A.J. Crimson BB Cream Review

Hello My Dears,

So I needed to share the news of one of my new favorite makeup items, it's been a while since I've been this happy with a makeup product. While the whole BB cream craze was/is going on,  women of color were left out (surprise, surprise). A few tried (I use that word loosely) to address us: Smashbox, Maybelline, Iman (this year), Sleek and Gosh (the latter two are only available in the UK). The only one I tried was Gosh and that broke me out. Thanks to YouTube I was introduced to the A. J. Crimson BB cream. A. J. is a makeup artist to the stars and has his own line of foundations and powders specifically for women of color (hoorah!). I was intrigued and had to order this product. I ordered shade no.3 and I'm in love. The product has a consistency between a cream and a mousse. A little goes a long way and it gives a wonderful even, light natural looking coverage. It doesn't feel like I have any makeup on my skin at all. The product does oxidize so don't be alarmed at the light color that comes out of the tube. I've been reaching for this over my tinted moisturizers because it is a perfect match, I need to write that again , it is a PERFECT color match for my skin. I love the fact that he has various shades with different undertones starting from shade 2-8. I wear it after I've put on my spf face moisturizer as the product has no spf protection. If you have oily skin (like me) you might want to set with a powder. I'm so happy with this product I went ahead and ordered a second tube and right now he's selling his BB creams for only $10!!!!!  and you get 2oz. I could go on and on, but pictures speak louder than words....
P.S. His site http://ajcrimson.myshopify.com/collections/skin-flawless-stick-foundations

shade no.3, right out of the tube

me wearing the bb cream

P.P. S. There are some great reviews on YouTube (including mine, shameless plug)

AS I AM Product Review

Hello, hello, hello lovelies! It's almost 10PM and I'm still feeling wonderfully invigorated since discovering the steam and sauna room at my gym this morning (been going there for 3 years, shame!). This has nothing to do with the product review I'm about to embark on, but I just wanted to share:) On to the review! As I Am hair products available at Sally's (where I bought mine), online at http://asiamnaturally.com/ and I think at Walgreens. The line caters to curly, coily, kinky hair. The packaging is sleek and inviting, the smell of the products remind me of candy but are the products any good? Tempted by the wonderful packaging and an awesome buy one get one free deal Sally's was having I decided to try these products that were claiming they were made for me, with women on their  website whose hair looked like mine! I bought the Hydration Elation deep conditioner, Leave-in conditioner and CocoShea Spray. After using the products for about 3 weeks these are my thoughts:
Hydration Elation- claims to be an intense hydrating deep conditioner did nothing for my hair. The creamy texture and feel of the product going on my hair, led me to believe I would have super duper moisturized hair only to be disappointed with less than stellar results. I tried using my heat cap, leaving this on for an hour NOTHING! My $3.49 Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle conditioner kicks this conditioner's ass! And add insult to injury the price tag for this so called deep conditioner is $15.99! I now use it for co-washing.
Leave-In Conditioner- This product is OK, wasn't bad, wasn't great just meh. It's very light but it does moisturize well enough, nothing to make me run, shout and spread the good news to anyone about. I found on my hair it only works on freshly shampooed or co-washed hair, which is exactly what it says on the directions. It makes a great base for my spritzers. So while I don't have anything bad to say about this product it's nothing special either.
CocoShea Spray- This product and I have declared war on each other! My mom doesn't like me using the word hate and I know she sometimes reads my blog, but ooooooh this product! I have a strong, venomous, dislike for. I followed the directions on how to use it and all I got was a sticky, coated mess on my hair. It leaves a white residue doesn't moisturize, doesn't seal in moisture, doesn't work well with other products or on it's own, I can't mix it with other things to "fix" it! And normally my hair loves coconut oil and Shea butter but I don't know what Frankenstein technique was used when formulating this product and, and... it's $14.99!!!!! Yeah this pissed me off! (sorry mom).
So this is probably my last venture with the AsIAm product line, which is a shame because I do so love the packaging and the advertising and who knows maybe  I tried the  products of theirs that are duds (yeah I'm not buying that theory either). If any of you use these products and are lovin' it good for you! For those who've been curious to try, I'd have to say pass.  Hoped this helped:)

Cheers!

Wella Color Charm Demi Permanent Hair Dye

B3 Barista Bath and Body

I was given the opportunity to test out the b3 barista bath and body line.  Created by three businesswomen, b3 barista is the first full line of natural and skin care products that use the revitalizing benefits of coffee. Organic coffee, coffee extract and essential oils make up the main ingredients of these products what the products don't contain are parabens, sulfates and pthalates (love that!). I received the perk it up shampoo, soothe those jitters conditioner, make mine black soap and room for cream lotion. I've been using these products consistently for over a month, so let the review begin!
Perk it Up Shampoo:
pH: 4.5-5.0
Claims: "Removes impurities and buildup, invigorating the scalp to help support natural hair growth"
Verdict: Yes it does. This shampoo makes a great clarifying shampoo and that would be my suggested use for it. Compared to the Avalon Organics clarifying shampoo that was my staple, I prefer this one because  it definitely got rid of buildup but my hair didn't feel as stripped as it does with the Avalon.  The shampoo is a dark rich brown, like espresso. The scent is extremely light which surprised me, from the way it looked I was expecting it to smell strongly of coffee and while I love coffee, I wasn't sure I wanted my hair to smell of it. I was quite relieved that it didn't. There is just a subtle (stress on the word subtle) scent that hints of coffee. A little goes a long way and it has a nice rich lather. If you're on the lookout for a good gentle clarifying shampoo that really gets the job done I would check this out. Worked well on my locs as well as on my TWA and no issue using it on my color treated hair.

Soothe those Jitters Conditioner:
pH: 3.5-4.5
Claims: "Provides optimal pH to close the hair cuticle and seal in moisture for smooth, tangle-free hair"
Verdict: I would have to agree but I can't  fully test out the tangle-free claim as my hair is currently so short.  My hair really, really, really liked this conditioner. I used it on my locs and would only recommend those with mature locs to use this conditioner as it is very rich and leaves the hair quite soft. I've used it on it's own, mixed it with my Aphogee 2 minute protein conditioner and found the conditioner to work better as a deep conditioner than the current deep conditioner I've been using (As I Am). For loose naturals you could use it as a co-wash but honestly I feel that it's a waste of the product because it is such a rich and effective conditioner.  I did still follow up with a leave-in conditioner once I had rinsed it out (for those of you who are really into hair typing I am a strong 4 add whatever letter you like after). The scent is so light that I would almost say it's unscented but it's not there's a whiff of something making it great for folks who don't like heavily scented products.

Make Mine Black Soap:
Claims: "our specially formulated bar gently exfoliates dead skin cells, while glycerin, draws vital moisture to the skin and olive oil conditions the skin.
Verdict: I'd have to agree. Normally I'm not a fan of bar soaps more of a shower gel kinda girl, but I think I'm converting. The scent is light and out of all the products this is the one that has the closest scent of coffee, like a nice rich espresso. The soap looks very chic, a rich black color (so the men folk can also have this displayed in their bathrooms without shame) but what I loved about this soap aside from the rich lather and all that good stuff  was how my skin felt afterwards.  My skin is dry add to that, that LA tends to be very dry so after a shower once my skin dries up it feels tight and itchy and I need to moisturize my skin ASAP! PEOPLE this did not happen with this soap!!!! After I used it I felt I needed to make a public service announcement about the fact that my skin was not dry! So yeah I love this soap! I'm so happy I have a full size bar, which I and my brother (he loves it too) have been using for a month and still have quite a bit left.

Room for Cream body lotion:
pH: 4.0 -5.0
Claims: A luxurious combination of natural ingredients infused with essential oils, absorbs quickly and is never greasy.
Verdict: Umm, ok this was the product I just wasn't feeling. Does it moisturize your skin? Yes quite well and yes it absorbs very quickly and it isn't greasy. You can apply it to dry skin and it will moisturize your skin. So what is my problem? First not a fan of the smell, it's not strong but it's off to me. I can't put my finger on it but I didn't like it. The other problem was I didn't like the way my skin looked after using it. I'm a body butter and oil kind of girl. I make my own body butter that I'm happy with and one thing I love about using body butters and oils is that sheen that it gives your skin, that oh so sexy glow!  Well none of that with this lotion and last I feel that for what it is, it's overpriced (suggested retail $22.00). So while it does live up to it's claim, I would pass on this one.

Check out their website at http://www.b3products.com/ to view their full range of products. If you've used their products leave a comment and let me know what your experience was.

Ciao Bellas!

P.S. Ladies as Valentine's day is approaching these would also make nice gifts for that special someone in your life;)

Colored Again! Clairol Professional Mix Tones

mix tones in Warm

Hello my name is Konima and I am a hair color addict. I confess it, I own up to it. I still am rocking my red hair color (I love it so!) but as many of you who have colored your hair red know, keeping it that vibrant hue is a beast!  I still do my cellophane treatments but I also rinse my hair often (due to exercise) and shampoo once a week. So the maximum wear  I get from the cellophane is 3 weeks tops. Well I was in Sally's Beauty Supply ( a very dangerous place for a color addict to be) and I saw Clairol's line of demi-permanent dyes hmmm... the shade range they had didn't quite do it for me but they had their mix tones. The Clairol Professional mix tones are pigments you can add to permanent or demi- permanent color to add warmth or intensify coolness. It has no ammonia but you mix it with their Clairol Professional premium creme demi permanent developer (no lift). Since I was going through an episode of restless hair syndrome, I picked up two tubes of warm along with the mini bottles of developer, grabbed a deep conditioner treatment and said to hell with it!  The product is very easy to use and for my hair I used a tube and a half and you use equal parts developer. Apply to clean dry hair, let it sit for  45 min. (I think?), wash out and condition. The results BAM! Back to my original vibrant red Yipee!!! I like this product, it's definitely not as strong as a permanent color but adds more oomph than a semi permanent and lasts longer than my cellophane, it even colored my roots! It does wash out after about 24 shampoos. Now they say it's safe to use every month but I'm not going to, because I don't want to play with fire and risk doing some severe damage to my color treated locs, so I'll continue maintaining with my cellophane treatment. I  would suggest this for those who do love to play with color but want a bit more longevity than a semi permanent or if you are using a Clairol brand hair dye and want to intensify the shade, this stuff is great. This won't really lift your color dramatically, for that you  need to enter permanent color or bleaching territory. For those whose hair is color treated  already with a permanent color proceed with caution. In spite of my rash behavior, I came out lucky (so far). I am super on top of my conditioning game and let's not forget I'm a color addict.
Cheers!

NYX Grow Lash Serum Week 2

Hey Guys,

Just a quick update on the lashes, this would be week two any differences hmmmm..... none that I can tell so far but the experiment continues lol!

Soft Spike Curlers & Thermal Ionic Pro by Babyliss

I decided it was high time I started styling my locs a little bit more, most of the time it's just wash, condition and dry. That's fine but one of the reasons I chose to have my locs a smaller size was for styling purposes and here I was wasting the opportunity! In order to rectify the situation I ordered Soft Spike Curlers. They are foam/sponge rollers that are so comfortable you can sleep in them, you don't need end papers! Very popular in the loc community and after testing them out I understand why, they are fantastic and so easy to use!!!!! I just wanted soft waves so rather than starting on wet hair, I sprayed my hair with an aloe vera gel and water mix (recipe to follow), rolled my hair, sat under the dryer and voila! beautiful wavy curls, lots of body to my hair and me feeling very cute! There is another brand called Loc Loops that is also popular as well. I chose to go with the soft spike curlers because you get more bang for your buck ( a set which is 60 curlers cost $19.00) and the only difference I could see between the two products was just cosmetic. For easy styling these curlers are painless and awesome.
Now on to my other purchase. I also got a standing hard cover hair dryer, the Thermal Ionic Pro by Babyliss. I need one because I do a lot of hot oil treatments and in my journey of styling my hair more I figured this would come in handy also I don't always have the time to air dry my hair after I wash it and sometimes I wash my hair at night and can't go to bead with wet locs. This dryer is awesome because I was short on time when I set my hair with the soft spikes I sat under the dryer for 15 min and I was good to go!Remember I was starting from damp not wet hair. The dryer was easy to assemble, you won't need any help, the stand is adjustable so you can sit and watch t.v. at ease and the air disperses very evenly. There are several heat settings as well. Was and still am very happy with this purchase, I bought mine from folica.com (their prices were better than Amazon's for the same dryer). Ladies loced or loose this is really a sound investment for your hair. You can see my styling skilz (lol!) on my YouTube channel I'm MsKPJ. That's what I've been up to stylewise, hope you had a Happy and Safe Halloween.
Ciao Bellas!

p.s. I didn't forget here is the recipe for my Aloe Vera setting spray. I don't have accurate measurements because this was just made spur of the moment and I didn't measure so I'm just guessing here.

4oz. of Aloe Vera juice
2oz. of Aloe Vera gel
6oz. of distilled water
5 drops of your favorite essential oil
shake and spray! I would advise to keep the remainder of the solution in your fridge.