Made with love

Love, Patience and Serenity, are the first three words that start off the ingredients list for the OHM Hydrating Hair Milk. The brains behind this line like to remind users that this is not just another natural beauty line, but one that is made carefully with love. Although they feature a natural body line, I just had to try the hydrating hair milk for my hair. The ingredients are wonderful and I have a special place in my heart for natural beauty products that actually work!

(the ingredients will be posted at the end)
This hydrating milk is supposed to untangle your hair is it hydrates every strand. Although it seems to be marketed toward naturals, I am relaxed and I find that this product still works. I simply needed to work the product into my hair to avoid that dreaded crunchy feel. I used it to detangle, and before my rollerset and my hair looked great. The consistency of the product is a little thicker than water so it will not water down your hair. While I can not report any shine from this product I must say that it is moisturizing. I would purchase this product again while it is on sale for $14.99 from goingohm.com (regularly priced at $20.00). I should also mention that it smells a little like soy milk.
Any new products on the market catch your eye?

Ingredients

Love, Patience and Serenity. Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Olive Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Distilled Water, Natural Thickener, Botanical complex-Mentha piperita (Pepperment) Leaf Extract (and) Yucca Leaf Extract (and) Equisetum arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract (and) Urtica dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract (and) Melissa officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Rosemary-Preservative and Fragrance Blend.

Update

Hello Lovely People
I am really really tired and I have so much to do tonight but I wanted to give you one final post for the evening :-).
I did purchase the Tarte $18 eye stain so in 4 days I will let you know if it is good or not.
I also received some new products, (trust me I didn't go crazy).
More reviews to come next week and I promise to get back to videos, and taking pictures.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
PJD

I'M A Winner

Yummy 411, makeup extraordinaire has nominated me for the I Love Your Blog award and I am very appreciative. If you have not checked out Yummy please do, she has several fierce series and she is a makeup pro. She will also be attending NY Fashion week for the first time so I know she will give us all the inside scoop.
* UPDATE*
An additional nomination has come in from Sophiebutterscotch who is a wonderful blogger from across the pond.
I was also nominated by Just me who has AMAZING youtube videos, please check her out.
This time around I wanted to nominate some blogs that I didn't mention during my first award ceremony, so here we go:
In no particular order-
1) TravelDiva, the legal eagle who has her eye on the law and who is newly engaged. CONGRATS again TD. You always include pictures and so kindly invite others into your world. Everyone, you have to check out the pics and the story of how she met her love awwww.
2)Illustion Cosmetics The real Dynamic Duo would have to be Denise and Janice, twin sisters and celebrity makeup artists who so generously offer their makeup wisdom on their blog. They also started their own makeup company Illusions Cosmetics. I did a post on them a while back-great products.
3)RenRen who has some of the best, easy to follow make up posts on youtube. She is off on vacation now but when she returns I know she will continue to wow us with the great looks that she can put together.
4)Ms. Money Savvy is on the ball when it comes to keeping our money in our pockets instead of out the window. Are you looking for tips on having a great financial future, if so please check out her blog.
5)Calming Corners will discuss everything from beauty to relaxation. Even the smooth melody playing the background can take you away, if you are ready to unwind check out CC.
6)Theraputic Musings talks about The Count (read the blog to find out who he is) and her personal experiences, you can just feel her passion in each post.
7) Fitness Goddess who else is out there trying to remind everyone about getting and remaining in shape? I mean her blog is great and there is so much important health related information. YAY for fitness.
Here are the rules:1. The nominated is allowed to put this picture on their blogs.2. Link to the person who hearted you.3. Nominate at least 7 other people and link to them.4. Leave a message on those people's blog to make them aware that they're nominated.

I know I promised two posts today and I HATE to not be a woman of my word so I sincerely hope to get that done tonight. This has been an insane week. Sorry eveyone but thanks for your support.

Today

HI
I'm sorry but I must post this evening or I will post twice for tomorrow.
Thanks
PJD

4 Day Eye Stain and Fuller Hair

Before I jump into the product of the day, I have to tell you that I could not resist strolling into Sephora yesterday to check out the new 4 day eye stain by Tart. It is a product that looks like your typical mascara wand but the liquid inside the tube is more like a stain that you would use on your cheeks or lips. The jet black stain is supposed to remain on your lashes for a full 4 days. Although it is only $18 I decided not to buy it (at least not yesterday) because I am a little leery of a product that will remain on my face for 4 full days. I wash my face daily so ummm why would that product not remove itself from my lashes? I'm still on the fence about this product so we will see how it goes.
For today I will speak briefly about a product that promises to add volume to your hair, the Aveda Pure AbundanceVolumizing shampoo and conditioner.

My hair has always been pretty thick but I wanted to see the power of Aveda’s volumizing clay conditioner and shampoo which is designed to make hair appear thicker. Without a doubt this product made my hair fuller, in fact it was a bit too thick. I was about 9 weeks post relaxer when I used it ( I know I’m a genius) so I was already experiencing shrinkage and added volume but it made it even thicker. For people who have thinner hair I think this would be a good product to try if you are looking for more volume but for those with already thick hair this may not be for you unless you really want extreme volume. So I think it works in that regard but I wouldn’t buy it again because I don’t need it and I wasn’t crazy about the shampoo. It almost felt like my hair had that “too clean” feeling. While the shampoo is made from honey, marshmallow, jasmine, organic peppermint and other natural ingredients it had a sulfate in it.
I don’t have the bottle by my side right now but I remember looking at the bottle and seeing a sulfate included in the mix. I will update this post when I am by the bottle again but I believe it stated that the sulfate was an extract from coconuts. However, I think my hair does not like any sulfates because it totally feels different when sulfates are in the mix. I will check the bottle later and investigate that sulfate. The conditioner on the other hand was like a clay that you squeeze from the tube and apply to your hair and that product was fine by me. Both bottles cost $15.00 each.Are you going to try the Tarte eye lash stain? How do you add volume to your hair?

Made with Real Bananas

I don’t like bananas yet I love it when my hair smells like banana pudding. OK the scent is not as strong as banana pudding but it is pretty close after I use the $18.00 Banana Brulee Moisturizing Deep Conditioner by Shescentit.
This product is for dry/ damaged hair and it is supposed to give your hair the luster you have been looking for. I really like this product even though it doesn’t give me the level of shine that I know my hair can achieve. After using this product my hair is soft, bouncy and well scented. I will continue to use this creamy conditioner in the future especially since it is a natural product. It is paraben free, silicone free, and made with real bananas!
You will pay $18.00 for the 16 ounce jar and $11.00 for 8 oz. Here are some of the ingredients“Water (infused with Aloe, essential extracts of Cinnamon, Black willow bark, Roman Chamomile, Rose hip seed) Cetyl alcohol, Bananas, Emulsifying wax, Castor oil, Vegetable glycerin, Coconut oil, Avocado oil, Honey, Hydrolyzed cotton seed protein, Cocoa Butter, Sweet almond oil, Babassu oil, Silk amino acids”
Have you tried anything from this company? Do you use any natural fruits as a part of your beauty regimen?

I'm A Free Woman

August 3rd began my product probation period and it ended Aug. 31st at 12:00am.
Here is a list of the items that I would have purchased had I not been on probation.
Bare Naturale mascara $6.99 on sale at CVS
Fiberwig (mascara) $22
Aveda Damage Remedy treatment (even though I already have one at home I like to stock up) 16.oz $68.00
Sally Hansen nail polish (on sale ) 2.99 I probably would have gotten two.
OPI by sephora nail polish $9
Sephora instant manicure nail strips $10 (2 packs so really $20)
New Givenchy mascara $27
Tarte 4 day lash stain ( just saw this the other day..I think I will get this one though) $18
Peter Roth Lashes to Die For, it is supposed to make your lashes thicker and more luxurious. However, the BGG post on these potions made me feel great about not making this purchase. I no longer want this item. $125
MAC three of the mattene lipsticks and one lipglass from Cult of Cherry collection $57.50
A boat load of things from She Scent it (this is hair stuff totaling over $200 it was about $250 before tax, I couldn’t tell you the tax because I had it in my shopping cart but never made the purchase.)
Rosemary oil $10.00
This really tiny Revlon lip quad for $8.00
Total saved by not spending a dime 627.47
Now that probation is over I am honestly looking at my list with new eyes and the main things that I will get are below:
She Scent It order has been refined so I will only spend roughly $130
MAC – 1 Mattene lipstick Bing since that was the one I liked the most. Also I will wait until I can pick it up in person or until I get an online offer for free shipping. $14.50
Sephora by OPI polish maybe 1 polish $9
I think I really want that new Tarte eye product $18 but something that will remain on my eyes for 4 days scares me so I may not get it but let’s add it in anyway.
1 Revlon makeup product becuase I get $3.00 off at CVS but I wont get that $8.00 product mentioned above, I will set my limit at $5.00 after the discount.
Rosemary oil $10.00
New total 186.50
The difference between my first list and the revised list is… drum roll please, 440.97.
I kid you not, there were many more products on my " I need this list", but I think you get the general ideal from the list above.
I had a problem with buying what I did not need but I would like to think that I have taken huge leaps in overcoming the urge to splurge. I would much rather see that money in savings than to see it leave my wallet. Oh and I mentioned in a previous post that I was also cutting back on my food intake which basically translated to no more eating out or buying junk food and what do you think happened? Well I found myself wanting to spend money on something, anything then somehow finding the will to say NO. I was really surprised at myself because believe it or not I am actually a saver but this little process helped me to appreciate how much more I could have been saving over the years if I had cut out unnecessary items. When I went through my product areas in my house I found items still in its original wrapping, never opened. How sad is that?
What I learned
I learned that I can make due with what I have, especially if what I have has never been opened. Yes, probation forced me to open some of the products I had never used before. I also learned that I purchase products on a whim without thinking about what I could be saving if I don’t buy something I really don’t need.
I also learned the importance of moderation, there is no need to buy the store just the necessary items with a few splurges sprinkled in every now and then. And I thought about the power of coupons, how much one can save just by clipping a few coupons is amazing.
Shortly after the MAC Cult of Cherry launch I received an email offering free shipping on any purchase made on that day. This was such an eye opener because I realized that if I had not been on probation I would have made my MAC purchase online, paying for shipping when just a little while after I could have eliminated shipping costs. I know shipping may seem like a small thing but it all adds up. What is the urgency why would I have to get the Cult of Cherry items as soon as they launched? The answer is I didnt have to purchase MAC items immediately, my lips were not going anywhere and the same goes for the MAC line. After seeing the collection in person I realized that Bing is the only color I really wanted but if I had made the online purchase after the line launched I am certain I would have bought several more items.
Originally, when I started this process I thought it would be a cute little experiment, one that would also give me an opportunity to catch up on my posts, but it became much more than that. I will continue on this path by making better product related purchases, making sure that I have full control over my money and not allow the products to control my cash flow.
What do you spend your extra money on? Do you need to cut back on your spending? If so what is your plan? Any of you thinking of starting some form of probation?