CoverGirl Has Thrown Down the Gauntlet!

Have you seen the new advertisments from CoverGirl?




They claim to have dupes for your preferred high end makeup.

Bare Escentuals

Benefit

Bobbi Brown

Chanel

Clinique

Dior

Estee Lauder

Lancome

Lorac

MAC

NARS

Sephora Brand

Stila

The Balm

YSL

Find Your Match HERE

Hair Report - Relaxer Results - Growth Check

In July 2009, my hair was NL(Neck Length). I just relaxed tonight (3/19/2010).
It has grown to little past SL (Shoulder Length) in the back & to the collar bone on the sides. YAY ME!



I got some nasty tangles last week & decided 8 months of stretching was ENOUGH for me!

I prepped my hair last week. After I got out all the tangles, I co-washed with Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship. I used Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor Treatment. I followed that with Roux Porosity Control.

Today, I used Elasta QP Regular lye relaxer. (after having purchased heard it wasn't the best, but took my chances anyway.) I rinsed with IsoPlus Neutralizing Shampoo until there was no pink. I followed with Roux Porosity Control for like a minute. Rinsed that out & applied Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak.



I baggied my hair & sat under the dryer for 15 mins to Deep Condition.
I rinsed that out. Next I detangled with Mane 'n Tail Detangler.
Following that, I used Ellin LaVar Thermal Protectant.
(It has alcohol. UGH I know that's a NO NO, but it was all I had on hand...gonna use it all b4 I buy something better).

Result...Under-relaxed. Why? As a protective style, I wear braids. When I go out I wear wigs. When I took out the braids, it was difficult for me to see where the new growth ended because it was ALL wavy! No biggie. I prefer to be texlaxed instead of bone straight anyway. My natural hair is kind of cottony (except in the crown). Being texlaxed makes my hair look fuller & have more body. Better pics 2mrw. I was so excited, I just had to share!

MAC Haul - LUSH Samples and Surprize Meeting with a YouTuber

Today was theee best day ever!
After having celebrated our 18th Wedding Anniversary last week, my husband & I decided to commit to going on dates more often. We set today to visit the city.

1st stop the book store, 2nd stop MAC (freestanding).
It was my first ever visit to a freestanding MAC store.
Previously, I acquired my MAC products from Macy's, MAC Online, or the CCO.

I was excited! I happend to bump into Marsha of BrownFaceTV on YouTube.
(check her out. Love her MAC hauls & her natural hair care talk!)
She was very friendly. I think I probably scared her because I recognized her but she totally didn't know who I was. Completely understandable. My husband said we were busting it up like we were old friends. I explained the concept of the UNIVERSAL Language of Makeup! We had a good laugh over that one. It was a pleasure to have met Marsha. I am sure I will probably see her again at a MAC event in the future. Check out her BrownFaceNews
BrownFaceBeeblogs.



On to the haul.



I picked up
a MAC empty 15 Eyeshadow Palette. I have two of the Coastal Scents palettes , but I wanted to upgrade/transition to MAC. The Coastal Scents ones are adequate, however they have a foam type substance surrounding each e/s well. It is difficult to keep this clean when shadow spills over onto it. I also watched an organizational video from EnKore on YouTube this morning.
In it he featured a $10 DVD holder which he purchased from The Container Store. It fit the MAC palettes perfectly.

I finally was matched correctly re: my foundation. Previously I had been wearing NC43. Matched at Macy's MAC counter. Waaaaay too light for me. My daughter is very light skinned & this is actually a better match for her. I used to mix it with darker colors to achieve the look I wanted. It just wasn't cutting it. How about I'm NC50. A big difference. The formula is Select SPF. I will be doing a tutorial per Vixxan's request at some point to show how I apply it. It dries really quickly.

from Liberty of London Collection, I purchased Perennial High Style lipglass and Ever Hip lipstick (Creamsheen).

After my husband took our photo outside of the MAC store, I gasped because to my delight there was a LUSH store directly across the street.



I was thrilled! The sales person was uber helpful. I generated a wish list for future purchases. He was kind enough to share their catalog with me as well as couple of samples. YAY!