Holy Grail Hair Products

You know those certain products that you seriously feel like you would die without? Well, I've discovered a new holy grail haircare company: Living Proof.
Living Proof produces high-quality haircare products found at salons and beauty retailers, such as Ulta, Sephora and even Nordstrom. And if Jennifer Aniston in all of her perfect glory isn't enough to convince you to try Living Proof, Living Proof's products contain no silicones and oils. Win-Win.

Originally, I  tried "No Frizz" travel size shampoo and conditioner from Ulta (Dangit, those samples get me every time) and after a few washes was simply amazed at the difference.
A little background info: My hair is damaged from over-coloring and styling for the last 10+ years which tends to cause more frizz than I would like, and also happens to be on the verge of wavy but is somewhat straight (and frizzy) at the same time. For those reasons, holy grail hair products are hard to find. Anyway, I tried "No Frizz" and liked it, but didn't love it. So the next time I was in Ulta, I decided to try travel sizes of both "Full" and "Restore" shampoo and conditioner.

I tried "Full" once and really liked it. I tried it a few more times and noticed it seriously weighing down my hair. After "Full, I finally tried "Restore," and that's when I fell in love.

Restore shampoo and conditioner is definitely the best out of those mentioned above, in my opinion. In fact, after finishing both samples, I purchased the medium size shampoo and conditioner, hair mask and instant repair treatment. I will let you know how those products work out, but for now I am seriously blown away by how much I love the shampoo and conditioner. The only downfall of the products is the line is a little on the expensive side, but honestly, TOTALLY worth every penny.

What's next? I have my sights on Perfect Hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment, which is from Living Proof's award winning line...read more here.

I recommend trying travel sizes of all products, not just Living Proof, but especially with higher-end brands such as Living Proof. That way you can truly decide if the product is a hit or miss.

Do you like posts about holy grail hair products? Comment below to let me know!

IPSY: Overview & Sept. Glambag

IPSY, what comes to mind when hearing that word? If you are unfamiliar with beauty boxes, you have no clue what I am referring to. Make-up, high end brands, and monthly subscriptions all come to my mind when hearing ipsy. Ipsy is a beauty subscription service, like Birchbox. To view more information on beauty boxes check out this earlier post. The title of the previous post is Updated Beauty Box Experience: Birchbox or IPSY. At the time, I was subscribed to both Birchbox and IPSY but my payment method defaulted one month and Birchbox cancelled my subscription on the spot. Also, during this time my favorite was Birchbox, until that happened. I never bothered to resubscribe because the boxes had been getting lousy. I continued receiving Ipsy's glam bag (what the co. refers to the bag), and I am so glad I did because...

THIS MONTH'S BAG INCLUDES A BUTTER LONDON NAIL POLISH. I almost fell on the floor when I opened the bag. How awesome is it that for only 10 dollars, Ipsy gives you high end beauty products AND a cute make-up bag? 

Below are some of the past glam bags I have received:

BELOW IS THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF IPSY'S GLAM BAG

The first product is CAILYN tinted lip balm. Next, NYX eyeshadow. Followed by: butter london nail polish, It's so BIG mascara, and an eyeliner by Star Looks.

As you can see, the eyeshadow is a neutral copper color; which is perfect for Fall. The butter LONDON nail polish is also a darker fall color. I haven't tried the mascara or eyeliner yet so if you would like a review on those or any of the other products, comment below.

To subscribe to IPSY and receive your own glam bag, click here

Review: E.L.F. Flawless Finish Foundation

I am here today to give an honest review on the e.l.f. flawless finish foundation I recently purchased from Target. I do not like it, period. Just kidding, what kind of person would I be if I did that? However, I do actually dislike the foundation, for me.

Here is a picture of the product:

I tried it yesterday when  I was getting ready. I used my beauty blender and everything and it still didn’t come through well blended. Maybe some foundations aren’t meant to be applied with a beauty blender but this one would definitely be one if that was the case.

Formulation: A little more on the thick side and it dries rather quickly.

Color: I purchased the color porcelain because it was the lightest shade and it was a pretty good color for my skin tone, at the moment.

Packaging: The packaging was nice and I wasn’t expecting the product to have a pump so when I popped the top off the actual makeup, I was surprised to find a convenient pump. Personally, I like pumps because of the controlled amount of product they provide.

Pros: The pump and the color match capability for my skin tone. It did do a good job of controlling my oil; I have combination to dry skin so I sometimes get oily and have to set my foundation. This foundation is oil free so I do like that aspect. The price was also really good but e.l.f. products are usually on the cheaper side.

Cons: It didn’t blend well and dried too quick for the application technique I was using (Beauty blender). It only contains SPF 15.

Repurchase: No

Why or why not? What do you prefer?

I prefer the Healthy Luminous Foundation by L'Oreal. I prefer the formulation and the coverage it provides more than the e.l.f. one. I have mentioned the luminous foundation  many times before because it is what I use for my everyday foundation right now and I’m kind of obsessed with it. The only thing I don’t like about it is I have to set it with Rimmel’s translucent powder.

Btw, I usually love e.l.f. products and was really excited to try this but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations and specifications.

Any tips? Don’t use a beauty blender and if you do make sure you get the make up out of the sponge because it dries quickly.

I made a video of my first application, if any of y’all want to see it, let me know and I will upload it.

I will try to apply it tomorrow with my fingers and post a response under this review and maybe some pictures. I might even video that response as well, if I’m feelin’ froggy  

If you would like that, let me know and I will do my best.

Thanks so much for reading and Happy Easter.

XOXO,

Sweet Southern Style

Review: Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Hello lovely people,

How are you on this wonderful Wednesday? The weather is wonderful where I'm at. I am so happy because I just received my Urban Decay Ammo palette from Sephora.

This post is dedicated to the unboxing of my Urban Decay Palette. I will say, I wasn’t as impressed when I tried it but I already had eye make up on so I think that interfered.

Hopefully, I will like it better the more I experiment with it.

Ammo contains the colors: Smog, Mildew, Oil Slick, Last Call, Chopper, Maui Wowie, Shattered, Polyester Bride, Grifter, and Sin. It also came with a SMALL shadow brush and a SMALL eye shadow primer.

The packaging is absolutely amazing for this product; which has never been an issue with Urban Decay products. I love the edginess of the skull with the girly paisley print. 

The price was the only negative side but luckily I had a $25.00 gift card to go towards it. It is originally$34.00. 

(SIDENOTE: In my opinion, for the price, they could have at least included a larger primer.)
BUT also consider the quality and pigmentation and how long they actually last compared to cheaper brands, Urban Decay wins for the most part.

This is the box it came in. I like that Sephora puts FRAGILE on the box so the UPS workers know to handle it with care. However, my box was messed up on the end so I am glad it wasn’t anything too fragile.

This is an overview of the unpackaged palette:

As you can see, the colors are very sparkly and pigmented. The formulation of these shadows is seriously amazing BUT make sure you don’t get too much and are careful when blending it, otherwise, you will end up with sparkles all over your face.

The brush I used is just an elf eyeshadow brush.

Here is the actual look I created using an elf eyeshadow brush then a crown brush blending brush for blending, of course. Hope you enjoy!

And here is a close up of all the colors offered in the palette.

You can purchase this palette on Sephora by clicking here

Have a fabulous Wednesday,

XOXO SweetSouthernBeauty