Essie Nail Polish Jamaica Me Crazy ($8.00)

Rosie: 7/10

Since they use Essie nail polish at the nail salon I go to (along with OPI and China Glaze), I figured it was a higher quality than most drugstore nail polish. They have a great selection of gorgeous colors. Essie claims to have chip-resistant formula. It is $8.00 at Walgreens, which is pricier than most brands sold there. This color is called "Jamaica Me Crazy", which is a beautiful dark pinkish/ purple with a hint of shimmer. The application was smooth and easy, which I was very happy about because I've had some disasters with overly clumpy nail polish. Even one coat of this polish took a pretty long time to dry. When I bumped one nail after 10 minutes it dented the polish and I had to redo it. After 2 days, one nail has already chipped. Overall, this polish is beautiful and I love the color and the ease of application, but it doesn't have the staying power that I had hoped for. It stays on longer than some of the cheaper nail polishes I've tried (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail polish was especially bad), but not as long as OPI or China Glaze. I will probably still buy Essie nail polish for pedicures because it stays longer on toes than fingers, or in a lighter color so that chips are less noticeable.

Paul Mitchell Super Strong Treatment

Hana: 8/10
I have straight hair that is prone to breakage.  Around my face, I get a lot of short hairs because they are fine and tend to snap off with combing, blow drying, etc.  I read about protein treatments as a way to strengthen hair, so I decided to give Super Strong, by Paul Mitchell, a shot because I have liked their shampoos and conditioners in the past. 
I would like to preface this by stating that this is a protein treatment, not a moisturizing treatment, so make sure to not leave it on for more than the recommended time of 5 minutes because it can be drying.  It is important to remember that you have to hit the balance of protein and moisture.  Too much protein makes hair dry and brittle, and too much moisture makes it oily, elastic, and flat.
This is a very rich and thick creme with a light, pleasant smell.  It is easy to apply to towel dried hair and is not runny so waiting the five minutes is not a problem.  It did dry my hair slightly, but I have no problem with lack of moisture, so for me this was not a problem.  My hair felt significantly stronger after just one use.  My hair was more elastic and less frizzy in the damaged portions. It made such a difference that I don't think I will use it again for a couple weeks because I don't want to add too much protein.
I am giving this an 8 out of 10 because it did everything that the product promised, but keep in mind that this definitely is not for everyone.  If you have thin and weak hair or chemically damaged hair this product is great, but if you have thick, dry or coarse hair this might not be what you are looking for. 

China Glaze Jitterbug Nail Lacquer

Rosie:

9/10

This is the first nail polish we are reviewing! I got a pedicure with the "Jitterbug" China Glaze polish a month ago and love it so much that I bought it for myself. China Glaze is hard to find in stores, so I got it on Amazon.com (for 49 cents!). I recommend looking on Amazon for nail polish because they are almost always a fraction of the price. China Glaze is a higher end nail polish, similar to OPI. The color is nice and looks silver when a light layer is applied, but shimmery dark greyish-black with multiple layers. The polish on my fingernails stayed on for a full week before chipping without a base coat or top coat. The polish on my toes has been chip free for weeks. It has a nice shimmer, but isn't difficult to take off like some glitter nail polishes. The brush and consistency makes it easy to apply. I've had some bad luck with cheap nail polishes (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color chipped after a day). I would suggest getting the more expensive polishes for cheaper online instead. China Glaze polishes are free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. Over, China Glaze covers well, stays moderately long, and comes off easy. It can also be cheap if you look for it online. The color shown is "Jitterbug".

Andrea's Top Ten List!!

Guest Blogger Andrea shares her top 10 beauty products!

1. Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker
2. CoverGirl Fresh Complexion Powder Foundation
3. St. Ives Apricot Scrub
4. Purpose Dual Treatment Moisturizer
5. Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse
6. Jergens Skin-Firming Daily Toning Lotion
7. Schick Intuition Plus Razor
8. Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste
9. Pantene Pro-V Medium to Thick Hair Style Mousse
10. Maybelline Full’n’Soft Mascara

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray Extra Strong Hold ($14.99)

Rosie:

5/10

I've heard a lot of hype about this hairspray as a cult favorite of celebrity hairstylists. It claims to have a hold that lasts all day and a spray "so fine, it disappears at the stroke of a brush". For me, it didn't live up to the hype. First of all, it doesn't smell great. It has a pretty strong chemical smell, much like the really cheap aerosol hairsprays. I was expecting it to smell more like the nicer hairsprays I've used. Secondly, it doesn't give me a great hold. I tried the "Strong Hold" version, but it didn't hold my curls very well. After that, I bought the "Extra Strong Hold" because I hoped it would work better, but I barely noticed a difference. I have long, very thick, wavy hair, and I was trying to get large curls with hot rollers. The curls fell within a few hours. I usually don't have trouble holding curls because my hair is already somewhat curly, but this hairspray did a remarkably bad job. I've had curls last longer with $5 hairspray. The one positive with this hairspray is the soft feel. It really does seem to disappear when you brush it and isn't at all sticky or flaky. Elnett feels better on my hair than any other hairspray I've used before, but if it doesn't hold my style, what's the point? I think this hairspray would be good for someone who is looking for a little hold without the stiff, sticky feel that many hairsprays have. I used it on my naturally wavy hair to smooth away some flyaways. Like I said before, I have long, thick hair, so this might provide better hold for someone with shorter and/or lighter hair. Personally, I won't be buying this hairspray again.


Pros:

• Great feel
• Combs out
•  Not sticky or flaky 

Cons:

• Doesn't provide good hold for my thick, long hair.
• Smell
• Relatively expensive  

Has anyone else tried this? Does anyone have any good hairspray suggestions for thick hair? 

UPDATE!!! (SkinLaboratory Glycolic Acid 35% Gel Peel)

Hana: 6/10 so far...
Two and a half weeks ago, I wrote about trying this acid peel for the first time.  Since then I have applied it twice more.  After six weeks or so, I am expected to have full results.  Surprisingly, I am having positive results already.  A couple days after the peel my skin looks great.  Wrinkles are noticeably better and my blackheads are amazingly smaller.  There are negative effects as well, but these are about par for the course in what I would expect from putting acid on your face.  It is really important to rinse it ALL off and apply a neutralizer or baking soda paste.  It causes some dryness if you aren't very careful about moisturizer immediately afterwards and for the next couple days.  Be really careful about not getting it anywhere near your eyes, or even in the under-eye area.  I keep it on my cheekbones or lower just to be safe.  If you do get it on this tender skin, it will look like you were attacked by the red, scaly fairy.  Also, ever since I began this, my lips have been dry to the point of cracking.  I am careful about not getting it on or near my lips, but during the rinse off process it must get on them.  I apply plenty of balm after and during to try to minimize this, but thus far it has been not very helpful.  One more side effect, I'm not sure if it is a negative or not, it is erasing my freckles.  Different people will have different feelings about this, but along with the freckles it also evens out skin tone a LOT. 
So basically, there are a lot of the drawbacks that I would expect with an acid peel, but nothing so severe like skin peeling or red for days that you would expect with a stronger peel.  There do seem to be great benefits, but a real drawback is that it makes my skin so sensitive for a few days that I cannot apply my normal acne medicines.  For some people that might be a big problem.  I am going to continue with the acid peel and try to fight through the side effects because there seems to be some noticeable improvements, which is more than can be said about a lot of products. 

Which will win out in the end??? Stay tuned for another update!

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub ($7.99)

By: Guest Blogger Sadie:

(9/10)

This facial cleanser is three in one.  Not only does it clear your skin and unclog your pores, but it also smells great AND makes your skin feel smooth and moisturized.  This product has microbeads, that exfoliate, inside a creamy smooth lotion.  It leaves your face smelling like cucumbers and feeling very soft.  You also don't need very much of it to clean your whole face so it lasts a long time.  It also has 2% salicylic acid.  This claims to treat acne even before it emerges.  I can't say if it does that, but I definetly saw my skin get clearer.  After a while it might be a good idea to switch up your facial cleansers, because the results seem to plateau a little.  Nevertheless, I think you would be very happy if you used this as part of your skincare regimen.