Hey guys, it’s been a while since I have updated y’all with
a review!
Sorry about that, I started strong with my blog because I
was able to type up several reviews in a few days which meant I was ready to go
with posts for a few weeks.
I have run out of pre-written reviews and life has gotten
crazy so I haven’t been able to update.
However I’m excited about the next few posts I have planned
for you guys so I hope y’all enjoy them.
Today I will be talking about my favorite, and not so
favorite products from direct sales companies.
I have tried many!
I know people who sell each of the products I will be
reviewing, the good and bad list, so if you are interested in trying any of the
things here on my list but don’t know who sells it please let me know and I’ll
get you in touch with one of the consultants I know.
Today’s post will be more information and less
pictures. And it will be very long
because I have a lot of products to review!
I also want to start with a disclaimer that until recently I
have been a consultant for both SeneGence International (LipSense), and
Jamberry. I am no longer a consultant
for either of these brands and my review of either of them is in no ways a ploy
to try and get sales.
I also want to say that my review is 100% my opinion and not
meant to hurt any feelings.
So let’s start with some of my favorite products.
First I’m going to talk about one of the newest products I
have recently tried out. It’s called
Monat.
Have you heard of it?
It’s a hair care line that specializes in helping with all
different types of hair issues. I have
been noticing a significant increase in my hair falling out and I talked to my
new hair stylist about it and she mentioned a product she sells called Monat.
What’s funny is I had recently heard about this product and
had been planning on asking her opinion on it.
She used the products on my hair that day and I went home with the Black
shampoo/conditioner that same day.
I have been using this product for several weeks now and I
LOVE it!! I feel like my hair is healthier looking and feels fuller. I also haven’t noticed as much hair falling
out which is a huge bonus in my book.
I do have a couple of negatives about this product.
First, I don’t like the packaging. The bottle I use has a screw on and off lid. I wish it wasn’t like this, and I wish I had
known but there is a hole in the lid where the product comes out, so you twist
it just a little to squeeze the product out and then twist it back until it
locks.
I didn’t know this the first time I used it so I unscrewed
the whole lid got out the product I needed and then screwed the lid back on, I
didn’t lock it. When I came back to my
bathroom later that day I noticed half the product spilled out into my bathtub L. Luckily their customer service is amazing and
when my hairstylist called them to explain the situation they sent me a brand
new bottle no questions asked.
Now that I know how to use the lid I won’t be having that
problem anymore.
The other issue I have, and this is just specific to the
kind I’m using, is it’s a shampoo/conditioner combined and I don’t feel like my
hair gets very conditioned. I use a
leave in conditioner every time I wash my hair because I feel like my hair
needs it. I may explore and try other
types that aren’t a combined in one to see if that helps.
Over all I love the product though, it feels great in my
hair and it smells good, and I feel like it’s doing what I wanted.
I also like their buying program. You can buy as just a customer, or you can sign
up to be a consultant, OR, they have another option where you can sign up to be
a VIP customer where you get 15% off your order and free shipping on orders
more than $84 and if you order at least 3 times in a year you get the VIP fee
waive (which is only $19.99 I think). You also get access to exclusive deals
and products.
So if this is going to be the only shampoo/conditioner you
use I think that VIP option is totally worth it and you don’t have to be
bothered by trying to sell it or create a team.
I signed up to be a VIP because I know it will be a good option for me
with how often I anticipate using it.
The next company I’ll be reviewing is called Wildtree. I’m new to this company, and I’ll be honest
it probably won’t be a company I buy from very often. However this is a company going in my pro
column because they have great products.
I have a friend who just signed up to sell this and she gave
me some samples to try. This is a
healthy/organic food company. You get
spices and starters to make healthy and organic meals for your family.
So far I have tried their guacamole mix, chocolate mousse
mix, beer bread mix, and taco seasoning.
Everything I have tried is delicious.
I probably won’t be a customer mainly because I am just one
person and I don’t need so many different types of mixes on hand.
However my friend that sells it says it has been great for
busy days when her kids are going in all different directions to be able to
have something organic and delicious to quickly mix up a meal and have it on
the table in minutes.
So if you fall into the category of a busy family needing
quick healthy meals I highly recommend Wildtree. If you are interested in learning more just
let me know and I’ll get you in touch with my friend.
I also want to put Shakeology on the pro list. I struggled with this one a little bit
because I love the taste of Shakeology, but it is way too expensive and I hate
the auto ship it requires. Yes you can
push it back each month, but that requires going online each month and
remembering when you need to do that.
I have forgotten to push mine back a couple of times and so
I’m set on Shakeology for a while.
However it’s one of the only powdered protein shakes I like the taste of
so I just deal with it for now.
Lularoe is one of those companies that I feel like goes on
the pro and con list.
I love the clothes I have from lularoe, they are comfortable
and cute, however the cons are they aren’t durable and for the price you pay
they should be a lot more durable. You
can’t dry them in the dryer or they fall apart, and while I’ve never had an
awkward legging moment I have heard of plenty of horror stories about their
leggings falling apart while someone is wearing them.
Younique is a product that I think should solidly go on the
pro column. I haven’t tried everything
from Younique, but I have used a fair amount of their products and I have never
once been disappointed. I don’t actually
wear a lot of makeup so I don’t buy too much from Younique, but their one product
I have decided is a must have is their new Epic Mascara.
Younique became all the rage due to their 2-step 3D mascara
system. While this system does create
long full lashes that look like you’re wearing falsies, for me, and for a lot
of customers, the 2-step system was just way too cumbersome.
So they came up with a new product called Epic, it’s a one
step mascara, doesn’t have the fibers the 3D has, and it creates super long
full lashes that are amazing! I’m a huge fan and don’t think I’ll ever go without
it now that I’ve found it.
To go along with the makeup theme, I will review SeneGence,
which as I stated above I used to be a consultant for, I have just recently
gotten out of the selling game.
I think SeneGence is another company that goes on the pro
and con list.
For the pros, their LipSense and ShadowSense products are
seriously amazing. It’s the only makeup
I use (except for the Younique Epic Mascara).
I really only ever do my eyes and lips when I do my makeup, I don’t use
foundation or anything like that.
Seriously their lip colors last forever and I love the
glosses. Some colors last longer than
others, and it is a bit of a process to apply but for me the longevity and it
not rubbing off on my water bottle makes it totally worth the process.
Their shadows are also to die for, and I think I love those
more than the lip colors. They come in a
lot of different shades, and they are highly pigmented. The shadows are a cream-to-powder formula and
they don’t come off for anything, except eye makeup remover J.
Honestly though I have a problem with rubbing my eyes during
the day, and my eye makeup never comes off!!
The cons about SeneGence though are pretty much all the
other products. I have tried a lot of
their skincare, and while I don’t think I have extra sensitive skin, their skin
care routine made me get hives and have a super red face. I like their lotions, and the bronzing spray
but all the other skin care is something I pass for myself and I’d say pass if
you’re on the fence.
Jamberry is another company I love, obviously because I used
to sell for them.
I have recently converted over to their new VIP customer
program because I didn’t want to sell it, but I wanted to still get
discounts. Their VIP program is similar
to Monat’s in where you pay a yearly fee ($15) and you get 15% discount and
free shipping and access to new products and exclusive deals.
I love Jamberry’s nail wraps, there are so many designs,
it’s healthy for your nails, and they are so easy to apply and take off and
they last for 2-3 weeks when applied correctly.
I have been using Jamberry for around 3 years now and I don’t see that
changing anytime soon.
I also love their new color cure system, it’s a system that
goes on like a lacquer and has the staying power of gel. I’ve only used it once, I don’t own a system
yet because it is a bit pricey, but I loved how easy it was to apply and how
long the colors lasted. I do plan on
getting one of these for myself; I just have to wait until my budget allows for
it.
I do have to say though I don’t love Jamberry’s gel system
or plain lacquers. I have the gel system
and I was just never able to figure out how to properly apply it and it was
just too much to figure out. Also the
lacquers are pretty, and are 8-free which means they don’t have any of those
harmful chemicals, but they just don’t last any longer than regular store
bought lacquers.
Ok I have only 2 companies on my con list. I have some cons I’ve discussed above, but
these 2 companies are just solidly on my con list.
First is Arbonne, I have admittedly only tried their protein
powders, the chocolate and vanilla. They
have a ton of other products and I can’t speak to those. However when I was trying to find a good
protein powder to replace Shakeology, I tried Arbonne because I knew someone
who sold it and they raved about how good it was and it was cheaper than Shakeology
so they sent me a couple samples.
I asked the person I know who sells it the best way to
prepare it and she said she loves it just shaken in a bottle with some
water. I have found that this is hardly
ever the best way to try a protein powder for the first time, but I went ahead
and tried it that way and had a hard time not spitting out the taste I
took. It was truly awful. I had my mom taste it to make sure it wasn’t
just me and my weird taste buds, and even she who can eat almost anything
gagged on the taste.
I tried the next flavor but blending it with some ice and
fairlife milk and it was still disgusting.
I’m afraid Arbonne isn’t for me.
I have asked a few other people who have tried Arbonne and I’ve only
found one person that actually likes the taste, that one person is the one I
know who sells it.
Everyone’s taste buds are different so it may be your
favorite drink and that’s awesome. For
me I won’t be trying anymore of their products.
And the last company I’ll highlight today is Color St.
This is a company that has been popping up a lot lately; in
the span of one month I had like 3 or 4 friends start selling it.
Color Street is a Jamberry knock off that instead of heat
activated vinyl wraps they are just strips of actual nail polish.
The pros I can see to this company are it seems like it’s a
simpler process to apply the strips, however as far as I can tell that’s the
only pro.
The cons are, that because they are nail polish strips, if
you don’t use all of the strips from the package in one sitting they will dry
out and can’t be used again, unless you go through the cumbersome process of
trying to seal them shut with a straightener or something. Also they are not 8-free like all the
Jamberry products are. Also because they
are nail polish they can chip, which jamberry doesn’t.
My biggest issue with Color St is not with the product
itself, but with the CEO of the company.
He also owns a company called incoco, which are nail polish strips you
can buy at places like Wal-Mart, Sally Beauty Supply, and even the dollar
store.
There is nothing different between incoco products and color
st products, he just realized that there is a ton of money to be made if you
are at the top of a direct marketing company so he decided to double dip in the
market and create the same product in both spaces. It just seems super shady to me.
So if being 8-free and not being able to re-use products
doesn’t matter to you, then save some money and just buy the incoco products,
they are cheaper and literally the same product as color St.
I suppose just a couple honorable mentions of products I
haven’t personally tried, but know people who have and love them are Maskcara
beauty. It’s another makeup company, its
claim to fame is they have made it easy to contour your face. This is something I’d totally be willing to
try out sometime, but like I mentioned before I don’t really wear makeup, just
eyes and lips for me. But everyone I
know who uses it loves it.
The other honorable mention is Rodan + Fields, this stuff is
admittedly way to pricey for my budget, but I know a ton of people who use it
and it’s truly amazing how their skin looks.
Maybe one day when I’m concerned about wrinkles and aging I may decide
it’s worth my money, but for now it’s just not for me.
Did I mention a company you love and use? Is there one I haven't mentioned that you think I should try?? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions!!
