Vanart Classic Shampoo: a dupe for Prell! photos and review

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I have been meaning to blog about today's review. But thankfully a bolt smashed in my head to remind me.

Lets be honest, we have been hearing about Clarifying shampoos and non-sulfate shampoos for how long??? Exactly, too long to admit. At first I bought Prell because for nostalgic reasons: the smell. I know some people hate it and compare the smell to dish washing soap. But for me, it reminded me how I first came to the USA back in 1988. As a kid in the Caribbean, I have never seen this shampoo, so for me Prell is in my heart. This shampoo retails for 2.99 for 13.5 oz and as much as I LOVE the smell of Prell (and an awesome clarifying shampoo that takes off mouse, gel, hairspray), that's alot of money for a little shampoo. One time while browsing at walmart, I saw the Vanart shampoo at the area of imported Mexican beauty goods and out of curiosity I grabbed a Prell bottle and compared it to Vanart-- would you believe they have almost IDENTICAL INGREDIENTS!!!!!!!!
Let me show ya!

Vanart Clasic and Prell Shampoo front

Vanart Classic Shampoo backside, ingredients

Prell Shampoo backside, ingredients

Now, here is the kicker- Vanart Classic retails for: $1.99 for almost 3x the amount!!!! It has a clean smell, but has the exact consistency of Prell Shampoo.
This my friend is A DUPE of all DUPES. Very budget friendly and if you live in a hispanic neighborhood, this shampoo is EVERYWHERE. Believe me I know!!!!!!

So just like Prell, it takes off hairspray, gel, mouse and even the extra dye of your hair ( that's is when you have freshly applied the hair dye, and you are about the wash it off---) When my hair dries, just like Prell, it feels super clean, no oil residue, no extra gunk. I simply Love this!!!!! To me, this is holy grail stuff and AFFORDABLE!!!!!! I highly recommend this!!!

Vanart is available at: HEB (Texas grocery chain store), Walmart, Kmart, Amazon, Ebay

Nabi Nail polish in 106 round glitter and 138 Metallic Emerald

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I will admit, I really was not planning to post pictures of my nails. They do not look good. Did it quickly yesterday for a Christmas Dinner. Since these polishes were bought last year (was meaning to blog about it....got caught up with other things) and I wanted to take the opportunity to show you the colors. Granted this is not a full review. However, I hope these pictures might help you should you are thinking about purchasing some Nabi Nail polishes.

Nabi Nail polish in 138 Metallic Emerald.

This is a beautiful color. It should have been called Metallic Chartreuse. It only took 2 coats, although I admit I was quite in a hurry. In reality this polish can still work with one coat. If you are looking for an affordable metallic chartreuse color, do check out Metallic Emerald by Nabi-- it will fit the bill.

Nabi Nail polish 106 round Glitter, close up.

Nabi Nail polish 106 Round Glitter
 

This is the glitter polish used to layer. Reason I used it  was because it resembled a bit of Christmas Colors and flickering lights. The glitter shown are round gold, red and blue. It has very small gold glitter as filler, to enhance the glitters. Formula is not runny or thick (just like the metallic emerald). I had to layer it twice to get more of a concentrated glitter. Both polishes took a good hour or so to dry completely. As in, once you touch it is hard. These two polishes are over a year old and perform as if they were bought yesterday. Extremely Happy about that.

So here it is. Gorgeous colors and affordable-- cannot complaint!
In case you are wondering where I bought it; it was purchased at a mom and pop store in downtown McAllen. No, they do not have a website. But hey, support local business!!! They help provide products that are hardly available in mass stores and you are helping your local economy!!!

Ok Ok Ok Michelle, enough with the political preaching.
Any questions, comments? write below! Hope you guys had a great Xmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or Festivus (*lol*~~it comes from the Jerry Seinfeld Show).
Christmas was good. Got a new phone (photos of this post are with the new Samsung Galaxy slider), a gift card to Old Navy and a gift from my aunt. Got the hubby the NutriBullet which I hope to review later this month.

LA Colors lipstick Frozen Berries- review and photos *heavy*

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A few weeks ago my hubby needed to do some shopping at TigerDirect (formerly known as Comp USA). I really was not in the mood to see electronics, so I opted to walk around the Dollar General Store which was next door. Here is what I purchased.

LA Colors lipstick- Frozen Berries, in the sunlight

In the store, the shade looked very very purple, as in Batman's Joker purple. I will admit the reason why I bought this shade was because I wanted to own a purple lipstick, since I do not own one. So I thought for a dollar, why not? I was surprised to find out this purple is quite user friendly to wear!

LA Colors lipstick- Frozen Berries, in the shade

My bare lips--excuse the dryness 

On my lips, LA Colors lipstick Frozen Berries, picture taken indoors

on my lips- LA Colors-Frozen Berries, taken in the shade, outside

on my lips, LA Colors-Frozen Berries, picture taken outside

On my lips, LA Colors-Frozen Berries, taken in direct sunlight

Swatch- LA Colors- Frozen Berries-- taken in the shade

Swatch- LA Colors- Frozen Berries, taken in the sunlight

Ok, Lets get to the nitty gritty of this lipstick.

At first, when I applied the lipstick I thought it was light. Once I kept going back and forth, it yielded a nice soft-medium color.  This lipstick felt like a lipbalm, which I do not mind at all. I understand certain lip colors can make people look ill, it is quite the opposite for me. This lipstick actually looked sexy on me! I think it is a perfect color for the season. A pretty safe color, if you ask me.

Wear time? Well, like all the other LA COLORS lip sticks I own, wear time is about the same 3 hours with the usual drinking and snacking.
Lipstick felt like a lipbalm, which I like.
If you are looking for a deep purple, this is not the shade. But if you are looking for an office friendly purple lipstick, this shade it perfect.


**Positives**

Affordable ($1.00 dollar)
Availability
flattering color

*Negatives*

Color is not opaque ( I do not mind this, personally)
Wear time (for some)


Well, here it is! Hope you find this review useful. Weather here is good, but there is no sunlight! That is making difficult for me to catch up on my reviews since I like to provide direct sunlight pictures for reference. We will see... If you have any comments, just comment below.

You can purchase LA COLORS cosmetics at: THE DOLLAR GENERAL STORE, DOLLAR TREE AND FAMILY DOLLAR, cherryculture.com and ebay.

NYX eyeshadows: Browns, Grays, and Taupes**picture heavy**

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As promised, I am going to show you swatches of my Nyx eyeshadows. As before, this is a not a review. I will be giving my personal view of the eyeshadow, texture and how it's best used. Please take this with a grain of salt. What it is matte to me, might be satin to you. Nevertheless, I hope you find this information useful should you decide to purchase a NYX eyeshadow. So, on with the show!!!

NYX eyeshadow swatches (taken in the shade)*left to right* Rootbeer, Charcoal Brown,Dark Gray, Hawaiian Coffee, Gypsy, Taupe Pearl, Dune.

The Weather in South Texas has been slowly catching up to the rest of the U.S.A. At times the sun would come out, and at time it would not. The picture quality provided is the best of what I could do for the day. Same thing for the swatches I provided. The colors I will say are photo accurate. This is how they really look when I apply the eyeshadow.

Here is an alternate picture

NYX eyeshadow swatches (left to right): Rootbeer, Charcoal Brown, Dark Gray, Hawaiian Coffee, Gypsy, Taupe Pearl, Dune

NYX Eyeshadow: Rootbeer and Charcoal Brown

RootBeer: officially this shade has been described as "shimmer" and it is. A very safe color to use during the daytime. Perfect transitional color. Over blending this color will cause the color to disappear.
The color of Rootbeer is best described as a marriage of brown milk, dash of gray, and a pinch of purple. Sheer- light medium wash of color.
Charcoal Brown: officially described matte. It is actually a matte!! One of the most versatile colors that NYX provides. My personal favorite to shade my brow, and line my bottom lashes. Perfect crease color as well. Charcoal Brown is exactly what it is: a mixture of brown and dark gray. If you are looking for a eyebrow shade color that has no red undertone; look no further! This will fit the bill for anyone that has eyebrows the color of black (like me) and dark brown. Medium to full opacity. HIGHLY Recommend!!!

NYX eyeshadow: Dark Gray and Hawaiian Coffee

Dark Gray: officially described as a matte color and it is. This eyeshadow is such a disappointment. Chalky texture and looks patchy!!!! One of the most difficult to use NYX eyeshadow has available. A real shame. They need to reformulate this eyeshadow!!! I officially DO NOT recommend purchasing this eyeshadow. The color is exactly as described: a dark gray. Patchy medium.full opacity.
Hawaiian Coffee: officially described as a matte and it is! This is a beautiful unique color of the bunch. If you are tired of using brown color, give this color a shot. The shade sits between Dark Brown with a hint of purple. Completely matte and easy to use. One of my personal favorites! Medium to full opacity.

NYX eyeshadows: Gypsy, Taupe Pearl and Dune

Gypsy: officially described as a shimmer (at cherryculture, yes this applies to all the official descriptions provided). It is a shimmer (has a tiny bit of glitter) but with some color. Another safe color to use during the day time. As I mentioned, it has glitter but just a few specks (gold), not disco ball magnitude. The color itself is a soft brown-purple-red. Blending this color will cause color to disappear. Sheer-slight medium wash of color.
Taupe Pearl: officially described as metallic. It sits between a metallic sheen and satin. The color in the swatch can produce some  doubt. In real life it looks like an Antiqued Gold. Some will say that is a taupe color, while others may say it isn't. I am bringing this up because if you want to purchase a "taupe" color, you really need to face what is your definition of taupe. To me, taupe should be a marriage of gray and brown. This color is more of a brownish gold. The color is of great quality! But if you are wanting a "taupe color" that sits between gray and brown- this is not one of them. Again, this is my personal opinion. medium to full opacity
Dune: Officially described as a metallic, which it is. This color is actually a taupe!!!!!
A perfect marriage of soft brown and gray! Again, my personal opinion. Easy to use. Medium to full opacity.


So guys here it is as promised!  Tell me your thoughts, don't be afraid to comment here! Hope you have a good Tuesday!!!

Will be posting stuff ASAP, sorry for the delay**updated***

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***UPDATE AS OF DEC13-12*****

Hi guys. I have been accumulating some reviews, but I have been overwhelmed with work. To top it off, I got a stomach virus that has been going around here.

The goods news is that the following will be reviewed as soon as possible

Here it goes..

1. more swatches of NYX eyeshadows from my personal stash. DONE!X
2. La Colors lipsticks (5, i think?) including the 3, I purchased @ the Dollar general Store for 1 dollar (yay!!!) on Sunday
3. Other Wet N Wild lippies I have owned and purchased recently
4. Naturistics lipliner purchased at Dollar Tree
5. Maybe a 88 palette, NYX eyeshadow comparison????
6. La Colors blush !!! **pending** permission to use a higher end blush for comparisons!!!!!
So that's the deal. Thanks for even taking a peak here. Cross your fingers my workload gets lighter and that I can get better.

Wet n Wild Silkfinish lipstick in Fuchsia with Blue Pearl, a review.

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Wet n Wild silk finish lipstick in Fuchsia with Blue pearl # 521A

Why Wet n Wild do you tempt me so with your sales??? As you pretty much figured it out, I bought this lipstick along with some others while there was a sale in HEB. They had a .50 cents off coupon. Silkfinish lipsticks are the ones that costs .99 cents and are in the silver tube. The website describes these lipsticks as "Enriched with conditioning ingredients of Vitamins A & E and Aloe Vera for moist-looking lips".
Is this claim true? Yes and No. it really depends on the lipstick. They have some lippies (which I will review much later) that feel like a cross between a lipbalm and lipstick; there is nothing wrong with that. There are others that still look gorgeous, but they are frosty. Frosty lipsticks do not feel "moist" after a while.

Lets get to the juicy side of this lippie...

Fuchsia with Blue Pearl swatch taken in the shade

Fuchsia with Blue Pearl swatch taken in the sunlight

Fuchsia with Blue Pearl lipstick picture taken indoors.

Do not let this color fool you. When you see the picture of the tube taken in the shade, it is a very color accurate color!!!! For fun I actually took this picture indoors. Why? I really wanted to see if the "blue pearl" will be obvious. As you can see it isn't. In fact, you would think this is an office friendly color. But beware, once you hit the sunlight it's a different and a much truer color!!!!!

Fuchsia with Blue Pear lipstick, taken in the shade

Fuchsia with Blue Pear, alternate lighting

This color is a pink with blue. A fun color for the summer or just anytime when you want a pop of color without spending 10.00 dollars You would think this color would compliment only extremely fair complected people. I will say this color will look good in just about anyone. So I'll get to the points of this lipstick.

What's to Love?
The price, the price, the price!!! Seriously at practically 60 cents you really cannot ask for anything more. This particular lipstick was quite emollient, moisturizing. The color is unique (for me) since I never owned anything like it.The kind of lipstick Barbie and JEM would wear!!!!

Wear time is about 3 hours. It did not dry my lips out at all.

I swear, Wet n Wild got GAME!!!!!!!!!

Final Thoughts???

If you want a fun color without sacrificing your budget GET THIS. If you want to experiment with colors at a budget, GET THIS. Just get it, dang!!!!! *lol*

Highly recommend 100%!!!!!!!

Wet n Wild cosmetics are sold at: Walmart, HEB, Walgreens, http://www.nonpareilboutique.com/, ebay

A Justified Complaint: Family Dollar and their reply to my complaint.CASECLOSED

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If you have been recently reading my blog, you have noticed I written a complaint about Family Dollar. You can either scroll down, or click "Complaints" on your right side. I have made the announcement that I will not be reviewing any items purchased at Family Dollar until I hear feedback from their Customer Care department. Well, I recently gotten a letter from them. So, just as I was eager to complaint about the issue, I feel it would be fair to let you know how they handled the situation. I only erased my personal info as well as the identity of the person who replied out of courtesy and respect for privacy.

Without further ado, here is the letter.

Family Dollar's reply to my complaint

Family Dollar's "refund" for my foundation

My Thoughts

First of all, I appreciate the fact they took their time to communicate with me. Once I emailed my complaint within 24-28 hours I received an email from their customer care department. The amount of the refund was fair because it does cover the price of the foundation and tax.


Will I purchase cosmetics again at Family Dollar?

I will continue to purchase goods at Family Dollar with caution. For sure I will purchase lipsticks, nail polish, shampoo and conditioner, hair styling products. In other words, products that I have used before. I will not purchase foundation there again.

Final Comments?

Because they replied and remedied the situation, I will lift my temporary ban on goods purchased at Family Dollar and resume reviewing them. I will even review the "foundation" that I tried to return.

A Message to the CEO of Family Dollar

I know my blog does not get the thousands of hits like other ones on the web. In fact, more likely you might read this 3 years later. Nevertheless, I wanted to say a few things to you. I appreciate your customer service department handled my complaint swiftly and with care. This made me feel like a valued customer. So, if you ever get the chance to meet the person who took care of the situation..shake her hand for doing a wonderful job. People like her need to be promoted and developed in your industry.

Ok...for the not so good thoughts.

Here in Texas, the people that get hired are either: relatives, unqualified, uneducated and all three.
This is a never-ending vicious cycle happening here and sadly, it gives a bad image to your company. I am not elitist. I am not saying unqualified people and uneducated people should not be hired. What I am saying is that when you interview people, weed out the ones who do not know the basics of customer care, business ethics and leadership. If the person is inexperienced, but willing to learn: then hire that person and develop them closely so they can be a positive contributor to your company. If the Regional Manager is incapable of distinguishing the ideal qualities in a Manager, Assistant Manager and their staff; then that individual is not fit for their role.

Make the Regional Manager accountable for the Manager's training and professional behavior. If the Manager was improperly trained, lacks tact and diplomacy dealing with the customers: why on earth would you hire/keep someone like that? If the Regional Manager did not properly train the Manager: why would you KEEP someone like that on payroll? One bad apple, spoils the bunch. If a Manager behaves that way in front of the customers, then what type of lesson are you teaching your staff? That I can be rude because I am the "Manager". I can get away with anything because " I am a Manager"? What about you Regional Manager? Did he/she just took the word of the recently hired "Manager" that he/she had over 8 years of managing experience, and therefore;  qualified for the job vacancy? There needs to be ACCOUNTABILITY at all levels!!!!! You are as strong as your weakest link, remember that.

Do not get comfortable sitting in your office. Do a few "undercover" inspections on how the stores are run like the show "Undercover Boss". Do not forget that maybe once upon a time you were a customer care representative, that you were once promoted as a Manager for good reason. Do not forget your early days before you were developed into a CEO. Do not get out of touch with your line of work. Your employees are not an "employee number", they are people that represent YOU and your company on a daily basis.

Do not forget that it takes time to amass consumers and a quick second to loose them for good.


CASECLOSED


FTC:  I was not payed to write my thoughts on this post. I was compensated because the manager of the store did not give me a refund/store credit, so customer care gave me a gift card as a way to resolve my complaint. These are my 100% honest thoughts.

Wet n Wild megashield lipstick in "A Currant Affair"- review n photos.

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Wet n Wild megashield lipstick in "A Currant Affair"

While I was organizing my lipsticks, it occurred to me I have not reviewed this lipstick at all! And once again, I am reminded that I own a perfect shade of red lipstick, so no MORE hunting!!!! On with the review.

Unlike Megalast, Megashield is a complete different animal when it comes to texture.
According to Wen n Wild official website (wnwbeauty.com) it describes Megashield...
"Color, comfort, and care! Luxurious color delivers hours of sheer-to-moderate coverage that glides on buttery-soft for a smooth, moist-looking pout. Lips are pampered with Vitamin E, Amino Acids, Avocado Oil, and Rice Bran Oil that moisturize and condition for silky, soft comfort. And with SPF 15, lips are cared for and protected from harmful UVB rays". 

Wet n Wild are 100% correct in their description. While Megalast have a "Matte" formula, Megashield is in fact a "Creme" formula. And when they said buttery smooth, they are correct in saying so because this baby does glide like butter. So pigmented and so smooth you would think you have to pay an arm and a leg for this lipstick. I payed under $3.00 dollars for this shade.

My Bare lips

Wet n Wild A Currant Affair swatched in sunlight

Wet n Wild A currant Affair swatched in the shade

Wet N Wild megashield lipstick "A Currant Affair" on my lips, shade

Wet n Wild megashield lipstick in "A Currant Affair"

So how does this lipstick performs?

Pretty damn well if I say so!!! It lasts on my lips for about 3-4 hours with my usual snacking and drinking. It does not feather. It does not dry out my lips.

What I love?

Wet n Wild hit a home run with this lipstick. IF YOU are looking for a perfect red lipstick whether it is for a Christmas Party or for a formal event, this baby will not disappoint. Just like my review on NYC Sheer Red lipstick, this lipstick is also a very Universal Red. It does not matter your skin color, this will look GOOD ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!! This a red that has no blue tones, no pink tones. Just plain ol' RED that looks damn good. 

In short, I highly recommend this shade to everyone. And if Wet n Wild discontinue this color..........they will be absolutely out of their minds to do so.

100% recommend, And Holy Grail Quality!!!!!

Wet n Wild products are available at: walmart, walgreens, HEB, ebay, drugstore.com,http://www.nonpareilboutique.com/.

Need I say more? :)

***Just for kicks while I was working on this post, I was listening to a song I used to hear alot during highschool. do not think I am nasty!!!! This is just the 90s man!***

 

    

A Justified Complaint: Family Dollar AND ITS CEO

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If you have been reading my reviews, you have heard me speaking happily of having the new Family Dollar built in my area. In fact, I have been making some trips there to buy "La Colors" cosmetics. Let me tell you what happened to me, and then you can be the judge whether or not I should be upset.

Last Sunday, I made a trip to my family dollar to buy some "La Colors". I purchased a "LA COLORS" lipstick, "LA COLORS" wet to dry foundation. It was not until November 20th when I actually opened the foundation. The quality was not only sub par but the shade (light) was way too pale for me. I went to my Family Dollar on the 21st armed with my receipt and product. I spoke to a customer care rep, explained her what happened. The first thing she did was to say to me that she could not give me a refund or store credit because I opened the product. At first, I was shocked because how in the hell was I supposed to know if something works on me if I do not open the package and test it out? She called her Manager ( was there in front of her while she spoke to her manager) and she explained what I said to her. Again, her manager told her (she said this) that I could not be given store credit or a refund because I opened the package. I explained to her how am I supposed to know if something does not work on me if I do not test it. The associate was the usual apologetic (sounded more robotic than genuine, but I could be wrong). So, armed WITH  the one tool I have (my computer) I went online to the official FAMILY DOLLAR website to read their "refund policy". And this was a complete trip (yes I am being sarcastic, but I this point I earned it). If you read below, and scratch your head and say to yourself "WTF", now you know exactly what I thought. I wrote a complaint to the family dollar official website and was emailed saying that within 5x business days I should hear a reply. I do NOT know WHO THE HELL hired that lady to be the manager or if the way she handled the situation is the "new" return policy format--but they have absolutely no fucking way how to handle such situations. I was more than happy to spend my money there. Help my city's economy. Now I feel as if my business did not matter. So, for the mean time I will not be posting any reviews from goods I have purchased at Family Dollar until I receive feedback from their customer care center.
In the mean time I have something to say to the CEO  Leon Levine, Founder

Howard R. Levine, Chairman and CEO "WHY THE HELL DOES YOU COMPANY STATE SOMETHING OFFICIAL ON YOUR WEBSITE, WHILE IN THE STORE THEY CONDUCT THE OPPOSITE WAY?  THE MANAGERS THAT ARE HIRED FOR THEIR STORE, DO THEY GET ANY OFFICIAL TRAINING AS TO WHAT IS REFUNDABLE AND NOT??? IF YOU HAVE CHANGED POLICY, WHY CANNOT THE MANAGERS POST THE CHANGES AND MAKE IT VISIBLE SO AT LEAST WHEN WE PURCHASE SOMETHING WE KNOW WHAT CAN BE REFUNDED OR NOT? WHY HAVE YOU NOT UPDATED YOUR REFUND POLICY ON YOUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO REFLECT THE NEW CHANGES, ASSUMING THAT YOUR STORE NO LONGER ACCEPTS REFUND OR STORE CREDIT FOR COSMETICS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN OPENED?

So to all WEBland, I would be super happy if you post on the comment section (its ok if you want me to view you an an anonymous source) and list out stores that DO NOT offer refund/store credit EVEN after you presented a store receipt. You will not just be doing me a favor, but the world as well.

family dollar refund policy