Straight from Eden| Creme of Nature's new plant based product line

We have a lot to look forward to in the year ahead.  One of them is the release of the newest hair care line from Creme of Nature.  It's known as the Straight From Eden line featuring plant derived ingredients such as coconut, avocado and olive oils in their shampoos/conditioners and relaxing system.

The good folks at Creme of Nature were gracious enough to send me the collection so I can give you all a sneak peak of what's ahead.

{Conditioning Treatment} A rejuvanating & fortifying formula created to strengthen and protect the hair from damage and dehydration.  Doesn't contain mineral oil. A







 {Detangling Leave In} Improves manegeablilty of your hair using the goodness of nature's garden.  The leave-in is a protective formula created to condition, nourish and shield hair from damage.






{HYDRATING SHAMPOO}  Sulfate free hydrating formula created to replenish moisture.  Contains avocado, coconut and olive oils.  

{REPAIRING OIL} A powerful restorative formula create to reclaim strength and give a brilliant natural shine to all hair types.  This weightless nourishing natural fusion of oils uses coconut oil to add hydration and incredible softness while strengthening for beautifully healthy hair.







That's just the tip of the iceberg.  They also created a proprietary no lye relaxer formula that incorporates the power of coconut to restore strength and protect hair from damage, avocado to fortify hair and promote overall hair healthiness, and olive oil to lubricate the strands preserving moisture.

There are two relaxer formulas.  Hair Type A for fine, wavy or delicate hair and Hair Type B  for normal to thick hair.  According to the info sent to me, the natural oils added to the relaxer formula are "alive and present" at the point when one adds the activator to the relaxer.  They say that "this is the moment when the true benefits of the coconut, avocado & olive oils penetrate the cuticle of the hair shaft for maximum impact."

Sounds pretty exciting. These just came in so I haven't had a chance to test drive yet.  I did perform the costumary "remove the cap to see what it smells like" experiment. The scent seemed very familiar to me.  It reminded me somewhat of a milder version of coconut lime scented lotion.  Just so happens that I love coconut lime so I'm pretty excited.

To find out more about the product check out the Straight from Eden website.



*Edited to add: The new relaxer system does contain plant based ingredients for a healthier process but isn't chemical free. *

The one product everyone should have in their stash

I'm writing this post as public service announcement to everyone I know.  I don't want to be the cause of people going out and buying more product, but I still feel obligated to share this message, especially after an interesting Facebook exchange I had this week.

The product I'm talking about is It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In.  I've written about this product a couple of times before but I don't think I've truly expressed how import it is to me.  It all started when I saw a video of Tia Williams proclaiming her adoration for It's a 10 after it melted away her tangles.  So I went out and got it.  What I LOVE about this product is that it does it's job.  I bought it for one reason and one reason only, to deal with my tangles.  And that it does.

Whenever I have stubborn tangles, that once before would worry me, I simply walk over to my product stash and reach for my trusty friend.  A couple of days ago, I was contacted by a young lady who found herself in a dilemma when her hair matted up after removing her braids. My advice was to try using oil during the detangling process and, if she could, go out and by It's a 10 Leave In.  Turns out the young lady just happened to have a sample size of the product handy from her birch box kit. It was sitting there, unused, awaiting this special day.

I requested a follow up report after she used the product to let me know if it worked for her like it did for me and Tia.  The next day, I received an update.  She was able to rid herself of all the tangles using her sample sized savior.  What if fate hadn't intervened allowing her to have a bottle for  this very moment?  In her earlier message, she threatened to cut her hair if the issue hadn't been resolved.  Haven't we all been there? Suffering from tangles so severe that we figure cutting them is the only way out?  I dunno about you but I have. Now, when I get extreme tangling, I smile to myself knowing that in moments, the tangles will be a thing of the past (with very few casualties).

So that is why I'm recommending that everyone have this product on hand just in case.  I don't break out my bottle often, but when I do, I'm so glad I have it.  One thing I haven't done is actually use it as a leave-in which I will experiment with next wash day.  I'm not quite sure if I should test out their "lite version" of the leave-in for my roller set or stick with the original.  I'm also wondering about the rest of the product line since I already enjoy the original and the Keratin version..  After reading that Gabrielle Union swears by the It's a 10 conditioner, I'm contemplating  if I should try it for myself.

The best conditioner in the world for under $5.00! Trader Joe's Ultra Nourish Spa

I've been basking in the amazing glow of having found deep conditioners that satisfy my every need.  Kanechom is giving me everything I've ever asked for in a conditioner.  To be honest with you, I thought it would be a very long while before I was buying another brand of conditioner again.

But I had to make an exception because this latest purchase has been on my mind and in my heart for several years.  For years I've heard of the wonders of this conditioner but have not been able to try it.  You see, I live in a part of the country where Trader Joe's doesn't exist.  I'm familiar with the grocery chain from my visits to California.  On many occassions I've heard rave reviews of a humble little conditioner offered by the brand.  Never have I been able to get my hands on it until this week.

Luckily for me, a Trader Joe's opened a couple of hours away.  I happened to be in that neck of the woods over the weekend so I had to make a stop.  Immediately I swooped up a bottle of the Ultra Nourish Spa & Tea Tree Tingle conditioners.  Briefly, I took a moment to read the ingredient label and was blown away by what I saw.  Lots of all natural goodness like rosemary oil, sea kelp, lavender, lemon grass and more.  The best part of it all was the teenie, tiny price tag.  Not sure why, but I decided to pick up only one bottle. Little did I know that I would be making the biggest mistake I've made in a while.

Fast forward two days later and there I was ready to put this conditioner up to the ultimate test.  Just several days prior, I was stricken with a bout of laziness and decided to air dry my  freshly hair in a bun.  I know for a fact that air drying my hair in a bun is the perfect recipe for massive dread like tangles.  Somehow, I managed to convince myself that this time would be different.  Yep, sure enough, a couple of days pass and my husband literally asks me if I know that my hair is dreading up in the back.  It was that serious.

So here is this cheapie store brand conditioner being asked to do the nearly impossible....salvage my hair from the mess I created.  I got started by trying to break apart the clumps of hair that were fused together. Then I applied ample Ultra Nourish Spa to each section.  I didn't condition with heat, I didn't add protein, oil, or any other booster. I didn't even leave it in that long. I just used the conditioner in its raw form as a co-wash. Can I just tell you how blown away I was by the performance of this product.  Slip like nobody's business and with the ability to moisturize like the best of them.  I'm in love.  Today my hair's moisture levels have been restored and there is zero sign of the dry tangled mess that I've been sporting for the better part of a week. Words can't describe my current state of happiness.

Needless to say, that I'll be flooding my basket with these conditioners on my next trip to Trader Joe's (in Supermarket Sweep fashion).  It'll work perfectly for when I'm doing my strand ceremonies.  This conditioner needs to be in the homes of everyone who has hair. Everyone!  If you've never tried this conditioner, please take heed and follow my advice. You'll be so glad to you did.

Thank you, Marc Jacobs, for making the best eyeliner pencil ever!!!!

For the past week I've been on a manhunt for the perfect eyeliner to use in my every day look.  My objective was to find an intense long lasting product that would exceed all of my expectations.

What makes this mission difficult is the fact that I have a couple of issues working against me.  First and foremost, I have hooded lids which make it extremely difficult to create the same look as others even when I use the same technique.  Because my eyelid droops, the longevity of my liner is at stake as the skin constantly rubs against it. Plus the fact that my eyelids tend to get oily only makes my situation even more dire.

 If that weren't bad enough, I also have naturally dark lids which lessen the intensity of the color.  No matter how black the liner is, it still doesn't appear as bold on me as it would on others.  Determined that I would find my answer I sought out and purchased 3 products.  The first was from L'Oreal Paris (Lineur Intense).  It was good, but not good enough.  Then I visited my MAC store and pick up their liquid liner.  Again, I liked it but I had this nagging feeling, deep down, that something even better awaited me.

Finally, I walked into Sephora and asked some of the ladies for some help.  "I need high intensity and long lasting" I said, looking directly into the woman's eyes.  Immediately she nodded then quickly made her way through the shoppers as she went to fulfill my request.  Moments later, she returned with a small black/white box in hand.  "This is from the new Marc Jacobs collection" she stated. "It's the first ever gel pencil liner.  It's waterproof and the color payoff is insane!"

 She took out the pencil and drew a line on my hand.  I liked the creamy texture and the boldness of the black color. The best part came when I tried wipe it off with my finger.  It wouldn't budge.  As a matter of fact, the swatch stayed in place until I walked to the bathroom later and proceeded to scrub my hand using soap, water and elbow grease. After I got home, I drew three little black lines on my hand using each of the three liners and tried rubbing them off with my fingertips.  The L'Oreal Instense came off so easily, it wasn't even funny. The MAC liner stayed on but was smudged to the point where the line was distorted.  My beloved Marc Jacobs Highliner gel-pencil stood firm.

(after hours of wear, smudging the liner with my finger tip and washing a small load of dishes)

This gel-pencil twists to expose more product.  Unlike other pencils with the twisty motion, it goes both ways.  Meaning I can twist counter clockwise to retract the pencil tip if necessary. Plus it also comes with this nifty little sharpener I can use to create a sharper point.  If I had to give this gel-pencil a "con" it would have to do with the size of the tip.  I really wish I could get as fine as a point as I do with my liquid liners.  But honestly, I'm not trippin' because this liner is so good that I'm just grateful to have it.  I later found out that Marc does have a liquid version in Blaquer which I will be picking up on my next trip to Sephora.

The first day after my purchase I experimented with my winged liner look and was so pleased with the results.  I stopped by the post office to ask a question and my mail carrier was like, "wow, you look different, I like it!"  I told him that I was experimenting with my makeup and thanked him for the compliment.  I've been having lots of fun experimenting ever since.

This liner is a bit pricey but I fully align with the saying that you get what you pay for.  To me this liner is definitely worth it's weight in gold and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to step their game up.  It seems like I'm not the only one loving this gel-pencil. You can check out other reviews here.