DIY Coconut Oil & Honey Conditioner…Semi-Fail?

My DIY life is still full of the fail, I see. Everything was going so well! But I’m out of my favorite conditioner at the moment (Essential Rich Premier Ultra Honey and Shea Butter Mask), and I’m waiting awhile to stock up again, as I want to buy it in bulk. And it’s made in Japan, so yeah, shipping fees will be out the wazoo! But it’s totally worth it! So what did I do in the meantime? I mixed up some hair goods!

And it didn’t work out so well.

What I used:

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp honey

A liberal portion of regular conditioner…just because.

Now, I thought that I’d taken photos of this, but apparently I didn’t, because I can’t find any of them anywhere! But the consistency was that of a slightly runny conditioner, and when I applied it the first time, it seemed to make my curly new growth just pop! I was excited, because the front section of my hair doesn’t really like to do that on its own! Fine hair problems, yes? I rinsed it out, pulled my hair back to air dry, and went on about my business. My hair was just fine.

The second time that I used it was a different story altogether, and there are plenty of things that could have contributed to this being a semi-fail for me. First of all, I wash my hair every two days. Three at the most. If I go any longer than that, my hair will rebel. It will not respond to ANYTHING. Moisture, oil, a comb, life, you name it, my hair doesn’t care about it. But when it’s under the water and is all clean? It loves me again. My hair is a living entity with its own mind – and it has an attitude. So, of course, I went to use the DIY conditioner again on day three. Big mistake. I couldn’t even get a comb through my hair, not even while under the water in the shower. It was so tangled, and then it was so dry – it felt like straw! And then I remembered…coconut oil.

There’s a reason that I don’t use coconut oil in my hair unless it’s one of the last few ingredients in a product. My hair doesn’t really respond well to it at all. Plus, I was using it a few days apart, as opposed to a week or so. Coconut oil = protein. I’d just put my hair under protein overload, so of course it rebelled. Of course it did.

The lesson? Don’t use coconut oil so closely together, unless you have a good moisturizing plan in place. Don’t be like me. 😉

Lashes Galore!

Okay, maybe not galore, but still…mini haul-ish of sorts? Maybe? Yeah, I need to stop shopping late at night. It does result in me getting packages in the mail that are packed full of goodies, though!

Enter…Madame Madeline.

This is a one-stop lash shop, seriously! Several different brands of false eyelashes, lash adhesives (latex and non-latex), lash tools, nail care, skin care, and more. And their shipping is FAST! I ordered in the middle of the night on the 2nd (a Sunday), it was processed and shipped on Monday, and I had them by Thursday morning. That made me happy! I can’t remember if I first heard of this online store through YouTube, or if I found it through someone’s blog, but I’m thankful all the same. I’ve been wanting to try Red Cherry lashes for quite some time now, and Madame Madeline sells them for $2.50 a pair. I’m not mad at it! Soooo I bought four pairs of lashes and a non-latex lash adhesive (the latex ones burn my eyes!).

Products purchased:

Ardell Brush-On Strip Lash Adhesive (non-latex)

Red Cherry #43

Red Cherry #213 (x2!)

Red Cherry #WSP

I have only tried the #213 so far, and even though they’re a little longer than I’d anticipated, I do like them!

These lashes are loooooong…

I was too tired to add eyeliner to cover the lash line. Next time, y’all…next time. 🙂

Hello.

I had to cut them a little bit, as they were too long for my eyes, and I may have to trim them a little bit more. But I still really like them! I will post photos of the #43 and the #WSP eventually, once I get around to trying them out. I promise that I will at least wear eyeliner next time. 😉

Would I order from Madame Madeline again? Absolutely. I’m planning a future order as we speak. 😀 Check them out at MadameMadeline.com .

*not a sponsored post.

BzzAgent: Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup

I signed up for another BzzAgent campaign recently, and received a package in the mail today containing a bottle of the Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear  (Broad Spectrum SPF 20) foundation…in Nude 40.

 

Okay, I know that I picked one of the shades they had available, but they were all light. Liiiiiight. I’d have to say that some of these companies, including some of the sample subscription boxes, are doing a sizeable portion of their audience a disservice. Yes, those of us with darker skin tones would love to try and review some of these foundations (and other products) for you as well, but you’re not giving us a lot of options here. Now, in all fairness to BzzAgent, I checked Neutrogena’s website, and they only offer this formula in eight shades, and none of them are even remotely dark. BzzAgent, you’re still good with me. This wasn’t your fault. But hopefully there will be more opportunities such as this one in the future, with more colors to choose from across the entire spectrum. Help us help you. 😉

This formulation has what Neutrogena calls its tone correcting complex, which is supposed to wipe out the appearance of skin imperfections, while still looking natural. The complex is a blend of Vitamins A, C, and E, along with soy, antioxidants, and light diffusing powders. The company also says that it has been clinically proven to improve texture and skin tone in four weeks.

Since I clearly wasn’t going to put this shade on my face, I tested it on my arm, and then blended it out on my hand.

I will say that this does seem to blend pretty smoothly, and seems like it could be more of a medium coverage foundation. That’s definitely a pro in my book. But one of the cons, besides the color issue, also happens to be one of the pros – the long wear factor. After trying to remove this foundation from my arm and my hand, I have absolutely no problem with believing that this will stay on for 12 hours! I tried washing it off twice. No dice. Third time’s the charm, right? Heck naw. Then I added a scrub. Bingo…sort of. There’s still a slight film where the foundation was, and it’s driving me a little crazy! Granted, I was using soap and water (which is usually enough!), but maybe I should have used makeup remover. Actually, I would probably suggest going that route. So when you apply this foundation, make sure that you did it well, because once it’s on, it’s ON. My goodness.

Has anyone else tried this foundation? If so, did you find that it worked well for you? 🙂