Taking a 2-Week Challenge with Pond's

Recently, @Influenster gave me the opportunity to try @Ponds Rejuveness and Clarant B3 moisturizers as part of their program. I was very happy to try both as they claimed to remove fine lines and wrinkles and leave behind radiant, luminous skin. Now who wouldn't want that? #SeeForYourself #contest

Influenster challenged me to a 2-week challenge to see how well the Pond's Rejuveness would work in removing fine lines from my skin. Now that the 2 weeks are over, this is what I thought: overall I would have to say Pond's does a great job with diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, however there were a few issues I had.

Pros:
1. I was left with noticeably radiant skin. After 2 weeks I really found that my skin looked more radiant-I had that great glow to my skin instead of a somewhat luster I had come to expect. I'm very pleased with how well Pond's worked on my skin in terms of radiance.

2. I also felt my fine lines were diminished. I had a few lines near my eye area and while they made me look distinguished and wise (that's what I tell myself), they weren't really me. After 2 weeks of using Pond's, they don't seem very obvious to me any more. While I'm not saying they have disappeared, they definitely aren't in your face any more and I feel with another couple of weeks of using Pond's may make another significant reduction.

3. The scent after a couple of days. Note that I say a couple of days (you can read about that below). However, after a couple of days, I found the scent to be light, mild, fresh and faintly reminiscent of sandalwood. Sandalwood is one of my personal favorite scents so I was pretty happy with the scent and think it feels great on my skin.

Cons;
1. The scent when I first opened the jar. I don't know if it was a fluke or this is just the way it was, but when I first opened the jar, there was a really strange smell coming from the cream. I'm not even sure how to describe it, but it was very raw if that makes any sense. It was a really weird smell and I couldn't wear the cream on the first day. When I checked the next day, the smell had almost completely faded, but I could still smell a bit of it. On the third day, the smell was completely gone and I actually found the smell was really nice. I wore it then and it was perfectly fine.

2. Not enough moisture. I find that when I wore it on a very dry day, it didn't have enough moisture to keep my skin hydrated. On more humid days, it was fine, but on dry days, my skin got very dry. I needed to use an extra moisturizer in order to keep my skin from becoming too dry.

All in all, I was very happy with Pond's Rejuveness and Clarant B3. They really did work like the claims advertised. The one thing I would improve is their hydration power and that weird smell in the beginning (or was that just me?), but overall Pond's has done a really great job of coming up with a fine lines/wrinkle reducer.

*Disclosure: I received this product for free from Influenster in exchange for a review. However, all opinions are my own. 

Customer Service Spotlight: Olay

Every once in a while, I will come across a company with either terrible or wonderful customer service. This time it seems Oil of Olay is in the spotlight.

A few days ago, I called Olay's customer service to inquire about a prize that I had won from Allure Magazine's August giveaway. To my consternation, they had no idea what I was talking about and I was transferred from department to department with no sign of ever figuring out what was going on. I took it all in stride and explained my situation repeatedly. Finally, I got to a customer service rep who told me there was no such giveaway and I was wrong. I'll admit I grew frustrated and told her I was a long time customer and that I wasn't going to buy Olay any longer if this was the kind of treatment I would get. She, in a very casual manner said, "Okay, that's fine". I was livid! In my mind, she could have at least checked or asked me to send her the link to the giveaway or the winner's list as proof. Either of these would have been fine. I would have even been okay with a "I'm sorry, but we can't fulfill it", so that I'd at least have an explanation. However, being transferred from person to person and finally being told I had no idea what I was talking about and saying I don't really matter as a customer was the last straw. I hung up the phone by angrily pressing end call, wishing that I had an older model phone so that I could angrily slam the receiver down.

I then wrote to Olay on their Facebook page and told them about my experience. I received a message a couple of days later with a promise to make things right. They assured me that my experience would not be taken lightly and that the views of one rep did not represent the views of their company. Today, I received a package from Olay with 2 of my favorite full size Olay products and another full size Olay product that I had wanted to try. They also included a handwritten note(!!!) expressing how much they appreciate having me as a customer. This, ladies and gentlemen, is exemplary customer service! I would never have expected that a company as large as Olay would take my comments personally and make sure that I as an individual was happy with their service. I was wrong-Olay absolutely went above and beyond what I felt was necessary. Having been a 10+ year customer of Olay's, I feel like my loyalty is appreciated by them and that they will do whatever they can to keep me as a customer and to keep me happy. I'm absolutely blown away by their commitment to their customers! 

I am now an Olay customer for life and can honestly recommend them to everyone. There aren't a whole lot of companies who will listen to you and ensure that they make things right. With both high quality products and an exemplary customer service team, Olay really is the whole package. 

*Note: Olay neither expected nor requested this review. It was done wholly based on my own inclination to promote their superb customer service and products. 

The Versatile Multi Use Argan Oil

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Argan oil has always been one of my favorite products because it is so versatile. You can use it on hair, nails, skin-it's literally a jack of all trades. I was given the chance to use Argan Oil by Adovia skin care. I've used some of their products before and have been pleased with them so I had high expectations for the Argan oil as well.

According to their site the Argan oil is 100% cold pressed organic oil. They also mention a list of other benefits:

• Argan oil contains a high concentration of skin-loving fatty acids and Vitamin E to moisturize skin and provide a layer of protection against environmental irritants and sun damage. This oil is gentle enough for all skin types and can be used on the entire body, including the delicate skin on the face and neck.

• Argan oil is one of nature’s most effective age-fighting skin superfoods. It absorbs quickly and cleanly, leaving no messy residue behind, and restores skin’s elasticity and vibrancy. It diminishes the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles by plumping the skin and improving its ability to retain moisture.

• Argan oil can be used to strengthen dry, brittle nails. Its softening properties make it an ideal cuticle ointment, effective in healing cracked cuticles and promoting the growth of strong, healthy nails. Simply massage the oil into your cuticles twice a day to restore moisture and strength to your nails.

So does the Argan oil by Adovia Skin Care live up to it's claims? I can definitely say it works incredibly well on hair. My hair is usually pretty dry and can get super frizzy if left untamed. However, after a couple of drops of Argan oil, it's texture and smoothness is remarkably improved. It also doesn't feel like an oil field in your hair; I've tried other oils before which leave your hair oily and greasy-not cool. Argan oil isn't like that. It left my hair shiny and smooth without being oily.

I can also attest to it's nail revitalizing properties. While I don't have dry, brittle nails, my cuticles sometimes get a little dry and look terrible. Argan oil solved that problem; with just a couple of drops applied onto the cuticles, it really helped their appearance.

Unfortunately, I haven't tried Argan oil on my skin, but I will have to soon.

All in all, I would say Argan Oil by Adovia Skin Care is a good investment to make in terms of beauty products. Being that it is so versatile and that you can use it on so many different things, it's a great value and you can't go wrong with it's moisturizing and revitalizing properties.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Remington 2" Straightener: Straight up Great

Remington First Look gave me the chance to try their T|Studio LUXE 2" Straightener. A little background before I start. My hair is frizzy-I'm not talking a little static on a humid day, I'm talking full blown Van de Graaff generator frizzy (well pretty close to it). It's also wavy to curly, not quite coils, but not straight either-somewhere in between. A straightener is pretty much a necessity at this point. So of course, I was thrilled to be able to try Remington's 2" straightener.

The straightener was a light lavender color, which I really liked. It was built well and was very sturdy-I could see this lasting a long time. 

Let's start off with the pros:

1. Fast heat up time: The package says the flat iron heats up to it's set temperature in 15 seconds. I found this claim to be true. I had the temperature set at 380 degrees Fahrenheit and it reached that temperature within 15 seconds. I was beyond pleased because the faster it reaches the set temperature, the faster my morning routine goes.

2. Easy to read digital setting: The digital light is very easy to read. I usually need glasses when the script gets too small, but in this case, I didn't have a problem at all.

3. Easy to use: I'm not that great with technology most of the time, but using this flat iron was a breeze. It was literally just plug it in, set temperature, wait 15 seconds, presto done. It required no work from me and I figured it out within minutes.

4. Works very well: My hair is wavy on good days and a frizzy, curly mess  the rest of the time. This basically constitutes 360 days of the year. A flat iron is a must at my house. This was a lifesaver. It's very simple and I felt that it did a very good job with my hair. I found less frizz (pretty much non-existent) as well as leaving my smooth and silky to the touch. This has definitely become a staple in my morning routine.

5. Fast: Did I mention how fast it is? From heat up time to actually using it, I found that the flat iron is incredibly fast. I didn't have to straighten parts of my hair over and over. I ran it over once and I was done. This really saved me a lot of time.

All in all, I was pleased with the flat iron: it was durable, high quality, was easy to use and left my hair silky. This makes for a very happy me and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would like to straighten their hair. 

*Disclosure: I received this product for free from Remington in exchange for an honest review. As always, my opinions are my own and unbiased. 

Vitamin C Serum Review

It seems that these days natural products are making a bit of a comeback and it's all you really hear about. There are just so many, especially when it comes to beauty products. How can you be sure a serum or cream lives up to the hype? Or that it will even work? In many cases, you really don't, but word of mouth is one way to either corroborate or demolish the statements made by these companies.

I was given the chance to try out the Vitamin C Serum from La Beaute Pure and was excited to see if it lived up to the claims on Amazon. My initial reaction was very positive as I received the serum within a week and was given a free e-book and complimentary Shea Butter Black soap with my order. I also received a personalized email from the company to ensure that my experiences with all parts of the review process were excellent. From the ordering to a month after using it, the company made sure that I was pleased with the final result. They have excellent customer and are happy to work with you to resolve any issues. For that alone they deserve a five star rating.

But let's move on: you're here to find out if the serum actually does what it's supposed to do. The package comes with the product as well as a separate eye dropper or lid. This is the same bottle I received:

I loved the eye dropper because I could customize the amount of serum I needed. About 4 drops usually covered my entire face and I usually added a moisturizer on top of it. I found that my skin feels a lot fresher and softer than when I used a moisturizer alone. I can honestly say that it was so much better and faster acting than most high priced store bought products that I had used before. Also seeing that I'm only using about 4 drops a day, I know this bottle will last me a very long time meaning that it is very cost effective. I usually end up buying a new moisturizer every month or so, but I can see this easily lasting me 6 months or more.

I also want to note that my daughter started using this a couple of weeks ago as well and her skin looks great too! She doesn't use a moisturizer with it and uses it alone. La Beaute claims that the serum also lightens the complexion and while I didn't notice this on my skin, I can definitely see it on my daughter's skin. Her skin has definitely brightened and become more even toned after using the Vitamin C Serum.

Essentially, the Vitamin C serum by La Beaute Pure works, is cost effective and the awesome customer service is why I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Dead Sea Mud Shampoo Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Dry, frizzy hair that never seems tamable or acts up in humid weather-sound familiar? Yes? Me too! In fact, my hair is one of those things I have to spend most of my morning routine on just to avoid looking like a crazy loon in public. I hate that I have to spend so much time trying to simply tame my hair. This is why I jumped at the chance to try out Adovia's Dead Sea Mud Shampoo.

Now I'd heard about the benefits of Dead Sea Mud shampoo and how well it's supposed to work on hair. In fact, this is what Adovia says about their product:

Helps to Relieve Itching from Dry, Flaky Scalp & Dandruff
Helps to Relieve Symptoms of Scalp Psoriasis & Seborrhea Dermatitis
Made with Pure & Natural Dead Sea Mud for an Infusion of Essential Minerals into Scalp & Hair
Specially formulated for dry, itchy scalps & Dandruff
Also Contains Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Vitamin E & Chamomile for a Natural Formula that gets results.

The first time I used it, I didn't really notice a whole lot of difference between my regular shampoo and this shampoo. After about a week of using it is when I really started to notice a bit more of a difference; my scalp didn't seem as dry and while I don't have a problem with dandruff, I can see how it would help someone who did. In terms of my overall impression of the shampoo, I have to say I do like it, but I don't love it. Without question, it cleaned my hair well and I could only hope that the Dead Sea minerals were doing a good job on my hair. However, I didn't feel like it blew me out of the water in terms of how well it worked. I didn't look like I just came back from shooting a shampoo commercial or like I could drive a convertible and still have smooth waves of hair falling down my back. It just wasn't meant to be.

Basically the pros and cons were this:

Pros:
Cleans hair very well, Dead Sea Mud is very beneficial for the scalp and hair, Lathers very well, Has a clean fresh scent (not muddy smelling like I may have been expecting), relieves dry scalp and has 100% absolutely wonderful customer service (see note at bottom).

Cons:
Works like any other shampoo I've used, Smoothness and silkiness of my hair didn't really improve that much.

One thing I wanted to point out was that the Adovia customer service is incredible. I would bump up a star just for that! I was having trouble checking out on Amazon using the code they gave me to review the shampoo. When I emailed them about the trouble they immediately emailed me back and tried to fix the issue. Eventually it came to a point where I just couldn't get Amazon to accept the code and so Adovia sent me the shampoo without having to use Amazon. They simply got my info through email and a couple of days later I had it. Now they could have said, "if it doesn't work, maybe you can do a review next time" or "sorry there's nothing we can do", but they went above and beyond to make sure my experience with their company was a good one. For that reason alone, I know I will be buying more of their products, because I know they work just as well as other products out there, but I also have that additional security that if I'm not satisfied with something, Adovia will fix it.

I've also come to realize that Adovia sells Dead Sea Mud Conditioners as well so I think I'll be trying that next with the shampoo to see if I can try to duplicate that shampoo commercial hair ;)

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Vitamin C Serum + Organic Rose Hip Seed Oil + Organic Argan Oil Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Moisturizers are a big part of my life-I don't quite know what I would do without them. In the winter seasons, my face tends to get dry and if ignored, would probably start itching and peeling. Doesn't sound pretty? Yeah, I don't think so either. So I use moisturizers like a life-line. I have them at home, in my purse, in my car-you get the idea. The one thing I don't love about moisturizers is the ingredients list. Now I'm not the kind of person who looks at a list and says, "Oh, I can't pronounce that word, it must be bad for me!" I take everything with a grain of salt. I like to do my research (from reputable sources) and figure out for myself if something is good or not. Of course, the ingredients list on moisturizers can be somewhat daunting and I'd like to spend my time not having to worry about this list. Well, that's where InstaNatural LLC comes in. They offered to let me try their products in exchange for a review-no doubt, I jumped on the opportunity.

What I loved about their products is that most of them are USDA certified organic. They're products are pure and contain what they are supposed to contain.

The first product I tried was the Organic Rose Hip Seed Oil:

It comes in a blue glass bottle (which I've heard is the best color and kind to put anything) and is a good size. I know this will last a long time, because as the directions say you don't need more than about 4 drops for your entire face. They ask you to store it in the fridge to keep it cool so there is now a spot in my fridge just for the Rose Hip Seed Oil. InstaNatural also mentions that it can be used as a moisturizer, hair oil for shinier, healthier hair, and cuticle oil for healthier nails.

What do I think of it? I really love it! I've only used it as a moisturizer so far, but I have no doubts that it would be great as a hair oil or cuticle oil. I've had these awful age spots on my skin and after using the Rose Hip Seed Oil they seem to have gotten lighter. My skin is so much softer than it was before and I've a noticed a lot of blemishes disappear. My skin has also brightened in tone and is smoother in texture. I cannot sing the praises of this oil enough! The only con to the oil is the slight smell it has. The smell can be described as a little fishy-not overly bad and it disappears completely after a few minutes, but there is just a hint at the beginning. To be honest, I didn't really notice it at all and wouldn't have, but InstaNatural mentioned it on their page. So if your very sensitive to certain smells, it might be more noticeable for you. Besides that I can only rave about how much I love this oil and I know once I finish it (which might take a while), I'll be back for more!

InstaNatural also gave me the opportunity to try their Vitamin C Serum.

Now since I was already using the Rose Hip Seed Oil, I gave this to my daughter to try so I could have an unbiased review. Unlike the picture, the vitamin C serum came in a brown bottle and was a little smaller than the Rose Hip Seed Oil. InstaNatural says that the serum works to brighten, moisturize and hydrate the skin. I found all of these to be true! A few days after my daughter started wearing it, I noticed her skin was brighter, more radiant and looked fresh and healthy. My daughter has naturally tanned skin and a few days after using the vitamin C serum I found that her skin had a healthy glow to it and any small blemishes had disappeared. I am absolutely in love with this product-my next step will be to try this myself to see how well it works on fine lines and age spots. This is definitely a product I would recommend to everyone! It works just as advertised and I don't have to worry about harsh chemicals on my face.

Finally, InstaNatural sent me a bottle of Pure Organic Argan Oil.

I've had nothing but good to say about InstaNatural's products and this one is going to be no different. The Argan oil can be used on your face, hands, cuticles and hair. I personally used it on my hair. In the 2 weeks I used it, I noticed a huge difference in the texture and volume of my hair. My hair gets really frizzy on humid days and is still pretty frizzy on non-humid days. After using the Argan oil I noticed that my hair felt and looked smoother on both humid and non-humid days. This is a huge plus for me because I hate when my hair is frizzy and dry. I've used other oils before, but I hate how they feel sticky and greasy in my hair. InstaNatural's Argan oil does not do that; I wouldn't have been able to tell that I was wearing it if not for the fact that my hair looked so much nicer than usual. I would recommend this to everyone-seriously this is amazing and works like a charm.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Olay Micro-sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo

Very recently, Vocalpoint, a try and review site sent me a full-size sample of Olay Micro-sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo (try typing that 20 times fast). I had heard about it before receiving it, but never actually bought it. I've used many Olay products and have loved them all, so when given a chance to try out the Lash Serum Duo, I jumped at the opportunity. The claim was that the eye cream would remove fine lines near the eye area (duh), while the lash serum would make my lashes look longer and thicker. Well, sounds reasonable and something I would definitely want to try so I started my regimen as soon as it arrived.

After about a month, what I've noticed is that the eye cream is exactly what I expected from Olay: not a miracle worker, but definitely something to use for minor wrinkles. It's no fountain of youth, but it is a good product. I found that I did notice some improvement in fine lines around the corners of my eyes and the cream is worth it if you just want to improve the appearance of a few minor wrinkles. Fortunately, I don't have more defined wrinkles to test it on, so if you're looking for a product to remove those heavier wrinkles, unfortunately I can't help you there.

Next up, the lash serum. Now this is a product that I don't think is worth the hype at all. First of all, I found the bristles of the applicator brush to be too small. Every time I applied the serum, I felt as though I was poking my eyes and getting the serum into my eyes. One thing you have to know about me is that I hate getting anything into my eyes. I shiver when I see people putting their contacts in and I cringe when I hear about how someone poked their eye with a mascara wand, so even the feeling of getting this in my eye is enough to put me off. My next issue with the lash serum was the fact that even after a month of use, I didn't notice any difference in my lashes. The product said it would instantly thicken lashes and nourish them. However, I noticed neither of these changes. When I put the serum on, my lashes sort of clumped together and I guess that was supposed to make them seem thicker. Anyway, the serum wasn't really my thing. Another thing I heard from friends was that they used the serum and mascara (not part of the product) together, which caused the mascara to clump together and gave them a sort of porcupine lash appearance. I had no experience with this because, well, I don't wear mascara-refer to my getting things in my eye phobia.

So the final verdict: the lash serum, I found to be useless, but the eye cream was definitely something I want to use again. In fact, I would suggest buying just the eye cream-Olay, I believe, sells a variety of eye creams so I'm sure there will be one there that will work. Forgo the lash serum - I found it to give more problems than it was worth.

*Disclosure: I received this product for free to review