Nail MADNESS - Pistachio Cream Puff Dreams

L'Oreal had a collection a while ago called Versailles Romance.  Now, I don't know about all of that, but I do know that they were pretty cremes and seemed really great for Spring.  So I snagged two of them, stuck 'em in my stash, and forgot about them.

Yeah, that's me.  Busting out the Spring polishes when it's almost friggin' June.  WHATEVER YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.  Ahem.  Here's what I came up with!

The teal-y color is Pistachio Dreams, and the buff color is Cream Puff.  

As you can see, I've been digging huge ass nail charms too.  They're a fun way to dress up nails without being really good at dressing up nails.  The only downside is that they tend to come off if you're like me and dick around with 'em.  

I got these at Walgreens when they were having a BOGO 50% off sale, so I think I got these for 8 bucks total, USD.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Skin Care Saturdays - [TonyMoly] Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel & Egg Pore Tightening Pack

Two weeks in a roooow!  *feels like a rock star*  So, as you may or may not know, I recently was in the hospital.  And when you're in the hospital, your focus isn't on your skin.    Instead of looking good, your focus is more on "can I make it to the toilet without passing out?" or "how the heck do I unravel my IV cord?" or "what is that beeping omfg make it stop why".  When I got out of the hospital, I was sad to find that my face had turned into some sort of plague area.  I look like a zombie from Evil Dead.

Coincidentally, I got an order from kocomall.com the other day that contained these two skincare products from [TonyMoly].  They're both designed for large pores (alas, no DEAR GOD MY FACE FIX IT products really exist).  Here's my first reaction to them.

The first step in the process was the Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel.  This is ... literally what it says it is.  I did it after oil washing my face, and the consistency of this product is basically just a super thick oil wash.  It also has some scrubby bits in there.  It does the standard 'turns white after a while of use' thing.  My roommate, who used it while I did, said it smells like embalming fluid, but I didn't really notice anything.  Maybe I'm desensitized due to years of using acne treatments.  It hurt my hands to rub this in for three friggin' minutes, though.  I was using it on my nose, so it required me to hold my hands in a weird way.

photo from kocomall.com

So, after my fingers uncramped and my skin was sufficiently pummeled, I rinsed.  To be honest?  I didn't notice any immediate results, nor did I expect any.  Blackheads aren't something that're easily treated, and to expect immediate results is a fool's errand.  

But, undeterred, I went ahead and popped on the Egg Pore Tightening Pack.  To me, it smells like plastic, but again, roommate claims embalming fluid.  (She's never smelled it; the real thing is much worse.  Trust.)  The first thing that I noticed was that it kind of looks ... exactly like baby poop.  But, undeterred, I spackled that crap on my face (it's really thick, which I love).

photo from kocomall.com

photo from kocomall.com

This?  This I loved.  My skin really did feel tighter, sebum was reduced for like, two days, and I just don't get that from my Queen Helene or Freeman's masques.  I will repurchase this when I finish it up for sure.

You don't have to run out and purchase these right away.  Neither is probably going to change your life, nor is there a problem with finding something similar Stateside.  But I do defy you to find cuter packaging.  That's the draw here, let's be honest.

I give the Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel a B (if only because it got me to actually work on those jerkoffs).  I got it for 5.58 USD.

The Egg Pore Tightening Pack gets an A++ WOULD BUY AGAIN.  I got that for 5.58 USD as well.  I purchased both products from Kocomall.com

Kocomall.com is a newish South Korean makeup reseller online; they used to have an Amazon store that I used for all of my Skin79 BB Cream purchases.  I'm loving their prices and their inventory too.  Right now they're running a promotion where if you sign up with their website, you get a 5.00 off coupon (USD).

What have you tried and loved lately?  Do you like [TonyMoly]?  Why is that name so fun to say?

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this seller.

Haul - Korean Skincare From RoseRose Shop

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a month.  Well, in that month I got accepted to graduate school and had an emergency appendectomy.  So I wasn't just sitting here slacking off, promise.  I'm going to try to get back into this weekly.

If you know me, you know I love skincare and makeup from South Korea.  I get my stuff from a few other places, and one of those is Rose Rose Shop.  They're reliable and they have a pretty great selection.  I put an order in about a month ago that came in today (it takes about that long for anything to get to me in Texas from Seoul).  Here's pictures of what I got.  Reviews will come!

I got two of the Missing U hand creams because they're adorable and great to leave around my work desk.  

No, seriously, they're the cutest.  The left one is a Fairy Penguin (it smells like baby powder) and I think it's from last year's MissingU.  It was 4.50 USD  The one on the right is a Pink Eagle Owl and it smells like cherries.  It was 5.50 USD.  They're smaller than you'd think they are - they fit in the palm of one's hand - but hell, I'm not really paying for the lotion.  I am paying for the adorables.

I also got Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil from The Face Shop (say that three times fast!).  I'm currently in a phase of shopping around, trying to find the right oil cleanser, and I'm hoping this one will fit the bill.

As you can see, it's pretty generously sized - I put a largeish pill bottle next to it for reference.  It was 8.90 USD.

Primers are another thing that I shop around for all the time.  I love them, and I love how easily they make my BB cream slide onto my face.  I got 10 samples of Skin Food's Black Egg Pore Primer for 3.00 USD.

I also got Holika Holika's Cotton Oil Queen Cotton primer (7.92 USD).  It's friggin' adorable, you guys, I am not even kidding.

So, yeah, that's what I got recently.  I have another couple of orders coming in too, so this should actually give me lots of stuff to review!  Yaaaay!  What stuff have you guys bought?

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.  I am not affiliated with this seller.

Badger (Badger Badger - Ha Ha, It's In Your Head Now)

I know, I know, I've got to stop doing this Posting Once A Month thing.  I'm going to try, but I won't make any promises.  You should forgive me.  I'm awesome.

ANYWAY.

Down here in Houston, for the last few weeks, the weather's been a bit bipolar.  Mid-seventies to mid-eighties during the day, and low forties at night.  Work's been cranking the AC and heat to help combat it, which is doing nothing but giving me sinus headaches and pissed off skin.  My hands are dry, my elbows are dry, my whole body wants moisture.  I'm drinking water out the ying yang, but my hands were still really pissed, as was the skin on my arms. 

What's a girl to do?  Use it as an excuse to buy more beauty crap.  Duh.

I dig hippie organic things because that's how I roll.  So after some Googling, I figured I'd try out some stuff from Badger Organic Body Care.  Also, because badgers are awesome.  I got their Rose Geranium soap and their hallmark Badger Balm.

From badgerbalm.com

This soap is a dream.  It's a no frills, grey block of soap that does just what it says it will: it moisturizes and nourishes your skin.  It smells lovely, it doesn't make my already dry skin feel tight or angry, and it doesn't leave me feeling slick or stripped the way some shower gels can.  I don't use it on my face, because the last thing my face needs is moisture, but for my body?  A+, 6.49 USD.  Protip: You can use this on your junk.  I'm UTI prone, and my outer junkal sections say this is a-okay.  

from badgerbalm.com

Badger Balm is a really concentrated balm that I've been using on my hands, cuticles, and elbows.  I've noticed a difference after only a few uses, which is impressive.  It's concentrated, so two ounces is actually a lot of product.  It reminds me of Burt's Bees hand salve in formulation.  The smell may be an acquired taste for some people.  I like it; it reminds me of camping.  The oils that give it its smell are birch and wintergreen, so if you don't like smelling like a forest, try one of their other balms.  B, 7.99 USD.

                           Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

Hair Junk: Garnier Oila Hair Dye

When I was younger, I used to dye my hair religiously.  There was a period in my twenties where I legitimately don't think I saw my natural hair color for years.  But after a hair straightening accident (who knew your hair didn't like being bleached and relaxed on the same day?) wherein all my hair fell out, I stopped for a long time.
Then I was lucky enough to get a free coupon for Garnier Oila from Bzz Agent.





I figured - why not dip my toe back into the dyeing ocean?  If I was going to dye again, Oila seemed a good fit.  After all, according to Garnier, "Olia visibly improves and restores hair as the oils help to reverse roughness and dullness for more brilliant, dimensional color and softer, shinier hair with more bounce."  I could use softer, shinier hair!  I like bounce!  So let's give this stuff a spin.
I grabbed number 4.60, Dark Intense Auburn.  My hair's naturally on the very dark brown side of things, but due to my mother's side of the family having a bazillion redheads, it's got a bit of red highlights.  So why not play that up?
Now, you may be wondering what the "oil powered" part of the product is. Garnier states: "unlike traditional haircolor, Garnier Olia uses an exclusive 60% oil blend with natural flower oils to achieve maximum color performance while visibly improving and restoring hair".
You'll notice it first during the application.  It doesn't smell bad.  I mean, I'm not going to clamor for Oila perfume, but at the same time it didn't make me feel like my nose hairs were being burned from the inside out.  It's a standard creme formula, maybe a little on the watery side, but nothing hair dye devotees haven't dealt with before.

You can deal with it.  I did.  
After washing it out, it didn't feel like it totally fried my hair.  My hair felt about as good as it had pre-dye.  Which, considering that most dyes turn my already straw-like hair to something resembling candy floss, is fantastic.

I'm in love with the color, and my hair feels fantastic. The other sneaky bonus for Oila - since it's oil based, it doesn't immediately stain everything in your bathroom.  I got a good dollop on my sink?  Gone!  The bit on my forehead?  Washed right up!  The stains on my hand?  WASHED RIGHT OFF.  If that's not reason enough to buy it, I don't know what is.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by a third party for reviewing purposes.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Nail MADNESS - The Face Shop GR501

The Face Shop is pretty much my favorite Asian makeup/skin company.  I'm a huge hippie who likes natural products in my skincare, and they're a great fit.  But what about their cosmetics?

Last July I bought a couple of nail polishes from the face shop, and only recently did I bother trying them out.  The nail polish I used is their color GR501 (augh, come up with names, darn it!) and I bought it for two bucks USD.  Yeah.  Two dollars.  I've spent more on a coffee than I did on this nail polish.  I figured - how good can it be?

It turns out it could be AMAZING.  I only needed two coats to get a pretty, summery teal color that's perfectly true to what you see in the bottle.  And I ended up wearing it for two weeks without any tip wear.  I wore my typical Orly Bonder basecoat and one coat of Seche Vite topcoat and wear time was a dream.

So if you're looking for some inexpensive nail polish and are lucky enough to have a Face Shop near you, snag some.  They may seem like a throw away compared to their skin care and BB Cream offerings, but I promise, they're made just as well as the rest of their products.

                       Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

Schick Hydro Silk

I have this weird love/hate relationship with shaving.  I don't usually like doing it at all, because about three hours after I do, I start to itch.  Madly.  Legs, pits, you name it, soon I've got these angry razor bumps and I WANT.  TO.  DIE.  I've tried everything under the sun, and nothing really works.  The only thing that really did work for me was just ... not shaving.  Sure, I did it from time to time - before dates, if I was going out with friends, when I wanted to wear a short skirt - but most of the time it was No Shave November all year round.

Then I got this little thing in the mail.  

It's the Schick Hydro Silk razor, and it's actually pretty friggin' good.  To quote the website:

Schick Hydro Silk^™ hydrates skin like no other razor can. This uniquely designed razor goes beyond an incredibly close shave to actually care for your skin. With Water-Activated Moisturizing Serum & 5 Curve-Sensing blades with skin guards to help protect skin from irritation, the Hydro Silk^™ razor leaves skin feeling silky smooth! And it’s preferred over the leading 5 blade razor.

I like being hydrated, and I'm fairly notorious for carving my legs with a razor like I'm a turkey or something.  So, why not try it?  I used it to take away about a month's worth of hair, and so far, 30 hours later, my skin is only slightly itchy.  Which, for me, is tantamount to a miracle.  Now, I'm admittedly not the most normal person skin-wise to tell you to use a razor - but think about this - if I love this razor with my mutant legs, how much will you?

I've already recommended this to lots of ladies in my life.  Totally worth the crazy high prices that razors are (why are razors so expensive world, please let me know if you find out).

Disclaimer: This product was provided by a third party for reviewing purposes.  No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.