Archive for the ‘Product Reviews’ Category
Maybelline Volum’ Express the Colossal Mascara
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
At Free Beauty Events we love trying out the latest mascara. This time, we tried Maybelline’s Volum’ Express the Colossal Mascara. This promises to give 9x the volume instantly with one coat. We found one coat to be enough for day, and we were surprised to see that we got a more natural look. With a name like ‘Volum’ Express the Colossal’ you might expect a more false lash look, but this is not a high drama mascara. As promised it went on clump free (which can be an issue with volumizing mascara). In our opinion, this gives the same effect as their Great Lash Mascara. But we liked that the Volum’ Express is collagen enriched – excellent for your lashes. To see other mascaras we’ve reviewed click here.
Tip: Mascara also works great as liquid eyeliner. Buy a slim eyeliner brush such as the e.l.f Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush and insert it in your mascara tube. It’s just $3.00 and you can use it to turn all of your mascaras into double-duty products!
Tags: e.l.f., eyeliner, great lash, Mascara, Maybelline, volume, volumizing
Posted in Product Reviews | 7 Comments »
got2b Powder’ful Volumizing Powder
Friday, December 16th, 2011
In a world where everyone seems to have hair extensions – volume is definitely in. got2b has a product that allows you to have amazing volume, without the fake hair. We tried their Powder’ful Volumizing Powder and really liked it. If you’re just looking to add some texture or slight dimension to your hair, then you can rub some in your palms and distribute through your hair. But if you want a look similar to the girl on the front of the box you should shake the powder on your roots and then style with your fingers. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time making sure the powder blends in, we suggest just putting it everywhere on your roots except for the very top layers. It’s very tempting to use a lot of this product since it’s fun to see how volumized your hair can get. However, be careful with using too much! For example, if you have very fine hair, using too much can achieve the opposite effect and weigh your hair down. What we liked the most about this product is that your hair can have volume without backcombing, volumizing shampoo/conditioner, or hairspray. Since it texturizes your hair, this is also great for doing updos or more complicated styles. For December, we are giving away this product as part of our contest of the month. Check it out at http://www.freebeautyevents.com/contest !
Tags: got2b, haircare, volume, volumizing
Posted in Product Reviews | 6 Comments »
Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
ALL hairsprays say that they will not flake, make your hair sticky, or make your hair stiff. However, we’ve found that you usually have to choose between great hold and touchable hair. Fekkai’s Sheer Hold Hairspray actually backs up these claims and allows you to create hairstyles that you can brush afterwards! We really recommend this product for creating waves, which seems to be one of the most popular ways to style hair right now. It works well because it holds just enough to keep curling iron created waves in place, but you still have movement. What’s great about this hairspray is that your hair won’t look too ‘done’. If you’re going for a more rigid hold or for a more elaborate hairstyle, then this hairspray may be a little too lightweight for what you’re looking for. If you’d like to give this product a try, enter our contest of the month! Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray is part of the prize.
Tip: To create waves like the celebs, leave one inch of hair free at the end of your curling iron. For a real natural look, try a clamp free curling iron.
Tags: Fekkai, hair, hairspray, hold
Posted in Product Reviews | 4 Comments »
Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream
Thursday, December 8th, 2011
The most age fighting eye cream in the world is no good if it stings your eyes. Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream is for all skin types, even sensitive. What we liked the most about it is that we could apply generous amounts to the eye area without irritation. And no overpowering scent! The directions state that this should be applied during the evening. However, we found that we could use during the day under makeup as it’s non-greasy. This gave our skin great texture and as promised improved the appearance of lines around the eyes. The product main ingredients include kinetin, which is an antioxidant plant complex that keeps cells healthier longer and snap-8 peptide which is said to relax the look of wrinkles. Click here for our reviews of other Dr. Lewinn products, which are sold at Walgreens, Duane Reade, and Wal-Mart.
Tags: anti age, by kinerase, dr. lewinn, Eye Cream, eyecream
Posted in Blog, Product Reviews | 4 Comments »
Caress Fine Fragrance Elixirs Body Wash, Scarlet Blossom
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
If you like body wash with a bit more fragrance (i.e. Bath & Body Works) then you’ll enjoy Caress’s new Fine Fragrance Elixirs Body Wash. We tried the body wash in Scarlet Blossom and thought the scent was a great quality – it didn’t smell ‘cheap’. The scent is a unique blend of red lychee and patchouli oil. This body wash also has silkening moisturizers so you don’t have to choose between moisturized skin and smelling great. It’s clean-rinsing and we think it’s appropriate for most skin types except extremely dry. If you are a Caress fan, you should know that we are also giving away Caress Body Wash, Exfoliating Burnt Brown Sugar & Karite Butter; and Caress Body Wash, Moisturizing Daily Silk in our contest of the month, enter to win here!
Tags: body wash, Caress, product review
Posted in Product Reviews | 5 Comments »
Elan Veda Elan Skin Renue and Elan Healthy Hair
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
We just discovered a company called Elan Veda that makes holistic beauty products which are based on Ayurveda. Ayurveda originated in India and aims to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit. We tried two of their products, Elan Skin Renue and Elan Healthy Hair. Elan Skin Renue contains a unique blend of essential oils and is said to improve radiance and minimize wrinkles. It can also be used under makeup. While this product wasn’t greasy at all (a huge feat for an oil-based product) we wouldn’t recommend this for someone who has acne or very oily skin. This really softens your skin and our favorite way to use this was to combine with our favorite moisturizer. If you have a moisturizer that’s not quite doing the job anymore with the cold weather, using this oil could give it a much needed boost. The oils in the Elan Veda product line are bottled in Miron Violet glass which provides a great barrier against detrimental elements – so the oil quality is always preserved. We also tried Elan Healthy Hair, which is a supplement that is said to naturally eliminate factors in the body that inhibit hair growth while promoting vibrant, thicker hair. You take two of these a day and there is a 30 day supply. We tried a 2 week stint on these vitamins and discovered it was great for nails too! Since a difference in hair takes a lot longer to see we are going to continue with the Healthy Hair supplements as we’re encouraged by the results so far. If you would like more information about Elan Veda, check out their website at http://elanveda.com/index.php .
Tags: anti-aging, elan healthy hair, elan veda, oils, skin renue
Posted in Product Reviews | 3 Comments »
Contest of the Week – Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
Keratin products seem to be all the rage lately. Recently, we received Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion from Beautystat.com . In addition, they sent us one to give to 1 lucky Free Beauty Event winner (see our unbiased product review below)! To enter, just comment below with your best frizz fighting tip.
Here’s ours: If your hair is prone to frizz or if you live in a humid climate, try using a blow dryer with a diffuser. The diffuser will let the blow dryer emit heat with less intensity, so you can avoid the dry straw look.
Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion – When we first received this product we thought that it would primarily work by getting our hair straighter. However, Magic Potion’s real strength is its frizz fighting power. We give American Culture kudos for the way they packaged it. Even though it’s basically a light styling cream, it’s in a spray bottle so you can truly distribute it evenly throughout your hair. Since Magic Potion has a great scent it’s easy to overspray! We used it on wet hair following shampooing and conditioning (per the directions) and then did our usual heat styling routine. We found that even with high humidity, we were still able to keep our hair style. We also didn’t need a separate product to detangle. According to American Culture, Magic Potion will protect hair from thermal abuse; lock in hair color and control frizz; add shine and volume, hydrate, smooth, and detangle; and leave hair silky and free of split ends. The product is available in salons and retails for $25. If you would like more information or just want to check out their other products go to http://americanculturehair.com/index.asp.
One winner will be chosen by 11/30/2011 and notified by email 12/7/2011. U.S. residents only. Odds of winning are 1 out of number of comments on this blog post.
Tags: american culture, beauty stat, contest of the week, detangler, frizz, hair
Posted in Contest of the Week, Product Reviews | 26 Comments »
