Neutrogena Naturals Cream Cleanser Review

Chances are we’ve all dealt with acne at some point in our live. Chances are also that those who struggle with acne have searched for a product that will blow our minds and keep the acne off of our faces. 

Today, I’m sharing with you a new product from Neutrogena (the naturals line). This product is called the “Acne Cream Cleanser.” There are several new products in this line, however; I am just going to be talking specifically about the Acne Cream Cleanser.

In the past, I have tried Neutrogena face products in my teen years. They didn’t work that well for me then. If you’ve read any of my skincare reviews, you know that most products geared toward acne never quite blow my mind. I didn’t mind this Netrogena cleanser much and it is very affordable (priced at $7.99 at your local Walmart). It might be a little more pricey if you purchase it from a drugstore. 

This product’s main ingredient towards fighting and preventing acne is salicylic acid. The description claims that it powerfully penetrates down into pores to treat breakouts and help prevent new ones from forming.

The formula is quite creamy, and it is 93% naturally derived. The product claims to lather to gently cleanse and remove pore-clogging oil, dirt and impurities. 

One of the most amazing things about this product is that it is NOT tested on animals. Also, it is fortified with an acne-fighting bionutrient for clear, healthy looking skin.  It does not contain any harsh chemicals, sulfates, parabans, and the like. 

One of the things that I did not like about this product was the fact that it was so creamy. It didn’t lather at all. For me, that is a weird thing, for you, you may not mind. Don’t get me wrong, the product cleansed my skin absolutely fine, I just wish that it lathered. It does not have any microbeads in it, so it will not work as an exfoliant either. For that reason, I choose not to use this product after removing my makeup at the end of the day. After removing makeup, I like to wash my face with a scrub that has microbeads in it to ensure that I have successfully removed all makeup. With this particular Neutrogena cleanser, I liked to use it more in the morning. 

The scent is a little citrusy but has an undertone of a medicine-ish smell, if that makes sense. I like to use this product in the morning for two reasons. One, because I am not removing any makeup in the morning (obviously), so I don’t need a cleanser with microbeads. And two, the scent of the product kind of provides for a “wake me up.”

As far as the potential to help treat and prevent acne, I did find that this worked towards keeping my skin clear and preventing any future acne breakouts, but it did not work so fast nor great in clearing up the breakouts that I had already had. I wouldn’t say this product is bad, but I would use it in conjunction with a cream/serum specifically geared towards acne-prone skin for the best prevention method. 

Overall, I like this product. I would consider repurchasing this product when I run out of it because I like products like this as a light cleanser in the morning before I apply makeup and get ready for the day. It didn’t work wonders for me with regards to my acne, although that is not to say that this product wouldn’t work great for someone who just has an occasional breakout. Please keep in mind when reading this review that I have oily/combination skin, which is extremely sensitive and acne-prone.

JB Cosmetics Review

Everybody loves products that do what we need them to do and are natural, or beneficial, for our skin rather than detrimental. Today, I will share with you my ideas on some products that I’ve tested out from JB Cosmetics. 

The first is the Lash Food natural eyelash enhancing system. This product contains 5 ml and the price is $80.00. Now while that may be a little pricy, depending upon whether or not you have short, stubby lashes, you may want to make this kind of investment.

First, I’ll discuss the product. This product claims to nourish lashes with a revolutionary natural eyelash conditioner featuring nano-peptide technology. It provides the appearance of longer, thicker lashes and will transform your frail, brittle lashes into stronger, healthier lashes in 3-6 weeks (although this may vary depending on your own particular lashes). It also has biotin, soy protein, herb extracts, arginine, gingko biloba, and other natural ingredients which promote hair growth. This product is clinically proven effective and does not contain: prostaglandin, parabens, gluten, synthetic fragrance, etc. It is also cruelty free and dermatologist tested and approved. 

The product comes in a small tube with a similar applicator to a liquid eyeliner. It does note on the website that this product is better used in conjunction with their eyeliner, however I did not test out that product. I don’t have particularly small lashes. They are thick and somewhat long on their own. However, I used this product for around a month. I don’t necessarily notice a difference in my lashes until I apply my mascara, and then you can definitely tell the difference. I use the same brand of mascara for the past 6 months, so I know that it is not the mascara suddenly changing my lashes. I think that once you apply mascara and your lashes become darker, you definitely notice the difference. The thing that I mostly notice is the length that this product has given to my lashes. They look so long and beautiful once curled and mascara is applied. I don’t notice too much thickness, but definitely length. 

Overall, I give this product five stars. It has no strange chemical smell or anything (obviously – it’s all natural). I think if someone has very short, thin lashes, this product would be beneficial to them. After all, it can be kind of a pain to apply false lashes every day and rather than getting lash extensions, why not enhance your own? I think this product is great! However, I could not find anything that said whether or not the results you receive using this product will last when you STOP using the product. So, that is something to note. 

The next product I tried was the Derma Food Cellular Eye Perfecting Cream. This product retails for $69.00 for 15 ml. The packaging is super cute and very fancy looking. The green top comes off to reveal a push down pump in which the product dispenses, or alternative you can twist off the silver area of the product to reveal the product in its entirety. I think the pump is an awesome idea, however I think once the product starts to run low in the jar, it may be difficult to use the dispenser. 

This product claims to counteract the appearance of aging skin and to repair and replace damaged cells to reveal younger, firmer, brighter looking eyes with phyto stem cell technology. It also has micro perfecting tripeptides and vitamins e, c, and a. It’s anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, and also combats dark circles and reduces puffiness. 

Now, I don’t have puffy under eye bags and I definitely don’t have wrinkles (yet) but it’s always great to start preventative treatment. I do, however, have extremely dark  under eye circles which I believe is hereditary. I think this product has helped to brighten up my under eye area, and I definitely feel as if I don’t need so much concealer, however, I still do have some darkness under my eyes. I’m excited to see how that improves as I continue to use this product. 

The scent is very light and it sort of smells citrusy, or like limes to me. I’m not sure if that’s the scent they were going for intentionally or that’s some other kind of ingredient in the product. It definitely isn’t strong though. This product is a great moisturizer for your eyes. It does not leave your eye area greasy. This stuff basically seeps into your skin moments after you put it on. I only use this at night  because it is sort of thick and a much more heavy eye cream. I think if you have a particularly dry eye area, this would help with that. I have a normal eye area, my lids aren’t greasy or dry, so I can’t comment on that, but this stuff is absolutely amazing. 

For me, I would give this product five stars. It did exactly what it said it would do; it lightened and brightened my under eye area. 

Lastly, I have four nail polishes from Color Secrets that I’ve tried out. These nail polishes are $2.99 each. they are DBP, toluene and formaldehyde free too. From the image above, the colors I’ve tried from left to right are: Titanic, Finding Neverland, New Years Eve and Little Black Book. 

The packaging is pretty standard for a nail polish, it’s nothing fancy. The brush is a standard applicator as well. It’s not too thin, nor too thick and picks up the perfect amount of product. However, the product inside is some of the best nail polish I think I have ever used. All of these nail polishes, including the glitter polishes, are basically opaque in one coat. It’s actually quite stunning. 

Titanic is a sea-foam green kind of color with very tiny micro-shimmers in it. Little Black Book is your standard flat black color, although it is not a matte polish. Finding Neverland is a pretty unique glitter polish to me. It has different shades of green and gold glitter. Lastly, New Years Eve is your basic silver glitter polish.

I really put these polishes to the test. I intended on wearing these polishes for two weeks to put them to the test. I used a top coat by OPI. I would say that I didn’t notice any chipping of the polish until day 10. It was pretty minimal, just wearing on the tips of my nails. Overall, I’m super impressed and for the price, I think this is a steal. I have higher end nail polishes that didn’t perform like this!

You can view all of these products and more by visiting http://jbcosmetics.com. All in all, I think they offer some great products that really deliver and do what they claim they are going to do. I think most of everyone would be satisfied with purchasing any of the products I’ve reviewed.

-Dawn Santamarina

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Viviscal Hair Repair Review

Good morning, afternoon, or evening... depending on the time that you're ready this! :) 

I'm really excited to tell you about a recent product that I have been testing out (for about two months roughly) which is called Viviscal Hair Repair. This product is in a pill form and claims to enhance and protect the natural health and beauty of damaged hair. This product retails for $29.99 for a one month supply (30 pills) and is available on http://viviscal.com. 

Now, this product I was a little bit leery about at first because after all, it's a pill. But, nevertheless, I gave it a shot and I was pretty glad that I did! This product is meant to be taken once a day, after you have ate something. The tablets are marine enriched with grape seed extract and this is considered a "dietary supplement."

According to their website, you should take these tablets for a minimum of three months in order to see optimal results. They also state the tablets are easy to swallow and virtually odor free. Now, if you're like me, a person who hates to take pills, I found these were still a bit difficult to swallow even though they are not that large... (probably slightly larger than an Aleve). 

The website also states that to reach the best results possible, you should use this tablets in conjunction with Viviscal Hair Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. (I did not try this product)

Here is a complete list of ingredients in these tablets: AminoMar C (Marine Protein Extract), L-Cystine, L-Methionine, Grape Seed Extract, Vitamin E, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Selenium, Maltodextrin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Grape (Vitis viniffera), Seed Extract (95% Polyphenols), Vitamin E (dl-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Glazing Agents (Glycerin, Hydroxpropyl Methyl Cellulose), Magnesium Stearate, Amorphous Fumed Silica Powder, Sodium Selenite (with dicalcium phosphate), Folic Acid (Pteroyl Glutamic Acid). 

This product gears itself towards women who have damaged hair due to various elements such as over styling, heat treatments, straighteners, coloring, extensions, poor diet/nutrition, pollution, et cetera. This product renews your hair and repairs it from within. 

This product is not recommended for those who are allergic to seafood!

Now for the specific review....

I was skeptical as I said about this product. I can't really remember at what point I began to start to see results, but I did notice that my hair looked and appeared much glossier, shinier and overall, very healthy. My hair wasn't too damaged to begin with, but I do use heat styling in the form of a straightener or a curling wand about 3 times a week. My hair is not overly colored or dyed, so I don't have particularly dry hair or anything, but I did notice that my hair felt silkier, smoother, et cetera.

 I would recommend this product if you do suffer from heat damage or have color treated hair. I think it would work wonders for someone who seriously suffers from these hair problems. I didn't notice that my hair became thicker, or grew faster with this, but my hair typically grows very fast regardless. (More than a foot easily in two years)

The only gripe I have about this product is that it is in pill form. I strongly dislike taking pills. There were a few days that I simply forgot to take this pill but I'm horrible at remembering things like that. However, I still noticed the results I mentioned above after a while. I think if you take this diligently everyday for the allotted three months, it would do wonders for your hair. I would recommend this product to someone who bleaches their hair, or perhaps uses heat styling on a daily basis, or even a swimmer whose hair is affected by chlorine and therefore rough, et cetera. 

I would not repurchase this product simply because I just don't think I suffer from hair damage enough to need this, however it does work (for me at least, everyone's results may differ). I just wish this came in a different form, perhaps a hair mask or something. 

If you are interested in checking out their information on this product or purchase it, please check out http://viviscal.com and as always, be sure to check out http://beautystat.com for more reviews on beauty products ! 

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I didn't feel or find any funky side effects to this product, my skin didn't break out, I wasn't experiencing nausea or anything like that. Of course, it is directly on the directions to take this tablet after eating food. 

Also, please do not take this supplement if you are under the age of 18 or pregnant.

Beauty Stat Review: Merle Norman Blush & Lip Products!

Summer is the season for a new look, new makeup products, and fun colors. Today, I have two new products from Merle Norman to share with you that will warm up any look you may have for summer, and add a pop of color to your lips! Stay tuned for swatches….

The first item I have from Merle Norman is the “Long Lasting Cheek Color” in the shade “Peach to the Choir.” I love this! It’s such a great peach/coral color, perfect for summer. There are small flecks of gold shimmer in the product, but I don’t find that they transfer very well to the skin, either when swatching or when used with a blush brush. The application is actually quite nice and leaves a nice sheen to the skin without being too shimmery or glittery. 

The product is a little powdery, and if you take a peek at the swatch you will see that the powder kind of transfers all over the packaging (near where the small brush that is included is held). I did not find this to be bothersome or anything but it is something to note about the product. 

The product lasted the entire day on my cheeks without having to reapply. (For your information, I do have oily/combination skin so this is very impressive) I have been using this blush for quite some time since I received it and I thoroughly enjoy it. It is a great summer shade. The product has little to no scent. It is quite pigmented but not overly pigmented to where you are only dipping the tip of your brush into the product. I like this a lot actually because I’m not afraid to over apply. 

The packaging is very sturdy and classy. It has a somewhat shiny black packaging, with the words “Merle Norman” on the front in silver font. It has a fairly large and very nice mirror on the inside of the package. To the left, you will see the square of blush and to the right, a small and thin brush that is included. I do not particularly like the brush that comes with this much, I find that it does not apply or blend the blush out to my liking but I often just use my own separate brush for applying blush. The bristles are not as soft as I would like and I do believe they are synthetic. The back of the packaging clearly has the color and other product information in a medium sized font which is very easy to read. 

This is a limited edition color so you will have to act fast if you want to purchase. It is part of the summer 2012 color collection.  You will receive 5 grams of product. ***The color is photographing slightly more pink than it actually is. It is a true peachy shade. 

The next product that I have to share is the “Lip Pencil Plus” in the shade “A Flare to Remember” which is a dual-ended product. The lip liner is on one end and the lip color pencil is on the other end. I know what you’re thinking, you’ve seen products like this before and they never stand up to the challenge… but I am telling you – this product is great!

The liner is 1/3 of the pencil and the lip color is 2/3, so you should be able to use them for the same amount of time if used together! The lip color gives a semi-matte finish according to the packaging and I find that to be true. It has just enough shine to look nice on the lips but it is not glossy or shimmery in any way. This is great because if you want matte color, you can have it, but if you choose to go shimmery, all you have to do is add a gloss and you’re good to go!

The liner is a great shade, it has undertones of the coral/tangerine color but it is not overpowering for a liner. It stays put and helps discourage feathering from the lip product itself. The lip color is an awesome pop of color to bring life to any look!

Both the liner and the lip color are very smooth and creamy. I experienced no tugging or pulling when lining the lips or applying the color to the lips. They glide on effortlessly. I enjoyed this product and would love a product like this in a nude shade for everyday use! This was a fun color to wear on the weekend and would be great to wear out for a girl’s night out with your friends!

As for wear time, I was very impressed. This is not a stain or like a stain in any way. It will wear off when you smoke/drink/eat/talk, but the time that it stays on your lips is actually very amazing. I had no issues with feathering while eating either. I found that the product stayed put until I wiped my mouth with a napkin. However, it was not a hassle to reapply. Also, it is not drying in the least. It’s actually quite moisturizing I find.  I really enjoy this product and I believe it will be a great product to have in your summer arsenal for your makeup collection. 

The packaging is very sturdy. I don’t feel like the thick pencil will break with use or anything like that. The caps are also very sturdy and add a little shine to the product. It clearly states the color on the product and also which end is the liner/color for you.  ***This color is photographing slightly pink, but is a very vibrant tangerine shade. 

Also, Merle Norman has introduced several other items with the summer 2012 collection that I have no tested. These include eye color quads, lip polishes and lip glazes, along with a bronzing powder and an expert touch finishing spray. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, please visit http://merlenorman.com. Through the web-site you can locate a Merle Norman store near you. These products are unavailable to purchase online, you must visit a store. I have done a little bit of research on the internet and it seems to be that the stores are franchised. Due to this fact, prices may vary from store to store. Prices are also not listed on the web-site for any of the products listed. This is a slightly higher-end brand, so I would expect a slightly higher price. 

*** I received this products for free for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not endorsing Merle Norman nor is this a paid sponsorship. I am in no way affiliated with this company. I am not promoting Merle Norman. 

Beauty Stat Review: Arbonne Products!

You are probably familiar with companies that offer opportunities for individuals to be independent consultants and what not. There are several out there but today I’m here to review some products from Arbonne for you. They offer a wide variety of products ranging from skin care to cosmetics to health care and diet and the list goes on. You may check out their products at http://arbonne.com. 

First I am going to begin with the cosmetic products that I have tried….

The lipstick I tested is from the Treasures of the Rainforest Collection and is in the shade Nectar. Nectar is a gorgeous orange shade. It is very bright and bold on the lips. The formulation of the lipstick is amazing; it has a smooth and creamy texture. There is absolutely nothing drying about this lipstick what so ever! This particular shade has no shimmer or sparkle in it either. 

As for the wear time on this lipstick, it is only for a few hours. If you are eating/drinking/smoking/talking while wearing it, you may feel the need to reapply sooner. It actually wears off very nicely though and maintains and even coat on your lips as opposed to being blotchy. This lipstick is not scented at all which is a plus, and has no taste to it really (not that you’re eating it anyway!)

The packaging is very sleek. Arbonne is listed on the side in a metallic red along with the Arbonne symbol. The name of the shade is located on the bottom of the tube as is with most lip products. 

The eye shadow quad is called Color Your World (also from the Treasures of the Rainforest Collection), and contains four shadows. All of the shades have some type of shimmer to them, there is no matte shade in this collection. The lightest shade is a nude shade and is called Bamboo, the darker brown shade is called Earth and is a very warm mid-toned brown. The mid-toned teal shade is called Waterfall and is actually a very wearable shade of blue. Finally, the purple shade is called Passionflower and is quite a nice medium shade of purple.

The eye shadows have a strange scent to them that I can’t really put my name on but I do believe it’s because these are natural products. However, as I noted, I did not find this issue to be the same with the lipstick. As far as wear, they did not crease (but of course I used them with an eye shadow primer) and I found them to stay just as bright and vibrant at the end of the day as when I had applied them hours and hours prior. They are all very pigmented and the texture is smooth. I did not experience any fall out while apply these eye shadows. 

The quad actually comes wrapped in a very nice velvety satchel inside of the box. As you can see, the packaging is quite cute and sleek, with the Arbonne symbol in metallic blue on the front of the palette. It does come with a mirror on the inside, but there are no sponge tip applicators with this palette as you may find with others. The name of the palette is on the back of the product along with the individual names to each eye shadow. A small instruction booklet also comes with the quad for those of you who may be new to applying eye shadow. 

The clutch is very colorful and bright. I found that it is not as spacious as it may appear. It snaps shut as you fold it in half (please refer to pictures). It is very sturdy though. You can see that the inside is made of a silky fabric, and has the Arbonne label on the inside. There are some fringes on the zippers, again with the Arbonne logo. The back of the clutch feels to be a suede like material. I do like the colorful design and the fact that it is so colorful and bright. It would be a great statement clutch. In my personal opinion, I dislike clutches because I find they are a pain to carry around being that they have no straps/handles on them. But, if you love to collect clutches, and like bold, colorful pieces, this may be right up your alley. As I have said, it is crafted very well. 

It did have a slightly odd and strong scent of “newness,” for lack of a better word, when I initially opened the package but it has since then faded after use. 

The Treasures of the Rainforest Collection is available at http://arbonne.com for $98.00 and it consists of the lipstick Nectar, the Color Your World palette and the clutch bag. I have not been able to find these items listed on the web-site separately for individual purchase so I believe you may have to buy the complete set if you want any of these items. 

The next few items that I have tested I consider to be a “health food” type of product. I will start off with the Arbonne essentials nutrition bars. They are labeled as dietary supplements. I have tried these in two flavors, “Chocolate” and “Fruit.” I did not particularly care for either of these. The chocolate one had a very bitter flavor, I found it to be so bitter that I could not really eat more than a couple of bites. (This is that typical chocolate/cardboard flavor you find with other dietary bars). The fruit bar I thought was much better than the chocolate bar, but still was a bit too sweet for me somehow. 

Both of these bars only have 170 calories for the entire bar, which isn’t too bad if you’re watching your caloric intake. They are formulated to give you a healthy balance of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals and claim to satisfy your hunger and boost your energy. They have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration if that is important for you. The retail price is $24.00 according to the Arbonne web-site and it appears that you would get 10 bars in each pack. 

The other item that I have tried was the energy fizz sticks, perhaps the most interesting product I have tested by Arbonne. I tried these in two flavors, “pomegranate” and “citrus.” I preferred the pomegranate flavor over the citrus but I did enjoy both.

They are quite interesting in comparison to other products sold like this. They actually fizz up when you pour them into a glass of water (so I would be careful when pouring into a full bottle of water). It’s actually really neat to watch, it kind of fizzes up like Alkaselzter. It gives it a nice fizzy kick, almost like it’s carbonated, but I am not sure exactly what ingredient in this product causes it to fizz. The taste was not overwhelmingly sweet but was not flat and boring either. I enjoyed them. 

These energy fizz sticks only have 13 calories in one pack. You can purchase them for $32.00 on the Arbonne web-site and you get 20 packs in each box. Again, these have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products also claim to promote alertness and enhance cognitive performance and endurance. I didn’t find that they gave me as much of a boost as an energy drink would but I still liked them none the less.

As far as the health products are concerned, I would not purchase these because they are very pricey and I didn’t like them enough to spend that much money on these products. 

However, the cosmetics are a great quality product and I would consider purchasing these again. On the Arbonne website (http://arbonne.com) they have many other cosmetic items such as blush, bronzer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, etc. You may not be able to buy the quad or lipstick I refer to in this review separately, but there are plenty of other products that they offer which I am sure are the same remarkable quality. 

My absolutely favorite product out of all of the products I have tested is the lipstick. I would love to purchase a great, everyday nude color from Arbonne. The lipsticks range a little over $20 for one lipstick, but I promise you, the quality is absolutely awesome. 

*** I am not affiliated with Arbonne nor am I a promoter for this company. All products were provided free of charge for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are 100% true, unbiased and my own. I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review.