hair care « ((little fat notebook))

Posts Tagged ‘hair care’

Petit Vour August 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: hair care, pictures, products, reviews, scrubs, serums, skincare, subscriptions

09 September 2015

I was really excited about this box, which came with a really large full-size product to try. Everything happened to be from a brand I’ve experienced before, but all products were absolutely new to me.

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

Juara Clove Flower & Tumeric Serum – What fancy ingredients! I’ve never had any product with clove or tumeric before. A little bit is enough to nourish the whole face and it has a slippery texture that then absorbs into skin well.

Modern Minerals Tea Rose Finishing Glow – Hmm I’m debating whether I should use this product. It seems like a blush-like item and I don’t usually use that, but this seems like fun to apply. I might try it on my cheeks or even eyes, for a rosier look.

Yarok Feed Your Shine hair serum & Feed Your Curls defining creme – This definitely brings more shine and luster to my hair. I just don’t like the smell though, so I’d have to use it super sparingly to not get a whiff of it with each move. The creme seems like a cool product to style with. I hardly ever do my hair, but I’ll pull this out the next time I do.

MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Scrub – I love this product! So happy that we got the full size to use. It smells wonderfully of something sweet and the little grains offer excellent exfoliation. It’s so much fun to rub around on my face and I feel great using it.

I’m a fan of what came this time and just the scrub was more than worth the value. What do you think of this box?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Beauty Box 5 January 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, beauty box 5, body washes, eye shadows, hair care, mascaras, nail care, nail polish strips, pictures, products, samples, shampoos, skincare

15 January 2015

I love the nail wraps and mascara! I’ve used them and will continue to. The eye shadow’s the only thing I’ll put up for trade. The bath/shower items are ideal for travel!

Beauty Box 5 is $12 per box (or as discounted as $99 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 5 cosmetic products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. You also have the option of buying it as a gift your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow samples in Mint Condition, Sundried, Stone Cold, and Wild Raisin: These are adorable, but totally not my thing. Adding it to the trade box! My favorite shades there are the sundried and wild raisin, since they’re warmer colors and can be more subtle.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Misbehaved: These are fab! I like the simple pattern – nothing too bold, yet it’s still got character. With 16 strips and my shorter style of nails, I can actually use these up to three times for manis/pedis. In fact, I’ve already used 5 strips to do a full mani on my hands. I’m going to have to look for more of these because I just had so much fun and I love the look that I couldn’t accomplish on my own by painting my nails.

Ultraflesh The Gold Standard Mascara in Blackout: The gold tube is luxurious so already I feel great. The brush is more bristle-y than I expected, but it works and I love the flexible design rather than the stiff rods most brushes seem to be. It gave my lashes a great boost so now I’ll just have to see how it wears throughout the day. So far I’m liking it, though I wish it applied more easily to my baby lashes towards the inner corners of my eyes.

Softsoap Nutri Serums Body Nourishing Wash: Ok, I’m a huge sucker for anything with those little suspended pearls. It just looks so fun! I’m saving this for my travel bag next time I go somewhere. It’s perfect to bring along!

Garnier Fructis Daily Care Fortifying Shampoo: Another great travel-sized item to keep in my travel stash. Actually, now that I say that I should really have a designated travel stash. I like Garnier so I’ll definitely use this when I’m not at home. Too bad the small bottles don’t have the same top as the full size. That’d be so cute.

With a theme of “hello!” they kept it pretty open to just about anything. I certainly feel like I’m getting a great start to the year with this set of products. Now I can stay clean and have smashing eyes and nails with style. 🙂 What items appeal to you from this month’s box?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar, bentonite clay, boxes, charcoal, face masks, food, hair care, hair masks, home, homegrown collective, natural, pictures, products, projects, reviews, rose water, sea salt, skincare, subscriptions, teeth whitener

20 November 2014

This mysterious package seemed to have gotten lost along the way, but it finally made it to me when we were out in Hawaii. I was really excited to get it and finally see what it had in store. I’m loving how useful all of this is.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

Project #1, activated charcoal: It seems quite strange to brush teeth with charcoal powder, but I’ll trust them on this one… as soon as I work up the nerves to not freak out that my mouth is black and foaming. I wonder what it will taste like. I’ll have to take a picture of my teeth now (certainly a lot more yellow than they used to be back in my teenage years) and compare after however many number of brushes with this craziness. As for the face mask, I’m far more comfortable with putting charcoal on my face. I love using soaps with it and I’m pretty sure some of the face masks I’ve tried have contained it, so I hope this one is a good formula for me!

Project #2, pacific sea salt: How cool! Smoking my own sea salt?! Where do they come up with these fascinating ideas? I do not have a grill, but Panda does have a set of grilling tools he got as a reward from work, so perhaps these should be compelling reasons for us to get a grill. I’ll have to see what (if any) are allowed in our community, or perhaps there’s a public one somewhere that I can use for a few hours. That could be a fun thing to do come spring – picnic & grilling! I love how this is an edible project, which is pretty unique so far.

Project #3, bentonite clay: While we’ve received bentonite clay beforeqqqqqqqqqq`qqq`, I’m happy that they included new ways of using it for very different purposes. I’ll definitely try it in the bath (I hate those bath soaks that stain the tub, so since this isn’t supposed to stain, that would be awesome) and on my hair and skin too! The recipe for hair is perfect for the coming cold, as hair will dry out more and probably get brittle without intense treatment.

I’m always impressed with the themes that they come up and the creativity they have to offer all types of projects, from personal care to home care and more. I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything from this company, which is just fantastic. It’s totally up my alley both as an environmentally-conscious person and a new homeowner! Now I just need to actually get off my lazy weekend butt and start doing these projects. I even put together a list of what I need to do (and it is plentiful). I should set a goal of doing one each week…

If you want in on this cool stuff, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now! Your home, your family, and your health will thank you for it.

Beauty Box 5 September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: acne, beauty, boxes, conditioner, hair care, nail polish, pictures, reviews, skincare, spot treatment, subscriptions

28 September 2014

Another ok but not fabulous box for me. I like that they include nail polish a lot but it’s not really in shades I’d use. I do appreciate the hair products they include, since I like to switch up my hair routine.

Nicka K New York Eyelight Crayon in Charcoal: This color is far too dark for me so I hope there’s someone out there who’d like to trade for it! If it had been a lighter color or something fun like a pop of color, I might have tried it. I’m curious about the crayon application so it’s a pity it’s not suited for me.

Natural Style by FUBU Deep Conditioner & Co-Wash: I haven’t tried this yet, but I love the smooth feel of using conditioner so I look forward to it. I’m still working through other samples I have at the moment.

Sally Hansen Toe Spacers: Haha, it’s always so awkward to have things between your toes. These will be useful next time I want to paint my toenails. I’ll have fun strutting around with my toes all fanned out.

My Beauty Spot Nail Polish: Oops, I can’t seem to find this polish now. I hadn’t decided if I was going to try it or trade it, but at this rate it looks like it will be neither. I think this would have been a nice polish to use for when I want some color, but nothing that stands out too much. If I can figure out where I put it, I’ll give it a shot.

Dr. Lin Acne Spot Corrector: This is my favorite product from this box and I’ve used it a few times. It feels nice, doesn’t dry out my skin, and seems to calm down my acne issues. They haven’t completely gone away, but using this has helped things from spiraling out of control as they often do.

The theme for this box was “balancing act” and I think overall it works. It’s not that important to me that boxes follow a theme though, so no big deal! Which items do you like most from these?

Petit Vour June 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, cruelty-free, hair care, nail polishes, petit vour, pictures, products, reviews, serums, skincare, subscriptions, vegan

30 June 2014

This month’s theme is “bon voyage” to get you travel ready. It features a bunch of items you can bring along to take care of yourself while on the go.

contents of petit vour june 2014 box removed from packaging

A closer look at some of the items.

EVOLVh UltraShine Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner – If you want to feel like you just came out of a salon, you need to try this shampoo. It lathers fantastically well and smells so luxurious! All day long I kept getting a whiff of it (a sweet sort of scent) and thinking I just stepped out of a professional haircut. Definitely one of the nicest shampoos I’ve tried. The conditioner has a more refreshing scent and it didn’t make my hair super slippery like I’m used to. Maybe it was getting absorbed into my hair? It worked pretty well, though I had a little chunk of hair that didn’t smooth out on its own without a hairbrush.

MUN No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum – I’m not sure if this sample is enough to really get a sense for how this serum performs… at first use it feels nice and smells herbal, so it’s promising. I did have trouble getting enough out of the tiny tube and it took awhile to apply the amount I wanted. We’ll see if I notice anything by the time I finish it up.

ncLA 5-free Luxury Nail Lacquer in Santa Monica Shore Thing – I’ve heard of this brand and got their nail wraps in a previous Petit Vour box, but this is my first time trying their nail polish. I got the shade Santa Monica Shore Thing, which is a creamy minty green. On the nails, it’s a slightly darker shade than what you see in the bottle and two coats provides a nice even color. It’s a more liquidy formula that applies well and smells rather like Julep’s polishes… somewhat apple-scented, I’d say.

TAY Rosehip Balancing Cleanser with Seabuckthorn – Immediately fell in love with this – not only is the packaging fantastic, it smells lovely and feels great. I’m a fan of this brand based on that.

Once again, Petit Vour delivered with nice products that I will use all of and would be the sort of thing to bring on my summer vaca. I really enjoy their curation of beautiful, luxurious, vegan products. What do you like best from this month’s items?

Ipsy June 2014: Pretty In Paradise review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, creams, eyeliners, hair care, ipsy, lip glosses, mascaras, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, sprays, subscriptions

14 June 2014

Here comes the second artist-partnered design for an Ipsy bag. I like the tropical look and the colors, though I don’t know if they make sense together. Still, I’m a fan! The products they matched me with were hit and miss. I’ll surely be trying to trade some.

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray – This smells like summer with some sort of coconut-y influence. I’m still working on how to get a good beach wave look that works for my hair. It seemed quite effective at helping me get more volume and that tousled effect, but then I have a tendency to run my hands through my hair and it kind of defeats the purpose. Still, I shall use this and spruce up my hair a little this summer!

NYX butter gloss in Éclair – I’m definitely into lip glosses, so I’m glad to have this one. It’s a nice smooth consistency that applies a nice thin layer. Not too shiny, a little bit sticky, and quite moisturizing. Good lip product to keep around, but I don’t know if I’d buy it myself. There are just so many choices out there.

be a… bombshell lash out mascara – I have so many tubes of mascara now I practically need to apply it all day every day to make a dent in using them. It’s a pretty standard-looking type in terms of the brush and thickness/goopiness of the mascara. When I took a look, I also happened to sniff it and I didn’t like that smell, so I’m going to trade this. Other than that I wouldn’t mind keeping it around for my own use.

DERMAdoctor DD cream – Much as I’ve hoped these creams would be sufficient on their own, I find that I still need to help it along with some powder. They just don’t provide enough coverage for my breakouts and also leave my skin rather shiny. I’m a sucker for these items even though they don’t exactly work for me. Still, they provide a nice base upon which I can apply my powder, so I’m definitely testing this over time to see how it holds up against the other half dozen or so BB/CC/DD creams I’ve tried.

Nicka K New York Shimmer Eyeliner in Green – Wow, green eyeliner?! Intense. Not something I’d go for and certainly something I’ll be trading. What a very bold selection to go with. This is the first non-nail polish I’ve received from this brand and I won’t be using it.

This month the items were an ok fit for me overall. I liked about half the items, but there always seem to be other products they offered that would have made much more sense for me. Does IpsyMatch ever consistently work?? If you want to trade for any of my items, check out my eDivv shop don’t be discouraged if I don’t reply to divvys at first. Sometimes I need a hiatus and until they offer a “vacation mode” I don’t have a way to let other traders know when I’m taking a break.

Beauty Box 5 June 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, beauty box 5, body washes, boxes, conditioner, hair care, mascara, nail care, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, shampoo, skincare, subscriptions

12 June 2014

Holy cow, it’s June box time already?! With summer in full swing, we got a summer chic theme. These products add up to a nice, simple beauty routine. Just wash, cleanse, rinse, and then apply a touch of mascara and nice nail polish! Not much more you need, other than a lip balm, I’d say.

Get a free box to try or $12 off a subscription!

Nicka K New York Nail Color in Ripe Apple: I first came across this brand in an Ipsy bag. I love the look of their bottles and the polish is a good consistency. Applying it was pretty straightforward and two applications offered the perfect kind of coverage. This color is bold but not too bright. A great darker look to fire engine red nails. I’m getting into nail art and this will be not only a nice canvas for designs, but great for little flourishes.

Organix Coconut Water shampoo & conditioner: These smelled really nice! I’m not even into coconut scents generally, but it was light enough to be pleasant and not suffocating. My hair felt pretty good after the shower, but once it dried it felt pretty normal again. I wouldn’t say this brand offered more or less shampooing and conditioning for my hair. I do like their argan oil conditioner though.

Glam Naturals mascara: There certainly will be no clumping with this mascara! It’s a much more liquid consistency than most mascaras I’ve tried. It’s perfect for when I want a little boost to my lashes, but still want that natural look. What a refreshing change from mascaras I’m used to. So far no smearing either; it seems to have good staying power.

Eslor Introductory Collection samples: I’m enjoying this set of products. They smell nice and are gentle. The scrub was a dry sort of formula, which is nice so a little mixed with water can cover a lot of area. It did tend to stick to the sides so I felt like I was losing out on product though. The mask is a green one that tingles a bit upon application. Everything felt good on my skin.

Vita Bath body wash in Dreamy Pink Frosting : I don’t usually use body wash, but I did give this a try and I like how it foams. It smells of sweet candy, so probably not something you’ll convince a guy to use. I didn’t notice if I smelled like that after I dried off though, so it can be a fun scent in the shower that doesn’t linger around too much.

I think the box as a whole was a nice package. I could use each item without feeling like I was covering the same part of a routine twice. They all build on each other to help you prepare for a day! What do you think of the box this month?

365great Day 137: dry shampoo

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, dry shampoo, hair care, klorane, pictures, products

29 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

It was only last year that I learned of this thing called dry shampoo. I got an aerosol can of it in my Pamper Me Fabulous goodie bag and I was pretty intimidated, so I never tried it. Then I won this Klorane one that is non-aerosol and decided to give it a try. What a strange concept that puffing powder onto my hair and brushing it through would actually help clean it! I guess it helps absorb any greasiness that may have built up. However it works exactly, I am happy to report that it is quite effective and I love it. Such an easy way for me to touch up my hair when I don’t have time to shower before going out. I’m partial to this non-aerosol design, where you basically squeeze the bottle gently to puff out a cloud of powder. Look closely and you can see the puff in the picture. This design allows me to bring it anywhere with me and not worry about it exploding or getting confiscated. Absolutely great!

365great Day 95: bursting beads

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, beauty, hair care, pictures, products, skincare

17 June 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

I love using products that have beads you can pop. I’ve had face washes, lip glosses, and even shampoo with these fun bursting beads. I don’t know if they actually do anything to improve the product, but they sure do enhance the user experience for me! I always enjoy the feeling of crushing a bead and smoothing it over my skin, lips, or hair. Surely I’m not the only who likes to do this? It’s kind of like when you blow bubbles and then chase after them so you can pop them. It’s such a random experience that is surprisingly satisfying. In fact, I think I heard one brand of BB cream is white with beige beads and I absolutely want to track it down to try it. It would put a smile on my face every time I applied it. What’s better than a product that brings a little joy to your routine? That’s great!

In the mail: a sample, a splurge, and some winnings

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: beauty, bloggers, candles, cats, contests, food, free stuff, giveaways, hair care, in the mail, nail polish, pictures, products, skincare, sweepstakes, winnings

14 June 2013

Just like my first “in the mail” post, these are all items I received in the past month or so. Most were free, but some I paid for and each package was just as exciting as the next. I especially love when I’m not sure what is in a box because I wasn’t expecting it. It’s like a mini celebration each time. 🙂

I received this very generous size sample of Purina One SmartBlend in Healthy Metabolism (a new variety that just came out) from Walmart. They were offering it for awhile but have since moved on to promoting dog food. Missy, as you can see, loved it. Molly, the other cat, doesn’t eat it though. I doled it out to Missy slowly and only as a snack aside from her normal dry food and made it last about a month! I have since bought a bag of it because she enjoyed it so much and maybe it’s my imagination, or is her little belly less flabby? Maybe her metabolism is healthier now.

These are the polishes I chose for the Earth Day exchange (missing: Penny, a coppery shade – it was sent later since it was backordered). In order, they are Harley, Zuza, Crystal, Pandora, Skylar, Ziv, and Sienna. Since my order was over $30, I got a cute little bottle of nail polish remover as well. The box included some brochures and “spoons” with samples of some of their other colors. I have never bought this much nail polish at once, but I figured since I’m swapping out my old ones I’d do a few more.

I won this really cool Lumnique deluxe candle set from Monica of Creative Me. This is a very unique brand that allows you to customize your own candle creation – check them out! It was really fun going through and picking out an intention (something to be mindful of every time I light it), a color (my favorite), and a scent (this was hard with so many great choices!). I ultimately went with the Good Luck intention “to remind you that impossible situations can become attainable miracles,” the Royal color “representative of intuition, idealism, honor, royalty, spirituality, nobility, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment,” and the Green Tea Lemongrass scent “like savoring a cup of relaxing green tea with invigorating lemongrass, this citrusy scent renews, refreshes and restores balance and harmony.” I love that it came with a cute box of matches too!

This set of Klorane products was a SheKnows giveaway that I won… except that I won the Citrus Pulp Giveaway offering the Klorane Citrus Pulp Shampoo and Leave-In Spray. But what they sent me was the prize pack for their other Klorane giveaway offering the Klorane Eco-Friendly Essentials Earth Day Kit with a reusable pouch, dry shampoo with oat milk, and biodegradable make-up remover wipes with cornflower water. While this kit is cool, I was really looking forward to trying the leave-in spray so I was a bit disappointed. When I emailed them to say they sent me the wrong items, they got back to me with the reply I predicted: they substituted my prize. I wish they had at least thrown in something else to make the value of the prizes the same – my original prize was worth $30 but this one is only worth $20. Oh well, winning is still better than nothing!

Another great win from Creative Me! This set of SeabuckWonders products is my current skincare routine and I’m loving it. If you’re not familiar with sea buckthorn, it’s a bright orange “superfruit” found in the Himalayans (so exotic) and because of the harsh environment it grows in, it has a ton of defensive mechanisms that translate to all kinds of health benefits of us humans. You can consume things made with it (and presumably eat the fruit directly if you’re lucky enough to have access) or use products made with it to get some of those benefits. One of the most unique things about it is its Omega-7 property, which is rare, though I have no idea what Omega-7s are good for. I love how both these products feel and that they will last me a long time since such a little amount is needed each time.

What great luck that I was also able to win this Sibu Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser! I will have to try this out to compare with the SeabuckWonders one. I could see myself using both since one is exfoliating and one is not. I like to switch it up! I previously got Sibu soap in a Yuzen box and it was the first time I’d heard of sea buckthorn. I am now obsessed with that special berry so I love it when any of my beauty products incorporate it.

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((little fat notebook))

Posts Tagged ‘hair care’

Petit Vour August 2015 review

Beauty Box 5 January 2015 review

Homegrown Collective October 2014 review

Beauty Box 5 September 2014 review

Petit Vour June 2014 review

Ipsy June 2014: Pretty In Paradise review

Beauty Box 5 June 2014 review

365great Day 137: dry shampoo

365great Day 95: bursting beads

In the mail: a sample, a splurge, and some winnings

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laelene

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