review: suave aloe vera & ginseng shampoo

i just bought this shampoo last weekend. and i've used it every day since then, so i guess i've been using it long enough to review it! i couldn't find a picture on the internet, so i think it's really recent. i got it at walmart last weekend, mostly because of the packaging (it's green!):

because it was less than $2 (!), and because it says volumizing on the bottle! i call that a win-win-win situation!

now about the shampoo.... it smells really nice. pretty and clean and flower-y. and it lathers up good too. the first time i tried it, though, it really weighed my hair down and flattened my roots. wait, this is supposed to be volumizing?? what the....? but i kept giving it more tries because i love the bottle (!!!), and made sure to rinse it out really good. much better. i'm not sure it does a lot of extra volumizing, but it does make my hair wavier, so score!

this sounds silly, because who cares what color the bottle is, but i really wanted a cheap shampoo that has pretty green packaging, smells girly, and is volumizing. wish granted!

favorite nail polishes

aka nail polishes over which i would cry if they discontinued. ok, not really. that's a bit dramatic.

 

1. winwax- #6 (from japan)

2. sally hansen- #21 tough buff

3. orly- green with envy

4. wet 'n wild- shield

5. revlon- peach nectar

6. petites- pink suede

7. pure ice- taupe drawer

8. covergirl- plum pudding

if i ever were to pack up all my stuff into 2 suitcases and move to tokyo (hey, you never know!), i know take these and throw away the rest. plus, japan has really awesome nail polishes, so i wouldn't be too sad.

                                         

wet 'n wild nailpolish in "shield"

this is the polish i wore for valentine's day (that was a while ago, i know). i wore a bright purple lacy top, so i wanted something that was neutral, but still dramatic enough. oh yeah, these are also the beautiful flowers my husband got me for v-day. and that silver spoon ring. nice, huh?

i bought wet 'n wild's "shield" on recommendation from nouveau cheap again (can you tell i really like her blog?). it's dirt cheap ($2 at walgreens), is super pretty, and has no phthalates, which i made sure to tell mr. green because he's convinced i'm gonna die from carcinogenic makeup.... that's what i get for making him watch "america the beautiful", a documentary about body image and beauty.

Behold: The amazing power of face primer!

I guess I'm getting older, because I've starting getting fed up with my under-eye concealer. Not the concealer itself, but the cakiness and flakiness that ensues a couple hours after application. As you know, my skin is pretty dry, and no matter how much moisturizer and eye cream I apply under my eyes, the concealer ends up dry and crusty. Why did I not think of this earlier?? The perfect solution is primer!

I went to Walmart to buy groceries the other day, and of course had to step in the cosmetics section, as usual. I was really looking for Hard Candy's Primer (Nouveau Cheap gave it good reviews), but I couldn't find it anywhere in their display! Boo. So then it was between Maybelline's New Instant Age Rewind stuff, or the Rimmel Prime and Perfect. Well, Rimmel won because it was cheaper.

Holy moly, I'm so stupid for never trying any kind of primer before. Actually, that's not true. Remember that CoverGirl Outlast foundation? I tried that a few years ago and really liked it. It had a chamber of primer (with sunscreen!) on one side, and foundation on the other. And I remember realllly liking the silky finish that stayed all day. But um, they don't make it anymore. I'm currently not on speaking terms with CoverGirl, for discontinuing my TruShine lipstick, and because I just remembered about that awesome outlast foundation.

This is how smooth my under-eyes looked: They've never looked like this- the finish looks natural! And I've stopped applying loose powder under my eyes, because it doesn't need any evening out or any staying power!



Look, Mommy, no lines! Holy moly, I love it. And it looks like this all day!

In other beautynews, check out the glow I have going on in those last two pictures. It's Wet 'n Wild's Ultimate Minerals loose blush in Rose Shimmer (I think I've mentioned this product before), but let me just reiterate that it's great. Really keeps away the winter pastiness.

And here's one last picture- more about this awesome lip product tomorrow!

The world's most classic skincare routine

Which is mine. And amazingly, it's really been working for me. These are my daily products:

1. Dove Beauty Bar
2. Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel
3. Clearasil Tinted Treatment Acne Cream
4. St. Ives Apricot Scrub- Blemish & Blackhead
5. Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Eye Cream
6. Pond's Dry Skin Cream

Isn't that green little box so cute?? I got it in Japan last time I was there. I use the other compartments to hold my bobby pins, hair ties, Q-tips, and nail clippers. It has successfully kept my bathroom drawer less chaotic. That has nothing to do with my skincare routine, though. Moving on....

In the morning I wash my fave with Dove's Beauty Bar (which I've reviewed before). I really like it. It's cheaper than dirt, cleans, moisturizes, and many claim that it even prevents wrinkles (!). I guess I'll have to let you know in about 25 years about the wrinkles. Except by then there will be no such thing as a "blog." Weird.

Then I swipe witch hazel all over my face. People have been using this toner forever! I started doing this because I saw that huge bottle in the picture on sale at Walgreens for $1.50. I was interested in some kind of deep cleaner because with my extra mild, moisturizing face wash, I'm always worried that I never really get my face clean. This takes care of that. It claims to purify your pores, and lock in moisture. I think it really does that, because it's never caused any crusty spots on my face. Now, I have to confess: The first time I tried this toner (and the second, third, fourth, etc.), the smell almost made me gag. But now I don't even notice it! Weird, huh?

I use cheap-o cotton rounds from Walmart to apply it. But to save even more money, I snip them in half, because you never really use the whole cotton round. So that makes the cost almost negligible:

See? Still plenty big.

After witch hazel, I dab some Clearasil Benzoyl Peroxide acne stuff on, if I happen to have a bump forming. I usually only have like one at a time. I bought this stuff because it was on sale (I used to use the Clean and Clear kind), but I don't like it at all. Only because it's tinted, though. And it would probably help conceal a blemish if you had skin the same tone as Tyra Banks, but I am much much paler than her, so it shows up dark orange on me :S. Not cute. But I kind of blend it away with my next product....

Pond's Dry Skin Cream. Now this is a true classic. It even says "The Caring Classic" on the bottle. This is saving my skin in the winter time. Very moisturizing, and makes my skin kind of shiny, in a good way. (Hey, I said shiny, not oily!). But um, don't try this if you have oily skin. This is only for old ladies, or 21-year-olds with old lady skin, like me.

Then I apply the Neutrogena Eye Cream under my eyes. I just started using this stuff, and I really like it. It's really smooth, and it absorbs super fast! I think it's because of the specific kind of Retinol in the product (or so the package says). The Retinol is supposed to get rid of dark circles, too, which is why I bought it. I don't think I've been using it long enough to tell yet, but I think I can see a small difference. Or it's wishful thinking, we'll see.

At night, I use the Apricot Scrub. This kind has salicylic acid in it, and it keeps my bumps away. I use this at night, because by the end of the day, I usually have some flakes going on. This totally gets rid of those and makes my face smooth. I always read in magazines that you're only supposed to exfoliate your face once a week, or some beauty editor propoganda like that, but how?? I tried to cut back a couple of times, thinking it was damaged my face or something, but my face just looked awful! So now I exfoliate every night. Hey, whatever works, right? Your skin cells turn over while you sleep, so when I wake up, my skin is still smooth for my makeup.

Oh, and Pond's at night too.

Let me also say that all over these are super cheap! (Except for the eye cream. But like I said, I'm trying to get rid of my circles). I truly think you can find things that work for you at the drugstore and make you look beautiful, as long as you know your skin really well. Like how much moisture do you need? Which ingredients are you sensitive to? Figure it out, then find some cheap, reliable products to help your skin's particular issues.

Make your own Blushberry Shine!

Like I said a couple days ago, I found out that Cover Girl's TruShine Lipstick line is being discontinued- including my most favorite shade in the whole world- Blushberry Shine! It's a hybrid shade of sorts, so I don't really know how to describe it. I tried it on a whim about a year and a half ago. I'd read a lot online and in magazines about how good this lipstick was- sheer, shiny, and flattering. And the little tool on the Cover Girl website matched my skintone with Blushberry Shine. I usually don't trust that thing (it always picks out nasty purple shades for me), but I decided to go for it. And it was AWESOME! Sheer, glossy, buildable, ultra-flattering, and face brightening. I used to apply this while taking notes in the back of a class, it was that easy. Easy, breezy, beautiful- Cover Girl....

Wow, what a diatribe. My point is, this is the only lipstick I've ever found that could be called "every day." It went with every eyeshadow and outfit color I could think of. Bah. Still upset (can you tell??).

So what I decided to do, in a moment of brilliance, was to mix up my own. This decision was spurred by my finding an old tube of lipstick in the back of my cabinet. I received it last summer when my mom's Mary Kay representative was giving away freebies. The color is just awful for me. It's really dark and really matte, two of my not-so-favorite things. Here's what's left of the lipstick after I decapitated it:


It's called Rose Petal (wtf??). I would've named it Bordeaux, or something. Anyway, since it's so matte and opaque, it showed up really dark on me. I decided to mix it together with one of my MANY too-clear glosses that I just haven't thrown away yet (above). This is a GREAT thing to do with those too-sheer lip products. I never EVER wear them, because why would I want my naked colorless lips to look watery and shiny?? Anyway....

As you can see, Mary Kay's Rose Petal is pretty close in color to CG's Blushberry Shine:

right: Blushberry Shine
left: Rose Petal

Pretty close, right? Well, I guess all I did was dilute it and add some shine. I picked this gloss (Sally Hansen Satin Shine gloss- it's discontinued now and I got it at Dollar Tree) because it's tingly and smells good. I guess that's something the original Blushberry Shine doesn't have. Here's what I ended up with:


Here's my Blushberry Shine Remix next to the original: Pretty awesome, huh??

The color and sheerness are very VERY similar, which is good news for me. If you can't get your hands on Mary Kay's Rose Petal, there are several shades that I think might work:

Maybelline Color Sensational- Warm Me Up
Maybelline Color Sensational- Warm & Cozy
Maybelline Color Sensational- Blushing Brunette
Revlon Super Lustrous- Rum Raisin
Revlon Super Lustrous- Sparkling Cider

The cool thing, though, is if these shades aren't quite right, you can correct it by mixing in other shades too. Or you can dig through some old lipsticks that haven't got any wear because they're not quite right, mix them together, and see what happens! What you will need to make something akin to Blushberry Shine are:

Something brown
Something berry
Something clear and shiny

Find some lip products you already have that fit into the above categories, and go crazy! (Send me pics if you end up with a winning combination!)

Even though this particular mix turned out good, it's kind of hit-or-miss. Not to mention a hassle. So I'm still on the hunt for a new replacement. Neutrogena's MoistureShine Sheers in Plum Kiss is looking pretty promising right now- I'll let you know as soon as I buy it and test it!

WORST BLOGGER IN THE WORLD

That's me, in case you were wondering. Things just got too crazy with school and, you know, life in general. Plus that eyeshadow challenge was a little too umm...... challenging. Ha. I really like my neutral eyeshadows lol. Anyway, I may do a few more- maybe some of the color families I haven't attempted yet. I think a lot of them are pretty similar though.

But in other news, I found out something that will seriously change the course of my life (or at least my face) for the worse. CoverGirl's TruShine Lipsticks are being DISCONTINUED!!!!!!! I found this out on the lovely Internets and was legitimately upset. That was the only lipstick I ever completely used. That was the one shade I could literally throw on in the car without a mirror and know that it would simultaneously match anything I was wearing and brighten up my tired face. SOOO upset.

I have browsed online for a worthy substitute, and the only similar shade and sheer formula I could find was Neutrogena's MoistureShine Lip Sheers in Plum Kiss. Not that I've tried it yet because they're almost $10 for a stinkin tinted lip balm. But they are tingly. Hmmm....

Anyway, I have found another tinted tingly lip balm that I like. Although the colors are a little hit-or-miss. It's Wet 'n Wild's Natural Wear Lip Shimmers:

They are $1.99 at most places, they have an amazing tingle, and are SUPER pigmented. I tried 106 and 101- 101 is definitely my favorite. The cap looks kind of spice-colored (I actually think the name is Spice- but you know how Wet 'n Wild products have a name but it comes off with the plastic wrapping so then you can never remember it), but it's kind of a peach shade. This is what it looks like on me:

It's just enough darker than my actual lips to brighten up my face and make me look "finished". I really like it a lot. My only beef? I feel like these peachy shades look clashy when I wear green, blue, or teal shirts, which is only like every day. Still looking for a new fave.... Sigh.