Naturalla Beauty

How do you feel about less-than-stellar reviews?  It seems like there's an ongoing debate amongst bloggers as to whether or not one should share less favorable opinions of products or just stick to talking about the things we love.  Negative reviews aren't nearly as fun to write, it's true, but I've always felt it was important to share less glowing opinions as well, which is why I do these Disappointing Products posts every so often.  

As always, this isn't intended to bash any of these brands - most of whom actually make other products I love - only to share why these particular items haven't worked for me.  



Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Repair & Extend Shine Gel
I actually included this in my last disappointing products post (oops!) but I forgot I'd ever written about it when I gathered up this latest batch to photograph.  Clearly I've held onto it for way too long at this point!  To reiterate that first post, the gel itself actually performed really well the few times I used it, but I struggle with the scent.  It's strong and perfumey, and lasts all day in my hair.  The ingredients list only a "proprietary essential oil blend," and while it may only be essential oils, the scent is quite reminiscent of synthetic fragrance and isn't something I can tolerate.  I haven't tried anything else from Nubian Heritage, so I don't know if it's just this one product or the entire line, but I'd advise caution if you're someone sensitive to scents.  I can't find this exact product on the Nubian Heritage website anymore and it's out of stock from a lot of other retailers, so it may have been discontinued.

Benecos Natural Creamy Makeup
This foundation baffles me, as I just can't imagine how anyone could make it work.  It's a liquid foundation with a thick creamy consistency, but it sets almost as soon as it touches the skin, making it nearly impossible to work with.  Because of how quickly it dries, it's a struggle to spread or sheer out, and tends to look heavy and cakey.  It also has a sickly sweet honey-like scent and - something I didn't initially realize - contains talc. 

Balanced Guru Antioxidant Masque
Balanced Guru's Calming Masque is one of my all-time favorite skincare items, but the Antioxidant Masque did not leave my skin happy.  The mask contains a blend of antioxidant-rich berries and spices, and it smells delicious: like cinnamon and cloves.  I've noticed a pattern recently whereby my skin doesn't do well with these warm spices in products that stay on the skin, and this mask - much like May Lindstrom's Problem Solver - left my skin red, hot, and burning.  I really do love Balanced Guru as a brand, so if you're usually okay with these spices, it might still be worth a try.  

Everyday Minerals Soft Peach Color Corrector Stick
The color of this corrector/concealer is a fantastic pale peach, but unfortunately, it blends away to nothing.  There's virtually no coverage, even with multiple layers, and any brightening or color correcting properties are very minimal as well.  The ingredients are great and it's a hydrating formula, so I may give it one more try as a sheer foundation.

Juice Beauty Nutrient Moisturizer    
This moisturizer is advertised as a nutrient-rich cream suitable for all skin types, but I found it way too heavy on my normal-to-dry skin, so I question if it would suit anyone other than the ultra-dry.  It never seemed to absorb and instead just sat on top of my skin.  As a result, it didn't work well under makeup, and even when used at night, I'd wake up with a film from the cream still on my face.  I also found my face got shiny/oily throughout the day while using it, which isn't something I normally deal with.

Have you used any of these products?  I'd love to know if you were similarly underwhelmed or if they worked differently for you!

It's been a long time since I've done one of these posts - apparently June 2013 was my last one - so I figured it was past time I wrote about some of the products that have not been making the cut in my beauty cabinet.  I want to preface this by saying that none of these are bad products - well, with the exception of one that kinda, maybe is - but they're items that haven't worked for me.



Nubian Heritage Repair & Extend Shine Gel
If you saw my recent Best of Curly Girl Hair Products, you'll know that this gel did not make it onto that list.  I've heard a lot of good things about Nubian Heritage, but this gel was my first time trying anything from the brand.  I've ended up only using it a couple times due to how strong and perfumey it smells.  Super disappointing because it's one of the few Nubian Heritage products that's made without either Japanese honeysuckle extract or palm oil.  It also did seem to work really well, with a good hold that was neither overly crunchy or sticky.  The smell - courtesy of a "proprietary essential oil blend" - is pretty overpowering though, and it tends to hang around all day, so I'm not sure it's worth it.

Sukin Aloe Vera Gel
The thing that I said was maybe just a bad product?  That would be this one here.  Aside from the company's fondness for phenoxyethanol, I really like Sukin products, so when I was given a spare tester from the health food store I was working in at the time, I expected good things.  It's hard to find aloe gels without a ton of fillers, and although Sukin's has only three ingredients - aloe leaf juice, alcohol, and hydroxyethylcellulose - it's awful.  Using alcohol as a preservative requires a moderately large amount, and with so few other ingredients to buffer it, the aloe gel is left smelling like straight up rubbing alcohol.  The alcohol also seems to negate any of the moisturizing properties inherent in the aloe, making the gel pretty useless.  I'm really not sure what anyone was thinking when they made this product.

Pure Anada Fresh Mandarin Pressed Mineral Cheek Color
I featured this Pure Anada blush in a roundup of new blush favorites early in the fall, but since then, it's mostly fallen out of my good books.  Pure Anada's pressed products have a weird, plastic or putty-like scent that the company attributes to the raw, unrefined jojoba oil they use to bind them, and whether or not that's what the smell is, I'm just not a fan.  I like the experience of putting makeup on to be enjoyable, and even luxurious at times, so something that makes me feel like I need to hold my breath while applying it, just isn't what I'm looking for.  It's a shame too, because the color is really pretty.  

Schmidt's Lavender-Sage Deodorant
I already let the cat out of the bag on this one when I wrote about how I transformed my Schmidt's into a deodorant that didn't sting or irritate my armpits, but I thought I'd stick it in here too, in case you missed that post.  The deodorant, in its original state, kept me stink-free, but it completely tore up my armpits.  And apparently I'm far from alone on this, as a lot of you described similar experiences with Schmidt's, both in the comments on that post and on Instagram and Twitter.  

EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm
As one of the few all natural lip balms that's easily accessible in stores here, I'd wanted to try EOS for years, but I only actually got around to it last month when my mom bought me this one.  The ingredients are good, the egg shape is cute, and I love the Sweet Mint flavour/scent, but the balm itself is just not as hydrating as I would like.  I even sometimes feel like it has the opposite effect and actually dries out my lips.  

[EOS Fans: Do the balms vary by scent?  I also have an unopened strawberry one, but I may end up passing it on if it's going to be equally lackluster in terms of moisture.]

The All Natural Face Midas Cream Concealer 
I'm always looking for products that will conceal my dark circles, and the yellow-toned Midas has garnered a lot of positive attention.  Sadly, it doesn't work for me.  The concealer is illuminating, but it gives hardly any coverage, so instead of achieving the bright and awake under eye look I'm going for, I end up with a layer of shine that may even make my dark circles look more prominent.    Needless to say I'm not a fan.

Have you used any of these?  Are there other underwhelming products that have left you disappointed recently?

Ana from Ana Goes Green recently did a Disappointing Products post, which reminded me that it's been a while since I've done one of these.  I think there's a tendency to focus on only the products we love, but I, for one, also appreciate hearing about the things that don't work quite so well.  I'm not intending to slam any of these products or companies - they're are all products I've heard good things about, so obviously they work for some people, they're just things that haven't suited me.  



Mad Hippie Eye Cream