The search for body and shine

I grabbed myself a tub of Ellin Lavar Textures ReconstructMasque last week because it was on sale for $4.99.  My hair takes a fair amount of abuse between styling and coloring, (not to mention the dry freezing air in New England) so I'm always trying to discover new products that will bring body and shine back to my damaged hair.  This masque is supposed to be moisturizing, rich in protein and amino acids, and contains deeply conditioning Brazil Nut Oil "to reconstruct and revive its bounce, body, shine, strength and general condition."  Regular retail price is about $7.99.

The directions are a bit... ambiguous. "Use weekly or daily by itself (or in conjunction with your conditioner) for soft, healthy hair." Hm.  So I took my shower, washed and conditioned as usual, towel dried by hair and applied the masque.  I then put a cap over it and let it sit for approximately 20 minutes, climbed back in the shower, and rinsed it out.

The results... were nothing to write home about, I'm sorry to say.  The light, whipped minty green

formula is nice to the touch, but not really ideal for coating hair.  I had to use a VERY generous amount to coat my straight hair, which isn't that long (just past shoulder length)  Usually with a good conditioner or masque you can feel the results while you're rinsing it out, but I didn't really notice a heck of a lot.  So far, I've used it twice and I probably will only get one more use out of the tub.  To be absolutely honest, I think you would probably get better results from Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner...It's a lot cheaper and has a fantastic smell.

You can't win 'em all. *shrug*

"From damaged hair to Silky, Shiny Strands"



Eek!  This is your hair on heat!

 Winter is the nemesis of hair.  The dry, cold air, the wind and elements paired with daily blow drying and styling... there's only one word for this season: havoc.  Plus, if you're like me all the styling and dying hasn't exactly been kind to your strands either.  :/

I was super excited to see John Frieda's new line of hair products make its way into my CVS.  I have been waiting, waiting, waiting ever since I saw an advertisement for his latest launch: Full Repair. So of course how could I resist when the products came in with one of my favorite things... coupons?  I picked up John Frieda Full Repair Full Body Shampoo and Conditioner as well as John Frieda Full Repair Perfect Ends Deep Infusion the day it hit shelves.

John Frieda Full Repair Full Body Shampoo and Conditioner
Here's the claim:
"With Inca Inchi, a lightweight micro-oil rich in omega-3, this formula repairs the look and feel of overworked hair and adds body for full, flowing styles. Detangles strands, reducing the risk of breaking and snagging while combing or brushing.  Safe for color-treated and chemically-treated hair."

Directions:
Apply shampoo to wet hair, lather, rinse well.  Follow with Full Repair Full Body Conditioner.  Smooth conditioner through wet hair. Rinse well. For intense repair, leave on for 2-5 minutes.

John Frieda Full Repair Perfect Ends Deep Infusion
The claim:
"Smoothes and protects medium-textured hair damaged from high heat. This breakthrough formula with Inca Inchi , a lightweight, micro-oil rich in omega-3, feels like it absorbs into worn-torn strands instead of just coating the surface. Weightlessly reverses the look and feel of damage on lengths and ends to leave hair smooth, shiny and full of body. Helps protect against breakage from heat styling.  Safe for color-treated and chemically-treated hair."

Directions:
Apply to clean, wet hair. Use sparingly, dispensing 1 pump into palm. Rub hands together and distribute evenly, concentrating on ends and other damaged areas. Use more or less depending on hair length and thickness. Do not rinse out. Heat style as desired.

Healthy hair, ladies!

My findings:  I actually really love this line.  My hair started to change immediately.  After just one wash and use of the serum, my hair was much more touchable.  Wash 2 my hair was more manageable.  By wash 3 my hair was visibly healthier looking and an absolute breeze to style.  A week in and I am more than happy with the results... it totally revived my over worked hair.  Plus the sweet smelling formula makes your hair smell really nice.  My hair has body, fullness, and even shine.  (Goodbye drab locks!)

Overall, John Frieda’s new Full Repair product line is great for repairing really overworked hair like mine.  I plan on picking up the Full Repair Perfect Ends Sheer Mist and the Touch Up Flyaway Tamer.  (Reviews to come)

Fancy tips

NEW: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
Simple idea: First, pre-measure the strips to fit your nails.  Then peel the strips from their plastic backings. and clear top coat.  Shape the strip to your nails as much as possible and then use the manicure stick and emery board to remove the excess.  Smooth, smooth, smooth!  No heat necessary.

The set comes with 16 polish strips (2 each of 8 sizes), amd a mini cuticle stick and file/buffer duo.
No DBP, toluene or formaldehyde

Despite the fact that application is pretty easy... it took FOREVER.  You need to be careful when removing the excess or you could remove too much and expose the nail underneath.  I did notice that towards the end of my nail the sheet buckled a little bit and left tiny tiny creases, which I suppose someone gazing at your hand wouldn't really notice.  I do notice it however, and I hope that with practice I can avoid it in the future.



 There are a ton of styles... from solid colors, to cute patterns like butterflies and lace, one of them is sure to fit your style.  I'm a girl who needs some animal print in her life so I grabbed 310 Wild Child (zebra) and 320 kitty kitty (leopard).

They do hold up pretty well, which I was surprised about.  I thought that the buckling would encourage wear, but so far -3 days in- they are still pretty flawless.  The package says that they are supposed to last 10 days, hopefully they last as long as my nails.  They do look pretty awesome, I like them a lot.  Super cute.  HOWEVER, like I said, they are pretty time consuming and at 10 bucks a pop... they probably will be more of a novelty/special occassion thing for me. 

Pros:
Easy application.  Screw up your placement?  No biggie... they are a breeze to peel up and reapply if you haven't already pressed them into place.  They're kinda stretchy too so you're guaranteed a nice fit. (Don't strentch too much... some distortion may occur)
Long lasting... fewer chips than polish!
Neat designs are eye-catching
No waiting forever to set and dry!

Cons:
Expensive!  10 dolla' for one use... compared to how many uses you get from a $6 bottle of polish, this one hits the wallet.
Sizing is not fantastic.
Time consuming application... kinda equals drying time if you think about it.  At least no smudging!

I do *heart* these.  <3

Dialing up your lashes

Almay One Coat Dial Up
"Go from Natural to dramatic in just 3 clicks!"
Comes with an adjustable dial allows you to control the level of fullness
The ever popular "no clump" claim

To be honest, I only bought this because it was being removed from my store's selection and they marked it down insanely just to move them out.  I have never purchased an almay mascara before... never had the desire.  So I'm basically starting from scratch here.  I kinda feel like it's a gimmicky concept, but for 2 bucks, its wasn't going to break the bank.

The concept is simple:  You have one mascara tube... you get 3 looks with the click of a dial:  full, fuller, and fullest. 

I was wondering how this could possibly work.  The commercial was at best, totally unclear.  Here's what I figured out: Basically, with each click the tube compresses or decompresses.  It squeezes the wand at different degrees allowing for more or less of the product on the brush.  The wand is alright, just straight and plastic... nothing to write home about.  No matter what level you choose, you will have nice, long lashes (initially).  Theoretically, as you go from 1 to 3 your lashes will look fuller.  I guess this is true.  I didn't notice it that much though.  Also... it did nothing to keep any curl in my lashes, even after I curled them with a heated curler. 

 

I wasn't wild about this mascara.  (Sorry Almay)  Level 3 was a clumpy mess that I ended up combing out... which I suppose brought it down to a level 2.  On level 2 and 3 I experienced flaking throughout the day (yuck!) and by the end of the day it appeared to be gone.  Level one lengthens and didn't flake, but by the end of the day it also appeared to have disappeared into thin air.

 

If you are prone to oily lids or watery eyes (allergies and such), I would absolutely suggest that you not use this product.  I foresee smearing, smudging, and eye makeup migration in your future.  The summer months could also cause a mess... so I'd avoid using it then too.

 

This is probably not going to make its way into my usual rotation.  I work long hours (this product is gone with the wind!) and spend a decent amount of time at the gym... it is sure to make you look like a hot mess.  I need my mascara to be as tough and long lasting as I am.

It absolutely -did not- rock my world.

Beyond Natural

Cream to powder eye shadows can be a tricky thing.  I recently picked up Revlon Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eye Shadow Shade 530 Plumberry Prune because it was on sale.  Usually I stay away from Revlon eye shadows as I've never had much success with them, but this looked so pretty and shimmery in its compact and hey... the price was right.

First of all... what a pretty quad.  The shades are very earthy and natural and you can really use a wide variety of combinations to create whatever look you're going for.  I didn't find that this shadow was not very highly pigmented, but it was perfect for blending and also for created a beautiful subtle lid.  I've seen that some complaints about this quad is that it creases over time.  I didn't find that it creased on my lids, but I will offer you some solutions to avoid a potential creasing issue. 

First of all...If you have oily lids it's probably not going to work for you.  Sorry.  That's just the way it is.

Second... a lighter application is better.  The more you glob on, the less effective this is going to be.  USE A LIGHT HAND!   Sometimes less is more.

And finally... I used Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Therapeutic Eye base and Concealer with Apple Seed Enzyme in St. Tropez Tan* for the base of my lid and then using a kabuki brush lightly brushed my L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder (W3) over my lids.  This gave me a nice base for cream shadows and gave me some staying power.  Obviously, you don't have to use EXACTLY what I used... your favorite shadow base and finishing powder will do fine.  You just want to create a nice base to lock in that color and give the pigments something to grab on to.

If you don't give this (and many other) cream shadow a base, it will have a tendency to migrate UP towards your brows, and OUT towards the corners.

* (Too Faced Absolutely Flawless is a bit on the expensive side... can be found at Sephora and 'specialty' locations for 19.99.  I found mine on ebay for $9.99... I know it's not drugstore, but it's so good to me. haha)
 

Overall... it's a great shadow for a natural look.  It really did a good job of adding a natural glow/shimmer to my eyes.  This quad gives you a lot of possibilities... the colors can be combined in many different ways.  If applied on a proper base, the formula stays put and looks fabulous.  HOWEVER...I would not wear this shadow in the summer as sweat may really hinder it's staying power. 

Also... I wore this shadow on New Years with a heavier application of liner and Maybelline Cool Effect cooling shadow/liner in Black Frost.  I created a beautiful smokey effect and received a ton of compliments.  This shows the versatility of this quad.

Some pros:

Smooth application

Easy blendability

Silky formula/great texture

Very lightweight

Adds a subtle glow to your eyes

Beautiful sheen

VERY natural looking

Cons:

Can be a bit difficult to apply if you aren't accustomed to a cream shadow (practice makes perfect!)

Has potential to...*

a. "melt"

b. crease

c. smudge

d. wear off

* A good base could really help, or fix, this problem.  (use the right tools!)

It's a 10! It really is.

I love, love, love, It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product.

Claims:

• Restores moisture balance
• Enhances natural beauty
• Instantly, detangles and nourishes
• Improves color vibrancy
• De frizzes, softens and smoothes

My hair dresser got me hooked on it... and frankly, I couldn't live without it!  It totally makes my over processed hair feel soft, manageable, and easy to comb through.  All you need is a couple spritzes.  I'm on my second bottle.  I rarely find a hair product that I purchased a second bottle of it.  It makes hair so much healthier, without making it greasy or oily.

It IS expensive, ($11 for the little bottle, $17 for the big one) but totally worth it.  (ebay it!  Great deals to be found there)

"The eye is the jewel of the body."

Maybelline Pulse Perfection by Define-a-Lash Waterproof Mascara Very Black

The claim:

1. Lusicious thickness

2. Luxorious length

3. Smooth separation

4. Intense color

5. Shapely curve

6. Healthy luster

7. Zero clumps

This is a curious little products...vibrating mascara.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually liked it. 

At first I couldn't get mine to work, but after I played with it for a little bit I got it working.  It is a little awkward to hold down the button (it's in a stupid spot), but once you get it down, it really does a nice job of evenly distributing mascara on all lashes without clumping.  The trick to applying is to start as close to the lid as possible and sllllooowly move upward.  Keep repeating until desired effect is achieved.  Don't allow time to dry between coats.  I really liked the wand itself, I think that even if it didn't vibrate I would probably use it.

I didn't find that my lashes were particularly full or had much curl.  However, they were super long, separated, and clumpless.  I doubt I would make this my "regular" mascara, but I would probably use this on days when I was looking for a more paired-down natural look. 

In fact, it would probably look fantastic with Covergirls Natureluxe Gloss Balm. =)