Loose Powder

A while back I did a review on the Neutrogena Wave Sonic. After I ran out of the regular “Deep Clean” (original) pads, I decided to try out the exfoliating pads.

Original / Exfoliating

Top

The exfoliating pads are round cotton pads like the original deep clean pads. The only visible difference is that the surface is not as soft or fuzzy as the deep clean pads, and there are orange colored dots on the top for exfoliating.

The top and bottom of the exfoliating pads are easier to identify than the deep clean pads because the surface with the orange dots is the top, while the surface without the orange top is the bottom that attaches to the Wave Sonic head.

Bottom

Unlike the original pads, the exfoliating pads do not have much of a lather. However, as advertised, it does exfoliate your skin more than the original pads. I didn’t find the exfoliating pad to be rough, but I wish it had more of a lather to it like the original pads.

As I mentioned before, using the Wave Sonic can get expensive because of the refill pads, so I tried to experiment and used regular cotton pads and face wash, but to my dismay it didn’t work. The cotton just did not grip well to the attachment head, and the cotton pads left cotton filaments on head and it was difficult to clean off and kind if ruined the grip of the head.

This resulted in me not using the Wave Sonic much, but since I still have pads left, I still use these for exfoliating once in a long while.

October’s Birchbox was a special edition curated by goop.com, featuring their must-try items.

I actually missed the opt-in e-mail, so I wasn’t sure if I would be getting this box. When I asked about it via Twitter, I was told that it was possible that I could still get on, so when my October box arrived in the special goop outer sleeve, I was quite excited!

Well… this box wasn’t nearly as exciting as I was expecting, but there were still a couple items I was interested in trying.

• Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara
• DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer
• EVE LOM Cleanser and Muslin Cloth
• per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel
• Extra: Lemon Zest Luna Bar

First of all, I always keep a Luna bar in my purse because I get a little difficult to deal with when my blood sugar is low. My friends and I say that I am getting “stabby.” Lemon Zest is one of the few flavors I like, though sometimes it’s a little sweet – I’m currently liking the almond ones a bit more.

My face is currently recovering from a terrible reaction to a foundation I was trying, so I haven’t yet used the DDF Pore Minimzer or the EVE LOM cleanser, though both look good. I also like the little muslin cloth the EVE LOM cleanser comes with as I find those work better for me as an exfoliator than the usual scrubs which was a bit too gritty.

The item that kind of baffles me is the per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel. It’s in a very strange sample package and I have yet to open it to try it.

I’m not sure this month’s box was really worth it, but I’m continuing my subscription.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 a month, you’ll receive a box of four to five deluxe sized samples in the mail.

Whoops! Sorry, these next few monthly boxes are going to be from previous months. I’ve gotten a bit behind, but I still want to show you the things I’ve gotten!

This is my October Birchbox Man, the theme of which was, “shake up something new.”

The items in this box are actually pretty neat, but mostly drink oriented, so not much that I could use. Inside were:

• Oribe Creme for Style
• The Art of Shaving Unscented Pre-Shave Oil
• Borghese Crema Saponetta Cleansing Creme
• Cartier Declaration
• Birchbox Man Jigger
• Teroforma Whiskey Stones
• Caskers $10 Gift Card

I’ve already given away the Caskers gift certificate and the Art of Shaving Pre-shave oil. The whiskey stones weren’t something I was interested in until I realized that I could probably use them in other drinks – although the manufacturer discourages use with anything other than liquor and spirits. I assume this is because they don’t cool large volumes of liquid well.

Even though it’s been two months since I received this box, I still haven’t managed to try the other items yet.

Birchbox Man is a subscription service and costs $20 per month.

Since cucumber seems to be a repeated ingredient I favor during the summer, I decided to try the Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes that I saw at my local Target store. The entire Yes To line is clever in using natural foods of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and blueberries to make a colorful display of their packaging. I also liked how each of the fruit or vegetable boasted a certain trait, like soothing for cucumber or nourishing for carrots. It was a fun way to put natural foods back in the spotlight.

On the outside of the packaging, there’s a snap closure, which I found an improvement over the flimsy plastic sheeting that barely stays attached on some other brands of facial towelettes that I’ve tried. When I opened this snap closure, I could only wish I was able to “wipe that smile ON my face” as mentioned on interior. Because I immediately noticed a strong scent and it did not remind me of cucumbers. The smell was sweet–very floral like–powdery and with a hint of astringent. In fact, I had a horrible flashback to the honeysuckle fragrance from Bath and Body Works circa 1995, the fragrance that I’ve since put on my Triggers for Migraines And Must Be Avoided list. So the scent definitely didn’t win me over.

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This month’s Birchbox features items for the jetsetter – great items you can take with you when you’re on your travels.

There were some really great items in this box that I’m excited to try!

• Georgie Beauty winks faux lashes
• Hair Rules Volumizing Shampoo
• La Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes
• theBalm Stainiac lip & cheek stain in Beauty Queen
• Extra: tili travel bag

I own two Stainiac lip & cheek stains by theBalm – Beauty Queen and Homecoming Queen – and I love both of them. Having this little travel size will be great for trips. Beauty Queen leaves a flush of color on my lips, but I have to make sure I’ve scrubbed off any dry skin or it applies unevenly.

The La Fresh Face Cleanser wipes will be coming with me on a trip at the end of August, so I haven’t used them yet. Same goes for the tili travel bag, which looks like a great alternative to the usual Ziplock bag.

I’ve been growing out my hair for the last several months and I’m discovering that my usual solid shampoos aren’t working as well. There are a few samples I have in rotation, but the volumizing shampoo from Hair Rules looks interesting. It claims to be a moisturizing sulfate-free shampoo  that will also seal split ends and tame frizzing – all of that sounds great!

Finally, the Georgie Beauty Winks Faux lashes. I’ve never actually worn false eyelashes before, so I’m pretty excited to get to try these out. I do wish that the tube of adhesive were resealable as i suspect it’ll all dry out before I can get another use out of it.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 a month, you’ll receive a box of four to five deluxe sized samples in the mail.

Around Christmas, Birchbox had issued a special $40 Birchbox with men’s grooming and lifestyle items. The response was positive and so earlier this year, Birchbox launched sign ups for Birchbox Man!

I love my Birchbox subscription and I also love checking out what kind of grooming items are out there for guys, so of course I signed up for it. Costing $20 per month rather than the $10 a normal Birchbox costs, Birchbox Man is suppose to contain high-end grooming and lifestyle products.

My first Birchbox Man arrived on Saturday. Compared to the normal Birchbox, this one is a slightly larger sleeve box with a blue color scheme.

Inside, there is an information card with a description of the items in the box with the samples contained in silver tissue paper.

Blue is my favorite color, so of course I’m a fan of the color scheme of this classy little box. Inside there were four items, which was a little disappointing for the cost of the box.

So what was in my first box?

• ZIRH Shave Gel
• Billy Jealousy Liquid Sand Exfoliating Facial Cleanser
• Richer Poorer Socks
• Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap

Half grooming and half lifestyle? I thought it was a good first selection, though as previously stated, kind of light. In my regular Birchbox I get five deluxe samples with an extra for half the price.

The Richer Poorer socks were too big for me, so I’ve given them to my mother – the color of them didn’t appeal to my brother. I might give away the ZIRH shave gel… or try it myself. I haven’t decided yet. It’s a very small size for my usage probably. The Billy Jealousy Liquidsand I’m definitely keeping for myself. As for the Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Body Scrub, I think I’ll cut it in half and give it to my brother to try.

I’m still undecided about this service, so I will probably keep it for another month before deciding.

Birchbox Man costs $20 per month and is currently in Beta, but you can sign up and be notified when they’re accepting more subscribers.

I’m seriously slacking this month, you guys, sorry! I might start posting twice a day just to catch up with the load of reviews I have lined up.

Right now, though, here is a look at this month’s Brichbox. The theme for April is Natural Wonders and the box features items inspired by nature and that use natural ingredients.

Here’s a list of what I got in my box:

• Befine Skin Care sampler – 2 packets of cleanser & 3 packets of daily moisturizer
• WEI White Lotus Hydrating Face Treatment Pad
• Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum
• Zoya Nail Polish – Bevin
• Extra: MicrodermaMitt Face Mitt

And some more pictures of the samples:

I’m pretty interested in the Befine cleanser and moisturizer. I like the sound of their products, but the only item I’ve tried so far is a rice & bran night cream that was actually kind of drying. Hopefully these will be a better experience. There’s a generous amount of product for both the cleanser and moisturizer, but I dislike leaving foil packets open so I will probably put this in a lidded pot.

Edit: Birchbox sent an email to current subscribers stating that some customers may have received expired Befine Moisturizer samples. It seems that Befine was supposed to make new samplers for Birchbox customers, but it sounds to me like they just repackaged old stock. Expired items are dated 2009 and 2010! I discovered that mine were expired and following the link in the email, I filled out a survey and will be getting 100 Birchbox points as a courtesy. I appreciate Birchbox taking responsibility for Befine’s error.

Zoya nail polishes are one of my favorite brands and Bevin was a color from the Touch collection I meant to pick up, so it’s great to have received a tiny bottle in my Birchbox!

Wondersrtuck is an okay scent. To me, it’s a sweet floral with amber notes. On my skin, there’s also a slightly tart note. Not bad overall, but not something I’d spend so much money on. The bottle for a full size is very pretty, though.

I’ve not yet tried the WEI face treatment, but I’m looking forward to it as a treat. The MicrodermaMitt looks interesting and I’ll definitely be trying it out, though. You’re supposed to use it after a shower or a steam so that your skin is wet, but you step away from the running water when exfoliating. The one thing I dislike is that a mitt retails for $28 which seems like an awful lot. This method is supposed to work better than using a scrub, though, so if I like it, I might end up purchasing a Hammam glove.

Once again, another great box of item items from Birchbox. I’m still finding it worth the $10 per month cost. As mentioned above, the MicrodermaMitt alone is worth $28. If you’d like to sign up, I believe there is currently a wait list, but definitely register!

Birchbox just announced Birchbox Men – a $20 per month subscription with men’s grooming and lifestyle items. I’ve signed up for the first box just to see what kinds of things they offer and I’ll be reviewing that when I get it.

There’s very rarely a points perk from Sephora that I’m interested in trying out, but in January they had this set of Fresh items for 500 points.

The sample set consisted of the Soy Face Cleanser, Black Tea Age-Delay Face Cream, and Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment. I hadn’t used the other items before, but the Sugar Lip Treatment I’d gotten as a sample a long time ago and remembered liking it a lot.

The Black Tea Age-Delay Face Cream was the first thing I tired in this set as I’d just run out of night cream. I liked the consistency of the cream – it was thick but not too heavy. It seemed to work okay with my skin, but I applied it sparingly. The one thing I didn’t like about this was the smell! It was kind of a slightly sour, dirt smell. The sample size was enough for about a month’s worth of use, but because of the smell I probably wouldn’t buy this again.

I really do like the Sugar Lip Treatment and the Rose Tint adds a tiny wash of color. I’ve been using this at night and in the morning my lips still feel soft and moisturized. The packaging is another great aspect of this product is the packaging. The metal tube seems durable enough to just toss in your purse and you won’t have to worry about the top coming off since it screws on. The only problem I have with the product – which might keep me from buying it – is that the product is so soft that less than halfway through, it starts to move in the tube and will probably break off of the base. I hear this is a common problem with this product and there isn’t anything you can do about it, which is a shame.

I haven’t used the Soy Face Cleanser yet, so I can’t comment on the product.

Because I got this for free with my Sephora Beauty Insider points, it was definitely worth it to try out. If I can figure out how to use the lip treatment without it breaking in the tube, I’d be more likely to buy a full size. (If you’re a Beauty Insider member, I hear that the current birthday perk is a sample set of the rose tinted lip treatment and the regular sugar treatment.)

My second Beauty Army box arrived this weekend! I know I shouldn’t be so excited about what’s inside since I pick my own samples, but I usually forget what I’ve selected by the time it arrives.

This month, the items were all packed more securely in the tissue, which was greatly appreciated. I love the quality of the boxes – with some creative upcycling, these will make great gift boxes.

My six samples this month were mostly skin care items:

• CellCeuticals Extreme Defense antioxidant treatment
• M.A.D Skincare Transforming Daily Moisturizer
• LaRocca Skincare 24K Exfoliating Cream Facial Cleanser
• Mama Mio Boob Tube skin firming cream
• Freeman Beauty Pssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo
• Weleda Iris Hydrating Facial Lotion

I’m collecting a small grouping of LaRocca and CellCeutical items and I’m waiting to use them all at once when I finish some other samples I’m using, so I can’t say much about those yet. I like the fact that LaRocca products are free of a lot of chemicals like parabens, PBA, DEA, TEA, mineral oil, and phthalates.

The Mama Mio Boob Tube has a fresh citrus scent and a smooth texture. It’s free of parabens, which is always a great aspect of a product. I’m still a bit young to be worrying about skin firming, but I’m not too young to think about it so I’ll definitely be giving this a try.

Currently, I’m using Tresemme’s dry shampoo which works okay, but isn’t the best. I don’t like to wash my hair every day because it gets dry and brittle, but skipping two days makes my scalp feel greasy, so I often use a dry shampoo to absorb some of the oil. I can’t wait to try the Freeman Beauty dry shampoo and see how well it works.

Finally, I’ve seen Weleda products in Target, but never bothered to try them, so I’m looking forward to using this when my current moisturizer runs out.

Beauty Army is a new sample subscription service. For $12 per month, you can choose up to six large samples to be mailed to you.

I bought the Neutrogena Wave Sonic a while back when it was on sale at Target. I don’t remember the price I paid, but it is listing for about $14.99 right now.

The Wave Sonic is advertised to be 50x better than ordinary cleansing, which might be true since most of us have the usual routine of rubbing on foaming cleanser on our faces and patting it dry with a microfiber towel.

I’ve never used the Neutrogena Wave, but instead of vibrating, the Wave Sonic has a spinning head that has two speeds. To change speeds on the cleanser, you only have to press the second button with the swirly symbol below the power button.

In order to use the Wave Sonic you have to have the Deep Clean foaming pads which are securely gripped onto the head of the cleanser with a rough surface. There are two kinds of foaming pads: the “original” and the “gentle exfoliating pads”. I’ve only used the “original”, and I feel that the “original” pad gives a gentle enough exfoliation when used against my face. If I manage to try the exfoliating pads, I may write a comparison between the two types.

The Wave Sonic is very easy to use: put on the foam pad, rinse under water, turn on, and rub it over your face. After you’re done, you just toss the used foam pad, and rinse under water to clean off the excess foam. Note: The top attachment head can easily be popped off for cleaning, and the cleanser is battery operated and water resistant, so it can be used in the shower.

The spinning head lathers up easily and can work up a good foam, but it may take a moment for the foam to develop. Warning: make sure all strands of hair are away from your face, because some stray strands may get caught in the spinning head. Also the soap that generates from the pad stings when it sneaks into your eyes, and it doesn’t taste pretty either.

After using the Sonic Wave for a couple weeks once daily, my skin does feel smoother and cleaner. It did not get rid of all my acne or blemishes, but that wasn’t the intention of the Wave Sonic cleanser.

My main gripe with this cleanser is that if you use this daily, the foam pad cleanser can run out quite quickly since they are only one time use. You can get refill packs of 30 pads for about $5, but the cost can add up over time. You don’t really need this cleanser if you have a good face cleansing routine already, but it is fun to use once and awhile.