Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color

Garnier's Olia is a new "oil powered" permanent hair color that has been getting quite a bit of buzz in magazines recently. It is ammonia free and a 60% oil blend with natural flower oils which restores hair smoothness and shine. It claims to "help reverse roughness and dullness for more brilliant, dimensional color and softer, shinier hair with more bounce." Did it live up to the hype?

In a word, no. First, I was a little disappointed by the shade selection at Target. On the website, there are 24 shades, but there were significantly fewer at Target and because the boxes are so large, they were merchandised in a weird sideways position. I usually go for ashy shades in order to avoid redness and the only "ash" color I found was 6.1 Light Ash Brown. As you can tell just from the box, the color really isn't that light.

Olia was easy enough to use and there really wasn't much of a scent. I slapped it on my hair and 30 minutes later, I was ready to rinse. Rinsing was kind of weird because as much as I tried to wash it out, my hair felt really sticky and oily. I quickly re-read the instruction sheet because I thought maybe I was supposed to actually shampoo it out. Turns out, I missed a step where you were supposed to vigorously massage your hair/head in order to facilitate the rinsing. Oops. The problem I have with that step is that you're supposed to put the gloves back on, but I had already thrown them away and I don't think I can be expected to wear them for half an hour! After I used the included After Color Conditioner (tube 3), my hair felt decent enough.

The results were just okay. I really couldn't see a big difference in the color of my hair although my roots seem to have evened out. My hair also didn't feel significantly smoother, softer or shinier. Overall, I was left a little disappointed. I think I will try something else next time, maybe the Revlon Buttercream?

If you want to give Olia a try, it is available at Target, Wal-Mart and drugstore everywhere. I paid $8.99 for mine and also had a $3 off coupon.

The Importance of Being Bronzed

L to R: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Wet n Wild ColorIcon, Benefit Hoola, Milani Bronzer, Too Faced Aqua Bunny

Up until about a year ago, I owned zero bronzers. I mean, as a medium/tan complexioned individual, I really didn't see the point - I'm already naturally tan! But I was completely wrong. Bronzer adds so much warmth and dimension to your face no matter what your skin color is. I've realized that the point of bronzer isn't really to look tan, but just healthy and glowing. Matte bronzer also makes a great contour, giving the impression of a more sculpted and slimmer cheeks, nose and chin. I still consider myself a bronzer newb, but here is my collection.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beach - This was my very first bronzer purchase and since it's quite shimmery and pinky, it probably makes a better highlight or blush than a true bronzer. The swatch above is just all of the stripes blended together, but you could definitely use a small brush or your fingers to pick up each individual shade. 

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Bronzer in Shell-A-Brate Good Times - This was an impulse purchase, but I had heard great things about Wet n Wild bronzers. The powder is very soft and kicks up quite a bit. There is some shimmer and you can use the lighter part on it's own as a highlight. 

Benefit Hoola - Whenever I see this color it just reminds me of milk chocolate! Hoola is a cool toned matte brown that works best on light/medium skin tones. The effect is pretty subtle on me and I could see that it might look too muddy on others. Because Hoola is matte, I like this one as a contour.

Milani Bronzer in #01 Light - Another fairly matte bronzer (perhaps more satin?). This one is quite a bit darker than Hoola and also leans a tiny bit more orange. Great as a contour and for all over bronzing.

Too Faced Aqua Bunny Cream to Powder Bronzer - This is probably the most orange of the bunch, but it doesn't really translate that way to my skin. I've been using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply this and love the effect. I find the enclosed brush too thin and flimsy and I'm not sure how you're supposed to use it. This is also waterproof if that appeals to you.

What bronzers do you recommend? I know everyone raves about Nars Laguna and that is definitely on my list. 

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate

Whoa, please excuse the super crappy photo and dog hair covered blanket! I've been meaning to write this review forever because I am super excited about Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate!

I received this sample in a Sample Society box and I wish I knew how big it was, but I already threw it away. In any case, this little tube lasted me about four uses. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this because I was expecting a scrub. Yeah, don't even ask. I don't know why I was expecting a scrub, but I guess I just equated "exfoliating" with a scrub. The actual treatment looks kind of like a green mud mask with tiny, fine, sand-like particles in it. You just apply it to a wet face in a circular motion and you can wash it off immediately or leave it on for up to two minutes. I leave it on for the two minutes and my face gets a little tingly, but nothing major. Then you wash it off and you are left with the most glowing, baby soft skin ever!

ExfoliKate contains lactic acid, fruit enzymes and salicylic acid to polish and exfoliate the face. In addition to softer, brighter skin, their website also claims that the addition of rosewood and cinnamon extract helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. There are also acne and gentle versions available if they should fit your needs better. My one gripe is that it is super pricey! But I think it's totally worth the money. Speaking of money, does anyone see anything odd here...

 Let's do the math. 0.5 oz is $19, but 2 oz is $85? That makes no sense at all! You can buy 4 x 0.5 oz bottles for only $76. That's a savings of $9 over the 2 oz bottle for the same amount!

As a sales and marketing analyst, stuff like this just drives me nuts! Oh well, after my spending ban is over, I am definitely going to buy the full size - or more likely, four half ounce tubes!

MAC Stereo Rose

 L to R: heavy, sheered out

Alright, I've done it. I've bought into the hype and promptly ordered MAC's Stereo Rose on Christmas Day. First of all, can I just say that MAC's shipping is kind of slow? I know I ordered it during the holidays, but I didn't receive it until January 4th! I was going to wait to do a collective holiday haul post, but I just couldn't wait any longer!

I'm not really sure what to say about Stereo Rose, because it's pretty much all been said. It is a Mineralize Skinfinish, retails for $29 and every time MAC has it in a limited edition collection people go crazy buying it. Currently Stereo Rose is party of the Apres Chic collection that was released around Christmas. I don't think the craze is as well, crazy, this time because while it was sold out on the MAC website, it was still available on Nordstrom.com. 

The color is a coral with gold veining. At first I thought it looked better suited to spring/summer, but after wearing it, I thought it was very appropriate for "Apres Chic" because it gave me those rosy, "just came in from the cold after a day of skiing" cheeks. To be perfectly honest, I really wasn't that blown away by the color. Immediately after application, I just feel like it looks too frosty/sheeny. I'm not sure if the sheen fades quickly or if I just get used to the look, but I find it much more tolerable even 15 minutes later. Speaking of fading, I also find that Stereo Rose doesn't last particularly long. I noticed significant fading after about 3-4 hours and since I was at home over the weekend, I topped it off (which I NEVER do!). 

L to R: MAC Stereo Rose, Nars Orgasm, Benefit Coralista, Sleek Guipure (from the Lace Blush by 3 palette), NYX Terra Cotta, theBalm Frat Boy

People often talk about dupes for Stereo Rose so I thought I'd check my own blush collection to see if I had anything similar. Nars Orgasm is much pinker and has visible gold flecks. Initially, I thought Benefit Coralista was the most similar, but now I see it is much lighter and slightly pinker. Sleek Guipure is probably the closest dupe I own, but it is much more golden and a little more orange. NYX Terra Cotta is much browner and not nearly as sheeny. And finally theBalm's Frat Boy is obviously matte and far more pink.

Bottom line - do you need Stereo Rose? I'm going to say no. Honestly, if I just saw this in the store, I doubt I would have bought it. But what can I say, I bought in to the hype! I will absolutely be able to use and wear Stereo Rose, but I would have been able to live a full life without it. 

L'Oreal Sublime Mousse

I will be the first to admit that I'm horrible about coloring my hair. I go back and forth between natural color, salon color and home kits. I rely on the salon when I'm coloring my hair significantly lighter or for highlights, but it just takes so much time. I know some people think going to the salon is a pampering experience, but I just get bored! Home kits only take about 30 minutes, but it can get quite messy and it definitely shouldn't be used for drastic hair color changes. I just got my hair cut on Friday and I needed to do something about my majorly grown out color, but I didn't want to commit to salon color, so I ran out to Target and picked up L'Oreal's Sublime Mousse.

I actually colored my hair at home a few months back using the Palty Bubble Mousse color. Palty is a Japanese brand aimed at a younger crowd. The problem with Palty is that most of the shades are very light, like blonde light! I bought the darkest color (Chocolate Waffle, I think), but I barely saw any difference to my roots or ends. I also thought using the mousse was kind of weird, but because I never learn my lesson, I decided to try the Sublime Mousse.

I used shade #50 - Pure Medium Brown and it was easy enough, although I did make a huge mess (as always). I like that the mousse doesn't drip, but I still find it more difficult to apply than regular color and it seriously left half my forehead brown! The other good thing about Sublime Mousse is that the instructions say to apply it to the entire length of your hair whether you have roots or not. 25 minutes later, just rinse it out, apply conditioner and you're done!

I'm happy with the results, but the color is a LOT darker than I was expecting. Medium brown made my hair really dark, almost black. Oh well, at least my roots problem is gone. I think I want to do something red next, so I'll probably be heading to the salon for a couple of hours early next year.

Japanese Beauty: Kracie Ichikami

Treatment, Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair Treatment Water

I thought it would be interesting if I featured more Japanese and other foreign products on here since I do buy quite a few of them!

First up is the popular Ichikami line of hair care by Kracie. I was introduced to this brand about 3 years ago, when I was given some samples outside of the Shinjuku station in Tokyo.  I was immediately attracted to the scent which smells sweet, floral and super girly. Much like the Shiseido Tsubaki line, Ichikami also contains Camelia (tsubaki) oil, which is a popular ingredient in Japan. The other ingredients include Rice Premium EX, Sakura (cherry blossom) essence, Black Rice essence, Chinese Soapberry and Blackberry Lily. I have no idea what all of those things are supposed to do!

I wasn't a huge fan of the shampoo. For some reason I couldn't get it to lather up very well so because of that I felt like it wasn't doing much for my hair. The conditioner is good, but the hair mask/treatment is even better! I love this mask because you only need to leave it on for 2 minutes instead of 20. I just leave it on for the duration of my shower and my hair is super soft afterwards. I'm not entirely sure what the treatment water is supposed to do. From what I can make out on the back with my 2nd grade level Japanese reading skills is that it helps with damage and makes hair smooth. I can't really say I've seen any results except for a nice smell. The other annoying thing is that the spray nozzle squirts a stream of water at your head so I had to transfer it to another spray bottle so that I get a mist instead. 

You can purchase Ichikami at Japanese grocery stores (Marukai, Mitsuwa) as well as online. I got the shampoo and conditioner as a set for $18-20. These bottles are pretty big at 550 ml and I feel like I've been using them for most of the year. I believe the treatment and water were $10-12. You can also buy eco-friendly refills in a bag for slightly cheaper. If you're looking for a good hair mask, I would highly recommend the treatment!

Maybelline Baby Lips

 Peach Kiss, Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Coral Crush and Twinkle

Same order as above

Maybelline and I have a love/hate relationship and let me tell you, it's personal. Maybe I'll go into details at a later date, but I'm just going to come out and say it... I freakin love these Baby Lips!

I've pretty much been buying the tinted ones because I have a billion clear lip balms that I need to use up. I think my absolute favorite has to be Cherry Me. I love the sheer red tint and while I generally don't like cherry flavored things, this one tastes nice and fruity and not like cough syrup. Punch is one of my favorite flavors and Pink Punch is delicious and quite pigmented, but the pink leans almost a little too blue for my taste and skin tone. Peach Kiss is pretty sheer, but great for a nice nude lip. Coral Crush and Twinkle come in a limited edition two pack that I purchased off of Ebay because I just could not find it in stores! I saw the display at Walgreens, but of course, they were out of this set. Coral Crush is probably my second favorite - it tastes orangey and has an orangey color. Probably, more appropriate for spring/summer though. For all intents and purposes, I would say Twinkle is clear. The bullet has the slightest pink tinge to it and perhaps there is a bit of shimmer, but definitely no color payoff. The only permanent collection color I'm missing is the grape/purple, but I haven't felt the need to rush off to buy them as I don't really like grape or purple!

Baby Lips really makes my lips feel soft and nourished. Now, I wouldn't say they're as moisturizing as the Fresh Sugar lip balms, but you can't really compare a $20+ lip balm to a $3 one. Overall, I would definitely recommend you give these a go for yummy flavor, a flush of color and soft kissable lips!