A Little O' This, A Little O' That & A Major Promo Plus from MD Skincare!

The past few days were a mixed bag of try outs. I've ordered samples of nearly every Chanel product, so stay tuned for that. I also heard that Natura Bisse beats Chanel in some products, though it's a bit of a pricier brand. I also ordered a bunch of those samples to do my own comparison. Stay tuned for those reports! Also, I've ordered a 2400-watt hair dryer which, if it doesn't blow every circuit in my house, could be a good thing! :-) And I have sample set of La Mer coming. Yummy! that’s the scoop for the week.

I still enjoy the Chanel Age Delay Moisturizer the best, but I have so many other samples to try that I decided to put this one on hold. I mean - what if I like something better? On the other hand, since I can't seem to commit to a good night's sleep, I have now committed to almost daily (especially with the super busy week last week) use of the Chanel Eye Lift Anti-Puffiness/Dark Circle Eye Lotion.

So ... what's new and exciting??? Keep reading!


Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum: This is my first organic product that I really enjoyed. It smelled just lovely (it’s organic white grape juice) and touted as “age-defying antioxidants and peptides". I was surprised at how much it said to use (4 to 6 drops) and I thought for sure my face would be sticky for hours. Well, sure enough it all dissolved within just a few seconds of rubbing and it felt really smooth. At $45 for two ounces though, I’m not sure it’s really worth it. If it works, though, it could be a great find because I tend not to like the feel of many of these peptides. I think I’ll put this one in my “purchases to make” section when I’m all done sampling and try it for 2 to 4 weeks and see what I think.

MD Skincare 4-In-1 Facial Towelette: This is an awesome product! They are individually wrapped towelettes that take care of all of your skincare needs – cleanse, balance, treat and moisturizes skin all without water. Since I have so many products to try, it’s not likely right now that I will need such a speedy invention (otherwise, what fun is that), but … it’s perfect for after a work out (which is what I used it for) and it will be great for traveling or for early morning doctor depos or court appearances where you just don’t have time for the whole beauty routine. I also think I’ll use it after a dip in the pool to revive my skin. It definitely lives up to its name of EZ4U2GO! And – it really feels fantastic! I thought for sure it would feel to me like my face regimen wasn’t complete or I would feel sticky – like how I feel when waiting for toner to dry. Nope! It felt great. This is a must have. At $10 for 7 applications, it’s wonderful. Sephora just today reinstated the promo code and I highly recommend it: EZ4U2GO. Free with any purchase and you get 4 towelettes in a box!

DHC Concentrated Eye Cream: This moisturizer is for daytime application around the delicate skin of the eyes. I used it at night because I have a tendency to think eye creams are too heavy. I really liked it because it was softer. Here’s what I don’t like about the whole product-trying process (and it is particularly noticeable at this step) – I’m concentrating on my freaking wrinkles and now I see them ALL OF THE TIME!!! Hmmm … some of these products better fix that. :-) I will say that this product did help brighten my tired eyes. I think it was noticeable specifically because, well … it was nighttime and I was tired. I liked it, even at $31.50 for 0.7 ounces.

Korres Olive and Rye Anti-Aging and Firming Night Cream: I thought this product was totally strange because there are Russian or some other weird symbols trying to explain what it is (you can see in the pic). But … I did a little research and it’s supposedly some phenomenally fabulous international product. So, naturally, I was then excited to try it. :-) It currently sells at Sephora for $39 at 1.35 ounces - a bit on the less expensive side, which I was surprised by. Interestingly, as well, it says the product is for “mature skin”, but I really liked it. Yes, it’s quite thick, but it settles in quickly. It smells good enough to eat. I’d definitely like to try this one a bit more often too.

As you know, I’ve removed my acrylic nails and am fighting like mad to restore these terrible, soft, bendable, breakable, splitting things on the ends of my fingers alleging to be nails. I’ve been using every single product that exists and been doing it every single night. I finally decided to give myself a personal manicure because of the CND SpaManicure products in that fabulous almond scent. So, despite the fact that I already used the lotion (Step 4), I did the other three steps in order:

First, was the CND Almond Milk Bath. This was fun and smelled lovely too. You put the almond oil into a bowl and you put that bowl into a larger bowl full of hot water. Kirt made this mix for me and, while I am super grateful for the effort, it was too hot and I had to use ice cubes to cool it down. Once it was the right temperature, I started soaking. Eh. Okay, nothing to write home about. But then, after 3 – 5 minutes, you add some of the hot water to the oil and it makes this milky mixture that (a) feels TERRIFIC and (b) smells even more almond-dreamy. This was a major plus. So you don’t rinse, but you just wipe away with a clean towel.

Then, you go onto Step 2 – CND Almond Moisture Scrub. Okay … great smelling but almost to the point of OUCH! The scrub is soooooo hard and you just warmed and moistened your delicate hands. But, I massaged for 60 seconds, like it said, kind of biting my tongue. Then, I rinsed. I lived. Not only did I live, the entire process was totally worth it because my hands felt AMAZING. I mean … I don’t even remember the last time they were this soft!!!

Next came the CND Almond Illuminating Mask. I didn’t have warming mittens to place them in, so I just used Ziploc bags. The masque smelled great, but felt weird. I don’t think it added anything to the equation. And, since I didn’t have the Step 4 anymore, I used Mary Kay’s Satin Hands Hand Cream.

Here is the final verdict: I would totally buy the Milk Bath and the Scrub. After that, nothing else could make your hands feel better. As my hands start to dry out, I’d then use the Almond Lotion from the other day. I also would seriously consider using the scary scrub on my legs and arms just because of how fabulous it felt afterwards. I mean, I hate waxing too, but some things you just have to do. Incidentally, if you don’t like almond, we can't be friends, but, CND sells all of its products in Citrus, as well. :-)

While we are on the subject of nails. I tried OPI for Sephora What’s a Tire Jack Nail Polish. I wanted to try Chanel’s black, but they didn’t sell it. This was, however, a truly fabulous black. It went on perfectly in one coat and came off without too much trouble with pure acetone. I also later tried Dear Diary, which is a warm soft pink. Two coats were perfect and I like it better than OPI’s new Sheer Romance ones I’ve been using because they don’t give enough solid, instant pink. I freaking LOVE nail polish though. OPI has so many darn colors in such cute names! I’m going to try to stick to Sephora to keep from going broke (they have a lot less colors)!

Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer: Just another primer to try that doesn’t beat Prime Time or Smashbox. Felt good. A little too slick, but just okay. At $27 for 1.16 ounces, I think it’s overpriced. I’d rather pay $36 an ounce for Smashbox Photo Finish or definitely $21 for an ounce of Bare Escentuals Prime Time.

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump: In another attempt to get more volume in my hair, I did try this product. I may have put too much in (again), because it felt yucky after just one day. But, it did work – it pumped up my hair much better than had I not used it at all. I have the full sized product, so I guess I'll keep trying!

Pureology AntiFade Complex Colour Max Spray: I use this shampoo and conditioner, as well as the serum, on a regular basis. But, I never used the spray before. I liked its lightweight feel. It didn’t bother my hair at all when it dried, which sprays can sometimes do. In full disclosure, however, I also used Fekkai’s Glossing Cream with it. I’m assuming it will help keep my color from fading. Guess I'll never know for sure during the testing phase.

Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam: Again, smelly, smelly, smelly. But – I only applied it on my legs for a quick pick me up. It went on super smoothly and didn’t have any streaks or blemishes. Too stinky though.

PROMO CODES:

Well that’s the scoop for the week. I hope to have some more fun this weekend! Lots to try!!! If you are interested in the newest promo codes and particularly treatments for your man – here is one of the latest majorly fun deals called the “Free Guy Supply”. It’s a sample bag of men’s grooming essentials with any purchase, using promo code ALLHIS!