Product Review: AG Hair Cosmetics-Recoil Curl Activating Shampoo AND Conditioner

Hey all!

So instead of spreading my reviews out I thought I'd get you this info ASAP as there is some time sensitive info that will save you bundles!

The product(s) I'm reviewing might come as a surprise! I wanted tot talk about:

AG Hair Cosmetic's Recoil Curl Activating Shampoo and Conditioner (phew...that's a mouthful)!

So there is no way on earth I would EVER have tried these products out if Ulta hadn't had their liter sale going on right now (that's right...RIGHT NOW!!)

These little beauties will run you $50 per liter! :O Yeah right am I gonna drop $100 on my shampoo and conditioner!

However, they were on sale for $14.99 apiece (I picked up two bottles of each (so four in total))! Plus with my purchase I was able to receive free pumps to screw on the top, so you don't waste as much product!

While I think the retail price is a bit outrageous, so are the results (in a good way)!

I have naturally wavy, blonde hair that I currently dye auburn. Some days when I'm feeling like going back to my roots (no pun intended) I like to let my hair air dry and/or use some curl activating creme!

I used both the AG shampoo and conditioner and I was impressed. It really helped to cut down on frizz while defining my curls. Coupled with my curl activating creme the results were great (a co-worker said I was channeling SJP in Sex and the City haha)!

The consistency is so luxurious and the smell is light and sweet!

Conclusion: Definitely go pick these up during the liter sale (they're the highest priced product available for the discount)! Better stock up though, because once you go AG it'll be nearly impossible to go back! :)

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Hey all!

Sorry it's been awhile since I wrote a post, but I've been working like a mad woman. Plus I haven't been trying many new products lately! However, I do have a couple of (*spoiler* amazing) products to review for you! :)

I thought I'd start off with a classic product that so many people swear by:
 Urban Decay's Primer Potion!

Granted while this little "potion bottle" will run you $20 for a full-size tube...IT'S WORTH IT! Actually. Trust me. It comes with a little wand and you just swipe the potion over your lid and let it dry for 60 seconds. The consistency comes out sort of chalky and dry (not unpleasant, so don't get me wrong)!

Wow! Your eyeshadow not only stays in place, but the pigments appear more vibrant! On top of that application of your eye products (both shadows and liners) becomes a breeze.

The bottle lasts you quite awhile and you'll want to replace it once the potion becomes a little dry versus liquid.

My only complaint is that while the packaging is cute the purple of the bottle flakes off (but only after lots of use)!

Conclusion: Why are you still reading this? Go buy it.

Stay pretty...stay smart!
~Kat

Product Review: Freeman Chocolate and Strawberry Facial Clay Mask

Hey all!


Yum! That's the only word I can use to describe my reaction to this amazing clay mask! I picked this up  with my other typical purchases for two reasons:
1.) The price! A tube is only $3.99 (a small amount covers your face completely)
2.) The smell! OMG! Normally chocolate scented products smell fake and kinda gross. This smells like actual milk chocolate!

When I squeezed the tube the product comes out in a thick creme consistency and glides right on to your face. Beware! You will wanna eat it. I wouldn't recommend this approach. At first it's a little strange because you actually feel like you're smearing chocolate on your face. But it's so fantastic. The color just looks like you picked the wrong shade of foundation, so you can wear it in front of others without feeling like you're wearing bad, ghost makeup! You can feel the mask harden and then you just wash it away with warm water. It leaves your skin feeling so soft, with the slight after scent of a dessert cart. 

My only worry with this product is that I'll use it everyday!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Butter London

Hey all!

So I'm always hesitant and a tad skeptical to try out the "prestige cosmetic" brand products. Is a $5 tube of mascara really that much more god awful than the $50 tube? Seriously...c'mon!

However, I would like to point out in some cases spending those extra dollars upfront can save you money down the road on products that don't work as well (even though beauty stores like Ulta and Sephora have pretty lenient return policies)!

For a list of what to spend or splurge on I'd recommend looking at this article:
http://beauty.about.com/od/makeuptrickstips/ss/splurgesave.htm

But I digress...

I just wanted to talk about my experience with Butter-London Nail Polish! They typically run $14-$15 a bottle! :O But I found this holiday trio (full sized bottles) in the clearance section the other day for $9.99 (Originally it was $36)!

I have to say I'm sold! This trio is composed entirely of glitter polishes and with other brands this type of polish can come out gloppy and uneven. These glide on and dry so quickly that layering the polish is quick and easy. I used two coats to completely coat the nail. The first person I rang up at work commented on how nice my nails were. That's something that never loses its ability to make my day. I can't wait to try out one of their solid polishes to see if the result is the same, but I'm assured by my co-workers that they are definitely worth the money.

So in conclusion...take the hit. Pick up a bottle in a classic color that you'll get complete use out of it. You won't regret it!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Fan di Fendi Eau de Parfum

Hey all!

So like I said before I now work at Ulta, so the amount of products and recommendations I'm able to give has just expanded by leaps and bounds!

I thought I'd quickly share my thoughts on the perfume Fan di Fendi with you today!

This fragrance is made up of notes of:

• Tangerine
• Pear
• Tuberose
• Black currant
• Leather
• Patchouli
• Jasmine
• Rose

To be quite honest I was a little skeptical of this fragrance at first! I typically wear Juicy Couture's Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum (review coming soon!) which is a super girly, sugary scent! Fan di Fendi is neither girly or super sweet. 

This is a woman's scent. Little girls need not apply!

However, with that being said I have grown to love this scent. It's richer to me and smells European (lol how dumb is that? :))! That may just be because of the brand and packaging, but I feel exquisite and rich when I wear this. It's a very warm, spicy scent that envelops you completely. I've worn it during the day, but on a fall/winter night is when it would truly shine!

I'd definitely recommend this scent, or at least go check it out!

P.S. A site I love to both analyze fragrances I currently possess or am interested in I head over to:

http://www.fragrantica.com

You can search this site for "if you like this, then you'll like that" scents and also look up perfumes with your favorite top notes! It's definitely able to break down the confusing world of perfumes!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Mania: Pssst versus Batiste Dry Shampoo Smackdown

Hey all!

So today I thought I would do something a little different and compare two products head to head! The topic under consideration is dry shampoos.

When shopping for dry shampoos you want to consider: color, feel to the hair after use, (excess) residue and ease of application.

Dry shampoos are awesome for days you don't wash your hair (make sure you aren't washing your hair everyday anyways, because it'll strip the natural oils from you hair) and need to feel clean, while getting out of the house in a flash.

The first dry shampoo I ever tried was Pssst (Original) Dry Shampoo:

Pros: 

• Light weight feel

• Powder absorbs quickly with "minimal blending"

• Easy application

• Goes on wet, but quickly becomes powder

Cons

• Smell is a bit off, but not horrible

• Wet feeling (while only temporary) is not ideal

• Rate of spray is rather light

When I used up my first can of Pssst I decided to try another brand out just to compare and contrast. I found Batiste's Original Dry Shampoo for a comparable price (just around a dollar more, but I believe you get around 2 oz. more for that money)!

Pros

• Amazing application (the amount of product and force of the nozzle is unmatched)

• Goes on as powder with minimal liquid feeling

• Smell is much more pleasant than Pssst's

• Makes my hair feel more voluminous and cleaner overall than with Pssst

Cons:

• Sometimes when blending there is some residue from the product (easily remedied by running hands through hair again)

So in conclusion the winner of the Dry Shampoo Product Mania Smackdown is:

***WINNER***
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Urban Outfitters Marble Eye Palette

Hey all!

So here's another review!

Yesterday my friend and I were walking around Uptown in Minneapolis and popped into Vic's Secret and Urban Outfitters! The sales were AMAZING! I find that I can only realistically buy Urban stuff when they do this sale (I think it's around twice a year)!

I got two pillows which would've cost $100 for $10 (I love home decor...it's almost unhealthy haha)! I picked up two shirts, as well as their... 

Marble Eye Palette!

I think it was originally $12 (maybe?) and I got it for $5! It has 32 shades that come packaged with a marbled effect. There's a great variety for all skin tones and it's fun to see the two colors blend. Application is easy and it lasts all day (with a proper primer :))!

So yeah...basically try and snag this at your local Urban before they're gone!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Hey all!

I haven't done a post for awhile and I keep going back and forth on what I wanna talk about on this blog. However, I did just buy some new products, so I thought I'd do some reviews for you guys!

I work at Ulta (as well as H&M), so I'm able to find new products and sample things on a fairly regular basis! :)

So for the first review in this set I thought I'd share my thoughts on the:

 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils!

First off, I just wanna say I wish that I had thoroughly researched this product before purchasing. I had seen some beauty gurus on Youtube say they liked them, but on further research I found that a common problem was CREASING!

It's horrible. So. Bad.

With that being said, they aren't a complete waste of money! I purchased two (Buy one, get one half off at Ulta right now) in Milk and Iced Mocha!

Iced Mocha

Milk

I used the Iced Mocha one on my lid (creasing ensued) and the Milk one on my water line. The water line was the perfect solution. I love the look these pencils give me (it really brightens up your eye, especially after a long night)!

So in conclusion, spend the money (less than $5), but don't venture outside of your water line with this product or you will be sorely disappointed!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat

Product Review: Lush "Vanillary" Solid Perfume

Hey all!

I thought I'd get the ball rolling by reviewing a product I decided to try recently!

So, I'd heard good things about Lush's line of solid perfumes. I am both new to Lush products and solid perfumes in general. I was intrigued, so I decided to go to my local Lush and pick up a couple things.

I was really excited to try the "Orange Blossom" solid perfume there (especially for summer), but when I smelled the tester I was let down. Instead of a light, fruity scent that I was hoping for, the perfume smelled like an acidic, orange rind. Personally I don't like to smell of old, bitter oranges. 

However, I decided to test the other scents. I smelled the "Lust" or jasmine scent and while I did like the warmth to it, the smell was a bit musky for my taste. When I happened upon the "Vanillary" fragrance I knew I had found the one. 

The fragrance is made up of notes of:

• vanilla
• jasmine flower
• tonka

The fragrance is both floral (from the jasmine), but has a warmth (from vanilla bean). You basically smell like you spent the day in the garden while baking cookies. Not the worst things in the world. The mixture of scents creates an exotic, yet comforting fragrance that I find enjoyable for everyday use. I love the fact that the top screws on, so that it can't spill all over my purse. The solid perfume is a perfect solution to bringing scents on the go, without the mess or fuss!

My one complaint is that the perfume goes on sort of oily. However, if you use it sparingly and rub it in the feeling diminishes rather quickly.

Overall I would say if you're looking for a solid perfume to try or just a new fragrance "Vanillary" by Lush is probably a safe bet!

I hope this review was helpful and I hope to do many more in the future!

Stay pretty...stay smart!

~Kat