Deep Conditioner Rave!! -- Aussie & Neutrogena

I'm going to start off reviewing the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeeeeep Conditioner($3).
What it claims: Deeeeeply intense conditioning, accented with Australian aloe, penetrates dry or damaged hair. Sure, it's really deep and super intense. But Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Liquid Conditioner, accented with natural Australian aloe and jojoba oil, has a playful side too. Quick and easy for no-worries hair. Deep conditioning for damaged do's. Super deep conditioning for a seriously simple fix to dry, damaged hair. It's your own little miracle.
What I think: The texture of it is really thick and it comes out of a strangely shaped bottle. The opening of the bottle is upside down but there is a little filter than only lets product out when you squeeze the bottle. It's very convenient because all you have to do is squeeze, and it's easier to get every last bit out this way. It smells very strongly of coconut and the scent lasts for quite a while, so if you're not a huge fan of coconut then you might not like the scent of this deep conditioner. I applied it to my hair after squeezing out excess water from my hair after shampooing. I tucked my hair under a shower cap and continued to shower while it sit for about 5-7 minutes. It claims to only need 3 minutes to work, but a little extra time doesn't hurt. It's a very moisturizing deep conditioner and you can tell right when you rinse it off. My hands just slip right through my hair and my hair is completely tangle free. After i blow dry it, my hair is really soft, silky, and shiny, just the way I like it. As an added bonus, the bottle only cost $3!!! It's such a great bargain for people who want beautiful hair but are on a budget. It lasted me quite a while. I used this about 1-2 times a week just to keep my hair in good shape because my hair was damaged by my use of heat styling and as a result, became very dry.

So next is my review of the Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask($8.49)
What it claims: Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask rehabilitates extra dry or over-processed hair with intense moisturization. This weekly treatment is so concentrated, just a small amount is needed for hair to become soft, lustrous and shining in minutes. Three naturally derived extracts work on the hair strand to defy dryness. Olive penetrates to the center, Meadowfoam Seed helps moisturize the middle and Sweet Almond wraps the surface. Treat your hair to intense moisture with this once-a-week conditioning mask.
What I think: If you thought my review of the Aussie deep conditioner was extremely positive... wait til you read this review. It completely lives up to what it claims. I've heard so many people rave about how fantastic this deep conditioner is, so I was pretty much expecting it to do some magic on my dry, heat damaged hair. And boy, it did magic. It comes in a little tub which is absolutely great for getting out every last bit of product. It is extremely thick, so thick I would compare it to hair pudding. It has a bit of a soft, fruity/almondy scent. A lot of people like the scent, and a lot of people don't. It's really just up to personal preferences. After I rinsed this deep conditioner out, I was so amazed. My hair was just so silky and smooth and my fingers seriously just slid right through my hair. However, do be careful in the shower because it makes the bathtub very slippery. After I blow dried my hair, the results were even better than the Aussie Deep Conditioner. It's that amazing, no joke.
Conclusion: If you are someone with damaged, over processed, dry hair, then both deep conditioners will be perfect for you. In fact, it's perfect for normal hair, too. It might be too thick for people with fine hair though. If you are on a budget, then the Aussie Deep Conditioner is the way to go, but if you have a few extra dollars to spend, then I suggest you purchase the Neutrogena one. Hopefully you guys will acheive the same results I did! I love how my hair feels now. Keep rockin' that hair, ladies!

St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub

I purchased this scrub about 2 weeks ago for a low, low price of $0.97!!! It's only the travel size, but the amount (1 fl oz) is plenty for me to use for a while and it costs less than a dollar! I'd say that's a pretty good deal ;].

About this product: This claims to reduce redness and fight free radicals. It has 1% salicylic acid and 100% natural green tea. It also claims to fight acne. So green tea is a wonderful natural thing that is so good for your health and your skin. I love drinking it and I especially love using green tea skin products, so this scrub is absolutely lovely. Green tea has lots of antioxidants that fight free radicals which can age skin and produce wrinkles (no one wants that!). This scrub also has olive oil and olive leaf extract which provide moisture and gentle cleansing. The exfoliating beads are silica which is from sand.

What I think: This scrub is really amazing for such a low price. It gently exfoliates my face and it really does clear the redness. I had minimal breakouts due to hormones and this product really helped reduce the redness around my nose and forehead. The green tea smell is really nice and it smells so relaxing and natural. The salicylic acid doesn't really do much to help my acne, but that's because I need some strong benzoyl peroxide in order to notice a change in my acne. It's a bit too rough to use everyday. I tried that and when I used my normal AcneFree facewash, it burned my face a little :[. So if you have sensitive skin, then I suggest using this every once in a while. It has really helped with clearing out blackheads on my nose. I barely have any now! It doesn't dry out my skin. Instead, it leaves it feeling so soft, refreshed, clean, and smooth. I love this product and I suggest it to pretty much everyone! Stay gorgeous girlies!

Mario Badescu-Free Samples

I was just searching through the Mario Badescu website looking for products that I liked when I decided I might as well take the Skin Care Analysis so I could narrow down my search. The analysis can be found here http://www.mariobadescu.com/questionnaire.aspx If you take the quiz and answer according to your skin type, then they will send you an e-mail a few days later asking you if you would like for them to send you free samples. Obviously, I chose to receive the free samples ;]. Shipping took about a week, and you could imagine how excited I was to have Mario Badescu samples to try.

So inside the package there is a product guide with a list of all their products, product descriptions, and prices.

Along with that there is also a product application guide which has a list of the samples they sent you and a description of how to use them.

I received (from left to right, top row to bottom row) the Special Cucumber Lotion, Botanical Facial Gel, Oil Free Moisturizer, Orange Tonic Mask, and Strawberry Face Scrub. According to the product application guide, I was also supposed to receive a drying lotion, but I think they can't send it because it's in a glass container.

Oil free moisturizer

Special Cucumber Lotion

Botanical Facial Gel

Orange Tonic Mask

Strawberry Face Scrub
About my skin: I have oily skin, especially around my T-zone, that is extremely annoying. I can't really wear makeup during the summer without having it melt and smear everywhere. Because I have oily skin, my pores are rather large and noticeable and also get clogged easily. I also have mild acne on my forehead, but it's mostly because of my bangs. I've been using AcneFree for about two years now, and I must say, it's considerably improved my acne problem. So I've been searching for products that will help keep my face matte during the day and also help my skin to secrete less oil (I get so shiny! :[ ). If anyone would like to suggest any products, that'd be greatly appreciated! I'll post a review of all the samples after I try them during the next few days. Stay pretty!

L'OREAL HiP Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Duos- Energized

I just recently purchased this eyeshadow at my local Wal-mart. I've been wanting to get my hands on these eyeshadows after hearing about how great their pigmentation is. What do I think? The eyeshadow duo that I bought in Energized has a champagne, neutral, but slightly sparkly color. It is extremely pigmented and shows up well on my eyelids. The color on the right is a rich dark brown that would be used on the outer V and the crease. It also has wonderful pigmentation, so I'm very thrilled with my purchase. On the L'OREAL website, the picture for energized looks different that what I purchased, but the eyeshadow label says Energized, so I'm guessing that it is, in fact, Energized. I think there used to be an old HiP duo called Energized that had a gold/champagne color on the left and a dark purple color on the right. In my opinion, this is a wonderful duo for neutral eyes, and the colors show up very nicely on the skin. Here are some swatches:

As you can see, they're very sparkly and rich in color on my hand. On my eyelids, however, they are more matte but still equally well pigmented. When I used them on my eyes, I didn't use my Urban Decay Primer Potion (which is amazing <3) just to see how the color would turn out. It works just fine without primer, and I'm sure it would look even better with primer. Opinions about the container: The contained had a lid on top that opens and reveals the eyeshadows. On the bottom, there is another lid that opens downward and reveals a compartment that holds the applicator sponge. I honestly feel that this is a waste of space because I use my E.L.F eyeshadow brush instead and all the applicator sponge serves to do is make rattling noises whenever I pick up the container. Conclusion This is a really beautiful duo to purchase if you're interested in neutral shadows. I absolutely love neutral shadows and I keep purchasing different brands because I just can't afford the Naked palette :(. Hopefully this color will show up just as well on your beautiful eyes as it did on mine. Stay beautiful, ladies!

Essie Barbados Blue

Disclaimers:
I purchased this product with my own money.
I was not paid by any company to review/represent this product.
All these reviews are based on my personal opinion and not everyone will have the same results that I have.
The purpose of this blog is to provide information about certain products I've tried.
Please ask before using my photos because I take them myself with my Olympus DLSR.

So this is an Essie nail polish that I've had for about a year now. I bought it specifically for my cruise to Cozumel. As you can see by the color, it lives up to its name "Barbados Blue." I looove this color. It really does remind me of the perfect vacation lying on the beach with beautiful, blue ocean water. The color also shows up really nicely on my nails, and two coats is the perfect amount to use. It's a really sheer almost pearly color that dries decently fast. However, on one of my nails it just never dried (weird huh?) and it got ruined =[ so I had to redo it. But all in all, this is a really wonderful ocean colored nail polish perfect for summertime. And of course, Essie is a great nail polish brand, so if you like what you see, go on and try it out!

Well.. Hello Girls!

So this beauty blog will be mostly about my reviews of products I've tried, how I used them, etc. I absolutely love watching makeup tutorial videos on YouTube and following beauty blogs, so I thought I might as well start my own to share the love :]