Where did the time go? Thought we were only halfway through the month and then realized today is the last day of April! Had to get my month’s beauty bargains written….it always takes me awhile to do these because I try to test all of them (or most of them, some don’t apply to my personal needs-like dry skin versus oily skin, different hair types, etc.) If you see something in our monthly beauty bargains that you’ve used, let us know how you liked it….(or didn’t).
I bought all of this month’s products at Wal-Mart.
CLAIROL NICE ‘N EASY ($6.97)
I colored my hair for the first time when I was 30 because I wanted a “change”, not because I had any gray. Now I have to color my hair because I have tons of gray in my hair….there’s a lot of women I know who don’t color their hair and they have beautiful silver or white hair…mine is an ugly, dull gray with a really coarse and kinky texture to it. I’ve been going to a salon for the past six years when I needed my hair colored but it seems like the roots are turning gray faster and faster and I found myself spending a small fortune. So, back to the at home box kits. I colored my hair with this Clairol Nice ‘N Easy four weeks ago and I have just a few strands that are starting to show through, think I can actually go another week before a touch up. This didn’t make my hair too dry and for me, it worked really well. (I’ve been experimenting with other brands too….so far this one lasted the longest for my color and hair type. The color I tried is Natural Light Neutral Brown…didn’t get any weird red or yellow tones like I have with other ones I have tried. My hair was shinier and thicker looking too with this. *When I touch up my roots next week, I’ll use this again instead of a special “root touch-up” kit….none of the brands for that have worked for me, some didn’t even cover the gray at all. For me, this was a great bargain. Less than $7.00, 100% gray coverage, has lasted 5 weeks, gave me rich tones, and looked like I had been to the salon.
SALLY HANSEN SALON EFFECTS REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS – ($8.50)
I have seen these advertised in all the magazines lately so had to check them out. First of all, read the instructions FIRST if you haven’t used them before. If I had read them before trying to figure it out, I would have saved myself some time and frustration. This is a fun way to try some new looks without having to pay the salon prices, there’s no smudges and no drying time. And they will be coming out with strips for your toes in May. There’s no DBP, toluene or formaldehyde and the strip kit comes with everything you need to apply them (cuticle stick, mini file and buffer). For me, I would use these for a fun event but not on a regular basis. I actually thought they took me more time than simply using polish (again, this is my personal experience and I have read more positive comments about them than negative.) I found that my nails that weren’t perfectly filed, showed up the mistakes more than polish does and they didn’t seem to fit my nail beds that well. Probably with more practice (and patience) it would become easier. But they were fun and I will try the Pedicure strips when they come out next month. You do need to use nail color remover to remove it (they don’t peel off.)
EQUATE REFRESHING APRICOT SCRUB – (($2.47)
I’ve tried a lot of the St. Ives products (which I love) but this was almost $2.00 less so I wanted to see how it worked. I loved it! It exfoliated without being harsh, made my skin feel silky smooth, it’s oil-free and contains natural exfoliants…and it smells good. I have been exfoliating with my simple olive oil and sugar concoction which works excellently for me but I really liked this and it was a nice change. This is designed for all skin types and I couldn’t tell any difference between this and the St. Ives (which is also sold at bargain prices.) Equate is a Wal-Mart brand so you won’t be able to find it at other drugstores. I’d buy it again.
PANTENE PRO-V COLOR PRESERVE SHINE SHAMPOO – ($4.97 22.8 fl oz)
I had been buying a shampoo for color-treated hair that cost $16. ( for 8.5 fl oz) that didn’t seem to be keeping my color from fading any longer than shampoos for all hair types so I stopped buying it. I started using this at the same time I colored my hair with the Clairol Nice ‘n Easy last month and I could tell a difference. Maybe this shampoo is what’s kept my color more brilliant longer? Whatever the reason, the combination of the hair color and this shampoo made my hair color last longer than my last couple of $100 + salon treatments and both the color and shampoo together cost less than just the shampoo I had been buying. For me…GREAT BARGAIN and results!
POND’S DRY SKIN CREAM – ($6.67 for 10.1 oz)
A “blast from the past”, your “grandma’s moisturizer”, or “what’s that?” Yes, it’s been around forever, it has mineral oil in it and it’s cheap. Can it really work? First of all, I spent days researching mineral oil because I have read so many articles that mineral oil clogs pores and is bad for your skin. I couldn’t find any MEDICAL site that confirmed this. In fact, almost every site that gave reasons you should never use facial products that contained mineral oil were sites that sold mineral oil-free products. Conflict of interest? I found numerous studies in dermatology research journals that said it was safe to use. (There were dermatologist office sites I found that said it was bad for you but every site that said that, also sold their own line of skin care products.) A study published in the journal Dermatitis by A.L. Agero and V.M. Verall-Rowell actually studied the effectiveness of both mineral oil and extra virgin coconut oil and concluded both were effective and safe. Ok, so back to the Pond’s skin cream. I stopped using my usual moisturizer and for two months now have only used this as my moisturizer. I have very dry skin and was skeptical. I actually saw improvement, my makeup went on easier than my more expensive moisturizers and it absorbed easily, wasn’t greasy and I will continue to use it (until I research something else.) My skin felt hydrated, smooth and soft. It’s hypoallergenic, suitable for sensitive skin, won’t clog pores and is dermatologist tested. *If you disagree about mineral oil being safe for your skin and have scientific data to back it up, we’d love to know about it. I do my research but there’s so much information out there, I may have missed something.
BODYCOLOGY SHOWER GEL AND BUBBLE BATH – ($3.97 for 16 fl oz)
LOVE this! There’s nothing more relaxing than a warm bubble bath or hot steamy shower. You can use this in the tub or shower and get excellent results. In the shower it provided rich, creamy lather and in the tub, tons of soothing bubbles. I bought this in three different scents, the sunshine daisy-“flirty”, coconut lime-“uplifting”, and enchanted forest-“hypnotic”. It’s more than two times less expensive than what I had been using and the scents were great without being cloying, my skin was left smooth and again, loved it!
So my six beauty bargains this month were all less than $10.00 and for the most part, I thought they were as effective as the more expensive brands. You may or may not agree with me (everyone has different beauty needs and what works well for one person, may not for the other). Again, if you’ve had positive or negative experiences with any of these, let us know…open the door for some discussion.
Now, for my non-bargain(expense) buy for the month….was it worth the price?
I am a sucker for mascara “promises”…all I’m looking for is something that makes my lashes look longer, thicker and darker…like they were when I was younger. I have been seeing this new mascara by “benefit” (love some of their other products) called “they’re REAL!” It promises dramatic length and volume, base to tip curl, visible lift and long-wearing results….and cost (at Ulta) $22.00. The number one reason I wanted to try this is because I saw it on a talk-show and it actually looked like it curled the model’s eyelashes! Lately it seems that every time I curl my lashes, a few fall out but without curling them, you can’t see them, no matter how much mascara I use. I NEED lift in my lashes (well, and in other places too but that’s a whole other story!). The night I bought this I went to bed as if it was Christmas Eve…I couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning and try it. I could have course tried it as soon as I bought it but didn’t want to take my mascara off, wash my face and reapply mascara before. So, the next morning I put this on without first curling my lashes, waited a minute and lo and behold, I could see the difference! It WORKED! (for me) I have been using it now for a week and still love it. I haven’t had to curl my lashes, it doesn’t clump, it’s easy to remove (I use olive oil to take my mascara off) and it’s long-wearing without flaking. It didn’t make my lashes as long or thick as I had hoped for but I may be being unrealistic in that area? I may not end up using it every single day (like on the days that the only people who see me are my husband and the cats…it IS $22.00) but on days I’m going out in public…I will for sure use it!