Not for the faint of heart

By now you probably recognize that I love products with a great scent. With body washes like "red velvet cake", "carrot cake", and "mimosa" just to name a few, Philosophy has really created a line of products with authentic scents. When you use their products, there is no doubt that you will leave your bathroom smelling like decadent baked goods. I really liked this yummy product, until I happened to read the "caution" section of the label as I was trying to locate the list of ingredients.

I am used to seeing, caution "keep out of eyes", or caution "please do not ingest" but I was appaulled as I read caution "excessive use or prolonged exposure may cause irritation to skin and urinary tract." There is no explanation of what they consider prolonged use, does that mean using it everyday or using it more than once a day?

Now if I am overreacting please let me know, but I have never seen this type of warning on a bottle of body wash. Although I really enjoy a sweet scent, I can do without the threat of urinary tract irritation looming in my mind.

*Please note that not all Philosophy body washes have this warning so check your labels.

This urinary tract treat is sold in a variety of sizes and prices ranging from $6.00-$30 from http://www.philosophy.com/ or Sephora.

I had to do it!

I really like Phyto and Phytospecific products so when I read about the Phyto 9 Daily Ultra Nourishing Botanical Cream I was ecstatic. This hydrating cream contains 9 different plant extracts, (doesn't that sound great) that work together to make "very dry hair" soft and moisturized....NOT! This product pretty much evaporated into thin air as soon as it hit my hair. Now either my hair is beyond "ultra dry" or this product does not do what it claims.

This breaks my heart but I must throw a Phyto product into the "SKIP IT" files.

This Phyto 9 Daily nonsense is priced at $26 for a 1.7 ounce tube.

It's the BALM...Kind Of

The Good

If you are looking for a hair product that will tame frizzy hair and will also add a little shine, then you may want to check out this product from Phytospecific. The Phytospecific moisturizing styling balm, is a Quinoa oil infused moisturizer that also gives your hair a little hold. Quinoa oil is held in high regard for it's rich protein base, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. This product is a bit thick so I would suggest that you apply only a small amount to your hair. Some people have reported that this styling balm is great when it comes to reducing split ends and to that I say, obviously if your hair can not really move then how can it split??? I do not use this product frequently but when my hair really needs to stay put, this is one of the products I use.Well that's the good part now for the bad......

The Bad

This product contains the dreaded mineral oil. If you don't know much about mineral oil just know that I like to refer to it as the hair growth inhibitor. Mineral oil is basically liquid petroleum which can easily clog your pores and make it difficult for your hair to push through your scalp. This product also has the potential to make your hair a little stiff which is another reason why I would suggest using it in small amounts.
I have heard that some people love mineral oil and they don't mind using it but I am not one of those people. This product gets a free pass because it does contain Quinoa oil and other natural ingredients. It basically serves a purpose but you have to know your hair and whether or not it will work for you.

My Recommendation: Get a free sample of this product from Sephora and give it a test run on your hair before making this purchase.

This product is sold at Sephora and on various web sites for $24.

The new Vaseline

When you hear the company name Vaseline, images of thick petroleum jelly being slathered on your face and legs by your mother probably spring to mind.

Vaseline has a new sleek line, known as Vaseline Cocoa butter which includes a thick cocoa butter scented lotion and a cocoa butter body gel. Both products work well to soften the skin and provide you with a silky smooth feeling.

However, the lotion leaves your skin with a little glow for a very short period of time while the gel formula has real staying power. The gel will keep your skin glowing for a much longer period of time.

Hint (Sometimes I will add a little unrefined coconut oil to the lotion to keep the shine effect going)

I actually purchase both products regularly because they work so well.

The large bottle of lotion is priced at $7.99, while the smaller tube is generally priced around $3.99.

The gel formula is priced at $7.39 for 6.3 ounces.

What do you think of this product?

Take One, Two, Three!

When I first tried "Clear Improvement", a charcoal facial mask from Origins, I thought of it as just a regular mask because I didn't see any amazing results. Once I read the directions on the tube I saw results, so reading is fundamental...go figure!

The directions instruct the user to first open your pores by putting warm water on your skin and then lather on the facial mask.

After following the directions I felt something different, almost immediately my skin began to tingle. It really felt as if my pores were being cleaned out by this mask. When I washed everything off, my skin looked normal perhaps a little dry in some areas but nothing too much out of the ordinary. At this point I formed my second opinion, that this product was just about a feeling but really was not going to do anything special to my skin. Each time after using this mask about a day later I would see a facial imperfection come to the surface, as if the mask had really drawn impurities out.

This happened on such a consistent basis that I must attribute my pore cleansing results to this product. Then came my third opinion...this stuff works!

You can buy a tube for 3.4 ounces priced at $20.00 from Origins http://www.origins.com/

If you sign up to receive emails from Origins, you will be alerted when they sell the econo sized version of this product 6.4 ounces also for $20.00.

Which facial masks work for you?

It's a new day!

Years ago when you wanted to dry your nail polish quickly you may have turned to one of those quick dry sprays in the aerosol cans. After spraying your nails they were ice cold for a few seconds and your nails were dry in about 30 seconds. I don't know about you but I enjoyed neither the smell nor the freeze dried fingers that followed the application of the product.

Well I am happy to announce that it is a new day, and there is a much better product that can dry your nails in 30 second or less without the negative features of it's nail drying predecessor. Sally Hansen has produced " Shea Butter Rapid Finish"nail color dryer. This product has a light shea butter scent and will not freeze your fingers because it is an oil based product. After one spray of this nail dryer, you will have shea butter oil on your fingers and it is recommended that you rub it into your cuticles.

Priced at 6.99 for 2.1 ounces you should give this product a try because it works!

Messing with my hard earned cash

I purchased a clear EAU de gloss lip gloss from the Bourjois company. I wanted to keep my lips hydrated and shiny for a reasonable period of time so I made this purchase for $15. ( you can click on the picture for a larger view)

The label promises that your lips will be hydrated for 4 hours! Lies I tell you all LIES. My lips were no longer shiny after a mere 20 minutes. I was not eating or drinking during this 20 minute period, just walking around my house.

Can this product continue to hydrate your lips even though it appears to have evaporated? I doubt it.....

This product was such a waste of my time and money so it must be thrown into the "SKIP IT" files.

If you have tried it, please tell me what you think.

My love hate relationship

I'm just going to come on out and say it...I hate STOCKINGS. Ok now that I got that out of the way let me tell you about the company that allows me to keep my sanity while wearing this garment. Brown Sugar is a division of the Leggs company and they produce stockings for women of color. They have a variety of shades available and their stockings are ultra ultra sheer.
I hate stockings but when I need to wear them I only turn to Brown Sugar.
This product is priced at $2.39 at CVS
Get yourself a pair of Brown Sugar stockings and let me know what you think.

Couture for your lips......

I was very excited in 2007 when I learned that Keisha Whitaker ( wife of actor Forest Whitaker) along with famed makeup artist Aj Crimson teamed up to produce Kissable Couture. The name alone made me want to try their lip glosses. Instead of traditional names like "fire red", or "mango madness" this duo decided to name each lip gloss after a memorable man in Keisha's life, which I thought was very unique. I purchased David, the sandy brown colored lip gloss pictured in this post.

Although it appears as if the lip gloss gets darker toward the bottom of the tube, it does not, the dark color is actually the design on the tube itself.

All Wrapped Up
I just have to take a moment out to discuss the packaging of this product. When I received my order it was packed in the cutest little black bag with a black ribbon attached and the company name "Kissable couture" across the front of the bag. I excitedly opened the bag to find a ribbon tied black box with the name Kissable Couture and once opened, it revealed a thin Kissable Couture sleeve that covered the lip gloss. Needless to say by the time you get to the actual product there is no way that you could forget the company name. The packaging was really pretty and could easily be given to someone as a gift.


Final Result
It has a smooth application but other than that it is your standard lip gloss.
I think this is a nice product, not outstanding just nice.
I will just mention that the cover of my lip gloss came off as I was opening the tube, fortunately due to their commitment to fine packaging, there was an additional cover underneath and the original cover slid back on effortlessly so no worries here...lol
Priced at $22 I would purchase this product as a gift for someone or for myself if they were to introduce some extraordinary colors.
Make your purchase by going to http://www.kissablecouture.com/
As always, let me know what you think

100% Delicious- (The Body Edition)

This is one of those moments when I wish I could reach my hand through your computer screen and allow you to smell this product. Organic Fuji Apple shower gel is just one of the many delicious scents from the company known as 100% Pure. They produce products that are organic and 100% vegan. I have used so many of their shower gels and the scents are to die for! When I am bathing in "freshly squeezed strawberry lemonade" I actually get thirsty, the scent is something you just have to smell for yourself. Take a look at the many scents available through 100% Pure http://www.100percentpure.com/showergelintro_2.html priced at $15

Don't even think of purchasing the shower gel without including the matching body scrub. http://www.100percentpure.com/bodyscrubintro.html priced at $22

This product does not contain sulfates, alcohol or other harsh ingredients.

Indulge your body and your senses in this amazing product.

Word to the wise- Because the shower gels do not contain the harsh ingredients that you will find in traditional shower gels, the 100% Pure shower gel does not congeal. As you pour out the gel it will be more like a liquid than a gel. You can lose a great deal of the product by just pouring it haphazardly into your cloth or loofah.

You can purchase these products through the following stores:

1. http://www.makeup.com/


2. http://www.100percentpure.com/


3. http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/

You can also go to the actual Bath an Body Works store to make your purchase but please note you can only find this product at flagship Bath and Body Works stores. *

* A flagship Bath and Body Works store is one that carries products other than the Bath and Body Works line. Call your local BBW store to find out more about a flagship store near you.

Happy Bathing

Pucker Up

At this point in my life I am used to being disappointed when I purchase lip color. The main problem is that the lip color is never dark enough, the shade always looks shades lighter once applied to my lips. Revlon's Creme de la Chrome lip color just shut me up. Not only is the color as dark as it appears to be through the tube, but it also has this really bold metallic shine to it. It really looks like melted metal on my lips. Maybe that sounds a bit gross but it is really beautiful.

Tiny downside... I have not found this product in a deep brown color which would be gorgeous.

I have purchased two colors, Plum Appeal #375 and the other is Gilt Complex #360. I can not wear Gilt Complex alone because the color is way too light but I use it to mix with darker colors and it looks fabulous.

Priced anywhere from $7.99-$8.99 this item is worth the money

Silky Dirt

The GOOD

I recently discovered Silky Dirt by Jonathan, essentially it is a pomade that will give my hair a measure of hold without the stiffness that comes with using most hair gels. You can apply this product and your hair will pretty much stay put, but it is gentle enough that if you decided to do another hair style, you can comb right through your hair without breakage.

The packaging describes this product as a "shine and define creme." The best part is that it really does add a shine to your hair and it is 100% vegan.

The Bad

The outside of the tube reads "celebrity tested", ok was I supposed to be impressed that celebrities use this product ...NOT. Remember to always do what is best for your hair and figure out what works for YOU. If you are not swayed by the masses and you pay attention to what works best for your locks, your hair will thank you for it.

The Ugly

I just cant put my finger on the scent of this creme, sometimes I think it smells sweet and other times is makes me want to up chuck ....

Give it a sniff and tell me what you think.

Silky Dirt will cost you $28 at Sephora.

Save your dime and your time

While strolling down the beauty section of a store, I discovered a new product by Sally Hansen called Color Quick fast dry nail color pen. I purchased the color clear opal because I didn't like the other colors available. I was very excited to use this product which looks like a pen, except instead of dispensing ink you get nail enamel that dries quickly! Awesome..or so I thought. I first noticed that the bristles seemed a bit thick to apply the nail color smoothly but I pushed those thoughts aside and decided to paint my nails. As I pressed the top of the pen to dispense the color , just imagine the horror I felt as I applied what felt like thick Elmers glue to my nails. The thickness of the bristles did not allow the polish to smoothly coat my nails, so that was disappointing.

While I can appreciate the idea behind this product, I would recommend saving your money until they fix this bristle issue. I will probably try this product in the future and update this review if I have better results but for now this product is a "SKIP IT"
The product cost $7.99

Have you tried it? What did you think?

Another super sized product

In a previous post I reviewed the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak, well feast your eyes on the super sized version. This purchase cost $12.49 for 23 ounces.

Happy hair care!

Sweet Deep Conditioner

When I want to apply a deep conditioner to achieve manageability and strength, one product that I look to is the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil replenishing Pak.

It contains both rosemary and nettle extract along with a host of other hair essentials. The orange oil in the conditioner contributes to the shine and gives your hair a sweet scent.

This product alone does not leave my hair as shiny as I would like, but the scent and softness keep me coming back for more.

The cost of this product varies from store to store but I have seen it priced anywhere from $1.29-$1.59.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Econo Size IT

The Econo Size It section of this blog will be devoted to super sized products, and first up we have Ojon shampoo and conditioner. In a previous entry I mentioned how much I adore the Ojon ultra hydrating shampoo and conditioner, well you can only imagine how pleased I was to find the economy sized version on QVC (also available online only through sephora.com). The regular size is 8.44 ounces while the economy size is 33.4 ounces. You can spend $69.00 for the super sized shampoo or conditioner from Sephora. As an alternative, you can purchase both the shampoo and conditioner from QVC for a slightly reduced cost of $90.84 plus shipping and handling.

Check out this comparison shot to show you the difference in the size of the regular bottle and the super sized edition.

This buy is well worth the money if you like Ojon products so enjoy.....

Get your glow on!

I have long searched for the perfect skin care system and I think I have finally found it. I am now using Rx for brown Skin by Dr. Susan Taylor ( Not Susan Taylor of Essence Magazine). I have been using this product for roughly 3-4 months and I have received many compliments on the health of my skin. The serum and moisturizer actually make my skin glow! I have sensitive combination skin so it is dry in some areas while other spots are oily, so I needed a product that could properly address my skin care issues. I should also mention that I like my skin to look a little shiny, not greasy but shiny...I just don't like the matte look so I need a little shine.
Rx for Brown skin comes in three levels, bright and healthy, bright and even, bright and clear (the acne edition). I have been using the toner from the gentle line (bright and healthy) and the exfoliating cleaner and serum from the mid range bright and even line and the results have been great. Due to the sensitive of my skin I do not use the toner daily but I do include it in my arsenal when my skin needs to be refreshed and clarified.

The cleansers are sold at $21.00, moisturizer $32, toner $18 and the serum $36.

I know you are thinking you can get cleaners for a much cheaper price, but will your skin glow? If so then keep doing what you are doing, but if your skin needs a boost make this purchase, you won't regret it. Also the products last for a good period of time because you really only need 1-2 pumps.
Look for this product at Sephora.com

Quick and Easy

I heard rumors of the perfect nail enamel and so my search began. I soon discovered nail polish that wouldn't chip or rub off and I didn't have to wait for my nails to dry. Avon created a product called Instant Manicure to make the application of nail polish painless.
How it works
You take a strip of colored tabs and find the one that fits your finger, gently rub the colored sticker on your finger and remove any air bubbles. Once you have secured the sticker by rubbing it on over your clean finger nail, you rub the sticker across the edge of your finger nail to remove the excess sticker and then you are left with the perfect manicure.

The only downside that I have noticed is one of my packs did not have the same level of staying power. I purchased the color Oh My Perl and the stickers did not want to stay put and the color was lighter than I had anticipated. Well at least I only purchased one in that color, but the others were fabulous.

Feel free to continue with your daily activities without the fear of ruining your manicure. These nails last, and you will have a few extra in the package in case you need to redo a nail. You will receive 16 nail strips and it is available in a variety of colors. The Instant Manicure is usually sold for $8.00 but sometimes you can catch it on sale for $3.99 on the Avon website. You can also find the Instant Pedicure, also available through Avon.

Finished Product

Happy painting!