Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer Review
The best investment a company can ever make is to put out trial size bottles of their product.
Seriously, without a small, trial size of this moisturizer, I would have never bought a whole 3 oz. tube and I’m in love with it now! As I mentioned, I BOUGHT this product – and I bought the trial size, too, so this is not something I was sent and felt obligated to review. Nope, I love this product, and now that I’ve been using it for a while I’ve decided to share with you my morning burst hydrating gel moisturizer review. If you’re anything like me, you may never have heard of gel moisturizer – I hadn’t before I saw this product.
I’m a sucker for the travel size bins at the store. Besides the fact that I do travel a few times a year and have legitimate use for small containers of product, I’m cheap. I hate spending full price on a bottle of product (whether it’s a lotion, facial wash, makeup, what have you) only to find in the first use that the claims are bogus, or it’s just not working for my particular need.
The Back-story
I’ve mentioned before that I have combination skin, which means dry next to oily areas, and it sucks hard. Most of the time, the oil is easy to control with some blotting paper, but the dryness is awful and flaky when really bad. I also hate heavy moisturizers. It seems, in my quest for a really good moisturizer, that all I come across is thick lotions that feel like they’re sitting on top of my face, and I can’t stand that feeling! It’s one of the same reasons I don’t wear foundation on a regular basis because I prefer a natural feel. But my natural look? A little rough around the edges for public consumption! In the past I’ve tried Ponds, C.O. Bigelow products, Bath & Body Works, Simple, Aveno, a litany of store brands, and many more. Heck, this isn’t even the first time I’ve tried a moisturizing product from Clean & Clear! So far, I was most happy with Meaningful Beauty’s Creme de Serum, but I needed a slightly more economical option.
The Results
A dollop of the gel in my hand.
This is perfect – it’s very light on my skin and truly doesn’t feel oily or greasy. It’s absorbed quickly and I don’t mind using it daily since it is so light. I could tell when I first smelled it that the main scent was cucumber, but there’s something more fruity than just cucumber. Upon doing some research (i.e. reading the back) I come to find that it’s green mango. If you’ve ever smelled the Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon products, it’s very similar but not quite as sweet as theirs… more crisp. It definitely smells nice when I put it on in the morning and helps wake me up just a little bit. I’m so glad I was able to try a little bit before purchasing as I’m not sure if this is something I’d have tried had I had to pay for it. It’s not overly expensive (Drugstore.com also carries the Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer for $5.94) and a little goes a long way.
From the package:
This ultra-lightweight, non-greasy facial moisturizer wakes you up and leaves skin feeling immediately replenished. It’s formulated with water, not oil, and contains a unique blend of cucumber and green mango extracts, so your skin is left feeling clean and refreshed.
100% of that is true, in my opinion. It’s short, sweet, and really gets to the point of why this is a fantastic product. Troll your local drugstore or big box store’s travel sized items section the next time you’re there and see if you can find a small tube to try for yourself. If you have skin like mine but hate the super thick, oily moisturizers that tend to populate the shelves, you won’t be disappointed. Paired with my Yes to Cucumbers Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes, these make for a pleasant morning routine!
Read MoreA Beautiful Birthday to Me!
Happy Belated Birthday to me! For my birthday this year, I finally did something I’d been wanting to do for a long time – I got mah hair did. I had won a gift card to the salon where a friend works that I hadn’t used yet, so I put it towards making a dramatic change to ring in turning 33. This is the picture my stylist took before and after. Holy crap, right?! It helps the dramatic “before and after” that my hair was damp when I came in so she quickly towel dried it, hence the frizz – I swear I didn’t normally go out in public looking like that! I had an idea of what I wanted when I came in, but Kacie encouraged me to look through the Paul Mitchell color book and I picked out something not quite as in-your-face red as I’d intended. I’m glad I went this route! Seriously, I’m very thankful to my stylist Kacie Kersey at Hairlights Salon in Pleasanton, CA for this amazing transformation. Check out Kacie’s Facebook page and if you’re local, go see her!
Read MoreMy Versatile Disney Manicure
After wanting to go for years, I finally had the opportunity to take a day trip for a friend’s birthday to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco. I highly recommend it, though it’ll take longer than you think to go through it! In honor of going there I wanted to do something Disney themed. Because our 3-year old “niece” would also be coming, I wanted to do something simple that would evoke Minnie Mouse, I decided on a Disney manicure. It evolved a few times, and ended up being one of my most ambitious manicures to date, involving new (to me) techniques and some on-the-fly Imagineering.
Read MoreVouch for my Expertise: Utilizing Affiliate Manager Relationships
Photo Courtesy of Affiliate Summit
For the first time ever, I submitted a solo speaker proposal for Affiliate Summit. I’ve spoken on 5 panels in the past, all of which were terrific experiences. For Affiliate Summit East 2014, coming up in August back in New York City, I decided that I’d dip my toe into the solo speaking with an Ask the Experts round table discussion proposal.
You can vote for it here: Utilizing Affiliate Manager Relationships
Whenever affiliates ask me for advice, I always recommend creating a good relationship with their affiliate manager. I think there is endless possibility to grow your business when you take advantage of someone who has expertise that you don’t have. This goes for any person, but it’s the most accessible for affiliates to reach out to an affiliate manager. There’s nothing a good affiliate manager wants more than to make a connection with an affiliate, so why more affiliates don’t take advantage of good managers who work with the merchants day in and day out is beyond me.
Why Should You Vote For Me?
I have been an affiliate manager since late 2006, managing a variety of programs in different niches. I’ve been both an in-house manager working for the merchant and an outsourced program manager working for a third party agency. I have been a speaker at marketing conferences in the past, as well as contributing many guest articles for industry-leading publications like FeedFront Magazine, Marketing Pilgrim, and others. I know what I’m talking about, I promise 🙂
Take Action
Please do me the favor and vote for my proposal. You will have to register for the site in order to vote, but it’s a very quick registration process so please don’t let that deter you! Voting closes on March 14th, so be sure to vote before then. Speakers at Affiliate Summit are based on this voting process, so your vote for my proposal definitely makes a difference. If you haven’t already, you can also register for Affiliate Summit East 2014, taking place August 10-12 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
I’m very happy to report that, as of last night, my submission is among the most popular, so thank you to those that voted already. I’m looking forward to making a return to being a speaker at summit after a few Summits off. If you’ve already voted, please do me a favor and share the link with your audience for more votes! Thank you!
Read MoreLoving the Flexibility of Julep Maven
Did you know that Julep sells more than nail polish? I didn’t until I signed up for the Maven subscription and explored the store a little more. After two great boxes (my intro and February box) with great polishes that I still haven’t used, when I got the email to customize my March box, I looked around to see what else I could get in my box besides nail polish.
I went with the March Modern Beauty Box. Included in the box, which arrived promptly on Monday the 3rd, was the Julep Buff Lip Scrub, the Julep Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment, and a Cinnamon Gilliam Stick Candy. I wasn’t expecting the candy, and since I don’t care for cinnamon candy, it was a nice gesture but one I won’t be taking advantage of.
Unlike the nail polishes, I was able to use these right away! I’ve had a scruby lip balm before that I liked, but lost, so the Buff Lip Scrub was terrific. I immediately followed it up with an application of the Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment, and my lips feel phenomenal. I usually wake up with dry lips, even if I slather on a coat of my trusty candy cane (peppermint) ChapStick before bed, and this definitely solved that.
It’s something you don’t think of much – skincare for your lips – perhaps beyond the very simple application of ChapStick. Both have terrific sweetness and subtle flavors, different than each other but strangely complimentary. The Buff Lip Scrub is somewhat tropical in feel/flavor and the conditioning treatment is almost like slathering sugar cookie dough on your lips. Very aromatic and lovely.
Through March 31st, you can save on these great products AND the Julep Riviera Collection lip balms too!
- You can save 35% off the Luxury Lipcare duo with code LIP35
- Get an extra 25% off Julep Lip Gloss with code GLOSS25
Remember there’s only one use per customer, per code so order wisely! Are you a Julep Maven yet? If not, why not? I am here to answer any questions you have about the wonders of being a Julep Maven!
Read MoreHappy Birthday Tiny Prints!
If you’re anything like me, you love to see your photographs shared with family, friends, and everyone! Sometimes there’s just nothing better than to see a photo you took in print. I love Tiny Prints for combining designers more talented than I am with my cherished photos for announcements, invitations, and holiday cards.
Today is the last day to save during Tiny Prints’ best sale of the entire year. Their birthday is this week and from now through March 4 (yes, today!), they are giving you the gift of 30% off everything. There has literally never been a better time to order with this kind of sale at your disposal.
Tiny Prints is the industry leader when it comes to personalized stationery, photo gifts, and more. Whether you need birth announcements, graduation party or baby shower invitations, photo iPad cases or notebooks, and any of your personalized stationery needs, Tiny Prints has it all. Their designs are spectacular and fresh – the kind of invitations or cards that make the recipient go “Wow!” when they open the envelope.
All of their products are customized to your needs. You choose the photos and text to add to their awesome designs and then…you impress the recipients.
Oh and the part about there never being a better time? Totally true since this is their best sale of the year.
Visit them now (the sale ends tonight at 11:59pm Pacific Time) and choose from any of their products and when you check out, use the promo code BDAY10 to save 30%.
Happy Shopping!
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