BIC® Soleil® Savvy™ Razor [refillable + disposable+affordable]

Yes, another BzzAgent product review!

I've been using my BIC Soleil Savvy razor ( BzzAgent sent it to me to try out for free!) for a month now and overall, I dub it better than the average razor.  

It's a pretty standard 3 blade razor.  If you've tried the regular BIC Soleil then you'll know what to expect.... although, I think I'd say this one is better than the regular disposable ones.  I think the blade cartridge is more flexy bendy over knee areas and such and that's a good thing.

The cool part about this one is that the blade cartridges are replaceable.  Each package comes with one refillable handle and 4 cartridges.  You can't buy the cartridges on their own, but that's ok by me because the handle isn't exactly built to last forever.  I think it's really cool how the little cartridge holder is designed that you can pop off the part that holds the actual razor cartridge... like, here's what you can do- pop off a cartridge in it's protective casing from the rest of the cartridges, then attach it to the handle, slide off the protector, and shave... or I guess you can attach the cartridge to the handle, then pop off the razor from the rest of them.  Hopefully the picture helps to explain it better.

I really like that.  For some reason it's annoying for me to have half empty cartridge refill holders hanging around in my bathroom, so it's cool that I can just break off the empty compartments from the full ones.  I think that's part of why I switched from refillable razors to disposables.  O.o  

The razor itself works just fine.  Better than most, worse than some, but that's expected for a 3 blade.  It's comparable to others in its price range (around $8 for the handle + 4 cartridges).

For the record, I don't use shaving cream/gel/whatever.  I use $1 Suave conditioner.  It's great.

Garnier Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner - new formula [BzzAgent]

What a coincidence.
Soon after I wrote all about how I'm not a huge fan of Garnier and that feeling was renewed by the Pure Clean shampoo and conditioner, I got an invite from BzzAgent to be part of a campaign to test... yes... Garnier shampoo and conditioner.

I answered a few questions for them and it was determined that they'd send me full size bottles of Garnier's new formula for the Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner.  (as part of BzzAgent, they send me completely free full size products periodically based on surveys I take on their site.  it's pretty nifty.)

Anyway....

My bzzagent pacakge came in the mail April 20th! yay!  I love getting packages from them, even if I'm not super psyched about what's inside.

I opened the box to be greeted by this lovely blanket of hair and a smiling face with Sleek and Shine in hand.

Under the info sheet, lay the bottles of product.  Just waiting to be put on the shelf in the shower next to my Herbal Essences, Aquage, and Paul Mitchell.

hello there sleek and shine.

Here's one thing I noticed right out of the box that I liked.  They changed the cap design.  yay.  It has more substance now.  Before, it was just a strip of plastic down the center of the lid that would get flipped open, now it's the whole lid's surface.  This is good.  I remember those darn flippy lid parts used to break off for me every so often.  The bottles also have a slightly different shape than they used to.  They're now thinner (depth wise, not width wise when looking at them from the front) and it seems like they use less plastic (it's thickness is thinner) despite the whole lid surface flip top.

Archer decided this was a perfect time to look cute.  Maybe he wanted to test the products too? Sorryyy, Garnier is for humans only!

SO.

I wanted to give this stuff a fair chance.  I decided I would use the shampoo AND conditioner for a solid week to see what would happen even if it would have made my hair feel gross like the Pure Clean stuff did.

It didn't make my hair feel gross, I'll give it that much.

My hair actually was sleek and shiny when I used these two products.  I did notice less of a need to use my anti-frizz products, which was neat.  

My hair did not feel extra oily and I didn't feel like I absolutely needed to wash it every day (but I did anyway for the sake of my review).

After a few days, I did feel like my hair was starting to have some sort of build up on it though, so I was glad when my week was over and I could use a different shampoo to wash it off.

I wouldn't recommend using only this stuff, I would throw in a clarifying or just a generic moisture or cleansing shampoo/conditioner to the routine every week or so.

Since that week, I have used this pair of products a few times when it was yucky humid to help tame the fluff that my hair becomes in that kind of weather, but I can't bring myself to use it daily or even on a regular basis.

Despite the relatively good results I got from the new Sleek and Shine formulation, what seriously prevents me from even considering to buy this of my own accord is the smell... and no it is not that same fish-y residue post-shower stink of the Pure Clean. (thank goodness!)  This doesn't leave any sort of gross fish smell behind at all.  What bothers me is how incredibly strong the scent is while I'm using it in the shower.  The conditioner is a milder scent of the shampoo.  The shampoo is an overwhelming smell of sweet green apple candy... like a Jolly Rancher maybe?  It's just too much for me and I feel like if the scent lingers too much, if I went outside, I'd attract all the bugs in the area to my hair.  I prefer my showers to be more aroma-therapeutic with lavender or light citrus and not smell like I'm bathing in sugar.

Overall,  I was slightly pleased with this BzzAgent shipment.  

The Garnier Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner do work well as a set and gave me exactly what it promises, sleek and shiny hair.  Even in humid weather, I felt less of a need for anti-frizz product, but with some, my hair did not fluff at all.  The products left my hair feeling very soft, smooth, and clean with a fruity scent.  After a few days, I started feeling some build up, but nothing a more cleansing shampoo can't take care of in one wash.  The strong green apple candy aroma while I'm lathering and washing my hair in the shower is what will keep me from ever buying this.  

If you enjoy a very sweet smelling shower and have frizzy or fluffy hair, I would say go for it and give the new formula of Sleek and Shine a try.

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/garnierFructis.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=0443230628&Campaign=1333728502&Uid=1106867&token=83650134a5761d4aeca4669e7a41bb9f" alt=""/>

Garnier Fructis Pure Clean shampoo & conditioner- day one.

I'm going to just say it again... i have a problem when it comes to haircare, skinare, and makeup. If it's new and/or looks interesting and doesn't cost a boatload, theres a chance I've either already tried it or will try it sooner or later.

This is an example of that problem. I went to Target this past Friday to pick up a few things (mainly bread, juice, and a mascara I've read great things about lately that I hadn't yet tried- yep, that shall get its own post wihin the next few days). As I was heading to the makeup section, I noticed they rearranged the haircare aisle- obviously that was an ivitation for me to walk down it and look, right? Yeah... so I basically got to the Garnier section and went no further because not only am I a sucker for the brand even though I don't think I've used a full bottle of their shampoo or conditioner in years (it ends up being given to the siblings. i think what got me for life was a huge banner ad i saw for "Long & Strong" years ago wrapped around a corner of a building in Lithuania...i also have a soft spot for good advertising), but i noticed a new line made up of just a few products called Pure Clean.  I love products packaged in even partially recycled plastic. Obviously I had to buy it to try it. Each bottle is about $3ish so it's not a huge loss if it's not too impressive.  Ok, enough story time.


 The formula is almost entirely biodegradable.  Which is cool if you're in an area that needs that in shampoos so the water systems don't get too contaminated.  They also have no silicones, parabens, or dyes.  It's advertised to be a weightless formula for normal hair types to be strengthened and healthier in general.


Day one of using it:
The shampoo lathered really well and I didn't need much at all for my thick, medium length hair.  The conditioner consistency is quite thick and I didn't need too much of that either. The shampoo and conditioner both smell lightly fruity, kind of like apples, which is what most Garnier hair products smell like to me anyway, this was just a bit more of a mild fragrance than I remember them being.
I finger-combed through my hair and let it air dry with absolutely no styling products to see how "weightless" it really is. It dried kind of in-between fluffy and smooth.  I suppose that would mean the formula is relatively lightweight.  My hair was also very shiny as usual, which is good.  It was also quite soft, which is also normal for me, but a good thing that it didn't feel dry after using a different shampoo. Weightless formulas tend to leave my hair on the dry side.  By about halfway through the day, my hair started feeling like it was coated with something and my scalp felt like it had product build up (even though I don't even put conditioner on the scalp at all). 


The next morning, my hair and scalp felt kind of yucky.  Usually, I can skip a day between shampoos if I wanted to.  This really felt like I needed it washed. It felt like at least second-day hair, if not day three.  Regardless, I used this Garnier Pure Clean stuff again.  Same deal, only this time, I blow dried it and put a little bit of product in it.  It felt the same weird yuck as the day with no products. Boo.


Day three (yesterday)... same yucky morning hair like the day before.  Tried it again to see if it got any better.  Nope.  This day I flat ironed it and it felt the same as the last two days.  Yuck.  Last night, my husband actually said to me after getting a whiff of my hair "yesterday [and just now], I was smelling your hair and it kind of smelled like dead fish... have you noticed?"  I then thought about it and realized that I had been catching whiffs of not a very pleasant aroma the last few days, so I took a chunk of my hair, sniffed it, and sure enough it smelled pretty unpleasant.  I made him smell the shampoo and conditioner in the bottles to show him what the stuff actually smells like, and he was like, "Yeah, that smells not bad, but your hair definitely doesn't smell like that".  I guess like perfumes react with induviduals' body chemistry and alter the scent a bit, hair products do the same thing.  Needless to say, I am certainly not using this shampoo and conditioner anymore...


This may be a good formula for some people.  The concept behind it is good with it being lightweight, biodegradable, silicone, paraben, and dye free, leaves my hair shiny and soft, and is packaged in a 50% recycled plastic bottle. However, not only does it leave my hair feeling yucky, but the fragrance really doesn't mix well with my personal body chemistry.


I say, go for it. Try it out if you are looking for a new shampoo/ conditioner to try, but don't say I didn't warn you if you aren't a fan of it... or if your hair ends up smelling not so pleasant.

my skincare routine.

My skin isn't perfect by any means, but I have noticed that since I've been following this regime pretty consistently, my face skin has been giving me many less issues than before.  For the record, I consider my skin oily and somewhat sensitive (what a combination, right?), but it isn't the gigantic oil pit it used to be.  I do have visible pores, but I've just learned to deal with it and not try to "fix" it.  I guess I've learned to work with what I have rather than try to force my skin to be "normal".  My skin does react to some products with a lovely redness and/or burning (*glares at: philosophy hope in a jar*).

I used to use all sorts of "oily skin" products that would strip my skin of its natural oils all together to get it to feel more dry and normalized.  Bad idea.  Turns out, stripping the skin of natural oils just makes it work harder to put the oil back and then some.  Plus, sometimes my skin would get so dry it would be peeling!  Talk about extremes...  

Lately, I've realized, clearly from growing older and wiser (right?), that it's always better to work with the features, skin type, and hair type you have rather than try to change it to be what you think would be more ideal.

This post is for my skin care routine.  Try it!  Even if you don't have oily skin, it could work for you.

At night, I start with... eye makeup removal!  I like to use either jojoba oil on a damp cotton ball or Pond's Cold Cream.  If i'm using the jojoba oil, I dampen the cotton ball, then put a few drops of the oil on the cotton, let the cotton sit on my eye makeup for a few seconds, then wipe off.  If I'm using the Cold Cream, I pick up a bit of the cream on my finger, then massage it right on my eyes (obviously, keep them tightly closed during this).  After about a minute, I wipe it off with either a tissue or a damp cotton. It's also kind of fun if I have a lot of eye makeup on to just wipe it around my face when I use the cream before wiping it off, hehe.

Next, cleansing time! 

I tend to always have at least 5 different cleansers on the shelf at all times because I have a problem and like to buy whatever looks good and I haven't tried. This problem carries over to shampoos and makeup too.  (The plus side to this is that I can legitimately say that I have tried a ton of products and can tell you what works for me, what is just fine, what left a negative impression, etc.)  Salicylic acid, which is probably the most common acne fighting ingredient, does nothing but mess up my skin more than it was already, so I avoid it.  I have not been very impressed with anything by Cetaphil, a super common gentle skin care line.  I have a giant bottle of the cleanser, so I use it to wash makeup brushes.  

Some cleansers I am fond of are: Burts Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (it really feels like it deep cleans without drying my skin), Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser  (for night time only!  for some reason, this is one of the only cleansers I have bought more than twice in my life ever), Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover (cleans gently, but does a really good job of it and smells nice too!  I'll probably buy this one again someday), Mario Badescu Botanical Facial Gel (great stuff.  This is another cleanser that I've purchased more than once.), Pharmagel Hydra Cleanse (really like this cleanser and it will probably be one that I keep on hand always, but yes, it is pretty expensive), Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Facial Cleanser, and mark. That's Deep Purifying Gel Cleanser (get it at kvazpop.mymarkstore.com)

The cleansers I have found to be best are either gentle cleansing or for sensitive skin.  Remember, you don't want to strip your skin's natural oils.  A cleanser is for cleansing. That's it. Cleanse off that makeup and layer of grime.  

In the mornings, if you feel up to it, you don't even need a cleanser, just water.  I can't bring myself to do that, so I use an even more gentle cleanser than I do at night in the mornings just to freshen up the feel of my skin.

At night, after cleansing, I use a toner.  At first, I used harsh toners, then i stopped using them all together because I kept reading there's no point to them, now I use toner again.  The whole point is to bring your skin's pH level back to normal after cleansing and to pick up whatever got left behind after cleansing.  As it turns out, toner is a worthwhile step, my cotton always comes back with some sort of yuck.  On most days, I simply use a basic Witch Hazel from Target.  On days that my skin just feels extra oily or needs some extra help, I use Mario Badescu Special Cleansing Lotion C.

I don't use a toner in the mornings.

At night, depending on how my skin and I feel, I may or may not moisturize.  This doesn't really seem to have much of an effect other than how soft my skin is when I wake up.  If I do moisturize, I just massage a couple drops of jojoba oil all over my face.

In the morning, I always moisturize.  It seems to give a better base for my makeup and I get my daily spf in the meantime.  I use a squirt of Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin plus 2 drops of jojoba oil cocktailed together in my fingertips and massaged into my face.


If I have any super dry and/or peeling spots, I dab on some Pond's Dry Skin Cream only on the extra dry areas. 


I used to use a full out moisturizer every morning and night.  As an experiment, I stopped using any moisturizer at all for a while and noticed my skin improved.  After a few weeks though, my skin started to be a bit tight and almost dry, so I decided to start using something to moisturize post cleansing again.  After a lot of research, I ended up with the Olay moisturizer for day since it is for sensitive skin and has zinc oxide as the spf provider.  I use the jojoba oil because it's very similar to skin's natural oils, absorbs quickly, and is not greasy.

When I have acne, my go-to product since 2007 has been Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion.  This stuff isn’t really a “lotion” it’s more of a liquid, but it never lets me down and no zit has a chance against it.  It’s designed for cystic acne, but I use it on any acne.  Maybe 98% of the time, the acne has either shrunk considerably or disappeared all together over night.


I don't purchase specific products as scrubs.  I simply buy a container of fine grain sea salt, shake some in to the palm of my hand with some cleanser and BAM I've got a facial scrub.  I also do this for a body scrub.  Just mix some sea salt in with a body cleanser and there you go.   I also have a little scrubby brush from The Body Shop that I often use.  Just don't use scrubs too often.  I only use the sea salt scrub once a week... sometimes less often, sometimes more.  If my skin is doing fine, then I don't bother.  If it's a little rough textured, then at maximum, once every other day.  If it's peeling, then just lightly exfoliate.  You don't want to irritate anything.




And there we go.  My current skin care regime, explained in depth. Nothing too fussy... I'm not a huge fan of fussy or fancy routines and products.  This is what works well for me.  You don't have to follow the whole darn thing if you don't want to, go ahead and pick and choose and experiment to find out what works best for you!

mark. Night Iris Eau de Toilette.

mark. Night Iris Eau de Toilette.

I’ve never been one to buy, use, or even be remotely interested in perfume of any sort, but I’ve always liked the idea of using a perfume.  It just seems like such a sophisticated and feminine thing to do.  Use perfume.  And the concept of walking by and smelling nice is a plus too.  Since I am a mark rep and I kept reading great things about their scents, so I decided it’s about time to give it a go and try one for myself.  In comes the Night Iris scent.  It’s really lovely.  It’s not like BAM obvious I’m wearing perfume (it does take a few minutes for the spritz to settle though; it is a bit strong right off the bat) and the  scent stays with me all day long.  According to meetmark.com the scent is “unexpected and intriguing” and is “artfully blended with hints of water lily, exotic berries, and purple freesia”.  My husband loves it too…  I didn’t tell him I was buying a perfume or that I was wearing it, but the first day I used it, he complimented that I smell good. Score.

As it turns out, I do like smelling pretty and I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t.

I have concluded that I will continue using pretty spritzes daily (except maybe in the evenings in the summer so I don’t attract billions of bugs) and I will continue buying them from mark, switching up scents every now and then.  Variety is the spice of life after all, right?  

I really didn’t expect much from a $24 bottle of EDT, but the lovely scent, pretty bottle, and wonderful price will definitely keep me coming back for more.

http://kvazpop.mymarkstore.com

yes, yet another blog on the interwebz.

Hi!  I’m Kristina.  Welcome to my brand new life blog. :)

I love styling hair and making up faces.  I love baking and eating.  I love art and making things.  I love music.

I have a cosmetology license and am a mark. rep. [ kvazpop.mymarkstore.com ] I give honest opinions.  I believe in having makeup enhance features… not overtake and hide the face for every day looks.  Going over the top with hair and makeup can be fun really fun [when done tastefully].  

I have a wonderful husband, a puppy, and two kitties.  they’re my sunshine when skies are gray.  although… i do enjoy a cloudy day every once in a while, especially if it brings pleasant precipitation [just not a storm].

I love to bake and sew and do all sorts of other crafty artsy things. I also like doing the laundry.

Making a blog is so common and simple, I figure… why not give it a shot.  

I plan to share looks I love that I find online or style myself, do some product reviews, share tutorials, recipes, pet stuff and share tips on how to be beautiful as a whole.  I suppose in the meantime I’ll end up sharing a bit about myself as well.  We shall see how this all unfolds to become.

In Lithuanian, gražuolė means beautiful girl.  We should all strive to feel and be beautiful in all aspects, always.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”  

Audrey Hepburn