Amara Organics Vitamin C Serum Review

Can I tell you that I LOVE this product? First, I must admit that I have rather decent skin to begin with. But there are these little dark spots, two on my jawline and a few on my neck, that drive me nuts. I had pretty much determined that they are now a permanent part of my body and accepted failure at my attempts to dissolve them....until NOW. 

This amazing serum claims to diminish dark spots and it tells no lie. In under a month, the two on my jaw line are nearly invisible and the spots on my neck are practically gone, as well. These spots have been with me for over 7 years and now, they are nearly gone in under a month. 

AND, I still have 75% of the content left. It is a HUGE value for the money ($19.95) and worth every dime.

Forget the facelift, lasers, and chemical peels! Vitamin C has been shown to be just as effective at reversing the effects of time and environmental damage to the skin.

Notice brighter, smoother skin after your first use of our Vitamin C Serum. As the serum penetrates deep into your skin, you can feel confident knowing you are reversing skin aging and preventing further damage at the same time.

-Increases the production of collagen to bring back skin's natural elasticity and counteract fine lines and wrinkles

-Powerful antioxidant properties neutralize free radicals to reverse damage caused by the sun, pollutants, and cigarette smoke

-Protects your skin from UV damage such as age spots, discoloration, and fine lines

-Improves skin texture to give you a smoother, brighter complexion

-Combined with Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid for extra powerful anti-aging effects

Only good stuff inside: They use the best, natural plant-based ingredients available, with no parabens, no alcohol, and no animal testing. Natural, Vegan, & Cruelty-Free. Made in the USA. 

Plus, they have the highest level of customer service and money-back guarantee:
"All our products are backed up by a hassle free 365-day money back guarantee (no returns necessary). We follow up personally on every purchase and are always available to answer questions or address any concerns our customers may have." 
(This post is sponsored post but all true.)

Get The Anti-Aging Power Of Vitamin C: 

http://amaraorganics.com/products/vitamin-c-serum

Make up by 1D (One Direction) Product Review

Yup, you read it correctly. The boy band that has your  daughter and her little girlfriends in a frenzy now have a make up brand especially for them. Before I could fully get the products out of the shipping box, my squealing 10-year old girl child was already texting her homies photos of the packaging! 
As a woman of a certain age, lip gloss that glows to neon red-orange under UV light just isn't my thing. But my child lives for such things.
I can say though that the lip gloss, which is enriched with natural oils and vitamin E, glides on so nicely and isn't sticky at all. It is glittery though so I wouldn't wear it outside of the house. Miss J though has been wearing it every day since. She especially loves Taken - their glitter pink lip gloss that glows neon orange under UV light. 

I allowed her to apply the hair mascara to the wispy ends of her Afro puffs and she looked totes adorbs! ;) And, the mascara is usable on both the hair and the lashes! Apply just to the tip for a touch of fun or go nuts and apply to all of your lashes to additional funk! Comes in 3 bold colors: 

Why don’t we go there- Shock of blue

Does he know?- Pinkest hot pink 

Story of my life- Amped canary yellow 

Yesterday we had a "home spa day" and after facials, we gave each other pedicures and applied the Nail Varnish. I love how super shiny the colors are and how nicely they glide on. We made a huge mess with the glitter though. They should provide an applicator for that because otherwise it spills/flies everywhere. The polish itself is great, though.

A range of makeup and cosmetic products celebrating youth, style, and the uninhibited lifestyle of a new generation. Celebrating life with bold shades, unique formula and infused with limited edition collectable packaging, Makeup from One Direction is fun, bold, often irreverent, with a touch of cheeky mischievousness. Offered at prices that every girl and woman can afford.

Available at:

Macy's

Dillards

Boscov's

Stage Stores

Beauty Brands

Lord &Taylor

https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

Sponsored by BrandBacker

KISS Instawave Automatic Curler Review

As a woman with a head of hair and the mother of a little girl with even MO' hair, I am happy to be the guinea pig of any device that claims to make hair styling easier/faster. Even if the the gadget looks look it may not be for "our kinda hair," I'm willing to give it a try. Couldn't hurt, right?
Well, the KISS Instawave curls hair without you doing the work. You just slip the end of your hair on to the curler, press the button and it'll twirl it along the hot barrel for you. Let it sit wound around the barell for 3-10 seconds, tug gently downwards and voila! You've formed a perfect curl.
Or so that's the premise...
Here's a video: 

I used my daughter's head to test out the device. She has a head full of thick, luscious hair that could have used some taming so Miss J was just perfect...or so I thought.

Miss J's hair section & ready to curl.

I made several attempts to have the Instawave catch her hair and twirl it onto itself but to no avail. See my video here. It simply didn't work for us and the amount of smoke was worrisome. The device gets extremely hot (420 degrees), extremely fast. But it does automatically shut off in 90 minutes so no need to fret about burning down the house if you forget to turn it off when you rush out the door with your bouncy, fresh curls.

It claims to be easy to use from any angle and any hand....that anyone can use it and that length isn't a problem. Miss J has a ton of hair anyway, so maybe the matter is texture? I feel like there should be a clamp or something to hold the hair in pace while it twirls.

Besides it not working for us, the truth of the matter, I really don't understand the need it fills. Using one's own wrist to twirl a barrel hot curler is a simple task. I don't personally need anything to "twirl" my hair for me. Seems unnecessarily lazy, in my opinion.

I do wish it did work for us though just to see my princess with large, bouncing coils but because it did not, I gifted to a white girl friend whose hair texture is a lot more like the girl in the video.

But hey, don't just take my word for it, try it yourself. Get your own KISS Instawave here:

http://www.KISSInstaWave.com or Target for $49.99.
*Sponsored post powered by Brandbacker*

Update: VITA-K Professional Skincare Product Review

(Updated RESULTS below)
A week ago, the good folks at Klout were kind enough to send me 3 full-sized samples of VITA-K Professional as a Klout perk. 
The products focus primarily on aging skin--there was one for crow's feet and one for deep facial lines. Luckily, at 37 I don't have such issues yet. BUT they hit the mark with the tube for AGE SPOTS.

Fresh scrubbed face. See those 2 marks? :(

I have 2 small yet brutally annoying spots along my left jawline that have been there for approx 5 years, driving me nuts. But although called age spots, age spots actually have nothing to do with age. They are discolorations on the skin from pigment-producing cells stressed and overworked by UV exposure. They create an uneven skin-tone which causes an appearance of aged skin. I have otherwise very clear skin except for those miserable blemishes. I tried a few products that promise to fade dark spots for a while but never have seen improvement. I gave up and just keep them covered with a dab of concealer over my BB cream. Which works WONDERFULLY actually at hiding them. But how great would it be if they eventually disappear for good?!!

BB cream and a few dabs of concealer at the jawline.

 VITA-K Professional for Age Spots claims to help fade age spots, rejuvenate & brighten, and with the same benefits as leading prescription skin brighteners using vitamin K, C, kolic acid, and licorice extract.
Well, I have nothing to lose so I am following the instructions and using it twice a day. Results are expected in 2 months.

I will check-in in 3 weeks for a mid-point update then in another 30 days for a final review.

Wish me luck!

Ever tried a fade cream with successful result? Ever tried VITA-K Professional products? Do tell! Leave a comment, please.

Meca xo

9/17/13 Update
I've been using the product once a day for about 5 weeks now (although it states it should be used twice a day, I don't like the residue it leaves on my skin so I only do it before bed.)
Quite honestly, I don't see much of a difference. There is a slight improvement but nothing to write home (or blog about) ;). But on the upside, I still have 90% of the tube left. It really is like a year's supply worth which makes it a good buy (if it really works). So I will keep plugging at it. Maybe it will take twice as long since I am using it only half as much?
Will keep you posted!

A Love Triangle aka A Natural Hair Products Review

Today: 3-day old picked braid-out using the Custard.

Fresh twist-out using the Custard.

I'm not really a product WHORE. I'm more like a SERIAL MONOGAMOUS. You see, I am fiercely loyal when I find something that works for my hair and I simply accept its minor flaws ignoring all other products on the shelf with their fancy packaging and alluring coupons.... until I spot a fellow naturalista with similar texture and spectacularly defined curls....then I start to CREEP. Well, I must at least try what they're using to know if there exists an upgrade to my current products, right? Yes, I MUST....and this leads me to my current product love triangle.

The truth is, I totally forget who I courted before Cantu Shea Butter (I just love 'em and leave 'em!) but my daughter's drama school instructor at Newark School of the Arts had the most coil-y, bouncy tight ringlets. I cornered her after class and insisted on her secret. She told me ever so nonchalantly, "My hair is only as good is the products I use. This (pointing to her perfect head of ringlets) is Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream....girl, it's only like $7-8 and found EVERYWHERE."

This was 3 yrs ago and I've been relatively happy with my routine wash-n-go's with Cantu ever since, when I'm not wearing a protective style.
My wash-n-go technique: 'pre-poo, shampoo, deep condition, rinse then use a basic conditioner for a minute or two and rinse, leaving in maybe 30% of the product. I hand ring most of the liquid out then detangle with my fingers. Lastly, I apply Cantu layer by layer until my entire head is covered. I usually shoot a bit of cold air from my blow dryer to speed up the drying time, then I go about my day allowing the perfect waves to set and fall into place with little manipulation. This leave-in starts off white and creamy but dries clear, leaving my hair soft and curls defined without much shrinkage. It contains pure shea butter, protein, olive oils and essential oils
Its minor flaw? It flakes a quite bit once dry and leaves my hair a bit dull. I must compensate with sheen/oil BUT it has made my hair much stronger and it eliminates the frizz. And it is conveniently available practically everywhere: Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, etc...The flaking part though, kinda sux.

So, last week as I was grocery shopping and perusing the fashion/fitness mags in line as usual, there was this article in one about summer hair-curly texture-products. I didn't expect to see a product mentioned for OUR hair but lo & behold, there was one: Pantene Defining Curls Styling Custard (made for natural ethnic hair). It claimed to be a bit of a Godsend--adding SHINE, defining curls, and controlling frizz. Growing tired of my "flaky" soon-to-be-ex main hair boo, I decided to give it a try. My hair had been braided for 2 months and I just was turned off by the idea of going back to Mr. Flaky once the braids came out so at approx. $4, I felt I had nothing to lose. This "Pantene" was a cheap date. ;) I found it the next day on my Targay run.

The verdict: I'm in love! Well, I haven't used it for a wash-n-go yet but my twist outs and braid outs for both myself and my child are lovely and with no white residue/flakiness, my hair looks inky black and full of sheen. But something about the texture of the custard has me doubting that it would make for a good wash-n-go...I will have to test that theory after the next wash. As for now, I have no complaints. It is more oily than creamy thanks to the jojoba oil and coconut oil ingredients. I think this is the best consistency for my hair. I do notice mild build-up in my hair though...but "it's me; not you, boo!"
I will clarify my tresses with apple cider vinegar next shampoo to be sure I have no product gook in my hair before re-applying.

Now, my affair with Carol's Daughter Monoi Oil began approx. 3 months ago and was not intentional AT ALL. I was minding my own business, using hair sheen, Moroccan argon oil and/or olive oil on my hair daily for moisture and shine. Then I get notice that due to my Klout score, I have earned this wonderful perk from Carol's Daughter. Well, who I am to turn down free full sized products from the queen?

This lightweight, silicone-free, miracle oil reverses and prevents damage to even the most distressed hair caused by heat-styling, color-treating and chemical straightening.

Protect your hair from all damage. Its strengthening power comes from Monoi Oil – a sacred Tahitian blend of the Tiare Gardenia Flower and Coprah Coconut Oil. This silicone-free, restorative oil rebuilds your hair’s structure from the inside out for true repair that doesn’t wash away or weigh hair down like silicones do. It’s also blended with Mirabelle Plum Seed Oil to restore health and Kukui and Rose Hip Seed Oils to reduce frizz and boost your hair’s natural shine. Take your hair to its maximum strength and length – no matter what you do to it.

Plus, No Silicones, No Parabens, No Petroleum, No Mineral Oil, No Artificial Colors

Once I read all of the ingredients and the exotic history of the monoi oil found on the box, I was more than thrilled to test drive it on our tresses.  I do appreciate that a little goes a long way. Just 4 pumps is enough for my head, 5 pumps for my daughter. At $30, it is an investment but it is so light and pure and smells/feels so luxe, it's so worthy! I used it as a barrier when I pressed Miss J's hair last week and I found it to give a great press, as well as, prevented any breakage.
Find it at Carolsdaughter.com and its namesake boutiques.

So now my current routine consists of a love triangle with the 3. Cantu has been reduced to my rinse out hair condition. It detangles wonderfully. Then I apply a few squirts of the Monoi Oil to the damp hair and twist/braid using the Custard. My hair feels great! Everyone plays their position well.
Have you tried any of the above? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Product Review: Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Moisturizing Leave-in Conditioner

Recently I came in as the 1st Runner Up in Munaluchi Bridal's Natural Beauty Contest and my prize was this heap of full-sized hair and body products from Carol's Daughter.

I dove right in. My child's beautiful natural hair was a knotty mess this morning. I took her to the beach on Tuesday and it hasn't quite recovered! LOL The ocean's salty water had turned her once soft afro-puff into a Brillo pad. I decided to take the elastic band off, section the hair as best I could under these conditions and spray in the Black Vanilla Moisturizing Leave-in Conditioner because it promises to "make detangling a cinch."
The verdict:
It is a miracle worker! After a few shots of spray on each section, my comb eased through my baby's knotty crown as it seriously became soft as a cloud. She slept the entire time I combed her hair, which is a rarity! Bonus: It has the warm, sensual scent of vanilla that relaxes me.

Other benefits:

• • Aloe Leaf Juice richly moisturizes your hair so it’s easier to detangle
• • Pro-vitamin B5 works to fortify your hair so it can hold onto moisture better
• • Wheat Proteins help to give your hair a bit more strength

For the $12 price, it is worthy. I totally recommend it. Get your own.