Coconut Oil

I wanted to write a brief post about the magic of Coconut Oil. I only recently stumbled on the many uses for Coconut Oil. Since this is a beauty blog, I'll just be sharing the ones I've tried that are related to beauty!

1.  Use it as a lotion. Yup.  Just pretend it's a lotion and oil up your body.  I love it because it's natural, and it works better on moisturizing my skin than all the other products I've tried. Sometimes I'll just put it on my face before bed and really let it soak in. In the morning, my face is soft and silky. 

2. Eye makeup remover.  Instead of whatever chemically processed stuff you're using to remove your makeup, just use coconut oil. It really helps the makeup just glide right off your face! 

3. Teeth whitener. Sometimes I will dab a little bit of it on my teeth and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I'll brush my teeth like normal. I think it's helping keep them a little whiter than usual.  I've heard you can also use it to make toothpaste, but I haven't tried it yet! 

What do you use coconut oil for? Share your uses in the comments below!

 -Ami

Patience = Big Reward

It's not every day that I have a lot of time to dedicate to putting makeup on in the morning. Today I randomly woke up too early, and since I couldn't sleep, I figured I might as well use that extra time to get ready. 

I got my arsenal of makeup ready, assembled here for viewing.  Most products are pictured but there's a few below that didn't make the photo shoot. :)

Today, I started with eye makeup. I can't seem to navigate the Lorac shadows without a little fallout, so I knew it would be easier for me to do my eye makeup first, clean up any fallout, and then proceed with my face.  

After applying Urban Decay primer in nude across my eyelids, I swept Lorac Light pink across my upper brow, and Lorac Mauve across my lid.  I then blended Honeybee Gardens Dragonfly into the crease and the outer V of my lid. Finally, I blended Lorac Deep Purple into the outer V as well to really build up the dark smoky concept.  

Here's an arm swatch of the colors, from bottom to top in order used. 

Using an angled eyeliner brush, I lined both my top and bottom with Lorac Deep Purple. I cleaned off the brush, and then patted a little bit of the Dragonfly along the bottom for a little bit of extra purple pop. I finished the eyes off with Honeybee Gardens Espresso mascara.  Then, I cleaned up around my eyes in order to refine the look. 

First I used Clinique concealer in Very Fair to cover the dark circles under my eyes.  I used Clinique Even Better foundation in Linen to even out my face.  I used Clinique invisible matte powder to set the makeup. I applied Lancome bronzer around my cheeks, as well as Clinique Mocha Pink Blush to brighten up my face even more.

Finally, I applied Red Apple Lipstick in Maven Mauve.  

And then I took a lot of selfies.

 

Thanks for reading!  

-Ami

Inspired by Chanel's Spring/Summer 2014 look

Last year, I stumbled on this glitter look from Chanel's Spring/Summer 2014 Couture Show, and I love it!  I love the dramatic thick black cat eye, and the glitter underneath the eye. 

 

This appropriate for every day right? 

"Just stare into my beautiful glittery eyes!"

I couldn't find cosmetic glitter with bigger particles, and I refuse to use craft store glitter, because it's not meant to be used on the skin, or eye, or lip area.  So I settled for cosmetic fine glitter that I found on the street near a port-a-potty.  KIDDING!  I found it etsy, from the store Addictive Cosmetics.  

So this is my version of the Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 Couture look.  I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in black, from their Travel Smokey Set which contains 3 of their eye pencils in a smaller travel size for the thick cat eye.  Luckily, because the cat eye doesn't require the same precision as a thin cat eye a la liquid liner, I didn't have to have to spend time perfecting it.  Save that time and precision for the glitter.   

Look at my fashionable Gap shirt with stripes.

Side view!

This is the container of "Silver Sparkle" glitter that I used.  The container sort of resembles a spice jar, so you can sprinkle out what you need instead of trying to dig for glitter, or dumping it all out.  On the carpet.  Or your hair.  Both will take forever to remove.  I just turned the container upside down to get the glitter on the lid, which I used as my palette. 

Glitter!  Sweet glitter!

Now, I have an eye primer, but because I needed a specific product to hold glitter, I also purchased Addictive Cosmetics "Fixit", which is a clear and sticky primer for glitter.  Now, Too Faced does have a product called Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue, so if you don't want to wait to order it and then have it shipped to you, you can always buy Too Faced's product from Sephora or Ulta store.  

The Fixit is a spray, which is pretty awkward to use, I had to be careful to not spray it everywhere, but it does work well.  

You can see that it is a liquid, and I would describe it as a sort of Krazy glue consistency.  The best way to use this is to spray it on the back of your hand, or maybe put it on a paint palette if you have one, and then take your brush into the primer. 

Taking my brush with the Fixit, I place the bottom of it into the glitter.  I then took the brush and applied it like I would with any liner gently placed it underneath my eye, CAREFULLY avoiding my eyeballs, and waterline.  The first time is to just create a rough guide for the the following applications of glitter.  Taking the brush, I pack the glitter on there, but instead of on the thin sharp line of the brush, I do it on the side.  This allows me to grab more glitter, and to be able to build more glitter underneath my eye.  

After getting the amount of glitter that I wanted, I simply filled my brows, added blush and highlighter to my cheeks, and then applied Burt's Bees Hawaiian Smoulder lip crayon to my lips with the addition of NYX color altering gloss.  I know the original look has more a light berry stain, or nude lip, but I don't have any of those colors, so a light pink it is!  

When wearing this be aware that when the light hits the glitter, you'll see bits of reflective light at the bottom of your eyes which is weird, but also like having your own disco balls in your vision.  

Hopefully, I can manage to take the glitter off without cutting my eye with tiny shards of glitter. 

For the Love of Cheap Polish... (a Guest Slug post)

My name is Emily and I'm a nail polish addict.


No, really, it's true.  I can't go into Target without a stop (and a purchase) from the nail polish aisle. Or Walgreens. Or Rite Aid. Or Sally Beauty Supply. Or Ulta (keep me away from there!).  I buy nail polish as a reward for myself (lose a pound! buy a polish!), as a consolation to myself ("It's been a hard day, I just need one bottle..."), and for absolutely no reason at all!

I'm also a fellow Slug!  And thanks to Ami and Thanh-Thuy, I'll be jumping on here every once in a while as a Guest Slug to dish about all things nails!  I have a collection of over 130 polishes, have strong opinions on top coats, and do my nails at least twice a week.  So, I've got a lot to say!  I love a variety of brands of nail polish - Essie, OPI, Orly, and others.  Today, I want to talk about my favorite cheap-o brand who gets it right (almost) all the time...

L.A. Colors Color Craze polish!

I'm quite picky when it comes to my nail color.  I like a color that goes on smoothly, isn't too thick but provides good coverage, and lasts more than 24 hours without chipping, peeling, or rubbing off. LA Colors Color Craze polish usually fits the bill!  The best part is that you can find them at your local Dollar Tree, Big Lots, or other major discount store for a really low price.  I've also seen them in gift sets and they can be found on Amazon, as well. For as little as $.75 per bottle these colors are a steal.  And Thanh-Thuy will be happy to know that LA Colors proudly proclaims on their Facebook page that they're cruelty-free!

There are a few downsides to the LA Colors Color Craze polishes.  Some of the more opaque colors (primarily the ones closest to white) are a bit streaky and take several coats to cover evenly.  Another downer for these colors is....

YUCK!  All those chemicals!  I'm still doing research, but I hope to post soon about the chemicals to avoid in nail polishes.  The LA Colors website does endorse their products to be toulene and formaldehyde free, but no comment on the presence of Dibutyl Phthalate, which is also a chemical commonly advised to avoid.

LA Colors Color Craze Nectarine - 1 coat

LA Colors Color Craze Nectarine - 2 coats

LA Colors Color Craze Nectarine - 3 coats + clear top coat (more on that secret later!)

Overall, I am usually very happy with the quality of the LA Colors Color Craze Nail Polishes. With tons of bright and cheery colors, they're perfect to add to your collection for spring and summer!

LA Colors Color Craze Polish:  Sammy the Slug approved!

Today

Today's look was a relatively simple one. My skin was screaming for a break so I went pretty easy on the face makeup.  I started with L'Oreal BB cream. It tends to be a little on the orange side, so I used it very sparingly just to give myself a slight base. I didn't use any foundation or powder today.

The bronzer I ordered from Clinique hasn't shipped yet, but I did find this VERY old bronzer in my kit. I usually use this palette's blush, but I was happy to find it had a bronzer as well. I couldn't even tell you how old this is.  NOT a best practice, but the blush has treated me well over the years, so I imagined the bronzer would be safe too.   

I brushed the bronzer over my cheeks, a tiny bit on my forehead, and slightly on my chin. 

I brushed a tiny bit of Glow by E.L.F. on my cheeks, in the spots untouched by the bronzer. I like this color because it's a very subtle shimmer and isn't overbearing. 

I have very sensitive eyes and I was able to find a company that specialized in mascara that was not only for sensitive eyes, but was gluten-free as well. It's called Honeybee Gardens. I play it safe when it comes to lip and eye products because I figure gluten is more likely to be absorbed there, and I can't have gluten.  

I also used Urban Decay primer and Too Faced Naturals palette (not pictured) on my eyes.

I finished off my look with this free ulta lip crayon sample I received.

And topped the lip crayon off with lip gloss from the same gluten-free company that sold me the mascara - Honeybee Gardens, gloss in Glam I Am.

And here I am. The final look is natural with a bit of a glow, thanks to my bronzer, my new favorite product!

Most selfies will be in my car where I get the best lighting! 

Happy makeup-ing!

-Ami

Demeter fragrances

Perhaps you've heard of Demeter Fragrances, they are well known for their unusual scents such as Dirt, Paperback, and Rain.  I've always been curious about their scents, and they have a large catalog of perfumes.  I appreciate that you can buy a small vial of it for $2.50 each, before investing in a huge bottle of it.  Lush used to do that with their perfumes, but they revamped them by discontinuing a lot of scents, and no longer selling small vials to allow people to test drive them.  

Like many things in life, scent is completely subjective.  Not only do is it the scent itself, but when mixed with our body chemistry it can result in a one of a kind smell.  We could each wear the same scent, but it would be different on each of us.  So, let's get on with this review!

I purchased in alphabetical order:

• Earl Grey Tea
• Chai Tea
• Funeral Home
• Giant Sequoia 
• Gin & Tonic
• Gingerale
• Green Tea
• Ocean
• Paperback
• Pineapple
• Pizza
• Rice Paddy
• Salt Air
• Sushi
• Thunderstorm
• Red Poppies was one that they gave to me for free, which was a pleasant surprise.  I didn't expect any samples, but they provided me with a 1oz container of it.  Nice!

OK, first let's start out with the bad.  Just terrible.  I had to immediately take a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to take out the smell off of my skin. 

• Pizza.  It was a risk, but I was open to it.  What I envisioned was a hint of tomato with a mild basil smell.  What I got?  If a wet dog humped a pizza, and then months later birthed a scent out of its butt - this is that smell.  It was awful.  It made me feel a little ill.  
• Chai tea.  I had high hopes for this one, I like strong aromatic spices, especially cinnamon, but what?  It smelled like sickly sweet artificial bathroom spray.  I like Oprah's Chai Tea that is sold at Teavana, and Starbucks, and maybe I'll just steep that and spray it on myself.  Or just sprinkle some in my hair. 
• Rice Paddy.  I thought the scent would be fresh, clean, and green.  I don't even know how to describe what it actually smelled like.  Hairspray, maybe?   Funky, trying to hard to be spunky hairspray.  
• Green tea.  Eh. It smells like a small boutique store that has a layered the air with different scents trying to convince you that you're wealthy.  So, I guess it smells like lies. 

The scents that I liked the most:

• Pineapple.  Straight forward: it smelled like pineapple.  
• Sushi.  No, it didn't smell like raw fish.  The scent really was more rice with a hint of ginger, and sweet sake or something.  It smelled clean.  
• Thunderstorm.  Reminded me of Gap's old scent grass.  Who knew?
• Ginger ale.  I don't know how, but it captured the fizziness of ginger ale.  Very light.  

The other scents that I'm not sure on, as in I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them and will be giving them another smell test are:

• Funeral home.  C'mon, you know I had to try this one!  My husband is a funeral director for God's sakes.  No, it doesn't smell like decomposing dead body, it smells more like a chapel full of white flowers.  Kinda musty.  
• Paperback.  It has a sweet smell, believe it or not, and there's another scent that I can't describe.  It's that other scent that makes me waver on whether or not I like this.  
• Earl Grey Tea.  Another sweet musty smell, but lighter.  
• Gin & Tonic.  Um, I don't know.  It smells like it has alcohol in it, which makes sense.  
• Salt Air.  It has this weird light citrus-y smell.  I like citrus scents, but this one sort of smells like laundry out of a dryer. 
• Giant Sequoia.  It does have the smoky earthy smell as advertised by Demeter, but there's something that odd about it.  Upon initial smell, I liked it, but then the scent hit my mind nose and I thought, "oh.  I don't know about this."

While smelling all of these scents, I was reminded of a scene in Bob's Burgers Dawn of the Peck episode where after fighting off various fowl the family and some of their friends sit down for a turkey dinner.  Bob, the dad, unveils this roasted turkey and no one wants it because they're all still traumatized by these turkeys, ducks, and geese viciously pecking and attacking them.  One of the characters says, "I can still smell 'em, Bob.  They're inside my mind nose."  And that's how I feel right now.  I don't want to smell anything ever again.  I don't even know if I want to eat pizza for a while.  Now, THAT scent is still in my mind nose.   
-Thanh-Thuy

Clinique

Today's look brought to you by Clinique. 

I was at Macy's and bought a few things since I had a gift card. 

The final look: 

Beauty Destinations!

I have a few sites that I regularly read, and Brit+Co, a lifestyle website, is one of them.  They recently posted about Beauty Destinations!  They range from a store that creates custom lipsticks, another that creates a custom perfume, a store that sells beauty care inspired by wine, and Birchbox the well known beauty monthly subscription company, now has their own store!  You can create your own box of deluxe samples of various beauty products!

Look at all of those beautiful red lips!

I have to say that out of the 12 that they list, there are two that I would love to go to: Bite Beauty Lip Lab to create my own lipstick color, since that's the one product that I've worn pretty regularly for years, and a major plus for me is that they are a cruelty free company.  Birchbox's shop is the other one that appeals to me because you get to test out an item without paying full price, but more importantly, it kind of reminds me of being a little kid and filling up a goodie bag, or being in a candy store and shoveling all kinds of candy into a bag.  There's this child like appeal to me, albeit an expensive one.  

When can I go there?

Which beauty destination do you want to go to?

• Thanh-Thuy

Introducing Emily!

Hello to everyone that reads our blog,
So, we are introducing a new contributor to our blog - Emily!  Emily also attended UC Santa Cruz, and belonged to Crown College just like us.  Actually, we're all from the same year.  I met Emily when she became an RA like me, and she's a lot of fun.  That's all I'll say for now, as I let her introduce herself in more detail when she writes her first post.  She will be contributing posts every now and then, and she will focus on nail polish.  She has a massive collection, loves nails, and we're excited to see her posts!  Welcome, Emily!

Santa Cruz, California's Urb Apothecary's Matcha Scrub

**Edit: Whoops!  I realized that I forgot to add the link to the company that made the scrub.  Here it is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbApothecary

So in honor of our beauty blog's name, the slug stands for Banana Slug our alma mater's mascot.  I decided to try to find some Santa Cruz made products to review.  Thus began my search etsy for Santa Cruz created product.  Ami touched a little bit on the fact that we met at UC Santa Cruz in her last post titled "Why Are You Blogging?", and I'll expand a bit on that.  UC Santa Cruz's residential system is based on a college system.  Every single undergraduate is affiliated with a college, and it is not based on one's major.  We both belong to Crown College, which is the science, technology, and math based college, but again it's just that the residential themes touch on those areas, but you do NOT have to major in them.  God knows we didn't as Ami majored in Literature, and I majored in History with a minor in Education.  We both lived at Descartes Hall, and actually my room was directly above hers.  I'm still apologizing for that for two reason, 1. I tended to pace a lot and because the residence halls (Don't call them dorms, that's an old fashioned term.  I call them residence halls because they're not just a place to sleep, but a place to build friendships, and community.  Dorms is a pretty sterile term.  I shudder when I hear it.) were older, the floors and walls were rather thin.  So every creak could be heard.  2. I have a habit of playing one song over and over again if I really like it.  I can't explain it, I just do it.  So, because I was going through a terrible break up, my first, I played Fiona Apple's Fast As You Can repeatedly.  

You can see why I'm still apologizing for that.  Sorry, Ami.  

But we both have great memories of Santa Cruz, and I miss it.  I thought it would be fun to see what kind of handcrafted beauty products are coming out of Santa Cruz, and it's not a lot.  There's very little make up, the only product that I could find was a tinted lip balm, and cheek tint.  To be fair, I did only check etsy, because it that's a pretty good resource and you can search by location, so if there are others, let me know and I'll take a look. 

I did find a lot of lotions, lip balms, and scrubs.  I decided on URB Apothecary's Matcha Scrub because I love the smell of Matcha, which is green tea, and my hands are pretty dry so a product that moisturizes is a plus.  I did contact them and asked if they were cruelty free, and they replied that they were.  I should have asked if their ingredients were cruelty free as well, but didn't think of that until later.  I ordered my item on March 15, and it arrived today March 21, so the item shipped pretty quickly.  For someone who likes immediate gratification, this was most appreciated. 

The box with their logo.

Aw, I got a thank you.  That's actually pretty nice that they included that note.  

It's a little difficult to read the label, but it says:
 

"Matcha green tea's high anti-oxidant content rejuvenated old skin cells & neutralizes UV damage.  Coconut oil, raw coconut & sugar together with matcha green tea creates a healing, rejuvenating, & exfoiliating scrub.  Massage scrub onto damp face & body in light circular motions.  Rinse with warm water, pat dry, & moisturize further if needed. 
Contains coconut oil, unrefined sugar, matcha green tea, raw coconut, & good vibes."

You can't get any more wonderfully hippie than that.  

 

Upon opening it the first scent right out of the gate was coconut.  It's very strong, and because of that, I initially didn't smell any matcha, which I was bummed about seeing as I like matcha (if you like matcha, try it in a chocolate bar.  Vosges Gourmet Chocolate used to make this wonderful milk chocolate bar with matcha, that they unfortunately discontinued, but they do it have it in dark chocolate form.)  Despite this, it still smells quite good.  I was initially going to review this after using it once, but that doesn't fair, as you have to use an item more than once before reviewing it.  The first time I used this, I only used the drier top layer, and it was OK.  The smell was again, very good, and my hands did soften up a bit.  The second time I used this, I had to really go beyond the first layer to get to the oilier part, in order to reach the moisturizing properties.  Upon the second time, I smelled a hint of the matcha.  YES!  Great!  It is though, just a hint, but it's there.  My hands were softer due to getting to more of the oil.  It says you can use it on your face, but I think it's too rough for that.  This would be better to use on the feet, and arms. 

A new lip color, and Too Faced Glitter Glaze in Gold!

Judging you for your choices. 

So I bought Urban Decay's Naked Liquid Foundation, and the matching concealer, and so far I'm liking it.  I've always had a hard time finding a good a foundation that matches my skin.  Drugstore brands are hopeless, because I can't try them on, so I never know if they work on me.  I've tried BB creams, and CC creams, and I end up really orange.  I'm not an Oompa Loompa, Jesus Christ.  

I've been on an Urban Decay streak, and I bought Naked Flush a palette with bronzer, highlighter, and blush which adds a nice warmth to my face (despite my cold unsmiling face with eyes that look down on you in judgment). 
I love lipstick.  It is the ONE item I will always wear.  I know for some people it's mascara, or eye liner, but I think lipstick adds some warmth and color and can make the difference between looking put together or not. 
My new lip color is Tarte Matte in Hope.  It's a nice shade that looks natural enough but better.  Despite it being matte, it's a little dry, but still fairly creamy.  I like it!

The other big change is that I got my brows waxed.  Thank you Cynthea from Cynthea's Spa.  Cynthea, that woman gets my brows.  They're Asian brows, so they're sparse but the hair is long.  It's...perplexing.  So you have to be really careful about how you shape them, and when Cynthea does my brows, I know I'm in capable hands. 

I decided to try the Beauty Blender, the actual name brand make up sponge, to see if I could get my foundation application to look more natural.  So far, I've been pleased.  It is a bummer that they only last 3 months MAX if you take care of them.  I bought the two Beauty Blenders with the cleanser from Sephora and it was a pretty good deal.  

I really like Urban Decay's Eye Primer Potion in Sin, as it has a slight shimmer to it so I usually wear it alone. 

Again I'll say that this eye make up remover pen is quite the lifesaver.  I used it three times today when I was doing my eye liner, and it helps quite a bit.  $3 from Target?  Yes.  Stock up!  

This is the Tarte Matte lip in Hope, and that cat paw in the upper right corner?  That's Idgie.  Nothing to do with my look, but it is a cute paw.  

My friend Jen invited me to go shopping with her to the Mother of All Sales (real name), an event where some of the small boutiques in Burlington are under one roof selling their heavily discounted designer clothing, jewelry, and beauty products.  The only problem is that they don't have a lot of plus sizes, so I eyed accessories and make up.  I was REALLY pleased to see that Mirror Mirror, a small beauty store on Main St in Burlington, had some Too Faced items!  YES!  I was thrilled to see that they had Glitter Glaze in Gold, and I picked up two of those.  Like I've said before I love glitter and anything sparkly.  It's meant to be worn either on top of another eye shadow, or alone.  I just want to Spackle this on! I bought them for $10 each, and on the Too Faced site, they're going for $18.90! 

A swatch of the Glitter Glaze on my hand. 

 

I just found out that Smashbox is cruelty free!  I checked PETA's site which has a comprehensive list of brands that do and do not animal test.  If a brand sells in China, they do test, because China requires it.  This is a brow wax, and I figured after getting my brows done, I needed some products to tame the beast.  I just ordered NYX's brow wax pencil, so when those arrive I'll post a comparison of the two.  

   

A photo of me post shopping, and perhaps pre-nap.