I get a trophy for blogging the least, right?

So, fall and winter! Sweet. What'd I miss?

I decided to quit my salon job and try being a banker for a while. The bank I work for is full of nice people and I get benefits and weekends off, but... I hate sitting all day and answering the phone! Compound that with getting over the flu and dealing with a bout of anxiety, and I have been ready to pack up and run far away. Zach has been a gem, as usual. I don't know what I did to deserve such an excellent man, but here he is and he hasn't run off yet. lol :)

Okay, beauty time! I recently did a photo shoot with my dear friend Steph and she put eyelashes on me. I have never had much luck with them by myself, but I'll be darned if they didn't work! I kept them and have reapplied them a few times since then. I can do them by myself now! :D She used Ardell lashes and they looked so nice! They make natural-looking ones, super-fake looking ones and everything in between.

I got a super-good coupon for a Julep maven box, so I went ahead and bought one. I got 2 cute polishes, a lip balm and some nice cuticle oil! The polish is a good consistency and looks good with one coat, but more opaque with two. The oil feels nice. I haven't tried the lip balm yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Julep helps you find polishes you'll like and wear with their style finder quiz, it's cool! If you wanna try it, click here so I'll get credit. :D

Sebastian Trilliance thoughts

Hey! I got some Sebastian Trilliance Shampoo and Conditioner on my last trip to the supply house.

It was all shiny and new, and came with a pair of rhinestone sunglasses. Hook, line and sinker. Anyway, took it home and tried it out Sunday night.

It's shimmery and the consistency is a bit thin. Not really a problem unless you can't dodge the shower sprayer and all the shampoo runs between your fingers before you can emulsify it. >_< Aside from that, it lathers all right, smells nice. The conditioner is a bit thin too, but it goes on sooo nice, and makes your hair feel really smooth. The only downside is your hair doesn't have much volume, but it does smooth down the dry, snarly bits. Conclusion: good stuff, definitely keeping this around for angry winter hair.

Shampoo is an ongoing struggle!

My name is Jennifer, and I have too many shampoos. *Hi, Jennifer...*

In my own defense, I have had a heck of a time keeping my hair from getting greasy and gross-looking since this last color job, my ol' standby Paul Mitchell color care wasn't cutting it... I may need to lay off permanent color for a bit, or at least nothing above 10 volume for a while... Anyway, I have been trying to be good and use color safe shampoo. I bought some Scruples Renewal Color Retention Shampoo and Conditioner the last time I went to the supply store and gave it a go Friday night.

The smell is very reminiscent of going to the salon when I was a kid (late 80's-early 90's), so pleasant associations there. It lathers all right, rinses clean fairly easily, and the conditioner is light and moisturizing. Perhaps it is a bit too light for someone with more significant dryness, but it's okay for me. It left my hair fairly bouncy, which is a plus. Today is Sunday, so it's been a solid 2 days and I am just starting to show signs of greasiness. I'll definitely keep using this.

Update on ExquisiteOil: I tried it again last Thursday with lukewarm results. Still left hair feeling rough and lifeless.

Up next: Sebastian Trilliant shampoo and conditioner!

Clothes are hard.

I am pulling all my cooler weather clothes out of their boxes in my garage today, and I don't like most of them. Should make it easy to pare down the selection and get them put away. LOL Anyway, I bought a new friend today!

This little guy is a Scentsy warmer called Whoot. He'll go in my bedroom! Who says money can't buy happiness? Scentsy is fun, has a lot of scents and warmers, plus it's a little tidier than candles (lasts longer too!). I saw some little purple bathroom towels with owl appliques at Target in the dollar area. Owls everywhere!

Face wash!

I bought a new face wash a few weeks ago from Lush called Aqua Marina. It looks like a sushi roll, or maybe canned cat food. However, I have used it almost every day for 2 1/2 weeks and the official consensus is that I totally like it so far. It is a smidge drying, but I have that gunky-oily skin on my nose and it bugs the heck out of me. A dab of moisturizer on my cheeks and forehead, and I'm okay again. Also, it is a bit pricey and spoils after about 3 months, so a very small container will be all one person needs.

Feel the cat food, baby.

Here's my current shampoo love...

I will now sing the praises of PureOlogy's Hydrating shampoo and conditioner! Lalalala!

• It is very concentrated!
• The shampoo is purple!
• The conditioner is minty!
• It makes your hair softer than 100 babies!

It is vegan and sulfate free, in case you wanted to know. This particular shampoo/conditioner is good for dry hair, and is color safe. The only downsides I have found are that it is pretty expensive, and that the shampoo has a bit of a medicinal smell that can be off-putting for some.

Some nail polish I am loving... and some hair stuff I am not.

Hey folks! Sorry for the silence. It's tough to make myself sit down and blog sometimes. Anyway, here's some nail polish I love.

Little Brown Dress, by Essie.

If you aren't a base/topcoat person, it still goes on pretty smooth and has a good color opacity. I know it looks really dark. So, having said that, it'll look really good on shorter nails. Dark colors can be imposing on a long nail, but if it's your thing, please do.

I recently gave my toenails a sprucing-up with this, and topped it off with a leopard print decal on the big toenail. It looked pretty legit and cost next-to-nothing, since I had the decals left over from a previous nail adventure.

On to the unpleasant business of saying I don't like Matrix's new line, ExquisiteOil. I got a sample of shampoo, conditioner and serum. I have used all 3 and instead of getting smooth, happy hair like I had hoped, it made my ends feel a bit rough and snarly. I have another shampoo/conditioner sample, so I will try again here in a few weeks and see if I get a different result.

Today's quick protip: Want a pop of lip color, but not a fan of lipstick? Try some lip stain. It goes on like a marker (I know, it'll feel a little weird) on a dry lip and adds a wash of color. I love it for kissing occasions and have used it on brides. :)

Summer makes me not love the internet.

I have been neglecting the internet, though I am not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing. :D


This summer has been pretty exciting, what with the heat wave and the Summer Olympics... I have to admit, I haven't yet set foot in a pool this year. I wanted to yesterday, but the municipal pool closed and the others have gone to a weekends only schedule. Anyway, if you lived in the pool, perhaps you are dealing with brittleness and unwanted green tones? If so, look no further than Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three.



Shampoo Three removes chlorine and mineral impurities, leaving your hair pliable and not green. Make sure you condition afterward. If you swim a lot, put this in your bag and use it after pool time.

I am majorly looking forward to fall. Here's some of what I am eagerly anticipating...