Balsamo di Bellezza Argan Oil conditioner

I apologize. This is a foreign brand and I can't for the life of me figure out what the brand is. I googled it, nothing. I'm guessing it's Balsamo di Bellezza, and that it's italian.

I picked it up at Ross for $8.00, the bottle says it retails for $16.00. I picked it up because I ran out of my SamyPure conditioner (*tear*) and needed some conditioner to last me while I used up the SamyPure shampoo.

This one looked good. Giant bottle with a pump, argan oil is the 3rd ingredient, and no cones! No isopropyl alcohol (which really dries your hair out)!

I wasn't expecting much, it wasn't from a big brand.

Oh geez, was I wrong.

This stuff sinks into my hair. It isn't watery but it isn't creamy either. It just...sinks in. I didn't feel like it did much while I was putting it in, it just disappeared into my hair.

But then, I waited 3 minutes, rinsed, and wow! Such slip! And not from any cones. Nice. Even as my hair dried, I could feel the silkiness of my hair. When my hair was completely dry, it felt so soft and so light and fluffy. It felt conditioned, but not weighed down, and so silky.

My only issue with the bottle is the packaging. Yes, the pump is nice, but it barely dispenses more than a dime size amount. I have to pump it 5 or 6 times at least to get how much I need for my shoulder length thick hair. Irritating. But it works so well!! *sigh* maybe I can buy a pump from Ulta or Sally's that will fit.

My rating: 9/10

Giovanni Shine of the Times shine spray review

Sorry guys, my camera is being glitchy and I can't take pictures right now.

So I picked up Giovanni's Shine of the Times spray....it's supposed to be like a lightweight spray that does the same thing as Biosilk or Chi. I got it for 12 dollars at Walgreens.

Smell: There's a cheap plastic-y smell that dissipates as soon as your hair dries.

The nozzle was broken when I got it, so I guess the packaging wasn't very good. It was in a cute cube-shaped container, though.

The product is thin and not very oily, which is nice. It doesn't weigh my hair down. Although the instructions say to spray and then walk into the mist, the nozzle sprays in a straight line and doesn't really spray into a mist. So, I spray it onto my hands and rub it into my hair.

The product does leave my hair shiny, but I feel like it just sits on my hair. The shine only lasts about 2 hours, then my hair isn't shiny and just feels dirty. This could be because I work in a bakery and the flour floating around the air gets caught in my hair.

This product does what it is supposed to, although for only a couple hours. But it is worth the price, which is less than half the price of Biosilk and Chi, considering how much you get. It doesn't weigh down your hair or smell incredibly bad. It can be a bit difficult to find, though. My rating: 7/10

Samy Pure Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Sorry guys, no picture this time! I'm reviewing this while I'm in bed and my feet hurt so much from work, I can't bring myself to get up :(

But I guess it doesn't matter because the product I'm reviewing has been discontinued.

So why am I reviewing it? Because I feel like it's the least I can do, I feel like I've found my HG shampoo and conditioner, and it just had to be a brand that was discontinued :( :(

This is vegan, sulfate free, and promises no waxes or residue, on both the shampoo and conditioner. That's pretty awesome right? It also lathers REALLY well for sulfate-free, and the conditioner isn't too watery.

The smell isn't too great but it dissipates after my hair dries. This is the first time I ever disregarded a product's smell.

This provides so much slip, without feeling waxy or greasy or plastic-y. My hair feels so soft, and bouncy, and clean!!! I can't stop touching it. I bought it for about $6.00 per bottle, and I plan to hunt down any last bottles I can before they all disappear.

I rate this 10/10. Obviously.

Forever 21 Nail Polish Review and swatches

I'm going to apologize in advance for the pictures. I was being rushed by my boyfriend and didn't get a chance to clean up my nails.

Today I'm reviewing Forever 21 nail polish. I'm a sucker for bright colors :) these are $2.80 each, not bad right? I expected them to be low quality because the clothes I've gotten at Forever 21 range from great to low quality.

I picked these up in Sugar Plum (purple) and ...Blue. I kid you not, the nail polish's color is Blue.

I love them! The first coat is thin, but even, and the brush doesn't hold too much. It applied so well, instead of blobbing all over the place. The second coat is the perfect coverage. I love the polish's consistency. It's not too thin to need 4 or 5 coats. But it is thin enough to not look clumpy or like I have a lot of polish on my nails.

The polish dried quickly and evenly. I find no faults in this polish, and for $2.80 each...I want more!

Rating: 10/10

Softlips Lip Tint review

I love Big Lots for my make-up. For some reason, the Big Lots near me carries so much more e.l.f. products than the local Target.

Anyway, I grabbed these Softlips liptints because they made me smile, remembering how they were the coolest thing in middle school. They were a buck fifty, so why not.

The two colors are Sultry (the brown) and Sweet (pink). They have a spf of 15, so that's nice.

I want to love these. I used to love Vanilla Softlips. But these smell like those chewable Flintstones multivitamins that my mom had to force down my throat when I was a kid. Yuckkkk. They also have so much shimmer, they're both very frosty and almost purely white. :(

As for their moisturizing power, they don't seem to do much. Maybe the shimmer prevents moisture from coming through.

Pros:
SPF 15
Very cheap

Cons:
The smell
Not very moisturizing
So frosty, like for a middle schooler

I can't even rate this. It's pointless, I'm sorry. Probably what I get for buying something based solely on nostalgia.

Mask Treatment for Totally Fried Hair review

I'm sorry guys, this is the second bad review in the same day. Today's just not my day for hair products :(

I have no idea what the brand name is for this. I tried googling it, everything. Nothing. I picked it up at TJ Maxx for 10 bucks, although the suggested retail price is $35.00 (or so it says on the container). It's made by Luxo Laboratories, is paraben free, and has argan oil AND keratin protein. My two favorite ingredients!

The container says this is a mask treatment, deep reconstructor, and frizz tamer all in one. It's supposed to defrizz, protect, nourish, detangle, condition, repair, shine, and restore.

The instructions say to use it once or twice a week for 20 minutes. That's all it says. So that's what I did. I used it twice in one week. The issue with this is that the texture is so thick and almost waxy, you can't tell if all your hair is being covered. It's almost annoying. But it doesn't drip off my hair, so that's nice. It smells so strongly of fake coconuts, it almost made me feel sick.

I left it in for 20 minutes the first time, then rinsed. It felt like it would never fully rinse out. Then I let it air dry.

Now, my hair is NOT totally fried. But it is damaged from a couple highlights I got last year. This product made my hair frizzy, poofy. I couldn't stand it. It felt like I didn't use anything on my hair at all, and yet it made my hair actually curl at the ends. Maybe I rinsed it too thoroughly?

So, my second try.
I left it in for 30 minutes this time, and didn't rinse it so thoroughly. I thought, maybe this will help.

Nope. Now my hair took forever to dry and felt sticky. There is simply no middle ground. Maybe if my hair really was fried, this would help. As it is, my hair feels worse than when I started. I think there might be too much protein in this (it is a reconstructor and keratin is one of the first few ingredients), which caused my hair to frizz and curl. It might work for someone else, but there was too much protein in this for me. 0/10

Chi Keratin Leave-In Conditioner Review

I got this little 2 fl oz. spray bottle at TJ Maxx for 5 bucks. CHI is a great brand, I love their silk infusion. And who doesn't love keratin? My hair is very dry so I need a good leave-in conditioner.

I can honestly say... I don't like this. It sprays evenly onto my hair, sinks in, and smells like cologne....but as soon as my hair dries, my hair feels STICKY. It feels waxy and gummy. I can't stand it, I have to wash my hair AGAIN which is the ultimate no-no.

I give this a 1/10, utter disappointment. Sorry :(

Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Strength Reconstructing Butter review

Hey! I'm back!

After all these months of stress and daily life, I finally have a minute to post :)

So I'm trying out the Damage Eraser from Garnier Fructis. It's a brand new line and I'm going to be honest, I only picked it up because it's orange. I love orange. 

Anyway, it cost about $8.00 from CVS. It smells like... something sweet and fruity, but not the usual Garnier Fructis scent. It's almost annoyingly sweet. Like... Laffy Taffy, in orange flavor.

This reconstructing butter promises to "intensely reconstruct hair's strength for strong, rejuvenated hair." Whew. Big words. I've been using this for about a month now, once a week, and the jar is almost gone.

The consistency is like mayonnaise, thick and buttery. It stays on my hair very well without sliding off. I massage it into my hair and leave it on for about 5 minutes, then rinse and air dry.

Pros: Leaves my hair soft, detangled, and shiny. My split ends don't show up as much. For some reason, this product gives my hair VOLUME. Woo!

Cons: I can't stand the smell. It stays after my hair has been rinsed and dried. Other reviewers say they like the smell, but I'm not too into smelling über sweet. It also doesn't seem to do much more than regular conditioner. Maybe I should try leaving it in for 15 - 20 minutes, but I don't really have time for that. It also seems to be the kind of deep conditioner that leaves a film on my hair. My hair just feels ....smooth in a filmy way.

TL;DR : Makes my hair soft and fluffy and kinda shiny, but for the obnoxious smell, I'm not sure it's worth it. Seriously, I smell it just by turning my head either way.

My rating: 7/10

L'oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream in Medium REVIEW

Hey! It's been a while, sorry about that. School's been crazy and I just had the flu:(

But I'm back!

I picked this up from K-Mart, because I had a gift card and had no idea what else I really wanted/needed. I picked it up for about $11.

I read really good reviews about this. It goes on white, and then blends in and becomes the skin tint color. Reviews say it keeps matte well and blends easily. The tube says the product primes, corrects, hydrates, and perfects. Sounds good to me!

I grabbed this in medium because I'm a medium in Maybelline's BB cream. This BB cream was maybe a bit too dark for me, it made me look orange :(

It didn't blend well for me, and so it took a bit more than usual to get my whole face. It started out watery and became sticky and thick very quickly.

There was no smell and the packaging was fine, just like any other bottle of BB cream I've tried.

The coverage was the best part for me. It stayed naturally matte and covered well so I didn't need to layer it.

All in all, I give this a 5/10. It was ok, but not worth $11 for such a small tube.

Organix Anti-Breakage Keratin Oil shampoo and conditioner review

Did I mention that I'm getting more into keratin-infusing hair products? Hair has to be strong to grow longer.

This is a relatively new product in the Organix field. This line promises keratin proteins that "reinforce each strand, increasing elasticity to resist breakage caused by brushing and styling, while argan oil conditions and smoothes creating a luminescent shine." Sounds good right? Retails at Target for $8 each.

Considering my past history with Organix products, I'm surprised I picked this up, but I liked that keratin was further up the ingredients list compared to the other keratin products I picked up. More keratin, sounds good to me. And no sulfates!

The packaging is just like the other Organix products, sturdy and won't break if I drop it in the shower like I tend to.

The smell is kinda strong...and too sweet. But the product itself is really nice! Lathers nicely without sulfates and conditions well without leaving residue. My hair is so soft and fluffy, I don't need to put in any other product afterwards. Cool :)

My rating? 8/10 -- if only it didn't smell like that.

Revlon Top Speed nail polish review

I'm back at college!! I forgot to bring my nail stuff, so I picked up this bottle of nail polish. I picked it up because:
1. I like the sea foam green color (#320, Jaded).
2. It promises to dry quickly, I don't have time to wait.

It retails for $6 at Target.

This nail polish is crap. I don't know if I picked up a bad bottle or something. The formula is really thin but it dries so quickly, it goes on clumpy. Really, not attractive. It ended up looking like I painted my nails with green wite-out.
Even when I shook the bottle and tried re-painting my nails, they looked goopy and gross.
My rating:1/10, I do like the color.

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Intense Moisturizing Treatment review

A couple months ago, I reviewed the shampoo and conditioner of this Organix line. They were an extreme disappointment, I don't know why I tried with this one. I was looking for a holy grail deep conditioner and picked this one up at CVS for about $8.

The packaging is really cute. I love the colors and the sturdy material. It feels like it won't crack if I drop it in the bathtub, which I've done before (slippery soapy fingers!).

Why is this deep conditioner more watery than the everyday conditioner? It sank into my hair...and sat there. I waited 5 minutes, rinsed it out, my hair felt exactly the same as before I put the deep conditioner in.

My hair felt like...sticky straw after I towel dried. I needed to put 3 squirts of moroccan argan oil in my hair to make it feel remotely normal.

Rating: 0/10

I just don't like any product in this line.

Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara review

I'm waiting at the nail salon for Claudia to be done, so I'm going to do a few reviews :)

First up is the Urban Decay Supercurl Curling Mascara (I got it in black).
It retails for about $17 at Sephora.

I like the packaging, it's cute without being super feminine or edgy.

The formula is nice and thick, doesn't clump, and there's no weird smell. It goes on smoothly and builds up a little bit. It darkens my lashes nicely.

The brush is that kind that has spikes to prevent clumping, and this kind of brush typically makes my eyes itch. The curled shape makes it easier to apply to all my lashes.

My only issue is that it doesn't curl my lashes at all without a curler. So, it's just a regular mascara.

Rating: 6/10, too expensive for a regular mascara, doesn't do anything special.

Dry Shampoo review!

Hey guys!!

So, you've heard of dry shampoo right? You spray/dust it on and it soaks up any grease/oil while adding texture and volume so you can go a day or too without shampooing. You're supposed to go a day or two without washing your hair, it keeps your hair protected with its natural oils. This helps that process without making you look super greasy.

So, in my last post I reviewed the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray, and mentioned that it did much the same. EXCEPT it doesn't soak up oils. So I'll have volume, but greasy volume if I've been sweating or whatever. Which is fine, it's a texturizing spray, not a dry shampoo.

I've tried each of these for at least 2 months each and here are my reviews:

First up, Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Shampoo. $7 at CVS
I like this one because it KINDA does what it says. It soaks up oil, there's no residue IF you brush it out (which is in the instructions, just make sure you follow them). But it smells like talc powder, which (to me) smells like an old lady, and the smell stays with you, because that's how they mask your greasy hair smell. I don't want to smell like an old lady. This also doesn't work if you're on your second day without shampooing. It doesn't soak up THAT much oil, and if you use too much, your hair will look weighed down and dirty. It does what it says, but don't expect a miracle.
Rating: 7/10

Next up: Tresemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo for straight/normal hair. $5 at Walmart
This one, although it claims to be professional quality, doesn't work for me. It smells nice, like all the other Tresemme products, like a fruity hairspray, but that's it. No matter how little or much I use, my hair ends up looking greasy, dirty, and limp. Gross. I end up washing my hair anyway.
Rating: 1/10

Last: Osis+ Dust It Texture - Mattifying Powder (Level 1).
I got this for $20 at a hair salon, I haven't seen it at Walmart, Target, or CVS.
I like this one. It's not really a dry shampoo but it works just like one. It mattifies your hair to make it not so greasy looking, and adds texture. You tap it lightly onto your hair and scrunch your hair. It does leave your hair feeling a bit odd, kinda like....velcro? But that's the texturizing effect, so your hair will look like it has volume. There's no smell, and you use so little that this little .35 oz bottle will last half a year. Great :)
Rating: 8/10

Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray

I got this in my July Ipsy Glambag, another thing I wanted to try BADLY. My hair has texture, but sometimes it looks flat. This is supposed to give a beachy look, texturizing while conditioning with argan oil. Yes!

I found this at Giant and Cvs for $20 for a tiny bottle....pretty glad I got this from Ipsy to try:)

I love this. The bottle sprays very well, the packaging is cute. It does give my hair texture without making it crunchy :) it smells vaguely of sunscreen for some reason. I like using it on my day between shampooing to give my hair a bit more oomph :) yay! I haven't tried it on wet hair yet.

My only issue is the price, because I would definitely buy this again. $20 for a 1.7 fl oz bottle? But it works, so it's worth it.

Rating: 8/10

Pixi Lash Booster Mascara review

I got this in my August Glambag from Ipsy, and I was pretty excited. I love mascara! Yay! And I've never tried anything by Pixi but I did want to try it. This is the Pixi Lash Booster Mascara.

This is the sample size, so I don't know if it comes any bigger, but the brush was teeny tiny. It came in Blackest Black.

I don't like this. The brush seemed to have almost no bristles, so it smoothed over my lashes instead of brushing through them. No separation, nothing. I might as well have used a cotton swab. And the mascara itself? Very, very liquid. It was so watery that, after 20 flicks of the brush, my lashes still looked exactly the same. I don't know, maybe I got a bad one or it melted in the summer, but this is such crap. Did nothing.

I'm sure you can buy Pixi at Target for maybe 7-15 bucks?

Rating: 0/10

Not Your Mother's Way To Grow Shampoo and Conditioner review

I picked these up at Urban Outfitter for about $8.00 each for the shampoo and conditioner....and then found out I could've picked them up at Walmart for $3.00 each. Bummer

They are sulfate free and promise longer hair faster, to strengthen hair, and to contain an anti-breakage formula. I used them for about a month and a half and I can honestly say I hate them.

The packaging is bright, very cute, and makes it very easy to get the shampoo and conditioner out. The smell is gross, like a very very fakely sweet strawberry smoothie. Thankfully, as soon as my hair dried, the smell dissipated.

The day before I started this system, I shampooed with Neutrogena Clarifying shampoo, to make sure I got a fresh start. Two days later, I shampooed, and noticed the shampoo left my hair a weird straw texture, odd for a sulfate-free shampoo, although it DID lather nicely. I rinsed, and then left the conditioner in for 3 minutes (as instructed). The conditioner has the texture of a mousse, I don't feel like it really sank into my hair. I rinsed, air dried my hair, and my hair was very soft. Yay!

That only happened the first time, though. Every time after that (about 12 - 15 washes), my hair was matted, tangled, and extremely hard to brush. I have never had this issue with my hair before. I tried using just the shampoo with a different conditioner, thinking that the conditioner wasn't strong enough. Nope. Didn't work, even with a deep conditioning treatment.

Into the trash this one goes. Thoroughly disappointed. My hair didn't really grow much faster, maybe an inch in 1.5 months, but so much of it seemed to fall out while I was using the system, the growth wasn't even worth it. I saw the regular number of split ends, so I'm not sure what happened with that, but the constant tangling couldn't have helped.

I'm rating this a 0/10.

Milani Ruby Valentine lipstick review

So, I'm on the search for the perfect red lipstick. I want that deep burgundy one that won't make me look gothic or vampy. I want another fire engine, rich red one. The ones I've been picking up are blue-ish toned and not looking so good on me. I need ones that aren't so fuschia/cranberry.

This one seems to be ok. It's Milani's Color Statement Ruby Valentine lipstick, retailing for about 5 bucks at CVS. I like the color, very bright. It still has a bit of a purplish-pink hue to it, especially after it fades a bit. It goes on smoothly. It doesn't stain, and fades unevenly (patchy) after about 2 hours. Not very attractive, but I'm willing to reapply for 5 bucks worth of lipstick.

The casing is cute, and sturdy enough that I feel like the top won't come off in my bag and mess everything up inside.

The other available colors are very bright and poppy. Nothing for everyday wear, which I guess goes with the name of the line. I'm not sure the color in the advertisement (that's the picture I chose) really matches the true color. Nor does the color of the actual lipstick match the output.

My rating? 7/10. If only it came in the right red color.

Covergirl Liquiline Blast review

Hey:) Y'all keeping cool?

I've had these for a while but I really like them, so lemme review the Covergirl Liquiline Blast in green and blue. Those aren't the actual names of the colors, but I threw out the packaging a while ago. They were pretty cheap, maybe $4 at CVS.

I like these. I'm sure they're supposed to be colored eyeliner, and I feel like the colors will look good on anyone. The green makes my eyes pop a bit but is very faint. The blue is so brilliant, and really pretty :)

The product goes on smoothly with no smudging throughout the day. They fade a bit in the water but they don't go all over the place. At the end, each has a rubber "smudger" tool, but it tugs on my eyes more than it smudges, so I don't really like that.

I give this product a 7/10. I wish it came in more colors:(

I'm Back!!

Hey guys!! I'm back!! It's been what? 2 months?! Sorry guys, it's been crazy busy.

So today, I've got the Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes and the Cailyn Line-fix Gel Eyeliner.

First up, Cailyn. I got this in my June ipsy Glam Bag, and I love it!! This is my first ever gel liner and it was so easy to use. The color is in Iron, a kinda gray color. Not too dark, not too light. I don't like using brown eyeliner because I like it a bit darker than that, but black is way too dark for me to handle. This color is perfect.

The gel liner goes on so smoothly, and I love that the brush clicks into the top of the container, it's one less thing to worry about losing and it keeps the brush clean inside my purse. Yay! I give it a 9/10.

Now the mascara. I love Maybelline mascaras, especially the Falsies series. My favorite is the Winged Falsies. Anyway, the commercials for this mascara promises two sets of mascara brushes, one each for your upper and lower lashes. Used together, it's supposed to make your eyes pop.

I'm not sure if I like this mascara. It doesn't make my eyelashes as long or as thick as the original Falsies mascara unless I do maybe 20 strokes per eye. The mini brush for the bottom lashes works well, although I don't usually use mascara on those. I find this mascara also tends to smudge onto my skin, giving me a shadow-y raccoon look. Yuck. As a mascara, though, it seems to be ok but it doesn't make my eyes any bigger. I have chinky eyes, I need the boost. I give it a 6/10.