Pretty In Bronze

History

My hair is naturally SUPER curly. Like full on doll ringlets curly. Most would think that it's super rough in texture, but they're soft ringlets (that used to be golden, but as I got older it turned brown.) I no longer have that hair since I get Japanese Permanent Straightening done every year (which will turn into twice a year once I graduate and pay off my student loans). That surprisingly doesn't absolutely destroy my hair, but last year I went blonde. I started out with highlights and the second time around I was 100% platinum because my hair apparently turns white when bleached. The bleach ruined my hair so even though I'm back to brunette, it's not going to be healthy again for a few years.

Because of the state of my hair I'm super picky when it comes to shampoo and conditioner. I haven't used drugstore shampoos or conditioners in years. I'd always go for salon brands as they're a lot safer. When Chorus sent me their press release I was (and still am) super impressed! Their products are super safe with no harmful chemicals. They were also awarded the  CertClean Safety Designation. Here's a chart that really shows how safe their products are


Impressive, right? Next up is my review. This was not love at first sight, but when I fell, I fell hard.

Review: Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner

The first time I used this I followed the direction on the back of both products. The morning before I wash my hair (usually in the afternoon) I load it up with coconut oil to help make it a bit healthier. I washed my hair once with the shampoo and followed the other directions on massaging the product in for a certain amount of time, and using the conditioner all over before rinsing. The back does say that you can repeat the shampoo, but I've never done this before so I just did my usual thing. This didn't work for me at all and I thought that it was just the product. My hair got greasy super quickly, but I know that sometimes it takes a little while for hair to get used to a new product.

The next week, since I wash my hair once a week, was a completely different experience! This time I washed my hair twice and applied the conditioner everywhere below ear level. This worked PERFECTLY for me! My hair did not get visibly oily until Friday, the day before I wash my hair (that's basically an entire week). The funny thing is that after straightening my hair it did feel oily, but that feeling was gone the next day and lasted until the Friday.

I dye my hair dark brown every month with box dye to keep it dark. With my last shampoo *cough Kevin Murphy cough* most of it would wash out by the third week. The Chorus Supernatural shampoo is super colour safe! My hair is still pretty dark and at this rate I feel like it'll last for at least two months. It's not as dark as when I dyed it, but that's because the first week after I dyed it I still hadn't received the Chorus shampoo and conditioner, so I was using my other shampoo.

Needless to say I'm really impressed with these! They are really gentle on your hair so it won't ruin it if you wash your hair several times a week (like most people do). My hair feels super soft and healthy (after straightening it) considering all of the damage that I've caused to it. If you have non-damaged hair this will make your hair extremely soft! I'm going to stick to washing once a week while I grow my hair out to reach mermaid status, but perhaps once I'm there I'll up it to twice a week.

Now for availability and prices.

The Chorus Supernatural "Gentle" Shampoo retails for $15.00 CAD. Much cheaper than my old shampoo and other high-end brands.


The Chorus Supernatural "Gentle" Conditioner retails for $19.90 CAD. Still much cheaper, and I run out of shampoo way quicker than conditioner. Weird, right? I probably use two shampoo bottles for every conditioner bottle, so when I run out I'll be buying it that way!


Overall I'm extremely impressed and will definitely be purchasing when I run out :) You can't beat that price, and in my experience with high end hair care, this is even better for what I'm looking for! Here's a picture of me from a few days ago. This was taken on Monday night, so a day and a half after washing my hair. I'm always on Snapchat and Instagram so you can see my hair there too. Snap is amysousa and Insta is beautybyamysousa (linked on the side--->) I'll also eventually (like several months from now) do a hair care routine so you'll see everything that I do to my hair from prep to styling to maintenance. But if you watch my videos in general you can see what my hair looks like there as well :) (Hint my next one was filmed with fourth day hair)


If you're interested in buying these products, check out Chorus' website down below! They are based out of British Columbia, but they do ship worldwide! They also sell their products in stores (in British Columbia) so you can check out their "store locater" page on their website. In general Chorus has been super friendly, which makes me love them even more! I'm a big fan of good customer support so this was a huge win for me! Here are the links to their website and social media profiles! And no, none of these links are affiliate links!

http://www.chorussupernatural.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/chorussupernatural/
https://twitter.com/ChorusNatural 
https://www.instagram.com/chorussupernatural/ 

Hello everyone!

This blog post is obviously extremely late considering how long ago I uploaded the video... but I'm still going to post it! This isn't the most exciting blog post, but I wanted to give reviews a mini break (because I have two more coming) and bring in a makeup post! As most of you probably already know, the Sephora VIB sale just happened. I'm a regular VIB (one day I'll probably hit VIB Rouge) and I always wait to buy the more expensive items during these sales. I bought a few very exciting things that I've been wanting for a VERY long time so I'm going to show you all of it!


I'm just going to start with the most exciting item in my personal opinion. I finally bought the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation! I've been looking at this one for years. I've been through countless samples because I never knew my correct shade. Turns out I don't have a shade that matches me in the winter. Ceylan is the closest match for when I'm at my most pale, but it's still too light. I already have my Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in a light enough colour, so I bought my perfect match for the summer and fall: Stromboli.

Here's a little story on my shade. I ALWAYS thought I was a lot lighter than I really am. I watch a ton of light skinned YouTubers that fake tan and always thought I was the same shade as them. Wrong. Not only am I super yellow toned (most of the ones I watch are neutral or pink), but my Brazilian blood hasn't failed me in the tanning department. I always bought foundations that are way too light and end up looking like a ghost. I always had to pile on the bronzer. This past summer I was watching a video by Teni Panosian and she used the NARS foundation in Stromboli. Steven thinks I look a bit like her and mentioned that we're the same colour. I was like: "You're crazy. She's SO much darker than me." Steven made me look in a mirror while in natural light and that's when it kicked in. I am the same colour. My neck just happens to not tan properly, but my entire body is pretty tanned.

So I finally bought a foundation that matches me for a majority of the year. There's no perfect shade for the awkward in-between periods, but I can always mix my MUFE foundation with the NARS for a perfect colour. That or I can look at colour adjusting drops since they seem to be on the rise.

Next up I have an Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade. I've already owned one before and it's currently pretty much all out. I had the blonde shade from last year when I was completely blonde (never again) and I've been using it since. It surprisingly worked pretty well because I used the right shade for a brow gel, but now that it's gone I've purchased my shade for my natural hair. On my birthday I went into a Sephora and swatched all of the brown shades and decided that I would order Medium Brown. I'll be using this in tutorials coming soon as well as several of the other products :)

I bought something that I've never swatched! I'm really impressed with myself for doing it, but I've heard such amazing reviews that I couldn't help it with the limited edition packaging (and lower price). I purchased the Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in White Russian. I've heard again and again that Buxom's lip creams are the best lip glosses on the market, but I've specifically heard that this shade is the best. When I saw that the pretty packaging was also cheaper (for the same amount of product) I couldn't help it and added it into my cart. Here's a look at the awesome packaging and product.

Last but not least, I made a last second decision to buy a little set from Kat Von D. I bought the Bow n Arrow set that comes with a deluxe mini liquid lipstick and a deluxe KVD tattoo liner (my fave). I've been wanting to purchase Bow n Arrow for a long time and having a backup of the liner is always a good idea. Especially when I can get it at a sale. I've already used the lipstick once and it's hands down my favourite KVD liquid lipstick so far. The formula is much nicer (not as drying) and the colour is to die for. Needless to say I'm very pleased with my decision.

I bought a Glam Glow mask for my friend Bianca since she wasn't a VIB member yet, which put me closer to becoming a VIB again (she paid me for it). I only need to spend $72 to be a VIB again next year, so we all know I'll be doing that after christmas (if I get gift cards). I already have a few ideas, but please let me know what would be worth getting for that price! Otherwise I might not be VIB in 2017 until later in the year.

I hope you enjoyed this haul! Let me know what type of posts you'd like to see. I'll be back sometime at the start of December (After all of my assignments are handed in) probably with a review. See you then <3

Amy