product: maybelline baby lips lip balm
product claims: visibly renews lips, 8 hour hydration, lip renew formula with SPF 20, protects and moisturizes lips for 8 hours, after 4 weeks your lips will be visibly renewed and reborn.
(i decided to get rid of the first impressions part of my review… it will just be in the review section now)
review: i heard so much about this product (most, if not all, of the reviews were positive). i had a coupon for ulta and i grabbed up grape vine and then went another time to ulta and got pink punch. i LOVELOVELOVE the packaging. i’m not sure what it is, but i adore the packaging. something about the print of “baby lips” on a thick stick of chap stick excited me. it was just a visually-appealing product to me. lol. i have heard people say that they thought the packaging was on the childish side, but i personally think it’s cute. anyway, you get a lot of product (at least i think it’s a lot) at 4.4 g or 0.15 oz. it can take me a while to get through a chap stick and this won’t be an exception. i heard some reviewers say that these lip balms don’t have pigmentation and they were right. there’s not a lot of pigmentation which i personally like in a lip balm. however, there may not be a lot of color on your first swatch, however, you can easily build it up with a few more swipes (i found that 3 more swipes did the trick to get the color that i really wanted). what i found disappointing was that while these lip balms have an amazing scent, there’s no flavor. personally, i would have preferred these lip balms to have a flavor along with the scent. i was looking forward to a flavor, but was met with utter disappointment in the lack of a flavor. lol. speaking of scents, grape vine has a grape smell while pink punch reminds me of fruit punch. grape vine has a deep purple color that can get pretty dark if you keep applying it on your lips in one sitting. pink punch is pretty pigmented on its own (this might be the only really pigmented one out of the bunch). i personally really love the grape vine color and scent. i’m not a big grape scent kind of person, but this lip balm makes me think otherwise. i haven’t used pink punch too often, but it’s a wonderful pink color on my lips. it reminds me of cotton candy with the way the pink looks on my lips. idk. i’m weird like that. as for the wear, the lip balm doesn’t last too long on my lips. i had to reapply a few times throughout the day to make sure my lips actually do stay moisturized. the color, however, did stay on my lips longer than i thought. before reapplying the lip balm, i found my lip color to be stained with the color of the lip balm which was pretty cool. i liked it. :P as for my lips, my lips do feel soft, but not any softer than if i used my EOS lipbalm and definitely not as soft as using my rosebud salve. i will admit that the SPF 20 in the lip balm was a nice touch. it lets people bring this lip balm to the beach and feel okay to wear it while there. usually people don’t like to wear a lot of makeup when they’re outside since they’ll sweat it off. but i cannot stress how important it is for people to wear sunscreen when they’re outside! therefore, this lip balm is a good addition to anyone’s beach makeup bag. :)
will i repurchase again?: at this point, probably not. for one, i wasn’t interested in the rest of the color selection. another reason is that i prefer my EOS lip balm and/or my rosebud salve. at this point i’ll probably be using this stick, pink punch and my other lip balms first before actually purchasing this product again. if i were to run out of those, i MIGHT look into the baby lips product again. but for now, i don’t love this product enough to actually buy it again right this second.
final rating (scale of 1-10): 8; disappointed in the fact that there was no flavor (LOLOLOL) and the product doesn’t really do its job TOO well… :/ was i disappointed in the product? not really, but the fact that i enjoyed the product moreso for its scent and color instead of its actual job (to moisturize my lips for 8 hours which it did’t really do…) was a main reason why i’m giving this product only an 8. i pretty much enjoyed the scent and color of the lip balm rather than the moisturizing effect on my lips. lulz. i will recommend this product to people who want a little bit of color on their lips without having to apply lip gloss or lipstick.
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)
product: smith’s rosebud salve (0.8 oz)
product claims: rosebud salve may be used as an all purpose skin preparation… may help to relieve chapped lips and skin, diaper rash, blemishes, detergent burns, and rough cuticles and may soften rough hands.
first impression: i believe i got the salve from sephora when they had that friends with benefits deal (20% off the entire order or something). i also bought the juicy couture viva la juicy perfume (one of my FAVORITE perfumes ever); that was the main item i wanted when shopping for this deal. this was literally a last-minute deal so i decided to try it out. i’ve heard pretty much good things about this product so i figured it would be worth the money. the packaging is pretty cute. i like the round tin that contains the chapstick (i’ll refer to this product as a chapstick since that’s what i mainly used it for). the only bad part is that you have to use your finger or a Q-tip to pick up the product from the tin and then apply it to your lips. i’m a pretty big germaphobe so that would mean i needed more than one q-tip and/or finger. i just didn’t want germs to get into the product. this was a big con to me buying this product, but i still wanted to try it out. when i first opened the product, i smelled the “salve” and it smelled so good! it smelled like roses and it was lovely. then i first felt it and it was very creamy. when i first applied the product to my lips, it made my lips so glossy and plumper (even though it’s not a lip plumper). the product itself has a light pink tint to it, but when applied to the lips, it’s pretty much a clear gloss.
review: i didn’t use this too religiously since i used my EOS lip balm at the time (which i tend to keep in my purse). when i’m at my desk in my apartment, i would reach for this product since it was closest to me. i started to realize how much i was grabbing for this product instead of the EOS lip balm (maybe it was because i was too lazy to reach for the EOS one since it would be in my backpack which would have been anywhere in my room lol). my lips would always look glossy and pretty and it looked like there was a bit of tint to my lips after using the rosebud salve (there really was no tint though, it was more of my imagination… LOL). whenever i had chapped lips, this chapstick would pretty much take care of my lips and moisturize them. during the winter, i started to apply this to my elbows when they were cracking and itchy. definitely took the itch out and made my elbows smoother. whenever i used my lip scrub from LUSH, i would apply this salve to my lips afterwards to moisturize them and prevent them from cracking even more (the lip scrub’s exfoliation would dry out my lips). i didn’t really use the rosebud salve for anything else like those in the product claims. however the purposes i did use this product for, it did the job very well! i’m still going through this product and it’s almost been a year. i haven’t hit pan on it and i don’t think i’m very close at all! i would have to use this product literally 5x a day. my lips aren’t THAT chapped, so i don’t find a reason to use up this product ASAP. however, i will start to savor this product when i begin to see pan. LOL.
will i repurchase again?: yesss! even though i love my EOS lip balms (and i’ve been meaning to try the baby lips from maybelline and other lip balms), i do love how this product can be used for multiple purposes. i can apply this to my elbows and my lips and even my cuticles. i did try it once, but the product didn’t last since i tend to wash my hands often.
final rating (scale of 1-10): 9.5; i docked a half point since the packaging isn’t the best. cute and handy, yes! but the fact that i have to dig my fingers or q-tips into the product freaks me out. LOL. but overall, i really love this product. it’s one of my holy grails for dry lips, elbows, and cuticles! it’s a must-have for people looking for a moisturizing lip balm-esque product. it gives a nice shine to your lips and it smells very nice! this is honestly one of my favorites in terms of lip products and i look forward to buying more of this product soon. :D
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)
PS maybe i’ll do a review on the following (let me know what else you want me to review in the ask!)
- viva la juicy perfume
- EOS lip balm
- lush lip scrub in mint julips
product: sally hansen salon effects real nail polish strips in laced up
product claims: lasts up to 10 days, no dry time, peel and apply, fits all nails, comes with a cuticle stick, mini file and buffer.
first impression: i normally prefer to do my own nails. i rarely go to the nail salon to do my nails (i did go to the nail salon to do my toe nails for graduation, however). i just prefer my own nail colors and i prefer to do things myself when it comes to nail products. i may not be the best, but that’s okay. LOL. anyway, when i saw this product in my voxbox, i was a little apprehensive to try it. i was impressed at the claims this product had; 10-day wear with a peel and apply method.
review: so my first experience with this was… i’m not going to lie, pretty frustrating. i did my left hand and that was frustrating enough, but i tried to apply the polish with my left hand onto my right hand, that was a hot mess. i wasn’t used to the fact that i had to peel and apply and then file down the design. i kept messing up on the filing part since i would file off a little too much and my nails looked chipped at the edges and speaking of the edges, the polish got onto the sides of my fingers and i would spend time trying to take it off like i would with regular nail polish. the nail polish did last for 7 days before i noticed some major chipping and didn’t use a base or top coat with this product. just imagine how long it would last with the top coat! but anyway, i usually like to apply color with my own hands with all the different colors i have now. i rarely do designs on my nails since i’m too lazy to do them and i’m not too impressed with the designs that sally hansen had to offer. i did see one with pink glitter and i thought to myself how someone could easily just obtain a pink glittery polish and not have to spend $10 for this product. usually a good priced nail polish would range between $3 (sinful colors or sally hansen) to $7 (OPI or essie are around this area). i did like how you don’t have to wait for the polish to dry. that is a definite plus. seeing as how i’m a busy body and i hate waiting for my polish to dry, the non-wet formula polish was great!
will i repurchase again?: most likely not. again, i just prefer applying nail polish myself the old fashioned way. while some of the designs were pretty and the no dry time is great, i don’t think the $10 purchase price will be worth it.
final rating (scale of 1-10): 7; the amount of time it took to fully apply the product took about the same amount of time as if i were to apply nail polish the old fashioned way. i would constantly mess up and maybe i didn’t practice enough to use this product, but i feel like this product was built for people who don’t normally apply polish the old fashioned way. this would be a great easy-out for those who didn’t want to wait for the polish to dry or for those who aren’t comfortable with applying wet nail polish. again, the amount of designs they have is pretty impressive, but the price was just not worth it for me.
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)
product: sheer cover duo concealer in medium/tan
product claims: custom blend this concentrated creamy concealer for blemishes, redness, age spots and even undereye camouflage. it subtly perfects your skin without weight it down. it’s a must-have for the seamless, natural look of radiant sheer cover skin.
first impression: i don’t usually use concealer just because i do think it clogs my pores and it looks somewhat unnatural on my skin. when i got this product in my voxbox, i was kind of excited to try it. there was a fair amount in the small concealer duo case (3 g). i touched the concealer just to see how creamy it was and it was fairly creamy. i have somewhat oily skin (more so combination than anything really) so i was afraid that this concealer would not last on my skin. i tested it on my skin and the color was pretty accurate since you got to mix the colors over and over until you find the perfect shade! i was afraid that my color wouldn’t match well since the shade was a lot darker than i thought. i got the medium-tan and it was surprisingly dark… i took a whiff of the concealer and there wasn’t too much of a scent. i think i noticed a hint of a light smell to the product, but nothing major.
review: so i decided to wear this concealer when i was going out to run some errands and for a night on the town. i used my fingers to blend the two colors together until it matched my face color. it didn’t take too long to actually find my color which was nice. and the color selection for tan/medium thankfully fit my face color. i’m not THAT tan, but i do get tan during the spring/summer since i always walked around campus and the sun would always hit my face (and the rest of my body… can you say farmer’s tan? :/). so i went out and about to do my errands and i noticed that within 3 hours of being outside, the concealer was starting to come off. now realize that it gets hot in texas and when it gets hot, people sweat (no duh). so maybe it was partially the weather/my sweat’s fault, but the concealer started to come off. i didn’t put any powder on to set the concealer since i wanted to see the natural wear. after i took a shower, i decided to put on my makeup again and try out the concealer. this time, i set it with powder and through dinner and a night on the town, the concealer seemed to hold up pretty well for the night (5 hours-ish). again, the color was easy to find! i currently use kat von d’s tattoo concealer and that works pretty well (it’s a little light, but it’s great as a highlight for under my eyes to brighten them). so overall, if you set the concealer with powder, you’ll get a longer wear out of the product. also, a little goes a very long way! my skin was able to breathe pretty well under the concealer and that’s always a relief. whenever i use concealers, i feel like they’re cakey or suffocating my skin, but thankfully this concealer didn’t do that! my skin didn’t breakout either which is always great. sometimes concealers do that to me and it’s super annoying.
will i repurchase again?: maybe. since i don’t use concealer that often, i would take a long time to actually finish this product (as well as the kat von d’s concealer). if i were to run out of concealer, then maybe! it is quite expensive. to buy the concealer itself, it costs about $30 (from what i saw on amazon). the whole set that the concealer comes with is expensive as well (from the sheer cover website, it’s over $100 for the concealer plus the mineral makeup that goes with the starter kit).
final rating (scale of 1-10): 8; i love how they included two colors so that you can mix the colors to find the perfect shade of concealer for your face. i also love the wear of the concealer. i didn’t feel like my skin was getting clogged or anything like that. you do have to set it with powder for it to stay which is fine with me, but sometimes the powder might make me feel a little cakey. the only downside is that the concealer comes with a kit usually and the products are on the pricey side. the color range isn’t too fantastic as well, but that’s okay - that’s where mixing the colors comes in! overall, this product is pretty good! if you’re willing to spend the money, then this concealer might be worth it.
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)
product: bath and body works fine fragrance mist, twilight woods, full size
product claims: introducing our new fine fragrance mist. our beautiful, sophisticated new bottle features a fine fragrance pump for more delicate mist and improved coverage control. lavishly spritz on your body to lightly scent your skin with our exclusive twilight woods, a hypnotic fragrance inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods. top notes: juicy berry, sparkling mandarin, hint of coconut. mid notes: creamy frangipani, soft mimosa, wet honeysuckle, wild freesia, apricot nectar. dry notes: oud wood, musk, orris, vanilla milk, warm woods. aloe conditions and nourishes skin.
first impression: in the past, bath and body works was always a hit and miss in terms of their products. i’ve bought their lotions and sprays/body mists before. they were either really good or really bad. i also get tired of fragrances easily, especially if they don’t capture my attention. why do i buy them, then? well, i tend to think i really like something and i just HAVE to have it. but i quickly find out that i’m getting tired of the scent and i move on to something else (but don’t worry, i don’t buy many perfumes often lol). so when i received the mist in the box, i was a little apprehensive about the mist. in all honesty, body sprays or mists don’t really cut it. i need a strong perfume to keep up with me. unless you’re a legit perfume, the scent will not stick to me and i HATE that. i heard of twilight woods, but i would personally not have gone for that scent. BUT it is good to go out of my comfort zone and just use the spray. when i first sprayed the mist, it surprisingly had a nice scent to it. it was very warm to me and it reminded me of some vanilla scent i had way back when. i wore this scent to graduation (back in may) and in texas, it gets hot in march pretty much. so you can imagine that i wanted a scent that would stick with me throughout the whole day and not go away by the end of the day. well, by the time i sat down at my seat for graduation, the scent was pretty much gone. i was sorely disappointed. :/ the scent was pretty and i was sad that it didn’t stick around for long. maybe it was because i was moving around a lot and i ended up sweating a lot in the head. i don’t know, but i do know that my viva la juicy would have stuck with me. lol.
review: i tried wearing this more and more to see if the scent would stay on longer. at graduation, i sprayed my wrists and my neck. i gradually went to spraying all over my body, but to no avail. the scent was fleeting and it did not last long at all. i was very disappointed with the formula itself. i did like the packaging a lot! the bottle was sleek and the pump worked very well to cover large areas of my body. the scent itself was pretty good. i liked how warm it smelled and the sweet scents. but unfortunately, i look for the wear of a perfume instead of the packaging. i currently wear viva la juicy and this fine mist does not compare to it. the viva la juicy perfume tends to stick to my skin (wrists and neck) muuuuuch longer than twilight woods did. i’m mostly disappointed in the fact that the spray did not last long on my skin… it’s hard to find a perfume or a body mist that can do that and i was hoping that bath and body works could do that.
will i repurchase again?: the scent? maybe. the spray? probably not. i hate to say it, but the fact that the scent did not last long is what is turning me away from this product. i would much rather prefer the lotion or the shower gel. those seem to stick to my skin the longest in terms of bath and body works products. again, the scent was nice, but the formula of the mist was not good enough for me to repurchase again.
final rating (scale of 1-10): 6; bath and body works should work on their formula for how to make the scent last longer, but i do know that the scents in the store are great and that people should give them a chance.
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)
product: aveeno daily moisturizing body wash, deluxe sample
product claims: helps replenish skin’s natural moisture for visibly healthier skin.
first impression: i’ve heard of aveeno and i’ve used it in the past, so i was uber excited to have an aveeno product in the influenster box. when i first started to use the body wash, i felt my skin and it was somewhat softer than what i was normally used to. before, i used dove body wash and i’ve always loved it. i kept using it for a few days to see what it would do for my skin until i ran out of the wash.
review: even with such a tiny bottle, the body wash did somewhat make my skin softer than usual. however, by the end of the bottle, my skin was back to normal. i don’t really have dry skin to begin with but more like combination where it feels more oily during the summer and dryer in the winter. at first, i felt like my skin was improving, but i quickly found my skin going back to the way it was. dove did a pretty good job with my skin before by keeping it moist and supple. the lather was pretty fun; a little bit of soap on my loofa went a long way!
will i repurchase again?: maybe! i don’t have anymore in my sample bottle, but i’m considering buying a full size bottle. i do have other body washes that i need to use up, but until then, i won’t repurchase aveeno for a while. the product is little more expensive than my dove body wash (at least where i shop) so it might not be worth the trip and money to get another bottle. however, i would still consider it the next time i go shopping!
final rating (scale of 1-10): 6; the body wash was okay at best and i do love the aveeno brand, but the price of the product might not be worth it.
that’s pretty much it for this review. thanks for reading! :)