Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner REVIEW

Hi chickadees!

Clean Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy: $4.99-$5.99 for 12.7oz and 12.9oz bottles
What the card says... Did you know 99% of hair's natural strength comes from the scalp? Introducing CLEAR SCALP & HAIR BEAUTY THERAPY, a new line of shampoos and conditioners that nourish the scalp, and create the right foundation for strong, beautiful hair from root to tip. Wash your way to stronger hair in just 7 days.

Today I've got another review of a product from my Summer 2012 Influenster Voxbox? Do I always scramble the order of those words around? I feel like I do... Anyway, this time I'm reviewing the Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Nourishing Shampoo and Nourishing Daily Conditioner. Now, I have two things to disclose. Obviously, as this came in my Voxbox, I was sent this product to review. It will not change what I have to say. Secondly, it says that you can see results in 7 days but I don't wash my hair every day and I also didn't use this product consistently for 7 days so that might have skewed the results. Though personally, I think a good shampoo is always a good shampoo.

So, while I was using the product, these are were my thoughts...
I liked the scent of the products, though I think the shampoo smells better than the conditioner. The scent doesn't linger in your hair after you've washed it out but it's nice to sort of smell it in the shower. It's floral and slightly sweet like there's a fruit scent. The shampoo works into a light lather, not as much as I'd like, but it's fine. I have noticed that after I wash it out, my hair has a slightly squeaky feeling sometimes. It's not as bad as when I use Lush's Ultimate Shine Shampoo Bar, but my hair does feel a little bit odd. As for the conditioner, it's not a very good detangler. I have straight Asian hair so I only get tangles if I don't wash my hair for a few days. I would say that if you have serious tangles, you will probably need an additional detangling product.

Results?
Basically, I don't think this product did anything except wash my hair and relieve some of my scalp itchiness. Which is fine. I just wanted to make a note of that. I kept looking to see if I'd get any more volume or shine but I didn't. In fact, my hair looked healthier and shinier with my old routine. It looks a bit dry and unhealthy after using Clear's Nourishing Shampoo and Nourishing Daily Conditioner which is odd for a product with "nourishing" in the name. The product did not reduce frizz. My hair was actually frizzier than when I started using it.

CONCLUSION: I probably won't be repurchasing this product nor can I really recommend it for anything other than the scent and maybe relieving some scalp itchiness.
If you're curious, this was how my testing process went...
(Note: I'm listing the days I tested the product not each day sequentially.)
DAY 1: Tried product, scalp as itchy as before using product, waited two days to wash hair
DAY 2: Tried product, scalp itched on third day, washed hair
BREAK: Went back to old routine, hair felt better and was noticeably shinier but scalp itched
DAY 3: Tried product, scalp did not itch until third day after washing hair
DAY 4: Tried product
BREAK: Got a haircut, lost a lot of length, hair felt a lot better after using salon products
BREAK: Went back to old routine, hair looked a lot better and noticeably shinier
DAY 5: Tried product, scalp itches a bit, waited two days to wash hair
DAY 6: Tried product, scalp itches a bit but not as much as last time, washed hair 1 day later
DAY 7: Tried product, scalp itch relief benefits seem to have faded.

REVIEW of Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme

Hello my darlings,

(Full Disclosure: This is another item that came with my Influenster 2012 Summer Beauty VoxBox. I was sent this product to review.)
Sally Hansen Nails and Cuticles Hand Creme: $5.99 for full size bottle
This is what was written on the card that came with my Voxbox: Made with shea butter, the Sally Hansen Nails and Cuticles Creme softens hands, smooths cuticles and conditions nails. Active Moisture Complex formula with Ceramides helps to lock in nutrients so hands maintian their ideals moisture level. Offers 24 hour moisture and lasts through hand washings!

I have to say that after a few weeks of trying this product... I really like it. I didn't expect to, perhaps because of some personal bias. For some reason, I associate hand creams with older women or think of them as a luxury product that should smell and feel appropriately luxurious. Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme feels light and fun. It smells like oranges and candy, or orange-flavored candy. Actually, what it immediately reminded me of was the scent of my Epicuren Extra Fine Citrus Facial Scrub. Though, I should note that as it settles into the skin, for me, it starts to smell a little like baby wipes. Orange-scented baby wipes. Anyway...

Texture/Feel/Consistency
It is definitely a cream. It feels silky and rich but not sticky or heavy or super emollient like more heavy duty dry skin treatments. It's also not as gel-like and watery as something like the L'Occitane hand creams. It glides nicely over your hands and massages into the skin easily, leaving skin feeling plush and soft. It doesn't dry immediately though so you will feel the residue for a minute or two until it dries.

Wear
As I noted above, it takes a little while to dry. After that, I think it does a good job of staying on the skin and keeping it moisturized but if you wash your hands, it will immediately wash off so I'm not sure if it really sinks in. I touched the outside of a water bottle and it started melting off. Once it has dried, you can go on with the rest of your day. It's not one of those heavy creams that completely incapacitates you unless you wear gloves.

Effectiveness
My hands were not in the best condition when I started using this product. Usually I have a tiny bit of dryness around my cuticles but nothing too terrible. However, when I first started testing I had just been to the salon and she had mangled my cuticles so the skin was still in the process of healing. I think this may have helped the healing process along and once my hands were back to normal in a few days, I think it did improve the slight dryness around my cuticles and my hands feel slightly softer and smoother. Granted, I am in my early 20s and have fairly soft, smooth skin to begin with. I use a very generous amount of the product and after a few weeks of use, I think I can confidently say it does make a difference. However, it helps to use this cream frequently. It's not a one-time fix. If you want to keep your hands feeling moisturized, you need to keep reapplying this product.

CONCLUSION: I would recommend this product if you're OK with the smell (I don't think it'll be for everyone) and you want an affordable, everyday hand cream to keep hands feeling nice and soft. I don't know if this would do much for people with extremely dry hands and cuticles or for people looking for dramatic results. But I think that once I run out of my sample, I will repurchase this product.

REVIEW of Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in 908 Graphite Gravity with SWATCHES

Hello chickadees!

DISCLAIMER: Time for another review from my Influenster 2012 Summer Beauty Voxbox. Just so we're clear, unlike the majority of the products on this blog which I purchased with my own money, I was sent this product to review. However, that's not going to change what I have to say about it. My opinion cannot be swayed. Especially when it comes to bad nail polish. Fortunately, that's not a problem with the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in 908 Graphite Gravity that I was sent to try.
Pricing: The card that came with my Influenster Voxbox says that this product retails for $9.99. Now, I have no idea what that actually means as at least here in NYC everything at the drugstore seems to be a little more expensive than elsewhere. But taking that as the standard price makes Graphite Gravity more expensive than the top drugstore brands, Essie and OPI which go for about $8 but still less expensive than your highend/overpriced brands like Butter London, Chanel, and Dior. Personally, I'm OK with the price because I think it's better to buy something you love if it costs a little more vs. a product you don't love that's not going make you as happy but will save $2. And with the Sally Hansen, you're also paying for the magnet. Let's breakdown the specifics though.

Brand	Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color	OPI Nail Lacquer	Essie Nail Polish
Price	$9.99	around $8	$8
Amount of Product	9.17 mL/0.31fl oz	15mL/0.5 fl oz	15 mL/0.5 fl oz
Cost per mL	$1.09	around $0.53	$0.53

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color: $9.99 (Color: 908 Graphite Gravity)What the card says... NEW! Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color is summer's hottest nail trend that allows you to create a gorgeous nail art effect in just seconds! This unique formula was specially developed with metallic particles -just hold the built-in magnet over wet polish to reveal a unique design on the nail.
Now, to get onto the actual review. I kind of love this polish. I tried it out and got a bit frustrated at first until I perfected my technique. Once you have that down, this product is a dream to apply. Now, their instructions are to apply a base coat and then one coat of polish. Then they want you to apply a thick coat of polish and immediately hold the magnet over the nail for 10 seconds. Because of all my trial and error, I know that you can paint more than one coat to cover the nail and you'll still be able to paint that final thick coat and get the desired effect with the magnet. The MOST important thing though is to do as they say and IMMEDIATELY hold the magnet over the nail for that final coat. My first few attempts I wasted time screwing the top of the bottle back on. Don't do that. Put the brush back in the bottle and then IMMEDIATELY hold the magnet over the nail for ten seconds. I didn't have any trouble with my nail hitting the magnet except with my thumb but that was my fault. I wasn't really paying close enough attention.

Color: I hate to say it but with the magnetic effect, this color is made up of shades of gray. Not fifty, though. More like three. There's a medium-tone metallic gray base and magnetic creates bands of a darker graphite gray and a lighter silvery/chrome gray. The polish photographed a little darker in the photos below.
Formula: This polish is opaque in 2 coats so if you wanted to follow their exact instructions you could. My swatches use a few more coats because I was practicing but the polish won't look any different or more opaque if you add more coats after the second. I would say its a metallic polish but the color is muted so it shouldn't be too overwhelming for people who prefer slightly more conservative nails.
Application: This polish was a dream to apply, right up there with my favorite Essie and OPI polishes. I told you I had a bit of trouble figuring out the magnet at first. Well, the first coat goes on OK but every successive coat just glides on without any effort. I actually think you could wear this on its own without the magnetic effect. Honestly, I have no complaints about application. The only part of the process that bugs me is how quickly you have to grab the magnetic and the fact that you don't know how the magnet will create the design so you can't get specific placement.
CONCLUSION: I would absolutely recommend this product. It's a great drugstore alternative to the more expensive magnetic polishes that other brands have been releasing. It applies like a dream and as long as you grab the magnet as soon as you paint your final coat of polish, the effect is easy to produce. I haven't seen it in stores yet but depending on the color selection, I would consider picking up more bottles of this polish. :)

UPDATE: My one small issue with this polish is that it doesn't wear very well. I know everyone isn't like me and doesn't expect nail polish to last forever but I usually don't have any problems getting my nail polish to last without chipping or scuffing weeks if I want it to if it's a good polish. It's just that my nails grow so fast that I need to switch up my polish or have huge gaps. Anyway, after about 4-5 days this polish isn't looking so great. It's wearing at the tips and there's definite scuffing.

  SWATCHES:

Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread REVIEW

Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread: $3.29 for package of barsWhat the card says... Made with real bananas and almonds, Quaker Soft Bars in Banana Nut Bread flavor have tasty ingredients to help provide fuel to start your day. 5g Fiber, 20% of daily value of 5 B Vitamins and 6g of protein!
My first impressions were correct. This product is too sweet. I've been keeping it in my fridge and eating it bit by bit over a few days even though the bar is smaller than my hand. I just can't handle eating more than that in one sitting. In your first bite, you get all of that lovely banana nut bread flavor but as you chew, you hit the soy crisp rice and this terrible cloying, artificial taste. The packaging is right. If you nuke it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds depending on how powerful your microwave is, it does taste better. But it's still too sweet. Because of the nutritional value and ingredients, I don't think this is healthy enough to recommend as a grab-and-go meal replacement or tasty enough to have as a treat. I think you'd be better off going to a bakery or baking your own banana bread. Even the store-bought kind isn't that bad.

(I received this product to review in my Influenster Summer Voxbox.)

Summer Beauty VoxBox 2012: Product Rundown

Hi chickadees!

I wanted to share with you the present I got in the mail a few days ago...my Summer Beauty VoxBox finally arrived! Yay! Invisible balloons and confetti! Anyway, I haven't had a chance to try any of these out yet but I wanted to share the products I received and take some pictures before I start testing. So far I'm really impressed with the quality of products you get in these free sampler programs. VoxBoxes and Target Beauty Bags are kind of kicking the arse of Birchbox (which is so bad I don't even feel like writing a post about it).
Full disclosure, VoxBox is a program you sign up for on Influenster.com. You can fill out different surveys and earn badges. If you qualify for whatever reason (I'm not sure what they're looking for, sorry!) they will send you a confirmation email and a few weeks later you'll receive your box in the mail. It's not a subscription program. But you are obligated to review the products on their website and on your blog or on your youtube channel, etc. Although I'm getting these products for free, I want to assert that my reviews and opinions are 100% truthful. I don't gain anything by praising products I don't like because I'd just be sent similar products that I also wouldn't like. I'm not being paid to write positive reviews.

I'll put more pictures in my full reviews of the products.