If you don't know you better ask somebody - Coconut Oil

Hi Ladies!
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer-like weather we've been having lately. I laid out on Sunday trying to even out my tan (the front of my legs are baked and the backs are still a sickly yellow) but it was too hot for me! I've been doubling-up on my sunless tanner applications on the back of my body but so far it's not working.

So I'm thinking of starting another series called "If you don't know you better ask somebody", which will be all about regular items that you can use on your quest for fabulousness on the cheap. You can do a lot with regular items like lemons, aspirin, avocados, yogurt, honey, and fruit and they tend to work even better than their drugstore counterparts.

That said, let's talk coconut oil. Obviously it is derived from coconuts and has many uses; cooking being the most common I believe; especially in the islands. It's also used in manufacturing to make margarine, soap, and cosmetics, was historically used in oil lamps, and has been tested for use as a feedstock for biodiesel to be used as a diesel engine fuel. In this manner it can be applied to power generators and transport using diesel engines. A Nigerian study also found that it has antimicrobial effects and is effective in killing some strains of candida, which causes the bane of female existence - the yeast infection. (The source for all these wonderful facts is Wikipedia). But also and most importantly coconut oil is a very common - and very inexpensive - beauty product that can be used in multiple ways.

Sidebar: Coconut oil is also an excellent lubricator for sexual intercourse; but it's not safe for use with condoms. Those of you with sex lives should take note. I don't have that problem, but that's another story for another blog lol.

First and foremost coconut oil makes a great skin moisturizer. I keep a big ole bottle in the shower (it solidifies when it's cold so I keep it there to warm up and turn liquid) and when I'm done I just gently pat myself dry and then slather myself with it - a little goes a long way. This is literally the only moisturizer that alleviates my winter itch. Cold Canadian winters + steaming hot showers = itchy flaky skin six months of the year. It also works as a pre-moisturizing treatment for the skin. If you apply it and then shower your skin is smoother and softer.

My second favourite use for coconut oil is on my hair. It makes an awesome pre-poo treatment. Just warm it up, apply to your hair and let it sit - anywhere from a half hour to overnight. Then wash/condition/style as usual. It makes your hair so much softer and shinier that I've pretty much stopped using anything else. It can drip a little if you over-apply though so beware. Those of you who are wary of using the straight oil should try Bumble and Bumble's Creme do Coco Masque - it's being raved about all over the beauty blogosphere.

You can also use coconut oil as a serum on dry hair - it helps to smooth out frizzy ends, but I can't stress enough that it must be used sparingly or you will be sorry. I also hear that it's extremely effective in eliminating dandruff, but I can't attest to that personally.

Ladies out there with digestive issues (myself included) can take comfort in the fact that the medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are digested and absorbed more easily than other oils. That means you should be looking to use it in your cooking.

My pet-loving ladies should try putting a teaspoon of coconut oil into your pet's food every day to help with issues like underactive thyroid, or use it as a swab or a drop for ear mites.

Coconut milk also has many beauty uses, but I don't like it as much as the oil so I'm not going to speak on it.

The moral of the story is, if you don't have coconut oil in your life, you should get hip to it. It's dirt cheap - I get a big bottle in Kensington Market for like $2.99 - and it works wonders.

Check out a quick YouTube Video about the various uses of coconut oil here. To learn more about the many uses for coconut oil, go to Coconut-Connections.com

Scandalous Beauty is the Truth

Hi ladies!
Because I'm feeling generous today - not to mention too lazy to work lol, I thought I'd alert you to one of my favourite blogs, Scandalous Beauty. It's a great beauty blog for women of colour and beauty lovers in general.

Miss Scandalous Beauty herself is a professional makeup artist and she gives great tips and tutorials about pretty much everything you'd want to learn (she also has a very cool accent). Her tutorial on how to cover acne and blemishes changed my life. I'm not kidding.

She also has a YouTube channel where you can find all her videos in one stop.

Check her out.

Random bits

Hai guise!
In keeping with my (new-found) tradition of mixing beauty posts with posts about my life in general, I'm going to post 13 random things about myself as of right now. Just cuz.

1. I'm wearing a lot of clothes for a Thursday in June. Leggings, pants, a tank top, long-sleeved t-shirt, a cardigan, my trench coat, and a pashmina. I also have my space heater turned up full blast and it's sitting no more than 10 inches away from me on my desk. And I'm not hot.

2. I'm feeling irritated today by my hair and my shoes.

3. I was looking at pictures of my crushboy today and I so badly (sooo badly) want to nibble on his neck. He is deeeeeeeeeelish.

4. I'm going for coffee with Dalia and Andrea. That will be my third time going for coffee today.

5. I went out for lunch by myself today because I was craving homefries. They were really good.

6. I still haven't seen the season finale of Grey's. I'm saving it. For what? I don't know.

7. I stalk the FedEx guy at work because he is so hot and smells so good.

8. I have been celibate now for 657 days.

9. The fourth toe on my left foot is extremely itchy.

10. I stole a pack of gum from my supervisor's desk.

11. I have many many more productive things I should be doing right now.

12. I'm frantically trying to figure out a way to get out of going to this stupid media party tonight.

13. I can't think of a 13th thing.

Well that was boring even for me. If you're still reading this...um, thanks!

Product Review: Lancôme Hypnôse & Juicy Tubes Smoothie

Hello darlings!
Last week I was invited to attend the Milles Femmes event at BCE Place. Part of the Luminato Festival, Milles Femmes is a tribute to 1,000 artistic, creative and inspiring women from Toronto and their protégés, who embody the passion and heritage of the city. A few of my friends (and fellow blogger Henna of Canadian Beauty) were included in the event so I went to the launch.

Why am I writing about this you ask? A couple of reasons. First because I've been itching to mix up the beauty posts with some more personal stuff (because I belive – perhaps mistakenly – that you guys want to know what’s going on with me) and also because the gift bags included some great full size (!) Lancôme products. I haven’t had the chance to try everything, but I leapt at the Hypnôse Mascara and the Juicy Tubes Smoothie.

For some reason, I haven’t really dabbled too much in Lancôme. I have a couple of their Color Design eyeshadows (I ♥ The New Black) but that’s it. All the more reason why I couldn’t wait to try these. But I promised to cut down on the long-ass intros so I'm just going to move on to the reviews already.

Let’s go with the Hypnôse Mascara first.

According to Lancôme’s website, “With each stroke, the patented POWERFULL™ brush intensifies lashes from root to tip. Exclusive, fluid SoftSculpt ™ formula, enriched with Vitamin B5, wraps lashes one luxurious layer at a time without smearing, smudging or clumping.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. They ain’t never lied. I loves this mascara. The formula is nice and thick in a Voluminous kinda way but not clumpy. I do scrape off a fair amount of product before I apply but once I’ve done that it glides on smoothly and gives me great length and volume – even on the little skimpy lashes at the inner corners of my eyes. I always curl my lashes before applying mascara and this does seem to pull the curl out, but so does every other mascara I’ve ever used so I just curl again once it dries and I'm good to go for hours.

Sidebar: Does anyone know why mascara takes the curl out of lashes? Maybe it’s just me though because I’ve never heard anyone else mention it. It’s so annoying.

The wiwfm verdict on this is a hell’s yes!

On to the Juicy Tubes Smoothie.
I got this in Honey Violet, which is kind of a deep plummy red with gold shimmer. It’s a lot less purple than in the picture. I was a little wary when I looked at the tube, but once I put it on I really liked it.

It’s very well pigmented but still provides a sheer wash of colour, if that makes sense. What I mean is that the colour doesn’t go on as intense as it looks in the tube, but it’s not so sheer that you can’t see the colour on you. It also smells like watermelon Jolly Ranchers, which is never a bad thing.

I lent this to my sister Marsha indefinitely, only because it’s much more a Marsha colour than a Max colour. But I liked it so much I couldn’t bring myself to give it up permanently. I might “borrow:” it back from her the next time I see her.

The wiwfm verdict on this is yes as well.

Now I'm on a mission to try more Lancôme. Any recs for must-try products?

Have a great day ladies!

Product Review: Redken Extreme Shampoo & Conditioner

Hah guise!
I was shopping at Trade Secrets the other day and the cashier asked me if my hair was relaxed. I explained to her that I was trying to grow out my relaxer and she offered me samples of Redken Extreme. She said “these are really good products for hair like ours”. Not sure exactly what she meant by that but I never turn down samples. I took them home, stuck them in my sample box, and promptly forgot them. That is until Monday when my hair was so overloaded with hairspray from the MMVA’s that I couldn’t drag my fingers through it. I reached for my Long Term Relationship and remembered that I ran out and haven’t bought more because I'm looking for the specially-marked bottles so I can get a free mani-pedi. Thanks be to G-d I remembered I had this stuff and decided it was as good a time as any to try it out and then blog about it.

Sidebar: Now that I have a blog I can’t stop thinking in blog-speak. Instead of zoning out or daydreaming about crushboy while I do things, I'm now constantly trying to commit every experience to memory in vivid detail to share with you all. My daydreaming time has been seriously reduced as a result of this.

Anyway on to Redken Extreme. I’ve never used any Redken products so I'm a complete novice. I did go on their site the other day to have my hair “profiled” but the guy talking to me on the site was so strange and the results so vague it immediately vanished from my mind.

The site describes the Extreme line (which includes Shampoo, Conditioner, Reconstructing Treatment, Anti-Snap treatment, Rescue Force deep conditioner, and something called a Deep Fuel treatment) as “repair for distressed hair. For hair that is up to 4 times stronger. Extreme strengthens and resurfaces chemically and mechanically distressed hair. Redken's exclusive Interbond Conditioning System delivers a unique 3D Repair Complex to fortify hair so it looks and feels healthier with increased manageability and shine”.

Because I'm reviewing just a sample I obviously can’t comment on the long term effect of the claims, but I’ll fill you in on my experience and you can decide whether to give it a try.

The Extreme Shampoo was a treat. The first thing I noticed was how rich and creamy it was and how great it smelled. Kind of like a vanilla milkshake. It lathered up really well, which I love, and there was enough in the packet to wash my hair twice and still have some left over. It rinsed out easily and my hair felt nice afterward. Clean, but not dry or strawlike. I was instantly impressed.





The Extreme Conditioner was a bit of a different story.


I was nervous as soon as I opened the packed because the formula was quite lightweight, as opposed to the richness of the shampoo. It also had the nice vanilla milk-shakey smell, but there was a chemical undertone to it as well. Although it was thin, it distributed easily throughout my hair. On the site it promises to smooth and detangle your hair and that is definitely true. I noticed right away how easily my fingers slipped through my hair and I don’t even have a problem with tangles. As usual I let it sit in my hair under a shower cap while I did my business and then rinsed it out. It rinses out very easily.

When I came out of the shower my hair just more glossy and shiny than normal, but for me the test is always how my hair looks after I’ve blown it dry and flat ironed it. I won’t bore you with the intricacies of my routine because it’s too tedius to even get in to, but suffice it to say I did notice some key differences in my hair. It was straighter and a lot less frizzy than it usually is, which is good. But it had a little less body, which is not so good. It feels stronger but less soft. See a pattern here? There’s good news and bad news with this. Ultimately I think this shampoo is great if you have damaged hair, but I don’t really so for me the benefits of using it don’t outweigh the loss of body and softness. Still I give it a verdict of yes because it does what it promises.

Product Review: NARS Deep Throat

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Product Review: Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant

Hi girlz!

Check me out - third post this week!

Today we're talking lip exfoliants - the dumbest thing I've ever heard of if you ask me - there are way too many ways to do this at home without buying a whole product just for this - but whatevs. I got this as part of one of those Smashbox sets that seems like a really good value but actually is not because Smashbox is over-expensive. But anyway.

The one we're focusing on is Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant and according to Sephora it's "the first sugar-based, peppermint, lip exfoliator that is perfectly edible and smells delicious". It contains shea butter, jojoba, and antioxidants.

Basically you rub this stuff on your lips, and massage it in. I think you're supposed to massage it for 30 seconds or so and then gently wipe it away.

Here's the thing: this contains little exfoliating beads but there are so few of them in the tube that you're lucky to get two of them each time you use this. And it's really the beads that do the exfoliating so if you don't get enough of them it doesn't really work. All you're doing is rubbing a sweet, minty, wax all over your lips.

Sidebar: This actually smells just like homemade play-doh...do you guys remember that stuff? My friend Kim Mumford's mom used to make it when I was a kid (she also used to make us pumpkin chocolate chip muffins after Hallowe'en that were delish) and there used to be something she put into it that made it not taste good so kids wouldn't eat it that made it smell like mint. That's exactly what this stuff reminds me of.

I can't comment on the taste because - although it's edible - I'm extremely squeamish and make every possible effort to avoid getting this stuff in my mouth. I actually didn't know it was edible until I was researching it for this post. My lips do usually taste a bit sweet after I've used it so I'm sure it's not gross, if anyone is concerned about that.

Ultimately this item is a skip if you ask me. It does make your lips smoother (even though it's the wax that smoothes more than any other ingredient I'd guess) but there are so many other things you could do that are cheaper and faster than this that I wouldn't waste the money, especially because it retails for $18.

So the wiwfm verdict is....yes.

Product Review: Aveeno Cream Cleanser

Good morning ladies!
I'm making a concerted effort to make my posts shorter (internet writing 101) so I'm going to keep the preamble to a minimum and get right to the point:

Today's post is about Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser.

According to Aveeno's website, "this creamy cleanser gently exfoliates and helps clear and prevent blemishes while visibly improving skin tone and texture." It's also oil-free, hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, gentle enough for sensitive skin. All of which is good stuff to me. This cleanser also contains salicylic acid, which clogged pore ladies should be allll about.

In a word, I loves this stuff. The first time I used it I couldn't believe how good my skin felt afterward. It felt smooth and deeply clean without any kind of tightness or stripped feeling at all. The exfoliating beads (while too sparse to really have an effect IMO) are small enough to be gentle but not so small that they dissolve on contact with water, as has been my experience with many other scrub type cleansers. To be honest, with this cleanser the exfoliating beads seem to be so besides the point that I think they just threw them in as an afterthought.

I'm addicted to this stuff. I can't stop washing my face and I even told my roommate that he should start using it too. I doubt he will, but I think it would be a great cleanser for men. It has just enough of the good stuff to keep them looking well-groomed without seeming overly metro, and the packaging and the smell are gender neutral (it just smells ever-so-faintly like mayonnaise). My only complaint is that you're supposed to massage this into your skin for like 30 seconds. That's a long time. So I only do that in the evenings. In the morning I just do it for however long it takes for me to feel like my face is clean.

The only thing is, I've only been using this for a few days so I'm a bit hesitant to give a verdict just yet. Does it clean my face? Yes it does. But will it make my complexion any more clear is a different story. I'm actually on a summer salicylic kick (I bought this, a day cream, a night cream, and some Oxy pads that all contain it) to see whether using a lot of this will help clear my skin. So far my skin feels better but I'm getting little pimples here and there which may just be because all these products are drawing the yuck out of my pores.

So the wiwfm verdict on this one is....we'll see.
(that's a new category I just created cuz it's my blog and I can)
I'll update you in about 4 weeks when I should be able to tell the difference. I've been taking pictures of my skin to track my progress. And no I will not be posting those on here!
If I forget to update you, please remind me.
Thanks ladies!
max
xoxo

The Sunless Tanner Series Pt.I: L'Oreal Sublime Bronze

Hi Ladies!
I've been marinating - or should I say baking - on this post for a while now and since I'm about to drop asleep at my desk I figure now is as good a time as any to write it. Summer has finally hit the dot, MMVA's and AWWA are coming up and I needs my bronze with a quickness.

Heckle if you must, but I honestly believe that everyone looks better with a tan. Except my mum. For some reason when she tans her skin just looks dirty. So, okay then. Everyone but my mum looks better with a tan.

I personally am still a fan of good old fashioned sunbathing to give me the lovely reddish-bronze glow I crave, but that's not cute for most people out there. (Hey remember when I promised not to do long-ass intros anymore? Oops) In the absence of the sun, here are a few products that have stolen my money helped me out along the way.

I originally wanted to do this all in one post but it's going to be waaay too long. So it's going to have to be a series. First item on the agenda is the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze suite of products. There are a tonne! And I've tried most of them.

First up on the agenda is the Sublime Bronze Lotion.

This is a great one if you're skilled enough to handle a non-tinted lotion without streaks (or if you don't care about streaking). The deep version delivers good colour in a couple of days and dries relatively quickly. It stinks far less than other tanners I've used. It's also a nice thick lotion that contains Vitamin E, AHAs, and SPF 15 so you can just apply it and go about your merry non-ashy business.

I use this one when I know in advance I want to be tanned for a particular day.

Verdict is yes on this one.

Next up is the Self-Tanning Gelee in Deep.

Although L'Oreal's website claims this one is a lightweight formula that dries quickly, I actually find it takes longer to dry than the lotion. And ooh Lordy this stinks to high heaven! I'm not a fan of this in general.
I like the fact that it's tinted and shimmery, but the tint is too light and the shimmer too pervasive to get top ratings in my book. And the colour payoff is negligible at best.
I actually don't even think it works to be honest. I basically use this one when I'm getting ready to go out as a tinted shimmer lotion and try to forget the fact that it's supposed to be a sunless tanner.

I give this a verdict of yes as a tinted lotion, but no as a sunless tanner.

The disappointment of the gelee pales in comparison to the fiasco that is the next product.

The Dual Action Bronzer + Self-Tanning Lotion for Face.

Although this is supposed to provide "...an immediate bronze glow while a long-lasting, natural tan develops over time", it did absolutely jack-sh*t for me but make my face stink.

The tinted part is too pale and runny and the lotion part is too greasy.

This gets a big fat hell's no from me.

And that's all there is to say about that.

I have to make a brief mention here of the Sublime Bronze Mit. I don't even think they make this anymore because I couldn't find it on their site. I've never used this personally but once my good friend Heidi came to visit me for the weekend and we did one of our traditional Shopper's runs and she picked this up. She used it and oh boy was it a hot mess! She was streaked to high heaven and the worse part is that she forgot to wash her hands afterward. I felt so bad for her. My Heidi is a PPP from way back so it was mad noticeable that her legs were streaked and her palms and cuticles were orange. From what I observed the colour wasn't too natural looking but since I didn't use it myself I'm not going to render a verdict. I will say though that it should probably be reserved for self-tanning experts lol.

Moving on now to the Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer and Natural Skin Tone Enhancer

According to L'Oreal this is "scientifically designed to work with your body's unique chemistry" and will "gradually deepen your skin's natural complexion for the perfect does of healthy summer every time you moisturize."

Yeah, not so much. There was no deepening of complexion for me at all. It was a nice moisturizer though and it smells like honey, which is a plus.

My main issue with this is kinda dumb though. Even though it didn't work for me at all, I still used it as a lotion. Problem was that I was paranoid that it would tan my palms so I had to frantically wash my hands every time I used it or touched the tube (I'm a bit nuts sometimes) and then I would have to re-moisturize them with a safe lotion. Kind of a pain, right? I was never so glad to see a tube of lotion run out in my life. This one is a verdict no as well.

One last one:

The Sunless Scrub also deserves a mention, but just a brief one. It's a great little exfoliator, but nothing earth-shattering. It does have a pleasant beachy smell that fits right in with the bronzing motif. I don't even know if they make this anymore but if you see it in a discount bin somewhere it's worth a little 99 cents still.

Product Review: NADS Original Gel

Hello pretties!

Yes it's been a long time but I'm back for real this time. I'm hitting a lull at work so I should have all the time (and mental energy) in the world to give my blog the attention it deserves. If I still have readers out there, thanks for sticking with me and please answer the poll on the right.

Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway. On to today's post which is about NADS. Specifically, Nads Original Gel

Now Nads (or any hair removal product for that matter) doesn't necessarily fall under the category of products designed for white girls that can be adapted for DDD's, but since our hair textures are different than our PPP sisters, this kinda qualifies.

I've been hearing bits here and there about Nads over the years but whenever I went to look for it in stores it was waaaay more expensive than other waxes so I didn't bother. But this past Saturday I needed to wax my legs. I've made a personal promise to myself not to shave my legs, stomach (don't ask), and bikini line for a whole summer and to wax it instead. But that mess is kinda labour intensive stillll so I was thinking about some of those warm-up-in-your-hands wax strip jobbies, even though I don't believe in cold wax.

So my first stop as always was to do research on MUA because the ladies over there know what's up. The verdict wasn't looking too good on the cold wax stuffs but I noticed that Nads had a pretty good rating and that even though it was in a pot as opposed to strips, you don't have to heat it up. Heating up the wax is a pain in the tuches to me because I have to keep schlepping back from the bathroom to the kitchen and dripping wax all over the place and....grrr.

Armed with that information and a wackload of Optimum Points, I headed over to Shopper's. After a brief distracting foray into the nail polish aisle, I arrived in the hair removal section and found Nads with a big ole sale sticker that read $25.94. Yowza! That's the sale price?!? Really? I immediately turned my attention to the Sally Hansen All Natural wax kit sitting directly beside the Nads (with the eerily similar green and white packaging as if they were trying to make it seem like a Nads dupe) I picked it up to compare ingredients to Nads and noticed another, smaller Nads package with a significantly smaller price tag. The difference is that the $25 jobbie had the gel wax, as well as all kinds of other stuff like ingrown solution, soothing balm, and I don't know what all else. The cheaper one had just wax/gel, cleansing wipes, and strips. Sounds good to me! I don't need all that other mess.

Wow this post is getting long and I haven't gotten to the point yet. Let me hurry along.

So the instructions on the package are very straightforward. You don't need to heat the wax, smooth a very thin layer of wax in the direction of hair growth, apply the strip and smooth in the direction of hair growth, and pull off in the opposite direction keeping the strip close to the body. Also make sure the area is clean & dry before starting.

This is Waxing 101 by the way, and I actually went to beauty school so I know.

Here's the thing. You do have to heat the wax. Sorry, but it's true. It's just not spreadable if you don't. And you have to heat it longer than 15 seconds the first time you use it so please don't believe the hype. The good thing about Nads versus other waxing kits is that the wax stays warm, thin, and spreadable a LOT longer than other products. I don't know how they do it, but it does. I did my both legs (knees down) and my stomach and only had to re-heat once. That's pretty amazing. The cleansing wipes work just like wet naps but they foam ever so slightly when you rub them on. They were pretty good too, but they ripped as I was unfolding them. No big deal. In fact IMO they're really not necessary - just rub some powder over the area before you wax and you're good.

But wait I haven't told you the best part yet. Once you use the strip once, you can use it again on the next section of hair without reapplying the wax and it will work! That is amazing! I've never seen a wax product do that. You can only do it a couple of times before it starts to get messy but it definitely helps save time (and product).

One thing I have to say in all honesty is that a huge part of waxing is about technique. If you don't do it right it's not going to work and it's going to sting like a mofo. Obviously having learned how to do it professionally I probably get better results than someone doing it for the first time ever. But do not be discouraged because waxing is easy and anyone can do it. I'm sure there are instructions on YouTube, WikiHow, or Yahoo Answers. Or feel free to write me if you need tips.

So the wiwfm verdict on Nabs is a great big ole yes!

I still love you ladies!

I'm really sorry that I have been so delinquent in my blogging lately. I've been lambasted at work for the past few weeks in many many different ways. I have a whole bunch of great posts planned with which to redeem myself I promise!
Just let me get through hell week and I'm all yours.