Anti-perspirant!!

My underarms have been an issue for a very long time. As soon as I was allowed to use deodorant I did. For some reason my underarms like to sweat.. a lot! I could never find the perfect anti-perspirant. Everything always smelled so good and took away the stinks, but I was always sweating through my clothes. I pushed it out of my mind for a while, thinking there was nothing I could do. When the companies started selling prescription strength products I thought I could find my answer.   But still nothing. I tried every brand in every scent and style. I even tried men's deodorant trying to stick to the non manly smells. Even their prescription strength didn't work on me. I thought I was defective.

One day I was watching tv and a commercial came on for Certain Dri.  It wasn't a flashy commercial, it looked very low budget. But for some reason it stuck in my mind. The main point they made was that it stopped excessive perspiration for 72 hours. I thought it couldn't hurt to try, since I already tried everything else. I started my hunt.

I looked first at the grocery store with no luck but found it on sale at Walgreens and at Target. I was happy for a sale when first trying it. I took it home and read the directions. Yes I am a direction reader on EVERYTHING. :)     It said it could only be applied at night and only to underarms. The only to underarms wasn't a problem, although I could see why someone would want to use it elsewhere. The applying at bedtime was the hard part. After a long day its hard to remember to put it on before passing out.  I still sometimes forget.

I fell in LOVE with this anti-perspirant!! Yes in LOVE!  The first night I put it on worried that my shower would wash it away the next morning. I threw my old deodorant into my bag before heading to work just in case I needed it later in the day. I was beyond surprised when I was at work and didn't have a single wet mark on my shirt from my underarms! I was walking around telling all my coworkers to look at them. Some acted like they didn't notice I was a sweater, but I have a feeling they were just being nice or they just didn't care. I was in awe. I went the entire day with no sweat marks. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much because it was the first day.

The days past and I kept remember to apply at bedtime and having the same great results.  Then one weekend I forgot to put it on Friday night. I put it on in the morning just to be safe. Nothing bothered me about that morning application.  I'm sure it has to do with body temperature to make the product "soak in" but I was paranoid. I still had the same great affect. No nasty underarm wetness.  The next weekend I forgot again but wasn't doing anything major and didn't bother putting it on in the morning. Was I surprised when I still went the entire day with no underarm wetness!

Needless to say I am beyond ecstatic with the way this product works. I went from being embarrassed and only wearing black shirts to cover up my armpit wetness to wearing fun colors almost every day. My self esteem has risen because I'm not worried about raising my arms to wave at a friend. This product has changed my life. I never thought an anti-perspirant could do that.

It is an  anti-perspirant  and not a deodorant. There is no odor at all to the product. I did see a morning "refresher" at the store. I haven't tried it yet but I'm assuming it has smell to it. I didn't want to buy both no knowing how either worked. Now that I am in love, I will probably give the morning refresher a try. It hasn't bothered me to not have a smell because my arms don't sweat anyway. I just put on my body spray before leaving the house and I smell great all day from that.

If you have excessive perspiration, give Certain Dri a try. It worked for me when nothing else did!

Review: Miss Jessie's hair cream

I was very excited to see a curly hair product in my March Birchbox. My hair has a mind of it's own so it's very hard for me to find a product that will tame the frizz but not leave my hair stiff and crunchy.  I excitedly read the directions and it is meant to be used on wet hair! Perfect for me because I style my hair right after showering in the morning.

I started using the 2 oz. sample on Monday and used it all after doing my hair on Friday. The directions say to use a teaspoon but I used a little more because my hair is thick and past my shoulders. I normally would go through a disgusting bottle of hair gel in a week and a half, so for me it seems a little of this hair cream goes a long way.

I really liked how it worked. My hair stayed frizz free but not crunchy or sticky. It had bounce and volume but wasn't an afro. I didn't notice any strange smell. I would definitely recommend any curly haired girl try this product. It's the best thing I've found so far for my hair. It is rather pricey, $32 for 8oz, but like I mentioned earlier a little goes a long way.

I'm excited to try the other products in the Miss Jessie's line. I was happy to find out that they sell it at my local Target because I can just go and pick it up without having to wait for shipping. While this product is excellent on my hair, I won't be using it every day. It is too much money for me to spend on a hair product for me.  I will use it on special occasions and when I want really great hair when I go out on the weekends.



This product was paid for by me. All opinions are my own.

Urban Decay Revamped

The other day my favorite beauty bloggers were tweeting some odd things. They were taking pictures of an urban decay token looking thing that they received in the mail. They finally revealed to us "regular" folks what was going on. Urban Decay completely revamped their eye shadows.

According to their website they have
1) A new formula that is softer, denser, smoother, and longer lasting!
2) A new shade selection that includes 68 shades of best-sellers, new shades, and fan favorites that come in the five finishes of satin, shimmer, sparkle, duotone, and matte!
3) A new package that allows you to pop the shadow out of the "Subway token" and add it to their custom palette.

I'm so excited to try the new shadows! I especially happy because my absolute favorite color from the original Naked palette is now available to purchase on its own! I use this color not only on my eyes but as my eyebrow color. It was a perfect color of not too dark and not too light and matte.

I'm not so sure about the price. I'd have to try the products first. Each eye shadow is $18. The custom palette is also $18. The palette is definitely worth the $18. It comes with one exclusive color called "Walk of Shame" as well as a travel size brush. The website says this is the short term price so I would get it while its such a deal!

Yay for Urban Decay! :)

Sigma Performance Eyes Kit

As soon as I saw these new brushes from Sigma I just HAD to get them! They are ADORABLE!  But besides their cute, smallness they are also very functional.  They are precision brushes made especially for eyes.

One of the things that convinced me to buy from Sigma, besides the high quality of their brushes, was that they label each one. They don't just put the number on each one, but they also write what each one was made for (E11 Eye Liner, E21 Smudge, etc.).  All of the eye brushes are marked with an E, the face brushes with an F, and L for the lip brush. Obviously there is no law that you HAVE to use the brush for what it was intended, but when you are first starting out, getting an idea for what each one is for is a HUGE help.

This kit includes 8 brushes made especially for the eyes.

From the Sigma Site:
Eye Liner - E11 For precise lining of upper and lower lash lines. Creates detailed and elaborate looks.

Tightline Liner - E16 Ideal for application of cream, gel and powder formulas on the upper lash line.

Waterline Liner - E17 Perfectly applies cream, gel and powder formulas on the lower lid waterline.

Smudge - E21 Soften harsh lines on the upper and lower lash lines.

Blending - E36 Precise blending of powder products on small areas, such as the inner corner of the eyes.

Shader - Inner Corner - E46 Perfect for application of highlight shades in the inner corner of the eyes.

Shader - Crease - E47 For applying and blending darker shades onto the crease.

Shader - Lid - E56 Precise application of pressed and loose eye shadow onto the lid.

What's also great is that if you spend over $30 Sigma will send you a free gift!

The travel size blending brush (E25) was what I received. You can see in the above picture the "normal" size of a blending brush and the size difference of the brush part for this precision set.

I like that you get a free gift, I just wish they would change the free gift. When I ordered my first set of brushes in February of 2011 I got the same free gift. Now I have two. For me, you can never have too many makeup brushes, but having a variety is even better. 

These brushes work really well. They really ARE precise-good thing they have the name that they do.  My favorite brush is the E11 Eyeliner brush. It is so small that you can make the thinnest line ever. I also really like the E21 Smudge brush. Usually when I try to smudge out underneath my eyes, the eyeshadow ends up all over and I have to take some of it off. Because this smudger is so small, it lets me smudge where I want to and doesn't make a giant mess of my shadow and liner.

One last thing, the price. You could look at it and say "WHAT? $55 for brushes!?!"  But look at it. You get 8 brushes for $55! That is only $6.88 per brush. They're PROFESSIONAL brushes for under $7!  You could go buy cheap brushes for $1 but you would have to buy new ones over and over because they don't last. These brushes are very high quality and will last a VERY long time if treated correctly. It was definitely worth the $55 for the set.

On a side note, you can see I have different picture styles. I can't decide which one I like. Leave me a comment on which picture style you like.
~<3Until next time~<3

March 2012 Birchbox

Every month I get so excited when Birchbox sends me my shipment confirmation email. If you're not familiar with them, they are a subscription sample service. Every month, similar to a magazine subscription, a box is sent with samples fit for "me". When you first sign up they have you fill out a questionnaire about what you are looking for from your samples. This allows you to have a semi-custom box each month. You don't get to pick which samples you receive, but the samples sent are selected from your answers, so they pertain to you. I sort of like that I don't know what I'm getting. It's like a mini surprise present every month. This month was no exception to my excitement. I can't wait to try everything that came in the box. After I try the samples over the next few day, I will review each one.

The box comes with an outer cardboard box in Birchbox pink.

Inside is a box with the Birchbox logo about 5.5 by 7 inches. and 2 inches high.

This box is sturdy and reusable. I usually store my samples in it for the month until I finish them.  I have also used them as an organizational tool for my other makeup. I put my eye liners in one, my lip gloss in another, mascara in another. My kids even like to put their "treasures" in them. They're the perfect size for holding small items that kids like to collect.

Each box comes with a card. 

The card gives a little explanation of the theme for the month. It also gives a description of each product and the retail price for a full size.  I find this card super handy. Some of the products are small samples and information isn't clearly written on the packaging. The card is like a cheat sheet for what the items are.

Here's what was in the box and the blurb from the card}

Deborah Lippmann {The Stripper to Go

     Change nail polish in a flash with these sweetly-scented remover mitts. 6 mitts, $12

Miss Jessie's Original {Quick Curls

     Tame temperamental curls with this anti--frizz cream: just run it through damp hair to beat back frizz. Full-size, $32

One Love Organics {Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm

     This all-natural two-in-one cleanser and moisturizer is completely free of fillers, which means it's extra concentrated and extra effective. Full-size, $68

PETER THOMAS ROTH {Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel

     This brightening cleanser uses salicylic and glycolic acids to detoxify and soften the look of fine lines. Full-size, $35

stila {Smoky Eye Card

     Take the guesswork out of matching eye makeup with this mini-palette. 3shadows, $45

Each month they also include an extra called a "Lifestyle Extra".  This month they included Kusmi Tea {DETOX Tea

Two tea bags made with Mate', green tea, and lemon grass. I'm a little worried about this sample. I've never heard of this brand or Mate'.  I'll probably do a little research before I use it.

I'm really hoping that the hair cream works. I still have yet to find "The" product for me and my hair. I'll let you know, after I try everything, how it went. And if you think this is a fun idea go to Birchbox and get one of your own! I received mine as a Mother's day present from my husband and kids.  :)

~Until next time~

Welcome to my blog! I have a HUGE obsession with makeup and beauty. I plan on reviewing beauty products and tools and hope you enjoy what I have to say. :)

I subscribe to a monthly beauty subscription service named Birchbox. I am due to receive my March box any day now. When I get it I will review the products inside. I also recently ordered some new brushes from Sigma. When those arrive I will review them also.