A New Haircare Love: Organix Shampoo

I wasn't planning on doing a post about this, but I love it enough that it's warranted.

Just a short backstory on my hair...
I have naturally wavy and curly hair, mixed with random straight pieces. Basically when I let it go naturally, it isn't just one particular texture {which is really frustrating — I'd love to be able to just "wash 'n go," but that's not an option}, it's a mixture of all three textures. Also, because of that, when I flatiron my hair, any amount of humidity or moisture in the air will turn it into a big frizzball. My hair isn't really dry or oily to either extreme, but I do get blonde highlights pretty regularly, so there's a decent amount of dryness/damage just from that. It's relatively soft though, when I find the right products to use. Right products = able to tame the frizz without weighing it down or making it stiff, shampoo that cleanses without being too harsh {and smells good}. Basically "hair utopia."

Prior to trying Organix, I was using Bed Head shampoo {Moisture Maniac and Dumb Blonde}. I liked how it made my hair feel, though the scent of Dumb Blonde wasn't ideal. More importantly, it's not cheap. I'm willing to spend the money if it means something will work and I can depend on it. But, Bed Head wasn't exactly meeting all of my haircare needs. Outside of shampoo/conditioner, I use Redken for all of my styling needs — shine spray, hairspray and straightening balm. I'm not a huge fan of purchasing the more expensive products like Redken, but I've tried just about everything out there, from Aussie to Pantene to Paul Mitchell, and Redken happens to have the best products for my hair.

So knowing that it has taken the more expensive products to tame my hair and make it soft and manageable, I wasn't sure what to try for shampoo when Bed Head began disappointing me. I read a few bloggers' reviews of Organix products, and on a whim I decided to buy the Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo. It was a hard choice, as all of the Organix products had great benefits and smelled nice. But for my specific hair type and scent preference, the Coconut Milk shampoo was perfect.

{Image from organixhair.com}

First of all, I love that Organix' products are sulfate-free. I also love that the coconut scent is not overpowering in the least. I love the smell of coconut, but I've tried numerous products in the past {like Bath & Body Works' Creamy Coconut and Exotic Coconut body washes} that are just too much — they're a bit too sickly-sweet for me. But the Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo is subtle, and despite the subtlety it manages to linger throughout the day quite nicely. Most importantly, this stuff works. On my hair, at least. Right out of the shower, my hair is really soft and feels very clean. Once dry, it's shiny and less frizzy, before I use any styling products. And the bonus? It only costs $4! For something to work better than my $15 shampoos and only costs $4 — that's a big WIN in my opinion. At this rate, I think I've found my holy grail shampoo. I might try some of the other products in their line, but for now, this one is a keeper.

If anyone else has tried a product from the Organix line, let me know how it works for you!


Stay Fabulous.

Black Rose Minerals: Swatches/Review

I've decided to take a different approach to makeup/beauty posts now, focusing less on the "review" part and long-winded explanations that I was doing previously, and focus more on the products themselves/swatches. Of course I'll include necessary information and my own opinions about the products in general, but I like to let the products speak for themselves. :} It's easier when you haven't come across something worth a "bad" review yet — I have to thank all of the other beauty bloggers out there for that, who have already reviewed some of the not-so-great sellers/companies, which helps me to more carefully choose who to hand over my money to. :}

Anyway, back to the point of this post: BLACK ROSE MINERALS! I heard many good things about this company from numerous different beauty bloggers, so I couldn't wait any longer to give them a try. Rosa is the owner, and while I haven't had any personal contact with her {which isn't a bad thing — my order was easy to place and was processed/shipped quickly}, I know that others have found her to be very easy to work with and quite personable.

:::  THE SPECS  :::

Black Rose Minerals offers multiple different options for sizes — sample baggies, sample jars and full-size jars. They also have special deals for buying in groups, including the one I chose to purchase, which is 12 Sample Jars (your choice) for $24.00. I also added on two separate sample jars, making my purchase 14 sample jars total. I thought the prices were great and the selection of colors is fantastic. On the home page of the website, the TAT is clearly stated right up front, which is very helpful. I'm not a fan of having to dig around for shipping/TAT information. Another perk: you can choose whether or not your full-size jars include sifters.

:::  THE PICTURES  :::

*As always, all images are clickable to enlarge. All swatches done over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Cottage Cheese.*

{My order was packaged with a handwritten note, stickers and two extra samples}

{I love products that are shrink-wrapped, just for extra peace of mind}

{A close-up look at the amount of product in the sample jars — very generous}

{Photographed in Natural Light}

{Photographed with a Flash}

{A closer look at the first four colors in natural light}

{A closer look at the last three colors in natural light}

{A closer look at Skink, Hocus Pocus, Foretold and Poseidon, with a flash}

{A closer look at Glam, Sirena and Vertigo, with a flash}

{The Second Set, Photographed in Natural Light}

{Photographed with a Flash}

{A closer look at the first three colors, in natural light}

{A closer look at the last four colors, in natural light}

{A closer look at Silver and Cold, Confused and Frost, with a flash}

{A closer look at Limon, Starsign, Mome Rath and Lilac to Me, with a flash}

:::  THE OPINIONS  ::: 

I'm loving every single color that I ordered! In fact, I just placed another order a few days ago. :} The pigments were easy to work with, applied nicely and stayed put all day {over my UDPP}. My favorites from this order are Sirena, Mome Rath and Starsign.

Stay Fabulous!

Pink Collection - Part 3

Today {Sunday} is the final day to enter the Team Pink Eye / Unique Pigments giveaway! For details on the giveaway and how to enter, visit my original post {HERE}. It's for a great cause! And don't forget to check out the Team Pink Eye Project's blog for a complete list of giveaways and participants, updated weekly through the month of October.

Without further ado, here is the final part of my Pink Eyeshadow Collection.

Shops featured in these swatches include:

:::  HI FI COSMETICS

:::  GLAMOUR DOLL EYES

:::  BLACK ROSE MINERALS

:::  MOI MINERALS

:::  THE PINK COLLECTION PART 3  :::

*Click images to enlarge. Swatched over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Cottage Cheese.

{Photographed in natural light}

{Photographed with a flash}

{You can see the differences in these four shades more in the natural light swatch}

And this concludes my three-part Pink Collection. If anyone has recommendations for fuchsia pigments that aren't in my collection, leave a comment! Be sure to check in with the Team Pink Eye Project's blog throughout the month, and wear pink proudly!

Stay Fabulous!

Pink Collection - Part 2

As promised, here is Part 2 of my Pink Eyeshadow Collection!
If you didn't have a chance to check out last night's post {part 1 of my pink collection} and get all of the great details for the Team Pink Eye Project / Unique Pigments giveaway, click {HERE} to read all about it and make a donation / enter today!

If you have already made a donation to Susan G. Komen through Team Pink Eye — thank you!

Now for part 2 of my Pink Eyeshadow Collection. Shops/brands featured in these pictures include:

:::  FYRINNAE

:::  GLAMOUR DOLL EYES

:::  VIRUS INSANITY

:::  CONCRETE MINERALS

:::  THE PINK COLLECTION PART 2  :::

*Click images to enlarge. Swatched over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Cottage Cheese.*

{Photographed in natural light}

{Photographed with a flash}

{Rapunzel Had Extensions may not be a true pink, but from certain angles it definitely has pink elements in it}

{Orchid is a more purple-based pink}

Since hot pink/fuchsia is my all-time favorite color, it was a pleasure swatching all of my pink eyeshadows — especially to promote the power of PINK in connection with Breast Cancer Awareness. Since breast cancer has affected my family and friends directly, Susan G. Komen is one of the most important organizations for me to support. But not just in October — it's something to be mindful of every month of the year.

With that said, check back tomorrow for the final part of my pink eyeshadow collection and one more day to enter the Team Pink Eye giveaways!

Stay Fabulous!

Team Pink Eye Project!

Some may have heard about the Team Pink Eye Project through other bloggers, but for those who haven't...

The Team Pink Eye Project involves bloggers and shops that have come together to help raise money throughout October for Susan G. Komen Passionately Pink for the Cure®. Bloggers like myself will be hosting special giveaways each Friday in October, posting pink makeup looks and providing overall pink-inspired fabulousness throughout the month.

Since I'm not quite handy enough to post a cute pink makeup look like other talented bloggers will be, I decided instead to showcase my collection of pink eyeshadows from numerous different brands/sellers. This is part one of three for my pink eyeshadow collection — I'll post the remaining two parts tomorrow and Sunday. NOTE: Keep reading after the pictures to find out how to enter the Team Pink Eye / Unique Pigments giveaway!

:::  PINK COLLECTION PART 1  :::

{Obviously some look purple versus pink...some of the more purple shades have either a pink sheen/reflect, a pink duochrome or substantial pink glitter, so I included them. Click images to enlarge.}

{Had to capture my Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon Bracelet in the picture as well}

Look for the rest of the pink collection swatches tomorrow and Sunday!

So, here's what you've been waiting for...

Did I happen to mention giveaways earlier in the post? You bet I did! I am hosting a great giveaway right here, right now, for one 5-gram jar of matte pink pigment from Unique Pigments, created specially for this giveaway! Additionally, Unique Pigments will be creating a gift set of the matte pink shadow and a pink hair barrette, which will be listed in their shop for sale soon — it will be $10.00, and 35% of the proceeds from the sale of the set will go to Team Pink Eye! At the time of this post there wasn't a picture of the pink pigment available, but check out Unique Pigments' shop to get a feel for their products.

:::  TO ENTER  :::
{1} Visit Team Pink Eye’s Susan G. Komen fundraiser page.

{2} Donate a minimum of $5.00 USD through the Team Pink Eye page.

{3} Leave a comment here, on this blog post, using the same name you made the donation under. In your comment please include an email address that Team Pink Eye may use to contact you. This giveaway ends at 10 pm CST on Sunday, October 9th. Winners will be chosen via random.org by Team Pink Eye coordinators and notified on Monday, October 10th.

Why do you need to donate $$ in order to enter? Obviously your money will be going to a fantastic cause {that's very near and dear to my heart}, and also your donation will get you an entry into any/all hosted giveaways for this week! Visit the Team Pink Eye Project's blog where you can see a list of all the bloggers and shops that are involved in this project, along with fabulously pink makeup looks and some additional giveaways! After you make your donation, you can enter every/any giveaway listed on the Team Pink Eye Project's blog for the particular week! Each week in October you'll find something different, with different blog hosts and giveaways, so keep checking back every Friday in October for more chances to win!

NOTE: This giveaway is sponsored by Team Pink Eye and Unique Pigments, not Susan G. Komen.

Stay Fabulous!