Monday 16 January 2012

Top 10 Products I Regret Buying in 2011

Top 10 Products I Regret Buying in 2011








Hi Everybody! I hope you all had a great weekend! 

Since I blog about products I love so often, I thought I would write a post on some that I completely regret spending my money on. I picked 10 things from my collection that I regret purchasing the most. I think it's good to share products that don't work with others too. If someone has the same skin type as you, or the same tastes in what they look for in cosmetics/beauty items for example, they can really benefit by not wasting their money and going through similar experiences. 


Before I start I just want to say that I love each and every brand  I am about to talk about in this post and have many other products from these brands that do work for me. These products just simply did not cut it in my books and I am giving my own personal opinions on them.





#10 - Hard Candy Lashaholic Super Volume Mascara
 




I have this mascara in the color "Blackest Black". The only thing I liked about this mascara was the gorgeous hot pink packaging. Other than that I can not say I recommend this product. It claims to provide maximum lasting volume. Honestly when I put this on my thin, short lashes - all it did was turn them black, it did absolutely nothing to give me volume or length. The brush is plastic and the bristles are extremely short. The formula is also thin and wet and I don't tend to enjoy mascaras with these plastic type brushes on them (excluding L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes).  I love you Hard Candy, but this mascara was a no go for me.










#9 - Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Balm
 




I bought these in the spring of 2011 and I believe they were limited edition from Revlon's Spring 2011 collection. I picked up all 3 colors in the collection - "Pink Crystal", "Clear Crystal" and "Peach Crystal". All 3 colors have a watermelon scent that isn't too bad and a sparkly semi-glossy finish. The formula of these lip balms is super sticky and not pigmented at all. I found them to dry my lips more than moisturize them like a lip balm should. Totally not worth the 10+ dollars I paid for them.










#8 -Rimmel London Glam Eyes Eyeshadow Quads


Rimmel London Glam Eyes Eyeshadow quads in "Smokey Purple" and "Smokey Brun".



I am disappointed in the quality of the eyeshadows in these quads. Although the shades themselves are gorgeous, the dark colors are pigmented and the lighter colors barely show up on my lids at all. I also found them to be too creamy and to crease  quickly - these are not long lasting shadows. They cost about $6 - you can buy an eight pan Wet 'n Wild palette for the same price and get much better quality shadows than these!









#7 - Elf Natural Radiance Blush in "Innocence"





Thank goodness this only cost me $1 on eyeslipsface.com, it's from their Professional line. I thought this would give me a pretty pink glow on my pale skin but like many of the other products on this list, it has no pigmentation whatsoever. The formula is  powdery and chalky. Another con about this product is the packaging, the plastic case broke the day I received it in the mail. I recommend spending a few extra dollars on a better quality blush. (Elf's $3 blushes from their Studio line are fantastic!)






#6 - Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in "Princess"







The only reason why I did not enjoy this bronzer was because of the formula. It is so soft that it shattered just from me setting it into my makeup bag. Other than that the color gives a nice bronzy glow that lasts all day and I will be depotting this and using it in a lose powder form. If you do choose to purchase this bronzer, make sure you are very careful with it so it doesn't break into tons of pieces.









#5 - Annabelle Skin True Pressed Powder in "Light"






As you can see from the middle photo above, after having this powder for only a few hours it looked like that - full of bumps, and when I would swipe my brush across it I couldn't pick up any product no matter how hard I tried. The powder hardened and was impossible to use.  I also got the lightest shade and it's quite dark for being light. I ended up not using this product at all and do not recommend it to those of you who have access to Annabelle products.






#4 - Marc Anthony True Professional 2nd Day Clear Dry Shampoo





This dry shampoo claims to "instantly refresh your hair without the wash". It claims to have an "extra absorbant formula that lets you remove access oil, eliminate odor, rid static and add volume without leaving a chalky residue." The package says  it's "perfect for all hair types, styles and colors to achieve beautifully fresh hair in between washes."

This product did not remove any oil from my hair and it also did not add volume. It did make my hair smell nice. I didn't notice a difference in the static level of my hair when using it either - my hair type is dry and staticy in the winter. It seemed that all I was doing was spraying clear air from the can. This does not live up to the claims on the package and I recommend using baby powder before spending $12 on this stuff - plain old Johnson and Johnson's will work even BETTER for a fraction of the price!






#3 - L'Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner in "Black"






On a rating of 0 - 10 I give this eyeliner a 1. Take a look at the photos below - the tip on this eyeliner pen is way too thick. It is impossible to get a thin precise line on your top lash line. I have never seen an eyeliner pen be shaped at the tip quite like this one. It leaked out all over the rim of the applicator making it so it gets all over your fingers during application. I strongly recommend spending your money on another eyeliner pen. My favorite is the Revlon Colorstay Liquid eye pen.








#2 - Physician's Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer in "Ivory to Fair".





This one gets a two thumbs down rating from me. For starters, it smells like chemicals, though the package claims it is a 100% natural origin tinted moisturizer. It provides very little coverage even for a tinted moisturizer and did not last very long on my skin without transferring, sweating or wearing off. This cost me over $15 and turned out to be completely useless.




#1 - Physician's Formula Self Defense Color Corrective Moisturizing Lotion






I was overly excited to try this one! I have very pale skin but my cheeks and around the nose area on my face get overly dry and red. I thought this was going to cancel out the redness and help moisturize my face at the same time. The lotion is somewhat moisturizing but this product was a complete FAIL for me and a waste of money for sure. It literally turns my face GREEN, no matter how little of it I use and no matter how much I rub or blend it in. The green color it tints my skin shows through any makeup I apply on top. So unattractive!! Try a red skin corrector from another brand or a different one from Physician's Formula, don't waste your cash on this one!

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There you have it! Those are the 10 most regretted products that I tried out in 2011. Once again I love all the brands that make the products above and always remember, what doesn't work for one person can work beautifully for another.


Did you try any of the products I talked about above in 2011? Let me know if they were hits or misses for you. Feel free to tell me products on your regretted purchases list too if they are different than mine. I am always interested in hearing all of your thoughts!

I am also looking for new ideas for blog posts and suggestions on how to improve my blog so please shoot those my way too!


I wish you all a wonderful week. Check back soon for more helpful posts.



Peace + LOVE :)))))





Monday 2 January 2012

Collective Haul: New Items I've recently added to my collection

Collective Haul ~ What's New in my Collection




Hi everyone! I've collected some new jems in the past month; some of them are going to be staple items in my collection in 2012, so I just had to share them all with you! I will talk a little bit about each product, show you what it looks like and give prices.

Let's jump right into it :)...onto my first item:




Radiance by Britney Spears
($78, 3.3 fl oz ~ 100 ml at Sears)




I needed a new signature scent for 2012. This is the one I ended up going with for the time being. I really enjoy the smell it is fruity and sophisticated smelling at the same time. britneyspearsbeauty.com explains the scent to be:  

Luscious berries and dewy petals unfold to reveal a radiant heart of luminous pure white flowers, lit from within by the glow of precious amber, woods and sexy musk.

Key Notes:
Alluring – Top notes of luscious wild berries and soft dewy petals convey a feeling of unparalleled allure.

Sensual – In the radiant heart, a pure white bouquet of tuberose, jasmine, orange flower and iris exudes an unforgettable feminine aura.

Captivating – Captivating cashmere woods and luminous amber are wrapped in the sensual glow of skin musk.
:

I feel pretty when I am wearing this one and love it more and more each time I use it.





Quo Beauty On The Go Palette
(Price unknown at Shoppers Drug Mart)



Quo Cosmetics is a brand sold at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. I am not sure if it can be purchased anywhere else - possibly online? If you are interested in Quo Cosmetics try typing it into google.

My bestie got me this beautiful palette for Christmas. It comes with 3 pretty lip colors, a GORGEOUS blush that I want a full size of (it's peachy pink and perfect for my skin tone) and 3 fabulous shimmery eyeshadows - a dark bronze, a taupy brown and a creamy champagne color. This palette is going to be great to keep in my purse to use on the go and for glamorous occasions!





L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
($4.96 - at Walmart)


I have used this mascara before, it was a couple years ago and I remembered loving it. I haven't applied it to my eyelashes yet because I always open my mascaras and let them sit for a few days before I use them for the first time; but I will definitely let you all know what I think of it this time around!





Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear nail color in "Disco Ball"
($2.77 at Walmart - such a steal!)




I am so happy I finally got my hands on this beauty! This is one of the prettiest glitter polishes I own. It is clear with many different colors of small glitters in it! I have it on in the photo over a matte black, but it looks different and unique over any shade you choose to pair it with. If you love having glittery nails and you see this, buy it!





Color Tattoo by EyeStudio 24hr eyeshadow
($6.96 at Walmart)



As you can see I have two shades - on the left is 05 Too Cool (a sparkly shimmery white color) and on the right is 35 Tough as Taupe (a true taupe color that is matte with very tiny glitter). A friend of mine sent me the taupe shade and from swatching it my first impressions on the product were so good I went and purchased the white one myself. I like these so far but I have not put them to the ultimate test yet (I will review them when I do!). 





Ardell 301s 
($4.67 at Walmart)




I wore these on New Years Eve with a purple and black dramatic eye and they were lovely.






Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive
($7 at Walmart)




I love the tiny fine tipped brush on the applicator, it puts the product exactly where you want it making applying lashes super simple. It lasts long and dries quickly. I highly recommend this adhesive!





EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint
($4.99 at Rexall)



I finally found them in my Canadian city! I was so excited to see these in the drugstore, I heard so much about these on YouTube and I couldn't find them anywhere. I actually really like it and will be purchasing the other flavors!




Bonne Bell blush'ngo powder blush in Peachy Pink and Nectar
($1 at Dollarama - approx $5-6 in most drugstores)



I got this for $1, yes that's right, one dollar at my local dollar store. I am not sure if Bonne Bell is discontinuing these blushers but I saw them at Walmart very recently for five to six dollars. I never would have paid $5 to $6 for this but I am so glad I picked it up! The shades are very reasonably pigmented and look fantastic mixed together or on their own. They don't last as long as some of my higher quality blushes so I wouldn't wear them for a night out or anything, but for $1 they are pretty nice.




And last but not least,


Wet n Wild's Coloricon single eyeshadow in Brulee
($1.99 at Walmart)




I have talked about this eyeshadow so many times on my blog, so I won't say too much. Best matte highlight color ever, that's all I will say. You MUST GET THIS if you don't have it. :)




So that ends my small collective haul - I will be doing reviews on some of the new products I received or purchased. Please let me know if you want an in depth review of any of the products mentioned, I would be happy to do that for you! 


Thank you so much for reading and comment below if you have tried any of these products or plan to in the future. Tell me how YOU feel about them.

<3

Peace out for now and much love to all of you!