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.