DIY Hair Ties

Ribbon hair ties are now all the rage. They have replaced hair bands as the next "cool ponytail thing". They are cool because they not only are stylish, but they also tie hair up without kinking it.

They are also super expensive, however, When I went on Sephora's website the other day, I found that the cheapest ones were sold at $9 for a pack of 8. That's $1.125 for each hair tie. Ridonculous.

I then thought, "why not let this be the next DIY project?"

Thus, adapting from instructions from The Spohrs Are Multiplying, I bought some 5/8'' fold over elastic on Etsy and went into action.

The package of elastics

The elastics were a grab-bag of colors, all 1 yard long. I divided each elastic into 4 even pieces of about 9 inches in length. Then I folded each nine-inch piece in half and tied off the end.

Voila! Beautiful hair ties!

I bought a package of 40 yards of elastic for $10. Adding shipping cost me only $13.95. 40 yards yields 160 hair ties. That's about 10 cents for each hair tie. Sephora came out with a 1254.48% mark-up!!!

I'm gonna give these to friends as little stocking stuffers and other gifts. I think it'll be fun combining different colors. Such a cute, fun DIY that's also super affordable, and saves your gal pals' $$ as well!

Influenster: Gillette Venus Embrace Sensitive VoxBox

I was extremely fortunate to be chosen by Influenster for its latest VoxBox series. In case y'all didn't know, Influenster is a company that sends out new products to bloggers, vloggers, consumerists in general who have a voice - to try new products and spread the word about them.

Thus, when I received this product from Gillette, I was super grateful and excited!

Unboxing

In the box

Front

 

Back

Side

I thought about showing y'all how it worked, but honestly then I realized it'd be pretty gross showing body hair being shaved off. (Eww....)

Anyway but I think that it would be helpful to talk about the product. Gillette is a brand that is known for its great shaving/skin products. For many years I used a Gillette Venus Breeze razor for my underarms. It served very well during college and no matter what shaving cream I used, I always got a smooth shave. (That is, until the blades ran dull) Then, I tried around different methods, like tweezing, depilating, and epilating. All had different results.

So when I received this product in the mail, I was super excited to try this out. An updated version of the original Gillette Venus!

What did I think?

Pros:

• Super silky, smooth, close shave (even with a body wash as shaving cream!)
• Ergonomic design
• Came with 2 cartridges with 5 blades each
• Also came with a suction cup razor holder (shower-friendly and less likely to rust!)

Cons:

• Not really so far. The one thing that annoys me the most about razors is that when they dull, they don't really hurt me at first - they just make me get ingrown hairs more easily, leading to bumps that are unsightly and not fun.

Bottom line, I do really like this product. I hope the razor blades last quite awhile and hold up!

FTC Disclaimer: This product was provided for me complimentary by Influenster. All opinions are my own.

Review: Naked 3 Palette

During the time around my first board exam, one of the ways I cheered myself on was by buying/trying new things. The epilator, a set of paints, etc were all on board.

I realized that for clinics, I would've liked to have a variety of neutral eyeshadow shades to choose from for daily looks. I wanted to look for high-quality eyeshadows that would stay on for an extended period of time (helped by eye primer, of course). Something affordable would be nice, but at the same time I let myself have a splurge.

I bought the Naked 2 palette awhile ago but I had never used it. I realized that with the cool, taupey shades, my warm skin complexion would just clash and create a calamity of a bad makeup canvas result.

Thus, when I realized the rose-toned hues of Naked 3 came out, I decided to try to get it. How did I finance this? I sold my Naked 2 palette as well as another palette I also had (both brand new).

Thus, I was able to shell out the $52 for it.

By the time I finally accessed UrbanDecay's website, it was already sold out. Unfazed, I waited a few weeks until it went on sale at Sephora. Boom. Bought it.

A few days later, it came in the mail.

Whole package

Taken apart into 3 pieces

The actual eyeshadow box

Sample primers - all 4 kinds from Urban Decay

This is, in total, about a month's worth of primer (at least according to the package)

The beautiful shadows

Some awesome samples that came along

Swatches? Honestly there are tons of swatches online that people can look at. (Click these links for swatches from Temptalia and FrmHeadToToe) What I can tell you about are the shades:

Overall, I really liked the palette. 

Pros:

• Rosey-hued tones: Look nice on my skin
• All of the colors are there for variety
• Packaging. It's very sturdy and is definitely travel-friendly. 
• Full-sized mirror for application help is definitely good on-the-go.
• Super pigmented: just a little bit for a TON of color.
• Brush: the dual-ended crease/shadow brush is definitely not a flimsy sponge applicator but rather the real-deal.

Cons:

• Fall-out: only the shade Dust (second from left) gave me trouble with fall-out. Annoying.

I know price is usually a heavy factor in my reviews but I thought about it, and honestly, the price is not bad.

The entire package cost $52. Subtract that with the $26 brush (for prices on the actual UD brushes click here). $26 left. $26 divided by 12 eyeshadows = $2.17 per eyeshadow. And that's a full-sized eyeshadow. That's comparable to Maybelline eyeshadow single prices. Not bad of a deal at all.

I highly recommend this product for anyone who (1) likes neutral shades, wants a variety, (2) wants to collect UD products, (3) enjoys rose-toned shades, and/or (4) wants to find a good deal for high-end makeup at drugstore prices. Ultimately, I think this was a great purchase and I look forward to lots of good use from this palette for the rest of medical school and beyond. I hope it works and lasts well!

Review: Korres Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial

Source
FTC: I received a sample of this product from Sephora.
All opinions are my own.

I've always wanted to find a product that nourished my face, protecting it from winter's harsh storms and drying weather. Thus, I was super happy when I got a significantly-sized sample of this product from Sephora during an order. w00t!

Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Trihelptanoin, Alcohol Denat., Behenyl Alcohol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Glyceryl Stearate, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Wax Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distarch Phosphate, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Galactoarabinan, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Yogurt Powder, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Carbomer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract.

This product touts the facts that it is "paraben, sulfate, and phthalate-free". Also, it stated that it uses "Greek yogurt" as its "magic ingredient" for moisturization and hydration of skin overnight. Well, since hydrating factors such as glycerin and fatty alcohols are listed in its top ingredients, this does seem to go true. Yogurt powder, however, is listed later on, (rather, much later on), so I'm not exactly sure about the Greek yogurt promise.

During the relatively small amount of time I was able to use this product, I definitely saw:

Pros:

• Very hydrating
• Non-sticky
• Made me feel refreshed
• Did not break me out
• Even made my skin feel tighter and younger

Cons:

• Price! Seriously, $45 for 1.35 oz. That's absolutely crazy

Honestly, this product is great. It gives me, however, the same effects as Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion but at 87X the price. I do like this but I think I'll go with Aveeno.