Review of New Olay, Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle, Wet Cleansing Cloths

-My post also on AC

I have always been fond of cleansing cloths that are capable of removing makeup from my face. I used to use makeup removals that would come in bottles, however I always found them to be messy, and they'd cause break outs, especially the oil based makeup removers! Gag my skin!

I began using cleansing cloths because I found them to be cheaper, work better, and they were not as messy as tipping a bottle of liquid over tissue paper. More recently though, cleansing cloths have become even better, due to the added extra benefits. Not only will they remove makeup, but they will also improve your skin. Olay in particular is well known for going that extra mile when it comes to skin care.

When I came across their newest wet cleansing cloth with the added benefit of reducing fine lines on my face, I knew I had to try it. Besides ridding my face of makeup, and hard to remove eye makeup like mascara and eyeliner, Olay went and added an anti wrinkle serum which is infused within the cloth!

Although I'm pretty wrinkle free, keeping my skin wrinkle free is a must; especially at my age, when wrinkles are bound to pop up in due time. Keeping them away is my goal, and so far its been an easy task thanks to all of the wonderful products available to me.

Olays new Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle, Wet Cleansing Cloths is one of them!

These wet cleansing cloths come in a pack of 30 for about $7.00. Its a bit pricey for just a months supply, but I was willing to spend the extra loot to see if they were worth it, and to see if they would work as promised.

My Use:

The New Olay, Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle, Wet Cleansing Cloths have a soft quilt like texture to them, which are not at all abrasive to the skin, nor do they leave behind and greasy or sticky residue. They have no scent whatsoever, and I was pleasantly surprised that it removed all traces of my eyeliner and mascara without barely having to try.

The New Olay, Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle, Wet Cleansing Cloths worked, and it worked well. I really liked how it left my skin feeling soft and pampered after using it.

The only complaint I have is that I wish the cloths were saturated in the formula a little more. The cloths have a slight dry feeling, but thankfully the cloths themselves are very soft, so it does not feel dry on the skin.

Overall:

While it cleans my skin free of every trace of makeup, I am happy knowing it is also helping protect my skin against wrinkles, and reducing fine lines. It's a win/win in my opinion.

Other Products of Interest:

Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub, A Review

Whenever I run out of facial scrubs, I go out and restock on a binge. I find that I cannot make up my mind, I get overwhelmed, and I end up purchasing three different bottles of scrub. Normally I only do this whenever I see that a company has made something new. If I see that different companies have made new facial care products I buy them all. It's a bad habit, but I care about my face a lot, so the bad habit is really a benefit to my skin.

During my most recent binge on facial care products I came home with a large squeeze tube of Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub.

The reason I bought the scrub was mainly due to the fact that it was something new from Olay, and I have been a fan of Olay for quite some time now. The other reasons of course go out to the promises the scrub had made.

It promised to exfoliate, and clean deep deep down into the pores in order to purify the complexion of the skin. The scrub also promises to polish away dull skin, while minimizing pores and leaving the skin clear.

The promise has of course been heard a million times over and over again. Just about every facial scrub I have come across promise the same, or similar results to the skin. Olay however usually comes through with their promises, so I felt like the $7.99 I spend on the scrub would be a good investment for my skin.

My Use:

In the bathroom I clicked open the cap, and squeezed out a generous portion of the scrub into my palms. The scrub itself has a grapefruit transparent coloring to it. I was able to spot the small studs of exfoliating scrub in the formula.

The scent was refreshing, but at the same time really weak. I usually like rinsing my face with citrus scented products because they give me a good burst of refreshing energy after I use them. Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub sort of disappointed in the scent department.

After wetting my face a bit, I went to work at scrubbing the formula into my face. The exfoliating beads did a pretty good job at lightly scraping the surface of my skin, without being harsh or painful.

After scrubbing it around for a little bit, I then rinsed. My face felt refreshed and clean, but I have used other scrubs that have left my skin feeling fantastic and rejuvenated. Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub failed as far as leaving that 'beautiful' clean feeling behind after drying off.

Long Term Results:

I have been using Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub for over a week now, and have noticed no changes in my skins appearance at all. I continue to use it to see if there are any long term benefits, but after waking up this morning and discovering small breakouts, I decided to bring this one back for a refund. I do not know if the break outs have anything to do with this scrub, but breakouts like this do not happen too often for me. Usually they only occur when I am using a bad product that my skin does not agree with.

Overall:

I'd recommend saving your money and buying another scrub.

Try These:

Review: New Soap and Glory Clean Mary Cleansing Milk

I picked up a slew of new Soap & Glory products a few months ago, and one product in the bunch that I wanted to mention to my fellow readers is Soap & Glory Clean Mary Cleansing Milk.

The reason I love this stuff so much is that it actually does as promised. I have been using it two times daily for over a month now, and I must say that my skin appears to be much healthier looking, brighter, and it is a lot clearer than usual.

The scent is a little strange, as it does not have the original Soap and Glory fragrance that fans already know and love. It does however have an interesting jacuzzi spa like scent to it, that is neither likable nor unlikeable.

The cleanser itself has what feels like very, very fine micro-flecks of some sort of scrub to gently scrub the face, yet make it so it is not painful or too abrasive to those with sensitive skin.

It is made with those with combination skin in mind, which is perfect for me. I have oily skin at my forehead, and dry skin around my nose, so the cleanser works wonders for my skin type. It leaves my forehead shine free, and adds subtle moisture to my dry patches around my nose.

All in all, I have been extremely happy with Clean Mary, and the results are noticed, so it's an A + product in my opinion.

You can find Soap & Glory Clean Mary Cleansing Milk only at Target, Target.com, or on Amazon.com for $13.99 a bottle. Although it may seem high, due consider that other cleansers cost the same, or more. Clean Mary actually works, so it's $14.00 well spent in my opinion.

Review of New Soap & Glory Fab Pore Facial Mask

When I came across Soap & Glory Fab Pore hidden amongst other Soap & Glory products I was excited to scoop this one up and give it a try.

The small 1.6 ounce tub however comes to $12.99, which is a little high for what I normally spend on facial masks. Being the true Soap & Glory fan I am though, I went ahead and bought not one, but two of the masks. One for me, and one for my bestie who is also a fan of the collection.

I was hoping it would smell like all of the other original Soap & Glory product, however when I screwed off the lid instead I was greeted with a minty cream like scent. It was a powerful scent, and smelled a lot like the Soap & Glory Spa collection. Due to the pink packaging it came in though, I thought it would have the original scent. Most of the Spa collection products come in blue packages.

The facial mask itself was a light peachy color with small flecks of green micro beads all throughout the mixture.

According to the package, you are to apply it to your face and leave it on for 5 minutes. You could leave it on longer for a full do it yourself facial as well. Your skins benefit of course is supposed to be smaller pores!

I globed on a fair amount of the mask to my skin and rubber it around until all of the micro beads were dissolved; as directed.

The mixture dries rather fast and leaves your skin feeling cool and dry while it does its magic.

After the full 15 minutes I rinsed the mask from my face. My skin was left feeling very clean, and very soft. At the same rate though, it was also left feeling slightly dry, but not tight.

I used a moisturizer as the package directed to take care of the dry feeling the mask left behind.

As far as shrinking my pores during the first session though, I cannot say I saw any results. Using the mask however left my skin feeling pampered, so it was a plus.

All in all I really liked Soap & Glory Fab Pore, but frankly it is just too expensive, and you don't get a whole lot of mix in the tub. It will probably only last me a month and a half with 2 weekly treatments.

Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Anti-Stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals

I go through bouts of insomnia. There are weeks where I do not sleep a wink, and for some reason I once again have been going through a period where sleep is very difficult to come by. It sucks!

When I don't sleep my body can still function, but my face takes quite the toll of it all. I get dark circles, my skin looks dull and sleepy, and actually feels stressed.

When I came across a bunch of products by Montagne Jeunesse at my local KMart, I was drawn to the words that were written on the package: calming, and anti-stress.

The product was called Dead Sea Anti-stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals.

The packaging was flashy, convincing, and I felt as if I needed it (a lot of products have that effect on me).

I read closer, and according to the package, this face tonic would whip up a skin miracle in only 5 minutes. I liked that, because most facial masques or treatments call for a half hour of time, or more.

In 5 minutes time it also promised to re-hydrate and moisturize my skin. The face tonic is also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan, Why that is important is beyond me... but for those who look for this sort of stuff, it's free of it. Tee-hee.

What Is It?

Although it is called Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals, they fail to mention one thing....what it is.

Well, It's actually a cloth facial masque. You simply rip open the package, and apply the soaked masque to your face.

Packaging:

The packaging is what drew me in. Basically the masque comes in a tear drop shaped aluminum package. Inside there is one masque.

The package itself is done up to resemble a spa like atmosphere, with glistening water in the background, and a lady on the cover wearing this pretty blue and white masque. The masque on her face is colored blue with white waves throughout. It's supposed to look like water.

I hoped that the actual mask was the same one she was wearing. I doubted it would though. I imagined they made hers look all nice, nice for advertising purposes.

My Use:

The Montagne Jeunesse: Dead Sea Anti-stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals did not quite look like the masque that the woman on the cover package wore.

Instead I got a very thin large masque made of very thin, easily torn cloth. The cloth had the same pretty image on it, which I was actually surprised to see, however the masque was a hell of a lot larger then the one the perdy lady wore on the packages cover.

First I had to rip a small piece of cloth from the mouth area. I was to place this small strip of cloth on my nose, and then apply the masque after I had the nose piece in place.

Anyhow, the masque was saturated in the face tonic, and actually dripped a bit when I first began unfolding it.


The scent was rather calming, which was a plus. It reminded me of the way a beach would smell before a thunder storm. Calming, relaxing, and exciting all the same.

I applied the nose strip, and then placed the masque on my face. It was too large, and the edges hit the my hairline. Once I had the masque comfortably in place, I then tried to relax... for um... 5 minutes. Not very relaxing in my opinion, but whatever. I followed the directions.

Results:

After about a minute of the masque being on, I felt nothing. However just as I was about to write it off in my mind bank as crap, the masque began to activate. I felt a cooling and tingling sensation that was actually really, really nice.

After feeling that sensation it actually felt like millions of micro-bubbles were cleaning my skin. I could feel something going on, and it was unique and different. Almost as if there were some sort of active colony working on massaging my face pore by pore.


After enjoying the feeling of micro-bubble scrubbing my skin, the 5 minutes were up.

Honestly I could of kept it on for longer, but I feared that if I didn't follow directions it would dry my skin out, or cause break outs, so I removed the Montagne Jeunesse: Dead Sea Anti-stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals and threw it away. My skin still felt very tingly, clean, and refreshed even after the masque was off.

The package recommended that I splash some water on my face, an towel dry. After splashing the water on my face, the tingly sensation went away. That sort of sucked, but what can yah do?

Cons:

I have 2 issues with the Montagne Jeunesse: Dead Sea Anti-stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals.

The first issues is that it is meant to calm and relax you. However after the 5 minute treatment you can't just roll over and go to sleep. You have to get up and rinse your face off. That sort of defeats the whole 'calming/relaxing' aspect of the masque.

Secondly after rinsing off, and towel drying, my skin was shining like a star. I hate when my skin looks greasy. Although the masque didn't leave behind any sort of greasy substance or slimy residue, it looked greasy.

I know my skin was most likely super clean and this is why it looked shiny, but the shine seemed to last for the entire day and into the next. I don't know what it did to my skin, but I certainly didn't enjoy the 48 hours of shiny skin. I'm usually actively seeking products that remove shine, so it was dreadful to have the masque actually add shine to my face.

Pros:

Setting the shiny face and lack of relaxation aside, my face did in fact feel 90% better. The dark circles under my eyes were still present, but my eyes did not feel as tired and weighed down.

My skin was no longer dull either, and I enjoyed the 5 minutes that I got out of the masque.

Overall:

Although the Montagne Jeunesse: Dead Sea Anti-stress Face Tonic with Dead Sea Minerals left my face shiny for 2 days, I really loved the results. My skin felt rejuvenated. The tired skin around my eyes felt re-newed, and overall for $1.26 it was well worth it.

I do wish though that I didn't have to rinse the tonic off after applying the masque.

Where To Buy:

You can find this, and other Montagne Jeunesse facial tonics at KMart, and Walmart. You can also purchase them in bulk online, or at the Montagne-Jeunesse.com website.

I also think that these masques would make you face feel AWESOME after spending a day at the beach and getting a sunburn. This would bring total relief to your burnt face.

Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream

I have always been told by my grandmother that if you start using moisturizers and anti aging creams at a young age, you will end up with young wrinkle free looking skin in your old age. My grandmother had the skin to prove her theory.

About 2 weeks ago I was given Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream for free. A trial size, but nonetheless, enough to last me a good 2 weeks.

How It Worked:

Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream was pretty terrible. It left a swampy sticky residue behind, which made my skin feel nasty.

After using it for 2 weeks I also was not able to see any difference in my skin. I have very fine crows feet/laugh lines around my eyes, and after using Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream for 2 weeks, there is absolutely no significant changes.

Those small wrinkles are the same as they ever were.

The only thing I liked about the cream was that it had a nice fresh citrusy scent. Other than that it made my skin feel gross, which resulted in me washing it off.

One thing I will say about Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream, is that it would provide a lot of relief to those with very, very dry skin. This stuff over moisturizes, so for those with dry skin I imagine that this cream would work nicely for them.

Skip This:

Buy This:

Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure Cleanser

I have to purchase facial cleansers at least twice a month. I go through them like fat people go through potato chips. I wash my face around 3 times a day. Once in the morning, once when I get home from work, and once before bed.

Although I love trying different products, I have noticed that the pricing takes a toll on me sometimes, so when I came across a bottle of Garnier Conditioner that had a free trial sized tube of Garnier Nutri-Pure Microbead Cleanser attached to it, I of course went in for the buy.

It promised to remove dull looking skin, while cleaning pores.

When I went to use it I noticed the cute teal colored microbeads within the white grainy textured cream.

At first I wondered if it would hurt, seeing how it included not only microbeads, but it also included extremely sand fine microbeads as well. They are added for extra exfoliation.

When I began scrubbing it into my skin, I noticed the gorgeous citrusy fresh clean scent, that comes packed in most Garnier products.

As I scrubbed, I was happy to note that it did'nt hurt at all, and that even those with sensitive skin could use this.

Results:

Fabulous! My skin was left feeling soft, clean, and new. I couldn't of been happier.

The best thing about it though was the fact that it left my skin oil free all day long.

I recommend this to those with oily skin, and those with dry skin. It keeps oil at bay for those with oily skin; and it will remove dry skin from those who suffer from it.

Overall I feel that Garnier Nutri-Pure Cleanser is an awesome product. I plan on making this one, part of my full time facial care collection. Not many items make it to the full time cabinet.

MAC Studio Fix Foundation

In the past I always thought that spending more than $6.00 on foundation or makeup was absurd.

However when my cousin, who also happens to be my best friend began working in Macy's I noticed that the girl was even more beautiful looking than I'd ever seen her look before. Granted she's a gorgeous girl...I noticed she had done something different.

She was wearing MAC Cosmetics. I myself have never used MAC, only because I thought that $25.00 for any makeup was straight up insane. However after seeing her wearing MAC, price seemed to be no object. She was stunning to look at! Flawless, perfect, and hot damn, I had to have some.

I of course being new to MAC at the time asked her what exact products she was wearing. She went down the list, but the one product that grabbed my attention was MAC Studio Fix Foundation, which I learned was a pressed powder compact.

Looking at her results, I never in a million years would of thought that a pressed powder could work such magic. I used to use pressed powders simply to conceal shine on my forehead. As far as coverage went, I never got anything that looked as vibrant and flawless as her face did.

"Come on!? A pressed powder!? You've gotta be kidding me!"

She convinced me, swore up and down... all that good stuff.

My first experience with MAC Studio Fix Foundation came shortly afterward. The rest has been history. I have been in LOVE with MAC Studio Fix Foundation.

My favorite color shade for the winter time is NW25 which is meant for those with medium light skin tones. It gives flawless coverage, and goes on with ease. The results are simply amazing. It was as if my skin took on a whole new healthy glow, and I was in love with how natural it looked.

During the summer, I go a shade or two darker to blend in naturally with my summer time tan.

Packaging:

MAC packs MAC Studio Fix Foundation in their official logo cardboard box, which is nice, because you can put it back in for safe storing. $25.00 on this stuff, you want to make sure it's stored safely!

The pressed powder comes in a circular compact, that contains a mirror on the inside. There are 2 compartments in the compact. At the top you have your powder, and mirror. If you lift up though, right below that hides a circular application sponge.

This is probably the only con. The sponge itself is awesome, but the chamber where it resides has holes in the bottom. So if you chuck this into your purse, you could end up getting the sponge filthy because particles of dirt can easily enter the chamber.

Overall though MAC Studio Fix Foundation had simply been the best powdered foundation I have ever used, Period!

It is totally worth the $25.00 price tag.

Maybelline Shine Free Loose Powder

I've been using Maybelline's Shine Free Loose Powder for almost 2 years now. I have had the original, and also recently just purchased the new and improved version.

Honestly the new version is way better than the old one. Shine control now lasts much longer than the original formula had once done, but regardless, I loved it then, and the love has grown.

I have oily skin. Its meant for me. I've used products promising shine control in the past, from -I swear to you tracing paper pieces that swore oil control, only after purchasing it discovered it was nothing more than what tracing paper blots or a napkin blots couldn't do.

I first picked it up unconvinced, like I am with most beauty products. Most promise this, and swear that, and deliver nothing more than lies on a pretty bottle.

The Maybelline shine control is far from a pretty bottle. I fact its wrapped in plastic, so you can't even test it. Some people may not like that, but I personally do. The thought of someone else using my product before I buy it some how makes it not new, but used, and nasty. To put it short, it just irks me.

I was also a bit sad to see that maybelline had improved it. Usually when beauty products improve something, its made worse. Cheaper. Companies figure they've got the consumer, so they cheapen up the product, and people still buy it. I thought maybelline had done the same thing. Gave it a new look and made the product less effective. However they didn't, so I was very pleased.


Lets get into how it works. It comes with a face blotter. I don't know the technical term for it, but that's what I've been calling it for years. Applicator pad, what have you.

I personally am not fond of these in any way, shape, or form. They hold bacteria which will cause acne, a big no- no for anyone with oily skin to begin with.
You also have to clean them weekly, and wait for them to dry. It never drys right making it a hard round face scraper. If you are to buy this, make sure you buy yourself a big blush brush for application of the shine control powder. It comes out more smoothly, and evenly when you apply using a blush brush. Using the round applicator pad only makes your face look cakey.

The reason I purchase Maybelline's shine control time, and time again, is simply because it delivers just what the bottle states. Shine Control. It's not like the usual garbage where you have to re-apply, and re-apply, if its humid out. You put it on, and it stays on. I'd say for about 9 hours. That's usually when I wipe my face off, I'm sure it'd last longer, but I clean my face too often to know if it lasts past 9 hours.
Its weightless, so you don't feel anything on your face, or any stickiness like some products do. Your face will not shine under the hottest of suns.

I recommend applying it in problem areas, such as the nose, forehead and brow line. I also recommend applying your favorite foundation before applying the loose powder. Then applying blush over the shine control powder. It gives your face a natural glow without looking too "put on".
It will not overpower the color of your foundation at all. Even if you happen to buy the light one by accident. They re both relatively transparent.

The only downfall I'd have to say is how a lot of powder ends up on your table or counter when you close the lid, a lot of unused powder not in the chamber flies up into the air. Also I would like to see it in a darker color. I the summer time I tan too well, and applying even the medium tends to give me a dusty ghost-like hue.

Woman of color should of also been considered before making this available. Everyone suffers from oily skin, not just light and medium tones. So I would love to see a dark shade added to this wonderful line.