One Day You're In, and the Next Day, You're Out

"As you know in fashion-- one day you're in, the next day, you're out."
~Heidi Klum, every Project Runway episode ever in the history of forever.

This is important, because the fashion umbrella covers cosmetics just as much as it covers garments.

I remember going to tiny little boutique clothing stores with very cheaply made clothing in sizes that were so horribly inaccurate, and finding NYX eyeliner and small lipsticks. They used to be the cheapest makeup you could find. On par with Wet n' Wild and NYC. When people started talking about it again, I thought it was a joke.

As a contrast, I also remember going to Sephora when it used to be a fragrance creation boutique.

Remember when Sephora color coded their fragrances?

When they started adding makeup, my mind exploded... Urban Decay!! And Hard Candy!! Urban Decay boasted a gritty, grungy attitude for the kids coming into the makeup world riding on the flannel coattails of grunge. It was cute, but edgy. It was great quality, but it was affordable. 

The Hard Candy display at Sephora

Hard Candy was like the kid sister of Urban Decay, attracting a younger group, and inching into the brightly colored plastic jeweled world of ravers. They put plastic jewel rings on their nail polish! Hard Candy was one of my favorite brands of all time. The quality was incredible, it was fun, and it was all-around great brand!

I still have an original Hard Candy eyeshadow quad!

NYX has come a LONG way... and Hard Candy has fallen, well, hard. Nyx is rising to the top in every drug store out there. Beauty bloggers are singing its praises. Basically, I will be surprised if NYX isn't sold in Sephora within the next 5 years. And do you know where Hard Candy is now? Walmart. It's in Walmart.

Keep an eye on the future of fashion, because your favorite high end beauty brand could be on the bottom before you know it.

Product Review: ALMAY Longwear & Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Product: 

• Almay Longwear & Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Product Description:

• Almay oil-free gentle eye makeup remover pads are part of Almay, the number 1 eye makeup remover brand in America, which offers a full line of makeup removers to meet the needs of your skin and eyes. Gentler than soap and water, Almay Makeup Removers condition skin while removing makeup without irritation.

Pros:

• Removes Waterproof Makeup
• Removes spray paint from hands

Cons:

• Extremely oily
• Small and thin pads
• Awkward container
• Difficult to take out just one pad
• Leaves oily residue, and oil seeps into eyes

My Experience:

I got this product because I had a coupon to get it for free. I figured, hey, why not, I like trying new products, especially if it has anything to do with makeup! I like Almay's cosmetics, so I thought this would be a win. It was not. :(

Basically, there's nothing I love about the makeup remover pads. They're an oily mess. I understand the necessity for an oil-based makeup remover to get the waterproof type of makeup off... but this is probably the most oily product I have ever used, next to baby oil. At least when I used baby oil, I knew what I should expect.

There was nothing gentle about this wipe. Nothing conditioning. You're supposed to use this on your eyes, to remove waterproof eyeliner and mascara. Due to the natural flow of the sensitive skin in the eye area, everything around the eye goes straight to the eye. Yeah, that means I got eyes full of oil, and it didn't go away 'til I woke up. It's uncomfortable to try and focus your eyes on anything after using the pads.

The only good thing that I discovered was that it removes spray paint from your hands. I'm assuming the oils in it just lift the paint off your skin.

I know they make an oil-free makeup remover pad, but I do use waterproof makeup, so I was hoping this would be awesome. It really wasn't.

Bottom Line:

• I'll keep the product for those cleaning emergencies, post-craft-time. Other than that, I will NEVER use this product on my face ever again.

Hated it!

Disclaimer: No one paid me for my review, and no one gave me the product. I received it for free with a coupon.