Beauty Discovery: African Black Soap

A few months back, I had watched a YouTube video raving about the benefits of black soap. Obviously having no idea what this was, I did a little research of my own and found that black soap originated in Africa from natural ingredients  as a way to cure common skin problems/conditions like acne, oily skin, eczema, and even psoriasis. 

If you have followed me for awhile, you know that about a year ago, my normally clear skin, suddenly started breaking out. I couldn't figure out what was causing it, no matter what I tried.
After seeing the YouTube video on black soap, I found out that Target carries a form of black soap.
A year ago, the only black soap product that had was a body wash (image below). When I tried this product, my Shea Moisture, it seemed to help my skin, but the product itself smelled HORRIBLE. It was hard to rub my face with something that smelled as close to tar & African-American hair grease as I had ever come in counter with. Along with the smell, the product produced these huge bubble that were very impractical for washing your face.
I finally realized that while the product was still a form of black soap, it was meant to be used as a body wash & only a body wash.

In a recent trip to Target, however, I stumbled upon a whole LINE of black soap products by Shea Moisture. Including a mask, scrub, face wash & even a facial bar.

Since the last black soap attempt was such a fail, I decided to only buy the black soap bar. The product was only a couple of dollars & I ended up buying the bar as well as a travel soap holder for under $5.00!

Of course I had to give the product a stiff first, and I am happy to say it smells WAY better than the body wash. It even has a hint of a fruity/clean smell that I can only describe as the smell of a car wash. 

Every one of the black soap products contains only 11 all natural ingredients: African Black Soap Base, African Shea Butter, Oats, Aloe, Plantain Extract, Vitamin E, Essential Oil Blend, Vegetable Glycerin, Palm Ash, Rosemary Extract, & Iron Oxides. 

Each Shea Moisture package also has the company's story on it.

For just a couple of dollars, I'm very interested to see if this product performs the miracles its supposed to. 

Stay tuned & I'll keep you posted!

Product Rave: Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream

Being the beauty nerd that I am, a few months back I did my research on the best rated drugstore skincare products. If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that skincare is my weakness. Anything that promises brighter skin, or less oil, or smaller pores, or anything else that seems unobtainable, I must have it. Immediately.

One of the most raved-about skincare finds at the drugstore, was one found at Walgreens: Alpha Hydroxy Face Cream.

Now, I don't know about you, but those chemical-sounding words make me a little cautious to rub something all over my face & hope for the best.. So like any good beauty nerd, I did more research.
I found that while the name may be a bit intimidating, the chemicals themselves actually do wonders for the skin.

Alpha Hydroxy Acid is a chemical exfoliant, that when applied to the face in a cream form diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, helps with uneven skin tone, and hyper-pigmentation.

I knew I had to run out & scoop up the product myself.

The product itself is a fragrance free, white cream that I apply in a thin layer over my face before I go to sleep at night. Following my regular skincare routine, of course. 

The results have been amazing! I'm assuming the product just eats off my dead skin cells while I sleep, because every morning when I wake up to wash my face my skin is so incredibly soft.

Weird old-lady wrinkles on my forehead? Nearly gone.

Skin appearance? Amazingly soft & glowy.

Dry skin? Gone.
Skin tone? Even.

It's like magic in a little plastic tub for for $6 at Walgreens.

Go try it!

Seriously.
NOW.



To read the rave reviews for yourself:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-alpha-hydroxy-face-cream/ID=prod5822041-product

Fallen In Mascara Love

I have discovered the greatest mascara combination to ever grace eyelashes!

I've always had pretty long, eye lashed. The strange thing about them, is that they are two-toned: blonde at the root & dark on the tips.

Though it may sound like it’s pretty cool. It’s actually not. At all.

It’s usually really hard to get a clean coat of mascara from root to tip without smearing the mascara all over my eyelid. Not cute.

I was always taught to play up your biggest asset in the beauty world. Mine just so happens to by my big ol’ eyes; lashed included.

The one thing I have tons of is mascara. Every time I see a new one advertised, I scoop it up.

For some reason beyond me, I never thought to combine two mascara… until now.

After watching a YouTube video or two on a mascara by Prestige called My Blackest Lashes, I went out to my local Rite Aid in search of it.

What I found was a combo pack of two mascaras by Prestige: By Blackest Lashed & My Biggest Lashes.

Seeing that L’Oreal was on sale, I picked up another popular mascara I had heard of on YouTube called L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes: Black Lacquer.

I was not disappointed in the least on either of my purchases! In fact, I may have fallen in mascara love.

The combination of Prestige My Biggest Lashes & the L’Oreal mouthful of a mascara made my lashes the thickest and longest they have ever been.

The false fibers in the L’Oreal mascara build your lashes up, coating them, and extending them with black fibers.

My Biggest Lashes over the L’Oreal mascara plumps your lashes up, filling them out.

The combination has left my lashed the most “fake” they have ever looked.

Give them a try & tell me what you think!

Plum Crazy

I have definitely, definitely gone plum crazy! Up until this past year, I was always the girl with the nude lip or the neutral eye. I never really wanted to go outside of my comfort zone because I felt like bright, or dark or any other color but nude wouldn't look good on me. I think this is how a lot of girls feel sometimes.

My advice? Bite the bullet & try it anyway. Bright lipsticks not only make your teeth appear whiter, but they create a perfect frame for your smile. 

If that's not reason enough, I read in the woman's bible (Cosmo Mag, obviously), that when you wear a red lip, men stare at your mouth for 10 full seconds longer than they would without a colored lip. 

If the men still aren't enough of a reason, do it for yourself! Nothing makes a woman feel more glamorous than a colored lip. 

Fall is here, so now's your chance!

One of the most popular fall lip & eye color trend is PLUM. Though I've never given plum a fair chance, I hit up my local Target today and thought it's about time I did.

The first thing I picked up was this lip stick by Sonia Kashuk in Plum Wine #94. While the packaging and sealing took me nearly forever to get into, the lipstick is a beautiful deep plum & even has SPF 15.

Second, I stumbled on this L'Oreal Paris lipstick in 737 Persistant Plum. I originally heard about this color from a beauty guru on YouTube. The entire time they were talking about whatever beauty-related they were talking out, I couldn't stop staring at their mouth! It's safe to say, that this lipstick started it all for me. 

Along with this, I also got a L'Oreal Color Richie lip liner in Truly Burgundy. I decided not to take separate pictures of it because how exciting can a lip liner be?

p.s. Don't mind the smudgy packaging. This was the only one my Target had it stock & I just couldn't pass it up, even it was a little messy. The messy ones need love too ;).

Also thanks to a beauty guru (those girls get me every time), I picked up the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Smoldering Plum. I only own one other color by this line in a nude (surprise) highlight color. It's gorgeous & lasts for quite awhile, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the color pay off is for this one. 

If you're not sure how to use plum eye shadow, YouTube would love to help.. But you can also use a small bit in your crease to really make your eyes pop in fall!

I even mucked up my hand for you ladies with some color swatches ;)

Top to Bottom: L'Oreal eyeshadow in Smoldering Plum, L'Oreal lip liner in Truly Burgundy, L'Oreal lipstick in Persistant Plum & Sonia Kashuk lipstick in Plum Wine. 

I repeat, give colorful lipsticks a try: especially plums for the fall. 

A colorful lip makes a lady feel beautiful & you all deserve to be beautiful!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation Review

A few weekends ago, I went on a Urban Decay kick. I finally broke down and bought both Naked eye shadow pallets (Naked Original & Naked 2). On top of those, I got sucked into the bright vibrant display of the new Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation.

This product claims to be a light-diffusing weightless foundation, infused with peptides. Its supposed to virtually blur skin imperfections & glide on to the skin. 

I've been using this product for a good 2 weeks & can definitely see where all of the hype is coming from. When you pump this product out onto your hand the surface of the color seems to slightly bubble. It is bizarre... But in a way that makes you still want to put it on your face. :)

The finish is semi-matte & seems to last for 4-5 hours without touching up. Keep my in mind that I have oily skin. If you have a drier skin type, this product would probably last even longer on you.

Final Verdict: Give it a try! 

http://www.urbandecay.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-UrbanDecay-Site/default/Finder-Show#/Home

Nicki Minaj Does O.P.I.

For all of you Nicki Minaj lovers out there, you might be pretty excited to know that OPI is expecting to release a line of nail polish in January of 2012.

This line includes 6 new colors, all named after the superstar's hit songs.

(Left to right: Metallic 4 Life, Save Me, Did it On 'Em, Super Bass Shatter, Fly & Pink Friday)

(I made the picture larger so you can see the details of these unique colors.)

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, an OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director was quoted in why this line of polish is a no-brainer: "Nicki has taken the hip-hop world by storm, but her music is only part of the equation. She's also become a fashion inspiration, noted for her daring costumes and hair color both on and off the stage."

When these much anticipated polishes hit stores they will run for $8.50 a bottle. Check them out after the new year!

NOTE: In my research there has been some confusion as to which color "Pink Friday" is. Above is one version, below is another.


For more information visit www.opi.com

Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub

I want to just take a second to talk about a skincare product that I am OBSESSED with.

As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with watching beauty videos on www.youtube.com.
One of the first beauty gurus that I stared watching was Kandee Johnson.

Not only is she gorgeous, but she's also a professional make-up artist with an awesome bubbly personality.  

Recently, she did a YouTube video on her skincare routine that I just HAD to watch.

I'm definitely a deal hunter by nature, but the one thing that I believe in investing in is your skin. A good skincare routine can make you not only look better, but feel better about yourself. And for you make-up lovers, a good skincare routine can make for a perfect canvas for make-up. 

ANYWAY, aside from that little skincare rant, Kandee Johnson's recent skincare video got me interested in a new product: Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub. 

Kandee uses this product every night to "get in there" and clean out her pores and even remove her make-up. She always has such nice skin, so I figured I would go check out this product at my local Target store. 

This scrub is 99.9% natural and made up of ground almonds, oats, pecans, almond oil, glycerin, as well as sweet orange and grapefruit oils. This stuff is AMAZING.

All you have to do is grab a little bit in your hand and add a small amount of water to it. This will help to exfoliate your skin and make it so smooth. Plus, it smells really good. My skin has not only been softer, but also smoother, and has a glow to it. 

At my local Target, this scrub was only $7! That's pretty cheap for something that I think will end up being one of my skincare staples.

Give it a try & remember that it's okay to invest in your skin. 

P.s. Here is Kandee Johnson's YouTube video, or you can watch more of her channel at: www.youtube.com/kandeejohnson