REVIEW: As I Am Coconut Cleansing CoWash

As I Am Coconut Cleansing CoWash at As I Am Naturally

My hair tends to get very crispy at the ends, sadly.

I don't dye it or straighten anything other than my bangs, I use a cold-air blowdry setting/dry off with a fan, and maybe once a month (not in the last month though) I'll use a heat iron to "clamp" my curls and make them set - special occasion, twindrills-style.  

So it does confuse me about how dry and crispy it gets at the ends, and on some of the back layers.  Overall it's kind of rough, except for my bangs and the underlayer... (Maybe it's the hard water in SD?)

I got a haircut recently however, and I didn't want to waste my nice fresh new ends!

So I had asked friends for recommendations on moisturizing slightly curly, thin hair.

Among them were to not wash my hair as often, to wash only with water, wash with water and sun-dry, use hot coconut oil treatments, and to use "cowash".

Given that I've tried the water-only and every-other-day methods before, and I have heard about coconut oil making your hair fall out, I decided to test out cowash first.

(My scalp tends to get greasy and have that "hair" smell if I use water only, or if I wash every other day...which also gives me hairline zits.  Yikes.)

"CoWash" is a cleansing cream/conditioner, that's coconut based.

Often you can find this in an organic version - AsIAm is not, but there are options.

I picked this particular cowash because it was the best-smelling (AKA no oily sunscreen coconutty scent, which I don't like but which my mom and bf both actively hate).  AsIAm has a nice, rich, slightly tropical perfume-y smell, very exotic but clean.  It's also pretty thick and creamy-beige colored.
The instructions say to use conditioner after washing with the CoWash, but I find it's already really moisturizing - instead, I'll use it the same way I use shampoo.  I take a clump of it and massage my scalp & hair from top to ends, then I'll leave it in for about 5 minutes so it doubles as a conditioner.

REVIEW:

I've been using this for about 3 weeks, every day, coupled w/ my normal cold-blowdry and bangs straightening routine.

(+1)

It definitely does NOT make my hair greasy after washing (like it did when I tried using normal conditioner as a cowash).  I was pretty worried about this.  It's really crucial to rub it into your scalp like it was a normal shampoo, and comb through to the rest of your hair.

(+1)

It smells very pleasant but subtle after it's rinsed out.  The smell fades away completely after a few hours and leaves nothing but the scent of clean fresh hair!  I've not yet gotten a comment about a coconut-smell from anyone.  I don't mind fragrance that stays around for a while, but this is REALLY nice, especially recommending this for people w/ sensitive noses.  Very unisex as well, both the scent and the fact that it fades.

(+1)

The crown of my head & my bangs are lovely and glossy, and still maintain volume/fluffy factor!  There isn't a single bit of grease or residue up there, which I'm thankful for.  The clean feeling lasts through the day (and even after a workout!).

(-1)

However, I haven't noticed much of a change in the ends/back of my hair.  It might just need more time, or maybe is more damaged than I thought.  I haven't tried not blowdrying my hair, simply because I feel really uncomfy going out w/ wet or damp hair.... that may be the factor that helps the cowash succeed.

I did notice that the ends actually clump together more often than before, and if I don't braid my hair at bedtime I'll wake up with baby dreads at the tips.

(neutral 0)

I read a lot of reviews wishing this came in a pump, and I definitely agree.  It doesn't seem very sanitary to stick my damp hand into the tin every day, and leave traces of water in there...although I may use it up fast enough that it won't matter.  Anyway I don't think it's worth knocking off a point, I can just get a pump and put it in myself (I'm not THAT lazy).

____

After three weeks I definitely do see a change in  my hair!
It's not drastic but it's noticeable, it's much softer and I have less greasiness issues.
I can still usually go a day between washes, it's still a bit greasy but that's natural.
Ends have been well maintained since having my haircut (back in mid-September), it's
definitely a long cry from how choppy they were pre-cut.
(For reference my hair is darkbrown, but the ends had gone dirty/dark blonde from being dried.)

Note that this is a gentle cleanser - as in, a VERY gentle cleanser.
So if you use hairspray, gels, mousse, waxes etc....basically anything that likes to stick
around, it might be a good idea to shampoo before using CoWash.  Or you could
wash twice with CoWash which is usually what I do (I don't use sprays or gels as a rule, but
sometimes I have a little more buildup post-workout or after a couple warm days).
I also used shampoo & conditioner once a week (BODY SHOP's Banana shampoo and conditioner),
to clean out any buildup or grease when CoWash couldn't do it.

Cat Cafe San Diego in Downtown - opening soon! (Fall/October 2015!)

Cat Cafes are extremely popular overseas, particularly in Asia.

They originated in Taiwan and quickly spread, they're quite the popular trend in Japan right now!

Last time I was looking for one, the closest was up in San Francisco and LA (?).

But it looks like we're going to be getting one much closer to home pretty soon.

CAT CAFE SAN DIEGO

Cat Cafe SD homepage

(you can subscribe for email updates at the main site)

Cat Cafe SD Twitter (@CatCafeSanDiego) for updates!

(it also shows up on Wikipedia under "cat cafe")

Cat cafes are popular with folks who come to enjoy a cup of coffee, but mostly of course to enjoy the company of the cute cats that live there.  CatCafeSD has a great mission as well - it's aiming to promote its "cat employees" for adoption, and help them find loving homes!

It was slated to open on July 1 this year in time for Comic-Con season but the owner had to push back the date...  Now they have confirmed a space & the lease has been signed for the cafe, and the owner's currently working on getting the space ready for cats and people.

This article from August 21 says the cafe's soft opening is expected in late October 2014.

Here's a cat cafe that opened in Montreal just this month!

I'm looking forward to visiting CatCafeSD once it's open. c:  

I'll make a photo-post when it happens!

UPDATE:
As of NOVEMBER 6 the Cat Cafe didn't pass its occupancy permit, due to the building not passing certain codes... so unfortunately the cafe is still not open.  The owner plans to repair and meet the building codes etc. before the cafe is open to the public!  You can read more here.  

Hello again friends!

After a few months hiatus I've returned!

A lot of changes have happened - I was asked back to work at SeaWorld for a few months for their new summer season, and then I found a position w/ a company in Downtown SD.
So I've been working at my office for about 5 months (since May).

It's a small place but very relaxed, and the people I work with are mostly pretty interesting.

It's been really fun working here, I've gotten to go out and try LOTS of different food places in Downtown!
(My dept coworkers are big foodies.  The place across the street has really good chicken tortilla soup, which I'd never had before they introduced me to it. A little spicy but good!)

++++

My boyfriend has also graduated (congratulations love!) as of June, & currently he works Downtown as well.  It's been really nice getting to see each other every evening after work.  We've been playing new games, and recently we started a workout routine together since we both have desk jobs.
He gave me LoZ: A Link Between Worlds for my birthday and I've been playing it but getting horribly stuck....puzzle games are hard, and the wall aspect makes it harder, but FUN.
I'm looking forward to our 3rd anniversary this month!

+++

Recently I got a new laptop, the screen turns and becomes a drawing tablet.  It's been a big motivation to draw digitally.  It's quite nice to be able to draw on a tablet and not be struggling to coordinate my hand movements to what's on the monitor. 10/10 do recommend!  (I also gathered up a few traditional sketchbooks and art supplies a couple months back, so I could hopefully start using the fancy art markers and pens that Austin gave me last birthday.)

I'm thinking of whether to continue posting art on my art blogspot or just moving everything to one solid blog.

+++

I'll make a photo post of recent events soon.
I also have a small stack of new makeup, games, and other items to review.
It's been much too hot lately (peaking at 80-90 degrees midday, every day) so I haven't tried much new bath stuff.  Bubble baths just wouldn't feel that great, especially not my current favorite kind, hot pepper-germa baths.  Hopefully the cooler weather comes on so I can try some more relaxing baths.

REVIEW: Bandai Lum Urusei Yatsura Bath Powder - Hot Pepper & Germa Ver.

Happy late St. Patrick's day everyone!
I live a few minutes away from several Asian markets, and I'd

wanted to try some of their bath-powder packets for a while now!

As spring rolls in, it's slowly getting to be a bit warm

for baths, so I'm going to review as many of these as I can before
it gets too hot for soaking baths.

Today I'm reviewing BANDAI'S Lum Hot Pepper & Germa bath!

Featuring the alien princess Lum from the Urusei Yatsura manga.

(this is the cutest packaging I've ever seen, Lum is the best!)

List of ingredients.

This is a "Hot Pepper and Germa bath" - I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but

it's very strong smelling.  I could smell it through the package!

(I tried to look up GERMA, but it thought I meant "German"....)

I don't have allergies to any of the ingredients so I figured it was worth a try.

WARNING:  If you're allergic to SOY this contains SOYMILK FERMENT.

(I'm assuming this is a skin-softening component.)

The powder is bright light yellow, and turns the water a matching color!

Not gonna lie it was a little bit offputting to be bathing in yellow water... oh well.

There's a noticeable citrus/spicy smell almost like lemon soda (think Sprite or 7-UP).  It's

not offensively strong but definitely noticeable, I think it's actually the smell from the

pepper - but to me it smells like soda!  Very nice. -u-

I noticed my skin started tingling a bit after about 10 minutes in the fresh bath.

The pepper is supposed to increase circulation (not sure what the germa does, but

I figure it's along the same lines), and I definitely felt the heat of the water much more

than with other bath powders / bombs I've used.

I don't really feel like my skin got much softer from this, although it does contain collagen.

That plus the soymilk ferment (????) made it very lightly moisturizing, but nothing that stuck 

around after a good towel rubdown.

However after getting out, my skin felt VERY warm and tingly, not to mention I was

REALLY PINK.  My skin also seemed a lot smoother when applying lotion, which

I think is the result of getting heated up by the pepper and germa (?).

The tingly feeling made me a little bit nervous for a while, I thought it might be allergies.

But it seems to be normal for "heating" baths, so no worries here!

It does last for a while, my skin kept tingling for about 30 minutes after I'd gotten out

(even after rinsing with cool water).

I really liked how there was no residue in the tub afterwards, but the smell does stick around 

for quite a while.  Not a problem for me because I enjoyed it, but it might be

if you don't enjoy the spicy citrus scent.

OVERALL RATING:

4 1/2 stars!

I really enjoyed this bath!  As someone who has a low body temperature, 

I'm usually really cold as soon as I get out of a bath or shower.

I was ridiculously happy to feel warmed up and relaxed, and it lasted

for about a good hour AFTER I'd gotten out!

The only downside is availability - I tried to Google this and it's hard to get online.

Also I don't think this is a highly popular product, so like most low-popularity

products at my local Asian market it will probably not be restocked

once all the packets sell out.  (Probably because of me, heh.)

BANDAI makes several different hot pepper bath packets though, so if

they run out of the Lum version I'll probably try another kind.

I would absolutely recommend this, particularly as a winter/cold weather bath!

I popped a snuggly sweater and socks on afterwards, and it was heaven. 

O.P.I. Polish - Samoan Sand & The Thrill of Brazil

Today I'm reviewing two O.P.I nail polishes:

Samoan Sand and The Thrill of Brazil!

(I don't have swatches right now but I'll update asap - my nails are currently healing
because I was careless and left my polish on too long...)

Samoan Sand 

$$

This is a very nice soft, sandy-beige nude color, with a sweetly pinkish tone.

I feel like this would be both really pretty and really forgiving on any skintone!

It's a little streaky with too much pressure on the brush, so it takes a little

bit of practice to get the amount of polish and amount of pressure just right.

Painting just one layer has a sheer "foundation/concealer" effect, 

in that it enhances the natural appearance of your nails.  

(Streaking is more of a problem if you're going to go for just one layer, however.)

Multiple layers gives a nice, creamy, well-pigmented sandy beige - very 

refined, I can see this going nicely for either a casual or formal look.

I was able to get a decent solid color with just two layers, but I

definitely recommend three layers for maximum coverage.

Both ways of layering are quite pretty, and best enhanced by a clear

topcoat.  However, O.P.I. is pretty glossy on its own, so depending

on your preference a topcoat may not be needed! 

Personally I didn't use a topcoat, I found it to be plenty shiny.

The color's a GREAT base for a french manicure, or to prep the nails

for nail art (especially negative-space art, since it evens out the natural color of the nail).

I'm giving it 4 stars because it's a little bit difficult to work with, and

it's pricey (about $9.50 with tax at Walmart).  That being said, the quality

of the polish and its classic color + versatility is well worth the price, and I did 

save on having to get a topcoat.

The Thrill of Brazil 

$$

A very retro-looking and classic red, this is one of O.P.I.'s *many*

red shades.  As I don't really know much about blue/orange/etc tones in red

polish (unfortunately), I sort of just stared at the various red bottles trying to decide

which one would look best.  Kind of how I picked out my first red lipstick.

I've used red polishes before, not from O.P.I., but

they've always made my hands look really dark/reddened/made my skintone look

a bit strange.  So I tend to shy away from red polish.

However this color looks great on me, both tanned and untanned!

Sadly I didn't take a photo the first time I used it, while I had a desk job and 

thus was a lot lighter from being indoors basically all day & night.

(here I'm wearing TWO layers of Brazil, over one layer of Samoan)

This color produces a nice, solid, well pigmented layer with just ONE layer!

One layer produces a "brighter" shade of red, and 2+ deepens the color to match what's in the bottle

It's a beautifully creamy, rich red that intensifies with layers (but don't take my word

for it as the max I've put is 3 layers).

The color definitely reminds me of pinups and 1950's style.

This is a nice shade for a summer day at the beach, or for a swanky party.

I'm giving it 4 stars because it will stain to the EXTREME without a basecoat.

I also noticed this dried my nails out more than Samoan Sand.
Finally, the price (about $9.50 with tax).

I haven't tried O.P.I. polishes before these, but I figured that if I was going

to go all-out on them I may as well get classic wearable shades.

Which luckily they are!  I'll probably use these down to the last drop. 

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with them.  

Sidenote:

A nice thing I've noticed about O.P.I. polishes is that they don't dry to

become darker than what's in the bottle - very true to shade.  The ones from Essie I've tried

end up slightly darker, and Sally Hansen's have been noticeably darker.

So if that's a concern for you I'd recommend O.P.I. - I can't speak for other colors

in their lineup but based off of these two, I'd guess the rest are equally true to color.

PHOTOPOST: 9th Cherry Blossom Festival at Balboa Park

Here's the follow up to the previous UPCOMING EVENT post, about

the Cherry Blossom Festival at the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden!

I wore a cherry blossom yukata I got at the Marukai Living store (Kearny Mesa)
here in San Diego!  They have quite a few pretty ladies' sets for around $60,
which goes for a cotton yukata + a pre-tied obi.  Pre-tied obis on their own
usually go for about $20, and yukatas for $60+, so it's a really good deal!
My sister dressed me & did my hair, I have the barest idea of how to put it on properly
but she's done a lot of research herself.



What I brought in my little bag:
(I'm not holding it in the picture, sadly.)

tissues * keys * small notebook * camera * instax camera 

* small pouch for cash & IDs * lipbalm

I also had a folded fan tucked in my sleeve, something else that was useful in the heat!

I had to park a long way away from the garden (again), even though we got there around 11am.
There was a really long line just to get tickets to go in, but it moved fast anyway.

As soon as we got in we hunted for a decent picnic spot!  I didn't have time on the way so
we brought a sub sandwich and some Caprisun in, as well as a can of royal milk tea.
(There was so much nice space on the grass but I forgot to bring a picnic blanket.)

[A was looking for what that "asian canned coffee/tea" flavor came from.]

We finally found a spot at the bottom of the garden to sit down.
There's a really long winding path from the entrance to the bottom, where they had
a few vendor booths with souvenirs & crafts.

It was really pretty outside, sunny with a nice breeze.
Actually it was pretty hot - definitely happy I brought sunscreen after all!
I wore geta and I usually don't wear open-toe shoes, and I felt my feet getting toasted.
I also brought an umbrella just in case, so glad that I had that as well!
There were a couple other girls my age in yukata, and there were a few ladies (visitors and
staff) in really beautiful kimono.  Unfortunately I didn't think to take photos!
(Kind of ironic, I had a couple people ask to take my photo... they should've
seen the ladies in kimono!)

They had a performance stage with different acts - we stopped to watch the preschool chorus,
they sang "It's a Small World" in Japanese (so cute).

The garden has an exhibit room where they were holding tea ceremony demonstrations!

There was also a small booth where two ladies were painting bookmarks - one of them

was doing sumi-e painting and the other was writing out names.

A & I each got one.

I also pressed a blossom in the notebook I brought - I couldn't find any fresh non-crushed

ones on the ground, and I really didn't want to pick a bunch of flowers from the trees, so I 

just picked one.  (Cherry blossoms are edible by the way, when fresh!)

I looked around for a nice photo spot for a while, and there was a tree in a less-busy

area so I asked someone to take our picture with my instax.  It came out really nice,

I was a little worried about the light setting because of reviews I'd read before. 

(NOTE: I'll write a review of the Instax Mini 8 as well, I've been using it since January in

a bunch of different lighting settings and I think I've figured out a method.)

If you went to the festival, leave a comment!
There were staff walking around and taking photos of visitors, I believe
they'll probably post those on the Japanese Friendship Garden's website.