Origins Modern Friction

One word: burns. This product burns like nothing I have ever used. I'm not sure why it did that, because I haven't heard anyone complain about that before in reviews. I was careful to only use a large pea sized amount and rub very gently. I put some on my face after I washed it and then used water to thin it out and make it less harsh on my skin and easier to "maniuplate", for lack of a better word. Before I had gotten too far, my face started getting kind of warm, which quickly turned into burning. I quickly washed it off and sprinted to go find an aloe mask to put on my face, which gradually reduced the burning sensation. When I went to go tell my mom that she could have my mask and explained why, she said that she didn't like it either because it did the same thing to her face. She had tried it the night before and independently decided that she didn't like the results. So, that's two individual complaints about the burning.

This mask doesn't smell particularly good or bad. From what I remember, it's kind of an herbal, earthy smell. Personally, I prefer more fruity or minty scents in my masks. It also didn't make my face notably softer or smoother, which may be due to the fact that I washed it off so quickly. To be honest, I'm not very eager to try it a second time. I'm sure there are other equally good, if not better masks out there. Also, at $38.50 for 4.2 fl oz., it definitely isn't the cheapest exfoliator/microdermabrasion product on the market. Overall, 0/5 stars.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

So, this is my review of the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. I don't know why I feel a need to say that, but I don't really know another way to start...sorry :). Anyways, this product can be purchased from Ulta or most drugstores. It costs around a little under $4 at Ulta, I'm not sure what the drugstore prices are like, but you can expect to pay around that much for a bottle.

This product smells really good - kind of tropical, in my opinion. I use it as a daily conditioner, even though it is a deep conditioner. But I find that this product leaves my hair soft, manageable, and tangle-free. Although, the lack of tangles may be due to the fact that my hair isn't very prone to tangling in the first place. I have heat-damaged hair (from flat-ironing) and this product has made a huge difference in the way my hair looks and feels. Though I typically only use this product on the bottom half of my hair (from my ears down), I will sometimes put a little on the top half of my hair to give it some attention as well.

Tip: Comb your through hair after applying this product to de-tangle and ensure that the product is evenly distributed. You can also massage a small amount into your scalp to moisturize it (thus, reducing the possibility of dandruff). Make sure you rinse well afterwards to prevent allergic reactions.

The conditioner smells absolutely amazing - very tropical and kind of fruity (coconuts, perhaps?) Although, at first I wasn't too big on the smell, for some reason, but it grew on me, and now I love it. The scent isn't overwhelming and does leave your hair faintly scented after it's rinsed out. You won't be able to smell it unless you put your nose to your hair, which I actually prefer because I don't like heavy, suffocating scents that fill the room and make it hard for everyone to breathe. Also, I that this product is in a squeeze tube because it makes it a lot easier to dispense the product and you can get pretty much every last bit of it out.

Overall, I would highly recommend this product. 5/5 stars.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in Petting Pink

This product has been discontinued. I have absolutely no idea why, because this is a great and pretty popular product. If you're thinking of trying this product out, now's definitely the time to do it. There's not many left at the counters and stores that I've been to. Some colors are already sold out at certain locations and are not availible for purchase online. I wouldn't count on this product being availible at a Cosmetics Company Outlet because there's not going to be any left at this rate. I just went and bought myself a backup the other day. Not that I'm going to be using it any time soon. I've used this product at least twice a day for about 8 months, and I've barely made a dent in it.

I like to pair this product with the Mint Julips lip scrub by Lush because it takes off the layer of dead skin on your lips, to let you moisturize the cells that are still functioning. To me, using this without exfoliating is like watering a dried up plant - no amount of water's going to bring that thing back to life. I like to exfoliate right before I go to bed and then apply the tinted lip conditioner. It makes your lips feel really hydrated the next morning.

This gives your lips a very nice sheer pink tint. I really like it because it enhances the color of your natural lips instead of changing them dramatically. It seems to be a little on the expensive side for a lip balm ($15), but it is definitely worth it. The packaging is a little unsanitary, but I'm not bothered by it because I always make sure I wash my hands before I apply this., Also, I will say that this product doesn't seem to last very long on your lips. It seems to disappear after about 3-4 hours, which isn't bad, but I find it hard to reapply in public, due to the packaging. Overall, I would highly recommend this product. 4.5/5 stars.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

So, I'm going to try to make this review shorter than my review of this product's sister/brother, the Dramatically Different Different Moisturizing Gel. If you click the link, it will take you to my review of the gel, an explanation of how Clinique's skincare routine works, and the different skin types, which I won't discuss in this review in the interest of time.

This lotion is unscented as far as I can tell, unlike the gel which carried a light scent. It also comes in 2 different sizes, 1.7 and 4.2 oz. The picture above is the 4.2 oz. size with a pump. The 1.7 oz. size comes in a tube. I would definitely recommend spending the extra 50 cents and buying the bottle that comes with a pump as opposed to the pumpless one because the pump gives you more control over how much product you dispense and is far more hygenic. The lotion itself is a slightly thicker consistency than the gel, but even so, you can tell that the formula contains a lot of water, or a water-like substance. It is also slightly more yellow than the gel if you look closely.

The product feels very cool and refreshing upon application and is recommended for people with very dry, dry, or dry combination skin. I, however, disagree. I have normal skin, and found that this lotion was the perfect consistency and formula for me. My mother (why am I saying mother and being so formal) had given me a travel size bottle of it to try since I had mentioned that I was running out of my previous moisturizer, the Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Thirst Relief, and asked if she had any suggestions. I am doing a review on my previous moisturizer soon, but I will say that this product tops the Moisture Surge in price and performance. Initially, I was very skeptical about this product, but I gave it a try anyway. It left my skin feeling very soft and moisturized, even the next morning, which was surprising because usually the effects wear off overnight/throughout the day. I would definitely recommend this product. However, those of you with very dry skin may (or may not) find that this product isn't moisturizing enough. If so, I would recommend using the Moisture Surge on top of the lotion. Overall, 5/5 stars.

On a side note, if anyone knows of a good eye product for dark circles, please leave me a comment. I can't seem to find a good one for the life of me.

The Body Shop Poppy Seed Oil Reviving Mask

So today I'm going to be reviewing the Poppy Seed Oil Reviving Mask by The Body Shop. This mask can be purchased for $6 at Marshalls or TJMaxx if they still have it - it was discontinued awhile ago. I'm going to make this a quick review to compensate for my really long review on the Clinique Dramtically Different Moisturizing Gel and because this mask isn't really attainable anymore.

This mask has a light, clean smell - much better than that of the Brazil Nut Moisturizing Mask. It isn't as hydrating though. This one can be used as a daily conditioner if you have dry hair. This mask made my hair feel more moisturized and smelled good as well. Overall, 4/5 stars. I took off a star because it was a good conditioner, but there was nothing "holy grail" about it. I highly recommend the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle for an everyday treatment - it is cheaper, and easily attainable (can be found at drugstores and Ulta). I will be reviewing that mask shortly (perhaps in a few days).

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

This gel comes in I believe, 2 different sizes - 1.7 and 4.2 oz. The 1.7 oz. size is $13.50 and the 4.2 oz. size is $24.50. The picture above shows the 4.2 oz. size which comes in a rectangular plastic bottle with a pump. The gel itself is a very pale yellow and has a light scent to it, despite claiming to be unscented. The scent itself isn't very strong, is barely detectable, and isn't unpleasant (just not pleasant either). The pump is great because it's very hygenic (it was created by a dermatologist...I should hope that it's hygenic). It keeps out the germs that are in the air and because you aren't required to put your hands in a jar, it makes sure that the germs from your hands aren't transferred into the bottle.

This gel is the third, moisture step of Clinique's famous 3 step skin care system with the first two steps being cleanse and exfoliate. Clinique makes a Dramtically Different Moisturizing Lotion as well, which has won several beauty awards and is for drier skin. The gel was created later for those with oily skin. I myself have normal skin, but was recommended the gel and the other products for oily skin so I wouldn't overhydrate or dry my skin out even (for reference, I am type 3). There are 4 different categories that you can be placed into. To find out what category you are, visit their website at www.clinique.com, take the survey at a Clinique counter, or have a salesperson help you out. Here are descriptions of the four "types" of skin.
Type 1 is very dry to dry (tight and uncomfortable all over)
Type 2 is dry combination (tight and uncomfortable cheeks, comfortable in the T-zone)
Type 3 is combination oily(comforable cheeks, oily/shiny in the T-zone)
Type 4 is oily (oily/shiny all over)

To be honest, I was really disappointed in the gel. It was a gel-like consistency, as the name implies, but it was not the right formula for me. In all fairness, it was one of the first face products I tried, so I wasn't very familiar with what products were right for me. Apparently, there is a right and wrong when it comes to products even if you have oily skin. This product is great if you have oily skin as it is light and refreshing and moisturizes without leaving your skin greasy. However, for those of you with dry or normal skin, I would try out the Dramtically Different Moisturizing Lotion. The consistency is thicker and more moisturizing than the gel (really now...)

So, onto what I thought of the product. I really did not like this gel at all. I'm not going to say hate, because I'm going to reserve that word for products that I actually hated. This gel made my fingers feel weirdly sticky and it felt like it dried my face out (which is absurd, I know). I had to put another lotion on top of it so that my face felt normal again. I have a friend with oily skin and she loves this lotion. She thinks that it's amazing and she's rather picky about her face products. Overall, I wouldn't repurchase it for myself. I would give this a 2/5 stars, but it was mostly, if not completely, because it was the wrong consistency and formula for my skin.

You can buy the gel or the lotion at any Clinique counter, Sephora, or CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet) if you have one near you. There are pros and cons of buying them at all of the areas. Clinique frequently gives gifts with purchases of about $24 (I'm not sure the exact amount) which are quite generous. You usually get a small eyeshadow palatte, lip product, skincare product, cosmetics bag, and sometimes a mascara. There is almost always some kind of promotion going on at Clinique, so I would definitely check it out. However, for Beauty Insiders, Sephora awards 1 point for every dollar spent at Sephora and the points can be redeemed when you have reached 100 or 500 points for deluxe samples and limited edition products. You become a "VIP" member (I forget the actual name for it) when you have obtained 250 points and there are special bonuses that come with that (see www.sephora.com for details). Finally, at the CCO, the products are all at a 15-25% discount. So, it's kind of hard to decide, at least for me, where I want to buy my products.

I apologize for the really long review, but I'm the kind of person that really likes to do their research before going and buying a product, so I prefer detailed reviews to quick reviews.

The Body Shop Brazil Nut Moisture Mask

So this is my review of the Brazil Nut Moisture Mask by The Body Shop, which I said I would review in my first post. I know that I'm doing two hair masks in a row, which I don't like doing because I'm kind of OCD. But I did say that I would review this next and I don't want to contradict myself and have to go back and change the post.

Anyways, I purchased my mask from Marshalls for $5 so it was relatively inexpensive given the price and volume of the product. Unfortunately, this product was discontinued a little while ago so even places like Marshalls and TJMaxx might not carry it.

I'm not sure what exactly this mask smells like...it doesn't smell good but it doesn't smell bad. It smells vaguely nutty to me. The scent is very strong in the pot and does linger in your hair which is good if you like the smell, but I'm not too big on the smell myself and I'd rather my hair smell like something else. The smell is relatively hard to mask with other products.

This mask is very thick and creamy - you really have to be careful with this product. You can only put a little bit in your hair or else you'll end up with greasy hair and that's not attractive. The first time I used it, I really coated my hair with it, not knowing how greasy it would make my hair. I had to rewash my hair with a bit of shampoo. So, if you are able to find this product and have hair about halfway down your back, what I do is put my fingers (excluding my thumb) relatively flat on top of the mask and swirl my hand three times on the surface of the mask (don't dig your fingers in) and use that to coat the hair from my bottom of my neck down. After that, I put my other hand in and swirl it once and then touch up spots that I missed and take a comb and brush through my hair to distribute the product. Your hair will feel like there's nothing in it, but that's plenty of product. I disregard the directions and wait about half an hour and then rinse the mask out. It leaves your hair really soft. Overall, I would recommend this product because it works well and is pretty cheap (if you can find it). I'd give it 4/5 stars because it does tend to leave your hair greasy if you use even a little too much and the smell isn't that great.

All in all, this review was rather pointless as the product can't be obtained for the most part. My apologies. I'll follow up with a (hopefully useful) review of something that's not a hair product. Then, I'll review another mask by The Body Shop just so I can get them out of the way while not too many people are reading this. After that, I'm going to try to review a protein mask (which is different from a regular moisture mask).