Saturday, August 11, 2012
Summer Madness!
I have to apologize. I started this blog at a not so good time. I started a week before finals, then started summer quarter at school which has been kicking my ass, just moved, and now I'm back at finals week. But not to worry... In the mean time I've been trying out all kinds of cheap-y goodies that I will be able to tell you about as soon as summer quarter is done (just one more week)! So thank you so much for your patience and I will talk to you in a week :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Sleek? Only When It Shines.
In my last post I mentioned Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist. I've been using it for the last few days, and with the weather being wonky lately I got a great run on seeing how this stuff works. The Straightening Mist contains Argan Oil which has been touted for it's fabulous moisturizing properties, so I thought it would be great for my fried, color processed and heat styled coif. Unfortunately, the first ingredient is alcohol, so that really defeats the purpose of the Argan Oil, because as we all know, alcohol DE-hydrates EVERYTHING (and if you didn't know that, now you do)! But I digress...
The first couple of days I followed the directions, sprayed the Mist on two inch sections of my dry hair then immediately followed with the flat iron. It actually came out fairly well. My fly-aways layed flat and my 'do had a really nice gloss to it. But then, those first couple of days, it was raining. The stuff REALLY doesn't hold up to humidity. Not only were my frizzies back as soon as I stepped out into the drizzile, but the natural wave in my hair completely took control. I will admit, however, that after reading all of the instructions on the back of the bottle, it does say to finish your style using Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray, which I will now have to try out at some point, but again, I digress...
The last day or two, with the gorgeous weather, the Mist has performed better. I do feel that it provided a little protection against the heat of my flat iron, but I couldn't honestly say that it provided the 24hr Straight Finish that it promises. By the end of the day my frizzies were back and I had to pull out my trusty glossing spray (Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Shine Enhancing Glossing Spray. Omg, seriously love this stuff!) to tame them back down.
On the plus side, this stuff made my hair smell amazing, as do all of the Garnier hair products. In combination with other products, the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist works pretty much the way it's supposed to. However, my hair didn't stay all that sleek throughout the day and it felt a little dry and brittle by the end. I think in my search for smooth, frizz free hair, I'll keep looking.
The first couple of days I followed the directions, sprayed the Mist on two inch sections of my dry hair then immediately followed with the flat iron. It actually came out fairly well. My fly-aways layed flat and my 'do had a really nice gloss to it. But then, those first couple of days, it was raining. The stuff REALLY doesn't hold up to humidity. Not only were my frizzies back as soon as I stepped out into the drizzile, but the natural wave in my hair completely took control. I will admit, however, that after reading all of the instructions on the back of the bottle, it does say to finish your style using Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray, which I will now have to try out at some point, but again, I digress...
The last day or two, with the gorgeous weather, the Mist has performed better. I do feel that it provided a little protection against the heat of my flat iron, but I couldn't honestly say that it provided the 24hr Straight Finish that it promises. By the end of the day my frizzies were back and I had to pull out my trusty glossing spray (Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Shine Enhancing Glossing Spray. Omg, seriously love this stuff!) to tame them back down.
On the plus side, this stuff made my hair smell amazing, as do all of the Garnier hair products. In combination with other products, the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist works pretty much the way it's supposed to. However, my hair didn't stay all that sleek throughout the day and it felt a little dry and brittle by the end. I think in my search for smooth, frizz free hair, I'll keep looking.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Dyin' The Herrr... Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color: A Review
So first I wanted to share this cool deal with you. Found it on my sister's facebook page. It's for a Target Beauty Bag Summer Give-a-way. Get free stuff bitches!
Now then... I reserved last night for dying my hair. I had a 20% off any one item coupon from Ulta, so I decided to pick up my hair dye. I normally use Feria Power Reds in True Red, and Ulta had a deal with Feria hair color, buy one get 50% off of a Loreal Ever Pure product of your choice. I also use Ever Pure products, so it was a good deal. Unfortunately, Ulta was out of my precious red, so that was a no go. But then I noticed that Garnier had come out with a new line of color, and they had a red that looked fantastic. Plus, if you bought a Garnier hair color then you got 50% off on any Garnier Fructis hair care product. Score. I've never really used any of their products since their initial shampoo launch when I was in college years ago, so I decided to give it a go.
I picked up the Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color in R3-Light Intense Auburn, and for my 50% off product I decided to try the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek and Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist, which I will review in a later post. With the half off on the Straightening Mist, and the 20% off coupon, I spent about $11 after tax, which is about what I'd pay for just a box of my Feria by itself.
The dying instructions were the same as usual: Apply to roots, process for 20 minutes, apply to the rest of hair and process for another 5-10 minutes. Pretty straight forward. I did my roots first and let it sit for 20 minutes then did the rest of my hair, which I actually left on for about 25 minutes for a total processing time of 45 minutes. Then the instructions said to rinse the hair until the rinse water ran clear, then condition with the intensive conditioning packet included with the dye. The Feria dye that I normally use is very much the same, except it also comes with a tube of shampoo that's supposed to add to the highlights provided by the color, and the shampoo makes my hair super soft too. Most stylists will tell you to never wash your hair right after dying it because it will make the color fade faster. While this is true with most colors, especially red, I usually wash it any way just to get any excess dye out so it doesn't end up bleeding on my pillow cases. Since the Garnier didn't come with a shampoo, I used a couple drops of Dr. Bronner's to do a quick wash before applying the conditioner. It worked exactly as I wished, removing the excess dye, but with out interfering with the brightness of the color. The conditioner included with the color was nice. An avocado based formula, it provided needed moisture to my now processed hair. I do have to say though, I prefer the conditioner that comes with the Feria color. It's much thicker, more like a hair mask and, in addition to a good deep conditioning treatment, it de-tangles my poor fried hair to provide more manageability after I'm done with the whole process. Plus, Feria provides you with a tube of the stuff that you can use later too, as opposed to a one time use packet.
One thing to be aware of with the Garnier product is that it is designed for use on dark hair colors, and it will lift your dark hair and deposit a vivid red color. I have black streaks in my hair, and the color of my streaks is now more of a burgundy tone. Not a big deal for me, but I didn't expect it, and now I need to get my streaks touched up (I needed to any way :p).
In the end, I'm really happy with the color and texture and shine of the finished product. My hair turns out softer with the Feria, but when I can't find the right color, I now have a good fall back product.
Now then... I reserved last night for dying my hair. I had a 20% off any one item coupon from Ulta, so I decided to pick up my hair dye. I normally use Feria Power Reds in True Red, and Ulta had a deal with Feria hair color, buy one get 50% off of a Loreal Ever Pure product of your choice. I also use Ever Pure products, so it was a good deal. Unfortunately, Ulta was out of my precious red, so that was a no go. But then I noticed that Garnier had come out with a new line of color, and they had a red that looked fantastic. Plus, if you bought a Garnier hair color then you got 50% off on any Garnier Fructis hair care product. Score. I've never really used any of their products since their initial shampoo launch when I was in college years ago, so I decided to give it a go.
I picked up the Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color in R3-Light Intense Auburn, and for my 50% off product I decided to try the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek and Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist, which I will review in a later post. With the half off on the Straightening Mist, and the 20% off coupon, I spent about $11 after tax, which is about what I'd pay for just a box of my Feria by itself.
The dying instructions were the same as usual: Apply to roots, process for 20 minutes, apply to the rest of hair and process for another 5-10 minutes. Pretty straight forward. I did my roots first and let it sit for 20 minutes then did the rest of my hair, which I actually left on for about 25 minutes for a total processing time of 45 minutes. Then the instructions said to rinse the hair until the rinse water ran clear, then condition with the intensive conditioning packet included with the dye. The Feria dye that I normally use is very much the same, except it also comes with a tube of shampoo that's supposed to add to the highlights provided by the color, and the shampoo makes my hair super soft too. Most stylists will tell you to never wash your hair right after dying it because it will make the color fade faster. While this is true with most colors, especially red, I usually wash it any way just to get any excess dye out so it doesn't end up bleeding on my pillow cases. Since the Garnier didn't come with a shampoo, I used a couple drops of Dr. Bronner's to do a quick wash before applying the conditioner. It worked exactly as I wished, removing the excess dye, but with out interfering with the brightness of the color. The conditioner included with the color was nice. An avocado based formula, it provided needed moisture to my now processed hair. I do have to say though, I prefer the conditioner that comes with the Feria color. It's much thicker, more like a hair mask and, in addition to a good deep conditioning treatment, it de-tangles my poor fried hair to provide more manageability after I'm done with the whole process. Plus, Feria provides you with a tube of the stuff that you can use later too, as opposed to a one time use packet.
One thing to be aware of with the Garnier product is that it is designed for use on dark hair colors, and it will lift your dark hair and deposit a vivid red color. I have black streaks in my hair, and the color of my streaks is now more of a burgundy tone. Not a big deal for me, but I didn't expect it, and now I need to get my streaks touched up (I needed to any way :p).
In the end, I'm really happy with the color and texture and shine of the finished product. My hair turns out softer with the Feria, but when I can't find the right color, I now have a good fall back product.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Welcome To The Doll House
People keep telling me that I need to have something to say if I'm going to do a blog... Well, I have plenty to say, too much in fact. I'm a make up artist, model, jazz singer, and burlesque performer. I'm also currently a student studying social and human services and I hope to one day be a social worker. But it wasn't that way until recently... A couple of months ago I was laid off from my job as a cosmetics manager at a large department store. I loved my job. I was paid very well, had full medical/dental benefits, three weeks paid time off per year, seniority, a generous employee store discount and I got crap loads of free make up and skin care. But everything comes to an end eventually, and I'm now adjusting to being a starving college student again. Which sucks. I am so used to having nice things, especially make up and skin care, and not having to pay much for them, if anything. So what's a product junkie to do in poor man's land?
Compare.
That's right kids. This blog is going to be dedicated to cosmetic, skin care and hair care comparison shopping and reviews of different products. I know what you're thinking... "There's a million of these kinds of blogs. What's so special about this one?" I'll tell you. I'm a professional, who worked in the beauty industry for several years. I'm familiar with a large range of products of all prices and qualities. I also have a life long obsession with staying young looking (I'm 31 thank you very much) and in all honesty, I think most people do as well. Otherwise, why are you silly bitches reading these blogs?
I will also be throwing in DIY's as they come up (I love making my own masks, cleansers, body washes, etc.), free give aways, some recipes for cheap yet nutritious meals, where to shop, ideas for fun things to do, links to other sites with helpful information, etc. Essentially, it's the glam gal's guide to staying fabulous and living large while being broke. I hope you enjoy, and I will be posting about my first product in the next couple of days :)
Compare.
That's right kids. This blog is going to be dedicated to cosmetic, skin care and hair care comparison shopping and reviews of different products. I know what you're thinking... "There's a million of these kinds of blogs. What's so special about this one?" I'll tell you. I'm a professional, who worked in the beauty industry for several years. I'm familiar with a large range of products of all prices and qualities. I also have a life long obsession with staying young looking (I'm 31 thank you very much) and in all honesty, I think most people do as well. Otherwise, why are you silly bitches reading these blogs?
I will also be throwing in DIY's as they come up (I love making my own masks, cleansers, body washes, etc.), free give aways, some recipes for cheap yet nutritious meals, where to shop, ideas for fun things to do, links to other sites with helpful information, etc. Essentially, it's the glam gal's guide to staying fabulous and living large while being broke. I hope you enjoy, and I will be posting about my first product in the next couple of days :)
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