My Crazy Stick solid perfume review

I like these little tubes and containers of solid perfumes that seem to be popping up everywhere.
The latest one I bought was My Crazy Stick's Vanilla Lemon Pie scent from Sephora for about $8 during their beauty clearance a while back.
There should be a crime for how good this little cutie smells because I just want to eat it!
The scent has two notes: first, lemon and then, vanilla. The lemon has a fun aspect to its scent while the vanilla scent has a romantic vibe to it.
I found that the scent lasted all day and is a lovely companion to my EARTHWORKS limone body oil.
I also like the fact that it’s small enough to throw in your purse or a clutch.

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by My Crazy Stick for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

EARTHWORKS’ body oil and soap have me feeling sweet and sour

Here's a picture of EARTHWORKS soaps in "limone" and "lime" and bath oil in "limone".

Oranges and tangerines. Clementines, too. Give me a citrus to eat and I’ll be happy for the rest of the day.
I’m serious. There’s something about citrus fruits that are just so lively and vibrant to me.
Maybe it’s their color. Or perhaps their smell. Better yet, their taste.
During a trip to one of my fave local boutiques B Original, I bought two EARTHWORK soaps in “limone” and “lime” and some body oil in “limone.”
The products are paraben-free, not tested on animals and made with recyclable packaging. Score three points for green and cruelty-free beauty.
EARTHWORKS was featured on one of Oprah’s Favorite Things shows a few years back so this product must be all that and a bag of chips, right?
Sort of.
The soap didn’t live up to the hype for me. At $13 a bar, I was expecting more of a luxurious feel and more suds from the bar.
I didn’t get that and I felt robbed because $13 is a lot of money to spend on soap.
However, I love-love-loved the limone bath oil. I use the $22 bottle to moisturize my body after showering. It smells lovely and layers nicely after using the limone soap.
The oil feels like silk on my skin. I’ve been trying to use a little bit at a time to keep from running out of it.
Overall, the EARTHWORKS products are OK, but I expected just a little bit more from the soap. The body oil more than made up for that shortfall, though.

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by EARTHWORKS for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

NOTD: Borghese's "Stellare Notte"

I've always wanted to try Borghese's nail polishes but I've found them to be a little bit too pricey.
They were on clearance at my local Walgreens recently so I scooped up a few, including "Stellare Notte."
I love this polish. It's a black base with teeny, tiny green and pink shimmers in the formula that gives off a duochrome affect.
It's gorgeous on my nails and is my second fave nail polish of all time.
Trust me when I say I'll be wearing this baby more often!

And Target was giving away beauty bags filled with samples a while back. Mine arrived in the mail late last week. Here's what it looks like:


The Sonia Kashuk bag featured:

-Pantene shampoo sample
-Nivea Express Hydration sample
-Fekkai shampoo and conditioner samples
-Neutrogena naturals lip balm
-$25 worth of Target beauty coupons

Stay tuned because I'm going to give most of the contents of my bag away (plus more) soon!

NOTD: Ulta and gold and a not so mellow yellow

I've been a little behind in my blogging lately because I've been chasing cops and dogs.
It hasn't slowed my nail polish game though:)
My most recent Ulta haul included Revlon's "Copper Penny," Sally Hansen's "Mellow Yellow," an Ulta base coat and some essence nail stickers.
Here's "Copper Penny" on my nails:

And here it is with the essence nail art stickers:

Here's "Mellow Yellow" on my nails:


I like both colors but my fave is the "Copper Penny". "Copper Penny" is the sister color to Revlon's "Silver Dollar," a polish that I adore, so it's no surprise that I liked it. Metallic polishes and I are like best friends:)
What's on your nails? And I hope you have a positive and productive week!

Covergirl’s Natureluxe sweetly covers my natural lips

CoverGirl's new Natureluxe lip balms are subtle and moisturizing.

Lip balms/glosses are my second fave beauty product (nail polish is the first) so it’s a real good thing that CoverGirl has come out with a new line of gloss balms that are “touched by nature.”
I’ve been lemming over these new Natureluxe lip balms for a while now and recently got the chance to try out the lippies.
The balms are made with jojoba and cucumber extracts and features country superstar Taylor Swift as its spokeswoman.
At about $8 a pop, the balm is a bit pricey for my cheap britches but the drugstores always have CoverGirl products BOGO half off which makes it easy to get it at a cheaper price.
I recently scooped up “Coral” and “Anemone” from CVS during a CoverGirl BOGO and ended up paying about $3 because I returned a bottle of nail polish and used two coupons and a $3 CVS Extra Care rewards offer.
Here are hand swatches:


While the gloss balms are not very soothing like Burt's Bees' lippies, the Natureluxe gloss balms are moisturizing, which is what my kisser needs.
They're also not very glossy but the little bit of shine that the product gives off is A-OK with me.
I love the fact that the balms are not highly pigmented because sometimes I just want a little teeny bit of color on my lips, especially for a work-safe look. Wet n Wild’s natural lip shimmers are the opposite because they’re more lipstick and less balm.
My fave of two Natureluxe balms is “Anemone” because I like the color on me. Not too bright. Not too subtle. But you can definitely tell that there’s a little bit of color on my lips. Here's a swatch:


I expected “Coral” to be brighter but I really like its subtle sheen because it gives off a “quiet sexy” look. Here's a look:


Overall, I’m impressed with CoverGirl’s new Natureluxe balms. I even like the slim, light green packaging it comes in.
My Lancome juicy tube is going to have to move over because there’s a new lip kid on the block in my pocketbook!

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by CoverGirl for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

Carol's Daughter hair sheen spray review

This Carol's Daughter hair spray has kept my locs looking fresh.

Carol’s Daughter can do no wrong in my book. I’ve always had a love/love relationship with their products, which are natural and paraben-free.
The same sentiment applies to their Tui Jojoba and Shea Butter hair sheen.
I bought this 4 ounce bottle from Sephora (where else??!!) for $17 a while back.
It says it’s a sheen spray but I spray it on my scalp just as much as I spray it on my locs.
The result has been less dry scalp and bowling ball-shiny hair. I love that it’s a light formula that smells syrupy sweet.
I also love that it's made without petroleum, mineral oil and artificial color.
It is made with wheat germ, soybean and sweet almond oils.
Yay! Another win for Carol’s Daughter.

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by Carol's Daughter or any cosmetic company for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

Cocoa butter is my new body 'Buddha'

This stick of Queen Helene's cocoa butter has been doing it for me!

During all four of my college years, cocoa butter and I were in a pretty decent “beauty relationship.”
I’d slather him all over my body. I loved the feeling of his formula on my skin. I loved his smell.
But sadly, I broke up with cocoa butter when I met a better butter, Shea butter.
I've been thinking about cocoa butter lately and in my to reconnect with him, I recently scooped up a tiny tube of Queen Helene’s famous cocoa butter stick.
At $2 from Rite Aid, it was a deal, more like a steal.
I keep this baby in the bathroom and rub it over body scars, my lips and even rub over my eye brows before tweezing them.
The only thing I don’t like about the tube is that you have to squeeze and hold the butter stick while you're applying it or else, the product will fall out of the tube.
Other than that, I'm on good terms with this old friend and I think it's safe to say that my “beauty relationship” with cocoa butter has been rekindled.
Shea butter better beware! There's a new body butter that's my Buddha.

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by Queen Helene or any cosmetic company for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

NOTD: Hello pretty, Hello Kitty!

There are a couple of things that make me turn into a little girl again: hanging around my mother, watching "The Wiz," and picking up a Hello Kitty product.
Too bad I have Hello Kitty's new polish in "Blueberry" on my nails!
I love this periwinkle kind of blue. It's a soft, gray-based blue that's perfect for spring.
I picked up this pretty polish during my most recent Sephora haul and have been rocking the look for a few days now.
The formula is very creamy and I had no streaking or balding while applying the polish. It only needed two coats for full opacity.
The only thing I didn't like about the polish was the price: $10.
But other than that, this polish has me feeling pretty and girly:



And here's a funky fresh featuring Lancome's "Miss Perfectly Pink":


That look was inspired by this model's nails in Sephora's spring catalog:


What do you think of the looks? What's on your nails? And hopefully, your week is going by smoothly:)

Neutrogena mascara is good in a “meh” kind of way

This was my first Neutrogena purchase and I've got to say, it was nothing life-changing.
I wasn't expecting a mascara that immediately grew my lashes or anything but I was just underwhelmed with this one.
I first got this mascara a while back from Ulta. I’m sure I used a coupon because I remember it being super cheap…like $2 or something like that.
Anyhoo, the mascara is just average. Nothing special. Nothing cute.
I used one coat because I noticed major clumpage with two coats. That was not cool.
One thing I do like about the mascara is that the brush wasn't too big and that helped me apply the mascara in hard-to-reach places like my lower lashes and upper corners.
Overall, this mascara is just meh, but I guess you get what you pay for, right?

FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated by Neutrogena for this review. I paid for the product with my own funds.

oranges and corals and glosses and balms

Happy Sunday,

I've been extremely tired lately because I pulled a 12-hour day on Friday to write a huge news story that I broke for my newspaper.
So proud of how the story turned out so naturally, I treated myself:)

On my way home from the beach, I stopped by this Walgreens store that I'd always driven by. Here's the haul:


Polishes: Revlon's "Siren," ($2) Wet n Wild's "Club Havana" ($1) and Borghese's "Capri Coral" ($4)
Lippies: Lip Smacker's "Pink Guava Goyave Rose" ($1.30) and Sally Hansen's "Pink Blush" (which I got from CVS's clearance bin for a buck and 12 cents).
I bought all products on clearance and my final total came to about $10.

Those polishes are on the coral/orange-y side because coral is the "it" color of the season (when was coral not a warm weather color though??).
That said, here's a collection of the new coral/orange polishes I've recently acquired:


Three are the same lacquers from above but I threw Sephora By OPI's "Lost Without My GPS" in there. Can't wait to wear these bright beauties! Expect swatches soon!!
I'm off to do some reading and writing. Hope you have a productive and positive week!

A sweet Sephora haul that has me feeling super!

Goodies from my most recent Sephora haul.

That headline is hella corny but I was trying to be cute:)
I cleaned up in Sephora during my most recent visit.
Here's what I got:

-Hello Kitty nail polish in "Blueberry"
-Sephora by OPI nail polish in "Lost Without My GPS"
-The Body Shop body butter in "Satsuma"
-Urban Decay glide-on eye pencil in "Stash"
-Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Roach"
-tarte Amazonian clay long-wear blush in "blushing bride"
-Hello Kitty nail art stickers
-Sephora glass nail file
-Hello Kitty glittering purple eyeliner

Whew! Yeah, I went a little crazy in there but I needed to treat myself.
Reviews to come soon. Have a good weekend and please send up prayers for those affected by the earthquake/tsunami in Japan.

Nails of the days: a pastel, glitters, and a gem

I recently won these beautiful nail polishes from the lovely Andi of Viva Polish:

Here's Hard Candy's "Sky":

This color has Easter and springtime written all over it. I didn't like it at first. Now I love this hue on my nails.
And to take "Sky" to the next level, I applied two coats of Revlon's "Galaxy" over it:

I like the small bits of black and silver hex glitter pieces in "Galaxy". Love it over "Sky." Nice.

Here is Revlon's "Midnight":

This is another one that I didn't like initially but after two coats, it was love after first application. It has an gem-like quality to it and is a very winter-ish kind of hue.

And here's Funky Fingers' "Blitzen":

This looks very turquoise in the bottle but very, very green on my nails. I love this color!! Couldn't stop looking at my nails!

I can't decide on a fave. I like them all!! What are you wearing on your nails?

Winner, winner Turkey dinner!!

The winner of my nail polish giveaway is...drum roll please...

LISA!!!!!

Lisa said, "I just found your blog and it looks great. I am waaaay into my nails, right now my fav polish is Jo by Zoya....but that changes daily."

Well, thanks for your kind words Lisa and I love nail polish too!
I will contact you regarding your shipping information. If I don't hear from you by Friday, another beauty will be chosen.
Thanks everyone for entering and supporting my blog. And please don't worry if you didn't win this time, there will be another giveaway soon.
Have a happy, prosperous and productive rest of the week:)

My 90 cent Ulta haul and some 'feel good' Tina Turner

I got all this for under a dollar!! W00t!w00t!


I recently stopped by Ulta on my way home from work just to see what they had on their shelves (like I don't already know:}).
As usual, I ended up spotting some bargains on their clearance aisles: a bottle of method hand soap ($3), vitamin E oil ($4.50), a pumice stone (50 cents) and a loofah sponge (40 cents).
Altogether and after taxes, the items came to about $8.40.
But I used a $3.50 off coupon which brought my total down to about $4.90.
Apparently, I was eligible for more Ulta savings: an Ulta reward of $4 off my entire purchase. I took it. (The cheapskate in me will NEVER turn down a discount.)
That brought my total down to about 90 cents.
Not even a dollar for my entire Ulta purchase. Holla.

And here's my receipt for evidence:


And here's an awesome old school performance of "Feel Good" from Tina Turner:



I hope you enjoy this song and video as much as I am. Have a good week!

Blues and pinks and funky french

Sally Hansen's "Blue Me Away" is one of my fave blues so I recently wore it on my digits. Alone, it reminds me of warm weather days with pretty blue skies.
But I "funky frenched" it with NYC's "Fuscia Shock Creme"and painted a line of black polish under it. Here's the look:



What do you think? What are you wearing on your nails? What are your plans for the weekend?

Don't forget to enter in my nail polish giveaway:)

I'm giving away bottles of Wet n Wild's "Blitzen," "Shield," Ulta's "Socialite," and Cover Girl's "Rhythmic Blue" and some other unnamed goodies.
To enter, all you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment heretelling me anything you want.
Leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.
The giveaway ends on Monday, March 7 and the winner will be announce shortly.
The giveaway is open to U.S. readers only.
Good luck!!

Video of the Day: Timothy Bloom's "'Til the End of Time"

There's been a lot of Internet chatter about Timothy Bloom's video, "'Til the End of Time."
The video features him and the gorgeous V. Bozeman butt naked and singing the hell out of said song.
Nudity doesn't faze me. Never has. Never will.
I think the video is a beautiful expression of black love that's slightly reminiscent of "D'Angelo's" "How Does it Feel."
Although nudity in music videos is nothing new, it seems like more people have been getting comfy in their skin since Badu's controversial and courageous "Window Seat" video.
Natalie Stewart (The Floacist formerly of Floetry) recently released a beautiful video containing nudity for her single, "Let Me."
I don't have a problem with nudity in music videos, as long as it's tasteful, natural and respectful.
What do you think?