Review: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, Night Formula

Hey ladies! It’s time for another product review. I’ve been using Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream, Night Formula for over 2 years, and just realized today that I’ve never reviewed it. I have absolutely no idea why, I guess I tend to forget about products that have been a part of my regular routine for so long. Anywho, let’s get on with it…

Neutrogena Says:

Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream Night is a dermatologist recommended Retinol anti-wrinkle cream clinically proven to visibly reduce fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging.

This patented formula contains Retinol, Vitamin A in its purest form, to work deep within skin's surface where wrinkles develop. A combination of Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and special moisturizers work with skin's natural mechanisms to even out skin tone and build moisture levels. Lightweight and non-greasy, it absorbs quickly into skin.

Skin is softer and smoother. Fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging are visibly reduced.

Mrs. Blacksten Says:

If you’ve read very many of my skincare reviews, you’re probably aware that while I don’t get pimples often, I do get clogged pores and blackheads, etc. While I may only be 25, I do have a few fine lines under my eyes and on my forehead. A couple years ago, while browsing the internet for clogged pore solutions I came across a site, that unfortunately I cannot remember, that said that retinol is great for acne of all types. So of course, the next trip I made to Wal-Mart I ventured over to the skincare aisle and began looking for anything that said retinol.

The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream was literally one of the only moisturizers that said anything about retinol surprisingly. Don’t gasp, but I hate SPF moisturizers, they never really soak in all the way, leaving my skin oily, and causing more clogged pores. So I picked up the night formula.

Since that day I’ve used Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle Cream on and off. I may pick up a different moisturizer to try occasionally, but I always come back to this. It makes my entire face look smoother, my pores look smaller, and while it hasn’t cured my blackheads and the like, it’s made their occurrence less frequent and less prominent. For the $12-$13 it costs, it’s well worth it.

I’ve also tried the Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Anti-Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Night Moisturizer. It’s basically a more potent version of the Healthy Skin Anti- Wrinkle, with Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol SA. Honestly I loved it too, and it’s definitely more effective at making my skin more even and smooth. However, there’s a big price difference between the two. I’m not positive, but I think it’s about twice the cost of the Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream. Either way, they’re both great products.

Have any of you tried Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream?

Review: Queen Helene Royal Curl line

It’s product review time again! Today I’ve got something to share with you ladies, a brand new product line that I was given the opportunity to check out and review, Queen Helene Royal Curl. Yes ladies, that Queen Helene that you’ve seen and used for years. The Royal Curl line consists of 4 products currently; Stay Clean Shampoo, Moisture Rich Conditioner, Curl Shaping Crème, and Smoothing Oil. I got to check out all 4 products, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

The Queen Helene Royal Curl line is natural, free of harsh and drying chemicals like alcohol, sulfates, petrolatum, parabens and phthalates. Each product contains Royal Jelly. So what’s Royal Jelly you ask? It’s what worker bees feed the Queen!

The Royal Curl Stay Clean Shampoo is sulfate-free, as I mentioned. It contains sea kelp, mandarin orange extract, and green tea. It smells good, lathers nicely, and didn’t leave my hair feeling like a rat’s nest.

The Royal Curl Moisture Rich Conditioner contains jojoba seed oil, olive fruit extract, and green tea. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from this conditioner, because the first ingredients after water are fatty alcohols and behentrimonium methosulfate. For me, BTMS is usually a great detangling agent, and it’s something I look for. While this conditioner smelled good, and felt good in my hands, it had almost no slip in my hair. I will say however, it did have a nice amount of foam to it when rinsing, so it might make a good cowash. I haven’t tried it yet, when I do I’ll give you ladies an update.

The Royal Curl Curl Shaping Crème is my absolute favorite product in this line. I am in love with it, and want to run away with it. It contains glycerin, aloe vera gel, agave nectar, and green tea. I’ve used this as my sole styler in all sorts of weather conditions, and it’s held up to whatever I’ve thrown at it. My hair has been outrageously shiny and bouncy and I’ve had volume galore. When I first opened the container of this and did a scan of the ingredients, I didn’t think it would have enough hold for me tastes, but for me, it’s been perfect. It dries to a soft crunch, which is easily scrunched out.

The Royal Curl Smoothing Oil contains meadowfoam seed oil, corn oil, and green tea. Most of the time when I apply oils to dry hair, it creates atleast some amount of frizz. I use them all the time, don’t get me wrong. I use coconut oil or Vatika Oil as a pre-poo, I’ve added grapeseed oil and/or coconut oil to deep treatment, I’ve used coconut oil to scrunch out the crunch when my hair is completely dry, and the list goes on. This oil hasn’t caused any frizz to speak of, whether I’m using it on wet or dry hair.

The Queen Helene Royal Curl line has been a fantastic addition to this product junkies arsenal. Each product in the line is around $8 and should be available initially at a Whole Foods near you in the next week or so.

For more information on the Royal Curl line of products and where you can buy them, please visit http://www.queenhelene.com/

Disclaimer: I was sent the products mentioned in this post for consideration by Beautystat.com. The opinions are 100% my own.

Some recent pics

No gel, nothing extra just Darcy's Botanicals Curling Cream Gel



Darcy's Botanicals again



I got bored and decided to do a brown smokey eye, unfortunately the colors are never as vibrant on my camera



My go-to everyday look



Review: Biotera Styling Gel

Most curly girls realize the importance of a good gel. Gel is what gives the hold we need to combat frizz and just generally unruly hair. The other day I mentioned that I picked up a few things on my most recent Sally’s trip. In addition to the Biotera Volumizing Conditioner that I reviewed, I picked up the Biotera Styling Gel. So of course, it’s review time again!

Sally’s Says:

Biotera Styling Gel create soft, natural looking curls and styles. Compare to Biolage and save!  

• Nettle strengthens and adds luster to over-worked hair
• Arnica soothes scalp
• Restores body and bounce
• Sunscreen protects hair from sun’s harmful rays
• Never sticky or flaky

 The world isn’t always kind to your hair - let Biotera’s restorative botanicals defend your hair’s beauty. This styling gel is specially formulated to strengthen dry, brittle hair and restore natural body and movement. Won't leave hair sticky or flaky but creates healthier looking hair.

Mrs. Blacksten Says:

The Biotera Styling Gel is another affordable product, at $6.79 for 13.5 oz. Like most of the Biotera products, you can also get it in liter size for $10.49.

So first things first, it smells great, just like the Biotera Volumizing Conditioner, and the GVP Conditioning Balm. It’s a sweet smell, but it’s not overpowering. It smells like a high-end salon product. I’ve never used the actual Matrix Biolage line, so I can’t say whether or not it smells like them. Score 1 for Biotera.

 

The consistency of the Biotera Styling Gel is different than most gels I’ve used. It isn’t runny, but it isn’t thick either. It’s almost similar to the consistency of a clear shampoo. Immediately when I saw the consistency I knew it’d be easy to distribute, but I had some concerns about the amount of hold it would have. 

The Biotera Styling Gel is labeled as a firm hold gel, I have to disagree. On a scale of 1-5, I’d rate the hold as a 3. It has more hold than Devacurl Angel or Devacare ArcAngel, but less hold than L.A. Looks Sport or Power Spikes Gels. For me it’s more than enough, but it’s really gonna depend on your personal preference and hair needs. Score 2 for Biotera.

As I said before, it’s really easy to distribute, almost sort of slippery. With that being said, I do use a bit more Biotera Styling Gel than many of my other gels. In all fairness, most of my other gels are true firm hold gels though.

After applying and scrunching to my hearts desire, and of course diffusing, I got really great results. I get an ample amount of body, shine, and hold with Biotera Styling Gel. My hair lasts all day, and is really soft. Score 3 for Biotera. 

 

I should mention if your hair hates glycerin, than this isn’t going to be a good gel for you. Glycerin is pretty high on the ingredients. Awhile back, I thought my hair was disagreeing with glycerin, as it turns out it wasn’t. Maybe it was just a hair slump or something.
 
All in all I’d repurchase this is a second. On a scale of 1-5, I’d rate the Biotera Styling Gel a 3.5-4. 

Have you tried the Biotera Styling Gel or any of the other Biotera products? Leave me a comment about your experiences.

Review: St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser

 

 

Hey ladies, I'm back again and today I'm focusing on skincare. The product I'm going to be talking about is St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser. Let's get straight to it.

St. Ives Says:

• Gently removes make-up and cleanses skin
• All Skin Types
• Pure Swiss Glacial Water nature's pure form of moisture
• Swiss Botanicals
• Skin nourishing Chamomile
• Smoothing and softening
• Dermatologist Tested
• Hypo-Allergenic

Discover The Swiss Secrets For Visibly Healthy Skin

 

Now St. Ives captures these secrets in a gentle, non-drying cream formula that effortlessly removes even the heaviest makeup. Deep cleans for soft, smooth, visibly healthy skin

Mrs. Blacksten Says:


I've been on a hunt to replace my Philosophy Purity Made Simple, which I absolutely adore. It removes every trace of makeup on my face, and leaves my skin feeling soft. So on yet another Wal-Mart excursion I stopped off in the skincare aisle to check out the facial cleansers. Almost immediately my eyes drifted over to the St. Ives products, generally they're affordable, smell decent and work.

I purchased the St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser. Normally, I read labels religiously. I tend to be picky about what I put on my face. For whatever reason, I didn't do that with the St. Ives.

Every night before bed, I wash my makeup off. I cannot stress enough how important it is to wash your makeup off every night, no matter how tired you are. Skin needs to breathe, and sleeping with makeup on is a HUGE no-no.

So that night I used the St. Ives to wash my makeup off, or started to atleast. I have to say this product was the biggest disappointment I've had in a long, long time. It felt awful, like rubbing a mixture of baby oil and lotion on my face, just heavy and gross feeling. And frankly, my makeup still appeared very much intact. Immediately I washed my face with a regular foaming cleanser to get the St. Ives off, and to my astonishment, I had to wash my face twice to get it feeling clean and non-greasy.

So of course the first thing I did was read the ingredients, low and behold mineral oil was the second ingredient. I don't care if it's the finest quality/grade mineral oil, I don't want it on my face. Mineral oil, for me anyway, is like begging for a breakout. It's a cheap, filler ingredient. So ladies, you can safely assume, I would never have bought the St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleaner had I taken the time to read the ingredients. It went straight into the trash, The End.

Have you tried the St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser, or have a product horror story of your own?