Oh My Mina
No one that reads me will deny that I love me some makeup. I am not the die-hard all natural ingredient seeker that I should be. Some things, like shampoo and conditioner, I'm a stickler for. Other things not so much. What I DO require, however, is that they at least don't try to lie to me about it. That being said, I'm not going to publish this review and represent that I believe that any of the SeneGence products in this article are amazingly natural or better than other options out there. This review is going to sing praises on what works, and beat the hell out of a few things that didn't. But by the time I'm done, I want you to know Mina, my rep. First, Mina sent me 4 items: Ooops Remover, Fooops! Remover, SeneDerm Detoxifying and Moisturizing Mask, and LashSense mascara. Some of these products, she hadn't tried for herself at the time she sent them. I have to be totally honest here and tell you Mina has been waiting a LONG time for her reviews. She sent the items in the heart of my being bogged down with a lot of things, and where she should have been obnoxious- she wasn't. I explained to her that I planned on taking a little longer because I wanted to really test out the detox mask long term. What Mina didn't know- and what only a few people knew- was that I was having some major health issues this past month and I'd come to find out I was pregnant- right before I had another miscarriage. Needless to say, my hormones have been whirling. It's hard to judge the integrity of your skin- and moreso the efficacy of a skin product while your skin is doing some crazy stuff. I had learned I was pregnant right after Thanksgiving and was having much associated pain in my back and belly- a pretty good indication based on my pregnancy history that this guy wasn't going to stick. Over the last week or so, I've been just getting my bearings back after that loss. But this blog isn't about that, and I don't want to make it that. I just had to take even more time than expected to really give Mina what she deserved. And she sat and waited patiently. I can't thank her enough for not pushing during a time not many people (including her) knew what was really going on with me. Mina does know that this review isn't going to be a happy screamer for a few products- she expects it, and again, she took my news in stride. One thing I can't stand about doing reviews is being the one to tell someone that their baby is ugly. Many MLMers are completely brainwashed into thinking their thing is better than all things and you're not human if you think otherwise. Not Mina. But let's start with the box. Mina sent the items in a box with an outline of each product. They had a photo and instructions on how to use each one. She also included a toy crown for me. Because she must have known that I needed to feel like a princess. Thanks girl. I put it on and laughed at myself before my boys took it away from me and proceeded to make the dogs and cats wear it. Sorry, I don't think it made it. But it was a cute touch. The first item, the Ooops! Remover- this isn't going to be a review of Oops! because I've already reviewed Ooops! before. This, once again is a review of Mina. In passing, I had mentioned to her that I really liked it. I got one with my LipSense that I did the last review of. What I DID NOT know (and probably should have guessed) is that the wand would remove color- hence transferring color to the tube of remover and tinting it red. Mina claimed that it may make the remover less powerful, and insisted on sending me another just so I'd have a clean and fresh tube. She also explained how she uses a finger or a swab to rub the remover on her lips to preserve the clear fluid. You can grab Ooops! for $10 from Mina. Critics of this remover for whatever reason like using other things- baby wipes, soap and water, baby oil. Sure, there are things that will remove LipSense (anything oil based will do the trick- don't eat chicken wings while wearing LipSense) but you know what? What's easier to carry? A tube of remover or a bottle of olive oil? I'd rather just use the remover. Baby wipes and anything that require scrubbing and pulling is never a good idea. Facial and lip skin is delicate. I'm all about the gentle wipe away. This stuff does it. But the fact that Mina wanted me to have a better experience and invested a little extra to ensure that spoke volumes to me, and is noted. This chick cares. She'll be happy to learn that my tube of Ooops! is half full and still crystal clear. Next, she gave me Fooops! Remover. Fooops is a oil based makeup remover for your whole face. Now I'm not a super fan of oil based removers, but they're excellent for removing waterproof makeup and yes... eyelash extensions. I had some cakey glue from my extensions, and I wanted to remove it. I rubbed on some Fooops! and let it sit for about 20 minutes and it loosened the glue just long enough for me to gently rub it off. This stuff is great. Expensive a bit for a little bottle, but a little bit goes a long way. It will also take off the LipSense. So you don't have to shell out for Ooops! and Fooops! If you have to get one, get the Fooops! Fooops! sells for $20. She also sent LashSense waterproof mascara. This product retails for $25 and I have to tell you that my issue with this product is the wand, all day. I can't get this stuff do go on without clumping because the wand isn't a very good one. It's very much like the wands you'd get at Sephora to test a mascara and throw the wand in the trash. I'd like to see this company make a fuller, fluffier brush to distribute the mascara more evenly. I'm going to test it out at some point with my favorite mascara wand and see if there's any difference. What I discover I could use this for is to cover the pesky grays at the base of my bangs (think X-men Rogue stripe) that grow in like weeds. This stuff covers well, and I can comb it through with an eyelash comb. It stays, doesn't transfer or smudge. I assume that means it would work well too- if I could get the damn brush I wanted. For the $25 this mascara retails for, I feel this one is a loss for SeneGence. The last item she sent was the SeneGence Detoxifying and Moisturizing Clay Mask. This product retails for $50 and I couldn't figure out why. The main ingredients are Kaolin and water. Many masks are on the market with those two main ingredients for a fraction of the cost. This also contains glycerine and vegetable oil. Neither of these products are either rare or hard to find- meaning they aren't expensive. My biggest challenge with this product isn't that it doesn't do what it says it will. After using it twice a week for a month, I can say that it's not bad. But at $50, SeneGence hit their heads. Take a screen shot of the ingredient list and walk into WalMart and have fun. Guaranteed, you can buy a brand name mask with similar ingredients for much, much less. Kaolin is a wonderful thing. One of my favorite things. But unless this kaolin comes from clay formed with unicorn tears falling on diamond dirt- I'm voting no here. But Mina- God I love Mina. When I told her all of this, she laughed. I can appreciate a person that can laugh at the ugly baby with me. This chick is cool. So as much as I want to make this review all about the products, it's really just about Mina for me. SeneGence, you get a good chunk of my money. I love LipSense and ShadowSense. But you need to change a bunch of things- just don't change Mina. I really love this girl for all the extra care she takes in her work, how knowledgeable she is, and how patient she can be. She's generous and kind- and you know what? That's pretty rare in an MLM distributor anymore. Thanks, Mina. If you're looking for products- go see my girl. She's a doll. HERE is her group link. Tell her I sent you.