Pura d'or Shampoo & Conditioner!

I recently had the opportunity to review Pura d'or's shampoo and conditioner, and it couldn't have come at a better time. My shampoo and conditioner bottles have recently gotten to that nearly-empty point where I have to keep them upside down to just to get a bit more out of them. I knew I wanted to try out a new shampoo and conditioner, but wasn't sure what kind to get. I have such thick, frizzyish, and unevenly wavy hair that it's hard to find a good shampoo/conditioner to fit me. Then, along comes Pura d'or! They sent me the Premium Organic Argan Oil  Hair Loss Prevention Therapy shampoo, and Premium Organic Argan Oil Lavender Vanilla conditioner!

The shampoo helps strengthen hair, adds volume, and promotes healthy hair growth. It's free of parabens, SLS, and anything artificial. It smelled a bit citrusy, and kind of reminded me of something lovely you'd find at a spa! The conditioner manages frizz and enhances shine, and is also free of all those bad things. It smelled SO GOOD I wanted to eat it (but I refrained).

After I washed my hair with Pura d'or's shampoo and condition, it was much less frizzy and felt so soft! It's even noticably less frizzy several days after I used the shampoo and conditioner! (Yeah, I go days between hair washes. Don't judge, I have better things to do than spend 3 hours washing, drying, and straightening my hair every day). I think I've even had fewer hairs fall out during the day! Hopefully now there'll be fewer hair tumbleweeds blowing across my apartment. And the ends of my hair, which usually look dry and brittle, look much more sleek and smooth.

Also? I loved the pump bottles. It's so much easier to use than bottles you have to squeeze out. Another plus!

Check it out for yourself here! Pura d'or

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post. Pura D'or sent me the shampoo and condition for testing purposes. Thanks Pura D'Or and Brandbacker!

Influenster Relaxation VoxBox - Skincare Edition

Part two of my Refresh VoxBox from Influenster! Skincare edition BOOM.

First up, Covergirl Ultra Smooth Foundation. I wasn't sure this color was going to work on me, since I'm so pale that I'm clear, but it actually ended up being a pretty good match. It comes with an applicator that is different than anything I've seen before. It's basically an oval piece of rubbery material that you put the foundation on, and then apply it to your skin. It actually worked pretty well, not better or worse than a sponge or Beauty Blender (don't get me started on that particular piece of crap). It lasts all day, and gives great coverage.




Also got a cute little pot of L'occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream. It's so light and fluffy! It doesn't leave a greasy film, it's immediately absorbed into your skin. The scented reminds me of something, it's kind of flowery. It made my hands feel pretty smooth and moisturized.



Next up, a Montagne Jeunesse Black Seaweed Peel-Off Mask! It contains black laver seaweed and crushed sea buckthorn berries. It detoxes, deep cleanses, and gets rids of dirt and oil. I love a peel-off mask; it makes the clean-up SO much easier. It felt a little tingly on my face, and my skin felt very smooth afterwards. There was enough mask in the pack for not only my face, but also my boyfriend's!





Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Influenster Refresh VoxBox - Nutrition Edition

I recently got a Refresh-themed VoxBox from Influenster, full of fun new things to try! Here are my reviews for the food-ish portion of the items.



The first thing I tried was the Skinnygirl Tasty Nutrition Bar in Chocolate Peanut Butter with Sea Salt (apparently it also comes in Banana Oatmeal Dark Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate Pretzel). It's 170 calories, 6g of protein, 5g of fiber, and it's gluten-free, if you're into that kind of thing!

When I first opened it, I thought the bar looked yummy but small. It ended up being just the right amount, jammed full of flavory goodness. It kind of reminded me of a Payday bar, and I didn't get much hints of sea salt. It was a great afternoon snack to tide me over between lunch and dinner, and sustain me through a post-work workout.



Next up - a couple bags of Beanitos White Bean chips in flavors Sea Salt and Nacho Cheese. They're gluten-free and made with all-natural white beans, and are based out of Austin! They were both actually pretty good and quite flavorful. They're a bit softer than normal chips, and have a slight beany aftertaste, which makes sense considering they're made out of beans. They're a very good healthful alternative to regular chips.



My box also included a coupon for a free bottle of Orgain Organic Nutritional Shake, but I haven't been able to find it in stores yet. Ralphs, my go-to grocery store, doesn't carry it. Sprouts does, but I wasn't able to find it there. Vitamin Shoppe also carries it, but I have yet to go there. Anyway, it has 16g of organic protein and 23 vitamins and minerals, and it's probably a great post-workout shake.

My box even had some goodies for post-eating! A pack of Listerine Pocketpack is the perfect thing to make sure you don't have dragon breath after you've eaten. I'd never tried one of these before and it was kind of crazy. You just put this thin little sliver on your tongue, and suddenly it melts and you magically have fresh breath! It's perfect for the lazy person who doesn't want to take the time and effort to chew gum or eat a mint.

And for later in the evening, there's DenTek Fun Flossers (you know, for the kids) and DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Pics. I love using floss picks as opposed to regular floss, because I still don't know how regular floss even works. These were really quite nice - they were flavored (Fun Flossers in Wild Berry, Comfort Clean in classic mint). The Fun Flossers were just a bit too small for my teeth, but I guess that's because I no longer have my baby teeth. I loved that the floss on the Comfort Clean ones was very narrow; it makes it so much easier to fit in between teeth. It was also very strong, and didn't break like the other brand I used to use does. I think I'll be making the switch to Dentek for all my tooth flossing needs.

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Oscars 2015

Another Oscars have come and gone! Here are some of my favorite moments:


*Watching 3 hours of red carpet coverage. More enjoyable than actual Oscars, somehow.

*Anna Kendrick in the opening number, yay!

*Patricia Arquette's speech about equal rights and fair pay for women was amazing.

*NPH in his underwear! Trying the ol' Naked Man, apparently.

*In Memoriam section felt like it was missing something without clips from relevant movies. Also, why no Joan Rivers love? Also also, what was with JHud's song afterwards? Super unnecessary.

*John Travlota's moment with Idina Menzel/Adele Nazeem was super weird and uncomfortable.

*I do not get all the Whiplash love. Cool for JK Simmons, but I did not love this movie.

*The Everything is Awesome performance was super awesome and only kind of like an acid trip.

*I'd heard that Lady Gaga could actually sing, but seeing it live was a whole different story. Maybe this is going to be a career reinvention for her.

*The 'Stay weird, stay different' speech.

*Cate Blanchett saying "Okie dokie smokie."

*Eddie Redmayne was adorable winning his Oscar.

*Julianne Moore is great. I really want to see Still Alice. I read the book and it was great. Great great great.

*Interstellar should have won for everything. Or at least been nominated for everything.

*Birdman was a good pick for Best Pic.

I spent the evening commenting on the Oscars thread in the movies subreddit on Reddit and was appalled by the amount of sexism, racism, and homophobia I witnessed. I should have just stayed on Twitter or liveblogged.

Other than that, a pretty okay Academy Awards. What did you think?

Disneyland Memorabilia at Von Eaton Galleries

We went to Von Eaton Gallery in Sherman Oaks this weekend to see a collection of over 1000 items from Disneyland's early days. It's the most comprehensive collection of Disneyland memorabilia to ever be auctioned off. The auction will take place at the end of the month, both online and in-person, and I will not  be participating because everything is crazypants expensive and I do not have 50 grand to spare. The collection belongs to an anonymous collector who carefully curated this collection over 30 years. It includes a huge variety of things, including cast member costumes, tickets, blueprints, programs, concept art, popcorn boxes, menus, souvenirs, and so many more random things. It's basically a testament to hoarding and makes me want to hang on to every little thing I gather, just in case it's worth something in 30 years. 

Walt Disney was inspired to build Disneyland after taking his daughters to an amusement park. He thought it would be nice to have a place where families could all have a good time together in a safe, clean environment. ABC financed 1/3 of the park in exchange for a Disneyland TV series. The park had one million visitors in less than a year

Here are a few of the items up for auction:

Animatronic bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room, thought to be worth $20,000 to $25,000:

Pinocchio character head is valued at $7,000 to $9,000:

Skeleton from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride should go for over $60,000 to $90,000:

Walt Disney signed opening day guidebook, worth $7,000 to $9,000:

Some more cool things:
Mickey character head, only slightly creepy:

Some original It's A Small World dolls:

Some early Adventureland merchandise:

A whole bunch of stuff, including a JFK head and Lincoln head:

A Disneyland construction hat and some other stuff:

A mockup of shops on Main Street:

A random Los Angeles Greyhound poster:

The original concept map for Disneyland:

A couple Disneyland tickets and a key for the Disneyland Hotel:

Plates, cups, and an ashtray: 

Popcorn box and cups! Who would ever hang on to this stuff for so long! How is it still in mint condition?! I have so many questions!!!

They had stacks of various paper documents, like tickets, menus, passes, just anything you can imagine. A lot of them were around $100. Briefly considered bidding on one just because it was the closest to being something I could afford. Here is a main gate admission ticket - also, only $1.25?!?!?! Take the decimal out and that's just about how much it costs now:

They had a really nice catalog book of everything for sale and a brief explanation of each. I couldn't not buy this:

I Got A Massage & Facial!!

I'm not exactly one of those ladies who 'spas'. I can count on one hand the number of spa days I've had in the last several years. But on Saturday, I indulged in an hour long facial and an hour long massage (thanks in part to a gift card) at Massage Therapy Center in West LA and it was amazing!

Massage Therapy Center is hidden away in a shopping strip that I once drove past every day for like 4 years. They have free underground parking, which is fantastic. I arrived about 30 minutes early to fill out some forms and take a tour of the facility. The locker room has digital lockers, a little sitting area with magazines and fruit-infused water, showers, and a eucalyptus steam room.

Prior to my appointments, I filled out forms for each treatment, which, aside from asking what ailments or allergies you have, also asked how much chit-chat you prefer during your session, and if you want to be upsold on additional products or services. I thought this was a great idea to make sure your session goes as smoothly as possible and you're not annoyed by anything you might find invasive.

After that, I still had some time before my first appointment, so I sat in the steam room for a few minutes before the steam got so thick it was hard to breathe, and then I rinsed off in the nearby shower. Not long after that, it was time for my facial! The esthetician asked me some questions about my skin, and then spent the next hour putting stuff on my face, rubbing it off, and massaging not only my face and ears (which was weird but nice), but also my arms and feet. So luxurious! 

One glorious hour later, it was time for my massage! I walked down the short hallway to the massage room and laid down in the comfy bed. The masseuse asked what kind of pressure I wanted. I asked for medium, and I'm super glad I didn't say hard, because what followed was pretty intense! I've never had a deep tissue massage, but I think it must have been similar to that. She worked out a lot of kinks in my back, and I definitely felt a difference. I was sore the next day, like I'd had an intense workout or something.

When I paid at the end, they gave me a card for a free upgrade to a deluxe 90-minute treatment with the purchase of a regular 60-minute one. I'm definitely going to come back to this place! 

February 6: 5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Funko Pop Figures

Today's 5 Fandom Friday subject is Favorite Funko Pop Figures! I have a ton of Funkos, so many, in fact, that I'm running out of places to display them. Here are 5 of my very favorite ones!

1. Maleficent & Evil Queen

These were my very first Funkos ever. They were a two-pack of mini ones, only about half regular size. One year at Comic Con, I saw a 3 foot statue of the Maleficent one, and I was hooked! I went home and bought these on Amazon, and that was the start of my obsession!

2. She-Ra

I loved She-Ra growing up, so of course I needed this one. I found it at Comic Con a couple years ago, shortly after it was released. I love hunting down Funkos I want, staring at walls of boxes at cons until I find the ones I need.

3. Nerd Ariel

Nerd Ariel was a Hot Topic exclusive. I mean, how could I not love this!? She's wearing little glasses!! She reminds me of this: 

4. Black Widow

My love of Black Widow is pretty well-documented. I just wish she wasn't a bobblehead because it makes her head set at a weird angle.

5. Dancing Baby Groot

This one is my most recent purchase. I put him at my desk at work so I can watch his head bounce back and forth while I type.

I have tons more faves, and a long list of more to buy! They just keep coming out with new ones I have to have! A few that I'm on the lookout for at the next cons I go to: Cinderella, Sansa Stark, Gracie Law, Lady Sif, Dumbo.

CityWalk Saturday & Game of Thrones on IMax

I used to go to Universal CityWalk with some regularity when I lived in Hollywood. But since we've moved to the west side, the Valley is a much longer trek than it used to be. On Saturday, we had tickets to HBO's special screening of two Game of Thrones episodes in IMax at the theater there, so we made the journey! It was a bit crowded, as it usually is. We saw several quincenera parties, which I swear happens every single time we go there. CityWalk is the ideal place to turn 15, I guess.

The episodes they screened were the final two of last season - Episode 9, "Watchers on the Wall" and Episode 10, "The Children". It was a different experience seeing them on the big screen (and a super huge one, at that!) compared to watching them at home. They looked really amazing!! The drama was bigger and the violence was violenter! At the end, they gave us a sneak peek at the upcoming season. It was literally just brief 1 second clips so I have no idea what happened.


Afterwards we had a late lunch/early dinner at Karl Strauss. The weather was nice, so we sat on their outdoor patio and watched little kids run in and out of the nearby water fountain like it was the most fun thing on earth. I had a surprisingly yummy Habanero Jack Chicken sandwich. It was only a little bit spicy, but the red pepper smear was absolutely delicious. It definitely goes to the top of my short list of acceptable places to eat at CityWalk.

Before we left, we also checked out a couple of the fun toy stores, a comic shop called Things From Another World that had moved into a new, bigger location, and my favorite store, Lush - if you're not familiar with them, check them out. They have a ton of lovely smelling soaps and bath bombs and a bunch of other fun things. You can smell the store for like 100 yards in all directions, so it's never hard to find.

It was a fun Saturday at CityWalk! We'll have to go back sometime to go to Universal Studios, since they've added several rides and attractions in the past couple years!

The view from the parking garage!