product test drive.....L'Oreal Feria Color Moisturizing Treatment

if you've ever box-colored your hair, you know the best part is the conditioner.

it's the icing on the cake. your hair becomes silky and soft. i always thought, why don't they bottle this and sell it? i had heard that people would contact the hair color manufacturers simply looking for tubes of the conditioner.

guess what? someone does sell it in big bottles!

at Sally Beauty, you can buy a tube of L'Oreal Feria Color Moisturizing Treatment. you can have that silky feeling every single time you condition, and not just after you color! it will make your hair super-touchable even if you don't color your hair...it's just so moisturizing! a co-worker of mine, who recently graduated from a Paul Mitchell Hair Academy, swears by this conditioner (don't tell Paul...he might get mad).

one downfall-it smells average. not unpleasant, but not yummy. still, it's entirely worth it for the after-effects. it feels like you are pampering yourself just by washing your hair, and you'll notice how different your hair feels as soon as you put it on.

as L'Oreal would tell us...you're worth it. and this conditioner is worth it!

product lust......Sephora Scent Samplers

Sephora's Scent Sampler Trendsetters for Her is a dream gift for me. you get a buffet of fragrances to try, and then you can choose which of those you would like a full bottle of.

the gift includes samples sizes of Burberry Brit Sheer, Dior Addict Shine, Emporio Armani Diamonds Intense, Ferragamo Incanto Heaven, Jean Paul Gaultier Ma Dame, Lolita Lempicka Fleur De Corail, Nina Ricci Nina, Prada Infusion D'Iris, and Pucci Vivara. i like 7 of the 9, and that's not a bad ratio!

they have other sampling gifts as well, like the Best Sellers and the New Classics, all coming with sample vials of fragrances so that you can choose a full bottle with the included certificate. Sephora knows a fragrance is a personal choice, so these gifts are perfect for the finicky glamouristas in your life!

they are $50-$70, and available at Sephora and Sephora.com.

product crush...smashbox high definition healthy fx foundation

lately, i've strayed a bit from my loose powder foundation.

it's been quite awhile since i've worn a liquid foundation. my skin slicks up pretty quickly, and powder foundation seems to sop up the shine very well. however, with the change of seasons from hot weather to cold, i can veer from my powdery beaten path.

enter Smashbox's High Definition Healthy FX Foundation. when applied with a foundation brush, it provides nice coverage that leaves my skin still looking like skin. nothing cakey, nothing mask-like. it lasts all day and with it's ingredients that promote healthy skin, it's nice to know that i'm actually doing something good for my face.

per the sephora.com website, this foundation "Creates flawless skin from within - now you can have flawless skin from the inside out. Smashbox introduces its revolutionary formula packed with ingredients that work overtime to provide cellular nutrition for the skin. UVA/UVB SPF 15 offers sun protection, vitamin C to fight free radicals, and new cell-energizing Ribose renews the appearance of skin. A unique, patented bio-delivery system gives you time-release moisturization and firming benefits that last all day. Skin is refreshed and revitalized for a flawless future".

even though it's not advertised as an illuminating foundation, i feel like i am lit from within when i where this. i struggle with the $38.00 price tag, but foundation is one of those things that you can justify investing in. what do you think?