Maybelline and Manny

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Maybelline and Manny

A couple months ago, Maybelline, purveyors of my favorite (and therefore most-purchased and most-used) drugstore concealer, announced that MannyMUA as a new, “face,” of Maybelline.

What This Post is Not

This post is not commentary on the presence of men in the beauty community. It doesn’t bother me that some gentlemen enjoy cosmetics. That just means we have something in common. Manny Fans: If you’re reading, this isn’t a Roast of MannyMUA, but there is critical content. Keep the comments classy, thanks.

What This Post Is

The aim of this post is instead to comment on the judgment and business decision-making. The partnership between Maybelline and Manny was surprising to me. Although MannyMUA is a popular beauty YouTube personality, he has been embroiled in several incidents in the fairly-recent past.

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The Great Lie: Gel Nail Cleanser

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The Great Lie: Gel Nail Cleanser

This is a legacy post that I’ve given a facelift because who doesn’t want to save money on manicure supplies? Opinions are the same, but is formatted and edited for easier reading and flow.

If you’ve ever gotten a gel polish manicure before, either salon or DIY, you know the final step consists of saturating a pad with gel nail cleanser and wiping off the tacky residue from the newly-cured nail surface. If you’ve done it in a salon, it might be in a nondescript bottle just like the lotions or scrubs may be. At home, it might be part of your gel starter kit. This is often the same solution used to clean the nail before the gel primer is applied.

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Z Palette Scandal

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I own a Z Palette that I won in a contest a few years ago. Since then, I’ve made a few posts mentioning it, and some of their other products. No more. The recent Z Palette scandal resulting from their disgraceful PR-nightmare is too much for many former customers, myself included.  Z-Palettes will not be mentioned or featured on this blog henceforth.

I can empathize with the frustration that one would experience on the receiving end of criticism for a new product launch. After receiving some skeptical and critical responses on an Instagram post – not even on their OWN Instagram, mind you, but on TrendMood’s, ZPalette lashed out. The results were jaw-dropping.

The Unbelievable Z Palette Scandal

This is a screenshot of just SOME of the responses they sent to Instagram users on TrendMood’s post about their new Z Potter (overpriced induction) device. Instagram users had expressed a ton of thoughts ranging from excitement to uncertainty and skepticism to criticism. The job of a social media manager, however, is not to strike back with acidic replies:

Z Palette Scandal

These are fairly tame. The list of things they felt it appropriate to respond with included calling young ladies cheap dates, insulting people’s financials, or suggesting that they are somehow less evolved. Here’s some examples of the classy replies from the brilliant soul manning the Z Palette Social Media desk:

  • “You look like a cheap date, but we’re not messing with you?”
  • “Listen to some Jim Rohn — it’s not that it’s expensive, it’s that you can’t afford it.”
  • “If that’s a stove to you, I wonder how big your kitchen is.”
    but wait, there’s more:

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January 2017 Favorites

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January 2017 FavoritesJanuary 2017 Favorites
CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, $9 / Sally Hansen Apricot Cuticle Cream, $5 /
Sure Aerosol Antiperspirant, $3 / Tree Hut Sugar Scrub, $7 / Vaseline Spray Moisturizer, $6

Yeah – I completely screwed up and forgot to write about my January 2017 Favorites. Oops. It’s a drugstore kind of month, in fact. Details after the jump.

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Sure Aerosol Antiperspirant Deodorant

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Sure Aerosol Antiperspirant

There aren’t many items out there under $5 that are incredible. At roughly $3 for a 6oz can, Sure Aerosol Antiperspirant Deodorant is one of them.

I typically wear deodorant free of antiperspirant.

Why?

  • I’m not terribly prone to sweating in the first place
  • Most stick antiperspirant/deodorants generally don’t play well with my body chemistry (ugh)
  • I hate marks on my clothing and
  • If can avoid using aluminum ingredients every single day, I want to

But…

Several of my work-appropriate, easy-to-care-for blouses and dresses consist of (at least in part) synthetic materials. Synthetics don’t breathe the same way cotton does (ugh). Even though I’m not terribly prone to sweating, my usual deodorant doesn’t always perform as well with those fabrics (double ugh). Add in wintertime layering or jackets with synthetic linings, and it can be worse than summer.

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Cleanser Update – February 2017 – CeraVe Foaming

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I’ve talked about my unexpected transition from reasonably problem-free to annoying skin. Turns out, what I’ve experienced isn’t uncommon; skin changes are fairly routine in one’s mid-twenties. Curious? Do a google search for adult onset acne and you’ll be given a wealth of results.

It’s frustrating, but I feel for the first time in a while that I’ve got the upper hand on it. It’s fairly controlled. I still get an uncomfortable cystic blemish (hard to deal with!) or errant, hard plug in a pore (easy to deal with) from time-to-time, but my skin isn’t having a panic attack.

CeraVe Foaming Facial CleanserCeraVe Foaming Cleanser ($13)

Since I last shared my Arsenal in June 2016, I’ve made one major change – switching my cleanser to one with better-suited pH.

Micellar water is still my main squeeze for makeup removal and light cleansing (like in the morning after a good cleanse the night before). I interchangeably use Garnier’s Skinactive Micellar Cleansing Water and Simple’s Micellar Cleansing Water with no discernible difference in my skin.

I’ve switched back to CeraVe Foaming Cleanser ($13), which is priced similarly to Cetaphil. I tried it briefly a couple years ago and ultimately dismissed it. This time around, I’m surprised to find that I’m liking it. Although it has the same pH as Philosophy’s Purity ($24, 80z) cleanser, my skin seems to prefer it. Considering the price difference between the two, I’ll take it!

pH Matters

Cetaphil may well be gentle, but its pH is slightly higher than the pH of skin (between 4.5 and 6.2). At 6.5-6.7, which of course changes with the pH of your water, it is already close to neutral. In the long run, skin responds better to an acidic cleanser; it helps preserve the integrity of the skin’s acid mantle. Maintaining your acid mantle is important; in short, it’s your body’s first defense against bacteria and other contaminants that could be introduced to your body via your skin.

Inadvertently, I may have been compromising my acid mantle by using a nearly-neutral cleanser. My water tends to run somewhat alkaline, and since I rent, I can’t install any systems to correct for that. Since I’ve made the change to CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser in early December, my skin has stabilized.

I may eventually find that something more acidic than 5.5 is better for my needs, but I’m satisfied with my new normal for now.