Shampoo struggle

Ok, so I have a very special relationships with the shampoos - for some reason, it is extremely hard for me to find a suitable shampoo for my seemingly undemanding hair. I mean - it's straight, normal, I don't dye it, it's not too thick but there's quite enough of it - you might think that it could be happy with just anything. But no, it's not. When it's unhappy with the shampoo I'm treating it to, it gets fluffy - not in a good way, dull, although normally it's super-shiny :-), and my scalp gets itchy. Yuk.

The problem is that the result I get with this or that shampoo is highly unpredictable. It doesn't depend on price. I've had some VERY bad experience with VERY expensive shampoos.

Specifically, the japanese proffessional hair cair brand MoltoBene - well, I personally find $30+ very expensive for a shampoo. That was a total disaster, my hair looked really bad - unwashed and unwanted. I'm ashamed of it now, but I actually used up the whole big jar, because I was genuinely hoping that such a "high-end" shampoo can't but be doing me good. Even if you can't tell it by the way it looks. Not that I'm saying that this is a bad brand. I've read tons of the reviews (why do you thinj I bougth it?) of the happy and satisfied customers. Too bad I can't be one of them.

On the other hand I've had some really good experience with some mass-market shampoos (NOT ALL OF THEM) and even with some - very unknown globally - and very reasonably priced (to say the least) Russian and Belorussian shampoos.

At the moment I have the following shampoos in heavy rotation:
1. Gliss Kur













2. Elseve by L'Oreal













3. Butter milk shampoo by a Belorussian company Exclusive Cosmetic


It costs less than 2 dollars and claims to have multyvitamines and lactoserum extract. Well, I don't know how exactly they manage it but is is a great shampoo for its price. For any price actually - I mean, I have only good tings to say about it, although a friend of mine complained of getting dandruff after using it. Well, nothing of the kind happened to me. And it smells of vanilla :-D

4. Jacque Dessange











And that's it. I don't find it sufficient and would love to add something to this selection, but at this point I am too cautious with the shampoos.
Even though I do realise how individual the preferences in shampoos may be - and this post proves it only too well, I'm still open for any recommendations :-)

Oh, you might ask, what all this has to do with happiness :-)))))))) Well, when my hair is happy - I'm happy too. So we're happy together :-)))))

Choosing a face powder

I'm in the process of choosing a new face powder, and the choice seems a bit difficult.

I am basically choosing between 4 variants below. I've never used any of them, but I've made some research... and still I'm not sure which one is better...

Well, these are the powders that I'm choosing from:

1. Shiseido Luminizing Colour Powder

I guess I need this tone - L.2 Apricot - the most neutral. I have a rather pale skin close to olive, normal, as far as the skin condition is concerned. What I like about this variant is that it has three colors that you can blend or use separately - I'm kind of hoping to use the white segment as a highlighter. I also like that it comes in a nice-looking box with a brush and a mirror - I actually don't hava a powder that I could safely take out of my bag in a public place to, say, take something out of my own eye :-))) This seems like a safe option.

2. Givenchy Prisme Again! Compact Powder Quartet

I want it in 01 Beautiful Pastel. To me it seems less practical than Shiseido and more of an extravagance on my part. I just like the way it looks and it has a certain magic attraction for me. It also comes with a brush and promises some opportunities with different colors - but I'm not sure about the colors themselves. Can they actually be used as correctors for various purposes? May be I need an Elegant Beige instead, but I don't want it to be too dark... I've tested them both in the stores but still not quite sure. None af them actually made me look like a goddess... eh well... I'm afraid I'm just not...

3. Guerlaine Meteorites Powder

Again I'm inclined to the classic o1 Mythic tone. Meteorites is even less practical than Prisme - and no public places for it. However it's a cult product. And I'm kind of getting under its charm and start genuinely believeing that I need it. Besides, it is very decadent - which is a good thing. And if it did level the skin tone and gave it a healthy glow - it would have been really cool. The problem is, I've tested it too and I was unpleasantly surprised with actually seeing these particles that are supposed to give you the healthy glow. I was hoping that it would just look as if I am NATURALLY beautiful and all GLOWY :-))) Nevertheless I am considering it, I don't even know why... Because it's classic. Silly little thing, useless in a way, but nice. And in the bottom of my heart I'm still hoping that the impression I got after testing it in a store was wrong and it can make my complexion look naturally good :-)))

4. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish/Natural, Light Medium

"A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day" - that's what the site says. What attracts me - I've only tried MAC eyshadows, but this brand somehow makes me trust it. It does have the cultship around it, which - susceptible to such things as I am - I find hard to resist :-))) It is a proffessional make up - which I like. And their assistants are always ready to help to select the right tone. Abd they have many tones too. It is also cheaper than the other three. What makes me doubt: they actually only had one tone in the store when I came determined to buy this powder. (Too dark.) I never got to this level of determination ever since... Also - no mirror, no brush.

So I'm debating. No, I am not tempted to buy all of them - I need just one, really. I only need to know for sure - which one :-(

My LUSH Obsession

For a long time I did manage to stay away from these little black shops in the malls, and even occasionally looking into them I would just look around, check the prices and walk away with "thanks, but no, thanks"

That couldn't last forever though.

I don't even know how that happened, but I only see, that there's something worryingly close to an addiction going on - I seriously am addicted to LUSH products, to an extend that when I go to sleep I lull myself with thinking - what I am going to by next from LUSH. It is a bit of a deviation, I know. BUT actually - the LUSH products actually do make me HAPPIER. In a way. For some little time. But in the end of the day - that's what matters :-)))))

So I'm just going to keep enjoying my insanity - while I can :-)

Now I just thought I might describe some of the LUSH products that I already have. Which is not that much actually, but I'm pretty sure, that's not the end of it.

First come SOAPS - LUSH has a big range of colorful handmade soaps, and I still have a way to go to test all af them, but I already have tried some that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy again.

1. Sultana of Soap

This was actually the first soap that I bought from LUSH - and I totally fell in love with it. It smells like heaven - as far as I can gather. It's fruity and sweet, but not heavy, it's soft and creamy and it gives a lot of foam if used with a bath sponge - which is how I prefer it. Among its ingredients are Dried Apricots, Dried Currants, Dried Cranberries, Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil and some chemicals :-)))))))

2. Rock Star

Rock Star - is probably my favourite soap at the moment. It's pink - as you can see :-)))) and it's super-girly. It smells very pink if that makes any sense - like a dream of a bubble-gum. However - my friend, who is very macho-man and who was very much against the idea of paying around $6 for a bar of soap - fell under its charm too, it was actually the first LUSH soap that I noticed him using - while he ignored the more masculine ones that I bought, desperately trying to make him like what I like ( in that instance - Lush). Gosh, was I happy! And he even got me some LUSH soaps as a gift recently - Rock Star included :-)))))

3. Honey I Washed The Kids

I bought it after I found out that it smells exactly like the Soft Coer massage bar - which is probably my favoutite LUSH product of all. Well, it's definitely in top-3. Top-5 - for sure :-))) I'll make my Top-5 later, I guess. Well, HIWTK soap is divine. The official LUSH site says: "On paper it`s difficult to portray the full effect of this honeycomb toffee scented soap. Suffice to say that people who fully intended to walk past a Lush shop find themselves unable to resist its tempting, mouth-watering fragrance. They inhale and say `Mmmmmm` then they exhale and say `Ahhhhh` then they pick up a big chunk and join the queue for the till."

Well, sort of :-)))

4. Bohemian

I got it in that same wonderfull gift from my friend as the Rock Star. Honestly, I myself probably wouldn't buy it, knowing that it's a lemon soap, since lemon would seem rather a plain choice for me, too flat and too fresh, I'd probably look for something more interesting (ha-ha). But now that it's mine, I know I will want to buy it again. It does smell of lemon, no surprises here. And not much other than lemon. But - HOW! The smell is so strong and so fresh, so invigorating. It is - if nothing else - a very usefull soap to have. It would come handy if you, say, haven't slept last night (and feel like dying), and are expecting guests tonight(and should be entertaining and full of life) - which is exactly what happened to me yesterday, and yes, I was entertaining and full of life :-)))

5. Skinny Dip

Skinny Dip desreves a long story. Actually on lush.co.uk it goes under the lable "butter cream", but in fact it is a soap, just creamier than you regular soap would be. I bought it, because someone recommended it as a good soft facial cleanser for everyday use. Didn't work for me - that is, for my face. And at first I even hated the smell. Which oddly, according to various lush-forums and even the official site, is very often the case. After which - probably on the 3-rd use, I just realized that it's great, that it's so MY type of smell, that it's so perfect, that I just can't live without it. Which is, according to...see above...very often the case. I wonder why this happens. I didn't even know anything about this phenomenon, when I became part of it. Weird. Anyways, the list of ingredients is pretty impressive - now wonder it's a complex bouquet - Creamed Coconut Infusion, Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Clove Bud Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Vetivert Oil, Palmarosa Oil , and some chemicals. Probably it's them chemicals that make up for the resulting perfect smell - don't care :-)) Personally I don't feel coconuts in it, which is good, because am not a fan of that smell. I do feel clove, but not too much, and I might describe it as somewhat herby or spicey. All in all it's very feminine and seductive and fresh at the same time. It doesn't produce much foam - which is a huge minus for me, since I like to feel foam over my body when I wash myself - I feel more washed this way :-))) But I adore the smell so much, that I'm even prepared to ignore this factor.

Well, I guess that was my Top-5 of Lush Soaps, even though I didn't plan it that way first. So be it :-))) I'll continue later with my top-5 of Lush everything and other things that I have to say about my latest obsession :-)))

The most influential albums - according to The Times

The 20 bestselling albums

1 Michael Jackson, Thriller As thrilling today as it ever was.

2 Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV Still worth a listen? Ask the millions who fought for tickets last year.

3 Pink Floyd, The Wall The alienation of the modern world? Yup, still relevant.

4 AC/DC, Back in Black A great guitar riff never really goes out of fashion.

5 Shania Twain, Come on Over Er, actually, we’re kind of busy right now . . .

6 The Beatles, The Beatles (White Album) Its eclectic brilliance is still the target that ambitious bands aim for.

7 Fleetwood Mac, Rumours You can still feel the intra-band heartbreak behind the smooth pop songs.

8 Whitney Houston, Bodyguard OST You may think you’ve heard that song enough now.

9 Boston, Boston Has found its rightful home on classic rock stations.

10 Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill We thought it was going to be the beginning of a brilliant career. Oh, well.

11 Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti Many people’s favourite Zep album.

12 Eagles, Hotel California Overexposed, and soon to be over here again.

13 Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon The album that shot the Floyd into the super league.

14 Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA Far from his best work (try Nebraska), but still capable of setting off those “fist pumping in the air” reflexes.

15 Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever OST Silly hair, silly voices, yet somehow magnificent.

16 Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction It certainly sounds dated now; mind you, it sounded dated even then.

17 Santana, Supernatural A remarkable resurgence late in his career, but head instead for the early albums.

18 Meat Loaf, Bat out of Hell More is more.

19 Britney Spears, Baby One More Time Back when she was a singer, not an increasingly distressing news story.

20 Prince, Purple Rain Before the squiggles and record-company wrangles, he was capable of timeless genius.

The 20 most influential albums

1 The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico Hardly anybody bought it, as the saying goes, but everyone who did formed a band.

2 Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Created the idea of using the recording studio as an instrument.

3 David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars The arrival of postmodernism in rock’s most glamorous self-fulfilling prophecy.

4 Patti Smith, Horses Pioneered vast new territories for women in popular music.

5 Beach Boys, Pet Sounds The instrumentation, the harmonies, the arrangements, the sheer ambition.

6 Beatles, Revolver Goodbye “pop group”, hello “rock band”.

7 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? Shaped our sonic world – the template for guitar heroes everywhere.

8 Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited How does it feel? Like a whole new world just opened up.

9 Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Hip-hop comes of age.

10 Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks... Rendered the rock dinosaurs extinct (for a while).

11 Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express It sounded like the future then; eerily, it still does now.

12 Michael Jackson, Thriller The last quarter of a century of R&B starts here.

13 Nirvana, Nevermind Rendered the rock dinosaurs extinct (again).

14 NWA, Straight Outta Compton Created the template for gangsta rap.

15 Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You A soul masterpiece, and an album whose anthems radiated out into the wider culture.

16 Ramones, Ramones Rock’s ultimate palate-cleanser. Generations of punks started here.

17 Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On Motown finds its social conscience.

18 The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin It was largely ignored at the time, but where would alt-country be without it?

19 Bob Marley and the Wailers, Live! Reggae goes global.

20 Joni Mitchell, Blue Searching for sensitive singer-songwriters? Here’s the source.