REVIEW: TIGI Liquid Enhancer

Packaging - 3 (average)
Scent - 3 (average)
Longevity - 4 (very good)
Effectiveness - 5 (excellent)
Overall:




The reason I am giving this product 5 stars is because it rocks. There are two uses for this product. You can either put a little of it on a makeup brush or cutip and roll it along the lash line (both top and bottom) to help eyeliner stand the test of time and smudging or you can put a little of it on your makeup brush before swiping it across your favorite eye shadow to intensify the color. I definitely recommend this product. It is meant to be used with TIGI eye shadows, but it can be used with any eye shadow.

Each eye shadow in the picture above is shown twice, once with three swipes of the eye shadow color (all colors are listed next to it) and then a second time with two swipes of the eye shadow when used with TIGI Liquid enhancer.

Addressing the Problem with Salad Dressing

This is a common struggle for many people trying to stay fit. Salads. They are the universal "healthy" food right? But anyone actually paying attention to calories and nutrition knows that salads have a major drawback - the dressing. Without it your salad is often dry and lacks a unifying flavor to bring all the ingredients together. However it is LOADED with calories. The average salad dressing has 145 calories in just 2 tablespoons!!! Are you kidding me!? It is usually loaded with mayonnaise and butter and cream, and it simply not good for you. So what do you do?

I know a lot of people who make their own salad dressings. It's a great avenue if you have the time, know how and desire. I have attempted this a handful of times and I am never satisfied with my dressings. On top of that I am all about convenience. Making your own dressing it at least one more dish (a food processor or blender) and multiple ingredients and measuring tools. It's time consuming and I am not a fan of that route for me personally. Plus they simply don't last long in the fridge, so I usually end up wasting more often than not.

What I have found and fallen in love with are the Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Dressings. Seriousy I am not getting paid or any kind of kickbacks for this post. I juts love to share the things I love! There are 12 flavors that range from classics (like ranch, garlic and Cesar) to eclectic or unique (like balsamic, mango chipotle, and salsa). Two tablespoons of this dressing has 40 calories (less than half the competition) and it's GOOD. You will see it featured on almost ALL of my salad recipes.

Something else I love about this dressing is it has yogurt as a base instead of mayonnaise or cream. I actually hate yogurt, but I don't taste the yogurt-y taste in this dressing like I do when eating yoplait. And as well as know yogurt has a lot of good probiotics as well as protein, magnesium and other good things often found in milk products. You can usually find them at Walmart and Target but I usually have hte best luck with local grocery chains. I am in Utah so Smiths and Fresh Market. But you can read up more on these dressing options HERE.

1920's Inspired Art

I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of photographers, models and artists in Utah to create some stunning photos! I wanted to share these with all of you!

Location - Bellington Manor, Utah
Wardrobe - The Deco Haus, California
Brunette Model - Alexis Ramos @alexxisramos
Blonde Model - Ali Zwemke @ali.zwemke
Hair and Makeup - Angela Woodward @AngelaWoodwardC
Photographers Credited Throughout


This first set is taken by the amazing Tawny Horton @tawnyhorton. She is an insanely talented individual, and a great person. This shoot was 20's inspired, as The amazing Deco Haus provides vintage and 20's inspired wardrobe, but we wanted it to be up to date. A modern woman going to a 20's party. We had an incredible time. I enjoyed this first set by Tawny that was dark, dramatic and stunning.

The next set is by another photographer that I love! You will find Val Judy's @valjudyphotography works all over my website and portfolio. On top of being a complete professional, he always captures stunning moments that allow you to feel the emotions and movements of the moment. This set features the lovely Alexis Ramos who is a seasoned pro and can rock any look from clean faced to avant garde.

The next set is from another photographer I am obsessed with here in Utah. The incredible Steve Berlin is a total sweetheart and has an incredible eye for photography. He can make even the newest models look like they have been posing for ages. He was the first photographer I ever did a portfolio building shoot with in Salt Lake City, and he delivered that first shoot, just like he did with this one. This set features the talented Ali Zwemke who is talented on top of being a bubbly sweetheart and a joy to be around!

These last photos are from multiple photographers. I will credit each beneath the photo. Andrew Nicholson is the genius behind RodSprinkles Photography @rodsprinklesphoto, and he is talented and incredibly fun to work with. The last in Mike Christopher @ginger_snaps_25 who I didn't get a chance to network with and this was our first time working on the same set together. But I loved his work and I am hopeful we will work together more in the future. 

GingerSnaps Photography

GingerSnaps Photography

RodSprinkles Photography

RodSprinkles Photography

REVIEW: Redken Anti Snap

Packaging - 3 (average)

Scent - 3 (average)
Moisturizing - 4 (very good)

Healing - 3 (average)

Longevity - 2 (not very good)Overall:

The Redkend Extreme anti-snap is not one of my favorite Redken products. As you can see from my ratings everything is kind of Average. The packaging is pretty nice, but it got knocked down because the pump clogs frequently and you have to pump it a million times to get the right amount of product out. It is moisturizing, but you have to use quite a bit of product and it's just kind of average. There are better healing and hydrating products out there in my opinion. 

Beauty Quotes

Here are a few inspirational quotes to start off your beautiful week <3 enjoy!

REVIEW: Batiste Dry Shampoo

Packaging - 3 (average)
Scent - 2 (not very good)
Oil Absorption - 5 (excellent)
Finish - 1 (awful)
Texture - 1 (awful)
Overall:


I tried three kinds of Batiste dry shampoo, and I simply didn't have a good experience with any of them. I tried the Wild scent, the Tropical (pictured) and the Dark Brunette tinted one. This is advertised as the UK's best selling brand of dry shampoo, and it was a popular buy at Ulta Beauty when I worked there. I haven't been impressed myself. Let's dive into why a little more.

The packaging to me is cheap looking. Some will disagree but I like my stuff to look sleek and expensive. This looks cheap (which with all due respect it IS a cheap brand). The cap is sturdy which gave the score a small boost, and it is cute and there are super fun vibrant designs on each package which helped. They have a TON of scent options, but I found all three of mine to be overwhelmingly strong and very powdery in scent. It was not pleasant. It does absorb oil, your hair will not look greasy after using this stuff.

So the two lowest scores are finish and texture. The finish is awful because I found it difficult to not have a ton of white show up on my hair. On top of that it left my hair looking dull and kind of powdery. The one that was tinted was not a natural looking tint, it just made the powder less white and more tan. It did help it not be so white, but my hair still looked dull (plus that one smelled worse than the others). The texture was odd in a bad way. It didn't give my hair volume, but made it feel stiff and gross and full of product. I couldn't run my fingers through my hair. It was awful.

I clearly don't recommend this product but I am sure many of you disagree. Drop your own experience in the comments.