Review Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Conditioner

Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Conditioner (not listing price as it may depend on your salon)

This shampoo claims to gently cleanse hair without stripping color. It has a concentrated formula and is sulfate free.

I don't have color treated hair, but I'm always willing to try something new when it comes to hair care. My hair type is normal, but with an oily scalp.

I liked how gentle the combination was, and it definitely didn't strip my hair.

Using this shampoo made my hair easier to manage, and softer, but I also found that my hair got oilier faster, and I didn't have as much volume.

I like the scent of the shampoo, but I don't care for the scent of the conditioner.

For my hair type it didn't do as much as I had hoped, but obviously I can't speak for those of you with color treated or drier hair.

Fore more information about this brand or their products visit http://www.pureology.com

Overall, I wouldn't recommend these products for my hair type.


(Samples provided for consideration. I have since learned that Pureology are owned by L'Oreal so they are not 100% cruelty-free.)

Target Beauty Bag 4!

This bag included

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 70 Sunscreen

Tresemme Split Remedy

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter (sample card)

Garnier Color Shield Shampoo/Conditioner

Aveeno Living Color Shampoo/Conditioner

Did you get this bag? if so did you receive the same samples? If not, have you tried any of these products?

Review L'uvalla Organic Skincare

Balancing Cream $48.99 for 1.4 oz

This cream best suits normal/combo/oily skin. 

Because I have dry/combo skin I was recommended to use it in combination with the Age-Defying Day/Night Cream $48.99 for 1.4 oz  size (samples pictured.)

The combination of the two definitely suits my dry/combo skin better than just the Balancing Cream alone. I found that alone the Balancing Cream wasn't as moisturizing.

The Balancing Cream has an herbal scent, and a nice, creamy texture without being too thick or too thin. It absorbs into the skin quickly, and also makes a lovely hand cream.

The Age-Defying Cream has an herbal scent as well, however, it is thicker in texture.

The combination of the two creams made for a richer, overnight moisturizing treatment. 

The Balancing Cream is great for a light, summer, daytime moisturizer! I can see it being especially great for those of you with suitable skin types.

For more information about this brand or their products visit http://luvalla.com/

Overall I would recommend both products!

 Free samples are available here if you're interesting in trying their products!


(Product & samples provided for consideration.)

Review Leap Organics

Organic Lemongrass Body Wash $11.99 for 13 fl oz

The scent of this body wash is fabulous!

It's mainly the lemon that I detect, but I can still smell the lime, and orange.

It lathers well, and is great for shaving. It leaves my skin feeling clean, but not tight or uncomfortable. 

The only complaint that I would have is that I wish it was more moisturizing because I have dry skin, but as with most body washes it's best to follow it with a good lotion.

USDA Organic Shea Butter Lemongrass Lip Balm $3.49

This lip balm has the same great scent as the body wash!

It's soothing, moisturizing, and on the oilier side rather than thick-- I wouldn't use it under lipsticks for that reason, but it's great to top off a lip stain or to wear alone.

For more information about this brand or their  products visit http://www.leaporganics.com/

Overall, I would recommend both products! I love how affordable they are compared to other organic brands.


(Products provided for consideration.)

EOTD Green, Blue, and Brown!

Products used

Modern Minerals Bali, (lid) Shambhala, (crease) Seychelles, (inner corner) and Malabar (lower and upper lash lines)

Kiss Eyelashes in KPL03

Kiss Clear Eyelash Glue

Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeliner in Sky Blue

Rejuva Minerals Mascara in Black (Not pictured because I have the memory of a goldfish. (o﹏o) )

I'm horrible at applying false eyelashes, but I'm getting better.. slowly!

This EOTD is inspired by Vita's suggestion to use Bali & Shambhala with a bright blue liner (Sorry I didn't use a brighter blue eyeliner, I didn't have one!)


(Modern Minerals products provided for consideration.)

Review Orly Cutique Cuticle & Stain Remover

Cutique Cuticle & Stain Remover $5.00 for .3 oz

Cutique is a clear, odorless gel which you apply to your cuticles, and nail beds. Once applied it's recommended to leave it on for 30-60 seconds, and to gently push back cuticles using an orangewood stick.

You should promptly wash off the gel with warm water, and be sure not to leave it on for more than 5 minutes.

It works fantastically for removing cuticles especially if you use it regularly. I usually use it 3-4 times a week just for up keep. I get best results that way. Occasionally I'll do two applications for tougher cuticles.

One thing I wanted to mention is that it won't remove larger bits of skin (which sounds awful,) but what I mean is that it won't remove hangnails or thicker cuticles.

As for stain removing, I can't say a lot because since I've purchased this product my nails haven't been stained. 

It does seem to be great for removing any oils or thin layers of left behind nail polish, so from that I would assume that it'd work pretty well for removing stains. I've noticed that my nail beds look brighter after using it. 

It is drying on the nail beds, so after using it I'll use a nail or cuticle oil.

For more information about this brand or their products visit http://orlybeauty.com/

Overall, I would recommend this product!

Tutorial Featuring Modern Minerals Eyeshadows!

Products used

e.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Rejuva Minerals Mascara

Modern Minerals Eyeshadows in Seychelles, Shambhala, and Malabar (provided for consideration.)

 Seychelles on the eyelid.

Shambhala in the crease.

Malabar on the upper lash line as an eyeliner.

Curl lashes, and apply mascara!

I plan on doing more tutorials using Modern Minerals Eyeshadows. I chose this combination because I wanted to see if the blue (Shambhala) would further bring out the violet duochrome in Seychelles (which I think it did a good job of!)

What combination would you like to see next?

Review Modern Minerals Eyeshadows

Eyeshadows $10.00 each for 2 grams or $1.50 for sample baggie.

Left to right

Malabar, Bali, Seychelles, and Shambhala

Swatched without a primer underneath.

These shadows are absolutely gorgeous!

Malabar is a rich, brown with lots of gold shimmer. Malabar is the most pigmented of the four shades.

Bali is amazing on brown eyes! Bali is a light, shimmery golden-green.

Seychelles is such a unique color! Seychelles is a  shimmery cream color in the jar, but when applied it has a beautiful violet duochrome.

Shambhala is a really pretty, wearable, shimmery blue!

These shadows blend well, and wear well even without a primer (though I usually use an eyeshadow primer for maximum wear.)

The main concern with mineral eyeshadows is fallout, but surprisingly I didn't experience much fallout with these. Far less than most loose shadows. 

Aside from Malabar these shadows are on the medium-sheer side, but can easily be built up, used wet or enhanced further by using a primer.

My personal preference is to use them as is because I love that they're very sparkly rather than intense color. I like that I can wear bright eyeshadow without looking like.. well, you know where I'm going with this..

Sorry Mimi, it had to be said!

For more information about this brand or their products visit http://modernmineralsmakeup.com/

Overall I would absolutely recommend these eyeshadows!


(Products provided for consideration.)

Review Purple Prairie Botanicals

Orange Tea Tree Facial Soap Bar $3.99 for full size (sample pictured)

I was concerned that this soap would dry out my skin, but to my surprise it didn't!

It left my dry/combination skin feeling really clean, but not tight or uncomfortable. It lathered well, and has a pleasant orange/tea tree/ylang ylang/rosemary scent.

Orange Smoothie Lip Balm $2.99

This lip balm smells amazing! Just like oranges.

It's very moisturizing, and gives lips a glossy appearance. It's not a particularly thick lip balm. It reminds me a little of solid lotions because it melts onto the lips.

It has 98% organic ingredients which include shea butter, coconut oil, and orange oil just to name a few. It has a rating of 0 on EWG.org (which is amazing!)

It's now one of my favorite lip balms!

For more information about this brand or their products visit http://www.purpleprairie.com/

Overall, I would recommend both products!


(Products provided for consideration.)

Urban Decay, I'm Disappointed

Urban Decay has recently decided to make their products available in China.

So why am I disappointed? Because China is a country that requires animal testing. You can see their official statement here.

This deeply disappoints me because Urban Decay was always passionate about the topic, and vocal about how much they detest animal testing.---This really came as a surprise. :(

I will no longer be featuring or purchasing Urban Decay products. I am removing them from my cruelty-free list, and considering deleting posts containing their products.


"In my mind, Urban Decay is no longer a cruelty free brand. Their statement is a joke and they should just say outright that their only motivation is money. That is ok, they are a business, they are allowed to say that it is their only motivation. 


I just don't think companies need to lie to their loyal fans with false reasoning. You can't say you are only entering a market so that you can try and change their despicable ways from within. This is a country that will not waver on their beliefs, and Urban Decay aren't going to change that .... and there is no doubt in my mind that the bigwigs at UD know this."--I wanted to quote this comment from Kimmi, she said it perfectly!

In closing, I'm disappointed Urban Decay.

What are your thoughts about this?

Review Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit 3.3 fl oz (includes cleanser, and two muslin cloths)

Instructions (included) on how to use Cleanse & Polish as well as how to care for muslin cloths.

Almost every blogger has done a review of this product. Why? Because it really is that good.

I love the scent, it has a medicinal aroma. I'm guessing scent comes from the eucalyptus oil, rosemary, and chamomile.

The texture is unlike any other cleanser. It's very thick, and rich--like a face cream.

It feels lovely being massaged into the skin. Initially there's a little tingling from the eucalyptus oil, but otherwise it feels amazing! 

It's gentle enough to be used around the eye area, and removes eye makeup (and all other makeup.) I have sensitive eyes, and it didn't irritate them at all!

This cleanser doesn't leave my dry/combination skin tight or even drier after cleansing--almost every other cleanser I've tried does. In fact, it leaves my skin so smooth & moisturized that I could happily go without moisturizing after.

The muslin cloths are rough enough to mildly exfoliate, but still gentle enough to use around the eyes, and other areas that you generally can't exfoliate.

They're easy to clean, even by hand with soap & water (or washing machine as suggested.)

Cleanse & Polish has become my new holy grail cleanser. It's made me look forward to washing my face at the end of the day!

I also wanted to mention that this cleanser can be used with any skin type.

For more information about this brand or their products visit http://us.lizearle.com/ or http://uk.lizearle.com/

Overall, I would definitely recommend this cleanser! (Go ahead, treat yourself! ☺)

Have any of you tried the Liz Earle makeup line? 

It looks amazing! I'm so bummed that it's not available in the US yet. Jealous of you UK ladies!


(Product provided for consideration.)

Swatched - NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Strawberry Milk

Do you own any NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils? If so, how do you prevent creasing?

Review Aroma Crystal

Crystal Clear Lip Saver $4.69

This lip balm is great! It's moisturizing, but not sticky or greasy feeling, and it doesn't add a lot of shine to my lips.

It has a fruity-herbal scent--that I love!

Gardener's Dream Lotion $39.99 for 8 oz

This lotion has a strong, minty-herbal scent. It's thin in texture, and absorbs well. 

It leaves my skin super soft, and smooth. Quite possibly my new holy grail lotion!

Crystal Clear Face & Body Wash $15.00 for 8 oz

This Face & Body Wash is gel-like in texture, and has a herbal lemon scent.

It lathers really well which makes it great for shaving, but unfortunately I found it quite drying. If you're someone with oilier skin (all over) this may work better for you! --I have dry skin to begin with.

Ohm Facial Cream $33.30 for 1.8 oz

I'm not sure how to describe the scent.. all that comes to mind is herbal. 

This facial cream is rich & thick, but doesn't cause my skin to look oily. It's deeply moisturizing, but not greasy, and it absorbs well for a thick cream.

It leaves my skin smooth & moisturized!

 Gardener's Dream Cream $18.50 for 3 oz

My review of this is the same as the Gardener's Dream Lotion except for the fact that this cream is much thicker.

I love both products so it would really come down to if you prefer a thinner lotion or thicker cream. I find the cream a bit more moisturizing. 

For more information about this brand or their products visit https://www.aromacrystal.com/

Overall, I would recommend everything except the Face & Body Wash as it was too drying for my skin type.


(Products provided for consideration.)