Might Not Be My Mother's Shampoo, But She Still Likes It

If you happened to see my latest ULTA Haul post, you know that I purchased Not Your Mother's Beach Babe shampoo and conditioner. According to the packages, they promise "Wavy Volume" and "Tousled Waves," along with hydration and gentle cleansing. I've been using it for about two weeks now, whenever I wash my hair.

What struck me first was the strong coconut scent. This smell will stay with you for days, so be sure you like it before you buy it. All of a sudden, I'll toss my hair back and I'll get a whiff, even though I washed my hair two days before. I'm not much of a coconut fan, but this smell reminds me of suntan lotion and summer afternoons, so I actually really enjoy this particular scent.

It's a rich formula, but usually for me sulfate free shampoo does not lather well on the first round, and this is no exception. I know that the sulfates are what make the lather but can be bad for hair, but my hair is so thick that if the shampoo doesn't lather, it doesn't get distributed throughout. It kind of just sits there, like someone broke an egg on the top of my head. And so it goes with this shampoo, until I rinse and repeat and then I am able to get a good sudsing out of it.

The conditioner is wonderful, and very rich. I find, however, that the conditioner needs a good shaking before I flip open the cap, or else it tends to be a bit runny.

As for it's promises of waves and volume? Volume, yes, waves, maybe. As I mentioned, my hair is quite thick, but this shampoo does perk up the roots a bit, making my hair look fuller. If I let my hair dry naturally, it is normally neither straight or wavy, but instead it just exists, not knowing in what direction to go. This shampoo and conditioner definitely add to the waves, but not in any attractive fashion as it still looks crazy! If I want to get more organized (probably not the right word for it) waves, I bet I would have to invest in one of the texturizing sprays that can hold waves better.

I haven't tried these products with a blowout or a flat iron yet, but I've read that texturizing shampoos do better with styling tools because they help hold the style. We shall see.

And yes, my mom does like Not Your Mother's Beach Babe shampoo and conditioner. She really likes the coconut scent.

My Travel Essentials

Last weekend I had the opportunity to get away for the weekend. My dear friend had an extra ticket to the Dave Matthews Band concert in Connecticut and asked me along. As I was packing for the trip, I thought it might be fun to do a travel essentials post.

It is tough whittling down a giant makeup collection to just the bare bones! I like to travel very light, so I have to figure out exactly what makeup I'm going to actually use, and leave all the rest of my little friends behind. Nothing extraneous, just the few items I am going to need most often. So basically four categories: skincare, tools, foundation, and frosting (eyeshadow, mascara, lip gloss, etc).

In my search for the perfect makeup storage system to replace my current one (a giant tupperware bucket just doesn't cut it anymore!), I purchased Joy Mangano's Better Beauty Case Deluxe Set from HSN. It comes with an extra large roll-up case that I think will be perfect for storing my makeup, but also comes with a medium size case that fits perfectly in my duffel bag, and even fits in a large purse. I was excited that I would be able to use it for the weekend, and the four sections of the case fit my organization needs.

Each little triangle section is a different category. From right to left, I have my skincare, then tools, then foundation, then frosting. The bonus is that each little triangle is actually removable, so I could have stuck any particular section in my purse at a moment's notice. I loved this little case and was so glad I decided to pick it up off HSN.

So what's inside it, what did I deem worthy enough to travel with me? Quite a bit actually!

Skincare:

-bareMinerals Purifying Facial Cleanser (travel size): I don't like it as much as the Foaming Cleanser, but I love that it's a travel size

-bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for Combination Skin (travel size): smells delicious and does a great job

-Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Hydrating (travel size): not my favorite primer ever, but the small size is excellent for travel and it does a decent job

-Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: the only eyeshadow primer that actually works for me, I would not leave home without it

Tools:

-bareMinerals Flawless Application Face Brush: perfect for applying bareMinerals Mineral Veil, Warmth and Rose Radiance

-bareMinerals Full Flawless Face Brush: for bareMinerals Original Foundation

-bareMinerals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush: for bareMinerals SPF 20 Concealer

-e.l.f. Studio Blush Brush: good for blending

-e.l.f. Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush: great basic eyeshadow brush

-e.l.f. Essential Smudge Brush: haven't used this one much since I just got it, but it's a great brush for bringing eyeshadow under the eye

-e.l.f. Essential Blending Eye Brush: this is a fantastic brush for smoothing out harsh lines and contouring in the crease

Foundation:

-bareMinerals Original Foundation in Fairly Light: my favorite everyday foundation

-bareMinerals SPF 20 Concealer in Bisque: fantastic concealer, covers everything

-bareMinerals Warmth All-Over Face Color: a subtle bronzer that adds a hint of color

-bareMinerals Rose Radiance All-Over Face Color: I use this as my everyday blush

Frosting:

-Benefit They're Real Mascara (travel size): not usually my everyday mascara, but definitely one of my favorites. Love the travel size option.

-L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 24 Hour in Blackest Black: got this in my last ULTA haul and I absolutely love it. It came with a great applicator brush, and it glides on the lid effortlessly. This is a definite staple.

-NYC IndividualEyes Custom Compact in Midtown Mauve: this is a little palette that has four really wearable colors. Including a primer and highlighter, this palette can be worn so many different ways, making it the perfect travel companion (I did not use the primer as I had my Urban Decay primer)

-NYX Cosmetics Butter Gloss in Eclair: another standout from my last ULTA haul, I am so glad I took the advice of other bloggers and tried this. It is a fantastic lip gloss and I love this color

Wow, looking back that is a long list of "essentials"! Everything I brought easily transferred from day to night looks, was easily transportable, and allowed me to keep with my beauty routine even on the road. The case was perfect for travel and I look forward to using it again in the future.

PS The Dave Matthews Band concert was awesome! I had never seen them live before, and I am so grateful to my friend for letting me tag along! We had such an amazing time. Thanks, Jen!

Treated Myself to an Ulta Haul

It has been a rough couple months blog-wise. As you can see, I've only updated the blog a few times recently. My busy time at work is from May through July, so as we enter into the hotter months I am going to have a bit more time to dedicate to you, my readers! So why not start out with my favorite of things: a new haul!!

There is something fantastic about a haul. The thrill of browsing through the store, the wonderful feeling when you feel the heft of your purchases in the shopping bag, the potential that comes with opening each item, and the ultimate buyer's remorse being repressed. It's just the best.

This month's haul is from Ulta, my favorite beauty destination as it holds every brand I love all under one roof. What a brilliant idea it is to have the prestige brands, plus traditional drugstore brands all in the same place. It's a one-stop shop, and I go there so much the manager knows me well.

Ulta was having a special this week on NYX and L'Oreal Paris, among other brands. After winning a L'Oreal prize pack during a Twitter chat, I fell in love with the brand. The quality is outstanding for a drugstore brand, all at reasonable prices. I especially love the haircare line. And, NYX is always a temptation for me. So at 40% off, I was incredibly excited to get to the store, I even made a shopping list!

-NYX Dream Catcher Palette: This eyeshadow palette reminds me of Urban Decay's Naked palettes. At over $50, I cannot justify buying any of those palettes (yet), even though I want Naked3 SO badly. But in the meantime, I'm very happy to buy this little gem and not spend over $10. With 10 great colors, I'm excited to experiment! I bought it in the collection "Stormy Skies."

-L'Oreal Paris Infallible Lacquer Liner: Saw this gel liner when scrolling through the sale items on the Ulta app and it caught my fancy. I have never tried gel liner before, but all the reviews for this product made it seem like this is a great introduction. I got it in the shade Blackest Black.

-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk: I had never heard of this until I saw the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Liner Review/Demo by LearningToBeFearless where she mentions it (check out her videos, she is wonderful). Apparently this eyeshadow stick can be used as an eyeshadow (fancy that), an eyeshadow base, a brightener for the waterline, etc. It's like the Jack of all trades of the eyeshadow world. I'm just worried about having to sharpen it!

-NYX Butter Gloss: I have to admit, I was trying to resist these. I have SO MUCH lip gloss, I could use a different lip gloss each day for the rest of my life and I feel like I'd still have some leftover that I didn't use. But as I make the rounds of beauty bloggers and vloggers, these glosses keep following me! Everyone raves about these, about how they're not sticky and how wonderfully pigmented they are. But as they are usually around $5+, I was able to pass on them. But at 40% off? No way, they were indeed going to be mine. My original intent was to get just one, but of course at the low price I bought two. I got the shades Creme Brûlée and Eclair. I've been wearing Eclair and I have to admit, it is great so far.

-Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo and Conditioner: I waited for these to go on sale. I read somewhere that texturizing shampoos were great if you want to curl your hair or even to hold a better pony tail. Plus I'd like to imagine my hair would look great with beachy waves. So I'm going to check this shampoo and conditioner out and see what happens. Either way, at least it smells good!

-NYX Suede Collection: This was my impulse buy! I happened to see it at the end of an aisle, on the bottom shelf. I hadn't even seen this palette online, I didn't know the price, I just went for it. The colors are gorgeous! I need to be more adventurous in my eyeshadows (nudes are not the only shades!), and this, combined with the Dream Catcher palette, should fit the bill.

I haven't had this big of a haul in a long time. I'm so excited to try all of it, it took all of my willpower to not open everything before I had the chance to photograph it!

PS Does anyone know if NYX is pronounced like "Nicks" or like separate letters like "N.Y.X." Comment below with the answer because I want to know!!