Great (but obvious) skincare dupe!

I love blackhead scrubs (I’m a weirdo, I know)! I have used the Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser Scrub plenty of times before, but while at Walmart one day, I decided to try out the Equate version of my favorite face wash. Although Clean and Clear is not exactly an “expensive” brand, I like to save money any where I can! After using the Equate Blackhead clearing scrub for quite awhile now, I discovered that I actually like it better then the Clean and Clear version!

For me, the Clean and Clear is bit harsh for my taste, and leaves a very chemical and stripping feeling on my skin after I wash my face for the night. The Equate version is a lot less harsh and does a really great job of exfoliating my face and pores. I have very large pores on my nose and the skin directly around my nose, and after using the scrub for four days straight now, I have notice a dramatic difference in the amount of blackheads that are visible on my face. My skin looks tighter, less oily, and refreshed.

Needless to say, I rediscovered a hidden gem I have had in my bathroom drawer for quite some time, and at less than $3, how can you go wrong???

I am really happy with this product and as Tracy from eleventhgorgeous would say, you should go get you some!

Side note: Since I know I mention a lot of different YouTubers who I watch religiously, I wanted to link them for you, so that you can go check them out. These ladies are super smart, thrifty, and fabulous when it comes to make-up, skincare, and clothes! I love them! Check them out!

My favorite YouTube Make-up gurus:

EleventhGorgeous:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4GtJWgv_PLBiWFihNGbF0g

Emily Noel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC8m_F7jX2fGOQ3_nomg4g

MakeUpGeek:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1BqH-72EBs-siTbDAjOGQ

Lets talk favorite hair products!!

I don’t know if you’re the kind of person who, when you get out of the shower and you brush through your hair, you find your hair tangled and knotted up, but you don’t have patience (or time for that matter) to be kind to your hair and not tear it to peices. I don’t know if that is you, but that is certainly me. As I have said in the past, my hair is very fine, and naturally flat, so when I wash, blow dry my hair, or simply drive in the car with the windows down, my hair knots up within seconds. So in one of my recent trips to Walgreen’s I was looking around the hair care aisle in hopes of finding a good quality detangler. Seeing as I haven’t used a detangler since I was about five years old, I wasn’t even sure that  detangler existed outside of L’Oreal children’s detangler.

Anyway, all of that to say; I came across the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Detangler during that trip. Just from reading the packaging I was excited and thought that this spray might actually work for me. It said “weightless nutri-oils” and “lightly conditions”. Both of those phrases were right up my alley since I cannot have anything heavy in my hair or else it will become an oil slick in no time.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been using this product pretty much on a daily basis. I use it when I get out of the shower to aid me in not tearing my hair to shreds, and I use it on my dry hair to give me a little shine boost as well as a frizz check. So, what I wanted to do in order to give you a real understanding of what you’re getting with this product, I’m going to give you my list of pros and cons .

Pros:

• Great scent!
• Makes it a lot easier to comb through your hair
• Does not weigh down your hair
• Can use it on wet or dry hair
• Has definitely helped to make my hair look shinier
• My hair looks and feels healthier

Cons:

• Does make your hair a little flat (if you want to put the volume back in your hair, I recommend using a mousse)

The best part about this product is I only spent $5.79 and this is a high quality product! I will be repurchasing over and over again.

Definitely a great “Diva for Less” buy!

Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo

I have to start out by telling you all that I have the thinnest, naturally flat, and particularly oily hair. I must take a shower every day otherwise my hair becomes matted down and oily. Let me tell you; it is not cute. It is a thorn in my side, and some days I do not feel like washing and blow drying my hair before I go to work, so I end up putting my hair up in a disgusting pony tail. Yet, it is still abundantly clear to everyone around me, that I desperately need a shower.

Today I was perusing around YouTube and saw that one of the YouTube pages I follow had uploaded some reviews on various dry shampoo products. I was instantly intrigued. I have heard a lot about dry shampoo, but always shrugged it off because I assumed it would be difficult to use, bad for my hair, and give minimal results. After doing some hefty research around the internet, I came across the Batiste Dry Shampoo. The general consensus (at least from the information I acquired) was that this is the best dry shampoo available at the drugstore. Always being about the best buy for the best price, I was on a mission to find this product.

I was in luck! About a minute down the road from my house is a Walgreens that happened to have it in stock! As soon as I could, I rushed down to the Walgreens. I found the travel sized spray can of Batiste Dry Shampoo in Floral and Flirty Blush for $3.99.

I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out! I walked in the front door, and made a b-line for the bathroom to test it out. My hair was nice and oily and completely matted down today, so it was a perfect specimen to apply this product to.

 I have to say, this dry shampoo worked well for me. From what I hear, the number one concern with using dry shampoo is that it can leave a white and sometimes grey sheen over your hair. In my opinion, this dry shampoo doesn’t really do that. With this product, the key is to make sure you hold it 30cm. away from the area you are targeting, as the packaging directs you to. If you hold it too close the product will not distribute evenly and you will end up with a grey-ish sheen over that area. I was shocked to find that it actually brought volume back to my hair, and removed the appearance of excess oil. I am very impressed, and totally recommend you go check it out.

The one thing I will note about the Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush, is that I do not care for the scent at all. It is not the worst thing in the world, and it is certainly tolerable. However,  I will definitely be searching for a different scent when I repurchase this shampoo!

Absolutely thrilled with my Diva 4 Less find!

Review: e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator!!

One thing you will come to learn about me is I watch Emily Noel on You Tube religiously. That being said, within the past month or so, she put up an e.l.f. Haul video on her channel, and ever since then, I have been dying to try some of the products she featured.

Obviously, one of those products was the lip exfoliator from e.l.f.! I have been wanting some kind or mask or exfoliator for my lips for quite some time, I am just not interested in shelling out the big bucks for the high end brands. Not worth it to me! I’d rather make it myself! I just don’t have the interest to do that either… hmmm..

Anyway, I finally decided to take a trip to my local Target today and peruse the e.l.f. products that it had available. I was thrilled to find the lip exfoliator hanging from the rack! I ended up purchasing it, along with the e.l.f Makeup Mist and Set, and the e.l.f. Eye Primer and Liner Sealer (reviews for both of those products coming soon!).

I got home, and immediately went to the e.l.f. You Tube channel to watch the tutorial for this product. I wanted to make sure I fully understood what it was claiming to do, and make sure there wasn’t any instructions that the packaging left out.

The video suggested you moisten your lips with warm water before exfoliating. This helps to soften up the product for maximum exfoliation, and does end up leaving some of the gritty exfoliant on your lips. It then recommend that you wipe the product off of your lips with warm water, and then finish up with a hydrating lip balm.

I followed all of these steps and ended up being more than satisfied with my purchase! My lips feel super soft with no sign of dead or dry skin anywhere, and even returned a nice rosy color to my lips! I am pretty critical when it comes to lip exfoliators. I have used high end products in the past that worked really well, I just do not want to pay the price. The e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator is right up there with some of the higher end products in my opinion! It exfoliates perfectly, leaves a little bit of a nourishing balm on your lips, and the scent (and taste) is very pleasant!

I almost forgot the best part… This product was only $3!! Whats not to love!

Great “Diva 4 Less” buy!

Review: Freeman Facial Peel-Off Mask-Cucumber

I L.O.V.E face masks! Clay masks, seaweed masks, egg white masks, avocado masks… I love them ALL! So of course, I cannot get enough of this product!

Retailing at about $4 with 6 oz. of product, Freeman’s cucumber peel-off mask is a great beauty buy!

When you apply the mask, make sure you face is clean, and all of your hair is out of your face, because this stuff is sticky! It is not exactly the easiest mask to apply to your face, but once it is on it feels and smells great on your skin! You can tell it really helps to tighten and purify your skin. Wait about 15 minutes and then peel it off, and your skin will feel soft and clean. I have used several of Freeman’s face mask products, and so far, no complaints!

My only note on this product is to be careful applying the product around your jawline, where your hair gets a little thicker, because when peeling the mask off, it will be a little painful.

When you don’t feel like spending a lot of money or going all the way to the mall to buy a face mask that gets the job done, I would definitely recommend you try this out!

(My mother dared me to actually put a picture of myself using the face mask tonight on my blog..I never back down from a challenge!)

Review: TRESemmé Climate Protection Collection

My hair is thin, straight, oily, and fine. With all that being said, my biggest problem when it comes to my hair, is that after I have styled my hair for the day, and step outside into hot and humid south Florida, all of my hard work gets thrown out with the bath water. My hair frizzes out and all of sudden, right after I have washed it, my hair feels oily again.

I do not like to spend a lot of money on shampoo and conditioner (or maybe I do not like to spend a lot of money in general), so when I saw the TRESemmé Climate Protection shampoo and conditioner I decided to pick it up and try it out. I did not have high expectations in the least.

After using these two products for a couple weeks I came to the conclusion that I really liked them. My only wish is that I had a little extra barrier of protection after using them, because shampoo and conditioner can only do so much. So after trolling youtube for reviews on the Climate Protection Mousse, I went to my local Publix to buy that too.

What I discovered after using all three of these products together is that they work really well. I will not go as far as to say they are perfect or that my hair does not frizz at all after applying them, but they really do help cut down on the frizz dramatically. I am impressed.

I have not tried the last product in the line, which is the “finishing spray”, but that is pretty much chocked up to my personal dislike of hair spray. Mostly because I like to be able to run my fingers through my hair all day and hairspray keeps me from doing so.

The best part is that the shampoo and conditioner retail at $3.49 each, and the mousse retails at $5.79. These products will definitely be in my repurchase list!

Just another great Diva for Less find!

Review: Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid Cleanser and brush!

I have to say, Olay is one of my favorite skin care companies. Their products work for both younger and older women.The Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid! Powered Contour Cleansing System is no exception! I use the Shine, Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser.

Aside from the delicious scent, this product really does what it claims to do. It gets deep down in your pores to clean out the make-up and dirt, and leaves you feeling fresh and clean.

My one note about the way Olay suggests you use this product, is that the packaging, as well as the Olay website, suggest that you splash warm water on your face and then apply your cleanser. I do not feel like this method really does the job to open up your pores in preparation for cleansing.

My suggestion: use a rag loaded down with hot water on your face, prior to applying Va-Va-Vivid face wash. You want your pores to really be opened up, otherwise this product will not take full effect.

Quick note on the brush: Olay markets this brush as being specifically designed for the “T-Zone” of your face. The “T-Zone” is the area across your forehead and down your nose, extending to your chin. This area can be particularly oily and so Olay designed this brush to cater to that very important area. In my opinion, this brush works very well for that.

I have oily to combination skin. Before using this product, by mid-day, even with my make-up on, I would always have a large amount of oil build-up on and around my nose, as well as my chin. This cleanser and brush set have considerably helped me with that problem. Now, I notice a lot less oil build up and some days I barely notice it at all.

I am impressed, once again with Olay and these two products!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention… ONLY $12 for a good size sample of the cleanser, and the brush set (which also includes batteries!)! I was so impressed with this price, its probably what drove me to actually go out and buy this product. The regular sized bottles of the cleanser retail for around $8 I believe.

Definitely a great ‘Diva 4 Less’ find!