DIY Hair Color Refreshing Spray

Hi all :)

Today I want to share a little DIY project for you to try for your hair. I started soaking my hair in brewed rooibos tea to gently refresh my dyed red/gold hair color about once a week. Sometimes I found my hair looked refreshed, and other times not so much. If I kept the soak on longer in shower, it would work better. In the shower, however, when I poured the tea mixture on my hair, it wouldn't soak in well, thus leading to this idea...

I brewed a mixture of hot water and rooibos and herbal peach tea together overnight in a regular, ceramic mug. I then added a few drops of my Organix Moroccan Argan Penetrating Oil to the mixture. The fragrance from the tea is so lovely that I did not need to add anything more to make it smell sweet. I also added a little sea salt, but you could do without it. I put my mixture in an empty hairspray bottle and put it in the fridge.

This DIY refreshing spray is literally cold and refreshing, but can be used at any time. Tea can be drying, so it can also be used to soak up some oilies and refresh your style while replenishing the color slightly. You can spray it on your hair and let it soak in while wet and just let it dry, or while your hair is dry.

Tea for hair:

Blonde hair, use chamomile.
For golden hair, use chamomile and herbal peach tea.
For red hair/red toned hair, use rooibos and herbal peach tea.
For golden brunettes, use herbal peach tea and black tea.
For dark brown hair, use black tea.

My skincare routine

Hello readers :) I think there are about 40 of you...it's a great start.

I want to share my skincare routine with you. I've previously stated that my favorite cosmetic brand is Lush, and this post will be a perfect representation of my love for the company. Every product I use on my skin regularly is from Lush! 

I cleanse my face twice a day using the above products.

AM:

Cleanse with Dark Angels.

Spray Breath of Fresh Air Toner on my face.

Apply Grease Lightning to my entire T-zone, where I am very oily.

PM:

Cleanse with Aqua Marina.

Spray Breath of Fresh Air Toner on my face.

Apply Grease Lightning only on break out areas.

2-3x a week I use Ocean Salt to cleanse and exfoliate usually in the AM in place of Dark Angels.

The products:

Dark Angels is a rhassoul mud and charcoal based exfoliating cleanser, great for oily and clogged skin.

Aqua Marina is a calamine and kaolin based cleanser that is super soothing for sensitive skin.

Dark Angels up close:

Breath of Fresh Air is a seawater toner great for refreshing parched skin.

Grease Lightning is a tea tree blemish treatment that banishes oils and clears up acne prone sin, naturally.

Ocean Salt is my favorite Lush product! It is a coconut cream, lime, and sea salt face (and body!) scrub that exfoliates and brightens skin. It is fantastic for oily/combination skin and smells like heaven.

I love Lush products because they're all handmade and use naturally beneficial ingredients. 

What is your skincare routine? Have you ever/do you currently use Lush products for your face? Comment below!

Lip butters, balms and color sticks.

Today I wanted to blog about my latest beauty obsession, as the title says. Every company has been coming out with their own version of the lip balm/gloss/lipstick hybrid, and I have been wanting to try them all. I've gotten my hands on quite a few different colors from quite a few different brands, but it seems that every time I make a Target run, there are more available.

This is my current collection of these hybrid lip colors:

Aaaaaand swatches...

From left to right:

L'Oreal Color Riche Le Balm in Caring Coral ($8)

L'Oreal Color Riche Le Balm in Caramel Comfort ($8)

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Coral Twist ($8)

Clinique Chubby Stick in Chunky Cherry ($16)

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato ($16)

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen in Manic Pink ($9)

Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Fresh Papaya ($8)

Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach ($6)

Maybelline Color Whisper in Coral Ambition ($6)

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti ($8)

They are all really great. There isn't one I dislike to be honest.

L'Oreal Color Riche Lip Balm
A lip balm should be hydrating, right? This shouldn't be called a lip balm because it dries my lips out in 10 minutes, if even. It goes on smoothly, but deposits barely any color. In Caring Coral, the color is very pretty and looks natural. It's a light pinky coral and very glossy. In Caramel Comfort, it's a definite turn away from pink. It's very warm, with sandy gold undertones, but also very natural looking and glossy. I wouldn't buy another one of these balms because the formula plainly sucks. I rarely use them because they dry me out so much.
Overall rating: 5

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Coral Twist
This is a truly great formula. The gloss goes on so smoothly and makes my lips look full. The color is beautiful, bright, and not over the top. I often wore this color to work because of how nice it looked with my skin tone. When I'm at work, I can't keep touching up my makeup, so I make sure to wear a hydrating lip color with a lasting tint, and this definitely fit the description. The only problem is the packaging. The first one I bought was defective and the whole product broke off from the inside.
Overall rating: 8.5

Clinique Chubby Stick
This is one of the original hybrids! Naturally, it's also probably one of the best. If you're willing to dish out the extra cash for these, they are totally worth it. Moisturizing, long lasting color is awaiting you with these, for real. Chunky Cherry is a bit deep for me. I don't often wear a dark lip color, or one with purple undertones, so this was a change for me. I like it, yes, but it's almost a little too vampy for me. My roommate, however, uses this as her go-to color. Two Ton Tomato is my go-to color. It's a red, but a sheer red like the inside of a tomato. It also has coral undertones to blend and reflect off my skin's golden undertones. I also wear this color to work a lot.
Overall rating: 9

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen in Manic Pink

I was so excited when I first saw these at work! This is one of the most pigmented of the balm hybrids I own, but also the most glossy and sheen. The color is pretty, but does not, I repeat, does not look good in pictures indoors. It literally looks purple and sketchy in pictures. In person, however, it looks very pretty and colorful. It's also pretty hydrating.

Overall rating: 6.5

Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Fresh Papaya

I wish I could record audio of me saying "love it!" in a sing-songy voice and attach it here because this product is awesome. First off, it smells nice. That's a plus, always. It also is so natural looking indoors and out, and I believe all the colors have the potential to look nice on all skin tones. It's almost a little gritty and not super smooth, but it is fairly long lasting and moisturizing. The only annoyance with this stick is that there is shimmer in the formula. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's kinda annoying. Still, it's really great and the color is just so fresh.

Overall rating: 8.5

Maybelline Color Whisper

This new color is so fresh and smooth and light as air on my lips. The only problem is that is not moisturizing, like, at all. I always have to wear a clear lip balm underneath because my lips would dry out in a heartbeat, otherwise. Coral Ambition is a pretty and fresh pink with peachy undertones. It makes my lips look lighter than natural, but I don't mind too much. Make sure you use a lip scrub before applying, because this one will definitely make crackly lips more noticeable. Pin Up Peach is more pigmented than Coral Ambition, but still has some coral/peachy undertones. It's a natural looking lip color, which I love, and is also very fresh and light. 

Overall rating: 8.5

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

I love everything coral in makeup, so I naturally chose this orange-y color to try. If applied alone, it looks too orange-y on my lips, but if applied over a balm, lightly, it looks GREAT and make my skin look glowing. The formula is beautiful and near flawless. It literally glides on like butter and stays hydrating for a long time. 

Overall rating: 9.5

Have you tried any of these color sticks on my list? Have you tried any other hybrids? What do you like/dislike about them? Comment below!

An introduction to my Lush addiction

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm completely addicted to Lush. For those of you unfortunate souls who do not know what Lush is...

Lush is a great cosmetic company, my favorite, who believes in all the things a company should! I use a vast array of their products, and continue to try and fall in love with more. 

This is going to be my little blog home that I will update with Lush hauls and posts :) Of course I have to dedicate an entire updated blog post to my favorite company!

L'Oreal Preference Paris Couture Hair Color 2013

Finally saw this collection in my local Target the other day! It's new for 2013 and by the look of the boxes, I'm really loving all four shades in the collection.

From left to right, the shades are as follows:

Iced Golden Brown 5CG, Rich Merlot Red 5RM, Rose Gold Blonde 8RG, Delicate Golden Blonde 9DG

I really really really love the look of all four shades, so much that I'm considering picking up a box for my next dye job, een though I just double dyed and then bleached my hair. I'm thinking the Rose Gold Blonde for summer?

Have you spotted the new Paris Couture collection yet? Which is your favorite shade of the group? Comment!

L'Oreal Paris Healthy Look

Hooray for ammonia-free colors!

Lately I've only been using ammonia-free colors. I dye my hair more than I should, partially because my hair grows really fast, and partially because my hair color always seems to fade back to a blonde tone in a short amount of time. Next time I color, (which won't be for a while since I just DIY ombré'd over my fresh dye) I plan on using a semi-permanent color.

I've used Clairol Natural Instincts before, and they work okay, but I don't find them to be as vibrant as a regular permanent color. I recently came across the L'Oreal Paris Healthy Look Color, which are also semi-permanent, meaning they last through 28 shampoos.

There are 26 colors in the line. They are all a créme gloss, much like the Garnier Olia color I used and reviewed this week.

I would probably chose to use the Dark Golden Blonde color, or maybe be daring and go for Light Auburn Brown.

Have you ever used L'Oreal Paris Healthy Look hair color? Do you, or have you ever, used a semi-permanent hair color? Comment below!

Garnier Olia Hair Color

I dye my hair a lot, probably more than I should. I don't even color it too from my natural color, but I like to add some red tones and make my hair more vibrant.

I always look at new colors at drugstores. I came across Garnier Olia at CVS last month in a brand new display. I had JUST colored my hair a few days before, but felt the urge to try this new color...so I had it sitting in my dorm for a month just waiting to be used. 

I was drawn into this product based on the fact that it is 60% oil based and supposedly less damaging to hair. The box also claimed to have a pleasant smell...that's a definite plus! 

The color I felt was best suited for my wants was Light Golden Brown. On the box, it looks really warm and fairly light. 

The kit come with a colorant, color activator, a conditioning cream, and tear-drop shaped applicator bottle. I was worried that having to mix both parts of the dye was going to be messy, but it worked out well. I am used to using foam colors, so switching to a cream was a bit of a change. I found the application to be easy, except for the applicator bottle slipping out of my hands often. Not too happy about the dye splatter on my dorm floor...

The hair dye was easy to rinse out. I used about half the tube of conditioning cream, stepped to the side, and let it soak in for 7 or 8 minutes. That rinsed out well too. 

The color itself is really nice, but definitely darker than I expected. It's all uniform and very rich looking, but I am still bummed out that my hair is so dark. Yes, I know it will lighten in a week or two, but it's just not what I wanted. Nonetheless, it's very pretty and dimensional. 

The best part of this is that my hair IS SO SOFT! I don't think my hair has ever been this silky smooth before! I could not stop touching it for the life of me. This fact alone is enough to have me hooked.

Before...

After...

As you can see, the color is not a drastic change, just a touch up, but still turned out darker, and ultimately more vibrant. 

I'll update in a few days!

XOXO, Bear

Price: $10

Pros: Super soft and silky hair; vibrant colors.

Cons: More difficult to use than other dyes.

Overall rating: 8.5

American BB Creams: the good, the bad, and the toxic.

Hello readers! Given this is my first post, I might be better off saying "hello roommate!" or "hello mom!" since I'm sure they are my only page viewers right now...haha. 

BB creams seem to be the latest craze amongst all mid-range and drugstore brands of makeup, claiming to be an "Asian sensation!" in skincare. Some even go as far as saying their product is a miracle for the skin...as if the 9-in-1 claims ween't enough to draw us in already.

I had my first experience with a BB cream this past summer. I reserve wearing liquid foundation and primer only for special occasions, especially since so many only seem to irritate my already oily/combination skin. For me, this "miracle" cream was going to be an option for my skin to look great and even-toned without overdoing it on the foundation. After all, a sheer tinted powder just wasn't going to cut it come fall. 

I have done much research on many American BB creams, tested many, and dug into their ingredients in order to classify and rate each one. I am in no way, shape, or form, a chemist, but I know a lot about what ingredients are potentially toxic in skin care. To determine "bad ingredients" for each BB cream, I am using these two lists: The Dirty Dozen and Top 15 Most Dangerous Ingredients.

*I understand that American BB Creams do not add up to their Asian predecessor, and since I have never tried a real Asian BB cream, I cannot judge these American ones based on that, but base it on being a skin tinting and moisturizing cream.

Products I have tried:

(I plan on updating this post as I try new BB creams.)

Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector in Light/Medium

Price: $13

Good ingredients: Glycerin, which promotes hydration, which may be bad for oilier skin

Bad ingredients: Disodium EDTA, a chelator, which "perfects" low-grade materials

Pros: Evens skin tone; SPF 15; long lasting 

Cons: Very creamy and a little greasy

Skin type: Normal; combination

Overall rating: 7

Overall, I really like this BB cream, though it doesn't do too much for my skin but tint it ever so slightly. I am happy with the results, and the ingredients for the  most part. 

Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream in Fair to Light

Price: $17

Good ingredients: Soybeen seed extract

Bad ingredients: Fragrance; urea

Pros: SPF 30, oil-free, soy-based

Cons: Not many shade options...only one I saw was fair-light

Skin type: Normal; combination; oilier skin; dry

Overall rating: 8

I really like this BB cream/tinted moisturizer because it's very light and refreshing. It will be great for the summer because of the broad spectrum SPF and it's not greasy feeling at all. Not happy it contains urea and fragrance though...why must they put fragrance in it? Doesn't make my skin feel/look oily. Also on the pricy side.

Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm in Vanilla Glow

Price: $34

Good ingredients: Ginseng and other root extracts

Bad ingredients: Glycerin, which may be bad for oilier skin

Pros: Paraben free, SPF 20, vegan, oil-free, hypoallergenic

Cons: Costly for 1.5 fl. oz.; almost too silky

Skin type: Normal to combination; dry

Overall rating: 8

Products I will not try because of horrible, toxic ingredients:

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream

-Loaded with parabens

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream in Light

-Also contains parabens

I will add to this list as I try more. 

What are your thoughts on the above mentioned BB creams? Do you look for specific ingredients in your makeup that are either winners or losers? Comment below!