Michael Todd Skincare Review + Belated Sephora Haul + Wen Cleansing Conditioner Review

Hi guys!

*guilty grin*

I think this is the longest I've been without blogging. Did anybody miss me? XD hahahaha (or actually... do you guys even remember my existence... 囧). Anyway I'm enjoying my summer vacation for now before I start my one-month rotation, so I thought I'd come up here and just write about stuff. Instead of writing another longggg ass post, I decided to be good and section it into different posts. So hopefully I'll be posting a little more frequently in the next few weeks :D

Looking at the notes from my old drafts =_= I saw that I planned to write about the Sephora Chic week sale (yeah... that was like forever ago. I sowee XD). So here's my SUPREMELY BELATED haul from Sephora XD

As I mentioned in that last post, I purchased the Wen cleansing conditioner (16 oz) in Fig, and the Benefit Hervana blush.





This is a really nice everyday kind of blush. Pretty much goes with anything. However I haven't got as much use out of it as I had anticipated... I purchased a drugstore blush right after this and pretty much have been reaching for that 囧. I will talk about that in another post. Nonetheless I do like this blush and it is super easy to use.


After I tried out the Wen conditioner, I decided I like it and was curious to try out more Wen products, so I also went into the store and picked up the Wen Healthy Hair Care Kit.


In addition, because the Michael Todd products didn't work out for me as I had hoped, I also picked up a Shiseido Matifying Lotion to serve as my summer moisturizer.


I have used up a 1 oz bottle last summer, so I can safely say this is definitely my favorite light moisturizer for the summer and I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for an ultra light moisturizer ^_^


So before I get into the Wen products, let me tell you guys why the Michael Todd products didn't work out for me (click here to see the haul):

1. Citrus Cream Moisturizer with DMAE and hyaluronic acid



At first this moisturizer seemed okay (apart from the fact I really disliked the smell), but after using it for a few weeks, I noticed it seemed to give me those little fat bumps/deposits on my face... I have no idea what they're called. You guys know what I'm talking about right? So I stopped using it, and my skin went back to normal. This moisturizer for me is definitely on the richer side and suitable for the winter.


2. Moisture Lite non-oily hydrating lotion



So I intended to use this as my summer moisturizer but it totally did not go as planned. Too rich. Compared to the Citrus Cream it is slightly lighter in consistency, but not any lighter in the content I guess. That was the first problem. Second problem: I used this every day for a week and every day I got a new breakout. It wasn't anything bad, just tiny breakouts. My skin definitely does not agree with this moisturizer. Other than that the scent is so much better than the Citrus Cream. I feel like Michael Todd products are designed for people with dry skin needs.


3. Pumpkin nutrient-rich facial mask



I've only used this once but it stung when I applied it. My face felt really warm while the mask sat on my face. It didn't burn my face or break me out and my face wasn't red after using this mask, but I can't say the experience was entirely pleasant. It almost felt like the mask is spicy for my face?? That's the best way I can put it XD But my face did feel moisturized and soft after.


4. Jojoba Charcoal facial scrub



It's nice I guess. Nothing spectacular though. I don't find myself reaching for it at all (in fact I completely forgot I have this until now I'm writing about it -_-"). I do prefer my St. Ives green tea scrub-- it works just as well (plus the salicylic acid calms my face down when I feel like I'm about to break out). Although I think the scrub is nice, it's not something I'd go out of my way to purchase.


5. Honey and Oat gentle deep pore cleanser

Sorry I don't have a swatch for this. I didn't want the cleanser to get all over the place.

Ehhh I'll admit I don't like liquid cleanser. The consistency of this cleanser reminds me of detergent. Other than that... nothing special to say about this cleanser except it's gentle?


6. Blue Green Algae antibacterial toner

No swatch again... just a toner XD

So the kit I bought is designed for normal/combination skin. I think this toner is what made this kit geared toward combination skin. It is VERY drying. After applying the toner, my skin feels so dry and tight. I actually did find it quite uncomfortable. Furthermore this toner stung going on. I still have to test out if it controls oil or not. If it does then I'll come back and update it. If not then you guys can safely assume it's nothing remarkable.

So the only Michael Todd product I haven't tried from my purchase is the eye cream. Not very excited about it anymore. But it will probably take me a while to get to the eye cream since I still have a few that I'm using now.

So these are my thoughts on the Michael Todd products that I own. So far, NOT impressed at all -_-" I can kind of see why a lot of Youtubers like them because of how moisturizing they are. But I honestly think they are overrated and I don't think I will try anything from them in a long time. What are your thoughts on Michael Todd products? Anyway, you can expect a blog sale from me pretty soon.

Now, onto the Wen hair products.

As you recall, I became interested in Wen after seeing Claire's video:

This is a very informative video and I think if you're interested in Wen as well, it will answer a lot of your questions.

I picked out the scent in fig

At first I thought the scent was kind of weird. But now I absolutely LOVE it. There's a very calming effect to it for some reason lol!





I use about 10-12 pumps for my hair (I don't have a lot of hair at all XD). And I don't leave it in as leave-in conditioner because I dry off my hair with a towel afterward and I think it's a waste if I just towel the conditioner off @_@ (I wash my hair at night and just let it air dry).

So my experience with Wen conditioner?

First thing I notice is how shiny my hair looks after using it. And my hair is usually straighter after using it (because it's very conditioned I guess?) Two days into using the cleansing conditioner my friend pointed out that my hair looks super shiny and glossy :D However 4 days into using it I noticed about 1/4 of the bottle is gone -_-||| So now I only use it once a week (I would run a hot bath and let the cleansing conditioner sit in my hair while I read to maximize the conditioning effect XD). It's simply too expensive for me to maintain this as my regular cleansing routine. However, even if I can afford it, I still won't be using it everyday-- although I noticed how luscious and voluminous and thick it made the mid and ends of my hair look, I noticed it made the top of my head look really flat. Definitely not greasy or heavy, just flat (like I said it made my hair straighter, which contributes to the flatness). A little weird because it makes the bottom part of my hair look so voluminous, but just not at my crown -_-a Also it detangles my hair really nicely, but I don't feel it makes my hair softer or anything. Another thing I don't like is I think because I have to really massage my scalp when I use this cleansing conditioner, I found that I lost even more hair while washing it X_X maybe I just massaged too hard?


From the Healthy Hair Care Kit (only Sweet Almond Mint is available), you get a 12 oz cleansing conditioner, and replenishing treatment mist, and a Re Moist intensive hair treatment.









I think this kit is a great value if you want to test out some Wen products. So far I got a lot of use from the replenishing treatment mist-- I spray it from the mid shaft to the ends of my hair after toweling off most of the water from my hair. It keeps my hair detangled and conditioned (I feel like it's pretty much the cleansing conditioner in the liquid form, because it feels the same and it also doesn't make my hair soft). Not sure if I've mentioned this before but I don't really use any leave-in treatments because a lot of times my face would break out from the hair products. This treatment mist didn't break me out so I'm pretty happy about that =D

The Re Moist intensive hair treatment, like the name indicated, is a pretty intensive treatment. My hair does feel softer after using it. Other than that I don't have anything else to say about it? LOL.

I do enjoy all the Wen products I own, and I've placed another order to try out the lavender ones (I was told that one is good for volume). I will report back after I've tried that out ^_^

That's all I have to share for now! Sorry if this post is all over the place-- I haven't written a blog in forever haha. Anyway I hope some of you guys found this helpful. I will come back blogging again soon =D


<3 Frances