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!

Hair Care Treatment Series #3

If the thought of shopping for coconut oil seems too daunting, or the idea of creating a sickening mixture to put on your head sounds way out of your league, there is still hope. And it comes in a nice little package at your local drug store.

Vo5 Hot Oil Treatment $3

Directions:

Place tube of oil in glass of hot water for 1 minute. Open tube and apply oil to wet hair. Wait 1 minute and shampoo and condition as usual. 

This oil takes all the guess work out of hair treatments. No worrying about ingredients or amounts of time and plastic wraps. No heating, no cooling, no waiting. This is an instantly gratifying treatment.

For around 3 bucks for 2 treatments, along with sales and coupons, this is one of the cheapest and most effective conditioning treatments for hair out there. It instantly gives life back to dull hair, and restores over worked hair's resilience and volume.

Oh VO5, you can make your packaging look as ugly as you want and you'll still be a classic beauty buy. You've been on shelves for decades and I hope to never see your spot gone. 

I'm Back! With A Series

So I've returned from an impromptu trip to DC for a week. I apologize for not having enough posts to post while I was gone, but I'll plan better for the future....but importantly..I'm back!!

I've decided to take this first full week of August and use it to do a Hair Care Series. For the next five days I will share with you my top 5 hair treatments that I use regularly that save my hair from many awful days. Like my recent dry and knotty hair from a week long of open window driving. I really need to stop doing that, but I simply refuse!

Treatment #1: Coconut Oil. 

I use Parachute which you can find in your local Indian or Asian Grocery Store for around $3-$8. There are many brands out there. Make sure to look for Pure Coconut Oil. 

Coconut Oil is no secret in the hair world. Especially for Indians. It's something we're taught about as we learn our ABCs. It was something we did every few weeks to keep your hair healthy and shiny.  The way we used it as a child has been modified over the years but coconut oil needs to be in your medicine cabinet.

Directions:

Pure coconut oil becomes a solid as it cools so it needs to be heated, either in a microwave or in a bowl of hot water.  It's best to use it when it is warm so that it soaks into your hair and scalp.  Starting with dry, sectioned hair, dip your fingers in the warm oil and massage the oil into your scalp.  Spend at least a few seconds on each small section of scalp working it in and then pulling the remaining oil through the length of your hair. Work this all the way around your head until all your hair is covered in the oil, but not dripping wet.

As a kid we used to keep this in our hair overnight. Tying and wrapping our heads in old bandannas and covering our pillows with old towels, but coconut oil is potent and that smell is hard to get rid of.  The oil won't hurt your hair so you can keep it in as long as you like but doing just 30 minutes to an hour should be sufficient enough on most hair.  To speed up the process you could use some low heat form a dryer on the hair for a while or wrap your head with plastic before washing it out veeerry well with some good shampoo and conditioner.

This may take 2 or 3 shampoos to get the oil out completely. If your hair is very damaged, try for only 2 shampoos and let some oil remain and plan accordingly for your hair styling. Coconut oil can thicken up thinning hair, give you the shine that your hair is lacking and can even calm unruly, mid summer curls. The process might take some getting used to and you'll need to find your own balance of amount of oil and setting time, but with a few tries you will able to see just how much this natural oil helps the health of your hair. 

Best Thing In A Bottle Since Beer

Morrocan Oil Leave In Hair Treatment $40

I'm no stranger to hair oil. I'm Indian, we love us some coconut oil and live by it, but coconut oil doesn't help with styling. I still remember the first time my hair dresser used Morccan Oil on me. It was a minor miracle. NAY! it was a major miracle! My hair dried soft and sleek and curly with no frizz, no crunch and no oily residue. What was this black magic that she used on me??  She gave me a trial size of it for me to use at home. That's how they get ya huh? "First ones free, Kid!"  

And just like an up-and-coming addict, I pretended I didn't need it.  No...surely my concoctions of hair products will be fiiine...I don't need that oil! But more and more I kept flashing back to that wonderful light, heavenly smell. The ease with which it ran through my hair. The way it dried, even on my hands, so quickly, without a trace of oil. I needed it.

I bought my first full size bottle from a salon in AL while I was visiting my sister. I had never spent that much money on one hair product before and I was nervous. It was a heavy dark apothecary bottle, that I loved,  inside of an attention grabbing blue box. I spent the time at her house perfecting my method and amount I needed. I started off with very little, cherishing this new liquid gold.  By the end of the week I found my happy place.

Since then I've given way to all other hair products. Nothing else compared nor would do anymore. I tried other brands of Moroccan/argan oils, during short lapses in judgement, only to find them too oily or heavy, or drying and making my hair brittle. Every time I've gone back to the original Moroccan Oil brand in the blue box with the heavenly smell.

For the last few years the only thing that I've put in my hair is this oil and my hair brush...and maybe some hair spray for costumes/events(where I basically go to in costume).  I use it every time my hair is wet and even on on dry hair to smooth out some frizziness or to bring some life back to my slept in curls.

Each 3.4 oz bottle lasts me between 6 months to a year depending how long my hair is and now that I don't buy anything else for my hair, the price tag seems more than worth it.

The Moroccan Oil line hosts a long line of hair products available in salons or select beauty supply stores. The line has everything from a lighter version of the oil treatment, to creams, masks, foams and shampoo. Every thing my hair stylist has tried on me has worked amazingly. I'm not sure what they're putting into those little blue packages, but it's so good it should be illegal!