Saturday, May 28, 2011

Mineral Makeup

I've always been a fan of mineral makeup, but could never swallow the price for more than a few months a year. That thought process was only exacerbated by the tiny amount of concealer included in the monthly kit. A little while ago, I saw a link to E.L.F. Cosmetics on a friend's FB page and decided to check it out. Much to my surprise, they had mineral makeup and for only FIVE DOLLARS! I immediately signed up for an account and then got a flood of emails for special offers, but I chose one offer...I think if I spent $10 or $20, I could choose 10 $1 products for free! I do love my freebies, so I got some mineral makeup, a mineral makeup primer and 10 free goodies, too!

This morning, I tried out E.L.F.'s primer, concealer and mineral foundation and was beyond pleased. 
The primer is amazing and one little squirt, about the amount of half a teardrop, was enough for my whole face. My face felt smooth and as if it had a light dusting of talcum powder. This stuff is definitely a keeper! 
Then I tried the concealer. I'm also pleased with the concealer, but I wish it came in more shades. I've always had trouble finding an exact match and E.L.F. was no different. I had to choose the two shades closest to my skin tone and hope for the best, but the coverage is most excellent! Last came the true test, the mineral foundation! 
Yes the container is smaller than other other major mineral lines, but no biggee. It costs a sixth less! My only real quibble is the powders seem to be a little orangey compared to other brands and the sifter doesn't work too well. I pulled mine out, threw it in the trash and just dipped my brush right into the container. Again, I was very pleased with the final results! 

So goodbye to my cream foundation and hello to E.L.F. minerals! It's good to know there are mineral foundations out there that not only get the job done, but cost less than two gallons of gas! And, if I can't wait for makeup to arrive in the mail and don't mind forgoing special deals, I can always grab them at a local Target, Kmart, Meijer or Family Fare store!

For more information, check out E.L.F. at http://www.eyeslipsface.com.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Darker the Berry?

Courtesy of Hairs a Thought on FB, I can't wait to see this documentary. Yes, there was a lot of hype about Chris Rock's hair "moc"-umentary, but this is truly profound. I must see this! And, I hope the sequel addresses issues that our fairer-skinned sistas deal with, too.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Out with the grey, in with the black!

Okay, so I finally got tired of the proliferation of grey hairs invading my hair. Granted my grey hairs are the gorgeous silver white I'd hoped for over the years, I'm just not ready to give in to them yet. So, I decided to erase them with henna and indigo. A few weeks' research led me to four or five different kinds, but LUSH's Caca Noir Mama (http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/hair/henna-hair-dyes/caca-noir-mama) prevailed as my first choice.

First, let me say that LUSH's shipping is akin to the speed of light. In fact, they're so fast, they beat out the other henna/indigo order I placed a week prior to my LUSH order! And I'm STILL waiting on it!

Getting down to the nitty gritty, pardon the pun, LUSH's henna comes in a block divided into six sections. I used three sections for my hair which is a few inches past my shoulders. I mixed it with almost two cups of black tea and that's all! Normally, I'd add oils, etc., but LUSH's henna comes packed with healthy hair butters, oils and herbs so I took a chance...and after three hours, my hair was SUPER soft with a deeper, richer black hue. Sadly, the grey hairs still stood out in defiance. 

While I was disappointed it didn't cover the grey hair as hoped, I will continue to use Caca Noir Mama. It is, hands down, the best henna I've ever used and without all the mess, too! This product gets two coils up!

Moving on, I know I should've waited at least a month to try to hide the grey again, but I broke down and bought this...
Yes, this product is now discontinued, but my local drugstore had just one box left AND it promised me the blue-black hair I was hoping for. And, I have to say I'm surprised by this product's quality. It's a permanent dye, but it comes with two little packs of healthy hair oils you have to add to the dye bottle and a shea butter conditioning pack that you have to use afterwards. I figured I couldn't go wrong with that and I figured right. 

Despite using two products, back to back, that had the potential to cause some serious dryness, my hair is softer than it is after my steam treatments! And I didn't even steam my hair this weekend!! I am extremely pleased with my final results and will continue to use both products as needed.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Checking out a few things...

Just a quick note while I eagerly wait to wash my hair just shy of midnight tonight...I'll be reviewing a few products VERY soon. First on the list is Caca Noir henna w/indigo from LUSH. Additional upcoming product reviews include LUSH's Jasmine and Henna Fluff Ease AND Jungle conditioners; Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Conditioning cubes with marshmallow, and mineral makeup from E.L.F.!!!!! Stay tuned!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

SMH...but in a good way!


Okay, so it's been a bit since my last posting, but here I am, if all but briefly.


With the weather finally warming but before the humidity sets in, I decided to straighten my hair. I don't know if y'all knew, but I swore off using any heat on my hair last fall. Back then, this was my hair...


Ahhh....don't I look pensive?

Once the snowflakes started falling, I religiously wore my hair in twists. Once a week, I'd deep condition with my steam treatment, wash and condition my hair, and twist it all back up again. With a foreboding about spending 4-6 hours on my hair last week, I decided not to twist but to straighten. So, after my steam treatment, wash and condition....I blowdried and flatironed on low-medium heat....and this is the result:

Please excuse the goofy face as I show the front but I REALLY hate taking pictures.

And, the back!
From fall until now, I had no idea how much my hair had been growing. A few people mentioned that my twists seemed longer and I'd noticed that it was taking me longer and longer to twist my hair, but I honestly had no idea what was really happening. But, I'm not complaining and next week, I think I'll be going back to my twists as they seem to be working quite well for me. Last year's hair challenge goal was not to worry about trying out different  products, hairstyles, etc. I just wanted healthier hair. And, I think I can say I've achieved that goal!