Unboxing: IpsyMe - Alterna Smooth as Caviar Set

IpsyMe is now offering a sweet deal twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday 9 AM (PST).  This is my second IpsyMe offer and I'm excited to try Alterna Caviar CC Cream.  I checked out the price on the CC Cream and it is $25 alone, so you're getting the brush for free!  With free shipping, these IpsyMe deals are pretty awesome and sell out quick!

Check out Ipsy Stylist Desi Perkins' video on how she styles her hair using the CC Cream and brush.

Jonathan Silky Dirt

I received a sample of Jonathan Silky Dirt awhile back and finally tried it out this week.  I have been using Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shaping Cream and love the flexible hold. 

Description

This shine-enhancing grooming cream is made with essential waters of cucumber and rose to nourish hair. Smoothing Shine Blend helps tame frizz, controls flyaways, and provides thermal protection. Antioxidant rich botanical, thermal and UV filters shield hair from damage and prevent color fading. 

Directions

Apply to slightly damp or dry hair to control, define, piece out, and add brilliance. A little goes a long way - emulsify a small amount in your hands before applying. Apply to the hair in sections, focusing on mid-length, through ends.

I was anticipating this would have the same results.  Silky Dirt has a lighter flexible hold and has a soft consistency.  The first thing I noticed was the scent of the product.  While it is a nice smell, it does last throughout the day.  Its almost a candylike scent.  :)  This does hold my hair in place, but its not as strong of a hold as I would like. 

Pros:

• Flexible, light hold
• Smells great
• Does not create visible build up like some gels & mousse do

Cons

• Smell does not dissapate
• Product transfers more easily due to lighter consistency

Would I recommend this product?

• Maybe - the lasting smell is my biggest drawback and the price.

$28 at Ulta

Photo & product description and directions from www.ulta.com

Long hair...wait a sec.

Before

After

I haven't had my hair short since college.  And even then, it wasn't THIS short.  :)  I donated a little over 10" to Locks of Love.  7 Salon offers free Locks of Love haircuts Mondays-Wednesdays.  This includes shampoo, cut, style and they will send your donation in.  Cat did a wonderful job on my hair and I couldn't be more pleased.  She was nervous about me taking so much length off!  She said that this was the most drastic cut she has performed.  Haha!  All for a good cause and I feel so liberated with the new do.  :)

I will say, that even with short hair, I still shed like crazy.  I thought it would subside, but nope!  Well, at least the hair is easier to clean up.  I hella dislike the long strands all over the carpet and bathroom floor.  I would get grossed out, even with MY OWN HAIR!  LOL!

With new hair, comes new hair responsibilities.  I no longer have wash & go hair, but it does not take too much time to style.  Maybe 15 minutes max.  I have to blow dry my hair and the lovely cowlicks down and also use a styling cream.  As recommended by a friend, I picked up Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Shaping Cream.  Love the smell and the hold!  Holds my hair in place, yet still pliable.

(Image from www.paulmitchell.com)

Pros:

• Flexible hold
• Amazing smell - so clean & fresh
• Does not create visible build up like some gels & mousse do

Cons

• Feel the product when I run my fingers through my hair (that's a given & I think its just my OCD tendencies!)

Would I recommend this product?

• YES!!

$19.50 at Beauty Works

Just wanted to give an update on the BIG change in my life.  Haha!  I still yet have to do a life update and fill you all in on my trip to the Philippines.  :)  Life is good and I am finding my focus.  More to come soon!  xoxox

Drugstore Shampoo: Approved!

Must be all silicones coating my hair, but this shampoo & conditioner are tops in my book right now. From the scent to the way my hair felt after, it's all good. And the best part, the shampoo, conditioner and hairspray were $2.99! Recessionista in full effect. Thank you Target!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhizzle

Sally Beauty Supply Haul & a new hair FAVE!

Oh Sally Beauty Supply, you are neglected sometimes. I can't get over how "hood" it is sometimes in there, but I seem to walk out with at least something. The nearest one to me is still on the eastside, but I decided to head back to my old neighborhood in Renton to visit the one right by Wal-Mart. Classy! The store was not neat and organized, but I made my way through the aisles anyway in search for a few things. #1 was some acetone to safely remove my Nailene So Real Nails. #2 I really wanted to try this Hair One Hair Cleanser and Conditioner that I had seen reviews on the website $11. I also picked up Orly Bonder Rubberized Basecoat and Orly Top Coat for $5/each. I decided to join the Sally Beauty Supply Loyal Customer program which offers discounts on all products and special deals. The cost is $5, but you get a $5 coupon to use on your next month's purchase.

Hair One: Jojoba for Color Treated Hair - I really LOVE this product! I was interested in Wen, but wasn't pleased with the price and the fact that it is a monthly membership that you have to keep up with. Not my style, so why not try a similar product. The only drawback to this product is the amount you have to use. They advise to use 8-10 pumps on the crown and the back of your head and then an additional 15-20 pumps on the rest of your hair depending on the length. I use 26 pumps to cleanse/condition - 8 on the crown, 8 on the back and 10 on the rest of my hair. I leave this in my hair while I lather my body. You can even use this product as a leave-in conditioner using 1-3 pumps. I use 3 pumps and that is the only product I used. No serum, no gel, no hairspray or pomade. After I blow dried my hair, how did this leave my hair? Soft, manageable and with volume! Move over Healthy, Sexy Hair Pumpkin and hello to Hair One! Uggghh...I have to go through those big containers still! Another plus to this product is that it is Sulfate Free which will help hair color from fading.

Orly Bonder and Top Coat - I picked up the Bonder because I saw it along with the Orly Matte nailpolishes and the display noted to have lasting results, to use Bonder. This may help with my Sephora for OPI What's A Tire Jack polish to stay chip free for longer than a day! I hope! I decided to get the Top Coat as well to keep in line with the same brand of base coat to see how well the brand works. I'll be using these products in an upcoming NOTW post so stay tuned for that.

Marshall's Score!

I've come across some awesome deals lately and this is my newest find! Many of you beauty bloggers out there have had some luck finding beauty items at this discount retailer. One of my fave hair care lines is Sexy Hair by Michael O'Rourke and am especially fond of the Healthy Sexy Hair in Pumpkin scent. This has been my fall scent for the past 2 years thanks to my bestie Cat. Everytime I lather and condition, this reminds me of sweet pumpkin pie.
I got 64 oz each of Pumpkin Rehydrating Shampoo and Pumpkin Conditioner for $19.99 each! SCORE! This should last me through the fall and winter easily. :) The only downfall is that the containers are huge and I have to put these on opposite corners of my shower. Hey, for $20 bux each, that is a minor problem I'll be glad to deal with.

JDM Hair Products

I can thank a number of bloggers out there for getting me hooked on Japanese/Asian products, especially xppinkxx who has indulged me with a couple of things from her store. Finally got some Mandom Cleansing Lotion. Loves! Well, I have been on the hunt for some JDM hair products. Surprisingly in Seattle, there are only a handful of Asian markets that have a selection of skincare and haircare products. I was able to find the following at Uwajimaya in Seattle and Bellevue. Seattle definitely has a better selection than the Bellevue location. Plus, since the Bellevue one is down the street from where I work, I probably picked up all the good shiet anyway. Hahaha! I'm really digging the Mandom line of hair products! I'll be revisiting these products with some hair styles in later posts. :)

I found both of Pink's fave hair styling waxes! The pink and orange tube are Mandom's Lucido-L Glamorous Wave and Volume Arrange Styling Tube Wax. Just a smidge of product is all you need. If you overdo it, you will have hair that is weighed down, so use it sparingly! They don't have a weird smell, so that is a plus for me! I hate having heavily perfumed or not so nice smelling prod in my hair and then I have to smell it all day. Bleh! $9/ea

The bottle in the middle is Mandom's Morning Hair Fix Water in a Floral Fragrance. There used to be a Sebastian Dry Cleaner spray a long time ago that you could use to refresh your hair and help restyle locks that have product already in it. I am an every other day hair washer, but I hate how my hair doesn't smell fresh like my shampoo! This is great to spritz on for a light fragrance. I don't think this would help if you went out to a bar/club and are trying to get that stank smell out. $8


Here is Mandom's Lucido L Glossy Hair Wax and Hair Pre-Curl Water. The Glossy Wax I'm not too fond of. It reminds me of hair gel without the hold. Its good for loosening up waves that are a bit too tight. I do like the Pre-Curl Water though! I have a Redken setting spray that makes my hair kind of crunchy after curling or using rollers. This spray leaves my hair still soft and really holds the curl! Glossy Hair Wax $9, Hair Pre-Curl Water $8

Gorgeous curls that lasted all night long! I was at a Holiday party last weekend and had a Martha Stewart moment with a premade pecan pie that someone brought. LoL! Can you say loaded?

Small Haul from Big Lots

Aquafina Purifying Daily Cleanser and Hydrating Facial Spray. I had to get more of the cleanser and the facial spray! Such a bargain and the last of them at the Big Lots in FW. I actually just ran out of the cleanser today. It lasted for about 3 months? I use my Naive Deep Cleansing Oil too. I did not have any reactions to either of the products so that's a plus! I haven't been using the facial spray often, but when it does get hot, I like to spray myself to beat the heat. I haven't seen the Aquafina line at stores like Rite-Aid or Bartell, but I have come across it at Wal-Mart. I don't think I will repurchase the products unless I come across them again at Big Lots! These were such a bargain at $4 each!

I tried the Got2B Oil Therapy Repair Blasts and while I wasn’t impressed right away after I rinsed the product, my hair was silkier after my hair dried. You use the oil therapy before you shampoo and condition. Didn’t feel very heavy on my hair after I put it in, so I was skeptical that there was going to be any benefit to my hair. This is great for those days when my hair feels dry and in need of some tlc and it was pretty cheap, $3!

Top choice scent for fall: PUMPKIN!

Fall is nearing, but the way it feels right now in Seattle, it still feels like summer! I like tying my scents with the season and my favorite last fall was pumpkin. I decided to bring it back again with Healthy Sexy Hair's Pumpkin Shampoo and Conditioner and Bath and Body Work's Temptations Pumpkin Pie Paradise 3-in-1 and lotion. All of the products smell the same surprisingly! My bathroom smells like pumpkin pie after I shower! :)

Garnier Fructis Instant Melting Conditioner Sleek & Shine

I'm always in search for hairproducts high and low end that work well. Especially with my thick & coarse hair! I have been very pleased with products from Regis and the Straight Sexy Hair line. Not to mention Sunsilk products which have been good. I tend to stay away from drugstore haircare since all it does is heavily coat your locks with silicone. No thanks. I want my hair to breathe but Sunsilk has been pretty good!

Here is me with a damn shower cap on and this conditioner in my locks. I was going to leave this on for an hour while I cleaned, but I ended up leaving it on for 2 hours because I was so focused on cleaning! I wasn’t too impressed with this product and was slightly disappointed because I have had some good interactions with other Fructis products. For $5, it’s a deal, but I don’t feel that it left my hair softer than using regular Sexy Straight Hair conditioner. I’ll probably try and use the rest of this product in conjunction with my other conditioner if I feel its not enough.

Peace out and no thanks to repurchasing. I don't think this product worked well. Even after having it on for such a long time!

Yellow Sponge Hair Rollers

I love how it says "Magic Sponge Curler" Well its not magic, but they do work really well!

**Side note: I like how the seller doesn't know if I'm male or female. I used to get calls all the time at work where the other party would say, "Could I please speak to Mr. (my name)." Ummm....

**Another side note: And I love how they call the gifts "spong ball" Haha! They do look like tennis balls.

Kinda weird and it hurts if you don't wind it carefully. If you try and do it quickly and you feel that you have to rearrange your hair, it can get painful

And this is after 10 have been placed in my hair. Kinda remind me of lil mini moon pies in my hair.

My hair was partially damp when I put these in. I left them in while doing my make up for about 45 minutes before removing and spraying some hairspray.

It looks very old Hollywood here! The curl relaxed a bit during the night. Because it was hot and humid at the concert. :p

I bought these from eBay from seller chrissie_3c_shop who is out of Taiwan. I paid a total of $7.48 with shipping. I haven't used these since that one night, but I plan on trying these out while letting my hair dry overnight. Since these are sponges without any hard plastic closure, you can easily sleep in these. I'm sure I'll probably lose some while sleeping but the curls can be touched up with a large barrled curling iron.