Matrix Biolage Delicate Care Organic Certified Oil

Remember VO5 Hot Oil from back in the 80s and 90s? Well, one of the products I got in my Allure beauty bag is a bit of a throwback to that...Biolage Delicate Care Organic Certified Oil. It is designed to preserve colored hair and repair sun and other damage. You can put it on before shampooing, like I did, or you can put it on after home coloring (Coco, you may want to test it out!). I also found this blog review The Mourning Reviews, where the author discusses using it as a touch-up for shine. I don't know about this...it's straight oil so I can see adding it to dry hair and things going awry!

Here are the steps for pre-shampoo use:
1. Apply to dry hair before shampooing from mid length to ends. I didn't really soak my hair, I just put enough to make it look a little damp.

2. Apply heat for 5-10 min. I just ran the hair dryer over it for about 5 min.
3. Shampoo, condition, and style as usual. My end pic is below. I will say that I used my straightener, so this is not the result after just blow drying.

 In general, my hair does feel pretty smooth and soft, but not much more than using a thick conditioner. It's not any shiner than normal. Perhaps a longer heat treatment or starting with more damage would show a greater difference. I do like the product, and will probably use this whole bottle, but I doubt I go searching for it in the salons. From the prices I see online, it runs as high as $25 for this little 1.7 oz bottle. However, I used the tiniest amount today, so I can see this stuff lasting ages.

Disclosure: I bought this myself. I wasn't paid to review this, but if anyone out there wants to give me a job reviewing beauty swag I'd be glad to do it.

I LOVE when I forget I ordered something!

Uh, so I totally forgot I ordered this Allure summer beauty box that I blogged about HERE. I got it in the mail today and I am PUMPED. Look at all this stuff!! ALL full size, ALL good stuff. Shampoo, conditioner, hair moisturizing oil, hair cream, a bunch of different moisturizers, eye shadow, highlighting powder, lip glosses (8 of them!), toothpaste, For $40!!!

Everything is full size, and the bag is actually sturdy and cute (I may get it monogrammed, not sure yet)! It has a waterproof lining as well, which is a big bonus. So excited---and let me just say the first thing I plan to try is the Garnier skin renew moisturizer. It's supposed to tone down sunspots. I currently have one on my upper lip that looks like DIRT and it is SOOOO embarrassing. So this stuff will get put to the test ASAP! (And to think I was about to go out and spend $50 on Clinique dark spot corrector!)

YIPEE! Will let you know how all the products turn out!!


Photo courtesy of http://www.garniernutritioniste.com/en/

Review: Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Hi all! Sorry for the semi-delay in postings. Haven't tried much new stuff lately, so haven't had much to discuss. I wanted to tell y'all about my results with Revlon Grow Luscious mascara. For starters, it's $8.99 at Walgreens, which is a pretty decent price for Revlon. The product claims to "compliment the natural lash growth cycle" and "94% of women instantly see longer lashes" (but isn't that what mascara is supposed to do?) Ok.

So I tested it out. While I have not been using it long enough to determine that it "complements the growth cycle" I highly doubt this claim. It's not like it has Latisse in it or anything. I bought the waterproof version, but it easily came off with makeup remover. It did make my lashes look very long and thick, so in that respect this mascara is a winner. There were issues though. First, it's clumpy and somewhat hard to apply evenly. You know how when mascara is getting a little old it gets harder to work with? This is like that right off the bat. Second, it's flaky. I noticed black mascara flakes around my eyes after wearing all day. Third, the flakiness led to itchy eyes.

In general, I give this mascara a 4 out of 10. When it was on, it looked great, but the clumpiness and flakiness were too much to contend with. I doubt I purchase again...in fact, I doubt I even finish the current tube.


Photo courtesy of www.walgreens.com

Small self-tanning lotion test

Now that it's summer, I'm sure a lot of you are like me and are trying to obtain and maintain a tan. My husband has the luxury of having Native American in his blood, so he basically turns dark brown immediately and never EVER burns. I, on the other hand, am Irish, English, and German; thus I burn like crazy. We both know the risks of skin cancer no matter what the skin tone, so we are good about slathering/spraying on the SPF 30 all the time. He still tans though where I remain pale as a ghost. So what's a girl like me to do? Fake it.

I have recently tried two of the self tanning lotions available at drugstores. Nivea Body and Jergens Natural Glow. I have heard numerous reports of how well Jergens works, but I wanted to try the "firming moisturizer" component of the Nivea. I tried Nivea for a week, and I really didn't like it. It gave a slight color change, but the lotion was super thin and SLIMY. If I sweat with it on, it felt like it was just running down my legs...pretty gross. It also had a very strong self-tanning smell (I don't know what that stuff is, but it stinks). Now I'm using Jergens. I like it much better. It consistency is much more like regular lotion. It does not feel slimy at all, and the smell is basically non-existent. I think the color change for me is pretty slight, but enough to just have a little glow. I have seen other friends who use it and look like they have been in the tanning bed, so it may depend on how consistent you are with using it (I only put it on in the morning). I am not using it on my face. I don't think either were designed for that. They do make self tanners for the face, but I think I would break out. I just use a bronzer powder on my face.

Are there any self tanners you guys use that you love? Let me know in the comments. My vote goes to Jergens!

Where have I been?

Rarely do I find a product that makes me wonder how the F I've been livin my life. The Droid was one of them. Beauty-wise it was the Clinique three step system I discovered after college. This new discovery is much more simple. I don't know why I've never thought to try these. Dr. Scholl's gel inserts. REALLY SIMPLE, right?

So I spent 4 years after college running around work in heels with zero inserts and zero support. And it hurt, but my feet just got used to it. Since returning to grad school, my work shoes have turned into flip flops in the summer and the same two pair of boots in the winter. I NEVER wear heels. And then I realized I could barely make it an hour with my girlfriends out for dinner with them on, and I have some REALLY cute heels that were sitting all sad and forlorn in my closet. Not acceptable. So I saw these while in Walgreens (they are $9 for a pack) and tried them out.

Seriously y'all. Where.have.I.BEEN?? These things are awesome. My feet don't hurt; they don't slide around in the heels; I can last longer than an hour without wanting to saw my leg off.

My bangin yellow heels with the flower thank me. And will be happily making an appearance at girl's night out tonight (SATC 2, naturally). But for real. Try these things out. They have a bunch of different styles. It's SO WORTH the $9. I'm going to probably buy a pair for every pair of heels I own eventually.

Consumer Report's top sunscreen on the Today show

Morning! You all probably remember my recent post all about sunscreen. Well this morning on the Today show they had Consumer Reports on to discuss their top brands. The winner? Target's Up and Up Continuous Sport Spray! I just checked the Target website, and a twin pack is $9.44! That's a really great price. On the segment, the Consumer reports rep said it provided great coverage and protection with the best price point. I will definitely have to check this out. I shop at Target all.the.time...so it's an easy grab.

Walgreens brand took second place, and Banana boat took third. BananaBoat is one of my personal favs, we have about 10 spray cans in the house right now. The link to the full article from the Today show is HERE.


Photo courtesy of Target.com

Allure Summer Beauty Box

Hey everyone! So Allure is doing a summer beauty box at their virtual store. I read about it HERE on their blog.

I just ordered mine. It contains 11 full-size bottles of products I already use, such as Aveeno SPF 70 sunblock, Colgate whitening toothpaste, Stila lip glosses (EIGHT of them), Neutrogena sheer SPF 70, and a few other products I'm excited to try, like the Biolage hair oil and Biore moisturizer!

It's $39.99 and comes with a small tote. The sunblocks and moisturizers alone at Rite Aid would be at least $10 a pop. The lipgloss set is $25. I like that they are all full size bottles too!

The only bummer...it says 4-6 weeks for delivery AFTER you order it. But, summer is just beginning so I know I will still use the sunscreen up before the end of August. Hopefully it will arrive much sooner than that.

Go to the ALLURE VIRTUAL STORE to find yours! I would purchase soon if you want one, I think there is a limited amount.