Soap Showdown

Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well and just excited as I am that there is some regular posting going on. Today's post is about some some soaps that I've used recently. I don't know what it is, but lately I've really gotten into using bar soap as a body cleanser instead of liquid body wash. Maybe it's because it seems more old fashioned. When I use bar soap, I feel connected to the millions of people who went before me for the past hundreds of years and got by with only a humble cake of soap for cleanliness. None of this new-fangled liquid stuff. I've also been more wary of chemicals lately, which is slightly ironic, and I feel like there's more chemicals involved in liquid body wash than soap. Plus, the soap bar has had hundreds of years to prove its reliability, so why not tap into that for a while?

Punch Studio Jasmine Luxury Soap

First up is some deliciously fragrant jasmine soap from a Punch Studio holiday set I got a couple years ago. I know, I'm a little late in getting around to using the soap. But it just looked so pretty in its lovely box and smelled so nice that I hated to use it. Thankfully, even though this one is gone, there is still a second one to use. I plan to do a full post on the set I got, because I think they come out with one every Christmas season.

The bar is a good size, not too big or too small, so there's no risk of slipping and sliding in the shower. It's very fragrant, and the smell lasted a good while after I was out of the shower and dry. It also creates a nice lather, which I feel is integral to feeling like I'm actually clean after using a soap. Another perk to the soap is that it's made in the USA. Woo! I'm always happy when something is made within my beloved country. Let's create and support local jobs :) If you're interested, I see Punch Studio stuff a lot at T. J. Maxx. That's where we got the set this is from, and I often see their stuff throughout the year. Just check out the area where soaps/shampoos are sold.

Addison & Gates Blackberry & Vanilla Luxury Soap

Here we have my beloved little Blackberry & Vanilla soap. And I do mean little. It's a cube with sides about 1.5 to 2 inches long. The size does pose a small problem, because it's more difficult to handle and use quickly in the shower, and the corners are slightly uncomfortable, but it's not too much of a hassle to get a good lather. I quickly got over the size issue because the smell is SCRUMPTIOUS. Oh is it heavenly. It makes me want to bite it. I haven't, though, in case you were worried. The scent is so pungent that it scents the entire shower area when dry. This isn't one of those soaps that you have to add water and practically put your nose on in order to smell. I like that, since I rely on my soap for perfume as much as cleanliness. And isn't the packaging adorable? I had to have a shot just to dedicate to the pattern. It's like a geometric floral. While the small size was a tad annoying, it was only a trial size, and there were bigger bars I could've bought. I bought this at World Market, and I recommend checking that store out even if you don't want the soap. There are so many neat things there.

Edna Lucille Southern Magnolia Homestyle Soap

This soap was a gift, and I wanted so much to love it. Not only because it was a gift from my well-intending mother (who knows of my deep love of magnolias), but also because the packaging makes me think of old-timey goodness. I'm just such a sucker for retro.

To start off, the smell is not exactly what I would love. There's definitely magnolia there, but there's also a soap smell mixed in. The other soaps just make you think of their name, but this makes me think of soap and powdery magnolias. Besides the smell, it doesn't really lather all that well. The soap is kind of a mix of a creamy soap and these weird translucent soap chunks. Maybe if it was entirely made of the creamy colored material, it would be better, but the cubes throw it off. It also leaves me skin feeling kind of slick instead of moisturized. I'm wondering if there isn't some sodium hydroxide in there. I'll see if I can find the ingredients list. Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, and it will leave your skin feeling that way. Stay away!

Asquith & Somerset Magnolia Luxury Soap

This soap was also bought at World Market. It's funny that I would buy an abnormally small and an abnormally large soap in the same shopping trip. This guy is just a little too big to fit in my soap dish, which is a bummer because the dish cuts into the soap, and I don't want to waste crumb of this stuff! It is so heavenly! It's what the other magnolia tried to be and failed. I don't get what's up with the royal pig on the packaging, though. It doesn't matter because this soap is the bomb dot com! It has a rich lather, luxurious scent, and cleans while still being moisturizing.

It's kind of hard to rank them, because I like three of them so well, but the Asquith & Somerset Magnolia soap is my favorite and the Edna Lucille Southern Magnolia is my least favorite. The Blackberry & Vanilla and Jasmine soaps are both so nicely scented, but their lather is just a little weaker than the Magnolia soap, so they have to tie for second. If you can't find these particular soaps, I would just head on over to World Market or T. J. Maxx and look for any soap that says "triple milled" or "luxury" in a scent that you like. It's most likely a winner.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a lovely day!
Stacie

PR: Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeliners

Hey lovelies! I'm so happy that I said I wanted to post, and I'm able to get a post done on the very same day! Woo! And I have been wanting to do this review foreeever. The pictures have been in my camera I don't know how long. It's ridiculous.

Top to bottom: Bronzed, Amethyst, Turquoise, and Taupe

I have the Wet n Wild Coloricon Kohl Eyeliner in 660A "Bronzed," Coloricon Eyeliners in 661C "Amethyst" and 659C "Turquoise," and Coloricon Brow & Eye liner in 648 "Taupe." I hate it when spelling isn't consistent within a brand. Sorry if it doesn't matter to you, but it's a pet peeve of mine. I don't know why the "Bronzed" shade is labeled as a kohl eyeliner, because it is sold right along the other eyeliners and it performs just the same.

There's no denying that some lovely swatches can be obtained from the pencils, but actually getting the color on your eye is a problem. The pencils are so hard, it's like trying to line your eyes with a rock. Not only is it unpleasant, but it's dangerous. I had to go over the same spot multiple times to get the swatches you see in the above picture, except for "Taupe," which is another problem. While it is labeled as a brow and eye liner, I don't like the color for around my eyes, so I would only use it for a brow product. The product is significantly softer than the other pencils, so a lot of product comes off in my brows. It's very difficult (if not impossible) to get a soft/natural look, and I'm not one for full-on, drawn on brows. If only Wet n Wild would switch their formulas!

If you're willing to scrape at your eye to get good pigmentation, then go for it (they're only around a dollar each), but I don't really see the point since the shades are pretty basic and lots of drugstore brands have shades very similar. If you're looking for a good, cheap eyeliner, check out Jordana. NYX and Rimmel have some fun-colored eyeliners that also have great staying power.

Thanks for dropping by, and I'll talk to you soon!
~Stacie

Life update: Where have you been?

Hey everyone! It has been a looong time since my last post, and I am sorry about that! I wanted to take a little time and just explain what exactly has been going on and what the plans are for the future.

To start off, the past year has been a crazy one full of moving and transferring and more transferring and tons of classes and it's just been nuts. I hate using the term, because I feel like it's too often said that "life is crazy right now," but the past year has been the craziest my life has ever been. I thought I knew what busy was, but I was WRONG. I thought I could handle 18 credit hours of pure, full-on math and science classes, but I was sort of wrong. I mean, I did survive the semester, but just barely. The past week has been me trying to rest while also running all over the state to do things with friends and family before I leave for an internship. Maybe I'll have actual time to rest when I'm at the internship? Or maybe I can rest when I retire in forty something years. Who knows?

So, in short, no blogging was done because there was no time to blog. Besides that, I had no money to buy things to blog about, so there's that. BUT, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, I do have an internship coming up, and it is paid, so maybe I'll have some time and money to blog during the summer. I'm hoping so, because I miss it.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I quit the no-poo thing a few months ago. I gave it a good month's try, but my hair was not getting any better, and I kept reading things that made me think using baking soda is actually not such a good way to clean your hair. Apparently the skin's natural pH leans more towards acidic and baking soda is basic, so it can lead to some bad results. The past semester involved two chemistry courses and both dealt in-depth with pH, so I know that it's nothing to mess with.

Now that we're pretty much caught up, I thought it would be good to lay some plans for the future. I did change the blog's name, and I'm ashamed to say that I will be changing it again. I'm not particularly fond of this name, and it definitely needs changing. I feel so flightly and unable to choose anything, since this will be the second name change, and I've changed my major twice as well. Can I not decide on ANYTHING? Why yes, I can actually. I think I'm getting close to a name and major that I like, so I really feel like the next year will bring some stability to my life. Along with the blog's name change, the layout will change. I don't know how long it will take, but hopefully it will be done by the end of the summer.

I hope to start posting again this week, and I appreciate anyone that has stuck around through the past years. I hope your lives are not nearly as stressful as mine, and I hope you're looking forward to the summer as much as I am!

~Stacie

Also, I'm changing the blog...

After that long post about going no-poo, I've decided to change the name of the blog, and its web address. I don't know if I have any regular readers, but if I do, I wanted to let you know. I'm thinking the name will be something like a beautiful mess or a hint of beauty or something like that. I just think the name "HMCO" is kind of dumb, plus I don't care about clothes that much--mostly makeup. So, I'll see you on the other side!

Stacie

PS I'm also hoping to revamp the look of the blog, yay!

On the path to going no-poo

Okay, y'all. I really hate jumping on bandwagons, but I am finally going to take the leap and the join the community of women who don't use shampoo. I've been thinking about it for awhile, but I finally made the decision to do it when I read this article. I got really stressed around the end of the past semester and lost a bunch of hair. While I don't think it has made an impact on the appearance of my hair, I can feel the difference, and I don't like it. So, I figured I should go for it. It's kind of nice that it's happening around the beginning of the year, so it's kind of like a New Year's Resolution. So if you are interested in what I've started reading, here are the links:

From the blog It's a Love/Love Thing:

How I (More Than) Doubled My Hair Growth (same link as earlier)

10 Tips for Going No-Poo

I like this blogger because she provides a lot of links and seems to really know what she is talking about. In the article "10 Tips for Going No-Poo," she provides more external resources that sound promising for good information. I can't wait to read more!

From thenopoomethod.com:

No Poo Methods

I had no idea there were more methods than baking soda and vinegar!

As you can tell, I'm still in the "getting started phase," but I was just so excited I had to share! And sometimes it's easier to stick to things when others are with you, and maybe my energy would energize others? I don't know. In one of the links, the author talks about a no-poo journal, and I think that's a good idea, since both resources talk about everyone having different hair and therefore different needs. So I want to start a hair journal as well as I talk you through things. I'll blog about the big steps, and keep a page up for the reset of the more mundane details that might only be helpful to some.

Let me know if you have gone no-poo and what your experience was, or if you're starting an interest as I am! I hope your New Year has started well! I'll talk to you soon :)
Stacie

Heads Up: EOS lip balms on sale/clearance at Target!

Photo from eos's website

Hey everyone! I know it has been a very long time since I have written a post, but I had to share something really quick with you. I probably need to get a twitter for these types of things, but I will deal with that later.

So, I really like EOS lip balms, and I get the feeling that a lot of people like them, so I had to share this. This holiday season, they came out with a trio of tropical flavored balms by Rachel Roy, and they are super cute and smell delicious! But, at Ulta I think the set was going for around $10. I don't care if it is a set, that's a lot for lip balm.

To my surprise and delight, I found the set at Target the other day. It was labeled as $7.99, but that evens out to around $2.66 a piece when they are normally $3 or $4 when sold individually. I caved, and was even more surprised when the cashier told me it was only $4.23 with tax. They must have been on sale and the sign hadn't been changed yet (this was after Christmas, and that's when holiday sets start going on clearance). So if you're interested in them, you should hurry over to Target now!

I hope your holiday season has been merry and bright and that your new year brings you much joy!
Stacie

Pic credit: http://evolutionofsmooth.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/420x/602f0fa2c1f0d1ba5e241f914e856ff9/r/a/rachel_roy_3_pack_-_english_-_2_3.jpg

PR: L'Oréal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

Hey guys! It's been such a long time! I've missed this so much. I cannot wait to be done with this summer class so I'll be a little less busy. I am NEVER taking a summer class again if I can help it. It has taken up all my little free time. But somehow I was able to squeeze in some time to do this review! Yay :) Onward!

I got this tube a couple months ago, so it says "Lash Out," but the picture on the L'Oréal website just says "Voluminous Butterfly," so I guess they changed the packaging. I don't understand the point, but whatever.

I'm kind of late on the review train, especially on this product. I know there was a lot of hype when it first came out, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to add my review, since lashes are such a varied part of the face.

This mascara has a rubber brush that has two "wings" that are supposed to help fan your lashes out at the end to get a butterfly effect. Honestly, I think the wand looks like a butterfly, but the effect is cat-eye amplifying lashes. I don't think that the shape really did anything for application. I just move it to different angles until all of my lashes look the way I want. Since the brush doesn't really matter, the formula is what is going to either make or break this mascara.

This has a very wet formula. It's so goopy that it forms peaks at the end of the brush when you take it out of the tube (as pictured above). The shine of the product on the brush also attests to the formula's er... wetness. Because of the abundance of moisture, it takes a bit more effort to build. It can be done, but to get the level of drama I like, it takes about two coats and a lot of brushing through to make sure the lashes are separated and where I want them. That being said, let's take a look at what it looks like on my lashes.

Here's my lashes with the mascara freshly applied at about 8:30 am right before I went to work:

And here's my lashes at around 5:30 pm, after work:

The longevity of this mascara is impressive. The curl is the same, the length is the same, and there are practically no smudges at the end of the day. And my mascaras get a true test of wear since my job is more active than most, and sometimes it gets hot. I've never noticed this mascara having smudging issues, and that's a huge bonus in my book. Of all the mascaras I've got going right now, this is at the top when it comes to staying power.

Unfortunately, there are some real deal breakers for me. It finally hit me that there was a connection between my eyes bothering me and wearing this mascara. I never thought I had sensitive eyes, but this formula really bothers them! Ever since I stopped wearing this, my eyes have been a LOT better.

Another problem with this mascara is how it wears off. When I keep it on and then take a shower, it smears into my eyes and creates strings of black goop. The mere fact that a foreign object is in my eye is bad enough, but the formula makes my eyes BURN. Even when I removed it before hand with makeup remover, it still created strings no matter how tightly I shut my eyes while removing it. There was no winning! It was a pain every night. I need to be careful from now on, because I think there's a connection between wet formulas and formulas that create strings. Maybelline's The Falsies also did that when I removed it.

Needless to say, I don't recommend this mascara on my own experience. But none of the reviews I've seen ever mentioned the problems I had, so maybe most people won't have a problem with it. If you have sensitive eyes, though, I would proceed with caution.

I hope you're having a great summer! School isn't too far away! Aaaahhhh! I need to start preparing for that.

~Stacie