Jojoba Oil

Cristine of Simply Nailogical recommends this for nail support, she believes it is helpful for growing out your nails.

It is pretty cheap if you buy it pure and not in a fancy container.

It has a just the faintest 'oily' smell, but it is barely detectable.

I like how it feels on the nails, but I think it is making the skin on my fingers a little dry, it gives me little harder spots.
It may be something else but nothing else has changed, so I just pair it with a hand cream.

I haven't had a broken nail in a while now :D


Price: 3.5/5 ($17.70 for 29mL)
Scent: 2.5/5 (virtually none)
Effectiveness: 4/5

Avon - Ultra Color Rich 24K Gold Lipstick - Golden Rose

This lipstick has real (probably colloidal) gold in it, which I think is fun!

It is a soft pink colour with lots of gold shimmer.
I like it, but it can be a little drying.
It also isn't very long lasting.

*I have since found out that Avon did a limited edition run of lipsticks with ruby in it... I'm so mad I don't have one!

Price: 2/5 ($19.99)

Scent: 3/5 (vague berry)

Effectiveness: 2/5

Garnier - Miracle Wake Up Cream

I liked the night cream from this range, so I thought I'd try the day version.
I regret this decision.

It is tinted (which I guess is ok) which I guess is the 'de-tiring' effect.
It smells like mayonnaise with a tail note of overripe bananas.

It is difficult to get the thickness right. Too thick and it pills during the day, which is not a good look.
But it is quite a thick cream.

I think it wants to make your face matte, but it just makes my skin look dry and haggard. 
It really is not moisturising at all.

I will use the rest of it (probably) but only on days where I don't need my skin to breathe and sweat, not on a day over 15C.
So winter grocery shopping.

Price: 4/5 ($19.95 for 50mL)
Scent: 1.5/5
Effectiveness: 1/5 

Terra Firma - Lavender & Lilac - Hand Cream

Lilac is not a common scent, so I was really excited to try this!
Let's work our way from the outside in.

The brown transparent tube is cute and the cap prevents leakage.

The cream is really thick, which is nice.
The scent is lovely and not too strong.

But then we get to the effectiveness of the cream itself... it dries out my skin and gives me a serious rash :(

I wanted to like this.

Price: 4/5 ($6 for 100mL)
Scent: 4/5
Effectiveness: 0/5

Avon - Nail Experts - Conditioning Nail Enamel Remover - Non-acetone

This is just nail polish remover.

No more conditioning, no less drying, no less effective than any other.

Please don't seek it out specifically, but if you are facing a good deal on it, don't shy away either.

Price: 2/5 ($10.99 for 75mL)
Scent: 0/5 (don't sniff this)
Effectiveness: 4/5

Klara - Kiss Proof Lips

This claims to be a 24 hr matte lipstick... and is as close to being that as anything else I have tried!

This stuff is actually kiss-proof! I don't usually kiss and tell, but I will just say the lip colour stayed on me and didn't get on him.

I have the shade 04 - neon pink, and the colour intensity is great.

It is a bit staining though, but I didn't mind that.

It has no real scent. I will say it is a true matte. Many 'mattes' are actually 'satins'... this however is a true matte, it has zero shine and is quite drying.

The only negative is that it dried out in the tube too quickly. I could only use half of the container before it became paste.
Also, the container isn't great. I can both pull it apart too easily and it is too hard to use all the product when not pulled apart.

And I ain't strong.

Also, it is a bit pricey when there are other matte lip colours out there (I got it on sale, but the full price is too much).

Price: 2/5 (RRP $29 for a tube that you can only really use half of)
Scent: 2.5/5
Effectiveness: 3/5

Freeman - Facial Clay Mask - Avocado & Oatmeal

The tube of this sitting next to me is still half full, that should give you a hint of the review to follow.

This mask pulls all (ALL) the oil out of my face, which leaves it itchy and red, without cleaning my pores at all.
As it dries, it cracks and falls off your face, going everywhere.

To put this on your face, it makes a bit of a mess and makes me think the tube packaging was a poor choice.

This product and I were just not meant to be.

Price: 2/5 (rrp $10.99 for 150mL)
Scent: 1/5 (smells like bland dirt, and not that nice, nutrient-rich soil, either)
Effectiveness: 0/5