The Makeup Show Chicgo 2014 - Random Footage

Here is a little bit of footage from The Makeup Show Chicago 2014. Actually it's more like a walk through. The show was about to end and it was starting to empty out a bit. So, I thought it'd be a great time to film a quick video.
Also, check out my hauls from The Makeup Show here:
Part 1 - Blogger Swag Bag
Part 2 - My Purchases

Please change video setting to HD for best quality video

 

May 2013 Birchbox Unboxing

I got my Birchbox a few days ago but am just getting the chance to open it today. Check out what I got and let me know what you think.
Join Birchbox HERE

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle Leave-in conditioner (1 oz spray)
full size retails for $21.95

LA Fresh Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wet Wipe (2 wipes)
full size retails for $9.99/30 wipes

Cotz Face Balanced Mineral Complex (3gr sample tube)
full size retails for $20

Cargo Lip Gloss in Route 66 (full size)
retail for $14

Acroball Pure White hybrid ink pen (1 pen)
$6.24/4pk

3 Years Natural and Oh...Happy New Year!

Hi all! I know I'm late but Happy New Year! I hope the year is starting off well for you and that you accomplish all that you set out to do this year. I don't generally do resolutions but I do have some things that I want to happen this year and in years to come. Perhaps I will do a post about it.

In other news I am 3 years natural (wearing my hair's natural texture and relaxer-free) as of yesterday. I did a quick iPhone video about it and the quality is not great so you might have to crank up the volume. See in the next post!

Cool Deal: 3 Conscious Boxes for $29.95 via Pure Citizen

Hi all! I wanted to share a very cool deal which comes via Pure Citizen (a site that offers deals from companies that do good). The deal is  for 3 Conscious Boxes at only half the price-$29.95. And if you haven't heard of Conscious Box, it's a monthly subscription service that offers 10-12 products that are vegan, fair trade, certified organic, cruelty free, and more. Although Conscious Box is a monthly subscription, this deal is not for that service but for 3 boxes that will arrive all at once-no subscription necessary. All for $29.95!  And please note that the monthly subscription sells for $19.95/month ($12 + $7.95 shipping). So this is a deal that I cannot pass up. And when I get my boxes, I'll definitely share what I got with you.

This deal ends on 10/21. You must buy your voucher and use it before midnite 10/21.

Check out the deal HERE
Learn more about Pure Citizen HERE
Learn more about Conscious box HERE

My Hipapotheca.com Buys

In a previous post I mentioned a sweet deal from R29 Reserve which was $35 for $70 worth of product at Hipapotheca.com. I bought that deal then (May 1) and at the time I was dead set on using it on this travel set. But once I actually placed my order (couple weeks ago) I decided I wanted to spread those dollars around. So here is what I ended up getting. And please note that all photos are sourced from Hipapotheca.com because my camera finally, really hit the dust *cries* :((( and my camera phone photos just really suck. Though I did include one photo at the bottom all of the products.
Click photos for info on products.


                                         

Feed Your Do Styling Whip by yarok $23.00

Feed Your Ends Leave In Conditioner by Yarok $17

Heavenly Peach Coconut Virgin Oil bu adara

Sweet Sanura Body Oil by Mbeze $5.00 (travel size )

Ife Body Oil by Mbeze $5.00 (travel size)

Large size pictured because of broken link on Hipapotheca's site. 

Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser by One Love Organics (discovery size)

I really like this brand. I have some samples that I bought some time ago

and I started using them again. My skin loves it. 

Natural Hair Wishlist: Bask Beauty

I saw this Bask Beauty brand for the first time on Etsy a while ago. The products sounded pretty good so I added them to my favorite shops and didn't  think too much about them after that. Then I started seeing rave reviews on blogs and Youtube. And of course that piqued my interest. I went to their website and saw that they added many more products to their line. Everything sounded like something I'd love to try. I hope to get some of their products soon. Here are the items that I am most interested in:

sources: Baskbeauty.com



Have you heard of Bask? Have you tried any of their products?

Finally! I Got Some Anita Grant!

Ever since I've been natural I've wanted to try Anita Grant's hair and beauty products. I hesitated to buy them because her company is based in the UK and shipping fees were more than I wanted pay. And besides, I have loads and loads of other products already, so I figured I could wait. Then  she had an awesome sale that offered free international shipping. I took this as my cue to give her products a try. Please note that I got all sample sizes and my total came to about $24 US. Also, I have not tried everything yet but I'll you know which ones I did try.
Here is what I got:

                                                        Rhassoul Deep Condish

Babassu Amla Shampoo Mini Bar 

From top l to r

Organic Sapote and Coconut Pomade

Creamy Cafe Latte Vanilla

I really like this product. I uses it on skin and hair. It's very smooth and creamy and smells great.

Cucumber Cleansing Oil

I used this for and few days and didn't love it. I give it another try though.

Coconut and Rosewood Dry Oil

I really like this and would love a full size bottle. I used it on skin and hair. The scent is more woodsy than coconut and I really like it. 

Hooked On Kaboodle!!!

I recently signed up on Kaboodle which is sort of a social networking site but the main purpose of this site is to connect shoppers. You can make up all sorts of lists like wish lists, or lists of things you already love, or things you would buy if you were rich. Plus, you can create style boards on which you can put together different looks, outfits, or really whatever you want. One of the great features of Kaboodle is the Kaboodle button which you can add to your bookmark toolbar. This button allows you to add virtually any product from any website to your Kaboodle page. And you can import your Amazon.com wishlist. You can also connect with new friends and help them (as they help you) decide on purchases.

When I signed up on Kaboodle it was on a whim but I was on Etsy on which I have a shop and one of the members mentioned Kaboodle as a way to promote your Etsy shop. So I got on Kaboodle and started adding lists of my favorite products, wish list products and the items I have on my etsy shop. The more I added products and made lists, the more hooked I became. I guess I find it appealing because it is sort of an escape. And since I can't afford to really shop right now, this acts as a window shopping outlet. And it also kind of acts as a database of all the things I want, love, and am interested in.

Bath, Body, and Beauty Samples

I buy a lot of bath,body, and beauty samples from a few different websites. This is how I curb my urge to buy expensive products that I really can't afford. Plus if I don't like a particular product I've only lost a few dollars instead of twenty, thirty, forty dollars, or more. My favorite sites to buy samples from are: luckyscent.com, beautyhabit.com, aedes.com, and saffronrouge.com.
At luckyscent you can buy individual samples of much sought after perfume and body products. Prices for samples at luckyscent run from about $2 and above. Both aedes and beautyhabit have sampling programs in which you pay $15 for about 6 or 7 samples of your choice.
Saffronrouge has a sort of sample of the month which I love. For $35 saffron rouge will send you 2 to 3 samples every month for a year. Plus saffron rouge sells products that are natural and organic- so most of the products do not contain preservatives, parabens, and other artificial stuff.