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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara Review

Hey! I wanted to do a quick review of a mascara that I had not tried. I received the Rimmel London Lash Accelerator mascara as a stocking stuffer for Christmas 2012, and I just used up my Maybelline Lash Stiletto and thought I'd give it a whirl.

Verdict: It's good--probably my number 2 mascara. Still doesn't beat my oldie-but-goodie Lash Stiletto, though! It makes my lashes very long, but there simply isn't enough volume for me to purchase a second tube. I paired my Covergirl Exact Eyelights (Black Gold) with it for volume in this video. If lengthening is your goal, then this is for you! You can grab Lash Accelerator at Walgreens for $8.99 or just $6.87 from Amazon. If you want to try my absolute favorite Lash Stiletto (Voluptuous Waterproof, Very Black), you can find it at Amazon for $7.74.

Stay tuned for a few bloopers at the end from various attempts at shooting the review! 



Friday, January 18, 2013

Products I Do Not Recommend!

As an accompaniment to my hair repair products post, here are some products that I do not recommend! I realize the video is long, but I go quickly, I promise! 


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Beauty Blender Dupe Review: Bundle Monster Pro Beauty Flawless Sponges


Today I bring you a review on the Beauty Blender Dupe--Bundle Monster's Pro Beauty Flawless Makeup Sponges! 

I really didn't want to shell out $20 or more for a Beauty Blender, so instead I scouted around and found these dupes for an awesome deal--$10 and change on Amazon! They're fantastic and come just as pictured. 

They're firm and far softer than I anticipated. They get enormous when you wet them, just like the Beauty Blender does, and they give great coverage. With four, I'll probably never have to buy a new blending sponge. These were a great buy and I couldn't be happier with the product. These will last me forever! 

For my full review, and a quick demo, check out my video below! 


Update: Interested in seeing a follow-up with me on this product two years later? You can check that out in this blog post.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Repairing Damaged Hair

My Top Three Hair Repair Products

I know I said that I would be doing a post next reviewing a set of excellent Beauty Blender dupes, but as I've been a tad too busy today to film it, I thought I'd put some hair recommendations up here first. I was speaking with someone the other day who has really frizzy, damaged hair; they told me all of the hair products they've tried, but nothing seems to work. I've seen a lot online (Pinterest, StumbleUpon, blogs, YouTube, etc.) about how to fix damaged hair and split-ends, all the way from DIY to expensive hair masks, but I wanted to share what worked for me and what finally healed my hair.

I used to have very long, very blonde hair that I alternately had highlighted or did myself at home. Here is a picture from over a year ago of my hair: 



(Out of vanity, I am going to note that this was before I lost weight. I have a tendon issue caused by a reaction to antibiotics that crippled me for over a year--I would stand up at my desk and fall to the ground. I'm on the road to healing and I've lost a lot of poundage since, though! Huzzah. But I digress.)

You can probably tell, if you look closely, that my hair was very damaged at that point. I had already been trying to heal it from January 2011, when an inexperienced salon stylist put straight bleach on my hair and created a ring of dead strands that felt like sandpaper to the touch. I finally found products that started to work on my dead blonde hair, and then I decided, since I was so sick of constant touch-ups and the bleach wrecking the repair I was attempting, that I would just go back to being a brunette. (I'm actually a natural ombre and I've been dying since I was young. Had I known ombre would get popular, I would have just stayed my natural color!) Now my hair is super shiny and feels like silk, even when I don't put any product in it. Here's the most recent photo I have of my hair:



The products I used are not expensive and you can find most of them either online or in your local drug or department store. I've found that three things have helped my hair the most over the years: 

1) Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum 
This stuff is amazing. You only need one pump if you have short-medium hair, or two pumps if you have long hair. Warm it up in your hands and distribute it evenly through your hair, concentrating at the ends. It's so packed with coconut oil, shea butter, and protein that it enriches your hair, makes it super shiny, and protects it from heat...but doesn't weigh it down! I've been using the same bottle I've had since 2010 and I still haven't run out, despite using it almost every day, so it lasts forever and is well worth the $5.74 you can snag it for at Walmart, which is the lowest price I've found. 

2) Renpure Organics: Color Protecting Moisturizing Conditioner 
This conditioner is unbelievable. I happened upon it one day when I was sleuthing around Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL) and decided to give it a try. While it isn't marketed as such, this little guy might as well be a deep conditioning mask. It uses all fruits and flowers to completely repair your hair, smells great, and again--you only need a little bit to completely saturate your locks. It lasts a really long time, and you can get it for only $6.99 through Renpure's site (cheaper than Amazon!), a small family company located in the U.S. I haven't yet found this in local stores, but I know OSJL frequently carries it for $4 or less, depending on your location. It's amazing! 

3) Organix Cherry Blossom Shine Spray
I really love Organix, because they truly are an organic company and their products just do wonders for every hair type. I also super recommend their shampoos and conditioners. This is the best heat-protecting shine spray I've come across so far, and as I'm a tad bit obsessed with my hair, I've tried a lot. The directions say to spritz it on wet hair and then again when it's dry, but I use it as a heat protector just before I style my hair, whether I use a flat-iron or curl it. It makes your hair super soft and silky, and it smells wonderful. I should warn you guys, though, that it has such a strong scent that you shouldn't accompany it with perfume. It will make you smell of cherry blossoms all day! You can order this one on Amazon for $4.95. And, again, lasts and lasts! 

Those three are my hair care staples. I'll follow this up with a post on hair care products I have purchased that are a waste of time and actually make my hair worse! Ciao for now!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Makeup Tip #1: Get the look of falsies without falsies!



In-between longer videos, I've decided to share little makeup tips and tricks that have made my life easier. For the first one: Get the look of false eyelashes without actually buying or using false eyelashes! 

All you need:
  • Eyelash curler
  • Mascara
False eyelashes are actually pretty expensive unless you get "cheap" ones or you find a really good deal (like this set that I've been coveting on Amazon.) There are a few quick and easy ways you can fake having fake eyelashes (Inception lashes! ...Anyone else thinking of that awesome movie? No? Moving on), and here is the easiest one for you.

The timing is what's important for this one: Right after you shower. As soon as you hop out of the shower (or bath, if you're a bath person), grab your eyelash curler and curl your eyelashes, then do at least one quick swipe of mascara. The heat and humidity make your lashes warm and pliant, and when you curl them immediately and mascara-it-up, the makeup will seal in that fullness and make your eyelashes look long, thick, and divine. You can always add more coats later on; the important thing is getting that curl and quick mascara done as soon as your feet exit the tub.

Hope this works as well for you as it does for me! 

Adieu! 





Friday, January 4, 2013

Introductions! - Video

Argh! I haven't put anything up yet that I've wanted to because I've had some massive camera and filming issues. I decided to do the introductory video (a few bloopers at end) with my horrible built-in webcam (it's only 0.3 pixels...gasp!) as a place-holder. Since my camera problems were solved today, I can announce the next post that will be coming up: Beauty Blender Dupe review!