On second thought...no thanks!

Today is just not my kind of day. After a wonderful weekend, Monday seems pretty blah. So why not continue with my blah mood and mention some blah products that I've encountered recently. Hopefully some of you have had better luck with these products but, for me, I actually could have skipped these purchases all together.

First let's talk about this one:

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Pearls Marbellized Eye Shadow in Bronze Blowout

I think I picked this up during a 40% off sale and I combined it with a coupon, which means I got it for next-to-nothing. I am really glad I didn't spend more on this shadow, because it was such a disappointment. Now don't get me wrong: I LOVE my Color Pearls shadow in Sinful Sinnamon but Bronze Blowout failed for me for a few reasons:

First, the fallout is excessive. Second, the darker shade, though quite nice, is just so reminiscent of about 20 other eyeshadows I already own. I was hoping this shade would be kind of unique, but it's really just a standard bronze.

The third thing I dislike about this shadow is that you get so much less of the darker, more wearable shade, and so much more of the messy shade. But here's the thing: not all of these compacts are created equal. I have noticed that in some compacts, you get more of the darker shade and less of the lighter shade, so if you're going to make a purchase, BEWARE! Decide on the shade you like the most, and then go through your drugstore's inventory until you find a compact that gives you more of that shade and less of the other. Very rarely have I seen one of these compacts where the colors are divided equally. Usually, you will get more of one color and less of another.

Next up, let's talk about these lip balms:

Nivea A Kiss of Shimmer Pearly Shimmer Lip Care (left)
Nivea A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care SPF 4 (right)

I bought these back when just about every drugstore chain had them on sale for 99-cents each. I still see these go on sale all the time, and I also see coupons and rebates for them just about every week. Since they seem to be practically giving them way these days, I surely hope that means that Nivea is planning a major overhaul of their lip balm line because these just don't cut the mustard for me.

Let's start with A Kiss of Shimmer. Try "A kiss of weird white cast on your lips". Seriously? It looks kind of shimmery at first, but after about ten minutes, it looked like I had applied a glue stick to my lips. Plus, it did nothing at all to help keep my lips moisturized. In fact, this lip balm ultimately leaves my lips feeling drier than before I used it.

Moving on to A Kiss of Moisture. If this is moisture, I'll stick with dryness, thankyouverymuch. I really can't remember using another lip balm that has had such a reverse affect on my lips. I tried using this at a time when my lips weren't even that dry to begin with, and guess what? They got even drier once this balm wore off. No healing effects whatsoever, and what's the deal with SPF 4? Couldn't they have given us at least SPF 10?

And please don't get me started on the fragrance and flavor of these balms. It's as if Nivea just used the exact same fragrance AND flavor of their lotions when they made these lip balms. Really! A Kiss of Moisture tastes like body lotion. I get a strange plastic flavor whenever I use this balm, and it's quite unpleasant. Am I crazy here? Does anyone else notice this? I can't imagine I'm the only one to have this experience.

If any of these products have worked for YOU, please please leave a comment here and let me know what I'm missing. I really wish they had worked for me, but I'm afraid they're going straight into the blah pile.