EDM cosmetic wipes review

Although I usually rave about Everyday Mineral's products, their cosmetic wipes just didn't cut it for me. I bought them a couple months ago and only used them a few times. I was definately not satisfied with the product. Here's what their website had to say about it:

"With the calming fusion of lavender and grapefruit, these all-natural wet wipes can be used as a make-up remover or quick all over cleanser to freshen up your face. Its resealable opening makes it perfect for travel or every day use on-the-go!"

So okay, I'll admit that the package reseals nicely, the wipes smell good enough, and they CAN be used as a makeup remover, however, they don't do their main function very well. The wipes are quite saturated with makeup remover and despite this, they don't remove makeup very well. I had to literally scrub my eyes with it to get only a little eyemakeup off. This resulted in my eyes burning and watering :( Although the wipes are pretty refreshing (like toner) on your skin, having to scrub your eyeshadow off (and it doesn't even come off all the way) isn't something I'd want to be doing every day. But for only $2.50, it wasn't really a waste. It can be used to take off foundation rather easily, the only problem is eyeshadow and liner. I'm still in search for the perfect makeup remover, and I would definately not buy this again.

Everyday Minerals review

Finally got around to doing an EDM product review. I cannot rave enough about (most) of their products (:So here's my haul from last year:

So of course, I got the FREE SAMPLE KIT (: which you only pay shipping for. The first time I bought it, shipping was only like... 3 dollars. Unbelievable! But unfortunately, the second time around, shipping was like... 9 dollars. Not so great. Either way, you're technically getting free makeup! Yay! So any way, the free sample kit comes with 3 sample size foundations, 1 sample size blush, and 1 sample size concealer. This is definately a great buy-- despite their small size, everything has lasted super long for me. I still have 4/5 pots that are practically FULL :P Anyway... I'll elaborate more on the actual makeup next.

So in the sample kit I got 3 of the same color LOOSE POWDER FOUNDATIONS in the 3 different styles: Original Glo, Semi-matte, and Intensive. They don't have the same color now that I got then but the closest shade they currently have is called Natural Reflections Golden Tan. I still buy the sample sized loose powders because they are only $2.50 and last me FOREVER. Anyway, I tend not to like loose powder too much but EDM is so light and easy to apply, not cakey or streaky, and gives a nice finish. Individually, here's how I liked the different types:

ORIGINAL GLO: gives light-medium coverage. It didn't exactly give my much of a "glow" but it was okay for everyday use without being too overwhelming.

SEMI-MATTE: I didn't like this one as much as the other two. It was a little too dull/matte for me. Again, it was okay for everyday/spot use.

INTENSIVE: this was definately my favorite of the three. It gave a smooth, silky finish that was just the right combination of coverage for flawless looking skin. Although it isn't something I'd use everyday, I bought it again recently and usually only use it for undereye coverage and spot coverage... it does the job very well.

All the foundations are very blendable, breathable, and provide good throughout-the-day coverage. I highly reccommend their foundations!My new favorite is their PRESSED POWDERS. I got one in Fairly Light - Golden since they don't have darker tones. For $12, this is really worth it. It has the same finish as the loose powder, but is way simpler to apply. The coverage is medium and gives that flawless finish. I vary applying it with their sponge and a brush, either works fine for me. I just love how easy it is though! Now I just wish they had more varying skin tones since this is still a little light for me :(

Another must-have for me is their PEARL SUNLIGHT CONCEALER. I also got the regular sunglight concealer, but this one is better because of the highlight in it. This concealer is great for applying on cheeks and this is the first product I've found that successfully gives me a dewy, fresh look. It also works well to reflect light off dark circles. Also, for a shimmery nude lip, you can just put a little on a lipgloss brush and apply it on top of simple lip balm/gloss... it'll give a nice soft shimmer. You can also use this to as a highlight color for below the brow. It's so versatile, so remember, this is a MUST HAVE!

I also bought their GENTLE LIP SCRUB which is made entirely of jojoba grains. I paid $4.50 for this and sadly, I dropped it on the floor :( However, what I did manage to save, I still can use. This works pretty well. It exfoliates lips till theyre smooth and preps for gloss. I should be using this every night but I've been neglecting to do that :P

I also got one of their BLUSHES with the free sample kit. I forget which color it was.... it was like Apple or something. Anyway, nothing much to say about this besides it's similar to the foundation in it's application, and retains fresh, fruity, just-pinched color. It blends well and isn't garish nor unnoticeable.

I got one of their COSMETIC CELLULOSE SPONGES. It can be used to apply cold creams, makeup removers, etc. But I use it to scrub and exfoliate my skin. It works as well as I could expect it to, it's soft but rough enough to get off makeup. It's more purple than the picture, but it's cute and only $2.00 (:

And lastly, yay for free stuff! I got these two LOOSE POWDER EYESHADOWS as free gifts during their Christmas specials (: This one is Floating Feathers and the second one is Mistletoe. I use the white one to highlight the inner corners of my eyes for a brighter, wider-eyed look. I used the green color during christmastime to play up the green and red theme (I paired it with cheap reddish eyeshadow, but it turned out fine). Their eyeshadows are pretty pigmented. The color lasts relatively long and doesn't crease. I don't normally have the need to use colors like these, but when I did use them, I liked them. So I'll probably look into buying a couple other shades sometime in the future.

I also got a free bronzer and finishing powder, but I gave those to my mom since I don't really use either of them. She said they work fine, similar to the application of the foundation as well.

ALL IN ALL, I really love EDM's products, especially their foundation and concealer. Since mineral makeup is the new trend in cosmetics, I'm glad I discovered this line quite awhile ago and I'm even more glad I bought it when it was cheaper. It is still affordable right now, which is another reason why I love their products (and shipping). I'm too stingy to spend $20 on only one foundation, no matter how good it is... No way am I going to get hooked on that and have to buy it all the time (knock on wood). PLUS, the shipping time is pretty darn fast and I always get every item I order (unlike ELF cosmetics... cheap crap).

So in summary, here's the good points about EVERYDAY MINERALS products:

• Reasonable prices
• Fast and affordable shipping

• Quality control and packaging is top-notch
• Foundation is virtually flawless (intensive ftw)
• All loose powders (foundation, eyeshadow, concealer) are easy to apply and blendable
• Lightweight, longlasting, non-streaky/cakey

• Mineral, natural ingredients

• Cruelty-free!

And here's some general faq from EDM:

https://www.everydayminerals.com/index.php?option=com_easyfaq&task=cat&catid=18&Itemid=52

ELF cosmetics review

This post was written on August 16, 2008. It's an old review on some Eyes Lips Face products I purchased. I figured I might as well post it up here, since it's worthwhile information. Put simply: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! (this is not a good thing) Michelle's review over at http://www.xanga.com/ricebunny also has some not-so-great info about ELF's products; be sure to check that out too.

POST/

So, I just received my order from ELF. I ordered it on 7/29/08. How's that for slow shipping? You do the math. Anyway, these are the products I ordered.

Here's how I rated them, based on their performance:

* - YUCK.

** - Bearable.

*** - What I expected.

**** - It's pretty good.

***** - The best as it gets.

As you can see, none of them received 5 stars.

CANDY SHOP LIP GLOSS TIN
RATING: *

I ordered this in Frosting Fanatic, but for whatever reason, I also received 2 OTHER candy shop lip gloss tins (Candy Fix and Mocha Maniac, incase you were wondering) in place of my free gift, which was supposed to be the Lip Gloss Cell Phone Charm Duo. I emailed them about that, we'll see if I get it free, ha :P Anyway, Idk if it was because the gloss melted during transit or what, but the casing was really sticky when I received it. I had to wipe it clean, and it is still kind of sticky D: Also, they all smell relatively the same. Like the Mocha one, which smells kind of weird anyway. I'm not sure if that's because they just absorbed that smell, but they all basically smell like that. The only difference is in color, which doesn't really matter on your lips anyway. It is VERY sticky, but the shimmer is not bad... BUT the STICKINESS kind of overwhelms it.

THERAPEUTIC CONDITIONING BALM
RATING: ***

It is really cute looking, as are the rest of the products, but once I opened the packaging, I realized the actual product is rather flimsy. It doesn't smell bad (I guess it smells like it is supposed to; strawberry creme) and it isn't sticky. It is VERY soft and smooth. I guess I would describe when applying it, it feels like what you'd expect it to feel like if you made lipgloss out of crisco and koolaid (yes, I was going to try that). So it feels kind of odd when you apply it, but other than that, it is okay. It seems to moisturize okay and provides a little shine. It is supposedly infused with Vitamin A and E and Shea butter.

ALL OVER COLOR STICK
RATING: **

Yes, it's cute and small and plastic. The color was sort of darker than I expected it (lilac petal), but then again, product pictures have better lighting. It applies okay... it's slightly sticky WHEN YOU APPLY IT, but not unbearable. I only applied it to my cheeks though. The color on skin is not bad, it comes off slightly "dark", but the shimmer and color is there, creating a dewy, glowy look. It smells nice and citrus-y.

SHIMMERING FACIAL WHIP
RATING: ***

Similar to the all over color stick, but brighter. Also lilac petal. It gives more shine and shimmer, but also feels a little more sticky AFTER IT HAS BEEN APPLIED, but feels easier to blend. It is also not unbearably sticky. I like the way the color turned out on skin, just not the texture so much. It's kind of weird to rest your face on your hand and end up with sticky fingers after :P It smells the same I guess.

SHINE ERASER
RATING: ****

This works about as well as I'd expect it to, I guess. It includes green tea extract. Idk if it was my wishful thinking, or if it really worked, but I guess it "mattefied" my skin a LITTLE. It did pick up some oil (it's hard to tell since I usually don't have that much) and reduced what little shine I had. Not bad. I liked the packaging the best.

LIP GLOSS CELL PHONE CHARM DUO

Where is it?

This was what I was supposed to get as my free gift. No doubt it is also sticky, smelly, and flimsy :P I doubt they will even send it to me, let alone reply to my email.

SO ALL IN ALL, you really do get what you pay for. You definately CANNOT beat $1 for each item. Shipping and quality control IS pretty bad. I did not get the free items I was supposed to get. So it was not a waste, rather, a learning experience I wanted to try. I'd have to say, the only products I am somewhat satisfied with is the shine eraser and conditioning balm. I know I said the stickiness of the other products is NOT unbearable, but I meant that I think other people would not consider it unbearable. I myself HATE sticky lip gloss and cosmetics. But I will still use these I suppose, since they were not HORRIBLE. Well, I need to go clean my keyboard now. It is covered in stickiness and shimmer. /ENDPOST

Anyway, I'd have to add that I haven't touched any of these products much since I wrote this. I also haven't gotten my free gift. I just can't tolerate makeup at THIS low quality for very long. I know I'm into drugstore chic, but this is just too far :P It also doesn't help that the products are made in China. Some people love this stuff, but the only good things I really can say about ELF is that they are cruelty-free and only cost $1 for each product.

Burt's Bees review

I love Burt's Bees. I love them for their availability, reasonable prices, great specials, quality, and natural ingredients. Well, I love MOST of their products, atleast. So I figured it's about time a do a quick review of the products I've purchased from them last year (:

LIP SHIMMER in CHAMPAGNE
Ok, this was a little splurge. I bought it at Border's and this is the only product I don't quite adore. The only nice color they had was Champagne; it's a frosty pink color. When applied, it's really minty and tingly. It smells nice, but the color just didn't work for me :P Plus, it kind of chapped my lips, but that might have just been the day I used it. I love the cute slim packaging and all, but it's definately not one of my favorites.


STRAWBERRY LIP GLOSS
They're not selling this atm! :O This is mos def my favorite lipgloss (ahem, WAS. I used a lipgloss brush I mixed with another gloss and now it tastes funny). Well anyway, when I first got it, it was great. This gloss smells super yummy (there's a bunch of other flavors too), is super smooth to apply, and gives just the right amount of shine and moisture. I hope they put it up again so I can buy another :(

RADIANCE EXFOLIATING BODY BAR
So this was another one of those products I was not crazy about. It was supposed to exfoliate and make your skin radiant and glowing. It didn't do that lol. It smelled nice and natural and lathered and all, but it didn't seem that it had any exfoliant in it nor did it make me especially glowy. In general, it is a good shower soap though.


WILD LETTUCE COMPLEXION SOAP
On the other hand, this is one of those products I cannot stop raving about. I bought this soap because I was having breakouts here and there and my complexion was not at its greatest. Amazingly, after a week of using this consistently, my skin cleared, toned, and evend up. It was GREAT! I highly reccomened this soap for people with different kinds of skin (there is tomato and carrot soap also for oily and dry skin). It worked so great for me, so I use it religiously and have been virtually breakout-free since.

There's still a couple products I want to try, but I'll blog about that later.
Here's their website: http://www.burtsbees.com/