Beauty Products I Want To Try Out.... Results!

Awhile back I made a post with a list of beauty products I wanted to try out. During the time after I had created that post, I had not been able to test out all of the products that I have put down, I have tried a few of them, and so I will be writing about how they worked out for me! Please keep in mind that this is all based on my personal results and that results may vary from person to person....

1. Mane 'n Tail Shampoo and Conditioner

I have been using both this shampoo and conditioner for roughly about 5 to 6 months now and in that time period, I think I can safely say that I really like this brand and that it's the best shampoo and conditioner that I have used so far! I have used many different brands of shampoos and conditioners, from drug store brands to salon brands, and nothing really seemed to work on my thick, dry hair. No matter what, my hair remained frizzy and nearly straw-like, but Mane N' Tail has made a huge difference, making my hair silky, manageable, and most importantly, moisturized! Another big plus about this is that you can easily find this brand sold in drug stores (I actually found it being sold in the commissary on base, too) and the big bottles are very cheap. I think I'll be sticking with this brand for a long time to come!

A word of caution:  Reading reviews on this product, I noticed that some people had claimed that after a little while of using this shampoo and conditioner, they got a  lot of waxy buildup in their hair and scalp. Some have also said that they noticed an increase of hair falling out after using it. So far, I have not experienced either of these problems using this shampoo and conditioner. Part of the reason may be because I tend to mix in some baking soda in my shampoo once a month and do a apple cider vinegar rinse with it, so that could be a big reason as to why I have yet to have experienced waxy hair. So, if anyone reading this decides to give this brand a try, I recommend doing the same or maybe even using a clarifying shampoo along with it.

2. Henna Hair Dye

I have some mixed feelings about using henna to color my hair so far, though so far I have only tried one brand of henna dye so far (The Henna Guys). One of the best things about this brand is that it is body art quality. Body art quality henna is safer to use than any other type of henna, as it contains the most natural ingredients and does not contain metallic salts, which can damage and irritate the hair and skin. Another thing is that it really seems to help keep my hair healthier and give it a beautiful shine after I use it, unlike the chemical dyes that I used in the past. Creating a mixture for henna is pretty fun, too! It reminds me of cooking, in a way (something I absolutely love to do!), since you can mix your henna dye with things such as tea, honey, lemon, yogurt, certain spices, and plenty of other ingredients that can help nourish your hair! It's nice to be able to experiment with the mixture and seeing which things work the best for your hair. 

 However, using henna is a little messy, and the scent isn't all that pleasant (it has a strong scent of hay or grass). It also takes a really long time for the dye to work it's way into your hair. It has to sit in for at least 2-4 hours before you can wash it out (which reminds me, washing it out can be a bit of a pain, too! It's basically like removing mud from your hair!). Also, it took a couple of dyes to get the color even all over. The first time left my hair patchy looking, which could have been due to the fact that I had been using chemical dyes before using henna, and had been using them for quite a long time. Lastly, the thing I dislike the most about this brand of henna is that the color bleeds just about every single time I use it for weeks on end, sometimes it even takes a couple of months for it to stop bleeding. I think I may try a different brand for my next coloring and see if that may help me with the bleeding issue. I may try out Lush instead, as I have heard good things about it, and see how that goes.

A word of Caution: People with lighter colored hair may land up with orange hair at first, but it should oxidize and darken over time and with continued use of henna!

3. Maybelline The Rocket Volum'Express Mascara

This  was an absolute disappointment. I had some high expectations about this mascara, after hearing so many people rave about it so much, only to find that it didn't quite work out for me. While it did make my lashes look thicker and was a nice, dark black, it clumped up on my lashes a lot and the formula seemed a little.... goopy. Also, I thought the wand was kind of awkwardly large and made applying the mascara a messy job. Maybe the wand itself just takes some adjusting to, but overall, I just did not like this product. I think I'll stick to using Imju Dejavu's Fiberwig mascara instead (which I've started using recently and love! I'll definitely be reviewing it another time). Still, just because it's a product that didn't cut it for me, it doesn't mean that it's not a good product. I still would recommend people to try this mascara for themselves as there are so many other people who love it!

That's it for now! When I get the chance, I will definitely make another post when I happen to try out the other products on my list, as well as include some reviews on other beauty finds that I come across too! Thanks for reading!

Catherine

To be completely honest with all of you, I actually got this game as a gift for Christmas and had already beaten it months ago, but I've started to replay it again and so I really wanted to write about it! x3 Catherine is by far one of the most unique games I've ever played. For those of you that don't know, the story is about a man named Vincent, who has started having some odd nightmares. He is in a relationship with his long-term girlfriend, Katherine, who has pretty much been hinting to him that she wants him to settle down and marry her. Vincent, of course, likes the way things are already between them, and isn't quite ready for that kind of commitment. One night at the bar him and his friends frequent, he encounters Catherine, a young blonde who turns out to be Vincent's idea of a perfect girl. The next morning, he wakes up to find Catherine in his bed! Vincent then starts struggling with guilt, lies, and to top it all off, the nightmares have become increasingly worse. He has to overcome these nightmares, otherwise, they could be the death of him.

What I love about this game the most is how the story captivates you and keeps you guessing. There were tons of times when I was just sitting there as I watched the story unfold and thinking "what in the world is happening?!". There are just so many unexpected twists that are thrown in that really put me on the edge of my seat and made my heart rate shoot up. It definitely made me want to keep on playing through the levels just so I can find out what would happen next. I also like how some of the dialogue and the ending (there are 8 different endings total) is influenced by your answers and choices, making it more interesting to replay the game.

Another thing I think is really cool about this game is that you have the option to save the other characters who also suffer from the nightmares. You can do this by helping them out and selecting the right answers when talking to each of them, I had found out. I was really psyched when I managed to save one person (it was Justin) when I first played, because I had no idea that it was even possible to do that and thought that everyone else was fated to die. My goal is to save everyone this time around!

Other things that I really enjoyed were that when you unlock achievements, you get new songs that you can play on the jukebox in the bar. I thought it was great that they even included some soundtracks from Persona 4! I also kind of like that you could play the mini game, Rapunzel, while at the bar, too. I like that you could play it as much as you want without it taking up time in the game, so you don't have to worry about it becoming too late or not having enough time to talk to the others at the bar.  I also found it to be pretty good practice for the puzzles in the nightmare world when I started out, since it's set up the same way,  the only difference is that your goal is to reach the tower to save the princess instead of trying to climb your way up in order to survive. It really helped me become more familiar with how to move the blocks and to figure out different ways to climb without the pressure of the blocks falling from below me or about stepping on trap blocks. I also like the quirky graphics. They're really different and I've never actually seen a game with that sort of look to them. The best way I can describe them is that they sort of look like... 3-D anime drawings. They even captured the anime expressions, which you can often see Vincent making while playing.

The only things I have to complain about is how the camera zooms in and out or changes angles on you during boss stages whenever the bosses do their attacks or do something to the blocks. It made it really hard for me to see what I was doing a lot of the time.  Also, I don't know if this is just me, but sometimes when playing through the nightmare levels, it almost seemed like the controls were slow to respond, resulting in a delay in Vincent's movements. Sometimes moving around the blocks while hanging off the edges of them proved to be frustrating, as well. Still, it's a great game, and the pros outweigh the cons by a lot. 

Catherine has easily become one of my most favorite games! It really brings a lot to the table, and if you decide to purchase it, you won't be disappointed. It's fun, interesting, and it makes you think (as expected from a puzzle game). So if you haven't tried it out yet, you're missing out!

Rune Factory Frontier vs. Rune Factory Tides of Destiny (Comparison)

During Christmas of 2011, I had bought both Rune Factory Frontier and Rune Factory Tides of Destiny for my husband, who really wanted to try out the two games. Ironically enough, he never plays them, and I play them all the time now. :P For those of you who aren't familiar with the Rune Factory series, it's a spin-off of the Harvest Moon series. It allows you to do farm work, take care of animals, mine, upgrade your barn and home as well as your farm tools, and best of all... You can fight monsters and level up!  

Anyways, just recently,  I had beaten the main story of Frontier and got married (to Selphy), and had a child with her, and now I've moved on to Tides of Destiny. While I haven't gotten very far in ToD, I've already discovered things about the game that I like and dislike.

First, I will start with the positives:

* I really like the fact that in this one, you have the option to play as a male or female character

* It's great that it got rid of the complicated runey system

* I love that there are more weapon choices (especially the dual blade option! x3)

* I like how the movement feels more free, especially now that you can jump around places

* The anime cutscenes are seem cleaner, sharper, and all around much prettier than in Frontier

* The overall graphics just look better

* I like that they added different colored monster portals to signify different elements

* I like how the villagers greet you when they see you running around town

* I love that they kept all/most of the sound effects and music tracks from Frontier

*The characters are more animated (for lack of a better word) and seem more lively when talking to them (you can see their expressions, movements, and reactions during conversations)

*I like how it doesn't take forever to load different locations

Now, onto the negatives:

* I don't care for the new character profiles much... I liked the look of the anime profiles they had for Frontier much better

* The character cast in general seems dull and less quirky compared to Frontier (or maybe I'm just biased since I've grown so attached to all of the characters in Frontier xD)

* I hate how they have more suitors to choose from for the male character and not enough for the girl

* Speaking of main characters, I much prefer Raguna's personality over Aden's

* So far, I find the whole "I somehow got stuck in my best friend's body thing" kind of dumb (maybe it'll make more sense to me when I progress in the story more....?)

* It's annoying that you get skill ups just from running around, jumping, greeting people, and for a bunch of other unnecessary things other than the ones that I actually care about, such as cooking, crafting, magic, forging, and weapons

That's all I have for the time being. So far, I don't understand why more people seem to enjoy Tides of Destiny more than Frontier. I mean, sure Frontier has it's flaws and the runey system can be a bit tedious, but once you get it down, it really isn't all that bothersome. Maybe I just haven't invested enough time in ToD yet, but right now, it just isn't doing as much for me and much prefer Frontier over it. We'll see how things play out later on, though.