beauty review:: dry shampoo

Inspired by Becky's recent (ish, I'm behind as usual...) post on this same topic, I was inspired to do this ranking for you all.  Dry shampoo is my dirty (clean??) little secret that I've been using for years.  To be honest, it started when I began college and tended to rush to class before a shower, or just needed a refresher after a nap.  My blonde hair tends to show products and look oily easily, so dry shampoo has been a go-to beauty-saver time and time again.  Over the years, I've made sure to try a few different brands, so here are my reviews of a few...

Suave Dry Shampoo
I've used this brand once.  Some people absolutely LOVE it, but it wasn't for me.  There is a distinct scent to it, one I wouldn't necessarily describe as pleasant.  The biggest issue I had with this one was that it left a slight residue in my hair.  Yes, I brushed out the white powder, but my hair still felt grainy to the touch.  If you don't mind either of those, it is a wonderful budget option, and it did add quite a bit of volume to my hair!

TreSemme Fresh Start

Let me start by saying, the smell isn't nearly as wonderful as some other products.  It's not bad per se, just not fantastic.  It eliminates some oily sheen, but not all.  If you're only using dry shampoo for a bit of volume, or to get rid of some oils for a quick meeting (face-to-face/Skype) before you hop into the shower, or one last errand after the gym, this is a great, low-cost option.  For all day use, you'll find yourself needing to reapply. 

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak

This is my favorite.  It's not as popular, or as easy to find, but it is my favorite brand (it's cheaper at Wal-Mart or Target!).  Personally, I love the smell.  Others find that it's a little strong.  I agree it's strong at first, but it doesn't linger.  The only linger is a nice, light, clean scent.  The only con to it is that if you spray too much, roots can look a little gray.  If you take the time to brush it out and shake it through the roots a bit, it disappears.  It lasts forever though, which is why the pros outweigh the cons for me.  As someone with hair that shows grease so, so easy, a long-lasting product is what I need.

In a pinch, Johnson's Baby Powder is the go-to.  I bring the little 3oz one with me on vacation and just put a little on if needed.  Cheaper than a travel size dry shampoo, easier to find, and great in a pinch, just puff some on your roots, brush, and go!  This one is the winner in smell too, ha!




What's your dirty (clean??) little secret?

beauty review:: sensationail gel manicure

Another beauty review, another story about my nails.  For Christmas, my dad gifted my sisters and I with the Sensationail Gel Manicure kit.  I already had gel polish on my nails, so we tried the polish out on Kit, and it worked pretty well!  The color was a little shimmery for me, so I waited until I found a color I liked before I tried it.

The time came, and I was not impressed.  I had the polish picked off within a few days.  I was really disappointed, as I love the durability of a gel manicure, but don't have the budget to consistently get them.  (Oh, and they helped me cure my habit of nail picking!)

Fast forward to about a week ago - I was itching to get my nails done, but my budget said it would be awhile.  I decided to give gel polish set another try, so I picked up Island Oasis from Target, poured myself a glass of wine, and got started.

I'm impressed.  Very impressed.  I want to get all the colors, and if someone wants to send me Coral Sunset, that'd be cool.  The key is to take your time.  I made sure I was being precise.  When the directions said cure for 60 seconds, I cured for 90 seconds.  When they said two coats, I did three (mostly because I wanted it to be more opaque).  The biggest tip I have though - don't let the base/top coat or the color coat touch your skin.  If it gets onto your cuticle, you'll have more issues with snagging and peeling.  It's going to be on your nail for  couple weeks, it's okay if it's not right up to the skin.

It does take a little bit of time and energy to get it done, but so does going to the salon to get them done.  On the plus side, you can watch Netflix and drink wine at home while you do it.

I'll let you all know how long it lasts and how removing it goes when it comes time.  I'm sure it will be a process!

UPDATE: Pretty easy removal, except for a weird stickiness that's left on the nail.  Luckily it's easy to paint over.  Enjoy!

beauty review:: Sephora by OPI Trend Tips

As I mentioned last week, I ordered the Sephora by OPI Trend Tips in Ikat.  Well I put them on about a week ago, and I would definitely order them and apply them again.  Let's start with the good:

The Good

- as long as you apply a topcoat, they last a long time.  I didn't have a chip for at least five days.  That may not seem like a lot to some people, but I pick at my nails and the nails break easily, so this is fantastic for me.

- they're subtle.  I got tons of compliments on them, but many thought I had done them myself!  While it's great to have professional looking nails, it's also a relief to know people aren't thinking "wow, that's intense to have professionally done".

The Bad

- they dry out quickly.  You have to apply them fast, and there isn't a ton of room or time for error.

- there are only 16 stickers.  It's a one time manicure, which is great for the price, but I was frustrated that there are only two of each sizes.  With smaller hands and similarly shaped fingernails, I had spots where there wasn't enough coverage, and others where I had to trim the sticker to fit.

- takes forever to take off.  I held off the review because I was curious how easily they came off.  Because they're metallic, it takes a little longer anyways, but there was also this sticky residue that was left on my nails. NOTHING I did got it off, so I just painted over it.

All in all, pretty good!  I'd give it a 3.75-4 out of 5, and I would definitely get it again.  I would get them for design and long lasting factor alone - it's way quicker for me to paint my nails.

Any products you're loving?

perfume love no.1

photo credit: Mellow Mayo

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for free things, a good deal, or a "buy this, get a free gift" promotion.  If I can get a $40 gift with my $40 purchase, well then each thing was only $20, right?  (This is how my mind works, people!)  My birthday was a couple weeks ago, and as I was going through the promotions tab in my inbox, there were two emails from Sephora that stuck out to me.  The first was that I could pick up my (free!) birthday gift in-stores or redeem online, and the second was that with every purchase I made, I could pick out five free samples instead of the typical three.  Well.  Let me tell you.

I initially disregarded the second email, as I had just gotten home from vacation and really did not need to spend any money on make up at the time.  My intent was to go to the website and claim my birthday gift, because I'm lazy at heart and didn't want to go to the mall.  Imagine my surprise (but not really surprise) when I discovered that to get my birthday gift, I had to buy something.  "Well," my internal self said, "that's okay, because then you get five free samples and your birthday gift, which is probably a $10 value or something."  (The lazy struggle is real guys.)  So I bought the Trend Tips for Sephora by OPI in Ikat.  They were on sale and I paid a little for shipping (I knowwwwwww) but I got five free samples and my birthday gift!  For less than $10 total!  Isn't that exciting?!

For one of my samples I chose Roses de Chloe perfume, because although I'm not a beauty nut, I love perfume.  The feelings I have for this particular scent are indescribable.  I hadn't smelled it before, but when I put it on I was initially unsure - fresh cut roses aren't always my thing.  But ohmygoodness, I'm in love.  I want to wear this scent every day.  Every.  Day.  If I wasn't so broke right now, I would definitely be buying (have bought) this right now (already).

Anyone want to get me a belated birthday gift?  Sephora, want to just mail it to me?

What scent are you loving?

cold weather blessings.

Remember that time I posted about cold being 5F?.  Well I take that all back.  All of it.  Earlier in the week, the University of Minnesota canceled all classes on Monday, and morning classes on Tuesday because of the cold.  It was -27F, and it felt a whole lot colder.  I grew up with late starts, snow days, and early outs because the amount of snow we received made it difficult for the country kids to get anywhere and even more difficult for big ol’ busses to make it out there.  My first year at a small college in southwest Minnesota called at least 3 full days off of school, and multiple other cancelled mornings or afternoons.  Imagine my dismay then, when I came to the U of M and never had days, mornings, or afternoons off due to the snow.  And I had to walk in it!

It made sense though.  Plows were out early, Metro Transit was always running, and there never seemed to be as much snow in the city as there was in my hometown.  After three years of finally coming to terms with it, I was beyond excited when I found out Sunday night that I would not be having class the next day.  Our University called off school because of the cold.  And it was marvelous.

I had a spa night by myself, which was awesome.  I tried this hair mask recipe.  And this face mask recipe.  I used my walnut foot scrub that is to die for.  And I watched a lot of Grey’s Anatomy.  I slept in the next morning and got to have my coffee while watching the news and not feeling rushed.  I spent all of Monday finding the fine line between being lazy and being productive.  To say I wish I could start every week like that is an understatement.  I have felt that balance of time off and time on the ball all week, and it’s made me more productive and happier than I can remember being in awhile.  There was something about having a “cold day” that brought back all my memories of “snow days”.  They always involved movies, hot chocolate, and blankets, and they were always happy.

I’ve had individual classes canceled for various reasons before, but I was never able to feel the childish joy because of the mass amount of homework that needed to be done.  That Sunday night pampering and the wonderful balance of Monday is an experience I'm hoping to take a lesson from and implement into my Sundays.  I want to do a little pampering, whether it be painting my nail or doing a face mask.  I want to do something creatively based and I want to accomplish a little task or two to start off my week on the right foot.

Do you have any similar stories? If so, share them with me!  Try pampering yourself before the start of your week - it definitely helps the mindset!