Be nice to your hair girl!

Hello Lovelies! I hope everyone's weekend is going well. I actually have a bit of spare time on my hands today, so what better way to spend that time than writing a blog?

I get compliments on my hair pretty often (and no, I'm not bragging! Chill out.). I get quesitons like, "Omg Brittany! How did you do you hair like that?!" and "You're hair is so shiny and long. What do you use?" yada yada ya. I thought I would share with you guys what hair products I use and how I try to keep my hair healthy. Granted, I slack off a lot and get lazy with it, but who doesn't? Get off me!

I've compiled a list of my favorite hair care items and I'll explain each and give you guys some feedback, tips, tricks, and recommendations.

And now onto the list...

1. Macadamia Oil's Deep Repair Masque
 
This product is absolutely amazing and, by far, my favorite hair care product EVER. Which is why it takes the #1 spot. It is a deep conditioner and treats and repairs damaged hair. If you've never used a deep conditioner, I strongly recommend that you do. You use this a couple times a week in replace of your normal, everyday conditioner. After shampooing your hair, scoop some of this into the palm of your hand and work it through your hair, concentrating on the ends. Leave it in your hair for about 5 minutes. I pass the time by shaving and washing off. Then, rinse it out and be prepared for amazingly soft, silky hair.
I said before that when you're working it through your hair, concentrate on the ends. This is especially important because that's where our hair is the most damaged. This is the same for using regular conditioner, too. I put a huge amount on the ends of my hair and then what tiny bit I have left in my hand, I'll massage it throughout the rest of my hair. Our hair gets oily at our roots, so you don't want to pile up conditioner on your scalp because this will intensify the not-so-attractive "greasy" look.
This product is great for repairing damaged hair. It is a little pricey, but it's very well worth it. It's usually around $30 and you can find it online, and I think JCPenny's sells it now.
It also smells really good. I just can't put a product in my hair that doesn't smell good, no matter how awesome it is. I just can't.
A cheaper alternative is Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle. It smells like coconuts and leaves your hair feeling smooth and soft. It's around $3, so it's much much cheaper than the Macadamia Oil. I don't like it quite as much as the Macadamia Oil either, but it's still really great.

2. BioSilk Silk Therapy Serum

This is another product used for treating and repairing damaged hair, as well as making it soft and shiney. You can use this on wet or dry hair. I always apply a dime-sized amount to my hair right before I blow dry it, once again concentrating on the ends. You definitely don't want to add this to your roots since it is a serum and will easily make you hair look oily. It's also important that you use a very small amount or you'll be washing your hair again to get rid of that grease. Ew.
I have very frizzy hair and this has actually "tamed" my hair a lot. It's not as noticable on the first use, but after several uses, my hair has definitely toned down.
You can get this at just about anywhere: WalMart, Target, RiteAid. It's around $15-$20, depending on the size you purchase. It is a little pricey, too, but it will literally last you forever. I have the smaller bottle and I've been using it for a long time.

3. Nexxus Heat Protexx and Tresemme Heat Protectant

I highly, highly, highly recommend that anytime you apply heat to your hair that you use some sort of heat protectant. Before I blow dry, straighten, curl, or crimp my hair I spray heat protectant on my hair, and yes, once again, focusing on the ends. Are you beginning to see a pattern?
The Nexxus heat protectant is a great product and it smells really good, but it is on the pricey side. You can get it anywhere, pretty much. But if you're looking for a cheaper alternative that works just as well, and smells good too, then I would recommend the Tresemme Heat Protectant. This product is around $3 at Walmart.
I actually have both of these. I orginially bought the Tresemme because I'm cheap and I really liked it. I had purchased the Chi heat protectant after I used this one just because I wanted to try something new. I figured since it was more expensive and by a popular brand that it would be amazing. I was wrong. I hated it! It smelled horrible. In fact, I haven't used a single Chi product that I thought smelled good. Like I said, if it ain't smellin' good, it ain't goin' on my hur'. Anyway, that reminds me that I even used the Chi Silk Infusion that I paid $929374932 for and I like my BioSilk much better. But back to heat protectants, after I used the Chi a few times with hopes that I would eventually like it, I went back to my Tresemme that worked better, smelled better, and was much cheaper.
While I was home last weekend I was plundering through my mom's hair products and found the Nexxus heat protectant and she kindly let me have it. I really like this product, too. I haven't found any Nexxus product that I haven't liked. I'm usually to cheap to buy much, though.

4. Shampoo and Conditioner: Big Sexy Hair & Dove Damage Repair

The Big Sexy Hair Shampoo is a great volumizing shampoo. My hair feels so bouncy after I use it. It also leaves my hair super soft and shiney. It has a really nice smell, but it is expensive. It costs around $12. I've been savoring this product. I don't want to run out because I don't think I can get myself to repurchase it anytime soon. I'm just too cheap.
I also really like the Dove Repair shampoo. It's much cheaper, but it's purpose is to repair, not to volumize. A very nice smell, as well. It's around $3 or $4 at any drug store or grocery store. All Dove shampoo's always leave my hair super soft. I really like soft hair. My hair is super dry. It doesn't get oily, which I'm not complaining about. I can go for days without washing my hair before it gets oily. I do recommend doing that if you can. It's not good to wash your hair everyday. I usually wash my hair every other day. This also keeps me from having to blow dry it a lot. I try to keep my hair away from heat as much as possible. I'm usually not successful at that, though. :/

5. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

Speaking of going a few days without washing your hair, Suave's dry shampoo is great for erasing oily roots. If you get lazy and don't feel like washing your hair but wake up the next morning with enough grease on your head to fry an egg, grab this bad boy and spray spray spray. It's pretty simple to use. Just spray it on your roots and massage it in (especially if you have darker hair because it can leave a white-looking film). This will get rid of any oilyness. It smells like lemons, sort of. It's not a bad smell, but it's not amazing either. It's also around $3 at any drug store.
This product is also good for adding texture to your hair. If your hair doesn't hold curl very well, then you can spray this all over and it will add some texture so you hair can hold that cute little ringlet.

I feel like I could make this list extremely long, but I do believe I will stop here. Five is a good ending number. I guess that makes this my "Top 5 Hair Care Products."

I'm really into taking care of my hair and keeping it healthy. I love looking at hair products and I always want to try everything I see. In fact, I have used quite a few products. Maybe I'll do a Part 2 to this in another blog in the future. Just maybe.

I hope you ladies enjoyed my ramblings about hair care. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions. I actually plan on curling my hair tomorrow, so maybe I'll take a few pictures and give a tutorial on it. We'll see.

Thanks for stopping by!

xxoo

♥



New goodies :)

Ok, so I'm officially the worst blogger ever.

What's it been...2 months since my last post? Whoopsie. Seriously, though, I've been so busy with moving and school and I'm always doing something. This has been the only weekend where I've had no plans and nothing going on. Which is why I can give a new post! yay!
I don't want to be too proud either, so I don't know if I have any loyal readers and what not. Heck, I've only wrote about 5 posts. But if by chance you have been wondering where in the world I've been, well, now you know. I'll try to do better, but I can't make any promises. School takes over my life. Sorry.

Anyway...Onto the goods.

Over the past few weeks I've picked up a few things, as well as gotten a few gifts, and I thought I would share them with you. And yes, they're all beauty related. I'm not going to show you that I went out to Walmart today to pick up some bottled water.

So as you can see, I've accumulated quite a bit of stuff. I'll go more in detail with each thing I got.

ELF Pallet

ELF Brush Set
face brush, bronzer blush, angled brush, shadow brush, smudge brush, lip brush, eyebrow brush, eyeliner brush, angled eyeliner brush, eyebrow comb, and foundation brush

 I got the ELF pallet from my boyfriend, Brent, for my birthday. Yes, he did great. The brushes also came with it as a set. He ordered it offline at www.eyeslipsface.com. I think it was $50. For the amount you get, it's a great deal. I love love love the brushes! The makeup itself is amazing as well. The pallet comes with eyeshadow, bronzer, blush, lip glosses, and concealer. I really like the bronzer and blush in this set. And omg, there are a ton of eyeshadows. I just love all my options.

Teasing Brush and a regular brush

I went to Sally's today and I picked up a new brush. The one I had before was losing it's brissles and it was just painful to use. So I got this orange one with a gel grip for $2.00. While I was at the checkout counter, I saw this pink teasing comb for $2.00 as well, so I snatched it up. Let me tell you, this teasing brush is the bomb! It is so good and will hold a great tease. I have one teasing brush that I ordered offline that's good, but this one beats it by a long shot. And it's only $2.00...and pink!

• ELF Beauty Book - Everyday eye look

I already have the natural eye edition beauty book and I really liked it, so I picked up this everyday eye look and I love it as well. You can get this at target for about $5.00. It comes with 12 eyeshadow shades, an eyeliner, and a eyeshadow sponge brush. I never use the brush or the eyeliner. And it also gives you step-by-step directions of how to apply it if you need some help.

Bath & Body Works
Paris Amour Body Mist and Lotion
Secret Wonderland Shower Gel and Lotion

I got a Buy One Get One Free coupon in the mail so I obviously had to go use it. Who doesn't love Buy One Get One Free?? Once I got in the store they had a Buy 2 Get 1 Free, and But 3 Get 2 Free sale. So I ended up with these 4 products that smell amazing! The sale is still going on so I advise you to go now and pick up some goodies. I got these 4 things for $25. $25 PEOPLE!! One body lotion costs $10.50. Great deal. Go now.

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

For us skanky girls who don't like to wash our hair everyday, this is the trick. You can get this at Walmart for a few dollars. All you do is spary it on your roots and rub it in. The rubbing it in is just to get rid of the powder that it produces on your hair. Viola! No more oily. Also, if you have hair that doesn't hold curl very well, you can spray this all over your head and it will give your hair some texture that will allow it to hold the curls better.

Revlon ColorStay Foundation-Natural Tan
Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blush-Spicy & Sweet
NYC Eyebrow Kit-Brunette

If you're looking for a long, lasting foundation I highly recommend Revlon's ColorStay. I love this foundation and it does last all day long. I like to buy my foundation a shade darker than my face because the rest of my body is actually darker than what my face is. I lay in the tanning bed and a lot of the time when I lay I have makeup on, which usually has SPF in it, so my face is never the same color as the rest of me. I also got Hard Candy's Fox in a Box Blush at Walmart in Spicy & Sweet. I had heard a lot of good things about this so I picked it up and instantly fell in love with it. And plus, the packaging is so cute! It's very pigmented, too. Last thing I bought was the NYC eyebrow kit at Target. I've always wanted to try one of these and I could never find one, except online. I'm always apprehensive to order makeup offline because you can never be sure about the color. Luckily I ran across this one today and scooped it up. I think most of us have one good eyebrow, and one retarded one, at least I do. That was my main reason behind this purchase. If you don't know what it is, it comes with a wax, a shadow color, tiny tweezers, and a brush. You dip your brush in the wax, then in the shadow and sweep it across your brow in short strokes and it feels in places they you may have tweezed too thin and it just gives your eyebrow more definition. It won me over. It definitely helped my retarded eyebrow and it was only $3. NYC has pretty good products for really cheap prices. I've always been pleased with them, at least.

Well, that concludes my haul. I hope you enjoy seeing products that I use and my reviews on them. Also, just a tiny disclaimer on my behalf: what works for me might not work for you. Each of us are different. I can only give my opinion based on my experiences with the products and how they work for me.

I will also try to post more often. I have a lot of things I would like to write about. Also, if you have any feedback or suggestions on what you would like to read about feel free to leave a comment and let me know and I will try my best to dedicate a post to your suggestions.

Thanks for reading!
xxoo

Let's talk eyeshadow...

We all love the smokey eye look, do we not? It's sexy and makes you feel like a vixen. You feel like you can dominate when your eyes are black, grey, and silver and smoked out with bold eye liner and lashes that are miles long.

Gorgeous, huh?

Although this look is one that we have fallen head over heels in love with, it does not mean you should wear it EVERYDAY! Just so you know there are other shades of eyeshadow out there besides black and grey. I see girls who wear nothing but this. It's great and all, but seriously, only break this bad boy out on special occassions, nights out, dates, etc. When you're going to work or school or to the grocery store even, it is most definitely not neccessary to get this bold and sexy. A big pet peeve of mine is seeing girls wear this look everyday. Get over it already! Use something different!

My motto is in the daytime keep it sweet and simple and in the evening break out the bold and sexy. Summer time is a great time to use all different shades and colors. Pinks, purples, browns, nudes/natural. I'm currently in love with the natural/neutral look (and when I say natural I don't mean bare and no makeup. I'm referring to natural colors like nude, brown, and gold).

images from: updegree.com

I'm just really loving the bronzey/gold look like this. There's still enough boldness and pizazz for you wild and crazy ladies. I even go lighter than this sometimes, too.

^I've been using ELF's Neutral Beauty Book, and I love it. You can get it at Target or online for just a few bucks. ^

Also, just because you have eyeliner, does not mean you have to use it! Give it a rest some. Skip the eyeliner and just use mascara. It still gives your eyes enough dimension without being so dark. Of if you feel like you'll just die and crumble to a million pieces if you don't wear eyeliner, then try using it only on the top, or only on the bottom.

image from: stylehive.com

Sometimes less really is more. I think this girl looks so pretty and soft. Her eyes pop with just the shimmer, highlight, and mascara alone. Very simple. Very easy. Very fitting for daytime.

Another thing: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT match your eyeshadow to your outfit. This is very juvenile and tacky. Just because your wearing a pink top, don't go all out on pink eyeshadows. It's ok to use a hint of pink, but not the entire look. Got it??

Now let's review:
1. Move on from the smokey eye.
2. Soft during the day; Bold during the night.
3. There are a gazillion different eyeshadow shades. Try them! (I recommend the neutral look)
4. Less is more.
5. No matching eyeshadows and outfits!!!

Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned! :)

xxoo

♥

Waves like the ocean...

Guess who got an early birthday present in the mail today...Me! :)

I discovered an awesome hair tool a few months back and I finally got one! It's the Hot Tools Deep Waver, and it's my new husband.

image from http://www.folica.com

I had purchased a 3-barrell waver a couple years ago and was disappointed with it. Then again, it was cheap and didn't get hot enough. I divorced him and am now in love with my much, much better waver. You can purchase this from Sally's for about $40. I ordered mine offline from Amazon, and then I found out I could have gotten it just as cheap in a store instantly. Oh well. It's here and I love it.

The temperature ranges from 280-430 degrees (Farenheit). It has a nice, long cord that I really liked because it always seems like my outlets are 3 miles away from my mirror. It's kind of bulky, but actually it has to be. How else are you suppose to make the barrells smaller but get the same effect? It just can't be a small tool. Go big or go home, right? You do have to be extremely careful when using this because it gets very hot. I burned my hand as soon as I turned it on. Little did I know that the barrells aren't protected with some sort of magical coating. You know how a flat iron gets hot all over, but you can still tolerate touching over top of the plates for a few seconds? Well, you can't with this bad boy. Nothing there. Just a bare waver that will burn the piss out of you. I grabbed that part right off the bat. Real smooth.

I have A LOT of hair, so it took me about 40 or 50 minutes to do my entire head. Obviously, this time frame will vary depending on your length and thickness of hair. You will definitely want to use a heat protectant. Like I said before, it gets HOT. I used CHI. I'm not inlove with the CHI heat protectant, but I paid like $15 for it so you better believe I'm using it all. I prefer the Tresamme kind. It smells better and much cheaper. Anyway, I'm getting off track. After finishing, I recommend using a texturizing mold/wax rather than hairspray. This will give you more flexibility and you won't be stuck with stiff, yucky hair. I used Surf Head by Wild Harvest Hair. It smells yummy too.

I guess I could stop rambling now and show you the finished product. I absolutely loved the results and I would recommend this to any girl. I know I need a lot of heat in order for my hair to hold a style, and this did the trick! Definitely worth the $40 and the time it took me to style it. Go buy this! Right now! :)

Enjoy!

xxoo

♥

Girl!! Yo face be flawless!

Who ever wonders what kind of makeup another girl uses? I know I do.

You pass someone in the hall or on the street and their makeup looks amazzzinnngg. You think to yourself, "Girl, what is that miracle stuff you are putting on your face?"
I'm not saying I have a flawless, perfect face, but I think it just breaks some curiosity if we share what kind of products we use. By all means, my face is so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooo far from perfect. Just sayin'. However, here are a few things I use on a day-to-day basis.

Hard Candy Clamoflauge Concealer
Loreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation
Physicians Formula Magic Mosaic Bronzer - Light Bronzer/Bronzer
NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder - 723A Pink Cheek Glow

Elizabeth Arden Color Kit Cream Eyeshadow

Maybelline Master Drama Eye Liner - Coal Commander

Almay Liquid Liner - Black

Maybelline Falsies Mascara - Waterproof, Black H101

Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss - Natural Boost

The order that I listed them above is the order I apply them to my face. I feel like my foundation is a teeny bit too light, so I apply my bronzer all over my face to darken it up a bit, rather than just applying it below my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose like most people do. The NYC blush is awesome. It's so pigmented and very cheap. The entire NYC brand is very affordable, which I definitely like :). I also don't use the cream eyeshadow for my actual eyeshadow. I put it on the corner of my eye, around my tear duct, to add some shimmer, and sometimes along my bottom lash line. I didn't list any eyeshadow that I use because it changes daily. Like I said before, this is my day-to-day basics. And oh my Jesus if the Master Drama eyeliner isn't the greatest eyeliner ever, then I don't know what is! Seriously, this stuff does not smudge. I believe I'll do another blog dedicated to this eyeliner. You wouldn't believe how amazing it is.

Anyway, those are just a few products that I've been using. I didn't go into detail about each thing because, well, you know what that junk is and how you use it! If not, let me know and I'll gladly explain it :). Most of this stuff you can purchase at WalMart. Actually, I think I got all of it there except for the cream eyeshadow which I got a million years ago and it's probably discontinued.

I hope you ladies...or guys even...enjoyed this post. If you have any suggestions on what you want me to write about, leave a comment. See you soon!

♥

Please bare with me while I'm still getting the hang of "blogging". =P

Step on a crack, brack ya momma's back

I found a new love affair: crackle nail polish.

I use to never paint my finger nails. I liked to keep them plain Jane and simple. When I did start painting them I used average colors like red and pink. I've now branched out and been using more fun and vibrant colors. I still wonder if I can pull it off as good as other girls, but I give it my best effort.

I came across crackle nail polish on youtube one day, as I come across most of everything beauty related there. What can I say? I'm obsessed with youtube. Anywho, I fell in love with it instantly. The brand that was being used most was OPI, which is like the Cadillac of nail polishes. It's pretty pricey for nail polish. I just can't bring myself to spend over $3 on a bottle. Unfortuantely, no crackle polish of any brand was sold locally. I was planning on ordering some online until Rite Aid introduced Sally Hansen Crackle. My first attempt to buy some was unsuccessful. They were sold out. Today, my dear sweet mother suprised me and bought me the black. I did a little dance to show my gratitude and excitement.

It's a pretty neat invention if I do say so myself. You have to be quick with it, though, because it drys super fast. You need to first apply a base coat of a different color as the crackle obviously. I chose baby blue :). Next comes the crackle. You can either apply a thin or thick coat. I prefer thin because I don't want the crackle color to be the dominant color. The key thing to remember is be QUICK. It's not normal polish that you can take your time and apply with care. You have to slap it on there and let it work it's magic. I believe my first attempt was fairly good for a beginner. I was/am quite pleased. [Pats back and grins]



 

♥

I found a new hobby

So one day after watching a zillion youtube videos and thinking to myself, "Man, I wish I had the nerve to make videos and be cool like these lovely gals," I came across a dashing young girl who blogs. Then it hit me! I'll blog.

I believe I have a slight problem with obsessing over clothes and jewelery and makeup and hair. I began watching youtube videos of these girls who were extremely talented in showing their takes of fashion and beauty through videos by making tutorials and showing their "outfits of the day." I admit, I became quickly intrigued and subscribed to several girls who I just fell in love with. Their videos are so addicting and they are able give so much fashion and beauty advice, along with being funny and charming. I longed to be like these girls. I wanted to make tutorials and give advice and show an occassional vlog of my life. Unfortuantely, I'm too much of a coward to film myself and post it to the web. I don't like the sound of my voice, I talk like a hick, I sling my hands all over the place, along with many other things. Then it occured to me that I could do all of these things without having to film myself.

So here I am, writing my first blog. I enjoy writing. I always have. I'm no expert and I'm sure you'll find many of my errors along the way. But who's perfect?

Here's to a new hobby and something I will hopefully get a lot of enjoyment out of!

♥