Skincare

Worth it? GlamGlow ThirstyMud

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GlamGlow was conceived by a couple in Hollywood who were looking to help out some friends’ skin concerns. What started as a favor, friend-to-friend, ultimately developed into a wildly successful and popular skincare brand. Only available for retail for three years, they have received scads of awards for being awesome and are used personally, in salons/spas, and by the professionals the product was originally intended for.

GlamGlow ThirstyMud

GlamGlow ThirstyMud treatment

I’ve made no bones about the fact that I do not believe in miracle products. The purveyors of the YouthMud Tinglexfoliate and the SuperMud Clearing treatments released GlamGlow ThirstyMud around (I think) holiday season 2013.

Resources I generally trust thought highly of the brand, so when some of these people came forth raving about the GlamGlow ThirstyMud mask, I was intrigued. Though the mask can be applied and removed, the consensus was the same: slap it on before bed. Go to sleep. Wake up and be stunned by how awesome your skin looks (and feels!). Women reported that their husbands and boyfriends (who, per them, do not usually notice) were also noticing and commenting on the difference.

Kicker? The $69 price tag for 1.7 ounces of product. OUCH. I like masks, but that’s over $40 per ounce. Does it have gold in it? I promptly forgot about the product because it is simply too much to ask (for my needs and skin).

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Ponds Luminous Finish BB Cream

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Ponds Luminous Finish BB CreamPonds Luminous Finish BB Cream

I don’t bother with foundation on a daily basis for two reasons: 1) I’m lazy, and 2) I just generally prefer not to. There are days, though, where I’d like to even my skin out and wear SOMETHING without going all-out with a full-face. I received a sample of the Ponds Luminous Finish BB Cream ($10, drugstores) recently when I restocked on my beloved Ponds Wipes (the Original Wet Cleansing Towelettes), tucked it into my drawer o’ samples, and forgot about it for a while. This is what the Pond’s site has to say about it:

Essential Features
  • Superior Coverage of Imperfections
  • Superior Visible Dark Spot Reduction
  • Superior Non-Greasy Feel, with a Matte Finish
  • Broad spectrum SPF 15 sun protection
  • Non-comedogenic – won’t clog pores
  • Dermatologist tested
  • Hypoallergenic

Sounds good, doesn’t look like it is making wild and crazy claims. That makes me feel pretty good, because after all…if it sounds too good to be true, you’re probably screwed.

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Ginger & Co Hand It To Me

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Recently a new Ulta opened nearby (woo, accessibility)! I just took advantage of a promo on their site (and received it the day before), so my resolve was firm not to purchase any makeup. That, of course, does not mean, “not to purchase anything.”

Though I did purchase a few items, including some neat sunscreen, the item I was most excited about was the Hand it to Me Dreamy Hand cream which I thought was from Soap & Glory. I was looking for a hand lotion for my office and was going to get one from a different brand, but when I saw the seemingly Soap & Glory tube that suggested it is a mixture of mallow (what?), lemon balm (oh, I like that!), and rose (eh), I snatched it, sniffed it, deemed it mild and pleasant enough. Off I went.

It wasn’t until I used it, however, that I became horribly offended. The strong rose scent that I did not detect in the store upon initial whiff descended abruptly.
I like the smell of roses on roses. Not my hands. Really, I prefer them to be unscented if possible but wow.
Now, don’t get me wrong – it does not smell bad. If you like roses you will LOVE it! But it was strong, at first, and it surprised me. I looked at the bottle and found that it was not Soap & Glory but a player I hadn’t heard of, Ginger & Co.

Ginger & Co Hand it To Me - front               Ginger & Co Hand it To Me - back

Ginger & Co Hand it to Me Dreamy Handcream


Whaaaat? Shame on me for not paying attention, but doesn’t it just scream Soap & Glory? I’m not sure if they did it on purpose or if it was a coincidence, but Ginger & Co is just so darn similar. Even Musing Of a Muse thought so! Both lines hail from across the pond in England. To be perfectly honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if the creator was the same but wanted to keep lower-priced options available since Soap & Glory graduated to the wonderful world of Sephora exclusivity.

Anyway. Despite my initial distaste for the hand cream, it did feel quite nice – not greasy, not too silicone-y (it does contain it, like a good hand cream should, but some…overdo it), not thin. Formula-wise, for my needs it is just right. I slap it on during the day at work – it absorbs quickly, which makes me happy. My hands stay hydrated for hours – I have not yet had to reapply over the course of the workday–perfect!

About a half-hour to an hour after application, the you’ll notice the fragrance has changed. Any good scent evolves over the course of dry-down, and becomes unique as it works with your body chemistry. After that time the fragrance is still lightly floral, but not overwhelmingly rose. Just feminine, pretty…I can’t really identify the notes for you, though, because I am not a fragrance connoisseur.

At this time, I’m not sure if I will repurchase. It does perform very well, I’m just very particular about fragrance (if I weren’t, I’d rebuy in a heartbeat). If you like rose or are indifferent to strongly scented lotions, this is a great one to try. You can purchase Ginger & Co products at your friendly neighborhood Ulta, this hand cream specifically usually runs $7.99, should be eligible for most coupons, and currently qualifies for the B2G1 free promo.

March 2014 Favorites

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March 2014 Favorites

1. Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Daily Replenishing Lotion $7 /
2. Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow – Space Cowboy, $20 / 3. bareMinerals Shadow – Celestine, $14/
4. Up&Up Max. Strength Acne Medication, $4

I only had four things to list in my March 2014 Favorites, and two of them are single shadows – this says a lot because I am very much so a palette girl. These are really something special.

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Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser

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Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser

Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser

 

Normally, my skin is relatively cooperative. I break out once a month or so, small, just whiteheads. Lately, I’ve taken on a bit more stress than normal between wedding planning and some extra projects at work, and my skin is paying the price. Using a ton of salicylic acid (a common ingredient in acne treatment products) causes my skin to freak out, so I reached for this Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser. I use it on days upon which my skin feels like being sassy or on days where I feel like I just need to start fresh, about 2x monthly.

This cleanser contains the antibacterial agent Triclosan – that doesn’t bother me personally, but it is important to know what you’re slapping on your face. The cleanser itself squeezes from the tube as a thick cream that applies smoothly and produces an indulgent lather (I usually use Cetaphil Gentle, which does not lather). My skin feels very clean afterwards.

Being an antibacterial facial soap, Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser is relatively drying. Moisturize thoroughly with a non-comedogenic (which you should be using anyway) moisturizer. I’m still using my Josie Maran Argan Oil, but CeraVe makes a nice one, too. If I have a really stubborn blemish like I do right now, I dab a bit of a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment to it before moisturizing.

Though I highly recommend this product, I also caution against using it as a daily cleanser – it is far too drying for that. Even those with oily skin should not use it daily as you run the risk of oil over-production to compensate. Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-Bacterial Lathering Cleanser available for $5-7 in all the usual places, including Amazon.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I’ll only tell you that something is awesome if I have verified it myself!

Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask Kit & Review

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I love when companies revive products that they killed years ago, and the Self Heating One Minute Mask from Biore is no exception. I used the original years and years ago and it disappeared from the market circa 2010. Recently relaunched as part of their Charcoal / Don’t Be Dirty line, the Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask looks like this:

The new variety contains four foil packets (though oddly spelled, “packette,”) for $7-8 and is available at drugstores, mass merchants, and drugstore.com. Back in the day (at least circa 2007), it looked like this:

Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask - old retail

The mask came with eight single-use blister-packs and retailed for roughly $7 (a better value than today!). You were instructed to wash your face, leave it wet, open a blister pack and smear the contents onto your face. Once it made contact with the water, a chemical reaction would occur and warm your face. After a minute or so, it would turn blue to show you when to rinse.

I actually received a sampler kit of the Self Heating One Minute Mask courtesy of Biore’s Prove it Rewards program on Facebook. They had a temporary offering where you could redeem a ludicrously low amount of points to get it, so I jumped on it. A couple weeks later, this arrived:

Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask - kit packaging

Let’s crack ‘er open!

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