Review

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

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This is a legacy post that I’ve given a facelift thanks to a reader inquiry. The product is still popular and sought-after, so I thought a refresh and revisit would be relevant and useful. Opinions are the same, but is formatted and edited for easier reading and flow.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

I started using this product during the summer of 2013; I can’t recall my previous moisturizer. Needing a change, I picked CeraVe Moisturizing Cream on the recommendation of some skincare junkie acquaintances. I heard that it was good for all skin types despite being listed for normal to dry skin and that my skin would be singing its praises in no time.

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NARS Kohliner

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NARS Kohliner

Until recently, I generally disliked most pencil liners. I couldn’t fine one I liked.  As such, I don’t tend to shop for pencil liners but I will try them if they’re part of a set or come as a freebie. Up until three weeks ago, I hadn’t found one I liked; gel always worked better for me. To my surprise, I had a fateful encounter with NARS Kohliner in a liner value set (more on that soon, it was a Sephora in JcP set) I bought on impulse after a rough day.

I’m a whole new woman. I was terribly remiss not including it in my October 2016 Favorites…but I LOVE this $25 eyeliner. Yeah, I know. Twenty-five is a splurge for an eye pencil.

What I Love about NARS Kohliner

Not only is it pencil, is it twist up (no sharpening!). You won’t naturally get a razor-thin pencil tip with this, but the shape of the tip allows you to use the pencil at an angle for a nice, clean line. If you need razor-thin precision, you can make it that way yourself. I personally don’t need to.

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Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil

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Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil

Ages ago and with much skepticism, I tried argan oil for the first time. I ultimately decided that I liked it. I tried a less expensive oil and it wasn’t even close. A few months ago, I decided to try some other oils. I tried a pure grapeseed that turned out to do alright as an OCM oil, but wasn’t so great for moisturizing.

On a trip to Target, I purchased a bottle of Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil ($8.99) to use as a moisturizer in place of the Josie Maran I’ve been using. At under $10 for 0.84 fl oz, it is a far more economical option than anything Sephora has for sale. Having enjoyed their Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm, I approached it with optimism and curiosity.

Inside Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil

Rather than a single solitary oil, Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil is a blend of several. The first ingredient in the list is Sweet Almond (prunus amygdalus) oil, which explains some of my experiences (below). Thankfully, though this product does have a unique scent, there is no added fragrance. It claims to be rich in Omega-3s

Full ingredients are as follows:

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Limonene, Citronellol, Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil, Geraniol, Citrus Aurantium Sinensis Peel Extract, Linalool, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citral, Citrus Lemon Peel Oil

Although I have an affinity for citrus, I’m not loving a handful of those ingredients that originate from citrus fruit. Compounds Limonene, Citronellol, Citral, and Linalool all occur naturally in the essential oils of plants and each has been shown to cause irritation in some individuals. In spite of my reservations and knowing that my skin is not sensitive, I did use the product for several months.

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Why I Canceled Sephora Play

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Several months ago, I signed up for my first beauty subscription box, Sephora Play. Optimistic that retail beauty giant Sephora would have the insight required to kick ass and take names in the sub box arena, I eagerly signed up.

After four boxes, I’ve canceled my subscription. I will receive and review October’s box, but that is the fifth and final Sephora Play box I will receive. Unfortunately, I found that Sephora Play is plagued by the same issues as any other beauty subscription box – for now, at least. My optimism, unfortunately, was unfounded.

Where I Take Issue

To date, it seems as though Sephora concocts two boxes based on the profile you create at sign up. The product selections are made for you; they spin this as a convenience. Personally, I’d rather take five minutes to pick from a pool of samples (like when you place a normal order) than have someone pick for me and make choices that don’t work for me.

They spin the fragrances as a bonus but they aren’t really. Let’s be honest, those vials are included in the $10 per month valuation.

There’s this big hoopla about the box being a surprise, even though manufactured leaks occur – there are several Sephora Play, “spoilers,” sites out there.

Instead of consistently getting exciting content in the boxes, they have people creating Spotify playlists. Seriously? Who is actually jumping at the chance to listen to this stuff? I’m a Sephora customer because I’m interested in beauty products, not because I’m seeking sweet hipster tunes.

Sephora Play List

To give you an idea of why I’m canceling, here are my hits, misses, and OKs.

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LUSH Bath Bombs

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In September, I visited a LUSH store for the first time. I’m familiar with the brand, of course, but had never tried their products – shopping for such things requires at least one physical visit before retreating to the internet for future purchases.

I rarely take baths, but I knew I wanted bath bombs. From there, I had no idea. Luckily for me, I encountered a friendly, knowledgeable employee (whose name, I regret, I do not remember) who asked me some questions to make recommendations:

“Do you like glitter?” Woman, is that even a question? Of course it is – plenty of customers don’t care for glitter. That’s fine, more for me. “What kind of fragrances do you like? Clean? Warm? Vanilla-y? Citrus? What else?” There were a few more – but she led me to two. The Experimenter, which is vanilla and tonka…

LUSH - The ExperimenterLUSH Cosmetics – Experimenter Bath Bomb

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Batiste Dry Shampoo

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Batiste Dry Shampoo
Batiste Dry Shampoo / Tropical / $6

For several years, I was a devotee of Psssst! dry shampoo. It took me a long time to find and settle on it, sifting through failures from Pantene and Dove, the lackluster one from Not Your Mother’s, and through an incredibly-awesome-but-usually-out-of-my-budget KMS Hair Play. Psssst! was out of stock when I went to replenish, so I decided to try Batiste. If you caught my August Favorites, you saw that it earned a place as one of them.

Application

That pressure, though – depressing the nozzle of a Batiste bottle releases a quick, forceful burst of product where you want it to go. No wimpy, aimless mists here – Batiste’s fine, powdery spray is targeted. Batiste is on a mission. This is awesome if you’re like me and tend to need to concentrate dry shampoo in certain areas – for instance, towards the back of my crown is the spot that usually needs the first, and repeat, attention. Being able to direct product there means less product goes to waste – and it means that areas that don’t need help aren’t risking unnecessary build-up.

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