Products to AVOID!

During the summer, I find myself trying out a myriad of cosmetics and hair products... aren't you guys a lucky bunch of followers? :) I try them out, and you get to pick and choose which of the good ones you wanna go buy!

Anywho: In my search for the perfect shampoo to keep my hair soft, healthy and frizz-free, I stumbled upon this load of _____:

Stay away from me! I don't work!

This shampoo, which contains keratin, the main ingredient (protein for the hair) that keeps your hair straight after a Brazilian treatment, sounds awesome, but in reality.... really sucks. If you have the type of hair that needs it, and you can afford it, I highly recommend getting a Brazilian or Keratin hair treatment. Unfortunately, I still have to babysit.... like.... 80 more times? until I can get my next one! But seriously. This shampoo does the opposite of what it's supposed to, and I found my hair to be dry and brittle during the time I used it.

The next item I'm going to tell you to stay away from is a product that I wish worked:

L'Oreal one-sweep eyeshadow

This is supposed to be "eye shadow made easy" for those who need it, but I, as someone who doesn't need it, am telling you that it is not easy ( <---- In fact, it's as difficult to understand as that sentence was to read). The applicator of this make-up is designed to color the lid and crease of your eye perfectly (this can be challenging for some to do evenly), leaving only a little bit of blending left for you. However, I find myself adding more color from a different shadow with a different brush to fill in areas or alter the original shading. 

I was even more disappointed when this product didn't work out because L'Oreal makes all of these different color combinations:

L'Oreal tells you on the packaging which color combos are best for your eye color. I tried two different sets, and I still couldn't get the look I wanted. My mom's a make-up artist, so an affinity for this sort of thing runs in the fam.... I suggest you take my advice and stay away from these products! If you are one of my readers who has trouble with eye make-up application, don't worry! I will post a cosmetic tutorial soon!

Have any of you tried these? Do you agree with my opinion? Do you know of any awesome products for me to try?

<3 Madison

This weather ain't the best thing for my long luscious locks...

For the past 3 days the weather has been unbearable. It was 98 degrees yesterday, and today's temperature didn't fall too far behind! I don't do so well in the heat, and needless to say, neither does my hair. HOWEVER, I've found a few amazing products that really help to tame my thick, wavy hair in this heat and humidity. My hair is also colored and dry from swimming. If you have hair like mine, you should consider trying the following products:

This Bumble and Bumble Quenching Shampoo is exactly what it sounds like... I especially love the little blurb "for the (terribly) thirsty." I'm always in the pool for exercise, but I figured you guys might be interested in trying out this product because a lot of us spend even more time in the pool in the summer time!









I have not tried the quenching conditioner, but I have tried the quenching complex.

I really, really, really like this product. I usually put a bit in my hair when it's wet after I shower even if I'm not going to blow dry it. It helps with hydration and keeping the frizzies down. If I do blow dry my hair, however, I always use this product with it and am so happy with the results. My hair feels smooth and shiny and all of the wonderful adjectives you associate with purdy hair.











I've also been throwing my hair up on top of my head a lot because I feel like there's nothing else to do with it, so it's been getting really knotty! (I also forgot to bring home my straightening iron because, once again, I saved packing for last minute). My mom got me this awesome leave in conditioner:

It's like detangler for big kids... Seriously. I have even tested this stuff out by shampooing my hair, not using conditioner and seeing if this suffices. And, yes. It does! Do yourself a favor and go out and get some, gals. Because not only does this miracle leave-in conditioner work, but it has keratin in it, which is a protein that aids in smoothing and straightening. 

Last, but not least: Philosophy body wash, bath gel, and/or shampoo! My favorite seasonal flavor for this summer is papaya passion punch. I love philosophy products and always have because they're just so much fun! I could spend hours (literally. and have before.) in Sephora smelling all the different scents trying to make a decision. (Even though I don't recommend using this as shampoo over the aforementioned Bumble and Bumble products, you can, which is why I am including it in this post. Use it as a body wash and come out of the shower smelling delish!)

Let me know what you think of these products! 

<3 Madison

Product Review: Double Whammy!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

Color: Back to the Fuchsia

Now, this stuff WORKS! Sally Hansen claims that it is "all 5 steps of a manicure in 1 bottle," and it really is (see their website here). My nails needed to be filed, buffed, and everything in between, but I didn't have time. I hate when my nails look shnasty, so I pulled this out of my cabinet (had bought it one time at Walgreens thinking I might try it some time) and put on a couple coats. Not only did it fill any spaces that needed to be buffed out, but it really does shine and stay on as if you've had a full on salon manicure with all the steps (base coat, polish, top coat, etc.). 

It's awesome, and I wanna get more colors!

Sally Hansen dares us to compare it to our favorite salon brands (like OPI and Essie), and I have to say, I am quite surprised by how torn I am about which is the best polish. Additionally, it goes on super smoothly and easily due to the tapered end of the brush to polish your nails... I barely got any Fuchsia on the sides of my nails and cuticles! 

It's been 3 days and my nails still look exactly the same... we'll see how long this awesomeness lasts!

On a less exciting note.... I was really excited about the Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen (again, Walgreens Wanderer right here....) in White, because I thought it'd be good for giving myself a French manicure (or, at least attempting) and drawing cool designs on my already-polished claws. 

Don't be deceived!

I took this picture immediately after I added the heart to nail, and was pumped about how good (I thought) it looked, and all the potential designs I could create to avoid studying for finals!

Well, even after an hour of waiting for it to dry, and being careful for three, it never did. I eventually had to wipe it off (which I hate doing with any kind of nail polish -- gooey grossness) and I'm mad I bought it. Maybe it didn't turn out well because it was on top of the Sally Hansen Salon polish, which is supposed to appear to have a shiny top coat finish, and you are supposed to apply the pen to the nail before you add anything else?? But I don't know. 

Anyway, go for the Complete Salon Manicure polish! I wish they had more colors, but I'm sure they'll add some new summery ones soon.

Product Review & More About MOI!

Something you should know about me: I am a procrastinator. 

I am also a very lucky girl! Tomorrow I'm headed to Barcelona, Marrakech & Madrid with the Manfriend for our last Spring Break before... wait for it... "THE REAL WORLD." Obviously my nails need to look purdy and stay as perfect as possible while I'm frollicking around Europe and N. Africa. So, after another all nighter [oh, the joys of being a college senior], I took Katie's advice from Running on Happiness and I tried Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nails.

I promised myself I wasn't going to work on this blog at all until I graduate and actually have time, but some things are just too cool, quick and easy not to share with you! Purchased @ Walgreens

Also, I came up with another means of procrastination that is actually going to be pretty effective with helping me to travel lightly.... I made a day-by-day list of what I'm going to wear in each place, complete with my flight itineraries and the weather forecast for each day. [my eyes are always bigger than my stomach in terms of packing, and this helped me to fit all my clothes/crap, cause we all got it!/toiletries -- another guilty pleasure = travel size items -- into a carry on.]

.... if you procrastinate like I do, then stay tuned for the embarrassing, or possibly cool, if you're into "notes"in sketchbook form of my packing list, and maybe even a few pictures from my trip! I highly recommend expressing your thoughts/worries/to-do-lists in a visually creative way. I took a course one summer at Maryland Institute College of Art titled "Sketchbook As Diary" -- It's fun and therapeutic, and you have to do it anyway. 

I am sorry if my posts seem all over the place! I am still a newbie, and haven't even figured out how to change the template for my blog or exactly what I'd like this space to become. So, for now, bear with me, and let me know what you think {after you go buy these Salon Effects miracles!}