❤ Top 5 Leave-In Conditioners for Damaged Hair ❤

Posting-wise, so far, I've narrowed my schedule down to a post about once a week. Granted, that's not very frequent, but once summer starts I will be able to open my schedule up a bit more. I'm not so sure if I will be able to post for most of June. (I'll be going on a trip to visit my father). However, I do want to change things up. 

Anyway! There was a time when I was hair-obsessed. I had really long hair and was trying to grow it out even longer, so I did everything in my power to make sure it was healthy. I used home-made hair masks, leave-in conditioners, deep conditioners, and NEVER put heat on my hair! Surprisingly enough, my hair grew almost to my waist and was extremely wavy before I cut it short. 

I attribute my healthy hair to the leave-in conditioners I used. They are the products that keep your hair continuously moisturized, even when you've stepped out of the shower, blowdried your hair, or ran around in the sun. My hair is prone to breakage, split ends, and dryness. The products I'm sharing with you today are one that have shown spectacular results on me. Keep in mind, if your hair is very damaged it might take some time for results to start showing. Hair care is a slow process

5. Argan Oil (Moroccan Oil)

I don't have an exact brand for this, as I have used many. I can tell you, though, that some are overpriced. I was surprised to find that Sally's sold me a small bottle for 9 dollars!! Meanwhile, at Walgreens, the "Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco" is sold for $5.79! My mother bought it, and back when I was growing out my hair I used to steal a bit hear and there to put on. Although this doesn't count as a leave-in conditioner, I consider it a natural alternative for those who don't want to slather on random chemicals that they can't pronounce. A bonus about this product is that is makes your hair smell wonderful but not overpowering in any way. Because I don't own a moroccan oil at the time, I will include a photo below of the brand I recommend.

4. TRESemmé Split Remedy Leave-In Conditioning Treatment

Split ends are a huge culprit behind bad hair health. They cause brittle ends and dryness that eventually results in the hair breaking off. Ever wonder why hair dressers always told you to get your hair cut frequently? It's not just because the money! 

I broke the rules and got my hair cut around twice or three times a year. I still do, in all honestly. I've found it's not completely neccessary unless you put a lot of heat on your hair. When I was first growing my damaged hair out, I did everything to avoid haircuts. This product did the job. Not only does it add a lot of shine to your hair, but I noticed within the first use that my hair was a lot softer on the ends. I genuinely believe it got rid of a lot of my split ends. You guys should try it out for yourselves! It's sold at most drug stores for around 6-8 dollars!

*One thing to remember: no products TRULY get rid of split ends. They promote growth and the chemicals within them make the split hair shafts mend with each other. Essentially, it temporarily fixes the damage. This can be used to prevent split ends or lengthen your time between hair cuts.

3. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day™ 5-in-1 Styling Treatment

This product is a bit more pricey ($15 at Sephora), but I got a set of this line for Christmas. This was my favorite product of the bunch. It's not only a leave-in conditioner, but a styling product. Apply this before styling your hair and you essentially have a heat protector, a shine serum, and a leave-in conditioner. All in one. It's wonderful! I've been using this daily, but I let my hair air-dry instead. I found that it brings out the shine and softness more than when I use heat to dry my hair. 

*mine is a smaller size because I got a kit that had the entire hair system. If you purchase this product individually the container will be larger.

2. Infusium 23 Repair & Renew Leave-In Treatment

I bought this product after I cut my hair, but I wish I had discovered it before. It's just an all-around great product. Adds a tad bit of shine, but mainly it makes your hair so unbelievably soft. Not a single course hair on my head after using this! It smells good (that fake fruity smell most hair products have) and isn't overbearing at all, even for allergy-sensitive people like myself. Like all the other treatments, I add a bit of this in my hair and let it air dry. This goes on as a spray, and not a cream like the rest, so be careful not to spray it directly onto your scalp or you'll find yourself with a greasy head of hair! This was around $7 at my Walgreens.

1. Unite 7 Seconds Leave-In Detangler

Lo and behold, the best of the best. This conditioner has saved my life! Or at least my hair's life. I bought this right after getting my hair lightened to a caramel-brown. My hair was black at the time. You can understand now why my hair is damaged. At the hair salon, I was persuaded into buying the 7 Seconds conditioner, shampoo, and leave-in conditioner. Well, my mom did. (Great birthday gift!!) The shampoo and conditioner ran out quickly because of their small size but this leave-in conditioner has lasted me to this day, nearly a year later! To be honest, I don't understand why this is called 7 Seconds because it works IMMEDIATELY! If you're anything like me and still have rough, tangled hair even after conditioning in the shower, this product is a MUST-HAVE. The moment it touches your hair, you will notice how soft each individual strand becomes. Because the product itself is so light, a few accidental sprays on the crown of your head won't do anything. It's so good at detangling that you can comb it through with your fingers. Less brushing = less breakage. This product was $22, but it's worth the price rather than going through 3 average products at the drugstore in a shorter amount of time. This is my holy grail product!!! 

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I tried to pick products from all different price ranges to accommodate those of you who have a tighter budget. All of them work amazingly and I hope you guys will try them out!

| Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" | 5 Different Uses

Any girls who are fans of white eyeliner HAVE to know about this product. The Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils are creamy, extremely pigmented, and the best part is: there are multiple uses for them! Today I have made a post mostly on the color "Milk", because it is a well-known shade that is versatile in many ways. However I will be including picture comparisons of the shade "Cottage Cheese" which is a silvery-white, shimmery version of milk. 

I bought this pencil at Target for about $4.49. This was the only store I could find them in! Because the shade is so popular, it's always sold out where ever I look. The pencil is a good size but don't be fooled: unlike other big eye pencils, this one does not twist up from the bottom when you run out of product. You have to sharpen it! So invest in a good sharpener. There are plenty all over the market that function the exact same. You can buy the Nars pencil sharpener from Sephora--it has one hole for larger pencils and a smaller one for regular pencils. You can also find the Nyx pencil sharpener at most stores that carry their products. It has a very large hole specifically designed to fit these pencils. 

What I love about this product so much is its versatility. With five different uses, you can save money and get more for what you pay for. This is especially important to new makeup artists that may be on a stricter budget--not all of us have money to shell out on numerous highlighters, concealers, and eyeliners. Why not just buy one product that functions as all of those?

1. As a brightener

A brightener is essentially the same thing as a highlight, except that they work in a much more subtle, natural way. Brighteners are typically not shimmery nor do they have as much pigment. Still, they manage to "brighten" up the face as a whole and give the appearance of healthy, glowing skin. This pencil can act as a brightener under the eye or high parts of the cheek bone by simply dotting it under the darkest parts of the eye and face. I've found that it works best when I keep it simple and blend out the product with my ring finger. Be careful when doing this though--a little goes a long way! This product is super pigmented, and of course it's white, so you can't fully blend it out. As you can see below, my usually-dark circles are now quite understated. 

  

 

2. As an eyeshadow base

This is probably what the Nyx Jumbo Pencils are the most known for. Because they are so pigmented and blend so evenly, they're perfect as an eyeshadow base/primer. The finish of them is just slightly tacky, making them perfect for adding a bit of vibrancy to your eyeshadows. Simply draw on a few streaks of the product and blend it out with your favorite eyeshadow brush or your finger.
I haven't included any photos because, well, it's self explanatory. 

3. As an eyeshadow

Although this very similar to #2 listed above, the Nyx jumbo pencils can be used as eyeshadows themselves. Their creamy formula makes it rather easy to blend out. They are also extremely pigmented as I said before. 

4. As an eyebrow highlight

The pencil can be used as an eyebrow highlight by dotting the product into your brow bone and blending it with a flat eyeshadow brush. Below you can see the difference it makes with defining the brows and making them appear much sharper. The highlight is on my right brow bone.

5. As an eyeliner

This is perhaps the most popular use for the Nyx jumbo pencil in Milk. When applied to the waterline, the eyes will appear much more awake, brighter, and larger. I have found that the eyeliner lasts all day on my eyes and stays pigmented for hours on end. It will definitely last an entire school day. I have found, however, that the shade "Cottage Cheese" appears to be a similar color on hand swatches but is not nearly as pigmented on the waterline. Below is a picture of me wearing Milk on my waterline. (This was my 5th hour of wear, and you can still see it clearly.)

Overall, I rate this product a 9.5 out of 10! (Nothing is ever a 10.) The versatility makes it worth the money, along with its wonderful performance, and reasonable price!

 ♥️Thanks for reading! ♥️

Leave your comments and questions below.

❤ DUPE ALERT!! Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray || $30.00 vs $4.99?! ❤

Hello viewers!

If you've ever had problematic oily skin and generally just want your makeup to last all day, a setting spray is definitely for you. For those of you who already own a spray or two, you probably have heard of the famous Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It's amazing. It's magical. It's also 30 dollars. 30 dollars for 4 ounces of liquid. Yeah...no thanks!

Today I am so excited to share with you guys the amazing dupe I found for UD's spray. It works the EXACT same and here's the best part: it's $4.99. $30.00 vs $4.99; it that even a question?

I present to you guys:

(Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Setting Spray)

The bottle itself is pretty small, carrying 1.52oz of setting spray, but the price is still unbeatable. When comparing them down to the smallest details I can honestly say they're almost identical, so let's do a detailed rundown of the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Setting Spray.

The first thing I noticed about this product was how well it sprayed. The nozzle was designed so that the product came out as a light mist that coated the entire face instead of a heavy stream of liquid. I've found that of all drugstore setting sprays, this one sprays the most evenly. This is what I think ultimately makes its performance equal to the All Nighter Spray--if the product isn't properly applied to your face it's not going to do much for you, right? 

My favorite feature is that it also really reminds me of Mac's Fix+ Skin Refresher. When you apply the Wet N Wild spray, you'll quickly notice how easily and effectively it sets the makeup into your pores--base and powder will mesh into one, creating a flawless cover. I found that when I used this spray my pores were a lot less noticeable because it set my makeup so well.

The next and most important factor of a setting spray is what makes me believe this is truly a dupe: oil control. In terms of this, the UD and Wet N Wild were IDENTICAL. Both controlled oil for good 5 hours before any shine started peaking through, which is more than impressive due to the fact that Houston has an unbelievably hot and humid climate (and I have oily skin!). To get an idea of how well the product controls oil, I've included a photo below of me wearing it that's completely unedited. 

Excuse my rough hair in this photo!!! This is was around my 11th hour of wear. (I finished applying my makeup around 8 am, and the time of this photo was around 7:20 pm.) I applied the UD spray on the left side of my face, and the Wet N Wild spray on my right. It's hard to distinguish the difference, as both sides look the same. However if you look closely, it appears that the side with the UD spray is a tad bit shinier. No biggie!

For the sake of clarity, let's recap with a final list of pros and cons.

Pros: affordable, convenient size, good nozzle, very light odor, sets makeup well, controls oil, prolongs makeup wear...

Cons: those extremely sensitive to odors may find it to smell chemical-like

All in all, this setting spray performed exceptionally well and exceeded any expectations I had, considering the price. Do I honestly believe it's a dupe for Urban Decay's spray? Yes. Will I purchase this again? Most definitely. I would actually recommend it. And with prom coming up, girls on a tighter budget will definitely come to appreciate this product. It's small and compact, making it a great item to toss in your purse. Perfect makeup for the perfect night needs to last! 

As far as I'm concerned, it's not limited edition, but get it while you can!!! It is sold in most drugstores. 

Thanks for reading, and of course leave any questions or comments down below.    

| Review | Hard Candy's Eyes the Limit Eyeshadow Primer

So excited to finally put up my first review and post on this blog!      

      So I've been shopping around the drugstore lately and I've noticed a significant amount of affordable eyeshadow primers popping up on the makeup shelves. What?! I always thought makeup primers were just a "high-end" kind of thing. For a while, actually, I didn't even use an eye primer. I thought they were unnecessary - until I actually tried one for the first time. That first eye primer I ever tried actually happens to be my holy grail product, and I'll make a whole separate review for that later!

Now onto Hard Candy's eye primer, right? 

      

     

      I wanna say this product has been around since about 2014, so it's really not that new. I bought it at Walmart on a whim since I had run out of an eye primer and Hard Candy's packaging has always intrigued me. (Plus prom is coming up!) It retails for $4.75 at my location. Pretty reasonable, especially for how large the squeeze tube is. This product claims to "increase the vibrancy and lasting power of your eyeshadow."

      It has a slight pigment to it, which I honestly didn't mind because 1) it became very sheer once rubbed in and 2) there's going to be shadow all over it anyway.

      Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed after applying this primer was how slippery it felt. To be honest, it felt like a face primer (think of Maybelline's Baby Skin). Very silicone-y. That alone was enough to make me slightly doubtful about its staying power. I tend to gravitate toward primers with a stickier finish because I feel that they hold on to product better. However, stickier primers make it more difficult to blend product into your lids, so it all depends on what you're  going for. I found that the Hard Candy primer didn't make my makeup as vibrant as other primers did but made blending shades in very easy. 

      That being said, the product still added vibrancy to my seemingly dull eyeshadows. For instance, I love the Morphe palettes but some of the matte shades can be very hard to pick up in natural daylight. The Hard Candy primer added that little oomph needed to make it show, but didn't bring out the colors so much that each one was extremely different than the other. While some people may find that a bad quality in an eye primer, I feel that those fond of more natural-looking makeup will definitely love this product. I've shared some swatches below so you can see what I mean. 

                                               (with primer)                                                                                                              (without primer)                          

      As you can see, it does really work. It just didn't WOW me. The right side is visibly more sheer and patchy than the left, but it didn't really make that much of a difference. I did get a good wear time out of this product, though--about 14 hours; but that's nothing compared to my holy grail eye primer. 

      One definite thing I noticed while wearing this primer throughout the day was that it did not control oil. So for those of you with oily lids, it's likely that your shadow and liner will crease after a few hours.

      All in all, here's my product rundown for you TL;DR people: 

             

             (on a scale of 1-10)

• Pigment enhancement: 6
• Lasting power: 8
• Color: light tint
• Odor: none
• Consistency: silicone-like
• Finish: slippery

     Would I recommend this to somebody? No. There are cheaper and same-price primers on the market that work better. I rate this product a 7 out of 10. 

Thanks so much for reading; leave any questions or comments down below!