Product Review: Honey'do Shampoo & Conditioner

Reviewer: Cinnamon Kitten

Brand: Honey'do
Name: : Shampoo & Conditioner
Size: 8 oz each
Price: $16 USD each (or $30 USD for a set of shampoo & conditioner together)

How adorable is this? As soon as I saw the photo of this shampoo and conditioner set, I knew I had to try it! Who hasn't drizzled delicious, golden honey out of a plastic bear? :)

I love honey in all its forms and I know that it's very healthy for you. It's one of nature's most perfect foods, so it's not surprising that many beauty companies have been looking for ways to take advantage of honey's many spectacular properties.

The Honey'do shampoo is formulated with organic honey and promises to gently clean without stripping your hair, so it's perfect for everyday use.

The Honey'do conditioner is lightweight and made with organic honey that leaves hair full of body and manageability.

Both products are paraben and sulfate free.

To Purr About:
- super sweet honey smell
- shampoo left hair squeaky clean
- conditioner left hair soft
- conditioner has a silky texture to it

Claws Out:
- smell may be too sweet for some
- shampoo doesn't lather up a lot, which I prefer

Final Comments:
After I got past the adorable packaging, I was a little blown away by the sweet smell. It smells exactly like honey, but that may be off-putting for some as it's super sweet. I didn't mind it too much, but would have preferred something a little more subtle.

I prefer shampoos that lather up, which this shampoo doesn't do, but it definitely left my hair squeaky clean. Literally. My hair felt really clean and I was concerned that it was a little harsh on my hair, but after finishing off with the conditioner, my hair felt great. It was soft and manageble.

For those that like sweet things, adorable packaging and light-lathering shampoo, this would be a great treat. It's also good for those that prefer a more natural shampoo and conditioner.

Rating (out of 5):




Disclosure: A free sample of this product was received by Cinnamon Kitten

image: abeautifullife.com

Product News: The Body Deli Dark Chocolate Truffle Scrub

Brand: The Body Deli
Name: Dark Chocolate Truffle Scrub
Size: 16 oz
Price: $32 USD

Made with raw Certified Organic Ecuadorian Cacao beans, The Body Deli's Dark Chocolate Truffle Scrub polishes away dull skin while leaving a sweet aroma on the skin.

This body scrub is formulated with rich organic African Shea, organic Cocoa and organic Virgin Coconut Butter. These amazing butters soften and leave the skin feeling hydrated, soft and buttery. Extra fine grain sea salt is used to create a gentle exfoliating skin polish that refines and smoothes the skin. Nutrient-rich precious oils further enhance this spa quality experience. Pure all natural therapeutic essential oils are used to impart the healing essence of true aromatherapy.

Only available in February, this delicious-sounding body scrub would be a lovely Valentine's treat.

image: press release

Product News: Earthly Elements Moroccan Vanilla Body Wash & Body Lotion

Brand: Earthly Elements
Name: Moroccan Vanilla Body Wash
Name: Moroccan Vanilla Body Lotion
Price: $9.99 USD each

Looking for an affordable Valentine's Day gift? Check out Earthly Elements new Moroccan Vanilla Body Wash and Body Lotion. This body wash and lotion helps keep skin touchably soft and hydrated and leaves behind a lovely scent.

The Moroccan Vanilla Body Wash soothes and nourishes skin with aloe, arnica, chamomile, lavender and white tea to calm.

The Moroccan Vanilla Body Lotion contains jojoba, flax seed, rose hip, extracts of lavender, chamomile, calendula, cucumber, green & white tea and borage oils for hydration that lasts all night.

To make this a sweet little beauty gift, each bottle is adorned with unique keepsake charms featuring messages like "HOPE", "SPIRIT" and "SERENITY". These cute charms can be used as a keychain, hair tie, cell phone or handbag trinket.

Each product is made with premium ingredients and pre-and pro-probiotics for balance. The ingredients do not include any parabens, glycols, SLS, phthalates, silicones, EDTA, artificial fragrances and petroleum based ingredients.

image: press release

Product News: NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

Brand: NARS
Name: Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
Price: $24 USD

The new NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil takes everything beloved about the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, and swaps the formula for one that’s glossy. The new pencils leave a non-sticky luminosity to lips, while featuring a lightweight formula enriched with Vitamin E and a blend of moisture-rich hyaluronic spheres for a lustrous look that’s exceptionally rich.

The convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick in a jumbo-size crayon design.

Available in 6 beautifully glazed shades:
- Happy Days: pink coral infused with gold shimmer
- Frivolous: iridescent seashell pink
- Baroque: raspberry sorbet
- New Lover: gold infused strawberry pink
- Hopi: honey beige
- Club Mix: sheer grape

image: press release

Clinique Bonus Time at The Bay

Canadians - It's Clinique Bonus Time!

I love the adorable bag and compact that comes with this bonus!

Retailer: The Bay

Duration: until February 27, 2011

Minimum amount you need to spend: $26.50 CAD (before taxes)

What You Get:

- a cosmetics bag
- Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer
- Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser
- Soft Pressed Powder Blusher in New Clover
- Long Last Lipstick in Pink Spice
- Quickliner For Eyes in Dark Chocolate
- Lash Doubling Mascara in Black

image: e-newsletter

Product Review: Rimmel Glam’Eyes Mascara

Reviewer: Suziesaurus

Brand: Rimmel
Name: : Glam’Eyes Mascara
Size: 0.27 fl. oz. / 8 mL
Price: approx. $9 CAD

Shade: 003 Extreme Black

From their website: “Seductive Volume. Turn heads. New VolumFlex Brush styles lashes for sensational volume and instant separation. Ultra supple elasto-bristles groom each lash, lacquering them from root to tip for a spectacular 7 x more lash intensity. Big Lash Seduction. High Definition. Maximum lash impact. Impeccable definition. Smoothing formula glides through lashes, wrapping each one for ultimate volume yet perfect separation. Lashes look dramatically amplified yet sleekly defined - even up close and personal.”

To Purr About:
- brush is very defined
- bottle removes excess mascara from brush well so there isn’t that much extra gunk
- competitive price

Claws Out:
- makes my lashes very hard and crispy
- didn’t add any more volume to my lashes than the other mascaras I’ve tried
- dries out very quickly (in a few weeks)
- mascara still clumped on my lashes

Final Comments:
I’m definitely no pro when it comes to mascara as I only use it on very special occasions, but I’m always tempted when I see all the mascara commercials. When I recently had to go to a themed costume party during the holidays I decided to give a new mascara a try to add to the affect.

I’ve had really great experiences with Rimmel’s products, so I had pretty high hopes for their Glam’Eyes mascara. I really liked the brush. It was very defined and with a silicone type brush seemed to not have too much excess mascara on it. Also the bottle opening was so tight that it removed any excess very well.

Unfortunately I wasn’t too impressed with the result. It had a very odd texture and made my lashes very crispy and brittle feeling which didn’t bode well for the curling process. Also it didn’t seem to add any major volume to my lashes. My other major complaint is that it dried out in a few weeks meaning I used it about twice and then had to toss it out.

I don’t think I’ll be trying this product again. I still love Rimmel and use their products daily (like their blush), but won't be using Glam’Eyes again.

Rating (out of 5):




Disclosure: A free sample of this product was received by Cinnamon Kitten

image: rimmellondon.com

Product News: Finesse Clean + Simple

Brand: Finesse
Name: Clean + Simple


For those with sensitive skin, (or lips, like Suziesaurus), finding products that don't irritate their bodies can be a challenge. Many beauty brands now offer a lot of products specifically for this problem, but there haven't been many that offer this in the hair care field.

Finesse has just launched a new affordable, hypoallergenic hair care line - Finesse Clean + Simple - that is dermatologist tested to be non-irritating and free of allergens.

What Clean + Simple DOESN'T have:
- sulfates, a cleansing and foaming agent common in shampoos that's harsh to skin and hair, and can strip colour from hair
- parabens, a preservative believed to have properties similar to the hormone estrogen
- gluten, a protein often functioning as a conditioning agent, and a concern for those who suffer from gluten intolerance or dermatitis herpetiformis
- dyes, in personal products simply to improve appearance, and a frequent source of skin irritation.

What Clean + Simple does have:
- an extra gentle surfactant to cleanse hair without scalp irritation or excessive drying
- a light fragrance, certified hypoallergenic
- specially selected conditioning agents to leave hair soft and shiny without build up
- an advanced hairspray resin in a low alcohol hairspray formula.

Available in this collection:
- Clean + Simple Shampoo for Normal Hair, 10 oz
- Clean + Simple Conditioner for Normal Hair, 10 oz
- Clean + Simple Shampoo for Dry/Color Treated Hair, 10 oz
- Clean + Simple Conditioner for Dry/Color Treated Hair, 10 oz
- Clean + Simple Flexible Hold Hairspray, Non-Aerosol, 8.5 oz

image: press release

Weekend Beauty Reads From The Beauty Blog Network

Phyrra introduces you to a new company, Black Rose Minerals.

Sheila from Painted Ladies breaks down how to wear orange lipstick without making you feel like a clown!

A Touch of Blusher rounds up spring 2011's makeup trends.

The Makeup Divas is having a giveaway. Check it out and enter HERE.

What makes someone a professional? Jeweled Thumb discusses the creative fields in her post 'Pro Or No'.

Cinnamon Kitten checks out the bunny ears on the new Playboy fragrances for women.

Product News: Lavanila Laboratories I Love Lavanila gift set

Brand: Lavanila Laboratories
Name: I Love Lavanila gift set
Size: n/a
Price: $49.50 USD

Who doesn't like a good gift set? Especially one that provides some great, portable products for the girl on the go. And I LOVE the scent of these!

Each I Love Lavanila gift set includes (all in portable sizes):
- The Healthy Fragrance
- Healthy Body Butter
- Healthy Deodorant

And all the products featured in the gift set are free of petrochemicals, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oils, silicones, synthetic dyes, sulfates and parabens.

Available in 2 yummy scents:
- Pure Vanilla
- Vanilla Grapefruit

image: press release

Looking forward to 2011

Now that January is over, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about things I'd like to do on Cinnamon Kitten - things that, I hope, will make this blog even better.

When I started this little blog 4 years ago (WOW), it was just a place for me to run a few product reviews, meet some fellow beauty-product lovers and just really, gab about beauty in general. Never did I ever dream that it would still be going strong several years later! During that time I've met lots of great people, refined my blogging style, learned TONS about the beauty industry and had a huge amount of fun.

So, for 2011, one of my goals is to make this blog even better. I've kind of slacked off the past couple of months, spending more time focusing on relaxing and recharging, and now I'm really re-energized to improve and grow Cinnamon Kitten.

What's in store? Well, I've already launched the new colour scheme (you noticed that, right?), but more importantly, I'm hoping to increase the content on the blog. So, on top of the product reviews you've come to expect, there will be more Product News (to replace the NEW Products posts), expert advice, interviews with people in the beauty industry and more contests! I'm also working on a way for you to easily search through all of the past product reviews (more on that soon!)

I hope you like it and I want to hear from you! This blog wouldn't exist if not for all my lovely readers, so help me spread the word about Cinnamon Kitten! Or if you have any suggestions, questions, comments or want to do a guest product review, shoot me an email (cinnamonkitten@gmail.com) - I'd love to hear from you!