Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I might be wrong

I'm not a big beauty/makeup person, and I don't really find shopping for makeup too too enjoyable. Nevertheless, I have my own little regimen, and over the years I've found some great products and some horrible products.

NOTE: I am not getting paid to endorse any products; this is my honest opinion! Please comment if you disagree or have any other beauty suggestions! :)

SUPER DUPER BAD: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara


I remember hearing how this stuff was the best mascara ever, and so cheap! I tried it and it's horrible: dry, clumpy, and irritating. I'm not so sure why the entire world seems to think this is great?

Alternative:

Admittedly, I have not tried a lot of different brands of mascaras, so I don't know if this is the BETS product out there, but I really like Clinique's high impact Mascara. I wear contacts, so my eyes are very sensitive to any type of product. The Clinique Line doesn't seem to flake as much as the aforementioned Maybelline, and it does not clump at all.


ABSOLUMENT HORRIBLE: Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser, Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Cream Cleanser, Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Astringent



My beef with the Neutrogena Acne line is that the cleansers are all very thick and scented and incredibly difficult to rinse off. I could still smell and feel the cleanser on my face after thoroughly rinsing it off, and that did nothing for my skin. The Blackhead Eliminating Astringent is too harsh and did not eliminate blackheads.

ALTERNATIVE #1: DRUGSTORE:

Clean & Clear Continous Control Foaming Acne Wash
Pretty good all-around cleanser, but could be too mild for people with very oily skin.


Clean & Clear's scrub is ideal for facial use, because it is so gentle. If you need a body scrub, try the St. Ive's Apricot line, which is made for facial use but is much too harsh.

I like Clean & Clear's line much better because they are much lighter and rinse off easily. However, there is still that smell that lingers on after rinsing, which worries me because having fragrance chemicals on my face surely cannot be a good thing.

Ivory Soap
Many people think that soap is too harsh for washing faces, but I find that as long as you follow up with a really good moisturizer, there's no difference. Ivory soap is unscented, gentle, and lathers nicely.


ALTERNATIVE #2: DEPARTMENT STORE:

CLINIQUE's 3-step skin care line has been my savior for the past 2 years. It's a little bit pricey; probably about $100 for the 3 steps, but it lasts 8 months. (And plus, CLINIQUE always has bonus offers where you get a whole bunch of goodies, including the mascara that I was talking about!)

The reason I like Clinique's line is the lightness, rinse-ability, and gentleness. The foaming cleanser doesn't even sting if you get it in your eyes! I would recomment the MILD clarifying lotion and the moisturizing GEL (unless you have VERY dry skin). Also get a pump with your moisturizer so you're not dipping dirty fingers into the bottle or trying to pour it out which could cause it to spill. I don't like the soap version of the cleansing because soaps tend to melt away and get gross.

If you are thinking about purchasing this, I suggest waiting until there is a "bonus time", so you can take advantage of the little goodies. (usually there is an eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, and a few trial-sized skincare products)


For hair care products, I tend to find that the really cheap stuff (Suave, Alberto, St. Ives, NoName) is horrible. I haven't tried any high-end products, but the drugstore brands are all about the same. I've found that if you rinse out your conditioner REALLY well, your hair will be softer and more manageable, but less shiny. That's just me, though. I rinse like a madwoman.

1) Best Smell

Herbal Essences, of course! I personally prefer the newer lines (fruit fusion, rainforest flowers) to the older scents. But I've noticed that they have totally revamped their look, so maybe they have new scents too!

2) Best Formulation

L'Oreal Vive Shampoo and Conditioner seems to be the most effective. The Conditioner can be very hard to rinse out, though. I've also noticed that L'Oreal is changing their look too, and I haven't tried the new Vive line.

Pantene also makes great Shampoo and Conditioner, but their prices have gone WAAAY up in the past few years, so I would pick the L'Oreal over Pantene.

4) Best 2-in-1

I still like Pert Plus's line of 2-in-1s. It rinses off easily and smells pretty good.



3) BAAAAAAD

Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner is horrible. It feels like glycerine in your hands and does not rinse off. I doubt that fruit oils can actually help your hair in any way.


The Rest
I don't really wear makeup as in foundation, eyeshadow, blush, etc...so I really would not know. From what I've heard, MAC is really great.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought I was the only person on the planet that disliked Great Lash! I completely agree - that stuff is horrid!

Anonymous said...

Ok so I was like on google and i clicked on this link and I went through and read this. What you said about Garnier Fructis is completel wrong. It does NOT feel like glycerine in your hands and it rinses out fine! It is the only thing I use and my hair is softer and shinier than it was.

Anonymous said...

I agree, great lash is not very good. At first I liked it, but after a while I got sick of it. It didn't do much for my lashes except go on very lick and look fake. It left my lashes in groups and it was difficult to put on as the brush was so big. Right now I'm using Almay intense I-color and it is good. I use the blue one since it is recommended for my eye colour. The brush is easy to use and it doesn't clump. It doesn't go on too thick and looks nice. It also doesn't really look blue when you wear it, it is just supposed to help compliment your eyes. The only thing is it flakes a bit (but not much). Glad to see someone agrees.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the bonus time advice for Clinique cosmetics:) I have never thought about that:)

Anonymous said...

re: Garnier Fructis, I agree with nerdfashion. I had the shampoo for a while and I found that the shampoo did not lather enough and did not leave my hair squeaky clean. worst. shampoo. ever.

Andrea said...

I agree completely with Great Lash. I tried it once, and it was the worst mascara I have ever used.
I do not, however, agree with most of what you said about shampoos. You should apply your qualm about fragrant face washes to shampoos. Herbal Essences smells great, but there's a reason it smells that good; it is chalk-full of good-smelling chemicals that are actually really harsh on your hair.
Pantene is also one of those shampoos that people think is great, but you should avoid at all costs. Sure it makes your hair super shiny, but it does that by coating your strands with polymeres that your hair will eventually, after prolonged use of Pantene, rely on to keep itself hydrated.
My hair stylist told me that the #1 store-bought brand you can get is Loreal, because they make professional products too and don't use as many fillers and chemicals a s other brands. #2 brand? Garnier Fruictis. You know those fruit oils you don't like? They actually nourish your hair naturally and less harshly than chemicals. The feeling of not washing out is actually the fruit oils sticking to your hair, and will soak in as your hair dries. The reason this feels different than other shampoos is because other shampoos use chemicals that strip your hair. Garnier styling products are also highly recommended for curly hair. I have sisters and cousins with curly hair who would try all different products endlessly, and as soon as each discovered Garnier Fruictis, that's all they've used.

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