Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

I really don't think there is a person on this planet has not suffered from those dreaded clogged pores, or black heads that tend to pop up on your nose. From time to time we all need a deep cleansing product that will extract impurities from the skin. At this stage in my life, I am dealing with a younger skin that is very prone to blackheads and acne. It is very important to me to keep those stubborn blackheads and clogged pores at bay. I always find myself reaching for this product when I start to feel that there is a buildup of dirt and oil on my nose. I have use this product for probably 3-4 years, and it still to this day seems to do the trick for me. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of product, it is simply a white strip (wide enough to cover your nose) that comes with a clear plastic backing. Each strip is individually wrapped. You apply the strip to a clean nose that is moderately damp. You leave the strip on until it feels that it is dry, or up to 15 minutes. After this time the strip is pealed away, and all of the impurities that were on your nose are not stuck to the strip. The strip is then disposed of. As a word of caution, the very first time that I tired this product I left the strip on past the 15 minute mark and wound up with a "Rudolph" nose! :) So I would that say that this product is very deep cleansing. If you experience any discomfort with this product, other than the sensation of it being removed, then I would discontinue use. Your skin may be to sensitive for the product. You could also try leaving it on for a less amount of time. I really love this product, and will continue to purchase it in the future. I can see a big difference in how clean and fresh my nose appears after one use of this product. I think that directions instruct you to only use this product once every three days.

Here is what www.biore.com has to say about how their product works, a few cautions, as well as some interesting facts that I didn't even know until visiting their site:

How it Works

• Bioré® Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, with selective bonding ingredients, work like a magnet by instantly locking onto and removing deep-down dirt that can cause blackheads so you get the deepest clean.
• When used weekly, you will have fewer clogged pores and the appearance of pores will actually diminish.
• It may be disgusting...but it's also oddly satisfying. And in just 10 minutes it cleans a week's worth of dirt buildup.

How to Use

1. Remove strip from pouch. Twist strip to loosen and separate slits prior to use.
2. After washing your face, thoroughly wet your nose. The strip won't stick on a dry nose.
3. Dry hands. Peel strip off plastic liner. Apply to nose area, smooth side down, pressing down to ensure good contact with skin.
4. Let dry for about 10-15 minutes until stiff to the touch — like papier-mâché.
5. Slowly and carefully peel off starting at edges, pulling toward center.

For best results, do not use more often than once every three days.

Cautions

1. Use only on the nose.
2. Avoid using on acne blemishes or swollen, sunburned, excessively dry skin, or skin prone to spider veins.
3. Consult a physician before using on skin being treated with prescription acne medication.
4. Avoid using on skin which is sensitive to bandages or peel-off face masks.
5. Remove strip as directed promptly after it becomes stiff. If strip is difficult or painful to remove, wet strip thoroughly until it slides off easily. Forceful removal of the strip should be avoided and may cause skin abrasions. If this occurs, discontinue use and consult a physician.
6. Do not use more often than once every three days.

This product can be purchased at many leading drugstores in the US, as well as many places online such as www.target.com (for $8.59), www.walmart.com (for $8.47), and www.cvs.com (for $7.99). You can go to http://www.biore.com/en-US/biore-skincare, to learn more about the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, and all of their other products. I would also like to mention that deep cleansing pore strips are also available in many generic brands, but I have always found Bioré strips to be the most dependable and high quality.  If there are any further questions you may have about this product please leave them below, and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Even if you don't have any questions, please leave me a comment. Let me know about your experience with this product, did you like it or hate it? Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review. I know it's been a while since I've written a review, I just took a little break to get re-inspired and now am back in full force. Thanks so much!!!

Have a fabulous day,
                       Ryan

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture SPF 15

If you are one who has oily/acne prone skin, this one is for you. As we have all been told before, even oily skin people need to use a moisturizer. If you have oily skin, that means that the oil glans in your skin are already in over-drive. When you wash your face and do not replenish the lost moisture, your already over active oil glans will produce even more oil. So when you wash your face (whether you have oily, combination, or dry skin) you essentially strip the existing oil from your skin, and when you don't replenish that moisture via a moisturizer your oil glands tend to become even more active. This is where a oil-free moisturizer comes into play. You replenish the moisture in your skin, but not with an oil based product. This should help reduce the amount that shows up on your skin. Now as addressed previously, this one is also for those of you with acne prone skin. There are many aspects of a moisturizer (in my opinion) when is comes to acne prone skin (which I have). You must use a moisturizer that is hypoallergenic. This simply means that the product is very unlikely to cause any irritation or "allergic reaction". You also must have a moisturizer that is non-comedogenic. This means that the moisturizer will not clog your pores. Clogged pores lead to even more acne, so we must stay way from products that are not non-comedogenic. One final aspects of a moisturizer that is important to those of us who have oily/acne prone skin, is that it must be fragrance free. I apply this moisturizer first thing in the morning after washing my face. Only a small amount of it is necessary, and it does not have me oily hours later.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

NEUTROGENA oIL-fREE MOISTURE SPF 15 IS CLINICALLY PROVEN TO COMBINE LONG-LASTING MMOISTURIZATION WITH EFFECTIVE SUN PROTECTION FOR SOFTER, SMOTHER, YOUNGER-LOOKING SKIN.

ALL-DAY MOISTURIZATION. lIGHTWEIGHT, NON-GREASY FORMULA KEEPS SKIN MOISTURIZED FOR 12 HOURS.

EFFECTIVE SUN PROTECTION. BROAD-SPECTRUM UVA-UVB SPF 15 SUNSCREENS HELP PREVENT PREMATURE SIGNS OF AGAIN CAUSED BY EVERY-DAY SUN EXPOSURE TO SUN'S DAMAGING RAYS.

*wON'T CLOG PORES            * aLCOHOL-FREE         *hYPOALLERGENIC        *fRAGARANCE-FREE

dIRECTIONS: uSE 1 PUMP AND APPLY ALL OVER FACE AND NECK. uSE DAILY, ALONE OR UNDER MAKEUP.

aCTIVE INGREDIENTS: oCTINOXATE 7.5%, OCTISALATE 5.0%, oXYBENZONE 3.0%

wARNING: fOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY. aVOID CONTACT WITH EYES. iF PRODUCT GETS INTO EYES, RINSE THOROUGHLY WITH WATER. dISCONTINUE USE IF IRRITATION OR RASH APPEAR. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. IF SWALLOWED  GET MEDICAL HELP OR CONTACT A POISON CONTROL CENTER RIGHT AWAY. 

To learn more about this product you can visit Neutrogena's website (CLICK HERE). 

I found this moisturizer to be fantastic. I did not have a problem with it at all. It did everything it claimed to do, and worked well with my oily/acne prone skin. Not to mention (compared to some other moisturizers) it is very budget friendly. I found this moisturizer to be high quality, and not break me out like some other moisturizers have in the past. Another great aspect (not addressed thus far) is the fact that it has SPF 15. If you're looking to protect your skin from premature aging because of sun damage, this product will be fabulous for you.  I am very happy with the packaging of this moisturizer. It comes in a 4 FL OZ container complete with a pump. I feel that putting your fingers into a tub of moisturizer, and using it over and over is unsanitary. So for me a pump is necessary. If you do not think this moisturizer would be right for you, you can still try Neutrogena's line of moisturizers. They offer a variety of different types for other skin types. You can view them by CLICKING HERE.  I purchased mine at CVS (To find this moisturizer through CVS...CLICK HERE). This particular moisturizer can be found at multiple drugstores and beauty stores. If you are an Ulta shopper CLICK HERE.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review. If you have any questions or comments on this product, please leave a comment. Have a great day.

Thanks, 

     Ryan 

Fekkai Shea Butter Damage Protecting Hair Mask

If you are familiar with any of my other "hair product reviews", you would know that I am a hair treatment junkie. It is highly important to me to take extra good care of the hair, because my lifestyle requires daily hair styling. With lost of heat styling, come lots of damage. To me, if the hair doesn't appear healthy then it is not worthy of being worn longer. While in search of a new hair treatment I found this particular product at my local Target store, and decided to give it a try. For the price of this product, I am overall slightly disappointed in it. The smell of this product is very pleasant, and would be fantastic for those of you with sensitivities to smell. The overall result that this product gives the hair, is very similar to a lot of very low end drugstore hair treatments. It does provide your hair with a certain degree of moisture, but I did find that it faded very quickly. Usually after I do my weekly hair treatment, I can tell a few days later if the results the product gave lasted through several washings. I found that this product absolutely did not. A day after I used this product, I could not even tell I had done a hair treatment. Another turn off about this product (for me) is its consistency. I feel that it was way too thick! Trying to work and comb a very thick treatment through your hair, can cause a lot of excess pulling and tugging that is just unnecessary! I would compare the results that this product gives to the results of a daily conditioner (and I will probably use it as just that from now on). This product is about $22 for 4.4 oz, so I defiantly do not think this product is worth the money. I would recommend this product to anyone who has hair that is not heavily damaged. If you are someone who does minimal damage to your hair, this product would fabulous. Someone who has colored, or heat damaged hair would not find this product to pack enough of a punch. This product is available at Target  (where I purchased it, it may be available at other drugstores). It is also available on Targets website.           **CLICK HERE FOR TARGET WEBSITE**
Thank you so much for reading my review. Please take a few seconds to leave a comment, with any questions or thoughts. Also, recommend this blog on Google (side bar).
     Thanks and have a fantastic day,
                                                Ryan 

Garnier Fructis Style- Volumizing Anti-Humidity Hairspray - Extra Strong

Out of all the hair product reviews on my blog, you would think by now I would have thrown in my opinion on some of the popular hairsprays on the market. In the past my motto with hairspray has been " spray your hair until you can taste it, then add 2 more sprays and you are good to go". OK, that was totally a joke, but I love hairspray. I must say I currently am trying to use a little less, but i'm hooked. Anyone who has lived in the South will tell you that the humidity can DESTROY any hairstyle, and so hairspray for many folks is a must! When choosing a a good hairspray, I feel there are many factors that must be obtained. A hairspray for me must: come in an aerosol can, have a FINE mist that is not too strong, have a fabulous smell, deliver an anti-humidity hold that lasts all day long, and not leave a visible residue on my brilliant brunette tresses. If you have dark hair you are well aware of the visible dulling residue that some hairsprays and styling products can leave behind. I have tried other hairsprays from Garnier in the past, that were good, but I must say this one takes the cake! To start out this hairspray is very affordable, I paid about $4.00 for a 8.25oz can. Since i'm trying to keep my hairspray use to a minimum lately, this can will last quite a while. The size of the can is rather slender, enabling you to hold and spray it with ease. The can itself is not very heavy. The smell of this hairspray is absolutely FANTASTIC. It claims to have "Natural Bamboo Extract, for Bounce Back Hold". The can clearly states that the hairspray provides "24-hour hold in 90% humidity". The spray is a very fine mist, that seems to dry very fast with no problem. The hold of this hairspray is very good, but not such a severe hold that you can't comfortably run a brush through your hair after the day is over. This product explains its use of bamboo by stating "Selected for its strength, suppleness and resilience, bamboo bends but never breaks, This formula keeps you in control of your style with frizz control and bounce-back hold that lasts all day". This hairspray claims to be a "volumizing hairspray", and says "This volumizing hairspray lifts from root to tip to boost flat, tired hair with body,fullness and extra strong hold--even with moisture in the air--all day, every day." I feel that the light weight that this hairspray has enables your hair to be more bodacious. I would recommend this hairspray to anyone in search of a hairspray that gives a descant amount of hold, without a sticky residue left behind. I find this product to be making its way onto my "FAVORITES LIST". I advise anyone to give it a try. It is available at many drugstores, and also online at www.target.com (this link goes directly to the product's information on targets website). It is very hard to find a hair spray that fits my needs, so when I am able to give one 5 stars, it says a lot about that product. You can find out more about this product, and other Garnier products at http://www.garnier.com/index2.aspx.
As always have a great day,
                                Ryan 

Nivea A Kiss Of Moisture Essential Lip Care

I do believe that this is the very first lip balm that I have ever reviewed. I must come clean and say that I am not your basic "Chapstick" kind of person. Chapstick does nothing for my lips. My lips need a little more love when it comes to lip care. I have searched high and low for the perfect product for my lips. Even though there are other lip care brands that I do love, Nivea is one that has always delivered great results for me! It is very easy for my lips to become dry and cracked when they are not properly cared for. There are many products out there that do nothing for my very troublesome lips, even after repeated use. However, I have found that "Nivea A Kiss Of Moisture Essential Lip Care" is not one of those products. When I apply this product I can feel the instant hydration on my lips immediately. If my lips were to be irritated in any way, I feel that this product would have no problem soothing them right off the bat. I do feel that this product is very much a long lasting lip product. With that said, I would not expect it to last all day. You would more than likely have to touch up a few times a day, as to be expected with any lip balm. Now for those of you out there who have a problem with having some shine on your lips, this is NOT the lip product for you. This product does give your lips quite a bit of shine. I do like that about this product. If you would like a lip product that does not give your lips shine, I would try other products in the Nivea family. If you do decide to try this fantastic lip product, do not let the packaging fool you. The blue portion of this product pulls off of the white portion, to reveal a retractable white tube of lip balm. I am not sure of where this product is available. The only two stores where I have been able to find this product are CVS and Rite Aid. To learn more about this product you can visit Nivea's website at http://www.nivea.com/pages/int-website-selection. If you wish to shop online for this product, it can be bought at http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/Nivea-A-Kiss-Of-Moisture-Essential-Lip-Care?skuId=468775. This product is going to run you between $2-$4 depending upon where you buy it. What could be better than that? A fabulous lip product, at a fantastic price.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
                              Ryan 

Hair Mask Day REVIEW ~ "Renpure Organics Color Protecting Deep-Deep-Deep Conditioner"

My Thoughts Before Masking (trying out the new product):

If there is one thing that I am, it is a "healthy hair fanatic". I love having healthy hair, and will stop at no cost to get it. No one can ever tell, not even myself, when the mood will hit me to do a hair mask! I absolutely love having a "Hair Mask Day". When it comes to hair masks I must be honest and let you in on a little secret, and that is that I NEVER follow the directions. When I get in the mood for a "Hair Mask Day", I throw one on, and leave it on the entire day. Of course I only do this when I have no place to go! Even though I am a hair mask freak, I would never be caught in public with a hair mask on! So needless to say that today the mood has hit me! I have had an inexpensive/budget friendly hair mask on hand that I have been dying to try for weeks! Now I do have to dedicate this one to my "home girlz" who have "color enhanced hair" like myself, shall we say. I'm very excited to try this mask, and can't wait to see the results! 

As you can tell by the picture, this product comes in a small green squeezable tube that contains 7.0 fl.oz. or 207 ml of the product. The product claims "Seals and protects hair through a process using liquefied fruits and flowers" It also states on the packaging that it contains" NO sulfates, parabens, dyes, bluten, phthalates, or propylene glycol". The product goes on to exclaim "How does a rose maintain its vibrant color in the scorching Arizona sun? The answer is ANTHOCYANINS (an-tho-cy-a-nins)! We have selected fruits & flowers high in this protective component and incorporated them into our unique Color Protecting Formulas. Let nature protect the beautiful color of your hair. For color treated and natural hair colors. The directions (which I do not follow) say "Apply to hair and work through to ends. Wait 3-5 minutes then rinse thoroughly. Product can be used on a daily basis." Now one good aspect that I notice about this product right away is that it says clearly on the back "THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS". However it goes on to add "THEY ARE TESTED ON THE REDMONDS". Now I have researched "REDMONDS", and for the life of me I cannot determine what they are referring too. If you know, please leave it in a comment. I purchased this hair mask from CVS for $6.99. After doing a little research, I found that it is only available at "SELECT CVS'S" only. This mask cannot be purchased directly through www.cvs.com, but you can purchase it directly through the companies website at http://store.renpure.com/collections/color-protecting.

My Experience Applying The Mask:

Since I have thicker textured hair, I like to section the hair off when applying masks. I found this mask to be very thick in texture, and to have a very nice clean scent. I do have to say that I do not like the fact that this mask comes in a "squeeze bottle". I found that after applying to one section of hair, I would have to pick up the tube and the existing mask on my hands would find its way all over the tube. So needless to say, by the end of my application the tube was a tacky product mess. This means that clean up takes longer, and that is not something that I enjoy. (This is the reason you see that one star has been deducted from this products overall review.) If this is a product that you were going to use in the shower, I don't think this would be an issue for you. The product seemed to glide through my hair very easily, and I had no problem using a wide toothed comb to evenly distribute it. I must say once again that I find the smell of this product to be very pleasant.

My Experience Removing The Mask:
Due to the fact that this product is very thick in consistency, it is naturally going to take longer to rinse it out of your hair. I really like to make sure that I rinse thoroughly, so that I do not get any product build-up from the masks. I didn't take an incredibly long amount of time to remove the product, but I have had masks that were more easily removed. I did find that with an elongated rinse time, I was able to fully remove this product from my hair with no residue or anything left behind.   

My End Results:
After blow drying my hair, and smoothing it with a medium/large round brush I was very pleased with my results. My hair does not feel weighed down. My hair feels very nourished, and my medium golden brunette color has a slightly richer appearance to it. My hair is not flat, or weighed down by the product. My hair has been left with a nice clean scent. I would without a doubt say that this product helped in smoothing down my curly/frizzy hair. I do believe that I have found a new favorite mask to go under my inexpensive/budget friendly category. I do believe that I will use this mask again, and dare say even repurchase it when need be. You can learn more about this product, and brand at http://www.renpure.com/.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Remember to take a little time and have your self a hair or face mask day. It might sound like a cliche or a L'Oreal ad but YOU ARE WORTH IT! Remember there are products out there that you don't have to spend your life's savings on that will give fabulous results and make you feel special. This blog post is proof of that!
Thank you so much,
    Ryan 
   

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