Water By Another Name-Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Lately I’ve had a real allergy to paying more than what I have to-like the dry shampoo products-why pay $30 or more for Living Proof, when I can get a product that works just as well, and does not smell, for a small fraction, really small fraction of the price?

So, I’ve been reading about micellar waters in Allure, Elle, Bazaar et al.  Micellar water is based on the concept that there are more molecules(?) packed into the same volume of liquid.

Having a higher density helps dissolve makeup and other impurities, without using soap.

Sisters with dry skin, this promise to both cleanse and not dry our skin, is like a beacon in the sky of hope.  At the m-phase of life, more than a few friends have experienced the drying of once oily or normal complexions and have joined the search for products that give us back the moisture and dewiness of our youth. 

Well ya know that Garnier is definitely the drug store version of the pricey French and otherwise micellar waters, so when it went on sale at Longs I decided to buy it.

I read anything extra, like “water-proof mascara” formula as more chemicals, so I bought the regular version.

I never wear water-proof mascara-so my mascara came off pretty easy. With the Garnier Micellar product, I can use a little on a cotton pad, and the eye makeup including mascara seriously slides off.  I’ve been using a Revlon Colorstay liquid eyeliner lately, and it removes most of that, except for what gets caught in the lower eyelashes.  I use a q-tip to remove what remains.

I do use a squirt of Cerave’s (thank you Leslie) moisturizing cleanser to take off the filmy feel left from the micellar water, but otherwise the product does the job.

The boast of using micellar water(s) is that your skin is cleaner and ready for anti-aging/treatment products.

I’m not sure how it works on sensitive skins, but for the drugstore price, it’s worth a try.

K

 

 

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Don’t Ya Hate It? MAC False Lashes Mascara

I recently received a sample of MAC’s False Lashes Extreme Black mascara and was super duper loving it for it’s lash separation and lengthening powers with no clumping.  Prior to that I was using some other MAC mascara, that over time started getting clumpy after an initial great start.

I don’t know if it’s me and I should be cleaning the mascara wand periodically or what, but almost all of my mascara ends up this way.  Although some like Estee Lauder’s Sumptous, starts out clumpy-prob from being overly ambitious in the thickening department.

Anyway.

I figure buying the new mascara at Windward Mall Macy’s would be a gamble-cuz, really, at the back of my mind I’m thinking that cosmetic products stay on the shelf longer at Windward Macys, 1) because of the size of the Kaneohe population and 2) that people probably would rather save and purchase Maybeline Great Lash or L’Oreal Voluminious, both great products at a lower price point.

I could get into Kaneohe Safeway’s expired products that live on the shelves long after the expiration date, but that’s another blog and everyone in Kaneohe who shops there already knows that fresh products are not to be found at Safeway. (Seriously, I was looking to buy one of their “bake-at-home” deli-pizzas and even they were expired.  I told the guy also shopping-“ya need to check the date.”)

Anyway.

It turns out after only a week of using the MAC product from WW Macys it is clumping already. Very sad. I figure this is because the product is old-since my sample tube, after weeks of using it, did not clump.

I know I have to take it back-no shame-if I pay $22 for a mascara, I want to use it.

Right?

K

Dr Glossy-Loma Organics

Readers of my blog know that I have had a love affair with Neuma organic shampoos and conditioners, smoothing creams + Kitoko oil.  Between the organic products and using glosses instead of ammonia-based hair color, I have given credit to using quality products for my hair’s awesome condition.

Many people do not realize that I have been coloring/glossing my hair for about 10 years now because I stuck with my natural color, once in awhile being talked into a small bit of highlights, which don’t suit me, so I abandon after one round (several times).

When I first started coloring I was using ammonia-based products (at the salon) and what I thought were good quality shampoos like S-Factor and Bedhead. Turns out only the Goldweil products, which are pricey, were the only ones that were not contributing to damaging my hair into a frizzy dry mess.

By the time I met Hillary J at Winam Studio, my hair was pretty crispy-which she coaxed back into condition by glossing. Add to that Lincoln Wang’s ever-changing selection at BOSS Beauty Supply on Nimitz.

Lincoln is always searching for the next great product to improve upon the last. On my last visit, I came in with freshly washed and dried hair-and since I’ve never been one to section my hair to dry, it was a bit “puffy”.

I was looking at the new “Loma” organic product line-and Lincoln suggested a squirt of their smoothing creme and tonic–adding from the back and bottom of my hair and working through the strands, ending up with the last bits of product for the front bangs.

Seriously, in seconds, my hair transformed from being puffy to being sleek and almost achieving the same look the stylist at the salon gives me.

I’m all about easy so I was in love at first sight with Loma.

Plus, the fragrance is pretty wonderful. I grew up in Japan when the erasers had a indescribable fruity-like scent, and the Loma products have the same lean.

Lincoln had/has a 3 pack of shampoo, conditioner and smoothing creme. I also purchased the tonic which is like a hair oil-not as thick as Neuma’s argan oil, but not as thin as Kitoko oil. (BOSS members receive a discount).

The Nourishing line is for “dry, thirsty and thrashed hair including chemically treated”, and the fragrance is actually cranberry and pear.

It also has “Creatine –35% more effective than any protein or keratin on the market at rebuilding the internal tensile strength of the hair especially color, foiled and bleached hair types. You can never overproteinize the hair when using Loma”.

I tested the product’s moisturizing power too. The next time I had my hair colored, I skipped the moisturizing treatment so I could see just how well the products worked.

The results are impressive. My hair almost achieves its pre-color virginity.

In case you go shopping in Hawaii-Lincoln has moved to the opposite side of Nimitz business center–he has relocated next door to Eagle cafe and Sensually Yours.

K

 

Hair Like A Wet Horse-L’Oreal

I have my Mom’s hair.

Thick strands and dense follicles.

Many people describe this type of Japanese hair as “horse” hair.

That is how I described it too until I actually felt a horse’s mane and tail for the first time.

I’ve always liked horses from afar-you know, little girl grows up dreaming of Black Beauty and reading The Black Stallion-drawing pictures or horses with long flow-y gossamer manes and tails.

The reality is very different on the silkiness of those manes and tails.

Which makes me wonder why would that shampoo company name their product “Manes and Tails”?

Anyway.

In reality, a horse’s mane and tail hair is almost rope-ish-like cords instead of strands.

It’s not stuff you can run your fingers through.

But never the less, when I struggle with drying my hair at h-club…

Yes, my hair is thick, long and shiny, but boy is it a pain in the rear to dry.

So, when I was searching for a dry shampoo, I also remembered reading about a L’Oreal product that protected your hair from heat drying AND also made the blow dry faster.

I found Advanced BLOW IT DRY Quick Primer Spray among the many many many L’Oreal products hogging up the shelves at Longs Kahala.

I was skeptical, but for $4.99 why not?

The product is easy to use- towel dry hair and spray some in and tousle through your hair.

I take a few more minutes to put on my make up, and by the time I blow dry, this product already has made my hair feel a little drier.  Any other time, my hair would still be sopping wet.

I don’t know yet about its heat protecting qualities, but this product definitely speeds up dry time. My hair is done in a jiffy.

I worry a little about putting another product on top of everything else, but at the end of the day, it’s just hair.

Horse or otherwise.

K

 

Hair Deodorizer-SG Invisible Dry Shampoo

I, like many women, have a very sensitive sense of smell–leave it to me to be the person in the room who makes a comment about smelling something funky-or otherwise shy away from the person or thing being funky.

All my life, men have told me this, and lamented the loss of the use of their cologne around me. Course that’s only if they want to be near me.

So,when it comes to my own fragrance, I am paranoid about how I smell.

In ballet class, most of us wear canvas ballet slippers because we can throw them in the wash and be fresh like a daisy-or at least the option is better than wearing leather slippers that, well, you know- bare feet and leather aren’t a good combo.

Or Sunday mornings at Longs.

Seriously, I don’t expect people to fall out of bed on the weekend and jump into the shower and suds up-and I don’t think other people think everyone else expects them to.

However, with my super smelling nose…

So, I wash my hair everyday because I can’t stand the smell of my scalp.

I always thought I was one of the few people who actually noticed until I walked into BOSS Beauty Supply on Nimitz to pick up my Neuma Smoothing Cream (smells like an orange dreamsicle) when the salesperson volunteered that she also was had the same self-awareness of her scalp.

I’ve tried dry shampoos before-like Paul Mitchell’s-and though it did the job of freshening, I didn’t like the fragrance.

I was thinking of trying Living Proof’s version-but I already anticipated I wouldn’t like the fragrance so I’ve been putting off trying it.

My client mentioned that hair loss can be attributed to bacteria on the scalp, so he highly recommends thoroughly drying the scalp every time I shampooed.

So, it makes it kind of like a catch-22- you have to wash your scalp to get rid of the bacteria, but washing your hair everyday is not recommended for color treated hair.

So…

Kahala Longs (on a non-Sunday) has a pretty good selection of hair products so it was just me and a 60-ish looking guy in the hair care aisle.

The array of product is pretty overwhelming–L’Oreal must have a 5-foot wide berth, and 3 shelves high, all by themselves.

Even so, L’Oreal did not have a dry shampoo.

But because, each store manager has discretion on what they buy for their branch, Kahala carries “Salon Grafix” “Professional” line. Only had shampoo, conditioner and “Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo” in the “line”- I decided the price was right at $2.99.

When i t comes to trying new stuff, don’t you just hate it when you buy something expensive and it’s a product fail-or otherwise?

 

Turns out, my “professional” invisible dry spray shampoo works like a dream.

Oh yeah, the reason I mention the guy in the aisle…

Any other time I would take the cap off and spritz some product into the air to check if it would pass the fragrance test, but somehow this old guy made me stop myself.

So, when I tried the product at home, I sprayed it into the air and took a whiff. Didn’t smell bad. Not sweet, not chemically-just smelled like not much.

But it works great.

I few sprays along the hair line and a swish into the hair and I’m done and smell free.

And the plus is, the product gives a good amount of oomph into my hair giving it a just out of bed look.

Well, at least it looks like I was just in bed.

Is that good or bad?

K