Updates Coming Soon

I need to apologize for I have been so busy.  Recently took my written state boards for cosmetology, which was hard but I ended up passing.  I also signed up for my first subscription box, wantable. We will see how it goes!

Sephora Haul

It finally came!

Haul Includes:

Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme

Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base

Guerlain Shine Automatique Hydrating Lip in 260 Jardin De Bagatelle

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Invisible Skin in 01 Beige Pale

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer 

Guerlain Meteorites Powder in 2 Clair

Laura Mercier Stick Gloss in Black Orchid

BI 500 Point - Balenciaga Set (Which I had to open right away just to see the scarf)

BI 100 Pt - Shiseido IBUKI Refining Moisturizer

Samples: YSL Rouge Pur Couture

Dior One Essential

Buxom Full on Lip Cream

Review: Matrix ExquisiteOil Shampoo and Condition

As some of you know, I am a stylist and therefore, I love to review hair products and try to lead people down the right path.  The one that I decided to review today is Matrix Exquisite Oil.

According to Matrix, the Exquisite Oil Line is described as "THIS IS SHINE REDEFINED. Bring hair back to life with deep replenishment. Unique in nature, this range caters to those seeking replenishment and exquisite shine. Luxurious formulas wrap around strands for ultimate protection and conditioning without compromising the desired style and finish." This line is supposed to be safe for all hair types including fine hair, which I will get to later on.  It is also safe for chemically treated hair.  Now, in this review, I will only be rating the shampoo and the conditioner, not any of the styling aids.  Also, this review is of my own opinion.  Results will vary depending on the person.


Matrix Micro-Oil Shampoo:
This is the shampoo of the Exquisite Oil line.  It is supposed to be moisturizing for the hair and light weight for all hair types.  Matrix describes it as nourishing and leaves hair silky and healthy looking.  For those who wish for the ingredients, they are: "Water/Aqua/Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Butaine, Sodium Chloride, Laureth-5, Carboxylic Acid, Cocomide Mipa, Amodimethicone, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum/Fragrance, Hexylene Gycol, Polyquaternuim-7, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Propylene Glycol , PEG-60, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicylic Acid, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Alcohol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil/Sweet Almond Oil, Coco nucifera Oil/Coconut Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Hydroxycitronellal, Amyl Cinnamal, Methyl Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 19140/Yellow 5, CI 14700/Red 4, Citric Acid (F.I.L. 051929/2)".  So did it really live up to its claims.  I really wish it did.  When I used it within my hair (I have thick and very dense hair) it wasn't as moisturizing as I thought it would have been.  It weighed down my curls and yet, did not provide any moisture. My hair also became rather tangled and my hair rarely ever tangles.  The worse part about it was the scalp.  Now, I seriously wanted to give this product a chance and I should have known that Sodium Laureth wasn't my friend.  I was hoping that maybe, my scalp would be okay with using it, especially with the moisture that this product claims that it had. Nope.. my scalp hated it. After one wash, my scalp was so dried out. I felt myself always scratching at it, trying my best in order to try my best in order to control the dryness that the product has caused. I wish it wouldn't have done it but it did and it made me fearful with trying the conditioner but, I tried it and my review of it is below.


Matrix Oil Creme Conditioner:
I had hoped for this, due to the problems of the shampoo.  Matrix claims that this product restore manageability to the hair. It is also supposed to help with detangling the hair.  One thing while looking over the ingredients that is an alarm for me is the fact that is mineral oil in it. Now, I don't know about anyone else but I really don't find mineral oil an ExquisiteOil.  I would only be disappointed once more when it was placed on my hair.  Again, it was thick and heavy, weighing down my curl.  Also, it did not help to detangle my hair, only made it worse. I am one of those who loves hair oil (my hair loves it too) but this product was seriously troublesome for me.

I haven't tried any of the other products but just by trying these, it makes me weary of them. I wouldn't personally suggest these products to anyone unless your hair is extremely damaged or thick.

How do you like this product? Do you recommend it to others?  Also, do you have any hair products that you love? Let me know!

Huge Sephora Haul Coming Soon

I just made a big Sephora haul with a lot of big name brands.  As for me, I will not be revealing what I got - since I think it I will be revealing it whenever it comes. Look out for it, everyone, for there are a lot of new products coming to house.

Updates to Blog

As you can see, I made some updates to my blog as well as made myself a background (yay, go me!).  Tomorrow, I should be able to get up a review for the Nars brush but right now, I think I am going to relax. :D

The Curly Girl Method: The How-To To No-Poo

So you want to go full on curly girl, eh?  Well, before you go on and jump right in, there are a few things that you need to understand.  Here, I have made a brief introduction about the Curly Girl Method.  Want to know more, check out the website Naturally Curly or the book Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey.

What are some of the things that you need to know about the Curly Girl Method?  It is a method which is meant to condition and make your curls more manageable.  With this method, you will also not be shampooing your hair as often as most people often do.  For me, I shampoo my hair one to twice a week.  Nothing more.  My hair really doesn't require that much cleansing and therefore, I leave it alone.   I will put a note of warning though that this method may not work for everyone and therefore, research is required in order to do this method correctly.  Also, don't give up in a week, it takes about two weeks to a month to notice a difference within your hair.  Your scalp might also get oilier in the beginning however, give it time for your oil production to balance itself out.  It will - it might just take some time.

1. No Sulfates: Yep, you heard me correctly, you need to find a shampoo with no (no minimum) sulfates.  Sulfates can actually be very harsh towards not only the hair but to the scalp, stripping away its natural oils. The one main sulfate to look after is sodium laureth sulfate. However, there are others which can cause damage, including the following: ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate.  One thing to notice is look at a bottle of dish soap.  For the majority of the dish soap brands, one of the first few ingredients is sodium laureth sulfate. Yikes!  Also, by using no sulfates, it should help you to increase the amount of time between shampoos (I can go up to a week without shampooing, you can too!)
2. No Silicones: Believe me, it can be hard in order to find a product without any silicones in it however, if you do a google search or look on naturally curly, you can find a list of silicone free products.  What silicones do is coat the hair, providing a smooth and shiny appearance to the scalp.  However, it also prevents moisture from entering the cuticle, making the hair dryer and thus - in curly hair - creating frizz.  Removing silicones from your hair care can provide the same humidity resistance but without the frizz.
3. Avoid Heat: Hair should be air dried in order to help preserve the manageability of the hair and limit damage.  If you do use a blowdryer, make sure you use a finger diffuser with it and put a silicone free heat protector in your hair.  Also, hair should only be dried up to 80%, in order to prevent frizz from popping up. Also, do not touch your hair when it is wet.  If your hair is crunchy, wait until it is completely dry before scrunching out the crunch.
4. Before Beginning the Curly Girl Method, do a clarifying wash: This will remove any unwanted silicones from the hair and prevent product buildup.
5. Haircut every 4 to 6 weeks: This will help keep your hair in good shape and health.  Depending on the length of your hair and the amount of things you do to it, depends on how often you should get your hair cut.  If your hair is shorter and you wish to maintain the style, I would recommend going in every 4 to 5 weeks.
6. Use a microfiber towel: Or an old t-shirt in order to dry your hair.  Don't rub or ruffle your hair to get out the moisture.  Instead, scrunch it in order to remove the majority of the water without causing frizz.
7. Do not brush your hair: Please, whatever you do, do not brush your hair, for it will cause more tangles and split ends for you. Instead, use a wide tooth comb or your fingers (I prefer this method) in order to comb out your hair.  This will help maintain the health and decrease the damage that could be done.

Hopefully, this was helpful to someone out there.  If you have any questions, please feel free to post below and I will answer them to the best of my abilities!

Review: JessiCurl Rich Collection

You have the right to remain curly!

This is the motto of the brand JessiCurl, the only and only brand that I actually use for my hair.  I am picky with my haircare, only preferring those products that are not only healthy for my hair, but are also going to solve my curly girl problems.  Yes, I am a curly girl and it can get hard at times.  It took me years upon years in order to figure out how to care for my hair.  It was always so frizzy and unmanageable, that I wanted to cry at times.  It was after years of hating my hair that, when I was in college, that I found a website that was my holy grail of all my problems. Naturally Curly helped solved all my fears and eased my worries about my hair.  It helped me to gain confidence and learn to love my hair. Not only that, but it helped me to manage and control my hair. That's right folks, it has helped me to manage my curls!  Now, I will not give it all to this site however, while roaming on their forums, I found a book that many curly girls recommended. Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey, creator of the brand DevaCurl.

Now, after reading the book, which was enjoyable and gave me extremely good information on what to look for, I landed upon a brand named JessiCurl.  Now, this brand?  It fit the curly girl method (no sulfates, silicones, or alcohol) and I loved the story behind the brand.  To sum it all up, JessiCurl was created by the wonderful Jessica McGuinty, who suffered many of the same problems us curly girls have a constant struggle with! And thus, JessiCurl was born!

(Rich Collection Bottles)

Now, I will go into detail about the products and what they can do for people with curly hair.  Please keep in mind that the products I am posting are mainly for people who have thick wavy/curly hair.  Want other suggestions of JessiCurl products, check out this page.

(Hair Cleansing Cream)

Hair Cleansing Cream is the shampoo of the sulfate free cleansing world.  On the JessiCurl website, it is described as "mild and moisturizing shampoo alternative".  And it is as it is described - being mild and moisturizing, without stripping the hair of its natural oils.  One thing that people do not like about this product is that it doesn't lather and therefore, doesn't clean your scalp. First of all, what a big myth!  Just because it doesn't lather, doesn't mean it isn't cleaning your scalp. That is something that people need to understand.  In order to use this product, one must massage into their scalp, which loosens the dirt and oil, causing it to come out.  Also, I usually use this product twice before applying conditioner for you can get a lather, but a very mild one.

(Too Shea Extra Moisturizing Conditioner)

Too Shea is the extra moisturizing conditioner.  According to the JessiCurl website, it is described as "daily conditioning for dry and thirsty curls".  It is pretty thick for a conditioner, thicker than most conditioners that I see for curly hair but it works wonders without weighing down your hair.  I love to leave it in my hair for a good five to ten minutes while I am cleansing my face and brushing my teeth in the shower.  Also, when I get out, I run a small dab throughout my hair, to help keep it moisturized and beautiful!

(Rockin' Ringlet - gold and Confident Coil - white)

When it comes to styling, Rockin' Ringlets and Confident Coils are what gives curls their beautiful appearance.  Rockin' Ringlet "encourages and enhance curls" while Confident Coils "defines touchably soft curls in all climates".  These two works together in order to make beautiful and shiny curls that will really give you compliments!  Not only that, but it holds up well to humidity! When it is humid, my curls are still well formed and beautiful, with little to no frizz.

(before applying hair products - sorry I have to torture you all with my non-makeup face)

(after - with makeup) 

This is what my hair looks like when using JessiCurl.  Beautiful and shiny spirals.  What else is great about this product? You have the option to choose the scent!  I love Citrus Lavender for its refreshing and relaxing scent but for those girls who like something exotic, you might enjoy Island Fantasy.  Oh but let us not forget the men nor the people with has sensitivities within their lives, JessiCurl has an option for you - no scent!  Yes, Jessicurl is really a product who thinks of products for everyone without singling out people.

Now, this product may not work for everyone however, it is something that is worth trying.  Please note, it takes up to two week to one month to begin to notice a difference within your hair.  Your hair may also get oily however, give your scalp time to get used to the changes that are occurring within your routine.  It will slowly even itself out.

JessiCurl can be ordered upon the JessiCurl Website as well as select salons in certain states. You are also able to purchase it within the CurlMart on the Naturally Curly website.  Again, check out JessiCurl and other products and see the difference you can see within your hair!

Soon, I will be adding a blog on how to incorporate the Curly Girl Method into your hair routine.

It came... IT CAME!

I have been waiting and waiting for it and suddenly, it was here - the UPS truck!  I was excited that when he left, I hurried towards the door to grab my package.  Trust me, I was very excited.  But what was inside?

None other than Nars Yachiyo Brush!

It was so hard to find but Lord and Taylor just happened to be a life saver for me.

As for reviewing, I will review it within a couple of days.  First, I want to get used to the feel and admire the beauty of the product.  Pictures will be coming soon!  I promise all of you.

Review: Urban Decay's Naked 3

Let me be honest by saying this. I love Urban Decay but when it came to Naked 1 and 2, I wasn't interested in it.  The colors were not something I couldn't find already (I already had a lot of neutrals plus, my Lorac Pro Palette was similar) so therefore, I didn't buy.  But then, suddenly Urban Decay came up with a brilliant idea: adding rose golds in the neutral palette in which caught my attention. I just had to grab.  After getting put on the waiting list, I got my Naked 3!

(with flash)

(without flash)

So what makes the Naked 3 different from the Naked 1 and 2.  Again, it is the more rosy tone colors.  In my opinion, these colors tends to be a bit more flattering on most skintones.  As for Urban Decay, this is what they have to say about the product.: "Experiment with 12 NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN (and insanely beautiful) rose-hued neutrals-from pale, shimmery pink to deep black matte with rosy red micro glitter." Yes, it seriously makes you want to jump right in and grab one with joy!  But how does it compare to other eyeshadows, including others from Urban Decay?  I put it to the test.

First of, we will start with my colors.  There are 12 colors within the Naked Three palette (from the lightest to Darkest): "Strange (pale neutral pink matte-satin), Dust (pale metallic pink shimmer w/iridescent micro-glitter), Burnout (light pinky-peach satin), Limit (light dusty rose matte), Buzz (metallic rose shimmer w/silver micro-glitter), Trick (light metallic pinky-copper shimmer w/tonal micro-sparkle), Nooner (medium pinky-brown matte), Liar (medium metallic mauve shimmer), Factory (pinky-brown satin), Mugshot (metallic taupe shimmer w/slight pink shift), Darkside (deep taupe-mauve satin) and Blackheart (smoky black matte w/rosy red micro-sparkle)" (this is as quoted by Urban Decay's website).

(With flash and for those of you who noticed, I am missing Strange, which is so pale, it blends it a bit too well with my arms)

I find that these shadows are creamy, smooth and very easy to blend.  The colors are nice and look well even the palest of skin.  There are nice mattes and shimmery colors.  Oh and for those who line eyeliner, Blackheart makes an amazing eyeliner color!  There are some negatives as well.  Without a primer, they will fade and come off (always wear your eye primer, ladies!).  Also, the shimmer shades do have fallout.  I think the only shimmer shade I didn't have a problem with was Blackheart but again, I only use it as an eyeliner.  Another thing is the brush that comes with it. I love natural brushes due to the colors it can pull off for me and therefore, I find the brush that comes with it a dud.  It is cheaply made compared to some brushes in palette kits and I really only really use it to set my primer with Strange.  If you don't like the brush, I would suggest either tossing it or giving it to someone who might have use for it.  Other than the brush and some fallout, I highly recommend it!

Naked 3 retails for $52 and can be found at Sephora, Ulta, Urban Decay Online, and higher end retail stores.

Review: ProNeema Skin Cream

For those who know me, and for those who don't, I often complain about my skin being "so dry" especially when it comes to my hands and feet.  It is not a pleasant feeling and with the problems I have with my hands, I am always out there, trying my best in order to find something that is not only moisturizing, but has added benefits to the skin.  May I introduce you all to ProNeema..

But what is ProNeema?  According to ProNeema's website, it is "a skin cream developed by a Pharmacist specifically to treat diabetic patients with extremely dry skin, but can help anyone afflicted with dry skin." But is this really a cure for dry skin, problematic skin?  

I was skeptical however when applied to my hands, I was amazes with how it moisturized with just a little dab.  The formula is creamy and very emollient, soaking into the skin with ease.  After applying it, my skin felt soft and smooth to the touch (where it is normally very dry).  It also holds its moisture levels well.  Normally, moisturizers fade in a hour. I've been wearing this for over two hours and it is still on my hands.  Amazing? I think so! Can I also point out that it had a slight warming sensation, which is a plus coming from a person who always have cold hands.

You are probably wondering about the smell of ProNeema.  It have a minty smell to it, which doesn't linger too long.  I found that the smell disappears after a few minutes of wear.  That isn't a deal breaker for me.  I would rather have it moisturize my skin then have a lingering smell and no moisture.

So for those of you who are suffering from dry skin, diabetic, or have Raynauds (which is another condition it is supposed to help), there is no reason to give this skin cream a shot.  Also, Raynauds suffers can receive a 15% discount off the Raynauds Association website.

ProNeema comes in the following sizes (prices included):

4 oz cream - $12.95

6 oz tube of lotion - $14.95

4 oz cream and 6 oz tube of lotion - $24.95 (Which is the best deal plus, you save $3!)