Better late than never, right?

Anyway, here's what got gone in October.

1. Everyone Soap 3in1 - Coconut Lemon. This stuff smells amazing (to me). Future Husband did not care for it at all, and complained that "something in the bathroom smell[ed] weird" when I transferred the remainder to the bathroom hand soap dispenser. I liked it. But I won't be buying again for two reasons: it is too weak a shampoo for me and too drying a body wash.

2. Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz. Though it's marketed at Black women, I figured hair is hair and I'd try it. It's a really nice product - smells nicely lavendery but not too strong, and it has nice definition. It's a thin gel and made out of water and plants. I haven't figured out how to make it work as a spray, so I spray it into my hand and then scrunch. I'm trying some new things in the product department, but if I decide I want a gel again, I'd rebuy this one.

3. Alba Botanica Natural AcneDote scrub. I liked this, too. It smells like minty oranges, seems to exfoliate well, and comes in a pretty large (8oz) tube for the money.

4. Julep sunblock. I reviewed this as part of my Sunblock Sunday Series. Why didn't I like it?

5. Trio of Caudalie minis. There was a "cleansing water," a serum, and a very lightly tinted spf 15 moisturizer. I liked the "cleansing water" best, but it felt too sticky on my face to get full size.

6. John Frieda Frizz Ease Sheer Solution Lightweight Styling Serum. Future Husband bought this by mistake, so I used it. It's ok, but nothing magical. I found having to shake up the dual-phase liquid annoying.

7. Clear Scalp Therapy shampoo and conditioner packets. I got this in that Target Beauty bag. I used them. They made my scalp feel nice for a day, but they smelled really odd and the ingredients list is full of things that look like slaughterhouse byproducts.

8. Silk Naturals eye shadow sample baggie. These are always fun, but so far there have been only two that inspired me to buy full size: Sonic and Go. As it is, I have eyeshadow coming out of my, er, eyeballs?

9. Andalou Naturals serum sample. This smelled like flowers. Aside from lavender, I do not like my products to smell like flowers.

So there you have it!

Sunday Sunblock: Julep Daylight Defense SPF 30

Time for another installment of Sunday Sunblock!

See? Gross!

Today, I bring you Julep Daylight Defense SPF 30 for hands and face. At first glance, this looks like it would be THE sun protection product for me. It's got a combo of zinc oxide and organic sunscreens ("chemical blockers"), and it smells like citrus. Unfortunately, I've been having issues with it. It leaves little clumps of white if I use a proper amount, and doesn't absorb fully. Because I cannot abide my neck looking like a recently waxed armpit suffering solid-stick deodorant clumping issues, this will not be a repurchase. I'm glad I got it as part of a Julep Maven box instead of coughing up the $28 full price ($22.80 for Mavens) for it.

Deets:
Price: $28
Size: 3oz.
Price per ounce: $9.34

Active ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 4%, Zinc Oxide 3%, Ensulizole 2%
Inactive ingredients: Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Cyclomethicone, Dicetyl Phosphate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Heylene Glycol, Isostearyl Isononanoate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Octododecyl Neopentanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, PVP/Eicosene Copolymer, Retinyl Palmitate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethxycaprylylsilane, Water, Xanthan Gum.

Hot Pink Disco Half Moons

Still working on manicures utilizing some sort of sticky paper thing to block one color off before applying another. I'm getting better at keeping the edges neat, but need to work on my patience. I always want to put the stickers and second colors on before the first color's dry! This, I am learning, is a no-no.

This time, I used Julep Rose as a base, and butter LONDON Disco Biscuit as the top color. Disco Biscuit is a cooler hot pink, and it really warms up next to Rose's warmth.

I did this during a mild obsession with Milani's green nail art polish (a.k.a. the only nail art specific polish I own), but my recent acquisition of a double-ended nail art brush/dotting tool should really open up some possibilities in this arena for me. The lady at Sally's told me to use acetone-free nail polish remover to clean it. Do you concur?

Happy Fourth of July!

Sinful Colors Under 18
Sinful Colors Midnight Blue
Julep America

Now let's go watch fireworks!

First Ever Try at a Half-Moon Manicure

  Here's more evidence of practice using sticky things to make a two-tone manicure! This time, I used the round stickers designed to show garage sale prices to block off part of my nail for a half-moon effect.

I'm still having trouble getting the stickies to adhere all the way to the edge of the nail, so I'm still getting some bleeding. But this an improvement, I think!

 Purple is Julep Morgan. Gray is Julep Annette. In a few weeks, I'll be letting you know what I think of the Julep Maven program.