Want Silky Hair? Biosilk Silk Therapy Review

If you’re a reader, you know how low-maintenance I am with my hair. If you’re a new reader, here’s the deal – I don’t really do anything with my hair. It’s long, fairly thick, and refuses to ever do what I want it to. It doesn’t even hold style for my hairdresser, much to her disgruntlement. Part of the reason is because it’s pretty darn healthy – I wash, air dry, and brush. Sometimes I deep condition. I don’t use color and rarely use styling products or heat tools. Still, all hair needs some extra lovin once in awhile.

Enter Biosilk Silk Therapy. According to the back of the bottle, this product is “a weightless, leave-in silk replenishing and reconstructing treatment to repair, smooth, and protect hair types.” This clear serum is designed for use on wet or dry hair – just shake the bottle, put some serum in your palms, and finger-comb through. Below are bottle shots, followed by photos of the product itself. I’ve been using this for a bit, hence the empty space at the top of the bottle.

5.6 oz bottle in hand for sizing

Poured into hand

Product remaining on hand after application

As you can see, this is an oily-looking serum. This means that a little goes a long way – I start with a little and add more as needed. I also only apply it on dry hair, although you can apply it while your hair is wet; I find that it’s hard for me to gauge how much I have on my hair when wet. Below are some before and after shots of my hair – check the captions:

Before, no flash

Before w/ flash

After

After

The pros:

1. It leaves my hair feeling silky and smooth. All my little flyaways calmed down.
2. It doesn’t weigh my hair down after application.
3. It has a light, salon smell. I don’t know how to describe salon smell, so I’m hoping you just know what I mean. If not, sorry.
4. You can apply to wet or dry hair, depending on your preference.
5. You just apply with your hands, which is great for a no-fuss hair girl like myself.
6. A little goes a long way (this may also be a con if you’re heavy-handed).

The cons:

1. Too much makes your hair look oily. The bottle suggests starting at your scalp, but it makes the top of my head look greasy if I do that – the main body of my hair absorbs the product much better.
2. It can take a minute to absorb, so you may think you applied too much initially.
3. A lot of the product seems to stay on the palms of your hands after application. You’ll probably want to wash your hands after so that you don’t leave little Biosilk handprints around your house.
4. The ingredients list alcohol (which can be drying – odd for a protecting product) and parabens (which some people like to steer clear of for possible health reasons).
5. You need to remember to shake it before use so that the product mixes and works the way it’s supposed to.

My verdict? I love this Silk Therapy for my hair  🙂   It says ideal for all hair types, but I’m not buying that – I think that this could be too much for fine hair unless used with a light touch. I also don’t think you should apply it to the scalp area so that you don’t look oily. For me though, this product is a nice way to fight any winter dryness and make my hair feel soft and manageable. The bottle says only for sale through professional salons, but I’ve spotted this at Walmart. You can also purchase through salons and beauty retailers. Price differs by store and bottle size; my 5.6 oz. bottle is labeled around $25, but it was a gift from my mom and I think she got it at Walmart for less. You can also buy Biosilk through online retailers like Amazon, but some buyers have reported receiving knock-offs, so purchase with caution.

Related articles

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• Hair a Knotted Mess? Try Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Detangler (wayfaringbeauty.com)
• Got dry hair? Try this MAGIC OIL!!! (rachdela.wordpress.com)

Kleraderm – Awesome Products & Customer Service!

Around the beginning of the month, I posted about Kleraderm and a promotion they were running – if you emailed creator Joanne with skin concerns, she’d email you back with suggestions and send samples. Sweet! Of course I took full advantage of that offer, seeing as my skin flips out on me like every other week.

A little while after my email from Joanne, I still hadn’t received any samples. I wrote it off as Kleraderm being inundated with too many emails and was perfectly okay with that – skin advice from the company is more than enough! But about a week after I forgot about the samples, I got an email from Joanna. She said that there was a problem with the sample shipments and that Nordstroms was mortified to have received all of them back from the postal service. She apologized for the error and assured everyone that Nordstroms was resending all the samples immediately. I got my shipment within a week. Hello, talk about amazing customer service! Especially seeing as I’m not technically a customer? Awesome.

Joanne sent me a hand-written card explaining the samples that she sent me and when to use them – how sweet is she? Here is what Kleraderm/Nordstroms sent me:

1. Vitalize cream: to use during night; a lipoic acid anti-aging cream
2. Regulating cream: to use during day and under makeup; helicriso regulating cream, sebum-balancing
3. Acic cream: to use during day and under makeup; pH normalizing cream

Joanne sent two day creams so that I could try both and see which one works best for me. I’m currently using the vitalize cream at night in place of my usual moisturizer and the regulating cream during the day. Both have a tangy, medicinal-ish scent, but it’s very light. A little goes a long way with both – a little squirt of product is enough for me to massage into my whole face. The only downside is that the samples are in pouches, so the product around the opening is getting kind of dried up. But really, I have nothing to complain about here.

One thing I like about these samples is the ingredient list. The creams include ingredients like tea tree oil, sweet almond oil, witch hazel, bark extracts, etc. However, they also include parabens, as an fyi for people who like to avoid them. Another thing I like? The descriptions on the back of the products. Kleraderm is an Italian company and they tried really hard to translate the directions/descriptions, but…were a little off. For example, the acid cream sample reads “It favors the balance of the pH cutaneous and assures turned out visible and long-lasting in the process of elimination of the inestetismi own of the fat skin. It can be used as base for the trick as of it facilitates the estate.” Hahaha, what?? But I understand; I have botched many a foreign-language translation in my day. A for effort, Kleraderm!

I just started using these samples but am really enjoying them so far. I’m not like “Whoa, look at those instant results!” but, really, that would be a totally unrealistic expectation. The creams do feel nice though and don’t leave my skin with breakouts or oil. Woohoo! I’ll keep you posted as I use each cream up  🙂

Related articles

• Possible Good News for My Skin Woes – Kleraderm (wayfaringbeauty.com)

Urban Decay Vice & Glinda Palettes – Are There Dupes?

As soon as Urban Decay released the Oz Palettes, I snatched up Theodora. I knew that the browns are different from those in my other UD palettes just by looking at them and knew that they would be put into heavy rotation as part of my shadow collection. The Glinda palette held me up though. My brain just kept repeating, “Do I need this palette? Is it just me, or do some of these shades look familiar?” After one such session of musing over the palette, I went home and flipped open my Vice palette. Aha! Tornado and South looked suspiciously familiar to some of my Vice colors. However, were they spot-on dupes? I wasn’t quite convinced.

Glinda and Freakshow

Vice

Turns out, I was right about the colors not being spot-on duplicates for one another. However, some shades were pretty darn close! For the record, the majority of Glinda’s shades are unique. I have nothing else in my shadow collection that compares to Aura or Magic; Illusion looks like other fleshy, transition shades on me just because it disappears into my skin tone; I don’t own anything like the silver from Oz, although the gold isn’t totally original.

First up, the purples. Rapture and Vice are from the Vice palette; Tornado is from Glinda; Freakshow is a standalone for me but is also found in the Fun palette. Each color is labeled – click to enlarge. Lighting is listed as a caption. As a heads up, no that is no swatching mistake – I tacked Vice on twice so that it could be better compared to Freakshow.

Natural lighting

Indoors w/ flash

Indoors w/o flash

The breakdown: Rapture is like a dark burgundy-based purple that’s been muted a little. It’s frosty with some subtle glitter. Vice is a violet-based purple, also with a frosty shimmer finish. It applied stronger than Rapture for me. It’s pretty darn close to Freakshow, which is also a violet-based purple. Both are medium, bordering on dark, and frosted with great pigmentation. I can see a difference between them but you probably don’t really need both shades in your collection. Tornado looks much different when swatched next to these shades than it did in the pan. It’s a rich, red-based purple with a frosted shimmer finish. While the undertones are similar to Vice and Freakshow, it’s a deeper, warmer purple. Close but no cigar!

Next up: the taupes. I wasn’t sure how close Armor (Vice) and South (Glinda) were, but I knew that they were both taupes that looked suspiciously similar in the pan. Again, each swatch is labeled and lighting is in the captions.

Indoors w/o flash

Indoors w/ flash

Natural light

The breakdown: Armor (Vice) is a gray-brown taupe with a frosted finish; so is South (Glinda). The difference is that South is noticeable cooler; I’d say it’s the more gray-based of the two since Armor looks much more warm and brown-based next to it. They’re like siblings but not twins. Do you honestly need both? Probably not. Does it hurt to have both? Not for me, they’ll both get used; if you aren’t into taupes though, stick with one or go buy a single of Mushroom, another close UD color that I actually don’t own.

The verdict? Urban Decay isn’t kidding when they say that new release shades in palettes are unique – technically, they are. However, some shades have pretty close matches in other palettes or existing singles. Sneaky, sneaky. If you love one or two shades in a palette but don’t think the whole shebang is worth your money, it’s probably worth doing a little side-by-side swatching to find a close comparison.

Related articles

• Swatches and my review of Urban Decay’s new Oz Palettes are here! (wayfaringbeauty.wordpress.com)
• Disney Beauty with Jay – Bring Out Your Good Side with Urban Decay’s Glinda Palette! (disneyways.com)
• Urban Decay Oz Palette, Theodora – Spring eyes for a winter day (wayfaringbeauty.wordpress.com)

Looking for the Perfect Green? Pretty and Polished Old Green River Review & Swatches

I’m not Irish, but I had to have one of the Pretty and Polished Irish collection polishes, Irish Brawn. It just called “buy me, I’m wonderful!” from the site and I couldn’t resist it. I love jellies, I love glitter, I love that the black/green mix made me think of Slytherin – perfect! Let me be honest about something though – I’m not much of a green polish person. For years I would only wear pinks or reds; I slowly fell for more colorful polishes and began to experiment with color (yay!), but green is one I usually still pass on. For some reason I can’t explain though, I kept going back to Old Green River after I added Irish Brawn to my cart. I’d be about to check out and then would pause…go back to Old Green River…go back to checkout without it…stop…go back to Old Green River…  You get the idea. I finally just resigned myself to the fact that something about that polish was speaking to me and I should just get it if I didn’t want to keep finding myself on the site for days after my order was placed.

Here is what Pretty and Polished creater Chels has to say about Old Green River – “This St. Patrick’s Day polish is very unique! It is a green polish with a slight golden sparkle and a blue undertone! “Old Green River” was inspired by the dyeing of the Chicago River which started in 1962!”  When I saw the bottle shot, my reaction was a simple “Oh…that’s pretty. Hm. Very green.” Maybe it was the historical inspiration that called to me? I really couldn’t tell ya. Regardless, it ended up in my cart.

I spun the bottle around under a light and by the window after I opened my package and thought the polish was prettier in person than on the site. My shots of the bottle certainly don’t do it justice – the camera just can’t quite capture the sparkle coming off it. I stalled putting the polish on for swatching because…well, quite frankly, I had other polishes I was more excited about. Turns out I didn’t know what I was missing! I will warn you now – I took a bajillion photos of this polish because I was just like HOLY MOTHER OF POLISH I LOVE THIS. I still feel like it’s better in person, but man did I try. Nails have a base and top coat (of course); most nails have on only one coat of polish – 1 coat people! Some have two because I didn’t get enough on my brush and got some little nekkid patches that needed covered. Click to enlarge (do it!); captions tell lighting and sorry that my middle finger’s nail just won’t grow out quickly to match the rest (I broke it last week, hmph):

Natural light

Natural light

Natural light

Natural light

Indoors, flash

Indoors, flash

Indoors, no flash

Indoors, flash

Indoors, flash

Indoors, no flash – no flash, people! Look at that sparkle!

Are you swooning yet? Man, I am! So I was freaking out over this polish (my poor hubs – I was like “Look at this polish! Do you see it?! Gahh!” I don’t think he cared but he was like “Mmhmm, that’s nice hun”) when I spotted my bottle of OPI The Man with the Golden Gun. I knew instantly that these two polishes were meant to be together, so I slapped some on my ring finger for an accent nail. Ready?

Natural light

Indoors, no flash

Indoors, flash

The pros:

1. The green is gorgeous and not an obnoxious green. It’s bright but the blue base and gold glitter turn it into the perfect, shimmering green.
2. That shimmer! Holy cannoli! It disappears some in low lighting, but in the light or the sun it’s like my nails are glowing. Glowing, I tell you!
3. It’s a one-coater or pretty darn close depending on how much you pick up on your brush.
4. The formula was fantastic – smooth and easy to control.
5. For some reason it makes me think of a dragon; Irish Brawn makes me think of Slytherin. I know this is supposed to be a St. Patrick’s collection but it just yells H.P to me instead.
6. It looks beautiful with gold glitter layered onto it – the polish is wonderful on it’s own but the glitter adds a lil something extra.

The cons:

1. I am drawn to the light like a moth so that I can turn my nails and watch the shimmer/glow. It just so happens that this makes me rather unproductive.
2. I’m trying to be on a no-buy and yet I want to go buy 5 back-up bottles of this. Sigh.

My verdict? This is the first green polish I thought I’d like and I was wrong – I love it! It was like the sleeper hit of my recent polish orders. I guess my inner me just knew I’d love this polish and that’s why I ended up with it in my shopping cart, despite not loving the bottle shots on the site. Go buy this polish, but only one – I need some still in the inventory for when I go buy all my back-up bottles. You can snag this Irish beauty for $9 on the Pretty & Polished site or the company’s Etsy shop.

What do you think of this polish? Do you like green polish or do you usually avoid it like I do? Am I the only one who thinks of Harry Potter when they see this or Irish Brawn? (probably…)

Related articles

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Travelsick – Places I’m Missing

I’m ready to travel again. Not in a financial sense, unfortunately  😦   but in feeling. The funny thing about me is that it is more common (usually) for me to miss places than to miss people. The feeling comes on randomly, surges and then ebbs away. It’s like a dull, throbbing ache in my chest, murmuring “go…go…go…” I’d say it’s homesickness, but it’s not for home – I don’t know if it has an official term, but I’ve dubbed it travelsickness. It has been around here and there lately, but I was in a social studies room this week and the teacher had hung posters of the pyramids in Egypt. As soon as I saw them, my heart flickered a little.

I miss the dry, dusky heat of Egypt. I miss the beautiful echoes of the prayer calls and the business signs that accompanied them – “gone for prayer, be back soon.” I miss the hush of mosques, save for the fluttering and clinking of birds exploring the old chandeliers. I miss the cheerful cries of “Welcome to Egypt!” and the sly whispers of “Special gift for you, my friend; step into my shop and see.” I miss the dusty old relics and buildings, achingly beautiful even in their disrepair. I miss trying to literally hold my eyes open to watch the Cairo ballet, but it being so late and me being so tired that I kept missing chunks of that lovely show. I miss the graham cracker snacks from the market by the hotel in Cairo, backwards-facing showers, and rooftop dinners. I miss the view of the pyramids from so many Cairo roads, the sight of lumbering camels, the locals’ love of dance. I miss slurping on cool oranges while lounging on a hot boat deck, cruising the Red Sea.

Beautiful Mosque

I miss the lush beauty and sticky heat of Peru. I miss hearing the river lap against small boats, the noise of the jungle at night, the chirps of frogs and birds. I miss the shadowy screened windows, rocking to sleep in a hammock, and the brilliant blaze of the sun rising over the Amazon. I miss spotting snakes in the rafters and limes on every plate, every glass rim. I miss the strange sights of fried insect kabobs and neon-colored Inca Cola. I miss the taste of fresh fish, of fresh fruits, of tangy Pisco Sours. I miss the street kids’ chirps of “un sol, senorita!” and crunching on coca leaves to stave off altitude sickness. I miss being pulled into group dances – flutes, drums, Michael Jackson. I miss the bright colors, the collision of old and new, and climbing crumbling steps. I miss the sight of Peruvians so old and weathered that their skin resembles crinkled tissue paper or fine, aged leather. I miss the sense of lightheartedness that can only come from too many frog-toss drinking games, too many Adios Motherf**kers, too many glasses of home-brewed chicha.

I miss the springtime feel of Spain and Portugal, like everything is blossoming and touched by the sun. I miss the scent of the ocean by the shoreline, of oranges and honeysuckle in Seville, of dust in the old buildings. I miss the rustle of skirts and the click of heels at the late-night flamenco shows; a quiet, alluring sound. I miss people so relaxed that they park their cars three-deep or on road medians and take their children to cafes at 10pm. I miss the sight of windmills, slowly spinning giants on the hillsides, and tales of Don Quixote. I miss stopping to gape at the hooded, barefoot figures carrying crosses in the streets, such wonderous Semana Santa processions, and not minding that I lost my group because I was surrounded by something so hauntingly beautiful. Besides, it’s hard to feel lost in a place that feels like home. I miss the rush sneaking into the liquor store, of-age in Spain but underage back home, and the crunch of rocky sand between my toes at the Costa del Sol. I miss the feeling of history, hanging still in the air like dust motes at the Alhambra and the royal crypts. I miss the people posing at statues, warning us against Communism, sophisticated and taking life at their own pace. I miss ignoring signs to climb down a cliff to stick my toes in the icy Mediterranean water where it crashed and broke against the rocks, claiming that I couldn’t read the danger signs when I got caught (although I definitely could).

Seville

I miss how it feels to come home. I miss seeing the shaded, forested roads as if for the first time. I miss the nervous feeling of looking for a familiar face at the airport and the butterflies that come with spotting family and friends. I miss missing American food so much that I want nothing but grilled cheese for every meal for a week straight, eaten while wrapped in my favorite comforter.

My travel piggy bank is looking woefully empty at the moment, but hopefully I find myself headed into this big, beautiful world again sometime soon. The big question is – where to next?

Want a Kiss? Lac Attack Kiss Me Review & Swatches

If you know me, you know I can’t resist a good nail polish. In the last year or so, I have turned into a big time indie-lover. These small, home-grown businesses put out such creative, beautiful polishes, filling gaps left by mainstream businesses (or sometimes putting out even better versions of existing polishes).

Lac Attack is one such indie brand, based out of northern VA. The company taglines itself as “fiercely unique nail lacquer” and that’s no lie! Lac Attack first caught my eye with its release of Magical Musings, a Harry Potter themed line of polish. Let me tell you a little something about me – I’m an HP nerd. I’ve read each book multiple (upon multiple) times, own the movies (and may or may not have went to see them at midnight openings…), have an owl post necklace, cook from my HP cookbook, am a Ravenclaw…well, you get the idea. So you can imagine my delight at an indie brand with a Harry Potter collection. Unfortunately, I missed Magical Musings  😦   I didn’t hear about it until after it sold out and didn’t have the cash to put in for an advance order of a limited re-release of the entire set when that was offered. I’m a little sad and salty over that whole scenario  😦    The bright side though is that now I know about Lac Attack and can keep a close eye on new releases – huzzah!  🙂

One such new release is Kiss Me, part of the Candy Hearts Limited Edition trio (Small Talk and U R 2 Cute are the other two of the trio). I was on an attempted buy freeze when Anastasia released this minis Valentine’s Day collection – “attempted” because clearly it didn’t work. But I compromised with myself by only ordering 1 shade instead of all 3. Sigh.

Kiss Me is a clear base filled with bright pink, light pink, and white shard glitter.

How cute is that label?

Poor lighting acknowledged, sorry!

There are a lot of layering combos available with such a pretty glitter color combination, but I decided to wear Kiss Me over Nicole by O.P.I Am I Making Myself Claire? I thought the gray-lavendar combined with the pink and white shards would be a lovely, feminine manicure. I will warn you now, this post is picture heavy. I couldn’t seem to capture the polish just right, which means I took a million photos trying to. I’m still not 100% pleased with the photos but this polish is limited edition, so time is of the essence. I also matte topcoated my ring finger. Click to enlarge, you know the drill:

Natural light

Natural light

Indoors

Indoors, no flash

Indoors w/ flash

Indoors w/ flash

Close up for difference b/t shine & matte top coats

The pros:

1. What a great Valentine’s Day mani! I can also see myself putting this with maybe a pastel yellow for Easter or on the tips of green nails around Christmas (even though the shards are pink, not red).
2. I love how this looks mattified! I ended up going back and matte coating all of my nails after I finished photographing swatches.
3. Kiss Me is only available as a mini, but this mini is SO much bigger than any of my other mini bottles! It’s really great value for the cost.
4. I don’t own any other shard glitters, so this stands out in my collection.
5. Great customer service. There was an issue with PayPal and shipping, and the owner emailed me to let me know about the issue and keep me up to date on when to expect my package. I really appreciate when I’m told of any problems with my order instead of blindly wondering where the heck my products are.

The cons:

1. The bottle is packed with shards, but they don’t want to come off the brush. I had to dab my little heart out and place shards on nekkid spots. This requires some patience, which is not for everyone.
2. For some reason I got a lot of air bubbles. I don’t shake glitter polishes because I know that you can get bubbling – I place them upside down for a bit and then gently roll the bottle before applying. I still got bubbles! I don’t know why  😦
3.  My nails were still a bit textured feeling after 2 coats of topcoat, which surprised me. Not a big deal for me, but I know that textures after topcoating can bother some.

My verdict? I really like Kiss Me  🙂   It’s a fun, unique shard polish. I still prefer normal glitters, but it’s about time I had shards in my collection! You can purchase Kiss Me or the other polishes from the Candy Hearts trio on the Lac Attack website; the mini bottles from this collection cost $4.25 plus s&h.

What do you think of Kiss Me? What about shard polish – hit or miss in your book?

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Feeling Sexy? Big Sexy Hair Weightless Moisture Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner Review

I have long, stick-straight hair. It’s kind of thick and heavy, and essentially does what it wants without any regard for what I want it to do. I’ve tried many shampoos and conditioners in the past, hoping to find the miracle duo that would give me bouncy hair, full of volume and oomph. Alas, I have yet to find one. Today’s review is another step in that journey.

To be fair, I think a lot of the problem is just how much hair I have. A few months ago it was all one length and almost to my waist. I went to my hairdresser for a trim and she was like “You have SO much hair! We’re getting rid of some of this, and that’s that.” She went crazy with her scissors, chopping long layers in and taking length off; by the time she was done, it was like a hair murder scene around the chair – hair everywhere! My hairdresser (who has a pixie cut, I might add) was happy with the cut but still grumbling that I wouldn’t let her chop all of my hair off. She tried and tried to blow dry some volume into my hair with a round brush for at least half an hour; a curling iron also resulted in straight hair that looked the same as it had pre-styling. That’s just my hair.

Undeterred, I snagged liters of Big Sexy Hair Weightless Moisture Extra Volumizing Shampoo and Volumizing Conditioner on one of my last trips to Ulta. Why do prestige/salon items have the longest names in the world? I wish I could tell you. The liters are usually in the $20-something range and were on sale for like $16. Sold! I also got salon pumps for each liter because I didn’t want to waste product trying to squirt just enough product into one hand while trying to balance the liter in the other. Chances are that I’d drop a liter and lose half the bottle down the drain because that’s how graceful I am.

The shampoo and conditioner are made without sulfates, gluten, or parabens. Does that really make a difference? To some people, yes. Sulfates are chemicals that make your shampoo bubbly, or what are basically what give it a lather (yes, your head can get squeaky clean though without said lather). Sulfates have also been linked to drying out hair, making color not last as long, and irritation on sensitive scalps. Some dermatologists also suggest it can make your skin break out. Sulfates have been around a long time, including in baby shampoo, but “sulfate-free” has been cropping up more and more as people have moved towards more natural products. Both sulfates and parabens (a chemical used to inhibit bacterial growth) have been linked to the deterioration of the hair follicle, which means more dry, brittle hair for some. Some scientists also claim that parabens can cause cancer through its interactions with bodily hormones, although other scientists dismiss such claims. Lastly, people with Celiac disease/gluten sensitivity may have a bodily reaction to gluten products in general, not just from ingesting foods with gluten – hence the gluten-free label here. Phew! That was exhausting. Let’s move on.

The pros:

1. Both products have a fresh, almost citrus salon smell. Mmm!
2. My hair needs less detangler and is shinier after using the shampoo and conditioner together.
3. My hair is healthy because I wash it, let it air dry, and brush it later after detangler sits in it for awhile; I don’t use other styling products or heated tools. However, my hair looks a bit healthier after using these products, as though it’s more nourished or something.
4. The pumps make using the liters easy. That’s more a reflection of the pumps than the products, but I still wanted to include it so that you get the pumps if you purchase the shampoo/conditioner. Do itttt.
5. My hair feels smoother. Less flyaways = happy Jay.

The cons:

1. I know my hair is clean, but I’m not used to my shampoo not really lathering. I used a lot more than necessary the first few days because I was like what the heck, where are the bubbles?
2. I didn’t get any extra volume out of these products. None. Nada. Zilch. A little more movement, but no volume. Sigh. I think people with finer hair would have better results there.
3. I’m not sure if it’s because my hair is more moisturized or what, but I feel like I need to shampoo every day. With other shampoos, my hair would still look fresh the morning after a wash – with this, it starts to look a little oily by the next day. Not a lot, but a smidge. People with naturally oily hair may want to steer clear of these products.

My verdict? I like the shampoo and conditioner so far. I don’t find the volumizing claims to be true, but I’m not super surprised about that. I don’t buy into all of the hype going around about sulfate/gluten/paraben products, but my hair does look a bit different after switching – it’s hard to say whether that’s attributable to the lack of those chemicals or the product formula though. These liters will last me awhile, so I have time to decide whether or not I’ll rebuy. Chance are that I’ll try something else just because I’m a shampoo/conditioner jumper. You can buy Sexy Hair products on the company website, at certain salons, and at beauty specialty stores like Ulta; prices range depending on product size.

Have you gone sulfate/paraben free? Do you notice a difference? What do you think of Sexy Hair products?

Mmmm…Pretty and Polished Mint Chocolate Chip Super Balm Review

Holy cannoli, this product has such a long name! If you’ve read my blog before (if not, check out older posts!), you’ve seen the reviews for Pretty and Polished nail polish. I’m a fan of creator Chels’ polish, but have never strayed from polish purchases on her site. I was on her site waiting for her St. Patty’s polishes to go live and decided to poke around for a change. I came across the Bath and Body section and she’s got some pretty cool stuff there! I decided to order one of the yummiest sounding products in that section – a Mint Chocolate Chip cuticle balm. Mmmm!

According to Chels, “Our balms are designed to help you fight the dryness of your cuticles and other areas of your skin. Balms comes in white wall containers with ingredients listed on the side. Just rub your fingers into the tub and feel the balm melt like butter.” Or as I like to say, like buttah. She makes her balms with cruelty free essential oils, designed to melt onto the skin and nourish dry cuticles and hands. I currently use Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (review here), but decided why not try this one for a comparison?

I love the little ice cream drawing!

My camera got finicky on this one. That’s why it looks like it says “coffee butler” instead of “butter”…I wish this balm came with a coffee butler! I think it should also say “May make you hungry” under the Warning header.

There was a choice of two sizes for the other balms but not for this “flavor.” There is no size listing on the tub or on the website for this balm, so I decided to take a picture of it in my palm so you can see sizing. For some reason, this is also the only cuticle cream listed as “super balm” on the container. I’m not sure there is a difference between this and the other cuticle creams though?

It’s bigger than I had thought when I ordered it, which is always a great surprise! The picture of the balm itself on the site looks smooth, like Burt’s cuticle cream. I was a little surprised when I took the top off and it was actually a little gritty/chunky. It looks like gooseflesh and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to? Check it out –

After I pushed down on it to apply some

Although the smooth parts were obviously smooth, the balm picked up from the goose-bumpy looking parts did feel a little chunky until I really rubbed it in. At that point, it melted away on my fingertips. This formula definitely is a lot oilier than Burt’s, as you can see in this picture of it on and around my nails –

All that shine is balm. It took some time to sink into my skin. I could smell the chocolate better on my skin than in the tub, although it was like an afternote; mint definitely dominates the scent of this product.

The pros:

1. It smells minty fresh, with a dash of chocolate.
2. You get a pretty big container of this! This will last me quite a long time.
3. The product is just a batch of essential oils and butters, meaning it is essentially straight nourishment for your hands.
4. To quote the maker, Chels – “Coffee butter is said to have a 4.5 pH balance – which is the same as human skin. So feel free to use this balm on your cuticles or on any other dry patches you may have!” So I also put this on my knuckles, which get pretty scratchy.
5. The price is fabulous.

The cons:

1. I put this on and then read a book a few minutes later – my book jacket now has little oil fingerprints allll over it.
2. It’s significantly oilier/greasier than Burt’s Bees; while the ingredients in this one are fewer and still all natural, you have to really let it sink into your skin so that con #1 doesn’t happen.
3. I wish it smelled a little more like chocolate  😦

My verdict? I have no idea what official size this container is but it will definitely be worth the $5 I paid for it. Yes, only $5, you read that right. It’s less than a full-sized Burt’s cuticle cream and you get more. Holla! (sorry, I had to)  You can buy this cuticle balm or another yummy-scented one from the Pretty and Polished website. Prices vary by size and scent.

My first guest post! Woohoo!

I was a child raised on Disney and still love Disney (who doesn’t?). Naturally, I follow a fantastic blog on all things Disney, Disneyways.com.

The blog creator of Disneyways (Krista) and I started chatting one day and realized that we have some things in common – we love Disney (obviously), we love beauty (she has a history in the beauty biz), and we’re pumped for the new Oz movie coming out March 8th. One chat led to another, and multiple chats led to…drumroll please…my first guest post! Huzzah!

In anticipation of Oz the Great and Powerful, I’m creating good/bad witch looks using Urban Decay’s Oz palettes. Head on over to Disneyways.com tonight to check out my Glinda tutorial and leave me a comment letting me know what you think of the look! Also, continue to check back for the next look using the Theodora palette, which is currently in the works and coming soon.

And, of course, a big thanks to Krista for letting me post about Disney beauty on her wonderful site  🙂

Want to be a Balm Girl? theBalm Girls Lipstick – Mai Billsbepaid Review & Swatches

It’s Balm. James Balm. Just kidding, it’s his Balm Girl Mai Billsbepaid by the Balm. This is one of six The Balm Girls lipsticks sold by the Balm!

The Balm Girls lipsticks are traditional cream lipsticks. So what makes these so special? These lipsticks provide amazing pigment and condition while they make your lips look beautifully smoochable. They smell minty fresh, have great staying power, and come in a sleek little bullet tube. Plus the names make me laugh every time I read them on the packaging or website.

James Balm is nothing compared to his Balm Girl

I was honestly drawn to all of the Balm Girl shades but decided that Mai Billsbepaid would be my first. It looked dark on the site picture but is described as a velvety nude (oh la la). Here’s how mine looks –

Indoors, no flash

Indoors with flash

It’s much more true to the with-flash color. Need proof? Here, I’ll show you. Don’t judge my before shot; my lips are always chapped –  I got a little carried away with exfoliating but still have some questionable spots.

Before

After, indoor lighting

After, natural lighting

Man does natural lighting make me look pale! Anyways, Mai Billsbepaid is pretty spot on for my natural lip color? The pro and the con of this is that you can’t really tell I have it on. It’s certainly a my-lips-but-better shade for me. I have like a birthmark-y spot on my upper lip and you can see how the lipstick covers that.

I’m really happy with this lipstick. I love how it looks natural but makes my lips look a little better than usual. Lipsticks have a tendency to dry out my lips or highlight any chapping – I did exfoliate earlier in the day, but this lipstick glided on smoothly and faded away naturally, leaving my lips feeling the same (if not better) than before application. A true rarity for me! I also really like the packaging – not only is the silver bullet tube cute (it goes with the Balm Girls theme), but you can feel the cap click shut tight, which means I don’t worry about it in my purse. An added bonus I noticed on the packaging? It’s made in the U.S, which is something this American girl appreciates  🙂   Looks like it’s time for me to invest in some other shades…

You can purchase the Balm Girls Lipstick at the Balm website for $17/0.14oz. I snagged this on a Hautelook sale though for $8, so you may also want to keep an eye on that site!