So NOT Gyaru

IMG Source: Amazon.com

But I don't care. I LOVE this bag. It was a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. I loved hers instantly so she was super awesome and got me one. My birthday was 3rd October, by the way. Not that it's a huge deal to the world. It just serves as a reference point. I started this post about two days afterward and got too busy to finish. 

Anyway, now I want the matching wallet. It's pretty awesome. Like the purse, it's made of recycled tires. Hooray for eco-chic goodness!

Vlog: Eyelash Extensions

Review: Darkness Lash Strips

Remember how I said I was going to get lash exte? Well I am terrified of people with sharp pointy things in front of my eyeballs. Sooo I'm gonna go ahead and stick with strips.

Unfortunately, I bought these Darkness #4 lash strips. They suck. Is that overly blunt? Ah well. Let's try again.

Pros
Light-weight
Long enough for my big eyes

Cons
Sharp and pokey at the ends
"Stiff as hell" is an understatement
Curling is next to impossible

I did a video review, but it wasn't so awesome. Nope. My whole video was dark. Next time, I'm not using my webcam. But I digress.

I tried rolling the lashes around my pinky ti give them some curve. IT helped, but not much. When applied, the ends were poking my eyes. That was an itchy nightmare of doom. Aside from that, they were also a real hassle to curl. I only got one bend out of them before calling it quits. That's ridiculous.

At first glance, these are pretty falsies. Yay doll eyes, right? Wrong! Don't be fooled.

See. It looks like I'm not wearing lashes.

Life After MAC

I'm bitter about my job moving me from the King of Prussia area to the airport area of the city. Why? Many reasons, but one major gripe is that I can no longer go to a MAC store on my lunch break. I feel silly ordering online when there are like 4 stores in a 20mi radius. I just never have time. I work an hour from home and rush hour traffic means I'd never get there before closing. That leaves my over-booked weekends. Blah. I'm in desperate need of more Viva Glam VI lipstick. I also want to try out another lipstick -- Viva Glam III. I think it could work. My other reason to go would be that I'll need another Studio Fix Foundation (powder) compact. It's the one foundation I've found that perfectly matched my skin tone in pressed powder form. There are close alternatives, but none in pressed powder. T_T

Anyway, Maybelline has a nudes collection in drugstores. I found two  that look good on me. Rum Riche is a little too coral, or maybe just a little too bright. The other color is probably the most nude nude I've ever tried. It's called Bean There and the brown is a pretty good match for my skin tone. I was amazed. I've never experienced that before. I typically use mauvey colours because pinky brown looks good on my. Now, I have more options. Yay. I'd given up on drugstore brands before, but lately I've been more flexible. Things have improved!

Healthier Relaxed Hair is Possible

Hello world!
I've mentioned my shampoo & conditioner switch before, but now I'm raving again. I've been using the John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioners for the past couple/few months now. I must say my hair is happier for it. I had my hair relaxed when I the bangs were cut, and I was really worried about my hair's health. I'm pleased to say this stuff has helped. My hair is still dry, but nowhere near as dry as it used to be. I have much less breakage, but still a little. I'm sure that sounds lackluster, but I can't stress enough that these products have helped a lot. It's amazing. My hair is soft, shiny, and full of body.

Here's a fine example of just how shiny (not greasy) my hair is now.

That crappy photo doesn't do it justice, but at least it was taken with a real camera. My hair was just washed, dried, and curled (by flat iron). Aside from the years when I avoided relaxers and colorants, this is the healthiest it's been in a long time. It's definitely the healthiest it's ever been while relaxed. Yay.

For reference: John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioners are available for about $8 each at drugstores, as well as online via Amazon, etc.

As always, no one paid me a single cent for this post, but it'd be nice if they would!