Garnier Skin Care - SkinActive Product Party

Prior to this product sampling, I only associated Garnier with hair care. But now I know that Garnier cares just as much about my skin as it does about my hair. I have been learning about these products on Crowdtap for the past couple of months, but it's one thing to learn about something online and another thing to actually try it and see how it works for me and my unique body chemistry.  This sampling was different from others that I've done in the past, because not only did I receive samples for myself, but enough to throw a party and share this product with my friends. The products that we were asked to sample were Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Waterproof, and Garnier Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15.

Garnier's Micellar Cleansing waters are formulated with a relatively new Micellar technology - the science behind the cleansing water. As you gently clean your face with a moistened cotton pad it is supposed to attract dirt (including makeup) and oil kind of like a magnet and draw it off of your face without any rubbing. You don't even have to rinse it off because all the dirt is supposed to stay on the cotton pad and leave your face clean.

Garnier's Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15 is not just another moisturizer. It absorbs into your skin quickly and its ingredients both nourish and protect your skin. It also has exfoliating ingredients that smooth out your skin and help reduce wrinkles.

I used the products myself for about a week-and-a-half before our sample party so I would be familiar with them and be able to teach my friends how to use them and share with them how I felt about the products before they used them. I found that the products were both easy to use, and I loved how well the normal Micellar Cleansing Water removed makeup and how the Clearly Brighter Moisturizer made my skin feel.  But more about that a little later, now we'll talk about the party.

Prior to the sample party, I dressed up the samples a bit and set up our work space:

After my friends arrived, I introduced the products and explained the product basics that I shared above. Also, to help explain how the Micellar Cleansing Water worked, I had my friends watch a short video clip which showed and explained the simple technique that we were going to be trying.

Next we tried Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water, choosing either the normal or the waterproof version depending on what type of makeup we were wearing. My friend Laurie and I both took before and after photos - one with all of our makeup on, and one with half of our makeup taken off.

After we took the rest of our makeup off, I took a picture of the cotton pads that I used to remove my makeup. I know they're unsightly, but the bottom four show the makeup that came off at first, and the top one shows how little residue was left when I went over it one more time. It's amazing to me that one cleansing pad saturated with Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water can be so effective. My friends were all amazed how well the product worked and how clean their faces felt afterwards.

After all our faces were clean we applied Garnier's Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15. Everyone liked how well it absorbed into the skin and how it didn't detract from the clean feeling that was left after we had cleaned our faces.  One friend in particular said that after only one use she already liked Garnier's Clearly Brighter Moisturizer better than the product that she had been using for years.

To finish off our gathering, we enjoyed some refreshments and talked about our experience.  Our party included different age groups - early 20s, late 20s, early 30s, and 60s. We all liked both of the products - although there was some differing opinion when it came to the normal versus waterproof Micellar Cleansing Water.  I personally didn't care for the slightly greasy residue left behind by the waterproof variety - and any time I use it I rinse my face afterwards to remove the residue. However, I had at least one friend that preferred the way that her face felt with the waterproof variety over the normal. Several people commented that they really enjoyed the convenience of not having to rinse their face after cleaning their faces. They also liked that the formula is gentle enough for sensitive skin and that their faces didn't feel dried out after using it.  There wasn't as much discussion about the Clearly Brighter Moisturizer, but everybody agreed that it is nice to have a combined moisturizer and sunscreen so you don't have to remember or take the time to put on a second product.

Overall, we all enjoyed the party, enjoyed the product and left with clean, refreshed faces ready to face another day protected from the dry winter air and the strong sun of the mountain west.

Now for my observations and feedback from using these products for the past couple of weeks. First of all, I think that Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is the best makeup remover that I have ever used.  It does an excellent job removing all the residual makeup that other products have left behind in the past. However, I have a really hard time not rinsing my face afterwards. There is a small residue left behind that slightly irritates my sensitive skin, but all I have to do to remedy that is to rinse my face quickly after I've cleaned my face.  I also don't care as much for the waterproof variety as I already mentioned above.  I also had to deal with a hormonal break-out the first week that I tried this product, and I was impressed with how quickly the Micellar Cleansing Water helped clear up my face.  It seemed to help my face heal quickly and that is something that is greatly appreciated.

Next is my view of Garnier's Clearly Brighter Moisturizer. When I first started using this product I wasn't sure how a moisturizer could also exfoliate my skin, and a couple weeks later I still don't know how it works, but I know that it does.  I started this sample with a slight tan left over from the fall soccer season, but now, only a couple of weeks later, it is gone.  I have another face wash with an exfoliater that I use regularly and I would have thought that using it for the past couple of months would have already removed my tan, but Garnier's Clearly Brighter Moisturizer took care of it in only about a week-and-a-half.  I also really like how quickly it absorbs into my skin and that it doesn't leave my face feeling greasy, like other products containing sunscreen usually do. My makeup goes on well on top of it and it keeps my skin feeling moisturized all day long.

I really enjoyed being able to sample these products from Garnier's SkinActive Product Line, and being able to share these products with my friends - both those who were able to attend my party and those who weren't. I have even been able to find Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water at my local WalMart already, so I know were to find a replacement when my sample is used up.  Thank you Crowdtap and Garnier for this opportunity.


**The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Product samples and program incentives were received as compensation for this product review. Product testing and review were performed in compliance with guidelines provided by Crowdtap and Garnier.**

My Little Pony PLAYSKOOL Friends

"My little pony, my little pony . . . " The theme song for this TV show - both the original from my childhood, and the slightly modified song for the new one - starts running through my mind every time I see these cute little toys around my house. Both of my girls love these toys and we all really enjoyed having the opportunity to sample the PLAYSKOOL Friends My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus and Figure 2-Pack.

I remember both watching the TV show, and having My Little Ponies toys when I was a child, so I was super excited when my daughter discovered the new My Little Ponies show. I think that this was one reason why the PLAYSKOOL Friends My Little Pony toys were right up our alley.  First of all, these toys, both the Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus and the Figure 2-Pack were labeled as being for children aged 18 months and up.  My youngest daughter, R, is on the younger end of this age group and my older daughter, M, is 3. While they both like playing with these ponies, they fit R a little bit more, since they fit well in her smaller hands, and because she really likes putting things in and taking them back out of places.

Little R also got really excited when she discovered that she could push the button on the front of the bus and the door would open.  She also likes moving the sign open and closed, but doesn't really pay much attention to the spinning picture on the side.

Little M, on the other hand, really likes taking the "school bus" as she calls it, and driving the ponies around the house.  She knows who Rainbow Dash is from the TV show and she prefers her over the other two ponies, Moon Dancer and Minty. M will also make up stories about where the ponies are going and what they do once they get there. The girls also like playing together with these toys and it's fun watching M give R instructions as she explains to her little sister what the ponies are doing in her imagination.

Last week we also had the girls' cousin, E, come over for a play date.  E is about R's age and she loves ponies too.  She has the Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus at her house, as well as a My Little Pony Castle, so when she came to play she brought her castle and her ponies too so they could all play together.

While the girls played, I noticed one thing right off. The music that the castle played was a big draw and at first that's all that the girls wanted to play with, but it wasn't long before the novelty of the music and the castle wore off and both E and R went back to playing with the bus, while M could have just played with the castle the whole time.

During their play date it was fun watching all three girls load and unload the bus, drive it around, and take turns with both the bus and the castle. We (the moms) had to step in a couple of times to encourage sharing, but that's okay because kids occasionally need guidance when learning how to share. I especially enjoyed it when big brother, O, came upstairs and decided that he wanted to play too. I guess pony time and sharing is just contagious.

Overall, I was very impressed with the PLAYSKOOL Friends My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Friendship Bus and Figures. My girls (and boy) have really enjoyed playing with them. The pony figures are perfect for little hands and they don't have the crazy hair to get all tangled up when the girls play with them.  The bus is well built and has already held up well to all of the play time that it has experienced. It is easy enough for small children to understand how it works and to push around. It's also not very big, which is nice when it comes to minimizing the toy pile in my daughters' rooms. I hope that PLAYSKOOL continues to make more PLAYSKOOL Friends My Little Pony products because they will definitely be a welcome addition to play time at our house.

**The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Product samples and program incentives were received as compensation for this product review. Product testing and review were performed in compliance with guidelines provided by Crowdtap and the PlayskoolCrew.**