Product Testing Archives » Page 16 of 19

Worth it? Guerlain Maxi-Lash

March 21, 2026November 10, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

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 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.

Worth it? Aztec Healing Clay

March 21, 2026September 19, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, that isn’t surprising. If you have, you’re probably a product hipster or other beauty blogger. Aztec Healing Clay is one of those that I get excited to write about because it is under-advertised, not crazy-hyped, but is crazy-good as a deep treatment to help clear out your pores from any ilk that may be hiding within. Gross, but we all know that’s what clay masks are for.

Observe:

Aztec Healing Clay

Here’s how to do the thing. Let’s start off with what you need:

Aztec Healing Clay – You can get it from Amazon for about $14. One pound will last you an absurdly long time
Apple Cider Vinegar (bonus points if raw) or Water
A non-metal mixing vessel – important! It can be glass, plastic, ceramic, wood, etc – but no metal, please! Bowls and cups are fine
A plastic spoon (remember, no metal!) or other utensil to mix with. I use a wooden tongue depressor to mix and even sometimes apply
- Usually, though, I apply with a flat foundation brush
Gloves (optional)

The unassuming little jar with silly graphics saying it is Aztec Healing Clay. It is a clay mask, but not in an oft-used format; when you open the jar, it is full of … what?

Greenish powder. Aztec Healing Clay is calcium bentonite clay – and Aztec Secret gets theirs from Death Valley, California. Be careful to open in an area that is easy to clean, such as over a sink. The clay powder is very fine and gets all over the damn place very easily. It is an all-natural, single-ingredient, cruelty-free skincare product – how awesome is that? The real beauty of this product is its versatility – although it is a clay mask, it is usable by people with multiple skin types. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; you just change what liquid you mix with the Aztec Healing Clay powder to suit your needs.

I, for example, use Apple Cider Vinegar (ideally, you should use raw ACV, but I don’t keep that on hand and did not want to make a special trip for it.) because my skin is normal/combination t-zone and not sensitive. If you are dry or sensitive, though, you might want to try this with water initially to gauge your skin’s reaction.

Measure equal parts Aztec Healing Clay…

And Apple Cider Vinegar (or water)…

Into the cup. One tablespoon of each is more than enough to do your whole face and, for me, my neck. You will notice it fizz a little as the vinegar reacts (normal). Quickly and thoroughly mix into a paste…

…and then realize it is too thick and spash a little more ACV in.

If you’re using gloves, put on a glove, scoop some out, and apply it to your face like you would any other clay mask; avoid the eyes, coat everything else. If you went the tongue-depressor, scoop some of the Aztec Healing Clay paste out onto your tool and smooth into your face. This is definitely going to feel like you’re troweling mortar onto your face, but that’s okay – that’s what it should feel like. If you went the brush route, do the same thing – it will feel a little more luxurious than troweling mortar, though. The product itself suggests a layer of clay 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick; the latter is ludicrous to me (go get a ruler, check exactly how thick 1/4″ is. report back. yeah.) but 1/8″ is reasonable.

Let it dry, let it dryyyy… sensitive folks, wait ten minutes to twelve minutes and rinse with warm water. Otherwise, 15-20 will do the trick. While the Aztec Healing Clay dries (especially if you go with the longer duration) your face is going to get uncomfortably tight. That is normal and okay – my advice is to avoid making facial expressions while waiting. You may also feel a warming or pulsating sensation – also normal, nothing to fret over. Woo circulation!

Once it is time, fetch thyself a washcloth – one you don’t feel particularly attached to in case it stains. Run some warm water, splash it on your face and then soak the washcloth. You will now have to scrub the Aztec Healing Clay off (no, it does not just rinse off as much as they would like to tell you that is the case). Be patient and go gently – your skin will feel tight from the mask, so rub in little circles, not zig-zagging all over your face tugging it from here to there. Rinse the washcloth off as needed and continue until your face is green bentonite mortar-clay free!

Your skin will likely be a little pink or red. Don’t be alarmed (of course, if you are having an actual reaction you should know that and seek treatment accordingly. I am not a medical professional!) if it is, the mask just got the circulation in your face going. It will subside – mine usually goes away within a half hour, but I’ve heard some people have needed longer. To be on the safe side, you could do this Aztec Healing Clay treatment the evening and give your skin overnight to return to its usual coloring. Slap on your moisturizer of choice (do not skip this! your skin will be thirsty!) and enjoy your very clean, firm, and radiant skin. To heck with a pore strip; this thing demolishes any sebaceous filaments or blackheads you may have.

For as inexpensive as Aztec Healing Clay is and with how awesome it performs, it is really a Holy Grail item when it comes to skincare and is definitely worth it. I switch it up sometimes, but this is definitely a staple in my skincare routine. I personally use this once every week to two weeks depending on how my skin feels…and it has been all the better for it.

Once you’ve gotten used to how to use Aztec Healing Clay, you can check out their (ancient-looking) website for some other skincare recipes!

How I Learned to Love my Maybelline Color Tattoos

March 21, 2026September 12, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

To date, I have only owned two Maybelline Color Tattoo pots, both from the Metal collection. I own Barely Branded, a shimmery beige, and Inked in Pink, a cool, shimmery mauve-pink. I have barely touched them since the month I bought them, which was shortly after they were all the rage.

Maybelline Color Tattoo

There is nothing wrong with either Maybelline Color Tattoo that I own, they just didn’t suit me and my application preferences. Cream shadows aren’t my thing. I just haven’t gotten the hang of them. Most of them suggest that you apply with a finger – which I don’t care for. I can’t get precision with a finger, and even with freshly-washed hands I would be needlessly adding bacteria to a cream product (I’m not a germophobe, but still!) Traditional shadows and pigments are my comfort-zone. I once tried some flat brushes to try to pack the color on but it never worked out quite the way I was hoping…so they sat in my drawer for months.

I threw my Inked in Pink Maybelline Color Tattoo in my bag no plan in mind other than thinking the color might be nice with the top I was wearing. I grudgingly applied a layer to my lid with my ringfinger, then added some of Für Elise from Kat von D’s Ladybird palette at the outer edges and blended in. It looked alright, I thought, but the edges were now way too matte sitting against the frosted, almost foiled pink.

I actually had another clean brush handy – one of three Real Techniques brushes I own, the Shading brush. RT’s shader brush is not as much of a shading brush as it is a flattened (but not flat) blender. Despite the quality and affordability of these brushes, I never feel like I use this one as much as I could/should. I had already cleaned my ringfinger off, so I said, “to hell with recommendations!” and picked some up with the brush. If you aren’t familiar with the consistency of a Maybelline Color Tattoo, let me bring you up to speed: though they are cream shadows, they are very firm; stiff, almost. I swiped my brush across the surface a couple times until I was satisfied, then patted the brush over Für Elise to give it a sheen.

Hey, that worked pretty well!

The brush was small enough, despite it’s almost fluffy texture, to allow me to precisely place the Maybelline Color Tattoo where I wanted it…so I decided to intensify the pink across the rest of my lid up to my inner corner. It worked superbly. Like shockingly well. I finally know how to use these in a way that actually suit my preferences! I will actually use them now!

If you’re wondering, at this point, why you should care – let me clarify: I learned something today. We all have products that we don’t feel work for us after a few tries. Don’t give up immediately (bad foundation matches/things that cause breakouts excepted) – give these products a chance; try to experiment with them! In a normal situation where I had my entire collection and brushes at hand, I probably never would have thought to grab that brush for a Maybelline Color Tattoo. Having only a few things at hand forced me to be creative with how I used the product and ultimately led me to find a better way (for me) to apply the product.

We can learn a lot by shopping our stash and thinking outside of the, “box,” that is recommended usage (be safe though!) – to think, I might have tossed both Maybelline Color Tattoo pots during my next de-stashing! I hope this helps you make the most of your makeup, and I hope you have an excellent weekend.

Sephora Eyeshadow in Space Odyssey

March 21, 2026September 1, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

When I was last in Sephora a while ago (springtime!), I picked up one of their shadow singles in No. 21, Space Odyssey. On clearance and never having tried a Sephora branded product before, I wasn’t expecting much. I haven’t been impressed by other, “house-brand,” shadows before, and even though I love Sephora, I was entirely expecting it to be just okay. (Spoilers: MY BAD.)

Sephora eyeshadow in No. 21 Space Odyssey

I’ve had it for months now, and just picked it up to swatch it on Thursday night. For the love of CATS this shadow is pigmented. And awesome. And pigmented. And glittery. Take a look!

Nexxus Therappe & Humectress

March 21, 2026August 29, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

Nexxus Therappe and Humectress

I’ve been on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner since my Tigi Moisture Maniac stopped working out for me was discontinued and its successor sucked. I tried a Suave option out of curiosity and…nope. It is surprisingly difficult to shop for shampoo…first world problems, right?

Here’s my hair profile:

Loooong. Mid-back, even after having four inches lopped off.
Straight-ish. Sometimes wavy. I have no idea what the letter/number combinations mean or what I am in them, but I assume they’re really only relevant for curly-girls.
Not colored/dyed (though I did do a DIY Hair Gloss once).
Free of other chemical processing (no perms, relaxers, Brazilian Straightening witchcraft, etc).
Not frequently heat-styled. I blow dry approximately every two weeks at the moment. This increases to 1-2x per week when the weather gets cold because mid-back length damp hair + cold = a big ol’ glass of NOPE. I curl or straighten even less often. I always use a heat protectant when I use heat tools. You should, too. Your hair is worth it.
Not a ton of product usage. I have a serum I throw in when I blow-dry. I have one of the twelve thousand flavors of It’s a Ten! that I use every now and then. I use hairspray when I curl or straighten so my hair doesn’t get sassy, but nothing extreme. Basically, I’m trying to tell you I don’t personally contend with a ton of product build-up.

I like to use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner although my hair isn’t particularly dry. On a whim, I grabbed a little tube (5.1 oz) of Therappe shampoo and the coordinating Humectress conditioner from the Nexxus haircare line (mid-range line available at drugstores). At first, I was confused, I spent a couple minutes searching for a Therappe conditioner; not finding one, I looked at the back of the tube and found that Humectress is the accompanying conditioner.

I popped the cap open of both Nexxus products just to see how they smelled. Although performance is far more important than scent when it comes to such a product, but we also don’t want a shampoo whose scent we can’t stand if the scent lingers, you know? Nexxus Therappe, according to the Nexxus website, is formulated with rosemary, chamomile, and nettle – but smells (to me!) like coconut…and was sold. The Humectress conditioner from Nexxus smelled nice too, but not nearly as nice as the shampoo.

Worth it? Mally Volumizing Mascara

March 21, 2026August 8, 2014 by Beauty Skeptic

Mally Volumizing Mascara

On any given day, if I could only wear one type of cosmetic, it would be mascara. A while back, I had gotten one of the gift bag things with an Ulta purchase that was full of all sorts of goodies. One such item was a full-sized Mally Volumizing Mascara. I hadn’t used any Mally products before (though I am interested in trying the Poreless Face Defender), so I went into this as a clean slate – no preexisting opinions or notions.

Here’s what Ulta’s site says about the Mally Volumizing Mascara I received:

This Volumizing Mascara has a unique formula that helps create the look of gorgeous, full, luxurious lashes. The combination of natural waxes and carefully chosen powders gives lashes an instant boost. The plush brush works with the powders in the formula to help thicken lashes without clumping, giving you gorgeous volume that lasts and lasts. Apply 2 coats to the top lashes and 1 to the bottom to get instant volume that lasts.

Okay, cool! I know Benefit Gimme Brow has fibers in it for a similar effect for your brows. That should work great.

Pristine, first-use mascara wands are a beautiful thing, right? I was excited to open it, but found that it didn’t have that pristine quality newly-opened tubes have. It had surely not been opened, but the formula looked very wet and clung to the wand. The bristles are the more traditional plush variety, which I find slightly more difficult to work with (less precise) than the shorter synthetic ones.

My first application was just okay. Initial consistency can be weird on plenty of products. I like to give mascara a few weeks before calling in a verdict, as you’ll find it sometimes differs between its initial use and several uses in. I often find I like my favorite ones best after about the 4th use.