New Apartment!

I am officially living in my nyc apartment now! Finally the moving process is over! We still have no living room furniture but the will be dealt with in time. I haven't had a second to blog this weekend between moving in and a visitor, but I did get out and had lots of fun! The visitor and I went to Governors Island which is a short 10 minute (FREE) ferry ride from South Ferry station. The park had great food, ice cream (chocolate covered almond cherry...yum!), live music, and free bikes rentals!

My one beauty indulgence this weekend was a trip to get manicures with my mom before moving out of the house forever (sad!)

Essie Pansy did help to lift my spirits a bit...

The Brazilian...no, not that kind!

So I had been thinking about dying my hair (as you've read) and I just was generally bored with it, but the ultimate thought that kept coming back to me was, "I wish I could just wash it and GO!" With this new work schedule that I am getting used to I am tired all the time from waking up early to dry my hair and forget actually going to the gym in the morning because I would never have time to go from a wet head to a dry head before work. Then I heard from a co-worker about the Brazilian Blowout. No harsh chemicals, it takes hardly any time at all, and lasts about 12 weeks. It is basically just a deep conditioning system that leaves your hair totally soft and frizz-free. I was sold. Everyone needs a good deep conditioning now and then, right? The appointment was booked the next day. I went to the salon that was recommended by my office friend. She knew someone who had it done there and I was able to see pictures of her hair before and after. I was amazed at how soft and smooth her hair was!

To really seal the deal for me, I read Nicole Ricci's blog post about how she had gotten it done and LOVED IT. Many other celebs had tried it too and I love their hair. I had to do it.

I got to the salon right on time and was taken to have my hair washed THREE times. They need to make sure that your scalp is totally squeaky clean. Then my stylist meticulously brushed on the conditioning gel through all of my strands, tiny 1/16 of an inch at a time. Then she blow dried my hair as one normally would and finally she flat ironed it to really seal in the product. Finally I was sent home with directions not to wear a ponytail or wash my hair for 24 hours.

I was so nervous to actually wash my hair the next day. The treatment was super expensive (I worked so crazy hard all through college, I deserved to buy myself a grad present, no?) What if the treatment did nothing? I would have wasted all that money!

I shook off my fears and washed my hair with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner (to make the treatment last longer). I chose Loreal's sulfate free line because I had already been using it for a long time and I love the scent.

Then it was time to wait.

As my hair slowly dried I was totally shocked. Not only was my hair smooth, but it was straight. Like stick straight. My stylist said that might happen with my hair because, while I do have a LOT of it, the texture is very soft and fine. I could not believe that my hair dried perfectly straight right out of the shower. It was soft, smooth, and frizz-free. I'm still waiting for the catch...Ooooh right, the price.

I will keep you all posted on the results over time. This will cut out hours of time throughout the week and I can actually sleep in!

Buxom

I have a few of the Bare Essentials Buxom lip glosses and thought they were alright so I picked up a few new samples with my latest Sephora purchases.

Amber (not pictured) was a nice peachy/red. Wasn't too impressed. Wouldn't buy it.

Dolly (pictured) was, again, just alright. No purchase there either.

These glosses feel a bit like the old school Lip Venoms. I don't like how they make my lips feel super tingly and ridiculously cold. The gloss is also quite sticky.

Eh.

TADA!

Isn't it beautiful?

Now I can smell like my all time favorite scent anywhere/anytime.

My official nyc move-in date is now Friday due to strange doctors appointment scheduling on my part due to the hectic work schedule, but once I am in life will calm down! Hopefully I can avoid the Sephora that will be DOWN THE BLOCK from me. I'm just asking for trouble...

LaVanilla Roller Ball!

Exciting news!!!! At least for me :)

My all time favorite fragrance...LaVanilla Coconut Vanilla now comes in a little roller ball dispenser that I can throw in my purse! The only downside of this scent was that it wasn't very portable in a big glass bottle and now it can go with me everywhere!

SWOON!

Put your Money where your Eyes are

If I'm going to buy an expensive product I want to be able to use it all the time. Case in point: NARS' new fall 2010 Collection.

Tzarine Duo Eye Shadow: YES! 32 dollars goes a long way with this guy because I would wear it lightly for work during the day or really play it up and do a smoky eye at night!

Daphne Single Eye Shadow: NO! 23 dollars for something that I may wear a few times only if I could swing it with the place I was going and the outfit I was going to wear.

Two Faced Caribbean in a Compact Bronzing Powder in Sun Bunny

See previous posts for terrible picture explanation.

I think I'm a fan of this. I generally stick to my Laura Geller bronzer for everyday because it's so light that it looks very natural on me, but for when I really want to pump up the intensity of my faux tan I think this would be a great product to have. I own the Bare Essentials "warmth" shade and it's just too dark for me. It makes me look dirty and I don't love the idea of a loose powder bronzer. So my bronzer as of now consists of a very light Laura Geller, a much too dark BE, and a wayyyyy too sparkly Cargo bronzer that I use only if I will be out in a very dark bar/club. I think this product definitely has a place in that collection. Matte, dark, but not dirty or overpowering. Period.