Ojon Review, BPAL Hoarding and WTF is up with Stila Glamour Galore sets?

I've been bitten by the haircut beast again.

My hair is now much shorter and that gives me an excuse to switch hair products again...

Here's an unlikely change: Using Ojon.

I reviewed the Ojon restorative treatment a while back and I really hated it. I have stacks of samples of it piling up around the house, so I thought I might as well give it another try.

The smell is really, uh, interesting. It smells like incense, burnt coffee and cigarettes. Oddly enough, I'm actually starting to like it.

Last time I tried Ojon I had really long hair. Now my hair is chin-length in the front and nothing in the back.

When I had long hair it made my hair limp and flat and not really all that shiny.

Now all the hair I have is virgin hair, so it's shiny already, but the Ojon treatment really makes it gleam. I leave it in overnight and wash it out in the morning. I have to be really diligent about washing it all out or it makes my hair greasy. It seems to lessen the amount of damage I do to my hair, it makes it soft and very shiny and keeps the ends looking nice.

What I like even more than the restorative hair treatment is the Shine and Protect Glossing Mist. It's easily the best smelling hair product I've ever used. It's a coconutty-sandalwoody beachy yet rich sort of scent. It's amazing. The scent isn't the only great part of the product. The way it sprays is perfect. It makes a fine mist and it's really hard to overdo the application, and it lands lightly on my hair and makes it shiny, not greasy.

I've also been using the Shine and Protect shampoo and conditioner and I really like them. They smell great and keep my hair shiny and moisturized. I'd definitely recommend them if you can get past the fact that the conditioner is the color of bile.

Ha!

I'm going through a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab rediscovery phase. I'm in love with everything they send me- from the things I ordered to the free imp's ears that they so generously include with every order.

My problem with collecting is my tendency to hoard things. I can't wait to get my order and then the day it comes I eagerly rip open the package, smell everything and then obsessive-compulsively sort it. I sit the bottles all in a row in their boxes and I sort the imp's ears into their alphabetically organized ammo boxes, carefully weeding out duplicates. I gaze at the humongous pile of perfume I've collected. And then, when everything is perfectly organized, put it away and I forget I have it.

So, I've decided to start to love my "stash." I'm going through everything and testing and wearing and actually enjoying the unloved items in my collection. I'm paying more attention to the general catalogue items that I usually ignore, now that I realize they could be discontinued at any moment.

Black Phoenix oils are really works of art. I know I've said it before, but there's really nothing else like them.

On a less positive note, WTF is going on with the Stila Glamour Galore sets?

I splurged and ordered one for myself for Christmas, and when it arrived it was missing two items and one of the All Over Shimmer compacts was broken! I called Sephora and they sent me another one, and, wouldn't you know it, the same thing! The replacement is missing an item and both the compacts are broken!

The set is out of stock now, so I don't know if I'll be able to get another one. I really want the items that I have, but I'm not paying full price for a set that's missing $40 worth of product, on top of $40 worth of broken but still usable product. I can't be the only one this has happened to. I wonder how Sephora is going to fix the problem?

I emailed them about the second incomplete set, but lately they're taking a very long time to respond. I don't feel like calling them again. I should be able to order something and have it be complete and not broken.

I'm not giving up my Spiced Ginger lip glaze.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif is beautiful India Bollywood film actress. Her latest release is Hindi movie Welcome where she is performing along with Akshay Kumar, Mallika Sherawat, Anil Kapoor and Nana patekar. Malaika Arora also has a special performance in this movie.

Check out more details about Katrina in our previous post.

Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat is hot sexy voluptuous Indian Bollywood film actress. Her latest release is Hindi movie Welcome where she is performing along with Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Nana patekar. Malaika Arora also has a special performance in this movie.

Check out other pictures of Mallika here.

Tisca Chopra

Tisca Chopra is an Indian TV and film actress. She is playing as Darsheel's mother in Aamir Khan's latest Hindi movie Taare Zameen Par.

Gauri Khan

Gauri Khan was born on Oct 8, 1970 in New Delhi, India. She is an Indian movie producer and wife of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. Her latest production was Om Shanti Om where Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone were in lead role.

Gauri will appear on the cover of the January 2008 issue of the Vogue India Magazine.

Victoria Justice

Victoria Justice was born on February 19, 1993 in Hollywood, Florida, USA. She is an American child actress, model, spokesmodel who is best known for playing the role of Lola Martinez on Zoey 101.

Jamie Lynn Spears

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Allison Stokke

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Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens was born on December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California, USA. She is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in 2003 and appeared in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds. Hudgens began music career and released her debut album, entitled V, in 2006.

Tang Wei

Tang Wei was born on 7 October 1979 in Zhejiang, China. She is a Chinese actress and also an aspiring writer and director.

Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts was born on February 10, 1991 in Rhinebeck, New York, USA. She is an American actress, the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and the niece of actresses Lisa Roberts Gillan and Julia Roberts. Roberts made her acting debut at the age of nine in the film Blow.

Roberts is also a pop singer. Her debut album, Unfabulous and More: Emma Roberts, was released in 2005.

Anna Rawson

Anna Rawson was born on August 5, 1981 in Adelaide, Australia. She is a professional golfer and model. At age 16 she got her break into a modeling career, when she was a finalist in the Australian "Dolly" Magazine cover contest.

Check out her official website here.

Check out Anna in action in this cool video:

Prachi Desai

Prachi Desai was born on 12 September 1988 Gujarat, India.. She is an Indian Television actress best known for her role as Bani in the Hindi television drama Kasamh Se. Her hobbies are acting, sports, listening to music, and sketching.

Prachi Desai (with choreographer partner Deepak Singh) became the winner of Sony TV's dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Sandhya Mridul (with choreographer partner Javed Sanadi) became the first runner up. Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is an Indian version of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

The show is hosted by Mona Singh (winner of season one) and Rohit Roy. The Judges of the show are Urmila Matondkar, Shiamak Davar and Jeetendra.

Other participant of this famous shows were:
Sudha Chandran with choreographer partner Uma Shankar,
Sonali Kulkarni with choreographer partner Toby,
Tapur Chatterjee with choreographer partner Feroz,
Mir Ranjan Negi with choreographer partner Marisha,
Aadesh Srivastav with choreographer partner Tina,
Mini Mathur with choreographer partner Hemu,
Cyrus Broacha with choreographer partner Rozita Rajput,
Ronit Roy with choreographer partner Nicole Alvaris,
Jay Bhanushali with choreographer partner Bindi Khare,
Mika Singh with choreographer partner Tanushree

Archana (Veda)

Archana is smart, cute Tollywood actress who started her career with Telugu movie Nenu.

LUSH Skincare Sucks Anus but L'Artisan Parfumeur Bois Farine doesn't.

Yeah, uh, about that LUSH skincare.

I had to add an extra day because I cheated one day. I just had to get the grease off.

The verdict: OMGWTF!!!!1

The first few days it seemed okay- my skin was clear, didn't feel stripped, no dry patches.

Now it's a whole different story. My skin is more pissed off than it has been since I took all those caffeine pills in '04. It's broken out in the worst possible way. Not little bitty bumps that I can cover with concealer and be on my merry way. Oh no, no. It's the kind that let you know you screwed up by hurting every time you move your face.

I should have known better than to wash my face with a bar of bacon grease cocoa butter.

I've found a new favorite fragrance! L'Artisan Parfumeur Bois Farine. It's so interesting! It's woody, it's flowery without smelling floral, it's almost powdery, and it has this hint of flour that I keep picking up...

Another love at the moment- Comptoir sud Pacifique Vanille Pitahaya. I can't quite place what exactly it reminds me of, but it's a beautiful scent. Of course, I love anything Comptoir sud Pacifique....

Okay, time to go back to applying ice to my freakin' face...

Dus Kahaniyaan Actress Special

Dus Kahaniyaan is an Indian film comprised of ten short films telling ten different stories. Here are ten adorable pictures of ten beautiful actresses from the movie.

Neha Oberoi

Anita Hassanandani

Mandira Bedi. Check out more details about Mandira here.

Shabana Azmi. Check out more details about Shabana here.

Masumeh Makhija

Diya Mirza. Check out more details about Diya here.

Amrita Singh. Check out more details about Amrita here.

Minissha Lamba. Check out more details about Minissha here.

Neha Dhupia. Check out more details about Neha here.

Tarina Patel

Rosie O'Donnell

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Rosanna Arquette

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Lee Hyori

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Trying out LUSH Skincare: Sweet Japanese Girl and Gorgeous

Just out of pure curiousity, I've decided to see if LUSH's skincare really lives up to its claims.

If you've ever read the product descriptions, you'll know that they either a) don't describe the product at all or b) claim that the product can cure AIDS, cancer and global warming with just one use.

As afraid as I am to use it on my face, I can't help but be lured into trying it...

This week, I've used nothing but Sweet Japanese Girl to cleanse, and Gorgeous to moisturize.

My skin looks okay, not really any different. It feels... it feels like it's coated in an inch of wax. Ugh.

Gorgeous is absurdly expensive for such inexpensive ingredients, and it feels like rubbing candle wax on your face. It smells nice, though. Kinda like orange blossom.

I ordered some toner, and as anti-toner as I am (or used to be after trying Shiseido's amazing toner), I feel like I really need it after using Sweet Japanese Girl. You're supposed to rub the bar on your face- dry bar, dry face. It melts and scratches, and you rub it in. Then you're supposed to wash it off with a wet washcloth. It doesn't really ever come off.


Well, I'll give it until Sunday and report back.

Why I hate Mary Kay, and some helpful eye makeup tips.

Ack! Speak of the devil. That Mary Kay lady keeps calling me! I just had a nice chat with her explaining why I don't like Mary Kay. I felt bad, it seemed like she took it personally. She kept insisting that Mary Kay is the "Number one selling brand in the world!" and that they are "the best!" I wonder if she could hear my eyes rolling.

I would encourage everyone to visit http://www.pinktruth.com before considering being bullied into becoming a "multi-millionaire" Mary Kay consultant.

I won't go into why I don't like Mary Kay as a company, as you can visit http://www.pinktruth.com and read about it for yourself.

I will explain further why I don't like the products. Simple:

* Low pigmentation
* Poor quality
* No variety
* No personality
* High price
* Too dated

Okay, I know this isn't the pick on Mary Kay blog, and I'm not trying to. It's just that these consultants are so pushy- they're like vultures! They are relentless! They'll say anything to get you to buy as much product as you can carry and guilt trip you into becoming a consultant.

Now for something positive. There's too much negativity in the air.

Let's talk about eyes!

I'm an eye person- I've always felt that they were my best feature and I always choose to make them the focal point of my look.

I feel that eyeliner and mascara are the simplest thing that anyone can do to make themselves instantly look better.

What's the point of eyeliner? It works in a few different ways. It darkens your lashline to make your lashes look thicker and your eyes more defined. It makes your eyes appear bigger and draws attention to them. It has a framing effect. It can also change the visual shape of your eyes depending on how you apply it, for example, the cat eye effect.

Eye makeup is absolutely worthless without mascara. You can't look finished without it. I see so many girls walking around with eyeshadow or eyeliner and straight, bland looking lashes. It makes their eyes look faded. It makes them look... weird. Like maybe they're sick, or tired.

Here's my eyeliner trick. I line inside my lashes, and on my upper waterline or upper rim. It really gives my eyes that extra something and eliminates any skin-colored gaps that can ruin your eye look. It can be a little tricky to do, but it's worth trying! It helps to look up with your eyes open, and take your pencil and run it along the wet part. Make sure it is freshly sharpened and clean. Then try to draw in your lashes. You can make dots in between or just do what I do and draw back and forth right at your lashline. Angle the pencil down and make sure you don't get it all over your lids.

You can stop there for a more natural look, or continue with a regular eyeliner application for a more defined look.

I always line last, right before curling my lashes. If you put eyeliner on before shadow, the shadow dulls your liner. If you curl your lashes first, it's difficult to make a straight line and you get a lot of lashes in the way. If you put mascara on first, the eyeliner ruins your mascara. The only exception is if you're doing a dark smoky eye- You can line first and put shadow on top, but I usually line again after that.

Mascara is the easiest part. Curl your lashes first! It helps. Take your curler, clamp right at the lashline (don't pinch yourself!) and hold for 10 seconds. You can either pump or hold, I do both and they both give the same result. Then, look at the mirror. Tilt your head back and look down your nose. That's a neat trick I learned that really comes in handy if you're like me and get mascara all over your lids.

Okay- you're sitting with your head tilted and you're looking down your nose- this gives you lots of lid space. Hold your mascara wand next to your lashes and blink. Once you have the first coat on, you can fill in where you want more lash. I always do extra on the outer edges of my lashes. It makes your eyes seem wider.

One more tip- always wear black mascara. Even if you are blonde. You want your lashes to frame your eyes and to be defined. When you wear brown mascara it makes your lashes blend in with the background, which makes your eyes blend in and not look quite right. It doesn't have to be super black - you can get soft black (or even dark blue!) but you want it to look like you have eyelashes, not weird brown fuzz.

That's all there is to it. It probably takes about a minute and a half to do, but it makes you look so much more awake and defined. It adds interest and helps draw attention to your eyes.

Stay Away From Mary Kay (Seriously.)

I'm back! Man, it's really good to be home. I never thought of my self as a snobby "city girl" until staying a week in the country... It's so good to be back in a mold-free bathroom. I can finally feel clean after showering again!


I had an epiphany. I attended a (don't laugh) Mary Kay party last night. Now, I have to be nice because a very good friend of mine had asked me to go, and who am I to turn down a chance to play makeup? But, good golly, it was like Makeup for Retards, 101. I wanted to stab my eye out with the disposable sponge-tip applicator.

It wasn't just the sub-par quality of the products, the indoctrination or the identical look everyone was wearing. It was the whole experience. This is where the epiphany part happens.

These girls, really I love them to death, it's just so sad that they cling to this terrible product for no reason other than it's the first/only brand they've been introduced to! I think the reason more women don't wear makeup more often is because of some of the crappy product they grew up using. I mean, based on my experience at this party, I can see that happening. I was handed poor quality products shaved onto a palette, no tools other than sponge-tip applicators, no proper lighting or instruction on how to make the makeup flatter and enhance your looks.... No nothing! Just scrape, apply, look like crap, then have the kooky lady insist that you'll make $80k a month being a Mary Kay consultant and you'll drive a pink Cadillac and live happily ever after.

I came in with my full face of MAC and the like, which I suppose can be a little startling, I'll admit, heh. I didn't know we would be applying makeup. I thought it was kind of like a tupperware party. Pass around the catalog, order junk and the hostess gets a nice bonus.

I was wearing a slightly over the top look. I was feeling festive. Copper Sparkle and bronze, loaded with Make Up For Ever diamond powder, black eyeliner and my usual metric ton of mascara. My face was covered in glitter a little bit, but that wasn't intentional. I found this cool spray at Bath and Body Works, it's like scented aerosol glitter. It's like super glitter explosion times ten. I tried to put some in my hair- one little spritz- and it covered my entire bathroom, head and body in glitter. I think I even inhaled it.... I'm gonna get the glitter lung... Anyway, getting off topic...

I'm instructed to take off my makeup. After a little hesitation I do so. We cleanse with a little blob of cleanser and remove it with a baby wipe... eeew. I put on some serum and moisturizer, eye cream and a lip mask. All over sticky baby wipe residue... eeww. We then apply some crappy yellow concealer, which is the wrong shade for everyone, and then some cakey orange foundation. We then apply orange powder with a cotton ball, and orange bronzer (also with a cotton ball.) We looked like the 80's.

We then move on to eyeshadow. My color scheme was plums. Cool, I rock the purples like nobody's business, I can handle putting it on with a sponge... Or so I thought. We go directly to applying eyeshadow without an eyeshadow base. So, my light purple shade ended up being translucent grey. We then apply the medium shade to the crease. Mine ended up being slightly darker translucent grey. Then we were to apply the darkest shade "in a triangle" with a sponge. Mine was kinda sparkly translucent grey. Hmm. Mary Kay lady also seemed to have missed the class on blending.

We get eyeliner and mascara samples and apply them. I look around and the other lovely ladies have the dreaded eyeliner gap- where there's skin clearly visible between the lashline and the liner itself. The Mary Kay lady has this also. Apparently this is an acceptable look in the Mary Kay world.

I am embarrassed to admit it, but my makeup looked like crap. My face was orange, my skin looked dry, my eyeshadow looked like garbage and I was wearing brown lipstick. I can't imagine many ladies being very excited about wearing makeup if they thought they would end up looking like this. Hell, if this was my only experience with cosmetics, I wouldn't wear it either! Though, I wouldn't know that there was anything better out there either, and maybe I would settle. I think that's it. These girls have never been in a Sephora, never heard of MAC, never have felt the giddiness of walking into a room full of sparkling little jars and tubes and pots and palettes.

That makes me a little sad. There's just so much fun waiting to happen with makeup. Playing with different looks and colors and textures, different scents and all that fun stuff. Maybe some women see it as a necessary evil. They wear it because they have to, same look day in and day out, without any joy in it. Makeup is not permanent! It's not like cutting your hair or getting plastic surgery or buying am expensive new outfit. It's a way to change your look instantly, and if you don't like the way it turns out, just remove it.

I know I'm a little bit crazy, a bit too obsessed and even a little bit fanatical... But really, there's a lot of fun to be had in it, and there are much better results to be experienced. Even I get stuck in a rut at times, but if you're willing to branch out, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had in this simple everyday 'chore'.

All that being said, I did end up buying some hand lotion. I wasn't gonna be a total bitch. Even if the makeup sucks, Mary Kay does make some nice lotion. Mary Kay Satin Hands kit... I've been using it for years and I would definitely recommend it.

Angelina Jolie

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Check out our previous post and more information about Angelina here.

Bipasha Basu

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Check out our previous post of Bipasha here and here.

Cate Blanchett

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