Speaking of hybrids...

I fell in love with one.

It's Aussie's Mousse + Leave-In Conditioner

part of their Catch the Wave line of products

It's a flexible hold bringing you the best of the mousse and the best of a leave-in. When I feel like wearing my hair curly I use this because my curls stay curly and are moisturized at the same time. It comes in 4 degrees of hold : flexible, strong, maximum and extreme. I have "flexible" hold, there's no stickiness, friziness and my curls actually bounce and sway in the wind :)

Here's a tip: If you have curly hair and just washed it, don't brush it when its close to drying. It separates the curls and creates friziness when it dries. I brush my hair before I shower. That way I either naturally dry or use a diffuser and my curls stay together.

My lucy lashes

I once tried putting on some fake eyelashes I bought for $6. I spent the entire night touching my eye and worried that I would have a mismatch set of eyelashes: one fake one real. Now I just stick to regular mascara. I'd rather spend that 6 towards a mascara I can wear on a daily basis.


I recently tried CoverGirl's Super Thick Lash Mascara.

It give's me eyelashes like Lucille Ball. (fyi I looooove lucille ball and her unique sense of style) The mascara is not clumpy, gets a good coverage of all my eyelashes in one swoop and I don't have to apply 3 or 4 times to get the results I do in one.

I've never tried the stick straight brush. I think this is what makes each lash stand out longer, darker and thicker.

If I have nothing but 5 minutes I grab this mascara and it wakes up my entire face. Call me crazy but I've been known to take mascara on camping trips.

Just a little glow

I've been feeling like hell this week. The temperature changes from one day to the next: its hot, then windy, then cold, then 80 degrees, then cold, then humid, then cloudy. Its making my body go crazy. I either have a cold or allergies. Not sure which but I'm sure that I feel like c-r-a-p!

Stuck inside for a few days I'm expecting to look extra pale. Now pale skin only works for those few like Nicole Kidman or Marcia Cross but on me NO WAY! Plus, I'm from Los Angeles. Paleness is like the plague here. Seriously.

So what to do. Jergens natural glow Daily Moisturizer.

It's not one of those tanning lotions that make dramatic difference from one day to the next. It's not like you just came from the sahara desert and you won't end up looking like this......unless
you want to.

visit Jergens 3 days to glow website

I've got the firming line. Hey if I can get a tan and firmer skin at the SAME time I'm all for it! Score!!! It works just like moisturizing lotion except that it gradually tans with each application. Like with any tanning lotion always wash your hands right after you apply. Trust me you don't want to have tanned lines on your palms. You want the tan to look subtle and not like you painted it on. The gradual build-up of the tan lets you decide how dark you want to be.

You can find Jergens at just about every drugstore. It's cheap, it works and it doesn't leave you looking like an orange.

Ahh so clever

Yep you got me. Your catchy commercials with Shakira and Madonna songs. Your colors that pop down the aisles: shades of blues, pink, purples, yellows. Those color/bottle combinations for every problem or Your bottle in different shapes. The inexpensive pricing. Oh yes Sunsilk you got me. I bought some of your products. Your good, you're really good.......at marketing. At making a good product? not so much.

See the catchy colors? See the models that look like they're having a blast? The nice font that matches the colors? Easy-to-Read descriptions.

Let's start with Sunsilk's Hydra TLC 24/7 Creme aka the pink bottle.


It has Nutra-Keratin in it which I assume makes your hair less wild. It claims to give you "soft hair that flows together". What sold me is that its a mousse/gel hybrid, bringing you the best of both worlds. Or so I thought. I don't like mousse because it weighs my hair down and I don't like gel because it leaves my hair crunchy. Hair shouldn't crunch.

The only thing I do like about mousse and gel is that they can hold my hair in place when I need it.

Sunsilk's Hydra TLC left my hair fluffy. Sure it was a tad softer but I do not want fluffy hair. Fluffy hair reminds me of the 80's crazy voluminous hair days. Fluffy hair is another form of frizzy hair but only with a little conditioner in it. A fluff ball....yeah that's what my hair looked like.....like a big fluffly cloud. No thank you.

Next up, Sunsilk's Anti-Flat Weightless Volumizing Creme

This one comes with "Collagen-C". ooooooohhh ahhhhhhhh. I don't know what that is but sounds good, right? I liked the claim of "visible oomph without that crunchy feel" sold!

The Anti-Flat is another hybrid from Sunsilk. It's the combination of a conditioner and a mousse. It felt more like a leave-in than a mousse. This is what your hair would feel like if you left conditioner on instead of rinsing it off.

Softness? a little.

Hold? not really

I give both:

Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings. When I was little I used to wake up at 6am before anybody else was awake. I would make my bowl of cereal and watch morning cartoons. Now I don't wake up until 11 and start my day with a beauty regimen.

Saturday mornings are still ME time. I wash the week away and start brand new. This is the time I get to indulge and relax. I start the day with a long shower, use my deep cleaning shampoo, exfoliants, and cleansers. Then I use this:

I use Infusium 23 the 3-minute treatment. I usually leave it on more than 3 minutes just to really really deeeeep condition. This is one of the few deep conditioning treatments that really work on my hair. After using this my hair looks shinier and my curls have their spring back.

It is very thick and creamy so I will only tend to use this once a week unless I just dyed my hair. If I'm having a really bad hair week or its been a humid or dry week I use this 2-3 per week. It's one of the bests AND the best part its pretty cheap. Believe it or not this deep treatment is better than those higher end conditioners and I can buy at any drugstore or mass retailer like Target (fyi I LOVE Target!)


When I'm not using the deep conditioner I use this:

It's Infusium 23's liquid Leave-In Treatment. It's more of a base to start your day. After a shower and before my hair dries I spritz this on. It makes my hair softer and more manageable when I blow dry, brush, straighten or make loose curls. I also love to take my spritz bottle when I go to the beach or pool. The chlorine and salt water can ravage my hair so I'm always spritzing away like a maniac. Have you ever gotten out of a pool and your hair feels like dry wet straw? ick!

My only problem with the leave-in treatment is that it comes in this bottle that only pours the liquid out. I don't like the pour it and then splash it on my head. It's just faulty bottle production. Why doesn't Infusium 23 put it in a spritz bottle. I'm a smart one and bought an empty spritzer bottle at those 99 cent stores to refill over and over. It really makes a difference and is definitely easier to apply on.

:::update:::

Infusium you rock!!! You read my mind :)

It's the Pits!

Found: Free sample of Dove go Fresh Ultimate Clear deodorant / antiperspirant

*free samples while supplies last.

Lips Fine as Wine

Usually when I buy lipsticks I use them for a few days then they're replaced by something new maybe a gloss or matte or just plain lip balm. The lipstick ends up at the bottom of my purse. Or worse they end up in the "makeup casket" never to be seen again until trash day.

Lipsticks are a tough choice. You can't really tell what it will look like outside of those harsh drugstore lights. What will the color look like at 2am in the morning when you're dancing the night away? Will it fade, crack or dry your lips? Is the color subtle enough that you can wear it 9am to 5pm and layer it when the sun goes down? Will the color look like it looks in the magazine? Will it make him do a double-take? Will I fall in love with this color? Will I use it till I have to scrape the bottom with a q-tip?

When I found CoverGirl's IncrediFULL Lipcolor I was surprised at all the shades it came in.There were tons of colors to choose from but only one stood out. FINE WINE #948.

It's a berry put peachy shade at the same time. If you lightly dab it on your lips it gives you a berry sunkissed shine. If you put it on full blast you can wear it out at night.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shade. I love the color and the fact that its moisturizing my lips. I'm addicted to lip balm and was amazed that I never have to apply any one when I'm wearing this shade. I'm looking forward to trying some other colors for summer. Maybe Plush Blush or Honey Rose or something dramatic like Fresh Jam.

Free Sample

*while supplies last*

Dove ProAge beauty body lotion
(click here)

Garnier Fructis Deep Conditioner

I'm always skeptical of deep conditioners. My hair is like the Sahara desert and I am always trying new conditioners. I've tried conditioners from the $2 range up to $40. Anything more is a waste of money. After all, that stuff is just going to rinse off after a couple of minutes, right?

When I saw the Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner that claimed to make your hair 5x stronger and 5x smoother well I just had to try it. Anytime I hear these unbelievable claims it reminds me of those really old commercials from the 40's where they had a magical fixer elixir potion claiming to rid you of all that ails you.

When I say my hair is like the Sahara I mean it. Without conditioner, serums, and regular trims my hair would look like straw. I've been dyeing it since junior high. I also have naturally curly frizzy hair that I straighten / blow dry every day. I use one day a week to try to bring it back to life and using deep conditioners and hair masques work.

Fructis Deep Conditioner has a nice smell and texture to it. I usually leave deep conditioners for 20 minutes wrapped in a shower cap to lock in moisture and heat up the conditioner (a tip I learned from a hairdresser). Fructis didn't have that wow factor. It just felt like I left a regular conditioner on for an extra while, a really good regular conditioner.

Would I try it again? Sure. A friend, who has perfect hair by the way, claims it left her hair feeling soft and shiny. She really liked it but then again her hair is perfect even with regular conditioner.....well maybe not suave conditioner.

Is Fructis D.C. my staple deep conditioner? nope, I found something better.

Stay tuned.

Stuck in a Purple Haze

Recently I've been in love with the color purple. Purple shirts, purple converse, purple headbands. Purple, purple, purple. So of course when I stopped by the drugstore and saw purple eyeshadow I had to have it.

I think what drove me to buy purple is that spring is almost here and I read somewhere that purple not only brightens your eyes but makes brown eyes pop.

I bought Wet n Wild's Mega Eyes and EyeGlide by Revlon. Two basically similar colors of purple lavender but in different forms. The eyeshadow from Wet n Wild wasn't glittery but more of a shimmer. It also lasted through the night, through dancing, drinks and after hour partying.

EyeGlide comes in a stick and has a creamy texture. It's sort of like a lip balm for your eyes. It has a spongy tip with holes at the top. You choose how much you want by turning the bottom. The only thing you have to watch is putting too much on. With too much the eyeshadow gathers at the crease of your eye and doesn't look so cute. It also smudges more than the eyeshadow.

Next up...I just ordered an eyeliner from Avon in eggplant :) I won't OD on the purple though, purple eyeshadow & liner together?...that would be a NO.

Oh yes, before I forget. For the eyeshadow :

For the creamy shadow

Cold Sores

Courtesy of wulffmorgenthaler.com

There's no amount of makeup that will ever be able to hide a cold sore. A cold sore is this hideous looking blisters that come out around my lips, leak clear liquid then scab to heal. Its disgusting I know. If you like being disgusted click here for pictures (not of me).

Cold sores usually pop up when you least expect them. First you feel a little tingling, then a little burning, then a little itch. Then all of a sudden you wake up to Frankenstein Pimple smack dab in the middle of your lips. You can't hide it. No concealer on earth can hide it. (side note: don't try to hide pimples or anything crusty with concealer/foundation/blush/etc...it only attracts attention and doesn't let it heal)

yup that's me with my cold sore

Cold sores always come up when either I'm under stress, when its that time of the month, when my body temp drastically changes, or just when the universe feels like punishing me. I once had a weekend I had planned for months for a night out on the town with girlfriends and I wake up to a planet on my lips. Ah yes, nothing gets attention like a drippy crusty blister.

I've tried just about everything out there to make this thing go away or at least try to prevent it from fully growing.

I've tried Abreva.

Doesn't work. I felt nothing putting this on. I might as well have put on regular lip balm. It makes no change on the cold sore before, during or after. It's also super expensive and comes in this tiny little tube.


I've tried different home remedies like nail polish, rubbing alcohol, ice cubes, cold washcloth. People have different reactions to these. I've used what works for ME and it may not work for you. Try at your own risk.

When I feel the first pain tingle of the cold sore I apply Carmex
like a lip balm addict. (tangent: did you know there's actually a website devoted to lipbalm addicts?..click 2 see ....more on lip balms later) Carmex has this medicated smell to it.

As you can see by the picture I use it quite often. I also bought this tube one.



I keep the round tin at home and I keep the tube in my purse. This is a MUST for cold
sores. It's thick and has a tingly numbing
sensation to it. The round tin is heavy duty and has a thicker consistency to it. The tube is more like a light lip balm and has less of the medicine smell. Either way I have them both.

If I wake up and see the cold sore emerging its evil evil head I start to use
ice cubs to numb it out and use a q-tip to put hand sanitizer on it to dry it out. Weird, I know. It's kind of difficult and awkward to do this at work but you must not let this thing grow and you must not let this thing stay moist. DO NOT keep putting lip balm past this point.


Once its full blown you've lost the battle and you have to let this thing grow then scab to get rid of it. If its full blown it will usually last about 7 to 10 days. Then you have no choice but to make some excuse why you cannot leave your house and go to work.

Lets say this happens and you have Jupiter on your face. I alternate between ice cubes, then hand sanitizer. Then repeat over and over and over. I also found this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G little tube called Viractin. It does not in any way cure the cold sore but numbs it. It contains Tetracaine which is a numbing drug. I think it speeds up the process but that's just me. It also makes your lips feel like Angelina Jolie's. I said feel not look. Feel.

I haven't had a cold sore in about a year. *crosses fingers*

I give Carmex and Viractin 5/5
On the brighter side, even celebrities aren't safe from cold sores. Ouch! Thank goodness I don't have to walk a red carpet.

Freebies

I haven't tried this yet but you can and tell me what you thought. Good luck and hope the sample is still available. Click the link to go directly to the website.

Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift

It claims to plump and fill in wrinkle lines.

A tisket, a tasket lets look inside my Makeup Casket

Oh yes, my Makeup Casket otherwise known as "where makeup goes to die" or "what was I thinking pile" or "maybe i'll use it for halloween" or "it must have been a spur of the moment thing".

My Makeup Casket is a silver box, dirty, dusty and full of odds and ends in makeup.

Today I bring you (dun dun dun) The PornStar Lipgloss





Don't get me wrong. I like lipgloss....when its subtle. You see these are lip glosses that came in those makeup kits with about 200 things inside and only about 5% you use. I like lipgloss that give you a hint of color, a kiss of a shade. I do not want porn star lips or stripper shine. I do not want a beam of light coming from my mouth. I do not want stickiness or my lips glued together when I place my lips together. I do not want my lips to become like the sahara after the lipgloss dries out.

Its not that much to demand. Is it?

So I give these super highlight, disco ball on my lip, porno moviestar lipglosses a rating of

Concealers

Dark circles, uneven skin tones, freckles, sunspots yup that's pretty much what I have. I've dabbled with a few concealers. There was that green one that was supposed to even out my skin tone. I never got over putting green on my skin....that is, unless its a mask.

I've tried different brands, from cheap to not so cheap. Here's my recents:

NYC in Medium
The cheap stuff is always good to try. If you don't like it then you can just toss it. It only costs a few dollars and you got to try something new.

I like experimenting with NYC but not for concealer. I only used this for my dark circles under my eyes. The color was too fake, didn't blend or melt into my skin. It was too oily and stiff.

I wouldn't buy this again only if I was in dire need and nothing else was available. It's still better than my next choice (maybelline)though. That's why I give it :

What's in my Purse?

There are several things in my purse that I never leave home without. I love travel size products. They're conveniently tiny and fit into any purse. They're usually super cheap. You can try new products without spending the full price. You can refill when you fall in love. That's what I do with my Downy Wrinkle Releaser.

This is weird because it actually works. I wrinkled a shirt on purpose, spritzed it to test it out, and when it dried it looked 90% less wrinkled. I didn't expect starched collars and ironed look but it did the job really well. It also reduces static cling and comes in a "light fresh scent".

Step 1: Spray.
Step 2: smooth wrinkles out
Step 3: Let dry

I use this whenever I'm in a hurry or when I notice wrinkles on my skirts from sitting in an office chair allllll day. A little spritz and they're gone. I didn't expect miracles but Downy really surprised me with this one.

Of course I give this