OBSESSED: SheaMoisture

My SheaMoisture collection

If you’re a curly girl, you probably already know about SheaMoisture, a brand of all natural hair care sold in drugstores like Target and Walgreens. For the rest of you, I have to say, I’m OBSESSED. I’m Latina and  I have thick, wavy hair that’s pretty manageable, but does get dry and frizzy if I don’t take care of it. And I feel like I’ve found my holy grail of hair care products in Shea Moisture.

Their line of hair care products is targeted towards ethnic hair, natural hair, curly girls--which I am not--but the ingredients are so wonderful I had to try them out. Their products are sustainably produced, ethically traded, natural, don’t contain any icky chemicals or preservatives, and they really work. They also have bath and body collections, skin care, baby care, and more. If you’re into natural skin and hair care, you’ll recognize a lot of the ingredients and just how great they are. And, did I mention every bottle runs for $10 at Target? Seriously. 

There are different ranges of products for different hair types, separated by differently colored labels. The yellow label products are made with raw shea butter and are aimed at repairing dry, damaged hair. The black label products are made with African black soap, for dry, itchy scalp. The pink label is made for thick, curly hair, and contains coconut and hibiscus. And the green label, made with organic yucca and baobob, is for fine, thin hair. There are styling products to go with each collection, as well as bath and body products, like lotions and bodywashes. They also seem to have expanded recently: they have baby and kids’ lines, a new hair color system, and a new women’s shave and waxing collection, among others.  

I want to try everything! I have yet to try anything other than their hair care products, but I’ll walk you through the stuff I have purchased and love.

Concealer Wars

Today we are starting our concealer series! We're kind of obsessed with finding the perfect one. To kick things off, we are putting two concealer sticks against each other, one high-end and the other drugstore.  We got Urban Decay’s 24/7 Concealer Stick versus Revlon’s PhotoReady Concealer.  Let’s take a look.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush

This is my first foray into the world cream blushes, and I am definitely a convert! They’re subtle but buildable, don’t leave any harsh edges, and melt into your face to give a totally natural flush.

I was looking around for a rosy blush that would be good for a “no-makeup makeup” look and decided on Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Blush in number 15, Rose Petal. It’s a really lovely color, a pretty pink with a hint of coral that’s just warm enough to work with my skin. I have a medium tan skin tone with mostly yellow undertones. It adds a sheer wash of color to my face that looks fresh, pretty, and healthy. It’s quickly become my new favorite blush! Also, this blush is actually bouncy. Like, if you touch it, it actually bounces back. Which is for some reason kind of exciting!

So pretty.

Lush Skincare

The other day I got a question about the Lush skincare products I use.  Currently in my routine I use Fresh farmacy cleanser, Grease Lightning spot treatment, and Tea Tree Water and Breath of Fresh Air toners. 

Fresh Farmacy is a bar they sell by weight, like their soaps.  It's pink and has a light lavender scent.  Its goal is to calm problematic skin with ingredients that include calamine powder, chamomile, lavender, and tea tree oil.  With my skin type, that sounds like a gold mine!  After you wash your face with this bar, it leaves that tight squeaky feeling which some people don't like, but I'm a fan because it feels clean! This is a harsh cleanser, so use with caution.  I find that Fresh Farmacy helps me with breakouts and eczema symptoms. It works slowly and you don't see changes over night, but then one day you wake up and you feel your soft face and see a glow. I think price wise it's really great because it lasts forever as long as you cut it up in pieces and only use a small piece at a time, and keep it dry when storing it (like any other solid Lush product).  I recommend to definitely ask a Lush employee for a sample before committing to buying a full bar since this product is such a hit or miss for people. 

TPG Approves (and disapproves): Dry Shampoo

Have you all experienced the wonderful world of dry shampoo?  This is a list of different brands we have tried.  Some we love, some we do not.

First, the good stuff



Vanessa's Fave: Batiste - Dry Shampoo - Dark and Deep Brown 

• One of the ingredients is rice starch, whereas most other brands use aluminum starch. I find that the rice starch works better. The Tresemme dry shampoo uses cornstarch, but that is not enough to redeem it! (Read on.)
• I use the dark color for brunettes, which saves me from having white powder in my hair. There are a whole range of scents and colors available.
• It has a really pleasant, light fragrance that's sweet and vaguely reminds me of cocoa.
• Works way better than others I’ve tried.
• $8/bottle, 6.73  oz.
• find at Ulta, Urban Outfitters (they carry the smaller bottles)

Angie's Fave: Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray

• Uses aluminum starch.
• It leaves a white residue but blends in easily if used as directed.
• Really fruity strong smell (that I like, but a lot of people say it's too artificial).
• $2.89-$2.99, 5 oz
• Find in drugstores.
• I love it for the price. It does the job I need for the least amount of money.

Philosophy's Purity Made Simple

For years, the only products I used on my face were (1) Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple, (2) St. Ives Apricot Scrub,and  (3) a Neutrogena moisturizer. I’ve since moved on to hate that scrub, and I’ve started using oils as moisturizer, but Purity is still my favorite cleanser.

Image from Sephora's website

Lots of people rave about Purity because it’s so gentle, but it really gets the job done. According to Philosophy’s website, it is formulated “to gently cleanse, tone, and melt away all face and eye makeup in one simple step, while lightly hydrating the skin.”  It has a creamy texture and a light, herbal scent. It doesn’t lather, but just a pea-sized amount can get my face clean. It removes all my makeup, except waterproof mascara. I sometimes double cleanse when I’m wearing a lot on my face, and it still doesn’t dry me out too much (though keep in mind I do have combination to oily skin). Either way, this cleanser is meant to work for any skin type, even very sensitive skins.

Veronica's Lipsticks

Last week at the Archie’s Girls party I picked up two lipsticks from the Veronica line.  I wanted these two ever since I saw previews of them on instagram and message boards.  Then when Temptalia reviewed them, I was sold.  At the party, the MUA used Beet lip liner from the permanent line on me with Daddy’s Little Girl, and since I got so many compliments, I also bought that.  Plus, it’s a reddish color so it also goes with Ronnie Red.

  

TPG go to MAC: Archie's Girls Collection

The Spring collection is an important one for MAC, sometimes it’s they’re most anticipated one.  This year MAC teamed up with Archie’s comics for a collection that’s supposed to appeal to the Betty or Veronica in you.  Those Pore Girls got a chance to check out the collection last Tuesday at a MAC party, before the collection launched in stores on February 7th.

Archie called us his Veronica's.

Breaking Down Skincare Routines

It gets really confusing trying to figure out how many products you’re actually supposed to use on your face. Is toner really that important? Do I really need an eye cream? And what’s the deal with all these serums?

In general, a skincare routine--albeit a very involved skincare routine--looks something like this:

• Cleanser
• Toner
• Serum
• Moisturizer
• Spot Treatment

You can also add in:

• Sunblock (important!)
• Makeup remover
• Eye Cream
• Exfoliators
• Night Cream
• Masks
• More serums

Ok, but are all of these steps necessary? Nope, not really. The bare minimum is cleanser and moisturizer. The other products are just extra boosts for your skin.


What you should do is this:

theBalm's Balm Jovi

theBalm rockstar palette is my favorite palette right now.  It has 12 shadows in three different finishes: metallics, matte, and shimmer.  It also comes with a highlighter and blush and two lip products. The whole palette has a theme around rock music. I must warn you, this brand is madly in love with puns.  So if you’re not a fan of puns, you should stop reading now (except you really shouldn’t).

 

TPG Approves: Menstrual Cups

For most of us with a vulva, we get this monthly thing called a menstrual period.  We bleed out of our vaginas.  When you were young, you were probably told to use pads.  And then, when you got older and cooler, you might have switched to tampons.  Well, we are here to tell you there is another alternative, and no, it’s not actually a rag.  It’s a menstrual cup!


What the heck is a menstrual cup you may ask?

Well, it’s what it sounds like.  A cup.  For your menstrual blood.  It looks like this.

Image found HERE

We absolutely love them. Here are the reasons why we use these over pads and tampons: