Review: L’Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara

Name: L’oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara

Price: $7-9

Product: 0/5

Available: Anywhere L’Oreal is sold

This has to be one of the worst mascaras I’ve ever had the displeasure of using. Many people like this mascara and I’m trying to figure out how some people can actually like this piece of crap mascara. I recieved this mascara through Total Beauty to test and review, and was turned off by it as soon as I saw the brush. I have never had good experiences with mascara wands that have the big fluffy bristled brushes. They are extremely hard for me to work, and it doesn’t work well with my eye lashes. The Maybelline Collagen mascara was like  that for me.

This mascara is supposed to be a a volumizing mascara, but when I applied it carefully to my lashes, I just got spider lashes and clumps, which is something I usually never have to deal with. Then again I use Lash Blast and the Max Factor counterpart. After I applied this onto one eye, and saw the clumps, I grabbed my eyelash comb and tried to comb through the clumpy mess to make it workable for my lashes. In the few seconds that it took me to get the comb, the mascara had already hardened on my lashes, making it impossible to work with my lashes.

I quickly used some of my makeup remover and took off the mascara on that one eye. I didn’t even bother putting it on the other eye. I wasn’t going to walk around in public with clumpy, nasty eye lashes. I am not surprised that this mascara did not work for me. So far it seems that only two brands have worked for me so far;  Cover Girl / Max Factor and NYX. I combined Cover Girl amd Max Factor, because they are basically the same company. I don’t recommend this mascara at all. There are many better mascaras out there that give off great volume without being a clumpy mess.

You can get more reviews on this mascaras and others from Total Beauty.com

Review: The Rest of the Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Collection

Name: Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Collection

Price: $2.99- 5.49 each

Available: Anywhere Herbal Essences is available

Here is the rest of the Tousle Me Softly collection. Earlier this week I wrote up a positive review on the Shampoo and Conditioner from this collection. Today I am going to do mini reviews for the rest of the products.

Tousle Me Softly Mousse: I tried this both in my hair and in my aunt’s hair, and the result was the same. Disappointing. This product is extremely light weight in both texture and hold. My hair is really thick and straight, and my aunt has really fine hair that is quite thin. This product had no hold in either of our hair. Worthless

Product 1/5

Tousle Me Softly Hair Spray: This product is a lot better than the Mousse. I never use hairspray, but I tried this one for review purposes. This is quite nice, it doesn’t leave my hair smelling of alcohol – like other hair sprays. It holds my hair in place, and doesn’t turn it into a crunchy, hard mess. This also works equally well in my aunt’s hair as well.

Product: 4/5

Tousle Me Softly Spray Gel: This does the job that a spray gel is supposed to do. This has a pretty decent hold and it leaves the wet look that is trendy right now. I personally don’t like that look however, but that is just my personal taste. This is allows for hair to be textured, and it will actually hold the hair in place. Just not something I’ll ever use.

Product: 4/5

Tousle Me Softly: Finishing Cream: This is the only other product other than the Shampoo and the Conditioner that I actually like. This comes in a tub and it for smoothing out the frizzies. Since I live in a high humidty area, this is very nice to have. This can be used in both wet and dry hair. It helps keep my, and my aunt’s hair smooth and frizz free. My aunt’s hair is worse than mine when it comes to frizziness, so it works really well. This is not a substitution for a deep conditioning treatment.

Product: 5/5

You can get more reviews on these products and more at Total Beauty….

Review: Caress Evenly Gorgeous

Name: Caress Evenly Gorgeous Body Wash & Body Bar

Product: 2.5/5

Price: $3-4 each

Available: Anywhere Caress is sold.

If I were rating this product just on quality alone, I would give this a perfect 5/5, however there is more to a product than just its quality. This is a new product to the Caress bath line, Evenly Gorgeous is a very nice exfoliating body wash that lathers nicely and leaves my skin feeling soft. The only thing I don’t like about Evenly Gorgeous is the scent.

I am very particular about my scents, and I almost always shy away from products that are food scented, such as vanila or sugar cookie. I do like some food scents, such as some apple scents, peppermint and certain citcrus elements when they are mixed with other scents. I do NOT like the scent of  the Evenly Gorgeous set. It is a very sweet, sugary, syrupy, food type scent that reminds me of sugar cookies and vanila.

Honestly the smell turns my stomach and makes me want to vomit. All sugary smells, food smells do that too me. If the scent of this wash faded after getting out of the shower, then I wouldn’t mind using this wash on occasion. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your personal preference, the scent lingers on your skin long after the shower is over.

The beauty bar isn’t any better. This bar is susposed to be used on the face, and honestly using a bar on my face does not appeal to me at all. I much perfer using facial washes and scrubs that are liquid and come from a bottle or a tube. I used this once on my face and it was very awkward to handle, and I didn’t really like having the scent of Evenly Gorgeous on my face or near my face. I won’t be using this bar or any other facial bar again.

You can get more reviews on this product at Total Beauty….

Review: Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Shampoo & Conditioner

Name: Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Shampoo & Conditioner

Product: 4/5

Price: $2.99 each

Available: Anywhere Herbal Essences is sold

I received the complete Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly from Total Beauty to test out and review. I was almost out of Shampoo and Conditioner when I got these, so I started testing out the Shampoo and Conditioner that very night. I am not someone who likes using styling products in my hair, so I have yet to try any of the other products I received.

I have been using the shampoo and conditioner on and off for the past few weeks, and I quite enjoy the products for what they are. Shampoo and conditioner doesn’t actually have anything to do with how tousled your hair eventually ends up. That is where the styling products come in at. The purpose of the shampoo and conditioner is to clean the hair and prep it for the styling, and these do it well. My hair didn’t dry out or feel oily after using the products. My hair wasn’t all that moisturized, which is usually something I look for in shampoo and conditioner, but these products never made the claim to be moisturizing, so I can’t really count this as a negative.

I think these are a good buy if you are looking for a new shampoo and conditioner to try. There are definitely better products available in this price range that does give more moisture, such as Aussie Opposites Attract Protect and Soften. However, if you are lucky enough to score these on sale, then I definitely recommend that you pick up a bottle or two and  give it a whirl.

You can get more views on Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Products on Total Beauty.com

Review: Q Tips Vanity Packs

Name: Q-Tips Vanity Packs

Product:3/5

Price: $3 -4 per box

Available: Anywhere Q-Tips are sold

I received these from Total Beauty to review and test. This is the new gimmick product from Q-Tips. It is the same cotton swabs that are found in every household, but these are in a smaller, cuter square box. I was sent all four boxes, all of which had similar floral designs on them. The four main colors were red. orange/yellow, blue and purple. The boxes are definitely cute and do look really good on the vanity, dresser or anywhere else you would want to put them.

However I really don’t feel that these products are worth the price. In one box, you get 285 cotton swabs for $3-4, which doesn’t seem expensive until you realize that you could get a 500 count pack for $1-2 in normal cotton swab packaging. To me, the extra price for a cute box isn’t worth it. Especially since I put them in a cute cup, and place the package of cotton swabs under the sink in the bathroom. If you love the cute box and are willing to pay the price for the vanity pack, then by all means purchase these. I personally won’t be buying these again, and my low-ish rating is for the price of the box, not the product itself.

You can get more reviews on Total Beauty…..

Review: EcoTools Retractable Kabuki

Name: EcoTools Retractable Kabuki

Product: 5/5

Price: $7-10

Available: Target, Walgreens, Ulta and other stores that sell EcoTools

I was lucky to find this brush at a local Walgreens a couple of months ago. I had been hearing about it for a while, and I jumped on the chance to purchase this brush, especially since this was the last one in the store. This was actually my first retractable kabuki I’ve owned, and the only kabuki brush that I actually liked. This has been toted as a very affordable alternative to Too Faced’s Bear Kabuki in terms of softness and how dense it is.

I love this brush. Plain and simple. It applies my mineral foundation like a dream and a half. It gives me good, buildable coverage without making my skin looky cakey. It buffs in the product with the full head, and there is absolutely ZERO prickli-ness that can happen with cheap and crappily made brushes. This is extremely well made, and I have been using mine for a while now, and cleaned it several times with no fall out. The fibers are synthetic, which makes it perfect for buffing in liquid foundation, which is what I do now for my foundations. It makes the application extremely fast and easy. The brush itself is housed in recycled aluminum, which makes this brush very, very eco friendly for those who are limiting their carbon foot print. I highly recommend this brush to everyone who wants an amazing kabuki brush that is extremely affordable and just plain cute!

Review: L’Oreal HIP Color Presso Lipglosses

Name: HIP Color Presso Lipgloss

Product: 3/5

Price: $12-13

Available: Anywhere L’Oreal HIP is sold

I have been wanting to try these lipglosses since they made their debut with the Loose Kohls. Since I had such a bad experience with the kohls, I became wary of purchasing these. Fortunately I was sent two Color Pressos to test and review for the blog by Total Beauty. Well, I can honestly say that I didn’t absolutely hate these glosses, but I wasn’t in love with them either.

The packaging of the gloss is very annoying. I find it extremely hard to squeeze both sides to mix the colors. The whole idea behind this product is that you can mix the colors together to get a unique color. Unless you have very strong, large hands you won’t be able to use this product as it was originally intended. The glosses themselves are very sheer, one side is a dark color and the other side is a lighter more shimmery color. Only the darker color shows up on the lips, and even then it’s very sheer. The scent of these glosses is quite strong, it’s a very vanilla cupcake / frosting scent. This may work for some people, but I personally hate almost every version of vanilla out there, MAC lipglasses excluded.

I would purchase more of these glosses if I had coupons and these were on sale BOGO Free. Other than that, I feel that these glosses are not worth the high price tag. If you had $15 to spend on a new gloss, I would highly recommend that you pass over these glosses and either pick up a MAC lipglass or buy a few NYX Mega Shine lipglosses.

You can read more reviews on this product on Total Beauty…

Review: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy: Your Skin Makeup

Name: Your Skin Makeup

Product: 5/5

Price: $12:99

Available: CVS, Ulta

I have recently been on a foundation binge, looking for the best one for my face.  And I believe I have found it. I bought this foundation and the loose powder from CVS a few months ago when it was BOGO Free, I picked up the color Nude Beige, which was litterally my perfect shade, My skin is between NC 20 and NC 25, with neutral undertones, so I was happy to get the right color on the first try. This foundation has been touted as the drugstore / budget version of Makeup Forever’s HD liquid foundation. This isn’t something that I agree with. I tested the MUFE foundation with a sample from Sephora, and I was very dissapointed in it’s performance and feel.

Your Skin Makeup, however was a completely different experience for me. This applies wonderfully onto my skin, it’s a very creamy liquid foundation. which applied onto my skin easily and blended extremely well. This has medium to full coverage, making it very buildable. Since I live in N. Florida, I am in definite need of a foundation that will last in this 95+ heat, and doesn’t break out my oily somewhat acne prone skin. I have been using this foundie semi regularly since I got it, and I am supremely happy with its wear and performance. It doesn’t oxidize (turn orange) on my skin, which is a problem that a lot of people have with foundations.

The title of this foundation is extremely long and winded, but it’s claim that it is “Your Skin , But Better” is right on the mark. I feel that this foundation has become my top HG for liquid foundation, knocking Maybelline Mineral Power Liquid Foundation from the top. I believe that this is a product that I will continue to buy – even if it’s not on sale. I love this product that much. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good liquid foundation.

A Word On My Reviews

There has been a lot of talk lately on the reliabilty on beauty reviews written by bloggers such as myself. Many people, including myself feel that there are too many reviews that are being written on the internet that seem to make an item too good to be true. The reason I’m bringing this up, is that people are starting to wonder why there is an influx of reviews on a certain product at the same time.

The truth is that we, beauty bloggers are sent free products to test and review. Some big time bloggers even get paid to write postitive reviews on certain products from brands. I know that this happens, however I don’t know which ones do get paid and from which companies. I can honestly tell you guys that I DO NOT GET PAID for my reviews. There are on occasion times where I get free products, sometimes samples, other times full sized products, to test and review. Any review I write is completely honest, and I don’t say one product is absolutely wonderful when I find it to be absolute crap. Many of the free products that I have reviewed have gotten a less than positive review. In fact, most of my negitive reviews that I’ve written are on the free products that I get. When I review a product that I have purchased, I usually tend to love the product, because I tend to research and purchase on what is going to work on me. Anything that I really dislike or even hate, I tend to return it to the store and get my money back.

As you guys know, I review both higher end and lower end products. I find quality in all price ranges. I am not WOWED by a big price tag and a fancy name. Many of my all time favorite products are found in the lower price ranges and would usually be passed on by beauty junkies who equate price with quality. However, there are some high end products that I highly recommend that really don’t have any lower priced equals. The point is, is that I ALWAYS tell you guys my true thoughts on a product – no matter how I get them, and how much I pay for them.

BUT for now on, I will always inform you guys on how I get the product, either by purchasing it or getting it free. I hope that more beauty bloggers start doing this as well. I think we are all over due for complete honestly in this area, because it’s our money at stake and there are many times where we can’t return something.

A Second Look at L’Oreal HiP Loose Kohls

I have already reviewed the L’Oreal HiP Loose Kohls in Teal and Burgandy a couple of months ago. But I was recently contacted to re-try and re review these eyeliners. I received two other colors, Navy and Gold and I decided to give these a try to see if there was a difference between colors. I gave both of these eyeliners a fair test, and unfortunately I came up with the same problems that I had with the first two liners I reviewed. I find these hard to work with, and the lasting power seriously lacking.

These liners smudge too easily to wear for any length of time. I live in Northern Florida and I need products that are not effected by heat. These tend to travel from my upper, lower and waterline quickly and leave my face looking like a hot mess, which is not a good thing.  I still love the L’Oreal HiP Creme Liners and I will continue to use those. These however are just not for me.

If you are interested in more reviews on this product, head on over to Total Beauty….