Clarisonic Skin Care System

So a couple of months ago I purchased the Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System from QVC. It was about $240 (with tax & shipping), but it was offered on Easy-Pay! If you've never watched QVC, Easy-Pay is where they split the charge for a certain number of installments over several months. It's actually a life-saver and had it not been offered with Easy-Pay, I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have purchased it.

Aside from the obvious, I was curious to see what other benefits and improvements I would notice in my skin. Basically, the Clarisonic is to your face/skin, as the Sonicare Toothbrush is to teeth. Sonic technology boasts over 300 movements per second, now that's a-lotta shakin'! This helps to remove 6x more make-up and dirt, leaving skin practically brand new.

This particular Clarisonic has 3 speeds; low, normal, and high. In fact, it isn't just effective at cleansing your skin, the cleansing duration actually adjusts according to which brush head is attached to the unit. How cool is that? What I love about this cleansing system, is the fact that you can customize your cleansing time. If any of the facial brush heads are attached, it will run according to your customized setting, with audible beeps to let you know when to move the brush to the next area of your face (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, etc.) If you have the body brush attached, the Clarisonic will run for 3-minutes.

The system I purchased came with two full-sized products; a Refining Skin Polish and Gentle Hydro Cleanser. Both products are 6 oz. and retail for $25 each. It also came with a total of four brush heads, two normal brush heads, one for sensitive skin, and one body brush head.

The system also came with four additional travel/trial sized cleansers. A 2 oz. Refining Skin Polish, 1 oz. Gentle Hydro Cleanser, Refining Gel Cleanser, and Nourishing Care Cleanser. The charging cradle requires no actual plug-in from cradle to Clarisonic, simply place the Clarisonic into the cradle and it charges... like magic! ;)

Now I'm sure you're wanting to know how effective the system cleans, right?? Well, I've been using the system for about two-months now and I can honestly say that I LOVE the way my skin feels after using the Clarisonic Plus! In fact, about two days after using it, Rodney kissed my nose and rubbed my cheeks (as he normally does,) and commented that my skin felt really soft. My eyes lit up and I shrieked, "It works!!" He looked at me all weird and was like, "Huh?" I replied, "My new Clarisonic! It works! See, told you it was worth it!" LOL

Not only has it softened my skin, I've noticed significant improvement to texture. It has alleviated dry patches and the exfoliation has helped remove dead, flaky skin from the cold, dry Winter months. I can tell the difference in my skin if I skip cleansing with the Clarisonic the next morning when applying my foundation. When I skip a cleansing session, my foundation application is not as smooth, and dry skin/flaking is very obvious. Due to the exfoliation, it also helps your skin to absorb your skincare products better. As any "educated esty" will tell you, good make-up application starts with good skin-care!

Here is a photo from the Clarisonic website, which was also featured on the product box. It clearly shows how the Clarisonic system removes dirt and make-up. Still not convinced? Ok, how about this...

After washing my face, I used the Clarisonic on the left side of my face only. I then applied toner onto two cotton rounds and using one for each side, swept them across my face. The cotton round on the left shows minimal residue after cleansing with the Clarisonic. The (brown) cotton round on the right shows much more residual make-up and dirt, even AFTER washing my face with Cetaphil gentle cleanser.

Before the Clarisonic

After the Clarisonic

For as long as I can remember, I've always had these red bumps on the back of my arms. I have a condition called "Keratosis Pilaris". In lament terms, my skin produces too much protein or "Keratin", which accumulates in the hair follicles and leads to these tiny red bumps. I've been using a special alpha-hydroxy acid lotion called "Amlactin" which has helped. However, Here are some before and after photos of my arm. The first skin photo is the "before", and the second photo is after using the Clarisonic Plus in conjunction with Amlactin (these photos were taken of the same arm, in the same lighting, and have not been altered or adjusted in any way). I've noticed a definite improvement and reduced redness... Which is good stuff if you ask me! ;)

All-in-all, I'd say eventhough the Clarisonic Plus is a bit pricey, if you have skin conditions or could stand to see yourself in softer skin (who doesn't), the Clarisonic is worth a shot. Plus, if you purchase it from QVC, you can return it within 30-days if you're not satisfied for any reason. What's not to love when you've got nothing to lose... except maybe a few dry patches?

Best $1 Eyelash Curler Ever Sold!

Good lord it's been a month since I've updated my blog! Sorry glamouristas, the holidays had me booked!


About a month ago I was at Target and browsed their little holiday E.L.F. section and came across this $1 eyelash curler. I love a cheap lash curler! It's one of the simplest things you can do (or not do) that can make or break your "look".


Now, if you're subbed to me on YouTube, chances are you've probably heard me rant once or twice about the Mally Eyelash Curler that I purchased from QVC about 4 years ago. Ugh, worst purchase ever. Pulled out all my lashes! That P.O.S. was $25 or so, plus tax and shipping... consider yourself forewarned! People always love that video, "5 Products I Regret Purchasing", not sure why, but I've been told it's funny. I'm glad you all seem to find humor in my pain! ;) LOL


I've also puchased the $20 Shu Uemura curlers... eh. So NOT impressed. Trust me when I say they can't do anything that a $2 Wal-Mart lash curler can do just as good, if not better! So, back to my purchase... there was only one curler left, so I threw it in my cart and proceeded to check out. Afterall, what did I have to lose, other than a dollar?


Let me tell you girlies... this is by far one of the BEST eyelash curlers I've ever purchased! It's considered "mechanical" because it has a swirled metal spring that makes the handles bounce back (um, ok genius'. lol). It also comes equipped with a replacement pad, as all curlers do. The pad itself is soft and helps create the softest, natural curl. Out of the 5 eyelash curlers I have in my make-up room, I find myself reaching for this curler every morning. I foresee myself being completely devestated when I start cutting into that replacement pad! :(


Overall, this was a great purchase and if you're able to find this curler at your local Target or online, definitely throw it in your cart too (maybe 4 or 5 if you can!) You won't be disappointed... and if you are, heck, I'll buy them from you! ;)

Dollar Tree Haul

I really have to dedicate this Dollar Tree haul to Ale (QueenBMakeup)!! She is always hauling inexpensive products and making it look great. This weekend, while shopping for window treatments with my mother-in-law, I came across a Dollar Tree... I was compelled to try and find quality products in exchange for my good ole' George Washington's. I was quite surprised at what I was able to find. Typically I wouldn't even browse the cosmetic aisle of the dollar store, but I'm glad I did. Here's my buried treasures!

All of this for $9! I picked up three Maybelline glosses, one Maybelline Superstay Power Gems 12-hour lip color, one L.A. colors lip gloss, two Loreal Refreshing Eye Liners, and two Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadows.

Here are swatches of the lip glosses. The first three Maybelline glosses are somewhat light, not overly sticky, the consistency is just right (I can't stand very thick, sticky glosses. And no, jizz-lips are NOT cute. LOL) The shades are very sheer but are great for applying over lip liner or solo for a touch of shine.

I have to say that I was very impressed with the Powerstay 12-hour lip color. The shade itself reminded me very much of an old MAC Pro Longwear color that I used to have. I was never a fan of the Pro Longwear, only because it was horribly drying and would cause my lips to peel. However, the Maybelline 12-hour lip color was delightfully sheer and dried quickly and smoothly. Once it dried, I applied the shimmer gloss on top and was very happy with the way the color held up. The only con was that I found the shimmer gloss to be very thick and heavy feeling. In the end, the 12-hour lip color was an overall plus and I wouldn't be surprised to see a sticker of $8 for this product in drugstores. (I actually saw it at Target, the day after I began writing this blog, for $7.99... right on the money!)

The L.A. Colors gloss was labeled "pink" eventhough it appeared red in the tube. When applied, it was very sheer and did appear more of a glossy-pink than a red. I would consider this gloss more "glittery" than "shimmery". It is fruit scented and reminds me of something you would have picked up as a teenager. I feel this would be a perfect, fun gloss for layering over lipsticks for the holidays.

I also picked up these Loreal Colour Fesco liners... One is a light, shimmery white, the other a nice, brownish-toffee shade. The consistency was almost perfect, I would have prefered them to be a tad more on the creamy side, just for ease of application. However, the fact that they weren't very kohl-like was great in my opinion because that equals longer wear, but they weren't severely dry to the point that it would skip or tug on delicate eye areas.

My only gripe with this is that the brown shade was completely unattached from the wood casing. I'll try warming it up and seeing if it will "melt" into place... hopefully I don't ruin it altogether. If I do, well at least it was only a dollar! LOL

I decided to try two of the Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadows... one in "Pink Halo" and another in "Lilac Cloud". These were very light but extremely shimmery. Being that it was my very first time trying the mousse products, I wasn't sure what to expect. It in fact, as its name implies, has a very mousse-like consistency... very light, airy, reminds me of a fluffy meringue or key lime pie! (Mmmm, fexi! LOL)

"Pink Halo" on the left, "Lilac Cloud" on the right. The pink shade is much more shimmery than the lilac. I did use "Lilac Cloud" yesterday with a purple look that I wore. I applied it to the entire lid and it held up exceptionally well throughout the day- no noticable loss of color or sparkle, no running or creasing. Great find for only $1!

So there! I finally did it; a Dollar Tree haul, aren't you proud of me? LOL Heck, I know I am! Typically 9 products would run me close to or over the $200 mark, and well... with the holidays around the corner, I've got to learn to get my beauty fix on a budget!

Feel free to comment or ask questions... lata Glamouristas!

OOOOHHHHHHH!!!! and one more very awesome thing... please go check out my interview with Amanda11762!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well... it's Sunday and Thanksgiving weekend is officially coming to a close. I don't know about you, but I really don't get into all that "Black Friday" lunacy. Those who know me already know that long lines and I don't mix. I'm the one that will "come back later" if I can't get a good parking stall at Wal-Mart! I don't know... maybe it's just people in general that get on my nerves? LOL

Anyhow, hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. :) Thanksgiving was just Rod and I this year. I cooked for 5 hours (longest cook-time ever!) and our menu consisted of fried catfish, mac & cheese, collard greens, stuffing, candied yams, potato salad, cranberry sauce, biscuits... and of course, rice (for the Japanese in me!) We finished the night off with some bomb peach cobbler, thanks to a family recipe from Mama-Fexi herself (@ReeReeKins on Twitter), topped with vanilla bean ice cream! There was no turkey on the menu (because we don't eat meat), but I sure felt like a butterball after all that food.

I knew that once I began my cooking journey, I wouldn't feel like putting my face on after the food was done, so I opted to do my holiday make-up before breaking out the pots and pans. It was very simple and neutral, just added a little glam to it by laying down some glitter liner over my eyeliner and in the bottom inner-corners. If I had gone out, I would have just added some sexy red lips to finish the look... but since we stayed at home, I chose neutral lips.

Products Used

Face:
Bare Minerals foundation (Golded Medium), w/ Mineral Veil.
Eyes:
HHC Shadow Base, HHC "Tabby Cat" Menage-a-5 Palette (lighter shades for highlight and base color, browns for shading and depth, green shade on lower lashline), MAC "Her Glitz" glitter liner, HHC "Black Out" Pick-Up Lines Gel Liner.
Brows:
HHC "Brunette" Brow Quad.
Lashes:
Maybelline Colossal Waterproof "Classic Black", Red Cherry #1
Cheeks:
MAC "Other Worldly" blush, "Harmony" (contour)
Lips:
MAC "Stripdown" liner, HHC "Strip Search" lip slick, dab of MAC "Peroxide" lipglass.

Monday-Monday!

Monday was a very busy day for me... I had a meeting with the ladies of the Rio Spa & Salon at noon for instruction and demonstrations. Well, being that I have the luck of the non-Irish, I woke up that morning and went to put my kit in the car, only to discover a nail in my tire!! Grrr! (This stuff must only happen to me! LOL) I have a feeling it's because we recently moved into our new home and there's still construction going on, thus explaining nails on the road and in my tire. I go to a tire shop and wouldn't you know... they don't have my tire in stock, it had to be ordered. *sigh*
So I get to the Rio (about 15 minutes late) and begin the demos... this was the highlight of my day. The ladies were so much fun. They sat with their notepads, asked questions and were very interactive, I love groups like that! :) We played with the Harajuku Hunnies products (HHC), swatched colors, did make-up application- it was great.

HHC is now available for purchase at the Rio Hotel & Casino's Spa & Salon in Las Vegas!!! I'm so excited about that... plus, they've told me that the products are doing really well and they are looking forward to using HHC for the upcoming holidays, specifically New Year's make-up. If you're in Las Vegas or will be visiting soon, please go check them out and let them know that you support HHC! :)


The bright teal shade on my lid is from the "Lolita" 3-Way Palette. Here's my make-up for the day...

Products used:
Face:
MUFE HD foundation (123), MUFE HD microfine finishing powder.
Eyes:
HHC "Lolita" 3-Way Palette (teal shade), MAC "vanilla" es, MAC "nylon" es, MAC "print" es, MAC "blue brown" pigment, no-name olive/brown shimmer. HHC "black out" pick-up lines gel liner.
Brows:
HHC "brunette" brow quad.
Lashes:
Maybelline Colossal "classic black", MAC #7.
Cheeks:
MAC "harmony" (contour), MAC Mineralized "warmed".
Lips:
HHC "spice" lipliner, MAC "c-thru" lipglass.

Interested in Sponsorship/Reviews??

So... you've been hearing about being sponsored or possibly doing a review for HHC, huh? Good! Keep reading!

In the past I received a lot of emails from blog sites asking for products so they could review them, yada, yada, yada, you know the rest. I really haven't been able to extend that opportunity to many people until now, and I have to tell you, I'm soooo excited! :) I've already had several very active and talented ladies inquire about doing reviews within the last day. As much as I wish I could take everyone on, there's just no possible way for me to do that, so I have hand-picked just a few for now. But don't worry... I'm positive that there will be more opportunities to come, just be patient with me (please?)!! LOL

Through the emails and messages on Twitter, I did notice that I was being asked quite a few of the same questions. Therefore, I thought I would share just a few of these questions/answers as they pertain to sponsorship and reviews.

Q: Do I have to have a YouTube channel?
A: That would be great, as it would increase views and exposure, but it's not necessary. This used to be a requirement for me, but it's no longer applicable. Personally, if you've followed my YouTube channel, you'll notice that I hardly make many videos myself these days, so I completely understand. You must however, either have a YouTube channel or a blog, some way of "spreading the word".

Q: If I'm sponsored by Harajuku Hunnies Cosmetics, does that mean I can't be sponsored with any other company?
A: Heck no! Ok, let's be real for a minute... I'm not Cover Girl and you're probably not a Ford model, and there's definitely NOT a million dollar check exchanging hands here. Therefore there's no contract and I don't own exclusive rights to YOUR face. I personally find it pretty absurd for small companies, such as myself, to restrict YOUR right to who and what you want to represent. You're a big girl, I'm sure you can make informed decisions on whose company and what philosophy you approve your face and name to be associated with.

Q: Is there a time limit on when the review or look has to be completed?
A: No. BUT (you knew that was coming, didn't you? LOL) let's make sure we're all on the same page here; if I send you free products for a look or review, you understand that this is in exchange for service/time. This is not a prize (see the difference?) No, I'm not a b*tch, nor do I care to be, so please don't take me there. However, if you get to know me, you will know that I'm very easy-going and I really don't let little things bother me. If you're busy, fine, I understand, just try not to blow me off for a month. There are nights in which I barely find time to sleep, so I know "busy"... But the reason I'm "busy" is because I'm handling business, therefore I expect those that I associate with to have somewhat similar values and work ethic. At the same time, I'm not one of those over-bearing cosmetic gurus who feel entitled to your every waking moment... If it's one thing I know, it's that the more you hold onto something, the harder it will fight to get away. ;) Are you feeling me yet? Do I need to keep going?

Q: I have severe allergies and am extremely sensitive to pets, smoke, etc... since you're a home-based business, I need to know if any of these apply to you.
A: I'm glad you asked! Aside from being asthmatic myself, Rod, Coco, and I are very sensitive to things like smoke, dust, and pets. You'll be happy to know that neither of us smoke, nor do we allow smoking in our home. Given our allergies, though we love pets, we simply can't own them... therefore you will never have to worry about your make-up being subjected to any of the above. When I create shadows, I am also masked and gloved for your protection and mine... so relax, hunny! ;)

Like I said, I'm pretty laid back. With that being said, I pride myself on excellent customer service and the highest level of professionalism. I refuse to get sucked into any drama involving other businesses. Some of what I have witnessed has been absolutely ridiculous and I have no desire to be associated with companies with low values, both personally and professionally. I am a firm believer that your company, and what it stands for, is a reflection of you. You will never find me bad-mouthing my customers on any site, all the while claiming to "love" them. I don't grumble and gripe about the valid concerns of my customers. Sadly, this is something that I've seen from other business owners and I find that to be a major turn-off, especially when I am a cutomer of theirs myself. I promise to always value the opinions and concerns of those who make what I do possible!

So... now that you've read it all, let me hear your thoughts. Do you uphold high standards for yourself? Are you a cut above the rest? From what you've read, is Harajuku Hunnies an extension of you? If so, let's talk! :)

New Quickie Shadows on HHC!

Hey Glamouristas! So although I've had a lot going on these past few weeks and have been more than my fair share of "busy", I decided I needed to devote some time to developing some new colors. (Now if I can just find the time to master this blog thing! lol) Here is a preview of the new Quickies Shadows available on HarajukuHunnies.com!

"Get Lucky"

"Mean Green"

"Bright Eyes, Bushy Tail"

"Oral Addiction"

"Lyric"

"Too Deep"

"Schoolgirl"

"Here, Kitty Kitty!"

"Mauve-ahlous"

"Purple Majesty"

OHHHH!!! BTW, I'm looking for a few new faces to rep HHC! :) If you like what you see and do regular blogs, reviews, etc. with cosmetics, send me your link (with photos) and let's chop it up! Email me!! -->[harajukuhunnies@gmail.com] If you've got what we're looking for, you may get some free products in exchange for your time... and hello, like WHO doesn't like "free"? LOL