Aromas Artesanales De Antigua Luxury Hand Cream: Massage Me Like One of Your Guatemalan Girls

Metric Jenn

(This review may be a bit on the crazy side, as I am currently suffering back pain and the Doc gave me some sweet, sweet painkilling relief.)

I've been sitting on this product for about 3 months now. I bought it in Santa Barbara from this froo-froo hippie shop (don't ask me what it was called; I barely remember my own name). I was looking for more lotions to add to my hoarder-like collection at home. I smelled each lotion and made my choice based on how Lindsay Lohan-ish I felt. You see, I'd just visited the court house in which she was sentenced and it was like my Mecca.

L'Oreal Nail Stickers In Seductive Temptress: This Is Not The Polish I Was Looking For

Pinky McLadybits

Via 

No, I never learn. EVER. I was at Target, browsing the clearance endcaps like one does, when I spotted L'Oreal's Nail Stickers. Apparently the brand teamed with Project Runway to create these python-inspired nail stickers called Seductive Temptress. Since the price was now $2.38 marked down from $7.99 and since this isn't *technically* nail polish, I was sold. 

I had just painstakingly painted my nails, following all of the tips and rules people have given me. Base coat, two coats of polish, top coat, make sure that the polish goes over the edges of nails, etc. And that shit chipped in less than 12 hours. I was ready to give press on nail color another go.

Molly 'n Me Glow in the Dark Nail Polish: Don't You Know that You're Toxic?

Tamatha

A little over a month ago, I was on Martha's Vineyard for a wedding (that sounds a lot posh-er than my life actually is). After my friends and I had a fabulous lunch at The Net Result, we were wandering around the little shopping center there and decided to check out The Toy Box, a cool looking toy store.  My eye was caught by a container of nail polishes, some of which were glow in the dark.  That, my friends, was something I could not resist.  Not only did the glow-in-the-dark nail polish speak to the part of me attracted to tacky-ish things, but it was only $4.00, so it felt like a totally reasonable purchase--especially in a place like the Vineyard where things are quite pricey.

Of course, it was only later, that the rational side of my brain pointed out that this nail polish was probably exactly the sort of product I avoid: completely unnatural, no doubt tested on animals (the poor bunnies!), and, I was willing to bet, made in China.  So serious demerits for me.  Listen, I need one of you readers who normally doesn't care about such things to buy some natural product made here in the US of A (or your home country, I'm not picky) and not tested on animals to cancel this purchase of mine out, okay?

Anyway, the nail polish in question is, Molly 'n Me Glow in the Dark Nail Polish.  I picked out this awesome shade of bluish-purple.  In fact, that was part of why I decided to get the nail polish, because it came in a great shade of blue that I wanted anyway.  I was really excited to try it.  I finally got around to giving it a whirl shortly before Halloween.

Seacret Nail Care Collection: A Little for A Lot

Metric Jenn

Once upon a time there was a girl who got the most random demonstration of nail care from her mother right before a family dinner on Labour Day weekend. That girl was me. And I will NEVER pay for another manicure again. Not when I've got me a SEACRET.

So where did this stuff come from?  My mother told me all about her trip to the mall with my dad, and how they were stopped by one of those mall kiosk clerks who gave a demo on each of them. My dad then piped up to inform me that the kiosk lady was very nice-looking and that was the only reason he allowed her to give him the 'manliest of manicures'.

Birchbox Treats: Schick Hydro Silk Razor

Pinky McLadybits

Birchbox really knows the way to this girl's heart. Just hours after I stood in the shaving aisle of Target and decided I didn't want to pay more for razor refills than all the other items in my cart, my Birchbox arrived. Inside was Schick Hydro Silk razor, along with coupons for refills if I liked the product.

That, my dear readers, is a SCORE.

Schick is already my go-to brand when it comes to keeping my legs smooth(ish) and mostly free of stupid hairs. I usually employ the services of Schick Quattro for that purpose. Lately it hasn't been removing hair well at all. New blades haven't made a difference at all and I was pissed. Perhaps Schick Hydro Silk could be my new razor buddy?

These Lips Were Made for Talkin': Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm

Metric Jenn

Lush...oh Lush...Why can I never quit you, even though you give me a scent-overload headache every single time I enter one of your stores?

So of course you all know the story: Girl meets boy....errr...I mean lip balm. Girl pays a lot of money for lip balm because it's all natural and makes lofty promises. Boy...I MEAN LIP BALM does something stupid and breaks girl's heart/lips/wallet. I think this analogy totally went off the rails, and I've been watching too many early Sandra Bullock romantic comedies. Yeah, While You Were Sleeping has permeated my brain.

Birchbox Treats: Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

Pinky McLadybits

Birchbox always give me something that I can easily use on a daily basis. Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint is definitely one of those things. Much like the Kiehl's Abyssine Cream, the Jouer came in a tiny little container. It looked like enough moisturizing tint for me to put on my nose and nothing else. Also like the Kiehl's, the Jouer only took a little bit of product to cover my entire face and the tiny sample lasted much longer than I anticipated.

Sample Roulette: Korres Quercetin Oak Anti-Aging Night Cream

Rusty

I order from Sephora kind of a lot. Because of this I have a giant box of samples just hanging out, waiting to be used. This… is… SAMPLE ROULETTE. Due to the brief nature of the use, I will assign ratings as 0 (stay away) 4 (I liked it, but didn’t love it) or 8 (love it and will probably be dropping my own money on it in short order). Enjoy!

Anti-Aging products must be huge money makers for the companies that make them, because at least half the samples I’ve ever gotten have been anti-aging products. Aside from the problem that I’m testing these at the great age of 25 is the larger question of whether there’s enough of any of these products in a sample pack that you can use them long enough to see any genuine results. But, I’m here to evaluate my experience with the sample, not muse about what it all means so onward!

Not a Bargain: Equate Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

MelBivDevoe

When given the choice between generic and name brand items, I usually choose the generic.  I'm cheap.  If I can buy an item - say, a makeup remover - that has the exact same ingredients as the pricey brand stuff, then I will buy the cheaper version because it should work the same.  

Should.  Should work the same. 

I recently started using Equate Oil-Free eye Makeup Remover, which can be found at Walmart.  This remover is supposed to be comparable to L'Oreal Eye Makeup Remover but for about 2/3 of the cost of the brand name stuff.  And it does work, for the most part.  But there's one major problem for me.

Nicole by OPI Texture Coat in Opal Texture: Uh, Are You Sure?

Pinky McLadybits

I avoided buying any of The Hunger Games inspired China Glaze colors. I passed over the Spider-Man tie-in polishes from OPI. I decided to use up the Zoya I had before buying any more (plus the summer colors all looked TERRIBLE on me). Kardashian Kolors kan kiss my krack.

However, the Nicole by OPI Opal Texture Coat caught my eye. It would work over the polishes I already own. I thought it would be a fun way to get that shattered look without the heavy annoyance I had with Sally Hansen Fractured Foil.

Well, it is pretty.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream: Believe In Magic Or I'll Kill You!

Pinky McLadybits

I hadn't heard of BB Cream until Lainey mentioned it to me one day. That's kind of bad to admit, isn't it? The editor of a beauty blog hadn't heard about the newest craze sweeping Asia? I am appropriately embarrassed.

SO! Lainey told me that the BB Cream is supposed to be a wonder product sort of thing. They claim to moisturize, help fight blemishes, even skin tone, and it also has SPF in it.

It is basically touted as the unicorn of beauty products. Wait, that doesn't make sense. It's supposed to be good, okay? But is it?

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk. Wait...the Opposite of That: Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags

Dixie

Ladies, nursing mothers, you work hard for that liquid white gold and you want to store it away for future feelings, maybe when you're dead tired and it's time for your partner to give the baby a bottle (hint, hint, partners). So, what do you use? 

Jars are fantastic, but if you're a klutz like me maybe using your sleep-deprived hands to grab a glass container isn't a good idea. Plastic storage containers? Also great, but you might end up buying an ass-ton of them, and not only is that expensive but it takes up a hell of a lot of room. Right, then. Bags it is...and bags it was for me for eleven months of pumping. 

ELEVEN MONTHS. My poor boobs.

Hairscapades: Infusium 23 Shampoo & Conditioner

Metric Jenn

Guess who misjudged her grocery and personal hygiene budget this past paycheque? Yeah. I'm a bloody genius sometimes. And so, when I found myself completely out of shampoo and conditioner with only 19$ to spend for the next 8 days, I was in a complete tizzy. Except replace the word tizzy with infuriated rage at my idiocy.

I was forced into shopping at the lowest of the low shops....the dreaded Zellers. Which is like one step up from Giant Tiger, a store that imported fake Colgate toothpaste from China which contained the same chemicals found in anti-freeze. Awesome.

Tinted Balm Battle: Fresh Sugar Rose vs Burt Bee's Tinted Lip Balm

Vee

This winter I decided to step away from my usual lip liner + gloss formula and try something a little softer, a little gentler and a little less likely to leave lip prints on my wine glass. Tinted balm seemed just the ticket. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm had good buzz (ba dum dum) in the beauty community, and I'd just gotten Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose from Sephora for my birthday so the time was perfect for a head to head match up.

Arbonne FC5 Hydrating Eye Cream: The Quest To Vanquish Dark Circles

Pinky McLadybits

I decided that I should really be using a moisturizer specifically for the delicate skin around my eyes. I use coconut oil for my face and neck, but I was convinced that it wasn't the best thing for my dark circles and the emerging lines around my eyes.

I looked at several brands, but I was convinced to try out a sample of Arbonne FC5 Hydrating Eye Cream. I wasn't able to use it for more than a week, but that's why this is a Sample Roulette and not a full review.

Smells Great, But Do My Eyes Even Care? 100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

Cindy

As I said in my review of 100% Pure Red Wine Resveratol Scrub and Mask, I've been looking for a better way to exfoliate and get away from apricot scrubs. When looking for an alternative that was also natural, I stumbled upon the 100% Pure site. While looking for a scrub, I perused the other items they had.

Caffeine Eye Cream? Do my eyes really need this? Honestly, I had no idea. I don't have any real issues with the skin around my eyes and I haven't been using any special eye cream most of my life. I just use my regular facial lotion and I'm done. But when I recently went looking for a natural face scrub and found 100% Pure, everyone raved about this Caffeine Eye Cream and I was sucked into the madness.

100% Meh: 100% Pure Red Wine Resveratrol Scrub and Mask

Cindy

I'm a girl who prefers to use anything natural when she can. I don't make my own face scrub or conditioner or cleaning products, but I have been known to slather my head in olive oil (and lately the wonder stuff, coconut oil).

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find good, natural products. I've looked around at both my local health food store and Target and been unable to find much of anything in the way of facial scrubs. But, after reading Tamatha's plea for us to ditch the apricot scrub we all seem to use, I went on a great Google hunt and came across a brand called 100% Pure.

A House of Lies: Rimmel's Lasting Finish Pro Polish

Figgy

So after many years of trying out all brands and prices, I've come to the conclusion that, by and large, the nail polish industry is full of shit. They all tell you their polishes will last forever, that they won't chip, that they NOW contain 50% pure adamantium duo-cortex DNA complex and so will NEVER fade!

You think I exaggerate? Rimmel's Lasting Finish Pro Polish claims to be "Super durable chip resistant nail lacquer with Shine Release Complex" that will last "Up to 10 Days". Sounds impressive, is actually complete bullshit in reality. It lasted maybe 12 hours before the tops started chipping, and by the next day huge flakes were coming off the sides. Not only that, I also had to apply three coats of polish before the color looked decent and my nails were fully covered. So all the above claims were pretty much all lies.

Zoya Polish In Indigo: Scientific As Hell

Pinky McLadybits

Test subject: Zoya Nail Polish in Indigo.

I received Indigo from Zoya as part of their free promotion. I chose it because of the dark blue color and the hints of sparkle that reminded me of a starry sky. It looked pretty online but was darker and less sparkly when I received the bottle in the mail.

I will attempt to test the polish and share my findings as to the color, ease of use, and lasting ability of the polish. I applied a base coat, two coats of polish, and one top coat. I dried the nails under a nail dryer for over an hour.

Rusty's Sample Roulette: Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens

Rusty

I order from Sephora kind of a lot. Because of this I have a giant box of samples just hanging out, waiting to be used. This… is… SAMPLE ROULETTE. Due to the brief nature of the use, I will assign ratings as 0 (stay away) 4 (I liked it, but didn’t love it) or 8 (love it and will probably be dropping my own money on it in short order). Enjoy!

I’m not one to use blotting sheets for my face, first of all because I don’t have oily skin and second of all because most of my familiarity with blotting sheets started and ended with the plastic feeling bright blue ones passed around the high school girl’s bathroom when I was a teenager. When I got a sample of Boscia green tea blotting linens I wasn’t anticipating anything extraordinary.