Cosmetics Company Outlet Goodies

It's better to give to receive, but every once and a while a treat for yourself is called for, especially in the midst of the end of the semester! I purchased a few things for myself at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, or CCO. If you live in the Maryville/Knoxville area, you know that you have to drive all the way to Pigeon Forge to visit the nearest CCO (it's in the Tanger Outlet Mall). A CCO has high-end make-up, skin care, fragrance, and hair care products at discounted prices. They may be last season, from a special edition or in special packaging, being discontinued, etc. The one that I visited had Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Estee Lauder, and MAC, to name a few; I exclusively purchased MAC. Here's what I picked up:

MAC Paint Pot in Dangerous Cuvee, a beautiful silvery lilac color. It was $11.75, as opposed to $17.50 regular price. This paint pot is from the Cham-pale limited edition collection.

MAC Satin Lipstick in Mystic, a deep berry color for winter. It was $10.25 as opposed to $14.50 regular price. I'm not sure what collection it's from. Here's a photo of me modeling it:

MAC Viva Glam VI Special Edition Lipglass, $10.25 compared to $14.50. This lip gloss is the perfect pink color, not to pale and not to bubblegummy---it's great for everyday wear.

"Do-the-trick Buff and Line Brushes"

Ah, my favorite purchase: The Do-The-Trick Buff and Line Brush set from the Magic, Mirth, and Mischief collection! It's a set of 5 short handled brushes: the 168, 209, 252,219, and 187. It was around $35, compared with $49.50 when they came out in 2009. I have been wanted the 168 & 187 foreverrrr, I am so excited to finally own them! As you can see from the bristles, I have already tried them out and LOVE them! Merry Christmas to me <3

What have you purchased for yourself lately? 

Christmas Cards!

It's that time of year: time to make my Shutterfly Christmas cards!

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0ActmrZu5cM2byw&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

Are you making your own photo Christmas cards this year?

Holy Grail Hair Dyer!

Hello my lovelies! I'm baaaaack! I've been EXTREMELY busy with school, and my poor blog has been neglected. But now that I'm nearly finished with my senior thesis, and Christmas break is right around the corner, I am excited to be able to post more frequently.
If you've ever read any of my posts talking about hair care, you know that I have thin, brittle, unhealthy hair. In the past few months I have tried a number of things to combat this: using sulfate free shampoos, always using a heat protectant, and taking vitamins that encourage healthy hair. But there's a sneaky culprit I've missed until now: my hair dryer!

Here's my old hair dryer. Looks friendly enough, right? I got this baby at Sally's beauty supply about a year an a half ago. It makes sense that any kind of heat we expose our to isn't going to be the best thing for it, but the type of heat can really, really a difference. 

Here's a few pics of how my hair looks after I blow dry it. My method is the easy way, to flip my head upside and blow dry, and brush through at the end. The pictures are after I'm done drying but before brushing.

I would often get awful tangles in my hair during blow drying, like this:

I attributed this frizzy, awful mess that is my hair after blow drying to my hair's poor condition.

I WAS WRONG!

Enter the Hana Air Professional Hair Dryer. It uses a ceramic heater the emits infrared ionic heat and infuses hair with pure tourmaline crystals, a.k.a lots of shine! When I opened the package, I was surprised how beautiful it was! Yes, a hair dryer can be beautiful. It's inspired by Italian design, so it's super sleek, right down to the sturdy box it comes in that magnetically closes. 

Blow Dryers

But the best part about this dryer is the way it quickly, evenly dries my hair, and leaves it so silky and shiny. It has 2 fan speeds, 3 different heat settings, a cold shot button, so it's sure to have a setting you like. I prefer high fan speed and high heat, just like I used on my old hair dryer.  For both sets of pictures, I used the same shampoo and conditioner (Organix Morroccan Argan Oil) and Tresemme Heat Protectant. The only difference is what hair dryer I used. Again, this is BEFORE brushing through my dried hair.

Look at the difference!! So much less tangled and healthier looking, even before brushing it out right after drying. This picture is after brushing:

It's like I have totally different hair. Who knew that my hair dryer was one of the main contributors to my hair woes? No website I looked while doing my research on how to get my hair healthier even mentioned hair dryers. They obviously haven't tried out the Hana Air hair dryer, it really makes a world of difference. 

What it comes with:

-Free Heat Proof Pouch

-Free 2 year warranty on your applicance

-Concentrator that attaches to the end for more precise blow drying

-Free same-day shipping

Pros:

-Beautiful, user friendly design

-Environmentally Safe

-Emits Ionic Heat that conditions hair, plus tourmaline for added shine

-Visibly makes a difference in the appearance of your hair!

Cons:

-The retail price is $314.99, which is steep for a hair product....BUT Misikko.com always has great sales. Right now you can purchase it for less than $195. That may still sound expensive for a blow dryer, but I believe in investing in certain things that are worth it (for example, my Clarisonic...it wasn't cheap, but it has been worth every penny!). Since this dryer has improved the appearance and manageability of my hair, I think that it's definitely a wise investment. In the long run, it may even save you money because you'll end up spending less on hair care products. If you have damaged, brittle, unhealthy hair like me, or you just want a fantastic hair dryer, I highly recommend giving the HANAair Professional dryer a try!

If you're not looking for a hair dryer, check out some other professional-grade hair products Misikko offers:

Flat Irons

Best Hair Straighteners

Thanks so much for reading! In your opinion, how well does your current hair dryer perform? Would you try this hair dryer?

Another Shutterfly Share

I love making photo books, they are the best gifts ever :) This is a book I made for my fiance's brother's girlfriend for her birthday, it's all about her son Jayden Shane.

Click here to view this photo book larger

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0ActmrZu5cM2btI

OOTD: End of Summer

Here's and outfit I wore to class, a cute floral dress with a large turquoise pendant, cross body bag, and leather boots. I did minimal make-up and wore my hair twisted and secured with bobby pins on either side.

Floral Dress-Target

Turquoise Pendant-Forever 21

Cross-body Bag-Target

Cognac Leather Boots-Steve Madden from Delia's last year

Have a wonderful day!

Make up fun :)

My gal pals Stasia & Rowan & I love to do our make-up when we're bored and our boyfriends are being lame and playing video games and what not. We have created countless make-up looks....some crazy, some dramatic, some wearable. Here are a few picture from our make-up escapades!

Latina Inspired Chola Look....we used a Kandee Johnson tutorial she did on Chola make-up!

Yes, she applied GLUE to her face and then sprinkles....

And left the forehead rainbow colored! Make-up look of the future ;)

Teal Eyeliner

Stasia made Rowan a pin up girl!

And a mermaid.....

Blue gills and all!

Rocker Chick Eyes

\

Bare Escentuals "Saucy" eyeshadow with the duo chrome teal/burgundy color from the Wet n' Wild Comfort Zone palette

We have a blast playing around and creating bizarre looks! Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!

OOTD: Peach & Lace

Here is an outfit I wore this week for doing errands around town. Enjoy!

Lace top, $9.99 at Ross

Peach Tank Top, $2.50 at Forever 21 (It had ridden up in this picture, I liked it to end where the white lace top ended, not 3 inches above it lol).

Peach Rose Necklace, Forever 21, around $3.00

Bongo Shorts

My make-up: Smokey Eyes

Thanks for reading!

Why Sulfates Are Terrible For Your Hair + Organix Review

I want to start this post by explaining my hair type. I have dry, damaged, breakage prone hair that is flat and naturally pretty straight, completely straight when I blow dry without even using a straightener. On top of that, I just don't have a lot of it. My hair strand itself is thick, but there's not a lot on my head. It falls out like crazy in the shower, in my brush, and I "shed" on my clothes all the time. Really, it's quite upsetting. I know part of it is due to imbalances in my body from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, read more here), but it's a nightmare.

I want to be as kind and gentle to my hair as possible, so I started doing some research about sulfates. They have gotten a bad rap recently, and justly so...they are terrible for your hair. What's more, sulfates are the primary ingredient in many, many shampoos, drug store and salon brands alike. So why exactly are sulfates so bad for your hair? Sulfates like sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl are common ingredients in shampoo because they help form a lather, easily remove grime and dirt, and are cheap. But while doing so, they dehydrate the sebaceous glands, the oil producing glands on your scalp, stripping it of its natural moisture. This can damage the hair follicle and lead to hair loss. If you look at your dish washing liquid, sulfates are the main ingredient because they get that tough grease off of dishes. Do you really want to put something that harsh and stripping on your hair? There are other means of properly cleansing your hair that are much gentler and healthier. Organic and sulfate free products use mild surfactant ingredients that cleanse the scalp without doing damage the sebaceous glands and hair follicles.

Nearly every shampoo, unless directly labeled "Organic" or "Sulfate Free" contains sulfates. Herbal Essenses, Pantene, Dove, Aussie, Suave, and even more expensive brands like John Frieda and Nexxus all contain sulfates, among a plethora more. Since I have been on the hunt for sulfate free products, I discovered the Organix line of shampoos, conditioners, and treatments. All of their products are sulfate free. I purchased the Renewing Morrocan Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, and Penetrating Oil, all around $7.00, at my local Wal-mart.

I have been using this system for the past few weeks, washing my hair every 2-3 days, and I love it! The shampoo doesn't produce much lather, as expected, but does leave hair feeling very clean. I shampoo when I first hop in the shower, then leave the conditioner while I shave, wash my face & body, etc. and rinse at the end of my shower, letting it soak in a while. My hair is so silky after using the conditioner! Then after I have towel dried my hair, I apply a dime sized amount of the penetrating oil all over, even at the roots because my hair is so dry. After blow drying, my hair is oh-so-soft and supple, shiny, and manageable. It doesn't tangle as easily as it used to. And I feel like with this shampoo, I don't need to wash my hair every single day, which is why I have been going 2-3 days in between washes...it just doesn't get oily or gross looking! I suspect that it's because when you use a shampoo containing sulfates, it strips your oil producing glands, so they try to compensate by producing more oil, making hair build up oil faster. 

Overall, I adore this shampoo, conditioner, and oil system. I can't comment on the health of my hair or if it has stopped falling out as much yet because the life cycle of a hair follicle is way more than the three weeks I have been using it, but in about 3 months I hope to see a visible improvement. 

There are several more formulations of the Organix shampoos and conditioners, including Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom, Brazillian Keratin Therapy, Coconut Milk, Teatree Mint, Cocoa Butter, and many more. They can be found at Wal-mart, Target, most drug stores, other select retailers, and at www.organixhair.com.

How do you feel about sulfates? I got a lot of my information here, Why Sulfates are Bad for Hair, and other internet research. What shampoo and conditioner do you use?

Search Amazon.com for organix

Summer Whites

White is always a key color of summer. It's simple, classic, and looks great on (spray) tan skin (read my post about tanning & melanoma here!). White is cool and crisp for the blisteringly hot, humid August days we have been having in East Tennessee lately, and perfect for the beach. From airy sundresses to simple white shorts, I am going to share my favorite ways to wear white in the summer. Enjoy!

Eyelet Dresses

(from Delia's)

(also from Delia's)

The eyelet detailing gives the dress an interesting texture and spices up what could otherwise be a little plain. Eyelet dresses also have a certain country charm and I think they look very cute paired with boots and a denim jacket, or belted with a brown or cognac colored belt.

White Shorts

A wardrobe essential. White shorts practically go with everything and look fresh and fabulous.

(from Forever 21)

I love Target's shorts! They are so comfortable.

White shorts look really pretty with a coral top. I wore this to a cook out.

White Lace Tops

(from Delia's)

(from Delia's)

White lace is so delicate and feminine. I love how versatile it is, easily dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion.

Don't just wear white clothing, accessorize with white too!

White Wayfarer Sunglasses

(Only $4.25 at Amazon.com!)

White Feather Earrings

(Handmade at Artedesigns.com)

Target, $7.99

White Handbags

(available at Bluefly.com)

Coach Madison Leather Large Sophia Satchel (Coach.com)

I went to the Coach Outlet at Tanger recently and bought my own white handbag!

 MSRP $328....but got it for around $100 at the outlet!

The green pop of color is sooo pretty.

White Floppy Sunhats

 Since I have been careful about sun exposure this summer, in addition to slathering on the SPF when I am poolside I also wear a sunhat to protect my face and hair. The one I'm wearing in this photo was only $12 at Target!

White Watches

I love the white watch trend! You can splurge on a Michael Kors (pictured), but nearly everywhere has much cheaper options!

How do you style white for the summer? 

Thank you so much for reading!