Monday, March 31, 2014

Product reviews: Neutrogena Hair Care and Rimmel Lipstick

I don't normally post on Mondays, but I wanted to blog about these two products before the Make Yourself Amazing in April series starts tomorrow.

I received two products to test: the Neutrogena Triple Repair Hair Care System from BzzAgent and Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in As You Want Victoria from Influenster. I received both of these products for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

(Side note: After April, I plan to write more about the product testing and money making sites that I am a member of).

My first product was the Neutrogena Triple Repair Hair Care System.




The system includes shampoo, conditioner, and fortifying leave-in treatment. I'm not loyal to any kind of hair brand, so I was excited to try something new, especially a hair care system that is supposed to strengthen my hair and protect it from damage from styling tools. The Neutrogena website says that it's supposed to make hair three times stronger and instantly repair the three leading signs of damaged hair in just one use.

The first thing I noticed was that the shampoo and conditioner didn't have any scent. I know that some people are sensitive to smells in health and beauty products, but I would like the option of a scented product to make my hair smell fresher. I also noticed that it took two times with the shampoo before my hair felt clean. That could have just been because it was post-gym hair though.

After I used all three products, I let my hair air dry for a little bit before drying it. This is how my hair looked from just using the dryer:



Next, I flat ironed it. I used heat protection spray also, but after reading the product description online, it looks like I could have skipped it since the leave-in treatment is supposed to protect from damage up to 400 degrees. This is how my hair looked after flat ironing it:



Overall, I'm pleased with these products. My hair felt softer and smoother, and it seemed to be easier to style (relatively speaking since I'm kind of styling challenged!). It also still looked decent the next day without too much work, so that appealed to the lazy girl in me. I haven't looked for these products in stores, but the website says they retail for $6.99 per product. I would recommend them if you regularly use heat to style your hair or if you just feel like your hair is looking a little frazzled.

The next product I tested was the lipstick. If you know me in real life, you know that I'm not much a makeup wearer, so getting a lipstick that looked like this:


was a little out of my comfort zone!

Here's how it looked when I first put it on:



Please note the expression of horror. My lips were BRIGHT!

The Rimmel website says that the lipstick is supposed to make your lips feel up to 70% more hydrated and up to 60% smoother. My question is more hydrated and smoother than what? I felt my lips were dry and kind of cakey, but that could also be because I usually just wear lip gloss. 

However, once I got past the initial self-consciousness and fielded questions from people at work who asked if it was a special occasion (because I had on lipstick and fixed my hair...man, do I set some low standards...), I kind of liked it. The color held on pretty well too. This is how it looked in the afternoon, after I had been eating and drinking throughout the day:



Is it sad that I think the florescent lights at work are more flattering than the lights at home? Maybe I need better bulbs or to open the shades or something.

This is what the color looked like before I left work at 4:30 on Friday:


It had definitely faded, but you could still tell I had on lipstick.

I'm mixed on this. It might be fun to wear somewhere other than work, and I might try another color just to see if it makes me feel less "mouthy". I haven't looked for this in stores either, but the CVS website has it retailing for $6.99.

What do you guys think? Does the lipstick deserve its own spot in the Caboodles, or does it need to quietly go away? 





2 comments:

Dolly said...

Love the lipstick! You really look like Anne Hathaway in those last two pictures!

Amber said...

Thanks for the compliments! After seeing the pictures, I like the lipstick a lot more! Also, your new haircut looks great on you! =)