In late 2016, SheaMoisture intentionally started changing up the formulas in all of its products … for the worse. For example, all the new soap bar formulas have palm oil as their primary ingredient, making them basically no different from most other bar soaps ... except the REALLY cheap bar soaps (like those on grocery store shelves) that use "tallowate" – animal fat – as the primary ingredient.

I uploaded a picture of the old ingredients (in their Coconut & Hibiscus bar soap). The primary ingredients: coconut oil, coconut milk, papaya, vanilla beans, shea butter, cocoa butter, mushroom extract, Vitamin E, hibiscus. Little wonder I once found this bar soap on a beauty magazine's list of five best bar soaps.

Here's WHY they did it. In late 2015, Bain Capital, a venture capital firm, invested in SheaMoisture. SheaMoisture, being a privately-held company, must have "invited in" Bain … almost certainly to help them find a buyer for the SheaMoisture company. Bain makes its money when the company is sold, getting back more (for the percentage of the SheaMoisture company they bought) than what they paid to get it in the first place. At that point, neither Bain nor SheaMoisture had any further interest in the long-term outcomes & condition of the SheaMoisture company, the quality of SheaMoisture products or the integrity of the SheaMoisture customer base. They were "in it to flip it."

They cheapened the product costs with lousy formulas in order to improve the financial statements that would make the SheaMoisture company more attractive to potential buyers. Ruining their products, losing the customer base they built over many years, entirely irrelevant. And that's exactly how it played out. In late 2017 SheaMoisture was bought up by Unilever, turning a tidy profit for Bain off its very short-term investment (less than two years) … and nicely cashing-out the original owners of SheaMoisture … so they can go live in Bali or Monaco or somewhere.

Unilever's interest is easy to guess. SheaMoisture was successfully breaking away from its roots as a ethnic product line and was becoming recognized as a higher quality product in the mainstream market. So the SheaMoisture brand image is valuable to a high-volume mass marketer like Unilever. This is the same kind of story as with Burt's Bees; most people still think BB is some kind of specialty craft/upscale product as it once was, not having the least idea that these days it is nothing more than a brand name owned by the Clorox corporation.

To be fair a lot of Unilever products are of somewhat better quality than the product against which they directly complete. Still, Unilever is high-volume, so they won't ever be able to return to the more expensive, much higher quality formulas that SheaMoisture once used.

As my stock of classic SheaMoisture bar soaps winds down, I am still searching for a high-quality replacement bar soap … that doesn't cost a small fortune. One of the better choices at this point seems to be the "Out of Africa" bar soaps; they are one of the few bar soaps left that do not contain palm oil as the primary ingredient, instead they contain about 20% shea butter.


I'm giving this product a five star review because it actually does work. It might not be working consistently or easily for many users because electrolysis is actually pretty hard to do. That's why there are professionals who do it full time as a job. This product uses galvanic electrolysis. There are two other types that professional users and equipment can do. However if people are patient and follow through with good technique they will get good results eventually. And electrolysis is the ONLY permanent method of hair removal that you can do on your own. Anything else, however easy and painless, is just a temporary fix. So the product should not be judged by how difficult it is to use, but by the permanence of the results.
-Hair grows in three phases. Electrolysis only works best in the initial growing phase and sometimes works in the intermediate phase. It will not work in the final, dormant stage because the root, which electrolysis kills, is not active. An easy way to make sure you are only spending time on hairs in the growing phases is to shave an area and wait a few days. The hairs that poke up are growing.
-It only makes sense to do electrolysis on terminal hairs. Those are the dark, coarse hairs. Vellus hairs, the light and fine ones, are not that compatible with electrolysis because the holes they grow out of are small like the hairs themselves and aren't very easy to thread the needle in to all the way. There's also a risk of scarring. So don't go nuts. Just focus on the terminal hairs.
-Electrolysis kills hair roots through a combination of heat and a corrosive, lye-like substance that results from the electric charge coming in to contact with biological cells. That white, yucky substance that people are complaining about? that's the "lye". Don't wipe it off and don't pluck the hairs right away. You want to let them soak in it a while and die. I treat a hair and then go brush my teeth or water the plants before I pluck the hair. The "lye" needs a few minutes to do the job of killing the hair root.
-You need to actually make contact with all of the root area and the sides at the follicle base to kill it. A hair root is sort of an elongated sheath shape not a little pin dot. If any cells survive it regenerates from the surviving cells. It's a good idea to sort of plunge the needle in and out very, very gently or jiggle it a bit side to side while treating a hair. This increases the area the electricity comes in contact with and improves the odds of killing all the root. It's better than holding the needle perfectly still.
-If you've killed the root the hair will slide out without any tugging and will feel almost "greasy". If you need any force to pull it out it's not dead and you should leave the hair in and wait a few days and try again.
-As you might be able to tell from my comments this is a pretty tricky process and the odds are against you. You need to hit the root perfectly, kill the whole root area and get it in the early phases of growth. I think electrolysis only really works well for targeting a few "crazy" hairs growing in weird spots. It's not that great for clearing large areas. Doing it requires focus and precision. And also a bit of luck. I had a half dozen weird hairs and I've used this product to kill them and am rid of them forever. For that, I consider it priceless. But if you are aiming to use it to clear large areas it's likely it will be a source of frustration. Even for professionals, with professional grade equipment and years of experience, clearing a large area takes months and months of detail oriented work.


What a great idea! I used suggestions from reviewer “mom of 4” with some exceptions.  I did not use any OPI branded products to prep my nails.  OPI nas 99 is just 99% isopropyl alcohol so I just used that.  MUCH cheaper!  (Buy it at the dollar store!)  I also used Gelish PH Bond Prep as that is what I had.

I watched some You Tube vids before applying the nail guards.  I saw that most of the posters used some kind of tool to press down the nail guards and later discovered a silicone nail tool was what I saw; I almost bought one but ended up with really good results using the eraser end of a new pencil.  Now, don’t despair if you don’t apply the nail guards perfectly!  Mine were rather wrinkledy but the wrinkles were covered by the builder gel.  I also found the guards wrinkled much less when I applied them from the cuticle end and put some traction on the tip end, pulling the guard down over my fingertip gluing to my finger skin before filing the excess.  Make sure you file DOWN and not across to remove the excess nail guard.  That’s a mistake I made when I first applied these.  Don’t worry if you mess up the application of these guards.  A few times I had to remove the guard just placed as I completely trashed it on the application.  I found that instead of breaking into another card, I could just use two smaller guards to completely cover my billboard-sized nails.

While searching nail videos, I stumbled on Liz at The Nail Hub.  If you have not seen her videos, do yourself a favor and watch some.  She showed a “pushing” technique in which the gel is laid down on the middle of the nail then pushed towards the cuticle end and sidewalls of the nail, flattening the nail brush.  I tried this and it resulted in a much thinner amount of product in those areas with a more natural looking nail at the end.

I used In.Hype Camouflage Pink UV Builder Gel rather than the OPI branded product (it was half the cost) laying down two very thin coats and curing each coat for 90 seconds.  Then I applied two coats of my color – curing each for 60 seconds.  I’m currently in love with Allenbelle chameleon thermic color 5738, a light pink to dark pink temperature changing glitter polish.  I then used one coat of Gelish Top It Off as that is what I had, curing for 90 seconds.  My manicure lasts perfectly for two weeks which is about as long as I can stand it before the grow-out starts to bug me.  When I’m ready to redo my manicure I just pry the polish off with the paddle end of an orange stick dipped in polish remover.  The polish pops right off with absolutely NO damage to my natural nails!  The popped off polish looks like a press-on nail!

I applied gel nail polish for years but got tired of the soaking and scraping technique to get the polish off, which also damaged my nail beds.  So I went back to regular nail polish for a few years.  This wasn’t really a fix, as a regular polish manicure lasts less than a week for me before the polish chips or I just peel it off.  Now I can have a long-lasting mani that doesn’t ruin my natural nails!  YAY for nail guards!


I've used these flexible curling rods several times now.  First, I practiced wrapping my hair up a few times at home without waiting the required time to get the curls.  (I was so excited to try it out when they arrived.) I also tried it with both wet and dry hair.  The hair wrapping goes pretty quickly because there are no fasteners or clips to worry about.  That was a key factor in my decision to try these. You just roll up the hair from the bottom up and then bend the long ends up over the curl to secure.  And they do stay put, once you figure out which way to bend them.  Wrap tightly and bend the tips over the hair closest to the scalp.  There are a few videos on YouTube that can help show you how to wrap your hair using curling rods of any kind, if you want to see it in action.

The rods are long and have a nice, slightly grippy texture on the surface, which is good for gripping the hair a little.  But it's not too grippy that it would prevent easy removal from the curled hair.

They have a bit of cushioning to them, too, which means there's a little bit of give to them when you curl.  The cushioning is also handy if you sleep in them. In general, it's not great sleeping with stuff stuck to your head.  I managed to avoid getting a headache when I slept in these, though, which surprised me.

The ends are covered with little caps that keep the wire inside, and they kind of pop out of the rods a little, but not off.  You can easily pop them back into place without any problems.

There are 6 of each size/color in the pack (7 sizes!) and you can choose a differing variety every time you set your hair, for differing looks.  I have shoulder length hair and liked the smaller ones for the shortest hair at the nape of the neck, and graduate to larger sizes toward the top of my head.  But I have used larger ones all around as well.  It depends what kinds of curls you're going for.  You can also use larger or smaller sections of hair to wrap each rod, for more variations.

The design of the clear/blue carrying case was also a factor in my decision.  I like the upright design, the little zipper cap, and the handle on top.  It's compact for the quantity of rods it contains, which makes it easy to travel with, though the vertical design can be difficult for getting all the rods back in and fitting well.  It helps to straighten out the rods before putting them back in the container.  Not a big deal, just a small struggle if you're short on time.

I have gotten crazy curly results from these after sleeping in these the other night.  I was so curly I didn't recognize myself in the mirror!  These rods will deliver!  The key is to wrap moistened, but not sopping wet hair, wrap tightly and consistently. Mind those pesky ends and make sure they are held under the hair in the right direction, and leave these rods in for several hours until the hair is all completely dry.  Overnight is best, but I've seen results in just a couple hours with only slightly dampened hair.

I'm still learning how to best curl using these, but I'm very happy with my investment.  I think you will enjoy playing with your hair using these.


So far so good! I've been using the serum for about 3-1/2 weeks. I just placed and received my second order because I did not want to run out. So far I like the results. The results are subtle but progressive; I can definitely see and feel a difference in my skin tone and texture. The serum feels good going on and a little goes a long way. It is very light and refreshing - not sticky and it is not leaving a residue... My first container is not empty yet so I anticipate that one 30ml container lasts for at least 30 days. So I ordered more before I ran out so as not to have a gap in use. I use about 1-2 "squirts" once a day in the evening. The instructions state "drops" but that was hard to gauge... Anyway, it might also be helpful for me to note that when I started using this product I also made some other changes in my daily skin care routine. I was unhappy with some other products so I did a little research and decided to add a vitamin C serum to my routine. I also increased my water intake to about 60-70 oz. per day and started to take a phyto-ceramide supplement. I was already taking supplements of Vitamin E, Ester C, B Complex and Krill Oil which I continued to take. I also drink green tea and rooibos tea fairly regularly. I reduced my coffee to only one stiff cup in the morning (that was difficult). As far as topical applications I continue to use a mild cleanser followed by an alcohol-free, pore refining toner (both are Neutrogena). Then after the toner thoroughly dries (which takes like 5-10 min) I apply the Vitamin C serum and let that dry as well (dries quickly in 5-7 min). I then put on moisturizer that is targeted for the eye area and another for the rest of the face and neck (also Neutrogena). I make sure to use the SPF 30 "day" moisturizer and because I have some sun damage (brown patches), I also started to use a spot treatment for lighting (AlphaHydroxy-SpotLight) only every other day. I additionally use an exfoliator about 3 times a week with the spinning brush thingy (also Neutrogena). I make sure to use that before a shower and rinse it off while in the shower (the steam seems to help open the pores so everything else penetrates better after). The reason I do the whole routine in the evening is because of the little dry times and the mornings are a bit rushed for me... BUT... I think I may just give myself some extra "me time" in the AM and up my full routine to twice a day. Right now the morning is just cleanse and moisturize! I guess it would be about time anyway because I didn't want to go over board in the beginning with the additional stuff I added. I'm definitely not promoting any particular product here; I only mentioned the other stuff I'm using for reference and also because I'd tried the more expensive moisturizers and they were not any more effective at moisturizing than the one I'm using now. I know maybe it sounds like a lot of changes but actually, after the 1st few days, it just became part of daily habit. I really think the water is contributing significantly - although I do go to the bathroom more often; it's probably flushing my system and getting rid of toxins. I hope to see continued results. I am pleased with this serum and I'll come back with an update in another month.


(Ingredients list is at the bottom of this review.)

I have really enjoyed using the Celleanser Vegan Clean Cream, and my skin seems to like it too. I also tried the Celleanser Clean Toner Mist, and the Celleanser Clean Serum. They all worked nicely for my dry, sensitive skin, and they worked nicely together.

This cream has a thick and creamy texture. It is very smooth and soothing to apply to the skin. It soaks in well, but it doesn't disappear. It leaves a nice layer of extra hydration and moisture on the skin. Though, it is lightweight and breathable. Not heavy at all. It is not sticky, and it layers perfectly with other products. The scent is sort of lightly herbal or earthy, similar to many Korean skincare brands.

I will say that the finish isn't my go-to. It isn't really dewy or glowy. But I wouldn't call it extremely matte either. Maybe somewhere in-between, but more toward the matte side. I typically like to use dewy, glowy skincare, so I would probably use this product at night for that reason.

The packaging is a nice 60ml tube with a flip-top cap. A little goes a long way, and I imagine this tube will last me a while. At $19.99 for 60ml / 2.02 fl. oz., it's an excellent deal. Especially because the ingredient list is nice.

I haven't been using it long enough to speak on the long-term results, but I do like the cream so far, and I will definitely continue to use it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the ingredient list and wants to give it a try.

A NOTE TO CELLEANSER: It would be wonderful to add accurate, full ingredient lists to all of your products listed on Amazon. It would go a long way toward helping your customers save time and make informed decisions without any hesitations or uncertainties. Thank you!

INGREDIENTS:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato Glycopersicum) Fruit Extract (Toma) , Potentilla Chinensis Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Angelica Gigas Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose , Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Origanum Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Extract, Citric Acid, Astragalus Membranaceus Extract,Carbomer, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool.


(Ingredients list is at the bottom of this review.)

I have really enjoyed using the Celleanser Vegan Clean Serum, and my skin seems to like it too. I also tried the Celleanser Clean Toner Mist, and the Celleanser Clean Cream. They all worked nicely for my dry, sensitive skin, and they worked nicely together.

This serum is creamy with a viscous gel-like texture that provides an extra layer of hydration, moisture, and antioxidants on the skin. It is applied before moisturizer. The serum is smooth and cooling when applied. It soaks in well, but it does leave a nice layer of extra hydration on the skin. It is not sticky, and it layers perfectly with other products. The scent is sort of lightly herbal or earthy, similar to many Korean skincare brands.

I will say that the finish isn't my go-to. It isn't really dewy or glowy. But I wouldn't call it extremely matte either. Maybe somewhere in-between, but more toward the matte side. I typically like to use dewy, glowy skincare, so I would probably use this product at night for that reason.

The packaging is very nice with a unique-looking, tall, slim plastic bottle with a very functional pump. A little goes a long way, and I imagine this bottle will last me a while. At $19.99 for 30ml / 1.01 fl. oz., it's a pretty good deal. Especially because the ingredient list is nice.

I haven't been using it long enough to speak on the long-term results, but I do like the serum so far, and I will definitely continue to use it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the ingredient list and wants to give it a try.

A NOTE TO CELLEANSER: It would be wonderful to add accurate, full ingredient lists to all of your products listed on Amazon. It would go a long way toward helping your customers save time and make informed decisions without any hesitations or uncertainties. Thank you!

INGREDIENTS:

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbitol, Dipropylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Lavender) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Origanum Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Angelica Gigas Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Extract, Astragalus Membranhuba Fruit Extract, Zizip Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Potentilla Chinensis Extract, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract, Lecithin, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum,Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Adenosine, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool.


Not only are these brushes ... AMAZING ... but the BEST thing I have discovered about them is they are saving me money by using way LESS makeup!!!   Seriously ... I never realized how much product my old (expensive-name-brand) brushes were "soaking up."  I always thought it seemed like it took forever to clean all the makeup from them, but never had anything to compare it to.  UNTIL NOW.

MONEY/MAKEUP SAVING:  I have been using these brushes for a little over a month now.  I clean my brushes every Sunday (with the little rubbery-do-dad-scrubber-thing-a-ma-jig these came with).  The first time I used them, I began with my concealer and learned quickly that the same amount that I am used to dabbing on was no longer necessary.  Then the foundation, highlighter, shadow, etc ... I literally had to wipe makeup off my face as there was just WAY TOO MUCH on my face.  That's when I realized that my former brushes were soaking up a ridiculous amount of my expensive makeup.   For the next week, I cut my "makeup usage" nearly in half ... then came Sunday-Cleaning day.

CLEANING:  These brushes not only clean up so well, but it only took a few seconds running under the tap to clear out any makeup remaining in them.  THEY AREN'T MAKEUP-EATING-MONSTERS like I guess my old brushes were!!!  I laid them flat on a clean white towel and they actually dried very quickly  (which I thought was crazy since they seem big and contain a ton of short fibers all tightly packed together).

BLENDING:  Anyone can become a highlighting and contouring PRO with these brushes.
  Want the whole dramatic smokey-eye look???  These brushes make that SUPER SIMPLE as well.
  Are you a makeup-minimalist?  Even on my "makeup-minimalist days" these are the BEST brushes for covering and blending the most minimal amount of makeup leaving that clean, simple, natural look.
*THESE BRUSHES LITERALLY BLEND SO WELL, THAT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU EITHER AIRBRUSHED YOUR MAKEUP ON.  The reflection in the mirror is as perfectly polished and softly blended as any "beautifying photo-editing" app can do!*

DOWN-SIDE/CONS:  OK... now the "down-sides" to these brushes...

1.  They are big and bulky.
    I purchased a big roll-up brush case to carry and organize all these brushes in and it works fine ... but don't expect these to fit into your normal makeup bag.

2.  They aren't labeled.
  I matched each brush up with a photo on amazon of which brushes are designed for what purpose ... then I used my vinyl cutter to make some gold labels and stuck them to the handles of each brush (foundation, powder, highlighter, contour, blush, brow, shadow, shadow crease, etc.).   No confusion or grabbing the wrong one now.   A silver or gold Sharpie would work for this as well.

OVERALL:   Buy these.  Then buy a set for gifts for all your girlfriends, mothers, sisters, daughters ... whoever!
    These are simply AMAZING brushes!!!!!!!!


Update 3/17: I have been buying these nails since Oct 2020, and I have absolutely loved them, unfortunately this recent batch I got has been awful. They break so easily; I shut a door and they break, I wash my hands and they break. I mean like, the nail breaks in pieces, leaving sharp edges and half the nail stuck to my real nail. It’s awful. This used to happen here and there with these nails, but it’s happened with every manicure I’ve done with this recent batch.
 I also noticed my nail polish isn’t applying as smoothly over these nails, and it’s taking forever to dry. (Tried and true nail polish that doesn’t apply this way usually). Something about this plastic has changed significantly. I’m super disappointed.

October 2020: This is going to be a long, informative review! First, my needs, in case what I was looking for is different from you:

I wanted medium length fake nails to paint over. I work in retail and am obviously washing/sanitizing my hands constantly, so my nails are refusing to grow. I don’t like getting my nails done either. So these for me are perfect and meet all of my needs.  The negatives and positives in general are laid out below!

Negatives:

-The reviews saying you can see the pixels in the whites of the nails are correct. However, it’s so unnoticeable. I don’t think you should worry about that. Unless you’re a hand model, nobody will notice teeny tiny pixels on the whites of these nails.
-You can see the glue underneath. This isn’t a problem for me because I paint over them anyway. Also, again, I doubt anyone would notice that either. It’s obvious when you look directly at the nails and analyze them. But who realllly can get close enough to you right now to do that?
-Three of these nails have broken, like split down the middle. This is over the course of like 4 or 5 manicures though, so not bad.
-They pop off easily. This could be the glue (Kiss). I like this about them though. I just keep my glue in my purse with me. I don’t want to ruin my nail bed, and sometimes I’ll apply a nail wonky and I count on it popping off so I can fix it haha.

Positives:

-The shape
-The length
-The variety
-The texture

It took a few tries to get down which sizes worked best for my nails (I have wee hands. I am a small person. The attached pic of me and my partner don’t exactly show that. I’ve seen one complaint being that these are too small, but idk how that could happen because there are literally so many sizes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). I use the Kiss glue which works in 5 seconds, then file the tops a little bit, apply my nails polish without a base coat (it sticks better to these smooth nails). I also apply the fake nails to my non dominant hand first. Trust me on that one. You can see how they improved with each look I did. Was still figuring myself out for the pink manicure.

Anyway, I love these and will definitely repurchase! Several people asked if I was getting my nails done professionally. Plus, my nail beds are totally fine! They are actually stronger since these protect them from all of the stuff I do at work. Highly recommend and will repurchase when I finally run out.


Eight months ago, I retired and moved from Virginia to Tennessee.  The change in environment, I believe, is what contributed to my complexion becoming extremely dry.  In the mornings, I began waking up with red, flaking, irritated, inflamed patches of skin beneath my eyes, at the corners of my nose, and at the sides of my mouth.  After a month of using a very expensive moisturizer four times a day, the patches of damaged skin were eventually healed.  I feared that the patches would reappear after I finished using the high-end moisturizer.  Thankfully, I received the opportunity to review three facial hygiene products from Higher Education:  NO BRAINER Gentle Skin Cleanser, GOAL DIGGER Moisturizing Cucumber Crème, and MBA Night Renewing Serum.  These are strange names for three products that have worked wonderfully.  I have faithfully used them all every day for three weeks.

  Let me say that I am a fifty-six-year-old Caucasian male with a raunchy complexion.  I still get pimples occasionally.  My skin can tend to be oily but if I wash it too much it becomes very dry.  The NO BRAINER Gentle Skin Cleanser is one of the few cleansers that actually cleans my face without drying out my skin.  After I use it, my skin still feels soft and supple.  In the mornings, I wash my face with the NO BRAINER before I shave.  Then I take a shower.  Even after I step out of the shower, my face still feels soft and supple, not like a piece of dry leather.  The cleanser tends to add moisture rather than take it away.  Also, I can use it twice a day without worrying about it drying out my skin.  When I first moved to Tennessee, my face became so dry that I could only wash it in the mornings and I could only shave every other day.  Now I am back to washing my face twice a day and shaving every day.  I feel cleaner and more ready to face the world when I am clean shaven every day.  Also, I wake up the next morning with fewer pimples if I am able to wash my face before going to bed.

  The green gooey substance in the tube is easy to apply to my face and easy to wash off.  It feels luxuriously pleasant on my face.  The cleanser has a faint, pleasant scent that is neither masculine or feminine.  Neither does it linger after I have used it.  The six fluid-ounce tube was received inside a sturdy cardboard box with company literature inside.  A tabbed piece of gray metallic tin foil covered the tube's nozzle.  This foil was intended to prevent accidental leakage and spillage during shipping and to also serve as a deterrent in case someone wanted to contaminate its contents.  There is an expiration date on the bottom of the box and one on the back of the tube's crimp:  EXP:09/21.  This is an excellent date.  This cleanser should be used up long before then.

  Most importantly, I have been using this superb hygiene product for at least three weeks and haven't experienced any allergic reactions such as acne, boils, hives, rashes, etc.  I am very happy with it.  If you are searching for a facial cleanser that is soothing, gentle, and hydrating (it won't dry out your skin), then I highly recommend the NO BRAINER Gentle Skin Cleanser from Higher Education.


I just turned 40 (ouch.) so I thought this would be a nice addition to my skincare. It looked interesting with the "magic wand' roller ball applicator. It does help with my under eye puffiness and goes on smoothly. I don't really notice any particular plumping, brightening or difference in my fine lines. I think the roller ball is a bit gimmick-y, but its not bad. Is it worth the price tag? Questionable. It is relaxing but I can use any eye cream with other beauty tools. My favorite item to use with cream is a vibrating metal rod tool that feels nice and cool and does a better job at depuffing. The goal is to drain your lymphatic system...water retention in the face is real.

I expected more organic ingredients, but there are only 3 marked organic. I included the ingredient list below since I didn't see it here on amazon. I've using it daily for almost 2 weeks in the morning and evening, but it pills a bit so it doesn't work well under makeup. I'll keep it for evening use. I like it and I will continue to use it. I don't think it's revolutionary but it's pleasant and easy to use.

Water (Aqua), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil (1), Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (1), Diheptyl Succinate, Brassica Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil (1), Coconut Alkanes, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Punica Granatum Extract, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caffeine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Phytate, Squalane, Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin - (1) Certified Organic Ingredient


When I first looked at this Phytema Anti-Aging Hydrating Serum, I thought it looked so weird for a serum, and then, when I put a little on my skin, I wasn’t so sure I was going to like it at all.  My first reaction was that I didn’t want to use it. Not only did it feel a little thick and sticky, there were those micro-beads in there that felt strange for a serum. I honestly thought, at first, that maybe I’d received a facial wash with scrubbing beads, but when I added water to it, it didn’t lather or foam.

I looked up the product online and found the French company who makes this serum and other beauty products. I was a little reassured so I decided to give it another try.

I applied a little of the serum on the back of my right hand. What amazed me is that once it sinked into my skin, the skin of my right hand took on a glow. I’m a skeptic when it comes to beauty products—the claims companies make don’t often pan out or are exaggerated—but I could see it, and still do, that glow/illumination on my right hand versus my left hand, and over 30 minutes later it is still there. I love that glowing aspect of it.

As for softness, I really don’t see any difference from this product and others but that doesn’t bother me. What I am interested in is how it is illuminating my skin as advertised. As for what other claims the company says the serum does, that’s a little more difficult to determine except with continued use over time, but if I like how a serum feels and if it gives my skin that glow, then I’m happy enough to try it and see what happens.

There is no irritation to my skin, no burning, itching, redness.

The beads do soften onto the skin as you apply it. Here’s what the company says about how to apply (which is kind of a weird different way to apply it-I still want to do the circular thing!): ‘Apply with the flat of the hand, without making circular motions, but starting from the middle of the face towards the outside of the face, to explode the jojoba micro-beads and to release the vitamins E and C on your skin.’

It is a little difficult to apply a serum onto your face with the flat of your hand, but I did try patting it with my fingers and that worked better.

It will feel sticky when you first apply it, and you can feel those beads. However, the stickiness goes away and the beads do melt onto your skin.

The price isn’t shown on Amazon. I looked up the price on the company’s website and it’s $49.90 Francs (I am assuming it’s Francs), and that’s only about $8 in American dollars. So I don’t know what the final price will be here on Amazon or how they’ll do that. I’d pay a decent price for this serum just for that glow.

It is advertised to be partially organic and mostly natural. The company’s advert reads: ‘99.85% natural ingredients of which 28.79% organic. Phytema ™ Skincare Radiance Serum is an ultra-concentrated anti-aging, anti-radical & anti-stain active ingredient. All the effectiveness of white mulberry, cucumber and bearberry, to prevent and fade pigment spots. Natural smoothing agents provide an immediate tightening effect to your face. No phenoxyethanol, no silicone, no paraben.’

I’m willing to give this serum a try, and this company I’ve not heard of, Phytema, a try.


I have been a user of Sonicare for about 10 years--since I had a roommate who had to have gum surgery for gingivitis, and her oral surgeon recommended switching. They do a fantastic job. The price is excellent on this model, but I was concerned from previous reviews that it might not do as good a job as the regular Sonicares and that it might get destroyed from water leaking into the battery compartment.

While I was trying to decide, I used one of those disposable-type battery-operated brushes you can buy for a few bucks. My teeth felt disgusting compared to when I was using a Sonicare. Since I could tell such a huge difference, but money is really tight, I decided to get this model, and just try not to get the battery area wet, and live with the lower power, and hope that it doesn't die too early.

And I'm really glad I did, because I couldn't be happier with this brush. The design must have been updated because there are no holes near the battery housing as previous reviewers described (there are no holes anywhere). I'm pretty uncoordinated but without really trying I haven't gotten water anywhere near the battery area. I do blot the brush head dry on a towel between brushings, and that might be key since no water drips down the handle after I put it away.

It feels just as powerful to me as my previous Sonicares, and my teeth feel just as clean.

I like not having a charger taking up one of only two outlets in my bathroom and collecting dust on the counter. And I love that for travel I'll just be able to throw this in my bag without lugging a charger along. And for long travel you could just pop in two more AA batteries when needed--available almost anywhere. The batteries that came with the brush were strong, but they did die after two weeks. I would definitely recommend rechargables.

Although this brush is marketed for teens or kids, the brush head size is perfect for me; I still have my wisdom teeth and with other brushes it's been very difficult to really get to them.

For the price, even if this brush doesn't last a really long time, I think it will still be a very good deal. But if you buy it and it doesn't last, remember that there is a 2-year "limited" warranty.

Update Nov 1 2010: Still going strong on the second set of batteries. No problems whatsoever. GREAT deal.
Update May 22 2011: Still no problems, and I have only had to change the batteries 3 times since I first started using rechargables last October. When this dies I will definitely buy the same model again. It's so much cheaper than other Sonicares, and I think using regular batteries instead of a charger is a big benefit over the other models, too.
Update Jan 10 2012: BUY THIS! Still working perfectly, still easy on batteries, still much more convenient for travel than other Sonicares...and considering how much other Sonicares cost, this value is pretty unbelievable.
Update Nov 23 2012: OK, so I let my guard down and have now used this toothbrush in the shower many times. NO PROBLEMS! Since many reviews still complain of leakage or short lifespan, I can only assume there is a quality control issue and I lucked out. Still, for less than $30 with a 2-year warranty, I totally would have put up with one or two lemons.
Update: April 2013--SERIOUSLY, BUY THIS!


I'm amazed at how much hair comes in one package, and the texture and sheen is very close to human hair, and not too shiny like the nylon plasticky-looking stuff in cheap wigs. This looks believably like real hair.  4 packs is enough to make a really thick wig, and way more than enough to make a full head of long extensions.

I bought it to make myself a wig in "normal" human colors because I keep my hair dyed colors like blue or purple, but needed to look more professional sometimes. I wanted to try mixing reds to make it more natural and get it close to the red I wanted, so I bought almost every red offered.

"Dark copper red" and "red auburn" are exactly the same color, but made and packaged by different companies. Both are fairly dark and very red. One fell down in the package and became wavy, and the other had a kink where it was folded over inside the package, making both packages not smooth and hard to mix with the other colors.

"Burgundy" is slightly more natural than the swatch online looks (not like it grew out of someone's head that color, but more like salon hair dye and less like a punky non-human color), darker than the "dark copper red" and "red auburn," with a slightly violet undertone. For some reason, a tiny portion of the burgundy braid has a "yaki" hair texture, but only a small portion. The rest is silky straight. I don't know why the two different textures in one package. I will have to straighten the textured parts if I use it for anything.

"Dark auburn" is a very, very dark reddish-brown, with a tinge of black cherry color. Mine is smooth and straight.

"Strawberry blonde" is much more blonde than red and makes nice highlights in a red wig. Looks like a very natural blonde shade and the pack I got was really silky and smooth.

"Light auburn" is a slightly reddish dark blonde or light brown. When mixed with the strawberry blonde, it was my exact natural color. This color was also straight and smooth.

I also bought some non-human red shades to see how they looked and mix them with the other colors if I wanted them redder.

"Cherry red" is exactly what it sounds like: vivid cherry red. It is a slightly darker, cooler color than the regular "red." It's a beautiful color, very rich with a healthy hair shine.

"Red" is slightly brighter and leans a tiny bit more towards the orange end of the spectrum than the cherry red.

"Orange" is a really, really bright, traffic cone orange. It looks a bit more fake than the other colors, not as shiny, less like dyed healthy human hair and more like cheap doll hair.

I didn't mix the darker or non-human colors, only the two medium auburns and the two light colors, and together they make a very nice, natural red. So far I have mixed the colors and made the wefts on my sewing machine. The hair is easy to work with and hasn't tangled much. I have been using my straightening iron on the lowest setting on it and it hasn't melted at all, but does respond to the iron immediately. My only complaint, other than the two colors getting messed up in the packages, is that combing it even very gently with either a plastic comb or a metal wig brush causes some of the hairs to frizz up. I will update once I finish the wig and have worn it to see how it wears.


This is my fiancée account, however I am a popular beauty blogger and had to share with ppl on here my story,I purchased this great new generation retinoid from the great wizard of Oz's web site, well lie I was gifted from a family member two of their items this wonderful new generation of retinoid and their vit c , I must of got a bad batch of their vit c, it was oxinated, my mother purchased their vit c on Amazon I believe, I tried to get a replacement sent but the customer service person i spoke to didnt understand that my gifted vitamin c was oxinated all i was asking for was a replacement and i would send the oxinated one back, one thing that makes me love even more than the item i was anxiously waiting to try but customer service that cares for you the consumer, esecially with me being a beauty blogger, i dont need to be affilated with a company to me tion them and bzsica!ly give free advertisment especially when i believe in the product and i myself have tested it for a month to four months, i have to visibly see results before sharing my own opions on a product. So, even tho i didnt get the help i needed with my gifted item, the one i called about the oz vitamin c, on my blog i am always looking for the more affordable product that the average consumer can buy compared to high quality brands, i look at ingredients, im on a organic kick lately also on korean morning and night regiemns ok, im off topic but if the OZ seller is readinng this. Can i send back this vit c for one that isnt oxinated, truely that is why i havent shared my new dupe with their retnoid because of the customer service, on a gift that is not good, I'm not sure how to even email the seller on here, its irritating.  I was looking at the vit c thinking of purchasing it, but I thought why? They didn't seem to care, honestly i was just turned off of the customer service for not helping me with at least the exchange of it. Anyhow as i was viewing the OZ line i seen the star of their  ew cold pressed items a d one i use religiously and i had to at least share my review so despite the cs on the one item, However its not going let me stop to tell you in my secret on their retnoid 2.5 I've been experimenting and I've tested over a month, the wonderful wizard of oz new cold pressed retnoid ( replacing it with one of the most talked about retinoid Esther's ,yes Sunday Riley's Luna retnoid sleeping oil, I replaced that for one month and used oz retnoid, then I used a lactic acid in replace of the good genes Sunday Riley's. Yes , it totally works its a dupe for the Sunday Riley expensive Luna retnoid oil, then I've been using the ordinary (that's another skin brand name that has been making a buzz in the skin world) I purchased my lactic acid here on Amazon for I believe it was $13.00 but on their site its $7.50.  I included pics this is a much more affordable and works the same as Sunday Riley's duo. However ,this retnoid is a gel like consistency, but amazing organic cold pressed ingredients. Anyone looking for a dupe on Luna welcome to the wonderful world of OZ. I also pictured my oxinated vit c, I wish someone would help me with, I must have received on the vit c a bad batch, wish someone the seller?? customer service ?would help if it was gifted because I would love to try their vit c.


Okay... I just got this hair and just dyed it and cannot tell you how it sheds (because it didn’t at all during the whole dyeing and styling process) how it tangles (also didn’t tangle at all that whole time) or how long it will last, but if you want to hear how silky soft and gorgeous and beautiful it looks when it’s dyed then keep reading 😋

I used just ONE box of Revlon Color silk #60 to dye a 10” frontal, 12” bundle and 14” bundle of this hair. It was my first time ever dyeing bundles, but I’m thrilled with how they turned out. Literally PERFECT. Everyone on youtube suggested this dye for 613 hair and you just can’t beat the price. I never really wash my bundles (gross I know, but I like only wear them once or twice) so I can’t say how long the dye lasts. What I did was cowash the hair with the conditioner in the box first and then first put the dye on the roots of the frontal. It stained the lace underneath in weird polka
for patterns, but you can see it so it doesn’t matter. Again, I did *not* know what I was doing lol. Then I put half the dye on the bundles while they were still wrapped and worked it through with my hands, without combing it through. Then I went back to the frontal and combed all the dye through evenly after giving the first round of dye to sit while I was working on the bundles. Once that was all even I went back to the bundles, unrolled them, put the remaining half of the bottle on them, worked it through with my hands on both and then combed it through each strand. I rinsed the frontal out first, in the sink with the highest water pressure and only rinsed for about three minutes. Then rinsed each bundle for three minutes and then went back and rinsed all the dye out of each one. By doing everything in batches and unevenly it left behind a bunch of different colors and made it look so natural. If you let it sit longer than 30 minutes it will start to turn a way different color than blonde haha so beware. You can see the roots on the frontal look much darker because they had dye on them for the longest period of time, but even though that was an accident I think it looks even better haha. And when you put the dye on be sure to use vertical stripes, not horizontal ones! I am in love with the color and this is probably the only dye I will ever use for 613 hair.

I let it air dry for about 30 minutes, which if I’m honest was not enough, but I’m so impatient lol. They were mostly dry except for at the very top. I did not blow dry them (so important). I just used a flat iron to curl small strands one by one (whole styling took one hour 🤦♀). And even though they were a bit damp they still came out perfectly and they HOLD a curl like none other. Idk how it would be if you used a curling iron, but curling with a flat iron always gives the best results. They smell so good from the conditioner even though I just conditioned and then dyed and then didn’t put anything else on them. And they are so silky like Disney princess hair. I don’t plan on wearing these for a few months, but I love them so much.

PS I took those pictures outside in the sunlight so you can really see the true shade!


My head (scalp, forehead and face) sweat A LOT.  Odaban has saved my life!!!!  After a couple days of applying, I immediately noticed a difference.

**********PRICE / VALUE************

The price is pretty steep, all things considered, but it's so worth it.  I've tried EVERYTHING else.  Even applying antiperspirant deodorant to my forehead.  When you've tried everything else and nothing works, finding something that does makes it's price pretty inconsequential.....  It is WELL worth it.  Buy it in three packs, even if it's your first purchase.  I guarantee you will be buying more, and it takes a while for some venders to get it in stock.  It's much more popular in Western Europe than it is in the states (I think its even made there) so it can take a while for vendors to get it in stock, even on Amazon.  So, save the trouble and save a few bucks and days, get the three pack.

**********GUARANTEED APPLICATION METHOD***********

I apply twice a day until under control, then once every other day or as needed.  Once in the morning, after a shower, and once at night, right before bed.  This application method works best for me to completely cure my excessive "head" sweat, use the same method to whatever area you need help with:

1.  Apply right after getting out of the shower, after standing in front of a fan for a few minutes to make sure you're application area is completely dry.  (this is important)
2. Spray liberally on my scalp, "Dabbing" my head to make sure it reaches my scalp.
3.  2-3 "swiping" sprays across my forehead, then one on each check.
4.  Make sure all parts of face have odaban applied by "dabbing" out from the application areas.
5.  Stand in front of fan for 5-10 minutes minutes, or until Odaban is completely dry (Also VERY important).

Waiting until the area is dry before applying, and letting it try after application, is very important.  It makes all the difference in whether you will have successful results or not.  Trust me!  Stick with a variation of my method an you will have AWESOME results.

*********SIDE EFFECTS***********

Odaban will sting if it gets in your eyes.  It's not the end of the world, you just know its there.  Also, at first when applying twice a day, every day, I sometimes get a little irritation on my skin, or a burning/stinging sensation.  I just deal with it, as it only lasts until I can start phasing down to only having to apply every other day.It's worth it!!!

I've heard of some poeple having "excruciating" stinging / burning.......  Honestly, I think they are just wimps that probably complain about everything.  For me the embarrassment off be soaked in sweat around a girl is way worse than a little stinging.  Dying alone would suck.... A little stinging... Not so much!!!!!

Good luck, I hope this has been helpful.  Please give me a vote if it has and feel free to ask questions!!!!!
Thank you!!


I LOVE THESE GENERATION SKIN HYDRATING MARINE ALGAE EYE PATCHES 💙💙
 I'VE HAD CORNEA TRANSPLANTS IN BOTH OF MY EYES AND I HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIES TO THE POINT WHERE I LITERALLY HAVE TO GET INJECTIONS INSIDE MY NOSE FROM MY ENT ( EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT DR.) BUT IT DOES NOT HELP WITH THE UNDER EYE PUFFINESS AND DARK CIRCLES AROUND MY EYES ! SO MY EYES REALLY SUFFER  !!!
 MY EYES HAVE TRULY BEEN THROUGH THE WRINGER😔 😢 💔 ! SO WHEN I WORE THESE GENERATION SKIN HYDRATING MARINE ALGAE EYE PATCHES UNDER MY EYES FOR 15 MINUTES... LATER I TOOK THEM OFF AND I JUST TOOK MY FINGER AND GENTLY SMOOTH IN THE REST OF THE OIL RESIDUE FROM THE PATCHES UNDERNEATH MY EYES AND I WAITED ABOUT 15 MINUTES BECAUSE I WAS ON THE PHONE.THEN I WENT TO LOOK INTO THE MIRROR AND THAT PUFFINESS WAS LITERALLY DIMINISHING !!!
I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT I WANTED TO CRY ! IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN AFFORD TO GET UNDER EYE SURGERY FOR THE PUFFINESS SO THIS WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ME 🙏🏽🥰💙
 I HAVEN'T USED IT TWICE OR THREE TIMES IN A WEEK YET. BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO RUN OUT SO QUICKLY. I'VE ONLY USED IT ONCE A WEEK. I HONESTLY LOVE THE RESULTS AND BLUE IS HONESTLY MY FAVORITE COLOR 🥰💙
 I REALLY WANT TO USE IT THREE TIMES A WEEK !!!
 SO THIS PRODUCT REALLY HELPED MY UNDER EYE PUFFINESS AND MY SELF ESTEEM. AFTER THE OIL DRIES UNDER YOUR EYES YOU CAN APPLY MAKEUP OVER IT IT SERVES AS A GOOD MOISTURIZER. IT COULD BE A GOOD MOISTURIZER EVEN BEFORE YOU GO TO BED OR WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING.  I WISH I COULD BE A SPOKESPERSON AND YOU GUYS COULD PAY ME TO DO THIS 😂🤣. I HAVE NEVER SHARED PICTURES OF MYSELF FOR A REVIEW BUT IT ABSOLUTELY WORKS !  I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT MY EYES WOULD LOOK LIKE IF I WAS ABLE TO AFFORD IT MORE OFTEN🙏🏽🥰💙
DUE TO MY EYE DISEASE YOU WILL SEE THAT MY EYES ARE DISCOLORED. I FEEL LIKE I WOULD USE THIS LEADING UP TO A DAY WHERE I KNOW I'M GOING TO BE GOING OUT WITH FRIENDS OR TO AN EVENT.
I HOPE THIS REVIEW HELPED SOMEONE THAT IS SUFFERING LIKE ME AND AS WE ALL AGE MEN AND WOMEN ! IT'S NICE TO FIND A PRODUCT THAT TRULY WORKS ! BUT IT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER IF THE PRICE WOULD GO DOWN JUST A LITTLE SO WE COULD AFFORD TO USE IT MORE OFTEN. MY NAME IS DEE AND THIS WAS MY EXPERIENCE WHEN I TRIED THE GENERATION SKIN HYDRATING MARINE ALGAE EYE PATCHES. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND A HAPPY EASTER ✝🙏🏽🥰💙


I am obsessed with henna tattoos, especially during summer. These are so betibd cute, and they last for several days. I've bought several packs now both in white and black.  I will say that I kind of like the white a bit better but the black are so pretty and I always get lots of compliments! They are definitely a great alternative to the super expensive name brand ones which I’ve actually found do not last nearly as long.  The Bluezoo brand lasts for about a week.  They look great on and didn't give me a rash or anything and I have very sensitive skin. This product is amazing. They’re great for raves or parties or outdoor music festivals and they are super  long lasting too especially when you are all sweaty from dancing – which is a big huge bonus. . They do last 2-3 days longer than the name brand tattoos,  but do become dull or more silvery over time. The application and removal were really easy -- just be sure to follow the directions and you really shouldn't have a problem at all. Hand sanitizer and / or baby wipes really aid in getting any and all residue off of your skin.

I literally had buy these when I saw them  - they look like actual hennaand I love that they are half the price of other tattoos, and I LOVE the look. Makes everyone double take. They don't feel pre-teen or cheesy and they can mimic the look of jewelry if you don't want to be too adventurous.
Apply them on clean dry skin, try not to scrub at them and it keeps looking fresh for over forty eight hours longer than other brands I have tried.

I think these are such a cute idea for a special event or to complement a nice tan! I decided to wear them like jewelry and I got a ton of complements - I wasn't expecting a long wear time but for me they lasted straight through my shower (about 2 days after application), not once but twice. I wore one on both of my inner wrists, one on my inner forearm and one under my upper back and was surprised that I couldn't feel them or notice any type of crunching or bunching up of the material. I have quite dry skin and don't know if this helped with the wear time but rubbing the skin and washing my hands had no effect on the tattoo at all.

Overall for the price I think they are a totally cute idea and I will definitely keep wearing one or two at a time until the package is done. I have shared them with my friends kids and they just raved about them.  Not sure what I will do with the really large ones. but I would totally say to give them a try! They're quite cute and very well worth it - they last a long time and they're high quality. I'll definitely be trying them in metallic as well.  These make incredible stocking suffers and great additions to birthday or Christmas presents … the fact that they come off so easily is wonderful because once you go back to work it looks a little unprofessional to be running around with these all over your arms … I haven’t had an opportunity to use them on my legs or calves … I don’t really think they’d look very good on that part of the body but I think putting them on the top of the foot could be a good way to wear them.

Overall … great buy especially for the price … I highly recommend!

If you found my review helpful please indicate so below … this helps me to know which reviews I leave have helped other buyers and which have not … I base a lot of my purchase decisions on reviews left by other purchasers so I take them seriously and leave my reviews very honestly … if you have any questions please leave them below …. I am more than happy to answer any and all questins!

Thank you so much!


Notes out of the box;
* Very nice, low profile footprint design.
* 7 inches long, 5 inches at widest part of the oval, 2.5 inches tall.
* Fits up to .75 oz polishes with all shaped bottle necks (bam! take that iZen Pro!)
* Silver plastic, no idea on solvent resistance (yet).
* Uses both AC adapter or batteries for cordless operation.
* 5600 shakes per minute promises the box and spec detail.
* 3 detachable, adjustable rubber securing straps.
* 1 on/off button, with a lighter pressure 'pulse on' feature.

Operation:
* Cinch to strap on.
* Pretty impressive agitation for one so wee.
* Noise level mild especially in comparison to my incessant bottle agitation whining. "Ow! My arms! Blah, blah, blah." I'd be more specific, but I was operating it right on a stainless steel counter to put it through the noise test. It'd be unladylike to compare it to a 'personal massager' out loud wouldn't it? Did I just type that? Oopsy, my bad. Quieter over a mat, silicone, towel or cork tile by miles. I did that too.

Result:
Before had separation, some streaky clearness and clinging pigment near the neck. I gave it my regular human powered roll/tap/roll for the following 'before shaker' application demo. (See posted pics)

Left, regular human agitation. 5 freaky coats and I had to wrangle dual directions and mucho smoothing in application. I tried really hard to give it more care actually because I wanted to be ungenerous to ForPro. But, human agitation was a streaky, bubbled shrink-back, difficult, wrinkling mess at every application and cure. Just like last time I dared to be decadent. I purposefully used a problem child color of an otherwise fabulous gel polish line. Plus, I left the cleansing paper towel wipes in the photos to demonstrate the horrid vs acceptable cure difference. Like eww! That's dangerous. It even wiped off in spots!

Right, ForPro shaken. 3 coats. Application was easy and like normally behaved other vampy, dark, well agitated gel polishes. Say what? I thought I'd see some improvement, but I didn't really expect this great of one. The color is wearable and I like it now.

All things are equal in my test, except I was more careful in application of the human shaken swatch, which has 2 more coats for a subpar, unusable result. I had to, it was having a tantrum in streaky pants before ForPro.

Other notes:
ForPro requires a phillips head screwdriver to open the 4 AA battery housing. Probably because it shakes so much? Still, a nice cordless option to the AC adapter also included. Yay that. *Batteries not included.

And, I think any warranty would be online via ForPro website only? This didn't come with instructions or warranty card in the box. Mostly a no-brainer plug and play.

It's unscathed by alcohol meaning any gel polish mishaps can wipe right off. I blotted the underbelly to remove dust lightly.

Clear rubber feet stay put while leaving no marks. That's awesome. Especially compared to Robarts that jiggle off tables and sound like landscaping machines.

I like ForPro so far. I think it saves product and my shake stress physiology. Prettier result in fewer, easier coats :).

It did a good job on both a chunky glitter and a streak-prone frost in a conventional lacquer brand. I did shake them once to break surface tension first though. I also rotated the bottles and let them shake twice. The beads were rolling free in both and additive distribution was even and good after. Thanks ForPro! Please last an eon now.


I purchased this B3 gel in desperation. I am 70 years old, have rosacea, facial eczema, and rosacea-related acne, redness and sensitivity, and very congested pores. Also, the age-related sagging and wrinkling that most women have. My complexion was very nice when I was younger, so all these problems have been challenging to say the least. Most creams, etc. make me break out or redden. A rosacea website suggested B3. In the past, I used a B3 cream which made me break out badly from the added coconut oil to which I am very sensitive. However, this brand has fewer ingredients,  no penetrants to inflame my eczema, and comes well-reviewed. It was also not terribly expensive. Most web reviewers note one must use B3 10% faithfully for three months to get full benefits. On the third day of use, however, I noted the redness of my facial skin subsiding, including my acne scars. By the end of seven days, my pores appeared smaller, even on my nose, and the overactive sebum glands in my T-Zone were shrinking. White heads were either coming to the surface and easily extracted after a shower, or shrinking below the skin. I started using this on my neck and noted increasing firmness (which I badly need). I am not much concerned with wrinkles, as I had oily skin until menopause, and have not yet noticed any difference. Because this gel is thick, I first spray with a non-alcohol toner, and then put one or two drops on my fingers and spray three times with the toner before applying. This amount covers my whole face, neck and eye area. I then apply a lightweight moisturizer  after the B-3gel has sunk in. At first, I only did this one time a day There is a very tiny bit of flaking from this gel--it is drying a little. That, I think, is why the acne scars improve. However, this flaking is not noticeable after I apply the moisturizer. I can use mineral powder makeup with no difficulty. I now use the B3 two times a day. The Zinc in this gel appears to prevent my acne from forming like any antibiotic. I will have an undersign cyst begin to form, but by the next day it is gone. I plan to keep using this product and have ordered oral B3 vitamins, also, but have not yet begun taking them. I feel I must be deficient in this vitamin to have such a positive response topically. I should add that I usually have to take extra oral zinc when I break out badly, because I had a bad, life-threatening staph infection six years ago. The breakouts I have from rosacea often become infected now and scar badly. This Topical treatment, however, means I no longer have to take zinc orally, which is much better for my system. I hope this very detailed review helps someone else who suffers from demagogical problems as I do. PS: I also may begin using this gel on the tops of my hands at night, under my hand cream, just to see if my aging skin improves there, too. Retin A appears to thin my skin, but this B3 seems to thicken the protective layer even when the gel is not applied. Try it!! UPDATE:  April 19, 2019. I am on my third or fourth bottle, buying them now for friends. I regret this review is so long, but so afraid the company will go out of business since their founder died. These are wonderful formulations--especially this one. I've not found anything as effective at any price. Started using the caffeine eye gel last night and saw a difference immediately.


A good number of times when you see something as cute as this little bee-esque slicker brush, the manufacturer is covering up a shoddy product and hoping the "awwww, it's SO CUUUUUUTE!!!!!" factor will overwhelm the buyer so much they don't notice and/or care when the product gives up the ghost after only a few uses. So yes, choosing this slicker based on looks probably wasn't the smartest of choices, but in the end it seems to be a good one. This slicker brush is rather nice (and should be for the $20 price tag). It's comfortable to hold. There is weight to it so this doesn't feel flimsy to where the grooming head will break off if you try to comb out a snarl in your pet's fur, or like the body is the thinnest molded plastic they could get away with so it didn't break just removing it from the packaging. Another plus is the end of the tines are tipped/dipped in protective little drops of plastic so the sharp metal ends don't harm your pet. I've always avoided those slickers as they seem like some kind of torture device - how can bare metal ends be comfortable when raked over skin?

For taking care of loose hair, this did a bang up job on our two Maine Coons, including the one who absolutely loathes - and I mean to the depths of H.E. double hockey sticks with a side of utter disgust  - being brushed. She was adopted from the shelter as an abused kitty from the home of an older cat hoarder, and whatever happened during her first six years of life there were traumatic enough that she will do her best to eviscerate anyone who tries to groom her long fur beyond the area of her neck. She actually lets us very gently use this on the rest of her back and legs and tail for around 45-60 seconds before flipping out, and that's a big improvement!  Who knows, maybe she's as amused by the itty bitty bee antenna as we are, but this is the first slicker brush (even with the safety tipped teeth) she's let us use on her back, sides, and legs. The other Maine Coon (a big chonker of a guy) lays on his back with his legs stretched out and purrs like a race car when he gets groomed, so it's not a surprise that he loves this slicker as well. Cleaning the hair out is easy. Just press the button, the plastic disk pushes up, and the hair is forced off of the tines for easy removal. A few of the finer hairs may stick to the plastic or around the tines, but nothing major. When the slicker gets dirty between the base and the underside of the plastic disk, one of those super skinny reusable straw scrubby brushes and a bit of dish soap does the trick. We clip a wooden clothespin on either side of the plastic disk to keep it raised so the tines can air dry and not rust from trapped moisture. Since the tines all seem to be securely anchored to the base of the slicker head, we aren't too concerned about one being pulled out while trying to work through a tangle. It's still a good idea to check the tines every so often to make sure they are all there, none are loose, and that none of the little safety tips at the end of the tines have come off.

The only thing that could improve this slicker is a price reduction. A pair of googly eyes wouldn't hurt, either.


About twenty years ago, I made my first trip to France. Since we were there for a few weeks, I had to purchase some bar soap, and picked up, at random, some Provencal soap at our local supermarket (soap is soap, right? who cares what brand it is?).

When I first used it, the shock I experienced was something that made me realize that the soap I had been using all my life wasn't really "soap," at all, but was rather a chemical concoction. Of course, it works. It's just that when I tried my first bar of milled soap from the Provence in France I immediately could see all the differences: the silky smooth lather, the smell that was real, not chemical; the cleaning power; the feeling after drying off. An absolutely different experience.

Since that time, my wife and I regularly bring back as much real Provencal soap as we can when we visit France. It's actually not that expensive in France, at least for the standard brands. But the difficulty is the weight: putting all this soap in your suitcase pushes against airline luggage weight limits, and it has become a standard challenge we deal with each trip. But that how much we like this REAL soap.

Now, here's the thing. You can go to shops in the United States, and find soaps that say "Made in France," and so you just believe it. Do a little digging, however, and you'll find that there are companies that market soap in the US with the words "Made in France" emboldened across the front are not actually selling something made in France: it's that they are getting one small component of their blend from France, and then manufacture it here very much like any other US soap is made. I feel this is fraudulent, yet it is such an arcance subject that no one cares to look into it. But anyone who has tried the real thing knows the difference.

This soap here is actually made in France. It is very good soap, not as good as the hand-made Provencal soaps you can get in France, but far, far better than domestic brands, and with 80% of the features that make a great soap, listed above. You'll notice it even before you use it: the smell is REAL, not chemical. When you first open it, you might notice a different feel to the "dry" bar before it is used. And then, when you start using it, you'll immediately see what soap can be. This soap with lather beautifully even with hard water, and that's because it is real soap. You'll find that it cuts skin oils without leaving your skin dry and puckered. In fact, my bet is that, once you try this, you'll be hooked.

When I write a review, I generally hope that people will read my reviews and find them helpful. But I cannot deny that I am having mixed feelings here, as I don't want this product better known and therefore harder to get! But this is a terrific stop-gap soap if you can't make that trip to the Provence anytime soon. (I've used hand-made soaps from the Provence that are so good that words are difficult to describe them, and they only have three or four ingredients, believe it or not.) You can sometimes find this brand in different formulations (olive, verbena, etc.), but this lavender is among the best. These bars are 200g, so they are not as big as some of the full-sized bars we see in the States, and they run about four dollars per bar. If you understand what you are getting, its a more than reasonable price for a terrific soap. Five Stars!


As someone who suffers from chronic insomnia (and the lovely, inescapable dark raccoon circle eyes that come with it), I was pretty excited to try this. I’ve only used it for one day, and the gel is pleasant enough to use, but what I want to bring up is the disparity between the ingredients that are advertised for Nuju Revitalizing Eye Gel, and the actual ingredients. I’ll break this down the best I can.

Right off the bat I noticed that this product claims to be paraben free, but has a number of contradicting Ingredients: Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben. This could be a major problem for anyone with allergies or sensitivities. This product also claims to have time released retinol, which is notably missing from the ingredient list. I’ve listed almost every ingredient in this eye cream, and its function, below. Personally I think this will be useful for moisturizing, and perhaps a temporary rejuvenated look, but it doesn’t seem to pack enough punch to tackle my under eye circles. Because of the disparity between advertised ingredients and the actual, I’m giving this two stars. Keep in mind I don’t claim to be a scientist. Just going off of easily available information.

Herbal Ingredients:
Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract (Skin Conditioner); Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) extract (thought to increase blood flow and aid in “congestion” under the skin); Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract (Green Tea extract. Generally only high concentrations have substantial effects on skin, but thought to help reduce swelling and inflammation among other things)

Of Interest:
Ceramide 3 (part of naturally occurring skin structure, it helps retain moisture, regulates cellular barrier repair); Sphingolipids (naturally occurring in the body, it functions as protection for cells against environmental factors); Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone (naturally occurring bioflavinoid, often used for under eye circle treatments, helps combat free radical damage and inflammation); Dipeptide-2 (effective skin conditioner, believed to help improve lymphatic circulation and so often found in under eye cream to reduce dark circles); Palymitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (helps reduce inflammation. Increases collagen production when paired with Palmitoyl-Oligopeptide, which is not listed as an ingredient for this product); Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract (Green Tea extract. Generally only high concentrations have substantial effects on skin, but thought to help reduce swelling and inflammation among other things)

Everything else:
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate (emollient and skin conditioner); Propylene Glycol  (aids with shelf stability); Carbomer (thickener/controls gel consistency); Polysorbate 20 (emulsifier/solubilizer); Triethanolamine ( ph adjuster *a “moderate concern” level ingredient for potential toxicity*); Hydroxypropyl Methycellulose  (used for sustained release of ingredients); Ethylhexyl (lubricant/makes skin look soft and smooth); Cocoate (derived from coconut oil, skin conditioner); Steareth-20 (surfactant and emulsifier, often found in eye cream); Butylene Glycol (solvent and used to make creams more easily spreadable); Phenoxyethanol (Chemical preservative); Titanium Dioxide CI 77891 (white pigment and sunscreen); Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Phenyl Trimethicone  (liquid silicone, creates a temporary skin plumpness)


Hey Guys!
Ok. First I have to say I have never personally used an eyelash serum or anything else to help my eyelashes or eyebrows grow. I haven't went and looked at anyone else's reviews to see how they like the product either. My experience so far is this product IS WORKING! I plucked my eyebrows a little too thin years ago and I also have blonde hair by the way. My eyebrows have never ever grown. I'm not even kidding and I've heard this happens to some people. If only the hair on my legs would stop! Haha! Anyways, my eyebrows are getting thicker. I have not plucked any hairs whatsoever, not even strays. I am letting them go for now until I achieve the results I'm looking for and can start from scratch once they are thicker. I do also put this serum on my eyelashes and honestly for some reason I have amazing eyelashes so I can't tell if they are longer because they are already quite long. Longer than most, that's for sure. I also want to note, I have accidentally put too much on my eyelashes therefore it kinda soaks into my eyeballs, and yes it burns but it's not the most horrible thing I've felt in my eyes before. So I just close my eyes or if I have to I put a Kleenex inbetween my eyelashes and the bottom lash line and close my eye so the Kleenex soaks up any excess and I'm fine. The burning stops therefore it doesn't last long and I'm not ticked because it really isn't that bad! Anyways I will come back and update down the road when I observe the growth after more time. So far so good!
I did receive this product at a discounted rate to give my honest unbiased opinion of the product. Which I may add in no way reflects how I feel about this or any product because I also read reviews myself when purchasing anything off Amazon.
Have a wonderful day! And hope this helps someone!

UPDATE👍👍👍👍 January 19th 2016
Eyebrows...
I LOVE this stuff. I use this eyelash serum religiously on my eye lashes and my eyebrows. I haven't plucked my eye brows at all since I started and they are noticibly thicker. I love them now! Looking at myself in pics, they look so much better. So I'm here to tell you this stuff has been phenomenal for me.
Eyelashes...
Like I stated above, I started out with pretty good eyelashes, but they do get abused because I'm an avid mascara user, meaning I wear mascara almost everyday. I feel like this Glam Lash serum has really strengthened my eyelashes. Ya know when your sitting at home after a long day of work, and you feel your eyelashes and pull some of the mascara off? Gosh, I don't even know if anyone else does this lol...Anyways I always seem to accidentally pull out a hair or two, which I kick myself after...(You don't have a lot of eyelashes to lose to start with) I think my eyelashes are awesome now. Like I get compliments on them! A lot. So I'm going to continue using this product every night. It's a holy grail in my eyes and will continue to purchase. This little bottle seems small, but it goes a long way. I've been using this for quite some time now and I still have a little less than 3/4 of a bottle left. Awesome, awesome, awesome! Hopefully this can help someone else in deciding if they need this product!
Thank you for reading.


I actually bought this pomade from the ROCKRIVER site.

Here are my thoughts on the ROCKRIVER Classic hair pomade.

1. Presentation – The tin itself has an appealing modern vintage feel to it. I really dig it. The tin is silver and its label color scheme is a classy beige, brown, and a clever shade of blue. The lid art displays the company logo, which is a large anchor with the company name set in a banner across the front. The side labels and back label are designed in the same color scheme and really bring out a classic American feel. This tin will look great in your collection or on your desk as a conversation piece.

2. Color - The color is a safe and inviting off white color, it’s non-aggressive, and safe for all hair colors, (it will not tint your hair).

3. Scent – The pomade is listed as having a Tobacco, Bay Rum, vanilla, and sandalwood scent. To me the pomade is not heavy on any of the individual scents listed, but rather an intricate combination that is crafted and formulated very well. It is very clean scent, subtle and not “in your face”, it is a classy and pleasant scent that anyone can wear.

4. Scoop & Breakdown – The consistency of this pomade is smooth and creamy, and there is zero resistance scooping the product from the container. Rubbing the product through your hands (the breakdown) is very easy, there is zero resistance and minimal time is needed to apply to your hair. The product rubs clear in your hands.

5. Application – I applied to dry hair and had fantastic results. Applying the product is a breeze. I did not experience any tug or pull and it did not yank any hair out. After applying the product, I had plenty of time to style as the pomade does not firm up right away. The pomade applied very smooth, I have not experienced any awkward clumps or thick spots. (which is a result of its super smooth (break down)

6. Durability – I applied 3 knuckle sized licks (acoops) and with that amount of pomade the product maintained its hold all day long. It is listed as a classic pomade and I believe that term is accurate. I would put the hold at a pleasant medium with a nice shine. A good classic pomade should be able to hold its shape, have shine, and have a degree of malleability that allows you to restyle if needed. For me this pomade hits all these marks

7. Stray hairs – No stray hairs after initial application, and no stray hairs throughout the day. Everything kept high and tight.

8. Re-Style ability – depending on the amount of product you use will directly affect your re-style. If you use a minimal amount of product, a re-style is easy but you will sacrifice the longevity of the re-styles hold. If you use more product upon initial application, you will get a firmer hold and the re-style will maintain its shape longer.
9. Cleanup/ Washout – Light soap and water will remove the product from your hands when you are done applying. The product should be completely washed out in two shampoos.

Conclusion:
This product is a great buy and can be used by either beginners or avid pomade users alike. It has a clean and classy scent, a nice medium hold, and washes out of the hair fairly easy. If you are looking to get into hair pomade, consider this, if you are an avid pomade user looking for a quality product to add to your arsenal, consider this.
As always, support small business and buy American.


Just so you know, I have seen the original version of this glove for awhile & have been extremely skeptical about how useful it could be. It looked silly to me even with one thumb, LOL! However, I am coming off of two arm and hand surgeries back to back (right & left ) & all my brushes were extremely dirty and I was dreading washing them like the plague. (I'm still recovering so my hands & arms are only at 80% strength) I ran across this new version & watched the video on Sigma's site and thought I would try it out because I really needed something to make this easier right now.

I have many brushes including a bunch of big dense ones like the SigMax brushes. I loath the chore of washing my brushes. I do it less often than I should. My hands become prunes, I wreck my nails and it takes for-like-ever! Plus, I can never seem to get the big dense ones clean enough deep in the center no matter how long I stand there and try to wash them.

Today I used this brush cleaning glove and HOLY FRIGGIN' MOLY!!! It's next level stuff!

It was so EASY to DEEPLY clean all my brushes in a FRACTION of my normal time. My dense brushes have never been this clean. It was an actual pleasure to wash them! Never thought I would ever say that.

Do not get an imitation. I saw those & thought about saving some money but in the end bought this glove. They really designed this to actually do all the work for you AND save your hands & nails. It is well thought out.

All the different areas have a very useful purpose that do all the work. You need all the different areas. The area where you shape your brush at the end actually also squeezes out all the excess water from even those dense SigMax brushes. They felt 50% dry right after washing! I'm sure they will dry faster than ever. The terry inner glove made the whole silicone glove experience really nice and cozy. Your hand is comfortable all during the washing & after. None of that sweaty, sticky feeling you can get with rubber gloves. My hand was completely dry even after about 30 brushes!

I like this new design, with the 2 thumbs, because you can always use your dominant hand to hold the brush. With one thumb you would have to switch hands to use the other side of the glove. One side is for face/larger brushes & the other is for eye/smaller brushes.

I use Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap in the Baby Mild formula. Get yourself a pump dispenser & mix half soap and half water in the dispenser. Having the pump helps speed along the washing process as you just pump the soap onto the center cleaning area of the glove. You never have to put down the brush you are cleaning. This also helps keep the brush aimed down helping you not get water running up into the ferrule by accident as you work.

This glove also makes it easy to know, just by sight, when your brush is completely clean, soap foam is white, and completely rinsed, no foam comes out of your brush when swirled after rinsing.

My brushes are thoroughly deep cleaned for the first time in ages. They look brand new!

If you have a bunch of brushes or even if you don't have that many but have some of the big dense ones, think of this glove as an investment. It will help you preserve the life of your brushes and keep bacteria off your face, yuck.

It is really well made and should last a really long time. They only thing I could see happening is replacing the inner glove as it is terry cloth.

I LOVE this and will happily be washing my brushes all the time now. My face, hands & nails are all going to benefit.


AWFUL.  I was really hoping this mascara would fill the sad, gaping hole left by the discontinuance of Scandal Queen, which was the most perfect, amazing mascara EVER, but nope, the Quattro Film Type mascara is a hugely over-priced disaster.

FIRST:  The design sucks.  The piece in the tube that's supposed to scrape off excess mascara doesn't work well, so the brush pulls out too much mascara with random blobs of it in places.  Then, the brush bristles are waayyy too short, especially for such thick mascara with fibers, so the bristles can't properly pull through your lashes to distribute the mascara and the mascara just kinda blobs on.  I included some photos below to try to show the blobs and how short the bristles are, but I'm not sure if you can tell (black mascara on black bristles is hard to photograph).  Where there aren't blobs on the brush, the mascara lightly coats the corresponding lashes, resulting in a very uneven, lumpy/chunky application.  And you can't even use the brush to try to distribute the mascara through your lashes evenly because there's still too much mascara on it due to the crappy scraper-thing, so if you try to do that, it just globs on more mascara and now you're starting to look like a toddler's puffy paint art project.

SECOND:  Usually you can even out even the clumpiest mascaras using an eyelash comb after the mascara dries a bit.  But not with Quattro because combing it actually pulls off large chunks of the mascara (I think because it's so clumpy/chunky on application, it all sticks together and comes off in pieces).  So the length gets all uneven because the fibers lengthen your lashes, but the combing pulls off some of these fibers.  And the volume becomes patchy and there are literally gaps in the mascara.  There have been a few times where it looked like I had a floating eyelash because black mascara covered half the eyelash, then there was a gap of light-colored natural lash without mascara, and then the mascara continued at the tip of my eyelash.  I've never had anything like this happen with mascara.

THIRD: I don't know this for sure, but I swear my eyelashes got shorter and thinner because of this mascara.  They were very long and thick because I've used GrandeLash and LiLash for a long time, but a couple months after using this Quattro mascara I realized my lashes were noticeably thinner and shorter, even though I was still using LiLash.  I was still using this mascara even though I didn't like it because it's SO expensive, but I stopped using it when I realized my lashes looked thinner/shorter.  It's only been a couple weeks since I stopped using it so it's too soon to know for sure if it's the mascara.

I'm 33 y/o and I've tried A LOT of mascaras, and this is the worst mascara I've EVER used.  Most of the mascaras I haven't liked are because they smudge too easily or don't add enough length or volume, but those problems are fixable by adding a second mascara and/or layering.  But this mascara is in a class by itself--it's not fixable, causes a mess, and possibly hurts your eyelashes.  I don't usually have such strong feelings about a product, but this mascara is THE WORST.


[[VIDEOID:561074fb2643008097893be73c649725]] Ok so I bought this headband wig in June for a last minute trip to Hawaii. I was just now on Amazon looking for a new wig in a different color & realized I forgot to post my review of this kinky curly 22inch headband wig. Since I rely heavily on reviews, this wig is definitely something I wanted to share my opinion on!! This review is based on having & using this wig for the last 4 months.

I am really in LOVE with this wig! The curl pattern is everything. There was no bad smell. Wig is very lightweight & doesn’t make you too hot. Hair is full if you comb out, cowash, let air dry, then fluff out. The curls bounce back after multiple washes. Very minimal shedding when you take care of it properly. When I was being lazy with it I noticed it shed more & tangled a lot. When I took care of it like I would my natural hair, I had no complaints.

The wig cap fits just right, however, after using for 4 months I feel like the strap is stretching out already. It’s hella long & I have to have a tight headband on to hold it up or it will be uncomfortable. This may just be my fault tho because I have put this wig through a lot. Lol. I wish I could tighten the bottom back strap. I feel if they are going to use Velcro, there should be enough on there to be able to have a tighter fit. There’s only a small section of Velcro & it’s at the end of the strap. Again, wearing a cute headband over it makes this no big deal. The hair gets stuck in the Velcro too so I can see over time the Velcro getting weaker & weaker. They do give you free headbands which are cute but I bought others off Amazon to wear with this.

The video I posted is right after I co washed & air dried the hair when I first got it. This was when I fell in love. I tried to show different angles of the hair. so you can really see what it looks like.

I have no experience with wigs at all. This was my first human hair wig that I have ever been able to easily put on & style. I simply just followed the instructions on the card. In the video you can see that there would be many cute styles you can put this wig in if you knew how. I just needed something cute & easy & that’s exactly what I got. I wear it either all down or half up/half down.

I have been swimming in pools, swimming in the ocean, been in 100+ degree weather, jet skiing, roller coasters, sooooo many things & this wig has been with me through it all. I have not once had an issue where it slipped off or back.

The pictures I posted were taken on the way to Hawaii & during the trip. I was there for a week & in that week I washed it everyday from all the swimming. Now, I use this wig randomly depending on the look I want. It is also great to just throw on when you need your hair to look decent in a hurry. In between washes I just refresh the curls with water & leave in conditioner I have in a spray bottle. The same products (Mielle’s Organics & Carol’s Daughter) I use on my natural hair, I use on this wig.

Overall, I would recommend this wig to anyone looking! This is great for super busy working moms like myself. If this company had a bigger selection of headband wigs I would definitely order more.


I tried with both the gel no wipe top coat and the regular gel top coat. It actually worked with both but it works waaaaay better with a no wipe. I see a lot of review saying the powder isn't working for them but I can almost guarantee it's user error. Let me give you a few tips:

1. Use a no wipe top coat. That's the easiest tip to give you. I couldn't find it in Ulta or Sallys. It's definitely not in Walmart or Target. You will have to order it online.
2. If you can't wait to get a no wipe top coat in the mail and you are too excited and just jump in with a regular gel top coat, DO NOT use any acetone to wipe off the tacky layer. I can't emphasize this enough. The powder will slip right on off and you will be really disappointed. What you need to do is use a DRY paper towel and rub the tacky layer off that way. This will leave a bit of a tackiness on the nail but not too much. Then rub the powder in like that. It will take some time to get it right, but it is doable. I have had issues with holo powder rubbing into either type of top coat but no issues with the silver on either method. I think it's just the nature of the holo to not stick quite as good.
3. When applying ANY of your gel polish, do NOT touch your cuticles with any of it. This will ruin your manicure for sure. It gets stuck to your skin when you cure it and will certainly peel. There is not fixing it once it's cured so wipe that gel off and get it right before you cure.
4. When applying any gel polish to the nails you need to make sure they are absolutely clean and dry. No touching your face, no eating while you do it, not nothing. Gel polish is a whole different beast than regular polish and is not very forgiving. Oils will screw you manicure up so fast because the gel will not stick to anything wet or oily.
5. When applying any type of gel polish in more than two layers, apply it THIN. The best thing about gel is it will absolutely not dry as long as you aren't in uv or led light range. You can take the time to keep brushing the gel off of your polish applicator as you apply it to your nail. Make it thin but make sure it's a nice even coat. No missed spots.

Quick tip: when curing your nails it's easy to forget about your polish bottles proximity to the uv/led light. Cure your fingers far away from your polish bottles!!! If the light reaches any type of half open bottle, it will cure that polish too!! Put your bottles a foot or two away when curing your nails. At the very least you will clump up your polish and give it a bad review, not knowing it was actually your fault, worst case, you will be needing new polish soon. Same goes for touch ups. DO NOT think you can quickly touch up a nail end while the nails are curing under the light. You will need a new polish applicator because your brush will be rock hard from curing. I know it seems like a "duh" sort of things but trust me, it happens more often than you think. I've watched it happen with my own eyes.

With all that said, here are the steps I took to get this stuff on my nails:
-Clean and dry nails
-Apply base coat and cure
-Apply black polish and cure
-Apply second coat of black polish and cure
-Apply no wipe top coat and cure
-Rub powder into nails
-Apply another layer of top coat and cure
Done! Good luck y'all!


This thing is an essential step I took in getting my feet back to tip top shape. Being a dancer, my poor feet were doomed to have calluses. I do my best to avoid that at all costs, but I couldn't stop it. I ended up having a couple small ones and one decently thick one. This thing is amazing, especially for the smaller ones. Let's go right into a pro's and con's list.

pro's:
- Safely grinds away the skin
- Long battery life
- Can still be used while charging
- Long life for the stone (I got mine in February and still haven't needed a replacement with relatively frequent use)
- Strong motor that doesn't lag when touched to the skin (unless of course you're smashing it up against yourself which if you are.. stop.)

con's
- Take's a long time, especially for larger calluses (we will revisit this issue in a second)
- Does (of course) produce a fine, skin powder that is pretty gross if you think too hard about it. So don't think too hard about it.

Ok so now you've read the pro's and con's list and you might be wondering, "Adina, didn't you say you had a larger callus? Did you just end up spending days and weeks and years just to shave it off?"
The answer is no. While this tool was extremely helpful, I am much too impatient for that. As I mentioned, this foot file does take forever, but don't hate on it for that! You don't want a foot file that is too powerful or else it may take skin off in chunks rather than that lovely skin powder we discussed and thus your skin will no longer be soft and smooth which is, to my understanding, our goal.
Back to the issue of my larger callus. Here are the steps I took to remove that bad boy.

I started off just using the same method I used for the littler ones which was file for about an hour every other day in hopes that I could one day grind it down to the bottom. I don't like using this for much longer in only one spot as the skin begins to feel quite warm and I can't imagine that is good for you. After finishing up any areas that concern you, thickly apply O'Keeffe's [[ASIN:B0002QB9NE O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet, Foot Cream 3.2oz]] and throw on some thick cotton socks. I'm sure this method would eventually work for the larger one too, but who has time for that? So I took an extra step with the large one and used Dr. Scholl's Medicated Callus remover [[ASIN:B00099XL30 Dr. Scholl's Callus Removers, Medicated, 6 pads]]. I put one on for 48 hours and when I took it off, the callused skin was very white and soft, but still there. I figured it was a bust but I went to the water park the next day and the mixture off water and walking around barefoot made most of the now-white and soft callus just come off. (Don't worry, it didn't come off in the water and I was able to throw the skin away properly) I'm sure you don't need to go to the water park to achieve the same goal, just give yourself a good foot soak and then scrub it away!
There was still a bit of callused skin underneath what came off but I was able to easily come back in with this foot file and finish it off! Now my feet are baby soft just in time for summer!