-Desert Essence "island mango" shampoo and conditioner: usually I will only buy a shampoo and use Earth Science hair mask (review below) as a conditioner, but this time was an exception, because "island mango" was a new duo in the market. I've used probably all of Desert Essence's shampoos+conditioners (some more than once), and I like each and every one of them. I think this mango set is on the richer/heavier side compared to some others (e.g. apple, raspberry, or lemon), but it doesn't make hair look greasy or over-moisturized. The result I get is pretty much the same I get from other Desert Essence products. The only con for me was the smell, which was on the stronger and sweeter side, and it was a bit unnatural. I expected this set to have a fresh juicy mango smell, but it wasn't anything even close to that. I'm currently using the new "Italian lemon" duo, and I already love it because of the fresh smell.
-Desert Essence hair mask: I'm sure I've told about it already more than once as it's my must have product. I don't use it as a mask, but as a hair conditioner by applying to the ends of my hair (sometimes up to half hair length, but never the roots). It leaves hair silky smooth and soft.
-Aubrey Organics shave cream in "orange cream": I've repurchase all 3 fragrances that these shave creams come in as I wanted to see if I still liked them. I do like the product, and the way it smells. I also like the texture, which is silicone-y feeling, BUT... because of the texture it's quite hard to clean the blades of the razor, and it seems like the razor doesn't last as long as it would otherwise. As far as I remember, this is the problem I has with these shave cream a few years ago when I first tried them, so I don't think I'll be repurchasing them again.
-Aubrey Organics "raspberry and orange" body scrub: Yes, I knew what I was ordering size-wise, but I was still surprised how small the container looked in person. It's a sugar scrub that I was looking at for a while, and when JMO website had a coupon code, I didn't think twice before ordering it. I was disappointed about the smell as I wouldn't describe it as having any raspberries or oranges in it - there was nothing fruity sweet or citrus-y, and all I smelled was sugar, which reminded more of a cake. While that wasn't what I expected, I was still hoping that the scrub itself will be great and will save the situation. Well, it wasn't and it didn't. It seemed like a very basic sugar and oils scrub that I could mix myself for 1/10 of the price. It didn't help that it wasn't long-lasting as I needed quite a lot for my whole body. If you don't want to experiment in your kitchen, save the money and get Hugo Naturals scrub - you will get a better product and twice the amount for half the money.
-Milk+Honey body cream: no matter how much I love m+h spas and their products, I do have something negative to say about this cream. Well, let me start with the good things first, one of which is the effect. This rich cream makes the skin soft and gives plenty of moisture without leaving any residue. I love the natural smell of it as well. It kinda smells like an expensive high end cream, and well, it is pretty expensive ($34 for 8oz.). The cream was easy to apply and lasted a pretty long time, so the price isn't so bad. Yet, when paying that money, I want to get my money's worth, which is I want to be able to use all of the product. This is the problem that I had with this cream: the pump would stop dispensing the cream when there was still a good amount left on the bottom, so I decided to remove the pump and shake the cream out. My plan was working until the shaking part as the cream is so rich that it barely moves in the bottle. After good 5 minutes of vain effort (and a hurting hand) I gave up, and put the bottle into my empties bin. I'm pretty sure there was still about 4-6 days worth of the cream left in it, so that's something that keeps me from giving A+ for the product.
-Alba Botanica "island citrus" body wash: you get the bang for your buck when you get this product. I'm not picky with my body gels, so as long as they smell good and last a long time, I'll use any of them. This body wash was exactly that, and I wouldn't mind repurchasing it in the future.
-Alba Botanica "acne dote" wet wipes: I love face & body scrub from the same line, but these wipes were just ok. I used them as an extra way to remove makeup, and give that extra cleanness to my face, but I had to be careful not to used them too close to the eye area as they would make me tear. Also, they were on the dryer side and didn't give any visible effect, so I'm not gonna buy these again.
-Thayer's "rose petal" witch hazel: it's one of my must have products as I use this toner constantly for probably 5+ years now. The brand has a bunch of fragrances, so I keep switching among them and I never get bored. I use toner on a cotton ball just to wipe of my face in case there's any makeup left after washing the face, so for that purpose it's a great product for a good price.
-Aura Cacia tea tree oil: this thing is magic! I use tea tree oil as a disinfecting remedy for any skin irritations, pimples, cuts, etc.
-Alba Botanica "acne dote" invisible treatment gel: not sure if I would buy it again as I rarely get any pimples (and when I do, tea tree oil works just as fine for me), but I really enjoyed using the product. It worked great against any pimple or soon-to-be-pimple. I must admit the gel did dry the skin a bit if applied few times in a row, but I didn't find that to be a big issue as it's used locally on the problematic spot.
-Mineral Fusion hydration mist: I wanted to use it on top of my makeup during the day to refresh the face, but I didn't like the smell, and ended up using it as a regular toner. I really can't say anything bad or good about this mist, except that the smell irritated me (can't even tell what was wrong with it as it wasn't strong or smelling a certain way).
-Vivi toothpaste with kalident, mango flavor: this toothpaste lasted me 2 months, which is a good time. My opinion about it didn't change much since my Vivi brand review almost a month ago. I know many people don't like that it doesn't foam, but that wasn't an issue for me. I did enjoy the mango flavor, and while I heard reviews that it doesn't give the fresh breath, I didn't expect that from a fruity toothpaste. Besides, Vivi makes this toothpaste in mint flavor, so no one is stopping mint lovers to get that flavor. As for the toothpaste, it does the job pretty well - the teeth feel clean and the breath is good. Yes, you don't get that minty freshness, but you're not even supposed to, so all is good. The only complaint I have is that the toothpaste seems to disappear once inside the mouth, and usually I used it with a bit of another toothpaste to get a more tangible feeling.
-Plus White the coffee drinkers' whitening toothpaste: to tell the truth, I didn't notice any difference when using this toothpaste. It was a nice one, but just like any other minty toothpaste. However, I did start drinking coffee almost every day, and sometimes a few cups a day, so I'm thinking that maybe it did work on not making my teeth yellow. But then again, I've always been a tea drinker with at least 2 cups a day, so switching from tea to coffee shouldn't have made such a difference, which means the toothpaste wasn't working for me....
-Golden Rose matte nail polish: I don't know what I was thinking when I got this color a few years ago while on vacation in Lithuania, but I don't think I've used it once or twice ever since, and each time I was sorry I applied it the moment I did it. It's a nice color, but it's just not the color I wear. In fact, tonight I went through my nail polish box and took out the colors I've never worn or would not wear ever again, and put them into the empties bin for the next blog entry.
-Emily super-dry skin sooth (sample size): this is one of those products that are petroleum jelly alternatives. I don't see much difference among different Emily's skin soothers as they all feel the same for me. They are good moisturizers, and I also used this one on my dog's paws during the winter.
-Everyday Minerals flat top kabuki brush: I like EM brushes a lot! This one was really great for applying mineral foundation. I did find a couple other uses for it as well as my likes and priorities in brushes changed throughout the years. I think I had this brush for at least 3-4 years now, and I've used it constantly. When I was washing it the last time, I noticed that it started shedding some hair. I didn't pay much attention to that, but it didn't stop when the brush dried, and since I have plenty of other brushes, I'm just getting rid of this one instead of using and being unhappy about hair on my face and everywhere around.
I was hoping the mango duo would smell like fresh juicy mangoes :(
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for that too, but it doesn't :( Yet it's still a nice product, and I love all Desert Essence shampoos and conditioners.
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