Broke but workin’ it!

I ladies and gents am a huge mascara lover. I want big, bold super dark and maybe look fake kind of lashes. And I believe I have found my saviour. Benefit BadGal Mascara has it all. For years I have been searching various mascaras for that perfect blend of ease of application, thick dark formula and vaVOOM eyelashes.

I have two tests for mascara to determine how much I like them. Two very simple looks that will tell me all I need to know.

The first is a classic cat eye done with liquid liner close to the lashes on top with a flick of wings at the outer corner of my eye. That is finished off with a matte face and if I am working a nice gloss or if I am going out a fabulous red or darker berry shade of lipstick. Classic and simple.

My want in a mascara with this look is to not have my eyelashes disappear into my eyeliner. I want big spikey WOW lashes. Bad Gal delivers.

The second test is actually a simpler look, I will use a sheer shimmer color on my entire eyelid and go bananas with the mascara. I like a good sheer sparkly white or cream and/or lately I’ve been getting into pinkish shades. I want lashes that make my eyes pop despite the sheer lay of color. Bad Gal gets another A+.

I’ve tried and tested many brands here’s a sampling.

Lancome’s Flextencils. C. I was unimpressed with the brush, it seemed on the small side. Also the mascara itself at first seemed very thin and after about a month of use got quite dry. Also this product alone did not provide me with the promised 30 degree curl or any noticible length. However I will say if you are looking for a mascara to get a more feathery type look this one is a good pick. That is just not my taste in particular.

Maybelline Intense XXL. Absolutely one of my favorites. A two step design that delivers the promise. The white layer provides a primer and extends your lashes and the colored second layer is fantastic. The black is very very black even over the white primer and gives you big dark bold lashes. Well worth the effort of applying essentially two products. Also a fantastic value. Most drug stores carry this for less than 10$. This one is a winner folks.

Another Maybelline classic, Great Lash. Your Mom probably used this one, it has been a staple in many make up cases and drawers for a long time. Another one of my favorites. Why? Not because it’s insanely fabulous but it is reliable. The black is very dark, with enough of it you get giant lashes and what more do you need? This one is one to keep around just in case you lose your primary tube of mascara.

This next one absolutely broke my heart.

Chanel Extracils Super Curl Lengthening Mascara . I was absolutely not impressed. I know, you’re thinking “but Shannon COME on woman it’s Chanel, Chanel. Is. Fabulous. End of story.” And it wasn’t. I gave it a try but, given that it was Chanel I had very high expectations. It was a nice mascara. I wasn’t wowed and it broke my heart. I didn’t find it to be worth the money honestly. If you want fabulous I highly suggest getting the Maybelling mentioned above and hell while you’re at it buy yourself a lipstick for that price.

So that’s all for today.

Tomorrow, beauty staples for everyone. Not just beauty freaks like me. Also coming up this week I’ll discuss my own battle with dark pigmentation on my face and what I’m doing about it and how that’s working out.

Until then stay fabulous my people.

My skin has gone absolutely insane. Aside from a bout of the flu I have no idea what’s happened.

I’ve been using Neutrogena’s visibly even foaming cleanser. And it’s just not cutting it. My skin has been extra oily and angry for a few weeks now.

So what to do?

First thing is I will be paying closer attention to my daily water intake. After having the flu for a week and a half or so I doubt I was getting entirely enough water. And I think that the cold medication just doesn’t agree with me. Also, I think I will change up how I use my cleanser. Instead of twice a day I will use the Neutrogena at night and the St. Ives in the morning.

Lately I’ve also noticed that my dark marks have not been fading all that well. I am thinking of adding Neutrogena’s Visibly Even night concentrate.

Read some of my product reviews on MakeUp Alley. So far I’ve only reviewed Proactiv and Goldie lipgloss but look for more of those as I go through my cosmetics. Soon I’ll be reviewing Benefit’s BadGal mascara. (Purchased on Ebay for an absolute STEAL of a price.) Also a couple of Got2be drugstore skincare products.

Great deals Ahoy!

Sally’s Online web only coupons.

3 free samples with every Sephora.com order.

Enter to win a Walgreens Shopping Spree!
The Amazon Outlet.

Coming up next week buying fabulous make up on a not so fabulous budget. What works and what doesn’t. And how to try out trendy looks for less. Stay tuned folks!

I tried the Ors Olive Oil Regular no lye relaxer for the first time and I really like it. I am very wary about relaxing my hair anymore because the last two times part of my hair wound up underprocessed. However this one got my hair just about the right texture.

I think next time I might actually relax bone straight. Given that it’s been about three years since I’ve done that it’ll be a nice change.

I did miss a little spot in my nape though. I think the gloves that come with it are thicker than I’m used to using and next time I’ll use my own non latex gloves.

I also purchased myself some flexirods I got the red ones and I hope they aren’t too small. I also got another container of Elasta QP Mango Butter because I don’t find it locally and my hair just LOVES it. I still need some more Profectiv Mega Growth. I didn’t realize how low I was last night until I went to treat my hair after my relaxer. And now looking at the page I think I should’ve bought it last night that’s actually cheaper than I find it anywhere locally.

Until I get my creams I have some Pantene daily moisturizer. Not my favorite thing because it’s really heavy but, it’ll do for now.

I think I’m gearing up to try henna too. I’ve been doing a TON of research and have bookmarked the threads here at LCHF and been reading elsewhere about it. I’d be really excited to have good results from henna. I’ve been interested in trying henna for years but was always scared I’d screw up and my hair would fall out. Hopefully next month I will make henna the experiment. I keep picturing a hella cute indigo black flexirod set swingin off of my head.

Skin news.

My skin has been freaking out. All week since I’ve had the flu I haven’t had the energy to really keep up with my skin care regiment. And my skin is suffering. I’ve got a minor chin area break out and my skins been really more oily than usual. Not surprising given that I had a fever.

I’ve been using the Queen Helene’s Grapeseed peel off masque twice a week for about a month and I really like it. It leaves my skin really soft and it’s a little more refined. I actually like it better than the Neutrogena pore perfecting mask. Not only is it cheaper for more but, it actually feels better on the skin and I like the results quite a bit more.

I super exfoilated my body last night. I am still really in love with my bath brush. I also really like the new body wash I’ve been using. The Oatmeal and Shea butter wash. The unseasonably cold weather has made my skin so dry and flaky this has been a godsend. And it’s reasonably priced.

The smell is a little more perfumey than I would like. Not unpleasant though. Vanilla-ish. It goes well with my nighttime body butter.

I think that’s about all for now. Tonight I am going to moisturize my hair, and try to braid it. Try. If I get too frustrated I will bun and wrap it.

Starting point length pictures coming up soon.

I’ve abadoned you. But not entirely. I actually have decided to take this in a more personal direction.

Instead of doing nonstop reviews etc (non stop HAHA) I’ll be using this also to document my progress in growing my hair and my self care.

It is my goal this year to maintain healthy hair and skin and be consistant with my self care. So here we go. I’ll be making a couple of post that are backdated and go from there.

I will still post deals and reviews as well.