Unlikable Cleansers

Here's a list of facial cleansers I didn't like and wouldn't repurchase:

Lancome Creme Mousse Confort - stripped my skin, and my face didn't feel clean!

Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip - This is a very popular product, however, it's too much work for me. To get the best effect you have to foam it up with a net or sponge, and I just do not have the patience to make the foam. There are great cleansers out there that do just as good a job, albeit at a higher price point.

Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser - Overly strong floral scent. Also, it didn't feel like it removed my sunscreen, so it's better as a second cleanser.

*Not all images are my own

Kansas City Restaurant Week 2022

Another restaurant week has come and gone. This year only two restaurants impressed me: Story and Corvino. Both have 5 star food, 5 star service, and 4 star ambiance!

STORY

(Dinners was $45 for 3 courses)

(specific menu for restaurant week)

(bisque)

(mahi mahi)

(spice cake)

 

CORVINO

(Dinner was $35 for 3 plates)

(front entrance)

(cheeseburger)

(pork ribs)

(lemon tart with ricotta cream)

Review: Facial Wipes

I LOVE THESE! They feel awesome! I use it before I go to bed or when I first wake-up in the morning.

The wipes don't leave my skin feeling dry.

Review: Facial Wipes

Won these!

Pros:

• Double sided- one side exfoliates/rougher, other side is smoother
• Works, i.e. dead skin removed

Cons:

• Exfoliating side hurts if you rub hard.
• Fluffy bits of the wipe came off and I had to remove it from my hair and skin.

I recommend this product if you're not afraid roughness on your skin.

Review: Body Wash

Pros:

• Inexpensive- about $5 a bottle at Wal-Mart or Target.
• Smells good.

Cons:

• The bottle says it's suppose to be used for "winter dry skin", BUT after getting out of the shower my skin needed additional lotion to have smooth, not-dry looking skin.

Verdict: I don't recommend purchasing because it does not moisturize winter skin like it advertises.

Review: Nail Polish

American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Passport Blue

With Flash

Without Flash

Pros

• Cheaper than OPI, $6 a bottle
• Beautiful matte blue that is close to the color of the passport
• Without a topcoat, didn't start to chip 'til 2nd day

Cons

• More expensive
• Color marks off on paper, wall, book pages, etc. if nail swipes hard enough

Review: Nail Polish

Treat yourself! 

I love giving myself manicures. It's relaxing and something productive to do while watching tv!

Wet 'n Wild: Wild Shine- Burgundy Frost, or 412A

Taken with flash.

Taken without flash.

Pros:

• The color in the bottle matches the color on the nail.
• Great shimmer effect
• Dries fast
• Love the color! It's perfect for Fall and Winter
• Cheap- Purchased at Walgreens on sale for $0.99!

Cons:

• Chips easily without a top coat
• Needs more than 2 coats for color to not be pale.
• Color rubs off of everything without a top coat

Conclusion: Would purchase again if on sale. Could be a good stocking stuffer!

No compensation was given or taken for this review.

Target & Neiman Marcus

It's a tad early to be thinking of Christmas, since Thanksgiving hasn't even passed... BUT this collaboration is TOO good to miss!!

In-stores and online Dec. 1!!!

Read more for my top picks!

Review: Facial Cleanser

REVIEW!

Remember The Face Shop cleanser our Korean family-friend gifted me? Well, she gave me another one!

Pros:

• Smelled really nice! The fruits on the lid didn't lie!
• I like the container. I think it's pretty and practical.

Cons:

• Way oily! After using it, my face felt uncomfortably hot and greasy. Like I put a really thick moisturizer on.
• Not a favorite cleanser of mine. 

I might try to salvage this product 'cause I love the smell by using it on the rest of my body as a moisturizing body wash, and leave my face to other cleansers.

Review: Facial Cleanser

Another facial cleanser review by yours truly! & a blurry sneak-peak at my mysterious face!

Pros:

• Did what it said it would, i.e. remove make-up, and keep your skin moisturized. 
• My face did not feel tight or dry after using this cleanser.

Cons:

• None that I could think of! 
• Maybe if your skin's more sensitive it might not work for you.
• Olay is not the most inexpensive product found in major drugstores.

Review: Facial Cleanser

I received the following cleanser for free from a Korean family friend.

Pros:

It was a free gift.
Cons:

This is the most drying cleanser I've ever used! I expected so much from it 'cause it's from The Face Shop, and I've heard great things about the store. But this 3 in 1 cleanser dried my skin OUT so much after one use that I had to skip the toner in case it stripped my skin even more. Then I had to apply mousterizer twice afterwards at different times for my skin to feel nice and smooth again.

Review: Facial Cleanser

The following product is what I use to exfoliate my skin.

Click "Read More" for pros and cons!

Review: Facial Cleanser

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!

 

Pros:

• Inexpensive- less than $7 (Wal-Mart)
• Smells nice
• Removes make-up
• Award winning

Cons: 

• So far none! Although, some online reviewers complain that it doesn't keep their oily skin in check all day.

Out of all the facial cleansers I've used, this one's the best!

  *Disclaimer- No compensation is received for product reviews.

Review: Facial Cleanser

To help you, I'm gonna sacrifice my T-zone oily skin for experimentation!

This morning I used the following face wash:

Pros:

• Smells great
• Gave me a wake-up jolt
• Relatively inexpensive (Online @ Wal-Mart= $9.94 for a 2 pack )
• When I use it in the spring, my skin feels nice.

Cons:

• When I used it in the winter, my skin felt tight and dry. Which can be because of the dry winter air. I fixed this w/ facial lotion.
• Since it's a morning cleanser, it's not suppose to be used for night, which means I have to buy another facial cleanser to use for night (However I don't! I have a conspiracy theory that Clean & Clear is trying to increase profits by creating separate cleansers, when it's unnecessary.)

In conclusion, I would not purchase this item again. Thankfully I didn't have to! 'Cause a roommate of mine gave it to me, since her sensitive skin didn't like it either!

However, if you're skeptical about the opinion of a blogger you've never met, I understand. 

So purchase at your skin's peril!

<3,      Gizmo

P.S. If you've had a different experience w/ this cleanser, I encourage you to leave a comment!

Game Hungry

THE. HUNGER. GAMES.

I had read the series almost two years ago and am proud to have been a supporter for so long. But I never thought it would reach the popularity that it has today, and I must say I'm still supremely proud. The movie, I know you've heard of it, came out yesterday and it was FABULOUS.

FABULOUS in the sense that one of Katniss's scenes nearly made me headache-to-death. 

But still FABULOUS.

(The nails I wore in honor of the Hunger Games)

Above it's a bit hard to tell, but the base coat is a light bronze shimmer color. Pretty pale under flash, but it's there!

(NYC "In a Minute" Quickdry via Wal-Mart, Warpaint Beauty's Volcano Crackle: Hot Topic, Ni-Mei Nail Enamel: some store in China)

This time, Warpaint Beauty came through for me! The Crackle works amazingly quick and has a matte finish look. Though when applying, be careful to do it quick or it will gloop.

Yes, gloop. (I think you can understand what I mean with that... word).

It's a long post, I understand, but bear with me for the next one about the DIY Hunger Game Shirts I made!

My brother, sister, and I in our shirts.

"AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR"

Polished (Nail-wise)

I've been experiencing a massive nail-polish obsession this year and what's a better time than Spring to paint them on? 

You might answer Summer, but for the sake of the season it's Spring.

Recently I bought some cheap nail-polish from Hot Topic because I figured cheap nail-polish + good quality = awesome!

(Pretty in Pink from: Hot Topic, White from: n/a)

Heck, I thought they turned out pretty good; until I realized quite a few problems. Not only does the pink show up much brighter than I thought (I was excited for its pastel look), but the polish doesn't apply smoothly and using a top coat of clear polish actually strips the pink off. Needless to say, I am no longer excited and am eager to return it...

(How it really showed up after one day and the attempted top-coat...)