Review: DevaCurl Ulta Defining Gel

Hello curlies!

I've got a review of a relatively new DevaCurl product. DevaCurl is a company that makes higher end sulfate free and silicone free products with curly hair in mind. Their founder, Lorraine Massey, wrote a really influential book on curly hair care, Curly Girl. In 2011, she followed it up with Curly Girl: The Handbook. Even though pretty much all of the info in those books can be found online, I still think they're worthwhile reads!

Anyway, so in years past, the Deva line included two gels: Deva Angel and Deva ArcAngel. Angel was the lighthold gel, and ArcAngel was a stronger hold. ArcAngel stayed ArcAngel, but Angel became DevaCurl Light Defining Gel.  Then, DevaCurl added a gel with intermediate hold in between these two.  The intermediate holding gel is the DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel. Got all that?

I had tried Angel and ArcAngel in the past. I remember feeling that Angel did not have enough hold for me, and ArcAngel made my hair too stringy.  So with their light hold gel not being enough and their hard hold maybe being a bit too much, I thought, hey, this intermediate gel sounds pretty promising.

Front of the Bottle

Ingredients (you can click to enlarge!)

The packaging is just like almost every other DevaCurl product: green with swirls. Make sure to check that you're looking at the Ultra Defining Gel if you're interested in this level of hold in particular. It would be easy to grab the wrong bottle!

The gel is Curly Girl method friendly, meaning there are no silicones (or sulfates).  It's a water-based gel but it has a lot of glycerin, so you might want to save this for spring/summer/fall if you live in a particularly dry winter climate (dew points regularly below 20).  You can read all about why I say that here!

The important thing to note about the ingredients is that this does have a hefty amount of protein.  If you have coarse hair, you might want to be wary of this product unless you're confident that your hair likes some protein.  If you have fine hair like me though, this is nothing but good news!  Fine hair generally takes protein very well.

This gel is scented, but I find it to be a very pleasant scent and it does not linger on me.

Here is what the gel looks like.  You can really see that water base when it sits in my hand and warms up for a few seconds.  Obviously, it's a clear gel with some body to it, but it easily spreads across your hands, which is important to me because I want a gel to be able to spread easily across my wet hair strands to get even distribution.

I applied this gel using the Squish to Condish method, where I get my hair super saturated with conditioner and water, then scrunch in a gel to this sopping wet hair while still in the shower.  I found that it distributed really well. 

Here are the results.  I love the shine that this gives me.

I was really happy with how this turned out.  So were there any negatives?

My one possible complaint is that by the end of the day, I did have a tiny bit of surface frizz.  I could pretty easily smooth it down with some water/conditioner, though.  So if you're prone to your curl tightness failing throughout the day, you might want to try something with more hold.

One issue I have with this product is the claim from the Deva website that "As it dries, Ultra Defining Gel forms a moisture-protective cast to enhance curls."  I did not find this to be the case.  If I read that a product is going to form a cast over my curls, I expect a true crunchy cast that I need to scrunch to release.  This gel didn't do this to me (at least in the nickle sized amounts I've been using).  It did have a noticeable hold, but it wasn't like Kinky Curly Curling Custard level of cast-formation. So that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your own personal preferences.

All in all, I'm happy with this gel and I'll keep it in my rotation.  Check it out on Amazon, which usually has it for around $2-4 less than in stores.

Worth the Splurge: Clarisonic Mia 2 Skin Cleanser Review

There are some products that are expensive but easily replaced by a comparable drug store product.  This is not one of those products!

I'm talking about the Clarisonic Mia 2.  For years, I held off from purchasing (first the original Clarisonic, then the Mia, and then the Mia 2...), reading great review after great review for this little device.  I tried the cheaper Olay version and wasn't impressed.  I sunk more money into products promising to do what the Mia promises to do: gently exfoliate, shrink pores, clear out acne, and leave your skin soft and bright.

Then I realized, what am I doing?! With all the money I've spent on this cleanser and that mask, I could've just bought the darn Mia by now!

So ladies, I'm here to tell you the Clarisonic Mia 2 is truly worth the splurge.

This image makes me want a fruity drink

First off, what's the difference between the Mia and the Mia 2?  The Mia 2 has features that were originally only available in the full size Clarisonic cleanser: more than one speed, a timer, and a travel case.  I could live without the timer and the travel case, to be honest, but I can't live without the two speeds.  More on that in a minute.  The Mia 2 also comes in some really cute colors.

I've had my Mia for about 5 months.  What differences have I noticed in my skin since I began using it? The very first time I used it, I was blown away.  My skin felt so clean and I could immediately see that a lot of dead skin had come off. I have very dry, sensitive skin.  Unlike a lot of exfoliators, this one didn't leave my skin feeling tight or irritated and red.  I have large pores, and I can see a difference in the size of my pores over time for sure.  I also notice that my already infrequent acne has basically disappeared.  I get maybe one blemish a month.

You won't be able to stop touching your face! After I used it for the first week, my fiance was lovingly stroking my cheek before bed one night, and he said that my skin felt softer than it ever has and asked me if I was doing something different.  Now, I love him, but my fiance is not the most observant person on the planet.  If he noticed, there was a big difference.

How do you use it? I use it in the shower in the morning and at my sink at night.  Yes, even with my incredibly sensitive dry skin, I can use this twice a day without issue.  It's something I look forward to doing.  In the morning, I use it with Cerave Hydrating Cleanser .  I find this cleanser really hydrates my skin and preps it for my makeup by smoothing out any dry or rough patches. This cleanser is designed for sensitive skin, so it's fragrance free.  At night, I use it with Philosophy Purity Made Simple.  This stuff takes off every bit of makeup in about 30 seconds without bing stripping or drying.  The scent is very gentle and doesn't irritate.  I find that now that I'v used it at night for so long, the scent calms me and gets me in a bedtime zone!

I use the slower speed in the morning.  Why? Well, I already took my makeup off the night before.  My goal with morning cleansing is to clean off any oil or dry patches from the night of sleeping and to increase circulation to my skin.  I want a clean, smooth surface for makeup.  An unexpected result? I use less makeup.  I don't need to use very much liquid foundation at all now.  My concealer is just used for my undereyes, because I have really bad genetic dark blue undereye circles.  I find that I can get a nice smooth surface without piling on layers of makeup.

I use the faster speed at night when I really want to take my makeup off and cleanse away the day.  I find I only need about 30 seconds for the makeup to be gone, and I use it for another 30 seconds or so just because it feels good.  I then put on my moisturizer, and it's off to bed!

Brush heads.  I use the sensitive/delicate skin brush heads.  I find that they really cleanse well without being rough or irritating.  Amazon has the best price of any place I've seen because you get two in a pack.  I replace the brush head every three months.

I really can't recommend this product enough.  It's changed my skin for the better, and I don't intend to be without it ever again.  You invest hundreds of dollars into clothes and shoes, but you wear your skin every day.  That's what changed my thinking on the splurge of this product.  I have to show my skin to the public every day.  It's worth the investment.

Check it out: Clarisonic Mia 2, Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser, Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, and Replacement Brush Heads

Review: Flower Cosmetics Lip Butters

The gorgeous Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has launched her own cosmetics line with Walmart called Flower Beauty Cosmetics.  This isn't just a mini launch of a couple eyeshadows and a signature lipgloss.  The collection currently includes mascaras, foundations, nail polishes, lip sticks, lip butters, eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, cream shadows, blush, bronzer, loose powder, pressed power...you name it.  Drew Barrymore has been quoted as saying that she wants this collection to last for years so that her daughter can work on it one day.  She's in it for the long haul!

The philosophy of the line is one I think we can all get behind: the products are made in the USA, not tested on animals (though of course this doesn't mean certain ingredients weren't tested on animals because as far as I know the brand has not been labelled as completely cruelty-free), and she aims to price them so that every woman can get high end products at a low end price.

What is this collection missing? A kitchen sink. They could call it "Blossom Basin"

This was one of the displays at my Walmart.  I didn't realize until my fiancé was ready to drag me out of the store that there was also an end-cap display with more items, so I didn't snap a picture of that.  But check all around your makeup area, as there might be more stuff away from the main display.

First up for review are two lip butters that I picked up.  In the next week, I'll have a review for a blush/bronzer compact and two nail polishes, so keep an eye out for those!


These were $6.98 a piece. The closest thing that I have in my collection to compare these to are the Revlon lip butters, which in my Walmart were $6.48.

What I look for: 1) comfortable on the lips, 2) moisturizing, and 3) pigmented, 4) not so pigmented that if I take one sip of water I need to reapply because it looks uneven.  I like color without the effort of constantly checking on coverage when it comes to lip products, so I always have high hopes for lip butters.

Left to right: Flower Beauty Lip Butter (Princess and the Peony), Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Truffle)

Packaging: The packaging feels very solid, but it's also pretty bulky.  Above is a shot showing a Flower lip butter next to a Revlon lip butter.  The Flower packaging is obviously bulkier, but I still think that they would fit nicely into a small purse or clutch without trouble.  These won't fit in your pocket though. One problem I have with the packaging is that it's sort of tricky to tell what shade you're going to get when you're in the store because of the tinted cap. You have to sort of guess that you'll like the color based on the cap.  Another issue is that once you take off the label that seals the lip butter in store, you have no way of knowing what color you have because there's no marking on the packaging to tell you.  I took a sharpie and marked the bottom of mine so that I could keep them straight.  Not exactly the classiest of moves, but hey, it works.

Color Selection: There are nine shades in the lip butter line.  They all seemed to be pretty wearable, so I went with some that I felt would be a close match to my natural lip color so that I could find an everyday shade for myself.  I have pigmented lips, so this meant I ended up grabbing Haute Honeysuckle and Princess and the Peony.  Haute Honeysuckle is a peachy, "your lips but better" pink with shimmer.  Princess and the Peony is a deeper, berry toned pink with shimmer.

Haute Honeysuckle

Princess and the Peony

Scent and Taste: These both have the same floral scent.  Go figure, with their names and the fact that they are from a cosmetic company called Flower, they smell floral.  I do not taste anything when I lick my lips.

Swatches:

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken in artificial light

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken by sunny window

Application: These go on with a bit more of a grainy texture than Revlon lip butters, but I do not find this to be a bad thing.  It's very easy to get an even layer of color with these despite the little bit of grittiness.  The size of the stick is just right for giving you adequate control over where you're placing the color.

Look and Feel: I think these are perfectly pigmented for lip butters.  I find that it only takes one or two swipes over my lips to get a nice, even representation of the color.  The shimmer is not noticeable on the lips thank goodness.  They have a shinier finish than the Revlon lip butters.  They feel comfortable on the lips.  If traditional lip sticks are jeans, these are sweatpants.  They have no appreciable stickiness to them.

Staying Power: These do not transfer anywhere near as badly as my Revlon lip butters.  I can take a drink of my soda after applying and only see a faint ghost of color.  With my Revlon lip butters, I leave a noticeable mark every time.  The darker color (Princess and the Peony) transfers more than Haute Honeysuckle, but that's to be expected.  I find that they wear well throughout the day and don't become uneven.  The color just sort of fades across your lips for several hours until you are ready to reapply.  

Bottom Line: 

I think these are fantastic.  They wear well, they are pigmented, they feel comfortable on my lips despite some initial grittiness to the application, and the colors are all pretty wearable.  I would recommend picking up one of these the next time you're in Walmart.  My biggest complaints are about the packaging.  If the tube was a little slimmer, left the name of the color on there somewhere, and if you could accurately see the color in the store, these would be home runs!