Garnier vs Vichy: Review

     Today's post is going to focus on two products I've tested and these are Garnier Pure 3 in 1 Cleanser and Vichy Normaderm Purifying Cleansing Gel.
     I do wanna point out from the beggining that, although it is highly recommended to use the entire line designed for a specific purpose, I am not a fan of the idea of using associations of products that share the same label due to previous unpleasant experiences (to be developped later on). But then again, this is just me.
     To get it going, I'll start with the first product I've used and this is Vichy's Cleansing Gel.

 Before all else, here's an official story:

Indications
Apply morning and/or evening. Avoid the skin around the eyes. Massage the foam onto a damp face and rinse off with clean water.

Skin Type : Imperfection prone skin. Action : Daily cleansing gel. Result : Helps reduce sebum and impurities without over-drying. Texture: Creamy gel.

     I say:  yes is creamy but not that ultra-fresh; it means that when massaging the face it tends to get viscous, therefore making the process very difficult. If you happen to insist on your most troubled areas, you might feel a somewhat "face mask" effect which is likely going to make it not that easy to rinse.
After day one of using it, I felt my skin a bit dry and applied some complementary treatment which made it worse and it started to feel irritating. I haven't had that problem again but to make sure I put on hydrating face cream. My T-zone&chin acnee became less visible but I still was not satisfied, though my face felt so clean and my skin - baby-like.

     So I moved on in less than a month to Garnier Pure 3 in 1 Cleanser. It took me that long because I believe that you have to constantly use a product for some time to notice any change.

     Something should have warned me about what was to come. When I come to think about it now, it's questionable for a cosmetic product to be efficient if it works on three levels at the same time: wash + scrub + mask.
     Official story:

Garnier Pure 3 in 1 WASH + SCRUB + MASK with natural clay and zinc absorbs excess oil and regulates skin tone. This combination of active ingredients is the complete solution to all oily skin concerns.

     Me again: In the beginning I used it everyday in order to wash my face. I felt that it had cleaned my impurities; the skin felt clean but not soft. In the weekend I applied it as a mask. One terrible mistake. My skin was burning before the time limit so I rinsed it off and got scared by the redness on my chin, forehead and especially my cheeks. Therefore I decided not to use it again in that fashion and kept washing daily like before. Unfortunately, the redness and the irritation feeling was back and I've disposed of it. I have no idea if my skin is just too sensitive or if the product is to blame.

     I'm back to Vichy until I find the courage to try something else. I'm not a fan of pharmaceutical stuff either because I have tried several products for my scalp that intensified my problem. As I've said before, this is just me. It (Garnier's) might do wonders on you or not, but I wasn't going to review it positively since that would have been a lie. I also have no clue if some of the ingredients are irritating my skin but maybe someone is able to provide some clarification.

[RO only] Giveaways!

Maine Gya isi sarbatoreste cei 22 de ani. La cat mai multi! Ce ocazie mai buna de a organiza un giveaway? Hm, nu stiu. Dar si premiul e pe masura! Nici mai mult, nici mai putin decat "88 Color Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette", adica aceasta:

Asa...de tinut minte ca AICI trebuie sa intrati pana pe 30.06.2011 si sa va inscrieti.

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Un alt giveaway este cel al Iuliei Butnariu care ofera unei cititoare norocoase 2 oje Alix Avien Crackle si 2 oje Flormar Graffiti:

Voi trebuie doar sa intrati AICI pana pe 04.07.2011 si sa participati cu incredere.

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Si draga de Ana are un giveaway din cale afara de dragut. E vorba de o paleta de 120 de culori Rainbow Seven si o paleta de 66 de culori Kisses in the Wonderland de la Fraulein:

AICI trebuie sa va inscrieti, neaparat pana pe 10.07.2011

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Si Maya Secret a organizat un giveaway foarte interesant. Castiga un domeniu pentru blogul tau, de genul www.numealesdetine.COM sau www.numealesdetine.INFO sau www.numealesdetine.EU
Daca intri AICI afli mai multe detalii despre ce poti face ca sa castigi chiar tu pana pe 29.06.2011

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Tot Maya Secret mai are un giveaway colorat rau de tot si anume: 3 oje Farmasi. Aveti si "puterea" de a vota pentru preferatele voastre la poll-ul din pagina giveaway-ului, dar si sa participati pana pe 26.06.2011

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Finisul postarii e aproape. M-am apropiat de el cu un giveaway "nelipicios": un set de 10 perechi de gene false! Aviz tuturor! :)) Sa stiti ca daca dati fuga la pagina lui Trabook cu giveaway-ul, toate pot fi ale voastre:

Si asta pana pe 25.06.2011!!!

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Nu stiu de ce am lasat asta pentru final. Poate pentru ca e un giveaway din toata inima, care vine direct de la mamzel Laura M.

Bijuterii si produse Balea :X de castigat doar pe blogul Laurei pana pe 30.06.2011
Va doresc multa bafta la acest giveaway, pentru ca eu o sa ma inscriu cu toate sansele imposibile :))

XX

Tricky worldwide giveaways

Why "tricky"? Well, that's because the bloggers hosting the giveaways are Romanian and write in Romanian but when it comes to international brands sponsoring them, I think it's acceptable to give it a shot. I'll try to help with the rules, because who knows what Google will Translate for you.

At the moment, I decided not to enter these giveaways because in order to get a 10-15$ Sigma brush (for example), I'd have to travel to another city to pick it up and waste another 15$ on transport. As you can see, it's not really a worthy deal. BUT, if you win, I'd love to get that info.

I'll start with Lucia's giveaway.

YOUR hair. Part 1: examine it

A couple of days ago I said I'd be posting hair-related material on my blog. More than this, I am going to start a hair guide with tips, suggestions and examples, hoping that everybody will find their own key to flawless strands.

 FOR ANY LENGTH:

1. Examining the hair

The hair is made up of dead cells, ordinarily called keratin (see skin's stratum corneum). Hair's keratin has a very delicate structure and because of this feature, the hair is flexible and firm, able to take any kind of shape. If you happen to examine at the microscope the transversal section of a strand, you can easily notice that around the relatively thin and empty core there are clumped together a bunch of small fibres, connected through a thick sticky substance. These bundles are surrounded by the so-called scaly layer, made up of some other layers that protect the hair on the outside. Besides these genereal characteristics, there are also a couple of differences that concern the quality and the composition of the hair. These differences have a major with regard to choosing the appropriate hairstyle. Here is a description of

Favorite videos of the day + (RO only!!!) giveaways

I sometimes feel a bit down and need some inspiration and advice, so I go through a couple of make-up tutorials...like this one:

You've probably found out by now how much fun you can have when using Sigma brushes! :D There are plenty of "make-up tutorials" on Youtube that shows 3,5,7-year old girls applying all sorts of beauty products on their face and most of them are so cute but I don't think they make a habit out of it, tho.

 

Couldn't help adding this video, too:

It may seem a bit ridiculous but I completely agree with one of the assertions, that goes something like this: you may think of yourself to be looking stunning, but others may perceive you like a clown, so be careful not to overdo it. Look twice in the mirror if you have any doubts or check a make-up tutorial. It's like a recipe: if it says you should add only 2 tbs. of sugar, it might not be ok to add some extra sugar thinking it won't hurt anyone. The same with your make-up. Don't think that if you add extra lipgloss it will persist more. You'd rather take it in your bag/purse/whatever and apply some later if needed.

Now I do have to announce some giveaways that are going on at the moment on Romanian(language)-based blogs.

Fave Etsy shop of the day + Let me dress myself giveaway (open WW)

Hey, girls! Way back in time, I used to want so much a wooden hairbrush that I've seen in some hypermarket. Lucky me, my boyfriend surprised me one day and bought it for me (yeah, he's something, isn't he?). But now I figure it out: do you happen to know what's best than a wooden hairbrush? A wooden hair comb! Too bad I can't find a decent one in my local stores, but it's great enough that there's this Etsy shop called Ferrochie with original creations for every taste! All the combs are unique and intented for daily use. Take a look:

Modern Wooden Hair Comb

Classic Wooden Hair Comb

Victorian Wooden Hair Comb

Geisha Wooden Hair Comb

They are awesome, dare not contradict me! :)


To end any day in style, you might consider this: ZoomBoutique and ...Dolls Factory.. are offering the chance to win a gorgeous Lipsy Dress and the winner can choose from a size range of UK size 8-12 (European Size 38-42, US Size 4-8) for this style. 

[RO only] giveaways!

Intr-o ordine total aleatorie, semnalez cateva giveaway-uri din blogosfera romaneasca.
Timisoreanca de la pasagera.ro, Corina organizeaza un giveaway Fa, oferind doua lotiuni din gama Nutriskin:

Caffeine&Green Tea (pentru toate tipurile de piele) si Aloe Vera&Acai Berry (pentru pielea normala). Timp aveti pana pe 12.06.2011 sa intrati aici si sa va inscrieti.

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Apoi, un alt giveaway este gazduit de noul blog al lui Amberlyn Amber (fosta LeyaCreations), care ofera cititoarelor noi si vechi posibilitatea de a castiga o oja China Glaze la alegere de pe site-ul BeautyInTheBottle.

Aici termenul limita este 01.07.2011, dar nu va culcati pe o ureche, ci participati cu incredere si din timp!

Mega fave shop of the day + mega giveaway (open WW)

Last year I got this idea of starting a minor business, namely handmade jewelry. Ordered in some material from allex.ro and got to work, creating only earrings. They were cute, the girls loved them and I still kept 2-3 pairs for myself. Now's more than a year passed and this virus seems to be penetrating my mind again. On top of that, I also found this awesome Etsy shop that's called PleaseComeIn, based in Malaysia, that's got everything from rhinestones (1,2,3), pearlized embelishment (4,5,6), wedding supplies (7,8,9), scrapbooking stuff (10,11,12), 122 types of jewelry making accessories (13,14,15), mini teddy bears, yards of ribbons, polimer clay nail art, foam flowers...a crafting paradise.