Wednesday, March 26, 2014

It's Not Me, It's You

Time for another roundup of products that left me distinctly unimpressed. I feel these kinds of posts are some of the easiest to both read and write, because the sentiments expressed are so genuine and immediate. We all have certain hopes and expectations after handing over hard-earned money for products that are hyped or look promising. An initially rosy outlook can swiftly turn into disappointment and a sense of waste once reality enters the equation.


Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel in Autumn Spice
When these range of nail polishes launched in Australia (for an eye-watering $15.95 each), I was dead set on getting Autumn Spice because of how incredible it looked on Scrangie's nails. Her swatches sold me 100%. The shade looked so rich, complex and unique, a smoky russet with fiery, coppery shimmer that gleamed in the light. I don't know if Scrangie just has a gift of photographing nail polishes in the most flattering way possible, but Autumn Spice was so underwhelming on me. I disliked the thin, runny formula immensely, the brown metallic colour looked extremely dated and unattractive, the shimmer was flat and almost grainy, the polish refused to dry, and the gimmicky scent was overwhelmingly cloying and artificial. Unpleasantness all around.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
I've previously ranted a bit about Seche Vite, but I feel it deserves another mention here. Since I discovered more about "3 Free" polishes, I was surprised to read that the second ingredient in Seche Vite is toluene. Because of that, the bottle has a disclaimer that reads, "WARNING! This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm." Hmmm. Not very confidence-inspiring. Even if the risk is low, which it probably is, I just don't like this top coat. It smells offensive, it slightly discolours certain polishes depending on the shade (it gave a dirty yellow tint to my OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam!), but most problematically, it shrinks around the nail edges. I always have to consciously paint over the edge of my nail, onto the surrounding skin, so that the top coat will cover the whole nail when it dries. I don't have to deal with any of these issues with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, in my opinion a far superior fast-drying top coat.

Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser
I bought this to qualify for the Priceline skin care goodie bag last June, hoping it'd be similar to the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which isn't available in Australia. Now that I've tried the Liz Earle, I can confidently say this Sanctuary Spa version is nothing like it. And not in a good way. Every time I've used this, it's mainly left my skin feeling more dry and slightly irritated. It has an almost lemony, herby, tea scent which isn't awful, but isn't my favourite either. It does have a thick, creamy texture which works into the skin nicely, but it's hard to wash off completely and leaves a balmy residue that doesn't feel hydrating.

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum
This one is definitely the most heartbreaking of this current crop of product disappointments. An Essie Button favourite with a 4.5/5 rating on MakeupAlley to boot, I was more or less expecting that I would fall in love with this serum. I don't know if the problem is my skin type (probably not dehydrated, as it seems to be recommended for) or something else with my skin's chemistry, but it just does ... nothing. At best, nothing, at worst, it breaks me out. It has a very light, almost watery consistency that's easily spread and sinks into the skin quickly. I try to layer this underneath my moisturiser, both day and night, and I see and feel no noticeable difference than if I'd skipped it altogether. I love the refreshing scent and the packaging, and generally hold Caudalie products in high regard, so this was an extreme bummer.

Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion Skin Conditioner Normal to Dry Skin
I'd read about the dry skin version on milkteef and I Covet Thee in June last year, which was enough exposure to make me at least curious to try this newfangled product for myself. I'm guessing there isn't a huge difference between the normal to dry skin, and the dry skin versions, so I was puzzled at the good reviews. When I put this on, it feels like I'm putting Pantene hair conditioner on my skin. It's that same type of consistency. The first time I used it, I made the mistake of not washing the lotion off thoroughly enough. I dried myself off, and my legs were basically still covered in the lotion. My skin felt uncomfortably sticky and wet. The lotion just sat on top of my skin and didn't sink in properly whatsoever. The second time I used this, I actually applied it first, then used a BODY WASH in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the first experience. There was definitely less remnant lotion on my legs, but I strongly disliked the sensation of the product still physically lingering on my skin. Plainly put, it's not a good body moisturiser, at all. It's no better than sorbolene and it's very heavily perfumed. It's arguable whether there's any meaningful time saving using this in the shower compared with slapping on some body moisturiser post-shower, given you're still taking the time to apply this in the shower anyway, and not only that, you're taking extra time and effort to wash it off, lest you want unbearably greasy legs afterwards.

36 comments:

  1. Oh, too bad this products didn't work for you.
    Is good that you let us know!!
    Have an amazing day :)
    http://sheseeksvictoria.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. everyone LOVED the Nivea in shower body lotion! I haven't tried it myself but gutted it wasn't any good for you!

    xxx | daisydaisyxxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so lucky that I am not the only one that does not like NIVE In shower lotion! I hated it! I almost broke my leg in shower; I was so slippery, greasy, sticky and oily...
    I recently bought Caudalie Vinosource, I´m hoping it would not be a disappointing to me, I heard as Essie Button raved about this so much that I gave it a try...I will see after few days.


    ziriane.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a similar post coming up on products that didn't work for me although I much prefer your title!

    I'm not a fan of the Nivea in shower cream. I just didn't get it and I didn't find that it removed the need for moisturiser or save time due to the having to step away from the shower to rub in.

    Victoria
    FlorenceandMary.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This was so helpful! Hyped products like Seche Vite and the Caudelie serum always leave me a little skeptical - good to read this to balance all of the fangirling out! T xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also remember everyone raving about the Nivea In Shower lotions, I'm really glad I didn't fall for the hype as they really don't seem to be all that amazing.

    Nina xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had exactly the same reaction to the Caudalie as you, so you're not alone. And my recommendation was from Becca at The Beauty Sample who I really trust, so I was quite devastated. I agree also on Revlon polish and Seche Vite. My god, the cost of the Revlon polish there had my eyes rolling backwards in disbelief. So not worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This was a fun post to read! A shame some of these didn't work for you, especially as some of these I actually like haha :)
    Such a shame about the Revlon polish..especially at that price! :(
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aghh, I know, right? Seche Vite is rubbish for me, gets sticky so fast and you almost always have to toss out almost half of the bottle. The warning side made me think twice too. On the other hand I love these Revlon polishes, but I got Ginger Melon and smells like candy (thank god they're only 6€ here) :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was disappointed with seche vite too. Yes it dries really fast, but it also chips incredibly quick too!! I'm not a huge fan of Nivea as a brand either!

    Nicky
    zeeblikesit.blogspot.com
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't use Seche Vite any more either, and it really annoys me that it gloops up so fast! But most of these fast-drying top coats do anyway - I have an Essie one and I'm more than half way down the bottle, but it's getting to the point where even nail polish thinner doesn't do a thing. Regarding Caudalie, I haven't tried the serum but used their Creme Sorbet for dehydrated skin, and ended up really disliking it - extremely strong scent, plus it felt sticky on the skin without actually moisturizing that well. I will admit it turned me off Caudalie for a while!

    ReplyDelete
  12. i have heard so many people complain about seche vite, so glad i never picked it up! xxx
    mollyox.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  13. Interesting post. To be honest I'm not a massive fan of my Seche Vite so I kinda just skip that step now! I hate it's consistency (gloopy!) and it just doesn't do much and the birth defect thing isn't promising! Don't know why it was ever hyped!
    alicekatex ♥

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shame about the Seche Vite.. what i don't like about it, is that it goes gloopy SO quickly :( x

    A Little Treat | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've been too scared to dry Seche Vite. I don't care whether the harmful side effects are very low, birth defects just plain creep me out! I don't think I can risk a future healthy baby for shiny nails. I love, love, love Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, but I was deeply disappointed when I got half way through my bottle and it became gloopy and unusable, which I've heard similar things about Seche Vite. I'm drying out the Ciate top coat and Dior Gel Coat at the moment.

    One of the reasons I don't like really drugstore brands is because they're so gimmicky - whether it's in-shower moisturiser or scented nail polish. I smelt those Revlon nail polishes quite recently and to me, they just smell like regular nail polish, which is chemically and not pleasant! Wasn't too impressed when I got a big whiff of that up my nose!

    By the way, I love reading your reviews. You're always so unabashedly honest and you write so well. It's so refreshing from the bloggers who constantly rave about the same products.

    http://likeneonlove.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. You just reminded me that I need to do one of these :<
    I didn't know about the 3-free regarding nail polishes! I really need to check the ones I have ( my collection mainly consists in Sally Hansen, a few OPI & Orly and one or another nail polish from other brands)
    I haven't tried out the Nivea's Skin conditioner because apparently they use Liquid paraffin in their products :< And we thought that the little can was safe...

    Take care, have a nice day!*

    ReplyDelete
  17. An in-shower body lotion? Hmm… just the thought of that actually leaves a bad feeling on my skin haha. I'd never feel clean! And I'm sorry to hear you didn't/don't get along with SV; I personally loved it and didn't find that I had any of the same problems you did with it. Crazy! Different strokes for different folks I suppose :) The perfume polishes from Revlon were never tempting to me in the first place and from what I hear they really aren't all that great. Glad I never wasted my money!!

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's so sad that you didn't like the Caudalie Vinosource Serum. I just finished scraping the bottle, and it works wonders at hydrating my skin without breakouts! Maybe it's the combo of that with some other skincare you're using that's causing a bad reaction.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ah I really like flop posts because like you said, they're mostly very genuine and they're good for my wallet ;p .. Oh I didn't know about the toluene in Seche Vite!! It is scary how many bad chemical they put in our 'beauty' products..
    The nivea in shower body lotion was very hyped here but I read that a lot of people complained it being dry and not 'moisturizing' enough.. reading your post, it surprised me that you find it too 'greasy'..
    I've read a series of not so good reviews on the revlon scented polishes, I guess I'd better skip the range !

    ReplyDelete
  20. That's a great post - I've wanted to get my hands on the Nivea body wash since Milkteef wrote about it but haven't seen it in my local drugstore yet! And scented nail polish? One of those things that sound awesome in theory and just never live up to the expectations! (I'd still like to give the MO a go though ;) )

    ReplyDelete
  21. Nice to get your honest feedback for these products! I'm actually feeling the same way about the Seche Vite top coat as well. I'm not sure why it's so incredibly hyped... I just thought i had a bad bottle but it seems it's not that good! I have used better for sure =)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I don't like my Seche Vite either! It got so thick half way which is what most people say about it anyway!

    Nhi | Miss Blushaholic

    ReplyDelete
  23. It's too bad these products didn't work out for you. I haven't tried any of these before but I was really shocked to see a Caudalie product in the mix. I've heard incredible things about that product and it's not cheap either. What a bummer! xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love reading these posts because it helps me screen out products I should stay away from. I am so glad you mentioned Seche Vite again because I must have missed your last post! I have always wanted to tory it, but it's high price tag steered me away, but after reading this, I will try Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri instead. I also found that Revlon's fast drying topcoat works great too!

    Emily
    ahemitsemme.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love these kind of posts because nobody believes that a person can like everything and they are much more informative than praising every product! Anyhow, I really wanted to try the nivea lotion because it looked like a cool concept but I guess I won't now! And I agree with you on the seche vite, I much prefer the sally hansen top coat and it lasts the whole bottle unlike the seche vite which dries halfway!
    The Beauty Break

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow, I was actually about to go out and buy the Nivea in-shower lotion! I don't like the sound of it laying on top of your skin. I might check the dry one out and sniff it. And the Revlon perfume polishes just sound like a gimmick to me.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Shame about the Caudalie product, as soon as I saw that in the photo I thought to myself " Nooo Essie, you lied to us!" Haha. At least I know not to purchase it now, I don't think my skin would work with it at all.

    Beauty Challenged

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha well I wouldn't go that far ;) I'm sure it works brilliantly for her, I think her boyfriend also really likes it? I guess skin care is just one of those things that's so dependent on the person!

      Delete
  28. that such a shame about the nail polish. Espcially since what you pay for the price of the bottle. http://ashleebowler.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm hesitant about Seche Vite now that I've taken notice to the warning (which I stupidly missed when I initially purchased it), the smell is overwhelming too during application! I'll have to make a dash for the Sally Hanson!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I got sent the Nivea product when it was released and HATED it. Had the same problems :( x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you felt the same way! It's seriously not a good product at all in my opinion :\

      Delete
  31. How sad that the Caudalie didn't agree with you! It's a firm favorite of mine, though I have really dry skin. Definitely had similar problems with Seche Vite though- it always shrank so much on my nails and went gloopy so fast.

    ReplyDelete
  32. aww I've wanted to try out this Revlon nail polish ever since I heard of it but now I don't want to anymore..

    ReplyDelete
  33. I actually don't mind the Nivea lotion, all of the ladies in my family love it but I still find that I prefer applying my regular body lotion where I have a choice of scents at my disposal. I've seen so many wonderful reviews of that Caudalie serum, so disheartening to hear that it wasn't meant for you.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I agree with you about Seche Vite!! I hate it so much, but all my friends love it. I find that it shrinks, and it makes my nailpolish into a state where it almost peels off. Sally Hansen Insta Dri is my holy grail!!!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...