What happened to H.Wood.Beauty?!

A while back I got to try out a free month of Beauty Box Five. You can check out my review here! In the box that month, there was a sample of lipstick from a new brand, H.Wood.Beauty. At the time I hadnt really tried the lipstick much, so I didnt give much detail about the product in my initial review. But, lately, Ive been wearing it more and more often. It has become one of my favorite lip products I currently own!

Photo: Amazon.

Ive tried doing some research, and I cant seem to find a working website for this company. All I could find was a facebook page and twitter account, both havent posted since September of 2012. :( So, I couldnt find out more about the product, and Im not sure where you can find them. Which is a suuuper bummer. Im really hoping the company didnt go under!

This lipstick isnt like any Ive ever tried before, its not super pigmented, it just gives a very light color, and a glossy finish. When I first tried it, Ill admit, I wasnt impressed. But in the past few weeks, Ive been using it more and more, and have honestly fallen in love with it!

The lipstick goes on super smooth, and looks like a gloss. Its a beautiful light pink shade called "rose." Its not sticky at all, and it doesnt feel dry or anything like some lipsticks tend to feel. I think H.Wood.Beauty products are all-natural, but since there is no site, Im not 100% sure.

(Im sorry if anyone is offended by my lip piercings, I know a lot of people dont like them. but I do, so any rude comments I kindly ask you keep to yourself!)

If anyone knows what happened to the company or where I can find their products, I would love if you could let me know! Im very interested in trying out more of their products!

Curly Hair Solutions Review

Although I wear my hair straight almost every day, my natural hair is actually slightly curly/wavy, and very frizzy. Ive tried for years to find a way to wear my natural curls, but I can't seem to find any products to help with the frizz! And those that do just leave my hair much too stiff and "crunchy."

I recently got to try out some products from Curly Hair Solutions.

The first product I got to try was the RevUp Volumizing System.

The RevUp system comes with a volumizing shampoo and Volumist. The RevUp System is a sulfate free formula, that is supposed to add volume to your hair with the same invigorating energizers that ocean air has on the hair. The "curl building energizers" attract moisture in the air, which is essential for creating extra bounce to your hair.
The shampoo is a gentle sulfate free formula. To use, apply to wet hair from root to ends and lather for at least 30 seconds for the ingredients to activate. The instructions didnt say whether or not to use conditioner, so I went ahead and used it anyway, because my hair needs it! My mom, however, did not use conditioner.
After I used the shampoo, my hair didnt feel clean, so I went ahead and used another couple of drops and repeated the process. The second time around it was much more lathery and bubbly.

Once I got out of the shower, I sprayed the Volumist all over my hair and followed the directions, scrunched my hair and let it air dry.
My mom, who also tried the system (she has much shorter and curlier hair than me, so I wanted to see how it worked on her hair) her hair was so dry she couldnt get a comb through it. She said she didnt want to use a conditioner because she was afraid it would weigh it down.
We both next used the next product I was sent, The Curl Keeper.

The Curl Keeper is a gel like product that controls frizz and defines curls. It is a water based formula, so you can use it every day without build-up, and you can reactivate it with water. Just wet your hands and touch up any frizzy areas. This allows you to go more days between washes!

I tried this product with the the RevUp system, after applying the Volumist I combed the Curl Keeper through my hair and let air dry without touching.
I personally did not like this product, Im not sure if its because my hair is thin/fine, or if its the cut, my hair is also longer. So it made my hair look kind of (for lack of better words) straggly and piecy. I do admit it was mostly frizz free, and pretty curly, but with my hair down it just didnt look nice on me. I never really wear my hair curly, so I dont really know how to style my hair curly, unless Im curling it with a curling iron, but thats a completely different kind of curl.
My mom, on the other hand, does style her hair curly more often, and she liked the way the curl keeper worked on her hair. The only thing she didnt like was the shampoo, but she is going to give it another shot, this time using conditioner, and she is going to let me know how she likes it. (so look forward to an update in the next few weeks!)

I love the idea behind these products, and theres no denying that they define your curls. I just dont like the way they work on my hair, and I definitely need more practice with styling my hair wearing my natural curls.

You can find out more about these products and other Curly Hair Solution products at FrizzOff.com!

Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for free from Curly Hair Solutions in exchange for a review. This does not change my views or opinions on the products! No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this review!

Full Face Foundation Routine

1. Primer

I always start my face with a primer. I think it helps the makeup go on better and look better. I feel like I use less product when using a primer, and it helps the makeup stay on all day! Ive tried so many different primers.. from Smashbox, Too Faced, Laura Geller, Bare Minerals, to drug store brands, there have been some hits, and some misses..
My current favorite is the Global Goddess Upgrade Complexion Face Primer. - $22.95 @ efficientliving.comI used to use the Too Faced Primed and Poreless primer, but I started working with the owner of GGB and he sent me their primer, which is comparable to the Too Faced one, but it's cheaper, and you get almost twice as much! Iits definitely my go-to primer now!
Im not a fan of brushes for applying primer or foundation, so I just use my clean fingers and apply a little bit all over my face!

2. Foundation

A lot of people conceal, then apply foundation, but I prefer to apply foundation, then conceal. I never really have to conceal blemishes or spots or anything, I really just do under my eyes, so I dont have to worry about perfectly matching my concealer to my foundation.
Ive never really tried any high-end foundations, Ive been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to think of one Ive tried and I literally can not think of any! I always buy drug store brand foundations! Until I tried this..
My favorite foundation right now is the Ahava Rich Foundation. - $23.95 @ Amazon.com.
(mine was sent to me from Ahava, but I cant find on their site where to buy the foundation!)
They also have a light foundation, but I cant use that because I need fuller coverage! But I absolutely love this stuff! Its made from active deadsea minerals, like all of their products, and it is free of oils and dyes, so its super good for your skin! And its great for me because I have oily skin, so anything oil-free is a must!
Again, I just use my fingers to apply this, I feel like brushes make it look streaky.

3. Concealer

Like I said earlier, all I only really conceal under my eyes, and I use a slightly lighter concealer just to brighten up under my eyes!
My favorite concealer is the Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer. - $22 @ LauraGeller.com.
Ive never been a big fan of concealers, I felt like they always made my makeup look worse. Ive tried many high end, as well as drug store concealers, and just never really liked any. But this one I do really like for under my eyes.
I just use my beauty blender and lightly apply a little bit under my eyes and blend it out.

4. Powder

I go back and forth between using a translucent setting powder and a color powder.

So for my translucent powder I have been loving the Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder. - $31 @ UrbanDecay.com.

This has a weird spongey thing on the end that youre supposed to use to apply, but I think they give a weird application, so I just tap it around a few spots on my face then take a brush and kind of buff it out.

And for a color powder Ive been using the Ahava Compact Powder - $27.21 @ Amazon.com.

To apply, I just take a kabuki brush and press it into my foundation. Since I like a slightly lighter under eye, Ill just take a translucent powder and apply it there, and color powder everywhere else.

5. Bronzer

I can not go a day without using bronzer on my face, I feel like it adds so much more dimension to my face, and just pulls the whole look together. 

Lately Ive been using the Bare Minerals Ready Bronzer. - $24 @ BareMinerals.com.

I used to use an angled brush and do a more intense contouring, but lately Ive been using a bigger brush, like a fluffy foundation or blush brush, and just give a soft contouring effect under my cheek bones and around my temples, and slightly down my neck.

6. Blush

Im very picky with my blush, it cant have shimmer and it has to be the perfect color. I have oily skin, so anything shimmery will just make me look like a disco ball!

My every day blush lately has been the Revlon Matte Powder Blush in Perfectly Peach. - $8.48 @ Walmart or Target.

I just use another fluffy blush brush and apply that to my cheekbones and blend out soflty.

So, thats basically it for my every day full face routine. I try to use only matte products, and no highlight, like I said I have oily skin, dont want to look like a disco ball! Ive included links to all products I mentioned, so go ahead and check them out and let me know what you think of these products! 

Disclaimer: The ggb primer, ahava foundation, and ahava compact powder were sent to me for review, all other products were purchased by me! This is just the products I have currently been using and loving. No one is paying me to write this post!