deodorant reviews

Nubian Heritage Indian Hemp & Haitian Vetiver with Neem Oil Deodorant Review

7:26 PM

My next natural deodorant review is on the Nubian Heritage Indian Hemp & Haitian Vetiver with Neem oil. I found it at my local The Vitamin Shoppe (along with some other brands I hadn't seen elsewhere, that I plan to purchase in the future). It seemed to get decent ratings as far as natural deodorants go so I decided to give it a shot. Its also a black owned business which am I always definitely about!

It retails for around $8.99, which is pretty standard for these kind of, less mainstream natural deodorants. I wasn't too worried about the price since I was already paying like 8 bucks for my clinical strength deodorant anyways.

The smell is nice. Its like...very hard to pinpoint? Smells similar to other hemp products I have smelled but also different. Its a fresh scent but not like the Arm & Hammer one at all.

As always I showered at night, applied this product, then applied more in the morning for entirety of the trial.

From my trial period I can say this deodorant is...not the best. It fades within 3-4 hours WITHOUT any heavy sweating. And if there was heavy sweating involved (I wore this on a day i went to school to work on a group project- aka I had some decent anxiety going on), forget it, wet pits and not a pleasent smell within the hour honestly. Not only does it not last, but it leaves your pits feeling so weird. Almost damp and sticky after you apply it and for the entire day- not pleasant. It also gave me a slight rash, for lack of a better word. It didn't itch or anything but my armpits were clearly slightly red/dark when I used this. Forget about doing any outdoor activities because this isn't going to last through even a second of that.

Even wearing this on a relaxed day with my boyfriend or just sitting at home, it faded in a few hours and left me stinky. Stinky and sticky. No thank you. I found that when applying it after my shower, by the time I was ready to sleep (about 4 hours or so) I already smelled. And all I would in between applying and sleeping was lay in bed on my computer, so that says a lot.

The only way I've been able to wear this is layered with another deodorant (usually the Arm & Hammer which I previously reviewed). Alone? This product gets a 1/10 from me, honestly. I give it one point because I do enjoy the scent.



deodorant reviews

Arm & Hammer Essentials Deodorant Review

7:08 PM

So today I'm reviewing the Arm & Hammer Essentials Deodorant with Natural Deodorizers. In the next coming weeks/months I will be putting out a few reviews on different natural deodorants.


I have been on the hunt for a deodorant that doesn't contain anti-antiperspirant; no not due to being scared of breast cancer, but because I have a history of being really, really sweaty. To give you a little background on my armpits (lmao) and my sweating situation: ever since puberty I have been....an extremely sweaty and smelly person. I can honestly remember being in 5th grade after recess with soaked pits on my uniform shirts. I have tried so many "normal" deodorant/antiperspirant combinations and for years had been using Secret Clinical Strength. Honestly it didn't even seem to work as much as a "clinical strength" deodorant should, but it kept me smelling nice so I just stuck with it. Keep in mind this was not helping my sweating at all. I have general anxiety as well as social, so on top of already being a sweaty person, any interaction with another person causes me to sweat; as well as any.......moment of my life basically lmao. SO all that being said I AM EXTREMELY SWEATY. So you know I'm really truly putting this deodorant to the test. 

The reason I started looking for a new deodorant is because I have read that in the same way frequent washing makes your hair greasier, the use of antiperspirants can actually cause your body to produce more sweat. So I was thinking that since the clinical strength deodorant wasn't really helping with my sweating, why bother? Aluminum (the stuff thats the antiperspirant) also causes stains on the armpits of your shirts and lord knows I get those (tip: oxy clean takes the smell/stains out of armpits of shirts!!!!). So here I am using antiperspirants, while getting the negative affects (stains) but not the positive ones (less sweating). All of this led me to begin my voyage into deodorants without antiperspirant.

Without being too wordy, as this is already pretty word heavy with no pictures, I'll try to keep this bit short. After much research I decided to try Arm & Hammer Essentials deodorant for a lot of reasons, mostly because it was available at my local Walgreens. 

Now onto the test. I've used this deodorant since around September 17th, so like roughly three weeks. My routine for applying deodorant is shower at night, apply deodorant, then apply more when I wake up. No reapplication throughout the day. So I followed this pattern while testing this. 

First things first the smell is a very fresh smell, I'm not really sure how else to put it. Slightly manly but not extremely. Its a solid gel type, which I was never too fond of- you have to wait a minute or so for it to dry.

It retails for $2,89 at Walgreens which is a really good price in my opinion compared to other natural deodorants.

An average day for me while testing this was- go to work or school, or both and/or see my boyfriend. I usually sweat a normal amount (for me) at school, and quite a bit at work due to the anxiety of being a cashier as well as just doing physical work. On days when I see my boyfriend we usually just lay around so there's not much sweating going on. 

On a work/school/both day the deodorant would last me a good way though. At around 6-8 hours I could tell there was some smell, but it was nothing anyone around me would notice- only if you stuck your face in my pits. By the end of my shift (even if I had not been wearing it for 6-8 hours) there was always some stink. 

On a boyfriend day I smelled good throughout the whole day pretty much, but like I said, there wasn't much sweating going on at all since I don't have anxiety around him and we don't do much lmao. 

On the odd day that I was actually outside for extended periods of time (or if me and my boyfriend went somewhere, as he has no ac in his car) the Arm & Hammer didn't last at all. I live in Florida and the weather lately has been in the 80s-90s. After an hour of being outside and sweating I wasn't smelling too great. Oddly enough though, when my pits dried out, I didn't stink as bad as I had been stinking while out in the heat. 

Overall I'd give this deodorant a 6/10. I liked it enough to have continued use of it and not switched back to my old clinical strength, even if it doesn't work perfectly. I have found reapplying before my work shifts helps MINIMIZE NOT DIMINISH the smell at the end. As far as using this if you have an active/outside life, forget it, you might as well just go without anything since that's exactly how it works when dealing with outside sweat.

UPDATE: After continual use of this product, stopping use of this product, then applying it one time; I've realized this gives me a rash. it forms a red ring around the perimeter of my armpit and turns the inside kind of yellow. Doesn't hurt/itch/etc but is pretty unsightly. Sucks because I found a combo I liked that included this. 

fotd

FOTD: September 29th

9:00 PM

Hi hi I haven't posted in awhile since I've been a bit busy with school and work. But I'm just dropping in to post a quick fotd. I was only going to class and then work today so I was initially going to do some simple subtle eyes, but then this happened.



Its sort of like a bruised eye look I guess? I really dig it tbh. I wasn't planning on using those colors though, so my highlight and blush kinda clash a bit.

Face

  • Manic Panic Dreamtone
  • Cover Fx Natural Finish Oil Free Foundation in N10 (apparently there's an N0, but my Sephora doesn't have it, boo)
  • Maybelline Master Contour palette contour shade
  • Urban Decay Afterglow blush in Bittersweet
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Blue Moon
  • Wet n Wild settin spray
Eyes
  • Urban Decay primer potion
  • Urban Decay Naked 2 bootycall and tease
  • Lorac Pro 2 cool grey, plum, charcoal, and black
  • Nyx Hot Singles STFU
  • Maybelline Full n Soft
  • Wet n Wild Megalength
Brows
  • elf brow duo in dark
Lips
  • Nyx Matte lipstick in Minx

foundation reviews

Foundation Review: Ulta Double Duty Primer and Foundation in Classic Ivory

9:17 PM

I'm always on the hunt for new foundations and that being so, I found this one at my last trip to Ulta. I usually steer clear from store brands because the shade range is usually laughable, but surprisingly this foundation had a relatively light choice.


It retails for $12.50 at Ulta, so I wasn't really too concerned with it not working and wasting my money. I bought it with the intention of mixing it with my white foundation since I didn't think it would be passable on its own. But I tried it out on its own for the sake of this review. It claims to "do the double work with coverage of a foundation with benefits of a foundation primer" It is supposed to give a matte finish. 
ignore the lipstick swatch stain lmao
As always, I wore this with my the Seam pore primer and Wet n Wild setting spray. It was worn for 7 hours. When applied, I would agree the coverage is medium, maybe leaning light-medium. It definitely has a siliconey feel to it, mousse-like if you will. Its pretty neutral, maybe leaning slightly cool, but is definitely too dark on me. Its not too noticeable in pictures, though.

Immediately after applying it my pores looked like they were gone. It mattifyed my face instantly. It wasn't settling into any fine lines and looked pretty nice,if you like a matte finish (which I'm not too big a fan of). 

pores look tiny af
After 4 hours I was pretty impressed. It didn't look perfect, as it had settled into my smile lines a bit (but all foundations do); but it looked pretty good. It hadn't oxidzied which I was really worried about since it was already too dark to begin with. My pores were more noticeable but that's to be expected.




I forgot to do a final check in before I washed my face, but it looked about the same as the four hour mark. Overall I'd give this a 6/10 due to the color not matching. If it was light enough I probably would bump it up to a 7/10 since I think it was a decent foundation that didn't disappoint, but also didn't wow me. 

foundation reviews

Foundation Review: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Mattifying Foundation in 15

4:23 PM

When I first was introduced to Makeup Forever's Mat Velvet foundation in the shade 15 I thought I had found it. (Spoiler: I hadn't). Nonetheless I still do enjoy this foundation. It has neutral undertones, maybe leaning slightly cool; and has a matte finish which, at the time of sampling this, I was a huge fan of. .

It retails for $39, and promises  "shine-controlling, complete coverage". I take fault with the "complete coverage" part as I do not believe this is a full coverage foundation (although I do believe it could be built up to an almost full coverage), but it does seem to control my oil somewhat. Sadly its already too dark when I apply it (altho it doesnt look that way in the pics) and does oxidize a lil bit.


I wore this with my the Saem pore primer and Wet N Wild setting spray as I ran out of my Loreal one and just happened to have this one.  It was worn for 7 hours. Excuse the fact that I look like an egg in these pics.

left half of face has mufe mat velvet, right is bare

full face covered with foundation only
After being first applied, it dries down completely matte, almost to a powder consistency. It is a somewhat natural looking fuller coverage foundation. I got medium coverage from one layer. It sits nicely on the skin, looking somewhat natural. It does indeed dry matte. I didn't notice any clinging to dry areas, and it seemed to cover my pores better than most foundations.
i have some dry areas on my chin, but its not clinging

pores look almost nonexistent, which is huge for me
After about 4 hours it still look about the same, my pores were a little more visible than before, but nothing major. It also had settled ever so slightly into my smile lines, but again nothing major.
3 hours of wear, pores slightly visible
Then I did once last check in at about 7 hours of wear. It honestly still look pretty damn good. It was clinging ever so slightly to some dry patches on my chin, but nothing that was super noticeable. Overall my skin just looked a little more textured and pores were again, more visible. I was significantly less oily than I usually am after this long of wear.


no foundation stays on my nose where my glasses rub so thats not a concern
I really do like this foundation I just wish it came in a shade lighter like maybe 10 since this is 15. Even though I don't prefer a matte finish, this doesn't leave me looking super flat at all. I can easily dew up my face with highlighter and setting spray. The wear time is pretty impressive and I love the amount of coverage. It evens my skin without looking like a mask. Overall I'd give it a 8/10. Would get a 9 if it matched me!

fotd

FOTD: August 10th

2:57 PM

So today I'm gonna do a FOTD. I've kind of been in a slump when it comes to makeup, I haven't felt like doing much for work, and on my days off I haven't really been doing anything so I didn't feel like putting a face on then either. But I just got my Anastasia Moonchild Glowkit (there will be a review coming) so I decided time to cake tha face.




Face
  • UD Naked Skin .5 (review coming)
  • Manic Panic dreamtone
  • UD Bittersweet blush
  • ABH Moonchild Glowkit Star
  • Loreal setting spray
Eyes
  • UD Primer otion
  • UD Naked 2 Tease
  • UD Naked 2 Pistol
  • UD Naked 2 Verve
  • Maybelline Clump Crusher
  • Maybelline Full n Soft
  • Wet N Wild Megalength 
Brows
  • ABH Dipbrow Soft Brown
Lips
  • Nyx lip primer
  • Too Faced Melted Fig

foundation reviews

Foundation Review: Mehron Celebre Pro HD Cream Makeup in Light 1

7:37 PM

So today I'm reviewing the Mehron Celebre Pro HD Cream Makeup, geez what a name. Its considered a "theatre makeup" which generally means its a cream foundation with heavy coverage that will look nice on stage. According to the website its "oil free and fragrance free cream makeup that delivers satin smooth, buildable coverage that is non greasy and great for all skin types."

The foundation retails for $8.48 on Amazon. I was super excited to try this, as all the swatches I'd seen were so ghostly pale. I had tried Gratobain cream foundation (another theatre makeup) which I will do a review on at a later time, which was also super pale; so I had high hopes. The product is such a beautiful shade for my skin, pretty much matching perfectly. I lean cool but cool foundations tend to show up orange on me, so thankfully this foundation as a completely neutral tone to it, which flatters my cool skin better. The finish is somewhere between satin and dewy, and is definitely buildable. I get  light-medium coverage when I apply one layer.



left side of face has product, right is bare

full face covered in product

I applied this with my Real Techniques Complexion sponge (as I do all my foundation) after apply The Saem Saemmul Pore Cover Primer and finishing with Loreal setting spray, since I use those almost everyday. I applied this at 2 pm and wore it until around 9, so about 7 hours; although I have worn this on other days for longer periods of time.
One layer of foundation

side with no foundation, only primer

Right after being applied, I was already not in love with this product. Theatre makeup has a tendency to be a bit cakey, and this product is no exception. It was setting into my fine lines immediately, and sitting on top of areas looking dry that I didn't even think were dry to begin with. It also didn't feel like it would set fully, and would clearly transfer. What I did like was the coverage; it covered my redness and covered my dark circles, but still allowed my freckles to peak through.

settling into my forehead creases

smile lines and dry areas on chin

clinging to a dry area from a recently healed pimple
I checked in after about an hour and a half (right before I left for work), and it was looking pretty much the same, except a bit more oily (not dewy anymore, just oily) and settling even more. At this point most of the pores on my cheeks were visible.

The pictures I took at the end of the night before I washed my face are a little janky, because it was night time and I didn't have natural lighting. But nonetheless here's what the foundation looked like!





Not so hot. Clinging to patches all over, settling in lines, breaking down on my cheeks. I really wasn't expecting much better than this though.

Overall I'd give it a 5/10. I love love love the color and coverage, don't love love love the way it wears and looks on my skin. I will probably choose to wear this when I'll only be wearing makeup for a short period, since it looks decent enough for a few hours.