What’s in my Shower?

Hey all! It is another hot day in Brooklyn, NY and I will probably hibernate in my house with the air conditioner. My mom is coming over today to hang out since our apartment stays much cooler. I like to live in an icebox at all times. One of my favorite things to do in the summer (and everyday) is take a shower. I don’t feel good until I have showered for the day and in this weather, it brings on some relief!

Being obsessed with products, I have a few lying around my shower. I have actually pared down quite a bit and instead of 30 products in the shower, I think I have gotten down to maybe 15 total. My trick was to really just use up those things that I am sick of and not add anything until absolutely necessary. In fact, I have also been cleaning out my hair product closet and giving things to my aunt, since she is a hair stylist. I am sure she will find some clients to use them on.

Currently, I have these items in my shower:

It is a shower expose.

Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery  Treatment: I have a fairly full jar but haven’t used it in a long time. I should give it to my friend that likes it. It is a really thick conditioning treatment.

Suave Mint Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: This has a few washes left and I just need to really use it up. It is a good shampoo and doesn’t smell like a dandruff type. I think they only make the coconut anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner now and I did like that one better.

Suave Professionals  Rosemary +  Mint Shampoo: I put to the wayside because I dye my hair but I think there maybe 2-3 washes left. I need to just kill it off. It smells delicious and feels really refreshing.

Dove Body Wash: My husband uses this. It is his favorite.

Queen Helene Placenta Shampoo: I have a pretty full bottle and I do like it, as a little goes a long way and it doesn’t strip hair color.

Perlier Honey and Tiramisu Honeycomb Shower and Bath Cream: My aunt got this from someone for Christmas and of course I end up with it. Though it makes my skin soft, I am not loving the scent.

Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shower Gel: I am about halfway done with this and I love the minty fresh smell.

L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Shampoo & Conditioner: These are really my go to for daily cleansing and are pretty full.

Even the windowsill has crap.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser: I love how this soap-free formula foams up and really cuts the oil on my face. For ultra-gentle, I find it to be ultra-scented.

Philosophy Cleansing Hair to Toe Baby Wash: I got this because I am ultra sensitive during certain points in the month (a-hem). I actually really just like the formula and there is a light scent that isn’t a fragrance additive. Unfortunately, I can’t find it anymore.

ETUDE HOUSE Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam Moist: I got the very small tube when I ordered from KollectionK.com. A little goes a long way and I am loving it. This formulation is for dry skin but I don’t find it to make me oily and my face feels very clean after using it.

Urban Decay Joe Glow Body Scrub: I had this forever and finally got around to using it. It was sealed and in a dark place- they don’t even make this anymore. It is some kind of coffee scrub and it does the job. I have about 1/4 bottle left.

Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: I love this scrub and may eventually purchase as this is just a deluxe sample. I have very little left and think it should be done soon. It is a scrub with micro crystals and enzymes. My face looks brand new after every use.

Pure Silk Shaving Cream: This is a necessity in the summer. I’m not picky with shave cream and this was cheap.

Ulta Men Hair + Body Wash in Citrus: I bought my husband some manly stuff. It smells really nice and uh manly.

Miss Jessie’s Creme De La Creme Conditioner: I am about half way done. I really like this and use it when I don’t need to wash but just need to refresh and condition.

Shower comb: This comb is old. When we move at the end of the year, I will throw it away.

Shower pouf: I throw these out every couple of months, though they say you can wash them.

Razor: I changed my razor head every other week or about every eight shaves.

What do you keep in your shower?

Keep Calm & Primp On! XOXO

Poring over Products- This is a LOT of Stuff

Last time I updated was Saturday. My apologies for not coming by sooner but this week and next are going to be so busy that I’m not sure when I will be able to fit in some time to write. I got a number of products last week and I have tried out quite a few of the items I received so I will give you a bit of a head’s up as to what I like and what I find to be eh.

First up, my package from Beauty.com. I never really purchased anything from Beauty.com but my friend, Michelle, gave me a gift card for my birthday. I was excited to use it, as Beauty.com carries some excellent products. I did not really like the layout of the website but I managed. Luckily for me, if I spent $100, I would get a really cool looking make-up bag filled with deluxe samples. I ordered:

Purchased!

DermaDoctor Total Nonscents, Ultra-Gentle Antiperspirant ($20 US): More than I would normally spend on antiperspirant but I really suffer from itchy pits (sorry). They get very dry and the skin is very sensitive. I actually really like this antiperspirant. I don’t smell like fake flowers- in fact, I stay dry and don’t smell at all! I think this may have to become my regular antiperspirant.

Vapour Organic Beauty Mesmerize Eye Color Shimmer in Sugar ($18 US): I like that this is a stick eye shadow. It makes throwing it into my bag nice and easy. Sugar is very sheer and it brings pretty light to the eye area. I am curious as to how the other colors are.

Bare Minerals Remix Collection Loud & Clear Lip Sheer in Amped Pink ($15 US): Haven’t tried this yet but the tube is blue and the pink is bright. I’m thinking it will be sheer with better color pay out.

Smashbox Megatint Long Wear Lip Color in Whirl: Another one I need to get on my lips, Whirl is a pretty, natural looking pink. Megatint is supposed to fall somewhere between a lipstick and a stain and I am intrigued. I will let you know!

Yu-Be Lip Therapy ($5 US): A Japanese staple, Yu-Be makes lotion, cream, and lip balm. I love the camphor smell!

Lucy B!

Lucy B Perfume Roll-On Oil, Royal Egyptian Amber & Honeysuckle ($24 US): Wasn’t too sure what to expect. I like amber. I like honeysuckle. I opened the roll-on and it smelled very similar to Hanae Morae.

Finally, my free gift. A great cosmetics bag with samples from Caudalie, Stila, Murad, Peter Thomas Roth, etc, tucked inside.

Free!

Onto Ulta…

I miss being near an Ulta. When I was in college, I would take a weekly trip and browse the aisles. That was about 10 years ago and now, Ulta has upped their game. The sell a nice mix of drugstore and higher end brands in one place. (FYI: Prices listed are from Ulta.com and are per piece.)

Color Sensational Color Whisper Lipcolor  by Maybelline Whow Red Red-er ($7.49 US) : I have not tried this color but have tried another Color Whisper. I think there are better sheer lipsticks but this one is lovely and not waxy.

Volum’Express The Rocket Waterproof Mascara by Maybelline in Very Black ($7.99 US): Lindz, over at Girl in the Glasses, loves this mascara, so I had to order it at her recommendation. I have to finish my current tube and a mini and I will go onto this.

Color Stay Ultimate Suede Lipstick by Revlon in Supermodel & Trendsetter($9.99 US): I tried Supermodel, a really sweet plum. And suede was this lipstick! It went on smoothly and lasted for about 3 hours without a touch-up. (It would have lasted longer if I didn’t drink that small glass of wine.)

Treat & Boost by Revlon ($7.99 US): Another nail treatment-I am really just hoping for a miracle here.

Butter Gloss  by NYX Cosmetics in Merengue & Strawberry Parfait ($4.99 US): I read about these glosses on a few blogs and was going crazy that I could not find them in my local beauty supply store. I also was under the assumption that they were lipstick bullets, not wand glosses. Duh- I was wrong. Merengue is a pale lilac pink and I was surprised how nice it looked on me. I always find that color to look chalky and I do not like the corpse-lip look. This gloss had enough shine to make the color pretty and wearable. Strawberry Parfait is now permanently in my bag and I use it often. It is way brighter in the gloss tube but when applied, is a natural pink. Both glosses are very soft, smooth, and go on like a dream. Well done, NYX!

Ulta Haul!

XXXL Shine Lipgloss  by Essence in Big Night Out 07 ($2.49 US): I find Essence to be the underdog! I think some of their products are terrific. I didn’t like the last Essence gloss I bought so I ordered this one. I didn’t realize how shimmery it would be- I guess that is part of the lip plumping factor. It is a pretty pink gold but  I think I will stick to Essence eye products from this point on. The lip products aren’t my cup of tea.

French Manicure Tip Guides by Essence (.99 US): Since I am getting more adventurous with my nails I ordered these. I’m not sure how well they work, but for under a buck, I can deal.

Cleansing Hair-To-Toe Baby Wash by Philosophy ($10 US): Remember my itchy pits? I bought this because it is for babies. I currently use Aveeno’s baby wash for super dry skin and I thought I would give Philosophy a turn in my tub.

All in all, I spent too much money but I had plenty of fun doing it!

I have issues.

Keep Calm & Primp On! XOXO

This is NOT a Beauty Tutorial.

I won’t film myself. Nope. Not happening. My Brooklyn accent can be grating and who the frig wants to watch me?

I will take silly pictures with my iPhone of things I’ve managed to do to myself. Sometimes these things can be quite comical. For example…

THIS is how I looked after a wedding. I had a pompadour on purpose. That’s right- clips and hairspray and that thing grew like a Chia Pet. Moving on…

Last Saturday, I wrote about my beauty trip to Bloomingdale’s. I’m still coming down from the shopping high- that and the fact that I have joined eBay and have been scouring vintage bags. I scored some good ones.

Here’s the thing with Bloomingdale’s. I always feel I need to look nice to shop there. If not nice, I need to look chic. I find that so hard. For some reason, I just never feel chic. Eh. I managed to dig out white shorts and I wore a black top that I got at H&M. The new +size line is sick and I mean that in the best way possible. If I can’t up my game clothes-wise, then I do it with my face. (Like you didn’t know this was coming.)

I used a bunch of stuff I have and it was all either free or from my Birchbox. Except for my mascara. The humidity was awful and I needed to use Blinc.

Okay, so not everything here is free in theory. My Too-Faced shadows were from a Sephora 500 point perk. It actually didn’t cost me points because I had initially used those points in a store and then placed an online order right after. They didn’t catch up. Too bad. The fact that I even spent $500 in that store in a year is reason enough to give me the gift. The Ulta lipstain I bought and it is fantastic. It does not come off. Ever. The Eyeko eyeliner is in olive. I think it adds a nice element of surprise. I got that in my Birchbox. And if I need to state the obvious, my dining room table is messy. Don’t judge me.

Here is what I did…

I primed my face. (Duh.) Then I primed my lids and used the beige shadow on them. It was not shimmery. I wanted to even out my lid color. I am very sensitive about it. (Well, not really, but if you are this will work wonders.) Then I used the Eyeko liner and lined my top lid. I kind of wanted to do a cat-eye. Again, I can’t. I just can’t. It’s ridiculous. If you haven’t noticed, my right eyelashes are shorter than my left. Maybe it’s because that eye is more deep-set. I know most faces are assymetrical but come on. I always look like a Popeye with my right eye in a squint.

I then put on my lipstain and Blinc mascara. I must be channeling Elvis here with my sneer. And my lip looks crooked. I never noticed that! Crap.

This is the overall look. It’s not bad. I forgot to mention that I used that Smashbox powder-blush thing on my face. I love that stuff.

If you were wondering, I put Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls in my hair along with Quidad gel. It’s a great combo.

I hope this post made you feel better about yourself. We all pick ourselves apart sometimes.

Stay glossy!

*Oh! I just looked at my pictures again. My right eye looks bigger. What the heck? I look in a mirror and I swear the right eye looks more sunken. Ick.