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FCH Review Round-up: Sally Hansen Lip Fix Lip Repair

Review Round-up: Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

Sally Hansen Lip Fix Lip Repair played right into one of my hang-ups: my *gulp* aging, lined lips. Years of being a filthy smoker didn't help me prevent these early signs of aging, and I could kick myself for it! Right on the box I see a big claim: Sally Hansen Lip Fix Lip Repair "Instantly Fills in Liplines as it Smoothes & Hydrates Lips." Odd use of capitalization aside, this sounds like something I want!

Right on the box I am promised "lips that look younger, instantly" which is a vast improvement over my "dry lined lips that make me look older". (Depressing box, this!)This dramatic reversal of fortune is going to be achieved via sodium hyaluronate (which helps pull moisture to the skin and then keep it in) and "marine collagens" (a very non-specific term that doesn't tell us anything at all except it's marine-based and probably meant to support the tissues of the lips, thereby giving a firming appearance).

The Verdict: This product comes in one of those twist-up pens that exudes the product from a perforated sponge tip, not unlike a Play-Doh toy. This type of applicator annoys me and I don't know why. Regardless, that's Strike One. To say I slicked this on would be completely inaccurate, as it dragged across my lips (certainly that's not helping the lines in that area!?); Strike Two. I peered at the mirror after applying it so as to get a better look at the amazing firming and line-fluffing results and saw: nothing. Well, my lips were oddly matte, but that's it. Strike Three and you're Out - as in, thrown out into the trash.

(To be fair, I gave it several tries, but the results were always the same). The matte finish may serve to be a nice base for lipstick, as the package implied, but I prefer MAC's Prep + Prime Lip and FACE Atelier's Lip Putty for that. When I find a product that soothes the savage lines, I'll let ya know. If you know of one, please tell us in the Comments!

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On an very vaguely related note, if you loved Play-Doh as a kid, you may want to check out this post.

 

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss

Review Round-up: Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss

Let's stick with the lips for awhile and take a look at Clinique's Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss. After the matte finish of the Sally Hansen product, I believed my lips to be dehydrated. They weren't, but looking at that matte lip can mess with the mind. Slicking on Clinique's Superbalm feels good and hydrating, so that's a plus. I like a product that provides SPF while giving a punch of color. This one doesn't have any SPF at all and the color impact is... well, let's just say it's not impactful at all. It does have a nice, modest shimmer and the feeling is nice - plus it wears well.

The Verdict: For the record, I tried Passionfruit and Hazelnut. All in all, this product is a good option if you have a dislike for stickiness and overt color but want hydration. I personally don't love this type of container - the tube with the doe-foot applicator is my preferred glossing method - but many people like the squeeze-y tube. This may go in my bag for travel, but I won't rush out to buy more like I did with their Long Last Glosswear SPF 15.

 

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Clinique Even Better Skintone Corrector

Review Round-up: Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Corrector

While we're on Clinique, I have to touch on a product that really disappointed me. Even Better Skintone Corrector offers an economical and safe method of softening the appearance of pigmentation, uneven skintone and the dark remains of acne scarring. Since it's from Clinique, we know it's not going to break us out, and they say its even safe for darker skins- many products of this type are not.

The Verdict: Well, I'm sad to say I saw little improvement after using it twice a day for several weeks. Granted, it says you'll see results in 4-6 weeks, and maybe I didn't wait long enough, but I just couldn't hang in there without seeing ANY results whatsoever. I like how quickly Philosphy's Help Me works, and I also get good results from the Elizabeth Arden/Allergan product Prevage. You? If you have sensitive skin, don't want to use retinoids, are dark-complected, or can't swing the hefty Prevage pricetag, give this a shot. Me? I'll pass.

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Bobbi Brown Almost Bare

Review Round-up: Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare

Just a few makeup counters over from Clinique you'll find Bobbi Brown's newest fragrance, Almost Bare. Described as a "fresh floral," this scent is supposed to be reminiscent of summer skin. The notes are Italian bergamot, violet leaves, soft muguet, and jasmine petals with a soft cedar and warm amber base.

The Verdict: Sure, it smells like summer skin, if your summer skin has a "fresh floral" perfume on it. I don't feel like this scent is close to the skin, either - in fact, I feel like it's very present and worry that it bothers people around me. That may be me reacting to the jasmine in it, though. I find jasmine to be very obvious, even when lightly done. The scent itself is like a bouquet on clean, soapy skin. I can see this blending well with Beach if you like to mix fragrances. I go back and forth on my opinion of this one, and so I'm holding on to it. I think I like it, though it's not anything like perfumes I generally gravitate towards. If you like light, fresh floral scents, drop by the Bobbi counter and check this out. If that's not your fragrance thing, skip this one.

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Stila ~ the Kitten collection

Review Round-up: Stila ~ Kitten

Completely unrelated to M Lab is this next item: kitten. I like kittens. I really, really like kittens, in fact, and I think that anyone who doesn't care for kittens must be deranged. I have the same philosophy about anyone who doesn't like bacon. But kittens and kitten are not the same thing, and I am really pretty lukewarm on the latter.

Kitten is the name of one of Stila's best-selling eyeshadows. It's a "shimmery nude pink" frost, and the way some people talk about it there's never been another eyeshadow made in the world! As far as that goes, there are a few other Stila shadows I like better, and certainly a few over at the MAC Urban Decay and NARs counters!

Stila based two new products on the popularity of this shadow, kitten, and since much of my issue with kitten is the texture, I thought I'd check these out as other options. The first kitten spin-off is the silk eye shadow wash, a long-wearing, lightweight, liquid-to-powder version of the gold-pink Kitten shade. The second spin-off product in this litter is silk shimmer gloss, a lipgloss with silk proteins and ulta-fine shimmer that gives that lovely warm pink kitten-esque look.

The Verdict: I was quite interested in silk eye shadow wash, since I like cream shadows and because the only thing that keeps me from being a kitten fanatic is the texture of the shadow. When it comes to cream shadows, I tend to dislike them when they're coming out of a tube and applied with a sponge-tipped applicator (that's how I like my lipglosses, not my shadows!). This is no exception! I find that I have to sploosh the applicator (a technical makeup artist term, "sploosh") around the eye then smooth it out with my finger. That sucks. The color is nice, though, if a bit frosty. I'm over the shimmer highlighter under the brow arch, but if you're not this will work well there. It's also a decent base for shadow, since it doesn't crease too much once you spread it out. I find it feels a bit heavy on the eye, though, and that's not cool. This shade would probably pop on medium-toned skin.

As for silk shimmer gloss, this was a complete waste of money (I did pay for this one myself - and then returned it). It's sheer and it's faint and the shimmer is negligible. Why put on a $22 lipgloss if it's going to barely be noticeable and then fade off before you're even out the door? I take my lipglosses very seriously, and this one just pissed me off. All-in-all: a dud.

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: M Lab Skincare

Review Round-up: M Lab Skincare

This one is for all of the Brits out there. No, not girls named Brittany! I'm talking about folks from the England! This review is of a new skincare line available exclusively at Harrods: M Lab Skincare.  Though you don't have to be from England to enjoy this line now - it's available online at mlabskincare.com. If you're looking for heavy-hitting skincare, this is the line for you! Its level of active ingredients is beyond that of any other line: somewhere between 45% - 74%. That unreal! Most products hover somewhere around 10% -20% give or take. So this range of antiagers will really make a difference, one assumes. As well it should because it's pricey! Of course, it was designed to be pricey, based as it is on the desire to have be high-end, top-of-the-line, premium-ingredient, effective skincare line.

The Verdict: I say if you have the  £'s for it, have at it! But since there's a well-crafted claim on the line's website that says, in response discontinuing use of the product at some point, "The M LAB™ skincare line does not permanently repair skin or change skin structure, so your skin will return to the state it was in prior to using M LAB™. To ensure continued improvement in your skins’ appearance, use M LAB™ daily as a long-term solution" I will go ahead and skip it. I don't think it's "continued improvement" if it's not going to last! I want products that repair permanently, provided I take precautions not to recreate the damage later. I also don't care for lines that tell me all of their products are "synergistic" and therefore I should buy all of them. On the plus side: I liked the scents of these products, and they felt nice going on. They're also paraben-free and not tested on animals. Oh, and the sleek black-and-white packages look fantastic - great on a modern vanity or on a man's countertop. This is a nice unisex line.

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Olay Definity

Review Round-up: Olay ~ Definity

Next on the product review chopping block is Olay. I got a lovely gift from the Olay PR team that included a few items from the Definity line. This collection is meant to add luminousity to the skin while fighting the signs of aging. Glucosamine Complex will help repair while hydrating and minimizing imperfections. Other ingredients minimize brown spots and correct dullness. Enlightening!

The Verdict: I thought the foaming moisturizer was cool - a novel approach to an otherwise humdrum part of the beauty routine. Overall, this was a great line that, unfortunately, broke me out. However, I was quite luminous and my skin felt great (prior to the acne). If you don't have sensitive or acne-prone skin, I heartily encourage you to try the Definity
line! I really wanted this to work for me and gave it two shots, but I can't keep up with a line that breaks me out (and I'm pretty sensitive and break out to a lot). I also give the line props for the sweet packaging: not only are the product containers lightweight, but the store packaging is easy to open, which I appreciate greatly. The scent of the products are nice, too, in that there's hardly a scent at all.

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Release

Review Round-up: Clinique ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Release

Twelve hours of moisturization - that's what they say when they talk about this product from the wonderful labs of Clinique. Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief keeps your skin soft and hydrated through anything: extreme temperatures, changes in environment, heaters and air conditioners. It stands up to them all! By pushing skin to retain a stable moisture balance, this product enables skin to defend itself better against environmental aggressions. This is a good thing. You may be familiar with this product already ... or are you? It's been tweaked and now has ingredients that help lock in the intense-but-not-overwhelming hydration. It's got the same color (peachy) and consistency (gel-like cream) it always has, and still won't clog your pores or break you out.

The Verdict: I love this stuff. I love the lightweight feel but heavy-hitting hydration. I don't really notice a scent and the way it makes my skin feel is DIVINE. You can also use this moisturizer as a mask - layer it up on the skin and let it sit for 10 minutes before wiping it off. This is a new permanent fixture for me. FCH-Approved!

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair

FCH Review Round-up: Whish Shave Crave

Review Round-up: Whish ~ Shave Crave

 

Made by Whish, this product promises to be a luxurious way to shave the legs. It comes in several "flavors"; I tried Blueberry Mint. Whish products are made with essential oils and natural ingredients, and they are supposed to help keep your skin soft and supple while giving you a great shave.

The Verdict: Blueberry Mint Shave Crave is truly unusual. It comes in a pot and you scoop it out with your fingers. Smoothing it onto the skin is quite a different experience - I'm used to foams or gels and this is like slathering yourself with a thick pudding of product. The shave is nice, and I had no nicks or bumps when I was done. I will use this up and probably buy another, maybe in pump form, 'cause why shouldn't shaving be tolerable - or even pleasant!? I look forward to trying more Whish products in the future...

 

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Read the other posts in the Round-up:

• FCH Review Round-up
• Whish Shave Crave

• Olay Difinity line

• Clinque ~ Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• M Lab Skincare
• Stila ~ The Kitten collection
• Bobbi Brown ~ Almost Bare
• Clinique ~ Even Better Skintone Correcter
• Clinique ~ Superbalm Moisturizing Lipgloss
• Sally Hansen ~ Lip Fix Lip Repair