Masks -Unlisted Brand - Hesh Amla Powder
faija 3/6/2013 9:55:00 PM
Let me just start by saying that I am relaxed and color treated. I mix my amla powder with castor and grapeseed oil in a squeeze bottle. The amla powder tends to stick at bottom so I have to shake for a good 5 mins before using. I put my mix on my scalp and all over my hair, then put a plastic cap on my hair, then my bonnet and go to bed. In the am, I cowash out. My hair is left feeling strong, but not dried out. I bought the powder because I was afraid of the smell of the amla oil. I'm glad I went with the powder because it was so inexpensive.
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Conditioner -Wen by Chaz Dean - Lavender Cleansing Conditioner
faija 3/5/2013 2:24:00 PM
I started off with Fig and liked it. Then I got Lavender. Lavender made me a WEN believer. WEN is too expensive to use the way they want you to so I use it to condition my hair. I use VO5 to "wash" my hair and then follow up with WEN. I don't think that WEN is good to really clean my hair and I actually don't like the menthol tingle on my scalp but when it comes to moisturizing my hair, it's amazing. If I leave it on for a couple of mins, then rinse and rinse and rinse and then let my hair air dry, it feels amazing! My hair is really soft and fluffy. Sometimes I use a bit as a leave in, but most of the times I don't. Even with nothing else on it, my hair still feels amazing. I didn't believe in WEN at first and though it was overpriced, but now I see the big deal. I do clarify with a shampoo when I feel my hair needs it and I also do a protein treatment about once a month. WEN is good, but I think it's too moisturizing to just use alone. BTW I'm relaxed. On my dd's natural hair, WEN does absolutely nothing.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Wen by Chaz Dean - Re-moist
faija 3/5/2013 2:02:00 PM
I had a 2oz and used the whole thing and was not impressed. Then I decided to use after clarifying. I then used the lavender and left it on overnight. My hair felt amazing the next morning! Normally I'm very heavy handed with conditioners, but I didn't need to be with this one. It's really expensive so I'm not sure if I'll buy it again unless I can get a deal on it.
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Conditioner -Alberto Vo5 - Kiwi and Lime Squeeze Clarifying Conditioner
faija 3/3/2013 6:38:00 PM
I've had this for months and never really used it. I decided to cowash for 30 days using no cone cheapies and WEN. One day I put a stinky sulfur mix in my hair and was trying to wash it out. I tried WEN but my hair didn't feel clean. So I dumped a bunch of Kiwi Lime on my hair and scrubbed and scrubbed. It worked! When I rinsed, my hair felt light and clean, not coated like with WEN. Don't get me wrong, I love my WEN, but I don't feel like it cleans my scalp or hair well. I use my WEN for moisture and VO5 to clean. For a $1 or less, this stuff is amazing! Honestly before I thought the hype over these were overrated. Now that I know how to use it, it really works!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Unlisted Brand - Elucence - Moisture Balancing
faija 2/22/2013 4:55:00 PM
So I got this because of all the rave reviews, plus I am a conditioner junkie. I'm relaxed and stretching so I thought this would be the one. No. It's just okay. Not to mention it has parabens. So not worth it.
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Brows -MAC - Eyebrow pencil in Stud
faija 2/14/2013 4:49:00 PM
I originally bought Spiked and I still use it. I decided to order Stud one day just because I'm a pj. I used Spiked to fill in my brows but I find that Stud shows better on my darkskin for the tail of my brow that I draw in. It looks perfect. Sometimes I'll use for the bottom of my brows using short light strokes. It is a dark color so if you're not careful you get the drawn on eyebrow look.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -NYX - Full Coverage Concealer Jar - Orange
faija 2/13/2013 1:20:00 PM
This stuff is amazing! I have dark undereye circles and I've been hunting for a concealer that would actually hide them. When I started researching, I found out that using an orange concealer on dark skin is supposed to really make a difference. MAC had an orange concealer but I didn't want to spend the money for it not to work. Then I found the NYX orange concealer. For $6 I would mind if it didn't work. But it does. It's creamy, not too thick and comes in a little jar. I use my finger and dab it under my eyes. I will never ever be without this stuff!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Unlisted Brand - L.A. Girl Pro conceal HD concealer
faija 2/13/2013 1:08:00 PM
I love love love love love this stuff! I got Beautiful Bronze which is almost equal to NW45 but it's not as orange as my NW45. As I'm getting older, I'm getting horrible dark circles around my eyes and it's to the point where I hate going out without concealer. I don't like super thick concealers but I need that kind of coverage. This one is perfect. It's thick but not too thick and the coverage is amazing! I do have to be careful because a lot tends to come out, but that's minor. I'd been on a MAC kick and while they are great for certain things, their foundation and concealers are never a perfect match for me. LA Girl reminds me that great products can also be inexpensive in cost.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Black Opal - Total Coverage Concealing Foundation
faija 2/9/2013 6:40:00 PM
I've had this for about a year and just started using it. I don't wear foundation all over my face, just wear I need it. I'm darkskinned with yellow undertones. Everytime I went to MAC they'd match me with NW45 which is the wrong undertone. I went to NARS and got Trinidad in Sheer Matte, but I ended up taking it back. It's too expensive for someone who doesn't like a face full of foundation. Anyway, I'm Beautiful Bronze in Black Opal and it's perfect on my skin. It has a yellow undertone that is perfect for me so I don't end up with that orangey makeup look. It blends perfectly and doesn't have that stupid transfer like the stick. Black Opal really has some great products. This is def one of them.
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Powder -Ben Nye - Neutral Set Translucent Powder
faija 2/8/2013 7:48:00 AM
I got Nutmeg. I'm Trinidad in NARS and have yellow undertones. I'd be NW56 if I had red undertones. Nutmeg is perfect for me. I have an oily tzone and the thing that amazes me is that it keeps the oil at bay! Like I had to keep looking in the mirror because my face was not oily! It was weird for me. LOL This stuff is amazing!
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Blush -MAC - Matte Blush - Blunt
faija 2/6/2013 7:28:00 PM
I got this for a blush, not a contour. I'm darkskinned, but not NW45. I have yellow undertones so maybe NC55? I'm Trinidad in NARS. On me Blunt is really red! It looks nothing like what's in the pan. Weird. I'm taking it back because I hate red blush. I was looking for a brown blush that would be really subtle on me. Blunt is not that blush.
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Moisturizers -Simple - Replenishing Rich Moisturiser
faija 1/31/2013 2:01:00 PM
I got a full sized free sample from Walmart.com when I bought something else. Lately I've been using it after washing my face with African Black Soap and my face has been super oily. Normally my tzone gets oily but my skin is not super oily at all. At my age and since it's winter, my skin tends to dry out. I need a good lotion but this is not it.
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Hair Styling Tools -Unlisted Brand - Solia Ceramic Ion Flat Iron
faija 11/7/2012 11:36:00 PM
I got the limited editon pink Solia. I wish I had gotten a different color because it's a light salmon pinkish color, not a pinky pink. I've never had such an expensive flatiron. I got $40 off by sending my old one in at folica.com. I've finally been able to get salon results at home. I also notice my hair doesn't feel dried out when I'm done. I thought maybe it was because of my technique so I tried my Jillbere on part of my hair one day. It's defintely the Solia. I'd pay full price for this baby if I had to. It's that great.
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Shampoo -Alberto Vo5 - Kiwi Lime Squeeze Clarifying Shampoo
faija 10/9/2012 10:56:00 AM
I'm getting away from parabens but I've been looking for a great clarifying shampoo. Some of the more expensive shampoos have great reviews but they also have parabens. I'm using WEN now so it's must that I clarify every couple of weeks and sulfate and paraben free shampoos the rest of the time. I've looked at Redken and AG. They cost 20 times the VO5, but they have parabens. The VO5 is paraben free and it works great. My relaxed hair is soft but not stripped after I use it. The key is to use when your hair needs it, not every shampoo. I'm going to keep using this and stop trying to find something better and more expenisve when this works great.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Wen by Chaz Dean - Fig Cleansing Conditioner
faija 10/8/2012 10:31:00 PM
WEN is amazing! Period. It made my hair super soft without being mushy or coated. It doesn't smell good to me and the menthol seemed a bit strong, but the results are worth it. I'm relaxed and color treated so moisture/protein balance is important to me so I will be continue to use protein conditioners as well as clarifying, but WEN is now a staple. I've tried Hair One and there is no comparison. One thing I'd also say is to make sure you clarify if you're going to use WEN. It's so moisturizing that I could see moisture balance becoming a problem. Update: I have a 32 oz bottle. I've washed my hair 3 times using about 25 pumps each wash. My botte is a little less than 1/4 gone. I like WEN but it's too expensive. Normally a 32oz bottle of conditioner lasts me at least a couple of times. I do use them in rotation but I am heavy handed. So I'm going to keep WEN in my stash but only use it as a cowash and not a cleanser. It'd be gone way too quick if I were to use all the pumps they tell you to. Update: This stuff is so goood on my hair! I have to keep buying it! Being relaxed and color treated, moisture is my whale. Fig gives me the moisture I need. I've found moisture like this in other conditioners, but they have parabens which I'm getting rid of in my products. Update: This stuff is the best! I don't use it everytime to wash my hair, but I use it as a leave in each and everytime. WEN is def worth the money. Update: I used it on my dd's natural hair and it sucked. I'm better off using Aussie Moist on her natural hair.
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