Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Wipes

I don't love facial wipes. I don't think they remove makeup effectively. I think they leave a sticky residue on your face and many of them, if not rinsed off my face almost immediately, break me out. I will use them to remove a first layer of makeup but then I have to use my Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser to wash my face. 

Or maybe I should try a toner. That's a thought. 

But I digress...

I buy and use facial wipes for different reasons. I have ones with lavender or chamomile to soothe my skin. I have ones with lotion, ones with oatmeal, ones with exfoliating nubs on them, etc. I always buy them with the hopes that this pack will be different, but it's rarely the case.

This time I picked up 2 Neutrogena facial wipes. I picked them up because one promised night calming and the other promised hydration. And, when I bought two, I got $10 in CVS bucks. I figured it was worth a try.

I pulled out the Neutrogena Night Calming Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes first. The package claims that the "Ultra soft nourishing cloths gently dissolve all traces of makeup, even waterproof mascara". They even have a "Patented Technology" sticker added. They are big, strong cloths. I know some times you get smaller squares that aren't very strong. This isn't the case with these. And, they do smell nice. I can smell a soft hint of lavender in the pads and they gently remove makeup. They remove makeup so gently that you probably would need 3 of them to remove all of the makeup. I don't know if it removes waterproof mascara because I've never worn waterproof mascara. It goes back to the eyeglass thing. I wear eyeglasses and your lashes can only do so much behind glasses. Anywho, the wipes are nice. I enjoyed using them as my first step in my makeup removal process. They retailed for $7.99, so a bit pricier than the regular blue package Neutrogena wipes (which I have also used but don't currently have). I guess you pay extra for patented technology. All jokes aside, with a coupon and a BOGO deal, I'd buy these again.

The Neutrogena Hydrating Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes claim to "cleanse and remove makeup, even waterproof mascara" as well. It goes a step further and says it helps to condition and soothe skin...in 1 simple step. Welllllll, I'm not sure what that means so I don't know if it conditioned or soothed my skin any better than anything else. These wipes were nice too. Again, these are large, thick wipes that smell nice, and are adequately wet (you know, you get some wipes that are dry right out of the pack). They were $7.49 (no patented technology, so 50 cents cheaper). They weren't earth shattering. They didn't rock my world and I didn't feel like they hydrated anything. So, I don't think I'd buy these again. I mean they aren't bad, they just aren't spectacular.

All in all, I think these wipes are fine. The Neutrogena Night Calming ones were slightly better than others I've tried and the Neutrogena Hydrating ones are just like others that I have tried. Nothing earth shattering.

What's your position on facial cleansing wipes? Do you feel that they get rid of makeup or do you feel that that is even their job?

NPW Nail Polish Remover Pads

So in keeping with the theme of reviewing things that I recently purchased, I have a nail polish remover review. I was raiding the Walgreens dollar bins and came across these NPW Strawberry $1 Nail Polish Remover Pads. I normally keep it moving when I see these types of things but one of my favorite YouTube gurus tried some from Kmart and liked them. So, I thought I'd give these a chance.

This little pink tub of remover pads has 25 thin pre-moistened pads inside and they are very convenient for travel. I mean, I wouldn't change my nail polish while traveling but someone else might and this would be convenient.

The container says that the pads are alcohol and acetone free. They do smell alcohol and acetone free. They kinda smell like strawberry with a splash of nail shop thrown in. They are very thin wafers and if you aren't careful, you can pick up two instead of one. And if you are wearing light colored polish, one will do the trick.

I had on pink polish and 1 pad did a decent job of removing my polish. I had to work hard to get the polish off but I'm use to my remover with acetone in it. We all know how fast that works (and how damaging they say the acetone is). One disappointing thing was that these remover pads were super oily. I guess that helps remove the polish but it was annoying to try to take of the color with slippery fingers. And the pad was super thin so I ended up folding it over to get a good grip and slide it across my nail.

I did a bit of research on the world wide web and discovered that you can get these NPW remover pads in cupcake vanilla scent as well. I don't know if that's better than the strawberry but maybe you like vanilla scented remover pads.

Again, it did remove the polish but at the cost of time and energy. I think that a cotton ball or cotton round would have worked better. And it's a dollar. I can get a whole bottle of remover for a dollar. And I can get a bag of 100 cotton balls for a dollar. So, for $2, I have about 100 nail swipes. For me, that's a better deal.

I won't trash these...I'll use them. They are convenient and don't smell terrible. But I'd never purchase them again.

It's A Haul Y'all! - The Balm Cosmetics

Hey there!

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that earlier in the week I got my package from The Balm. If you would have been anywhere near my desk, you would have heard my squeals. Not really office appropriate but who cares? I had a package from The Balm! That's definitely worth a squeal.

Anywho, I ordered my products when they had the 50% off sale on the entire website. I don't have many Balm products so I did a cautious purchase. I bought things that I had been wanting for a while and some things that I thought were safe to try. I knew that by the time the next sale came around I'd know what I liked and didn't like and be able to buy even more!

This time I played it safe and got 2 lipsticks, 2 nail polishes, 1 bronzer and 1 eye palette. All safe purchases, all things that if you mess up...welllllll, you'll be ok.

I did not mess up. I picked up some fantabulous deals. Again, I've only been using them for 4 days but man oh man, this stuff is great.

Let's spend a moment gushing over the nail polish colors, shall we? Don't Pink and Drive ($10) and I'll Pink To That ($10). Don't Pink and Drive is a pretty "bubble gum" pink and I'll Pink To That is a bright coral pink. Take a minute...drink it in...lovely right? I can't wait to try these colors! Oh wee!

And now feast your eyes on those two lippies you see. Foxxy Pout ($17) and Ima Goodkisser ($17). I've worn them both and they go on smooth (very little pre-lip balm needed) and last a nice while. Before lunch I did have to add some balm for moisture but the color was about 75% still there. Foxxy Pout is a beautiful frosty root beer brown. I didn't use a gloss over it at all. I liked the color exactly the way it was. Ima Goodkisser was a bit different. I was scared at first but I used a light swipe and a gloss on top and it was a nice warm pink. It helped create my natural look. It's a good base color for a nice warm pink look. It took me by surprise folks!

Do you see the Betty-Lou Manizer bronzer ($24)? Do you see that? Again, I was scared peeps. I saw that sparkling brown and I thought, whoops! This 40-something lady isn't going to like this. I loved it! It's not harsh or sparkly at all. It gives a nice glow to the cheeks and perks up the eyes when you use it as an eyeshadow. I know! double duty.

And the piece de résistance -- The Nude'tude Nude Eyeshadow Palette (the naughty one! $36). I wanted to buy this at full price when I first saw it. But, I never did. I convinced myself that the colors may not be what I like so I always let it go. But, at 50% off? Hello! It was the first thing in my shopping cart. And, so far, I am NOT disappointed at all.

And there you have it! After a few days of use, I like all the things I bought. I know that there will be a detailed review coming up soon! And, I plan to make a few more Balm products. They have earned my trust!

Did you get in on this deal? If not, please stay tuned. 1/2 price is a fabulous price!