I have long been a fan of Revlon Make-up. The hooked me with their ColorStay line of products. I've since tried other products that I've liked, and was really excited to try some of their newer lip products recently.
Thanks again to CrowdTap, I was able to try out their Lustrous Lipstick, their HD Ultra Matte Lipcolor, and their HD Ultra Metallic Matte Lipcolor, and their Kiss Lip Balm. Bonus - two of these were a bold red color! That's just an obsession of mine, though.
So the first ones I jumped on were the two Ultra HD Matte colors. One, called Infatuation, was t really dark, bold red color. LOVED the color! Also loved the matte effect. Just wished it stayed on as well as the ColorStay products. But it lasted longer than traditional lipstick... and longer than I expected it to! The Metallic I tried was more of a neutral color (Gleam). I actually liked the neutrality of it, especially with the metallic sheen it had (which was far less than expected). I think I'd like to try this in a bolder color, though the selection for their metallic is a little more limited.
I wasn't as excited about the Lustrous Lipstick, only because I really don't wear basic lipstick anymore. But I DID love the color (Black Cherry), again, because of the bold red. I think depending on circumstances, I could be convinced to wear some traditional lipstick again. Has to be the right color, and the event has to be one of little eating/drinking.
Finally, the lip balm. This one really surprised me! I've always gravitated toward traditional lip balm, thinking anything by a make-up brand would be more about the look and not the function. But this one seems to be capable of both. It felt nice going on, with an instant shot of moisture. But the added bonus was the bit of sheer color it added to my lips. I'm sure each has it's own shot of color and flavor (Strawberry, in my case), and I am curious about how the other look on. But I'd absolutely buy this in place of other lip balms I've bought in the past!
So really, a pretty good test run of some products from a brand I already love! These are some good ones, and can't really say anything negative. So rock on, Revlon!
I'll admit - I never heard of Jafra before this opportunity came in front on me on CrowdTap. But as I dug in and did a little research, I found it had a lot of rave reviews. This gave me high hopes, and got me excited to try this new (to me) regimen out!
I read through all the materials when I received my package. I received five of the Royal Jelly products; Gentle Cleansing Milk, Spot Serum w/vitamin C, Global Longevity Eye Crème, Royal Jelly Global Longevity Crème, and Royal Jelly Solar Protection Fluid. So, I received a whole new regimen to try out for 30 days (or longer, if I desire).
So, it's been 30 days. I have mixed feelings about this regimen. Maybe I set the bar too high for a 30 day run. Or maybe it's just over-hyped. It's probably somewhere between those two scenarios.
So I'm going to run though each product with my thoughts, as briefly as possible. This is not to say everyone has this experience... just look at my blog subtitle.
First off, the Cleansing Milk. I get that it's a GENTLE Cleansing Milk. But I didn't feel like it was cleaning at all. Maybe I've gotten used to those cleansers that foam, tingle, or otherwise feel 'soapy' as they clean. The Cleansing Milk is SO thick, though! It felt more like I was massaging some sort of mask on, then rinsing it off. It didn't feel like it was cleaning, so much as it was just treating. I found myself wanting to cleanse with something else, before using this (but I resisted). So this was not a favorite product for me.
Next on the regimen was the Spot Serum. This one, I liked. At least in the way it went on. It went on so light, and absorbed almost instantly, without feeling sticky! Big plus in my book - I find so many serums that feel sticky! So it was super easy to apply, and didn't feel like it impeded the other cremes going on next. Now, was far as results go, the 30 days didn't give me noticeable improvements. But to be fair, I am a fair skinned, freckly girl, and have been since I was really little. This serum does claim to help prevent future spots, so it may be doing something unseen. I'll likely keep going through this bottle, at least, and see where it gets me.
The Longevity Eye Crème goes on next for me. I've been using an eye creme of another brand for years, and like to think it's why my under-eye area doesn't look worse. So I'm a believer in Eye Cremes. This one, I think I even saw some actual improvements, though minor, in my fine lines under my eyes. But there is one negative I found with this creme... if it's hot out, it melts (for lack of a better term). When I first used it, we were still having some nice spring weather - not too hot. But the later part of my trial, we were getting near 90's, and if I so much as started to glisten, I found my eyes starting to burn. I've never had this happen before!! On days when I was indoors all day, I was fine. But if I was in the heat, without fail, it would happen. So not sure how you want to take that piece of info... personally, I'd like to use this eye creme some more... but maybe only on days I know I'm inside?
The biggest surprise for me was the Global Longevity Crème. It's a true creme, in its form - comes in a little tub and is very thick. But it goes on very light! It has a very pleasant scent, as well, which since this goes on your entire face and neck, is a good thing. It absorbs relatively quickly, and for me, left a dewy look to my skin. I'm not a fan of the dewy look, but if I'm going to bed or just hanging around the house, I can leave it like that. Results weren't too measurable for me... but again, maybe 30 days isn't enough?
Finally, the Solar Protection Fluid. My biggest qualm with this is that it's not multi-functional. Well, not in the way I'm used to - like as part of the Longevity Creme, rather than a separate step. It does claim to also help with existing sun damage, but again, I haven't been able to see much spot reduction yet. That said, I do LOVE that this is SPF 50! It's very lightweight and easy to apply - almost too easy! The first time I applied too much and have a white face with the extra lotion! You truly only need a little bit, and that would get my whole face, my ears, and I'd wipe the extra still on my chest and/or shoulders. This is an easy add, no matter the brand of regimen you have. Not many have as high as an SPF 50 rating, so if you take one thing from this blog, take that.
So... mixed bag of feelings. And I do believe the results are due to my skin type and issues (oilier, lots of freckles, etc). This particular blog entry rings true of my subtitle... this is MY opinion, and my results probably differ from yours. That said, if you can sample this, it might be worth your while - this can be an expensive line of products to buy if you're not sure. But for a brand I never heard of before this, I was pleasantly surprised with what I did get.
One of my first make-up brand loves was Revlon, when I discovered their ColorStay foundation. One of my favorite things to work with when it comes to make-up is any/all eye make-up, as I have eyes that can either pop or be non-existent, depending on my eye make-up. So when i had the opportunity to try a bundle of Revlon's eye make-up, i was all in!
The bundle included Revlon ColorStay™ 2-in-1 Angled Kajal Eyeliner, Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Eye Shadow, Revlon ColorStay™ Brow Crayon, Revlon ColorStay™ Brow Pencil, and Revlon Super Length Mascara. It was a pretty sweet score to try. Now I'll be blunt in saying I don't typically do anything to my brow. Never have. But I did like the brush on the end of the brown pencil - it help with the shaping and smoothing of those 'fresh out of bed' brows. And the crayon I found doubled as a eye shadow - perfectly neutral! And while I did momentarily try both 'as they were meant to be used', my light skin/hair combo didn't pair well with them, IMO. So that's really all I have to say on those two.
the actual eye shadow I had high hopes for, and I hate to say I was quite disappointed in. The brush was built into the lid, for use, and I found it quickly became clumped up with the crème shadow. And when putting it on, it didn't seem to blend to well. At least not for me - I will say that I feel I have oily lids and often have problems with eye shadows and liners, despite what I try to do. But some of the issues I felt I had didn't seem to come from that. One of the reasons I 'discovered' the brow crayon could be used as an eye shadow.
I wasn't to excited about the mascara, and I am a mascara freak! It's the one make-up product I don't feel like I can ever leave the house without. That said, I also always feel the need for waterproof, or at the very least, smudge-proof mascara. While the Super Length Mascara looked good for awhile on me, I don't feel like it held it own for the entire day. It wasn't bad, just didn't breach my top 5 mascaras I might grab on a regular basis.
Finally, the Angled Kajal Eyeliner. This was my favorite of the bunch. I love how easy the angle made it to apply, and the crayon like texture glided on - something I've come to love and look for with eyeliners. AS far as the staying power, it lasted as long as other 'long wear' eyeliners I've tried that, due to my oily lids, isn't all day. But it's a good portion of the day, and as it smudges away, it almost blended into a shadow onto my lid first. 
Weird, but it worked, and wasn't as awkward as the splotchy disappearing act some eyeliners tend to have.
So all in all, wasn't the best experience for me this go around. On the one hand, these are easy to find items that, for the price, could be an easy go to. But there's definitely better out there - you might have to pay for it, though. Personally, I might buy the eyeliner and mascara again. The eye shadow was a big 'no' for me, and both brow items are, as well, simply because I don't do my brows. But they might be awesome for someone who does, because they did work well for the initial testing I did, just to see how it worked. And they, at least, seemed to have alternative uses.
I had the opportunity to try Uplifting Miracle Worker by Philosophy over the past couple of weeks, thanks for CrowdTap.
I'll be the first to admit, I'm always skeptical about various creams like this... so many promises, but how many will be met? I know Philosophy is a good brand - I've used some of their 'fun' seasonal products around Christmas, like the peppermint wash. But it wasn't until recently that I really started to freak out about the way my face was starting to look more aged. I use a good lotion... but not one that 'treats' specifically... just something to keep it glowing healthy. And for those purpose, it has worked. 
So to try something to help uplift some of the problem areas I'm seeing... well, that was a no brainer to try out.
So I started using this cream early in the month. It didn't replace anything in routing, rather, I added it to my nightly ritual. To start, it felt really good going on. It didn't take much for full facial and neck coverage, which make the price tag more bearable, because this will last for awhile, using it daily. I know the price tag has made me shy away from trying new products! Second thing I notice was the cool feeling you get initially - just like it says on the jar - cool-lift! It even has a nice, fresh, clean scent that was just light enough to hit the senses, So my initial thoughts were pretty positive on it.
Fast forward a couple of week. I'd love to say I saw overwhelming results. But with most products, the 'real' results aren't instant. But I am seeing some slight changes that, without me trying to find something, I might miss. For example, I feel like each night I apply, my skin feels a little tighter than the night before. I also see a slight reduction in the size of my pores on either side of my nose... this is a big deal for me, because this was one of the things I recently noticed was seemingly worse than it was when I was younger.
Final verdict? I like this stuff. I'm going to keep it in my routine, because I'm anxious to see what other results will come through. And maybe I'll even add it to my morning routine, in addition, which it says you can do... or I'll just keep it in my night routine. We'll see. One thing I can say to those out there debating, though... don't let the price scare you off. This one is worth the try, for the price.
I was never one to have much of a moisturizing routine. I just never had the time. So my 'routine' came to be just moisturizing where and when it was needed, and that's it.
Now, the idea of 'moisturizing' in the shower, while my skin was still wet... that seemed crazy! But I was willing to give it a try. I'll try anything once. 
Enter Curél® Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer.
What's so great about putting on 'lotion' while you're standing in your shower? That just sounds weird, right? I mean, how good could it really feel? And I'll be honest, I went in with pretty low expectations. I just had no confidence in something like this working, nor did I see where putting it on your wet skin wouldn't leave my skin sticky or feeling off, somehow.
So I got this sample from CrowdTap. I put it on the shelf in my shower, so I wouldn't forget to try it out. After my first show, I looked at, not sure what to expect, opened it up, and was surprised to it wasn't quite as 'lotion like' as I though... but it wasn't a gel, either. It was kind of a blend of the two. And it went on SO easy! It surprised me how quickly I took cares of all my body parts. Then, per the instructions, I stepped out of the shower and dried off, as usual.
Now, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, for me), my skin is not particularly dry, this time of year. So I had no instant gratification of feeling moisturized. In fact, being my first time, I had a couple of sticky patches, where I think I just put too much (like behind my knees). But other than that, my skin felt fine. Not super moisturized, but not dry, either. besides, I was still reveling about how easy it was!
So this routine has gone on for about week, now, and while I can't say I saw a huge difference in my skin (since it wasn't overly dry to begin with), I can't say I saw nothing. For example, I had some scratched, that were on the verge of healing, but had that dry skin from the healing around the edge... and this helped the healing process AND got right of that dry edge. So I didn't scratch it as much, and actually forgot all about it (until I'd look down and see it). So that was something.
Bottom line, I think I'd like to keep this stuff around. #1 - it's super easy. #2 - winter is quickly coming, and I KNOW my skin gets dry then - would love to see if this routine could vanquish that. And #3 - there does seem to be minimal benefits, even if it's not notable or super apparent. Maybe I'll finally find myself with a doable moisturizing routine!
I always love to try new food, from the sweet to the savory. In this case, the very sweet - Häagen-Dazs® Brownies à la Mode. Yes - this blog is about ice cream.
I chose this particular flavor because who doesn't love brownies with ice cream. Put it all in the form of ice cream, it has to be good, right?? As someone who love to have indulgent ice cream, this flavor seemed right up my alley.
So what did I think? Well, as you can imagine, the bar was set pretty high, as it was coming from Häagen-Dazs®. And while they did not disappoint, it didn't knock my socks off, either. I think I was hoping/expecting a lttle more creaminess with a swirl of sweet vanilla cream (or something to that effect). And while the flavor was there, I didn't find that swirl. And I think I was expecting more of the chewy brownie chunks... which is hard to have when something's frozen. So that was all on me.
But don't get me wrong - it was good ice cream! And I'd absolutely buy it again. The flavor was really good - not overpowering, but rich, none the less. The richness is probably what kept me from eating the whole pint in one sitting. Which is a good thing. For me, at least.
So if you're a brownie fanatic, and love ice cream - and really love the two together - this could be your go to ice cream. I think I'll thrown some strawberries on there next time I try it, because, yum!
Remember the days of the soft serve ice cream trucks that would drive around? Remember how excited you got when you saw him (Mr. Softee, in my case), and how sweet taste of the soft serve was when it hit your tongue? Yeah... that was the bliss I felt when I first tasted Nutchello. The sweet, smooth sensation as I took that first sip. Who knew you could revert back to childhood with such a simple drink??
Nutchello is from the brand, Silk. Which makes perfect sense, since they already do Almond Milk and Cashew Milk, in addition to their popular soy milk. There are currently three flavors - Rich Dark Chocolate + Walnuts; Caramel Almonds + Cashews; and Toasted Coconut + Cashews. My first taste was of the Caramel Almonds + Cashews, which I have to admit, was a tough choice. Of course, it took awhile to find. Not too many stores carry this stuff yet, but it's worth searching it out if you can't find it at your normal grocery spot.
My second thought immediately when to the thought of using this in smoothies. There's just enough sweetness to add a little something sweeter, though I imagine not all mix-ins will work well. But some of the basics, like any kind of berry... YUM! I stood in my kitchen, kind of wishing I had some on hand to try it out right then!
So bottom line, if you can't already tell, is that this stuff rocks! Search it out and try it yourself. There's even a coupon on their website right now. And you can even search out a specific store in your area that DOES have it! So go! NOW!!
Thanks again to CrowdTap, I was able to try out their Lustrous Lipstick, their HD Ultra Matte Lipcolor, and their HD Ultra Metallic Matte Lipcolor, and their Kiss Lip Balm. Bonus - two of these were a bold red color! That's just an obsession of mine, though.
