Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Facial Cleanser

On a recent trip, I found myself unhappy with the face wash I had packed, and needed an alternative (more on that face wash in another post). I didn't want to go to the drugstore and pick something out, so I was super elated when my hubby and I wandered across an Ulta store and I saw that they had a mini size of Philosophy's 'Purity Made Simple' One Step Facial Cleanser.

I had been hearing so many raves about this product, but never wanted to shell out the money to try it, plus my skin is very picky as to what products it will take to. But, I thought this would be the perfect time to just bite the bullet, spend the $10, and commence on the road to great skin, as everyone seems to agree this product will provide for you.

So, later that day (after hours of walking around in the hot weather and sweating up a storm), I went into the hotel bathroom, and washed my face for the first time with this product. As the instructions said, I used lukewarm water to wet my face and rubbed it in for a minute, to make sure I got a complete, deep down clean. Since I had read several stellar reviews on how this face cleanser eliminated the need for prior makeup remover and a moisturizer afterward, I didn't remove any makeup before I washed my face, and I gave my moisturizer the day off afterward, just to give the cleanser a chance completely on its own.

Let me say that the smell of the cleanser is wonderful; it's a clean, fresh lemon scent, which I love. After washing the cleanser off completely, I patted my face dry, and ran a piece of toilet paper across my face to be sure all my makeup was off. Good news, there was no sign of it left; score! But then, my face started to feel really tight, and alas, five minutes later, I looked in the mirror to find my usual dry spots appear, which was very sad. I have a huge problem with super dry skin, mostly in the winter, but in the summer I find that a little bit of moisturizer and the right cleanser will give me a slight reprieve. Well, this is not the right cleanser for that.

I absolutely loved the scent and the clean feeling it gave me, but if I see my dry patches after washing (with lukewarm water), I know that if I keep using it, it will make the dryness worse. How disappointing :-(

I did troop through it for the rest of the week, though, as the alternative was an even worse one. The result was much of the same, and even when I used my moisturizing lotion afterward, my skin felt tight and those patches were creeping beneath the surface. Also, I got a big, honking pimple on my chin...the type that is huge, hurts alot, and doesn't go away for about two weeks. I'm pretty sure I can attribute it to the cleanser, since I broke out along my forehead as well, though those spots went away immediately after I stopped using the cleanser and went back to my normal one at home.

So, lovelies, I'm sorry to say that Philosophy's 'Purity Made Simple' face cleanser did not do the miracle work for me that everyone else seemed to experience. I think it would work better on those of you who have normal skin (possibly oily skin), and who don't worry about dryness or breakouts. However, if you want more information on the product and its ingredients, here is the link to Philosophy's site:
http://www.philosophy.com/skincare-cleansers/purity-made-simple-product

The cleanser comes in five sizes:
3 oz. - $10
8 oz. - $20
16oz. - $32
24 oz. - $40
32 oz. - $47.50

and can be purchased online through Philosophy's site, and in-store and online through Sephora and Ulta (and possibly other beauty stores/sites; the ones above are just the ones I know for sure).

So, lovelies, leave a comment below and let me know if you've used this product and what your experiences were, whether you've found your own miracle face cleanser, or any thoughts in general :-)


Thanks so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!!!

xoxo









*Disclaimer: Photo is my own. All opinions are my own, I am not affiliated with any of the brands/companies mentioned, and all products mentioned were purchased by me, with my own money...no one is funding my makeup habit lol.

Review: Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub

So, even though I see no end in sight for this cold, gloomy weather, I have to say that this Winter has really wreaked havoc on me and I really am looking forward to Spring. For me, Winter brings nothing but too much cold, chapped lips, dry skin, and the obsessive need to wear ten layers of clothing (literally). I get so frustrated because every year I try to find something that will take away some of the horrible dry skin and chapped lips, but nothing proves worthy (story of my life!). While I'm still looking for something that will heal my hands, I am happy to say that I think I've found a product that can cure my unfortunate winter lip situation:

I have been a fan of Lush products for awhile, and I tend to try to convert friends into becoming as fanatic as I am, but up until recently I had only used their Bath Bombs. A couple of months ago, I was in my local Lush store (after having applied some lip balm for the umpteenth time in an hour) when I spotted this little gem. Immediately, I began to hope that this might relieve me from my chronically chapped lips but I wasn't entirely convinced I wanted to spend the $8.95 on it.

After shopping around the store a bit and coming back to the Lip Scrub for the fifth time, the girl working asked me if I wanted to try the scrub...I said yes before she could finish her sentence. She explained how to use it, and that it was actually edible (it tastes sooooo yummy), so I slathered what I thought to be a tiny bit on my lips and waited for a miracle to happen. Well lovelies, a miracle did indeed occur.

After wiping away the scrub, I found that the layers and layers of dry skin that I was using lip balm to try and heal on my lips were completely gone. My lips were so smooth and soft that I thought they transplanted another pair onto my face. It was unbelievable! Needless to say, I snapped this up right then and there.

I've had this now for a few months, and I have barely used any of it up. Literally, a minuscule amount is all you have to rub on your lips, and after washing it off (or eating it, whichever you prefer lol) and applying a little lip balm to keep your new smooth lips that way, there is really no need to use it more than maybe once a month. This, coming from a girl whose lips were flaking every other day (yes, with continual use of moisturizing lip products). Even though I was leery of the $8.95 the scrub was in my store, I'm glad I took the plunge and got it because it will last me forever.

This lip scrub comes in three different flavors, and is all natural (like all of Lush's products). If you want to know more about Lush and their products here's the link:
http://lush.com/

I highly recommend this product, but I would love to hear your thoughts as well. Have you used this product to smooth your dry lips, or do you use something else? Let me know what works for you!

Thanks so much for reading!!!
xoxo




*As always, all products mentioned were bought with my own money, and I am not afficilated with any of the companies/brands mentioned. All opinions are my own*

Review: Nexxus ProMend Leave-In Treatment Creme

Imagine my delight a few months ago, when I heard that Nexxus was coming out with a new line of hair products that targets sealing and getting rid of your split ends. My hair is very curly, very thick, and pretty darn damaged, and I have always had a problem with split ends. So, I was extremely excited about this ProMend line, and thought (as usual) that this was the product that was going to help me get rid of those pesky things.


I waited until right before I got a trim at my salon and then went in search of this product, only to find that it would set me back about $13. Quite a bit to spend on some hair creme, but I vowed to give it a shot. So, I bought it, got my hair cut, and started using the creme as directed after every hair washing (which is about three times a week).


After the first week, my hair still had that fresh cut look and feeling, and I didn't notice many split ends. Thus, I continued on with the product.


After the second week, I started noticing more split ends, but not a whole lot, so I thought "Hey, this stuff might actually be doing what it is supposed to".


Then, we get to the third week...and all split end heck broke loose. I had not been using styling tools on my hair during the past few weeks (i.e. curling irons, straighteners, or even my hair dryer), so I have nothing to blame the emergence of the split ends on anything except for the fact that my hair is just difficult like that. Hence the reason I tried the stuff. But when the ProMend claims that by using the creme, it will instantly seal split ends, and over time eliminate 92% of them, I do not expect split ends to come back in full force three weeks after a haircut. Alas, they did.


I decided to use it for one more week (making it a full month to give this product a chance), but I still saw no improvement, and even more split ends popped up. The ends seemed to be sealed right after I applied the creme, but when my hair dried, they were in full split glory. Throughout the day, my ends continued to be split and dry, and my heart sank at another product that doesn't do what it claims (for my stubborn hair, at least).


Now, let me just say that, No, I did not use the ProMend Shampoo, Conditioner, and Overnight Creme during this time frame. I stuck with my usual moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and used my deep conditioner once a week like I always had. I wanted to give this one product a try before trying the rest of the expensive line. Also, normally, after I get my haircut, it takes almost six weeks for bad split ends to show up with my usual haircare routine.


So, for my hair, using this product seemed to speed up the appearance of split ends. It is very unfortunate because I was really rooting for this treatment to work! But, no dice :-(


I am not saying that this product might not work on hair that does not have a tendency to show dryness and damage. In fact, if your hair is in fairly good condition, and you are worried about the occasion split end, this creme might actually work. But for you all out there who just can't seem to find a way to get rid of those split ends, and deter them from coming back, this is not the product for you. (Sorry, Nexxus)
Verdict (for my curly, dry, damaged hair): Fail

But, to give Nexxus a fair chance, below is the link to the product's website, so you can find out information for yourself:
http://www.nexxus.com/Product/PRO%e2%80%a2MEND-Leave--In-Treatment-Cr%c3%a8me/Split-End-Binding-Targeted-Leave--In-Treatment-Cr%c3%a8me


I have seen the full line of ProMend products at mass market drugstores, such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc., so if you do want to try it for yourself, it should be fairly easy to find. It will probably run between $10 and $14 (I have seen this range of prices in the stores surrounding my area).


If you have tried this product, please leave a comment and let me know how it worked for you! I know that my opinion is not the be-all, end-all, so please feel free to share your thoughts...it might just help out someone else! :-)


Thanks so much for dropping by and reading!
xoxo










*By the way, all products mentioned were bought with my own money, and all opinions are completely my own. Not affiliated with any companies mentioned. Thanks for reading this far down ;-p *