Hair: Mizani Scalp Care

Went to Walmart this pass Wednesday, as you know I am restocking my hair products. I am such a huge fan of the Mizani line. I ended up buying the Mizani Scalp Care Shampoo and Conditioner.  I was already looking for something to help with my itchy scalp, I was co-washing three times a week and shampooing once a week. I was looking to maybe extend the days between washing, especially when I am wearing my hair straight. 

Ok, so lets get started with the review. First up is the shampoo. This shampoo claims to eliminate scalp flaking, scaling and itching, moisturize the hair and scalp and remove excessive bacteria.

The directions: For best results use at least twice a week or as directed by a physician.  Shake well. Wet hair and apply 1-2 ounces throughout the entire head. Message vigorously. Leave on scalp for 1-3 minutes. Rinse well. Repeat is necessary.

So, I did just that. I didnt section my hair like I normally do, no real reason other than being lazy. The shampoo does have sulfate in it. It is a creamy shampoo. Kind of thick. My hair was very tangled. It gave me a slight tingle right before I rinsed it out, but nothing too bad. It has a medicated smell to it. Again, nothing too bad. It has cucumber extract and peppermint oil which I'm sure is where the tingle comes from. Aside from being tangled, my hair felt clean. It really didnt feel striped like it normally would using a sulfate shampoo.

So conditioners are where a bulk of my money is spent as far as hair products go. Shampoos for the most part, do what they say, they cleanse. Conditioners, they are the bread and butter.

The Mizani Scalp Care Conditioner, the claim is: eliminates recurrence of scalp flaking, scaling and itching and restores moisture balance.

The directions: For best results use at least twice a week or as directed by a physician. Shake bottle well. Wet hair and apply 1-2 ounces throughout the entire head. Message gently into hair and scalp. Cover hair with plastic cap and leave in for 10 minutes. Rinse well. Towel dry. Style as desired.

This conditioner is a thick, creamy white conditioner. I applied it just as directed by the bottle. I then detangled. It has pretty good slip, not great, but decent. I applied it focusing on my scalp and then my hair. It gives a tingle. Not bad. It was a bit more intense then the shampoo. Again, like the shampoo, it has a medicated scent. After my 10 minutes, I rinsed the conditioner out using cool water. The bottle doesnt say warm or cool. My hair felt moisturized. And it doesnt leave a medicated smell on your hair, AND I didnt have to re-rinse my hair like I had to with a different product from a different brand.

As I a writing this review, it is now day 2 since my shampoo day. It is also my co-wash day. Normally by co-wash day I am scratching skin off my scalp (well, not really, but close). However, I am not. It actually just started to give me a slight itch. See this is just another reason why I am a huge fan of the Mizani line. This is for sure going to be my new shamp and conditioner. I'll use the thermal shampoo when I know there is a flat iron day coming up. I dont think I will be using it twice a week like directed simply because I dont want to apply sulfate to my hair twice a week.

The cost of both of these products together cost me a little over $24. My Walmart salon had Mizani BOGO 50%. I think she said until 12/31, I'm not sure. People argue that Mizani is expensive, but if you want quailty product you have to spend what you have to spend. I think it is totally worth it. I do recommend this product to anyone, relaxed or natural, if dry and itchy scalp is your problem then this is the product you need. I would check into it now in case the sale is over on the 31st cause Mizani hardly ever goes on sale here.

Mizani

Beauty: Cetaphil

OMG!!! Do I really need to review this product? Well for those of you who have not heard of this product or have yet to try it, I will do you this solid. This is Cetaphil, my new FAVORITE product. I originally seen this product while watching a make up haul on YT and I decided to give it a go. At first I was a little put off by the price, it was like close to $10 and this is a 16 oz, but I bought it anyways and it is well worth $10.

Books: What Your Birthday Reveals About Your Sex Life

Birthdays hold the keys to the best sex you'll ever have-if only you knew how to read the signs. Learn what makes you tick and get tips for your ideal lover in this entertaining  and erotic guide titled What Your Birthday Reveals About Your Sex Life: Your Key To The Heavenly Sex Life You Were Born To Have.

So your birthday is March 27th, Aries- charming, impulsive and impractical-has a lusty nature and few inhibitions, willing to experiment and try just about anything. December 19th Sagittarius' are all nighters with vivid imaginations. Hot all over kisses in the morning will be greatly appreciated. November 15th Scorpios embodied a combination of passion and romance. Their ideal lover better know how to turn up the passion and hit it off with some old school romance which will turn into a night they wont soon forget.

This is book is fun and entertaining. I tested it out on a few ladies and they were amazed as to how accurate it was. You will find out your own sexual secrets as well as those around you. The book is broken into two sections, the first section is broken down into The Twelve Signs Of The Zodiac and The Nine Basic Numbers. The second section is The 366 Birthdays Of The Year.

Author Phyllis Vega draws on the predictive powers of astrology and the ancient art of numerology to create revealing erotic profiles for you to use in between the sheets. She is a practicing astrologer and tarot reader, and has a New Age counselor for more than three decades. She is the author of numerous books, including Erotic Astrology, Lovestrology, Celtic Astrology and Romancing the Tarot.

Purchase info: What Your Birthday Reveals About Your Sex Life: Your Key To The Heavenly Sex Life You Were Born To Have.

I am always excited about anything zodiac related. I was so excited about this book, that I offered a second copy in a giveaway. Needless to say it is one of those books that will have everyone wanting to know what their birthdays reveal about their own sex lives.

Hair: Hair Rules Kinky Curling Cream

Ok, this product review you will have to take my word for because I have no pics! Dont ask. Anyways, this is on the Kinky Curling Cream from Hair Rules. I had never heard of this brand before I watched Taren916's video in which she is using the entire line. You can click HERE to see that vid. Now as far as cleansing and conditioning, I have my staple products, but I am always open to new styling products. Just so happens I was in ULTA and seen the line. So I said wth, I'll give it a go.

REVIEW:

The first thing I notice was the price. Goodness, it is pricey. The pic you are seeing is the size of the bottle I have. It is a 2 oz bottle and it cost me $9. Now I get that New Yorkers are probably used to shopping like that, but Im in IL. So that was a negative for me. But I bought it anyways. 

This product is for wash and go type styles, and I dont do wash and go's anymore. So this product sat for a while and then the day before yesterday I washed my hair because I was a day behind and it was itching like crazy, so I decided to try this product. 

THE PRODUCT:

The instructions say to use in the shower because your hair has to be soaking wet. Well since I section my hair, it stays pretty wet so I didnt use it in the shower. What I did was I detangled each section as I went along. I applied the product and combed it through and twisted my hair for a twist out. I didnt use any other styling product because I wanted to give this one a fair shot. I then sat under my bonnet dryer attachment and after a while it was about 95% dry. So the other 5% air dried.

THE RESULTS:

Since I aired dried, I ended up taking my hair down at my MIL's house. The curl that I got was A-MAZING. I didnt stretch my roots out like I normally do. I had very little shrinkage. I have really good movement. I didnt have to fluff as much, but I dont know if that is because I didnt stretch my roots or what.

OVERALL:

Overall, I think this product is great. There were some issues, not huge ones, but issues none the less. It is waaay to rich for my blood. In other words, for a 2 oz bottle, it is $9. Thats too damn much. Granted its a good buy, but its too much. Secondly, my hair normally dries pretty fast with a leave in. After being under a dryer for quite a bit, I still had some damp spots. And it doesnt leave my hair feeling overly mositurized. It didnt feel dry, but its not how Im used to it feeling. Now on the other hand, it has great stay power. I didnt twist my hair last night, I just tied it up and this morning I took my satin cap off and I did add some of my Rose H2O and just ran my fingers through it. It looks, to me, better then day one. Im not gonna twist my hair for tonight, since tomorrow is shampoo day, so we will see what day 3 hair looks like. My hair feels soft. Would I buy this product again? I would if it was on a gift card. Lol. And it would have to be enough that I could get a big bottle so I wouldnt run out. Would I recommend this product? Yes! Everyone's hair is different. But I think that is what this line is about. It is not just for natural hair gals, it has products for straight hair as well.

Go check out the site at www.hairrules.com. You can learn more about the brand and the salon. You can also purchase the products. 

Also go and check out Taren916. I love her channel, I am a sub. She has another vid of her in the Hair Rules Salon getting her hair did. You can click HERE for that.

DISCLAIMER: THE PRODUCT IN THIS REVIEW WAS PURCHASED WITH MY OWN MONEY.

Press Release: Addiction NV Cosmetics

Say goodbye to disappointments, let downs and unnecessary make-ups!

Addiction NV's True Commitment gives women (their lips at least) what most men can't- a lasting commitment!

$26 individually

Long-lasting, committed, luscious lips that are kiss-proof, food-proof, drink-proof, smudge-proof and deliver what all women crave... long-lasting, vibrant color and shine all the time.  Introducing  Addiction NV Cosmetics' True Commitment Dual Lip Stain and Gloss to wear alone for a vibrant color and a bold matte look or topped with the coordinating shimmer gloss for shiny sexy lips.

True Commitment delivers committed sexy pouts that are so sexy, so polished and so moisturizing that wearers will feel as good as they look.  No more on-the-go touch-ups to worry about.  No more embarrassing, transferable, unexplainable tell-tale lip color stains where you don't want them – only confident color and shine where you do.  Addiction NV Cosmetics is fully committed, offering three eye catching combos to choose from:

• Rendezvous - Matte Red/Pink Shimmer Gloss
• Summer Lovin' - Matte Orange/Gold Shimmer Gloss
• Spring Fling - Bronze Shimmer/Clear Shimmer Gloss 

And for women who are ready to fully commit – introducing the Stay Connected Clutch ($75) the summer's must have beauty accessory for the serious beautista to take with her everywhere.  This compact black woven zip case features a matte silver wrist chain and comes packed with all three True Commitment Dual Lip Stains and features a built-in cell phone holder, a credit card/ID compartment, a mirror and room for more…

Beauty: Addiction NV Cosmetics

It is that time of the year that we bloggers get ton of emails about gift ideas. Some I look at others I don’t. Im glad I did with this one.
I just got the cutest thing in the mail. It is a candy cane flavored lip balm from Addiction NV.

It is called Naughty, But Nice Candy Cane Lip Balm. The packaging is cute. You have to push in the bottom which clicks, like a pen, and pull the lip balm out. I thought that was different. It has vitamin E, shea butter, spearmint, apricot oil, sweet almond oil, and antioxidants. It is not tested on animals.
I am wearing it now and I like it. You can feel the spearmint in it. It has a cooling effect, feels nice. It has the mint smell. Kinda taste like a candy cane. It has a slight red tint, it is swirled with red and white to match any skintone. And I was happy with that since I have a darker skintone, I cant/wont wear red lips. This was just a hint of red.

I think this will make a cute stocking stuffer. It is a great buy. I went to website and I liked it. You can purchase this lip balm for $18 on www.addictionnv.com.

You can also follow them on twitter and facebook.

Beauty: New From L.A. Colors

If you’ve been to the L.A. Colors website then you notice that they have about 13 or so new items, and my dear beauty junkies, I have two of them. EXCITED!!!!

This was the beautiful package I received from L.A. Colors. So whats behind the card? Glad you ask:

Beauty: Birchbox November

Check out my thoughts about this months Birchbox…so far.

Beauty: Liplicious From Bath and Body Works

I was sent, by the representative, three lip glosses from Bath & Body. I love Bath & Body. These three are from the Bath and Body Signature Liplicious Lip Gloss. Check out the press release.

The lip glosses are $8 each. Standard tube.

This is Cranberry Kiss. It is from the All I Want Liplicious Collection. It is a sheer shimmery pink. Has a high gloss. I don’t think is smells like cranberries, not sure what it smells like, but not cranberries.

This is Marshmallow Crème. It is from the Seasonal Core Liplicious Collection. I hate marshmallows. Im not sure if I like the scent. It doesn’t smell like marshmallows.

Lastly, is Cocoa Crème. Again from the Seasonal Core Liplicous Collection. This is a brown shimmery gloss. It doesn’t have a strong scent, so I cant really say what I think this one smells like.

Overall, I like the glosses. They go on really thick, so I squeeze a little to the top and them apply it. They all go on clear despite the color in the tubes. I am still wearing Cocoa Crème, and it seems to be a long lasting. Hasn’t come off even though I have been drinking a pop. And it is still shiny.

You can purchase these lip glosses and other by going into your local Bath and Body or by visiting the website www.bathandbodyworks.com. They are currently on sell, if you buy two you get one free.

Hair: Dr. Miracle’s Edge Holding Gel

Ok so remember when I did the review on the newly re-launched Dr. Miracles products? I didn’t review them all, there were a couple of products I had left to review. The Edge Holding Gel was one of them. It is one of their new styling products.

Hair: Dr. Miracle’s Relaunch

I was sent an email back in September to do an review on the newly formulated Dr. Miracle’s products. I just received them about a week and a half ago.

Here is what I got. I actually uploaded my very first Youtube vid where I am doing the review, so I am not going to go deep into it here. I will say that overall, I was not impressed. I don’t think my hair responds well to the Dr. Miracle’s products. I am going to let my MIL try them, she is having some hair issues. So I see what it does on her hair. I know people who swear by this line.
Price wise, here is a breakdown of each product and what they cost. And this is for the actual sizes I got:

Edge Holding Gel-$5.49 (2oz)

Acai Thermal Protection Styler-$5.99 (6oz)

Conditioning Shampoo-$5.99 (12oz)

Deep Conditioner-$4.99 (6oz)

Treatment Pack-$4.19 (1.75oz/pack)

Overall, I was not 100% impressed. I’ll explain why in the video. Like I said, I don’t think my hair meshes with the products. I don’t know. I will come back and do a follow up on the thermal protection and the holding gel.
Check out my first vid!!!

Beautiful Blogger Award

Big thanks to Become.com for giving me the Beautiful Blogger Award!!! How excited am I? Thank you guys so much. Should I do a thank you speech? Wait is my blog award winning now? LOL. Just kidding. But seriously, thank you.

Hair: Sally Haul

Ok, so ya’ll know that I am on my OPERATION: HAIR REPAIR. So I am at the point of I will try any and every thing to get my hair back healthy. So aside from nails and hair, my other hobby is YouTube (YT). I LOVE YT, I cant think of a time before YT.
So, I had been seeing a lot of naturals and relaxed ladies talking about this line Aphogee. Now, this stuff is suppose to be miracle in a bottle, and like I said, I am willing to try anything. So I got onto their website and they have a product grid that tells you which of their products you need for what ever your hair type or problem is.
I went back and fourth on if I should buy this product, considering I just got some Dr. Miracle to review ( later post), I didn’t know if I should wait. As I was pondering…yes, pondering, I continued to watch the vids and I must say that a majority of the vids were all giving Aphogee a really great review. 

Beauty: Birchbox: October

Its Birchbox time!!! I actually got it Friday before we left, but we had everything and then some going on since we’ve been back, its been crazy. Anywho, Im sure you all know about Birchbox and how the program works. If for some reason you don’t, Birchbox is a sample subscription program that costs $10/month and you get samples based on a quiz you take when you sign up. This is what the box looks like:

The box is not very big and you NEVER know what you are getting until it arrives. This is my second box. I cancelled after the first one, but I renewed my subscription. Here is what I got:

CONTENT:

(l-r)

Orofluido Beauty Elixir (hair) 3.4 fl oz $29.99

Befine Lip Serum  BeLips Duo $25

Laura Geller Spackle 2 oz. $25

AHAVA Rich Cleansing Cream 3.4 fl oz $30

EXTRA: The Laundress Delicate Wash

My thoughts….this is my second box and my second time unimpressed. Come on Birchbox.  I mean I know its only $10/month, but I am not happy with this. I think I will be cancelling services again and keeping them cancelled. I cant use the oil in my hair, Ive heard not so great thins about the Spackle, the others I have to try.

Anyway, if you want to give Birchbox a go, then go to their website www.birchbox.com.

Beauty: Everyday Minerals

I got to sample the Trick or Treat Kit from Everyday Minerals. And let me tell you why Im upset. Because I bought a blockbuster for $50 from a place (whose name we’ll leave out) and the shadows are not nearly as pigmented as the shadows from Everyday Minerals who are waaay cheaper. Before I get further into the review here is what I got today:

Back row: Bollywood Blush, Black Eyeliner and Weeping Willow Eyeliner (matte). The brush is a Junior Eye Kabuki Brush. Front row: Concentrate Eye Shadow, Floating Feathers Eye Shadow and Mystic Nights Eye Shadow.

Hair: Conair vs GVP A Battle of the Flat Iron(Pic Heavy)

This is my very first battle of the flat iron. I have been in the market for a new flat iron for a little bit now, but couldn’t bring myself to pay a ton of money for one. So when Sally put their GVP flat iron on sale I had to jump on it.
The purpose of this battle is to put head to head higher against lower. Do you get what you paid for as far as hair appliances go? Each flat iron will be judged on the performance, style, cost. So without further ado, lets meet the opponents.

On the left is the Conair 1/2” Mini Ceramic Straighter. On the right, GVP Ceramic 1” Flat Iron. Let the battle begin.

Hair: Relax and Go Natural

I just read this really good (IMO) article about Black American women and the reasons for going natural. Going natural is not a easy journey. This means NO more relaxers. Wow. I made the choice a year ago to go natural, now I wont lie and tell you that the first year was easy. There were days I was like, "take me to the hair store, I need a relaxer!" One year later, I am 100% natural and 100% happy I didnt got back.

I am posting a link to the article. If you are a natural, or thinking about it click and read it.

Click on the photo to read the article.

Hair: Mixed Silk Elements (Pic Heavy)

 So I went to Sally about a week ago and I bought this product Mixed Silk Elements. I had seen it before there and wondered if it was similar to Mixed Chicks which I love, but cant really afford to buy every time I run out.
So after some research aka surfing YT vids, I come to find out that it was comparable to Mixed Chicks. So I bought it and here is my review and how I used it.

BLOGGERS BEWARE!!!

Being a blogger is fun. Nail polish bloggers, at least the ones I know, blog so we have a place to display our love for nail polish. We like to admire each others nail art, mani's and pedi's. So when companies take notice of our blogs, you can imagine the excitement we feel. But when the company that has contacted you turn out to be shady then that becomes a problem.

Nail De Royal is one of those shady companies. They contacted a fellow blogger and told her that they were interested in her blog and wanted to send her some products but she had to put up a link to their internet store. So she did. Product never came, but an email did saying how her page didnt contain any articles about beauty, fashion or cosmetics. WTF? To view her post click here.

Now here is where I get confused, because if you go to there page www.nailderoyal.com, you will see nail polishes right there on front. So the question is, what is the real reason you contacted this blogger? To get free ad space thats why. They take advantage of bloggers to gain views to their store. BLOGGERS BEWARE. Read Holly's post and if you receive ANY emails from this company DELETE them ASAP! They are shady and your samples will never come.

Nail polish is very much a cosmetic, it is very much beauty and it is very much fashion. I for one will NOT be giving these people any business. This is just something that needs to go out there to all beauty/fashion bloggers. If any of you reading this has any ad's of theirs up with the hope and promise of samples, just based off this and the out n out lie in the email that products were shipped, its safe to say you can remove the ad.

Again, click on the link to the blog post, read it for yourself. If you are a blogger or know a beauty/fashion blogger pass the word on.

NAIL DE ROYAL

(SCAMMERS)

R.I.P Aaliyah Dana Haughton aka Baby Girl

Ten years ago today the music world lost it's princess. Aaliyah was and still is my favorite R&B singer. In my opinion there will never be another. Aaliyah helped redifine music in the 90's. Her debut album "Age Aint Nothing But A Number" peaked at #18 on Billboard 200. It brought about singles like "Back & Fourth", "Age Aint Nothing But A Number" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)".

Over the years, as she grew, so did her music. And for me, she was my first fashion and beauty icon. Yes, I would rock the small tops and baggy pants, or recreate the lips in the "One In A Million" video.

 If I had to pick a favorite video, although it would be hard, I would have to pick two. Lol. "Are You That Somebody" from the Dr. Dolittle movie and "I Miss You" from the "I Care 4 U" album, which was released after her passing. Aaliyah touched so many through her words and her actions. Her untimely passing was such a shock. I can remember like it was yesterday when it came on the news and my mom told me. And here we are ten years later still in shock. Heaven got an angel on August 25th 2001. And even though she is not here, her music and legacy will live on through her fans.

 Tune into BET tonight for 10 year anniversary special "One In A Million"

R.I.P Aaliyah Dana "Babygirl" Haughton:

Hair: Cantu Shea Butter Braidout

Happy Sunday!! I hope everyone's weekend went well. The kids here are going back to school tomorrow!!! You have no idea how thrilled I am, but then again if you have preteen girls, then maybe you do. Any who, the photos you are about to see is my Cantu Shea Butter braidout. I normally do french braid, braidouts or cornrows (whatever), but I decided I wanted to do individual braids. The look is very, very close to my own natural curl just more tamed.

What I did last night was, I washed my hair with Mizani True Texture Curl Balance (I think is the name), and I used Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner. While my hair was wet, I applied all over the Cantu Shea Butter, and then applied it on each section. I cant use oils or heavy products, my hair is thin, so I over condition.

I then did six big braids in the back or two rows of three. The crown had medium to small braids and then around my face were small braids.

So this is me starting to take the braids down this morning. I was almost late for Church. You gotta get up pretty early to finish this. Lol.

Here are the braids all the way down. This is before I seperated them. I noticed when I was taking them down that the shea butter left my hair a little dull, and the reason is because my air was beginning to dry and I applied so much shea butter.

I used three pumps of Mixed Chicks Hair Silk. It feels oily, but it is not heavy on my hair at all. The first two pumps were what I applied all over and the last one I applied in sections.

Here is the finally look. Ignore the crazy eyes, I was trying to focus my phone camera. In the end I love the look, it last all day which hardly happens for me. Depending on how you sleep, you maybe able to get away with a bonnet or a satin scarf. I think that I will be re-braiding it tonight just to be on the safe side.

Beauty: Hard Candy

I have never bought anything from Hard Candy, but when I saw this I had to have it. It cost about $6 from Wal-Mart. I love plumping lipgloss. You can really feel this one working , The color is Pink Lady. It has a tint in the tube but it is clear on your lips. I do intend on buying more!!!

Beauty: BirchBox Opening

So I have seen this Birch Box on different blogs and decided that I wanted one. If you have never heard of Birch Box, basically what it is is a box of samples. When you sign up you fill out a beauty survey and the samples are suppose to be based off of that. It is a subscription, you can choose $10 monthly or $110 for a year.

So today I got my first Birch Box and this is what I got:

So the items I got were: and their full siz prices

The Cool Fix (treats ingrown hairs, razor bumps etc) 2 fl oz $11 & 5.3 fl oz $25

Quidad (Heat & Humidity Gel for your hair) 6 oz. $16

Smashbox (photo finish foundation primer) 1 fl oz. $36

Hair tie Set of 3 $5

June Jacobs (face masque) 3.7 fl oz $62

I am not too impressed. Not for $10. I am hoping next month's will be a little better then this months. But if you want to check out Birch Box, go to www.birchbox.com

Hair: Mixed Chicks

This is my product review on Mixed Chicks. I had been hearing about this product and wanted to give it a try. Big up's to Wendi (check her out in the video) for sending over these products to me! Mixed Chicks was created by Wendi Levy and Kim Etheredge. The products that were sent over to me were the shampoo, deep conditioner, leave in conditioner and the hair silk (which I will use in the AM).  So I used the products as instructed and below are my results.