Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

I’ve seen this product many times on QVC and was never really interested in trying it.  Except for my Macadamia Nut Healing Oil, I don’t spend a lot of money on my hair care products.  Wen products are rather expensive.  But, I received the Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner in my January GlamBag (blog post on GlamBag coming soon), so I gave it a try.

The cleansing conditioner is a non-foaming formula and is free of sodium laurel sulfates and detergents.

The directions vary depending on your hair length.  Cleansing Conditioner should be applied in four sections: crown, nape, ends on the right, and ends on the left.  For my hair, (shoulder length) use a minimum of 16 pumps (four pumps per section). I didn't have a pump bottle, so I just took a guess on how much to use.  Massage the conditioning cream into scalp for 3 minutes and comb through to the ends.  Leave conditioner on hair for 3 to 5 minutes, then rinse.

 Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

Using the cleansing conditioner was a big difference for me.  It’s probably just mind over matter, but when I use regular shampoo and get a good head of suds, I feel like I’m getting my hair and scalp clean.  Using this conditioner, there were no suds and I just kept massaging and massaging my scalp hoping I got my scalp and hair clean.  I combed it through my hair and left it on for five minutes before rinsing.  I wrapped my hair in a towel for about five minutes and when I removed the towel and ran the comb through my hair I didn’t have any tangles.  The comb went straight through my hair, which was very nice because I usually have a lot of tangles.    After I dried my hair, it felt soft and smooth but it seems very heavy and weighed down, it's not as full as when I usually wash it.  I didn’t notice any increased shine, in fact, I think it looks dull.

All of that being said, I won’t be purchasing the Wen Cleansing Conditioner.  I feel like my regular shampoo, conditioner and Macadamia Nut Healing Oil does a much better job on my hair.  Wen is also a bit expensive for me.  A 32 ounce bottle costs $49.50 plus $7.95 for shipping on QVC.

Have any of you tried the Wen Cleansing Conditioner?  I'd love to know what you thought about the product!!

Take care,
Kat

Get Every Last Drop Of That Expensive Product!!

Since beauty products aren't always cheap, I like to get the most I can out of them. So, I'm going to share a great tip with all of you so you can get every last drop of that expensive product.

When using a product that comes in a tube, we all know that once you start to get down to the bottom of the tube, it's difficult to squeeze out the rest of the product. Most people don't bother messing with it and just throw the tube away. Well, thanks to this easy trick, you can get every last drop of product out of the tube.

1. Cut the bottle into two pieces. Simply take a pair of scissors and cut the bottle in half.

2. Scrape the product from the upper half of the tube and place in the bottom half of the tube.

Look at all that product!!!

3. Wash the inside of the top piece.

4. Use the top piece of the tube as the lid. The top section will fit nicely over the bottom section so the product won't dry out.

When you need to use the product, use your fingers to scoop out the product, or use a Q-tip. You could also put the product in another container if you don't like using the tube.

My Shiseido face cleaner was becoming difficult to get out of the tube, so I tried this trick and I was amazed at how much product was left that I would have thrown away. I probably have a good two weeks worth of product left.

This will work on a lot of different products that come in a plastic container. A lot of people do this with the Urbay Decay Primer Potion (the one in the bottle with the wand). You would need a knife to cut the container open and another container to put the product in.

Have any of you tried this trick on any of your products?

I hope you're all having a great day.

Take care,

Kat

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil and Lip Liner Pencil

I've been searching for an eyeliner that doesn't start to slide a few hours after I apply it.  All the eyeliners I have tried seems to "feather" on the inner corner of my eye.  Sort of like a lipstick feathers when you have lines and wrinkles around the mouth area.  Well.......not all of you have that problem, but at my age, I do! 

I've tried several products, from high end to drugstore, and had the same results.  I heard a lot of good things about Estee Lauder's Double Wear products, so I decided I'd try the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil.  The color I purchased was Onyx.

This eyeliner is fabulous!  It is highly pigmented and glides on smoothly without any tugging.  Only the slightest pressure is needed to create the perfect line.  The color, once in place, lasts all day and looks good until I take it off.  It sets quickly, which might be a negative if you want to smudge it.  You'd have to smudge very quickly after applying the liner.  I don't smudge my liner, so it isn't a problem for me. It comes with a smudge sponge on the opposite end.  If you are looking for a eyeliner that stays put all day then look no further!!

I wanted to try some other colors so purchased the Bronze and the Black Plum.  They are beautiful colors. 

Since I had good results with the eyeliner, I decided to give the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil a try.  I have that "feather" issue on my lips! Not an attractive look.  I purchased the color Tawny (see color above).  The lip pencil is just as good as the eyeliner.  It goes on smoothly and stays on all day. It does not feather or smudge and it looks great by itself with just a touch of lip gloss. It comes with a brush on the opposite end. There is a nice variety of shades and I look forward to buying more of them.

The cost of the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil is $20.00 and the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil is $19.00.  These are not automatic, twist up pencils, they will need sharpened.  I purchased mine at Macy's.  They are also available at www.esteelauder.com and the shipping is free on any item!!

If you have "feather" problems with your eyeliner or lip products, give the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place products a try.  I think you'll be glad you did!

Take care,

Kat