Five Products I Love + Three That Didn't Work Out

When I started my blog five years ago (has it seriously been FIVE years?), I focused a lot on reviewing beauty products. My blog was new, and I was so excited to share products that I had been using for years and new ones I had discovered along the way.

I don't try as many new products as I used to, but every once in awhile I find products worthy of sharing---and today I'm also sharing a few products that didn't work out for me.

I ran out of my usual Suave dry shampoo right before my trip to San Francisco, so while there, Jen recommended I try the Big Sexy Hair dry shampoo. I picked some up at CVS and I really like it a lot. It goes on clear and has a nice scent. It also makes hair feel more textured and volumized. It's pricier than Suave, but I don't mind splurging once in awhile. 

I made a video about this awhile ago, but I have chronic urticaria (hives), diagnosed by my dermatologist, and they are primarily induced by changing temperatures. I often break out in hives in very cold or hot weather. I typically use cheap razors, but I noticed that my skin would break out in hives immediately after I shaved and would be very irritated. I finally started to use the Schick Intuition razor in the pomegranate scent. It gives such a close shave but it's so gentle. I get less nicks and my skin is less reactive when I use this razor, which is great, because when I break out in hives they itch and I sometimes ruin my skin scratching my legs. Totally worth the extra cost.

I shared this NouriShine lipgloss in my recent Mary Kay/Project Runway post (there's still time to enter that giveaway here!) The color is called "au natural" and I wear it nearly every day. It's neutral and looks great layered over any lip color as well as on its own. 

When I reached into my makeup bag on the plane ride to SF to find some chapstick, I realized that I forgot to pack my MAC StudioFix powder foundation. I figured I'd stop at a drugstore and pick something up to use for the next few days, but there was a Body Shop at the airport so I ended up picking up their "all in one face base." I don't love it as much as my StudioFix, but it was nice on my skin and was easy to apply. I will say it doesn't last as long as MAC's version, but we were out and about in the sun all day so it's hard to tell if that had an effect.

Last on my love list, I'm sharing the Hot Iron Holster, which has become an permanent fixture in my bathroom. I was contacted by the company and was sent one for review and I'm only sharing it because I truly love it. I get a lot of emails from companies asking me to review products, and to be honest, I'm not interested in 90% of them. If I can't incorporate the product into my daily routine or see myself genuinely using it and wanting to share it with my readers, it's not worth it for me, even if it's free. I don't like clutter, so accepting things just because they're free isn't my style. I want this to be a place where you can come for honest reviews. If I don't like a product I am sent, I would send it back or simply not blog about it. That hasn't happened more than once because I typically really look into products before I accept them to make sure they're a good fit. Just wanted to clear that up!

The Hot Iron Holster is basically a silicone holster that attaches to your bathroom counter on its own. To remove, you just peel it off and can re-apply it anywhere. I love it because it keeps my hot tools off of my counter and stores them off to the side so that they're easy to access but not in the way when they're not in use. I just keep my curling iron plugged in and inside the holster and when I'm ready, I turn it on and wait for it to heat up.

Before I had the holster, I used to unplug my curling iron and store it on top of the 3-drawer unit tucked under our sink. I know this sounds lazy, but it was annoying to reach down and get it and plug it in. I much prefer having it in the holster. I can imagine this would be an amazing tool for hairstylists too. You don't have to worry about your hot tools ruining it and it keeps them all easily-accessible in one place.

 Now onto the products I didn't love...

One of my co-workers told me about this Aveda product--- i's a damage remedy hair repair product. Her hair literally looks like gorgeous mermaid hair so I thought I couldn't go wrong. It was just "meh" for me. I didn't feel like my hair was smoother or more repaired and the texture of it was weird. I'm actually contemplating calling Aveda because it almost seemed as though my product had "broken down" somewhat or was on its way to expiry, which is odd, since I bought it at an actual Aveda store.

Though I'm absolutely obsessed with my Ojon shampoo, this oil was just so-so for me. I am using it as a smoothing serum on second or third day hair and it's a little too heavy for what I need it for so I went back to my Frederick Fekkai Glossing Creme. Overall it was just a little too oily for me. I will likely use this as an overnight treatment now to infuse moisture into my hair since I know it's so rich�so it may end up being a "like" after all, but not for the purpose I bought it for.

Sigh. I may be the only person on earth who doesn't love Urban Decay's Perversion mascara. I wanted to love it so badly, but since it's not waterproof and the formula is very "wet," it pretty much makes my lashes go completely limp and straight. I have lashes that don't hold curl well, so I have to use a hairdryer on my eyelash curler to even keep the curl in. Waterproof mascaras are more dry and they help keep the curl in my lashes. This was too heavy/wet of a formula for me, but I know plenty who love it, so don't be discouraged to try it if you have lashes that hold a curl well and typically use regular mascara with no issues.

Have a wonderful week!

FTC Disclosure: all items except for the mary kay lipgloss and hot iron holster were paid for with my own money. These are my honest opinions and I am not being compensated to review any of these items.

Having Fun With Mary Kay�

This season, Mary Kay� is the Official Beauty Sponsor of Project Runway�! I've showcased looks featuring the line before, and today I'm here to share two looks created by Mary Kay Global Makeup Artist, Luis Casco, that will be featured on season 13.

Luis created "the graphic eye" and "emerald smoke," both of which at first sight were totally out of my comfort zone---but that's a good thing for me. It forces me to step out of my little box where neutrals rule and try some bolder looks.  You can check out marykay.com/projectrunway for video tutorials on both looks!

Mary Kay sent me the exact same products Luis used to create the two looks. I followed the video tutorials and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the looks! The electric blue liner was fun for the weekend (and would be lovely for a date night!) Here is my "Graphic Eye" look:

The best part of doing this tutorial was that I have found a new love for two amazing products---Mary Kay� Mineral Eye Color in "Driftwood" and Mary Kay NouriShine Plus� Lip Gloss in "Au Naturel." These two products fit seamlessly into my everyday makeup routine--- the shadow is a beautiful color for the lower lashline (I've been using it daily instead of my usual shadow!) and the gloss is a beautiful neutral for an everyday lip that's perfect for the office. Though I can't promise I'll reach for the blue liner often, these two products are absolutely getting a permanent spot in my makeup drawer.

The second look, "Emerald Smoke," was a total depature for me and I actually ended up quite liking the way it turned out. I felt really polished with this look that's much more dramatic than what I'm used to. A bold lip is definitely a fun look to try. My earrings are from BaubleBar, by the way!

Which look is your favorite of the two? Let me know in the comments below for the chance to win a  $100 VISA Gift Card plus a collection of Mary Kay� products to create one of the looks featured + some beauty essentials. 

For more information you can visit Mary Kay� on Project Runway, Facebook, Youtube, and of course, their website! 

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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My Hair Routine + No Heat Styling

Happy Monday!  I'm starting this week off with a video of my hair routine! I was getting a lot of requests to show how I style it in between washings, and I finally sat down and filmed every day last week from Thursday through Sunday.

The video is way too long and I repeat myself constantly (sorry!) but it will give you an idea of how I style my hair (with no heat) on days 3 and 4 of my routine. You can read all about my hair washing routine here. I still wash it twice a week like before, but I've started to use no heat on days 3 and 4 of my routine. 

I didn't want to spend time on weekends styling my hair so I found a system that works for me to make it look styled when it hasn't been. The big disclaimer here is that this may not work for every hair type. I have thin hair, but a lot of it and I have long hair that has a natural wavy texture and holds curl very well. If you have a similar hair type to mine, this may work very well for you. You never know until you try!

I took the pictures below on Sunday (my "4th day hair") which you'll see at the end of the video.

I hope you enjoy the video and please let me know if you have any questions I didn't go over.

Have a great week!

Review: Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara

If you check Facebook pretty regularly then you've probably seen posts about Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara in your newsfeed. I was pretty intrigued by it so when Stephanie reached out to me to review it for my blog, I was eager to test it out.

I had seen lots of before and after photos on Facebook and wondered if I'd have such dramatic results, too.

This product delivers lush, long full lashes---but I think technique is key here. You kind of have to play around with it to determine what your best application will be.

I like to use one coat of transfer gel, one coat of fibers and then finish off with a second coat of transfer gel. Some people use a regular coat of mascara before applying the first layer of transfer gel, but Stephanie actually gave me a heads-up to try it without regular mascara because it tends to look dramatic yet still natural.

Younique 3D fiber lashes can make your lashes look clumpy if you aren't careful in your application. I'm usually a one coat and done type person with my regular mascara, so this was a little more time consuming, but well worth it on days where you want a little more drama and don't want to use Latisse or false lashes/lash extensions. 

Below I'm posting photos with descriptions---I did one eye with regular mascara + the Younique fiber lashes and the other with just the Younique fiber lashes.

Okay, so here are my lashes, just curled with a lash curler and nothing else on them:

Here is my eye with just the transfer gel and fiber lashes (NO regular mascara as a base coat):

...and here is the eye with the extra coat of regular mascara (I used DiorShow as seen above) + Younique 3D fiber lashes

As you can see, with the extra coat of regular mascara, it can get a bit clumpy if you aren't careful. This can be remedied with technique and I've only been testing it out for a little over a week so I could use some more practice. One thing I really appreciate about this mascara is that though it's not a waterproof formula, it doesn't weigh down my lashes like most regular mascaras do so my lashes can stay curled.

Here are some shots of my full face from a little further away so you can see the effect:

If you're interested in ordering the 3D fiber lashes, visit www.beyoutifulwithsteph.com. If you have any questions, you can reach out to her via Facebook. Overall I'm very happy with these results! It's also easy to remove at night (I just use my regular eye makeup remover). 

Stephanie is also generously giving away one Younique 3D Fiberlash mascara set! All you have to do is "like" her Facebook page and enter below via Rafflecopter. The winner will be chosen at random in a week!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC: I was given the mascara for review. I was not compensated for this post. 

Summer Beauty Picks from H-E-B & Product Reviews

The thing I love most about my partnership with H-E-B is that every few months, I get a box of beauty goodies to test out. I used to do a lot of beauty product reviews on my blog and I feel like that has really fallen a little by the wayside. One of the main reasons is because I continue to repurchase products I've been using for years so there's nothing new to share. 

My goal when testing new products is to see how they look, feel and last on my skin---but something else I look for is how the products can be a part of my everyday look. I don't have time in the morning to try different looks or play around with eye shadows and do all kinds of highlighting and contouring. I used to watch a lot of YouTube beauty tutorials and loved the final looks, but 20-30 minutes of work is too much time (for me). It usually takes me about 10-12 minutes to do my makeup in the morning.

So the look you'll see below doesn't look different from my regular makeup in the sense that I tried to achieve my usual look, by using new products in the same way.

The products I got to test are:

Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara by L'Or�al Paris  |  Almay Intense Shadow Stick for Brown Eyes  |  Revlon Colorburst Lip Blam  |  Milani Blush- Dolce Pink  |  Essie Polish in "I'm Addicted"

I'm going to start with my favorite product, the Milani blush, because if you read any part of this post, I want it to be THIS! I petty much exclusively wear Bobbi Brown's peony blush, unless I'm testing out a new product. None have quite lured me into becoming regulars in my makeup drawer. High end or drugstore brand, some have been good quality and nice, but the colors didn't capture my heart---until now. This blush is staying in my makeup drawer indefinitely and deserves to share some makeup drawer real estate right next to my beloved peony blush. The color is absolutely gorgeous, with a slight sheen and made me feel so pretty. It just added that beautiful touch of rosiness to the cheeks and the color worked perfectly with my skin tone. I have to admit I always go back to peony blush because I feel the others don't do as much for my skin, but this is a game changer, friends. So if you get one product from this list, let it be this one. 

I took the photos for this post on my iPhone in front of a window because I wanted the colors to show as true to life as possible, in natural sunlight. I like using filters on my Instagram photos, but since I'm reviewing makeup, I don't want the colors to become distorted. I did use Afterlight's "clarify" tool (which sharpens the photo a little) on a couple of them at about 30%.  It's currently my favorite editing app, I would say it's a must-have if you take a lot of photos on your iPhone. Oh and excuse the breakout happening on my chest right now...

Next up, we have L'Oreals Miss Manga mascara. I loved the brush on this one and it's the first non-waterproof mascara in recent memory that didn't make my lashes droop down, which in and of itself is pretty great. The color I tested is the dark brown, which normally I wouldn't purchase, but it was actually really nice and I liked using it on my bottom lashes too. As far as staying power, it lasted all day. It's a solid mascara.

Revlon's Colorburst lip balm pencil in "Sweetheart Valentine" surprised me. It was a really bright pink when applied to the lips and I ended up layering a nude pink toned lipstick over it. It was the perfect combo since the balm acted like a stain. It's 8 p.m. as I type this and my lips still have a beautiful tint of color to them---in fact, now that the tint has faded, it looks perfect! On its own it definitely packs some bright color, but paired with a subtler lipstick, it was perfect for me. I liked how long it lasted because I felt like my makeup looked better all day from not losing the color on my lips like I normally do.

Okay, let's talk eyes. I used the Almay eye shadow pencil (the shimmery nude color) on the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them up. I've been using this trick for years and it's such a small step that has a big impact on making eyes like wide and awake. I don't know that I'd use the other side of the stick (the green color) but the shimmery nude color was lovely.

Lastly, I also received the H-E-B brand "Dead Sea Skin Care" energizing bath salts. I have to be honest and say I haven't used them yet because I don't take baths, but they smell incredible. It's a rich, invigorating scent with a eucalyptus undertone to it. 

I also wanted to share some of my favorite Essie polishes in the blue/purple color family- perfect for summer! 

lilacism  |  bikini so teeny (wearing this now)  |  butler please  |  i'm addicted

Here is Essie's "bikini so teeny" on my nails---note that this photo does have a filter---now you can really see the difference in the colors. The blush looks a lot darker here and less pink than it is in real life.

H-E-B�s Summer Beauty Picks are all about bringing the brightness and vibrancy of summer to your make-up routine. H-E-B has a fantastic beauty section, so they next time you're shopping for groceries, some of your favorite new beauty items could be just a few aisles down the way.

Thank you for reading and if you've tried any of the products I've reviewed, let me know!

FTC: This post is sponsored by H-E-B but all opinions are related to my own experiences after trying the products.