No Curl Friend Of Mine #curlfriends

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

There are many types of curly hair, from waves to kinky - and I have about 3 or 4 types on my head alone!  I have curly ringlets that go from my temple, all the way around the nape of my neck and up to the other temple.  The next layer up is curly, but not as tight - more like 1/2 inch barrel curls.  The curls get a little looser until it reaches the crown of my head, where the hair that grows out isn't curly at all, really, just wavy. All of it is thick, almost coarse, and heavy.  My hairdresser says I have enough hair for three people!

So, I know the difficulties of finding the right curl product. 

Straighten With A Brush! #ApalusHairStraightener

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

It's Gadget Time here on the blog.  As the daughter of the Gadget Queen, I do love a good tool.  And, as one with curly hair, I love a good straightener.  This one is unlike any I've used before, because it's a brush!

Dry Hair More Quickly! #LuxeBeautyEssentialsMicrofiberHairTowel

Press Sample. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I got a haircut... but no one can tell! I haven't gotten a short cut in a long time, which means my hair is still really thick and curly, and longer than my shoulders.  What's a girl with wet hair to do?

I Fell In Love With Cashmere Falls No-Drip Argan Hair Serum

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you've read any of my Argan oil reviews before, you know that it's one of my favorite hair oils.  But, when I use it, there's one thing that I always have to be careful of - the texture is so smooth and oily that my hair just sucks it up without me realizing how much I've put in it, and if I'm not careful, my hair stays greasy instead of moisturized.

Cashmere Falls Heavenly Hydration Premium Grade Moroccan Argan Oil No-Drip Hair Serum solves that problem - and a few others - for me.

My Holiday Hair Is More Festive With Foxbrim Total Hair Repair Oil #foxbrim

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am in desperate, desperate need of a haircut.  I can feel that about 3-4 inches of my length is damaged, tangled, wiry.  I am sad.  It's really hard to grow curly hair sometimes, because it just takes forever, and it's so dry that it does break a lot.

If I could glue my ends together, I would.  Instead, I'm turning to hair oils and treatments like Foxbrim Total Hair Repair Oil.

BY Framesi Hydro-Gel Strong - But Not Crunchy Way To Hold Your Hair! #beautycarechoices

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Sorry today's post is so late! Today was graduation at the University, and I had some some students graduating - and a few celebrations yesterday and today.  I actually used the BY Framesi Hydro-Gel Strong I'm reviewing today both days, too, because I wanted my hair to look as good as possible.

Gorgeous..and Delicious Hair with Insta-Natural Argan Oil Hair Mask #InstaNatural

Hello, Fireflies!

My name is Nidia, and I'm a hair masque addict.   I admit it.  I love them, and so does my hair.  So, when I got a chance to try InstaNatural Argan Oil Hair Mask, of course I did.

First impression: yes! packaging seal.  I'm not too worried about my hair masque becoming contaminated, but it helped keep my product fresh and safe while being shipped to me from Amazon.com.

Second impression: creamy, soft, nice scent - but not overpowering.

I like that this mask is full of natural and organic ingredients - and who doesn't love Argan oil in their hair?  It's a miracle oil for those of us with dry hair.

A deep treatment starts with as little as 5 to 15 minutes.  And, if you'd like to, you can use this as a daily conditioner without weighing down your hair. 

I saw lots of interesting ingredients like horsetail, known for strengthening hair and nails; aloe, a great healing agent, and lots of oils and butters, like jojoba, avocado, olive, linseed, primrose, coconut, and shea butter.

Cruelty free, and made right here in Central Florida!

The first time I used this, I went over to a dinner party that evening, and as I was hugging my friends hello, they all pulled me back in for another hug, taking a deep whiff, and exclaiming, 'you smell amazing!'

It wasn't my perfume.  It was my HAIR.

Truth.  It smells like a subtle, delicious caramel or butterscotch to me.

I love how soft and shiny it leaves my hair, too.  It's got great slip, rinses clean, and there's plenty in the jar for many applications - even with all of this hair!

If you'd like more information about InstaNatural, they can be found on Facebook, their website, and on Amazon.com. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Kimble Beauty

Hello, Fireflies!

I have been *obsessed* with masques lately.  Face masques, and hair masques.  I love them.  I love that feeling that comes with pampering myself.

I was fortunate to get to try Kimble Beauty Brazilian Nut and Acai Berry conditioning hair masque through BrandBacker.

Kim Kimble is a celebrity hair stylist, salon owner, star of LA Hair, and now the creator of her own line of products.  Her parents were hairdressers, and she's been doing hair most of her life.  So when she got to do it her way, I think she got it right!

The very first thing I noticed and loved was the dispenser.  First of all, it was safety sealed, which I like a lot.  Secondly, it's not a jar!

So many hair masques come in jars, and then they get all full of hair, and the jar gets slippery, and it's a mess.  This is clean and nice, and the product looks fresh every time.  The texture is thick, with a gel-like consistency.  It has a subtle nutty fragrance.

I also received this *totes adorbz* shower cap, which is sold separately.  It's really roomy, and fit all my hair, wasn't too tight on my head, and had structure to it.  I've only really used thin, floppy shower caps before.  I don't wear curlers, but this cap would definitely fit a set of rollers under it if you had your hair up but needed a shower.

I feel glamorous... flossy, flossy!

Right now, I haven't had a hair cut in a long time, so my ends really are damaged. It's just a part of having curly hair - it tends to be dryer and prone to breakage.  Also, the curls break up light waves, so it doesn't look as shiny as straight hair.

I put on the masque, covered my hair, and gave myself a mud spa treatment while I waited for the conditioner to do it's thing.  After about 10-15 minutes, it rinsed out easily and cleanly, and my hair felt light and soft!

Kim Kimble may be a hairstylist to the stars, but her products are priced reasonably! If you click HERE to go to the online store 701 NYC, the cute showercap is currently priced at $14, plus there is a 10% discount if you use the code hair10!

Her many other products can be found on her website, where this masque sells for $13.99.  Her shampoos and conditioners are also priced similarly.

Do you use hair masques?  What do you look for in one?

FutureDerm Face and Hair!

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you heard of FutureDerm? They did a collaboration with two beauty bloggers, Phyrra, and Jen from My Beauty Bunny.  When their products went on sale, I bought them!

Fudge Urban Mousse - #FindItAtTarget

Hello, Fireflies!

There's this cool program called Influenster, where they judge you on how influential they think you are, and in what areas of interest.  If you pass their tests (e.g. "What is your favorite color," "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?") then they might give you something to try out and talk about.

I was pretty excited to get a #FindItAtTarget box, because I love Target.  The husband and I even have date nights there. Yeah, I know how lame that sounds, but really, it's insanely romantic and sweet.  We are so not newlyweds anymore.

So, this was what came in my Target box:  Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry and Vanilla Styling Mousse.

Wow, I haven't used mousse in a looong time.  Like maybe the 80's.  Things have changed.  For one, look at this cool dispenser.  It looks like a crazy, spiky, toothy mouth. 

I thought that the mousse would smell, oh, I don't know, like raspberry and vanilla?  Nope.  It didn't smell much at all.  It had a little of that chemical smell from the aerator, but it was very faint.  Nothing like the stinky mousses of my youth.

Ooh, fluffy!

I have a lot of thick, curly hair, so there was no way that just mousse would handle it, but I went minimal.  Instead of my usual oils and curling cream, I went with a light spritz of hair oil and a couple of handfuls of the mousse.

Quiz Question - is this pix taken from my front or my back?

Peek-a-boo!  That's my Cousin It impression! 

I'm just not ready to give up my oils and creams, but this would work really well for someone with a little less hair.  I like that it didn't smell strongly (though I was hoping for some of the namesake scents).  And, best of all, it's stocked at my fave place - Target!

What's your favorite Target find?

Stay Tuned! At 9 am Eastern, my #NailArtForNubs post goes live!

Review - Beauty Box 5 February Box

(Stay tuned - my #NailArtForNubs post goes live at 9am Eastern!)

Hello, Fireflies!

I love subscription boxes, usually.  Always something fun to try!  This month's BB5 box wasn't my fave, though.  Here's the box:

It's a birthday-themed box this month! There's a coupon for $10 off a personalized necklace, which is a decent deal.. but I have one already that I never wear.  So, not for me.

One thing in my box that I haven't seen in other reviews is this Aveeno body wash.

It's milky, rather than clear, which makes me think it's going to be super rich or hydrating.  It was fine, but it didn't help my hubby's eczema at all.  It did smell amazing, though.  The lavender is very soothing and calming.  Definitely for those baths before bed!

I meant to try this It's So Big mascara from Elizabeth Mott, but I have 3 other mascaras open right now, and I couldn't do it.  I have seen other reviewers mention that it has an hourglass wand which they really liked.  I've even heard it suggested that the wand be saved after the sample is done to use with other mascaras, they liked it so much.  So, I'm looking forward to it!

I tend to not use these packet-type samples of shampoo for some reason.  At least there were two, so I can make sure to get enough for my long, crazy hair.  I don't wash my hair but once every 5-7 days, so when I do, I like to pour on the conditioner.  The last thing I need is a volumizing product, though! I did read one reviewer say that it worked nicely on their thick hair, so I'm hoping it will work for me. And, it comes with a pretty good coupon!

I was super excited about the Rockstar Nails duo.  I mean, nail polish! It's like a sub box finally listened to me and gave me polish and nail art stuff! But, watch out for Debby Downer here, because I was so not happy with this experience.

First of all, THE SMELL.  I know I've complained about bad-smelling polish in the past.  This ranks up there with Nanacoco.  Horrid.  Secondly, there were multiple problems with the packaging.  Check this out:

I've gotten nail polish bottles with bows before.  Usually, the bows are tied on, and can be slipped off.  Not these.  They are GLUED on.  By the time I realized they would be a problem, I already had wet nails.  The bow dragged several times into my wet polish.

I was annoyed.

Here's the one positive:  The color.  It's gorgeous, on-trend, and a one-coater.  Love this color.

So, let's try the nail art! I applied a slow-dry topcoat to the nail, and poured the beads on over a dappen dish.  So far, so good.  The beads stuck beautifully, they match nicely, and with another coat of topcoat, they stuck together.

But, how do you get the extras back in the bottle?  There's no funnel, and I don't have one small enough.  I tried to make one with paper, but the beads still went everywhere.  I hate wasting nail art stuff.  You'll definitely run out of beads before you run out of polish.  Not that I ever run out of polish.

Not one of my fave boxes, but not horrible.  Even though the shampoo isn't for my hair type, it's still a good brand.  I can see the body wash being useful to those who bathe at night before bed, or bathe young ones before bedtime.  I see this as the box of good intentions, but just falling short for me. 

What do you think so far of Beauty Box 5?  If you're interested in signing up with my referral link, click HERE.

Stay tuned - at 9am Eastern, my #NailArtForNubs post goes live!

Something Different Sunday - Nuance by Salma Hayek

Recently, I was given the opportunity to go to a CVS Party where the theme was Nuance by Salma Hayek.  We were given several products to try.  Although a review was not required, I wanted to review some of the products for you.

Nuance My Favorite Nail Lacquer.  So, tell us how you really feel, Salma?  I liked this color ok, but it really isn't one I would have picked out, and it's not my fave.  But, the formula is really nice, this shine is without topcoat, and it dries pretty quickly.

I thought I would try my hand at some nail art that represented the white flower silhouettes on the bottle (and is on a lot of her packaging, in one form or another.)

Nuance Vapor.  Now, this one was *my* favorite.  Gorgeous, shiny, dusty plum.

I put some of Mentality Gold Flakie and Red Flakie on top.  I love flakies, and I liked this so much I wore it on both hands, to a party.  Yeah, I'm cool like that.

More after the jump!