LUSH New! Solid Shampoo, $9.95 at lushusa.com, Tresemme European Vitamin C Deep Cleansing Shampoo, $4.82 at amazon.com: Alright, so. The shampoo bar is about the size of a hockey puck, and very hard. It's basically a bunch of those little sprinkle shaped things bonded together somehow, with two mini cinnamon sticks on top (except mine had already fallen off in the store, but now I don't have to worry about them coming off in my hair, so it's a wash). According to LUSH, it's full of peppermint, cinnamon, rosemary, clove, and bay oils, which really translates into it smelling like Big Red gum. I love the smell of cinnamon straight from the spice jar, but artificial cinnamon...ack. On the plus side, the smell doesn't linger on your hair or really in the shower. The Karma shampoo smelled SO good, but I tried to be good and get the one that wouldn't strip my hair color. Now, for the actual shampoo performance. I'll give you guys some background on my hair type just so you know what I'm dealing with (and just because what works for me will probably work best for people with my hair type). I have a LOT of hair. I'm not exaggerating here, when I was little I had to cut it off because it gave me headaches. No joke. My hairs themselves aren't super thick, but they're definitely not fine or delicate. If I let my hair air dry, it's about 85% straight. My ends like to flip out awkwardly, and so they're a little dry because of all the flat ironing I subject them to. My hair doesn't get that oily by the end of the day, but I'm really OCD about it feeling clean. I'd rather have my hair feel a little dry than a little oily. On top of that, I use a lot of product, so I end up with a lot of build-up, and next a deep cleaning shampoo. But that strips my color. In my perfect world, there's a shampoo that gets my hair squeaky clean and keeps my color intact.
New! shampoo might may just be that shampoo. It's a little awkward to use at first, but long story short, I get my hair completely saturated (it needs to be really wet), and then run the bar across the top, sides, and back of my scalp about 6-8 times. Then I work it up into a lather for a bit. It definitely doesn't lather as much as a bottled shampoo, but it will lather. It washes out almost immediately, which is nice, and the smell fades. I was a little uncertain about how clean my hair would be in the morning, but I when I woke up with dry hair...it was awesome. New! gives my hair a little extra body, and manages to strike that ideal balance between making my roots feel soft and clean. My hair isn't oily by the end of the day, and I could probably go two days between washes without freaking out. Probably. I get the feeling that this little hockey puck will last FOREVER, which is fab, and it's so much easier to travel with than liquid shampoo. My only issue is that it's a bit hard to work with after the shower. It has to dry off somehow, but as it dries it sticks to whatever I put it on. LUSH sells tins for these, but I heard they get stuck to the bottom and never come out, so I've been drying it on a piece of paper. Also, I feel like every once in a while I'm gonna have to deep clean with my beloved Tresemme shampoo (above). I don't think I'll be venturing into solid conditioners any time soon, but I'm officially a LUSH shampoo convert.
Coach: Karla Clutch, $398 at coach.com, Catalina Wedge, $188 at coach.com, Large Leather Alexandra Bag, $398 at coach.com: So I'm still mulling over this 40% off coupon that my mom got from Coach being unable to fix her old Coach bag, which I've totally stolen. I'm not a Coach person at all, but 40% off is a great deal. If I end up using it, these are the things I'm thinking about. I've already waxed poetic about the Karla Clutch, and the fact that it's basically a Mulberry Baywater knockoff, so that's a major contender. These wedges also come in black, and I can't decide which I like better. I've been looking for a pair of wedges, and I like the sturdy simplicity of these, and how the detail on the heel keeps them feminine and fun. Last of all, there's this Alexandra bag. It's a little more practical than the oversized clutch, and very simple and clean-lined. To be honest, I'd take off the Coach tags immediately, and that awkward metal thing, but I like the shape of this bag, and it's definitely big enough for all my stuff. Gah. Too many choices.
Benefit: The Maggie Collection, $38 at sephora.com, The Annie Collection, $38 at sephora.com: I'm going to be honest, I'd buy these Benefit sets just for the pop art packaging, and I'd totally put those boxes up on my wall. But what's inside them is pretty sweet too. The Maggie set has mini versions of: Hoola bronzer, Benetint, Shimmering Rose lip shine, Toasty liner, little brushes, and shadows in Smimmering Bronze, Pink Satin, Light Champagne, and Pretty in Plum, as well as a "make-up lesson," whatever that means. The Annie collection has mini Coralista blush, High Beam highlighter, Juicy Coral lip shine, Smokin' liner, more little brushes, and shadows in Charcoal, Misty Blue, Navy, and Shimmering Beige, as well as said "make-up lessons." These would be both adorable birthday presents and a great way to get a ton of Benefit products in trial sizes for a good price. The lip shines are full-sized, and cost $18, so you're basically getting everything else for $20, which works out to getting the shadows and liner for free. Let me tell you, that took a lot of mental math. Maggie is more day-time and Annie is a little more night-time, so you could get a wide range of looks out of them both.
Brian Reyes Corset Strapless Gown, $1,800 at shopbop.com: How gorgeous is this dress? It's a little Cruella De Vil, but in a kind of hot/evil way, not scary evil. The corset detailing at the bust is so sexy, but it's balanced by the monochromatic color palette, and the slight train in the back is just begging for the red carpet. The exposed zipper just tops it all off. And for a measly $1,800, all that can be yours! Kidding. But it's nice to dream, huh?
Image Sources:
LUSH shampoo: lushusa.com, Tresemme shampoo: amazon.com, Coach: clutch: coach.com, Alexandra bag: coach.com, wedges: coach.com, Benefit sets: sephora.com, sephora.com, Brian Reyes dress: shopbop.com.
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