Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Liner Pencil ***

 

      These are supposedly the best eyeliner pencils in the world... or so I'd been told. I was so excited when Urban Decay had its last 40% off sale, that I bought the box of 10ish sample sizes as well as 3 additional half sizes.

      The range of colors they come in is amazing. Definitely the best part about this product is the wide color range. I am in love with some of the purple colors as well as one of the gold ones which I use on my waterline instead of white and it is simply beautiful. 

      Now, I don't want to give you the impression that I don't like this product, I do, but it just doesn't deliver the right results for the price. It does not stay on my waterline as long as youtube beauty gurus have claimed it should. It's a nice product, but it's 17 dollars!!! I'm sorry, but there are very few makeup items I think anyone should be willing to spend that much on. There is a drugstore eyeliner called Styli-Style Line and Seal 24 (about 5 or 6 dollars), which I think lasts just as long as the Urban Decay eyeliner. Styli-style doesn't offer as many color choices as Urban Decay, but the results are similar and the price is so good I think you ought to at least give it a chance. 

      This product gets 5 stars, but the price is so bad, it takes away 2 stars. 

Neutrogena- Healthy Skin Glow Sheers Review *****

      This has been my go-to product this summer. I wish I loved foundation; I could really use the coverage it offers. Since I have yet to find one that I like, I usually go for tinted moisturizer instead. This is the very best tinted moisturizer I have ever used. Not only does it have SPF 30, but it looks so incredibly natural when applied. 

      It has a light sheen when applied, but it isn't oily. I've never needed a powder over it, but you might if you have oily skin. One thing I don't like about foundation is the odd smell I think most of them have.  This product doesn't have doesn't have one of those weird, lasting smells. The staying power is really good, so although it is only a very light coverage, it will stay for hours. The coverage is so light, in fact, that it works for both me and my sister-in-law, who is Hispanic and several shades darker than I am. I almost always get tinted moisturizers a little darker than I am, so don't think that the coverage is non-existant. It's there, it's just subtle.  The website says that it gives a "natural-looking radiance," and I've got to say that that's absolutely accurate. I love this stuff. Give it a go if you want a natural look.

5/5 stars

Ion Effective Care Treatment ****

      When my hair was at its worst -totally fried, with dry, damaged ends- I would use a hair mask on it daily. That's right. Daily. It was that bad! So I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and asked one of the salesgirls what I could use to help it out. She picked up one of these packets and told me that she uses the whole packet once a week after she showers and watches a movie with a heated towel around her head while she marinates. Once the movie is done, she rinses.

      I bought 3 packets and ran home to try it out. I was stunned! My hair hadn't been so silky in months. I had to rinse a couple of times, but eventually it all washed out and my hair was healed. I didn't particularly care for the smell, which lingered for about two days, but the results were well worth it. 

4/5 stars (minus 1 for smell). 

You can buy a little packet from Sally's Beauty Supply for $1.79. http://www.sallybeauty.com/hair-repair-therapy/ION22,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair03

Ion Heat Protection Thermal Spray *****

      Before I get to the review, I need to mention two things.
      First, I don't have a nice flat iron. In fact, the last time I bought a flat iron, I got it at Big Lots for around $14. I think this is the reason that the ends of my hair get so angry.
      The second thing I want you to know is that my hair is very straight. I mostly use a flat iron to add a little wave. It used to be very greasy, but for the past 10 months or so it's been extremely dry.
      This is the best heat protectant I have ever used. It now comes in a slightly different bottle (grey and orange), and has a slightly different name (it doesn't say 'anti-frizz').
      It has a fairly oily texture, so you have to spray very lightly and carefully. A little goes a long way. The smell isn't really remarkable, but it isn't strong enough to be bothersome either.
      Before I discovered this protectant, my hair would feel simply awful after using my flat iron with either the TRESemmé heat protectant (which has a wonderful spray bottle) or the got2be flat iron protectant. Neither one seemed to actually protect my hair from the heat; it would always end up straw-like and full of snarls. This heat protectant makes my hair feel amazing. My hair looks shiny and smooth and I can run my fingers through it hours later without any problem.
5/5 stars. It's the best.
      You can buy the Ion Heat Protection Thermal Spray from Sally Beauty Supply for $6.79 if you're a part of the beauty club. Otherwise it's $7.49. http://www.sallybeauty.com/heat-protection/SBS-302272,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair

EOS- Evolution of Smooth: Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream *****

      

      I loved the EOS lip spheres so much, when I saw the shave cream at Walgreens last week, I had to have it! There were three scents available: Vanilla Bliss, Pomegranate Raspberry, and Lavender Jasmine. I didn't really love the last two scents, so I ended up with Vanilla Bliss, and I love the smell. When my older sister was in Junior High, she completely overdid the vanilla scent craze, and I have hated the smell of vanilla ever since. However, the Vanilla Bliss scent is mild and sweet and completely lovely. 

      In case you care, it is paraben-free, phthalate-free, and has all kinds of wonderful ingredients like oat, aloe, and shea butter. There is no metal on the container, so it won't leave rust on your tub which is a big plus for me.     

      As for the product, it's different from any shaving gel I've ever tried. It says you can use this product either wet or dry, but I have yet to try it dry. I don't think it would work well simply because when used wet, I find that it clogs the razor a little. It's easily remedied by running hot water over the razor, but I imagine the problem would be worse if used dry. If you're daring and want to try it, I would recommend using a really thin layer of product. 

      After using this shave cream, I immediately noticed how incredibly moisturized my legs were. I didn't even need lotion. Usually I hate shaving my legs, and go without shaving way longer than I should. In fact, it's been something my best friends have teased me about for years, but now that I have this stuff I have been shaving my legs much more regularly.

      This shave cream is a little expensive. I think I paid around $7 for it, but I love it so much. I will be keeping a lookout for sales and coupons for this. It's a great product. 5/5 stars. 

EOS- Evolution of Smooth: Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Review ****

      I am a self-proclaimed addict when it comes to lip products. Lip gloss, lip balm, and to a lesser extent, lipstick, are my drug of choice. I don't like to spend a lot of money on any form of makeup, but when I saw the honey dew EOS sphere in Rite-Aid a couple of months ago, I had to have it.

      The lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, paraben-free, petroleum-free, and Phthlate(how do you even pronounce that word)-free. I don't normally go out of my way to find a product like that, but it's nice to know that it's been so thoughtfully created.

      The packaging is absolutely adorable, but makes the product awkward to carry with you, but you can also buy the product in a stick form (which I have been unable to find as of yet). As a side note, its bulky size makes it a perfectly safe toy for my 9-month-old nephew. I taught him to play catch with it, as well as how to crawl. 

      As for the product itself, it is one of the best lip balms I've ever used. I love the formulation of the lip balm, and it seems to stay on forever. It's incredibly hydrating, and the smell is simply lovely. I later bought a little summer pack with three more spheres including the summer fruit and the lemon drop with spf 15. The lemon drop is nice, but I LOVE the summer fruit scent. There seems to be more product in this sphere than in your typical tube of chapstick, which is especially nice for those of us who chronically reapply chapstick several times an hour.

      Overall, I give this product 4/5 stars because while the packaging has been a real positive for me, it is bulky and not very portable. I love the product itself, though. That's a 5/5. I'm sure you'll love these. All the women in my extended family have noticed mine and immediately needed to try them out, and everyone so far loves them.  

      I found the spheres at both RiteAid and Walgreens, but you can use the website's store locator to find them near you: http://www.evolutionofsmooth.com/locator/