Afro Circus

If you have never wanted an afro at some point, then I don't know what you've been doing with your life.

I've always thought about them and convinced myself that it was manageable for my hair to make one. Under the right circumstances. As it turns out, those circumstances are now.

My hair is curly. It is long. And I bought sponge rollers.

I bought 3 packs of 16 each of the smallest sponge rollers that Sally Beauty had for under 3 bucks a package.  I washed my hair, let it air dry a bit and then got to rolling my hair. I didn't put anything in my hair, but if you decide this is for you and you have straight hair, you might wanna think about a mousse or gel.

I held the roller close to my scalp and wrapped small sections around it so that the lift and curl came right from there and not from the bottom up.  I worked down the mohawk area first...then just sorta worked my way around the sides until everything was wound and secure.

Eventually it looked like this. 

I wrapped it up in a scarf and hit the sack. 

(Yes, I do have a pair of hot pink glasses for my blind eyes.)

The next day I let it sit in as long as I could and even used my hair dryer with the difusser on my hair for about 10 minutes, just to make sure it was dry in there, because my hair takes aaaages to dry if tied up. 

I took out the rollers and my hair looked like this!

Yup, this is leaning over. Noormally, this side of my hair would be over a foot long. 

Sponge rollers are no joke!

Then I began combing out the pig tail curls with my fingers.

This is me not containing my laughter at myself having not even gotten 1/2 way through. 

 The Result!

My stomach hurt from laughing.

Notice the basket of curlers I used. I think there was about 40 used. I had some left over, which means I could go even smaller with the sections for even MORE fullness!

I know.  It's nuts!! And I adore it!!!

It actually got even bigger than this. It seemed to keep growing!! But finally began to fall just a bit by the time I went to bed after playing with it so much. 

This might just be the most favorite way to wear my hair from now on.  

I'm really thinking about putting this into the regular rotation.  

Finishing School

I have got to get these Birchbox posts out to you guys earlier. I get mine really quickly because they aren't coming from far.
Or should I not? I know some of you who get them also don't want a spoiler, so you tell me.   I could go either way.

This month's Birchbox theme is Finishing School. It's all about the finishing touches and details. Birchbox teamed up with Ann Taylor to create a small flip book guide on how to update your look for every hour of the day and every occasion. It also has coupons! My fav!

Fun Fact!: The very first Ann Taylor store opened up just a few doors down from my headquarters of ShopSharma.com in New Haven, CT. The store is still there today and I've shopped there through every ridiculous phase I've gone through. And will go through.


Onto the goods!

1. ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Kitty: a soft pink nude color that is exact color. This is the tan girls' version of Nars Dolce Vita!  And more than that, it smells like pineapple candies! It's the most delicious and mean thing any lipstick has ever smelled like.  The tube itself says Matte, but the info says it's a semi-matte. I however disagree with both because there is a lot of metallicness to this. It's not outright shiny like a cream or gloss but I can't fully endorse calling it a matte. 

These lipsticks are available on the site in sets of 3. This one is part of the neutrals trio. The other option is Classics which have a bright coral, pink and red. Each set of 3 is $24 which is a steal for these lipsticks! They feel smooth on the lips, have good pigmented color and smell amazing! So far Model Co is really bringing the good stuff with their colors for Birchbox. 

2. Violet oasis 100% Organice Argan Oil: $39.95 for 2oz. For soft, shiny hair and smooth, healthy skin, argan oil is all the rage. I'm skeptical to use other brands of Moraccan Oil on my hair, but I'm open to trying. 

3. Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment: $26 A super intense deep conditioning treatment that is said to smooth damaged strands. A must for my end of summer, open window driving, hair. 

4. Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment: $26 Another awesome deep conditioning treatment that is said to promote hair growth. That I need too. To grow back all the strands I've lost doing the silly things I do to my hair. 

5. Whish Coconut Milk Correcting Gel: $32. An anti-aging after sun gel that targets wrinkles, unevenness, dryness and sun damage. It smells delicious and you don't necessarily have to be in the sun to use this. I haven't tried this out yet, but I'm looking forward to it!

6. Whish Hair Inhibiting Deoderant Swipe: $22 A swipe of Whish deodorant that also slows hair growth. Brilliant.  And apparently they work because they're already sold out on birchbox.com! 

All in all, this box was pretty great! It has a full size lipstick in a totally great color for me. AND I got 2 samples of Miss Jessie products which I've been itching to try for months now! 

A for August!

If you're interested in receiving your own box of fun every month for 10 bucks, go HERE and sign up!

The Universe Sends Me Something Universal

So I did my seasonal trip to Sally's the other day. Mostly I had to get some supplies for Halloween trial runs. I know. It's July.  I'm sooo late!!!!  But I've begun the trial and error process.

It was on this trip that I came across a much needed beauty tool that I keep forgetting to look for.

The Diffuser. 

A ridiculously large piece of equipment that is necessary in the arsenal of any curly haired girl. 

If you recall my post about my New Hairdryer, then you'll remember that I wasn't blessed with a diffuser with my purchase, which was a bummer, but I've adapted to not using one. That is, until I saw this silicone universal one in a hot pink and I just knew I had to have it.

Ion Universal Diffuser in Pink $12.99 without Sally's card

The whole diffuser is a squishy silicone material so it bends to the shape of any dryer but also has those 'teeth' areas to keep it on! 

 Both my hair dryer and the diffuser are that rubberized non slip feel, so this stayed on no problem. But even if the dryer was a shiny slick painted thing, I think it would have stayed just fine.

But wait....there's MORE!

Normal Diffuser

Flat for travel diffuser!!

Just like that!!

So not only do I have a diffuser that will attach to any hair dryer, it turns flat for storage and travel!  

I've gone to beauty tool heaven! 

It comes in black too, but I couldn't pass up this hottest of pinks. 

July Birchbox: The Power Play

It's July Birchbox time! 

This month is all about the Power Play. 

Inspired by the USA Channel's tv show Suits, this month's box is suppose to have products dedicated to help you take control of any situation and make the most of every minute. 

First of all, this came with a scratch off for Benefit Cosmetics to see which sample you can get for free with a Birchbox purchase.  Who doesn't love a scratch off??

Contents:
1. Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect: A sulfate-free leave-in-conditioner that says will strengthen and repair summer hair.  It also smells like a Long Island Iced Tea. That very well may be a selling point for some of you. No judgement.

2. Benefit Cosmetics Girls Meets Pearl: A creamy highlighter for the face in a golden pearl finish. The gold color is subtle and dreamy but it also feels really nice and makes the skin soft. It doesn't hurt that it has a nice sweet floral scent.

3. Benta Berry G-1 Moisturizing Face Cream:  A fruit complex face cream which means it smells delicious. It says that it's 'regulating, moisturizing and matifying". But mostly, it smells delicious.

4. Birchbox Bobby Pins: 2 Metal bobby pins designed just for Birchbox! So cute!

5. 100% Pure Nourishing Body Cream: Vegan, organic green apple body cream.  I can't wait to get into these!

Birch Breakdown:  It looked boring at first, but the hair spray protector looks promising and so does the highlighting cream.  Everything can't a box full of bright make up.  a solid B+!



If you want in on the Birch Fun, click HERE and sign up for yourself! 

Hair Drying Reunion Show: Where Are They Now?

Almost a year to the date (plus 9 days), I told you all about my Zoe hair dryer and how our love affair had to be put to rest.   The dryer was getting so hot that it melted itself and also, my hair.

It wasn't anything so awful or cringe worthy as this poor girl...

Poor Girl

At the time I thought it was just the one chunk, at the low nape of my neck on the right side, but I later discovered that in fact, it had melted off many others.  The hair above the side burn area, on both sides, and hair on either corner of where bangs would be.  All gone.

Well, they were gone. Now they're growing in nicely in that ever so homeless chic way.
If only that was a thing.

I'm not sure when all these parts will grow into my hair correctly, but in the meantime I let go of my dryer and  our Stockholm syndrome relationship.

But this time, instead of going from store to store looking and trying out new dryer, all my hair drying karma points lined up and I cashed in on the first try!

 I bought this Ion Moisture Solutions Dryer at Sally's for I think $70? Or $80 + Sally's card discount.

I say think because I can't find this dryer online or on the Sally's site. 

I've not gone in there to check if they still have this on shelves or not. 

 There is only one button. You hold it down for 2 seconds to start and stop. And press it once for cool air. The wheel is accessible from both sides, so it doesn't matter if you're a righty or a lefty and that controls both the air flow and the heat.

And this handy blue display tells you everything you need to know.  

Bacon Waves on the left is the heat, and the Pinwheel is the fan speed.  Roll the wheel up to go hotter and faster and down to go cooler and slower.  In case anyone didn't understand that already. 

This comes with only a concentrator and no difusser, which I was sort of bummed about, but I decided to get it anyways because this is a dual voltage dryer!! This makes me happy because I have only had access to one decent hair dryer in India and that is only at a certain friend's house who bought it from a different country.  Other than that, I'm totally hoboville when in India. So I was excited to have a real hair dryer that I could actually travel with.

Normally, I'm the cheap dryer buyer. But after the Zoe Hair Melting Debacle of 2012, I was done fooling around. I went for it and it paid off. Well, I paid, but it was worth it!  I bought this in I think September of last year.  Since then I've dropped it a numerous amount of times and everything is still in tact.  The concentrator snaps in places and stays on! The heat on this thing is intense and awesome and so is the fan speed! Even to get my hair bone straight, I don't really have to go anything higher than 5 Bacons.  And since the fan is so powerful, it lets me use less heat, and that's always a plus. My hairs thank me for it. 

Even though it doesn't have a difusser, I've been using this to dry my hair curly for a while now, because I put away my hair brushes once it hits spring. I'll see them again in September.  I take the concentrator off and hold it very far from my hair.  And sometimes I diffuse the air with my fingers or by holding my hair in certain ways.  I'll have to attempt photos of that for you one day.  That should be interesting. 

1875 Watts, intense heat and powerful air flow. Oh man....we're going to live a long and happy life together, filled with pretty hairstyles and unicorns and rainbows!!

It's late and about to rain, otherwise I would very muchly consider a photograph and me and my dryer skipping off into the sunset to add right here.

Brilliant or Dumb?

After chatting up a stranger in the nail aisle in Wal-Mart about how she likes the Impress Press On Nails....I came across some BoD? products. Brilliant Or Dumb?

First up....

 The Brush Guard  $5.50 for the set of 6

The name says it all. These are brush guards! Circular nylon netting to keep all your makeup brushes in tact. 

At first I thought....who reeallly needs these?? Who can't shape their brush back to form after washing it??

Then I had a commercial-like bubble over the head with montage playing moment of all the times my brushes have dries in weird angles or just not perfect enough for my Virgo eccentricities. 

Then I flipped to the back.

Travel and storage.

Damn Brush Guard. You got me. 

I can't count how many times I've had a moment of panic as I almost, or do, get a makeup brush caught in a zipper of a cosmetic bag when traveling. And for that alone, I would buy these.  I didn't pick them up, but I will in the future. 

This set contains 1 XS, 2 S, 2 M and 1 Large. Not a bad deal for $5.50! (also on Amazon for $5.50 + free shipping if you're into the online shopping like I am)

Conclusion: BRILLIANT! 

On to the next one (gratuitous jay-z link)...

The Beauty Spoon $5  

available online for $10 for a 2 pack of this size and a larger size

Yes. My first thought was a sarcastic Weekly News Update reeaallly?!

Now, I've actually seen a different version of this, a much smaller, thinner version somewhere a while ago, but I never looked into it and quite forgot about it. Until I saw this. 

I'm a store a bottle upside down type of girl. At least one product a day is something I get to by banging an open bottle against the palm of my hand like the new chimp at the zoo. But that's what I've done my whole life so I never bothered to think I needed to change that.  (unless I get diagnosed with some sort of hand ailment from all the bottle bashing that leads to a subsequent Lifetime movie about my hand struggles)

But isn't 'bottle bashing' normal?? It's part the process.

UNLESS, it lets me get that last bit of conditioner that sits that the top of the bottle during my bottle bashing routine that I just can't quite reach.  

Hmmm....maybe this isn't such a bad idea!  

This size is the small and there is a larger one for bigger bottles, like shampoos and lotions. I wish they had another size with a smaller spatula head because I really need this more for my small facial product containers in which this wide head won't fit. So I will wait until they come out with that to put into a combo pack. Until then, I'll stick to my cavewoman carpel tunnel. 

Conclusion:  dumbish....but brilliant! 

I'm A Greedy Gus

Shout out to Big D, aka my grandmother, for teaching me that phrase and countless other gems!

But yes. It's true.  I'm a Greedy Gus.  Because June's Birchbox arrived!!!

It actually got here last week, 2 hours before my shipping notification email came.  I'm not complaining. That was awesome.

June's Birchbox is titled Wanderlust.  

Because aren't we all itching to get somewhere this time of year?

1. Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo: a 2.5oz sample is a simple stubby travel bottle. The no fuss label makes me think this is meant for business! It says it has moisturizing Indian fig extract and olive oil.  

Are my homeland figs moisturizing?? I need to look into this. 

The label itself says for dry & frizzy hair. Oh, I'll be the judge of that, for sure.  The scent hits me at first like dish soap. Seriously, a dish soap. I can't put my finger on which one. So at first it's like...uh oh, but if you can get past the first 2 seconds, you can start smelling other things. Citrus and just light, very clean...something.  It's not bad! I could dig this. 

2. Davines Love Smoother Conditioner: Now this one says for Harsh & frizzy hair. I don't know that means. I've never heard of anyone refer to hair as harsh.  Is my hair harsh?? How do I find out?? Don't fail me now, Google!  I can't sniff this one because it's in a sealed little pack. 

3. Davines Oi/Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion: Well this sounds promising! It says it contains Roucou oil. You're killin me June Birchbox!! I have lots of things to Googlize. This says it's an "antioxidant-packed potion to instantly tame frizz and strengthen hair over time."    

It's a very small packet, but I'll give it go one day.  When my Moroccan Oil isn't looking. 

4. This might be my faaaav! LAQU & Co Lil' Lip Duo: This fat little lip pencil isn't like the rest. I can't compare these to my beloved tinted balms, because it's not! This comes out like a full satin finish lipstick! The color is amazing and rich and very pigmented, with one swipe I have complete full lipstick!  But, like the tinted balms, it's still got the mintyness that I love!  Recap; hot pink lipstick, in a small lip pencil, that is creamy and minty and feels amazing. There is nothing not to love here.

If you're hip to the Birchbox and have 'liked' their facebook page, then you already know that this product is exclusive to Birchbox and was one of the products that every member in June received! Birchbox sells these in a duo pack, exclusive to Birchbox, for $16! The one I received is called Pink Man and here's a photo to demonstrate just how awesome these colors are for every skin tone! 

5. Furlesse Elevens Frown Line Reducing Patches: So these are suppose to be patches that you put in certain spots on your face that reduce the appearance of lines as you sleep. This pack of Elevens is for the frown lines between your eyes. They have other patches; Crows, obviously for eye lines ; Lip-sticks, for lip and expression lines and Rows, for the forehead lines. 

I don't exactly have these lines, yet, so even if I try these, I'm not sure I could review them very well. 

There are 3 patches in this trial pack and each is shaped like an open Japanese fan. Just the right shape for between the eyes! Now I just have to find someone to try these out....

6. Color Club Nail polish: This is actually Birchbox + Color Club, who have come together to make a Wanderlust Collection just for Birchbox! And I am ecstatic about this color! It might not read very well on screen, but in person this color is a neon peach. And I am in such lust with it!   I have quite a few nailpolishes. More than I should, and of those, most are brights. This is the one color I don't have and I'm beyond excited to wear it! 

Again, if you were hip to The Box, then you would know already that every box contained one of the Wanderlust Collection polishes. I'm so happy I scored the one wanted.  50cent Bubble Prize Machine Vindication!!

7. To round out the Wanderlust box, Birchbox sent along 5 postcards of different cities around the world. Each one has a little blurb on the bottom called One Perfect Day where it gives you a great day's itinerary for each city.  Who doesn't love postcards??

If you're still unsure if you want to sign up for a Birchbox of your own, let me just say this...

DO IT!!!!   Seriously...have you not been paying attention?? Did you not see what I've been getting??

Just click on this link and sign up. It's 10 bucks. That's less than 2 fancy coffees.  And you can stop them at anytime! You know you want to!

Birch Hoarding

Ladies! and friends of ladies....

I know, I've apologized for being very neglectful about 6 times already...so let's just say I did and get on with it shall we?

Clearly some of you are wondering.....WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!?!?!  aka...the Birchboxes.

I've still been receiving them, but because of my absenteeness, I haven't shared their awesome contents with you.  But, if it makes you feel better, they've all been stacked up on my desk, unused, because I wouldn't allow myself to use them until I took the appropriate blog action first.

As it turns out, this Birch hoarding turned out swimmingly for me! This weekend I opened them all up to take photos, forgetting what was in them, and had my own personal Christmas filled with tons of goodies and no dud gifts!!   No seriously. I cleaned up harder than a Walmart worker in a glass ketchup aisle.

February was all about being red carpet ready! The box was filled with everything you needed for a perfect Oscar Party!

1. Dermablend Quick-Fix Concealer.  A super concealer for all those paparazzi pics
2. Vasanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. This cleanser is packed with tons of fine crystals to exfoliate and leave you looking bright and glowy! I haven't tried it yet, but the backs of my hands looked and felt amazing. 
3. Juicy Couture, Couture La La perfume. It's surprisingly fresh, with a good call into summer with floral and citrus scents
4. Twistband Thick Headband.  You all know the hair ties, now get into the full headhand!!  In person this is a nice dark teal color, that just happens to match everything I own!
5. Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Caramel filling square.  Because a piece of chocolate can simply make or break your red carpet readiness. This has been proven. I think I saw it on Animal Planet.
6.. Votivo Candle in Pink Mimosa.   Oh how I wish there was smellavision.  I don't even think I have the words for this candle. It smells so immensely heavenly that I've had to stop me from biting into it.  It smells like the most delicious pink lemonade you've ever encountered.  I'm scared to burn this. Because once that wax is flowing, I might be tempted to drink it.  
Mental note: this candle is only for sober use only.

 

March was Madness! as usual. But for Birch, it was all about the face-off. Because Birchbox is more than just their boxes, their Facebook page and blog shared some serious beauty faceoffs for the fans.  If you wanted to see who won between gel vs liquid, this was your time! 

1. Every box comes with the little paper gift pillow which I've come to love. I like that it's filled so that I get a gift, within a gift!(that I bought myself).  These little pillows are great to give your unloved items to a close friend. In March, my pillow was filled with Caldrea body lotion packs.  I'm so very excited about these because they have really ingenious flavors/scents.  Tea Olive Lime, Aloe Water Apricot and Coconut Fig. 

I drool just thinking about them.   Normally people would take these on a great trip with them, they're so nicely packed an ready to go, but I have a different approach to my special beauty items. I like to use my most luxurious products when I come home from a trip. Because isn't that when we need it the most? No matter how great a trip is, when you come home and have to get back to reality, that's the time to break out the good china. No one wants to explain how amazingly life changing their trip was wearing Vaseline and Chapstick.  

No offense Vaseline or Chapstick. 

2. Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream. I can already see this stuff being something addictive. It's rich and thick and seems really indulgent. But having moved from shaving to waxing some years ago, this will be gifted to a fine friend very soon. 

3. Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board.  A full size floral emery board. What's not to love?? Because it doesn't matter how many you buy, you always need one. 

4. Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow.  Ok. So we all know about BB creams, right? I've been doing my rounds with them, but this one, so far, seems different. It's full of tiny flashes of gold. Nothing glittery like a middle school dance, just soft bits of gold that leave you golden goddessy! I have exciting plans for this stuff this summer. And this size hold plenty of product! 

In this box, there was also a free gift with purchase card for Benefit's BADgal Lash Mascara. 

And also, I lied. Turns out I actually used a product from this box and never replaced it.  It's not pictured here but this box also contained Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Shampoo. I used it to give my hair some volume for an updo for either the St. Patty's Day Ball or the niece's 1st birthday party. I'm not sure. Could be both. 

 In April, Birchbox teamed up with Women's Health Magazine to bring you their favorite products. Including a subscription card for Women's Health mag. Birchbox talked about making small changes to make a bigger difference in our lives. Pretty cool.

1. Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir. This tiny glass bottle is a serum that is said to cure dry hair and help with age related breakage, along with adding shine. I look forward to giving this a run!
2. BIRCHBOX FIND! Birchbox sent a full size  Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On.  This affordable eye roll brightens your eye area, while reducing puffiness and tired eyes.  Monday eyes. This is for Monday eyes. I think they'll agree.
3. Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick. This, I am so excited for! This is a full size glossy stick stain for your cheeks and lips. This color is called Cheeky Kiss and it's the perfect pinky nude color! When I re-opened the boxes this weekend, it was like my prayers were answered because I have been after a color like this for ages!
4. J. R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle Salve. I am in love with this tiny tin. I love anything in a tiny tin, really. However, this one is actually helpful. This lavendar scented salve is exactly what my cut up cuticles crave. And the DIY-er in my is craving that empty tin to fill with....so many possibilities!
5. Kiehl's Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. Listen. If anyone ever hands you anything by Kiehl's for free, you take it!! This line reducing concentrate is a sure winner for sooo many that it makes me nervous to try it because I know I'll be hooked.  Though I don't have lines I need reduced, this serum is pure vitamin C and it's by Kiehl's. So i'm sure it's full of miracle brightening things that will make me curse them because I will want to give them my money.

 Finally, May was about beauty diaries. Birchbox was all about sharing personal beauty tips and routines. 

1. BIRCHBOX FIND! Not only does The Box keep me on top of my beauty game, but now they've even found me a new pen! A Pilot Acroball PureWhite. Pens make me happy. New free pens make me down right excited!! If you received this pen also and wasn't as excited as I am, you're dead inside.
2. Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner. This speaks to me on so many levels. Indian formulas  Eyeliner. Trial size. I haven't tried it yet, but I've been itching to try out a Sumita eyeliner! How do you know Birchbox, how do you always know?
3. Speaking of always knowing. The Indian had been downright hounding  me to try out the Deva Curl No Poo shampoo. She kept informing me how life changing it would be, so I laughed rather loudly when I opened up my Birchbox not even days later to find this DevaCurl 3 Step System with No-Poo Shampoo, One Conditioner Conditioner and Light Defining Gel.  Hairdress Trish also loves Deva Curl products and has done all their specialized courses, so I'm excited to try this out and tell her how I love it. I'm assuming I'll love it. How could I not?
4. Coola Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face. SPF!!!! You must know how much I love SPF by now.
5. Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste. Ok, it's toothpaste. No one is so excited about this, but the old timey tube with the green label makes me smile. So it can stay.


See...when you open 4 Birchboxes at once you really clean house! I'm really considering hoarding the next few months to do this again.   But to save your pupils, I won't do that.  Especially in a week or two when June's box arrives.   Another box!! Thank you, Birchbox. Seriously.

Glamour Drugs

So I've heard in the past that some women take Prenatal Vitamins as a way to help their hair grow faster and thicker. Some women swear by it, some say it doesn't work, but me, I just can't bring myself to buy them on principal alone. I've already gotten dirty looks while purchasing beer and diapers for my niece at the same time from a woman who clearly thought I was the next disaster on Teen Mom by my outfit that day. 

So after disregarding that idea, I heard that people were trying Biotin instead. 

It's an over the counter vitamin. Nothing illegal you have to bring a hard boiled egg to. This bottle I picked up Target for about $6, sans dirty looks. 

This is one of those, you're just going to have to trust me things. I am not a scientist and I have zero factual evidence to prove any of my claims but I'm pretty certain this has been helping me out. 

I started around the summer of 2012, but I'm terrible at remembering so I missed quite a few days and even went weeks without it. But because of that, I could tell that the weeks I took it regularly, I had significant less hair falling out in my shower. I also noticed that my skin feels more hydrated and generally looks better when I remember to take it than the weeks I forget. 

 Thankfully, it's a very tiny pill and very easy to take.

I take 1 2500mg pill with breakfast as many days as I can remember  And from what my very expert and elaborate research shows, it's been helping my hair shed less, keeps it shiny, and seems to be making my skin look healthier. 

I'm not sure if this is a gateway vitamin, so check with your doctor if you're on a ton of stuff already or are the type to be riddled with ailments. 

I can't say for absolute certainty that this will change your life, but it's a tiny pill that airport security won't throw me to the ground over, so why not, right??

Back To Black

Never thought I'd say this, but it got pretty exciting here in Hamden, CT the last few days! You probably heard about The Great Blizzard of 2013 that swept the Northeast last Friday night. Well Hamden's been getting some major press because it turned out that we got hit the hardest with 40 inches of snow! Which only sucked slightly. For me anyways. I was snowed in from Friday until this Tuesday morning, but I had heat, hot water, internet, cable and a ton of projects to work on!  It's amazing how much you can get done when you know you can't go anywhere even if you wanted to. It was fun, for a while. But I'm certainly not going to go full Lohan and attempt to get house arrest anytime soon.

Now that I've been busted out the big house, life has to get back to normal. And by life I mean my hair.

See....what had happened was....

 I cut off the majority of my ombre hair but was left with some icky ends that didn't make the cut. (pun totally intended) 

So after a few weeks I was left with this lovely stuff on the ends of my hair. 

 So I picked up this. L'oreal Root Rescue in #2 Natural Black on clearance for $5.08 at Target. 

It's been decades since I've bought anything that came with gloves attached to paper. Sigh....memories.

The product itself was done well. You mix the color right into a thin bottle that has a plastic bristle brush on the top. That brush made it a breeze to apply to my ends and really cut down on the mess and time. I imagine if you were doing your roots a contraption like this would be ideal.
I considered saving the bottle for future use, but then I realized that I've basically given up on coloring my hair because I'm too lazy to do the upkeep, so it got recycled. 

The instructions called for 10 minutes and I did that and washed it out and all was well in the world. My hair was back to all black again and I felt good about life. (Sorry, forgot to take an after photo. I guess i was too busy feeling good about life)

That is until a week later when my ends began to fade. I was actually shocked at how fast it was fading. I could tell the difference with each shampoo.  Maybe now I know why it was on clearance. Should have known, but those bright orange stickers just call to me!

About 4 weeks of procrastination later, I'm left with this lovely dirty pond color. 

Clearly, something needs to be done. 

 And since the Blizzard of 2013 has ruined my sleep patterns, 

I decided to use this Revlon Colorsilk #11 Soft Black $3 at Walmart at almost midnight. 

This didn't come with a fancy brush top applicator. But I did get my gloves attached to paper!

 20 minutes, a shower and blow dry later, my end match my roots and all is well again!!

I'm really hoping this one doesn't fade as fast as the L'oreal did but I am expecting at lest some fading. Which is fine, I'm just hoping for no more swamp colors strands. 

Currently my hair looks great and I have a really good blow out going! Unfortunately, I'm going to eventually have to go to bed where my hair will be shamelessly attacked by what I only imagine is some sort of secret pillow army that comes while I sleep and makes my hair look like a dollar store wig.

Damn you pillow army. Daaaammn you!

My Conair Hair

 This is my hair brush. 

We've spent some really good years together. Sure we had some rough times together, but those were greatly outnumbered by the amount of great times we had. 

We've learned to work together. We've learned to play together. And we've traveled all over the world together. 

Sure there have been other brushes in my life, but not like this one. Oh no, not like this one. This brush in particular has bristles that are strong enough to hold and straighten large sections of my hair, yet the bristles are short enough not to get tangled in my large, dry summer mane. 

The ceramic base that lay just below the bristles heats up by the air of the dryer, straightening, smoothing and shining my hair in a way no other brush ever could. 

The large vented barrel brings airflow and volume to my tresses at any length, day or night. 

And all of this, just above a rubberized handle for a well cushioned grip. 

We are perfect together. And though I've wavered in the past, sewing wild oats with other high falutent brushes, it is this Conair Tourmaline Shine Brush that my hair belongs to. 

That is....until tradgedy struck on a late Monday morning. 

CAUTION: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

2/3's way through a normal weekday blowout, my brush broke from it's handle.

At the moment, she's in another room healing from emergency super glue surgery, but during the break, a piece not shown in the photo above went missing. A crucial piece that could make or break her recovery process. Her chance of survival is 50/50, but even so, her quality of life is greatly diminished. 

It is with a heavy heart that I go about town in search of her replacement. But it is something that needs to be done. Unfortunealy, Conair doesn't sell directly from their site and I have yet to find this particular model from a reputable online retailer but the search is on. 

Hairbrush, you lived a valiant life and brought much joy to my follicles. Though your demise did not come during battle, I shall tell stories of your brave fight with my hair for generations to come. 

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your time. Thank you for not breaking while I was overseas. 

January Birchbox

New Year and a new Birchbox!

January's Box is all about having the best year ever!
So far so good. And this small box of happy is definitely helping so far. 

1. 25 Ways to Make 2013 Awesome. A pull out pamphlet created by the Birchbox team with tons of ideas to keep, or start to make 2013 a great year. Full of tips like Get Cozy with SPF and other things like Leave Your Phone At Home for a day an unplug. Ok, so some are easier than others, but it's never too late to try something new! 
2. Allessanro Cream Rich Hand Spa. A super rich hand cream that smells like papaya sweet tarts! This intensive moisturizer leaves your hands feeling young and soft without being heavy an greasy. 
3. Kerastase Nectar Thermique, 2 samples of this leave in hair heat styling protectant which you use on damp hair and is suppose to help seal your hair's moisture in with heat an other magic ingredients. Can't wait to try this one out!
4. Lashem Double Trouble Mascara in the tiniest little trial size container I've ever seen! Kudos for cute packaging!
5. My Multi-Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer. I'm not usually into the matte look for my face, but I'll give this a shot. If not, it's going to get tested by my panel of judges. AKA sister and random friends. 
6. Harvey Prince Ageless Perfume.This light perfume is like night time tropical vacation. With big hints of pink grapefruit, pomegranate an jasmine, it's tropical and clean, but still bold and dramatic. It does a ton of great things that perfumes should always do. 
7. Birchbox has continued to add their small gift package which is perfect to give something from my Birchbox or my regular stash to one of my Panel Members! Because everything is better when wrapped up nice!

If you're intrigued with Birchbox and want to start receiving your own monthly gift box, sign up here. 

My Best Of 2012

Everyone loves a Best Of List. Especially an End of the Year Best Of. 

I present...

 My Best Of 2012 Products:

1. Face Care

    Bare Escentuals Purifying Facial Cleanser

2. Skin Care

    C. Booth Multi-Action Body Lotion in Coconut Fig

3. Hair Care

    Aphogee 2-Step Protein Treatment

4: Foundation

    Bare Escentuals Ready Foundation

5. Eyeliner

    Femme Couture Gel Liner

6. Eye shadow

    Smashbox Master Class Palette

7. Mascara

    Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion 

8. Blush

    Bare Escentuals Canyon Blush/Citrine Radiance All Over Face Color

9. Lips

   Tinted Balms by Tarte Lipsurgence, Revlon and Pixi 

10. Nails

      Bundle Monster Nail Stamping Kit

Welcome 2013!

HAPPY 2013!!

It feels like it all went as fast as it came and now it's the first week of January. That cruel week that ushers us all in with fireworks and champagne, just to dump us all a day later right into the arms of work, resolutions, and holiday bills.

But it does feel good to be back! And I have quite a lot to share with you all about the things I've tried over my Holiday Hiatus. 

But before all that, let me explain what had happened ....

See...in 2012 I went from teal to pink. hair. I love the pink hair, but as time and shampooing passed, the hair just got brittle and I was getting split ends.I knew it was time to get a haircut and say goodbye.

 I had made the decision. It was going. 

But what that really meant was...The hair on the end is going which means it's basically scrap hair and I can do whatever I want!! So naturally I went through my stash of left over hair products and decided to go for it.  I have bleach. I have developers. I have random bottles. I wonder if I can get the ends of my hair white. It's already bleached. What's the worst that can happen??  Right?

December 20, 2012 approx. 12:00pm

Black Hair, Pink Ends, Long Length

December 20, 2012 approx. 6:30pm

I have blond hair. Oh my God. I have blond hair. 

I did not want blond hair. 

I absolutely hate it but am forced to go in public like this for a birthday dinner and then out the next day. 

It was a terrible 24 hours. 

The next day I tried again to bleach it. Attempted to go lighter.  I ended up bleaching more hair than I intended. By then, the damage was so severe that I was emailing friends and asking them to pray that Trish the hairdresser could get me in for an emergency haircut the very next day. The 2nd round of bleaching turned it a bright yellow and I couldn't even look at myself, so I threw in the only thing I had on hand, bright purple hair dye. 

December 21, 2012 approx 11:00pm

Half black and half purple hair. Still long. Completely fried. 

It turned out an awesome neon purple actually. I totally dig the color, but the condition of my hair was completely undiggable. 

I woke up the early the next day and called the salon and was able to get in to see Trish the hairdresser/Christmas Angel. The friends whom I was live texting/email through the process thought she would kill me when she saw me, but Trish knows the deal. I told her the story and she laughed at me, because, what else can ya do?

December 22, 2012 approx. 11:30am

Mostly Black hair. Medium Length. 

No more disgusting hair!

Trish the hairdresser lopped off a good amount of inches, gave me an awesome haircut and sent me on my way knowing that now that it's healthy again she won't be seeing me for about 6 months because now I will leave it alone and grow it out until it's long enough to donate. 

There are still a bit of pink on the ends, from the area that I bleached accidentally. I entered the new year with it tucked away in an updo and most of it is washed out now. Soon I will hit it with a little black dye to cover it up and go back to the world of all black, never need to worry about color or bleach again, hair. 

So with all my new spare time that I'm gaining from hanging up my tint brush, I welcome 2013!

I look forward to a great year of new products, surprises and fun to share with you all!

Welcome 2013! 

Headband Wishes

Now that my hair is long, I have to put it up and out of my way when I'm doing domestic things.  I've taken to many different methods but recently I've been using these to hold my hair off my face...

Oh...and by the by....I got these for a BUCK at Dollar Tree! Can I get a whaaaat?! 

A pack of 3 full headbands. These are great because unlike a regular hairband, these goes completely around and therefore stay more secure. And unlike a regular stretchy headband, these have the added tiny plastic 'teeth' of a hairband that keeps my hair back without sliding around. Perfect combo!

The 3 pack came in 3 color options. Great neutrals for dark hair and a snazzy animal print or contrast for lighter haired girls. 

But here's the best part. Even better than the fact that these were 33 Cents each....

 They're FULLY bendy!  

The entire hairband part is made of pliable plastic that can be bent in any direction! No more tight temples, no more digging hair band ends. No more headaches!

The Headband Gods have listened to our prayers and sent the answer to a dollar store. 

Headband wishes do come true. 

A Birchbox Box

My first Birchbox has arrived!

So Birchbox.com is this great website that offers tons of great beauty and lifestyle products for Women, Men, and as of late, Home. The website is filled with tons of products from high end, upcoming and everything in between including exclusive products and sets. The site also has a full blog, online magazine and videos. What more do you need?? As you shop and review products on the site you earn points that turn into credit for more products! And come on...who doesn't want more products??

But besides all that goodness, Birchbox.com has The Birchbox. A small box of beauty and lifestyle products samples that are mailed right to you for $10 a month! Seriously. It's only ten bucks. With no contract. Every month there are new samples sent right to you, and if you love a product  you can purchase a full size right on the website. So smart.

This is like the ultimate adult beauty grab bag. How exciting!!

I signed up with them about a month ago and it took a few weeks for me to get an invite to join the monthly Birchbox club, but you can shop on the site at any time. Novemeber's box arrived yesterday and I'm still beaming about it!  Here's what I got!....

 It all arrived in a small pink box. I thought, 'how cute!" but it got better!

 It opened up into a brown box all nice like! 

The Contents:

1. A holiday gift guide complete with things for men and women. 

2. Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture and Volume Spray

3. ModelCo Fibre Lashxtend Lengthening Mascara

4. Shea Terra Organics Whipped Shea Butter Ultimate Moisturizing Body Creme

5. Twist Band Hair Tie

6. Color Club Nail Polish in Put A Pin In It

7. John Varvatos Artisan Perfume

8. A Coupon for $15 off Chromatic Heels

9. A Giving Pouch specially made to be packed and given to someone else, complete with cute sayings on the back!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, November's box theme was Give. The small note inside explains the theme and the nonprofit organization that Birchbox is working with, The Art of Elysium which encourages actors, artists, designers and musicans to dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling medical conditions. Such a great cause and such a wonderful effort! 

 To help out The Art of Elysium simply by doing some shopping and/or gift giving, check out: birchbox.com/promotion/artofelysium

So not only is Birchbox sending me tons of awesome things to play with, but they're doing good too?? So amazing!

I'm excited to try out all these products and already can't wait until next month's box! Until then, I'll be an artisan smelling, volumized ponytail wearing, mascaraed, soft skinned beauty with metallic nails.

I see a great future together with Birchbox, but in this relationship, I could share. So go now and sign up! 

PS....don't forget your guys either. There's plenty of stuff for him and a Men's Birchbox!

A One 'n Only Mask

Here in the North East winter is coming up fast and that means constant cold air and dry heat, which isn't exactly the kindest thing to hair. But I have something to make is all better!  (this is also the line I would have used if I ever had a role in a super cool after school special selling drugs on a play ground)

One 'n Only Restorative Mask  

$10 without a Sally's card for 8.5 oz $4.39 for 3 oz.

It says right there on the front, Reconstructs & Repairs, Hydrates & Moisturizes, Texturizes & Shines. And ya know what, they aren't lying at all! This one tube takes my dry, brittle, bleached ends and makes them feel soft, healthy and shiny. It also makes my virgin hair, soft, shiny and a lot less frizzy. 

It's an extremely thick formula, almost like cake frosting. In the summer, when I refuse to drive with my windows up but later regret it when my hair is one big tangled mess, I can put this mask on in the shower and comb through my hair with only my fingers to get all the knots out. It's an absolute miracle!  And even then it doesn't weigh my hair down, major points!

The instructions on the back say to leave this on your hair for 7-10 minutes. After re-bleaching my hair to put the pink in I did the full 10 minutes and it worked like magic and also replaced any chemical smell with the sweet, beautiful smell of argan oil. I love the smell and I would imagine everyone else will too since I've never come across anyone who hasn't liked the smell of argan/moroccan oil. 

I also use this mask as a regular conditioner, forgoing the 7-10 minutes for a quick 1-2. Many times I only apply this to my ends that need it the most, and go with a lighter conditioner closer to my head, especially when I use it as a Toning Conditioner to keep my pink nice and bright. That's where I mix some of my hair color in with the conditioner and use that after shampooing to keep the color nice and vibrant.

One 'n Only as a huge line of argan oil products. I know quite a good number of people who use their Moroccan oil and other products and really love them, but I haven't really delved into their line all that much. But because I love this mask so much I'm tempted to try other products of theirs, but I'm also reluctant. What if I don't love them as much?? I don't want to ruin the beautiful relationship we already have. 

So very unlucky

I normally don't do 2 posts in a day, but this was rather shocking and I had to share.

Not long ago, I remember reading an article about how Lucky Magazine apologized to the public for a horrible cover they did with included America's Sweetest Meltdown, Britney Spears. But then Halloween came around, and then The Storm That Shant Be Named and I forgot about it.

As I began going through my stack of Get-To things, I ripped open the plastic on some recently received magazines to discover this...

Sweet Baby Jesus what have they done to you Britney?! 

Seeing this in person is far more horrific and traumatic. And I have never really thought of Lucky Mag as one to have bad covers! So where they pulled this defunct Halloween wig from is beyond me! 

I count the days until I can afford wigs and look so forward to having a collection of ridiculous styles I can change up daily, but my biggest fear is having a wig that looks like this monstrosity. 

Lucky Mag actually put out an apology for this, by Twitter no less: 

“Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on our cover! As always, we will share with our team and we’re sorry to have let some of you down.”

It was even worse inside. Yikes. 

I would have got to this sooner but Lucky got creative and sent out the magazine with this temporary cover added on post print.  Saying it was  "A sample of the new Lucky experience on the Windows 8 desktop"

Nice try Lucky.  But no amount of Windows 8 will erase this image from my memory.