Review Time: Davines Alchemic Conditioner (red)

Review Time: Davines Alchemic Conditioner (red)

Hello, yes, it is me, Samantha- comin' in hot from a long as hell hiatus.

It's nice to see ya'll again.

No more excuses and introductions, let's just get right into this review!

So lately I've been blonde, and by blonde I mean, holy hell, blonderexic Barbie, baby girl what is you doing?! blonde.

Ok, I was also doing extensions too. No judgments. I don't know who I thought I was but I was feeling it.

So after the extensions and the blonding my hair was starting to get a bit crunchy, and not in a cute hippie granola kind of way but in a full on crunch city, hair breaking off in the brush kind of way. And I thought, hey... I'm already blonde, I don't have side jobs anymore where I have to worry about having "natural" hair colors anymore. Let's be weird.

So I threw a lavender/silver on it.

(I swear I'm getting to the review, I just wanted to show off this sick color.)

But as the lavender faded and my hair was just looking more and more ashy blonde, I really wanted to go for another color but didn't want anything permanent or anything super staining.

Enter- Davines.

Davines Alchemist Conditioner in red

$30

I work with Davines quite a bit at my salon. The majority of my hair product is exclusively Davines in fact, but this was one of those outlier products I never really had a chance to use before. So when I told my friend/coworker/bff that I wanted to try pink, she immediately tried to talk me out of it because she knew it would stain my hair something fierce and instead talked me into color conditioners. 

Color conditioners are exactly what the same implies, it's a conditioner with color pigment inside. Originally it was meant to help keep colored hair pigmented until your next touch up/color refresh BUT on super blonde/light hair, it will act like a color stain and wash out in a handful of washes. Super fun, really easy right? 

This is the Davines red conditioner after we applied it to wet hair (we used about 1/3-1/2 of the bottle to cover my whole head), and left it on for about 15-20 minutes. (basically however long it takes to braid someones hair and watch most of an episode of Grace and Frankie on Netflix (which all of you should watch, btw).

AND BAM, HOT PINK! Cute right? We did this before Valentine's Day so it was super appropriate.

So to test this out, I used whatever products I wanted (which ended up being Davines' Nou Nou shampoo and conditioner, or the AG balance shampoo and conditioner) and used hot water in my shower and basically did nothing to help this color last to see how long it would truly go. 

This picture was after about 4-5 washes.

Definitely still had the pink and all, but it was a much softer cotton candy pink. (If you wanted to achieve this straight away you could mix the red conditioner with a regular conditioner until you have a more pastel color to work with).

But in 4-5 washes, it's got a pretty strong fade out.

And I was pretty much back to blonde after 8-9 washes. There's still a tinge of pink at the very bottom layer of my hair, but my hair is also notoriously stubborn and hates to let go of colors. 

All in all-

Pros: Super fun, lots of colors to choose from, doesn't last forever, easy to apply, hydrated my hair and didn't leave any damage, smells nice, didn't stain my shower

Cons: Doesn't last forever, only lasts about 8-10 washes, kinda pricey? (not really though)

The Davines conditoner is formulated with a lot of really nice ingredients like hydrolyzed milk proteins that will coat your hair to soften and add shine, and although it has a steep price you don't really need to use that much unless you're pulling a Samantha and coating your entire head in it. And frankly, even if you did, you don't have to do it EVERY time you use it if you're trying to keep the pink going. Now if you're trying to make a pastel pink, you can definitely use equal parts Davines red and a regular conditioner and that will DEFINITELY stretch out your stash for awhile. 

There's also a few other companies who've made a similar product like Joico's Color Butters and Viral Wash shampoos and conditioners. Temporary hair colors have gotten really really sophisticated lately! (Like did ya'll see the color changing color Pravana put out for a brief time? Super cool stuff!)

If you ever want to try a party color but don't want the commitment, or if you have some wild colors and don't want them to fade fast- I would seriously give it a try. 

If nothing else, it's a suuuuuper boujie conditioner that makes your hair feel amazinnnngggggg!

-SamanthaK

The Wedding Series: The Bachelorette Party

The Wedding Series: The Bachelorette Party

Ok, I know it's a little weird to be broadcasting my bachelorette party- but honestly, I'm a blogger and textbook over-sharer. Nothing really phases me, and to add the cherry on top- nothing really scandalous happened. 

To put things in perspective- for my wedding, I have 0 bridesmaids.

"No bridesmaids?" I hear you gasp.

I know, I probably gave you all a shock that I'm not harassing my 5-10 best friends into doing a bunch of shit for me.

But here's the argument I lay at your feet-

My friends don't live close to me. One is in Texas, one lives in Southern California, one DOES live close to me- but she works basically 6/7 days a week and is a very busy lady.

It was just honestly unrealistic to ask a bunch of grown ass women to shuttle themselves back and forth for showers, parties, the dress fittings, finding MY dress, etc. And then on top of that, they have to shell out money for the dress, the hair, the makeup, the bachelorette party, help set up the showers and parties... it was just nuts. 

And to put it in perspective, when I told one of them I wasn't doing bridesmaids- her exact words were, "Oh nooo, you mean I don't have to shove myself in an ugly dress and be at your beck and call? What a disappointment."

Which, made me laugh real hard when I read it.

And also, here's my argument for the no-bridesmaids thing:

You get to include all your friends into the fun stuff.

Nothing is more insulting than trying to pick 5 out of 7 of your friends and designate them as "the best". And the truth of weddings is- bridesmaids are kind of a nightmare to pick, Because in addition to picking only 5 of your tight group, now parts of that list MUST be family which takes it down to 2 and God forbid you have more on your side than the groomsmen side- because apparently it looks "tacky" and "lopsided, and "really Samantha, do you have to show off how many friends you have?"

So, my option was to remove the entire equation and hit delete. It just seems silly to throw my friends in dresses than look like sausage casings and then separate them from their husbands to sit at a designated table where NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS EACH OTHER. It's stupid, guys.

So I should preface that my friends are really, really cool. I've known all of them for at least 10+ years and frankly more. (Some of them my whole life). They are also a very wide range of "types"- one is adventurous, one is pragmatic, etc. 

But the thing they all have in common is they're good listeners. And when I told them, "Hey, for the bachelorette party, I kind of just want to do a girls night, or a trip and skip the gross, penis themed stuff and the stripper stuff."- they actually listened and ended up creating probably not only the best trip I've ever been on, but definitely the best bachelorette party I've ever been to.

CAUSE MY FRIENDS TOOK ME TO DISNEYLAND.

I hope you're jealous, because it was great.

I didn't have to schedule anything, I didn't have to worry about anything. I wasn't in charge of any of the plans. I don't think I've ever had this much fun in a weekend in my life. And by not doing bridesmaids, I got to invite little sisters and my cousin to the party without feeling like they weren't part of the group- because they really are. These are little sisters I treat like family, and my cousin who's been helping me pretty much with EVERYTHING about the wedding. (Sorry Katey, I know making bridal shower games is kind of the worst).

So Natalie, who really I would designate as Maid of Honor if I had bridesmaids, I have known my entire life. We grew up down the street from each other and pretty much did everything together (except sports, I suck at tennis you guys- like I REALLY suck.) 

Natalie is also a concierge in Texas. And I don't know what voodoo she did to make this happen, but we got rooms at not only one of the nicest hotels, but we got FANCY rooms with a view of the fireworks at night.

The hotel is called the Hotel Indigo in Anaheim

http://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/reservation

It's in walking distance from the park, next to a CVS and it's trendy as hell.

Which my friends and I promptly destroyed minute one with signage, alcohol, and exploding suitcases..

The bride to be signs were brought my Katey and I don't know where they came from- but she also found bachelorette themed cups and "team bride" pins.

THEN, because my friends are precious, adorable people, they all brought their own little gifts for everyone. I don't know if they planned to do that? Or if everyone was just on the same wave length?

So "little" Sarah, brought Jamberry nail wraps- which if you haven't tried before they are REALLY fun. They're nail stickers for people who suck at nail art. BUT, they have Disney themed wraps!

https://www.jamberry.com/us/en/

They're really fun, and pretty easy. (More difficult for me, because I was about 2 drinks in when I was trying to figure them out.)

"Big" Sarah ended up bringing flash tattoos, WHICH ARE ALSO REALLY FUN AND ADDICTING. I'm not 100% sure where she got hers, but they pop up all over the place and you can probably find them on amazon- but basically if you're really into wearing jewelry but also really like temporary tattoos or anything relating to Coachella, these are the stuff. On top of that, she brought those hair ties that are knotted at the ends (do those things have names? I have no idea. I'm a terrible beauty guru) which ended up being really handy.

Katey in addition to all the signage, brought the tiniest bottles of wine I've ever seen (which I kind of didn't even know existed).

And then on the practical side of things- Gracie organized pretty much all the dinners and was our general tour guide on where to find the best things (apparently cream cheese filled pretzels exist there and I HAD NO CLUE. Also, she somehow scored us fancy name pins that were bedazzled and I didn't know those were a thing either.) And Natalie was in charge of tickets, the hotel and the car.

Now for those of you that know me pretty well, you know I usually do all the planning for trips because I'm that guy. Anal, and annoying. I know, I'm SORRY,  Ok?!

So I couldn't back seat drive my friends and didn't know what else to do- so I spoiled them to fun things too.

I had sweatshirts custom made from an Etsy shop called Bride and Entourage (link below). They were incredibly great to work with, customized the order to my specifics and the girls LOVED them. 

And they weren't that expensive either! I think with shipping it was probably less than $40 per sweater. And they do all kinds of different stuff. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for bridesmaid gifts, or gifts for the moms or something. (Definitely thinking about ordering more for the wedding!)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrideAndEntourage

I know they're a little hard to see, but they all say "bachelorette party" on them (except my "Bride" sweater), then there are glitter bows, and on the hoods I had them all specified to have their own names on them. Because as Katey would say, "It's gangster."

We got stopped, I couldn't even tell you how many times, by people asking where these came from and where we got them. For some reason there were actually 2 or 3 other bachelorette parties there that weekend and we definitely looked the coolest.

(And for those who want to know, yes the glitter bows and lettering stayed on through several washes and I haven't had any problems with peeling. Mine looks just as nice as when I bought it.)

My other big gift for the girls was customized 31 Bags that had their names on them. I opted for a bigger bag that was lined so they could use it to store tablets safely, or to put more "breakable" makeup in.

https://www.mythirtyone.com/msesock/shop/Catalog/ItemDetail/8256?refCategory=S106&isSummary=False

I did the black and white stripe pattern because it's claaaasic. 

But I figured, my girls are spoiling me, so I should spoil them.

But really, it was just one of those occasions where everyone was in the right spirit and mood and fun just kept rolling in.

We pretty much did EVERYTHING- World of Color, the fireworks shows, the Mad Hatter tea party rave thing.

And to be fair, it kind of helped that it was also pretty much half of our groups birthdays in the 2 weeks surrounding the trip so we had a lot to celebrate and people were pretty much trying their hardest to spoil us the entire time. 

Like Gracie's mother in law bought us all drinks at the Napa Rose, which by the way was so much fancier than I expected and I maybe shouldn't have rolled in with a Jansport backpack and sweat covered tank top like some hillbilly, but it was amazing.

(Which, by the way, Gracie if you haven't told your mother in law thank you, from me, I'm going to smack you on the mouth.)

And Natalie let me basically force her to try on every hat we came across to the point where I pretty much made her her own tumblr and hashtag for it.

#nattyhats2016, yall.

So as for bachelorette party advice, I don't really know what I can tell you other than be honest about what you want or don't want.

Straight up though, I just have a bunch of really amazing friends who are just good AT being my friends.

I mean look at these weirdos, could you ask for anything better?

(Side note, we re-took this hotel lobby picture about 5 times and this was as good as we could get it- but it really says a lot about us as a group. Also, can we all appreciate that none of us gave a shit about ruining the picture?)

-SamanthaK

Current Favorites, Wedding Stress, and Other Things

Current Favorites, Wedding Stress, and Other Things

Hey guys, remember me?

Me either.

I don't blame you.

I'm not going to apologize or say that I was "busy" or had "better things to do"- because the truth is this blog was just on the very bottom on the priority list that included my wedding, the other wedding related parties, a new puppy, etc.

We did get a puppy though. Dumbest mistake of my life, but ultimately very very worth it. (Like real kids, right?)

Leo is very handsome and very smart (and also chews up all my furniture, but that's a whole other thing right now).

But I promise I didn't forget about the blog. I didn't. I just suck at life, SORRY BOUT IT.

However in the vein of this blog, I do have some current favorites that have been REALLY surprising actually!

So recently a few of my childhood friends decided that they didn't really want to put together a bachelorette party in the traditional sense and instead decided that we were going to Disneyland instead.

OBVIOUSLY I WAS VERY EXCITED.

So needless to say, I do what I always do and try to plan ALL my outfits like a month ahead of time and also try to put together a makeup kit that is small but works with a lot of different problems.

Now Disneyland as we all know usually means long wear makeup and makeup that holds up to a lot of circumstances- water, sweat, etc. To be fair, we're going in February so it probably most likely means rain.

But you know me, I ain't playing around with constant touch ups but I wanna look flawless in all the pictures. So I went on my makeup spree of testing out a bunch of nonsense until something clicked.

Now for me personally, I'm not a fan of full on makeup for Disneyland. I don't want to spend a lot of time retouching, or skipping rides or events cause I might get wet or smear my eyebrows, or whatever. So I really wanted something that would pretty much stay in place but looked and felt more natural, but if it smudged it wouldn't be a BIG deal.

So naturally, I figured I'd try the cushion compacts that have become soooo popular right now.

For those of you who are new here, Korean and Asian skincare has become the gold standard. And now that they're so common and popular and America has copied what they can, they then branched into Korean and Asian makeup. This is where the BB cream craze came from.

Now cushion makeups are a really interesting idea.

www.misshaus.com

So the idea here is that it's a compact that can completely seal closed and inside is a sponge that has absorbed your foundation. To apply, you use the provided velvet puff to pat/dip into the sponge, gather product and then apply to the skin. 

It's actually incredibly clever. Lancome I believe is copying the idea and I know there's a couple in the drugstore market.

Now here's the drawback to this: usually the color selections aren't that great because they aren't widely popular yet. I just happen to be quite fair and neutral under toned so I'm a little lucky.

Anyway, after looking around and doing reviews I decided to go for the ones with higher reviews and the ones from Asian skincare companies.

Like, sorry America, but their compacts have SPF and really nice quality ingredients. Sorry bout it.

Missha Magic Cusion is the one I've been trying and falling in love with. (They only have 2 colors and I'm using the lightest one. Number 21? I believe?)

I SOOOOOO like this. Very very very much, and here's why:

My skin isn't naturally too bad. It can be a little red in areas and I might have some breakouts happening but nothing that's so terrible. And I have a lot of freckles which I actually like. So this literally applies like a dream (the consistency is very very wet/runny. It's incredibly liquid.) and it smooths my skin out, covers the reddness, but allows my skin to really show through and breathe. It has a natural look that looks like actual skin.

So between this and a little concealer on spots or under the eyes and I'm good to go. I do usually set this with my powder but that's mostly just to get it to last as long as I possibly can (10-14 hour days). 

If you want a very natural skin like look that actually makes your skin BETTER the longer you use it- this is amazing.

And the best part?

On amazon, it's less than $20 and usually it comes with a refill sponge. It's amazing, And the packaging for the compact is great too. Because it has a secondary lid, you can open it up and use the mirror to reapply or throw on lipstick, whatever- it doesn't dry out the sponge. It's still all nicely sealed inside.

5/5 stars, love it. 

Next up in skincare is from Korea too I believe. 

Skinfood has been a brand I've been really enjoying but in particular the Black Sugar Mask. 

www.us.memebox.com

The price on this varies depending on where you buy it from, but I'm a bit amazon fan and on there I think it was around $15.

This couldn't be any better for my skin. It kind of has the same consistency has thick honey and sugar and smells like it too. How I use it is I apply to a damp face and scrub for a little while to exfoliate and then just leave it on for about 10 minutes (or more if you're watching tv and get distracted like I do). Then I kinda rub it in a little bit more before I rinse it away.

My skin has never felt better and the dry flakey nonsense just disappears. It's incredible. I usually have to fight the dry flakey skin all the time, and this mask I do once or twice a week and it's made such a difference in my skin. And I've noticed my breakouts have really subsided and my skin has a much clearer look to it. (Now I think the Missha compact has also helped too in that department, but the combo of the 2 has definitely been holy grail worthy.)

For reference my skin is oily but incredibly dehydrated. Meaning, my skin has oily tendencies (eats through makeup, acne, etc) but I have dry flakey patches that also help oil build up (yeah I know, gross.)

So next up on the list: Mascara.

Now we all know I love my Better Than Sex mascara from Too Faced, but the problem is it's not waterproof. (Too Faced, seriously, get on top of this.)

So I had to go a-searchin. 

And I'm not a fan of most waterproofs because either they just plain aren't, or they are so dry it turns into a flakey mess, or it makes your lashes brittle.

But I had heard about the Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara for bottom lashes and I figured I should just try and give it a shot.

www.covergirl.com

So I bought it in the water resistant formula in the color black. 

Ok, so I was sort of surprised by this one. It really coats the lashes, and has a nice bend in the wand (it reminds me a lot of a plastic version of the Eyeko mascara wand), and it's surprisingly very natural, but unnatural at the same time.

It's very lengthening, for sure. Like, eyelashes to your eyebrows crazy sometimes. It's not super advanced on the volume end but it's enough volume to look natural- which is why I was kinda confused.

I'm normally a volume girl. Like, how much can I add to make it look like I'm wearing a strip of false lashes? But I really liked the look of this. It has a natural but very defined lash look. It combs though, really grabbing every stubby lash I have without adding an insane amount of bulk to it- which in the end made my eyes less irritated through the day.

And speaking of the day, it lasted through hot irons, long blow dries, sweating, shopping, splashes of water- everything.

But it removes like a dream with my face wash.

I love it. It's definitely up there on my holy grail favorites now. 

And really, I think if I just applied a 3rd coat, I could probably get the volume I normally like.

Now for some other favorites:

Current favorite tv show- The Amazing Race.

Ok, where the hell have I been that I've never watched this show before? It's amazing. (PUN INTENDED).

It's like Survivor, but dumber. And it's not like Survivor where there's a lot of strategy involved. Basically the only way to win the show is to slow down, read the clues and use common sense. AND NO ONE DOES IT.

It's great, I'm sorry. I've seen 3 seasons already and I'm just binge watching my way through them all. 

And I will add, I know it's dumb. I know reality/game show tv shows are kind of the bottom barrel of smart things to watch but I don't care. It's funny and I like that.

Plus Roger and I watch it together and we both yell at the tv and cringe and laugh together and it's been a really nice stress release from the wedding and all the things that come with it.

(Plus when you're paying for a wedding, you're too poor to go see a movie or do something EdUcAtIoNaL. We're kinda limited to Netflix and we've already seen probably 99% of it.)

Current favorite book- The Diva Rules by Michelle Visage.

http://michellevisage.com/the-diva-rules

Um. Ok, so first of all- I love RuPaul and pretty much anything he touches- but I've really over the years kind of fallen in love with Michelle Visage too. She's a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race (which if you haven't watched that, stop this and go do that right now. It's not Netflix and Hulu I think, or on Logo Tv's website. It's amazing and you learn a ton. Go there now.).

But here's the reason I like her- she tells you who she is, and what she wants without being a total bitch about it. 

Because the truth is, as people I feel we've been conditioned that being blunt or saying what you want means you're a bitch and the reality is that it's not even close.

Being strong and confident and honest has nothing to do with being a royal bitch. And being a diva and a bitch are not the same thing. I mean, yeah, you can be both- but they can be separated too.

And that's something I've always personally struggled with, because I feel like being blunt and saying what I want has given me a bitch label before- and so often as to make me really shy away from asking for things I want or thing I deserve.

Her book, however, shows you the difference between the two. You are allowed to be confident and say, "I really want this" without throwing a hissy fit, throwing people under the buss, or worse yet- treating yourself like shit because you put too much value in how other perceive you. 

And peppered into her "diva lessons", she shows you examples in her own life. Her anecdotes show that she went after things that she liked saying, "I worked hard and I want this" and not "I'm better than everyone else and I deserve this."

I just have a lot of respect for her and I like how she puts herself out there. 

Plus her book is great and smart and funny. If you like memoir type things with lessons in them (a la Amy Pohler or Tina Fey's books) then you'll probably like this.

And lastly- a random "other thing" favorite:

RuPaul's podcast with Michelle Visage called "What's the Tee?"

I usually listen to this via SoundCloud (it's free).

So, originally I started listening to this because I liked RuPaul's Drag Race so much. It's campy and silly and fun, but there's a lot (like, a ton really) of talent involved. I had the feeling the podcast would be similar to that- but it's actually so much more.

I have learned so much about people and different trade skills on there, it's crazy. And I mean, yeah, sometimes it's silly and I enjoy that too (like I think on one of the episodes, Michelle and Ru talked about General Hospital for like 15 minutes) but listening to the guests they bring on has been so cool.

One in particular I really liked was when they had Mathu Andersen on (which is RuPaul's makeup artist, from what I understand). I just love how he explained what being a makeup artist is really like, and how it isn't about you- but it's about making an authentic character or being authentic to your muse. 

But I've been really addicted to these shows and I listen to them on my drive to work. You can learn a lot of really cool stuff from a big range of people.

So, anyway, I hope you didn't miss me too much. Hopefully this makes up for some of the absence.

And ideally soon, we'll have some more to look forward to, too.

-SamanthaK 

The Wedding Series: Wedding Dress Shopping (part 2: The reckoning)

The Wedding Series: Wedding Dress Shopping (part 2: The reckoning)

So we all remember the nightmare that was wedding dress shopping right?

If not, please allow yourself to scroll further down my posts until you find the first try-on session. It's worth looking at, I promise. There's some embarrassing pictures of me- you'll love it.

So allow me to fill you in on what's happened since then.

FIRSTLY, the wedding was scaled down a ton, basically we were turning into a 20 person small wedding/elopement. AND I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT TOO, IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU MEDDLING PARENTS.

Actually the fathers were super on board with it, the mothers tarred and feathered me so to say. (But in the nicest of ways, I promise.)

So once again the wedding scaled right back up and again Roger and I have been sentenced to live in the poor house for many years. (Joke's on you parents, now we can't afford to have your precious grand-children right away. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.)

With wedding dress shopping part one, I think you all saw that the dresses I was trying on were maaaaaaybe a bit out of the range in terms of the venue, the price, etc. And yes, I agree they were pretty much all terrible.

So allow me to spin you a tale:

So literally in the last week or so, we decided on a wedding day, we saw a venue, we booked a venue, we met with a caterer/baker, we picked out our flowers, we booked our rentals, we decided on decor, and somewhere in the mix of that we suddenly did the math and figured out I'd have to pick a dress in a matter of a week or 2 to have time to order it and have it tailored by the wedding.

It only occurred to me that the wedding is in 7 months. Now for those of you who have done a wedding before, you're all starting to panic with me. 7 MONTHS DOESN'T MEAN SHIT IN THE WEDDING WORLD APPARENTLY. 

I have been yelled at no more than on several occasions for not having this planning done MONTHS ago. 

Also, my apologies to anyone who has started freaking out because they've heard literally nothing about my wedding in a very long time- that is because nothing has happened til last week. MY BAD.

So the panic of wedding dress shopping finally set in and in a big, big way.

So I decided long ago I didn't want to have a dress made. It's too much lost in confusion, I didn't want to open myself up for miscommunication on something really important and frankly- I don't know shit about wedding dresses and fabrics. The dress maker would have probably murdered me before the process was over.

My only option from there is to hit the stores.

I went to a boutique style place first and honestly, it wasn't a bad experience at all. I popped in by myself, I tried on some stuff and ultimately it wasn't a bad day. It actually helped me narrow it down by a lot. Of course I sent pictures to my mom, of course she cried over one that I didn't like and insisted I should have bought it, and she needed to see it and all that. (Basically it was like the first time trying dresses on- something looked good on me, I hated it, everyone was pissed.)

Also, I did take pictures, but I accidentally deleted them so, whoops. Deal with it.

So then I popped to another shop a block over and there was literally nothing in there I liked. I didn't try a single thing on. It was all ball gown and puff-balls galore. It was all bad.

So I was out with my mom on another day and she basically twisted my arm into going to this place that we all know it's terribly over my budget. I kind of fretted about it a bit but when your mom tells you to do something- you kind of just have to do it. Like anyone in a good southern-German family- you learn to fear your mother.

Also, she had been spending days trying to convince me to do to San Francisco to find dresses and I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPENSIVE.

We must have looked around forever and I could see the appointment going downhill because frankly, I am very picky. I think most people who have gone clothes shopping with me know that by now. I will turn away things based on ANYTHING I don't like- which is why I went shopping by myself beforehand. If the sales-person hates me, I don't care. If it's my mom, I feel bad.

So I agreed to try on 2 dresses. One I actually cared about and one that was totally just for my mom to have that ~*~*~*ExPeRiEnCe~*~*~*.

As we can see, there is a small look of horror on my face by this point.

But honestly, this is what really happened and what saved the appointment:

So this is actually the second dress I put on. The first one, a completely different style I put on I actually hated at first- but when I went out into the natural light- it all of a sudden came into place. I had a feeling it might be a contender because I was sort of reluctant to take it off.

My mom and I couldn't figure out what it was about the first dress we didn't like, but there was something kind of off about it. Yes it was a less than traditional color and even a non-traditional style but it was the first time I felt something bridal and special and so it was a very confusing couple of minutes. It wasn't til I started playing with the straps that all of a sudden it was like, BOOM. Once I altered the straps a little it was like, precision perfect. Even with my slightly pudgy belly and arms, my disgusting hair, and  the fact that I was sweating a little- I felt good about myself and my body.

And no one cried. Somehow my mother managed to keep it together, I got my bridal moment, and everything was pretty good.

But of course you don't stop at the first dress, and this is when the puff ball arrived. 

My theme is kind of Southern Gothic- which is the bane of my family's existence right now because they want southern elegance/burlap and lace. And when I say, "Yeah but add black to it" they all kind of flipped out and spun off into space and their heads probably exploded. 

So my mom pulled this one which is very traditional southern and very popular with the brides in my area.

So I'm sliding this 3 inch thick, completely boned, monstrosity on and I had a feeling this was going to be a problem. These are the kinds of dresses I look good in, great even. BUT while everyone is focused on how it looks, I'm sweating to death inside a sausage casing. Needless to say, this is not my favorite look. In fact, it's kind of a nightmare for me. 

Preparing for a verbal rumble, I came out to the bridal floor, wearing a dress that honestly had no marks against it other than I just hated it. 

And my mom laughed.

She straight up laughed at me.

And then I laughed, and she said, "I'm sorry, it's not that it looks bad. It just doesn't look like you at all."

And that was it. I took off that dress and that was the end of the puff-ball dresses. I have yet to try on another one, and I don't think I ever will (God willing.)

It's been about a week or so since that other dress and I'm still thinking about it. Every time I show someone pictures of it, they don't know what to think at first but they all come around to it once I tell them the full plan. 

My mother in law cried though, which I'll take as a good sign.

So now the plan is to finally round the girls up and take them over there to get a final verdict but I'm 99% it's a winner.

WHICH IS WHY I CAN'T POST ANY MORE PICTURES, SORRY.

I don't want to ruin the surprise, trolls!

Umm, so advice time, I guess.

Don't get too caught up, try to enjoy the process.

Do whatever your mom says, unless she's telling you to buy a dress you don't like. I didn't have that problem exactly, but I did have people trying to push me into dresses I know I didn't like. 

You're allowed to be picky. It's a very expensive wedding dress and it's going to be in all of your pictures. Try to find something you love and not something you can "deal with".

Searching for a dress is like finding a husband. I thought Roger was weird at first too, and I tried to find flaws but it turned out it was perfect for me despite it being "nontraditional". 

Turns out weird and nontraditional are kind of my thing. Who would have known?

-SamanthaK

My Too Faced Love Affair

My Too Faced Love Affair

Can we just talk about Too Faced for a minute?

The whole affair with the brand started with a couple little randoms here and there. You know, the little travel sized bottles in the check out line, the Christmas sets that show up every year in adorable packaging, etc.

So one day in the checkout line, they had one of those little boxed samples of the Chocolate Soliel Bronzer and the Better than Sex Mascara together.

WELL WE ALL KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE MASCARA.

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/mascaras/better-than-sex-mascara/

This is by far one of the best mascaras I have ever used and I wish this came in every color of the rainbow and in waterproof so that it would be the only brand I would ever need in my entire life because this is the shit. Seriously, this mascara is THE SHIT. I haven't used any other (except my one waterproof mascara. Seriously, Too Faced, why isn't the Better than Sex mascara in waterproof too?) mascara since discovering this.

Like, do you want your lashed big, fat, and fluffy (like me? jk.) ? Yes, you do. Everyone does. Don't be that guy who bucks the system just because you wanna feel different.


And the bronzer you ask?

photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/bronzers/chocolate-soleil/

It's also amazing. It's so rich in it's pigment, easy to blend, not too orangey but still warm. My only gripe is more of a personal gripe- which is the color is too dark for me. BUT, FEAR NOT FRIENDS! Too Faced makes a lighter version of this called Milk Chocolate and a darker one called Dark Chocolate SO WE CAN ALL BE BEAUTIFULLY BRONZED.

For me though, because the color is darker, I can use it as more of a warm contour shade SO, it's not a total loss. (Plus it was a sample size, so, it's not like it's gonna take me forever to get through it.)

So then, there was a ton of hype surrounding the chocolate bar themed palette and because I'm a sucker for hype sometimes- I bought it.

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/eye-shadow-palettes/chocolate-bar-eye-shadow-collection/

All of the "chocolate" stuff from Too Faced (the bronzer as mentioned above, the cocoa powder foundations, the chocolate bar palette, etc) has the nicest scent of cocoa powder. It's delicious. I usually gravitate to those products purely for the smell alone. 

But aside from that, the colors on this palette are LOVELY. Now, that being said, there are some colors I wish would have been swapped out. Not so much because they aren't nice and the pigmentation is terrible, but because a lot of the colors are a bit too similar for my personal taste. I wouldn't have mind if some of the middle range shimmer shades were just done in matte, or something like that so they didn't seem TOO similar. You can kinda tell on the left hand side there's a couple shades in there that are pretty similar.

BUT, I kinda get it. I mean, when you theme something to chocolate, you kinda have to stick to chocolate shades and there's only so many candy browns in the world. (Except, wtf, why is there a purple in there? Like I get the cherry chocolate one, but that purple is like, what? Why?)

So then I kind of went crazy down the Too Faced Train....

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/foundations/cocoa-powder-foundation/

The Cocoa Powder Foundation is so nice. Super nicely milled, easy to apply, color (on me) is perfect. Just slightly yellow enough to cover weird redness, great for those off days where you don't really wanna wear foundation. (If you're using this as a setting powder though, it's a bit too... hydrating (lol. what? It's a powder. I know. Just roll with me.) to make that happen for a long day.)

And usually, I'll wear this powder on top of...

Photo: Musings of a Muse

The Air Buffed BB Creme- which they don't sell on their website anymore.

HOWEVER, my local Nordstrom Rack is amazing for makeup for some reason and I find a TON of Too Faced stuff there usually. (I got the BB cream and the cocoa powder foundation from there)

The bb cream is super nice- IF you don't have super oily skin. Despite my skin being oily, it's quite dehydrated so it acts a little more like combination skin and I can pull off wearing this with some powder without any problems. It's a very light handed coverage but in combination with the powder- it can get to a medium coverage. 

(Note: for the pale ladies, they actually make this in a very very light shade called... snow? I believe? Might be snow bunny. And it's PERFECT.)

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/foundations/born-this-way-foundation/vanilla-fair-light-with-neutral-to-pink-undertones/

The Born This Way foundation (Is Lady Gaga gonna sue over this? Does anyone know?) is INSANELY AMAZING.

Short story, my skin is a nightmare. Between the oily/dehydrated fiasco, I always have flaky skin, large pores... it's just... I hate my skin so much.

THIS MAKES ME LOOK LIKE THE PORCELAIN GODDESS I ALWAYS KNEW I COULD BE.

Seriously, I don't know if it's the coconut water/hylarounic acid combination or just the liquid/cream love child consistency or what, but I have never ever looked better. I have constant complements on my skin when I wear this and it gives the nicest finish. It's dewy but not sweaty, solid but not matte.

Rose petal would probably be the best description I could give. It's very velvety and soft. The coverage is... medium to full I would say but definitely buildable. It feels like you're wearing nothing when it's all blended in and it sets very very well. I always go over it with powder around my eyes and nose and stuff- but you could probably get away without it. It's pretty pricey, but it's SO SO SO SO SO worth it.

(And note for the ladies: The porcelain shade was a shade too dark for me, but they are releasing lighter and darker shades this fall SO WE CAN ALL BE BEAUTIFUL SMOOTH SKINNED BEAUTIES.)

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/lipsticks/la-creme/

This is La Creme Color Drenched lipstick and it's legit. 

Honestly, lipsticks and such is kind of a mess for me usually. I'm a picker, a lip biter, etc. Lipstick has always been the one thing I wish I could wear nicely and just can't. It always wears off on me super fast BECAUSE I EAT AND DRINK ALL THE DAMN TIME, but lipstick is just one of those things where you put it on and you feel like a damn lady. I can't live without it.

SO, that being said. I love this stuff. It's hydrating and workable and when I have to reapply 8 times in the day it doesn't cake up and get gross in the corners- YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DON'T.

I have a couple different shades, but my stand-out is definitely Nude Beach. It's that perfect nude that has the hint-iest of pink and brown in it so you don't look completely dead but it doesn't compete with that dope smokey eye you spent 2 hours doing.

Lastly, I have to talk about the Melted Lipsticks.

Photo: Too Faced website

https://www.toofaced.com/p/lipsticks/melted/

Ok, so I only have one of these but I got it in a color that's not the most flattering on me and therefore it's not my most favorite thing. HOWEVER, for the sake of the blog and everyone wanting to know more about these lipsticks- I wore the shade for a few days so we could get the jist of it. Because I'm not one of those bloggers who hates on something because I personally made the mistake of getting a color that didn't work on me.

SO, aside from the shade, this lipstick is amazing. It's exactly what I personally would want from one of these melted lipstick sort of formulas. 

Matte but not too matte, comfortable to wear but doesn't slide around all day, sets like a stain but isn't drying, looks good through eating and drinking, minimal amount of reapply times in the day, doesn't goop up, need the tiniest amount when applying so you aren't wasting a ton of it, can wear it with barely any product for a "stain" look or can apply a normal amount for full coverage, doesn't seep into fine lines around my mouth, etc.

Ok, obviously I really liked this stuff. I've teamed it up with glosses for a shinier look too and that totally works. 

My ONLY real gripe with this is the application process and even that's not really a big deal. Instead of this having like, a doe foot wand or a small brush, the whole head of it is the doe foot style applicator and you just squeeze the tube and apply it straight on. Now, for me this isn't a big deal- but for the smaller lipped girls I can see this being problematic. BUUUUUUT, you can totally just swipe the product off the top with a lip brush if you wanted more control. It's an extra step but to me it's not a deal breaker. I mean, I'm not gonna kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

Honestly, lately I've just been really into the Too Faced brand lately. They seem to be really pushing to the forefront and they're developing really, really fun products that actually work and have adorable girly packaging that even the more hardened bad-asses would still love to have and use.

And just to add a small rant- which you can totally skip over if this doesn't really matter to you one way or another.

As a blogger, as someone who appreciates makeup and the craftsmanship that goes into it, I just want you to know that I would never recommend something I didn't genuinely spend my own money on and didn't personally try out on myself or my friends. In this case, everything listed above are things that I've personally bought with my own money and were NOT sent to me. In addition to that, I linked everything above to the Too Faced website- they are not affiliated links and I do not make any money off anything you choose to purchase from Too Faced.

If a company should ever choose to send things to me, I'll 100% be sure to tell you that that is the case. I will always be upfront with you guys. I will always tell you whether or not I like something based on how the product performs and not because I got it for free. I know what it's like to be a makeup consumer and to buy something because a blogger/youtuber told me they liked it because of a contract. It sucks and it's not fair. 

So, take this as gold- I will never sign a contract with a company I don't believe in based on their business ethics and products. I will never try to get you to buy something because I make money on it. I will never recommend something I don't personally like or use. 

This blog is my baby, and you guys are my family. I would never hand something to my mom I didn't try first on myself- and I wouldn't do it to you either.

That being said, if you're reading this Too Faced- you guys are amazing and if you'd like to send me a 20 pound case of mascara I wouldn't be opposed. Also, can you please make a waterproof Better Than Sex mascara? Guys? Are you reading this?

-SamanthaK