CONTEST CONTEST CONTEST!

HURRY EVERYONE! There are only a few days left in my contest! You all have until May 31st! Im not being super strict about that either. As long as the entries are in by the time I wake up June 1st, they will count!

THERE WILL BE FIRST AND SECOND PLACE WINNERS!

Details HERE

More reviews to come once the contest is over! I have a TON!!!!!!!

Review: Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

There are times as a beauty fanatic when I cannot contain my excitement over a product. You order it online, pay extra moo-lah for speedy shipping, rip the box open, and test the product right then and there. Okay, so sometimes your boss doesn't like the site of you testing beauty products at work, so you MUST wait to get home to try it, but you secretly play with it at your desk. That product is Ojon's Restorative Hair Treatment. The most amazing product I've ever gotten my hands on.

(Image source www.sephora.com)

What is it:

(taken from http://www.ojon.com/) Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment is a unique, highly-concentrated hair rejuvenator and scalp nutrient made with Ojon® oil the same rare oil used for over 500 years by the Tawira Indians of Central America known as "the people of beautiful hair"™. Its healing effects, documented by clinical testing, are dramatic and immediate. Dry, damaged, color-treated and processed hair becomes restored, fortified, extraordinarily shiny, silky and manageable, right from the first treatment. Even healthy hair shows a noticeable improvement.Ojon® works by penetrating deep into the hair shaft, healing hair from the inside out to provide long-term benefits. As it repairs and seals the cuticle, it traps the nutrient oil within each strand of hair. The result is stronger, fuller, resilient, frizz-free hair that resists damage. Despite its potency, Ojon® is a remarkably lightweight oil that never weighs hair down.The balance is comprised of natural anti-oxidants, natural preservatives and a touch of fragrance. Ojon® is color safe.

In a nutshell (no pun intended), this product is a HIGHLY concentrated oil that is meant to be used as a deep conditioning treatment, a de-frizzer, or a shine enhancer. This product can also be used on the body to ultra hyrdate those rough, dry areas.

Scent: Its hard to describe. When I first opened the package, my intial thought was coffee or espresso. After taking a small amount into my hands and warming it into a liquid oil, there is a smokey-ness to it. Not a cigarette, ive been in a smokey bar all night, smokey, but definitely a smokey smell to it followed with hints of floral. I personally love this scent, coffee, smokey, floral all rolled in one. Even after shampooing and conditioning, I can still smell the scent. So I prefer to wash and condition my hair with something that mixes well with the scent. Typically something that smells of shea butter.

Feel/Texture:

The texture of this is a hard oil in the container. After scooping a TINY (size of a peice of rice) onto my finger tips and melting it, its a very lightweight oil. Not thick like olive oil, but very light and thin.

How to use:

As a restorative treatment: I section my hair off like when I flat iron it. Starting with the bottome section, I warm the size of about a pea into my hand and spread it through the hair shaft and ends of the section working my way up to the roots. I continue this process until all sections of my hair are coated evenly. I brush it through my hair to distribute it evenly. Then I treat myself to a 1-2 minutes scalp massage (as per the directions). I pull my hair up into a messy bun or clip, and let it sit as long as I have. I usually do this after work, or on a saturday so it can sit for a few hours until I wash it out. To wash it out, rinse with warm water, then shampoo and condition as usual. Style as desired.

As a leave-in conditioner: warm a small amount in hands and distribute evenly through damp hair. Style as usual.

As a shine enhancer: Warm a small amount (the size of a grain of rice) in hands and smooth over the surface of dry hair.

After work yesterday, I used this as a hair restorative treatment. After letting it work its magic in my hair for about 4 hours, I hopped in the shower and shampoo and conditioned my hair as usual. I decided to see how this stuff really worked by blow drying and flat ironing my hair (which I havent done in ages!). I used my typical Chi Silk Infusion, and a new heat protectant (review to come) as usual, but my hair looked SO different. It literally felt so much stronger and resiliant. Typically, when I blow dry my hair, it looks like a bird nest, but after using this product it blow dried much smoother and less frizzy. If I was good with a round brush and had more patience, I could have gotten away without flat ironing. But alas, I busted out the flat iron and did my thing. My hair is so smooth and shiney and feel super strong. It smells amazing, and looks just as awesome.

I have used this product 2 times now as a deep treatment and could not be any happier with it.

When you purchase it, it comes with a pamphlet to explain everything about the product(which I though was really cool) with complete directions on the many uses.

If you dont want to fork over the $21 for the small container( which is what I purchased and plan to have a very long time) pop your head into Sephora and see if you can snap up a sample. You wont regret it!

DONT FORGET, IM HAVING A CONTEST. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS! Or, just look right below this post. LOL.

Contest Update

Hi all! Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all of my new followers! I love logging into blogger and seeing I have new followers!

Now, onto the contest update! I have decided to keep it open until the end of the month! I really want to see more entries!!!

So all my new followers JOIN IN!

Contest details:
I want to see your alter ego. I want to see your everday face, whether you are a student, a 9-5 worker, or a stay at home mom.
Then I want to see your alter ego! I want these to be as over the top as possible ladies!

All entries must be emailed to me at xorosexx[at]gmail[dot]com and I want 2 pictures. One picture to show your "everyday" you, and one of you alter ego!

Contest IS open to all followers, so that includes my international readers!
Only requirement is you be one of my followers.

So lets get these entries in! I want to "meet" all my new followers, as well as see some familiar faces!

I have a ton of goodies to give away as prizes. Tons of samples and full sized products!

If I get more than 6 entries, I will have a second place winner.

Some prizes will include:
MAC samples
LUSH soap and skin care samples
Shampoos and Conditioners
Some products I've reviewed on this blog
Some of my HG (holy grail) products
and many many more!



Til next time!

Nail Experiment

Hi all! Its Friday! I am so in the mood for some sleeping in this weekend!

First off, ENTER MY CONTEST! It ends on the 18th! I have a ton of goodies to give away!!!! Details Here!

Now, onto my post. Nails are the HUGE rage right now! And I'm constantly trying to grow my nails out. (horrible nail biter here).

I wanted to keep track of how much my nails grow in a certain amount of time! So using my Nailtek treatment, Im going to track my progress for you ladies! Because if i can grow my nails, anyone can!

Be on the watch for updates on length! I may do a weekly comparison!

Now, GO ENTER MY CONTEST!

Til next time!

All About Primers

Before I get to my post, REMEMBER I'M HAVING A CONTEST! DETAILS HERE!

I get asked many times "What are primers?", "What do they do?", "How do I use them?", "Which primer is best?". So, I decided to compile a list of the primers I've tried, and which ones I feel are best. A primer works just like wall primers for painting. It lays down an even base by smoothing the skin, minimizing pores, and some even help fill in wrinkles. Primers also help your foundation to last longer throughout the day so you dont need as many touchups. Some are made specifically for people with oily skin to keep the shine at bay.

(Image source www.drugstore.com)

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer:

$12.99 from www.drugstore.com . This primer's consistency is like a very thick, clear gel. I use about 2 pea size amounts for my entire face. This primer is one of the lighter ones in term of feel. When I start to spread it on my face, it feels very light. This primer gives my skin a very soft feel. I wouldn't say this is the BEST primer, but it works fairly well and is a good alternative to more expensive varieties. What I dont like about this primer is the smell. It has a very strong perfume scent that is a bit over powering. Although it fades, those with sensitive noses may want to reconsider this product.

(Image source www.sephora.com)

Smashbox Photo Finish Light: This primer is my favorite compared to the original (review below). This primer is made specifically for people with acne/oily prone skin, as well as those with sensitive skin. This primer is not your typical gel/silicone feel. It is much lighter and looks and feels more like a lotion. I use 2 pumps for my whole face which I feel is a bit much to have to use especially for the price. $36 for 1 oz. But, I do love the pump bottle. In terms of how well this one performs, it does but not as well as the original. I think its beacuse its 60% water based, so it doesnt have as much silicone in it as the original. This is the one I use most often, but I try to use it sparingly due to the price.

(Image source www.sephora.com)

Smashbox Photo Finish (original):

Just like the Light version, this is $36 for 1oz. It comes in a nice pump bottle. I needed to use about 2 pumps as well to feel I had an even cover on my face. This primer is definitly more gel like. It has a slippery feel due to the silicone in it. This primer is definitly one of the best I;ve tried in terms of how it performed, but it broke my skin out really bad. That is why I switched to the Light verision.

(Image source www.drugstore.com)

Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder Gel:
$7.99 for 1.5oz. This product is an almost an exact dupe for the original Smashbox Primer at a much cheaper price. The active ingredients are the same. The huge difference is the price. In that case this is the winner. It performed just as well as the more expensive alternative, but again after 2 months of use, I had a major breakout due to this.

If I had to choose my top primer, It would be the Smashbox Photo Finish Light. On days I dont use that one, I use the Revlon one.

When it comes to primers, I think the best advice I can give is to GET SAMPLES! Everyone has different needs: dry skin, oily skin, wrinkles etc. So what works for some, may not work for you!

Til next time!

LUSH Review: Porridge, Karma, and Ginger Soaps

Happy Monday Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. My family and my hunny's family went on a hike to a waterfall and then for a picnic. We had a blast!

DONT FORGET! Im having a contest! Details here!

Today's reviews are going to be a bit different from how I typically do reviews. I want to give you all my overall opinion on LUSH's soaps, then I will give a short review on each soap.

Let me explain first that, when it comes to soap, I prefer that clean soap smell. Dove soap is my favorite soap. Its the only soap that doesnt leave that squeaky feeling on my skin. I love how it has that clean fresh scent. That is a scent I prefer for soap. In my opinion, if I want to smell flowery, or fruity, I will just use perfume for that. But in my opinion, soap should just smell clean and fresh. So overall, I dont care for the scent of LUSH's soaps. And not because they smell bad (well some do) but I just dont think of "soap" when I smell them.

Also, when it comes to price, they are expensive in my opinion. Like I stated in my other LUSH soap review, a standard LUSH soap is 3.5 oz. Although they look much larger online, they are just a hair bigger than a normal bar of soap. (Dove soap is 3.15oz). LUSH's cheapest soap is $5.40, most expensive $11.95, for one bar/block. Whereas, I can buy a 6 pack of Dove soap for around $6.oo. I know for some, LUSH's soaps are a luxury item, as they are for me as well, but a bar of soap doesnt scream LUXURY to me! When it comes to LUSH's products, I'd much rather buy there bubble bars if I want a luxurious feeling bath.

Now, don't think I'm saying DONT BUY LUSH'S SOAPS, but for me, I wont. Mainly because I havent found a LUSH scent I'm crazy about, and the price is just too steep for me.

Onto the individual reviews:

Porridge Soap: $5.95 for 3.5oz. LUSH describes this as smelling like molasses, and although i'm not exactly sure what molasses smells like, I dont like this soap. I was SUPER disappointed when I recieved this soap. I LOVE oatmeal and oatmeal scented products. But this doesnt smell at all like oats. Honestly, its a little weird. I'm not sure if I can actually use this in a shower, but I used it to wash my hands and didnt care for it at all.

Karma Soap: $7.95 for 3.5 So far, this is my favorite soap by LUSH. It has an orange-y citrus smell to it, but its mellowed out by the patchouli, which is slightly woodsy. I really like this scent, and it lingered on my skin all day. I think this scent would make a great candle.
Ginger Soap: $10.95 for 3.5 oz. This scent was very strong, but really lovely. It has jasmine, rose, and ginger in it. Its floral, and spicey at the same time. This is out of stock online as it was limited, but I received a sample. This scent definitely lingered and smelled like I was wearing perfume.

All in all, LUSH's soaps are hit and miss for me. I do enjoy some of the scents, but as a soap, they just dont do it for me.

Til next time!

LUSH Review: Honey I Washed The Kids Soap

Before I get to the review, I'm having a contest!!!! Details HERE!

As a LUSH bestseller, rave reviews online, and my love for the scent of honey, I knew I had to include this is my next LUSH order.

(image curtesy of www.lushusa.com)

Price/Size:

$7.95 for 3.5 oz. In my opinion, I find LUSH's soaps to be a bit on the expensive side in turns of soap. I can buy a 6 pack of Dove soap for $6.88. In terms of size, a bar of Dove soap is 3.15 oz. So although LUSH's soaps look big online, they are not much larger than a typical bar of soap.

Scent:

The scent of this is hard to explain. When I hear "honey" I assume the product is going to smell like honey, like my Burt's Bees honey Lip Balm (which I can't leave home without), so I was so excited to have that scent linger on my body. WRONG. I really can't pinpoint the scent, it's hard to explain. LUSH claims there are hints of bergamot and orange, but I cannot detect these hints. There is a SLIGHT sweetness to this soap, but then there is just a wierdness about the rest of it. I have come to know many of LUSH's scents smell different once "in use", so I cut off a teeny peice and brought it to my bathroom to wash my hands with it. Again, the smell didnt change. This isnt a scent I care for, but luckily the scent is faint and didn't linger on my hands.

Lather:

This soap did lather more than other soaps by LUSH that I have tried. It did seem to moisturize better than other LUSH soaps as well. Also, the soaps I have tried by LUSH give me that dry/squeaky clean feeling that I HATE, but this soap didnt seem to do that which was good.

Overall:

This is not a soap I will re-purchase. I dont care for the scent much, and for me, LUSH's soaps are overpriced. If you can, definitely go to a LUSH store and smell the soaps before you purchase them if you are able to. Unfortunately for me, I have no LUSH within hundreds of miles.

Til next time!

LUSH Review: The Comforter Bubble Bar

Out of my LUSH haul, this was the only product that really wowed me. (Reviews to come later on the other products) Honestly, from what I've experienced, LUSH is more of a novelty thing. People expect to love everything because its from LUSH. For me, most of my expectations have not been met. On to the review.

(image curtesy www.lushusa.com)

Price:

$8.75 for 7 oz. This product was much larger than expected. I should be able to use this bar at least 3 times. Although thats about $2.92 per bath, its more a luxury type item, and wouldnt be used every bath.

Texture/Color/Bubbles:

I expected this product to be harder, but it wasnt. It was the texture of semi dried clay, but not as crumbly. Once crumbled into the bath, its melts and turned the bath water into a luxurious spa. It turns the bath water light pink (darker if you use more product) and the bubbles have a slight hint of pink to them. The Comforter turns the bath water almost slippery feeling, which made me feel that is was a bit moisturizing. The bubbles are super thick. You know when you try to use cheap shampoo to make a bubble bath? The bubbles are actual bubbles and pop quickly. With The Comforter, the bubbles are super fluffy. It also made a ton of bubbles. I would say I still had 2/3's of the bubbles left at the end of my 15 minute soak. It was lovely and relaxing.

Smell:

This was my favorite scent from LUSH that my nose has sniffed thus far. Its sweet but not overpowering in bar form. Once crumbled into the bath water, it was much fainter but still apparent. I would say the scent would linger on the skin if you didnt wash with another soap. It was slightly sweet, but not sickening like Rockstar soap. I really enjoyed this scent.

Overall:

This is probably the ONLY product I would repurchase that I have tried so far (except for Imperialis Moisturizer). It made a wonderful bath for me that was very relaxing. The scent was lovely, the bubbles were fun, and for a treat to myself, I will likely stock up on this.

DONT FORGET TO ENTER MY CONTEST!!!! DETAILS HERE!

Til next time!

Blogger Spotlight

Before I get onto the Blogger Spotlight, remember I'm having a contest. Be sure to enter for a chance to win a TON of awesome beauty products. Details here.


For a new feature on this blog, I decided to start a blogger spotlight! I will be adding these whenever I get interviews back from bloggers who agree to do it!

For our first Blogger Spotlight, I am featuring Stephanie from Makeup Babble. She is one of the first blogs I really followed closely and I LOVE all of her looks. When you finish the interview, check out her blog, you won't be sorry.

Let's get to know her a little better.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Married? Kids? What do you do for a living?

Well, my first name is Stephanie and I am someone’s Mrs. and 2 little people’s mommy. My daughter is 3 and my son is 7 months. I am a stay-at-home mom who sells baby gifts and does makeup gigs (mostly bridal and local music vids.) I don’t actively seek makeup jobs, but I probably should since I need to support this makeup habit of mine somehow. I’m so busy with the 2 kids!

2. Have you always been this into makeup? Or was it a gradual thing?

I have always been this into makeup, for sure. I remember always getting in trouble from a young age (starting at 3-4) for applying makeup on my dolls and stuffed animals using anything I could get my hands on…paints, crayons, felts, my mom’s makeup (I always got in extra trouble for that!) I started giving makeovers at the tender age of 6, so this is something I’ve always been interested/obsessed with.

3. Who taught you how to apply makeup? Did a female family member ever give you any tips? Or completely self taught?

I taught myself how to apply makeup for the most part, but I did take some makeup courses about 2 years ago to learn all those tips and tricks I didn’t know (like sanitizing and skin types) and the business side of things.

4. If you were stranded alone on a deserted island, what 3 items would you bring? (can be non-beauty related) What about being stranded in Alaska in winter?

On a deserted island I would bring Carmex lip balm, sunscreen and a gazillion magazines. In Alaska in the winter I would bring Carmex lip balm again, my ipod and my asthma inhaler (dorky I know, but the cold air makes it hard for me to breathe!)

5. If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be? (if it was promised that you wouldn’t gain any weight Lol)

Oooh, definitely the calamari dinner from my fave Greek restaurant! Sooooo good. Crispy calamari on top of a bed of rice, roast potatoes, a ton of greek salad and tzatziki. Mm, I’m drooling just thinking about it! Oh and since I’m picky and this is my fantasy, I’d make sure there were no tentacles cuz they really creep me out (o_O)

6. Do you have a favorite color(s)? Do you apply that to your makeup?

My favourite colour is purple closely followed by pink and yes it totally applies to makeup. I wouldn’t say purple is my favourite colour to wear necessarily, but I’m always drawn to purple eye shadows & lipsticks. I have more purple eye shadows than what I know what to do with. And pink lippies are my fave!

7. Is there one makeup “fad” you never jumped on the bandwagon? Why?

Hm, I’d have to say the dark lip liner and pale lipstick. It just was never my style, thank goodness. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fine in print or runway, but not everyday life.

8. Other than makeup, do you have any other hobbies?

I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies these days unfortunately, but I used to love to dance. I took ballet when I was younger and I was captain of my high school dance squad (what a nerd!) and I loved taking dance classes, but I haven’t done it in ages. I miss that…

9. It seems nail stuff is hitting the internet beauty world hardcore, nail blogs everywhere are popping up! Are you also really into nails?

Not as much as I have been in the past, but yes. I always have my nails painted. Actually I wanted to take a nail course a little bit ago, but never found the time or extra cash (it’s super expensive!)

10. If you could give young girls around the world ONE beauty tip, what would it be?

Blend blend blend. I say this all the time and I’ll never get tired of saying it. I can’t stand seeing hard lines in eye shadows, on cheeks, contours, foundation lines on the jaw. Yikes! That and have fun with makeup, there are no rules!


Til next time!

CONTEST!

As you ladies know, I do a ton of reviews. Which means I have a TON of product samples, and barely used products just sitting around my makeup room.

So instead of having them just get wasted in a drawer, I have decided to hold another contest!

What better way to make use of these products or samples than to give them to my loyal followers!

Like last time, there will be a 1st place winner. If i get more than 6 (six) entries, I will also have a 2nd place winner as well.

Contest Rules:

1. All entries must be emailed to me at xorosexx[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject line "Contest Entry"
2. All entries MUST BE submitted by 05/18/09
3. This is open to all US and internatioal readers!
4. You MUST BE a follower of this blog to win! Its easy to follow my blog, just add my blog on your blogger dashboard as a blog you would like to follow.

What I want to see:

1. We all have an alter ego hiding within begging to be shown. I want to see that alter ego.
2. Example: If you are the book worm, I want to see that school slacker.
3. I want to see 2 pictures.
4. For example: If you are really the school bookworm, I want to see a picture of that. Then I want to see a picture of you as the school slacker.
5. Ladies, this can be as over the top as you want! Play it up!

I think this will be really fun to see what you all feel are your alter egos, and how YOU would express them!

GOOD LUCK LADIES!

If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment and I will reply to that comment ON THIS POST!

Til next time!