Growing Hair Faster - Mane 'n Tail Shampoo?

Good Monday Morning everyone! Hope your weekends were great and everyone enjoyed their daylight saving's time extra hour of sleep.

I've been trying to grow my hair out since before my last hair cut- the angled bob cut is definitely my favorite, but the long luxurious locks I see on tv are starting to hypnotize me into wanting long hair again. Before I cut my hair up to my chin, I had extra long, down past the back of my bra hair that was thick and healthy.

I decided to try something new, and I was tired of having the straight on the bottom, curly on the top hair that I dealt with every day. Because I didn't have the proper hair cut, it made my hair straight on the bottom with my regular tight curls on top. I looked a hot mess 70% of the time, and eventually got sick of it.

I wish I had the abilities I have now to style my hair, I probably would have never chopped it off! Now that I'm trying to grow my hair out again, I haven't been handling the in between length of longer than a bob, nowhere close to being as long as I want it, very well.

Thanks to the internet, people's obsession with 'get results fast' products brings about some crazy results. When looking for ways to get my hair to grow healthier and faster (although I know all I need to do is wait...who wants to do that?) kept giving me the same kinds of answers. Prenatal vitamins, B vitamins, extensions, and Mane 'n Tail shampoo.

I'm not about to shell out tons of money to buy extensions or crazy vitamins I don't need, so I decided to try the Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioner. I used to use this shampoo when I was very young, but wanted to test the results and see if it actually made a difference. Wondering where the name came from? The shampoo and conditioner were originally formulated to be used on a horse's mane and tail (very creative, huh?) to keep the hair strong and protected from the elements.

I've been using this shampoo and conditioner for about three weeks, either every day or every other day. So far, I've noticed that my hair looks brighter and shinier. Since I do have curly hair, sometimes when I straighten it it's frizzy or fluffy before I use some kind of product in it, but I've noticed that these two products make my hair very smooth and manageable. Actually, I haven't been able to keep my hands out of my hair; I've never had it feel this soft.

Since I did use this shampoo and conditioner to see if it helped my hair grow longer, I will continue to use it daily. I haven't seen a change in length as of yet, but it has only been three weeks.

If you're interested in trying out Mane 'n Tail for yourself, it's available at Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. The products are VERY affordable, I paid $5 for each product and the bottle was HUGE. Check out their website, Mane 'n Tail.

Have you ever heard of or used Mane 'n Tail products? What was your experience like?

First Makeup Tutorial - Natural Eyes

As promised, here's my first tutorial on how to do a natural eye with brown shades. I know it's not perfect, and it was impossible for me to pick up that crazy shaped pallete I had. Since you may not be able to see the colors I picked on the brushes, I've posted a picture of the pallet with the colors I've used on this eye. I've also posted some pictures on how the eye looks finished. Please give me some feedback, since this is my first tutorial! I'm open to any suggestions!




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Been MIA for Quite Some Time

Hi Everyone,

I've been away for quite some time, attempting to expand myself personally by getting my name out into the world, all while testing out some great new products and makeup techniques.

I will be posting some tutorials soon on how to apply and interpret makeup, as well as some new posts on products I've been trying. I've had some great experiences with different eyeshadows, mascaras, skincare products, and would love to come back and share them with you.

Please check in tomorrow to see my first video tutorial on doing a natural, sexy eye with neutral, warm colors. I will be open to suggestions for any type of tutorials you are looking to see in the future, so please speak up and let me know what you are interested in!

All Over Care for Summer

Summer's right around the corner, and it's important to think of how this will effect your beauty routine. There are many different aspects of your winterized beauty routine that will need to be changed to survive the sweltering heat! Check these beauty tips out:

HAIR

Easy on the Sun-In!
- Although everyone wants those sun-kissed strands to shine throughout the summer, sprays like this can dramatically change your hair's health. Although there are hair lightening ingredients in these types of sprays, there are also agents that can dry out ends and create a ton of frizz. Also, be careful with salt water and chlorinated pool water. These can dry you out super fast! Want your hair's shine back after going overboard with any of these? Try a hot oil treatment like VO5's Moisturizing Hot Oil which you can get for under $5, or a hair mask like Perlier's Mediterranean Hair Mask for $18.50 if you want to splurge.

Don't forget your usual conditioning!
- While I am used to skipping a conditioning or two every time I wash my hair, it's important to keep your hair moisturized throughout the summer.

Hair Ties...
- These can become your worst enemy! It's a well known fact that hair ties lead to premature breaking and damage to the hair, and with the heat and humidity the summer brings, tying up your hair is often the only thing a woman can do to keep a little cooler. Try clips or headbands to keep the hair off of your face and ears (uncovering those ears will actually help drop your body temperature dramatically!) or go my route...chop it off!

SKIN

DON'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT SUNSCREEN!
- As I'm sure all of you know from every single beauty, health and skincare article ever written, sunscreen can be the most important thing you put into your beauty regimen, especially in the summer. The repercussions of just one sunburn can be severe enough to put you at risk for skin cancer, future age/brown spots, and premature aging. Not only is red skin damaging to your health, it's also painful...and very unattractive! Have acne prone skin and you're afraid to put sunblock on your face? Try a mineral foundation. These often have a minimum of SPF 15protection, and can make all the difference in your skin's defence against the sun's harmful rays. Had a bad sun experience? Don't forget how effective and repairing goold ol' aloe is- I never travel without it!

Switch out those heavy moisturizers.
- Winter calls for heavy moisturization and protection against the dry cold, but moisturization in the summer is often a little easier. Heavy creams in the summer can often lead to breakouts on your face and body. Know how you get super oily on a hot day? Think of that oil, sweat and thick cream all sitting on your skin festering...yuck! Try a fluide or emulsion to moisturize your face- this lighter moisturization can make all the difference between a beautiful skincare week and an oil slick on your face.
Want to moisturize your body? Try a dry oil or emulsion here as well. It won't leave you feeling sticky, and some leave your skin with a beautiful sheen that glistens in the summer sun. Want a body oil to try? Check out Payot's Huile Precieuse Minerale or Pevonia's Botanical Dry Oil.

Stay Hydrated...on the inside
- Drink plenty of water to stay breakout free. Frozen margaritas and strawberry daiquiris are delicious, but alcohol does NOTHING good for your skin! Plus, it dehydrates you and can make you look super bloated in your teeny weeny bikini...yuck!

Control your Shine
- Getting extra oily on your face and don't want your makeup to smudge? Try some rice paper or blotting paper. It works wonders and is usually pretty cheap!

MAKEUP

Prime, Prime, Prime
- Primer can be your best friend, especially in the summer. This can make all the difference in your makeup staying on your face on warm days. It's not just helpful with your foundation, but also your eyeshadow. Make sure you prime your whole face every day!

Try Something New!
- A good friend in the industry just told me about Urban Decay's new temperature sensitive line that keeps makeup set in the heat. Keep your eyes peeled for this one...it's going to be awesome!

Chill with the Powder
- Shine is sometimes hard to control, and powder seems to be the favorite weapon of choice against this demon. Try some shine control powder like Laura Mercier's Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder. It will work wonders!

Have any summer tips that can help readers? Let me hear 'em!

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara

So I've always been a huge fan of mascara...anything that could make my lashes longer and fuller is great in my book. I've heard of lots of people having problems with their contacts and eye makeup (I wear contacts 24/7) but have never had issues with anything until I tried Lash Stiletto mascara from Maybelline.

While the appeal of the long, separated, shiny lashes that are promised from Maybelline is very appealing, the results for me were sub par. After applying, my lashes looked as they always do when I wear mascara - long, separated and black. I finished my face, and went out for the night.

All night, I was having trouble seeing - blurriness, extra tears...and an insatiable ITCH that wouldn't go away. I went home, ran to take out my contacts, and saw how RED my eyes had become. My lids were swollen, and my eyes were more bloodshot than I had ever seen them. I quickly rinsed off my makeup and put warm compresses on my eyes to get rid of the sting.

The next morning, I couldn't even get my contacts in. They were still red, swollen and itchy. I actually had to wear my glasses for about 5 days...REDICULOUS!

I actually gave this mascara another try (why, I'm not quite sure...) thinking it was just the batch and bought a new tube and had the same reaction. I gave it to my mother, and she too had a horrible reaction to it!

Maybelline Lash Stiletto is now on my nix list forever!

I do, however, love Maybelline's Define-A-Lash mascara and use it daily. If you're going to try a drugstore brand of mascara, this is the one to get!

What's your favorite mascara? Have you ever had a bad reaction to anything?

Exfoliation - The Key To Beautiful Skin

Hope everyone is having a great week!

I wanted to write today about one of the most under used and over used treatments for your skin - exfoliation. This process is one of the most important for healthy skin, but often people don't use it the right way.

Ever notice how men (who don't smoke) generally seem to have less wrinkles than women of the same age? Ever wonder why? Men don't frill around with expensive cleansers, exfoliants and moisturizers, they just shave, sometimes throw on some after shave, and head out the door. By shaving, they're gently exfoliating the dead skin off their face, allowing the healthy, fresh skin underneath to shine through.

There are many different products that can help with exfoliation...and I have had many favorites in my skincare obsessed days. Some of my favorites include Freeze 24/7's IceCrystals, which leaves your skin feeling velvety soft, and claims to lighten scars, age spots and oil, SAMPAR's Equalizing Foam Peel Mousse, which comes in a gel form and uses probiotics to eat away at dead skin cells.

While exfoliants come in both gel or cream textures, or contain itty bitty pieces of exfoliating particles, your skin texture and type will need to determine which you use. Since I have oily skin, I've tried to stick with gel forms, since I find they keep me less greasy throughout the day.

Along with great products designed to slough off dead skin, machines such as the Clairsonic and Pretika can help to get the deep clean you dream of. Most put their cleanser directly onto the machine's scrubbing head, and cleanse their face with it nightly. WARNING: Your face will probably break out for a week or two after starting this type of procedure - the deep cleansing will bring things out from way under the surface of the skin.

I, personally, have the Pretika but find it a hassle to use. The beeping and the charging and the cleaning of the head nightly gets slightly annoying for my low maintenance outlook on cleansing (this comes from sheer laziness...the machine works great). Instead, I use a regular Buf Puf style sponge, you can find these without any cleanser in it (just the exfoliating sponge) at a multiple of stores including Rite Aid and Walmart, and they usually cost $1-$2. The great thing about these is you can replace them every month, and not have to worry about things growing in them if they're rinsed properly each night.

I use this sponge with my cleanser directly on it (Payot's Mousse Nettoyant) after initially rinsing off my makeup. This can be used right in the shower, and I suggest you do this after conditioning your hair to ensure nothing can clog pores. Weekly, I place my scrubbing sponge into a bowl and pour hot water over it. This will ensure it's sterility.

I've been using this procedure on my skin for about 6 months, and can't explain how much better my skin looks. It feels softer, looks brighter, and doesn't have the flaking and caking that face makeup may bring. This $1 sponge was one of the best dollars I've ever spent!

What do you use to exfoliate? Have you had any good/bad experiences with products? Let me know!

being TRUE - Mineral Foundation That's Truly Amazing!

Foundation has always been something that was difficult for me to buy - a combination of very reactive, acne prone skin, being pale and having to worry about covering acne scars, makes it hard for me to find a foundation that is good for me.

Loose powder mineral foundation has also been something I tend to overlook, thinking that the coverage wouldn't work well enough for my spotty skin. When I received two different mineral foundations, a bronzer, foundation brush and sponge, and a mineral spray from Being TRUE in a great kit, cleverly named...'the kit'...I was skeptical of how well it would work for me.

I just recently tried this mineral powder over my regular foundation (I stick with Physician's Formula Talc Free Mineral Liquid Foundation as a base) I was quite surprised by how well it went on. Usually with mineral foundations, I've had problems with the application. The powder either comes out too strong, or on the other hand, looks like I put nothing on at all. Other times, it's so sparkly I look like I doused my face in really cheap bronzer. Not the case with Being TRUE's foundation.

The powder is velvet like, and coats the brush they give with the kit perfectly. After tapping on the cap, I was surprised to see how much of the powder still stayed in the brush. Reluctantly, I applied to my entire face and was astonished to see my skin mattified. I continued to apply foundation, and moved to the bronzer that came with the kit. This stuff made my skin look great!

I read up on the mineral mist, which is supposed to set makeup and leave a natural finish. I've never been a big fan of sprays that make you look 'natural', so I skipped this for now. I kind of wanted to see how well the foundations would stay on without it, anyway!

At the end of the day everything stayed on pretty well, and the minerals didn't cake or set in any smile spots or forehead scowls.

How do you feel about mineral foundations? Have you had any good or bad experiences?