Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Spring Into Beauty With The Blissmo Box
I had been getting the Blissmo newsletters for a while because they have excellent deals on extremely awesome natural products. I was surprised to find out that they had a sampling program- I had no idea! Each month you're given three different choices of themed boxes. It's a little more expensive than some of the other programs out there, but you get full sized and deluxe sized items. Here's the current month's themes, and my may box I got a doggie themed box (my babies were VERY happy with that one!)
FROM THEIR WEBSITE
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How it works: Our team works with expert curators and leverages scientific resources to find exceptional products that are either certified as organic or eco-friendly, or that skip toxins found in many conventional brands & products (glossary of common toxins), or that have a people & planet positive approach in the DNA of the business - and then we introduce these products to you viaflash sales and our discovery boxes. Learn more about our curation philosophy here.
The value of the box is about equal to the cost, so you aren't getting a steal or anything, but it's a fun way to try new products.
The Good, The bad, and The Ugly
THE GOOD!
THE BAD :-(
Ascorderm Restore Eye Cream
According to Dermstore:
What it is:
A smoothing, wrinkle-fighting eye cream with L-ascorbic acid.
What it's used for:
Ascorderm Restore Eye Cream is powered by a pure form of vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid, to smooth and soften the delicate skin around your eyes. This gentle formula diminishes fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone over time, to give you a noticeably younger eye area.
Well vitamin C IS pretty much of a miracle in fighting sun damage, for sure, so I was excited for this product. Unfortunately, the texture blew it for me. Normally I like gel creams, but this one doesn't dry to a soft texture like the others I've used, this dries (or sorta doesn't!) into a sticky layer that you can feel hours later. one of my pairs of glasses rests directly on my temples and they felt stuck to my face all day like I had tape residue on my skin. The directions say to apply liberally, so I thought mayhaps I was applying TOO liberally, so I cut back on the amount I used. DID NOT fix the problem. The stuff was fifty bucks, so I'm not throwing it away or anything, but now I only use it at night for it's corrective effects and so it doesn't irritate the crap out of me all day. PLease note, this is not a commentary on the efficacy of the product, just why I'll never buy it again. I just can't get over the sticky.
TRY THESE INSTEAD: Dermalogica
Their eye creams are THE BOMB. The Total Eye Care is perfect for daytime use because it has SPF AND it's lightly tinted to even out the skin tone in the eye area, perfect if you have circles or undereye discoloration. I've been using this every morning for a little over a month and love the difference it's made. (And doesn't feel like I just pulled duct tape off of my skin!)
I used the Intensive Eye Repair during the winter when artificial heat dries out my skin. I noticed my eye area looking a little dehydrated and crepey until I started using this at night. I woke up with my eye area firm and bright with that "good night's sleep" glow. This one has the coveted vitamin c, too!
Both of these are also very concentrated so they'll last you a really long time.
De-Luxe Rosemary Mint Shampoo & Conditioner
These ARE strongly scented, so if you don't like the smell of mint or rosemary, stay away. For me, rosemary is one of my favorite scents in the world, to the point that if I ever had a daughter, my plan is to name her Rosemary. The scents aren't too much for me because they're real essential oils, not artificial fragrance.
- Free of Parabens & SLS/SLES
- Natural Plant Based Ingredients
- Pure Essential Oils (No Synthetic Fragrance)
- No Harsh Preservatives, Biodegradable
- No Animal Testing - Cruelty Free
- Recyclable PET Packaging
The effect on your scalp is a refreshing cooling, tingling sensation. Safe for color treated hair and supposedly works on all hair types (I have oily hair and it works great on mine, I've heard mixed reviews on dry hair). I like that it's a spa quality brand that you can buy at big box stores like Sams. To see an example of what it does on my hair, see my You Tube video where I pretty much just stroking and playing with my hair without even realizing it until I watched the video back. It made my hair SOOOOOOO baby soft that I couldn't keep my hands off of myself!
THE BAD :-(
Ascorderm Restore Eye Cream
According to Dermstore:
What it is:
A smoothing, wrinkle-fighting eye cream with L-ascorbic acid.
What it's used for:
Ascorderm Restore Eye Cream is powered by a pure form of vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid, to smooth and soften the delicate skin around your eyes. This gentle formula diminishes fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone over time, to give you a noticeably younger eye area.
Well vitamin C IS pretty much of a miracle in fighting sun damage, for sure, so I was excited for this product. Unfortunately, the texture blew it for me. Normally I like gel creams, but this one doesn't dry to a soft texture like the others I've used, this dries (or sorta doesn't!) into a sticky layer that you can feel hours later. one of my pairs of glasses rests directly on my temples and they felt stuck to my face all day like I had tape residue on my skin. The directions say to apply liberally, so I thought mayhaps I was applying TOO liberally, so I cut back on the amount I used. DID NOT fix the problem. The stuff was fifty bucks, so I'm not throwing it away or anything, but now I only use it at night for it's corrective effects and so it doesn't irritate the crap out of me all day. PLease note, this is not a commentary on the efficacy of the product, just why I'll never buy it again. I just can't get over the sticky.
TRY THESE INSTEAD: Dermalogica
Their eye creams are THE BOMB. The Total Eye Care is perfect for daytime use because it has SPF AND it's lightly tinted to even out the skin tone in the eye area, perfect if you have circles or undereye discoloration. I've been using this every morning for a little over a month and love the difference it's made. (And doesn't feel like I just pulled duct tape off of my skin!)
I used the Intensive Eye Repair during the winter when artificial heat dries out my skin. I noticed my eye area looking a little dehydrated and crepey until I started using this at night. I woke up with my eye area firm and bright with that "good night's sleep" glow. This one has the coveted vitamin c, too!
Both of these are also very concentrated so they'll last you a really long time.
If you do your shopping strictly at chain or big box stores, I recommend the Olay Regenerist Eye Derma Pod
You can get about 2 uses out of each pod and the slight massaging effect of the application helps to break up the congestion that causes puffiness. Not the instant miracle that the Dermalogica creams are, but pretty good for a drugstore brand. Increases circulation to the eye area and gives a refreshed feeling. The major downside is the wasteful packaging. On one hand it is hygenic and great for travel, but on the other hand this is NOT the product for any eco warriors out there! I felt horrible pangs of guilt every time I tossed one in the trash.
THE UGLY!
METAL SHAVING CREAM CANS!!!!!!
WHY WHY WHY? How many bath tubs and sinks have to be ruined by a rust ring on the edge? At what point does someone say "hey, I know! Let's put a coating on the bottom so we quit effin up people's bathrooms!" ? How hard can this be to figure out? I imagine the people who make CLR are part of a secret lobby to keep the big body care manufacturers in metal cans. Well Procter & Gamble can bite me, cause guess what I've discovered?
Hear that? It's the clouds parting and the angels singing! It comes in a number of different scents, I have the pomegranate raspberry, which smells WONDERFUL.
Also
lavender jasmine
vanilla bliss
sensitive - fragrance freeIt's so amazingly moisturizing that I don't even have to use lotion on my legs afterwards and you can even shave DRY LEGS with it! It's non foaming so it's easy to shave off without a lot of waste and excess. And best of all, NO METAL CAN! (plus the bottle has little finger grips so you don't drop it with slippery hands- a massive bonus for me since I literally almost broke a toe one time dropping a shaving cream can on my toe in the shower!) PLUS it's available at the drugstore, grocery store and the big boxes! YAY!
25% off all clearance at Chinese Laundry!
Their shoes are soooooo comfy. I have this one pair of black and white flats from them that I wear at least once a week. I can't believe I haven't murdered them yet!
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
THE GOOD!
Moxie tampons. Yep, you read right. I am in LOVE with these tampons. Don't laugh. This is seriously the cutest packaging ever.
LOOK AT THAT! It's cute tampons!!!!
They come in these little metal tins that are color coordinated to indicate flow type. On the top it says "Moxie" and these are the perfect size for teeny collectibles, bobby pins, safety pins, etc. I've been giving them to friends who smoke as an ashtray tin so they don't throw their butts on the ground. I can walk through the halls of the college to the rest room carrying this and not feel at all weird about openly carrying tampons. The metal container keeps them from getting all torn up and gross in your purse. Oh, and the tampons themselves? They're OB style (non applicator) so they're much better for the environment and they have a special "Silken Glaze' coating for smooth insertion. This is an Australian line, but I found them at my local Walgreens.
THE BAD
Greenbody Greenplanet Revitalizing Conditioner
I REALLY wanted to like this brand. Their whole philosophy is creating toxin free products that are safe for your body and for the environment. I REALLY wanted to like it. Well........ the conditioner left my hair extremely frizzy, which is hard to do- I have fine, flat, oily hair! Frizzy and a bit tangly. I can only IMAGINE what it does to dry or naturally frizzy hair. But it gets worse......
THE UGLY
Greenbody Greenplanet Revitalizing Shampoo
Here's where things got really ugly. The aforementioned oily hair? This stuff dried out my scalp so badly that it was peeling off in CHUNKS. It was DISGUSTING. My head was so itchy that I felt like I had freaking bugs in it. It's pretty sad when you have such a bad experience with a $24 shampoo that use the remainder on your dog. Oh, and the dog? I had to rebathe him because it was making him itch like crazy too.
Rotten cherry on top of the sundae? The bottles mine came in don't appear to be recyclable, there's no recycle code on them. I went ahead and threw 'em in with my plastic anyway just in case, but.....
Moxie tampons. Yep, you read right. I am in LOVE with these tampons. Don't laugh. This is seriously the cutest packaging ever.
LOOK AT THAT! It's cute tampons!!!!They come in these little metal tins that are color coordinated to indicate flow type. On the top it says "Moxie" and these are the perfect size for teeny collectibles, bobby pins, safety pins, etc. I've been giving them to friends who smoke as an ashtray tin so they don't throw their butts on the ground. I can walk through the halls of the college to the rest room carrying this and not feel at all weird about openly carrying tampons. The metal container keeps them from getting all torn up and gross in your purse. Oh, and the tampons themselves? They're OB style (non applicator) so they're much better for the environment and they have a special "Silken Glaze' coating for smooth insertion. This is an Australian line, but I found them at my local Walgreens.
THE BAD
Greenbody Greenplanet Revitalizing Conditioner
I REALLY wanted to like this brand. Their whole philosophy is creating toxin free products that are safe for your body and for the environment. I REALLY wanted to like it. Well........ the conditioner left my hair extremely frizzy, which is hard to do- I have fine, flat, oily hair! Frizzy and a bit tangly. I can only IMAGINE what it does to dry or naturally frizzy hair. But it gets worse......
THE UGLY
Greenbody Greenplanet Revitalizing Shampoo
Here's where things got really ugly. The aforementioned oily hair? This stuff dried out my scalp so badly that it was peeling off in CHUNKS. It was DISGUSTING. My head was so itchy that I felt like I had freaking bugs in it. It's pretty sad when you have such a bad experience with a $24 shampoo that use the remainder on your dog. Oh, and the dog? I had to rebathe him because it was making him itch like crazy too.
Rotten cherry on top of the sundae? The bottles mine came in don't appear to be recyclable, there's no recycle code on them. I went ahead and threw 'em in with my plastic anyway just in case, but.....
Holly & Polish Giveaway
Go here to enter to win the entire China Glaze Safari Collection! In honor of their one year anniversary, Holly & Polish is giving away the full set!
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