Curly and wavy-haired girls, this one's for you

Let me start by saying that you can find this product for about $4 (more or less) at your local drugstore and you can often find trial-size bottles at your local dollar store. And I'm telling you, if you're a curly or wavy haired girl, run and get yourself some now.

Suave Healthy Curls Curl Enhancing Spray Gel is one of those sleeper products that you see on the shelf in the haircare aisle and think, "Eeh, I don't know about that one." I know I have personally seen it and never thought twice about giving it a shot. Even when I received this product as part of larger mailing a month ago, it was one of the last ones to tempt me because I was simply afraid of getting the "crunchies".

Now I am hating myself for not trying it sooner. I've suffered for too long with inconsistent curls and I'm happy to say that's now a thing of the past.

Reading the curly hair message boards makes me feel like an idiot for never considering this product in the past. Curly haired girls know what they're talking about and so many of them recommend this. That should have been my first clue.

But let me warn you: The key to this product (and any product for that matter) is figuring out exactly how much to use in your hair. A little too much and you will get the crunchies, not enough and you won't get those beautiful, consistent ringlets.

When I finally found my "sweet spot" and figured out exactly how many pumps to use in my wet hair, I was left with piecey, defined, and consistent curls that literally shocked me. I really didn't know that my hair could get this curly, even up near the roots where my hair is usually at its straightest.

My tips for curly and wavy haired girls: Make sure that your hair is super wet when you use this. You'll probably use too much on the first application because, well, you'll be excited to see results (at least that's what happened with me). Once you get the hang of it, just spray and scrunch and either air-dry or dry with your diffuser. You'll see the difference instantly and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Also, unlike other spray gels, you can use this on dry hair as a curl refresher. I'm always scared to put any type of curl-enhancing product on my dry hair, but if you use a light hand and spray it just once in each section that needs it, your curls will spring back to life and not feel crunchy.

Also, if you do get "the crunch," you can scrunch your dry hair and it will loosen up. And it won't leave flakes, which is another wonderful bonus.

Final analysis: I've tried many salon-brand and drugstore-brand curl enhancing products over the years and nothing has worked this well to give me curls. The boyfriend asked me if I used curlers when he saw me (as if I'd ever have the patience for that business) and he said my hair looked "so pretty." Honestly, it looked just like this.

Give this one a try and leave me a comment with your opinion, or definitely leave me a comment if you already use this wonder product and make fun of me for not trying it sooner :)

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Black Radiance Sheer Finish Blush and Mineral Shimmers Shadow & Liner

For years I've heard that Black Radiance Sheer Finish Blush in Ruby Treasure is a great dupe for NARS Exhibit A blush. I have to admit, the first time I ever saw a pure red (I'm talking fire engine red) blush was many years ago at my local NARS counter, and I've been intrigued (and a little scared) ever since.

For those not familiar, Black Radiance is an extremely affordable cosmetic line made for African-American women by Markwins (makers of Wet n Wild and Tropez). While the range of foundations and powders offer selections for darker skintones, women of lighter skintones can definitely enjoy Black Radiance's blushes, eyeshadows, mascaras, highlighters, lipsticks, glosses, liners and nail polishes as well. These products come in jewel-toned colors that are simply stunning and, from my experience, have excellent pigmentation.

So after reading about Black Radiance's blushes for so long, I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago and purchased Black Radiance Sheer Blush in Sheer Honey ($4.99), which isn't really a honey color but more of an orangey-terracotta shade. Yes, I wimped out and didn't buy Ruby Treasure, but that's only because I'm currently on a peach and orange kick (but I will definitely pick up Ruby Treasure in the future and review it here at a later date). Of course while I was standing at the Black Radiance display the new Mineral Shimmers caught my eye, so I picked up one of those as well ($4.99).

Let me say first that I love the quilted pattern of Black Radiance blushes! Sheer Honey is gorgeous for summertime and can definitely be used as a bronzer as well as a blush. When I used it as a blush, the first thing I noted was that you definitely have to use a light hand during application. The pigmentation is insane and only a teeny tiny bit of product is needed (which also means that this blush will last me forever! Bonus!). On my skin, this is a gorgeous orangey-peachish-terracotta shade that looks wonderful when I'm wearing earthtones on my eyes and lips. I am so excited about how this will look with my bronze eyeshadows. Also, the staying powder of this blush is INCREDIBLE. It lasted all day over Revlon ColorStay foundation and powder, and the color stayed true and never turned.

The Mineral Shimmers Shadow & Liners are new (not yet on the website) and come in an assortment of jewel-toned shades including brown, silver, green and blue. The packaging (loose shimmer in a jar with a hard sponge applicator tip) is similar if not identical to other products by different companies, but it's been my experience that this type of product typically doesn't have great staying power or pigmentation, so I definitely wanted to give Black Radiance's version a try based on my positive experience with their other products.

I picked up "Shimmering Taupe" which looked to be a warm taupe in the packaging, but that turned out to be deceptive because it's actually more of a warm dark tan shimmer on my skin. No biggie though, because I can never get enough brown eye shadows. What I like about this product and what sets it apart from similar products is that it blends very easily and it STAYS. Seriously, this color didn't budge all day and I used it without an eyeshadow base.

Final analysis: If you're looking for drugstore products with deep pigmentation and excellent staying power, look no further than Black Radiance. The color payoff of these blushes is worth four times their price. But just remember to use a light hand if you have fair skin.

Quick post today...

Hi everyone! I hope you're enjoying the long weekend (I know I am!) and before I head off to lunch, I wanted to post a little rant about sunscreen for babies.

I took my toddler niece to the park yesterday with my brother and, before we let her out of the car to spaz out on on the jungle gym (and I say spaz out in the best way possible), my brother did the responsible, parental thing and loaded her up with sunscreen. The first thing I noticed was that this stuff is thick and GREASY. Since I don't have kiddies of my own, I'm wondering: Are all baby sunscreens this greasy? My bro uses Hawaiian Tropics (in the pink tube) and eesh, I know there must be a better sunscreen for babies out there. I'm looking for one that's made for babies (SPF 50 or higher) and doesn't turn them into an oil slick. Is that too much to ask?

Any ideas?

Thanks so much and I'll be back tomorrow with lots of new posts!

ATTN: NYX, Coastal Scents, LA Colors and EcoTools fans! MUST READ!

PLEASE READ EVERYTHING IN THIS POST BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO MISS OUT ON FREE GOODIES AND FREE SHIPPING!

Now through Monday, 5/25, 11:59PM CST everything at Makeup Masala is 15% off (no code needed, discounts are shown on item page). Things are selling out quickly so if you want something, order it now!

Now this may not seem like a big deal, but have you been to Makeup Masala? They have INCREDIBLE DEALS such as:

LA Colors 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow Palettes for $1.70 (regular price $2)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils for $2.13 (regular price $2.50)
Coastal Scents Gel Liners for $5.91 (regular price $6.95)
EcoTools 6-piece mini bamboo brush sets for $3.39 (regular price $3.99)

Now if this isn't enough, here's some more info:

Makeup Masala ships internationally, and all orders over $20 to US and Canada ship for free.

All orders over $20 get a free NYX lipgloss

If your order is $15 or more, enter code GIO at checkout and receive a free Makeup Masala Mineral Eyeshadow (NOTE: Put the SHADE you want in the comment section at checkout)

Oh and did I mention they take Pay Pal?

OK, that's it--I have to go now because I'm plotting an order before everything sells out!

Happy shopping!!

Free shipping on any order at Beauty.com

More Memorial Day sale info coming through!

Free shipping on any purchase (no minimum order) at Beauty.com. Not sure when this expires (website just says "for a limited time") but I suspect it's through Monday, 5/25.

Don't forget: Today is $1 flip flop day at Old Navy!

TODAY ONLY (May 23), all flip flops at Old Navy are $1.

Limit of 5 per person and this applies to solid color flip flips only.

I've got to admit that the solid flip flops hold up pretty well...I think I've had some for a few years now and they've yet to blow out (did I really just make a Jimmy Buffet reference?).

Bath & Body Works Memorial Day Sale

I'm not terribly impressed with what BBW has on sale for the 3-day weekend, however I did want to share it with you in case you had an itch for some BBW stuff in the next three days:

Signature Collection Body Care: Buy 3, get 3 free
Anti-Bac Collection: $3 each
Select Wallflowers and Scentport Starters & Refills: $6

Obviously they're holding out on us because we know the Semi-Annual Sale is right around the corner.

By the way, the more I use BBW White Citrus foaming hand soap, the more I fall in love with this scent. So crisp at first but the drydown is a very clean, soft citrus that's different than other BBW citrus scents. This might be my favorite BBW Citrus scent of all time. Do any of you own the body mist? I think I need it, but of course I'll wait for a really good sale.

Super cool things to read this weekend (holiday edition)

In honor of Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S., I'm bringing you a super-sized weekly round-up of my favorite posts of the past week from my lovely fellow beauty bloggers.

And a note to my new readers: I hand-pick these posts myself based on their information about drugstore and bargain beauty products, but I will occasionally slip in a post about a more expensive product if I think it's something you should know about :) Enjoy!

Anthony over at The Art & Science of [beauty] took some pictures of his hair product stash and is asking his readers what they'd like for him to review. He's got tons of product knowledge about popular drugstore brands, so if you want him to review anything in particular, just leave him a comment and he'll be happy to oblige (in fact, he reviewed something specifically for me and it was super helpful).

Are LA Colors Mineral eyeshadows worth their $1 price tag? Leigh at The Cheapest Girl Around once again keeps it real and gives us the lowdown here.

Want to get all bronzed up for summer? JennBee at Bare Budget Beauty gives us a first look at the new L'Oreal Bronze Gone Brazen Collection and boy is it pretty.

Are you sad that you missed the free e.l.f. palette deal a while back? Well you might not be after reading Happy Face, Happy Wallet's honest (and extremely entertaining) review. PS: Love that fruit analogy, T.!

Did you know that Chapstick has a new balm with shimmer? Yeah, I didn't either! If you'd like a chance to win one of these babies, just click on over to The Makeup Divas and enter the giveaway.

Tanya over at Pink Train Case never fails to give me new things to obsess over and this post about the new and repackaged Sonia Kashuk products definitely didn't disappoint.

Josi over at the The Daily Beauty Break gives us her Top 5 Drugstore Beauty Products of the Week, including self-tanner that actually makes me reconsider using one again (after so many botched attempts I've lost count).

Looking for ways to put two different color palettes together to make a gorgeous eye? Check out Beda's Beauty Blog to see a dark silver and brown eyeshadow look that has me totally mesmerized.

With the summer months rapidly approaching, do you find yourself thinking about hardcore concealers for covering up a tattoo or maybe some spider veins? You may need to pay a bit more for a heavy-duty cover-it-all product, so let Amber at Beauty Junkies Unite give you her expert opinion on some new options.

Want the scoop on what colors are on trend for nails this season? Look no further than Beauty junkie London's breakdown of what's hot in the UK and beyond.

Happy reading and have a wonderful 3-day holiday if you're in the U.S.!

Attention all Pink Sugar and Hard Candy fans!

I was at Marshalls today because I heard a rumor that they had Carol's Daughter stuff there for about 70% off the retail price. I am a longtime fan of Carol's Daughter Almond Cookie and Jamaican Punch body products but, of course, there were no Carol's Daughter products anywhere to be seen at my Marshalls.

So after looking through the bath and body stuff and not seeing anything of interest (and no Rachel Perry stuff either, darnit) I did see some things I wanted to tell you about.

First of all, when did Marshalls start carrying so many Yankee Candle jar candles? For a minute there I thought I was at a Yankee Candle store! There were too many scents to mention, and I think they were all $7.99. Good thing I'm a tart girl and not so much a candle girl anymore, or else I would have probably gone crazy.

Next, I went over to the fragrance section and didn't really see anything that caught my eye until I saw the adorably packaged Hard Candy eau de toilette. I remember reading somewhere that this was supposed to be a more sophisticated version of Aquolina Pink Sugar, so when I saw that it was only $9.99, I couldn't resist (the retail price for the 3.4 oz bottle is $65). Plus, I heard that this was recently discontinued, so in case I never see it again, I didn't want to regret not getting it here.

[NOTE: I went on the Hard Candy website and there is no trace of this fragrance on the site, which probably means it is discontinued. Also, EVERYTHING on the site is 50% off right now. If you're a fan of Hard Candy makeup, this may be a good time to stock up.]

The first thing I noticed about the packaging of this fragrance is how it is cute and sort of unconventional. Look at the tiny little birdie sticker on the front. Super adorable. And I love how the box unfolds like a present.

The packaging is so girly and it totally matches the scent. I will say that this definitely does remind me of Pink Sugar, but the thing that hits you the minute you spray this on your skin is the spicy pink peppercorn note. But when it's combined with the caramel and musk notes, it actually smells like black licorice or anise. At first whiff, you smell black licorice on a background of Pink Sugar (cotton candy and syrupy caramel). This is actually enjoyable because you don't get that heavy, almost burnt note that a lot of people dislike in Pink Sugar.

But wait 20 minutes and WOWEEE! The dry-down is aaaaamazing. To my nose, it smells just like a big bowl of fresh whipped cream combined with a soft musk. It's light, sweet, creamy and airy. I love! And the staying power is excellent. It lasted a good 6 hours on my wrist.

Final analysis: If you are a fan of Pink Sugar, I am willing to bet that you will love Hard Candy. And even if you're not a fan of Pink Sugar but you're in the market for a fun, feminine and sweet scent that will definitely not break the bank, head on over to Marshalls and look for this. It's also available online at several different websites (but just not the Hard Candy website). One more thing: If you need to buy a present for a teenage/early twenties girl, I'm willing to bet that she will love this as well.

You'll never guess what I just found at Big Lots...

Unfreakingbelievable. I was at Big Lots today and what do I find in the makeup aisle? The very same Sally Hansen lip product I was raving about here (and paid $8 for) a few weeks ago! The Big Lots price? Two bucks.

They've got so many of these (basically every single color in the range) I'm convinced that good ol' Miz Hansen has decided to discontinue these. Sally, you didn't give even give these lippies a fighting chance. They were out for what, a month, before you unleashed 4 or 5 other lip products onto the market?

Anyway, if you're looking for a nice matte, subtle lip color (something in the nude, pinky-brown, mauve or coral family) that won't dry out your lips and is fun to play with, get on over to Big Lots ASAP.

I purchased "Shantung" today because I was looking for an orange-ish lippie to wear with all of my new peach blushes (my new obsession). This is a definitely an orange lippie, but it's not neon orange. It's got a subtle shimmer and it reminds me of a toned down version of the iconic 1990's lipstick, Revlon Moon Drops "Orange Flip". I don't know if this was popular in your city but in San Diego in the mid-to-late 1980s, about one in every three girls wore this shade.

Anyway, the color is perfect for my needs and I just can't believe that I only had to pay $2 for it. Definitely look for these if you're a matte lippie fan because they're one of the least drying matte lip colors out there. Like I mentioned in my previous review, "Linen" is a super pretty beige-nude and "Satine" is a lovely pinky-peach-nude.

Nail Polish Jewelry? Yes, it's true and it's AWESOME.

Have you ever been so in love with a particular shade of nail polish that you've found yourself saying, "Geeze, this color is so gorgeous I wish I could wear it as jewelry"? Well that's exactly what Tracey at GingerKittyDesigns thought too, but the only difference is that she actually had the drive and creativity to make it happen.

A few weeks ago I was introduced to Tracey and her amazing designs on Etsy.com. I knew we were kindred spirits when I took a look at her adorable MAC necklace pendants that are made from recycled MAC boxes, and then I saw the incredible work she's doing with nail polish.

Being a fellow nail polish junkie and member of many popular makeup boards, Tracey had amassed a rather impressive collection of popular and hard-to-find nail polishes (including the much-coveted OPI La Boheme). It occurred to her that she should combine her passion and talent as a jewelry maker with her passion for beauty (my kinda gal!).

One night she was painting her nails and started staring at the polish thinking, "I wish I had a necklace in this gorgeous color." That simple idea was the start of a long journey of trial and error which ultimately led to the GingerKittyDesigns Nail Polish Jewelry line. According to Tracey, this is the first jewelry line to ever be made with nail polish.

Tracey sent me two rings (very similar to the 2nd and 3rd pictures above) and I have to say that I'm having a hard time deciding which is my favorite. The magenta ring, made with one of my favorite Zoya Nail Polish colors, "Roxy", is simply stunning in the sunlight. Also, the blue ring or, as Tracey calls it, the "glitter fabulous" ring is so packed full of different colors and sparkles that it seems like you never see the same ring twice. Simply gorgeous. (I should add that these are very reasonably priced at $13 each for a handmade piece of jewelry.)

I absolutely love it when two worlds collide (in this case beauty and jewelry) because the results can be absolutely unique and mind-blowing, as is the case with GingerKittyDesigns.

So if you want to capture your favorite nail color and wear it as a piece of jewelry, take a look at Tracey's long and impressive list of nail colors here, and she'll be happy to work with you to create your own little masterpiece.

Up next: Tracey is currently working on a new collection of jewelry using MAC pigments. Whoo hoo! Can't wait to see that.

News about my Bargains of the Day & an update on my favorite Goody brush

First I'd like to say that I used to do a feature called "Bargain of the Day" on this blog. I haven't stopped this feature, but I also haven't been focused on bringing you a new bargain every single day and I'd like to tell you why.

While some other websites may bring you a "bargain" every single day, I strive to be as honest as possible in my reviews and it's been my experience that it's simply not realistic to give you a TRUE bargain every single day. If I wrote a "BOTD" post every day, I feel that it wouldn't be sincere. Can there really be a new and truly worthy beauty bargain every single day? It's true that I used to do this daily, but that was when I first started this blog. In that case, I really DID have enough bargains stored up in my beauty arsenal to provide you what I believe to be a true bargain, every day.

So that said, I am still posting about beauty bargains, and I still tag them with "Bargain of the Day" and "BOTD", but I may not do it every day. I will only call something a bargain if I believe it to be a TRUE bargain and I think you need to know about. So if you search by the tags "Bargain of the Day" or "BOTD", you will find what I believe to be real bargains. Simple!


Now let's get started on clarifying this Goody Brush issue. If you read this post a while back, I talked about my Holy Grail styling tool: The Goody Ouchless Quick Dry Vent Brush for Wet Hair. Now, I still LOVE this brush and I use it every day, but Goody seems to have changed their marketing strategy on these brushes and I think they've done away with the 3-step process for classifying their styling tools that I talked about it my earlier post.

Since I want you to be able to find these Ouchless Brushes with ease, I want to clarify exactly what type of brush this is:

As you can see from the picture above, the Ouchless brushes are special. They are designed with a hard shell and there are holes in the shell from which the bristles emerge. The magical part of this brush is inside the hard shell. There is a cushiony material inside the brush which is where the bristles are attached. If you press on the bristles, you can feel that they're cushioned and the cushion is fully encased within the hard shell. THIS is the technology that enables you to brush through wet hair with ease (I already confessed that sometimes I don't comb out my wet hair when I'm in a hurry and I brush right through it--the horror!). Your hair does not get caught up on the sponge because the sponge is hidden. Instead, your hair is rubbing against the smooth, flat surface of the hard shell. And because of this cushiony sponge core, the bristles have give, so there's no tugging, pulling or breakage.

This Ouchless brush is a miracle if you're like me. You no longer need to hold your hair at the root when you're working through a tangle. You can brush slowly from root to end and there is NO pain, even when you're brushing through a difficult tangle. I'm telling you, this brush is worth its weight in gold!

As you can see on their website, Goody now offers paddle brushes, vent brushes and round brushes with this new design. For the price (about $7 wherever Goody brushes are sold) I have yet to find a better brush for use on wet hair. This is a miracle product and I hope Goody never stops making these.

Maybelline Flash of Gold Nail Polish Collection!

[FOR MY IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF FLASH OF GOLD POLISH, CLICK HERE]
When did Maybelline come out with this collection? Is it old(er) and I totally missed it or is it brand spanking new? Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Maybelline has an Express Finish collection called "Flash of Gold" and the colors are *gorgeous*. I spotted the display at a foreign Rite-Aid (foreign as in, not my usual Rite-Aid) and you know I had to snap some pics for you.

You can't see it in the pictures but every color in the collection has a gold shimmer to it (I looooove gold shimmer in nail polish!). I swear this collection was made for me. Other than my Maybelline eyebrow pencil, the only product I truly love from Maybelline these days is their nail polish. For drugstore, this stuff has the staying power of OPI on my nails. And the price? At $3.29 a bottle, you just can't beat it for this level of quality.

If any of you have tried a color from this collection, please leave a comment here with your thoughts. I almost bought the second shade on the left (a beautiful peachy-melon) but when I unscrewed the cap, it looked super sheer. I don't think I'd want to wear these as sheers, and you KNOW I don't have the patience for 3 or (gasp) 4 coats to get these to look opaque.