Shampoo -L'Oreal - EverCreme Intense Nourishing
rayjbady 11/2/2012 1:28:00 PM
First of all, my haircare routine: Shampoo, every other day, 1-2 shampoos depending on how gross my hair is (oily at tops, dry at bottom, always pin straight, dyed once a month for the past 3 years, fine but lots of it) Conditioner, all kinds: coat mostly mid-lengths to tips, a bit on the top for color protection. Leave in for 2-5 minutes. Comb through to get rid of tangles. Blow drying: I don't. Unless it is extremely cold outside or I am running late, I do not blow dry my hair. I air dry. If it's night time, I twist it up on top of my head after using a water wicking (http://www.goody.com/Home/Products/Styling%20Tools/QUIK%20STYLE%20Paddle%20Brush.aspx) brush and put on a beanie or loosely hairtye it. Gives me wave in the morning. Organix coconut serum for my ends. I generally do not comb my hair in the AM, gives me texture since my hair is so flat. Previous loved brands: Only sulfate-free shampoos. I use Sally Beauty ION Color defense shampoo. I cyle between different conditioners: HG= Herbal Essences conditioner, pink and orange tube, from inside of the old pink hair dye boxes. Discontinued but fantastic. Have never had smoother, conditioned, lightweight, better smelling hair than when I use this. HG= Herbal Essences Rosemary Jasmine conditioner (also discontinued, old kind, green bottle, old logo). Current: Switch between Herbal Essences conditioners- Hello Hydration and Color me Happy. Also occasionally I will use 'cholesterol' conditioner- the $2 tub in the ethnic hair section at Walmart- does a good job for being tangle-free. Organix is okay, but just too pricey. I do plan on getting the Moroccan or Brazilian for smell and color protection. Only when there's a sale though. I just got a sample pack of conditioner and shampoo from the last Target Beauty Bag. I just used it last night. Here are my impressions: Scent: Out of this world. Best. Like vanilla/honey bliss. Sudsing: I wasn't too impressed. Normal shampoo to me. Sample packets had really small amounts, but it seems to do the same amount of work that my normal 3 pumps do. Cleanliness: My hair feels pretty good! Given I didn't blowdry, I can't tell you a comparison of how much volume I had vs. other products. Feels light at the ends, feels not tangled. Moisture: Top of my head is heavier, so the running-fingers through hair tactic probably won't work to my benefit. No frizz. Ends seem alright but could still use a boost. Packaging: Only had sample size, so I can't rate honestly. Toxicity/danger ingredients: Website for that is down, so I can't really check the chemicals in the hair product. Looks like there are quite a few naturals though. Using my haircare methods, my head smells fantastic today, and it has about the average tangle. Nothing can ever top the conditioning aspects of my pink+orange HG. But, with how great this smells and how well it is doing, it sure is coming close. Originally, I had tried the EverPure and EverSmooth and hated the minty/cedar smell, plus was put off by the "sulfate free" yet having 'sulfocsuccinate'. It irritated me. However, I've found most conditioners now to be safe from sulfates and parabens, so I get whatever conditioner suits my fancy. In this regard, I will be buying this conditioner if not just for the smell.
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Liquid -NARS - Firming Foundation
rayjbady 5/16/2012 12:25:00 AM
I love that this matches my skin, and I like the way it sits on my cheeks. It's very close to my natural tones, though a bit more yellow. I included swatch/pictures of it on my face. One is a nicely edited full face photo, the second is a closeup on what it does on my face- nose settling, and overtop of acne scabs (with Clinique Acne Solutions concealer). I am also wearing BeneFit Coralista. I don't think that I am the target demographic for this product, but I definitely prefer it to the Sheer Glow foundation. For application, I find it all looks streaky and wet until I let it set for about 30 seconds, then blend it with my fingertips. I don't love the way that if you don't use it daily it clogs up a little within the pump, and that on my nose it settles in my pores. That's to be expected though, I didn't prime. Ehh, oh well.
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow
rayjbady 5/1/2012 2:56:00 PM
I was really hoping for something awesome with these and unfortunately, no dice. I bought Tenacious Teal and had applied it on clean lids. I don't have oily lids, and this creased pretty horribly. My Urban Decay cream shadow lasts longer and stays creaseless. I didn't even feel like keeping this as a base, I was just too disappointed. It only lasted about 3 hours on me before it began patchy fading, creasing and smudging all over. I wanted to like it, but I'll stick to my regular products. From all the good reviews, I guess I must have gotten a bad product, I don't know. I won't get it again though, it's kind of pointless.
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Hair Color -Schwarzkopf - Schwarzkopf Live Luminance
rayjbady 11/24/2011 9:17:00 PM
I just used L42, the Infra Red one. WOah. This is actually just what I wanted to dye my hair color to be, although I had gotten the stuff out with the intent of keeping my hair the same dark blood red it has been. I've been recently more enthralled with the orange-reds. I have a pic up in my profile of my reds; also, here's a blog post I wrote about all the reds I've ever done. http://ramblings-of-rayjbady.blogspot.com/2011/08/hello-to-all-you-dyed-redheads-and.html Anywho, I am pleasantly suprised with this one; I am in love with Schwarzkopf colors, but not the smell (ammonia, ick!) But I do love the fact that I can have completely dark hair (I went from black last year to the color I am now WITHOUT bleaching) and still have intense color payoff. Hmm, what to say. I thought initially that this was going to just be a sort of glaze, but it's actually an intense red dye. I love. Try it out, if you hate it, it's experience! For the commenter below me, I would suggest next time leaving it in longer than 20 minutes. I usually run to 40. Anybody has hair dying questions, message me- I am a self-taught box dye fiend. Ah- also, the reason for the lightest part is a rushed mistake on my part- I didn't get enough of the product in the center there, as I was focusing on my ends mostly. I also experimented and put on the conditioner on top of the dye while it was still in.. worked okay, in my opinion.
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Skincare - Face -Dr. Bronner's - Dr.Bronners Tea Tree Soap
rayjbady 11/14/2011 1:35:00 AM
This stuff lasts forever, and I've been using it for about a month now and have noticed that my bacne breakouts have drastically reduced. Also, if you've ever heard of the term "squeaky clean".... this is it. As in your skin will squeak. I don't personally mind this- I love my Clinique facial soap for the same reason- it removes all the oils on my skin. Smells like motor oil though, Definitely don't buy if scent is a selling point for you. It does wear off as soon as you rinse it, but your bathroom will smell a bit off for half an hour.
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BB Cream -Unlisted Brand - Baviphat - Tea Tree It Trouble Catch BB Cream
rayjbady 11/12/2011 12:30:00 PM
Love this!! The shade of product looks at first like it's going to be INTENSELY dark tan, but once applied whitens up quite a bit and matches my skin tone (similar to Missha #13) quite perfectly. The coverage is medium to heavy, covering all but a single scar on my face (this scar is elevated, I might add). Smell? It's tea tree. What do you expect? Not strong, on the plus side, but is not floral or necessarily pleasant. The smell fades quickly. The tone is a pale yellowish-white-gray, so adding powder that matches your skin to set it is a good idea, as is blush because of the intensity of coverage. I was able to purchase this for $14 off eBay with free shipping. My favorite feature? I wore this overnight and for two days and had NO NEW BREAKOUTS. Happy! CHeck my swatch picture to see if it will match your skin.
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Lip Gloss -C.O. Bigelow - Mentha Supreme 2x
rayjbady 11/9/2011 9:50:00 PM
I have some of the original mentha lip balms. This one I got because it was on sale- I love menthol lip products. Anywho, this has the same packaging, although in a shiny, pretty teal tube, and claims to have 2 times the moisturizers and breath fresheners. It does feel much more minty to me, but not necessarily more moisturizing. Of course, I don't wear lipgloss every day, so I'm not one who's a gloss expert. 8 bucks per tube, but mint-tastic. Not sticky, definitely a smooth gloss, no tint, pretty spectacular shine, tastes good :p Worth purchasing, I think.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Cream Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowboy
rayjbady 11/4/2011 2:07:00 AM
So. UD had a sale, $3 each, I bought. WORTH IT. The color I got was very neutral, beautiful and shimmery. Looks great and ACTUALLY DOES NOT CREASE. It's the first cream shadow I can say that about. And, this is without primer. Be wary though: Apply with the applicator. Don't use your fingers. Just don't.
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Nutra Nail - Gel Perfect UV Free Gel Color
rayjbady 11/4/2011 2:02:00 AM
I got this in Dahlia. Each box comes with a 2$ off coupon, so I guess that's good. There's not a huge color range- ONE blue shade. All the others are standard mani colors- red pink peach. Pros: One coat dries FAST. Under 30 seconds, I'd say. Lasts longer than all of my other polishes without chipping. Cons: That's only 2 days. Also, you can't put on a topcoat or additional color- it diminishes the staying power. So too bad if you don't like the colors they gave you. It smells and probably is made of nail glue. Don't get it on your skin, because it won't come off. Packaging: The bottles are TINY. Hardly feels like enough for 10 bucks a pop. There is an activator, cleaner, and gel-color. You have to switch brushes between cleaner and gel color after every 5 nails. First coat is supposed to be very streaky and uneven. Second coat is supposed to do it. I guess that the more I practice the better I'll get at it, but right now I still get a couple patchy spots. TLDR: smells like nail glue can be streaky dries fast limited color selection lasts 2 days without chip $10 per color set tiny bottles MUST swap cleaner/color brushes after one hand coat
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Liquid -Maybelline - Fit Me Foundation
rayjbady 2/21/2011 7:24:00 PM
LOVE this stuff. First generic brand that matches my skin!! I bought both the liquid and the powder, and I'm so excited about it!! I'm super pale, and my shade is 110 (porcelain). It's a light coverage, as is advertised, but it's enough pigment to even things out just right. Pictures up soon :) Edit: Does not match PERFECTLY, but is close. I've found Covergirl's lightest shade matches better. Both break me out a little bit, but that's probably because I'm not removing all of my makeup at the end of the day.
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Polishes -Sinful - Nail Polish (all colors)
rayjbady 2/11/2011 4:08:00 PM
Sinful Colors is my ALL TIME favorite brand of polish.. However, they never last long enough for me. Then again, no nail polish ever does, because I'm always doing too much with my hands. I love the variety of bright, sparkly, pigmented beautiful colors.
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Eye Shadow -Milani - Runway Eyes Single Shadows
rayjbady 1/22/2011 3:41:00 PM
Yeah really, what's the deal with the bad reviews?? Use these wet!! They are beautiful colors, and while they have an overspray, there is still HEAVY shimmer that goes all the way throughout the product!! I LOVE Milani runway singles. I have the dark green, Shamrock, and the taupe color, Beach Sand. The only thing I can find wrong with it is that when de-potting, it's not metal, it's on a clay/porcelain base. So I have to add a magnet. Seriously, I love this stuff. If you hate your shades that you bought, contact me and send them to me!! I'll take them all!!!!
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Eye Shadow -Milani - Eyeshadow singles - Wet/Dry
rayjbady 1/22/2011 3:38:00 PM
Yeah really, what's the deal with the bad reviews?? Do you know how to apply makeup? Use these wet!! They are beautiful colors, and while they have an overspray, there is still HEAVY shimmer that goes all the way throughout the product!! I LOVE Milani runway singles. I have the dark green, Shamrock, and the taupe color, Beach Sand. The only thing I can find wrong with it is that when de-potting, it's not metal, it's on a clay/porcelain base. So I have to add a magnet. Seriously, I love this stuff. If you hate your shades that you bought, contact me and send them to me!! I'll take them all!!!!
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - N'Rage Demi Permanent Hair Color in Cobalt Blue
rayjbady 1/22/2011 3:05:00 PM
Cobalt blue made me happy. I had first tried Splat! Mulitcolor, which was a ripoff and didn't stay in my hair for more than 2 days. Since I had bleached, I put this Cobalt Blue color over the nasty remaining Splat! and it works wonderfully. I love the color. It does not smell like ammonia.. in fact, it smells like bubble gum. I'm not kidding. I bought this at Sally Beauty, it cost $10 a bottle. Color payoff is perfect. I left it in for an hour, not for the 15 minutes the bottle suggested. Cons: Stains even if you wipe it off, so be sure you're protecting your shower/bathtub/counters/floors etc.
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - N'rage Brilliant Demi-Permanent Hair Color in Crimson Red
rayjbady 1/22/2011 3:02:00 PM
Crimson red is the EXACT shade I have been searching for in all my hair-dyeing days. It does not smell like ammonia.. in fact, it smells like bubble gum. I'm not kidding. I bought this at Sally Beauty, it cost $10 a bottle. Color payoff is perfect. I left it in for an hour, not for the 15 minutes the bottle suggested. I did not bleach the top of my hair, where I applied this color, and it's perfect. (I had bleached the underside for blue, review for that is here too). Cons: Stains even if you wipe it off, so be sure you're protecting your shower/bathtub/counters/floors etc. Also, it seems to be coming off and my face has been turning pink because my hair touches my face at night. It's not staining my pillows though, so I guess maybe this is just residue from the original dye job :) Try it out and see.
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