To buy or not to buy...

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!!