Three products that surprised me

Monday, September 30, 2013



Whether we all want to admit it or not, we all have products that we picked up that didn't exactly meet up to our expectations. Whether it be from past experiences, or sheer skepticism, we've all been there. For me there are three products that immediately pop into my head; two good and one bad.


I take lip balm, and lip products, very seriously. It's an addiction. I have to have something on my lips or they feel naked. I had tried Chapstick in the past, but I was unimpressed. Then I tried Burt's Bees, and it's no secret that it stole me heart. I had the opportunity, via a lovely PR company, to try out the new Chapstick Hydration Lock in Vanilla Creme for review. 

I'm a menthol girl. Give me peppermint and I am set. There is something about this Chapstick that I actually like. I don't have chapped lips, but, I still like the way it feels. I wish I knew more about lip products to give you guys more specifics, and that's probably why I'm not providing a stand-alone review on this product.

Sometimes I feel like Chapstick just sits on the skin and doesn't do anything. Hydration Lock is different, though. The scent isn't over powering, and it doesn't taste like anything. It says it provided 8 hour protection. It contains CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), which is really interesting. It functions as an antioxident, and cells use it to produce energy that the body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also has some other interesting lip unrelated uses. That link is to the WebMD page that explains it all.

Am I a complete convert? Probably not, but I will say that it's sitting in my purse next to my Color Whisper while Burt's Bees is on my nightstand almost empty (no current want to repurchase just yet). That has to count for something.



I thought I did a full review on the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat (such a long name!), but apparently not. Anywho, I said in the past that I liked it, and I did. But, I didn't like it as much as I was expecting.

I've seen this top coat raved about all over the blogosphere, and then when I finally got my hands on it I was let down. It didn't dry that quickly, it gummed up quicker than I expected, and as a top coat it's just ok. That's the thing with quick dries; they gum up so fast, and only two-thirds of the product is useable. That's why I like to use quick dry drops, but that's a story for another day.

My quest to find a great top coat that combats Seche Vite is still going on, but I have to say; there's probably no comparison out there.

All in all, I was shocked that this didn't live up to the hype. But, I'm probably hard to please and uber picky when it comes to my top coats.



I mentioned this product back in my Makeup Apocalypse post, and I decided to actually go out and get it now, rather than waiting.

I have to have been trying some pretty bad concealers for this one to shock me so much. I.e. nothing I had was covering my dark circles. This product does what it says. It blends beautifully, the color is really close to my skin (if not spot-on), and it covers like I couldn't believe.

I can't believe I haven't seen this around more often. It's one of those sleeper products that some people have yet to discover. Is it the best concealer out there? Probably not, but it definitely woke me up to what a good concealer can do for my skin, and that I was not expecting at all.


Contains PR samples (Chapstick)

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