Feb 21

Feb 21 Return to Sender VII

It's been a really long time since my last Return to Sender post - almost 2 years!!! In case you haven't read one of these posts yet, it's where I give a short blurb about things I didn't like and will be returning, purging (because the item cannot be returned), or won't purchase (in the case of a sample). Some of the reasons might be simple, but if some of those things bother you then hopefully this post will help!

For reference:

My hair - coarse, aging, thicker than average but not as thick as it used to be

My skin - super dry forehead & neck, dry cheeks, oily nose & chin, aging.

***This is not a sponsored post. All items either purchased by me, received as a gift with purchase or received as a sample with purchase.***

Odacite Green Ceremony Cleanser - The description of this cleanser sounded really romantic...images of green tea ceremonies dancing in my head. Once I opened the package, the heavy jar and glass scoop added to the allure. Unfortunately, I forgot to read the ingredient list and didn't realize it has baking soda in it. UGH. Left my skin really dry, tight and itchy...it felt stripped.

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser - There's a lot of love out there for this one, but I just don't like it at all. It leaves a heavy film on my skin and the texture is weird...kind of runny clay feel. It also left my skin tight and dry.

Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension - I've been looking for an inexpensive vitamin C product to use on the back of my hands before applying hand cream during the day, and I was really hoping this would work since it's super cheap (less than $6). No dice. The spheres feel like scratchy balls that flake off, it had too much slip and flat out didn't feel nice on my skin (I tried it on my face & hands). Paris from My Women Stuff said the scratchy ball feel goes away if your skin is damp. I did try that and it helped a little, but not enough and it certainly didn't help my other issues.

Simple Micellar Facial Gel Wash - Picked this up in Target when I was going on a work trip, and kept forgetting to reorder my favorite Youth to the People cleanser and didn't feel like trekking to Sephora. It rinsed clean and I could use it to remove makeup (not waterproof), but it left my skin feeling a little parched. My biggest issue was that it irritated my skin after about a week, and my forehead erupted in red irritation bumps. If you have oily skin and aren't reactive, it might be worth trying out.

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser - If there was a blueberry Pixy Stix, that's how this cleanser smells...which I don't like. It's a clear gel with blueberry pieces in it, but I found the pieces a little unnerving because they're just brown and unsightly. I'd rather the pieces not be there at all. This claims to be a makeup melter, but it didn't even remove all of my foundation. It also left my skin feeling a little dry. Was fine for a second cleanse, but for all the hype I was expecting a lot. It's a fine basic, second cleanser but beyond that I didn't see anything special.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask - I was most excited to try this, but was again disappointed. When I posted it on Instagram, many mentioned it was hydrating and that was about it. They were right. After the first night, my skin actually felt a little dry. The next 2 nights I really glooped the mask on, and by morning my skin felt hydrated enough BUT not extra, deeply hydrated as I had expected and hoped. Poshifiedxo on Instagram said the mask peels, and she wasn't kidding. Once it dries it peels with even the slightest hint of movement. Luckily I sleep on my back so I didn't have much issue except when I tried to add a spot treatment and tried to layer (best not to layer unless you do it in thick layers). My skin did feel soft, so that's a good thing but not enough!

Living Proof Amp Instant Texture Volumizer - Definitely did provide volume and texture, but it felt heavy (even using the slightest amount) and my hair looked greasy after the first day. The volume also didn't last.

AG Haircare Dry Lift - This is another texture and volume paste. Provided less volume than the Living Proof mentioned above, but the texture just felt like dirty hair no matter how little I used. It didn't feel heavy, but I couldn't get past the dirty feel (seriously, I wanted to wash my hair right away!).

Shiseido Future LX Foundation - After 4 hours this settled into my pores and really emphasized them. It also quickly separated around the sides of my mouth where I'm oily.

Lipstick Queen in Frog Prince - This is one of those lipsticks that's supposed to change with the PH of your skin. This was nicely hydrating and felt comfortable enough. But it looks quite green once applied and takes a good 10-15 minutes to mostly go away and change to your 'personalized' rosey blush color. The green undertone never quite goes away - even at the end of the day I could tell it was still there.

MV Organics Rose Soothing & Protective Moisturizer (not pictured) - I have mixed feelings about this, but being mixed means I won't be purchasing it again. It does indeed feel soothing and very moisturizing, but the moisture doesn't last and I find it's better to lock in other treatments (forms somewhat of a barrier) rather than provide deep hydration.

Hourglass Flash Highlighting Stick (not pictured) - Doesn't last because my face eats it up.

Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF50+ (not pictured) - Loved the super lightweight feel of this sunscreen, and it also wore amazingly well under makeup. But this burned my eyes so badly! Even applying it to only halfway up my cheeks, I could still feel the sunscreen fumes in my eyes. No bueno. Too bad, because I loved everything else about it.

And that's it for this installment!! Have you tried any of these products? Did you have a different experience? What did you think?