ELF Review #1

Here as I go! As promised, these are my product reviews from my purchases from Eyes Lips and Face.

This was my first order from ELF:

Blending wedges - $1

Nail Polish in Clear - $1

Nail Polish in Plum - $1

Nail Polish in Nude - $1

Nail Buffing Block - $1

Dual Pencil Sharpener - $1

Concealer Brush - $1

Foundation Brush - $1

Shine Eraser oil blotting sheets (50 sheets) - $1

Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Light Beige - $1

Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Glow/Light- $3

Eye liner in Black - $3

*I also used a coupon code with saved me 50% off the first $16, which put my total for this order at $8! Shipping was $6.95.
**I also apologize for the way stupid spacing. Thanks, Blogger.

Blending wedges - What a rockin' deal! 8 wedges in hard plastic package that works as a storage container until you use the rest up. Blending wedges aren't anything to write home about, I know. So I won't say too much, other than they work, and I am glad I bought them :]

Nail Polish in Clear -Went on great, stayed on, and didn't yellow.

Nail Polish in Plum - Great color, and lasted great on my toes.

Nail Polish in Nude -Love this color too. Didn't last as long, because it was on my fingernails, and I beat my hands to death and chip the crap out of any polish that I wear!

Nail Buffing Block - Honestly, I haven't used this yet. I will save this review for later.

 

Dual Pencil Sharpener -Again, great deal for a makeup bag staple. I never had one before, because I always shared with my mom or friends before! Time for my own. Good choice.

Concealer and Foundation Brushes -I have never used these types of brushes before, and have always wanted to try them. Without having tried them before, I could never bring myself to dropping $20-30 on a brush from from Sephora or the department store makeup counter--even $10 from Target. But for a buck (50 cents with my coupon!) I figured I could even hate these things and not feel guilty. I actually really like them! I don't use them every day because it takes much longer to do my makeup when I involve brushes, and don't just use my fingers as blending tools. When I have the extra time though, I discovered it really is worth the effort--it gives that airbrushed effect. Perfect for hot dates and days that I don't work at 4am :]

Shine Eraser oil blotting sheets (50 sheets) - Another great deal on something that I never bother buying, because an $8 pack of 3" x 2" tissue seems just wrong. But $1 (and for me-- 50 cents!) it was a great addition to my purse. Even Matt can use one every once and awhile... However, as a side note, did you know that you can use toilet seat covers in a pinch? Brillz.

Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Light Beige -I was really excited to try this one out. I am always intrigued by tinted moisturizers, but again, didn't want to invest in something I may hate. It was another 50 cent risk that I couldn't resist! I liked the way it went on, and the color and coverage were as I hoped they would be. I especially liked it when I used the foundation brush to apply it. The disappointing part was that after a few days of using it, I noticed that my cheeks were breaking out way more than normal. I realized that this product was the only change to my regular skin routine, so I quit, and sure enough, my skin cleared up. So far though, this was my only miss with anything ELF I have tried. 50 cent loss.

Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Glow/Light- This stuff is awesome. I like to blend the two tones together on the back of my hand before I apply it. If my circles are really bad, I put the highlighter on first, then cover it with the concealer. Make sure you put moisturizer on first, don't overdo it, and don't apply more if it has already dried--it can get cakey or rub itself off.

Eyeliner in Black -For $3, this was good. I was especially intrigued by this because it is 100% mineral based. It went on well and I like the color. However, it fades throughout the day, and if I don't have eyeshadow on, it transfers to my upper eyelids. It's good for a day that I just want natural looking makeup, or am not wearing much of it. I don't hate it enough to throw it away, but I probably won't buy it again.

Orange Berlin review: part ii

Since I did excessive describing in my Orange Berlin review: part i, I will keep these shorter. You now know the ambiance, the stylist, and the general vibe of the salon. After my initial appointment for a haircut, I have been back to Orange Berlin twice:

Highlight appointment :: December 24, 3pm
Brigitte was not very impressed with my at-home attempts at lightening my hair (neither was I) and was insistent in scheduling me for highlights on Christmas Eve so I could have "pretty Christmas and Birthday hair!" I was very appreciative.

She did a TON of foils on my head, as I have a lot of hair, and my hair was pretty dark. She was very meticulous and careful to make the streaks very tiny, but large in number, so they would look natural but cover a lot of hair. (Umm... and can I please mention that this took FOREVER? I was seriously there for FIVE HOURS.) I was so excited to go back to blonde. We flipped through the sample book to choose a toner color, and chose one on the agreement that what I was going for was "more Giselle blonde than Claudia Schiffer blonde."

Unfortunately, what I ended up with was hardly different than what I walked in with. The toner was way too dark, and even reddish. Brigitte is still stumped as to how this happened, because according to her, my hair was "very blonde" pre-toner (I never saw it, this stage was just in the sink). I told her I really wasn't happy with the color, so she used a product called Re-Light (sp?) to tone down the redness, and give it a cooler tone. I was happier with this, as it canceled out the red, and even showed a little more blonde through, as a result of re-washing my hair immediately after coloring--but it was still brown. I left very disappointed that my hair wasn't blonde. The highlights were done very well--natural, shimmery--but subtle.

Apparently, I shouldn't have ever used permanent hair-color on my naturally blonde hair when I decided to go dark. I should have used a toner, which slowly fades out, and makes for a much easier transition when wanting to go back to my natural color. I didn't even know you could buy this without being a stylist! Ugh. Going back to blonde that I want will be much harder than I thought. I tried it last May and totally hated the tone, so I re-dyed it to brown. I should have used a toner on that, and I probably could have stayed blonde. Oh well, lesson learned, I suppose?

I am noticing that the toner is indeed fading, and my highlights are surfacing.

Maybe this is the best way to transition to blonde? Switch so gradually that no one will notice? I am trying to stay positive.

I am washing my hair more often, thoroughly scrubbing with my shampoo, and rinsing with hot water to encourage the fading...but don't worry and use lots of conditioner :]

{ here is a before and after so you can at least sort of tell that, yes, my hair is a little lighter... }

Complimentary bang trim :: December 30, 3pm

This was a very pleasant and quick stop in. I had an appointment, didn't have to wait, sipped a Mimosa, got my bangs trimmed, talked with Brigitte about how my toner will soon fade and my hair will get blonder by the day, and went on my way. :]

{ photo 1 via a hilarious post on Mod Mom Furniture blog (Seriously! Go read it!); photo 2 via Think Big blog }

Orange Berlin review: part i (continued)

Ha! As promised, and I followed through...

Here is my new haircut. Grown out a bit, since it's been a month now (I suck). This is also with my new highlights (that review is coming soon, too!)

{ photo of moi taken by the hubs. Hair by Brigitte of Orange Berlin }

Orange Berlin review: part i

Get ready for details, because that is what I am about. And the whole experience was just so divine, I had to indulge!

Haircut appointment :: December 15th at 10am

 I was the first appointment of the morning, and actually beat my stylist there. That was a-okay with me though, as I was a little flustered when I got there because my GPS had been losing signal and stressing me out into thinking I was going to be late. I was greeted by the lovely Martina (who had a gorgeous German accent, not to mention impeccable style), who was setting out some amazing yellow sun umbrellas on the sidewalk in front of the shop. She invited me to sit down on their deliciously gaudy white and gold damask Louis XIV style chairs in their waiting area that is juxtaposed in their minimalist, modern, and completely open floor plan. She offered me coffee, to which I accepted, and was delighted to be brought a personal french press of a hazelnut brew, a white ceramic coffee cup with matching saucer and creamer, and a gingerbread man shaped biscotti cookie all on a geometrically patterned gray lucite tray.

{ something like this, but prettier }

When Brigitte, my stylist, arrived, she was very friendly and instantly put me at ease. She had one of those soft, warm voices that practically lulls you to sleep (in a good way) that was topped off with a gorgeous French accent. We talked about what I wanted (and how I really didn't know exactly what I wanted) and she sat down with me and really listened. She also ran her hands through my hair and checked out my current cut, and then made some suggestions. She told me that she really liked what I already had, but had a few suggestions for improvements that would make it even better.

Her suggestions were:

1) Cut straight across bangs

2) Move my deep side part to the center

3) Grow out my tapered layers around my face to create a fuller, more blunt cut. (Brigitte said that she likes to set goals with her clients--"It's so fun to reach them together!")

I was totally on board with all of these suggestions. I knew I wanted something different, but I wasn't unhappy enough with my current cut for anything too drastically different. This would be perfect. ...And I never realized how much my front layers bugged me until she made this suggestion. I don't like that the front of my hair is not the same length as the back--why did I never realize this? That is the kind of thing that makes you a good stylist, right there.

I told her that I had already washed my hair that morning, so we only needed to get it wet, but we ended up talking so much that she ended up washing my hair mindlessly and I didn't object. Plus, I got a head massage as a result that was totally incredible!

Fast forward to the end of the cut, and I was very happy with the end result. What really sold me though, was the fact that she styled my hair in a way that I actually loved. My hair is really wavy, really thick, and no one really know how to deal with it but me. I have never had a hairstylist style my hair after a cut in a way that I actually like it (okay, there was one time, but it was because she took the time to completely flatiron it). I usually throw it in a ponytail and head home after a haircut. She used some sort of curl-cream-wax that totally worked wonders, and actually showed me a look that I didn't know my hair could so easily achieve. Amazing! 

She even flattered me by showing me off to Martina, the other stylist, and her client. They said that my wavy curls were what everyone was paying big bucks for lately--thanks mom for the awesome hair genes!

...so I know that this is incredibly anti-climactic of me, but I don't have an acceptable picture of my haircut yet. But my hope is that since I posted this, it will remind me to hurry up and take one and post it ASAP. That is my way of keeping myself accountable. So expect a photo soon!