Drugstore

Nexxus Therappe & Humectress

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Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Humectress conditionerNexxus Therappe and Humectress

I’ve been on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner since my Tigi Moisture Maniac stopped working out for me was discontinued and its successor sucked. I tried a Suave option out of curiosity and…nope. It is surprisingly difficult to shop for shampoo…first world problems, right?

Here’s my hair profile:

  • Loooong. Mid-back, even after having four inches lopped off.
  • Straight-ish. Sometimes wavy. I have no idea what the letter/number combinations mean or what I am in them, but I assume they’re really only relevant for curly-girls.
  • Not colored/dyed (though I did do a DIY Hair Gloss once).
  • Free of other chemical processing (no perms, relaxers, Brazilian Straightening witchcraft, etc).
  • Not frequently heat-styled. I blow dry approximately every two weeks at the moment. This increases to 1-2x per week when the weather gets cold because mid-back length damp hair + cold = a big ol’ glass of NOPE. I curl or straighten even less often. I always use a heat protectant when I use heat tools. You should, too. Your hair is worth it.
  • Not a ton of product usage. I have a serum I throw in when I blow-dry. I have one of the twelve thousand flavors of It’s a Ten! that I use every now and then. I use hairspray when I curl or straighten so my hair doesn’t get sassy, but nothing extreme. Basically, I’m trying to tell you I don’t personally contend with a ton of product build-up.

I like to use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner although my hair isn’t particularly dry. On a whim, I grabbed a little tube (5.1 oz) of Therappe shampoo and the coordinating Humectress conditioner from the Nexxus haircare line (mid-range line available at drugstores). At first, I was confused, I spent a couple minutes searching for a Therappe conditioner; not finding one, I looked at the back of the tube and found that Humectress is the accompanying conditioner.

I popped the cap open of both Nexxus products just to see how they smelled. Although performance is far more important than scent when it comes to such a product, but we also don’t want a shampoo whose scent we can’t stand if the scent lingers, you know? Nexxus Therappe, according to the Nexxus website, is formulated with rosemary, chamomile, and nettle – but smells (to me!) like coconut…and was sold. The Humectress conditioner from Nexxus smelled nice too, but not nearly as nice as the shampoo.

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July 2014 Favorites

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July 2014 Favorites

July 2014 Favorites
1. China Glaze Gelaze, $11 / 2. Maybelline Instant Age-Rewind Concealer, $8
3. Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light, $15 / 4. Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray, $29

Just four this month because, frankly, it was kind of a lazy month for me. I didn’t really break away from, “safe,” things in light of my wedding. Afterwards, I decided to give my skin a break, so I don’t have a ton to gush about.

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Wedding Makeup pt. 2: What I Used

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So last week, I shared what all I packed to be too-prepared for any wedding makeup needs. Today, I’m sharing what I actually used. You’ll notice that the photo still has a LOT of that stuff, but bear in mind that I didn’t use all the brushes in the Coastal Scents set, all the shadows in each palette, etc.

Wedding Makeup pt 2 - What I UsedWedding Makeup pt. 2: What I Used

Products

Now for tools – these ARE in order of appearance:

Brushes/Tools

  • Coastal Scents Elite Brush Kit
  • BeautyBlender – To blend and help tone down my already-applied foundation.
    Nars Sheer Matte is THICK. I had practiced with it, but it still didn’t hit me how thick it is.
  • Sonia Kashuk Eyelash Curler
  • EcoTools Fan Brush – To apply setting powder.
  • Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki (unboxed it here) – To apply my foundation.
  • Real Techniques Retractable Lip Brush – To mix and apply Cosmo and Brave.
  • Real Techniques Shader Brush – Actually works better for blending shadow, concealer.
  • bdellium Tapered Dome (785), Blender (776), Pencil (780), and Flat Definer (714)
    Respectively: for blending, more blending, precise application, and detail work. I used the last one to help sculpt my brows.
  • Sonia Kashuk Angled-Bristle liner brush – Holy grail liner brush.
  • Urban Decay flat shadow brush (came w\ Naked) – Pack on ALL the Lt. Bronze!
  • Sonia Kashuk Lash Curler

So, like I said, this list still looks massive. I know what you’re thinking, “Really? You needed THREE concealers?”

Yes, in fact I did. The consistency of the first is light enough that it doesn’t settle into lines and crease. The second is perfect for hiding a scar I have on my chin. The third is thick and opaque, good for spot/blemish concealing…which I needed, because I had a couple pop up that week (thanks, stress).

“Three PALETTES, though!?”

Yep. You’ll notice that I only used six shades total plus my Chocolate Soleil bronzer for my eyes. De-potting palettes is against my religion. Besides, my friend was able to get use out of one of them, even if my bridesmaids got their makeup done.

“An entire brush kit?!”

The brush kit IS kind of gigantic, but I didn’t use many brushes from it. I just like to keep everything together, and I wasn’t sure which ones I would want to use day of until I was sitting down playing Bob Ross.

Don’t be afraid to over-pack for events like this; it is far better to have too much stuff with you than not enough and then flying into a panic because, “DAMN IT I left my eyeliner at home!” or something like that which could lead to a meltdown that you don’t need right before your wedding!

Wedding Makeup pt 1: What I Packed

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I decided a long time ago that I was going to DIY my wedding makeup. When I made that decision, I had no idea what I was doing but I figured that I could learn in the space of well over a year (yep, definitely did) and use the money that I’d spend on an MUA to buy (and therefore HAVE) my own products.

So I learned and practiced with the help of YouTube and the various beauty sub-reddits out there – in the time I had given myself, I exceeded my own expectations and was completely comfortable with it. Because I treat makeup as something fun rather than something that I must do, I was able to have a lot of fun throughout this process.

I definitely over-packed my kit, but this was on purpose. Although I had fully planned and practiced my eye look, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of stuff in case my bridesmaids wanted/needed to do theirs (at the time, I wasn’t sure they were doing the student bit as discussed in this post).

Here’s what I packed. Products are not in order of appearance in the photo, but grouped by type. If you need me to point something out/clarify it, please leave a comment.

Wedding Makeup pt One: What I packedWedding Makeup pt 1: What I Packed

Products

A lot of these products are minis, deluxe samples, GWP items.

Now for tools – these ARE in order of appearance, left-to-right:

Brushes/Tools

 

Just to reiterate – I did not use all this stuff on my face for my wedding makeup. Not even close. I just wanted to over-pack for the occasion rather than risk missing something I needed or that my bridesmaids may have needed. My next post will share what I actually used.

Disclosure: Hey! Some of the links in this Wedding Makeup post are affiliate links – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I only recommend products I’ve tried and verified as awesome. Ethical blogging FTW.

Birthday Haul

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The last month – sheesh! A great giveaway, my birthday, Independence Day, my freaking wedding, and another giveaway! I cannot believe how busy I’ve been.

Birthday HaulBirthday Haul

Pictures/descriptions aren’t in order. Bear with me!

Sephora Birthday Haul

I had a gift card from a friend that I took for-ev-er to decide what to use it on.

Purity – I’ve tried a tiny sample of Purity cleanser by Philosophy, but I wanted to try it a little more, so I got a little duo of two 2oz bottles to try. So far, I dig it.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light – Because it is summer and I think the regular stuff might be a little heavier than I liked, I got a bottle. I was hoping I can use it for daytime – I can, but not on full-face days.

Benefit they’re Real! Push Up Liner – This is a deluxe sample and I am so dang lucky to have got it before they ran out. I have only tried it once so far, early in the morning and in a rush; but I am really excited to play with it more and share my thoughts with you guys once I have. So far, I can definitely say it is a very unique product.

Deborah Lippmann – in Boom Boom Pow (not pictured) – I didn’t have an obnoxious yellow gold glitter. This one was on clearance for $5, is 3-free, cruelty free, and all that jazz.

Beauty Insider Birthday Gift from MUFE – Unboxed already, they give you an eensy mascara and a little Aqua Rouge lipstick. I like the color, not the formula.

Ulta Birthday Haul

Lorac Pro Palette 2 – You’ve already seen it but though I gave one away, I likely would not have gotten one if not for my (then upcoming) birthday. Really though, it rocks, you basically need it, and congrats x1000 to the winner.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream – in Stockholm (not pictured again because I am a spazz) – This is my third SMLC so far, and I still love how they wear. This one is nude on me without corpsifying my face. Woot!

Real Techniques Retractable Lip Brush – I didn’t have a lip brush! I needed one for tomorrow.

Ulta Rewards Birthday Gift from Calvin Klein – Engineering? In MY mascara? I haven’t cracked this sucker open yet, but the wand has a dial that you can use to change the configuration of the applicator’s bristles. Amazing.

Bonus: Amazon

ORLY Go Deeper (not pictured) – I got this over a teal-blue polish during a recent pedicure, and it is only the second color, to date, that I have purchased due to having had it used at a salon. I. Love. It. I redid my pedicure last night with it. Cameras have a hard time picking up how complex and awesome the glitter is in this ORLY FX polish, and the other great thing is that the glitter isn’t super-gritty – it lays pretty flat, only one layer of top-coat to cover! Basically, you need it in your life if you are into any kind of glitter polish.

Disclosure: Hey! Some of the links in this Birthday Haul post are affiliate links (not all of them, of course) – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I only recommend products I’ve tried and verified as awesome. Ethical blogging FTW.

June 2014 Favorites

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Beauty Skeptic - June 2014 Favorites

June 2014 Favorites
Million Dollar Tan Cabana Tan $20 / bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara $18
Aussie 3-Minute Miracle $4 / KMS Hair Play Makeover Spray $20 / Gena Callus Off $10

 

1. Because I don’t tan in beds or outside any longer, I need to fake it (especially because I’m not trying to look washed out in an ivory gown). I’m going to have a lot of pictures taken soon, so I needed it to be convincing and not a pain to deal with, either. I bought a bottle of Million Dollar Tan’s Cabana Tan and Cabana Tan Extreme lotions a while back after some recommendations were made to me. I’m pretty happy with it and plan to have a post up soon. In addition to their lotion products, Million Dollar Tan carries spray and mousse versions, which you can find here.

2. The original bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara is my holy grail mascara (so far, anyway). I often go without because $18 for something that you need to replace so frequently is too much for me – but I snagged two (one regular, one waterproof) when Ulta had them half off as a part of 21 Days of Beauty event this spring. It does on sale on the bareMinerals website, too, every now and then, but if you don’t care about it being on sale you can get it there, Ulta, or Sephora.

3. The original 3-Minute Miracle (“Moist Deeeeep Conditioner”) is my favorite conditioner, period. More than I loved the Tigi Moisture Maniac conditioner, and this is a hell of a lot cheaper. They have new versions of it now, too, but I haven’t tried them yet. You can get it at drugstores, mass merchants, online – pretty much anywhere, this is very accessible.

4. Got a sample-size can of this Dry Shampoo with from a Gift with Purchase bag and it is easily the best dry shampoo I have ever tried. One or two short bursts takes care of my whole scalp, it is not strongly scented at all, it feels nice, ugh. So good. Alas, with a $20 price tag, I’ll be stretching my sample and ultimately sticking with Psssst! unless I can find it on sale. (You can get the travel size for $7, however). I could only find it at Ulta.

5. Credo blades aren’t safe and daily pumice stone use only get you so far. Despite my DIY pedicure efforts, sometimes you have to break out the big guns. This is also carried at Sally Beauty as well as a similar product that is slightly cheaper (haven’t tried this brand though). Be careful not to leave it on too long, and be both grossed out and amazed by what it does to stubborn calluses.

Disclosure: Hey! Some of the links in this June 2014 Favorites post are affiliate links (not all of them, of course) – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I only recommend products I’ve tried and verified as awesome, which is kind of the point of a favorites post. Ethical blogging FTW.