Tool Tuesday: Shower Comb

This is quite the unassuming comb. It's cheap; like about $1 at Walgreens or even the dollar store. There's nothing about it to make it worth more than that...

This comb is hooked on the shower rack in my....guess it.....SHOWER, YES!!!

I have long, fine hair. I can't imagine trying to comb my hair without combing it first, with conditioner still in it, before rinsing. If not, I'd end up with a tangled mess and a handful of broken hair.

This pink one I got last year when I went to the coast for a weekend. I forgot to bring my original one. And, as I mentioned, I couldn't go without one. Hey, that's what makes Walgreens so damn handy!

Simple features....

...hook on one end...

...teeth on the other. But, seriously, before I rinse out my conditioner, I use this comb because it is super gentle on my fragile, wet strands. And the comb, itself is easy to care for. To wash it, I put it in a bowl of water with a couple of capfuls of bleach and let it stand for a couple of hours. After wiping and rinsing, back into the shower ready for my next wash.

I know it is so simple, but, really I LOVE this tool! It could easily be the only tool I would need for my hair. And because I know you want to know, my original one is white and I have had it for at least a decade. Since I had to get a second one, I went for pink.

My New Favorite Product: XFusion Keratin Hair Fibers For Hair Loss

For the last two years that I have attended the Premiere Orlando Show, I look for the one item that blows me away. Last year it was the Macadamia Nut Oil. This year it is XFusion: Keratin Hair Fibers.

 

I could have traded in everything I got while at the show for the opportunity to discover this product.

In a nutshell, this is a product that hides thinning or balding hair. The reason I'm beyond giddy about this product will be evident in the before and after photos I show at the end of the post. But, don't cheat! You gotta learn about this BOSS product first!!!

These are the main, two items...

There is the Keratin Hair Fibers in the canister and, then there is the dispenser that goes on top of the canister. This 'puffs' the fibers out, directly where you aim it.


The canister holds the fibers. There are 9 different colors to select from too. Since my roots tend to be darker than the ends of my hair, Light Brown, is my color...

When you open the canister, you can see that it has a shaker top. You can use this to apply the fibers. However, I use the dispenser.

And to do that, you unscrew the shaker top...

Then you screw on the puffer top...

There's a travel cover on the end of the nozzle. I keep it on when I'm not using the product. 

So, I aim the nozzle at the area I want to cover and pump on the round top to 'puff' the fibers out. I like the nozzle because I only have a small area to apply it to and this focuses right in there.

Once I have applied the amount I want, I then use a setting spray to hold it in place...

That's the spray in the upper right corner. It's like hair spray and, I guess you could just use regular hair spray but, this doesn't make my hair feel dried out. And, it really has a nice fragrance; not like some regular hair sprays.

Of course, this product is for both genders. In the kit, there are these two templates...

You can set these at the hairline and shake or spray XFusion over it. This will make for a more nature look to the hairline. And, this was important to me: XFusion fibers do not rub, sweat or blow off. (Take THAT, Florida Summertime!!) The fibers cling to the hairs around it and give the illusion of a fuller head of hair. But, you do have to have some hairs for the fibers to cling to.

OK, this is why I'm totally in love with this product...I have genetic-based hair loss. My Mom has it so I didn't panic when I noticed my hair thinning right above my temples. I complained and whined about it though. And, my friends and hair stylist, all share their recommendations of potions and shampoos and such to fix it. But, the truth is, it's genetic and it's hormonal. Now, I no longer need to overly-fuss with my bangs trying to hide thin spots.

Here's the before...

And the after...

These photos are from when I tried XFusion the very first time too. I'm so delighted that it really IS that easy to use. Now that I've been using it a couple of weeks, I'm even better at applying it.

This is a product that is purchased at hair salons. On the XFusion website, you can go to their locator page and find the closest location that sells it.


There are many different reasons a person can experience hair loss. Sometimes, it is hormonal and genetic, like mine. I suppose it will progress as I get older too. Sometimes hair loss can be temporary as with medication side effects or stress. I do recommend that if you experience sudden or unexplained hair loss that you see a doctor. It could be a serious medical issue that would need to be addressed right away.

This is my favorite of the show and may well be my favorite product of the year. It's instant gratification; no waiting for something to grow, or work, or costly hair club stuff. I have no visible thinning spots and a whole lot more of confidence!

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Lash Genius and The See and Be Seen Kit

When I was contacted by the people of Anastasia Beverly Hills, I was on cloud 9! I am familiar with Anastasia Beverly Hills as they have been written about in almost every glamour magazine I read. And just about a month ago, there was a recent photo of Oprah leaving the Beverly Hills studio, as she has her brows 'done' there. And, it doesn't stop there, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez are clients as well.


Let's talk about what Anastasia Beverly Hills is all about. First, here is one of the products they sent to me...

All of these items are new and you can find them in fine department stores, Ulta, Sephora, and of course, their 2 salons in California and online.


I opened this box first...

This is a ViewFinder. I had to laugh and then run and show the hubs this. When I was a kid, Grandma had one in our toy box at her house. There were photos from all over the world on several discs. Wow...what memories. And there was no manual, nothing electrical or battery-operated with this toy. And, Anastasia provided one to travel the benefits of their products. How cool!

Then, I opened the next box...

This is the 'See and Be Seen' kit that has some of their newest products included. In it are two HydraFull Gloss colors in 'Heiress' and 'Plastic'; the new caramel tinted Brow Gel; and ILLUMIN8 Shadow duo called 'On Set'.

First, let's visit the brow gel...

This gel has just a hint of color, as you'll see in my photo shortly, and has fortified botanical hair conditioners and essential oils. This is truly a gel and isn't anything like using a regular mascara on the brows. What a better way to keep your brow hairs in great condition as well as in position.

The shadow duo 'On Set' is easy for me to recommend because not only are the shades pretty, but also complimentary nude colors that will work with most complexions...

 

What pretty colors and I wish I could have captured the shades better. They are a soft pink and a golden hue. These shadows can be used wet or dry.


There are two exceptional lip tints which help hydrate the lips as well as make them appear fuller. I need both of those benefits! And, as a pleasant surprise, this gloss actually stained my lips so the color really does last a long time. And I'm talking all day...

As you may have noticed, the applicator is a plastic spatula. It's flexible but it was different for me to use. I have seen many artist use a palette knife rather than brushes to create paintings. This is the same concept. It was tricky for me to apply but after the first few times, I was getting the hang of it. However, this isn't a gloss I'll be able to apply without looking in the mirror.

The first swatch is 'Plastic' and the middle swatch is 'Heiress'. The next swatch is the Brow Gel.

And here I'm going to rave about the shadows. I'm often using the cliche that shadows apply like butter. So, what's the next thing beyond that? Because, that is what these two are! Go back and take a look at those swatches...they are just one stroke with the sponge applicator!! Naming it 'ILLUMIN8' is spot on. And Anastasia added in a bit more too; it firms and smooths the appearance of the skin while softening and hydrating it. I am swearing on the Vanity that it does.


This is 'Lash Genius'...

 

 Your favorite mascara isn't waterproof? No worries! Anastasia has got you, and your lashes, covered. 'Lash Genius' is the first of its kind as it will instantly waterproof any mascara. Oh, my goodness, is this perfect for hot and humid summer days. 

So, with your own mascara, 'Lash Genius' will promote healthy lashes by keeping them from being brittle, breaking and being pulled out like with some waterproof mascaras. Heck, you can even use it with false lashes! After you put on your falsies, add your mascara and top it all off with 'Lash Genius'. It will even help seal down the falsies allowing them to look more natural.

So, there is no tint to 'Lash Genius'...

I have to show you a little experiment I did...

I put on Kleancolor's Chick Flick mascara on both eyes, and only used the 'Lash Genius' on my LEFT lashes. IT made them appear fuller.

 Ohh...scary nose! Don't look at THAT! Look at my eyes!

 There I am wearing 'Heiress' HydraFull Gloss.

And I used the 'ILLUMIN8' palette for these looks.


But I wanted to show you that Anastasia's shadows play very nice with other makeup I already have...

 And I'm wearing 'Plastic' HydraFull Gloss.

I used a matte purple on the outer third of my lids from the 'Dancing In The Clouds' Wet 'n Wild collection. For the brow highlight, I used another Wet 'n Wild palette from the baked limited edition set. I also used Wet 'n Wild's liquid eyeliner in brown. In all the photos, I am wearing the Brow Gel. I used 'Lash Genius' over my Kleancolor mascara on both eyes.

The 'See and Be Seen' kit is $44. The 'Lash Genius' is $21. (Edited to add, all these products in this review are cruelty-free!!)

And last, I want to share with you a video clip provided by Anastasia Beverly Hills on how to use the 'Lash Genius'...

You don't have to limit yourself to just this one video. Anastasia Beverly Hills has a YouTube channel where you can get a lot of tips on using their collection of products.

These products were provided to me for my honest review. These are my honest opinions.

Cult Nails: Feelin' Froggy From The Fairy Tale Collection

If you haven't given Cult Nails a try, now is a good time. Their new Fairy Tale collection has just been released. And what is a Fairy Tale without there being a frog around?...

'Feelin' Froggy' is the green for the summer. It's a medium green shade but has a lighter green shimmer inside. 

I have three coats on and topped it off with Famous Name's 'Lumos' top coat. 

 

The photo above did the best of capturing that shimmer. Cool, eh? Like a summer cocktail-cool!

 

'Feelin' Froggy' went on sooooo smoothly which is exactly what Cult Nails polishes are known for. And, I did a lot of hand labor during the week I wore this and I was extremely happy that this green stayed on so well. It didn't......wait for it......croak!!!!

If you want to check out my other reviews of the Fairy Tale collection, click these links:

Evil Queen
Charming and Happy Ending
What's left to review:
Princess 

You can place your order for the Fairy Tale collection and other Cult Nails polishes by clicking here.


Have you tried Cult Nails yet?


This collection was provided to me for my honest review. These opinions are strictly my own.

Toss or Trash: May 2012

There is so much to blog about that I'm overwhelmed and backlogged. It's not a bad thing as I know many bloggers get writer's block or get uninspired. So, I'm looking at this as a very positive situation. And, maybe a reason to bump up to more than 6 posts a week. That is mostly dictated by how much time I have, however.


There is one downside of doing a monthly 'Toss or Trash' post; it makes the year feel like it is going by a lot faster. So, are we really halfway done with this year!?

It doesn't seem like I had a lot of products for May's edition. Nevertheless, here we go...

These two are trash, but I'd get them again! Especially the Dove Shea Butter Cream Oil Body Wash. This was nice! It made my skin feel soft and moisturized, just what I'd expect from anything with shea butter. The fragrance of this one is warm vanilla and brown sugar scent. Love!!!

This Details Bath & Body spray is something I've used off and on for several years. I don't even know if they make this fragrance anymore. And, that's why I was hoarding it. This is Sparkling Champagne; 2 Phase Body Mist; Tuscan Sunset. It smelled yummy. Again, something with a bit of vanilla in it. The mist had two different liquids in it so one floated above the other, like oil and vinegar. I liked that there was oil in this as my skin needs loves moisturizers.

Not a whole lot of makeup this time around...

I figured with Cover Girl's Lash Blast Fusion mascara being in this huge-ass tube that it would last at least 3 years. Well, it didn't last that long. Not even close. I think the only time I've had a mascara dry up this fast was in one of those no-name Christmas makeup sets. This has a huge-ass brush to it too and I did like it while it was fresh. This is a toss. (OK, I had it less than a year however, I didn't use it daily.)

Next are some doozy tosses...

Starting on the left is elf's liquid eyeliner in 'Pearl'. Should be called putty because it wasn't liquid, per se. The tip of this eyeliner is hard like a pencil and not a flexible brush. There was no 'line' in this 'eyeliner'. It was globby.

Next is another Walgreen's clearance disaster. This is Maybelline's 'Pink of Me' lipstick. I'm sorry I don't know what collection or type this lipstick is. But I can tell you where it's going: to the trash. Granted, it was $1.75 in the clearance bit AND, I had a $1 off coupon. But jiminy, Walgreens, don't put the spoiled crap on clearance! In last month's Toss or Trash edition, I had the same experience with the Yes To Carrots lip balm. Let me say that this lipstick was stinky like 'falling behind the vanity and forgotten for 7 years' stinky. It is such a pretty color too. 

I am really picky about purchasing nail treatments. At least I thought I was. I thought this one was going to be good just on looks alone. This is Sally Hansen's VitaSurge cuticle gel. Sounds effective but, it sucked. It didn't moisturize my cuticles. It just left them with a gooey, sticky feeling. That was with rubbing it in well too.

Well, I did try another cuticle oil and even though I liked this one, it wasn't worth the money. But I only have myself to blame. I let one of those mall kiosk people talk me into not only getting one set of a hand and nail care kit but TWO because I was getting a GREAT DEAL!

Don't judge. Just let me be an example that most of those kiosks that sell beauty items are totally overpriced. I had buyer's remorse and this kiosk had the nerve to call security on me when I wanted a refund. This brand is Seacrest and is supposed to be from the Dead Sea. Whatever. It was a good cuticle oil, as I mentioned. But I could have picked it up for peanuts on ebay. This is trash but I will not be purchasing again.

When I was subscribing to Birchbox, I did get a lot of samples that I liked trying. And this one was a nice size to sample. It's Redken's Shine Flash 02 glistening mist. When I think of a 'mist', I think of a pump and not a spray but, this is a spray like hairspray. Anyway, I wasn't seeing a significant difference in shine when I used this. So it isn't something I'll buy a full-size one.

I read a lot of beauty blogs that also love candles. Me too!...

My candles get sooty because I burn them in a room with a ceiling fan. Hey, it's Florida here and you bet your candle flame I'm going to keep my fans on!
From the left: Winter Cabin (loved and a favorite), S'mores (was OK, just not a favorite), Kitchen Spice (nice to have in the living room) and Wild Strawberry (I liked it but don't feel the need to get it again). 

I used the Details spray every day. I rarely, before doing this series, would use a fragrance two days in a row. I, truly, have so much perfume and bath lotions and potions I can rotate them all year and not have the same smell. And, I found I get kind of bored using the same fragrance almost all month. 

How about you...do you like to rotate with different fragrances or, do you have a signature perfume?