Dermelect "ME" Color Nail Treatments

As I have said before on this blog, I am a HUGE fan of Dermelect products.  I pretty much credit their Launchpad basecoat and Makeover ridgefiller with saving my natural nails when I stopped using glue-ons in late 2009, and their Rejuvenail nail and cuticle treatment is my go-to cuticle cream in colder, cuticle-abusing weather.  Basically, I love them.  <3  


So, a few months ago, when I saw that they were coming out with a line of peptide-infused nail polishes, I was beyond excited.  I'd been seeing pics here and there on their Facebook page, so I patiently waited for their press release to hit my in-box.  Once it did, I absolutely loved their color range and the benefits these polishes provided.


Described as being the CURE in your Mani, the Dermelect "ME" Color Nail Treatments are the first peptide-infused color treatments for fragile, weak nails.  I think their release describes these polishes incredibly well, better than I could, so I am going to include that information in this post...

Aptly named ME, Dermelect Cosmeceuticals formulated and designed a 2-in-1 range of bright, beautiful crème shades coupled with a remarkable manicure extending formula. Infused with ProSina, a pure protein peptide extracted from New Zealand sheep’s wool, the lacquers deliver a fast drying, high gloss shine while providing an unequaled level of strength for stubborn nails to grow longer and more resistant to chipping, peeling and splitting.

The first coat instantly bonds to the nail, while the second fuses with the base coat to create a flexible web of color that resists chipping and improves brittleness (patent-pending technology). The ME colors combine fast drying, high shine, and a healthy ‘green’ dose of vitamins, peptides, and moisture, offering a colorful solution to the contemporary woman’s beauty concern—aging hands and nails. For best results, two coats are recommended.

The color range on this collection is as follows (descriptions from Dermelect):

• Persuasive (luscious peach)                                        
• Provocative (fabulously fresh fuchsia)                      
• Above It (breathtaking sky blue)                                 
• Head Turner (brilliant orange crème)                        
• Luxurious (rich, confident lilac)                                     
• Power Trip (burst of red w/pink undertone)           

Here's a PR picture showing the entire line-up...

  

Along with the release, I was also sent three colors from the collection to review.  I was sent the bright fuchsia, the sky blue, and the bright orange.  Here's a bottle picture of the three I received...

I loved these three colors, based on the press release and in person, they did not disappoint...

Above It - sky blue creme.  This color is practically serenity in a nail polish bottle.  It is a gorgeous, mid-toned, light blue.  In the bottle, I thought it would be more in the periwinkle family, but any purple that I saw in the bottle didn't really translate to the nail.  Nonetheless, it's still a gorgeous blue.  This one had the thinnest formula, and it was the streakiest at one coat.  However, it evened out nicely and reached opacity in 3 coats.

Head Turner - highly-pigmented, tangerine orange creme.  Oranges, along with yellows, have become my latest obsession, and there is something about this one that is incredibly appealing.  It looks like you could practically pluck it from a citrus tree.  This one looked very nice with my pale, pink-based skin.  All of these had a fantastic formula, but this one was probably the easiest to apply.  I did apply 3 coats, though, as I had a couple of thin spots at the second coat.

Provocative - bright fuchsia creme.  Given my recent love of bold, summery pinks, I, of course, gravitated towards Provocative.  This is a gorgeous bold pink, that leans, ever-so-slightly, purple.  If you are intrigued by the crop of new summer neons, but are a little scared to wear a retina-searing pink on your nails, like Zoya Layla that I showed you a few weeks ago, Dermelect "ME" Provocative is a perfect solution.  The formula on this one was very similar to Head Turner.  I still had thin spots at 2 coats, so I opted for three.

I was excited for these polishes based on early buzz and the release, but once I have had the opportunity to try them, they surpassed my expectations.  I touched on this in the individual color reviews above, but the formula on these was amazing.  It practically flowed on my nail and I would say it would be up there with Rescue Beauty Lounge, BB Couture, and Illamasqua in terms of formula, those being three of the brands with the best formula in my collection.  I had no issues with it running, or flooding my cuticle, and each one, even Above It with the thinnest formula, self-leveled extremely well.  Additionally, even though I did three coats of each of these in my photos, these polishes did not feel thick or goopy.

Also, I know it may seem a bit silly to mention this, but loved the bottle on these.  It is very similar to a Rescue Beauty Lounge bottle, though the shape of the bottle is more rounded in the front and the back.  It's perfect to hold for swatch pictures.  :)  Also, I really like the logo on the front of the bottle.   I know what matters is what's inside, and that's all good stuff, in my opinion, but I'm a sucker for good packaging and branding and these have both.  

I guess it's no surprise when I say that I am a huge fan of this new line.  I love the color-range for a first offering, and I am so excited that Dermelect has brought their nail care line, into the world of nail polish.  Currently, these polishes are available at Dermelect's website and at C.O. Bigelow in New York City and they retail for $14 a bottle.

These polishes were sent to me for review.  The above links link to Dermelect's Facebook page, as well as the Dermelect's website and are not affiliate links.  The picture of the full collection was provided to me by Dermelect's PR.

Dermelect deal on Bloom.com

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I credit the Dermelect system for saving my nails.  It really works.  The downside, the complete system is around $60 (though you can sometimes find it for less).  Well, I got an email yesterday from Bloom Circle* (formerly Bloom.com) stating that you can get the Dermelect Nail Recovery System FREE with a $70 purchase.  It normally sells from them for $59.  Code is der310.  The have quite a few brands, including a small selection of OPI, Priti (which is Diamond Cosmetics, just more expensive), and Zoya.  Unfortunately, it seems like the prices on their products are slightly inflated.  Though, they are probably not jacked up too high to negate the savings on the free product.

Also, with your first purchase at Bloom Circle, you can get $40 in rewards.  Your purchase must be over $40 and the reward dollars will be placed in your account after your purchase.  So it's essentially like getting $80 worth of stuff for $40.  BUT, it can't be used concurrently with any other code and it's for your first purchase only (at least that's their fine print).

DISCLOSURE: the above link is to sign up with me as the referrer.  Honestly, I've never referred someone to them before, so I'm not sure of the "reward", if any.  I tried to poke around and find that information, but they didn't have it listed.  Doesn't seem to be like Hautelook or Zulily where you get $10 for referring a friend.  If you'd rather sign up with out me as your referrer, simply follow this link.  It takes you to their homepage.  I just thought I would mention this because it seems like a great deal on the Dermelect Nail Recovery System.

Nail Recovery Update

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you would probably remember that back in November of last year (right around Thanksgiving), I took the plunge, removed my last set of glue-ons, and began the arduous task of growing back my natural nails.  One of the major players in my nail regrowth was Dermelect nail treatments.  I was sent a set back in November, but thought I would just start using other products after I ran out.  After taking several months off from using Dermelect, and trying to find cheaper substitutes, I have to say that nothing works quite as well for me and I had to admit cheap ass defeat and buy another set of the Nail Recovery System.

If you've been considering using Dermelect, but have been reluctant due to the cost, all I have to say is while it is expensive, it's also worth every.single.penny.  This is good stuff, people.  :P  I would definitely pick up the entire Nail Recovery System which includes the basecoat, the ridgefiller (both HG, IMO), as well as the TC (which isn't necessary, but it is nice).  It also includes Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment.  This was not included in my original set of samples from Dermelect, but it is amazing. 

Here's a pic of my natural nails now and just for reference, here are all of my "nail recovery" tagged posts where you can see plenty of pics of what I started with in November 2009 (fair warning... it's not pretty. LOL).

I've been back using Dermelect for a few weeks now and I can already tell a difference in my nails.  While my natural nails grow pretty fast, they also have a tendency to peel and chip.  With Dermelect, I have less of both of these problems.  In my "after" picture, I do have a cut in my middle fingernail (that I have patched w/ nail glue), but as far as peeling and chipping, those issues have almost gone away.  In fact, my nails are at a point where they are driving me a bit bonkers and I may have to trim them down in the near future.

Also, I think I'm back to you regular-scheduled blogging.  I've given up on the new camera, sad to say.  It's great for regular shots and zoomed shots, but it sucks at macros.  I will have a few posts using the new camera (as I have those saved up), but I'm back to ye old Cybershot.  So if you are looking for a new camera and one of your uses will be nail blogging, the Kodak Z915 is probably not a good fit.

Rave about Bloom.com

Hi everyone, sorry for being MIA for awhile.  I've been a bit preoccupied with a recent home project (I had the bright idea to re-do all my landscaping) that took up all my blogging time.  I have been swatching and taking pics, but no real time to do posts.  As the project is all but done, my blogging should pick up again in the next few days.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the title, I want to rave about a company with which I recently placed an order.  That company is Bloom.com.  About a week ago, I decided I needed to start using Dermelect products again.  Unfortunately, mine were almost all gone, so I had to place an order.  I did a google search and found that Bloom.com had the best deal on the 4 pc nail system (the best deal, IMO).  They had it for $49 with no tax and no shipping. 

I placed the order on Tuesday and I got it today!  It was well packaged and included 3 samples.  It also included a personal, hand-written note thanking me for my order.  I also received a coupon code and a gift certificate for use on a future purchase!  This is something you rarely see.  I know we (in general) are quick to complain about bad customer service, but we rarely reward good customer service.  That's why I wanted to do this quick post.  Looks like the only nail products they currently offer are the Dermelect products, but they also carry skin and haircare products.  The website is http://www.bloom.com/. 

So if you are in the market to purchase Dermelect products, be sure to check out Bloom.

EDIT to add that I just heard back from Lori w/ Bloom.com.  They are a new company (just started in April) and they plan on adding new product lines in the very near future. 

Reminder

Today is the last day to use my Dermelect code.  It's for 20% off all hand and nail products.  The website is http://www.dermelect.com/.  I really credit Dermelect Launchpad and Makeover for helping my nails recover from glue-on/acrylics damage, so if you are looking for products to help your damaged nails, I highly recommend them.  The code is PP20.

Dermelect Review and Surprise!

As I'm sure you are all aware, I took off my last set of glue-ons a little over 5 weeks ago.  I'd been wanting a break from them, but I didn't know where to start.  Enter Dermelect Cosmeceuticals.  As luck would have it, I received an offer to try their products, right as I was ready to try to grow out my damaged natural nails.  I was happy to try them, but I honestly thought I'd try it for 2 or 3 weeks and then give up and go back to my glue-ons.  I'm very, very happy to say that was not the case.  I was able to basically rebuild my natural nails over the last 5 weeks and I credit Dermelect products for much of my success. 

I'm going to show you where my nails were 5 weeks ago (though, I'm sure you've seen this a gazillion times) and then walk you through the Dermelect products I used, reviewing each product in the process.  I'm also going to show you my naked nails so you can see the difference in the color of my growth.  So... here goes...

This pic is my natural nails on 11/20/09.  I remembered being horribly embarrassed by posting it, but I wanted to show you all just how bad my nails were.  At this point, I was hoping my nails would rebound, but I was extremely doubtful.

In comparison, here's a pic I took of my natural, naked nails on 12/26/09

In this picture, you can really see the difference in the color of my nails.  The upper half of my nails (the older growth) is a really weird, unhealthy, pinkish yellow color.  It almost looks like a healing bruise.  The lower half (the new growth) is a pretty, healthy pink/purple color.  I haven't seen that color in over a year, as sad as that may be, and I really thought my nails were done for.  As dramatic as it may sound, I really thought I'd be wearing fake nails for the rest of my life. 

Honestly, it hurt to have my natural nails show.  Not just emotionally (and I can't tell you how embarrassing it was), but also physically.  My natural nails were so damanged and paper thin, that it actually felt good to wear glue-ons.  It gave my nails protection.  By using the Dermelect prodcuts, I think I was able to make my nails feel stronger and I no longer needed to rely on the glue-ons to keep them covered.

Here's what I used (click the name to link to Dermelect's site for more info)

Dermelect Launchpad Nail Stregthener

Pic is one coat of Launchpad
I love this product.  You don't think about it much when it's on, and then you can realize when you don't wear it.  I found it to be very soothing on my damaged nails.  It also made a great base for everything else I would apply on top of it.  This product contains a unique multi-peptide derived from New Zealand wool which delivered keratin to the nail plate (taken from Dermelect's website).   This product helped to strengthen my nails and reduced chipping.  It's definitely a great base to help you rebuild your nails.

Dermelect Makeover Ridgefiller

This is one coat of Makeover over one coat of Launchpad. 

Of all 3 Dermelect products I tried, this one is my hands down favorite.  It not only is a great ridgefiller, but it's also a concealer.  I've tried several ridgefillers, and none of them did what this one did.  It helps to hide the damage on your nail.  That was a big plus for me in the beginning.  The color itself is a beautiful pink irridescent shimmer, so if you don't want to polish your nails (and I didn't for over 2 weeks), you don't have to.  This one has all the good things you find in Launchpad as well.  Also, you can use this to basically build up any damaged nail beds.  In the beginning, I used this to cover up the areas on my nails where there was just nail bed (click link to see a picture).  That was so important to me. 

Last is Dermelect High Maintenance Top Coat

This is one coat of High Maintenance over one coat of Launchpad, one coat of Makeover, and one coat of NARS Dovima (I wanted you to see it over a polish).

If I had to pick a product I was a a little torn on, it would have to be High Maintenance.  I like it, but it's not my favorite of the three.  Though, when I started this process, I really appreciated it.  I loved the fact that it was so thick (as thick as Seche Vite, or thicker even).  It really made my feel like my nails were super protected.  The downside was that I had some problems with bubbling (though over the NARS, it's perfect).  It also is slow to dry (just like a normal TC, though), so if you want to be able to do things quickly after your mani, simply apply a thin fast drying TC (I like Out the Door) over the High Maintenance.  Even now, I really do like the fact that it makes my nails feel thicker and stronger and it also protects them from UV light.  And while I don't use it with every mani now, I think in the beginning of the nail recovery process, it was essential and if you are rebulding your nails, like me, then it's an important part of the system.  Plus, it's super shiny, so it looks great over polish. 

I really recommend using this system if you are interested in rebuilding your nails from damage, whether that be from acrylics, glue-ons, or some other form of damage.  I was fortunate in that I was sent samples, but I honestly think that if I'd known about these products months ago, I would have definitely bought them and tried them.  I had been searching for something to help heal the damage, and I was having no luck finding a system.  In fact, I'm recommending them to my mother, who after 2+ years of chronic glue-ons usage is looking to rebuld her damaged nails/nail beds.

Which brings me to my SURPRISE!  In conjuction with my review of their products, Dermelect is offering a 20% coupon to my readers for all of their hand and nail products (click to go to their store).  This code is PP20 and is good through January 4, 2010.  In the interest of full disclosure, I receive no kick-back from this code.  It's just a gift from Dermelect to my readers.  I will also post a note about this code on the right side of my blog.  Also, please feel free to pass this code on. 

Thank you so much for your time in reading this post and all your support during the last 5+ weeks.  My nails still have a way to go, and I plan on using these products until all the old growth is gone and beyond.

Almost 2 Weeks Without Glue-ons

I'm pretty sure tomorrow is the 2 week mark since I removed my glue-ons.  As always with these posts, I'm going to show you where I started, so if you get sick of this picture, I'm sorry.  I just feel it's necessary for comparison purposes.  So anyway, here's where I was when I took off the glue-ons.

And here's a picture of my nails I took about 10 minutes ago.  This is with my full regimine of Dermelect, as well as a quick-dry topcoat.  I also have on Mango Mend, as I find I'm using that stuff like crazy now.

I think they look tons better, but I'm also ready for them to be longer already.  I have absolutely no patience, so this process is becoming difficult for me.  Yesteday, I actually considered putting on a set of glue-ons.  It was fleeting as I realized I didn't want to take any steps back. 

This is with almost 2 weeks of Dermelect, Nail Nutrition, and Mango Mend.  The Dermelect products are the Launchpad basecoat (green), the Makeover ridgefiller (pink), and their High Maintenance top coat.  I also use a thin quick dry coat, Beauty Secrets, over the HMTC to prevent bubbling.  However, I've found that if the ridgefiller is too thick, you'll get bubbles no matter what.  Also, there is no color on my nails in the picture.  That's strictly from the ridgefiller.  It's a pretty shimmer pink, so it acts as a concealer as well as a ridgefiller.  Most ridgefillers I've tried have been thick and white, so this is a nice change.  I love that I don't have to wear a color unless I want to. 

I'm using Sally Hansen Nail Nutrition several times a day to help encourage growth, but the Dermelect is what helping them look healthier. 

Also, the other day in my comments section, I mentioned my mother's damaged nails.  She is so impressed by the results I'm getting with this combo, that she is considering buying Dermelect products, depending on my final results. 

I'll keep updating on my progress as I go along.  I'm hoping by Christmas, I'll be able to sport some polish.  If you are interested in my products, Dermelect is available on their website.  Mango Mend is available at Sally Beauty and Nail Nutrition can be picked up at just about any drugstore or big box.

Progress?

It's been a week and half since I took off my last set of glue-ons and started using Dermelect.  Just to remind you, here's what I started with:

and here's where I am today:

Both pictures are of my naked nails.  I do have Mango Mend on in the second picture.  As you can tell by the cut on my index finger cuticle, the cold weather is really drying them out. 

I titled this post with a question mark because I'll occasionally get discouraged, but I think they are actually doing pretty well. 

Also, in the interest of total disclosure, I am also using Sally Hansen Nail Nutrition 1-2x a day.  My finger tips hurt so badly, up to a couple days ago, that I needed some fast growth.  The NN gives me pretty fast growth, but my nails are not much stronger.  I think the Dermelect products are what's helping with that.

Lastly, I applied my coat of Dermelect Launchpad and my coat of Dermelect Makeover, then I decided to put some color on my hideous nubbins.  I used Essie Porcini.  It's a pretty taupey, mauvey pink with gold micro-shimmer.  It looked better in the bottle than it did on my nails, but it wasn't a bad color at all.  The one thing I didn't like was that my polish looked glumpy (gooey+clumpy) and I was reminded why I never liked polishing my natural nails.  However, I'm hoping that in the next few months after all the ridges and bumps are gone my polished nails will look much better. 

Also, the one problem I'm having with the Dermelect products is a lot of bubbling after I apply the topcoat (High Maintenance).  Their info states that it's fast drying, but I'm finding drying times to be a bit slow, but the main problem is the bubbling.  Seriously, it's worse than the bubbling I always got with Seche Vite.  I don't know if that's because it's a naturally thick product or if there is some other reason.  I had to remove my Porcini mani within 30 minutes of application due to the bubbling.  Here's a pic, though I doubt if you can see the bubbling.  Maybe on 1-2 of my fingers.

This mani is 1 coat Launchpad, 1 coat Makeover, 1 coat Porcini (could have used a 2nd, but I don't like using too much polish on my natural nails) and 1 coat of High Maintenance TC.  Application on the Essie was fine, but I hate Essie's brushes.  I can never get the right amount of polish on them.

Tonight, I will apply another coat of the Dermelect base coats/ treatments.  I wish I hadn't had to take them off to begin with, but the bubbling was too bad.  I plan on retrying the HMTC a couple more times, maybe with a thin fast dry TC over it, to see if that helps with the bubbling.  I'll let you know if anything changes.

EDIT: I tried using a thin fast dry top coat over the Dermelect High Maintenance top coat and it made the bubble issue go away.  I used Beauty Secrets from Sally's.  Nails dried very fast due to the Beauty Secrets TC and feel very protected thanks to the HMTC. 

Well this is cool...

Dermelect Cosmecueticals is blogging/facebooking/tweeting about me blogging about using their products to restore my natural nails.  Makes me feel like a celebrity.  LOL.  :P

As for the progress on growing out my nails... well, it's going to be a long one.  I'm able to use the Makeover ridgefiller to cover up some of the damage on my nails.  That, and the pale pink color of the ridgefiller are really helping to make my nails look less damaged.  It's a little too early, to see any true progress. 

My main problem now is with the tips of my fingers.  They hurt pretty bad, and I'm not sure why.  It's like the skin at the tips of my nails is damaged.  It's dry and almost like little calluses.  I'm not sure if it's because of damage caused by my tech's drill or for some other reason.  However, I know I've had this issue since I first took off my acrylics in March and it's one of the main reasons I started using the glue-ons.  When I had a tip on my nail, the tips didn't hurt.  Of course, this could also be exacerbated by the fact it's getting cold here now and I'm having to use the heat much more than I have been. 

Maybe I just need to be using a better hand cream.  I'm using Mango Mend and Cornhuskers Lotion like crazy, but they just aren't soothing my fingers.  Any ideas?  I have some hand cream (Vaseline) in the closet I'm going to try next, but if that doesn't work, I'll need some suggestions for a good (and hopefully cheap) hand cream.  TIA, everyone.  :)

Taking a Break

Not from blogging, but I am taking a break from my glue-ons, so I don't know how many polish posts I'll be doing for the next few weeks. 

Recently, I've been thinking about trying to give my natural nails a chance to really grow, but I didn't feel comfortable doing it.  I just didn't want to go out in public without my glue-ons.  Then I received an email from Marlo Marketing regarding new products from Dermelect Cosmeceuticals.  I thought it was just a press release, but then they offered to send me samples.  I received samples of their stregthener, ridgefiller, and nail thickener.  So I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to see if I can actually grow out my real nails. 

Yesterday, I took off my glue-ons and took pics of my natural nails.  They are embarassing, but I don't think I can give you all a fair review without showing you what I started with.  It's been a year almost exactly since I got my acrylics and almost nine months since I took them off.  There was tons of damage from the acrylic application.  However, I realize had I not been applying glue-ons, they probably wouldn't still be in this condition, but it was a double-edged sword.  I didn't want to show my natural nails so I applied glue-ons and I didn't like the condition of my natural nails because of the glue-ons.  It was a never-ending cycle.

So, here are my nails after I took off my glue-ons.  This is just my left hand, because I could not get pics of my right hand to come out.

Hand

Thumb (I have bad ridging on this nail).

I applied the product yesterday for the first time, then I went back today, removed it and reapplied it.  Here's how my left hand looks now.

I was able to use the ridge filler to basically build up the area on my nails where all I have is nail bed (basically the tips of my ring and pinky fingers) and I also used it to smooth out the bad ridges on my thumb.

I know they don't look great, but I think it's a huge change from my naked nails.  I used one coat of each product.  The pink/grey shimmer is the color of the ridge filler.  It looks a lot like OPI Give Me the Moon. 

I will be sure to give you all links to the products when I do my final review, which should be in a couple weeks.  I may start polishing my natural nails in a few days, but for now, I'm just going to stick to the ridge filler color.  I will be posting updates along the way.

Here's hoping I'll be able to polish my natural nails in a few weeks.  I like the way my glue-ons look, but I don't like the hassle of applying them every 2-3 days.

Dermelect Hand and Nail Products

I received this information last week from the marketing company for Dermelect.  It's about some of their new products for hands and nails.  I haven't tried these first-hand, but I figured I'd pass it on just in case any of you were interested.  Alyssa with Marlo Marketing has graciously offered to send me samples of these products.  Once I receive them, I do plan on doing a detailed review.  I've been meaning to give myself a break from the glue-ons, so this is perfect timing. 

These products will be available this fall/winter at retailers such as Takashimaya New York, C.O Bigelow in the West Village and Miomia in Brooklyn.  Or you can get them online. The website is http://www.dermelect.com/.

Their list of new products is as follows:


Dermelect’s Anti-Aging Nail Lacquers ($16-18)

• The first lacquers to utilize protein-peptide technology to hydrate, protect and strengthen nails.
• Uses the breakthrough ingredient, ProSina (derived from New Zealand wool) to deliver a system of protein peptides directly to the nail bed, encouraging stubborn nails to grow.
• Three nail lacquers: LAUNCHPAD (base coat), MAKEOVER (helps fill ridges on nails), HIGH MAINTENANCE (nail thickening top coat).

Dermelect’s Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail & Cuticle Treatment ($18)

• Utilizes the breakthrough ingredient, ProSina, to hydrate and strengthen nails and relieve ragged, painful cuticles.
• Increases the integrity, cohesion, flexibility and moisture in the nails.
• Treats damaged, aging cuticles, facilitates growth and protects nails against chipping and splitting.

Dermelect’s Timeless Anti-Aging Daily Hand Treatment ($22)

• Utilizes the breakthrough ingredient ProSina to provide unprecedented conditioning and hydrating capabilities to strengthen the skin while locking in moisture.
• Addresses three key areas of concern: dry, overworked hands, age spots and thing, chapped skin.
• Luxurious formulation that immerses you in a grease-free, quick absorbing glove of moisture—helps add elasticity and vitality to damaged, aging skin.
• Protects against free-radical damage and acts as a mild exfoliant. 

I will be sure to post a review once I've been able to try the products.

EDITED to change my wording.  I must have been Megan Crankypants last night.  :)