Lush - Seanik Shampoo Bar.

Hello lovelies! I hope all is well. I'm beyond excited -- classes have ended for the year, finals are next week, and then it's summer! Although it doesn't really feel like summer (parts of my beautiful Minnesota will be graced with a few inches of snowfall today.) 

Today I'll be doing a little review of Seanik -- my second shampoo bar from Lush. I had such success with Godiva (one of my Lush favorites! You can find that review HERE) I thought I would pick up a second one. 

"Soften tangled locks and add oceans of shine with this mineral-rich, sea salt volumizing shampoo. Like a trip to a blue lagoon, Seanik is made with the best ingredients from the sea; softening Irish moss seaweed, and Japanese nori seaweed to make your hair soft as silk from root to tips, and sea salt to give body and volume to hair that’s fallen flat. One seriously sexy shampoo, we added lemon oil for extra shine, and the exotic far eastern fragrance of sensual mimosa and jasmine oils to bathe you in the heady scent of tropical flora all day long."

Sea salt: Boosts volume and shine of lifeless locks.

Seaweed: Softens strands and is packed with protein to help care for your scalp.

Lemon: Adds shine, but is mostly added for scent. 

I find that I'm not a huge fan of the scent. It's not bad per say, but I don't find it to be pleasant either. Lemon-scented house cleaner or else laundry detergent is the closest thing I can compare the smell to, but maybe that's just me. My boyfriend doesn't mind it, in fact he likes it. I guess if you're into the smell of lemon-scented house-cleaners this is the shampoo for you. Luckily though, the scent doesn't linger in my hair.

The  Lush website (and even the Lush associate I spoke with in the store) suggest that users wet their hair  and glide the bar down the length of their hair about three times (right, left and back.) Work this into a lather and rinse. Personally, I don't really like this method as I find that 1) gliding the bar down my hair and then rubbing my scalp doesn't create lather, and 2) shampoo really isn't meant to be used on the ends of your hair because they're typically less oily than your scalp, so rubbing the bar down the length of your hair can dry out your ends. Instead, I prefer to rub the shampoo bar in my hands until I have a really nice lather (and Seanik lathers really well!), flip my hair over, and massage the lather through my scalp. If your hair is upside down this increases the bloodflow to your scalp, which in turn can promote hair growth (this is amplified if you're giving your scalp a good massage for a couple of minutes.) 

Seanik ultimately leaves my hair very soft and much shinier than usual, although I haven't noticed much of a difference in the volume of my hair. Also, I've noticed that significantly less hair falls out while I'm in the shower -- perhaps this is because Seanik is meant to detangle strands?

Instead of keeping Seanik stored in a small tin (Lush offers crappy little tins to store your shampoo bar, but they ultimately make the product mushy/messy) I used a small Tupperware and kept it out of the shower. I find that doing this makes my shampoo bar not only last longer,  but it makes it less messy in the shower. So if you're wondering whether or not you should buy that cute little tin to store your shampoo bar, don't. 

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Dr. Brandt - Flexitone BB Cream.

Okay, so I actually kind of jumped on the BB cream bandwagon a little late. As in like, two years late.

A couple of months ago I purchased my very first BB cream on an impulse buy. I never usually buy new beauty products on a whim (I'm actually more of a "research shopper") because typically when I buy things spur-of-the-moment I regret my purchase and end up throwing the product out and then I feel remorse for wasting my money. 

But when I walked into Ulta and casually mentioned BB creams to the sales girl who was helping me, she immediately pulled this stuff off of the shelf and raved "ohmygodthisstuffisawesomeyouHAVEtotryit!" and I was sold.

Dr. Brandt's Flexitone BB Cream claims to provide "flawless, natural-looking coverage with anti-aging and protective benefits for the skin." It uses "tone-blending technology" to seamlessly blend with most skin tones, and ultimately provides the wearer with "hydration, smoothing, brightening, and antioxidant protection." It is also formulated with SPF 30, and thus provides "advanced protection from a broad spectrum of the sun's UVA and UVB rays."

The bottle itself is very lightweight. In fact, it feels empty, which for $39 is kind of disappointing. 

The cream comes out of the tube looking very grey, thick, and lumpy. This is going to sound weird, but the texture is actually something I'm really not used to. With the foundations I typically use, their textures are sort of "runny", which in turn makes them a lot easier to apply. The Flexitone BB cream is thick and comes out of the tube as a solid lump, and I had a hard time with getting the product on to my stippling brush.

Applying the cream is difficult, as it's actually pretty thick and feels heavy on my skin. I've found in the past that if I don't blend well enough, the cream will make my skin look chalky and unnatural, so I have to spend forever blending it out. I have tried applying the cream with my fingers, a flat brush, a sponge, and also a stippling brush. Stippling gave me the best results, but maybe it's because I prefer stippling over any other application method.

Although the cream is good at covering up imperfections (because it's so thick) I don't like the way it makes my skin look. Instead of blending into the skin it sits on top of it. My face ends up looking lighter than the skin on the rest of my body, giving me the unfortunate bald eagle look. It's also formulated with pearl powder to increase skin's luminosity, but for me the "luminosity" looks like I'm sweating in some heavy humidity. Also, pictures with flash are very unflattering because of the SPF 30 that's formulated into the cream -- it ends up giving me a white-ish cast.

Ultimately, I'm really not a fan of this stuff. It's thick, difficult to blend, and looks unnatural -- all of which are things BB creams are not supposed to be.

To be quite honest, I don't think this is much of a BB cream at all. In fact, it's nothing more than a tinted moisturizer that's marketed as a BB cream. 

I think next time, I think I'll try a BB cream that's made by an Asian skincare line.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Andalou Naturals - Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask

Happy Saturday, lovelies!

I hope all of you are having a lovely start to your weekend. I know that I absolutely am! Today is the first day that it actually feels like spring and I couldn't be happier. I plan on spending my entire afternoon on my balcony with a good book, fresh strawberries, and a nice cup of tea. I even had time to plant my lovely little avocado tree, Neil, in his very own planter today.

I'm actually really excited about today's review, because the Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask is one of the most effective products I have ever used. It comes in a little 1.7 ounce jar and runs around $15. I have been using it twice a week, and so far the jar has lasted over two months.

The mask itself looks and smells like pumpkin puree, which is a bonus in my book, considering that I love love LOVE pumpkin pie.

Applying the mask is easy enough -- it applies smoothly and is thick enough to not drip/make a mess. For the first ten or fifteen minutes I'll typically feel a strong tingling (or on some days, burning or itching) which doesn't bother me as it isn't necessarily painful or unpleasant (I always like it when I can feel products working) but I could easily see how this could bother some. The tingling/burning is simply the Alpha Hydroxy Acids at work, so if your skin is sensitive to AHA's, this may not be the product for you.

What are AHA's? They are found in a wide range of skincare products and are used to help exfoliate dead skin cells. This will help to: prevent your skin from flaking, fade hyperpigmentation, and remove dead skin that would otherwise clog  your pores. You can use a gentle, every day exfoliating product with a low concentration of AHA's, or go as far as using a chemical peel with a high concentration of glycolic/lactic/mandelic acid. AHA's can increase your skin's sensitivity to UV exposure, so it's important to use any AHA products in the evening to prevent any nasty burns. What  I really love about Alpha Hydroxy Acids is that they work well below the skin's surface to help improve its overall appearance over time. They also have mild humectant properties, which (like using honey) helps skin retain its moisture, so AHA's work well for those with dry skin.

Ingredients include:

Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Puree*, Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil*, Vegetable Glycerin, Manuka Honey, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Juice*, Pectin, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Malus Domestica (Apple), Solar Vitis (Grape) and Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Stem Cell Cultures and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Lecithin, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane)*, Calophyllum Tacamahaca (Tamanu) and Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Oils, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Extract*†, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cinnamomum Cassia (Cinnamon), Myristica Fragrans (Nutmeg), Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) and Pimento Officinalis (Allspice) Powders

Made naturally without sulfates, GMO, petrochemicals, phthalates, parabens, synthetic fragrance, colors or preservatives. pH Balanced & Hypo-Allergenic. Vegetarian & Cruelty Free

After washing the mask off my face is usually a little red for awhile, which doesn't bother me. My skin looks and feels incredibly smooth and my pores look refined. Not to mention that my skin looks absolutely radiant all day, which is what I love most about this mask. 

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is looking to brighten and smooth their skin. It is one of the most effective mask I've tried that has lasting results and actually works to improve your skin. I would consider it to be in my canon of Holy Grail products.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

My Huge Sephora Haul!

Hey lovelies! Today is a good day, as I've just received my biggest haul from Sephora ever (price-wise, that is. Last week was their annual Beauty Week sale and I got a little carried away.) I can't wait to try them out and do some reviews!

A couple of my purchases are re-purchases, and they probably look familiar, as I've reviewed them on The Wallflower before. 
Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is actually my Holy Grail daytime moisturizer. I've tried many different daytime lotions and with each one expected big results, but was always disappointed when they didn't deliver. I'm not a huge fan of Clinique, but their Dramatically Different lotion is a product that I find myself constantly gravitating towards. Granted, it doesn't deliver "big results," but I think its simplicity (ingredient-wise) is what I love the most about it.
Korres' Wild Rose + Vitamin C cream is another Holy Grail product for me -- it'sjustsoamazingican'tgetoveritaaaaahhhhh! I think it's important to throw vitamin C somewhere in your nightly regime (not your daytime!), and for me this is it. It smells wonderful, delivers results, and has become a staple for me. The only thing I really dislike is the price/amount-you-get ratio -- for $48 you only receive 1.35 ounces, which goes by very fast. 

There are a couple of products that I'm really excited to try. Tthe first is Dr. Perricone's Blue Plasma -- a non-acidic peel that's so gentle you can use it for every day:

"Thanks to cutting-edge cosmetic engineering, this peel performs three gentle, yet powerful modes of action. These include bio-specific peeling of only dead skin cells, preserving healthy ones exclusively; micro-extraction of surface debris with deep action that purifies the skin of build-up and pollutants; and hydrofusion with nutrient-rich water to smooth, soothe, and hydrate skin surface. Along with resurfacing the skin, Blue Plasma delivers luxurious luminosity, radiance, and clarity. Users also benefit from improved light reflectivity with increased brightness and glow, unparalleled softness and smoothness, plumpness of lines and wrinkles, and reduction in pore size."

The second is Dr. Brandt Overnight Resurfacing Serum, which is a retinol-based overnight serum, intended to make skin radiant and smooth: 

"This concentrated serum is formulated with a time released 2% Retinol Complex that provides both immediate and long term release to promote radiance from within. It stimulates new cell turnover to improve skin texture and tone. The appearance of lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores is softened, revealing new, healthy skin with a youthful glow."

One product that I didn't feature is "Albatross" by NARS. It's a lovely little champagne-colored highlighter with tiny golden flecks. I've used it a few times thus far, and it makes for the perfect highlighter.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Philosophy: The Microdelivery Purifying Peel.

Hey lovelies -- happy Tuesday! Today is my Monday -- I spent Thursday through Monday visiting Saint Paul. I've squared away classes at my new school (all of my plans are finally falling into place! Yay!) and saw my very favorite band (My Morning Jacket) at the infamous First Avenue venue in Minneapolis. It was an ahh-mazing/relaxing long weekend. 

Anyway, I've just finished off my tube of Philosophy's Microdelivery Purifying Peel, which is my very first enzyme peel. Lately, I've been straying away from traditional exfoliators (ones that slough off skin using tiny granules) and have been gravitating more towards enzyme peels (fruit acids that eat away dead skin.) 

"The Microdelivery Purifying Peel is a fruit enzyme exfoliant that helps improve the skin's clarity and the appearance of large pores. It is gentle, effective, and leaves behind smooth, glowing skin. It is suitable for all skin types."

A little bit of skin background info: For the most part my skin is normal, maybe a bit on the combination side, as it changes in oiliness/dryness as the seasons change. The pores around my nose are somewhat large, and that's where I typically experience the most oiliness. 

For $45 the tube is quite small -- only 3 ounces, which hardly lasts (for me, only two months.) Instead of squeezing the product out of a tube I wish it would come with a pump, as it is difficult to control the exact amount you'd like to use, and many times I would end up squeezing out too much product. Thus, it's easy to waste product. 

However, these were the only downfalls I could find.

I would use the peel once a day, typically in the evening. After washing away most of my makeup I would use a quarter-size amount all over my face (excluding the eye area and concentrating most of the product in my trouble areas, i.e. around my nose.) While the peel was working its magic, I would do something else -- brush my teeth, comb my hair, play with my cat, do a little dance -- anything that could occupy one or two minutes of my time. Afterwards, I would simply wash my face (using a wash cloth boosts the exfoliation) et voila, my skin is smooth and wonderful!
The Purifying Peel left me with radiant, smooth skin without any excessive dryness every single time. 

The consistency is gel-like but not runny, so you don't need to worry about any product dripping everywhere while you're letting it sit. What I really love about this particular peel is that it doesn't sting like many AHA peels do. In fact, it is very gentle. Also, my face does not become red or worse -- burn -- as I've experienced this in the past with very strong enzyme peels.
Would I categorize this as a Holy Grail product? I'm not sure. It's an excellent product, but I have yet to try other fruit acid peels. I'm still exploring the new (for me, at least) and exciting realm of enzyme exfoliants, and for the most part experiences have been very positive.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

My Great Ombre Mishap.

A little over two months ago I had what I like to call "a bit of an ombre mishap." Really though, it was more of a complete ombre disaster. I will never get over the emotional stress of having my hair completely ruined -- and paying someone to do it. It's a heart-shattering feeling knowing that repairing your hair will be a long and frustrating process.

Because I'm a poor college student and my means are limited, I had my hair ombre'd at my nearest JCPenny (my usual go-to place for quick trims.) They're cheap enough, and as I was getting my tri-yearly trim the stylist seemed very experienced with ombres.  

I was very specific with the stylist about what I wanted. Something subtle and that blends together well. I didn't want my ends to be shockingly blonde, either. I used these pictures as a reference:

Looks easy enough, right? I would have tried it at home myself, but I'm not very confident in my bleaching skills to be totally honest. My hair was in such good condition (and it had taken me forever to get it this healthy) that I didn't want to ruin what I had already worked for so long to achieve. When the stylist said, "Oh I totally see reddish tones in the middle there!" this should have immediately been a red flag because I don't see any "reddish tones" anywhere. 

Here is probably the last photo taken of my hair before the mishap:

Months of hair treatments and throwing out all of my heat-styling tools and my hair was finally the way I had always wanted it to be.
After the stylist had finished, this was the end result:

My hair looked atrocious. The ends were bright yellow and the middle part was burgundy. There was no gradual color gradient whatsoever, and it was so disappointing.

What's worse is that the stylist was actually proud of her efforts, which made telling her that I really didn't like it that much worse. She said "not to worry," it would be an "easy fix." She simply had to tone down the bright yellow color and layer my ends so that they would form a "V" shaped taper. 

She was able to fit me in for a follow up appointment the next day. Here are the results of her "efforts:"

My hair was brittle and a tangled mess. Not to mention that it was falling out in broken-off clumps. By "toning" the yellow in my hair, it turns out what the stylist actually meant was "bleach the shit out of until it gets to a nice white color." By "trimming the ends until they form a nice 'V' taper," what she meant to say was "hack off about 3" - 4" and make sure that there is a 1" - 2" length difference on either side." (Yes, as if things couldn't get worse, she actually gave me a very uneven haircut.) Seems legit.

To top it off, her manager saw nothing wrong with it and refused to comp the $90 I had paid for her employee to ruin my hair.

So that's my story. I will never ever trust a salon-person to dye my hair ever again, ever. Also, I have learned a very important life lesson: never go to a mall salon, especially if it's JCPenney.

After pouting and stressing for a few days I decided that the only thing I really could do was to wait it out and let my hair grow again. But I didn't want to keep my hair the way it was for long, because truthfully it was kind of embarrassing.
I waited two weeks before I dyed my hair a dark, neutral brown. (I remember reading somewhere that if your hair is damaged, dying it a darker color will make it "look" healthier.) I also did hair treatments twice a week with organic virgin coconut oil and bought a gentle/moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. These products have actually been a huge lifesaver for me:

Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner: Finally, a shampoo that I can pick up at my local Target that I'm actually satisfied with. It's so moisturizing and doesn't strip my hair color. Review to come soon!

Nutiva Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil: If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll know how crazy I am for coconut oil. It's amazing for dry hair!

It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Product: I'm still kind of new to this stuff, but I've read so many rave reviews about how awesome it is. So far I like it and it tames away the frizzies, but I think it's too early to really tell if its a keeper. Review to come soon!

Scalp Massager: I know it looks like some crazy torture instrument, but I swear that it's my godsend. Massaging your scalp regularly can stimulate bloodflow to the base of your hair follicles, which in turn can stimulate growth. I do it for at least five minutes before I fall asleep every night, and it feels sooo gooood.

(Not Pictured) Biotin supplements: Although I didn't see results right away (or really until after I had finished with my first bottle), but I have been taking Biotin consistently for over a year. My hair grows at a crazy fast rate.

Over the course of two months the health of my hair has improved drastically. My once dry, straw-like hair is now shiny, pliable, and soft. Even my ends have grown out to form a nice shape. If you're trying to repair your hair or even grow it out, these are my best suggestions to you (as they've worked so well for me!):

• Find a gentle, moisturizing, (and preferably sulphate-free) shampoo and conditioner.
• Wash your hair 2-3 times a week. Washing every day can strip your hair of its natural oils. If you have an oily scalp and can't go without washing your hair for 2-3 days at a time, I would suggest finding a good dry shampoo or baby powder to soak up the oiliness.
• Moisturizing hair treatments, twice a week.
• Supplements -- specifically something that can provide you with amino acids, which are the building blocks for your hair, skin, and nails. Biotin works well, so does a B-Complex vitamin.
• Regular scalp massages can stimulate blood flow to your hair follicles, and thus promote hair growth.
• Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase can help tame the frizzies and prevent your hair from crimping.
• Refrain from using heat styling tools, and if you do use a heat-protector.
• Do not brush wet hair. This makes me cringe every time I see my friends do it, and it kills your hair strands. I usually don't comb my hair until it's mostly dry, but if you must detangle your hair while it's wet, use a wide-tooth comb.
• Find an oil-based product to apply to wet hair. Moroccan Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Monoi Oil, organic coconut oil, etc. There are so many choices to choose from, but not all of them will work with your hair type.
• Hair trims every 3 months (at minimum.) They say you should get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks to keep your hair healthy, but this is to maintain its style. If you're trying to actually grow your hair out your trims should be as minimal as possible. If you are maintaining healthy hair, you should have very few to no split ends anyway.

I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats With scarves of red tied 'round their throats.

Now that I have the time, I thought I would start blogging again.

My school year is winding down to a close (only three weeks left. I can't believe it!) and I have the time to actually do things and it feels like such a relief. I can tell you that I never want to be away from blogging for this long ever again.

So what have I been up to? School and work mostly. This town where I'm currently going to school and my major (English) have made me so miserable and depressed that I've decided to switch gears. I've decided to start doing what I really love doing and not so much what my parents tell me I should do. 

This summer I'll be moving to Saint Paul to live with my boyfriend's family and attend Saint Paul College, where they have one of the best esthiology programs in the country. That's right -- I've decided to turn my love of skincare into a career and I couldn't be more excited! 

Who knows? Maybe I'll end up turning my love of writing and skincare into a full time job as a blogger.

In the meantime, the boyfriend will continue going to school here in North Dakota (where we just got five inches of snow over night. We currently have more snow on the ground than we did on December 25th. Getting real sick of your shit, Mother Nature.) I'm not looking forward to the long distance relationship (we'll be five and a half hours away from each other! Boooo!) but we've been together for over 2 years now -- I have a feeling that we'll make it work.

That's one thing I love about life. If you don't like the direction it's going, you can drop everything and start all over again. 

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

it's funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like the soundtrack to a july saturday night.

hey all!

today was a totally gorgeous sunday -- the skies were clear and the sun was warm. the boyfriend and i decided to take a little drive out into the country and walk along some back roads. it was a great way to catch out breaths and regain ourselves a bit -- the past few weeks have been pretty stressful.

north dakota is an entirely different world from my beloved minnesota -- it's so open and treeless. 

hope all is well in your corner of the world :)

meet charlotte!

hey all of you lovely people!!

i hope all is well. i haven't really been around much lately, and i could sit here and ho-hum about how busy i've been or how my computer has been down for the past month. but in all truth, i've just been too lazy to blog. uuufda, definitely not a good habit of good blogging!

anyway, a few days ago i was at the mall running some errands when i walked past the pet store. i took a peek at all of the animals sitting in the window when i saw charlotte -- the sweetest little kitten i've ever seen!  i had to have her. ten minutes later, i walked out of the store with charlotte in tow, along with about fifty pounds of kitty litter and food. (geeze, my arms still hurt!)

charlotte doesn't really like to sit still, but i was able to snap a few pictures of her!

she's incredibly playful, very smart, and loves attention. her belly is very ticklish, she loves her tuna snacks, and she enjoys watching the show breaking bad every night before bed with the boyfriend and i.

maybe she'll randomly pop up in more of my posts soon! 

hope all is well in your corner of the world! :)