Project 4: Kellogg's™ Disney Pixar Finding Nemo fruit flavored snacks

A few days ago I received a package from my girlfriend from America. In this package there was a relative big box with a Disney logo, from Kellogg. In Germany, Kellogg is only known as a company producing cornflakes. However in America the product range is way greater, including those Kellogg's Fruit Flavored Snacks.

Producer: Kellogg
Product: Disney Pixar Finding Nemo fruit flavored snacks

Price: ??

As mentioned before, the cardboard box has a cute Finding Nemo theme. In the box there are 10 snack packs each 80 kcal worth, containing character shaped gummies, which consist of artificial and non-artificial flavors and a lot vitamin C according to the producer. The box states that there are 6 different Finding Nemo characters [Nemo, Bruce, Dory, Pearl, Crush, and Martin] and 4 different flavors [strawberry, grape, orange, and cherry].

On the back there are different search and find games which look rather pretty and colorful. I assume they were made for young kids. On the boxes inside one can find the solutions to those games. The snack packs are designed after Finding Nemo and they look really cute. However, the nutrition facts can’t be found on them, which I assume is okay because they aren’t to be sold individually and the facts can be found on the big box.

It was really easy to open the pack because the edge of the pack is cut in a bit. In the pack I picked, are 9 gummies: 2 Martin, 2 Nemo, 3 Doris, 1 Crush and 1 Pearl. The selection seems to be random so you might not always get all 6 characters in one pack. The deep sea-inhabitants have a pleasant, sweet smell. I picked Martin and Nemo for my first trial. Their texture is firm; however feel really soft in my mouth. Although both fish have a really intense orange color I couldn’t make out an intense fruit flavor, at most I was able to taste a bit of orange. Unfortunately the same applied to Doris, dark green colored, I’m assuming it might have been cherry flavor and the dark-red Pearl might be strawberry flavor. Crush’s flavor remained a mystery to me; the missing flavor however would be grape.

As cute and as appealing those deep sea-inhabitants may be, their flavor is artificial at most or rather hard to notice at all. The amount of 9 wasn’t enough for me, however as snack, it is okay, and the idea behind it might be to have a low calorie snack in case you want to have a few gummies. What a pity! I was hoping for more from the looks of those cute fruit flavored snacks.

Project 3: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain 35 Blushing

For today’s product test I am going to review the Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain. I had my eyes on a new kind of lipstick after I saw the ad on Maybelline’s homepage. Since the lip-gloss I was using before almost ran out, I decided to go to a drug store to buy this new lipstick a few months ago.

Maybelline is a cosmetics company and has sold its products all over Germany for many years now. they sell concealer, rogue, eye-shadow, mascara, nail polish, and lip gloss – or to put it simply: everything a woman needs to look beautiful. It didn't take me long to find the lipstain as it is sold in a wide variety of drug stores and supermarkets. This particular product comes in ten different colors: 5 In the Buff, 15 Wink of Pink, 25 Feelin' Rosy, 35 Blushing, 45 Bitten Berry, 55 Plum Flushed, 65 Cranberry Crush, 75 Cherry Pop, 85 Bit of Brown, and 95 Touch of Toffee. I was looking for a color which is not too light and not too dark either, so I decided on 35 Blushing.

Brand: Maybelline
Product: Color Sensational Lipstain - 35 Blushing
Price: About 10€ on Amazon [$5.50 at Walmart and 7.49 USD pretty much everywhere else]

Description: “SHEER WASH OF COLOR Fresh, barely-there feel 10 tempting shades“ [Quote: Maybelline]
Usage: As needed

The Lipstain’s price is about average, meaning lipsticks and lip-gloss of rival companies (e. g. L’oréal, Manhatten) range between 8 and 12 Euro as well. The product is about 11,5 cm tall and 1,5cm wide. Its design reminds me of a marker, which seems to support the product’s name pretty well.  The cover can be easily removed unless your hands are sweaty or wet due to the glossy, plastic cap. Given you managed to remove the cap, you will instantly notice a sweet and fruity smell.

In my opinion the tip of lipstain is just the right size and is neither too hard nor too soft. Because of that I’m able to apply the lipstain very easily and accurately. The lipstick is pretty much applied as if you would draw out a picture, the lipstain lies in one’s hand like a regular marker. I really like the applicator because it enables you to regulate how much of the  product you want to apply which is not always the case with some lip glosses.

At first glance the color seems darker on the lips then on the products cap. However if you hold the cap next to your lips and compare the colors, it appears to match quite nicely [see image below].

After applying the Color Sensational Lipstain, I felt as if I hadn't applied anything to my lips - which supports the company's claim.  At first this feeling would make me leave the house and think that I really forgot to put lipstick on. However, by looking in the mirror, one can tell that there is actually something applied.

The product leaves a very natural look and thus the lips don’t shine or look greasy.  Even when drinking from a white cup or kissing someone, there aren’t any traces left behind. The lipstain is tasteless and is based on water based pigments.  It isn’t one of those lipsticks which lasts all day. After several hours [depending on what you do] the lipstick vanishes and you’ll need to reapply it. I don’t see this attribute as a problem, because I would expect something like this from a lipstick looking this natural

My conclusion about this product: The Maybelline Lipstain was able to satisfy me completely. It makes your lips look natural but with an intense color. It is easy to apply and to remove. Only point to criticize: From my experience, I had to store the lipstain in a standing position, with the cap facing upwards - otherwise it tends to dry up.  This made me believe that the lipstick was empty after a few weeks. Luckily that wasn’t the case and after storing it away as described, it is working very well.

Tested by Sekai

Project 2: AOK Pur Balance Porenverfeinernde Waschcreme für reine Haut ab 20

I got my first AOK product [AOK First Beauty Feuchtigkeitsfluid für Tag & Nacht] roughly 10 years ago. It was given out as a trial product during one of the AOK campaigns. Not only was that campaign customer-friendly, I also thought the product worked really nicely. Although I know that many products end up being discontinued, I assumed the facial wash was still around.  So I went to one of the local supermarkets to buy another bottle to do something about my unclear skin.

When I arrived at the supermarket, I went over to the cosmetics department and discovered that the AOK products were still around; however their products changed.  AOK now offers 3 different product choices - Pur Beauty, Pur Balance, and Bio Expert. My skin is categorized as a combination of dry and oily. After a bit of thinking I decided to go for Pur Balance - It was designed for people over 20, wishing for clean, clear, and smooth skin. There are 12 products such as facial tonic, cleaning pads, vanishing crème and peelings under the Pur Balance line. I decided to buy the Porenverfeinernde Waschcreme [face wash which is supposed to refine your pores] because it is supposed to remove make-up traces as well as help to improve your skin appearance.

Brand: AOK

Product: AOK Pur Balance Porenverfeinernde Waschcreme 150ml

Price: About 4,95€ [$7 USD] (e.g. Rossmann)

Description: Acne and enlarged pores after your teenager days? That doesn’t have to be the case. Pur Balance Porenverfeinernde Waschcreme: clears and cleanses the skin thoroughly from Make-up-traces and dirt, keeps the skin’s moisture balance and refines the pores. What is going to be leftover: a natural clean and fresh complexion and a harmonious skin structure.“ [Quote: AOK, Loosely Translated]

Daily Use: In the morning and in the evening; apply to your moistened face, gently rub into a lather, and thoroughly rinse off with water.

In the beginning I thought the price was a little high for a bottle of 150ml. However when I checked various websites, I found out that the product is said to be very abundant which is why I decided to buy it regardless. I tested the wash for several weeks and here are my impressions of it:

When I first used the face wash, I immediately noticed that the usage is super simple, the crème smells really nice and as mentioned before, you only have to use a very small amount each cleansing.

After washing my face, it didn’t feel swollen or irritated. [However, I would suggest not using the product around your eyes.] Personally, I found that my skin felt a bit dry after using the crème, which is why I tend to apply an AOK Pur Balance moisturizer after washing my face.

Result: The AOK Porenverfeinernde Waschcreme is not a miracle cure against unclear skin which helps to improve your skin texture over night [or even weeks]. However, while I was using it I felt like my skin appearance slowly improved.

Tested by Sekai

Project 1: L'Oréal Paris - Go 360° Clean Facial Cleanser

Over the years I've tried various facial cleansers.  Most of them would dry my skin out even when used sparingly.  About 2 months ago, I was in the store and I happened to see a new skincare product from L'Oréal Paris.  At first I didn't want to bother to try it because I figured it would be much like the rest of them - either too strong or not strong enough.  After seeing that this product was available in several varieties and came with a soft, colorful scrublet, I couldn't resist.

Product: L'Oréal Paris Go 360° Clean Facial Cleanser with Scrublet
Product Type: Cosmetic Hygiene
Variety: Anti-Breakout Cleanser, Deep Facial Cleanser [Sensitive Skin], Deep Exfoliating Scrub, Deep Cream Cleanser, Deep Facial Cleanser
Cost: About $7 USD - I purchased mine from Kmart

Welcome!

Hiya everyone!

For the longest time I've been wanting to start a [serious] blog but I wasn't sure what I wanted to blog about.  I've recently been chatting with Sekai about various products that I wanted to try or test out.  That is how we came up with the idea to start a blog which has a thorough explanation of the products we will be trying and the results which accompany the experiments that we do.

Hopefully it'll be a successful and informative blog for me and my future readers.

Rin