Lush :)

I had no idea there was a Lush Cosmetics store in my city! Yay! I got a chance to go. And I was so happy with my purchases. Here's what I got
Street Party Bath Bomb (1) $4.95-Limited Edition (Mine has an American flag in the side though. LOL)
Sunny Side Bubble Bar (1)-$6.15
Shimmy Shimmy Sparkle Bar (1)- $6.75

(All these images are from Lush.com by the way.)

The bath bomb is for my daughter. The ladies at the store did I demonstration for us. It filled the air with a lovely refreshing scent and the tub with luscious glitter. She just had to have it. I guess it's a sort of house warming gift for her. She can use it for the first time in the new house. I love my "Goose". :)

The Sunny Side bubble bar caught my eye immediately because it looks like a golden nugget. LOL. And I love anything that sparkles and shines. It supposed to turn the bath water a luxurious gold color. And it won't turn you into golden statue either. The golden glitter typically rinses away for the most part.

The Shimmy Shimmy was something I had to have. How many times can I say it; I love GLITTER. I'm such a big kid. And with this bar, I rub it across the skin and get the glow and a little bit of that glistening effect. I heart this so much. It has a nice subtle vanilla scent as well. So if you want, you can put any scent over it without a clash.

There was one other item I picked up at Charlotte Russe. And that was their scent called "Refuge". It smells like spring. I don't know exactly how to put it into words. It's a floral scent with notes of citrus and something oriental that I could swear I've smelled before. It's very feminine, light, and crisp. There is also night version of this, but I decided to stuck to the basics. And this was only 10.99. It's a great bargain.

Budget Beauty Fix

I am an addict. I can't stop shopping. But the bright side to that is that I never run out of items to review and material from which to write. :)

I checked out two of my favorite stores for bargains: Dollar Tree and Big Lots. At the Dollar Tree I picked up all the makeup items in the picture (two lipsticks, 1 lipgloss, foundation, small lip palette, and three eyeshadows. At Big Lots I picked up a mini brush set (enclosed in the black case that reads "Ms. Makeup" on the front), and Sebastian thermal styler.

Now that I think about it, I may have bought some other items. But these things were big hits on my list....Yeah...I did buy more stuff. I got some some more brushes and eyeliner. But those where things that I replace or something like that.

My whole point in doing this is to prove that you can have beauty on a budget. I don't think I spent more than 20 dollars on beauty products this evening. And these are brand name items. I spent a lot of time just searching for that perfect. And I want to share that information because of the poor economy.

This isn't me showing off or anything. This is a broke college student (who is a single mother as well) that wants to keep up her appearance. It would be awesome if I could just carelessly throw my money away. But I have to be super careful. And I'm hoping that I can get a better camera so that I can do makeup shots of the fabulous things I'm doing with these items. They may be inexpensive, but they are great products. And so I guess I'm on some silly quest to prove it. LOL. Stay tuned and see what happens. Much love, and stay beautiful. :)

I think I tried to justify my spending problem....LOL

CHI Makes Me Cheese :D

I got a chance to wash my hair the other night. And I did something I almost never do....I blow dried my hair *Gasp* LOL. But I took the necessary precautions. And my new dryer makes it so much easier. And it's an ionic dryer too so I'm assume that's why I had minimal frizziness.

At any rate, I took this time to try out the CHI Silk Infusion. I noticed one thing immediately. It smooths over the hair easily and evenly. I just worked it right on through. And then I began to just dry over the hair with no attachments on the dryer. And I got it to the point where it was just a little damp. Then I sectioned the hair off into smaller parts and added the comb attachment. I also added my moisturizer to my hair for more heat protection.

Overall it was a successful blow dry. My hair came out soft and shiny. Liked this product a lot. I had been using the Dove heat protection spray which I love. But it was nice to change it up a little. And I like the way it made my hair feel. I was running my fingers through it so I had to pin my hair up. LOL. It was an expensive buy at just under 14 dollars for the small bottle. But I don't use much heat at all. So I would consider it a brilliant splurge.

I'm off to moisturize my hair before bed now. HHG! :)

Done Out In Decco

So, I decided to change my nail color for like the third time this week. Now I'm sporting OPI's "Done Out In Decco". It's phenomenal. The color is gorgeous and so even. I've been wanting to try this color for awhile. And now I'm glad I did.

Today, I got the deal of a lifetime. I got two more OPI nail lacquers. And they we just 2.98 each. How did I do it? I went to the 35% off bin at Beauty Brands. But the colors I got ("Banana Bandanna and "Sahara Sapphire") were actually 65% off. It was just what I needed after I dropped ton in the furniture store today. It was totally cheap but made me feel so good.

Beauty Brands Ahoy

Today was exciting! I finally got a chance to go to Beauty Brands. And I didn't get too crazy. But I picked up a few items. Again, I swear I'm not a hair product junkie. But I did finally get the CHI Silk Infusion. And I will be using it soon so that I can write a review.I got three nail lacquers as well. The first two are made by China Glaze. And I got those in "Fairy Dust" and "Fifth Avenue. And the last bottle I got was by OPI. And it's called "Done Out in Decco". I am currently wearing a China Glaze lacquer in "Metallic Muse". It's gorgeous. So I have high hopes and a ton of confidence in the other colors I picked up today. The bottle of OPI I got is my first brush with the brand. But based on it's reviews, I have really high hopes for this lacquer as well.

Honestly, I've been buying a ton of stuff outside of this. There's so much that I don't really have time to post it all. But I can tell you this: I got most of it at Dollar General and Dollar Tree. They carry L.A. Colors. And let me tell you...I love this brand. The nail polish is amazing. I love all of it. And if I see something new, I just pick it up because it's usually just one dollar. So sure, it adds up, but the deal is just too sweet. And the product is good.

At any rate, I will be back with more reviews and updates on the new products. And perhaps I'll be able to get up some pics of my hair and makeup looks. :)

Much Needed Hair Love

I have been without a proper hair dryer for quite some time now. And today, I decided to deal with this issue head on. LOL. I bought one. I got the Cricket Friction Free Tourmaline Ceramic Hair Dryer. It's fabulous. On the site it says that it's 59.99, but in the store got it for 49.99. Hmmm....Oh well.

Also, I know I promised that I wouldn't be doing the hair product junkie thing. And I've been sticking to it just like I said I would. But I got a packet of the Silk Elements Luxury Moisturizing Condition. And I tried it the other night. It's amazing. I was so pleased, I bought a bottle of that today. And let me tell you...It's so smooth and creamy. And it smells amazing. But the real magic is how smooth and silky it makes the hair feel. And for that reason, I have decided to incorporate it into my regimen.

Foundation and Concealer

The other day, my friends and I went to Wal-Mart. So much fun. You know I headed straight for the makeup aisle. LOL. And I picked up two really cool products. Both are made by Maybelline New York. The first product I got was Pure Makeup foundation in tan (dark 1). The other was Age Rewind Double Face Perfector (dark).I've been on the hunt for new foundation for a little while. I'm currently using Mary Kay foundation in bronze 500. And as much as I love it, 14 dollars is a little steep these days. So I got the Maybelline as a sort of comparable product. And it's great. It's water based which is great because some oils do clog the pores. It has great, even coverage. At five dollars, I couldn't ask for much more. I'm still in the testing phase with it, so I'll have to use it a little longer. But so far so great.

The concealer is a miracle worker. I had been using the Sephora concealer stick I got for 12 dollars. It was not for me because it didn't last long enough. The formula could get pretty chalk like and not blend with some products. Anyway, the Maybelline concealer covers so well. I love it. I hadn't seen my eyes look that bright in a long time. I paid right under eight dollars for it. Oh...did I mention there is a concealer end and highlighter end? Honestly, I will probably use it exclusively for concealing, but the feature is nice. It blends well and has a nice creamy texture. This will be something I will buy again.

Relaxer Woes and Results

So, my relaxer didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it too. I had a processing issue but it came out pretty good still. But I have to admit that I majorly freaked out at first. Also, I decided to cut about and inch of all the way around because I felt like it was necessary to achieve a look I was going for. But don't worry. I'm still APL (and working on BSL).

Anyway, here is a pic of my hair in some soft curls after the cut was complete.
I don't have a shot of my edges, but they have pretty much grown all the way out. That breakage is all gone now. That was a major goal for me to grow the edges in nice and healthy. It took about a year to get them where I really wanted them. The wait was so worth it though.

Now, let me explain the cutting. My ends were not filling in the way I wanted. They were healthy but uneven. So I decided to go ahead and do some chopping. It worked out great. Sometimes when I cut my hair a little blunt, I just keep it in rollers and wear curls. It's low manipulation and cute. Loose or tight, wavy or more coiled...curls work well for me.

I haven't bought any hair products. I'm only going to replenish what I'm already using. The one thing I did get though was the Garnier Fructis Firm Hold Hairspray. Curls stay longer if you sprayed them. But I don't think I'll use that much. And I'll be back into a co washing routine that will wash out the gunk anyhow.

I've had a sudden interest in hair accessories. I wanted to jazz up simple styles and be different. I have headbands, clips, barrettes...And they aren't damaging either. They really add that little something to the hair and complete a look.

My rambling is out of control. LOL. HHG!!!