Argan Oil: Miracle or Hype?

Uni Argan Oil - $12.95

If you haven't heard of Argan Oil, I'm pretty sure you've been living under a rock. It's touted as a miracle beauty oil for every part of the body and every skin type. But,with that popularity, the market is over saturated with options and you never know what you'll get. 

According to Draxe.com this stuff is amazing for:

1. Nighttime Moisturizer2. Skin Toner3. Exfoliating4. Acne5. Stretch Marks6. Razor Bumps and Burn7. Whole-Body Moisturizer8. Leave-In Conditioner & Styling 9. Overnight Deep Conditioning Treatment10. Lip Conditioner11. Nails12. Dry Feet and Heels

Personally, I've tried 2 brands. The first I got at a natural herbal/vitamin store. It was listed as 100% pure and cost a pretty penny. It had to be liquid gold, right? I hated it. It made my hair greasy, my skin break out and didn't absorb at all into my hands and nails.

So, when Tomoson and Uni asked me to try their Argan Oil, I was a bit 'meh' about the idea. But, Uni seemed a bit different and I was excited to give it a try. Here's what they have to say about their product:

Our fast absorbing light weight oil is smooth, and NON greasy compared to other brands.Highest quality of oil production, it is cold pressed and unroasted. Comes rich in Vitamin E (Tocopherols) and Omega 6 (Linolenic Acids).NO strong odors. Our 100% organic Argan oil has a light nutty smell and is fragrance free.USDA and ECOCERT certification means high purity and authentic.Can be used on sensitive and non-sensitive skin to reduce age spots and boost skin tones.Manufactured in the Kingdom of Morocco and Packaged in the USA.UNi Argan Oil comes in a beautiful smooth dark glass bottle with easy access dropper.UNi Argan Oil are manufactured and bottled throughout the year to ensure freshness and quality. Manufactured date is printed on every bottle with a shelf-life of 36 months.

The bottle was a lot larger than the one I previously purchased, and thus a much better value. I immediately noticed a difference in the texture of the oil. It was much more of a 'dry oil' than the other I had tried. There wasn't a strong scent, but there was a slight 'nutty' odor to the oil. (which makes sense since Argan is in the nut family) As directed, I applied a few drops in my hands and rubbed them together. This time, the oil really seemed to warm up noticeably. It actually felt like it had a warming effect. I applied it to my feet, legs, elbows, neck and hair. It absorbed, but not quickly. The really dry areas of skin didn't seem to absorb as well and felt a bit greasy for awhile, but I suspect that some good exfoliation prior to applying it would help that. The next morning, I would know if it had promise.

Waking up, the oil had finally absorbed completely. My legs and feet were soft. My neck didn't care too much for the oil and was a bit broken out, but it may have just been a bit too much for my crazy sensitive skin there. My hair was softer, but it still seemed frizzy and the ends were a bit dry. 

I tried the regimen again the next few nights. I added a couple extra drops to my hair and it seemed better but not miraculously perfect. So, I added a couple more. Following this increase in application, my hair looked really really greasy. So, there's definitely a fine line in how much to use of it. In fact, that's the only thing I have negative to say about the Uni Argan Oil. I really wish there was some kind of guide on the bottle as to how much to use on hair, skin, face, etc. Even just a starting point would be nice. I suppose everyone is different. But it would be nice to know if you need 3 drops or the entire dropper. 

I tried using the Uni Argan Oil in different way with different results. I added a few drops to my conditioner in shower prior to application (which seems to be the best option for my fine hair). I added it to my spray in detangler and it was greasy looking. I added it to the bath water but didn't really notice a difference. I added it to lotion and it seemed to amp up the lotions staying power and benefits. If you're going to try it on dry hair, use it sparingly or it'll look dirty.

Overall, I much preferred the Uni Argan Oil to the other I had tried. After my experience, I think it's best used a supplement to beauty but not a miracle catch all for everyone in every way. The Uni was a superior product and better value. 

More info on Uni Argan Oil:
http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Moroccan-TRIPLE-ABSORBING-Certified/dp/B00G5WO2VK/

http://www.unipurity.com/
#argan
***I received this product for free for my honest and unbiased opinion and review.***

Satellite Review

Satellite by Lee Davidson

" 

Grant Bradley was never meant to survive cancer or live happily ever after with his fiancée, Tate. Before he was born, his destiny to become a guardian angel was decided by the life-planning Schedulers.

  

Despite having what his new peers deem as a great position in the afterlife, living in utopia with a merciless mentor and looking after strangers doesn't change the way Grant feels about losing out on his life with Tate. Refusing to accept his destiny, he finds a way to visit his lost love. However, keeping their connection alive and, most importantly, secret, will end up costing Grant more than he could ever imagine.

                                                                                                                   " 

This is the Amazon synopsis of the first of the Satellite Series. I admit, even over 30, I have a major guilty pleasure for YA books. I had my likes and dislikes with this first installment. First, the likes. I really liked that this story was told from the perspective of male with deep feelings of love. It was told in an extremely realistic way of deep caring, affection and inherit protectiveness I think men experience in love. The concept was also new. I've read the Fallen series and upon reading the synopsis, I must admit, it's what I was expecting. However, the author had a much more modern and not at all religious take on the guardian angel idea as well as everlasting love.  All together, the writing, concept and story were quite original which made it a joy to read.

There were some minor shortfalls in the book however. I get that this book is aimed at the young adult audience, but we're also supposed to be in the mind of a young man that experienced a lot in his life and is planning on marriage. I'm sure his thoughts, vocabulary and naivety would be much more advanced and less PG than they are related in the book. In that aspect, it could have been more realistic and 'juicy', which I think would have made it a bit more engaging. The methods and terminology of the satellites is a bit hard to follow. I had a hard time following the differences between 'coding', 'programming', etc. The lines became a bit blurred in what was intended with these functions unless they were experienced first hand by the narrator. Lastly, I felt that there was a very natural progression to the story until the last quarter of it. It was as if the story was intended to end at the end of this book and a decision to make it a series changed the flow suddenly and abruptly. It tied up the loose ends well and left me wanting more, but it felt forced and sudden.

The next in the series is set to be told by Willow, the main character's main influence and mentor, picking up trying to save Tate, the main character's long lost (and forgotten) love. Although the second book will not have the appeal of being told from the perspective of a young male in love, I am hooked on the original story line and look forward to seeing where this series goes.

***I was given a copy of this book for free for my honest opinion and review.***

Elite Fat Burner Review

Vitamin Elite Elite Fat Burner $24.95 on Amazon

There are probably over a million 'diet' pills and supplements out there. Heck, I've probably tried half of them. We're all looking for this magic bullet to make us thin, energized and beautiful. That's what most of the 'diet' pills out there sell and what they focus their ingredients on. But, why don't they ever focus on the inside out?

I always do my research on ingredients of vitamins and supplements before I take them and, in all honesty, I didn't expect to find anything new or different in Elite Fat Burner when they and Tomoson asked me to review the supplement. BUT, I was really surprised about what I found. Here's a list of the ingredients in Elite Fat Burner:

Caffeine Anhydrous, Xanthinol Nicotinate, Codonopsis Pilosula Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, White Tea PE 50% Polyphenols, Inositol Hexaphosphate, Evodia rutaecarpa PE, Black Pepper PE 95% (Bioperine), Deanol Acetamidobenzoate (DMAE), Troxerutin (Sophora Japonica extract), Cnidium Monnieri (20% Osthole), Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco PE 0.3% Alkaloids, InulaRacemosa PE (2% Alantolactones), White Willow Bark PE 25% Salicin, Yohimbe PE 8% Yohimbine HCl

I'm really into natural remedies, as you know from my blog. So, I was amazed to see so many ingredients here that weren't focused on just hyping you up and making you feel jumpy all to lead to a crash. Yes, there are some stimulants in here. The first ingredient is caffeine. But, there's a lot more. Let's break them down:

Caffeine Anhydrous: Caffeine, a stimulant found in coffee, tea and soda.
Xanthinol Nicotinate: A vasodilator frequently used in weight lifting. However, it has had some beneficial documentation on blood pressure, lipid-lowering effects. It may also have benefits of memory enhancement or ulcer recovering.
Codonopsis Pilosula Extract: Similar to ginseng. Used to promote mental health and has some immune system benefits
Green Tea Leaf: A mild stimulant that helps purge the body of toxins and cleanse the system
White Tea PE: Fights free radicals in the body
Inositol Hexaphosphate: An anti-cancer supplement
Evodia rutaecarpa PE: Thermogenic that increases body temperature.
Black Pepper PE: Aids in the absorption of nutrients
DMAE: Anti-aging supplement that also has great benefits for mental health and cognition
Sophora Japonica: Benefits the blood and fights free radicals.
Cnidium Monnieri and Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco PE: Used as natural 'Viagra"
InulaRacemosa PE: Regulates corticosteroids, helps regulate blood sugar and thyroid levels
White Willow Bark PE: Similar to asprin, used to treat aches and pains
Yohimbe and Yohimbine HCl: Stimulant used to treat sexual dysfunction and aid in depression.

Please keep in mind people, I'm not a doctor. Just an enthusiast. This kind of info is available online. I'm not here to diagnose or treat anything or anyone.

Interesting results to say this least. This doesn't read like a diet pill. There's some stimulants and a thermogenic. But, the ingredients are beneficial on so many other levels. It's almost more like a health tonic, aiming to help you from the inside out.

That's exactly why I liked it. Unfortunately, I got very ill in the two weeks I was trying this product (in no way related to the product itself) so I can't fairly say whether or not it causes weight loss or burns fat. But, I do really like what I see here in the ingredients.

As for the pills themselves, they're a bit large and almost look like they're filled with blood. The insides almost look like a jel. Personally, I found them easy to swallow. There was no odor associated with them either.

I was impressed by this stuff. If you're looking to lose weight or get a general health lift in addition to your multivitamin, give the Elite Fat Burner a try.

***I was given the Elite Fat Burner free of charge by Vitamin Elite and Tomoson in return for my honest opinion and review of the product. I was not paid or otherwise compensated for this. The opinions expressed above are solely mine.***

Review of Life Food's Garcinia Cambogia

I'm a huge fan of the natural alternatives in health care. I know that they aren't regulated by the FDA and there isn't much recognized and accepted research on them, but pharmaceutical drugs are based on the core elements of things that occur naturally.

Like most women I know, especially those over 30, I have plenty of weight I'd love to shed. So, when a natural method to help curb my appetite and help me "just say no" to sweets and junk food comes along, I'm more than game to try it.

Garcinia Cambogia has been everywhere lately. It's this years Glucomannan along with Coleus Forskolin. But, does it work? Tomoson along with Life and Food asked me to give their Garcinia Cambogia Supreme a try and share my experience.

First, here's a little background on Garcinia Cambogia straight from webmd.com :

Garcinia cambogia, a tropical fruit also known as the Malabar tamarind, is a popular weight-loss supplement. People say it blocks your body's ability to make fat and it puts the brakes on your appetite. It could help keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels in check, too. You'll find it in bottles on the shelf at the store as well as mixed with other ingredients in diet products...The active ingredient in the fruit's rind, hydroxycitric acid, or HCA, has boosted fat-burning and cut back appetite in studies. It appears to block an enzyme called citrate lyase, which your body uses to make fat. It also raises levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which may make you feel less hungry.

Sounds great. And, didn't a certain doctor guarantee it would cause weight loss?

Food & Life Garcinia Cambogia $22.00 from Amazon

Well, I tried Life and Food's Garcinia Cambogia for 2 weeks. The pills are a bit on the large size. Those that have a hard time swallowing something large will need to take them one at a time with a full glass of water. Thankfully, they have very little odor.

I can't say that I saw much difference. The scale didn't move. I did, however, notice that my hard core cravings had diminished. They still nagged me, but weren't yelling at me to try this and that. Overall, this product isn't a magic bullet for weight loss. It even suggests that it be used along side with diet and exercise. It does work great at taking that edge off of hunger and cravings, which might be exactly what you need to lose to weight.

***I was given this product free of charge from Tomoson and Food & Life in return for my honest opinion. 

Dessange California Blonde Review

Last year, I traded in my raven locks for my natural dark ash blonde and it's been a challenge ever since. In order to go back to natural, we had to strip and bleach my hair, leaving it damaged. My hair also has some kind of identity crisis going on because it just wants to be red. Like...A lot. With the damage, my hair also protested the change by refusing to hold any other color to tone it or even it out. It's been a battle to say the least. So, when I was notified I was going to get to try the Dessange California Blonde line via Influenster, I was thrilled. Could this be the answer to my hair prayers?

My current routine has involved using an organic, sulfate free shampoo and Redken Extreme conditioner, followed by weekly deposit only toning of my hair to keep from looking like a penny. It's a never ending, time sucking, expensive battle to look natural. I've tried the purple shampoos and ash intensifying add ins and they all ultimately just made my hair darker for a week.

My first use of the shampoo and conditioner here was decent enough. Then, I noticed an increasing amount of broken hair in the bathtub. I have fine hair as it is, I can't lose it! My ends were feeling really dry and it was snagging and knotting a lot. It looked shiny and healthy, but it felt like straw. So, I checked out the ingredients. Silicones, silicones and oh hey! SILICONES. It was even in the shampoo.

If you know anything about hair, it's like wood. It's porous. It needs oils to stay strong and healthy and glowing. Once either has been exposed to the environment, chemicals, or say, LIFE, they wear down. With wood, you sand it down all the old clear junk on the surface and oil it down or you maintain the woods natural oil. If you coat it in some clear coat, the oil can't penetrate it and keep it healthy and whole. The good stuff just wipes right off and the wood beneath just goes dull. The same can be said about hair. If you coat it in silicones, you seal it. Nothing gets in or out really. That's fine now and then. But, doing it all the time starves your hair, preventing it from absorbing the nutrients it needs to stay strong. So, it breaks.

No wonder it looked shiny and felt unhealthy. It was just covered in silicone. I didn't find anything spectacular about the shampoo or conditioner. I felt they missed a great opportunity here in not addressing the things bleached blondes need. (And that's precisely who these products are aimed at) They really should have added some truly nourishing ingredients in these and at least backed off the silicone and sulfates. I'm not an all organic, natural kind of gal. Those that are, more power to you. I get that there's some great man made things out there that I can benefit from. But, there's also a bigger, longer term picture to think about. Although they were decent for the short term, I couldn't even consider a long term relationship with these. It wasn't going to happen with my fine, damaged and dry hair.

BUT...
The color corrector is AMAZING. If you ever want to balance out or tone a color, take a look at a color wheel:

To tone one color out or down, just add it's opposite on a color wheel. For the most part, this is most effective in the basic colors (red, yellow, blue) Most blonde color correctors on the market are green or purple. That's fine if you need to tone out really red or yellow tones, but what if the tone you need to address is a secondary color? The most common "brassy" tone is blondes is orange. What's the opposite of orange, class? BLUE! Right! So, why aren't they available for the savvy, home colorist? How has this missed the mark for so long? You can even go to your local beauty supply and you'll have a heck of a time finding this. But, Dessange did it and they made it available at TARGET. Yes. You read it Target.

Now that we're over the science and analogy portions for the day, here's my experience with the Dessange Color Corrector.

It came in a easy to use, messless tube. There was no cap to come off where I'd have to try and messily pick it up with slippery blue fingers. It was just a small click. It was a fairly thick consistency that I applied to wet, shampooed hair and let sit for a bit while I soaked in the tub. After about 7 minutes, I rinsed and conditioned my hair and for the first time, the orange was at bay.

I didn't have any issues with staining, but I would recommend a good rinse when you're done. I loved, LOVED that I could readily get this, apply it in the shower and not have to go through the full coloring process.

If you're a cool blonde, natural or otherwise, I really recommend this stuff to keep your color looking fresh and natural.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. However, the opinions above are solely my own based on my experience with them.
Tags: #JadoreDessange @DessangeParis and @Influenster

House Flip Project

From time to time, I consult and provide interior design and decorating advice. This is semi-recent flip project I did.

New carpet, paint, blinds and light fixture.

Here, we did the same and added the closet doors. I felt  the sconce on the wall needed to be less intrusive 

New carpet, paint, blinds and light fixture.

This was a great little nook that I saw as a den area. I really wanted to add in some floating shelving on the far wall to make it a more utilized area that felt more custom, but that didn't fall within the budget.

We had another light fixture was to be used in here but there was a delay in the delivery. He already had a renter that was fine with it. I added the chair railing not only to protect the walls, but to help transition the colors more fluidly making the space feel larger and more tied in. 

The kitchen had to be gutted. We salvaged the sink, stove and range hood. The cabinet access on the living room side felt pointless and silly. So, I opted to maintain the space by opting for narrower lower cabinets here, adding the wall and breakfast bar. We tiled the entire area before adding the cabinetry (which was on legs and not toe kicks. Perfect for a rental in case of water damage. The green was more accurately portrayed in the dining room picture. It really played off the color of the cabinetry. 

 We updated the bathroom using the same flooring tile up onto the wall to make the area feel larger and added the trim to modernize and jazz it up. 

I don't have a before picture of this bathroom. However, all that remained was the vanity              cabinet. We used the same concept with the flooring and tub surround.

I updated this master bedroom with new lighting, window blinds, paint, flooring and customized closet organization.

Because this place was planned on being used as a rental, I wanted to keep everything really neutral. I chose colors that would go with just about any furniture and decor but still feel modern and not boring. We had a budget of $8k for the whole thing. This was difficult with a new kitchen to replace. I utilized some of the local Restore places using used items such as the bathtub, fridge, dishwasher and a few other things. I rest I found online, making it so that the owner didn't have to give me any large lump sums of money to purchase them. I made a color board and 3-d mock up of the space. There was also a very large detached garage in the back with a workshop area. We used the upper shelves from the kitchen that weren't damage and installed them in the work area of the garage. We then just installed some work benches to finish it off. The cabinetry and counter tops were bought from Ikea making the whole kitchen replacement cost around $3,000.00 without needing anything custom made. Opted for the narrower cabinets in the kitchen for a larger kitchen area and the ability to have the breakfast bar. Everything turned out great. The owner and new renter were thrilled.

Ugly 80s ceiling fan into contemporary for under $20

Ok. We bought a fixer-upper. I knew full well what I was getting into when we bought our house and immediately started the creative juices flowing. Buying a house isn't cheap....EVER. There's always a list of things you want/need to do to make it home. Every house will have those little pet peeves that you just have to do something about or you'll find yourself glaring at it as if it's done you wrong somehow.

One of my pet peeves? 80s brass ceiling fans. I don't care of they have those 'awesome' wood blades with the brass painted details or if they're white or have that lovely wicker thing going on in the middle. I hate them. (why would anyone add either the paint or wicker details in the first place?) When I started looking for replacement fans for my house I have to change my underwear. The prices were insane. It moves air with a motor that just spins, how expensive should these things be, right? But, my blue blood only liked the $300 + stuff. That was just NOT in the budget when moving in.

The fans in my house looked like this:

Eww. The epitome of 80s Ugly.

I had to do something. I had to do something quick and cheap.

I went to Homedepot. Spray paint was the answer. It always is. (People close to me know I'll spray paint anything.) Looking through the options and taking notes on what I liked about the newer fans, I knew I needed multiple textures in neutrals tones. If I was going to use a metal, I wanted either nickel, oil rubbed bronze or iron. Iron was the easiest to achieve, using a flat black spray paint, so I went with that. Now, what about the texture? How would I achieve that? STONE SPRAY! Of course!

So I found this stuff:

Rustoleum American Accents Stone spray paint in Mineral Brown - Cost right around $10.

Quick Color in flat black - Cost $0.97.

With these and some carefully placed painters tape, I ended up with this:

Is it my ideal ceiling fan? No. But, it's a hell of a lot better than it originally was and with it costing under $20 total, it was well worth it.

If you're going to try this at home, here's some tips to remember:

1. Take it apart first. Take off the globes, blades, brackets, etc. to make sure you get the details painted.

2. Make sure you cover up all the electrical parts involved. The last thing you need is spray paint all up in yo 'lectricalses. 

3. Take is off the ceiling. Don't ever try to paint it in place. That's just silly and messy.

4. Tape off the sockets for the light bulbs. 

5. If you're using a textured paint, prime that area first.