First Thoughts: Looks and sounds good but I’m not a fan of gels – too cold and too wet. The first time I put this on, it didn’t feel the greatest. It was, as I thought it would be, cold. At regular room temperature, gel deodorant is very cold... +
First Thoughts: Looks and sounds good but I’m not a fan of gels – too cold and too wet.
The first time I put this on, it didn’t feel the greatest. It was, as I thought it would be, cold. At regular room temperature, gel deodorant is very cold on your armpits as it’s a fairly sensitive area on your body so it’s expected to be a bit of a shock unless it’s warmed up.
Here is what they say about this deodorant….
Secret Outlast® is specifically designed with fast drying ingredients to evaporate in seconds.
It took at least 30 seconds to completely dry and even after that I still felt a bit icky for a bit – kind of like it was still a bit wet.
Water-based formula allows active ingredients to permeate sweat glands faster and more efficiently than invisible solid deodorant.
The first few times I used this, I didn’t notice a difference in terms of sweating. It wasn’t until about the 6th day going into it that I noticed I wasn’t sweating as easily.
Bid farewell to white marks forever with rub-off resistant coverage that won’t leave a trail.
True. As this is a clear gel, there are no white marks, or marks at all on your clothing.
Clinically tested to help stop odour before it starts, continually working to detect odour and wetness.
Although it smells great, I’d give this 3 stars on how well/long-lasting it smelled nice for. As mentioned above, it took quite a few days of continuous use to see a bit of a difference in wetness protection.
The pH of Secret Outlast® minimizes odour-causing bacteria for longer-lasting, 48-hour odour protection
I have never given this product a chance to work for 48 hours because I shower daily, my armpits are washed and the deodorant is applied again. It definitely works for 24 hours!
Overall this is a good deodorant because it lasts long and does what it is supposed to, I am just not a fan of gel deodorants and never really have been. If you can handle the gel being applied, this is a good deodorant to give a try. If I liked them, this would probably be my favorite – it smells great!
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I have these spurts of “girlieness” and by that I mean there are a few times a year where I decide to do something that normal girls do, like wear makeup or nail polish or if I’m lucky, even dress up once in a while. I use to wear nail polish... +
I have these spurts of “girlieness” and by that I mean there are a few times a year where I decide to do something that normal girls do, like wear makeup or nail polish or if I’m lucky, even dress up once in a while. I use to wear nail polish every day and not to use this as an excuse but now that I’m a mom, I find myself more often than not, slugging around in every pair of Lululemon pants I can’t possibly find and match it which a horrible, over sized shirt, my hair is a mess and it’s highly unlikely you’ll see me wearing the same sock on one foot that you see on the other.
When I had the chance to review Essie Nail Polish, I was ecstatic. Although I have nail polish sitting in my cupboards, I haven’t used them in YEARS, I’m sure they are all dried up by now. I’ve heard of Essie and was aware of their great reputation and their superior colour selection. I’ve always been torn between OPI and Essie and now that I’ve tried Essie, I’m in love. When I think of Essie, classic and elegant. The biggest reason I wanted to try this product is because of the chip resistant formula. I’ve never come across a nail polish that hasn’t chipped off within the first few days, if I’m lucky.
PEAK OF CHIC (959)
As much as I like the flashy, glittery aspect of this polish, I knew that it wouldn’t be the easiest to put on and I was right. When applying this polish, you get spaces of nail than blobs of the glitter. it’s just a pain to try to push all over my nail. Once I put the second cost on, it looked better as I was able to cover the majority of my nail. Of course you need a top coat for this or the glitter will be dragging against everything you run your hand by. Although pretty, I am not a fan of glittery polishes and it spreads no better than any other glitters I’ve tried before.
FIJI (152)
I thought I would love this polish as I am a pastel and a pink freak. This is something that would look great on everyone and I absolutely love it but you really need to know who to apply this one. I found that I had to put two coats on and after that, I could still see blotches. If I tried to cover it up, it would just look way too thick and streak and clump like crazy. There are ways to can properly apply this polish and it would look amazing. Using top coats and ensuring you let your layers dry beforehand are key. This is one I would go back to the salon with to have it properly applied if you’re not sure how to do it at home.
Mod Squad (224)
I felt like Barbie with this one on and had a fairly easy time applying it. This picture is with one layer and could have probably applied another light coat but there were no bare spots on my nails to have to worry about that. Perfect summer color and nice and shiny.
Watermelon (264)
I usually stay away from reds, any type of red unless it gets more to the pinkish color. The bottle doesn’t show the true colour of what it ends up being on our nails. What you see if a dark pink but you can see from the picture below, it’s definitely more of a red. This is more of a red but a beautiful colour. Out of the 10 that I was able to try, I must this is my favorite! Very shiny, no streaks and only had to use 1 coat.
Blue Rhapsody
Although it might look cool, the formula isn’t very fun to work with. It is opaque even with the first layer but this shows everything wrong with your nail from the dents to the holes to the lines. It’s not fun to put on and it doesn’t level very well. If you accidentally move the brush slightly on your last coat, you’ll be sure to see that mistake once it dries. I was excited to put it on, until I actually did. This would be another one of those polishes that would look cool if you had it professionally done.
Lapiz of Luxurty
Periwinkle blue…..that’s what I’ve heard people call this. I prefer to call it lilac but whatever you call it, it’s a very pretty color. This went opaque in two coats. When I first started to use this polish, I noticed it was very wet, not very thick but once I got to the third nail, it was a bit thicker and made it much easier to put on. I love the shine although after looking at my nails once the polish was on, it reminded me a bit of the Blue Rhapsody…it felt like you could see every imperfection in my nail.
Lots of Lux
This textured polish was without a doubt, the easiest polish to put on. There were no streaks and 1 coat was all you needed. It is a nice darker blue with glimmer and gold. It’s not too sparkly and even without an over coat, it doesn’t catch on things as easily as it would with other glittery polishes. You might think a dark blue like this would give you some staining when you remove it but I had no problems with staining.
Aruba Blue
Aside from Watermelon, this Aruba Blue is by far my most favorite colour of nail polish and I mean out of all of the polish colours. It goes on easily, shines amazingly and has a bit of a metallic shimmer look to it. I had no problems with streaking and this photo you see below was only one coat and apply it was a breeze. If you are looking for maximum opacity, use two coats.
Go Overboard
Although the deep teal colour is very pretty, I had to apply this twice meaning I applied 2 coats then had to remove that and apply another 2 coats after that. At first, it was too thin on the first two coats but it ended up looking blotchy so I removed that and the first coat was thin and the next coat was thick. In the end, it looked a bit too thick for me. I felt like if I had something thin enough, I’d be able to slip it between the nail and the polish and peel it right off. Love the colour but not a fan of how this applies or feels afterwards. Also, I ended up with some stains with this colour.
Mint Candy Apple
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colour. I am a pastel lover, I’ve said it before and when I saw this colour I feel in love, until I put it on. It took me two coats and I could still see a few of the more bare spots. It looked and felt very thick. I think with a lot of the Essie pastels, unless you really know how to put them on, you should stick with heading to the salon to have the look that this colour could provide. I love it, I just can’t make it look good if I apply it myself, unfortunately.
Would I continue to use Essie in the future? ABSOLUTELY but thankfully with this review, I know to head to the salon if I want a pastel look, otherwise, this is a product I will use in the future and would definitely recommend it.
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I love to try to be that shabby, chic, struttin’ her stuff kinda mom when reality is, I have a full-time job, my own business on the side and a 15 month old to take care of…..oh, and a blog to keep up. I don’t always look the way I want... +
I love to try to be that shabby, chic, struttin’ her stuff kinda mom when reality is, I have a full-time job, my own business on the side and a 15 month old to take care of…..oh, and a blog to keep up. I don’t always look the way I want (actually I never do) so when I get the chance to pamper myself in any way, even if I have to do the work myself, I’m in.
imPRESS press-on manicure sets from Broadway Nails. I’ve never heard of this company before. Originally I thought I had but after some research (which means a trip to Walmart), I realized they were a different company all together so I go into this review not knowing how well-known or how great/not-so-great this company actually is.
The second thing I noticed about these manicure sets was the bottles. Inside these nail polish bottles are the stick on nails. I find this BRILLIANT and so cute. Yes, I am one of those people who would buy this product just because of the packaging. Isn’t this adorable though? What you see in the picture below is not what you get. Well, it is but what you can see is the pile of nails behind those nails in the front. It seems as though there are two sets of nails per bottle.
I love the concept, I can’t love it enough. The lid is super smooth to get off. Once the applicator lid is off, you squeeze the side of the nail jar and ta-da!
This is really just like going to the manicure ladies except you don’t have to spend an hour getting your nails painted AND you get cooler looking nails from this. I can’t say they come out perfect because not everyone’s nails are the same size but my nails are wide – I’ve got man hands – but I was lucky to find sizes that worked without too much space in between.
The nails come with a clear backing which covers the sticky glue type substance on the back of the press-on nail. I touched it and I thought it was super glue. The nails stuck on beautifully and I purposely tried to mess up the placement of one of the nails to see how hard it was to remove and re-stick but it wasn’t hard at all. With enough ‘force’ but not too much, they came off without hassle and went back on with ease.
After I placed them all on my hands, I was excited because this was the first time I have ever done my own nails within less than 5 minutes and my entire finger nails were covered and no nail polish was on my fingers. THIS is why this product is so brilliant.
Why I love these:
You don’t have to wait for them to dry!!! I hate coloring my nails and still after 10 minutes I have cat hair stuck in my nails.
The last up to a week.
You have many patterns to choose from – not just boring colors
They shine like CRAZY!
They stick like a mad man even though you can remove them very easy. Oxymoron? Absolutely! But it’s true.
Don’t need to worry about that crazy glue they use for manicured nails – this doesn’t ruin your nails or make them weak!
They are the perfect length. You can still type and text without adding a few extra letters to your words and it’s very comfortable.
What I dislike:
I can’t say I dislike them. I did find one nail that was a bit wonky at the tip but all it took was a bit of a buffer at the tip and it was good to go.
I also just found out they have glitter!!!!! Hallelujah! Looks like I don’t need to spend $75.00 on a wedding manicure. I can spend $10.00 and have funky looking nails.
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When it comes to laundry, I don’t spend too much time on it. It goes into the washing machine with the detergent, then gets thrown into the dryer with dollar store dryer sheets, that’s if we even remember to bring them down with us. Once they... +
When it comes to laundry, I don’t spend too much time on it. It goes into the washing machine with the detergent, then gets thrown into the dryer with dollar store dryer sheets, that’s if we even remember to bring them down with us. Once they are dried, they are thrown back into the laundry hamper, brought upstairs and very rarely do we get to hang them up.
The majority of weeks we will throw our dirty laundry in a pile on the floor while we will ruffle through our clean clothes in the hamper, day after day and then I complain about having wrinkly clothes. The only person who gets their clothes hung and up and folder properly is my 13 month old, who doesn’t care what she looks like and would probably be happiest in her PJ’s all day. Actually, maybe that’s me.
I LOVE fresh smelling clothes, especially the pretty smelling ones like fresh lavender or Spring Breeze. I always get jealous of those people who walk around smelling like a fresh batch of laundry. How come I don’t smell like that? With the amount of time my clothes are all bundled up together, you’d think they’d hold in the nice laundry smell, but that’s far from the case. The reason is because I don’t use nice smelling laundry detergent and you can really tell on those days we forget the drier sheets because the clothes literally smell like nothing.
Well, no longer must I wear plain smelling clothes now that I found Downy Unstopables In Wash Scent Booster. This stuff is amazing. These ‘smaller than a pearl’ scent bursts will have you wanting to replace your current scented candles with containers of Unstopables, all over your house.
I do love the container design and look. the beads pour out easily into the lid. Just remove the top color lid, pop open the white lid and pour! You can use the colored lid to see how many beads you are actually using for each load.
Onto the best part which is the smell! There are 6 different scents which include Spring (shown in this post), Shimmer, Lush, Fresh, Glo & Dreams!
Spring makes me feel all warm inside even though we have -20 degree whether these days.
Shimmer makes me feel like a princess (I think it’s because all that pinkness).
Lush makes me feel like I’m in an All Day Spa, everyday.
Fresh makes me a) want to go on holidays and b) eat it. (Let’s not go there)
I have yet to be able to try Glo & Dreams but I can imagine they are just as good as the others.
Matching these up with many of the fabric softeners that Downy has, will make your nose and skin much happier. Downy even has Amy the Fortune Smeller which can help you learn how to mix scents! She’s a bit impatient if you ask me.
13.2 oz are approximately $7.00 (US)
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I didn’t get a whole bottle of those as I wasn’t prepared to pay the amount of my money they charge for this stuff but it turns out, it does such a great job with making my skin feel renewed that it’s well worth the money! I went out to buy a... +
I didn’t get a whole bottle of those as I wasn’t prepared to pay the amount of my money they charge for this stuff but it turns out, it does such a great job with making my skin feel renewed that it’s well worth the money! I went out to buy a bottle and not once have I ever regretted it. Amazing stuff but it would be great if it wasn’t so expensive. -
I like to make impulse purchases…especially if it has cool packaging. This mascara has a sleek looking bottle and a cute rose at the top. I think that it was intrigued me the most. My eyelashes are pretty normal, I think. They aren’t really... +
I like to make impulse purchases…especially if it has cool packaging. This mascara has a sleek looking bottle and a cute rose at the top. I think that it was intrigued me the most.
My eyelashes are pretty normal, I think. They aren’t really long, they aren’t dark – I’d actually say they are pretty light but I have enough of them so you can actually see I have lashes.
I hate mascara because a) I always rub my eyes then I have black eyes after I rub them b) they always get really hard. So why bother? Then I tried this mascara.
I applied the mascara to my right eye first. The cool thing about this mascara is that it actually has a bent wand also known as a Swan-Neck which makes it easier to put the mascara on at different angles. The wand makes it a bit easier to get into those areas without reapplying to the already coated lashes but you still have to be fairly careful until you get the hang of it.
Applying it to my right eye, it applied nicely. My eyelashes fanned out beautifully until I went to the left eye and it applied very thick. My right eye looked nice and the left eye looked much darker. I couldn’t fix it with the brush (which is rubbery) no matter how much mascara I tried to remove from the stick but luckily I had an old tooth brush, slid it against of lashes a few times then it turned out great. If you aren’t left and right handed, you might have this same problem….or maybe I’m always applying to the left eye incorrectly.
I love how just after one application, it totally brings out my eyes. It’s a nice dark shade yet not dark enough to make it look like I have death eyes. With my eyes, when I use mascara, I always seem to look very scary. Maybe it’s because a lot of the mascaras clump up and just make me look horrible but seeing as this product doesn’t, I had no issues. Every day that I wear this mascara, there is always someone new asking if I did something new. It’s not crazy drastic but drastic enough to make people really notice my eyes.
I feel like my eyelashes are much longer. Not only do I feel like it but they actually look longer. Not sure how exactly they do this but I love it. Short lashes aren’t sexy.
This stuff also stays forever. Some people say it’s hard. Well, it is if you put a crazy amount on your lashes but if you don’t, even if you accidentally rub your eyes, it doesn’t smear and it’s not as hard as some say it is. I passed out one night and woke up in the morning with a crazy mess of a head, slobber on my face and pillow imprints on my cheek yet my mascara still looked the same as it did the morning before!
Now finally, the price. This little bottle runs you about $30 – S35 depending on where you get it. Quite the hefty price tag for mascara if you ask me but this mascara does a great job and can last a long time if use and applied properly.
Give it a try!
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First off, I love the packaging. The actual piece that the camera is connected to within the packaging is fake but it looks so real and to top it off, that is exactly what it looks like when you put it all together with the real pieces. TAKE NOTE... +
First off, I love the packaging. The actual piece that the camera is connected to within the packaging is fake but it looks so real and to top it off, that is exactly what it looks like when you put it all together with the real pieces. TAKE NOTE that even though I said the connection was the camera to the base of what is holding the camera in, keep that screw because it comes in handful for when you have the use the accessories. Thought I’d point that out because I am a big fan of creative packaging. Actually, that is a huge part of why I buy things when I do go shopping. Horrible idea, I know, but don’t hate.
This camera is unbelievably small yet provides stellar image quality. When I first took a few videos, I was concerned that it was going to look horrible. With the Hero4, it has the screen on the back so you can see what you are recording and in that screen, it doesn’t look nearly as amazing as it does once you see it on a PC so don’t let that fool you once you first start shooting. Also note that the screen is super small so you can’t really see the quality it puts out immediately.
There is a clear case that is wrapped around the actual camera. That case is to help protect the camera when it’s under water and of course helps keep it clean and scratch/damage free on the lens and screen. As it is crazy small, I’m sure it could break in an instant if dropped without the case – that was probably one of my biggest concerns holding this camera without the case. The case comes off easily by pulling the black lever at the top and snaps back on quickly and easily. It comes with two additional backings for it which I didn’t realize until day 3. Would have made my life a lot easier if I didn’t have to keep taking the camera out every time I wanted to go through the videos with the touch screen….that you can’t touch when you have certain backings on it.
There are a lot of accessories you can get with this camera including the head strap. I did receive the tripod which is super useful and gives a cool look when you want to do a selfie but I still have to divulge in the other accessories. I want the head strap, then I can head out mining.
I’m not the “techy” kind of person who could tell you all the specs of this camera. I don’t know it all and even if I did, I probably wouldn’t know what it all means. All I know is that it works….and it’s pretty cool. There are a few pros and cons about this cute little contraption.
Pros:
* Gives great image quality for outdoors photos
* The software that works with this camera (which is available free for PC/Mac & via their App) has some pretty awesome capabilities to make sure you come out with a cool video.
* The night lapse is so cool!
* Wide angle glass lens makes for some pretty cool looking videos. You also have a few other options including normal view but I usually stick with the wide angle.
* It’s waterproof!
* It fastens and holds to almost anything if you have the right accessory (at an extra cost).
* The preview screen on the back is VERY helpful….especially because I like to see what I’m recording at the time.
Cons:
* Battery life sucks. I get maybe an hour of video recording and that’s if I’m capturing something constantly and not stopping and going though out the day. But maybe I just got a dud?
* It’s really hard to get use to when it comes to changing the settings etc at first. Once you get the hang of it, you’re good to go.
Two things I loved about this camera were the fact that it’s waterproof (up to 131 feet) which is awesome if I ever get to go on vacation again ever. I’d use this thing 24 /7 while I’m snorkeling all over the Cayman Islands! Secondly, how small it was. It basically fit anywhere I needed it to go, plain and simple.
For the size of the camera, it packs a punch for what it can do and of course the quality it provides. I would highly recommend this camera for those who are very active….or even just a bit. Let’s remember….I’m a boring mom but I did take a lot of videos with this and with the weak battery life, it was a bit frustrating that I’s have to charge it again after a few 20 minute uses. I was able to set this up a few times for a longer period though, without shutting it on and off. I did this a few times while traveling from one city to another during the day and then in the evening as well as a video of my sisters backyard with the clouds blowing by.
When converting the videos to something you could share and play online, it was actually pretty quick. For me to convert a 35 minute video into a 1.5 minute video, it took a total of 15 minutes….maybe.
The camera can actually do a lot of cool stuff but I would suggest it be more for those who area active as I mentioned above. Stick to a regular video camera for everyday life if you don’t want anything cool….or if you only shoot every once in a while but for the cool, adventurous type, definitely invest in a GoPro. It’s well worth your money. Also, check out their Facebook page at GoPro Facbeook.
As a photographer, I’m always looking out for the newest and coolest photography gadgets. Thankfully I now have my GoPro so I don’t have to lug around a huge camera and I can get some truly amazing videos from this.
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It seems like every year, my taste in coffee changes and apparently this year is no different. One year I love Tim Horton’s and nothing else, then I’m into Timothy’s, then Second Cup and lastly, Starbucks. I have always hated Starbucks. Their... +
It seems like every year, my taste in coffee changes and apparently this year is no different. One year I love Tim Horton’s and nothing else, then I’m into Timothy’s, then Second Cup and lastly, Starbucks. I have always hated Starbucks. Their coffees seemed too strong for me, even the specialty ones. I’m not sure how I ended up drinking Starbucks but I did and now I’m hooked. At a $2.45 price tag each day, it adds up quickly. But I can’t stop! On the weekends I am dying because it’s so cold out that I don’t want to take the baby and the dog outside to freeze just because I want a coffee so either I have to bug Shaun to get one for me or I have to deal with no coffee which is almost not an option anymore. Mommies need coffee!!!
I do have a drip coffee machine but over the years, every time I’ve tried to use it, it’s never the same taste as the coffee you get when they make it. I started using Tim Horton’s coffee grinds. Gross! The taste didn’t even compare to what Tim Horton’s regularly tastes like. I know it has something to do with the water temperature or something like that but when you purchase a brand of coffee, you expect it to taste the same as in the store. After I had a few issues with drip coffees not tasting good or even close to what the store coffee tastes like, I put the drip coffee machine aside to collect dust, most likely never to be seen again.
Well, when I was notified that I was selected to do a review for Lavazza Italian Coffee, I went into high gear looking for my coffee machine. Apparently my urge to never see it again was big enough to make it disappear because I couldn’t find it. How could I do this review for this coffee when I no longer had a drip machine? So I went out and bought one and I’m so glad I did.
I’ve heard of Lavazza before but I think the closest I have ever come to this type of coffee is Illy and that was just because it was a promotional thing. Although very tasty, I find it’s not easy to come across so I stuck with the brand I was using at the time.
The Lavazza story begins in 1895 in Turin, Italy where Luigi Lavazza opened a boutique grocery shop specializing in roasting coffee. Since then, the four generations of the Lavazza family have been dedicated to – above all – the quality, innovation, creation and sharing of authentically Italian espresso and coffee experiences.
At first I wasn’t too sure about this coffee. I knew that it was an Italian coffee but the fact that it was for a drip coffee machine, all I could think about what that strong, potent taste that I’ve had with a lot of drip coffees. I was given the Gran Aroma and Gran Selezione. Before I tried these (at first look), I compared them to what I though Starbucks would be, or at least what I taste when I drink them. I thought Gran Aroma would be a light bodied (Blonde) coffee and Gran Selezoine would be very strong seeing as it is a Dark Roast
I am not a fan of the dark roasts but Lavazza’s dark roast (Gran Selezione) was not nearly as strong as I thought it would have been. Although full bodied, it was less intense than what I was expecting. I could actually taste a bit of the “chocolatiness” that it mentions on the front but if I didn’t see it on the package, I wouldn’t have noticed it in the taste. It is something I had to pay attention to before really noticing. It’s a great tasting coffee and good for the more “experienced” coffee drinkers. Could be a bit too much for someone who isn’t use to coffee aside from Tim Horton’s. This is the only dark roast coffee that I can drink.
Gran Aroma is another nice coffee that is very smooth and quite tasty. I did notice that comparing to the dark roast (using the same amount of sugar and milk) the coffee was quite a bit sweeter. I noticed the sugar in it more than I had in the dark roast. It seemed as though this was a much lighter blend but once I poured myself a new cup with less sugar, it was the perfect cup. If you think about it, that’s good because you could potentially be using half the sugar you normally would.
The coffee was amazingly fresh and the strong yet amazing smell was awesome. You could smell the freshness as soon as you opened the package. While brewing, I left the room to take out the garbage and as I came in, I could smell the coffee down the hall. Once I opened the door it was the best coffee brew I’ve smelled. 2 words: Sweet Coffee. If that doesn’t sound pleasing, think of the best coffee smell you could imagine and use those words to replace what I just said because it smells that good. I’d love it if I could wake up to this smell every morning!
Both of the roasts, overall, were great. I can’t complain bout the taste at all. For the price, quality and quantity, it’s more than a good deal and definitely a crowd pleaser. Even my fiancé, who isn’t a coffee fan, said for a drip coffee, it tastes really good!
Thankfully I’ve found my coffee replacement. Now I can save myself at least $75.00 a month on coffee!
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These don’t taste like other granola bars I have had although they do look similar. Adding the Quinoa is a super added bonus. The price, I’m not so impressed with, therefore I don’t eat these often but it’s a great extra option if you... +
These don’t taste like other granola bars I have had although they do look similar. Adding the Quinoa is a super added bonus. The price, I’m not so impressed with, therefore I don’t eat these often but it’s a great extra option if you don’t want your same old bar. -
This stuff is way too greasy compared to a lot of other things I've used. It doesn't blend well at all, feels like it's just sitting on my face ready to fall off. I feel like my skin is literally suffocating and I need to wash it off right away... +
This stuff is way too greasy compared to a lot of other things I've used. It doesn't blend well at all, feels like it's just sitting on my face ready to fall off. I feel like my skin is literally suffocating and I need to wash it off right away. Smell isn't great either. -