Almost as Good as the Real Thing

Today's weather is not so great - it's already chucking it down with rain outside and it's supposed to do that for pretty much the rest of the day. Waaah.

Before I left for work this morning, I spritzed myself with a couple sprays of sunscreen - obviously not because of the weather but because I really like the scent. It reminds me of sunny days off and since today is the exact opposite of that, I thought it might be a good mood booster...

Nothing fancy, just basic Target brand spray sunscreen, but it works really well and smells amazing.

 ...which got me thinking about fragrances and wondering if anyone out there makes a sunscreen-scented perfume. Surely Demeter or someone else must?

A quick Google search reminded me about CB I Hate Perfume, who makes a fragrance called "At The Beach 1966" and describes it as:

The prime note in this scent is Coppertone 1967 blended with a new accord I created especially for this perfume – North Atlantic. The base of the scent contains a bit of Wet Sand, Seashell, Driftwood and just a hint of Boardwalk. The effect when you wear At The Beach 1966 is as if you've been swimming all day in the ocean.

 Um, yes please.

A couple years ago Amy and I bought a few of their 2ml sample sizes. I got "M4 A Room With A View" -

This perfume captures the scent of the hills above Florence - the vineyards, the wild grass, the finocchio, the hot dusty Florentine earth. And of course a torrent of Violets...

- and it smells exactly like that. It's got some sort of Harry Potter-level scent magic going on, so I can only imagine that the sunscreen-y, beachy smelling one delivers as promised as well. I've got to try it.

Coconut Oil for Beauty

I know I've professed my love for skin oils here before, and the love is still going strong. It looks like I'm not the only one in love with them! They're all over the place and this even popped into my inbox today - http://www.sephora.com/oils

Oils are the best. I still love lotions and creams, but there's something really indulgent and satisfying about using oils, like you're bypassing the middle man and just going straight to the elements that count.

Beauty oils can sometimes be a bit pricey. In an attempt to find a less expensive solution with fewer ingredients (just one ingredient, actually!) I decided to try out everyone's new BFF, coconut oil.

I stopped by Trader Joe's and bought a 16oz jar for $5.99. Compare that amount and price to the other oils I use and love:

• Desert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil - $13.99 for 4oz ($15.99 for organic)
• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil - $45.00 for 3.3oz
• Caudalie Divine Oil - $49.00 for 3.4oz
• Josie Maran 100 percent Pure Argan Oil - $96.00 for 4.0oz

Clearly the coconut oil is quite a steal!

My experiences so far:

Hair masque/moisturizer This was what I was most excited to try. My hair has been so dry and tangle-y lately that it's actually been hard to get a comb through it. I trimmed the ends quite a bit and since oils have been working so well for my skin, I decided to try some on my hair hoping I'd have the same result.

I applied a somewhat generous amount of the coconut oil to my hair at night, melting it in my palms and combing it through my hair with my fingers and rubbing it into my scalp. Coconut oil is quite thin and didn't feel as satisfying on my hair as argan oil. Argan oil feels straight up greasy, but in a good way, like it's actually doing something. The coconut oil smelled really good, at least. It wasn't cloying, so I didn't feel like a giant piña colada or anything. You just kind of get a subtle whiff of it every now and again. Anyway, I clipped my hair up in a top knot and went to bed.

When I pulled my hair down in the morning, it didn't really feel like anything had happened. My hair was still oily, but somehow it also felt squeaky and dry? I don't know how to explain it. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and shampooed and conditioned my hair as usual.

On the day after I used the argan oil, I kept touching my hair because it was so soft. I didn't notice as much softness with the coconut oil (it was still slightly softer than normal, though) and by the middle of the day, I felt like my hair was just plain dirty-greasy like I hadn't washed it in a day or two.

I think I'll give it another try or two, though. Maybe it takes more than one application?

Lip balm Waaaaaay too thin, doesn't last 5 min on my lips. Nope.

Facial moisturizer This is where coconut oil works best for me. I spooned out a small amount of the oil in its solid state and melted it in my palms, then gently rubbed it all over my face and neck. It's not so thick that you feel like you're slathering olive oil on your face, but not so thin that it feels ineffective (on your face, at least). It sinks into my skin pretty easily and smells so so nice, and so far has not caused any skin irritation (redness, breakouts) at all.

Body moisturizer I used the same application method as I did on my face (duh). I wish the consistency was thicker, especially for my legs. My shins get so, so dry in the winter and I always get the urge to use super thick creams to combat the problem (hello, Nivea Creme!) - anything less just feels like it isn't going to be enough to work. But the coconut oil does seem to moisturize pretty okay without making me feel uncomfortably greasy, so that's good.

Side note: My dog apparently loves the smell of coconut and whenever I apply this stuff, she won't stop licking me to the point where I have to actually push her away and maybe go lock myself in the bathroom for a bit until she chills out.

Verdict I know these reviews are more individual perception than actual science. Even if the oil felt too thin and like it wasn't doing anything, I have to admit that both my hair and skin are soft and moisturized, just not shockingly, astoundingly so.

So, no fireworks, but I would definitely continue using it. I like that it's natural and organic and cheap, I like that there's no petrolatum involved since that stuff is derived from crude oil (and crude oil derivatives are in, like, everything). I'm assuming coconut is available in abundance and TJ's extraction process seems pretty simple so it's probably environmentally friendly? I like that it comes in a glass jar that I can reuse or recycle. I can see why everyone has jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon!

Nuxe ❤!

Oh, Nuxe! I am totally in love with your products, I have to confess.

So, I had this kit on my wishlist for quite some time, but I couldn't justify buying it until I was actually going on a trip. The moment I booked my tickets to Europe, I went to purchase it only to find out that it was sold out nearly everywhere.

On a whim, I used the "Shopping" option on Google, which showed the kit in stock on a site called Skin-One. Not only was it in stock, but it was available for $15 with free shipping, and they were having a 10% off sale at the time. Never having ordered anything from that site before, I took a chance and I'm really glad I did. Skin-One is now one of my favorite sources for really great skincare brands like Nuxe, Caudalie, Avene, etc.

In fact, they were pretty much my only source for Avene until I stopped by the new giant Walgreens that they recently opened in the old Borders space in Downton Crossing and saw that they sell Avene (and Nuxe!) and oh boy, am I in trouble or what. But anyway, I digress.

So about that kit. It was pretty perfect for my trip. It came with a micellar water cleanser/makeup remover, cleansing gel, dry oil, hand and nail cream, and a face cream/moisturizer. I'll link to the full sized items on skinone.com for more info about each item and purchasing info.*

*Note: The product description on skinone.com still says that the kit comes with:

• Micellar Cleansing Water
• Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Face Cream - Day
• Huile Prodiguese dry oil
• Reve de Miel Hand & Nail Cream
• Reve de Miel Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel

but the photo on that page shows a different kit. It looks like the current kit for sale has Crème Prodigieuse day cream and Body Fondant Shower Gel in place of the Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Face Cream - Day and the Reve de Miel Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel (which is also a different kit than the one that is for sale on nuxe.com [and $3 less expensive!]).

Eau Demauillante Micellaire cleansing water

This is a pretty nice cleansing water. I use cleansing waters as makeup removers, which is what I think they are intended for? I guess you can use them as an overall general cleanser/toner type dealio, but I like to use them for "spot treatments" (aka removing dark kohl eyeliner and waterproof mascara). Anyway, this one is good. I do actually like the Bioderma cleansing water a bit better than this one (how cliché!) but I genuinely do find that Bioderma works wonders on removing heavy eye makeup, which is the #1 reason why I love it.

Reve de Miel face and body cleansing gel

THIS STUFF, YOU GUYS. This is the star of the kit for me, hands down. The moment I uncapped the tube, I completely fell in love. The scent is incredible, but it is strong. Normally I don't care for strong-scented products (really, this stuff and the Caudalie beauty elixir are maybe the only exceptions in recent memory), but for some reason the scent of this stuff is just my favorite thing on earth, so much so that I made it my mission to find a full-sized bottle of this when I was in Europe. It smells kind of floraly and kind of honey-ish and almost herbal? And normally honey scented things are gross to me (too cloying!) but this is perfect. The scent description is really hard to pin down but it is SO nice and I actually wish they made a perfume with this scent because I would so wear it.

I used this on my face every day of my Europe trip and perhaps it was coincidence, but my skin totally cleared up over those 9 days. Normally, I break out like crazy on trips (different water, different routine, different products, different food, etc.) but not so this time. I really suspect this cleanser was the reason why!

Huile Prodiguese dry oil

It's no secret that I love this stuff, so I knew I had to take some on my trip with me. I didn't want to carry a full-sized bottle (I just had visions of the bottle uncapping itself in my suitcase and noooooooooooo), so this tiny bottle was actually the reason I bought the kit in the first place.

Reve de Miel hand and nail cream

This cream has the same scent as the Reve de Miel cleansing gel, but the scent isn't quite as strong. It sinks into the skin nicely and doesn't leave your hands greasy at all. I ended up buying a full version of this as well.

Reve de Miel ultra comfortable face cream (day)

This cream feels really nice on the skin and it didn't sting my skin at all when applying it just after cleansing my face (it contains SPF, which I find can sometimes irritate newly-cleansed skin). Unfortunately, it seems to leave my face greasy all day long. I kept waiting for it to sink into my skin, but it never really did. This is a bummer particularly because I love how when I wear it, I can smell the scent very faintly every once in a while throughout the day (the next best thing to wearing it as a perfume!). Like the hand and nail cream, it has a lighter version of the cleansing gel scent, which is really pleasant. But I just can't deal with the greasiness :(

And all of these cute little containers come packaged in a nice, little, clear plastic zippered cosmetic case.

I love this kit so, so much and I wish that other skincare brands would put together little affordable kits like this for trying their products out as well as for travel sizes. I may never have purchased the full sizes of the cleanser and the hand lotion had I not been able to try out the trial sizes first, so I think it's such a smart idea!

Beauty Acquisitions Since November 2012

Happy New Year!

I've picked up quite a few new products to try within the last couple of months. "Haul" posts can sometimes be sort of obnoxious, but I know that I get nosy and like to see what kinds of products people choose for themselves so I thought I'd do a post about the new beauty products that have recently come into my life. Not all of these were purchased by me (many were gifts) but it's still a good reminder for me to "slow my roll", as it were.

L'Occitane Cleansing & Soothing Shower Oil With Almond Oil - I haven't tried this yet, but I'm really excited about it, especially since it's apparently good for shaving your legs. It smells reaaaaaaaally amazing and almondy.

Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray - I LOVE this stuff. I used to use the John Frieda Beach Waves spray, but it made my hair so greasy. This doesn't make my hair greasy at all and gives it the nicest texture. 

Caudalie Fleur De Vigne Shower Gel - I haven't used this yet as I'm trying to finish another bottle of shower gel before I use my new stuff, but this one smells sooooo good and I can't wait to use it.

Caudalie Divine Oil - This oil is really, really nice. It's not greasy, if that makes any sense, and it keeps your skin nice and hydrated and soft. I also really like that this is a spray bottle. I like to just spray a little bit in my palm and rub my hands together to warm it up and then apply it to my face or my elbows or anywhere else that feels a little dry. If I had to choose between the Caudalie dry oil and the Nuxe dry oil (see next photo), I'd probably pick the Nuxe one mostly because of the scent. The Nuxe smells more floral to me, while the Caudalie smells warmer and honey-like. Sometimes honey scents are a little cloying to me, and the smell of this stuff is just short of being too much for me. I just tend to like floral scents over sweeter scents, so it's really a scent preference issue.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I talked about this stuff back in October, and I still feel the same way about it. I got this full-sized bottle for Christmas! :)

Caudalie Cleansing Water - This travel-sized bottle came with a Caudalie lip-balm. I'll try it as soon as I'm finished with my bottle of Sephora cleansing water.

Klorane Dry Shampoo - The only other dry shampoo I've ever tried is one by TRESemmé and whenever I use it, it drives me crazy because it triggers a scent-memory that I can't place. The Klorane one does not do that, and it just smells better in general. I think it works pretty well.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Between this oil and the Caudalie one, I'm really obsessed with dry oils this winter. They just feel so good on my skin and I have to stop myself from using too much because I would honestly bathe in this stuff if I could! This oil is just so, so nice. Everything about it feels really indulgent - the scent, the glass bottle, and the price haha. Thankfully, a little goes a really long way. Also, thinking a little bit more about these two oils in comparison with one another - the Nuxe might be a tad thinner/finer? That might be my imagination, but even if it is, the difference is negligible and both oils have their strengths.

Caudalie Crushed Cabernet Scrub - This was a gift and part of a set that came with the Caudalie Divine Oil mentioned above as well as a small candle. I haven't used it yet, but it smells really nice.

Nivea Creme - Did you know that the Nivea Creme that we get in the States is different from the original kind made in Germany? The ingredients are different and therefore they're pretty much two different products altogether. This is a good post comparing the two kinds. (Also, some have even compared German Nivea to the famous - and seriously expensive - La Mer Crème!) Anyway, this big tin is the German kind. I picked it up at a German market a couple weeks ago and have been using it liberally ever since. My skin suffers pretty hard in the wintertime, so sometimes I have to bring out the hard stuff!

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub - Every beauty blogger keeps telling me that I need to scrub my lips before wearing dark lipstick and since I have noticed that sometimes dark lipstick doesn't apply as smoothly on my lips as I'd like, I finally fell for it. Lush's scrubs seemed like the most appealing ones to me, and when I popped by the Newbury Street store the other day, I was hoping they'd have the bubblegum flavored one but they only had the "Mint Julips" and "Sweet Lips" flavors in stock. Both are chocolate scented (and "Mint Julips" has the added scent of - you guessed it - mint!) which I wasn't all that jazzed about because I have some bad memories of a gross chocolate flavored lip balm I had as a kid and... yea, yuck. But Mint Julips isn't bad, it's just a bit messy. I recommend using this over the sink because little clumps of sugar tend to fall and get everywhere, including down your shirt. Oh, that's just me? Okay. Anyway, I think it helped? My lips might feel smoother? Maybe I need to give it a few more tries? Can you tell I'm not convinced? Also, the Lush Guy who helped me told me I could lick it off but I don't want to eat castor oil or whatever so I wiped it off with a paper towel.

Chloé Eau de Parfum Rollerball - I'm still loyal to Miss Dior Cherie, but I fell for this scent pretty hard over the fall and I like to switch back and forth between the two. It's such a pretty rose scent.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner - I like this stuff. It's a bit waxy, but doesn't have a strong scent or taste which makes it perfect for bedtime use. I hate when you use a strong scented/tasting balm at night and then it causes you to wake up in the morning with a gross taste in your mouth!

OPI Nail Envy - I used this as a base coat for the first time the other day, so it's still a bit early to tell whether or not it's doing anything for my nails. Will report back.

Chanel Le Vernis in "Malice" - This is my New Year's manicure! Such a pretty, deep red with really subtle shimmer. Sooooo, so nice.

ELF High Definition Powder - I guess this is an inexpensive alternative to Make Up For Ever's HD Microfinish Powder. I haven't used the MUFE one, so I can't compare the two, but this stuff isn't bad. A nice light coat works well to get rid of too much shine.

Givenchy Rouge Interdit in "Liv's Lips" - This stuff was/is hard to find! It came out one weekend when I was in NYC and was immediately sold out at Sephora but I managed to snag one when I got home. The whole gimmick is that it is suppose to change color according to your body's pH? Well here - this is the description from the Givenchy site:

More of a color enhancer than lipstick, LiV’s Lips reacts with the skin’s natural pH, creating a unique shade on every woman that wears it. Always sheer and sexy, the color payoff ranges from soft pink to rich berry that is not only great on the lips, but also imparts a fresh flush to cheeks and lids. Amazing.

Soooooo kind of like mood lipstick for grown-ups? I like the initial color, but on me, it eventually turns to this weird kind of red color that I don't really love. Maybe I'll try using it as blush and see what happens.

Urban Decay in "Oil Slick" - I came across this shade on a cool post about different black lipsticks and liked that it was "black" but wearable. However, I didn't feel like spending $22 on it at the time. I just happened to check back on it a couple weeks later and it was marked down on UD's site to $3! A sign from the universe. And I really like it! It totally is wearable.

Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in "L'Impatiente" - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shade. I was a bit worried when Christine from Temptalia said in her review that this lipstick formula makes her lips bleed (BLEED!) but I said eff it. I haven't had any trouble with the formula (thank you, Lush Lip Scrub and Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream!). It's such a lovely shade and I love the option of a matte finish or a shiny finish with a coat of gloss.

So all was well and good but then something annoying happened with the Urban Decay Lipstick.

See that little sword thingy? It used to be attached to the bottom of the lipstick tube, and that's what you had to pull on to get the cover off the lipstick. That was the ONLY thing to pull on to get the cover off the lipstick and it broke clean off, which means that once the lipstick is fully closed, the tube is flush with the cover and it's nearly impossible to open.

Shaking it open does not work. To open it, you have to wedge some tweezers or something pointy and flat between the edge of the tube and the cover and pry it open, which is fine at home but a pain in the butt when you're out in the world and need a touch-up. PAIN IN THE BUTT. Glad I didn't pay the full $22.00 for it, otherwise I'd be extra annoyed.

Tokyomilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixir in "La Vie En Rose No. 42" (Rosewater, Sweet Orange, Peach, Tahitian Vanilla) - All I can think is that this would make a really good lip protectant if you ever have to be outside in the cold for an extended amount of time, like if you ski or do winter activities things like that. Just put a thick layer of this stuff on and there's no way your lips could chap. The scent of this one is good. It's a bit on the strong side, so I have to use it sparingly.

MAC Pro Longwear Blush in "Whole Lotta Love" - Christine from Temptalia HATED the collection that this blush was a part of. I read the review after I bought it and luckily I'd managed to choose the one she hated the least. I really like this blush. The color is super nice but I do wish it would last a little bit longer.

Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara - I still have to finish my current tube of mascara before I can use this one, but I'm almost there! This stuff looks really amazing. Chanel mascaras are my personal favorite.

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner in "Sparkling Ammuntion" - I fell in love with this liner when I saw it in this look on Temptalia (can you tell which beauty blog is my favorite?). I bought a pencil over a year ago and it's almost gone. Lucky for me, Sephora and Tarina Tarantino have severed ties, which means that all the TT stock left at Sephora is on deep discount. There were two "Sparkling Ammuntion"s left when I checked the other day and I bought one. I went back for the other one a couple days later and it was gone! Oh well. Hopefully TT will start selling their cosmetics on their site at some point so I can get another one when I run out.

Naked Basics Palette - The perfect shades in the perfect size compact! So psyched on this palette.

M.A.C x Gareth Pugh Lipglass in "Outrage" - I meant to pick this up when the M.A.C x Gareth Pugh collection was out for Holiday 2011. Luckily, they had some backstock left at the Cosmetics Company Store, so I nabbed one at a good discount :)

OPI Nail Lacquer in "Germanicure" - Is it bad that I mostly bought this for the name? This has been compared to Chanel "Malice", so at least I'll have a dupe once that one runs out :)

M.A.C Lipstick in "Plumful" - Essie from Essiebutton spoke so highly of this lipstick that I couldn't resist. It's such a perfect, wearable shade for everyday.

Nuxe Paris Rêve de Miel Lip Balm - I'm doing everything I can this winter to prevent my lips from chapping and splitting. This stuff is nice and thick, smells good, and is also really good for overnight use.

Diptyque Candle in "Baies" - I've wanted one of these for forever, but I'm having a hard time justifying such an expensive candle. I finally decided to get the small votive size. This is the "roses and blackcurrant leaves" scent and it smells soooooo gooooood. 

Caudalie candle - This little votive came in a set with the Divine Oil and the Crushed Cabernet Scrub and has the same honey-ish scent as the Divine Oil.

Real Techniques Core Collection - I'm slowly trying to replace my cheapo makeup brushes with some good quality ones. This set is really nice and hopefully will last me a long time. I'm especially excited about the "Buffing Brush" (on the far right) for applying foundation and powder.

So yes, I think I've got enough new stuff to last me awhile, so I'm officially on a beauty product buying ban! Besides, I need more used items for "Empties" posts :)

October Empties & Currents

I've seen some beauty blogs that do posts about the products they've finished and I just happened to use the ends of a few things over this past week, so I thought I'd do a post like that as well. I think it's really cool to hear people's reviews of products that they have actually used quite a bit of.

Sooooo... here are some products I've finished up this month!

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream: This was a tiny travel thing of Nivea Soft that had a little bit of cream left in it. I reached for it in a moment of desperation last week when I had an annoying amount of dry skin between my eyebrows and it did the trick. As I've mention in the past, I really love everything Nivea. I even slather the regular Nivea creme all over my face when the winter is particularly harsh and I haven't had any issues from it.

Would I buy again? Absolutely. In fact, I have another container at home to finish.

Garnier Skin Renew Clinical Dark Spot Corrector: I have some dark spots (I guess?) on my face that I was hoping this would help, as well as just even out my complexion overall. Maybe I didn't use it for long enough (I used it every night for two tubes' worth) and I didn't really see a noticeable difference. Same story with the Clinique Dark Spot Corrector (which is $49.50 for 1 oz as opposed to Garnier's $16.99 for 1.7 oz), which I also used two bottles' worth without any miracles. Anyway, this tube is all rolled up because I was squeezing what little was left out of there because even though I didn't really notice a difference in my complexion, the cream itself is nice and feels good on my skin.

Would I buy again? IDK, maybe not. I'm moving on to other moisturizers, I think.

Lush Tea Tree Water: Probably my favorite toner. It doesn't have a funny taste (as opposed to the Sephora toner I've also been using) (which is probably due to the no alcohol thing) and the spray bottle is plain but works really well, as silly as that seems. IDK, the sprayer is just really nice!

Would I buy again? I think so! Although I'm trying out micellar water as toner, so we'll have to see how that goes first. 

eos Pomegranate Raspberry Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream: I bought this on a whim at Target because the bright pink bottle caught my eye. It's not bad, but it didn't really reduce nicks, which is my #1 concern when it comes to shave creams/lotions/oils. I know nicks have a lot to do with the condition of your skin as well as the type of razor you use, but shave creams can help. The scent was pretty nice.

Would I buy again? I think I might just stick to my trusty old can of original Barbasol because honestly, that stuff works better than anything, smells awesome and lasts forever (I also blew through this eos cream in record time - I don't think there was much in that container. It still felt heavy when empty which makes the think the bottle itself was thick.) Also, I really want to try shaving oils - L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil is at the top of my list.

Olay Complete All Day UV Complete Moisture with Vitamins E & B3 SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin: This is my go-to moisturizer for day. It's got the basics covered - it doesn't irritate my skin, keeps it pretty hydrated, and contains SPF. The only other thing I would include is an anti-aging ingredient, although I'm sure Olay must have an equivalent in their anti-aging line (it's just probably more $$$). The only thing I disliked was that I thought it contained parabens, but I just looked at the ingredients list on drugstore.com and I didn't see any parabens listed. I'll have to look at the ingredients list on the actual box/bottle. I'm trying to use products w/o parabens &/or sulfates but they're in practically everything. They're like the high fructose corn syrup of beauty products.

Would I buy again? Most likely. I've been using a Sephora day cream lately, but the Olay cream really is a stand-by for me.

Softsoap Coconut & Jojoba Butter Body Butter Scrub: Inexpensive, smells good, doesn't irritate. The little tube thing in the cap broke off inside the dispenser, which made it so the top didn't close anymore which was kind of annoying (that's the brownish thing in the bottom of the bottle).

Would I buy again? There are so many shower gels and body scrubs out there that I don't think I've ever bought the same one twice. There wasn't anything mind-blowing enough about this that makes me want to run out for another bottle right away, so I'll probably end up trying something else next.

Nivea Touch of Sparkle Cream Oil Body Wash: Again, inexpensive, smells good, doesn't irritate. Supposedly this is "Illuminating and Nourishing". Idk about the "illuminating" part because I didn't notice any sparkles from the "sparkling diamond powder", but that's okay because it's not 1997 anymore.

Would I buy again? I would probably buy this again before I bought the Softsoap one only because I preferred the scent of this one.

ApHogee 2-Step Protein Treatment and Balanced Moisturizer: Someone recommended this to me after I complained about breakage and general unhappiness with the condition of my hair. It says "for professional use only" but I went ahead and used it anyway. You're supposed to wash your hair, apply the liquid from the first packet, dry your hair with a hairdryer until it's hard and crusty, then rinse it out and apply the conditioner from the second packet. THIS STUFF SMELLS GROSS. I don't want to know where the "collagen" protein comes from. It gets sticky and hard and nasty when you dry it with the hairdryer. The way my hair smelled bothered me for the rest of the day, and I haven't noticed much a difference in the texture of my hair. Who knows if I did it correctly, though.

Would I buy again? I think I'll leave this stuff to the professionals.

And here are a few products I've recently started using that I love:

Sephora Triple Action Cleansing Water: I really, really love Sephora's new(ish) line of skincare. So far everything I've tried has been pretty great (save the taste of their toner, but just don't lick your lips immediately after spraying it on your face and it's not really a problem). This is their version of the above-mentioned micellar water, and since everyone's preferred brand of micellar water, Bioderma, isn't super easy to find in the States, I thought I'd give Sephora's version a try. I think most people use micellar water as a makeup remover? And it's certainly good for that. I like that I don't have to wash my face again after using it to remove makeup, unlike when I use the oily Neutrogena makeup remover (it says "oil free" but it's still greasy). I've also been using it as a toner, and to remove those last bits of dirt that still get left behind after washing my face. And, as evidenced by the used cotton pads, it works for that, as well. Also, the dispenser is really cool - it has one of those pumps like you sometimes see on bottles of nail polish remover in nail salons.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I should've saved this for last. I AM OBSESSED. OB. SESSED. Every beauty blogger everywhere was recommending this stuff, and so I totally fell for it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fancy French beauty products. I wish I could remember which blog I read that finally pushed me over the edge and into Sephora, but it made claims like "It will calm breakouts! And even your skintone! And moisturize and refresh your skin! And shrink your pores! And it's so chic!" and I was like DING DING DING SOLD! I went for the smaller bottle (I mean, I'm not a Rockefeller, c'mon now) and I'm going to be honest - I wasn't crazy about the scent at first. It's strong, like, really strong. But through sheer force of will, I have made myself come to love it. I've been trying to associate it with good things and it's working and now I can't WAIT to use it every day, multiple times a day as evidenced by how much of that bottle above is empty. I sense a full-sized bottle in my immediate future.

Sephora Age Defy Mooisture Cream SPF 15: I really like this stuff. It's everything I like about the Olay moisturizer (it doesn't irritate my skin, keeps it pretty hydrated, and contains SPF) PLUS this has the anti-aging feature. The only issue is that it's on the pricey side for kind of a smallish amount of product. Also, the glass jar's black plastic cover is cracking and breaking off bit by tiny bit (I turned the broken section to the back in the photo). I keep finding these little black bits on the floor and freaking out for a second when I think they're bugs. Please get that lid sorted, Sephora.

So yea, I um, kind of like beauty products.