Archive | March, 2012

The Most $$$ I’ve Ever Spent On Hairspray…

18 Mar

Before you ask, no the girl in the photo is not me. That is very close to my actual hair color though, but my tresses stay neatly flowing along my shoulders. There are times, however, I want to give my hair a jazzy look (but not that jazzy). Hey, I’m a big hairspray metal girl at heart and nothing makes me feel more young and wild than the look you get with a half a can of Aqua Net sprayed while hanging your head upside down with the blow dryer on high. Spray… scrunch. Spray…. scrunch. Some of you are nodding, as you think back to your days of your favorite acid washed jeans. You younger kids are just shaking their head thinking, “Ummm….huh?” Ask your mom. She’ll tell you.

Anyhoo, the fact of the matter is, when I want to hold a style in my hair for the day, I want a good hairspray. If you go to your local CVS, you could leave with a panic attack after seeing the various types, brands, sizes, formulas out there to hold your hair. Not to mention, the prices vary like you wouldn’t believe! I’ve paid as little as $1.00 and as much as $10.00 on a can of holding spray over the years. And there are some that cost even more! But nothing has really made me stop in awe at the results that I had gotten from the various ones I’ve tried.

That is…. until now.

About a month ago, I had the opportunity to get a mini can of a hair spray by Samy Style Hair Products called “Fat Hair Amplifying Hair Spray“. I knew it wasn’t a cheap product because the trial size was three times more than I usually paid for my regular hair spray. But I’m a sucker for good packaging and a deal, so I picked it up. OMG, I fell in love immediately. This stuff holds…. I mean HOLDS! Windy day?… no problem. Damp and rainy outside?… it will hold. This little miracle can became my savior for all my styles. Regular day do’s and formal up styles that need to be locked in place without worry. I didn’t even wait for the trial can to run out. The minute I saw it on sale at a local drug store, I was there with cash in hand.

Now, the fact of the matter is… I won’t lie…. a large can of this miracle hair spray does cost $12.99 at my local CVS. That’s the most money I’ve ever spent on hairspray in my life. But it WORKS. It smells nice. It holds better than a mixture of concrete and crazy glue put together. And it doesn’t make my hair look crispy, crusty or fried. My only complaint is that you have to run the nozzle under hot water about once a week because it does clog a big. But I guess if it’s going to hold your hair good, it’s going to hold up the sprayer a bit too.

Today, I had to buy another can of Samy’s Fat Hair Amplifying Hair Spray since the can I bought three months ago is beginning to run out. I don’t use it every day, but I think… I THINK…. Mr.Sassy might be using it sometimes (shhhh, don’t tell). I had a coupon for $5 off a CVS purchase so I got it for about $7.99. Doesn’t matter. It works, I love it, my hair loves it, that’s all that counts. I’ve already found a few other Samy product I like as well. (Their Icing Instant Re-styler is AWESOME!!) If I found something that worked as good as the Samy products did for less money?… I’d be willing to give them a try. But right now, this sassy redhead is a Samy Styling girl at heart!!

Samy Styling Product's "Fat Hair". Available at most drugstores and retail outlets for approx. $12.99

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A Funny Thing Happened On My Way To The Email Box….

17 Mar


First, let me start off by saying Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of my readers and followers, near and far. I hope your day was filled with tasty meals of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, Irish soda bread, shots of Irish whiskey and more Guinness than you can imagine. Okay, well I don’t wish EVERYONE that, but if it’s your thing then more power to you. If it’s not, like the French Sassy Auburn girl, then just put on a nice green shirt like I did and call it a day. Erin Go Bra-less…. or something like that.

Second…. WTF? Okay, here’s my deal when it comes to my blog. I review things, and I admit I tend to review the things I really like more than things that I don’t. Just because something doesn’t jazz me 100% doesn’t mean someone else isn’t going to like it. But if someone comes right out and ASKS ME what I thought about a product? Oh I’m gonna tell them. You are going to get the redhead, sassy review–and probably not in 100 words or less either. You get my drift.

So yesterday, a company that I had recently purchased some makeup products from (and have many times in the past) sent me an email because of my blogging reputation and purchasing frequency with them. They wanted me to review the latest products I had gotten from them for their website. Okay, cool. I think customer reviews are a fabulous thing. Not everyone knows they can come to a website like mine or other bloggers to get information on what is good, what is better, what is great… and what is not! Sometimes you have to take the reviews that are on the company’s website with a grain of salt because they can be slightly tainted. I mean, if you are there making a purchase, there is a good chance you already like the item and aren’t going to dish any dirt on it. Sites such as totalbeauty.com and makeuptalk.com are good to get true, honest opinions on just about anything. I respect them for that.

This company asked for my opinion on six products: a new necklace, a new lipstick formula they recently released, a bath product, a perfume, a sensitive skin face wash, and a anti-aging facial moisturizer. Sounds easy enough, right? I wrote a “blurb” saying I loved the necklace (so gorgeous and versatile); the lipstick which is excellent for moisture, gloss and a hint of color; the bath product which smells like yummy fresh baked goods; the perfume which was just meh–kinda so-so as it was really strong and just not my style; the face wash was hellacious as it burned my face and eyes terrible and honestly could NOT believe it could be for sensitive skin with that much chemical fragrance in it; and the facial moisturizer that made my face itch, burn and actually caused it to break out and get flaming red. I handed out three 5-star ratings, one 3-star rating and two 1-star ratings. I submitted them to their online product review “committee” and went about my business.

Today, a funny thing happened on my way to the email box. As I checked the emails for Sassy, I saw six responses regarding the reviews I had done yesterday for those products. They were happy, thrilled, couldn’t be more excited with the reviews I gave 5-stars to. They were so happy to tell me they would be putting them up on their website immediately and were ecstatic to put my name and opinion with their product. Yeay Sassy! Love you Sassy! Then…. the 3-star product’s rating , however, was still being “reviewed” and they informed me they would get back to me with a decision as to when (and if) the review would be used. Hmmmm. Kind of made me scrunch up my face and tap my toe a little bit. Just a tad suspicious if you ask me.

Then, the corker. The shock of all shockers. The “You’ve got to be %#@&’ing kidding me!” of all “You’ve got to be…” You get my drift. This company–a company whom I have done business with on and off with over several years–sent me an email saying they would not be using my 1-star reviews on their product review site because they “didn’t meet their expectations.” EXCUSE ME? Didn’t meet your expectations? Oh, so let me get this straight: if I love your stuff, you’ll whistle Dixie, shower me with kindness, and praise the ground I walk on. But if I tell you how I REALLY feel which doesn’t float your boat, you’ll take my honest review and toss it out with yesterday’s bad lettuce. Keep what works for you, ditch what doesn’t. You know there, dillweed, if you didn’t want HONESTY about your products, why did you give me the option of either a 1-2-3-4-or 5 star rating? Hmmmmmmm?.

Yeah–well–that don’t fly with me. If THEY aren’t going to let the public know the facts, I will. So take notice people. Here’s a quicker than quick review about the latest items I just purchased from this company….. AVON:

SHINE ATTRACT LIPSTICK (in Nude Love and Passionate Red): Nice sheer colors, not bold, tons of shine, very moisturizing. Somewhat long lasting. Love ’em.

STYLISTA “Y” NECKLACE GIFT SET: Gorgeous “Y” styled necklace with black crystal gemstones. Comes with matching earrings. Looks great with everything–day and night!

BUBBLE DELIGHT BUBBLE BATH: I actually bought this to use in my hand soap dispenser in my bathroom and it works great. The Vanilla Cream scent smells just like a cupcake, lathers nice, and keeps hands soft!

FAR AWAY EAU de PARFUM PURSE SPRAY: The scent is “nice” but really isn’t my style. A little too heavy on the amber and musk for my liking. It does last and lightens up after wearing it for a while. All in all, not completely for me though.

 

mark CALMING EFFECT COMFORTING MILK CLEANSER: Holy smokes, this was a product from hell for me. It might be for sensitive skin but its scent and formula burned my eyes terrible, even when I didn’t get it NEAR my eyes. Very drying on my face, made my skin feel way too tight. Just not all it was cracked up to be. Won’t use it again, and won’t recommend it either.

 

mark FOR GOODNESS FACE ANTIOXIDANT SKIN MOISTURIZING LOTION SPF 30: All the hype behind the product sounded great–oil free, natural ingredients, high SPF. Good stuff, yes? NO! It burned my face, causing me to get red and break out! Way too irritating for my skin… and it didn’t smell all the great either. No way, no how. Buh-bye!


 

There ya go Fashionistas… you want REAL reviews? Ask me. I’ll give it to you straight up. And if a company only wants you to see the good stuff, I seriously suggest asking your friends, checking blogs like mine, and looking into those great makeup sites for reviews–both good and bad–before you decide on a product. You want REAL opinions from REAL people when looking for something, right? I mean….I would want my friends to tell me honestly if I looked like a ruffled banana in a tiered yellow tank top (yeah, been there–almost did that). Sorry…. that was kind of a random flashback.

So, I’m sorry to have to give you a little dig today Avon but it’s the consumer’s decision to choose to buy a product with ALL the facts… not just the ones you see fit. You don’t want that kind of rep, do you? Hopefully you’ll reconsider how you “choose” you reviews in the future. It might just be better for your business than you think.

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Ten Day “You” Challenge – Day 1 (Finally!!!)

16 Mar

I am done! What has it been… four months that I have been working on this ten item list? I can’t tell you how happy I am. Not that it is over. I mean, I really learned a lot about myself. But I honestly just want to get back to blogging about he things I love: makeup, fashion, glamour, jewelry, purses, shoes, hair, nails. Everything that makes Sassy who she is. Even recently, I have been seeing things I’ve wanted to take pictures of or write about and realized I couldn’t until this challenge was done.

Now, the day is here.

ONE PHOTO

    Some of the challenges say that the one photo has to be of me. I hate getting my picture taken. The more “posed” I am, the more self self-conscious I become and over think how I should look. (I watch too much “America’s Top Model” I think). Sometimes my semi-candid photos are the best. But to pick a photo to be my ONE PHOTO… well, I could only think of one. It was the happiest day of my life, with the people I love the most. Honestly, it was a no brainer:

    This is me, Sassy, on my wedding day, when I married my wonderful husband and soul mate, Mr. Sassy, and my two beautiful children who were the best flower girl and ring bearer ever–Kayla, then almost four and Jonathan, then almost six. It was a dream come true that day. Everything was perfect. And we had so much fun.

    Fourteen fabulous years later, things aren’t much different. We are still as happy as we were were on that day, if not more. The love continues to grow by the second–as well as the kids. Our daughter is preparing for her Senior Ball and will be graduating in June. Our son is attending college for math and computers and has become a man right before our eyes. I really am not sure when it all happened. One minute they were wearing ruffled socks and little tuxedos and now they are thinking about their future. Time moves too fast. It really does.

So there we have it people, my Ten Day “You” Challenge. Everything you wanted to know about me from which concerts I long to see to foods I absolutely love. Now it is time to move on to bigger and better things. A blog about everything fun, chic and girly. Sometimes we’ll have a “tea party” and dish on men a little bit or even gossip a tad. Other times you might just get a photo of something I’ve seen and LOVE or even new products that I’ve tried and loved–or hated. You get honesty here folks. I’m nor promoting anything (yet!)so you want the REAL scoop from a REAL person…. you’ll find it here.

Now, you have to help me: we want to get EVERYONE to subscribe to this blog, so you have to tell EVERYONE! Tell them about me on:
Pinterest (SassyAuburn)
 Twitter (@SassyAuburn)
or Google+(SassyAuburn)

Oh yeah, I’m everywhere!

Plus, don’t be surprised if you see me go bigger this year. I’m debating locking in my own domain name. Because really….. IS there another Sassy Auburn? (low English chuckle)…. Ha!, I think not.

So you ready everybody? Let’s get ready fashionistas! It’s game one!

Ten Day “You” Challenge – Day 2

7 Mar

Day two. Hip hip hooray! The end is near and the start of my 2012 blog writings about the things I find and discover on a daily basis that surround me in the world of fashion and glamour. Don’t get me wrong–I did enjoy doing the “thinking” involved in this process. But the fact is, my heart and soul is in writing about the things I love… in a way I love to do it. It will be joyous and a relief to get back on the track that I originally started on. Come to think of it, I ran track in high school. I don’t think that is relevant here, but I did just think of it. *Random* Ha ha.

Day Two: Two Songs. WOW! I am such a music lover. I can listen to anything from 70’s disco to today’s pop songs. I am an 80’s rock fanatic, even a follower of hairspray metal! My mom grew up in a country music household, and although it is in my roots, I’m not such a fan anymore. Because my favorite music styles are so varied, I think I’ll just share with you the songs that are my favorites today:

TWO SONGS

1. Reviewmirror by Pearl Jam– Oh, the greatest rock song about deep thinking then moving on. Sometimes you think things are just fine, then one day you realize…. “Ya know? They’e not. And I’m not going to take it anymore.” Usually people like this song because they have just said goodbye to a relationship with a significant someone that they couldn’t see was more toxic than it was. But when you think about it, it really doesn’t have to be a person. I can be a job, it can be school, it can be a relative, it can be anything. And once you’re free? YOU’RE FREE! Things are awake, alive, open, clear. Like Eddie Vedder sings:

     I gather speed from you %$@#ing with me
     Once and for all, I'm far away
     I hardly believe, finally the shades
     are raised... hey

2. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger by Kelly Clarkson – Kelly Clarkson’s newest album is totally pop and a little too “high school” for most, but I’m finding that I am listening to the songs on it more and more. This tune is pretty self explanatory, and although it is about a girl who just moves on and does just fine without her ex, I find the strength in Clarkson’s voice gives anyone who listens to it a feeling of “YES!” and “I can conquer the world!” right down into their soul. This is a great song to exercise to (if that’s your thing) as well as any type of self-expression or self-improvement. It really hits home when you hear:

     Thanks to you I got a new thing started
     Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
     Thanks to you I'm finally thinking 'bout me
     You know in the end
     The day you left was just my beginning, in the end.

I’d say check back tomorrow because I’ll probably have two new songs I’m loving, but with any hope and luck at all, I’ll be down to #1 on my Ten Day “You” Challenge and I’ll be moving on to bigger and better things. Who knows? Maybe when I start keeping up with my own blog I’ll have a Song of the Day section. Then you all can contribute as well. How about now? If YOU had to pick a song for today, which would you pick? Hmmmmm?

Ten Day “You” Challenge – Day 3

2 Mar

I am so glad I am nearing the end of this challenge and will be getting back to writing about clothes, makeup, nails, fashions, glamour, skin care and the rest of the stuff that I love. This little challenge has made me think a bit. I guess that’s a good thing. I’ve thought of the places I dream to go, realized I don’t read enough, and other things. I hope this has made you reflect on yourself a bit. Made YOU do some thinking about you. Because you don’t need to think about me. You can just think of me when looking at lip glosses. Ha ha.

So today is day three, which is three films. Oh wow. This will be hard. When I love a movie, I REALLY love a movie. Especially this week because as I type this, a marathon is on the channel AMC. And what is that marathon for? Well, we’ll make that movie #1…

Three Films

    1. The Godfather – This movie actually has a funny story for me. When I began dating my husband, Mr. Sassy, (who is VERY Italian!), he was shocked that I had never seen this movie. In fact, he was so shocked that he insisted that before we went out on any more dates, I had to see it. So that weekend, he came over to my apartment with a pizza, some soda, and two movies: The Godfather and Clerks. Although Clerks is epic and on a cult-admiring level, The Godfather is one of THE best movies ever made. I fell in love with it that evening and I turn it on whenever it is on TV. This week celebrates it’s 40th anniversary so it is non-stop Godfather epics all week long. I’m thrilled. And I’m watching every one of them.

    2. Big – Released in 1988 with a still young Tom Hanks as the lead character, this movie became a favorite of mine almost immediately. I think part of the reason why was because when I went to see it, I had NO IDEA what it was about. I had gone with friends to see another movie, but it was sold out. We didn’t want to go home, so we just took tickets to the next movie that was starting that still had seats available. It was Big. It’s a fabulous fantasy story that is realistic enough that you hang on every scene. It’s believable, it’s funny, and it’s a must see for anyone who thinks they want to grow up too fast!

    3. The Breakfast Club – This is THE movie of my generation. I think everyone has seen this movie, and if they haven’t, they really should come out from under their rock. It is a reflection of high school, not just in the 80’s when the movie was made but even now. There is a character in the movie that everyone knows or relates to and you find yourself sitting with the young, famous actors and actresses like you are a part of their world for those 2 hours. It is one of a kind, never needed a sequel and will always be a favorite of my generation.

That was actually easier than I thought it would be. If I had to get into a list of four, five or six, it might get a bit more challenging. I am a huge fan of comedies, so movies like Sixteen Candles, Old School and Animal House are always a turn to when my mood is low and a good laugh is needed to remedy the blues. But if someone left me on a dessert island with three movies (and electricity and a DVD player), I wouldn’t be upset to have just those three I picked. They’d keep me entertained for a long time!

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