7.

Distinctly Charmed and Me

   For a long time now, I've desired to start a blog such as this one, where I could post about anything from makeup and fashion to health to decorating. However, I hesitated for a couple reasons:

1) I already have 2 blogs - one where I post about my life every now and then, mainly for myself and a couple close friends to follow, and my other blog, mydoubleliving.blogspot.com, on which I post regularly every Monday.

2) To be honest, though I'm very interested in all of these things, not until about the past 1-2 years have I really developed a keen interest in them and started experimenting on my own.

   But now I've decided  to go ahead and create this blog because this is something I'm growing passionate about, and I want to be able to share that. I adore blogging and don't find it a burden but exhilarating.

   As I've already said, this blog will contain fashion tidbits - my own fashion and inspirations, makeup reviews, and tips on decorating and organization (which I'm dealing with in my own room right now!). I also make it a point to be made known that though I'll deal a lot with improvements on your physical self, I believe each and every person to be uniquely beautiful - we are all "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). We should do our best to take care of ourselves and what surrounds us, but those shouldn't be things we hide our true, natural beauty behind.

    Shall we get started?! ;)