Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque Review

If you haven't been to your local Target lately, you must be living in a cave!!!! But if you have joined the rest of us Target addicts, then you might have seen this little display!

Brands like Macadamia Oil, Bumble and Bumble, Bed Head, CHI, Rusk, and Catwalk are Buy-1-Get-1-Free. What an amazing deal for people who consider these products holy grails. I would have stocked up like no other if I were them! But luckily enough for my wallet, I only was interested in the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque. I cannot tell you how many blogs and videos I've come across that rave about this product. My sister and I were curious so we went half-sies on it. $15 each of us... not bad! A girl can never try enough conditioners, right? 

$29.99 (but really $15 each!)

8.5 fl oz

Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Alcohol Free 

Directions: Our Macadamia and Argan oils combine with our tea tree and chamomile oils, aloe, and algae extracts to produce miracle-like hair rejuvenation. 

How to use: Liberally comb through clean, wet hair and allow up to 7 minutes of penetration before rinsing. No heat necessary. Deep Repair Masque is an intense treatment. Use no more than twice a week. 

This product is creamy, thick, and smells great. I can't really describe what it smells like, but that it seems sweet and organic? I can feel my hair absorb the oils and instantly feel nourished. However, this is definitely a conditioner that you do not want to apply liberally in one use or throughout the week. I only apply from the nape of my neck down to the very ends. I test the effectiveness of my conditioners based on the ease of it's ability to take out my tangles when washing it out. This product is pretty decent at achieving this, but I definitely was not "wowed." The roots of my hair lose volume because they are weighed down, but on the flip side, my hair looks healthy and shiny. I think the "no heat necessary" claim is slightly true, but I still have to apply Moroccan Oil to the very tips of my hair because no conditioner will ever contain my brittle ends. 

Do I regret buying this product? No, my hair is enjoying it for the time being. Will I repurchase for full price? No, I don't think it has reached "holy grail" status for me. It may have been because my expectations were set too high, but this is nothing that blew my socks off. I think you can find decent conditioners for a much lower price. I could imagine this being a God-send for people who have really dry, unruly hair, but this is not necessary for people who have fairly normal, and especially thin hair! 

Have any of you ever tried L'Oreal's Nature Therapy Mega Moisture Nurturing Creme? 

I think it's a very close alternative for those looking for something more affordable. You can get a 16 fl oz tub (twice as large as Macadamia) for less than half of the price. It's about $13-$14 at most beauty supply stores. I've gone through two of these in the past, mostly because customers at the store I worked at swore this was even better than Kerastase. I never tried, so I wouldn't know... I instantly thought of this product when I first opened Macadamia. They're both the same color and consistency. 

These two deep repair masks do create soft and healthier looking hair, but I will continue to try new products! 

What are your thoughts on either one of these deep repair masks? Do you have any recommendations? 

6.16.12

Our planned "EPICnic" at the Hollywood Bowl turned out to be truly epic! 

The bf prepared a yummy lunch filled with our favorites... Lou Malnati's salad from Chicago, grilled chicken sandwich we always used to make in NY, and Banberry pie from Polly's Pies. Little did I know that the ring box was sitting next to me the entire time! I found it when he asked me to grab something from our picnic basket and completely lost my ability to breathe. Inside was a letter written 2.5 years ago when he was flying back to Cali for the holidays. It was the first time being together in person since we started long distance as friends! Can't believe all the things we've been through, but it's been worth the wait. Thanks so much to my family and long-distance besties waiting to celebrate when we got home! I even got ambushed by my hilariously excited classmates with bridal magazines and champagne on my first day back to class. Don't know when the reality of the situation will finally kick in, but I am overwhelmed by all the blessings! Thanks so much everyone. <3 <3 <3

June MyGlam Bag 2012

Looks like I just got my last MyGlam bag in the mail! What's inside?

June MyGlam: Out All Night 

The concept of this bag is cute being glittery and resembling a clutch, but the bag itself is pretty cheap. It's rough to the touch because of the glitter, which got all over my hands. It has a silver magnetic closure, but do you see how paper thin the material is? I wasn't particularly happy about storing it away because I'm afraid the glitter is going to get everywhere. But all in all, I appreciate the fact that this bag is different from others in the past. Now onto the contents!

philosophy Take a Deep Breath Oil-Free Energizing Oxygen Gel Cream Moisturizer 

Living proof frizz nourishing styling cream

NYX Round Lipstick in Georgia

Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen 

Can this name be any longer? This product works to revitalize your skin against harsh environmental factors that we encounter daily. It can be applied both in the morning and evening. It's a gel moisturizer with a light bluish-green tint with little scent (like Cetaphil SPF 15). It blends in quickly, leaving your skin feeling nice and cool. It's not sticky once absorbed either. I'm guessing this would be a lot like Dermalogica's Barrier Repair, a moisturizer that acts as a barrier to protect your skin from the sun while infusing your skin with other goodies. I think the .4 fl oz bottle is a decent size to test this product out. MUCH BETTER than all the other tiny samples from other MyGlam bags!

I've always been a fan of Living proof.'s products. I'm pretty excited to try this out! I'm not usually one to use styling creams because a lot of them can be pretty heavy and sticky on my hair. I've already applied it to my hair and it's actually not too bad. I already love the scent. I can't exactly describe it, but it's refreshing and feels like I'm at the beach! I applied it to my hair with my fingers and it didn't leave my hands feeling grimy. I usually only put Moroccan oil in my hair, so it will take me a while to get through this 2 fl oz bottle. 

I was really excited to see the Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen in my bag. This was right up my alley because I am a major sucker for liquid liners. It comes in a semi-matte material with a click cap. I actually LOVE the felt tip because it's the exact type of firmness I prefer when lining my eyes. It has no give and does not bend even at the very tip. 

However, I was extremely disappointed by the product itself. The product comes out with a lot of ease (nice and juicy), but the ink is nowhere near as black as I like my liners to be. I've actually been wearing it on my eyes for a few hours, and it's already smearing. I had to put on 4 coats to get a truly black, which isn't something I'd like to do on a daily basis. I also LIGHTLY wet my hand to see if the liner would last on my eye, but it completely smeared. Not so "permanent" as it claims to be. This German product also warns "Don't use with lenses." What does that mean??? Not for contact lens users? 

This is a really pretty summery color, but I don't really rock pink shades. I can see this color being really flattering with a lot of looks, but it's just not me! Oh well~ 

I was actually REALLY surprised by this month's bag. It was pretty decent because all the products came in a decent size. No one-time-use samples or MyGlam brushes... not bad, not bad. Did I cancel my subscription too soon? Should I keep it? What do you guys think? 

Where you think you're going, baby?

I remember gushing like a little girl over this little teeny-bopper home-made music video when it showed up on my YouTube feed a few months ago. It was the weekend right after Valentine's and I kept trying to get my boyfriend to sit still to watch this with me! Really romantic and age-appropriate of me!! But who cares, Justin and Selena almost kiss! hahaha It's so cheesy, but you can't help but remember the old high school days recording for school projects! I swear if I was getting married right now, I'd force everyone in the bridal and grooms party to recreate this video for the reception! lol

Then I remember secretly watching the real music video by Carly Rae Jepsen, feeling really embarrassed for myself because I was HOOKED to the song. And funnily enough, she even sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at a Dodger game I went to... and I was probably the only person above 13-years-old in the stadium who recognized her...

But now I have nothing to be ashamed of because her song is everyone's guilty pleasure, even Jimmy Kimmel and the Roots! 

One hit wonder of the year!

What are your guilty pleasures lately? 

I've been hearing a lot of hype about the Zoya 3-in-1 nail polish remover so I thought I'd give it a go when they were having a promo on their website. I snatched this bottle up along with a free full-sized "LC" nail polish.  

8oz, $9.99

Remove + claims to be a 3-in-1 formula that cleans, preps, and conditions nails. You're supposed to soak a cotton pad with the formula, hold over your nails for a few seconds, and remove to find clean nails. I find that this formula is gentle, but not fully effective. It usually takes at least 3 attempts to fully clean my nails, and that's not even counting glitter polishes. It's ridiculously convenient that it dispenses through a pump, but I think I'm happier with the performance of my drugstore nail polish removers. The smell isn't as offensive as cheaper brands, but I prefer a formula that will clean my nails right away! 

I'm not completely against this product, but I just had such HIGH expectations because so many people raved about it. I will continue to use this nail polish remover, but I don't think I'll be repurchasing. 

Look at this brilliant pump! I think it was worth the purchase because I'm definitely keeping the bottle to reuse it! :) 

Zoya "LC"

"LC" + Bourjois Silver Glitter 

It took me 2 cotton pads for each hand to fully remove both polishes. I then had to go in with a 5th pad to get rid of all the red staining that got all over my fingertips. It's not a weak remover, by any means. It's just not as strong as I like it to be... I guess I like removers that almost like pure acetone. So if you're looking for gentle but effective remover, this is the one for you! Other than that, Zoya polishes are definitely my favorite! Creamy, opaque, never streaky, and always long-wearing! 

What Zoya polishes do you guys own? Any recommendations? 

LATE Glam Bag Post

So I don't know how this happened, but I completely forgot to post pictures from MyGlam Bag back in March! It's really late, but in case anyone is interested in signing up for MyGlam... I cancelled my subscription this month... well, because you'll see.

Murad Eye Lift Perfector 

Pur-lisse SPF 20 Pur-Protect Essential Daily Moisturizer 

Keracolor Natural Color Enhancing Leave-In Treatment

MyGlam Crease Brush

Murad Absoute Bronzing Boost

Dermstore $25 Coupon

This bag was just... no. I didn't sign up for this subscription to get tiny mediocre samples that I could easily get in any beauty supply store. I didn't sign up to get coupons to be counted as one of the samples. And I absolutely did not sign up to get brushes made by MyGlam! I understand they just launched and it would be really useful for people new to makeup, but I'm just really tired of the brushes and wimpy samples. I want quality deluxe samples, not products made from MyGlam. Anyways, it's been a few months since I've had this bag and I can honestly say I've only used the Murad Bronzing Boost. (Well, obviously since all the other samples are one time use.) Waste of $10 for sure. 

MyGlam Crease Brush

L to R: My Glam Crease, MAC 224, Sigma E40

MyGlam is actually the fluffiest, almost double the size of MAC. The Sigma brush on the right looks the narrowest when clean, but it fluffs up quite a bit when used. From largest to smallest would be MG, Sigma, then MAC. 

Murad Bronzing Booster. I prefer using this with my Sigma F84 when using a matte foundation to give some subtle depth and glow to my skin. 

Blended. 

May Glam Bag: Love is in the Air.
The bag itself is my favorite so far. It's fun, colorful, and has been in my purse for the past month. However the contents inside the bag... not so much.

Miss Beauty Nail Bling - When would I EVER wear this? 

Philosphy Love Sweet Love Spray Fragrance

Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick in Warm Embrace

MyGlam Concealer Brush & Defining Eyeliner Brush

L to R: Defining Eyeliner Brush, Concealer Brush

I really don't need another one of these brushes in my collection. The eyeliner brush is too thick to be considered a "defining" eyeliner brush, so I've been using it as a spot concealer brush. I already have a favorite concealer brush so I've been using this for my YSL Glossy Stain to keep my fingers clean. 

.......

No thanks... 

I really don't have much more to say about MyGlam. I feel pretty confident that I will not be looking back after canceling my subscription.

Goodbye MyGlam... Hello....... GlossyBox?? What subscriptions have you guys been enjoying? 

Oh my gosh! I can't believe how long it's been since the last time I blogged. Things got so crazy wrapping up spring semester. Thankfully, my summer school schedule isn't as jam packed and I hope to get a lot of things done! I will definitely be better about blogging this summer. :)

So first things first, I've been so obsessed with the movie Chocolat this week! I had to watch it for an essay, and I absolutely fell in love with the storyline and its quirky characters. I couldn't enjoy it thoroughly because I had to keep pausing the movie to take notes, so I ended up watching it again a few days later! And to be honest, I wouldn't mind watching it again any time soon. hahaha I have a problem... But who can blame me? Johnny Depp is in it! And looking mighty fine, too! *drool. Have you guys seen this film? What did you think of it?

<3

After finishing the movie, my cousin and I ended up spending our afternoon YouTubing old interviews of Johnny Depp... JD on life, past loves, his work... we clicked on everything and everything. :P Ugh... to be Winona Ryder (Wino Forever), Kate Moss (90s power couple), or Vanessa Paradis (baby mama)! A girl can dream, right? :P 

(I always think of you, Julie!)

This will probably be my most "fan girl' post, but I won't apologize because I know everyone is drooling at this point. And freakishly enough, my cousin pointed out it's his birthday today. hahahah!!! So happy birthday, Johnny Depp! Thank you for being such beautiful eye candy. Let's hope your children never look like this: