Best Cleanser Ever! Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

I received a sample of the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel with as part of a skin care sample bag from Nordstrom around Christmas time. I have used a few Mario products in the past and have always received good results (specifically the acne products, Buffering Lotion & Drying Cream are amaazing!). This cleanser is rather basic, just a minty green gel that doesn't foam as you cleanse. And the results have been great. I have noticed my face has been so much smoother and clearer since I've been using the Enzyme Cleanser. I've even used a couple of makeup products that usually break me out because this product seems to really clean deep into my pores and prevent build-up. 

The Enzyme Cleanser is the best-selling selling cleanser of the line and is described as a "gentle, non-foaming cleanser thoroughly removes makeup and dirt without drying the skin. Papaya and Grapefruit Extracts are exfoliating AHA's that help prevent dulling build-up that can cause blackheads and pimples." I feel like the natural exfoliating properties is what is really making my face feel so smooth. I usually have a couple of little clogged pores/bumps here and there but I have none to speak of at this time. Another plus, my face doesn't feel dry or tight right after I cleanse and pat dry. For the record, I have normal/dry skin that has become more normal and less dry as I've used this product for the past few weeks. Great for all skin types, according to the Mario Badescu site.

Other information: you can use the cleanser twice daily, avoiding the eye area. You can get 8oz for $12 or 16 oz for $20. I ordered a full size and I am anxious to get back to using it as I've already scraped every last drop from my sample sized bottle. Literally, I scrape the remnants out with the end of one of my eyeshadow brushes. I am not one to waste any skin care products. I have been known to cut open my tubes of moisturizers and face primers to get what's left in there. You'd be surprised how much is left in those tubes! 

This is basically a no frills product that actually works as if it has all the frills in the world. What I like about Mario Badescu products is that they are affordable in terms of skin care and they do what they say they will do. This is a very "problem-solution" type of line and I highly recommend it. 

Ingredients: Deionized Water (Aqua),Glycerin,Papaya (Carica Papaya Fruit) Extract,Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis Fruit) Extract,Monomide,Triethanolamine,Methylparaben

A Small Haul + Reviews: Fergie Center Stage Collection for Wet N' Wild Spring 2013

I picked up four items from the new Fergie Wet N' Wild collection including the lipstick in "Fergie Daily", the "Photo Op" eyeshadow palette, the eye primer, and the brown creme liner. I went in thinking that I would be one for four, the winner being the lipstick. I was kind of almost right. 

Photo credit belongs to me. Not pictured, the WnW Creme Liner

"Fergie Daily" is a warm toned nude that applies very opaque and very matte. This is a nude for the masses in terms of color because it is warmer in tone than the "concealer" nudes. If I'm not mistaken, there is an even darker nude in this collection as well. I find these lipsticks to be very similar in concept to the Mega-Last matte lipsticks, only slightly less drying. I happen to be a fan of the Mega-Last so this does not bother me. I will be back for some of the more colorful shades in this collection. The only drawback to is usually the only drawback to many WnW products and that is packaging. Don't you hate it when the angle of the lipstick does not line up with the angle of the tube it is housed in? That bothers me. Besides that, the package is a half a step up from that of the Mega-Last whose plastic tops seem to crack as soon as the lipstick hits the bottom of the makeup bag. I'm definitely willing to overlook the quality of packaging in favor of a quality product, which I usually get with this brand.

Wet N' Wild Fergie Daily Lipstick (above), photo belongs to me.

Fergie Daily paired with Boots No. 7 Nude liner (above), photo belongs to me 

Notice I said usually get....... 


The eyeshadow palette in Photo Op seemed to be the one that would be most complementary to my blue/green eyes. In this palette, you receive five colors: a beige shimmery highlight/lid color, a cool toned deep shimmery brown, a matte brown, a matte red/orange, and a shimmery orange shade. The shimmer is on the wearable side, nothing too crazy. The matte brown could also double as a liner and is probably the most pigmented in the bunch. I guess I am spoiled by the Color Icon eyeshadow trio's and 8-color palettes because the shadows in this collection suck. Let me rephrase, the Photo Op palette sucks. They aren't near as pigmented, smooth, creamy, or dreamy as the Color Icon shadows. Which is disappointing because I would have loved to have made that pretty beige shade my new go-to lid color. Ahh, I had such plans for you. The colors are pretty and I can make them work, but they will take much more work than I am used to to get some good color payoff. Not a huge fan. 

Photo belongs to www.allurabeauty.com (above) Fergie Photo Op WnW

Photo belongs to www.musingsofamuse.com (above) swatches Photo Op WnW Fergie

Eye Primer: Similar in texture and appearance to a Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Urban Decay Primer Potion, perhaps a bit thinner in consistency. Overall, I would say it is a step up from the Elf eyelid primer but a couple of steps down from Urban Decay. It applies nicely and creates a nice canvas for shadow application and I will definitely use it, I just won't depend on it for all day lasting power. I found that my shadows held up pretty well when I wore matte colors but shimmery shades seemed to dissipate at some point during the day. I will say that dissipating is better than creasing. I'd rather have the eyeshadow evaporate completely than have remnants of it gathered up in inopportune places.

Creme Liner w/ brush, brown: Allow me to preface by saying that I am a fan of the Wet N' Wild Mega-Eyes black creme liner. Besides being a bit on the dry side, the Mega-Eyes is budge proof and among the blackest of blacks. This time, I opted for brown when trying these new cream liners. I went in optimistically and came out with a lack-luster reaction. Now, its not a bad liner. It does have good staying power but that is only a good thing when you like the color that is staying. In my opinion, the color goes on kind of weak and I needed a couple of coats to eliminate streaks and achieve a shade of brown that I could live with. It is definitely not a rich brown as the color in the pot alludes to, more of a medium tone. The texture is fairly creamy, I would say more so than the Mega-Eyes but doesn't pack near as much of a punch. I haven't tried the black in the Fergie formula but I am curious to see if it is any better. Almost forgot! The brush they give is OK, not precise enough for me to be able to create much of a wing in that it isn't angled but at least it is stiff and that is a must to apply cream eyeliner products.

As for the blush/highlighter products in the collection, I was not interested in testing those out after seeing reviews and swatches. Overall, I haven't been super impressed with the Fergie stuff for WnW as a whole. I just don't see why the brand would produce a line of less than magical products when they have the obvious capability of so much more. Hey Wet N' Wild, here's an idea, take the recipe that you use for the Color Icon collection and use it when you make all of your products. Problem solved.

Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express Mascara

The latest mascara launch by Maybelline has generated quite a buzz. They call it The Rocket with claims that your lashes will skyrocket to unimaginable lengths. They didn't quite put it that way but it was something along those lines. I have a hate/hate relationship with Maybelline mascara. I have never liked a single one of them and I've tried several. Back in high school, I did like Illegal Lengths but they discontinued it and years later released it under a similar name with much crappier results. So I stopped by Walgreen's to pick up the latest mascara that I've heard a lot of bloggers and vloggers talk about. The packaging and pretty pink brush is quite pleasing to the eye although the pretty pink would of course disappear once dispensed inside of the tube. I must say, I was very impressed with this mascara for about the first 5 minutes that it was on my lashes. The brush is designed in a way that offers true separation and definition for the lashes and it really does work that way. I was also pleased with the length and volume and felt that it was pretty buildable if you worked quickly. The brush is wide but not so wide that it jacks up your lower lashes and ends up all smudged underneath (I'm talking to you, Lash Blast). So what's not to love in a mascara that gives separation, definition, length AND volume? I will tell you what's not to love, it doesn't hold curl and it smudges all over the place when my lashes touch my upper eye area. One minute I look in the mirror and I'm loving what I'm seeing. Not five minutes later, I look again and my lashes are drooping and feel all flimsy. Not a fan of that look. Halfway through the day, I see a bunch of smudging going on and this is when I've thrown in the towel and chalked up another big fat loss in the Maybelline Mascara category.

Many have compared The Rocket with Cover Girl Lash Blast but I see some distinct differences. I felt that The Rocket left my lashes a big softer and less spiky than Lash Blast. I also felt it offered more length than Lash Blast but pretty similar on volume. I also find Lash Blast to be much better at holding curl and staying put. Perhaps The Rocket Waterproof would be a better alternative but I do not like Waterproof mascara. In a nutshell, The Rocket did make my lashes skyrocket to amazing lengths but then the rocket turned back around and did a nose dive into the ground.