Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24h Wear and My Insane Makeup Drama

I was temporarily insane and in desperate need of foundation when I bought this. Never fear. It's going back to the store, ASAP.



That's Lancome's foundation in the shade of 555 Suede C.

PROS:

• Excellent texture out of the bottle
• Matches my dark skin shade to perfection
• Lasts through the day (and even through the night, if it has to)
• Would probably last a while because a little bit covers well

CONS:

• Price is ridiculous. Outrageous. ($47 at Ulta)
• The finish is too drying when it has set
• The price would cover a weeks' worth of my groceries, including coffee and toiletries
• I had to add some oil to give my face a more natural look.
• The price, the price, the price.

For someone that can afford this (and who wants a very matte finish), this is probably a perfect foundation. I had buyer's remorse even as I got my cardholder discount (paid around $30 instead of the nearly $50 tag). 

So why did I get this in the first place? Typical dilemma. I was feeling blah on my way to a meeting about job prospects. The sun was out in full force (which, as you know, will highlight both the best and worse of your facial features), and I was almost out of my favorite foundation. Oh, and, I have to add this: my favorite and most perfect (and most affordable ever) foundation is no longer available anywhere except for on Ebay. Ugh.

This right here is what I have been wearing for around 5 or more years:

It matches my skin tone (and even has the slight read under shading I love). And it's only ever cost me $10 at the most. Sometimes, I've gotten it for $8.99 online. One tube would last me 6 months, even if I was using it every day (which I don't usually do). ~sigh~

I tried using a similar product from the same Black Radiance brand. 

The shade is also "Ebony", but I don't know why the two shades are so completely different. This is about a shade and a half darker than the other "Ebony". The texture is also much thicker (and heavier). I guess it's supposed to be for heavier coverage. Whatever the reason, it doesn't work for me. 

I'm not knocking Lancome. Matter of fact, I'm happy that a major brand bothered to have a shade in a darker color. Real happy. I just wish I didn't have to see that price tag! LOL

If  you compare all three, subtle differences are enough

Before I even headed into Ulta, I tracked down every other possibility of shades and brands online. Imagine my shock when I realized SheaMoisture offers a foundation in shades a lot of women could love...

I see you down there, Madidi Mocha

I've badmouthed SheaMoisture before for their over-hyped/over-priced hair products. Never thought I'd even consider buying anything again from that brand. That makeup is the bombtastic diggity though. Unfortunately, the Anchorage Ulta doesn't carry it. I could order it online and return it to my local Ulta (which is what I am considering when I return the Lancome, pronto), but buying a foundation online is tricky when you've never used it before. 

My niece turned me on to another online brand that looks promising. It's called BH Cosmetics. Looks very interesting (especially those prices!).

Right now, the BH foundation is $4.50 (reg $9.00).

Once again, there's that problem of trying to get the right shade... This brings me to another issue with makeup companies:

Why on earth don't these brands offer realistic shade charts? I'm sure that women of every shade and hue gets frustrated by trying to match one brand to another. I did find this one site called Foundation Matrix that helps with that. 

Isn't that a beautiful thing?
I need that shade 4th from the left

The only thing is, because there are so many brands and shades, you might not find yours in the mix. I give them big props for even attempting to keep their database current.

Bottom line, it is just getting too hard to obtain decent basic makeup at affordable prices. My next step is going to be learning how to make my own. Pinterest has some interesting information on that.

                        

(You can get almost everything you need from Making Cosmetics.)

In the meantime, the hunt is still on for a foundation that I don't have to trek back to the store with for my refund :-(

Peace

--Free

UPDATE: Just a couple hours after writing this post, I made up my mind to get back to Ulta for my refund (as soon as this snow lets up). With the $30-something that I will be getting credited back to my bank, I found all this on BH Cosmetics for about the same price. That's FIVE products (2 foundations) for less than the price of a single high brand - including the shipping to Alaska. Take that, you other brands...

Product Description	Quantity	Ext. Price
BH Liquid Foundation: Deep Espresso	1	$4.50
Studio Pro Perfecting Concealer: Dark	1	$5.50
BH Liquid Eyeliner: Black	1	$4.00
Forever Nude Aqua Gloss: Chai Latte	1	$5.50
BH Liquid Foundation: Deep Ebony	1	$4.50
Subtotal:		$24.00

Notice that I got TWO of the foundations (to be sure of shades). Even if I have to return this stuff, it's going to be worth it to find what works for me. I will surely be back to do reviews on the products once they get here.

**REVIEW** Clove Essential Oil (from First Botany)

Before now, whenever I thought of cloves, only two things came to mind: 1) Toothache relief, and 2) Teen cigarettes.

I applied to get this at a deep discount so that I could add Clove Oil to my arsenal of health, wellness, and beauty products.

This Clove oil is from First Botany. This is my first time trying one of their products and, so far, I am happy with this oil. (I did do the "paper test" to check if it was diluted with carrier oils and it passed.)

What I have learned about Clove Oil in the past couple of weeks is:

• It has the highest Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) number I've seen yet.
• It's a remedy for dry skin
• Can be used to shine metals (yeah, really)
• It's both analgesic and antiseptic, which is why, I guess,..
• ...it's so good for toothaches. (I'll tell you in a moment of my experience)
• That its main ingredient is Eugenol, which is high in anti-bacterial properties (thank God for Wikipedia!)
• It's rich in calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorous, potassium and vitamins A and C
• Because of its fragrance, it's used in lots of toiletries (soap, lotion, perfume, etc.)
• Clove bud oil is used in the popular Tiger Balm (my niece swears by Tiger Balm)
• Can be used as an insect repellent (and is included in many store bought brands of the stuff)
• Is said to increase sexual energy.(Y'all will have to let me know about that one! LOL)

source

                                              

Like I mentioned, I have a story about clove oil. When I was living in Arizona (and working two jobs but still had nothing but prayer as health insurance), I got an abscess around a tooth. The thing developed in between breakfast and lunch time. It started to hurt so bad that the side of my face turned red (and you all know how dark I am, right?). I had to leave work to go home and lie in the dark and cry. A friend of ours heard that I'd left work with a toothache. She came right over to my house with the tiniest bottle of essential oil that I've ever seen. It was clove oil. She put some on a cotton ball and had my place it over that abscess. The pain started to ease up within minutes. I had to rinse and replace the cotton with fresh oil every couple of hours. By that night, the pain was completely gone and, by afternoon or so of the next day, the abscess was gone.

I kept that bottle of oil around for the next several months and then gave it to someone else with a toothache. They were as happy as I had been with the results. The only thing is, I never used clove oil after that. (And I do remember my mother having talked about her mother chewing on cloves to keep her teeth healthy and her breath fresh.)

At any rate, I don't particularly like the smell of cloves. I knew I wouldn't be using this one as a fragrance (like I do with, say, Frankincense), but I do like that it can be used for so many other things. I love using it in my concoction of natural tooth cleanser which, up to now, has been of this recipe:

• Coconut oil
• Rice powder
• Peppermint, Spearmint, Lemon or Tea Tree oil

Now, of course, I am using the Clove oil as the EO in the recipe. (Note: it keeps the breath and mouth feeling fresher much longer than Peppermint, Spearmint or Lemon. It tastes better than the Tea Tree oil.)

I haven't yet been able to bring myself to use it in water to drink any, but I am seriously going to be trying that soon. I have checked on some other ways to use this (because I want to have some hair uses), and here's what I came up with:

• Mix Clove Oil with Cinnamon Oil as a snake repellent
• Apply some to temples to soothe tension headaches (use a carrier oil!)
• Use (with a carrier oil) for a massage to heighten, uh, circulation...
• Mix with olive oil to massage cold legs and feet (has warming properties)
• Do a scalp massage with a carrier oil and 1 or 2 drops of clove oil (it's very strong) to stimulate hair growth.

The biggest Pro to clove oil is that it is stimulating. The warning to this is clove oil is also very strong and has to be used with much caution.

My favorite find to all the hair uses is this recipe that a lady in the grocery store told me about:

Take two drops of clove oil and mix into a half cup of honey.

Rinse your hair and towel dry it, then apply enough olive oil to coat your scalp and hair well.

Apply the clove/honey mix to any thinning areas and cover with a cap for about 5 minutes.

Finally, either shampoo your hair and apply some leave in conditioner.

(If you have extremely dry hair, you can lightly shampoo the hair so you don't lose all the oil from your treatment.)

I haven't tried this yet, but I did add a single drop of clove oil to a glob of coconut oil and used it to oil my scalp. I want to add a little more clove oil, but don't want to burn myself! Maybe I will experiment the next time I do a scalp treatment.

A couple of last things about the First Botany brand of Clove Oil:

1. It is a Clove Leaf Oil (not Clove Bud Oil). I guess for people more familiar with Clove, there is a huge difference (?). I won't know until I try bud oil. For me, this was pleasant smelling (strong, IMO), and I could feel the warming properties that I heard about.
2. The bottle is a good 4 oz size and I think that, because its recommended to use so little, it will last me a good while. I am storing it as suggested (cool and dark place).
3. I have now applied to try other products by the brand and will update you on how the quality stacks up to this oil. Right now, I'm pleased.

If anyone has a good knowledge of uses for Clove E.O. (or about the differences), do let me know.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**REVIEW** Pinjian Home Gym Pedal Fitness Latex Tube Foot Elastic Exerciser

Because the snow up here keeps doing encores, it's tough for me to make it to the gym. (I hate driving on snow and ice.) Plus, it's just plain hard to get motivated to make it to the gym as often as I should.

You can bet that I was excited to try this:

It's a Home Gym Pedal Exerciser. Basically.

I was ready for it because I get a text alert for arriving parcels. I was suited out in my sweats and tennis shoes. And immediately ran into 2 problems. First:

No instructions. Not even a scrap of paper with stick figures. You have to go back online and find something...  If your internet connection is down, well, I guess the pictures on the box are supposed to be enough instruction. But did you really look at that photo?

Notice she has SHOES on

That chick is sitting on air and not moving at all. That was ZERO help to me. Also, I ran into another problem that the she's not having:

That's a regular highlighter just for perspective

Wearing just socks, my feet only barely fit into those peddle slots. No way am I going to get my sneakers in there. (Yes, I tried. It was embarrassing. One shoe got stuck and my little nephew gave me the side eye.)

On the product page for this item, the man is not wearing shoes. That's more honest.

Another problem I have with this item is materials. None of the parts feels cheap, but I worry about wear and tear. I really didn't want to pull that hard on the thing. Since there are no instructions or other helpful pieces of info -other than in the photos at the product page -  I can't be sure that I won't mess around and snap something. I was a little worried about the way the tension pieces hung unevenly.

That's not resting on anything,
just hanging straight down

Most of all, I keep coming back to the biggest problems with this: No instructions and those tiny peddles. I felt like a giant, trying to squeeze my size 7 1/2 dogs in there. (Okay, I wear an 8 now, but my tennis shoes run small...)


This is included on the product page:

Maybe I had the wrong expectations

                                 
I will say that I like the concept. I took off my shoes and tried playing around with this and actually managed to do some kind of "something". I can't call it 'exercise' because I was just improvising. At any rate, my socks didn't provide enough grip for me to feel safe about my foot not sliding loose. I mean, it was just barely hooked in the pedal anyway...

As far as the exercises shown above, I didn't feel comfortable doing anything but the "Hand Training". I don't need that one. I need the ones for my waist. But I'm worried about this thing snapping on me.

I really feel bad that this didn't work out. I was just too excited, I guess. Maybe someone else has managed to work with this and can send me tips. For now, the best I can say is that, for those who purchased this, there is this: "WARRANTY--90 days no hassle money back guarentee, life-time replacement warranty."

It's not often that I can find so little positve to say about a product I try, but this one is not up to snuff, IMO. Sorry, but this seems like the kind of thing I expect to find in the Dollar Store. It's not for me and I really cannot recommend it to my readers :-(

Peace
--Free




DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

ORAC Numbers. Really?

When I was looking up information on the different oils the other day, I learned something new. There is a system for scoring the antioxidant value of common foods.

Did any of you know about this? If you did, why didn't you let a sister in on the news???

Anyway.

source

The ORAC thing is a little more complicated than I just stated but, if you want the nitty gritty on that, you can check Wikipedia. That's what I did.

I'm interested in the ORAC values of food, of course, but I do most of my reviews on essential oils. I was happy to see that there are E.O.s listed on the charts I found. At least, there are some E.O.s listed.

Here are some more charts and other information (sources as shown via links). Thanks for all the sources for having the information out there to share with the rest of us.


The USDA has a PDF downloadble that's kind of complex. Kind of. Or maybe it's just me.

Well Being does a better job of explaining antioxidants for the laymen

Superfoodly has a searchable list that's awesome. I mean, it is searchable. (And how cool is the name 'Superfoodly'?)

Bio Source Naturals has a chart and a Pinterest-friendly graphic.

source

It's been hard to find a chart of ORAC numbers for only E.O.s, so I'm showing a bunch for now.

source

source

Now, as for me and my house, the following are the most common oils & EOs that have been used (and some that I have recently started using). I will show their ORAC score if I can find it.

• Jojoba oil
• Camelina oil 
• Baobab oil
• Lemon EO 660
• Argan oil
• Grapefruit 22,600
• Lavender EO 360
• Peppermint EO
• Clove EO 1,078,700
• Frankincense EO 630
• Castor oil (reg)
• Castor oil (Black Jamaican) 
• Myrrh 379,800
• Peach (I have Peach kernel oil)
• Rosemary (I steep the leaves for a skin & hair spray) 330

I am still on the hunt for more numbers. In the meantime, isn't it interesting to look at which EOs have the higher numbers? I noticed that, other than Clove, I don't hear as much about those high number EOs. Might be something to think about when adding to your supplies, huh?

Since I started on these numbers, I thought I might as well add some Pins and charts for the ORAC score of foods and such. I mean, healthy is healthy, and beauty is a holistic kind of thing.

source was temp down

source

Source: A Handy Guide to Antioxidants

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Ancient Greek Remedy Oil

This is the first of the latest oil reviews I'm getting to do.

That is Ancient Greek Remedy Oil from Bliss of Greece. Let me tell you why I wanted to try the oil.

I grew up in a family with strong roots and passed-down traditions. My mother taught me a lot about what her mother taught her about taking care of the skin and hair. This is common in a lot of cultures, and I really respect that. Bliss of Greece seems to follow that cultural honor. My dream is to one day be able to visit several places just to experience the culture.

Okay, now about this oil. Let me go over the things that make this oil appealing to me and anyone concerned about the quality:

• This does not contain animal fats, man-made chemicals, dyes or color additives,Not tested on animals, animal friendly, vegan, pesticide and GMO free.
• It's 100% Pure Oil is made from organically grown ripe olives and contains no preservatives, solvents or chemical additives.. I can never say that enough.
• The oil is a blend of 100% pure organic cold pressed olive oil, lavender oil, almond oil, and grape seed oil, that contain rich vitamins, minerals, fatty acids & antioxidants.

If we look at those ingredients separately, we can see individual benefits to skin and hair:

Olive Oil is, of course, a traditional remedy for many things, but since we are talking hair, skin and nails for now, let think about that. What I know (from family tradition) is that massaging olive oil onto the skin during pregnancy (or other times of weight gain and loss) helps elasticity and may reduce stretch marks. I've also been told by mothers that it can lighten existing stretch marks. I've never been pregnant, but I know that olive oil is one of the best moisturizers ever. I'm 6 years away  from being 60 and...

only 3 of these are older than 5 years

Also, you can use olive oil on your lips and on your eyelashes. Because olive oil is said to stregthen hair, I've heard of it being used as a lash serum.

Lavender Oil is used for lots of things. I've mostly used it for relaxation and (more recently) to promote healthy hair growth. When I checked out more of the skin benefits, I came away with quite a list, including: soothing/healing dry, chapped, or sunburned lips; reducing acne and skin redness; and it's supposed to be antiseptic and anti fungal (which is good news for our finger and toenail issues). I mostly love the way it smells.

Almond Oil is another oil that I don't have a lot of experience with. Now that I'm reading up on it, I'm very interested though. Almond oil, like Lavender, is good for soothing the skin and easing lip dryness and chapping. What I'm real excited about is its use in reducing split ends and as a shine-enhancer for the hair. Yes! 

Grape seed Oil is an amazing moisturizer that doesn't get enough press. Not only does it moisturize well, but it can also be used to clean the face. I've heard that a lot of women use this oil as a staple in their "anti-aging" treatment. It's certainly better than using chemically-enhanced products. What interests me most about this particular oil is its use on natural hair (as well as treated hair). I'd heard of grapeseed being used on the hair, but until I read this, I wasn't informed enough. 

So, I'm excited to try this Ancient Remedy blend as directed on my hair. I've already applied it to my skin and nails. 

I don't like to apply this to my neck area during the day because it has such a nice sheen to it. The sheen is really nice on the shoulder area and legs. That's going to be a plus during shorts-wearing weather...

 I DO love to apply it after my shower and before bedtime (especially to my breasts and that area just underneath where my bra tends to rub the skin all day). The smell is mild but very nice and soothing - almost like a calming balm.  

Because of the gloss it gives, I know it will be great on the hair, but I really love putting some on my nails after I apply color to them. It makes my cuticles feel good and it makes my nail polish gleam. I have to remind myself to apply some to the underside of my nails!

I'm going to start using this on my scalp and the ends of my hair (especially after conditioning) to see if it helps keep my ends in check. I'll have to try to remember to do an Update post.

Before I close out this post, let me add a few final, important notes:

• This is a 4oz bottle with a pump lid dispenser. One pump is good, IMO, for decent coverage so, if using on your nails you might dispense too much. I've been using it on my feet (even during the day), so I take a bit intended for that to do my nails first. That way, I'm not wasting oil.
• The scent does dissipate after a few minutes and is not strong enough to interfere with my perfume or other fragrance.
• This comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. (Customer service has an excellent rating, so try checking with them to resolve any issues first.)
• The product shelf life is 3 years from purchase date
• Intended for external use only.

I'd love to hear back from anyone else using this to see what your results are.

Peace

--Free



DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

Hair and Face Smoothie

At the end of this last week, I was feeling less than joyful. No particular reason, just a case of the blahs. To lift my spirit and do something nice for myself, I had a little solo 'Spa Day' without, you know, actually going to a spa.

I gave myself a mani-pedi, and I also gave made and used a nice hair mask and facial treatment. To further keep down my costs, I used only what I had on hand:

• Coconut milk
• Greens Plus Superfood Raw (link to blog post I did)
• Avocado
• **Desert Cactus honey (made from agave cactus)

Note that I left the Greens Plus out of the mix that I used on my hair. This is what the 2 different mixes look like (pardon my crappy photography skills). 

Lots richer colored with
Greens

Minus Greens

All the ingredients fit with my recent opinion about beauty products which is: If it's not safe for my insides, why put it on my outsides? Anyway, I assume you're probably too lazy right now to go back and read (or re-read) the post on the Greens Plus, so here are the ingredients again:

Other than the Stevia Leaf, the ingredients are all something I'd eat regularly. (I try to stay away from Stevia just because of the taste, but everything else in this Greens blend masks it from the taste buds!)

Still, I wasn't sure what would happen with all those greens when applied to my face. For all I knew, I was going to end up looking like an alien. That's one reason I did my 'spa' treatment on a Friday. I'd have all day Saturday to fix any mistakes and still make it to Sunday church service on time. 

As far as the hair mask, the results were not as moisturizing as I expected. In hindsight, I'm thinking that I could have added more honey and maybe a little bit of coconut or olive oil. What I did like is how clean my hair felt. I only did a really good rinse (not a shampoo) before and after applying the mask. Also, I think that a full hour might have been too long for leaving it on. (I got involved in a phone convo...). Like I said, my hair did feel really clean, and I didn't get any breakage. Afterwards, I went ahead and used a little bit of Aussie Moist conditioner to get some softening.

The 'green mix' went on my face like any other facial mask and I let it rest for 20 minutes. It was thicker than the hair mask because of the added Greens powder. (I like that for the face because it helped it stay in place, but wouldn't like it that thick for my hair. Just a little note in case you decided to try this.)One pleasant surprise in using the Greens in the facial is the very gently exfoliating effect. I generally only use super-fine grained things to exfoliate with because I don't want to damage my skin. The greens were so fine that I enjoyed massaging the problem areas of my nose and chin. There was no irritation at all. The mask rinsed well and left my skin feeling super clean and, I think, more toned. This was almost like a really gentle clarifying facial. After rinsing, I added a tough of Jojoba oil while my skin was still slightly damp. Wonderful!

Next time, the only thing I will change is the hair mask. I will definitely add something for softening. I'm thinking that a little bit of Coconut or Marula oil will do the trick. 

If you've been keeping up with the blog, you'll know that I'm taking a few tablespoons each day of blackstrap molasses. I can tell now without a doubt that this is helping my dark hair hold its color. My hair isn't growing much faster than usual, but it is thicker at the roots. I'll take it.

Peace

--Free

** Since I don't know much more about Desert Cactus Honey (other than that it comes not from bees but an agave cactus), I'm not sure if that affected the hair mask. Maybe I will do a comparison with some 'regular' honey next time. Notice there's not a lot of info about desert cactus online. I am seeing that it's a 'thing' to mix either types of honey with EVOO as a shine treatment. Hmmm...