Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips

I recently received a box of Crest 3d White Intensive Professional Effects Teeth Whitening Strips 7 Count from Influenster.  (Not a member of Influenster?  Check out my posts here and here to learn more!)

I received my box of whitestrips several weeks ago.  I meant to use them right away but they "disappeared."  Turns out my husband, who is a whitestrip fanatic, stole them!  He used to use whitestrips all the time, but after we moved away from "the coupon mecca" (we lived in an area with the trifecta - Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid) we haven't bought them as often.  Naturally, being a boy, he managed to throw the box away before I could take a picture of it, so here is the product image from Amazon:

What They Say:

Over time, your teeth yellow due to everyday activities and indulgences. While precautions can be taken, if you are not actively whitening your smile, you are yellowing it.

• A whiter smile after just 3 days

• Full results in 20 days

• Professional-level results at a fraction of the cost vs. light & laser systems

• Revolutionary Advanced Seal technology for no-slip whitening

• New improved lower strip for more whitening coverage

What My Husband Says:

As a "connoisseur" of white strips, my husband was impressed with how easy to whitestrips were to apply.  The printed directions on the back of the strip were simple and to follow.  Previous strips he has used have only had pictures with notches.  With Crest 3D Instensive Professional Effects it was easy to tell which strip went on the top and which strip went on the bottom.  The top one is much larger!  They were very easily to apply, it only took about 15 seconds and didn't even have to re-position them.  Wore them for one hour even though the directions said two

Those were the things he liked about them.  However, there were a few things he didn't like.  He said they were "gooeyer" than other stirps, almost like a gel.  Also the taste wasn't the best, he thought they could stand to be more minty.  Being a man, he completed disregarding the instructions and ONLY WORE THEM FOR AN HOUR.  He thought he could use them once and look like the Dentastix dogs:

Image credit:  http://www.pedigree.com

He did not notice a significant difference (duh!  He didn't follow the directions) and says he would not use them again because "they took too much time."  Sigh.  This is why Crest sent the whitestrips to me and not him!

What I Say:

I have only used whitestrips a few times in the past, and hated every one of them.  I found these super easy to apply.  My favorite part was once they were on, they didn't move!  I have only worn them once so far (since it took me three weeks to figure out where they went) but I definitely plan on finishing the box!

Learn more about Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips on the Crest 3D White Website. You can also visit www.facebook.com/Crest and stay up to date on all things Crest by following them on Facebook.  And don't forget, "If You're Not Whitening, You're Yellowing!"

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away ♥ Part One

China Glaze Whirled Away over Escaping Reality, Hanging in the Balance, Creative Fantasy, Def Defying and Surreal Appeal

I have already given you a sneak peak of one of the polishes from this collection - It’s a Trap-eze!  I loved it so much I couldn’t keep it to myself.  Today I have six more polishes to show you, and sadly, for me, one of them is a dud…

Let’s talk about the good ones first, shall we?  I have a few “neon crèmes” to show you!  These all needed top coat in order to “shine,” without a top coat they dried flat due to the neon pigments.



Escaping Reality is a “soft hot pink.”  It’s not fully neon, but it sure does pop against my skin!  Here I applied three coats.

Hanging in the Balance is a gorgeous cerulean blue, but oh my does it stain!  Double up on your basecoat and you will be fine!  This formula was so opaque is was “almost” a one coater.



Creative Fantasy is a strange polish.  It applied very streaky, and even though I applied three coats you can still see patches of my nail coming through!  Even though this polish is high maintenance, it’s gorgeous and worth the four (!) coats it would need to look perfect.  I had a hard time taking a picture of this one by itself, so check the picture at the top of the post, which is more true to life.

Def Defying is a lime green with a little bit of neon pigment.  The first few coats went on streaky but the third coat smoothed everything out.  I think the name is very punny!



Surreal Appeal reminds me of a neon watermelon!  This one looks great after just two coats.  Polishes like these are ones I wouldn’t have liked two years ago (too tame) but now I love!

Whirled Away is China Glaze’s second stab at making an indie glitter polish.  They totally hit the ball out of the park with It’s a Trap-eze! but Whirled Away is a bar-hex glitter mess.  It was horrible to apply and it didn’t lie right.  I actually had one of the white hex glitter fall off, even after I applied top coat!

What do you think?  Is Whirled Away your type of polish?

Or will you skip it?

The China Glaze Cirque du Soleil:  Worlds Away collection is currently available on www.sallybeauty.com!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

Get the Bonded Look!

Want to get the look that Bérénice Marlohe wore in the last Bond movie?  All you need is the Get Bonded by OPI, a set featuring three lacquers from the Skyfall Collection!  Bérénice wore Skyfall, a rich maroon, painted on top of the nail and GoldenEye, a shimmering gold, painted on the undersides.

“The Bond manicure is the hottest look of the season,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “Inspired by the film’s blend of elegance and danger, this manicure looks like a timeless classic at first glance, but has an unexpected twist. If your nails aren’t long enough to wear Bérénice’s manicure, I suggest wearing either shade with GoldenEye painted along the tip or moon for a pop of shimmering color, or layering one coat of GoldenEye over either The Spy Who Loved Me or Skyfall for a multi-faceted, glittering look.”

Get Bonded by OPI retails for $19.95 and can be found at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA

 

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Sephora It’s Real 18K Gold Top Coat over Zoya Jem (WW)

Sephora It’s Real 18K Gold Top Coat over Zoya Jem

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

FutureDerm Time Release Retinol 0.5 Review

From the FutureDerm website:

 

How Our Retinol 0.5 is Different

A concentrated retinol formula, FutureDerm Time-Release Retinol 0.5 contains 0.5% microencapsulated retinol in a lightweight gel formula that is perfect for use together with your other favorite moisturizers.  Most retinoid creams are thicker, taking up to 30 minutes to absorb into the skin.  Ours feels like it absorbs in under a second, so you don’t have to wait before applying other moisturizers.

Our formula is designed to optimize the retinol activation process within the skin.  Retinol must be converted to isotretinoin by enzymes called retinyl ester hydrolases in order to become active within the skin.  Our formulation is designed to increase the efficiency of this process with an optimized delivery system and conditions.

Our retinol is also microencapsulated, targeting retinoid receptors in the skin for a full eight hours.  This makes FutureDerm Time-Release Retinol 0.5 ideal for nighttime use.

I have been waiting to write this review because my skin was all over the place with this product.  I did what I was supposed to do.  I stopped using BHA’s and AHA’s before I started using the FutureDerm - which was tough for me because I have always relied on salicylic acid to keep my congested skin at bay.  Not that it was working - my skin, while not actively broken out, was a bumpy, uneven mess with a large amount of closed comedomes.

For the first week or so, everything was great.  I used it nightly after washing my face, and if I remembered, to top it off with a moisturizer.  In the beginning, I could go without following it up with a moisturizer, but that soon changed.  As the retinol did its work on my skin, boosting cell turnover, I got a little bit of flakey skin, mostly on my cheeks.  So I grabbed my most recently skincare acquisition, Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer.  It sounded harmless!  Did I read the ingredients?  No.  After using it for two days following the FutureDerm my skin was on fire.  A red, irritated mess that actually hurt even without me touching it.  So I went to the Sephora website, and right there in the ingredients list was Alpha Lipoic Acid. 

Even though it is considered a gentle acid it wreaked havoc on my face in conjunction with the retinol.  So I needed to try something else to moisturize my face following the retinol.  I turned to an old standby, Argan Oil.  I had a mini bottle of Josie Maran Argan Oil I had received in a gift set from Sephora.  Unfortunately, the Argan Oil did nothing to alleviate the redness I was now covered in.  Then I remembered something I used to use whenever my eczema was out of control - ShiKai Borage Therapy (which I picked up at Whole Foods).  Ahh, relief!

My skin is know back to what I consider “normal.  Even though my skin had been flaky and dry, it had never been smoother than when I used Futurederm Time Release Retinol 0.5.  I know use it approximately every two days.  On the nights that I use it I top it off with my beloved AmorePacific Moisture Bound Vitalizing Masque, ensuring that my skin does not dry out overnight.  I use it only where needed - my t-zone, and I know have happy, clear, non-flaky skin!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Today’s NOTD ♥ China Glaze It’s a Trapeze

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this polish.  LOVE!  This is two coats of China Glaze It’s a Trap-eze, topped off with a coat of Barielle Manicure Extender and one coat of Seche Vite.

I love this polish so much I couldn’t wait until I finished swatching the rest of the China Glaze Cirque du Soleil collection before I showed it to you.  This is backup-worthy, people!  It’s definitely going to earn a spot on my Top 20 List.  Now I just have to figure out which polish I am going to kick off!

What are you waiting for?  Go buy it before it’s HTF!

Update:  It's a Trap-eze is now available on the Sally Beauty website!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

China Glaze Holiday Joy Review and Swatches ♥ Part Three

The last polishes I have from the China Glaze Holiday Joy collection are the four reds.  I think for this post I will just let the pictures do the talking! 

If you missed my previous posts from the Holiday Joy collection (in which I actually have a lot to say about the polishes!) you can check them out below:

China Glaze Holiday Joy Review and Swatches ♥ Part One

China Glaze Holiday Joy Review and Swatches ♥ Part Two

The China Glaze Holiday Joy collection is available now!

Will you be picking up any of the reds?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

SATION Diamond Diggin' Diva over Dermelect Moon Kissed (Wordless Wednesday)

SATION Diamond Diggin' Diva over Dermelect Moon Kissed

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze Holiday Joy Review and Swatches ♥ Part Two

Yesterday I showed you my Part One of the China Glaze Holiday Joy collection.  They were definitely my favorites.  Get ready for Part Two!  Don't forget, you can click on any picture to see it full size!



Champagne Kisses is a pink-tinged champagne nude glitterbomb filled with holographic particles.  Inside it appears tame but take it outside in the sunlight and my eyes couldn’t even focus on the individual colors!  I would definitely wear this one as an accent nail.



Winter Holly is a sparse dark green glitter filled with holographic particles.  In the pictures above I wore two coats, but I should have gone for three.  I also think this would look awesome layered over a forest or kelly green!



Pure Joy is a red microglitter in a clear base filled with large gold glitter.  It did take three coats to reach full opacity, so I would probably layer it over another red.

The China Glaze Holiday Joy collection is available now.

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).