June Favorites!

So, the end of June is here! I'm doing a celebratory dance on this side of the screen, because July is my BIRTHDAY MONTH! I have lots of fun things planned for my 21st birthday, plus an awesome family vacation and a trip to Vegas with my best friend. But, before I get carried away with all the exciting things coming up, I thought I would take a second to review my favorites this month. I don't have a ton of favorites, but still some goodies that I want to share.

First on the list is Milani Baked Bronzer in 04 Glow.

Okay, it doesn't look like much. And I'm sure you're all thinking, "That bronzer is is hecka shimmery, and a little orange." Well, you aren't wrong, it is pretty shimmery. And it leans a little orange, but not too bad. This month I've been using just the tiniest bit of it over top of my blush, or in place of blush entirely. Honestly, I think it looks really pretty on the skin. It's summer time, and I don't know about you guys, but I want to look a little bit bronzed. This bronzer helps me achieve that glowy, sunkissed look that I want. I definitely don't use this to contour, and I don't put it all over my face. Just the tiniest bit on my cheeks, to make myself look more...summer-y.

Next, I have NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in the color Chantilly.

I am very, very pale, and very, very yellow. This stuff works great under my eyes to make me look bright and awake. It covers my dark circles really well. But the most amazing thing is, it sits on top of my lines fantastically. I don't have wrinkles, but because of the shape of my eye, I have some lines underneath my eyes that most concealers sink into. I'm not saying this stuff sits on top of them and completely disguises them, but it does a hell of a job of staying out of those creases and not accentuating any lines I might have. It never looks dry or cakey. I don't set it with powder, and it stays freakin' great. I love it. Worth the money.


Next favorite this month is the Loreal Color Riche Le Glosses in the colors Florid Pink and Raspberry Splash.

Florid Pink is on the left, Raspberry Splash is on the right. I believe they're limited edition, but I'm pretty sure you can still get them in your local drugstore. They smell absolutely delicious-- really sweet and yummy. They are a little sticky when first applied, but after a few minutes they settle in and feel great. They don't last forever, but I don't expect them to. They stay on my lips a good amount of time. They're really pigmented, as you can see. I just love them. They look great alone too. On a minimal makeup day, or when I'm heading to work, I'll just pop on some Florid Pink over bare lips and I'm good to go. It gives such a lovely, natural, glossy look to my lips that I can't get enough of.

This month I've also been loving MAC eyeshadow in All That Glitters.

I swear, this color is amazing. In the swatch, it looks pretty bronze and gold. That's pretty true to color, but in the light it sometimes looks like it has a touch of pink and the gold is more apparent. It's absolutely gorgeous. Perfect for summer to achieve that sunkissed look. I wear it alone all over my lid when I'm not wanting to bother with more than one color on my eyes. But it also looks fab with something in the crease and a defined outter V. I freakin' love it.


My last favorite for this month is my Z-Palette. I'm pretty sure I have the Pro size, but I bought it off amazon so I'm not entirely sure. I filled it with my Wet and Wild eyeshadow palettes, which took forever and a day. But the finished product is nice, and I'm happy I finally have all those shadows stored in one palette. I plan on buying more palettes soon, but I don't ever want to depot Wet and Wild eyeshadows again. They don't stick well in the palette, so I had to put my own magnets on and deal with that mess. Anyway, here is the finished product:

If you're interested, I fit two of the eight pan palettes and five of the trios in there.


That's all for today, ladies and gents. Hope you had a great month!

Gianna

Curly Girl Method Starter Kit

I went out and hauled all the products for my new hair care routine today, and I thought it would be helpful to post about what I got. All of the products listed below are sulfate and silicone free. Before I list the products,the picture below is my "before" picture.

This is my hair on what I would consider a good hair day. As you can see, my hair is pretty thin and I have relatively loose curls, though I would not consider them waves. My hair is pretty frizzy at the ends, where it is lacking moisture. Overall, I think my hair looks okay. I could use some more definition and some more moisture. I do not like my curls to be too clumped-- I think it looks nicer when my curls are a little separated.

Here are the products I bought today:

On the left, I have Suave Naturals Conditioner in Tropical Coconut. It's a pretty popular drugstore option for cowashing. Here is a picture of it:

For a rinse-out, I chose Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner. It's says "silicone free" right on the bottle. It's cheap, and I've heard it's a nice rinse out for a moderate amount of moisture. I'll give it a shot. Here it is:

Now, here is the part that's a little controversial. I bought the Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo. Now, you're probably like, "Wait a second Gianna, I thought you said no shampoo!" You're right, I did. But this shampoo is free of all those harsh ingredients and is totally natural. I won't use it every day, or maybe not even every week. But I will use it when my hair is just needing a good cleansing, like after I swim or if my hair is just weighed down from product. It's a little expensive, but it's got some great ingredients that make the price (in my opinion) worth it.

For a deep treatment, I bought the Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Masque. Another kind of expensive product, but I wanted a heavier conditioner for the days when I use shampoo to restore the moisture. I won't use it all the time-- only when my hair is needing some TLC. By the way, I bought the two Shea Moisture products at Walgreens. I had a $5 off coupon, so I spent $15 for both. Here's a picture:

Next, I bought L.A. Looks Sports Gel. This is a curly girl approved and highly rated styling gel that supposedly has a nice hold and gives good definition. It's cheap and widely available. Hopefully it doesn't get too crunchy on me. But I am used to styling my hair with two big handfuls of strong hold mousse, so I should be okay. Here is a picture of the product:

For a leave-in conditioner, I bought Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave in Detangler. I've heard great things about this leave in. My hair also gets extremely knotted, especially on the second day. Hopefully this leave in can take care of it. Here is a picture:

If you would like to see my review/first impression of these products, click here.


And there you have it, folks. Tomorrow I'm doing my last sulfate shampoo and starting on this new journey.
If any of you are interested, here is a list of the products I am getting rid of:
Kirkland Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner
Garnier Fructis Style Curl Construct Mousse
Tresemme Nourishing Rituals Rejuvenating Masque
Frizz-Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-in Conditioning Spray
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment
Suave Naturals Daily Clarifying Shampoo

Now, just for a little background information, the Kirkland Shampoo and Conditioner are actually sulfate free. I use these on a daily (or every other day) basis. Once a week, I use the Suave Clarifying Shampoo. This is the product I will be using tomorrow. However, I hope that my transition period is not too long because my hair is pretty used to sulfate-free products already. However, it is exposed to sulfates on a weekly basis, and silicones on a daily basis. Fingers crossed my hair doesn't go crazy. Hope my starter kit helps you in finding some good products to start with as well.


Wishing you a fantastic day!

Gianna