Queen Helene Oatmeal 'n Honey Natural Facial Scrub review

(click images to view larger)



Price: $3.69 from drugstore.com

What they say: Original Formula! A gentle cleansing natural-fiber facial scrub with soothing oatmeal and honey. The extra gentle exfoliating action draws out impurities, unclogs pores and removes dry, dead cells from the surface of your skin. Pure, wholesome honey helps replenish lost moisture and protects our skin from the harsh elements. Your skin will look fresh and healthy and feel soft and smooth. Apply daily or as often as desired. Ideal for use in the shower, too!

What to do: Moisten face and neck with warm water. Apply a small amount of facial scrub with wet fingertips and gently massage into skin, avoiding the sensitive areas near your eyes. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

What's in it: Water (Aqua), Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Meal, Honey, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Kaolin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Isopropyl Myristate, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Fragrance (Parfum), Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol

The good stuff:

• Inexpensive
• Lots of product
• A little goes a long way
• Smells super yummy!
• Gently exfoliates
• Leaves skin feeling smooth and soft
• Improves skin tone/texture

The low-down:

• Idk about the "remove impurities" and "unclog pores" claims
• You have to unscrew the top

My take: I really like this scrub! The best part is that it smells delicious, like some kind of dessert pastry. Yum! For the price, it is an excellent scrub that makes skin smooth, soft and glowy. I'd get similar results with other cleansers such as Neutrogena Deep Clean gentle scrub or St. Ive's apricot scrub, but at a fraction of the price and with lots more product! I'm a bit hesitant to agree with the big claims of "drawing out impurities" and "unclogging pores." Although this product did not break me out, it didn't seem to really improve any existing breakouts either. The only thing I dislike with Queen Helene products is that I wish the cap was a flip-cap instead of having to unscrew it.

Would I repurchase: Yes.

---

Queen Helene Soothing Cocoa Butter Natural Facial Scrub review

(click images to view larger)

Price: $3.69 from drugstore.com

What they say: Original Formula! A soothing natural-fiber facial scrub that deep cleans your skin with the added benefits of pure Cocoa Butter! The gentle exfoliating action draws out impurities, unclogs pores and removes dead, dry cells from the surface of your skin. Natural Cocoa Butter helps replenish lost moisture, protecting your skin from the harsh elements. Your skin looks fresh, healthy and feels soft and smooth. Apply daily, or as often as desired. Ideal for use in the shower too!

What to do: Moisten face and neck with warm water. Apply a small amount of Cocoa Butter Scrub with wet fingertips and massage gently into skin avoiding the sensitive areas near your eyes. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

What's in it: Water, Walnut Shell Powder (Juglans Regia), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Cocoa Seed Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Kaolin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Isopropyl Myristate, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Fragrance (Parfum), Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol

The good stuff:

• Inexpensive
• Lots of product
• A little goes a long way
• Leaves skin smooth and soft

The low-down:

• I don't care for the smell
• Twist cap

My take: I tried this on my face once, and while it does make my skin nice and soft and smooth, I really don't care for the smell -- it kinda reminds me of coconut, and I don't like coconut. So instead, I've been using it as a body scrub. It still does leave my skin nice and smooth and soft. I also don't care for products that you have to twist the cap off... I'd much prefer a flip-cap top. So the cap collects water. No biggie though.

Would I repurchase: Not likely.

---

Queen Helene Mint Julep masque review

Price: $3.99 from Drugstore.com

What they say: Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores. Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck. Within minutes it firms and hardens, drawing out impurities from your pores. After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth. Even for individuals who are fortunately free of skin problems, Mint Julep Masque is a refreshing facial treatment that helps relaxed tired muscles and ease tension lines on the face and neck. No animal testing. No animal ingredients.

What to do: Cleanse face and neck thoroughly. Apply masque generously and allow to dry for about 15 minutes. Leave on problem areas overnight, if desired. Remove with warm water and a washcloth.

Ingredients: Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Sulfur, Chromium Oxide Greens (CI#77288), Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

The good stuff:

• Cheap!
• Lots of product
• Easy to apply
• Refreshing
• Leaves skin feeling clean
• Smooths skin and improves tone/complexion
• Minimizes pores
• Seemed to have a whitening effect on my skin?

The low-down:

• It's kind of like applying toothpaste on your face xD
• Did not seem to help with pimples
• Did not help reduce oil (not that it said it was supposed to but...)
• Made my skin a little itchy in places I did not remove well

My take: I've been using this mask every night for about 5 days now and I'm pretty much loving it =) It's kind of weird applying it though since it really feels like you're smearing toothpaste all over your face! It's green, thick, minty and sticky xD It dries up fast and tightens the skin quickly. After 15 minutes, I'd wipe it off with warm water and a cloth and the results are immediately apparent. My skin was smoothed, soft, and glowy (did get itchy spots in places that I was careless to wipe off good... so be thorough!) After a few days of using it, I think I notice a whitening effect . . . maybe it's in my head but my skin looks lighter to me xP probably cause my tone and complexion is really improved as well! Also minimized my pores some.

I did have one irritating pimple though, and it did not really dry it out or minimize it at all. Also, since it's a clay based mask, I was hoping it would help with my new oilyness, but it didnt =( So I'm still on the hunt for a better oil-reducing mask! Besides that, my skin seems to be improving daily =) It's veeeery smooth. I think after awhile though I won't use it as much since my skin will probably start to tolerate its effects.

Would I repurchase: YES! It's so cheap but I won't have to repurchase for a long time since there's so much product!

Looks, feels & smells like toothpaste :P

Dries quickly (sorry blurry)


My skin after:

---