Are you exposed?

I don't know of anyone who will welcome unnecessary wrinkles and skin cancer into their lives, but that is exactly what we may be doing if we are not protecting ourselves with an spf. The sun is good for us but the uvb and uva rays emitted from the sun may not love us in return. UVB is the ultra violet radiation that targets the outer layer of our skin, it is also the culprit behind sunburn. UVA rays bypass surface damage and travel deeper into our skin. UVB rays are said to do the most damage between the hours of 10-2:00 while UVA rays work throughout the day.
Don’t be a Victim
We are not powerless we can protect ourselves as much as possible and we can start by using an spf. SPFs will block these harmful rays, but it is often required that we reapply the spf several times during the day, especially when we know we will be frolicking in the sun.
Myth- People of color don't need an spf. This is an old myth that many people believed for so long but it is false, we need an spf just like everyone else. It is recommended that you use at least spf 30 instead of spf 15 which was promoted for so many years.
Problem
I tried my best to remind myself to wear spf but it became torturous when each spf that I tried seemed to be so heavy that it would make my skin look dull or like I had white reside on my face.
Solution
Finally, I found Lancaster's SPF 30 for delicate skin which allows me to keep my glow without leaving behind any evidence that I am wearing and spf. Lancaster's delicate skin SPF 30 can be used on your face and body. This is by far my favorite spf product...if only I could remember to always put it on!!!
You can purchase this spf for a mere $24 for a 4.2oz tube.
Which SPF do you use? (If you can, please provide the product name and the number associated with the spf product that you use. Thanks)

Please chime in

Yesterday, I made a post about how impressed I was after seeing some higher end products at CVS. In the comment section Frugalista took no time in busting my bubble (just kidding) when she asked " Has anyone heard that once a high end beauty line goes to the drugstore, it's counterfeit? ". I would like to think that CVS is an established company and would not risk selling fake goods but hey, you never know.

If you have an answer please share your knowledge here.

Thanks so much everyone.

*** This is a red alert UPDATE** Frugalista submitted this link please read this when you have a chance http://cbs3.com/consumer/2.294306.html

Thanks Frugalista

Who Knew Part II

Have you ever known someone who you thought you had them pegged? They appeared to be so predictable and then out of nowhere they do something that makes you want to do a double take. Well I didn't know CVS had it in em! I went into CVS yesterday to get some sour gummy lifesavers and other office must haves and then I literally backtracked to an aisle because I was certain my eyes were fooling me. Since when did CVS begin selling MOP (Modern Organic Products)? I recently did a post on one of their lovely products and I have a few more coming up from the MOP line but I digress. I saw a few shampoos and conditioners from this line on display, being sold for a few more bucks than it is sold for at the beauty supply store, nevertheless there it was right there in CVS. Once I got over the initial shock I proceeded to the new self checkout register and my eyes wobbled and did the mambo #5 in my head as I saw Kerastase products. WHAT now MOP is one thing but when CVS begins to sell $34 shampoos and conditioners, that’s when I stand up and take notice. Unfortunately, they only had the line in stock for color treated hair, which I do not have but I was still impressed. The next time I go into CVS who knows they may be selling Phyto products. I have my eye on you CVS.........

Product review to follow.

Take it off!

Why on why did I forget to tell you about another important product that was a major part of my nubie eye shadow experience? Illusions Cosmetics has an eye makeup remover that is oh so gentle. It is an oil free product that contains chamomile and aloe vera to gently remove makeup from your eyes. I remember using makeup removers from other companies to remove those color stay lipsticks and some of them just didn't want to budge, but this quick and easy eye makeup remover is priceless.
Well not exactly, it costs $10 for 6.5oz.
Do you use anything special to remove your makeup?

Early Start?

I like to think of myself as the woman who gets an early start on things, so now I want to tackle wrinkles. I am a 20 something woman who has yet to experience any unwelcomed creases but I want to keep them at bay for as long as possible. I am currently using Timewise Night Solutions by Mary Kay $30. Initially I thought this was some type of night serum that was supposed to simply rejuvenate my skin while I am resting. The first time I used this product I woke up and my skin was glowing, I looked so refreshed. This product contains "encapsulated vitamins and antioxidants combined with collagen-enhancing peptides help fade away deep lines and wrinkles". This product is incredibly light on my face, there is nothing heavy about it at all. My skin is really enjoying this product, but I am dying to know how it has worked for someone with wrinkles or any facial sags so if you have used this product do share. Around what age do you think a woman should begin her anti wrinkle treatment or should we all just let things happen without worrying about prevention?

Confessions of a Product Junkie Diva

Confession-- I never wear eye shadow. I know, I know some of you are clutching your pearls or gasping at this very moment, but this is the truth, my truth. One reason why I have never worn eye shadow is because I thought it would make me look like a clown. It looks lovely on other people but I just never thought it would look good on me. This feeling was validated the day I attended a makeup party. When I was younger I went to a makeup party and I sat there as the consultant raved about my eyes and how good the eye shadow looked on me. I was excited and couldn't wait to look in the mirror. Before even seeing myself I just knew I wanted to go out that evening to show off my face, then I looked into the mirror. Upon looking at my face I was convinced of two things 1) the makeup consultant was either visually impaired or mentally insane and 2) I would never wear eye shadow again.

Janice Tunnell, celebrity makeup artist, and co-owner of Illusions Cosmetics (the other co owner is Janice's twin sister Denise Tunnell) has made me eat my words. Wednesday evening I wore eye shadow and I didn't just like it, I loved it. The shades fit me perfectly and why wouldn't they, Illusions Cosmetics is a product line specifically designed for women of color. The line can complement very light skin tones as well as darker complexions and everyone in between. I put on the shadow and my face was glowing, in that moment I understood why so many women love eye shadow and now I have found one that works for me. I should also mention that my anti makeup sister, a women who refuses to wear tinted lip gloss, saw the eye shadow and said I think I would like to wear that. Yes that is how stunning the shades are, that it was able to single handedly almost convert my sister.
Pictured on the left you have Dolce Vita a brownish eye dust and Delight on the right which is a sandy brown. The eye dust was so soft I had to ask Janice if any natural ingredients were included and it turns out that many of their products include vitamin e., chamomille and other natural ingredients.

Illusions cosmetics also produces a line of lip glosses affectionately named after popular movies such as Brown Sugar, Mahogany, Dreamgirls, and Sparkle (a personal favorite) just to name a few. I tried Dreamgirl which is very close in color to the MAC Viva Glam V. The lip gloss is super light yet very shiny and it only cost $10.00. The aforementioned eye shadow which is referred to as eye dust on their website is priced at $12.00. Items can be purchased through their website http://www.illusionsbeauty.com/ or through two stores that currently sell their products.
After communicating with Janice recently she informed me that new products will hit the website soon and they are revamping their site so you may want to call for more information if you are interested in the product (all information is available through their site)
So now that I have had the best introduction to eye shadow please give me the low down on the eye shadows that you love.

Lip Crazy

Feast your eyes on the Boscia Jujube Salve Stick. I had never heard of a lip salve that included licorice, jujube fruit, jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil, and willowherb all in the same product so I was intrigued. I purchased this salve for $16 to test out the claim that it would moisturize and nourish my lips. The product is also supposed to diminish fine lines on the lip and plump them but since I don't have an issue in either of those areas it is a bit hard to test whether or not it lives up to its promise. I can tell you that this is a very smooth lip salve, it is not heavy on the lips, it just glides on. However,this salve does not like to be layered, applying extra coatings with leave you with a waxy feeling. You will get a small measure of shine but nothing too crazy so don't expect much in that department.This slender salve can easily fit into your tiniest clutch.
One day I realized that I was carrying around about 10 lip products in my purse. I know that I like to switch it up for my lips throughout the day but that number seemed to be a bit much. Please tell me how many lip products you travel with regularly?

Bring on the Love

The first time I heard about Carol's Daughter Love Butter I just new i had to have it. The combination of honey and brown sugar in one body butter had my name written all over it. I searched high and low and the product was sold out in every location that I went to. I eventually made my purchase through Sephora when the item was back in stock. As pictured above your tub of love butter will come with a cute little cinnamon stick which adds to the aroma of the product. Personally the love butter is a bit strong in scent (a strong cinnamon scent) but it works like a charm to rid your skin of any dry patches. When I do use this body butter I use it at night before going to bed, and the product is still on my skin in the morning. You can use this product sparingly because using too much will leave you will very oily skin.
Priced at $18.00 for an 8oz can you can bring the love home.
Which scents work best for you? Would you rather smell like candy or flowers or somewhere in between?

What is your hair eating?

You are what you eat, does that same phrase apply to our hair? To some extent I believe that not only what we eat but what we put on our hair will impact the health of our tresses. This is exactly why I try to feed my hair products and solutions that have not gone through a heavy chemical process. Whenever I wash my hair I want it to feel soft not crunchy , hard or like I have products just lying on top of my hair. I purchased MOP (Modern Organic Products) leave in conditioner for dry hair. Unlike other products for dry hair, this leave in conditioner is not promising shiny hair in a bottle but it does promise to help your hair to combat the effects of stress, blow dryers the sun and pollutants. After washing my hair I applied this leave in treatment and after it dried it felt great. My hair is very soft and it certainly does not feel dry and brittle. The ingredients include certified organic, fruit oils, carrot juice, echinacea and dandelion. I am going to try my best to continue feeding my hair the best ingredients that I can find on store shelves, at least until I begin mixing my own concoctions.

I purchased my MOP product for $14.99 but I have seen it priced a few dollars less on the Internet on drugstore.com for $10.49.
How do you take care of your hair in terms of what you put on it and what you put into your body?

The error of my ways

I will admit it, I was a product snob. Turning up my nose at any product that wasn't beautifully packaged or neatly stocked on the shelves of a high end store. Mary Kay, Avon and similarly marketed products received none of my attention until recent times. I had a bad experience with a Mary Kay facial cleanser a few years back and that probably tainted my view of that product line as for Avon, well I thought it could provide nothing more than chapstick. Recently, my dear sister ordered some Mary Kay products from a family friend and she so graciously ordered some products for me. The two colored lip glosses pictured above, pink diamonds and beach bronze were little unexpected treats. The application was so smoothly I could not believe it, there was nothing that screamed "lip gloss on a budget" about these products. Once on your lips, the color is very light, giving you the slightest hint of color. Beach bronze is pictured on the left and pink diamonds on the right . The glare that you see is from the shine of this lip gloss but both colors are pretty sheer. I really don't like the color pink but in person you really cant tell that my lips are pink and I am ok with that. For $13 which in reality isn't so cheap for lip gloss, I would get Mary Kay lip gloss again. It is available in 13 colors.
Are there any products that you will not buy from a low end line or can any product make it into your makeup bag?

What do you do?

You may remember an old episode of A Different World where Whitley was in a store and a rude service lady gave the impression that Whitley could not afford the items. In an attempt to show the sales lady that she was able to afford any item that she wanted, she purchased many items, only to return them later when she realized she had nothing to prove to the racist sales woman.

So I ask if you are in a high end beauty store, or any store for that matter and you feel like you are being followed, what do you do? Especially if those doing the following look just like you!

Do you purchase your items anyway, walk on out, or tell someone off then leave?

Product Review Below!

Liar

The Promise

I purchased the Lara Mercier Lip Stain in Mocha because it looked so cute in its little glass bottom container and the color was great. So for $20 I purchased this lip stain that promised to leave my lips with a mocha stained color that would also shine for a long time.
Truth

I was so excited to put on this lip stain and when I did, I immediately disliked the color, it appeared to be much lighter on my lips and dry looking. If anyone has ever seen red dirt that is what it looked like on my lips. There was no shine just a clay-like dry product on my lips. The only positive note is that it has a very smooth application, but who really cares if it looks horrible once applied. And yes it is long lasting because that stain was hanging on to my lips for dear life.
Clearly for me this product gets tossed into the "SKIP IT" files, but everything is not for everyone so if you have tried this product and you enjoyed it please share your experience. Otherwise please let me know if you have found a great lip stain that gives you the perfect amount of color and a glossy finish all at the same time.

A Different Purpose

Before I could put my bags down at work yesterday I had to run into a business meeting. The meeting lasted nearly 3 hours and just when I thought it was almost over, new people entered the room and started raising points and rehashing old issues, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Anyway, there were some points during that meeting when I was clearly in la la land and then it popped in my head- hey I could use some Caudalie Grape water right now. The purpose of the Caudalie Grape Water to Go product is to hydrate your skin at any point in the day. This 100% grape plant based water is supposed to revive your skin anytime you decide to give yourself a sprits. If this product is going to be used to wake yourself up while driving in a car, or in a boring meeting great, but if you are looking to buy this $8 product as a skin hydrating, moisturizing product I will have to say Skip It. When I spray my face with this product, it dries up quickly and I feel neither moisturized nor refreshed, it is basically like paying $8 to sprinkle water on my face. The scent isn’t bad though but that is about it.
How do you keep your skin in tip top condition throughout the day?

Refined vs. Unrefined What's The Difference

Yesterday I did a post on unrefined organic coconut oil and Bellefille84 posted a question regarding the difference between unrefined and refined coconut oil, so this post will answer her question. Basically unrefined oil has not been through a chemical process. Refined coconut oil is refined because any impurities that may exist are removed through a chemical process. It also goes through a bleaching process. The unrefined version has more nutrients in the oil and it generally tastes and smells more like coconuts than it's refined counterpart. There are reported health benefits to unrefined organic coconut oil but those benefits really come into play when you are ingesting the oil. So that is pretty much it.
Live well......

Typos

Hello everyone,

I was rushing out of the house this morning but I wanted to get my post published before heading out the door. I sure you have heard the phrase, haste makes waste, and that is exactly how I felt about my post today..lol I read it on my cell this morning and I saw the typos I said oooh my goodness I hope no one reads this until I can get to a computer and make corrections. I got to work and got trapped ( I will talk about that later) and i couldn't fix anything until just now.

Thanks for your kindness and for managing to read through the mess I posted earlier..lol

oh and I hate typos..lol

My Staple

I washed my hair last night and as I reached for one of my staples, I realized that I never blogged about it, so today is the day that I reveal the powers of unrefined coconut oil. The first time I read about using unrefined coconut oil on my hair I was thinking, they can't be talking about the coconut oil that you can cook with, that's just sick. Indeed it is the very same oil that you can cook with, that I now use on my hair. At one point in time unrefined coconut oil was thought to be an unhealthy oil to ingest because of it's fat content, but scientists soon came to realize that it is actually one of the best oils that you can ingest. Over 50% of the coconut oil is lauric acid which is supposed to help in fighting off viruses and other germs.
Anyway I read about so many women using this oil in an attempt to tame their new growth, as a part of their pre shampoo ritual or to make their hair just glisten. I was feeling a little adventurous so decided to try it out on my hair. The results were fabulous!
I should first mention that as soon as you buy the unrefined coconut oil it may be a hard but as soon as you scoop some into your hands it will melt almost instantly. I use this oil most often to add shininess to my hair and it works each and every time. If you put this oil on your hair an then sit under a hair dryer your hair will shine for days, honestly even if you don’t sit under the dryer your hair will shine for days. I also use it when my new growth is out of control because it manages to keep it soft enough to allow me to comb through my hair. Yes, it does smell like coconuts but for me that is not a bad thing. I get the unrefined coconut oil because the unrefined oil is the one that has not gone through and chemical process so it is natural. I do not use this product for cooking but you certainly can if you find yourself using oils.
Some women also ingest about 1 teaspoon of this oil daily to lose weight. I was really skeptical and though that this idea was also insane. One day while walking through Target I saw a book on keeping your body healthy and as I flipped through the pages, the author mentioned how important it is to have at least 1 teaspoon of coconut oil a day if you want to lose weight. That still didn't motivate me to eat the oil especially after tasting it (the taste is not nearly as good as the scent) but I am considering it. It also helps to keep germs in check within your body.
When I have a body lotion that just isn't giving me the shininess that I need, I have no problem adding some coconut oil to boost the shine factor. I could really go on and on about this powerful little oil but I think I will leave the rest to you.
How do you use coconut oil and what results have you found? Those of you who have never used it, would you ever consider trying this oil?
You can purchase any brand as long as it is unrefined coconut oil. The price varies based on the size of your jar but you can easily get a bottle for $5.99.

Scarred

If there is an accident waiting to happen you better believe I will find it! While I would not consider myself a klutz, I must say that I have had a few run-ins with couches, stairs and chairs over the years and I earned a few scars along the way. I am grateful that I don't seem to scar easily and the scars that I did get over the years gradually faded away. This past summer I was injured again, (nothing serious) and I wanted to get a minor scar to disappear before it got too comfortable on my leg so I purchased Scar Butter by Carol's Daughter.
Scar butter includes camphor, lavender, geranium and essential oils to aid in the regeneration of your cells. This product is designed for minor, burns, scars and bruises, which means if you are in need of stitches, this product is not for you.
Scar butter has a strong lavender scent along with an unidentified scent but it is pretty strong. I used this scar butter daily for about two weeks and then on and off for an additional 3 weeks or so and the scar is almost completely gone. I should also note that I still dabbed some good old cocoa butter on the scar along the way.Would the scar have disappeared naturally over time? Possibly, however, I would like to think that this product helped in some regard, because if it didn't I just wasted $12.00.
How do you get rid of your scars?
*UPDATE- I forgot to mention that this product is free of mineral oil, petroleum, and parabens. It is also 99.4% free.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the winner of my first Product Junkie Diva Contest.
The winner is, The Anti Hair Slave blogger.
She has won the following products:
Avon's Instant Manicure
Sally Hansen Shea Butter Rapid Finish
(2)Ted Gibson hair sheets
Thank you to everyone who participated. I will certainly have contest in the future so stay tuned.

I'm It

I'm sure you have seen this Internet blogging game of tag that is going on, well now I am it. I have been tagged by the fabulous writer over at The Frugalista Files.
The instructions on Frugalista's blog state the following "bloggers who are tagged are asked to to write a six-word memoir, link to the person who tagged them, tag five more blogs, and leave a comment with five more blogs to play."
My memoir is
I live my truth year round.

What I beleive in, I don't just stand by it I do my best to live it. Don't just talk about be about it people...so what's your truth?
It's 6.53am what do you expect shakespear?..lol

I will tag

Wonder Girl
Antithesis
Tracyee
Don (the only male reader who will acknowledge my blog publicly..lol)
Brown Girl Gumbo

I settled, but not really.

If you have been reading this blog, you know that I have been looking for the Dior Poison blue nail polish, so I placed my self on a waiting list, asking to be notified as soon as the product is available, well below is a portion of the email I received.

"You recently requested notification when Dior Dior Vernis Long-Wearing Nail Lacquer - Poison Blue, $19.00, is available. We are sorry to inform you that this item has been discontinued, but our Beauty Advisors can recommend a similar product. "

So I settled and opted for OPI Nail Lacquer in Russian Navy for $8.00. Since I was never able to see the Dior polish in person I can not compare the two products, but I am pretty happy with this dark shade of blue. It is a dark blue but not too dark that you think I am wearing black polish. I do however need to add a top coat otherwise it will look a little dull. It has little shimmery things in the polish which fade into oblivion once it has dried, but for more than half the price of the Dior polish I'm not mad at opi. They have other shades of blue available but I am content and I feel like I have satisfied my desire for blue nails.

I must say this is my first time buying Opi nail polish, but I didn't know it. I thought I had purchased this brand before but oh no I purchased a bootleg company polish whose name also begins with the letter "o" (sorry I can't think of the name right now and I cant find the bottle of bootleg polish, maybe I chucked it).
It's like walking into CVS and reaching for a name brand product only to realize you have picked up the CVS brand which has the exact color scheme as the product you intended to pick up and it is strategically placed next to the name brand item. Well that must have happened to me in the past but now I will keep my eagle eye focused on the labels.

Which company makes your favorite polish?

Contest

Hi Everyone,
The contest is over, I do have a winner. Please check back on Monday because I will announce the grand prize winner and what she has won.
Yes I am keeping you all in suspense over the weekend..lol
Enjoy your weekend.

FYI

I just wanted to let you know that the contest is still running because I did not receive 10 emails.....I guess I should take away the rule that you can't send in an email many times...lol
Also I received my Sweet Almond Mint Wen cleansing conditioner and it smells just as strong and minty as the others. Well at least it does a great job on my hair so I won't complain becuase I do like Wen.
Have a great weekend everyone

Reunited

When I buy products I definitely use them but from time to time I forget about some of them either because I have found something better or it has just gotten lost in the shuffle. Last year for the first time I purchased Elasta QP Mango Butter and we became good friends. I left my previous moisturizer for Elasta QP mango butter and I just knew we would have a long healthy relationship together. The light fruity scent is enjoyable, and it is filled with good ingredients like coconut oil and mango seed butter. Whenever I was ready to do my hair my elsata qp was by my side and my hair was shiny and moisturized and then I met Jane.
Jane Carter's nourishing hair cream is a light beautifully scented moisturizer that caused me to dash the Elasta qp into my product dungeon. I went traipsing off with the hair nourishing cream and never looked back. Tracyee at K.I.S.S. did a post on a moisturizer that she enjoys and it was the Elasta QP mango butter. I almost felt ashamed, because I had never done a post on this moisturizer, I didn't even talk about it, it was like it never existed, like we never had a relationship. So I dusted my elasta qp off and began using it mainly because I am 8 weeks post relaxer and I need something that is thick enough to handle my new growth yet light enough that it won't weigh my hair down. We are officially reunited and it feels so good.
Jane Carter's lotion is still my favorite hair moisturizer because the elasta qp mango butter can become a little greasy if I use it daily, but it is still a good product.
Here is a link to the Elasta qp website where it has a link that will allow you to get a free sample.
http://www.elastaqp.com/intensive_mango_butter_moisturizer.php
This product can cost anywhere from $4.40-$ 5.99
Which products have you forgotten about and then later had a joyful reunion?

For you!

This is something that I wanted to do for a while now and I am finally doing it! I am hosting my very first give away. YAY! People have different tastes so I want to see what you think about some products.

I will send the winner two products (maybe 3) that I have blogged about, one that I love and another from the skip it files (if you receive 3 items two are good in my book and the third is a skip it item). No, I will not be sending you used items, so don't fret. Each item is individually wrapped as you will see when you receive your gift.

The tenth person to send me an email at product_junkie_queen@yahoo.com will receive the gifts. You can write anything in the body section but in the subject line please write "contest". Please be fair and don't send one email 20 times..lol

US residents only please.

Disclaimer I am not a specialist, consult your doctor all that good stuff basically please make no attempts to sue me if you don't like the product...lol

As always thanks for reading!

Get your shine on!

I saw two women this week, both with drastically different hair textures but they both had the shiniest hair you could ever imagine. I thought I had a good thing going on until I saw the shine bouncing off of these ladies heads. There are so many things that I can do to give my hair that extra level of shine but one product that I have tried is Luster's Renutrients Revita-Shine. This product can be found at your local beauty supply store for roughly $5.50 and it does work. This polish is like a very light serum and it does not become sticky which is great. It says on the package that it is "a vitamin rich daily polish therapy that shines and silkens hair with a unique blend of coconut oil and aloe vera". Sounds great but when you look at the ingredients list the first thing listed is mineral oil while coconut oil and the aloe vera are way down the list just above "fragrance". When I do use this product, which is not often, I convince myself that it is ok because I am using it on my hair and not on my scalp. Just for the mineral oils I don’t know if I would get this product again but it does work so it may be worth a try, especially for those who are not opposed to mineral oil. And for those who use heat, it claims to protect from thermal styling.
What do you use to make your hair shine like you just left the salon?

I think it really is dead!

The bus was completely packed, standing room only, when a 30 something, stiletto wearing wall street ready woman stepped on the bus. I literally saw men look around for available seats and when they realized none were left, they buried their heads in newspapers, pretended to be deep in conversations or allowed their eyes to look everywhere except at this woman standing. When did this happen, when did the time come when men no longer stand when a woman enters a room, or offers his seat, pulls out chairs or opens doors? I have heard some men claim that women have made it clear that we can do all of the aforementioned activities for ourselves, and we can, but that doesn't mean we all want to forego the polite gestures of men.
I can't speak for all women but I know that I appreciate a man who at least attempts to be chivalrous.
Is chivalry really dead? Men would you have offered this woman your seat? Ladies how do you feel about a man offering his seat, are you insulted or do you willingly accept his kind gesture? I just had to get that off of my chest, now back to our regularly scheduled beauty reviews below.

Love Don't Live Here

I started out with the best of intentions, I work hard and I wanted to spend my money on a product that would treat me well. Unfortunately, I picked up the L'Occitane Lavender hand lotion, a lotion that is determined to leave my hands dry no matter what I do. This essential oil filled lavender scented disaster only set me back $10 so I guess I can’t complain too much. I would put on a reasonable amount of this light lotion and it would disappear almost before I could properly grease up my other hand. I thought I had outsmarted it by really layering this lotion on, but it only made my hands feel like it had a layer of oil on it and every time I touched a document I was leaving my fingerprint behind, not a good look around an office. To be fair I should mention that I put this lotion on my legs and it wasn't moisturizing, but it didn't suck the moisture out of my legs as it did my hands. I’m giving this lotion up to someone else, my mom, who can find a use for any bad product.
I'm not going to fight for something that obviously doesn’t want to work with me but I will gladly throw this lotion into the "Skip It" files.
Which lotion do you carry around daily?

Taking a Chance

In general, hair grows about 1/2 inch each month so I wanted to speed that process up. I was looking for a product that would give my hair an extra growth boost. I was in The Vitamin Shoppe and I came across the Enegizer Hair Follicle Stimulator. I had seen the product before but it looked a little shady so I never even picked it up. It was the last bottle, it looked dusty and it was on the bottom shelf. I mean if this product was great wouldn't it have reached top shelf status? Anyway, one day I saw that a new shipment had come in and I was feeling a bit adventurous so I picked it up and read the label only to discover that it contains some pretty good ingredients. Jojoba oil, rosemary, chamomile, wheat protein and other natural ingredients. I was however slightly disturbed at seeing methylparaben adn propylparaben only because those were the two ingredients that looked unhealthy to me, probably because Carol's Daughter and other companies so eagerly bost that their products are paraben free.
I purchased the product but I later did some checking online and it seems that researchers are trying to determine if there is a link between parabens and some forms of cancer...scary right especially since so many hair products have parabens. Also the parabens were at the very bottom of this list, but I can tell you know that I can't see myself picking this product up again just because of the parabens.
My bottle is almost done and what do I have to show for it, a bushel of blossoming new growth, a fuller mane, or glossy strong strands? Well I feel like when i used it, my hair was a little softer and it certainly didn't make my hair feel hard or unmanageable so that was a plus. I do have a great deal of new growth but that is probably because my last tough up was roughly 8 weeks ago. Despite what the many online proponents of this product have to say, I don't see an extraordinary difference with my hair despite. I am officially doing all I can to kick all parabens to the curb.
At least it only cost me $9.99
Have you ever tried a product that received rave reviews yet you received less than fabulous results?

Shoe Shopping Saturday

"I'm sorry we don't have this shoe in your size". That is all I kept hearing on Saturday while I was shoe shopping. Nine West came to the rescue and offered the two shoes pictured above in my size. There were countless other shoes at Nine West that I wanted but my size was not available. When they did have a shoe that I wanted in my size, something was crazy with the fit, tight in the front and flopping off in the back. NW did offer a sale on certain items so I took advantage and got the black and white sling backs for $39.99. The brown embossed sandals are new and cost $89.00. I love heels and these purchases just whet my appetite for more shoe shopping.
Which shoe stores help to satisfy your shoe cravings? Do you buy shoes online, if so where?

My introduction

Saturday was a beautiful day in NYC so I ended up going on a shoe run. It is that time of year when you just have to buy shoes. No seriously you just have to.... Anyway as I was strolling along I passed a Mac store so I just had to enter. Antithesis got me all excited when I saw her post on the Mac Neo sci-fi line, but I didn't remember while I was in the store that this line will come out in May. As I entered the store women were waiting to have their faces painted, while others were getting all dolled up in their favorite Mac shades. An associate quickly came to my aid and I told her that I was looking for the Mac Neo sci-fi line. She contorted her face in such a way that it was clear she had not heard of the line, so she asked an associate and he was equally confused. I have to say in that moment I felt completely in the know, like I had informed these Mac employees of products they didnt even know about. (Turns out I was jumping the gun by about a month..lol) The gentleman informed me that he thought I was talking about the N line then he ushered me over to a nearly empty container with two nude lipsticks. I wasn't impressed thanked him for his help and continued browsing the store with the female employee. I told her I wanted the darkest brown lip liner available and she quickly blurted out Chestnut ($12.50). It is beautiful and just the shade that I wanted. She tried to get me into some light shades but I was drawn to the darker products.
I also purchased plushglass in "Wet wild Wonderful", "oversexed (which looks like a dark purple)" and lipglass in Viva Glam V (it is listed as a neutral pink with perl but it looks like a shimery nude color ($17.50 each) . The picture on the right is a shot with all of the shades on my forearm from left to right (the chestnut lip liner, the Viva glam 5, wet wild wonderful, and oversexed (which looks red but it isn't) feel free to click on the picture for a larger view).

I love all of my Mac purchases, the plushglasses are shiny, long lasting, not very sticky (a level 2.5 on the sticky meter), they have a great scent and they apply smoothly with just the right amount of color. The plushglass is supposed to plump up your lips but I don't need that so I almost didnt make the purchase until the sales associate told me that it doesn't work..lol However, your lips will tingle. The lip glass is long lasting and really shiny so I love it also.

In fact earlier today I didnt feel like I had any gloss on my lips so I went to reapply, and the color was still there and it was shiny. I would certainly purchase Mac products again so look out for reviews in the future.

What is your favorite Mac product?

Happy Macing.....

High End Hype

I watched this woman on the Tyra show and she mentioned that she will only buy make up from high end lines and that she would never use drugstore makeup. They made her go through a series of tests to see if she could even tell the difference between the high end and the low end product. You better believe that 9 times out of 10 this woman was able to sniff out the cheap products. To some extent I know where this woman is coming from, there are just some instances in which the quality of a cheaper product is just not as good as it's more expensive rival. I remember as a kid being able to detect when cheaper orange juice made its way into the house, but I digress..lol.

I went into a store this week in search of a product I had never tried, I did not have anything specific in mind I was just open to any and everything. The beauty consultant marched me over to the Givenchy line of makeup. Givenchy is not the cheapest brand on the block so I expected to be blown away over the products. I was drawn to this glitter lip gloss (shown above), it is the Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal ( the color swatch for glitter orange, the color I purchased, is shown on the right side of the screen). The color doesn’t really show up at all so it basically looks clear. The Pop Gloss Crystal has castor oil but it also includes ingredients that are used to remove dead cells and stimulate new cells. I should also mention that this product is supposed to be non sticky. My only concern was that the crystals in the product would irritate my lips, the tiny little sparkles almost prevented me from buying the lip gloss. The beauty consultant said "OH NO, you won’t feel the sparkles at all it just glides on". I said oh great, as she applied some from the tester tube and rubbed her lips together. I admired the high shine and the way the sparkles seemed to reflect the light beautifully.
Truth

One thing that I can say is that this is a long lasting high shine lip gloss. However you better not even think of pressing your lips together unless you want to come up with a bloody lip from all those sharp edged sparkles. I have used lip glosses with sparkles before and they don’t all make your lips feel scratchy but this one does. I will not be buying this slightly sticky $23.50 cell regenerating lip gloss again. The only reason this is not in the skip it files is because the high shine is adorable, and after wearing it for a while those dangerous sparkles become a bit more subdued.
Do you think you can tell the difference between high end and low end products?
Which high end product did not live up to your expectations?

Product Watch

When Spring arrives don't you always start to think about the colors that you would like to wear during that season? Nothing has been on my mind more than the color that I will be wearing on my nails. I have been in search of this limited edition Dior Long- Wearing nail polish in the color Poison which is a dark blue (pictured below). I already have a blue nail polish but it is so dark that it basically looks black which is not what I want. This Dior polish appears to be the perfect shade, I have scoured countless Sephoras but to no avail. This polish is only sold at Sephora so I am beginning to think I just wont be able to get it...sigh. I even went online to the Sephora site and the product is temporarily out of stock. While I may not get my product, which items are on you itching to get this Spring?

I worked for my results

I buy products because I want them to do something for me, so I hate it when they make me do most of the work. Everyone wants smooth gorgeous feet so when I thought I had found a cream that could satisfy all of my foot related desires I was overjoyed. Soul Owner by Philosophy is an exfoliating foot cream that has both glycolic and salicylic acids. At one time or another both of those acids have done quite the little tap dance number on my face so I was certain that they would join forces and take down any rough patches on my feet.
Since Soul Owner is referred to as an exfoliating foot cream I was expecting salt grains or exfoliating beads, but I got nothing except a thick lotion like substance. So I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed the lotion in and it just looked like I coated my feet in petroleum. My feet did look shiny but that is about it. The directions never mention that you need to wash the product off, so I kept it on my feet and then I tried to find the slightest improvement. After assessing my feet shininess (check), rough patches (check), not a single rough patch was removed or smoothed out. Finally I took a tissue and decided to rub this product off of my feet and only then did I see the tiniest skin flakes being removed. It was almost hard to see the skin that it did remove. This product is so not worth my time, so you can just "SKIP IT".
I blogged earlier about the Ped Egg and it is great but I just wanted to try something new.
You can purchase an exfoliating foot cream that will not make any difference in the appearance of your feet unless you scrub and scrub and scrub your skin off yourself for a mere $14.00.
How do you keep your feet in the best condition possible? Any special products you would like to recommend?

Disappointed

As a kid I had this doll, I don't remember the name of it but you would put cold water on the doll's face and makeup would appear, use hot water and the makeup was removed. I wonder if the makers of Mirror Shine nail polish also liked this doll, because they have clearly developed a nail polish that is based on this concept. I painted my nails and they looked pretty good, the next morning I took a shower and voila the nail polish was gone. I was so upset because I then had to find remover to get this mess off of my hands. This polish is supposed to have this metallic sheen but it ends up looking a bit dull. I can say that the color "Foil" (it is the color of aluminum foil) that one actually does have a nice metallic sheen but who cares if you can barely wash your hands.
I haven't done this in a while but this product was made for the "SKIP IT" files.
You will pay about $2.99 for nail polish that can perform a disappearing act.

What do you do with the products that disappoint you?