ck one mascara by Calvin Klein – First Impression

ck one mascarack one mascara

The Ulta Rewards member birthday gift for 2014 was a full-sized tube of Calvin Klein’s ck one mascara. I ran through my last test subject, Guerlain Maxi-Lash pretty quickly and this one was next in line.

ck one mascara wand

Available exclusively at Ulta, ck one mascara features a wand that can be adjusted via a twist of the cap depending on what effect you wish for your lashes – definition or volume. Before actually opening it, I was under the impression that when the cap was twisted that an additional set of bristles would protrude from the wand; I was intrigued by what I perceived to be a cool meetup of engineering and beauty. When I opened it, it was the first thing I examined.

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Protein Treatments (Hair) – Revisited

Neutrogena Triple Repair - Protein Treatments

Because I have yet to find my unicorn when it comes to shampoo and conditioner, I am on the hunt. I decided to try an offering from Neutrogena, recently, their Triple Repair line.

I am a fool, though, because when I skimmed the ingredients list I somehow missed that this line does include protein treatments. The clue-in should’ve been right in the name, “repair.” Alas, many, “repairing,” products fortify the hair with protein…but as I mentioned before, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Things were smooth sailing for two weeks and then took a dive; my tresses went psycho again, rife with dryness and tangles and rage.

When your hair is lower-ribcage length angry snarls are seriously no fun. I’d brush my hair our before bed, wake up with a horrific knotted mass (that is not normally the case for me).

The lightbulb flashes, I went to the bathroom and scoured the labels of the shampoo and conditioner, already realizing what I’d done. The conditioner

Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Behenyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Dimethylpabamidopropyl Laurdimonium Tosylate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Hydrolyzed Lupine Seed Extract, Amodimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance

Noooooo. My suspicions were confirmed; I made a mistake. My unreasonably protein-sensitive hair was having a tantrum again due to this innocuous-seeming ingredient. Not even halfway through the tubes!

The shampoo contains some oat and wheat components, which typically do indicate protein. As far as I know it is okay with wheat stuff (I really loved the Aveeno Nourish and Soothe [now discontinued]), unsure about oat though.

No sass about the products – they cleaned well, and were kind to my scalp. My hair was shiny, soft, and had an almost, “fluffy,” quality before it decided it was over the protein. Just a heads-up in case your hair is sassy like mine and doesn’t care for protein – pass this one up.

Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

clarisonic

Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

A post on a Thursday? This must be special, right?. I alluded in my Weekend Trip Skincare and October Favorites posts, I own a Clarisonic Mia 2. At long last, I am so damn pleased to share this with you. I have used my Clarisonic Mia 2 to cleanse my skin daily for over a year just so I could get out of the device’s, “OMIGAW I LOVE THIS THING!!!” It was very important to me to deliver an assessment that isn’t penned with rose-colored lenses in the way; I feel that happens all too often when we make investment or luxury purchases.

You can check out my extensive assessment: Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use skincare device here. (Originally shared as a guest post on a now-defunct blog that went down for shady reasons; I removed the references to it as the content was my own.)

I address:

  • the product’s performance in comparison with its claims (as always)
  • its pros and cons
  • brush and battery-charge lifespan
  • whether or not I think it is a good value
  • and if I would repurchase the Clarisonic Mia 2, if I had to do it over again

…among other things.

Worth it? EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo Set

Unless you are a beauty minimalist, I feel like makeup brushes, particularly eye brushes, are one thing you can never have too many of. I added four more brushes to my collection–the EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo–in anticipation of the trip I recently took. I wanted to pack light; the fewer brushes, the better. Retailing at only $5.99 in mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, drugstores, Amazon, etc (with coupons readily available – I got mine for $4.99!). it was worth a gamble; even if the EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo did not blow me away $1.25 per brush is an easy sacrifice for science.

EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo SetEcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo Set

As drugstore brushes go, there are scads of no-names we’ve all never heard of (though surprisingly one of those no-name brands, “Essential Tools,” at Wal-Mart has a couple hidden gems) and there are Real Techniques and EcoTools, both of whom have great reviews. Prior to the EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo set, I had experience with only one EcoTools brush –  a gigantic fan brush that I use to apply pressed powder with. I’m happy with it, and was eager to see how these worked out.

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Worth it? Guerlain Maxi-Lash

Like many semi-frequent shoppers of Ulta and Sephora, I have amassed a wee collection. It is kind of nice in that it enables me to try products I wouldn’t try as soon or, for that matter, at all, as well as preventing me from needing to decide what mascara I want to try next. Knowing I had a weekend away coming up, when it was time to reach for a new tube to try, I plucked Guerlain Maxi-Lash from my stash. The mascara claims to create volume and sculpt curls.

Also, apologies for low-quality images – it was a busy weekend.

Guerlain Maxi-Lash Sample TubeGuerlain Maxi-Lash sample tube

The sample tube (which I received from Sephora), which is just under three inches from end-to-end, is free of adornments unlike its full-sized sister. The full-sized tube is considerably more luxe-looking, and for $30 a tube? It better be.

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Touch of Spice – Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick

I finally picked up the specific Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick I was wanting in the first place – Touch of Spice.

Touch of Spice is a sort of My Lips But Better shade – a matte rosy shade with a bit of brown. Very autumn-appropriate and extremely wearable in all situations (as compared to Divine Wine, which may be a little bold for the taste of some). The formula seems to be identical to the aforementioned darker shade and the lighter Daringly Nude. I don’t know about you, but it drives me up the wall to get two colors from the same line to find that they have completely different consistencies and wear time. I’m pleased that the Creamy Matte line from Maybelline is pretty consistent (at least across these three shades I own).

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick Touch of Spice

Like all the others in the line, it features a frosted tube in a sort of plum-ish shade that is not indicative of the lipstick itself.

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