Disappointing Products

I love it when bloggers and YouTubers make blog posts and/or videos about the products that disappointed them. I don't like spending my money on crappy products and I'm sure you don't either. The thing is, I've probably spent tons of money in the course of my life on various products that didn't live up to their claims...so consider this blog post a cautionary tale.

CVS Eye Makeup Remover Wipes

I probably wear some form of eye makeup every day. Once the day turns to night, though, I need to take off my makeup so I can hit the pillow au naturel. This means that eye makeup removers are an essential part of my makeup and skincare regimen. I don't have the money (or the desire, to be honest) to test out high-end makeup wipes or cleansing balms, so I typically scour the drugstore for different makeup removal wipes so I can figure out which kind I like best. 

The CVS Eye Makeup Remover Wipes definitely do not win the title of "Best Drugstore Makeup Remover." These CVS wipes are supposed to be a knockoff of these Neutrogena wipes, and are packaged similarly. I've never tried the Neutrogena version, but if they're anything like the CVS version I don't want to. There are two main problems with these wipes.

First, they're not "ultra-soft pads." The container is lying to you. The first time I used these my eyes hurt and felt like something had been rubbing them much more abrasively than the eye area should be rubbed. In the photo above, you can see that one side of the pad has little cotton nubbins that are great for exfoliating your face and removing your foundation...but I would not recommend using that side for your eyes. Note: I used the opposite, nubbin-less side to remove my eye makeup, but it still felt very rough. The second problem with this product is that all of the makeup removing liquid is pooled at the bottom. This means that the first couple of wipes were extremely dry to the point of being useless. On the other hand, the last couple of wipes were dripping with more remover than two eyes would ever need. 

Seche Vite Top Coat

I've repurchased the Seche Vite Top Coat multiple times. I love that it dries quickly and makes your nails super glossy...but I'm not afraid to say it. For all the hype Seche Vite gets on beauty blogs and YouTube channels, it's just not the best top coat out there. In some ways, it's actually pretty terrible. Many people avoid the Seche Vite Top Coat because it contains toluene, which can cause birth defects. In my opinion, the fact that you're only exposed to the toluene for the short amount of time that you're using the polish, and the fact that it evaporates once the polish has dried probably means that Seche Vite is safe to use. But people definitely have different opinions and I would advise a quick Google search on the subject for those who are curious about the different sides of the "Is Seche Vite safe to use?" debate. 

Anyway, my beef with this top coat lies elsewhere. As you can see I'm only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way done with this particular bottle, and already the polish has become super thick and gloopy. As any nail polish fanatic knows, gloopy top coats do not make for pretty manicures. It's hard to apply, and you have to layer it on a lot if you want it to look smooth. It also causes my nail polish to peel off in one piece only a day or two after I've applied it. This annoys me. I do not have time to constantly repaint my nails because of Seche Vite's BS peeling issue. I don't think I will finish this bottle, and I've already picked up a bottle of the Essie Good To Go Top Coat, which I really like so far. 

Neutral Nails

So I know that spring is supposed to mean that we pack away the dark clothes of our winter wardrobes and dust off all of our brights and pastels...but I just don't think I can part with my blacks and navys. In the past year, I've found myself veering away from bright colors in my wardrobe and toward neutrals of all kinds. And my nails are no exception. Granted, I have way more nail polish than is acceptable for a college student on a budget, but I recently decided to pick up a few more to satisfy my craving for more neutral colors in my nail polish wardrobe (note to self: if you have enough nail polish to say you have a "nail polish wardrobe," there's something wrong).

Here are some of my recent manicures. They're certainly not spring-appropriate, but who really cares?

Essie's Licorice with a dot of The Next CEO by Nicole

China Glaze's Glitz and Pieces layered over Essie's Jazz

Review || Shellac Nails

Simply put, I am addicted to painting my nails. Sometimes I go through periods where I will paint them as frequently as once a day! The problem with this habit (as any hardcore nail polish addict knows) is that the chemicals in nail polish can turn the surface of the nail yellow. Normally you would use a base coat to prevent this, but if you paint your nails frequently enough, even a base coat can't prevent staining. Over the years I've just accepted the risk of nail yellowing as a side effect of my addiction, but last I discovered something that may revolutionize the way I paint my nails - Shellac!

So here's what happened. I was in the nail salon with my friend and I decided that I was in the mood for a French manicure. The problem was that French manicures often chip off so quickly (waste of money!), plus I was reluctant to expose the true color of my nail surface (ugly!). When I told my manicurist what I wanted, she suggested that I get Shellac (a product by CND), as it lasts much longer than normal nail polish, preventing chipping and yellowing of the nail surface because of too frequent polish application. I decided to go for it, even though the Shellac would cost $35 instead of the normal $15 - and in my opinion, it was worth it.

Here is what my nails looked like about 2 or 3 days after I got the manicure:

And I must say, it was unexpectedly hard to take a picture of my hand with my webcam. Basically, it just looks like I have a French manicure...except that more than a week after I got my manicure, the only difference is that you can see that my nails have grown. It hasn't chipped.

Here are the details on Shellac and why it's better than a normal manicure or fake nails:

• It applies like a normal nail polish but feels like gel nails once it's dried.
• It has a short drying time because you put your hands under a UV light in between the base coat, main coat, and top coat. Once it's dry you don't have to worry that it will smudge. 
• You can keep a short nail length, unlike fake nails. 
• It's long lasting and doesn't damage your nail because you don't have to roughen the surface before application (unlike tips or fake nails).
• There is a range of colors (you don't have to get french). 

The only setback I have found is that the CND website says that you have to get your manicure removed by a professional because they created special "nail wraps" to remove the Shellac. I will probably just try to remove it myself with pure acetone though, and hopefully it should work fine. 

For more information on Shellac nails, visit the CND website, linked here.