Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy Review

Another beauty product review! Yay!

So, Keratin therapy is really 'in' right now. Keratin treatments at the salon are very pricey though and everyone's looking for something that will give semi-permanent straightening at home. I personally have tried a pricier keratin product that I did enjoy so when this went BOGO at rite aid, I decided to try it. I've only used the product once thus far, but I'll give you my first impressions.

I also want to point out that I have naturally straight hair. I use the keratin products for extra managability in straightening my hair. (it's naturally straight, but I still have to blow dry and/or straight iron to get it totally straight)

In Shower Experience: I LOVE the way this stuff smells! It smells like pina colada-ish suntan lotion. I don't know if I"m alone here, but I love the smell of Hawaiian tropic esque lotion.
The one thing I noticed in-shower was that it was lacking in lather. You really have to add extra water to this to get a good later. And, if you're like me, you figure the more lather, the more clean your hair is getting. So, this was a bit unsettling. After I did get a lather worked up and rinsed the product, I noticed that my hair felt dry and tangly. Thank goodness I bought the conditioner too! However, from what I understand, the drying/lack of lather problem is common to sulfate free shampoos/conditioners. This product is sulfate free which is great for us color treated folks......so, I do appreciate that.
The conditioner goes on and it does make my hair feel smoother in the shower, so I'm greatly relieved.

Out of Shower experience:
So, my hair was more difficult to brush through due to it being a bit more tangly and drier, but I was able to work through this without much difficulty. The perk to the shampoo being a bit drying is that your hair dries faster than it does with more moisturizing brands, so this is good for me.
During styling, I did notice my hair was easier to blow dry straight and it needed less flat ironing. When I was done, my hair was perfectly straight, so I was pleased. I'm working on day two hair now and it's still straight, so it did a good job in this department.
There is a styling product that goes with this line that I didn't purchase. The bottle claims that you get better results when you use that product. I can't speak for that but would be interested in hearing from any of you who did purchase the styling product.

Bottom line: I enjoy the smell of the product and the way it makes my hair more manageable and straight. Does this work miracles to straighten hair? Nah......but it does make it more easy to style/straighten. I'd be interested to hear from you curly haired girls and let me know how this worked for you. Would I repurchase? Yes - I'm always looking for shampoos that will preserve my color and the sulfate free options here are great for me.

Next, I'm going to try the Moroccan argan oil products in the organix line. I'll let you know how those fare as well.

Essie: Cute as a button Swatch and Review

More Essie! I don't think that Essie has the same range of colors that OPI or China Glaze has but the colors that they do have seem very unique to me. I always end up in the Essie section of Target determining my next purchase. This time, it's Essie's Cute as A Button. This is evidently from a 2009 summer collection, but I'm just discovering it. Corals are going to be huge this year - nails, lips, etc... So I figured this is the perfect coral shade for me to start the season with. I found no problems with application or otherwise. It did take me three coats to get the color you see below but that's nothing abnormal as lighter colors usually take me about three. I used a fast dry topcoat after application which gave it more shine. ^^The bottle itself

^^Label and color name

^^ Picture taken without flash, indoors.

^^ Picture taken with flash indoors.

Product Review: Matrix Biolage Colortherapie Shielding Shine Mist

Another review! But, this one is for hair stuff! My obcession isn't limited to just makeup, I love anything beauty-ish. Hair is no exception. I bought this as I already love biolage color care shampoo and conditioner to extend the life of my red color.

Claims: This claims to provide some UV protection to your hair as well as making it smooth and shiny (even reducing frizz).

Price/Where to buy: I bought mine at Ulta and unfortunately, Ulta doesn't list biolage online. It seems to go for about 15.77 at wal-mart online. I am not sure if you would find it at your local wal mart, though. Any store that carries salon products like Ulta or Trade Secret should have it.

Packaging: It comes in a pump that is similar to one that you would use for hairspray and you get a lot for your money as you only need a pump or two per use.

Smell: It smells like a Pina Colada! It has that typical sunblock coconut type smell, which I love. But, if you're not into that, you may want to stay away. I will say that once you spray it on your hair, the scent dissipates. So, if you want to try but don't want your hair smelling like a tropical bar, I can tell you, it won't.

Review of the Claims/General Impression: I love this stuff! I can't believe I just re-discovered it. I recently found that the ends of my hair were looking kinda frayed, and it's most likely do to all the color I put in it. I needed something that would smooth the ends out. I had originally bought this with the intention of only using it when I'm out in the sun for long periods of time (which rarely happens), thinking the UV protection would be nice. I started using it again recently when I discovered that the ends of my hair were looking ragged.

This product smooths out those rough ends, gives my hair shine, and also gives me some comfort knowing my hair is protected from the sun when I'm outside. I would recomend this to anyone with color treated hair who is worried about fading. I would also reccomend it if you suffer with minor frizz or want something to make your hair shiny.

The only downside is that this will make your hair oilier at a faster rate. I wouldn't say using for the past two days has made my hair super oily but that it has made it slightly more oily than usual. I think the best thing to combat this is by using it sparingly. You don't need a ton! Just a spray or two.

LOVE!

Essie: Sand Tropez Swatch and Review

Essie!!! It used to be that Essie could only be bought at places such as Ulta. However, recently, Essie has made its debut in CVS, Rite Aid, and Target (probably walgreens too, but I haven't checked). Which means..........you can use extra care bucks and up rewards from CVS and Rite aid to buy Essie polish. So, that's exactly what I did.
I have always been a big fan of bright or dark nail polishes but I have been wanting to try the nude polish trend and Essie had the perfect color: Sand Tropez. I thought I'd like the color but I didn't realize how much. I love this color. It almost blanks out my nails against the pale color of my skin. It's pretty neat; I welcome the change from my traditional polish selections. the picture below if of the bottle.


As far as the polish application and the polish itself, Essie holds up to OPI in quality. The polish applied smoothly and evenly. I always top it off with a fast dry top coat, so I can't say a whole lot for the drying time. Also, I noticed that in my second day of wear, it chips less than a brand like China Glaze. So, overall, Essie is a winner in my book. CVS and Target have a good selection of shades to try out and I think I will definately purchase again.


The label for the color. Sand Tropez.

This picture was taken with some daylight streaming in. I think it does the best job of showing the color.

This was taken in the indoor light with no flash.

L'Oreal Infalliable lip gloss: A Review

So, I must admit that up until recently, I had written off drugstore lipglosses thinking they couldn't possibly be as good as the high end stuff. But, when I saw positive reviews of L'oreal Infalliable's lipgloss, I decided to try it. The claim of this is that it lasts for 6 hours. This claim is another reason I was hesistant-> typically long lasting lip products function more like a stain or are sticky when you apply them.
L'oreal's infalliable does last; I wouldn't say it lasts for 6 hours, but it does have pretty good staying power. Plus, it's not sticky or stain like. I would compare this to Buxom on the higherend. But, unlike Buxom, this doesn't plump. I like Buxom so much because they provide great color and stay on well.



So, the color I picked up is 'petal'. I also have a browny color of the same brand; however, petal is my favorite. In fact, I like this stuff so much, it holds a place in my purse. A product has to be pretty good to get to stay in my purse full time. :-)



The packaging is pretty good also. It has a doe foot applicator and goes on easily. Overall, I do reccomend this product. I encourage others who are like I am, to branch out into drugstore glosses as you can find some real gems that remained as yet undiscovered.

L'oreal Sublime Bronze spray gel: A Review

This is a review of a (from what I understand), new product. I picked this up last week on a sale as I'm always trying to look tanned without going out into the sun. I have been a fan of l'oreal sublime bronze's self tanners because they typically give good color, blend well, and are easy to apply. The idea of a gel was what caught my attention as I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. Bottom line: I do like it.

Color: I got the medium natural tan and it produces a good, natural looking, moderately deep color. I noticed results the day I applied it even though it was hours later.

Smell: This is what I love about this product. Anyone who has used self tanners knows that they smell awful. This does produce that 'tanner' smell after the color develops but that is inevitable with any product. The smell of the actual prodcut that is evident during application is probably the best of any I've used! It's like an oriental deep scent that is very pleasing.

Application: To apply, you spray the gel and rub in. It's easy to apply but isn't tinted, so it's hard to tell if you've applied it evenly. Due to this, I did notice some streaking in places but I think this could be approved with more practice and perhaps a lighter trigger finger.

Drying time: I love how this dries super fast. Because it's a gel, you can put your clothes on pretty quickly after application.

Overall, I like this product. The only thing I think could improve it is if it were tinted. I like how other sublime bronze products are tinted; this allows for better application and an instant bronze color to your skin.