Just Like Butter & Shrinky Dinks

Just like butter is the product description on the lable of Butter Drops, a lemond scented oil by HOP Spa Treatments. This oil can be used on your hair or your body. I have primarily been mixing this oil with lotions, and my pure shea butter with wonderful results. It helps to improve the lotions that don't work so well, and then it becomes a lotion that gives me great sheen( without being oily). You don't need to use too much to see the effects of this product.

I have used it on my scalp just once and it was similar to other oils that I have used so I prefer to maximize the benefits by using it on my body. When mixing the Butter Drops with pure shea butter ( I have whipped shea butter) it is almost like the butter melts and just blends in with the oil to form a nice moisturizing solution for my body.

For $11 I am not breaking the bank and I get to improve mediocre lotions by adding this product. I also get to use it with products that already work well in case I want to include the yummy lemon scent.

I would get this oil again, it is very pleasing to me.

HAIR- Info

I may take some of you way back and for the younger crowd you may have no idea what I am talking about but here it goes anyway.

As a kid I was always entertained by one of my favorite arts and crafts activities- SHRINKY DINKS. Shrinky Dinks were these little sheets with designs that one could cut out, color in and then place it in the over. Part of the fun was watching your little drawing shrink up in the oven and when it was all done you could hang it up as a little decoration. For some reason shrinky dinks were the first things that came to mind when I decided to talk to you about shrinkage. Shrinkage is what happens to those who do not have naturally straight hair. As our hair grows it it comes in curly and for many, the new growth is coiled like a little spring. Some relaxed ladies who stretch (extending the period of time between relaxers), experience extreme shrinkage, which means the volume is at the top of your head and your hair is coiled up. Natural ladies also experience shrinkage, and if you stretch the strands of hair it can help you to get a better idea of your length. If you have relaxed hair and you are experiencing shrinkage please don't bbe so quick to cut off your hair it it appears to be a little thinner at the ends because there could be a good reason. Shrinkage will bring a great deal of volume to the top of your head so your relaxed hair may appear to be a little thinner but onec you straighten your new growth your ends may not look so thin after all. Now of course this is not a cut and dry rule of thumb, just a suggestion bececause some people may really new to cut their hair whether they have shrinkage or not. I just don't want you to be so quick to cut off your hair expecially if you are stretching.

I included some shots of my new growth-our hair is naturally curly. You can see that the hair is going around like a little spring. SOme people have a tighter curl pattern, but this picture will help you to get the general idea of what your new growth may look like.

Sorry if I have typos, I will fix them later...

Thanks to everyone for your get well wishes. Have a great weekend.

Today

Hi Everyone
I'm not feeling 100% today so I am not going to post on products. However I will leave you with a song that I really like by Jazmine Sullivan.
I hope you are all well.
See you tomorrow.
PJD

Glide with me & HOA

The maxiglide is a device that can be used to straighten your hair. I do not like the little comb with teeth (pictured on the left) that was in the maxiglide so I replaced it with a flat plate, which is similar to what you would see on a flat iron (pictured on the right). I put a heat protectant on my bang and slid the maxglide across my hair. The maxiglide is not supposed to be closer than 3 inches away from your scalp. I think the device works, the section of my bang where I used the maxiglide was indeed silky soft and straight. The maxiglide, unlike the miniglide has a heat control dial (pictured below)which will allow you to increase or reduce the amount of heat applied to your hair.

The left side of the bang is the area where I used the maxiglide, the right side is the area that has not been touched by the maxiglide. I used a very low setting (I think I was on the second dot) and it was pretty hot in my book. There are about 4 dots then you see the number 5 then a few more dots and the final level of heat is 10. I will do a real maxiglide review soon, with video but I just wanted to show a pic since some people were wondering about this product. Is anyone out there using the maxiglide?

Housewives Central

You know we have to chat it up about the Housewives of Atlanta. I will just throw a few things out there:

1)Deshawn's charity event which barely raised any money (sigh). (Her husband appears to be very kind). Did she really have flyers for her event at the mall?????? I hope not.

2)The fact that Sheree purchased shoes totaling over 6000 last episode yet it appears as if she left the charity event empty handed.

3)Kim ....enough said

Do you think the friendship between Kim and Sheree will last? How many times did Kim say Sheree is beautiful? Aside from soaking in the compliments I think Sheree it totally bored by Kim.

A Tube Around Your What?

So there I was just minding my own business while cruising through CVS when I caught sight of a NEW mascara claiming to lengthen lashes by 80%. We have all come across such promises before so I was not impressed by that alone, but I did pick up the package to continue reading. It was then that I read about this new beauty technology, a mascara formula that would encapsulate your lashes in a tube! I was doubtful but decided to purchase the $9.99 Loreal Double Extend Beauty Tube Technology mascara. This product consists of a primer (step1 ) and the tube base mascara (step2). After my purchase, I thought I had been fooled by a regular mascara posing as some new cutting edge product.

However as soon as I applied the primer, my unruly lashes were separated and began acting like they had sense...I was impressed. Then I applied the mascara and my lashes were longer. 80% longer???- well I couldn't quite go that far, but my lashes were longer and they looked good. Of course I could not get in the corners as well as I could if I were using the Givenchy wand, but that's another story. The picture of my eyes shows me left eye with nothing applied and my right eye with the tube formula. The picture below shows my lashes after applying the primer. Can you tell that my lashes are separated?

Here is the final result, nice long lashes-though I am sure you see no sign of a tube.
The packaging stated that the mascara could be removed with water, when I put that to the test, I discovered the uniqueness of this product.

I did not see any tubes form around my lashes when I used water to remove the mascara. It came off very easily but the texture of what came off was different from other mascara formulas. Normally when I remove mascara it's a little flaky and I will see little flaky bits on my cotton ball. However, when I took this Loreal mascara off, it was like little pieces of rubber. So it's almost like rubber is surrounding your lashes. See this little dot in the picture on the left, well that is the mascara I removed, but look at the next picture (right), I was able to stretch it like it was a rubber band. I think this is what took me by surprise the most. In the end my lashes did look good, so I was pleased.

My perfect mascara would probably include the Givenchy Phenomen wand and the formula can either be Colossal mascara or this Loreal Double Extend beauty tube technology (mainly because of the way it really separated my lashes).What's your perfect mascara?

Smelling good from head to toe.

When I saw pictures of various desserts on the tube of a new lip gloss I had to buy it. Lip Frosting by Essence of Beauty is a silky sweet treat for your lips. I picked up the strawberry cheesecake and vanilla cupcake lip glosses, both of which smell as good as they sound. To make things even better they both have a sweet taste to match the delightful scents. For only $2.99 I would buy this product again. The label states that this product may contain mica. I should also mention that the labels state "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back". I know it's only 2.99 but I love when companies stand behind their products.

Have you ever purchased anything from the Essence of Beauty line? (available at CVS)

Sometimes I finish a product before I ever get to post on it and then I just totally forget about it, but not this time. Although I finished the another jar of conditioner I wanted to post on the She Scent It Olive and Orange Nourishing Conditioner which is 98% natural and 96% organic. This conditioner is has ingredients like, aloe, vitamin e, grape seed oil, black willow bark, shea butter and tons of other natural treats for your hair. I do like the scent of this product and it was fine as far as conditioners go. It did make my hair smooth and silky but it wasn't much different from the She Scent It banana brulee which I posted on a while back. The only difference is that this conditioner is only available in one size and it gives me even less shine than the banana brulee conditioner. I really love natural, organic, paraben free products but I don't think I will get this particular one again simply because I get more bang for my buck with the banana brulee conditioner. The 8oz olive and organge conditoner costs $15.00 while the 8oz banana brulee costs $11.00. ( I usually get the 16oz banana brulee which costs $18.00 and hte scent lasts longer than the live orange conditioner).

A few weeks ago I finally picked up the large bottle (16oz-largest size available) of Philosophy's Amazing Grace lotion. This formula is not nearly as thick as the Philosophy Amazing Grace Body Butter, but it smells just as good.

Tomorrow I just have to post on this new mascara on the market, it boasts of revolutionary technology- let's see if it delivers!

Clear & Even also Hair stuff

In the past I posted on the Ambi Even & Clear Foaming Cleanser and now I am back to talk about two more items from the Even & Clear line.

Let's start with the 12 oz $8.49 Ambi Soft & Even Creamy Oil moisturizer. This product is supposed to include shea butter which will soften your skin and olive oil which will help to seal in the moisture. Now here is the big claim behind this product- the light weight non greasy formula will help your skin to lock in moisture for 24 hours. I applied this lotion to my arms and legs and it really is a non greasy formula but hold your horses on that 24 hour thing. I was ashy in about 30 minutes. Perhaps I ash up faster than others who knows, but what I do know if that that beautifully light sheen that I had when I first applied the product faded quickly. I would not buy this product even again especially since it includes two parabens.

Next I tried the Even & Clear exfoliating wash which has gentle microbeads that are designed to gently remove dead skin from your face. Vitamins E and C have been included in the formula along with soy extracts to enrich our skin. The facial wash even has salicyclic acid which is supposed to prevent pimples from making a home on your face. I am always a little worried when it comes to products that include salicyclic acid because I know that I have sensitive skin. I must report that I do like the product and the exfoliating beads are very gentle yet not so gentle that it feels as if nothing is happening. For me using this product daily is not an option because it will dry out my skin so I have to be careful. Other with less sensitive skin may be just fine using this $6.99 product daily. I should also note that overall, my skin has been doing really well in recent months because I am drinking so much water so I can't totally attribute my clear skin to this product.

Hair Stuff

Since I am stretching my relaxer until December, someone asked if I could describe / show how I am wearing my hair through this period of time.

I wear different style depending on my mood or when I plan on washing my hair. However I have attached two pictures of the main style that I wear while stretching. Basically I put my hair in a banana clip (I'm wearing a black on in the picture) and then I fold my hair over like a French roll, stick a few bobby pins in it and Im good to go. I ususally leave a little bang out and flip it back and clip it with a bobby pin as well.

The first two pics were shots taken from my flip camera hence the quality. The last pic was taken on another day but it was at the end of the day and messy but hopefully you get the idea of the style.

I also started using BeeMine again and this time I will do my best to remain consistent so I can post that review ASAP.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hair & Reviews to Come

I love a product with great ingredients so when I read the ingredients list for the My Honey Child styling Aid Honey Hair Milk. Take a quick look at the ingredients and you will know that there is no way I couldn't buy this product:
Soy Butter, Soy Milk, Raw Honey , Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Soy Bean oil, Corn Oil ,Distilled Water, Honey Essence Oil ..
OK so you get my point, you would buy it too wouldn't you?
The first thing I did was rip the tape off the product in order to get a good sniff. The scent alone made me close the bottle up, I really felt like putting the tape back on. I have to stress that it is not a bad scent just a very strong scent of PANCAKE SYRUP! Yup you read that correctly, good old Aunt Jemima syrup. Although I like smelling like sweet things I can do without smelling like a breakfast condiment. The consistency of this $18.00 product is very much like the Afrikoko product that I showcased in a recent video. I think the product works to moisturize your hair, and the scent doesn't stay around forever but I just can't get myself to open up that bottle again.
Is anyone out there using this product?
Maxi and Mini

I have the maxiglide and the mini glide so in an attempt to avoid unpacking the maxiglide I decided to test the mini glide. That device does not have a temperature setting so it's just HOT. I put a small section of my bang area through that mini glide then I quickly unplugged it, waited for it to cool and packed it back up. That thing was steaming and I didn't feel like subjecting my hair to that especially since ...I didn't put on a heat protectant..I know it's bad but I really did just test a very small section. I will still do a maxiglide test because that one has a setting that will allow me to control the level of heat applied to my hair. And yes I will wear a heat protectant. :-)
Growth Aid Review
I also promised to review the BeeMine growth aids which I have- they have a nice scent but man oh man are they greasy. I find myself avoiding it because it is greasy but i will do my best to use it consistently especially since I am stretching my relaxer, then I will come back with a real BeeMine review.
Other StuffDid you see the Secret Life of Bees? If so, did you enjoy the film?
I really like Sophie O. as an actress, she did a marvelous job.

Skin Care, My New Gadget and HOA News

The line Rx for Brown Skin, by Dr. Susan Taylor is branching out to now include products for our bodies. Pictured above is the paraben free Skin Evening Body Lotion with Vanilla Citrus infusion. This lotion is supposed to hydrate your skin and promote an even skin tone. SInce I have only been using this product on and off for about two weeks all I can really post on now is the smooth texture of the product and the fact that it is well scented. It smells like a light floral perfume, nothing too heavy. I feel like my skin is hydrated after using this product but there is no shine at all, my skin looks very matte as soon as it is completely rubbed into my skin. However once you touch my skin it is very smooth. This 8 oz lotion is $25 but you get get the thick shea butter version which is smaller (6oz I believe) for$27.

Have you tried anything from the RX line yet?

My Gadget

My lastest gadget is the ipod radio device. You connect this tiny light weight device to your radio and viola you have the radio stations at your fingertips. You can use this $40 (I paid mainly with a gift card and only spent $10 out of pocket so I don't remember if it was $39.99 or $49.00 but that is the ballpark figure) devide on 5th generation ipods or the Ipod nanos.

HOA (Housewives of ATL) -Chatting Center

How funny is it that Sheree was upset that DeShawn didn't contact her directly to be a part of the charity benefit, yet she seemed to be confused when Nene was upset that Sheree didn't come outside during the fiasco at the party?

Who here likes Nene's husband? He seems really caring and supportive, she also seems a little more tame aroud him. Great match!

And ummmm did Kim say she was 29 or did my reception get messed up while she was saying 39? Not that 39 is old because it certainly is not, Kim just didnt hit me as being in her 20's I'm just saying..lol

Shocker for next week-- is Kim teaming up with Sheree in an attempt to kick Nene to the side? Oh an how dumb were those songs she presented to Dallas.....I was upset on his behalf...wasting his time...lol.

* You can also check out the entry I posted late last night.

Lemons please & Other News

I enjoy the scent of a lemons as long as I dont have a heavy scent of citurs tagging along. In essence I don't mind smelling like a lemon but I can do without smelling like the skin of a lemon. HPO Spa Treatment created the perfect soap for me, because it is a delighfully delicious lemon scented bar soap. Over the summer I confessed that I prefer liquid body washes over bar soap, but this little baby just may change my mind. Firstly, I could not stop sniffing the $7.00 Lemon Body bar which cleansed my skin without making it feel like rubber. The soap is infused with shea butter, honey, coconut oil, palm oil and castor oil and I really like this soap.

Hair News

My last touch up was at the very end of August and I am going to stretch my relaxer until the end of December.....I think..lol. Let's see if I make it that long.

I have added a few co washes to the mix to keep my new growth extra soft.

I was asked to post my hair regimen so here is my very simple weekly process.

I will wash my hair at least once a week (no less than once a week). I do alternate between various hair products but they are all sulfate and paraben free so I don't feel guilty about bouncing between brands.

Now that I am trying to stretch until December I am co washing at least once a week,( some weeks I co wash twice in the week). I co wash with the conditioner of my choice I usually make that determination based on what I want my hair to smell like. I will also moisturize my hair daily. Currently I am using My Honey Child products to moisturize my hair (I alternate my moisturizing routine between the aloe leave in, coconut milk and honey love - I didn't post on the last two yet).

I try to make sure that I am not washing my hair consistently with a protein conditioner so I try to alternate with moisturizing products.

If you need any more hair info please let me know.

Introducing.......

Most of you already know that both the Frugalista and $ out of 15 cents are the two wonderful bloggers on my blogroll whose posts I love to read. They give me my financial news straight up with a side of wisdom and I love it.

I am pleased to introduce another financial blogger, The Discount Trendsetter. Your host D. Gully will talk to you about everything from saving money at the grocery store, to buying inexpensive beauty products. She also has many youtube videos posted so go ahead and click her link in the blogroll section.

Blissful or Not?

Hello My happy blog readers. I hope you are all doing well. I apologize for missing my post yesterday but it could not be avoided. So what does that mean? DOUBLE POST today...yayaya (ok maybe I am the only one cheering)..lol
I told myself that I would not purchase the $52 Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask by Bliss after reading Yummy's review. But the pj in me won and I ended up picking it up anyway. This facial mask is supposed to help with the free radicals (much like my older post on another product promising to stabilize radicals) so I wanted to give it a whirl. Apparently, the younger you are, the more oxygen you have within your skin but as we age, that decreases and leads to older looking skin. The mask includes vitamin C and time released antioxidants. This 5 minute mask is designed to give your skin a shot of oxygen to boost your levels and keep your skin feeling youthful.

I have to agree with Yummy that my skin didn't feel so different after washing off the mask. I will see if any effects are felt over a longer period of time. I guess I thought my skin would suddenly start break dancing or give me some indication that it was feeling 10 years younger- NOT. However this is not to say that I don't like the mask. This mask bubbles up and foams right before your eyes. It felt pretty cool....check out my reaction: Would I buy this product again?- only if I really wanted to burn $52 bucks and I didn't have other products I was interested in buying. While it is not a horrible product, it does not appear to be life changing either. Have you ever tried this product? Do you go to the spa on a regular basis?

My second post of the day will come a little later...sorry. Also I will repsond to all of your wonderful emails and blog comments.

It smells good enough to eat!

(10 jars of vatika hair frosting)

If you open up a tub of Betty Crocker Vanilla frosting, you would also be inhaling the scent of the Vatika Frosting from Hairveda. Vatika frosting is without a doubt an oil, the main ingredient is pure coconut oil. Much like coconut oil even in a solid form once you touch the product, it begins to instantly melt on your fingers. Here are the main Vatika ingredients: Coconut oil, Amla extract, Henna extract, Lemon extract. Each ingredient is supposed to work to strengthen your tresses. This product can be used as a pre poo and that is exactly how I use the oil. I allow the product to sit on my hair (usually with some conditioner added to the mix) and it works well, leaving my hair very soft. I tried to use the vatika frosting once as a leave in but I can only do that when I know I am close to my wash day because it is very oily. It is important to use only a little of this product if you plan on using it as a leave in. Don't fret, the vanilla frosting scent does not last long so you will not walk around town smelling like cake frosting. (If you click on the first vatika frosting picture you can see that just sitting on the shelf some of it is no longer a solid, but putting it in a cool place will solidify the product again.)

If you dont feel like mixing your own ingredients for your pre poo, this $10.00 product may work for you. And if you don't mind oil on your hair, vatika is also a leave in product.

Here is a little video to show you what the vatika frosting looks like.

Next up is the head to toe Whipped Shea Aloe Mousse, also from Hairveda. This product looks like melted marshmellows but it does not have that sticky feeling. It is however way too heavy for my hair, I strictly use this product as a moisturizer for my body. It is thick, creamy, and gives off great shine. For my hair I couldn't really tell if it left it moisturized because it just felt so weighed down that I couldn't get past that aspect of it to really investigate the moisturizing properties.

As an aloe vera based body butter I may get this product again. You will pay $26.00 for a 16 oz tub or you can select the 4oz jar which costs 7.00.

P.S. Housewives of ATL news...You may have heard Lisa ( the real estate broker) mention that her last marriage which wasnt an ideal union. It turns out that her ex hubby is the famous singer Keith Sweat. Keith has had full custody of his kids and will not allow their two children to appear on the Housewives show. I got this information from BETs Black Carpet show last night.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Men Want It!

I went to an Aveda store recently to get another tube of the Dry Remedy masque, and while there I saw men clamoring for the latest items from the new Aveda collection for men.
The line includes the Aveda Men Pure-Formance Aroma spray, a candle and Aveda Men Firm Hold Gel. The first thing that I noticed is that the gel is super light and not sticky at all so I wondered how well it would really work. I passed if off to a pal of mine and he gave the product two thumbs up. He said it works really well at keeping his hair in place yet it does not make his hair hard, in fact it doesn’t even look like he has a product in his hair. The $20.00 honey infused gel also contains uva/uvb protectors to guard against sun damage. The spicy scent of the hair gel comes from the essential oils of spearmint, citrus, vetiver and lavender.
I passed the cologne off to another friend and he quickly realized that the Pure-Formance spray was unlike the other scents that are in his current collection. I have to say that the product really smelled good on him. I know that the chemistry of an individuals body may play a part in the way a cologne smells, but this particular item really worked for him. I would describe the scent as woodsy which is probably because of the vertiver oil. The spray contains organic oils of lemon, orange, spearmint, lavender and vetiver. The plai oil used in this product was hand harvested and grown pesticide free in Thailand.
The spray is priced at $65.00.
P.S. Even the packaging that these products arrive in are made from recycled paper and the decorative designs on the cartons are made of soy ink.
I kept the candle for myself.
I guess this is the latest buzz on the market for men.
Which gifts for men do you have your eyes on?

Ramblings & A Review

I was going to go ahead with one of my usual product posts but as I was flipping through the tv channels last night I came across a modeling show that I generally choose to ignore. The woman who the show is based on has far too many issues for me to expound upon in my little post so I will just skip over her and talk about Mia Amber Davis. As I was zipping through the channels I caught sight of Mia , the lovely and talented plus size model and Creative Editor of Plus Size Magazine. Unfortunately, Mia was not treated with the respect that she should have been given in my opinion, but she did manage to let the world know that she wants plus size models to have more visibility in the fashion world and respected in the modeling industry.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mia as I attended the Budget Fashionista's 5th year Anniversary Party which was held during fashion week.

Since I have neglected to post these pictures, seeing Mia was the perfect motivation to make me upload these photos. She was pleasant and gracious and worked the room with just a friendly smile.

This leads me to the question of the day...How do you honestly feel about plus size models hitting the runway? Would you prefer to see clothing on a model who has more of a traditional modeling figure, or is it time for a real change on the runway...weigh in people.

Back to the Budget Fashionista's Party

The Budget Fashionista has helped many readers fo find deals and to figure out how not to drain their pockets in order to look fashionable- and she has been blogging about it for 5 years! This is the Budget Fashionista as she stood outside answering resporter's questions.

A reporter from NBC was also present to capture the highlights of the event.

Free liquor was flowing all night as turkey burgers and other snacks were being dished out to the guests. The DJ kept the music going all evening long while people danced the night away.

I left the event with the most comfortable Dear Foam slippers, new jeans (that fit me perfectly by the way), Diva nail polish and an accompanying emory board, The Fashionista's latest book, a magazine and the new Payless "I Love Shoes " bag. (can't find the pic I took of the cool items but I will upload that later.)

Here is a rack with some of the jeans that were given away as gifts.

Congrats Fashionista and thanks to the Wonderful Frugalista for making that evening possible for me.

Now shall we talk products????

You are looking at an 8 oz bottle of a product named "Natural Hair Humectants" from My Honey Child. This product is supposed to be a non oily product that hydrates your hair. Indeed, this product is not greasy at all, it basically feels like water. It is gentle enough to be used daily and it can also be used to detangle your hair. I do like that it is in a spray bottle and the ingredients are great but after the product dries I don't feel as if my hair remains hydrated. There are tons of better hydrating product from My Honey Child so I will not be buying this $18.00 product again.
Here are the ingredients:
Purified Water, Glycerin, Raw Honey , Black Cumin Seed oil, Macadamia Nut oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, and Walnut Oil.
HOUSEWIVES
Did you watch last night? Who would have guessed that Nene and Sheree would patch things up so quickly-not me! Ummm what does Deshawn do? I totally knew that the woman she interviewed last week would not work out, the woman really didn't look like she wanted to be there. Lisa dominated that business meeting but allowed her hubby to come in for show and tell..cute.
I need Sheree's show guy to stop by my house!!!!!

Random

Sometimes I like to switch things up a bit, so I purchased a new lip liner. Instead of always wearing chestnut I have now added MAC's Nighmoth to my collection. Nightmoth is a very deep wine and I love it. It would look great with Bing, Cyber or any other color that you like.
Here is a swatch of the color:

I am also wearing the Sally Hansen nail polish color in Alchemy, a gorgeous puprle, just right for the Fall season.

Lauren I promised I would show you a pic of some of my hairveda items so here it is. This is by no means the complete collection..lol but some of the stuff I own. One thing that I can think of that isn’t in the picture is the vatika pre poo ( I will post on that soon), the protein treatment, and other things.

P.S. I have some good posts coming up soon and a contest so stay tuned.

Hey Brown Sugar

Whether I'm mixing up a batch of my brown lemonade or preparing one of my signature sauces brown sugar is often a secret ingredients. As a kid, I remember touching the raw sugar and allowing those rough brown cubes to slide between my fingers. I can now relive those memories through their new Sweet Honey Dip Chocolate Brown Sugah body scrub. The $34.00, 12 oz scub is made from brown sugar, and some of the oils include almonds, apricots, grape seeds and vitamin E. The scrub has a delicious chocolate and honey scent.

I really like this scrub and I would get it again if I don't attempt to make my own version at home.

Dead Ringer

I know I am not the only person who has walked down the aisle of a drugstore and placed an item in your basket only to realize it is not the item you intended to pick up. Stores have become very clever when it comes to creating a product that mirrors a popular product on the market. The store brand is even packaged the same way to catch any customer who is not paying close attention.

I was almost fooled when I went to pick up the Vaseline Cocoa Butter gel which I posted on in the past, but instead I had actually picked up the CVS version of this product. When I reviewed the lables I noticed that the CVS brand also has almond oil and a very similar scent for $2.00 less. I decided to buy the CVS brand and guess what-- the product is just as good. Seriously, there is no noticable difference between the two products, I feel a switch coming on.

Which store brand products rival popular name brand products?

Contest

Have you noticed the picture of the natural beauty on the right side of my page? I want to bring to your attention the contest going on over at OHM Body, the natural beauty company whose product I blogged about in recent times. OHM is calling on you natural beauties to send in a photo, either a headshot or a full body picture. Now I have been to many of your blogs so I know you have some natural beauty shots.
Here is what you can win if you are selected as the beauty of the month:

A photo and profile feature in the Love Letter for the month of her win.
A full photo feature on the Ohm Body front page website.
An Ohm Body Gift mailed right to her front door.

Simply click on the natural beauty picture on the right side of my page for more details!

Mascara & Fear Not Thy Protein Treatment

About a month ago Walmart had a two for one sale so for only $5.85 I was able to get two tubes of the Loreal Voluminous Naturale mascara. While this mascara is supposed to give you tons of volume it is also supposed to keep your lashes feeling natural. Sometimes when you put on mascara, you feel it because your lashes harden. I must say that my lashes were very flexible and soft even with this mascara on my lashes. However, I would not buy this mascara again simply because I have used better products but it was not an awful product. My lashes were lengthened and they seemed to be a little fuller but it was not as dramatic as my Maybelline Colossal or the latest Givenchy mascara.

Before the Loreal mascara(left) after shot on the right.

What really prompted me to begin my revised hair journey in 2007 was the breakage that I experienced after protein overload. So while protein is necessary t o keep my hair strong I was moisturizing my hair and doing my best to ignore protein. I knew that my protein fast could not last for long and once I found the right balance between protein and moisture my hair began to thrive. A woman that I know had her hair shiny and flowing last week so I asked her what she used and she began raving about the Aphogee Protein treatment. I decided to pick it up but since it makes your hair hard and it has Professional Use Only scrawled across the back of the bottle I wanted to be extra careful. I watched a few youtube videos of women who have used the treatment and although they all seemed happy with the results I was nervous because they all stressed how carefully you need to follow directions, no shower caps on the head, don’t touch your hair while it’s hard etc. Now I posted a while back on the MOP protein treatment which did make my hair hard but from what I could tell, that treatment could not compare to the Aphogee treatment. I was intrigued so I made my purchase last weekend. The three items in the picture were sold together for $21.99. I am not experiencing any breakage but I an itching to test out this treatment. Have you used it while your hair was in good condition? If so please share your experience here.
Thanks