Monday, June 13, 2011

Review: Clairol Nice & Easy Perfect 10 Permanent Hair Color in Medium Brown!

Clairol Nice & Easy Perfect 10 Permanent Hair Color
(#5 Medium Brown)
The kits contents.
Makeupalley rating of 3.3/5 based on 287 reviews, with a 56% re-purchase rate. (view here)

As you may already know, I dye my hair every month (sometimes I skip a month or two) with Clairol's Natural Instincts Brass Free Brunettes Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Medium Brown. Prior to that, I was using whatever was on sale and from the looks of the box, wouldn't turn my hair orange or black. It was usually a hit or miss - the majority of the time was a miss. I would use Dark Brown dyes, with the anxiety of possibly leaving it in too long or not leaving it in long enough. (I've ended up with jet black hair twice by leaving it in too long.) Other dyes would leave my hair color a brassy brown that would fade to a medium auburn after a couple of months. Medium brown is all I ask for!! Anyway, I loved that Clairol Natural Instincts Brass Free Brunettes didn't cause my hair to go too dark or have any terrible orange tones. Even though the color was spot on, it didn't do a good job covering my white hairs. My hair would be an awesome, rich medium brown and I'd have my platinum white hairs shining though my bangs like nobody's business. So, I thought I'd look elsewhere in the world of drugstore hair dye.

Clairol Perfect 10 sounded like what I needed - 10 minutes to develop, with 100% gray coverage. 

It's your standard box dye - it comes with the application tube that contains the color activator & the color creme, an instruction booklet with plastic gloves and a deep conditioner. It also has a snazzy comb applicator that you can screw on the tube. I like that you don't have to use the comb if you don't want to. You can just toss it and use the squeeze tip like a standard hair dye. I actually like the comb, but for precision root application, I think the traditional way works best - Run the product down your roots and blend with your fingertips or a fine tooth comb.

Since I don't have that many white hairs (yes, they are white. snow white. they aren't gray) just a small family of them in one area, I used the comb applicator and ran the dye through the top of my head and worked it with my fingers down the strands to blend the color in with my hair, then placed my hair in a bun.


I waited 10-12 minutes and washed and conditioned my hair. I then used my NuMe flat iron the following morning to curl my hair.

My hair color didn't change all that much from before, but it does appear a bit warmer. It appears to have a slight mahogany tone in the light. My hair looks shiny and healthy and doesn't feel dried out.

100% gray coverage? No. 96% to be exact, as I still can see about 4-5 hairs that aren't white anymore, but are a light golden. I was a little upset about that, because they are the most visible ones as they are at top of my bangs. Maybe they are what you call "stubborn grays" and need around 20 minutes. Oh well. I do like the outcome anyway, and I probably will purchase this dye again because of the ease of use.

After I dyed my hair using #5 Medium Brown.

**Before tossing the box, rip the top of the box off to remember the brand and shade in case you like the final outcome!

Olivia & Joy Fringe Handbag!

Olivia + Joy New York - Outburst Fringe Flap 
Style # OJ44026-000-BKA
Suggested Retail $78

I actually got this handbag as a birthday gift, and I love it. It was purchased at Loehmann's for $39.99. I did track this bag down, and it's still available on the Olivia & Joy website for $55. (click here)

The Outburst Fringe Flap is a small, synthetic hobo handbag with a large flap of fringe with metal embellishments. I was drawn to this bag right away as I loved the trendy fringe and edgy silver metal details. I also like the fact that at the top of the chain strap, there is a thick leather piece, which makes it comfortable for wear on the shoulder. It's not really a bag that I can toss everything in, but it fits my cosmetic bag, wallet and cell phone pretty good. I think it's the perfect accessory to add some funk into a plain outfit.

Celebs sporting trendy fringe handbags
Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Mary Kate Olsen
Also, from Loehmann's I got this amazing trendy, rhinestone agate ring. I love the abstract shape & the rhinestone outline. I love wearing large, statement rings - They are pretty much a no brainer when you can't figure out which necklace, bracelet or watch you want to wear with your outfit. Just toss on a ring or two! The brand is Robert Rose and it was on clearance for $9.98.

What are some of your favorite places to shop for handbags and accessories?

Sunday, June 12, 2011

NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink!

Two (2) Coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink
Two (2) Coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink
Bubblegum Pink is a creamy, cool toned lilac pink with a very slight, barely detectable opalescent sheen.

The formula of this polish is pretty nice. It's an opaque, cream formula that reaches full opacity with two coats. Application with the first coat can be a little streaky, but with two coats it seems to even out. The formula is a bit on the thicker side, so I probably wouldn't do three coats with this polish.

I really love this color and I think it will be a "frequent" of mine. It's pretty much almost identical (minus the opalescence) to another fav. of mine, Revlon Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Cupid (seen here).


Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear is actually one of my favorite drugstore lines of polish. Aside from the great variety of colors, the stubby application brush that makes painting my nails easier, the price is very reasonable. At most stores, a bottle is under $3.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Drugstore Haul! Hair Dye, Lipstick, Lipgloss, Glitter + Crackle Nail Polish!

This post jumps around a little bit, but I didn't want to break it into separate posts. Hope you don't mind! Anyway, he's my haul from a couple of days ago. Everything was purchased from Walgreens. I purchased the Rimmel at 50% off and the Wet n Wild at 50% off with their current sale.

Clairol Nice n' Easy Perfect 10 Hair Color #5 Medium Brown
Pure Ice Crackle Nail Polish in Jetsetter
Sinful Colors Glitter Nail Polish in Nail Junkie 927
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush 006
Wet n Wild Mega Matte Lipstick in Think Pink 901B
Wet n Wild Lipstick in Nouveau Pink 511B
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lip gloss in Pink Remedy 110

Clairol Nice n' Easy Perfect 10 Hair Color #5 Medium Brown. I've read pretty good reviews for this box dye, so I thought I'd give it a try instead of my regular Clairol Natural Instincts Brass Free Brunettes. I love my previous dye, but it just didn't cover the grays well enough. (Yes, I do have grays) I'm hoping that this dye will work better for that. I should be using it in the next few days.

[Outdoors, No Flash] Left to Right: Wet n Wild 901B Think Pink, Wet n Wild 511B Nouveau Pink, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pink Blush 006
[Outdoors, Flash] Left to Right: Wet n Wild 901B Think Pink, Wet n Wild 511B Nouveau Pink, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pink Blush 006
Wet n Wild 901B Think Pink is a warm, bubblegum pink. I rarely come across pinks that I really like because cool toned pinks don't suit my skintone, and it's difficult to find a warm pink that's light enough, opaque and has no shimmer. I actually already own this shade, but I purchased another as a backup because it was on sale for 50% off at Walgreens.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pink Blush 006 is also a bubblegum pink, but it's a bit cooler in tone compared to Think Pink. It's often compared to MAC Viva Glam Gaga (the first one).

Wet n Wild Lipstick in Nouveau Pink 511B is a bright, magenta-pink. Ever since I saw it on Jo, I had to have it. The formula is surprisingly nice for a 99 cents lipstick. It's creamy and applies evenly and has great color payoff. See it on Jomakemeblush by clicking here.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lip gloss in Pink Remedy 110
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lip Gloss in Pink Remedy 110 is a medium toned pink gloss filled with very fine shimmer and the slightest bit of frost. I'm a bit underwhelmed by the color - pretty in the tube but does not show up on my lips and the color can't be easily built. I do like the fact that it contains an SPF (15) and has a large, flattened applicator. 
Wet n Wild Nouveau Pink Lipstick
Sinful Colors Glitter Nail Polish in Nail Junkie 927 has a teal-blue very sheer base, combined with chunky blue glitter, multicolored glitter and fine green glitter. I purchased this because it reminded me a little bit of a Butter London polish I really want called Henley Regatta.

Pure Ice Crackle Nail Polish in Jetsetter is a royal blue with a pearl finish. Honestly, I never really liked crackle polishes, and I never thought I'd purchase one. But when I saw a large display of Pure Ice Crackle Polishes at my Walgreens for $3.99 each, I thought I ought to purchase my first one to review. There were several colors to pick from, but I ended up picking blue. I thought it would look really cool over a green or lighter blue polish.. and possible over the glitter polish I had just purchased.

A photo I took with my cell phone at Walgreen's of the Pure ICE Crackle Polishes
I find it a little difficult to work with. I've never used any other crackle nail polish, so I can't compare, but it dries very quickly and starts crackling right away. I find that you have to coat your nail extremely quick, and if you go over the polish, it won't crackle as well. It crackles the best when the coat of polish is very thin.

Left to Right: A Generic bright, seafoam green polish with one coat of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie on top, China Glaze For Audrey with Pure Ice Crackle Jetsetter on top, A Generic bright, seafoam green polish (same as index finger) with Pure Ice Crackle Jetsetter on top, Three Coats of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie. All  nails have one coat of Seche Vite Top Coat, except for my pinky.

I actually liked how each nail tuned out. I think the glitter polish looks really pretty over the bright green, and I think it would look really pretty over a blue polish as well!

Do you own any of these products? Do you have any drugstore favorites you can recommend? Let me know in the comments! ☺