REVIEW: AUSSIE 3 MINUTE MIRACLE

I have long, damaged, dry hair. I am constantly looking for miracle products that are going to help fix my unfortunate mane. I purchased Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle for around $3 about 2 months ago. It's a decent product that doesn't break the bank.

PROS

• Price. There are so many high end expensive brands out there which I really cannot afford. My hair is important to me, but I'm not going to spend $100 on a product that I don't even know will do anything. This product is so cheap that it's a steal for what you are getting.
• Smell. I loooove the scent of coconuts. This product definitely has a strong coconut smell and I absolutely love it. I wish the smell would last longer in my hair, but unfortunately by the time my hair dries it is gone.
• Results. I don't use this product often, probably once every two weeks or so. I don't like using deep conditioners every time I shower just because I feel like it weighs down my hair. I have definitely noticed that my hair is a lot softer/shinier after using this product. I can't stop touching my hair after I use this and even my boyfriend noticed how soft it was as well. I think if a guy notices something like that, then this stuff does pretty good! 

CONS

• Packaging. Unfortunately, the packaging is a let down. There is no cap on the product, you just squeeze it and the product comes out of a hole. This is kind of annoying as water can easily get into it and water it down if you aren't careful. Also, it's probably going to be hard to get the product out when there isn't much left of it.
• Miracle? No. Yes, I love the way this makes my hair feel after I finish using it in the shower but it's definitely not a miracle. My split ends are still visible and it hasn't really made my hair feel stronger by any means. 

CONSENSUS

This product has made my hair softer and look healthier but it hasn't done much besides that. I think it's a good deep conditioner to use once in awhile but I think there are definitely better options out there. I didn't expect this to really be a miracle product but I do like the smell and think for the price you can't really complain too much!

REVIEW: L'OREAL TRUE MATCH LUMI FOUNDATION

Once again, I've been MIA! I just moved into a new place and it has consumed my life. I want to try to update this blog at least twice a week so let's see how this goes!

I love trying out new foundations so I picked up L'oreal's True Match Lumi Foundation. After seeing a youtube beauty guru use it in one of her tutorials, I was sold. It made her skin look absolutely flawless and gave her skin an airbrush affect. I've been experimenting with it for a month now and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

PROS:

1. It has a great pump. I love when foundations actually have pumps on them because it controls how much of the product comes out and it doesn't waste any. 
2. Blendability. This foundation blends so easily that you can use your fingers or a brush and you still can get great results. I prefer using a flat top brush as it makes it super easy and fast to blend this foundation on the skin.
3. Air brush finish. I've never used an airbrush system for foundation but I feel like this can give the equivalent results. I love the finish it gives my skin: it's not completely matte but not overly dewey. It makes your skin glow and look healthy.
4. Buildable coverage. I like a full coverage foundation and this is definitely buildable. You can use a little and have a light-medium coverage but you can also build it up enough where concealer is not really needed.
5. Lasts all day. You can't go wrong with a foundation that remains put for the whole day. An occasional touch up with powder and this foundation is good to go for full wear.

CONS:

1. Watery. When you pump this foundation it comes out quickly and quite watery. I prefer a foundation that's a bit thicker as this one is quite runny. 
2. Oxidizes: After sitting for awhile on the skin, this foundation actually gets a shade or two darker from when you first put it on. I'm not a fan of this as my skin is fair and I purchased one of the lightest colors. This is a pretty large con for me as I hate when my foundation doesn't match my skin tone. It also looked a bit orange to me as well when this happened.

CONSENSUS:

Definitely not my holy grail foundation but it's pretty good! I think the fact that it oxidizes pretty intensely may be a reason why I would not re-purchase it. I do love the flawless finish it gives my skin though.

MAY FAVORITES!

I just realized I haven't posted on my blog in almost two months. I guess life just gets the best of you sometimes! Life has calmed down a little bit so I will for sure be posting more frequently again. :)

Since I haven't updated in awhile, I'm going to do a May favorites post about my current favorite products! I feel like whenever I go grocery shopping I tend to pick up a few beauty products along the way. The following are my current favorites for this month!

FOUNDATION: Foundation is a must for me always as I have hyper-pigmentation as well as a very rosy complexion. I am currently trying to use up the rest of my Cover Girl 3-in-1 foundation that I mentioned preciously as I don't like wasting make up. As I've said before, this isn't my favorite foundation (check my previous review). My favorite foundation currently is Revlon's Color Stay Whipped foundation. Absolutely love the consistency of this foundation and it gives great coverage.

CONCEALER: Still loving my Hard Candy heavy duty Glamoflauge concealer. I use it every day - even when I don't wear foundation. I will admit it's quite heavy and a little bit goes a long way. It's perfect for those days when I don't want a full face of foundation.

LIPSTICK: I really loving Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten lipstains. I have the colors Cherish and Sweeatheart. Absolutely obsessed with these. The colors are beautiful for Summer and they really do stain your lips. TIP: These are a little drying so I usually apply and EOS lip balm over them.

LEFT: CHERISH      RIGHT: SWEETHEART

MASCARA: Maybelline's the Rocket Mascara is a great drugstore brand mascara that boosts eyelashes and make them look full. This is definitely going to be a repurchase for me!

HAIR PRODUCTS: I've been using Dove's Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner for a few months now and I love it. This system makes my hair feel so soft and healthy. It's supposed to significantly help visible split ends as well as prevent them. I can definitely tell a huge difference in my hair since using it.

REVIEW: NYX BUTT NAKED EYES PALETTE

NYX is a great brand with quality products for a reasonable price. I have several products by them and when I saw this palette I was like OMG, I need it. 

For around $25 you get 15 eyeshadows PLUS 4 blushes, a bronzer, and two highlighters. I was so hyped up for this palette but unfortunately I was disappointed. 

THE EYESHADOWS: These shadows are SO CHALKY. The pigment of them is poor with or without a primer underneath. Once placed on my eyelid, they were invisible. They were also hard to blend and basically useless. As you can see by the swatches, they barely even show up on my hand.

With flash

Without flash

The only upside to this palette are the blushes, highligher, and bronzer. They are actually pretty pigmented! The blushes are really pretty and wearable shades while the bronzer is great for contouring. The two highlighters are also great and very pigmented as well.

The bronzer looks kind of orange in this lighting but I promise it's not!

CONSENSUS: 

This palette definitely has its ups and downs for sure. I'm not a fan of the eyeshadows and don't think I will ever be using them unfortunately. I know NYX has good quality eyeshadows as I've used them before but for some reason they're slacking in this palette. I do like the blushes and have used them quite frequently as well as the bronzer and highlighters. So I guess this palette wasn't a complete waste for me but at the same time it is kind of disappointing! 

UPDATED REVIEW: COVERGIRL OUTLAST 3-IN-1 FOUNDATION

So I've been using the Covergirl Outlast 3-IN-1 foundation for a little bit now and I'm sad to say my feelings for this foundation have changed drastically. Let me tell you why..

1. COVERAGE: I think I was a little jaded when I first reviewed this foundation. I thought it was full coverage but it really isn't. Maybe it's because now I have more break outs thanks to this foundation? Yes, this foundation has broken me out. I didn't want to believe it was the foundation so I continued to use it then soon realized it didn't cover any acne/redness on my face at all. It almost looked as though I had put a BB cream on my face. I had to use concealer in order to cover any blemishes.

2. LASTING POWER: Without a little extra help from concealer, this foundation begins to fade throughout the day. I've never had that problem with other foundations before. I don't know why. It seems as though this foundation like really sinks into your pores. (Possibly the reason for causing my break outs?)

3. THE FOUNDATION GETS DARKER? Yes, the foundation gradually gets darker as it sets into my skin. So much for taking all that time out to pick the perfect shade I guess? I feel like as the foundation sets it gets a shade or two darker from when I first apply it. It's awesome if I would have gotten a color too light for my skin tone but unfortunately that was not the case.


RE-CONSENSUS: 
My bad. I pretty much just contradicted everything I said in my initial review of this foundation but I felt the need to correct myself. I guess that goes to show you should actually use a product consistently for awhile before reviewing it lol. I was just so taken aback by how great it was the first time I applied it until now where I'm not happy with it. My main issue is that it has broken me out which sucks for me because I don't just get one little pimple I get a TON. I think I am going to try out a different foundation that I've heard some hype about so stay tuned!

HOW TO: Get long, healthy, hair

I don't know what it is but I feel so much more confident with longer hair than I do when my hair is shorter. I've always loved having long hair and I absolutely DREAD going to get my hair cut. I have grown my hair out several times: the longest it has been was almost to my butt and currently it's about halfway down my back. Here are some tips that I've discovered that have helped the health as well as speed up the process of growing my hair.

1. ELIMINATE HEAT: Well obviously this is a no brainer. Heat products are extremely damaging to your hair and can cause split heads which makes your hair look unhealthy and actually shorter than it really is! I try to use the least amount of heating tools as possible. I rarely use a hair dryer and stick to using curling irons and flat irons for limited occasions. Seriously, this can help significantly for the health of your hair. ESPECIALLY, if you're trying to grow it out. (If you do use a lot of heat products, ALWAYS make sure to use a heat protectant. Be generous with it because this is the barrier between your actual hair and the heat).

2. STAY AWAY FROM BLEACH: Do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT, bleach your hair. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way the affects that bleach can have. I got the under part of my hair bleached blonde almost a year ago and my hair is still seeing the affects of it. All of my hair that was bleached is unhealthy and has broken off to the point where my hair that is underneath is shorter than my hair on top. Weird, I know. Thankfully, it's only underneath my hair. It's been a process trying to rejuvenate the hair that was so damaged from the bleach. In general, stay away from over processing your hair. It really really takes a toll.

3. USE A DEEP CONDITIONER: I feel like my deep conditioner has saved my hair. I use one from TRESemme and it has done wonders to bring life back to my hair. I use it about once or twice a month and it leaves my hair feeling soft and healthy.

4. TAKE BIOTIN: I researched a lot about the vitamin biotin before purchasing it. It's amazing for hair growth as well as good for your skin and nail growth. I've been taking it for about a month now and I can see a huge change in my hair. It feels thicker and stronger than it did before. I'm not sure about hair growth though - I haven't been taking it for long but if I do see any progress I will definitely post about it!

5. SLEEP WITH YOUR HAIR DOWN: I'm guilty for sleeping with my hair in a pony tail or bun at night. The problem with this is the hair tie can pull your hair out at night and it is also suffocating to your hair. I know I've woken up in the morning seeing a few stray hairs on my pillow and I realized that since I move around so much at night without realizing that my hair was being pulled at the same time.

6. DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR DAILY: When you wash your hair every day it eliminates the natural oils in your hair that helps it become healthy and grow. I used to wash my hair every day because I thought it looked oily but now I wash it around every 3 or 4 days. I've noticed a huge difference in my hair: build up is eliminated, my hair doesn't get as oily as it used to, and my hair just looks healthier and shinier. (Still shower daily lol just avoid washing your hair).

7. GET YOUR HAIR TRIMMED EVERY 6 WEEKS: The best way to eliminate split ends from ruining the process of growing out healthy hair, make sure you are getting your hair trimmed. I'm guilty of not doing this but it seriously makes that much of a difference. I've actually taught myself to trim my own hair so it's cheap. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube that make it easy to trim your own hair. I've also noticed that my hair looks longer when I trim it more often (weird, right?)


I hope some of my tips helped you guys out! I'm no expert but I do love having long hair and try my best to keep it healthy. :)

IPSY MARCH GLAM BAG REVIEW

So it's that time of the month again to review the wonderful wonders of the Ipsy glam bag! Some good, some bad, some I don't know if I should cancel my subscription. This bag was okay.

THE BAG: Thank you, Ipsy. FINALLY. The bag actually has a cute pattern. I'm digging the nautical/spring break theme. I love the sailor print. The quality is the usual. I'm pretty sure I broke the zipper when closing it the first time but it's okay!

LA FRESH MAKE UP REMOVER WIPES: Cool. I can always use some make up remover wipes. They're cute and pink and travel sized. Besides that, they're just your average make up wipes. Nothing special about them. You could probably find similar at your local dollar store.

GLAMRX MINI FREESTYLE PALETTE: Love this! It's a cute palette that you can add little eyeshadows/blushes etc. that are magnetic on the back. It has a cute mirror in it and it's definitely great for travel. I really like the idea of this!

YABY EYESHADOW REFIL: I received two mini eyeshadows to go inside the GlamRx palette. The two colors I have are Sand Dune which is obviously a sandy color and So Vein which is a green/teal color. I was excited about the green eyeshadow since St. Patrick's day is this upcoming weekend! Unfortunately, the eyeshadows aren't that pigmented and are actually kind of chalky. I can work with them though. A good primer may help.

JUICE BEAUTY HYDRATING MIST: This is a good size mist that I guess it used to hydrate your skin when it's warm outside. Well, it smells like ass. Sorry for being so blunt but even my boyfriend told me I smelled like a grandma after spraying this (lol). I think that's pretty much self explanatory. If a guy notices it smells bad, then it really does.

CONSENSUS:
There were definitely some hits and misses in this bag. Honestly, I don't expect this company to please everyone all the time. It's impossible. Personally for myself, I don't know if it's worth the money anymore. I don't use the majority of the products I receive so it's kind of waste. It is definitely awesome for trying out new things though which is why I'm kind of on the fence! We will see what next month holds and then I think I will decide whether to stay or unsubscribe!