Product Testing

Kirkland Signature Makeup Wipes

by
Kirkland Signature makeup wipesKirkland Signature makeup wipes

A few months ago I shared that I bought a gigantic pack of Kirkland Signature makeup wipes. I’m a good way into the pack by now and feel like I’ve used them enough to speak to them.

First, the packaging. The thickness of the Kirkland Signature makeup wipes’ packaging isn’t quite as substantial as some other wipe brands, but that doesn’t bother me – it still retains moisture in the wipes. It is slightly more convenient to open and close the full sized packs (as compared to the Ponds and Simple wipes I used previously) because it has a hard plastic lid.

Read more

Plus White Gel – Inexpensive, EFFECTIVE Teeth Whitening

by
Plus White Whitening GelPlus White Whitening Gel ($5)

You don’t need to spend hundreds on teeth whitening with a dentist, or with Dial-a-Smile gimmicks, or famously sensitivity-inducing, hard-to-use strips; instead, Plus White gel is inexpensive, easy to get your hands on, and works for those of us with less than perfect smiles. Heavens – I’m in rare form, I’m pretty sure Plus White was featured as an As Seen on TV item; I never actually saw it on TV myself, but this is one of those things, like the Turbie Twist, that works.

Eons ago, I used Crest Whitestrips. They worked well enough on superficial staining from dark beverages, but when used as directed, they left my teeth (which were not as fussy, then) sensitive; cold things were occasionally intolerable. On top of that, I admittedly have what I snarkily refer to as a, “creatively arranged,” smile (read: my teeth aren’t straight. Most people’s aren’t. I’m not losing sleep over it). Unfortunately, strip-based whitening products (not just Crest’s – Rembrandt has a few, there are some private label ones, etc) aren’t ideal for people whose teeth don’t line up like they’re answering to a drill sargeant; although they can be folded in and pressed to the surface of the tooth, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, and adhesion isn’t as consistent to those uh, “nonconformists,” as is needed. Therefore, my results were uneven and inconsistent.

Before my wedding two summers ago, I revisited Crest; I specifically got the Crest 3D White Luxe Whitestrips ($35+)…but remembering my experience with them, I decided to seek a backup option in the form of Plus White Gel (only $5 at Wal-Mart). I gave Crest a shot and found that it is definitely better than it was, doing better job with my staining and with strip adhesion than their decade-old counterparts, but I still have the issue of incongruity of my teeth.

Read more

Silkn Flash and Go Update 2

by
silkn_device_top
Silkn Flash and Go Freedom

It’s been a long time (almost a year, definitely longer than I thought) since I’ve talked about my use of the Silkn Flash and Go Freedom device here on the blog. Rest assured, I’ve still been using it. There was a period of time during Autumn during which I was a bit erratic with use, but I haven’t given up.

I can say it has not delivered on its promise of a permanent removal (which, really, should be reduction) within eight treatments. I have not reduced my reliance on my razor nearly as much as I had hoped to by this point in ownership and usage.

Read more

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder – Dim Light

by
Hourglass Ambient Lighting PowderHourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

If you’re looking for the Ambient Strobing Powders, sorry to disappoint. I haven’t tried one.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder line launched a couple years ago, and since then many have adopted them as their holy grail powders. They were firmly out of my reach, however, at $45 a pop. Lovely though they may be, are they worth almost fifty bucks? I’m skeptical.

Some months ago, a travel size of Dim Light (what appears to me to be one of the bestselling shades) came available at Sephora for only $22. I was lucky enough to win a wishlist-based contest in which the winnings were your choice of items of up to $X amount, so I chose the small (only 0.049oz) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder to give a shot, for science and curiosity and, well, I don’t own any highlighters (really!).

Read more

MAC 217 vs bdellium 776

by

Finally.

What?

217vs776

I got my hands on my first MAC brush. I’ve actually had it for a couple months now but have waited to share (I do that). In truth, I expected my first MAC brush to be a 242; you know, all that pigment-packing glory? Oh well.

So I finally got what many consider to be the Holy Grail of blending brushes – I was able to use Plenti points at the MAC counter in Macy’s to get a few bucks off it. Let’s put MAC 217 vs bdellium 776 (what I’ve been using and have been just OK with) – and see which is better.

MAC 217 vs bdellium 776MAC 217 vs bdellium 776

Read more

Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse Review

by

I’ve tried Glamglow Thirstymud not once, but twice. Over the past few Sephora visits, the staff there offered up some pre-made samples of the Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse Mud-to-Oil; in spite of my less-than-pleasant experiences with Thirstymud, I accepted them.

Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse ReviewGlamglow Powermud Dualcleanse Mud-to-Oil

I’ve finally had time to play with new products, so I sat down last week, removed my makeup with a Kirkland makeup wipe, and set out to slap Glamglow Powermud on. I smoothed the product – which, like Thirstymud, smells amazing, by the way – onto my skin in a thin layers with fingers. Following the instructions, I left it on until it dried, about 6 minutes in my environment. Like any clay mask, it felt taut (but not extreme like Aztec Healing Clay), but because the consistency is thinner and the application is thinner, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

At the prescribed time, I rinsed it off; you don’t go at this one with a washcloth, though. To remove Glamglow Powermud, you ought to hop in the shower or be the skincare commercial face-splashing-girl (what I did). I splashed with warm water and massaged my face as most of the product melted away. Some of it required a bit more scrubbing than massaging, but it did break down into what felt like an oil, and eventually washed away.

Read more