Product Review: Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara

PRODUCT: 5/5
PACKAGING: 4/5
QUALITY: 4.5/5
GRADE: A
PRICE: $19 from sephora.com
WOULD I REPURCHASE? Yes

WHAT BENEFIT SAYS
Sexy, sultry, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. It's as BAD as you want to be! Famously big, bodacious brush coats lashes with our super black formula. [from benefit.com

PROS
+ Lengthening
+ Somewhat volumizing
+ A lot of product
+ Easy to take off

CONS
- A little pricey [$19 for full size]
- Huge brush - might be hard to use for people with short lashes

OVERALL
As you can tell I REALLY liked this mascara and I think it's saying a lot because I'm not easily impressed at all by make up products. In fact, at first I didn't think this mascara was anything special! The thing about people who make reviews right away, I feel, is that they don't really get the full experience using the product for a couple days and then judging it, which is why I don't do reviews right away. But I used this for a good 3 - 4 months and I definitely liked it a lot. I didn't start liking it til after a few weeks of use because as it got exposed to air, it got a little thicker and I started to notice a lot more volumizing and lengthening. I didn't fully see the difference until I stopped using it and started using MAC Opulash and realized it didn't work as well as Bad Gal Lash!

I have thick, long-ish lashes and I could REALLY see the difference. I think you can really tell in my August 2010 Favorites Video and I think you can really see my lashes there. I tried to think of major cons with this mascara, but I really don't have any. It didn't give me racoon eyes, clump, or crack when I wore it. The only thing I really didn't like about it is the price, but I think in terms of size, it has more product than Dior Show Mascara. I've heard some girls complain about how huge the brush is but I actually liked the big brush. If you're not too keen on spending $19 on a mascara either, you could always opt for the mini sizes that Sephora has in it's little bins or even online. Mascara is kind of easy to grade because you either love it or hate it and Benefit's Bad Gal Lash was definitely love!

the huge brush


my youtube review

Brandy's All American Girl

"BRANDY NORWOOD BOUGHT HER DAUGHTER A BLACK DOLL FROM THE AMERICAN GIRL STORE . . . BUT WHY THE DOLL'S HAIR LOOK LIKE THAT???"- Actual Media Takeout Headline

Photo Credit

I spotted this pic of Brandy with an American Girl doll in her hands. I thought the doll was cute and I liked the fact that the hair was not bone straight like most dolls. It kinda looks like my hair when I've blown it out a bit. However, to be honest, I really wanted to get a better look to see if Brandy was still rocking her braids so I kept scrolling down. There was only one other pic ( a close-up of the doll) but then I came across the thread of comments left below. It wasn't until then that I actually read the headline. I can't say that I was especially shocked but some of the comments just reeked of ignorance, in my opinion. Here were a few...

"American Girl is supposed to be a HIGH END doll company. They can't be putting out RATCHETNESS for our children . . ."

"Looks like its from Brandy's wig line!! And its a hot mess. Lets just pray Brandy aint DRIVE to the store!" "MTO...really? Stfu w/ this nonsense. Its a black doll. The texture of the doll's hair is representative of what most of us black women hair is like. At least the doll's hair isn't a nappy fro. Gtfoh. MTO racist as hell with all these race driven stories." "A lot of those dolls are old fashioned... That's kinda why I like them... But so many black women fry and dye their hair out... This is what our hair would look like if we kept shyt out of it... Long, coarse, and thick..."

"So a doll with the hair texture of black girl is "ratchet"? That's the reason why little black girls grow up hating themselves." ...and so on and so on. Interesting to say the least. Do you all ever see comments like these posted online? Do you ever jump into the conversation or just consider it trashy and stay out?

Pink Valentine's day look

I decided to use shadows I haven't used in a while to create a "pink" look in honor of the upcoming Valentines Day.

I used Loreal and Bare Mineral pigments to achieve this look. I plan on perfecting it a bit more prior to posting a tutorial . So stay tuned love bugs =D

Here's a close up of the look. I'm having a very difficult time getting my camera to capture the colors. It barely picks up on the bright blue-green color ( "Azure" by BE) on the inner/bottom lash line area. *sigh* Until I figure this out please continue to hang in there!

Black Radiance - Shades of Plum Lip Gloss Palette

Looking for gorgeous yet affordable lip colors? If so, I suggest giving Black Radiances "Shades of Plum" lip gloss palette a try.

I purchased this palette at Rite Aid a few months ago for around $4. Pretty good deal right?

Don't expect this palette to last all or even half a day. Typically, these colors last for around 3 hrs before they need to be reapplied (for me anyway). However, it helps to keep in mind that this is a lip gloss and not lip stick. 

Anyway, let's dive into the pictures!

To view the rest of the pictures, click on this posts title to expand your view.

 

Color 1

Color 1

Color 2

Color 2

Color 3 

Color 3

Color 4

Color 4

Fave Perfumes

        A couple of months ago, I was glaring at my perfume collection and realized that I didn't like my fragrances! Most of them where gifts. 
        Of course they all smelled nice to me, but I realized that I didn't LOVE them hence the reason why they weren't being used. When I had Givenchy's Very Irresistible (which I plan on repurchasing soon), I ran out of it QUICK. That's love guys.
        To make a long story short, I decided to slowly transform my collection into something that I love and adore. 
Here are the first 3 fragrances I've purchased in that effort.
** Side note: These Fragrances are all floral and I've linked the Sephora.com website for your convenience. I recommend checking out the fragrance descriptions there**
In no particular order, the first fragrance is DKNY's Pure.

To view more pictures click on the title of the post to expand your view.

The second fragrance is Acqu di Gioia by Armani

• Of the three fragrances, this one is the strongest, however, it's NOT POTENT! Yay =D
• This fragrance tends to last longer than the other two and by the end of the day, I can still smell it. If you this spray your clothing, this will definitely be there by the end of the day.

Lastly, the Hello Kitty perfume is amazing! =D
What eye candy! Its presentation is just so damn cute!

• I would describe this as a soft fragrance. I like to spray it on the typical places women spray perfume and my scarf....I get to bask in the yumminess!
• This fragrance doesn't seem to last all day, however, since it is a soft fragrance it may be that I get used to it quickly.
• Either way, I LOVE IT.

Close up of the atomizer

Now, an incredibly popular floral fragrance that everyone seems to love is Marc Jacobs' Daisy perfume. Unfortunately (for me), I do not like it as much as I would have liked (gift). It's ok, but I notice that I get tired of the fragrance relatively quickly. I'll rock it from time to time but I do not plan on replacing this.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs (OVERRATED)

Today's Hair: Wash n Go

My hair was in need of some TLC this A.M. It was beyond frizzy and dry; I didn't have a lot of time to style my hair so I ended up doing a wash n go. Yes, I know its very cold in Maryland right now but I had no choice. I washed with Original Moxie's no foam shampoo (review coming soon) and I conditioned with the Strawberry Hisbiscus conditioner from the same line. LOVED the results. I then applied a good amount of knot today as my leave in and Donna Marie's Custard for hold and definition. Since this wash n go will only last me another day, I didn't bother "wasting" my amazing Moxie products on my hair. I need those to give you all a great review! :) See my results below. Shrinkage is the devil <--- LOL. 

wet hair

wet hair

dry hair

Happy Saturday!

How did you wear your hair today?

You Tubetorial: How To Style a Toddler's Natural Hair

Haha this is so cute from You Tube's Chocolatetresses! I love the serenade at around 3:50. He's singing a throwback!

Whew this takes patience but hopefully it will inspire those of you with little curly fellas out there.

so much

Love

love

love

love

love

Elf Haul!!

Feast your eyes on what $35 can get you! I'll fill you in on one of my upcoming posts =D

Guest Blogger Piece: What About our Kinky Curly Boys?

Hello everyone! I got the following email from one Naturally Leslie reader who wanted to share her perspective on natural hair for boys. It hit home with me because, as I already shared a short while back, I am expecting a little boy myself! I appreciated reading her piece and was glad to share it with all of you.

by Monica- Hair & Heart

There are a ton of blogs and youtube channels devoted to girls and their curls. How to style them, dress them up, keep them healthy etc. There is almost no information online devoted to young boys with highly textured hair. What about those of us with little princes who don’t want to chuck up the deuces to that beautiful hair and “just get a fade”? Its not often you see a young boy with long hair and if you do they probably have that “good grade” of hair (as my grandmother calls it). Every now and then I may see a prince with locs or cornrows but almost never free flowing a la Jaden Smith. Its frowned upon to have your son rock his curls after learning how to talk, as the old wives tale goes.

My son, Kai, is 2 ½ and I decided that I am not going to cut his hair (again…this will be explained later) to conform to the norms of African American society. My son has a beautiful head of hair. His curls have tightened up a bit since he was born, but they are still gorgeous. He has always been mistaken for a girl since he was born as well. Even while wearing a blue outfit, with airplanes and tiny chuck taylors. I began to think that maybe it was his hair, which I used to keep in box braids. I began to see that most people think that having long hair was more of a feminine aesthetic. My thoughts were confirmed by my BF’s mother when she stressed that he really should get his hair cut. Her reasons were that “he needs to feel like a boy” *side eye on deck*. After much thought, I lopped off a few of his braids. I gave in ya’ll, I cut my baby’s hair . We took him to the barber to complete the job I started and he cut Kai’s hair to this <> long. It was literally 1 ½” long and lop sided. The “barber” cut his hair with industrial scissors so I had to go back and cut even more to get rid of any split ends that may have emerged from the butchering of his tiny head.

I cried….and cried….and cried. For a week straight. I don’t know if it was because his hair was gone or the fact that I gave into pressure and did something I didn’t want to do in the first place. After that I vowed to never cut his hair again. That was about 8 months ago. His hair is almost as long as it was pre-cut. I started my own blog that focused on natural hair kids especially boys to help other mothers in this predicament. What to do with their hair to not appear girly? Does long hair really equal feminine? Doesn’t boy hair require just as much care and attention as a girl’s does? All these questions have been on my mind. His journey is just beginning but I do not want him to feel like he has to look a certain way to fit into the “boy” mold, especially when it comes to his hair.

To see more from Monica (including some ridiculously adorable pics of her little guy Kai, check out her blog here.

Random: Mother Africa Earrings

I have been browsing the net a lot lately looking for Africa Shaped earrings. Today, I finally found some! They are amazing and pretty affordable. I wanted to share the link with you all, just in case you were interested in getting a pair for yourself. ;)

 How cute?

Click here if you want to see where I got there.

They were only $18.50.

Illamasqua Nail Polish

This is an ultra quick review on my first Illamasqua Nail Polish.

This color is called "lament"

I went to Sephora SF this weekend and my girlfriends brought this nail polish to my attention. Needless to say that between the three of us, we tried all the colors.

Pros:

• The colors are extremely pigmented
• Chip resistant (I've been wearing "Lament" for 4 days now with no top coat and I haven't experienced any chipping)
• The polish dries quickly
• There are nearly 30 shades
•  I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL SUMMERY WEARING THE BRIGHT COLORS!

To see more pictures, expand this post by clicking on its title.

Over all, I'm definitely impressed by this nail polish. Normally my OPI's chip in 3 days without a top coat. This polish has not and it doesn't even look like it will soon. This is great for me because I'm not a top coater due to extreme laziness =D

I plan on purchasing more colors in the near future. I'll be sure to post pics up as I try out the new colors.

A "Long & Kinky Hair" Fotki Feast!

Image Credit

If you like browsing hair albums as much as I do, you might enjoy carousing your way through this list that I just stumbled onto at Nappturology 101 (one of my favorite blogs btw). This particular list showcases naturals with bra-strap length and beyond hair. Nice collection to get inspired!

Original Moxie Natural Hair Care (Mini Review)

I have some exciting news to share with you all! I was contacted by Rachel, the owner of Original Moxie, to try her line of all natural hair care products. First of all, I was super shocked when I got the email that she wanted me to give her products a try. I see a lot of  my other more "popular" blog sisters getting products to review, so this was an exciting moment for me. When Rachel emailed me she was very good at detailing what her company was about and I was immediately intrigued by her description; and OF COURSE I agreed to give the products a go. I asked Rachel to SURPRISE me with that she thinks would work for my hair type and regimen. She did just that and I got my package yesterday.

 Original Moxie's products are mostly made from organic and unrefined ingredients. For those of you who've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I LOVE organic goodies. I received full sizes of the Get Clean No-Foam Shampoo, Intense Quench Deep Conditioner, Twist Mist Lightweight Shine spray, Scalp Therapy and Emoillience Penetrating Moisture. OMG, can you say HEAVEN! I was also sent me some sample sizes of other goodies to try; along with a sheet on how to use everything and a regimen outline. Let me start by saying that everything smells amazing. Very fresh, earthy and clean. I like the scents because they are not too overpowering and they don't linger in the hair. 

Once I opened the package and set everything out I was so impressed with the ingredient lists. All of the products were loaded with amazing ingredients. The No-Foam shampoo caught my interest the most. Its filled with  things like: Aqueous Extracts of Amla, Bhringraj, Neem, Red Sandalwood and Rosehips. Best of all it's sufate free. Moxie products have Ayurvedic herbs in them, which is good since I am transitioning to an all Ayurvedic hair care regimen. These products fit in perfectly with my personal hair care and goals.

 My hair was freshly washed Sunday so I couldn't used the shampoo and conditioner last night BUT I did need to re-twist my hair. I was dying to try SOMETHING from the line so I did. I decided to give the sample sized products a try. I used the Lux Locks Style and Shine with the Everyday Leave-in Detangling Conditioner to twist my hair then I sealed my ends with the Emollience Penetrating Moisture. 

Before applying the Moxie products I spritzed my hair with water and finger combed. I then applied the detangling leave in conditioner and oh my goodness was I impressed, my hair sucked that stuff up! I used my denman to gently get out some of the knots I had and the brush slid through my hair with such ease. Many of you know that I love leave in conditioners, I am happy to say that this one will be my new staple. Once my hair was ready to be twisted I added a small amount of the Lux Locks. My twist's immediately plumped up and my ends coiled very nicely. Lastly, I sealed with the Emollience product and VIOLA!, my twists wear pump, soft and moisturized. 

Click jump for more.

I am very pleased on how my hair turned out this morning. I was able to achieve SUPER soft hair and nice curl definition from the Moxie products that I tried last night. My mom even compliments on how soft and healthy my hair looked. Her exact words were "it doesn't look dry today, I like it." (LOL, thanks mom.) When I took down my twists I usually use Vatika oil to prevent frizz but today I did not need any. My hair unraveled easily and was not frizzy at all, that is a huge plus for me. I added some water to my edges along with the Just Gel  and Hair Bling Pomade samples I received. I smoothed my edges with my finger tips, then followed up with a brush and then wrapped with a scarf. Honestly, I have never not used my Eco Styler Gel to lay my edges down, so I was skeptical at first but once I took my scarf off I was literally amazed! The Just Gel held my hair in place without any type of hard/sticky/crunchy feeling. The Hair Bling left me with a nice finish and subtle shine. I love my results. 

I am so excited to review the FULL line on my wash day and make a YouTube video about my experience. I plan to try and wash my hair on camera for the first time with the Original Moxie products. I want to give my hair at least 2 weeks to adjust to the new products so I will be using nothing but Moxie on my hair along with my Henna treatments. It's only fair and I am NOT complaining. So far, I can definitely see Moxie products being my new go-to hair care products. Please stay tuned for another review and a new YT video.

If you are interested in trying Original Moxie products for your self, click the links that are bold underlined and scattered throughout the post. Samples of the products can be found here and information about the company can be found here.

Want to save 10% on your order? Type in TGHB at check out. 

Please leave your comments and questions below in the comment box.

Disclaimer: All products or tools reviewed on this blog are always 100% honest and fair to maintain the integrity of The "Good Hair"Blog. These products were sent to me courtesy of Original Moxie. I was not paid for this review.

Even Our Commander in Chief Has Hair Issues!

LOL. No disrespect Mr. President. You know what they say about the White House aging folks far ahead of their time. President Obama is a handsome man and I can understand wanting to keep the grays at bay! Take a look at the side-by-side below and decide for yourself.

Photo Credit

Hey, I'm not hating.

Product Review: Maybelline Fit Me Powder Foundation

PRODUCT: 3/5
PACKAGING: 3/5
QUALITY: 3/5
GRADE: B
PRICE: $6 - $8 at drugstores [I got it for $7 at Target]
WOULD I REPURCHASE? No [read my overall for reasons!]

WHAT MAYBELLINE SAYS:
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT
It's makeup that doesn't mess with you.
• Natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be…fresh, breathing, flawless
• No oils, no waxes, no nonsense

"Flawless that lets the real you come through. Beyond matching: fresh, breathable, natural, natural finish."
[from maybelline.com]

PROS
+ Affordable
+ Feels lightweight
+ Wide range of colors for light to medium skin tones
+ Doesn't look cakey, even with a lot of layers

CONS
- Doesn't last all day
- Packaging is kind of cheap
- Not a wide range of colors for darker women






OVERALL

I thought it was just OK. I like that it's really affordable (under $10!) and that it doesn't apply cakey at all. If I keep layering MAC Studio Fix, it starts to look cakey, but with this foundation, if I applied 3 layers with a dense kabuki brush, you could just barely tell that I have make up on. I really like that for everyday use because nobody wants to look like a cake face! I couldn't tell that I was wearing powder at all when I had this on. The powder is light to medium coverage, which might explain why it doesn't look cakey.

The "Fit Me" line seems to have expanded the color choices for light to medium skin tones, but the darker skin tones are SOL. I'm an NC42-44 in MAC and in the fit me line, I was shade 325 which is the 3rd or 4th darkest one. I'm pretty sure women of color have as much variety in shades as lighter women do, so it kind of annoys me when brands claim that you can find your "perfect match" and they don't really have a huge variety. The packaging feels like cheap plastic, which doesn't bother me, but I'm sure if you dropped it enough times, it would crack. Another thing I noticed was it doesn't last all day. I have an oily t-zone, but it's not as oily in the winter, and I noticed the foundation faded first from there.

I personally wouldn't buy this foundation again just because I prefer the way higher end foundation works with my skin and this didn't wow me enough to get HG status. But if you're on a budget and you don't need a lot of coverage, this foundation is definitely worth at try. But if you need heavier coverage and especially if you have oily skin, I don't recommend this at all. I did a short review video on YouTube, too, if you wanna check it out! I'm not sure why it looks like there's a little cloud in front of my face though... lol