World According to Shia

So since I have been couponing I have tried out a bunch of products that I have found deals to make them cheap and/or FREE. Here are some products that aren't even worth free ... The Oral B battery operated toothbrush only rotates on one section of the toothbrush head; however, when you push down to brush your teeth the force stops it from rotating so at that point it is just making a loud buzzing noise with no actual results.  Also, if you push down softer - it just sprays toothpaste all over your mirror - NO FUN!  The Colgate toothbrush with whitening pen is good in theory; however, the toothbrush is too bulky because the whitening pen is stored inside the base of the toothbrush, so you can't store it in a normal toothbrush holder and then it just lies around on the counter or in a drawer ... YUCK!  As for the whitening pen, I will say it works "a little" - if you put it on your teeth and try not to close your mouth it whitens - there is nothing holding t...

I realize that I have tried a lot of face wipes this past year so I thought I would give you a list of my absolute favorites along with two that completely missed the mark.   In the cleansing category, I just love these Yes To Blueberry wipes and the Pond's Original wipes.  The Yes To wipes smell amazing and both leave my skin clean and fresh.  These Pond's wipes really have no scent but they work extermely well.  Both work well on removing dirt and oil and makeup.  I've even used them on my eyes without any burning or irritation.   In the soothing category, I love Yes To Cucumber wipes and Pond's Evening Soothe.  They both leave my skin clean and fresh - oh and soothed.  I love the scent of the Pond's wipes and the Yes To Cucumbers have a mild cucumber scent.  I have used these to remove makeup but I would probably save these for an after the shower or in the morning before putting makeup on since there not really classified f...

Here are a few new products I am using that I thought I would share with you guys.  So far I am really loving the detangling brush which I saw a review on YouTube and had to try.  Even though I am sure that the blue brush for thick/curly hair probably would have worked a tad better I have no complaints on the brush.  My hair is so long right now that it is constantly getting tangled and I was having such a hard time brushing it.  My arm would be tired from pulling and tons of breakage.  This brush there is little to no hair in the bristles when I am done and since it detangles with ease my arm doesn't feel like it is going to fall off.  The John Frieda hair straightener is a complete surprise too.  I figured I would end up taking it back because it wouldn't heat up hot enough or heck even work well.  It heats up to 455 and is adjustable which my Chi was not.  So far loving it.  The vitamins are a little too soon to tell.  I ...

So, we all know that I love bareMinerals (if you are new look HERE and HERE for my previous posts). However, recently I've tried to be a little more budget conscious and try e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer . I found it at my local Target and thought I'd give it a try since it is half the price of bareMinerals Prime Time . It looks and feels exactly the same.  Plus, you can buy this primer online in different shades for color correction, brightening and a little glow.  Browse the customer reviews if you plan on trying one of the other shades.  Since I stuck with clear, I have no clue if the others work well.  {If you try one (or currently use one) let me know - I'd love to hear about them}.  This primer is just as smooth and lightweight as the other. I can't even tell the difference, my foundation looks just as even, smooth and natural.  Also, just like the other it doesn't clog my pores.   The only griped I have is that the container is...

Travel size $11 So once again I reached into my box o' samples and pulled out this volumizing shampoo.  I had visions of bouncy hair ... blow drying it to volumized perfection.  Instead I got the biscuit (as my husband would say). First off let me just say that it smelled like pine-sol with a hint of citrus.  I thought hmmm ... not so great so maybe my conditioner will cover up the smell.  Then ... INTENSE BURNING!  Seriously as if my head was up against a blow torch.  Immediately washed it out and then you guess it ... STRAW!  I conditioned my hair twice and still sounded horrible when I brushed it.  So I put some more conditioner in my hair to sleep in overnight.  Hopefully my hair will be back to normal tomorrow. Needless to say I cannot recommend using this product and now I am afraid to use any of the other shampoos in the box for fear that they are all just as bad.   Have you tried this?  What did...

So remember that box of samples ( HERE ), well I am finally starting to use some of this junk stuff. Last night, I used this philosophy Pure Grace Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel.  I thought it worked really well as shampoo.  It left my hair super clean and once I rinsed it out my hair didn't feel like straw ... you know the sign of bad shampoo.  I did also use it as as a bath gel on a loofah ... I wasn't too impressed. It did kinda feel like washing your body with shampoo.  I'm all about soaps with added moisturizers ... so not sure if the bath/shower gel option is for me.  Also, it really doesn't have a smell and I like having a soap that gives you a pleasant after shower/bath smell. Also right before I took a fabulous bath (with my fave Lush bath bomb ... Twilight), I put Ojon hair oil sample all over my scalp.  I have naturally dry hair and a naturally dry scalp but over the last two weeks I really had a problem with flaking.  So I thoug...

Color:  Instinct So I recently read a blog review about this lip stain so I thought I would try it.  I like a nice soft pink or nude lip so I bought the color shown.  The lip stain itself didn't apply very well.  The applicator is hard and doesn't feel nice on your lips.  So then I though okay maybe you gotta add the balm and then judge ... so I opened it and ....  The balm was broken off!   Honestly I was realived ... I thought YAY I can take it back to Target and be like woah ... this was broken and not have to keep this horrible product and I can get my $8 back!  Which I did ... YAY Target ... you rock! Guess I'll just stick to Benefit lip stains. What do you think?  Have you tried this?

So I am putting on my makeup this morning and then it hit me ... well actually it gently glided across my face...but I realized ... why haven't I told you about my new face brush?  Well here it goes ... Recently, I decided to purchase the new Bareminerals foundation that is pressed into a compact.  While at the Bareminerals boutique, my sales assistant showed me this new brush.  She recommended it for the compact because of the smoothness of the brush and the overall coverage you get.  Well $22?  I wasn't super convinced that I needed a new brush besides I already loved my Full Flawless Brush that I had been using.  Then she used the brush on me to apply some of the pressed foundation and OMG ... it felt like velvet brushing across my cheek.  Seriously SUPER soft and the coverage is awesome!  There is no more swirling ... it is just glide across the pressed foundation and glide it across your face.   I've actually been us...

Benefit Sale-Abration! So if you are like me, you love Benefit Cosmetics, but often forget that they have their own website (normally buy from Ulta, Sephora and Department Stores).  Now is the time to hit up the website!  I've checked out the sale items and there are SOOOO many great ones!  There are kits (including Finding Mr. Bright - which I love - CLICK HERE ), tools, bags and makeup on sale!  Also, please note that if any of your favorites are on sale ... that means Benefit is doing away with them so now your last chance to stock up before they are gone.  This happened to me once with some face wash I used to use from them.   CLICK HERE for the story!   What's your favorite Benefit product? Happy Shopping!

No not the election! I recall my J'Adore of Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner! And many others where I gave this product mad props! Unfortunately, Redken has changed the formula of this product.  Which now makes it obsolete   All the greatness about it is now GONE!  The new formula leaves my hair dry, tangled and brittle.  As you can see from my previous post, I used to stock up when it went on sale at Ulta.   When I first noticed it, I thought perhaps it was just the one bottle I bought, like it was a mistake, mixed wrong.  I mean it usually had a peachy tint and the new bottle was white.  I got out of the shower dripping water everywhere as I dug under the sink for the rest of my stash and I looked at each one - white, white, white - AHHHHHHH!  Alas, it was true, Redken had let me down.   So when I was packing for my trip (wedding & honeymoon) I found where I put some of the old formula in a tra...

Finding Mr. Bright came in a Here Comes the Bride Birchbox I received. I currently use Posie Tint so getting this travel size was great.   I've used High Beam in the past and loved it so I was happy to see it in the kit.  I'd never tried Erase Paste but this stuff is great for concealing ANYTHING!   But my fave item in this kit is Girl Meets Pearl!   I absolutely love this stuff.  This size lasted me for about 2 months.   I cashed in some of my Birchbox points to get a free full sized one.   I also pick up the same size as in the kit from Ulta on clearance for $5 - I was happy to put it back in my kit because I plan on taking this on our wedding/honeymoon trip =) Benefit $30 Girl Meets Pearl is great for on your upper cheek/eye bone and swept up to the side of your eye.  It gives a nice shimmer without too much.   It's like a pearl ... sometimes you see the glow and sometimes you don't.   It's a golden pink so ...

So every month I receive a Birchbox ... seemed a shame to throw them away. So I came up with a use for them. Here is the top layer. Basically this is the lid portion to the box. One box contains all my eyeshadows and small  Baremineral items.  The other box contains my brushes and my Miracle Skin Translucent BB cream which I use as primer. The upper area space left from the boxes fits all my nail polish two by two. and the space in between the middle box and the back box  fits all my lip stuff and Benefit Poise Tint  and the one in the back (hard to get to)    put all my skin items  and my Finding Mr. Bright kit  (love this - post to come) So if you remove the top two boxes underneath are the bottom of the boxes... The one to the left contains all my Bareminerals face products,  foundation, warmer, mineral veil, etc, the box in the middle contains all my mascaras, eye liners, eye brow pencils, tool...

As you might remember (since I haven't posted anything about these in awhile) I receive a Birchbox each month.  It's a service where you pay a monthly fee of $10 for a monthly box of samples.  Well I heard about Beauty Bar Box basically the same thing but for $15 a month and I thought I would give it a try.  Well ... it was a bit disappointing. a) Vincent Longo Vincent Longo Duo Lip Pencil b) Borghese Tono Body Cream c) vbeautévbeaute Eye Never Nourishing Repair Eye Creme d) Jouer Cosmetics Luminizing Moisture Tint SPF 20 e) Sisley-Paris Hydra Globa Intense Anti-Aging Hydration (sorry the print on the box didn't show up) I guess it was just disappointing because I've already received (d) from Birchbox months ago and nothing seemed that great.  I mean a lip pencil...okay who cares and some creams doesn't seem like it is worth more than Birchbox.   This is my June box...okay nothing super spectacular but I do love those...

Today I brought in this bag of goodies to give away. I used to be really bad about buying tons of stuff and never using it.  In my last clean out of under the sink (see HERE ) I gave away a bunch of stuff but kept some of this with the intentions of using it.  Some of the stuff in this bag is newer for example it came free with a different product or it was a sample I received in my Birchbox.  Either way I have said enough is enough and it was time to get rid of it.  I thought about using the items as giveaways but some of them have been slightly used and let's face it my last giveaway I felt like I was begging for people to take the item. The items in the bag are ....  A) Eucerin Plus Intensive Care B) Vaseline Aloe Fresh Hydrating Lotion C) Two lotions from Victoria Secret ~ Luscious Kisses & Berry Kiss D) Baby Oil Gel (yes sadly I used to tan bake with it) E) Aveeno Nourish & Style Soft Hold Gel -Cream  F) Dr....

So we all want to enjoy the summer but don't want it to take a toll on our hair so here are a few tip to keep your hair healthy and smooth all summer long. 1) Condition...condition...CONDITION!!!  Conditioner is like water for your hair - so don't let your hair get dehydrated!! Deep condition like once a week especially if you go to the beach or the pool.  You need to put the moisture back into your hair ASAP after being in the salt or chlorine.  A simple way of deep conditioning that really works is to just use your normal condition but to cover your head.  You can use a plastic shower cap or even a plastic grocery bag (yes the ghetto way but Shia's way...LOL...I just put my head in the bag gather the sides to the front twist and tuck under ... then I just throw away the bag after I am done).  Leave the conditioner in and the cap on for at least 30 mins.  If you need or want a deeper condition ~ leave it on overnight.  Your hair will be supe...

Dior Show - $25 at Sephora I know I know...it's been listed in magazines as one of the best ... but it's not!!  Save your money!!! I bought this mascara a few months ago at Sephora when I had a 15% off coupon ... I thought ... why not give it a whirl.  Let me just say that I should have picked something better to use my coupon on.  This mascara is HORRIBLE. The wand is too big so it touches like every part of your eye lid and FORGET trying to put it on the bottom lashes!  It comes out too thick on the brush so it goes on like an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico!  Once you get it on and fix all the mess you get to work and realize that it has smeared across your eyelid AND burns your eye like someone is poking you in the eye with a red hot poker! The worst part (as if it could get worse) it doesn't even do anything extraordinary to your lashes ... it doesn't make them look fuller or look longer they just look like you have mascara ...

I bought this two pack of eos Lip Balm recently at Ulta for about $5.  A single lip balm runs about $2.75 to $3.  What can I say...I love this stuff.  As I have mentioned in the past, I have very dry lips and now they are super smooth!  I use it about 2 or 3 times a day and my lips healed pretty quickly after the first use. The purple one is passionfruit and the pink one is strawberry sorbet.  They also sell lemon drop with SPF 15, summer fruit, honeysuckle honeydew, medicated tangerine and sweet mint.  The flavor is very light but yummy.  The main thing I like about this balm is that it seeps into your lips so you don't have a heavy greasy feeling for long.  The only thing that is weird about them is the packaging.   It doesn't twist out of the package so once you wear down the dome ~ you'll have to scoop it out with your finger (sounds gross I know).   I've had mine for a few months and this is the o...