Jumping Juniper - Lush Shampoo Review

Hey, let's talk about my favorite shampoo. It's 'JUMPING JUNIPER' by LUSH. I have a very oily scalp, and before I discovered this product, if I'd wash my hair in the evening, the next morning it did not look fresh/clean. But with this shampoo my hair looks clean for 2 full days (a big deal for me). It really is a miracle product - it prolongs the time I can go without washing my hair and my hair stays oil-free MUCH longer. No other shampoo does this for me. The first time I bought this product, it lasted me about 6 months (amazing, right!), but that time I really took care of how I store it. This time around, I did not pay much attention to storage and it lasted me only 2,5 months. What I recommend is keeping it in a box (I did not buy the Lush tin box for shampoos, I just use a plastic soap-bar box), and only keeping it in the shower while washing your hair. After using it, I'd let it air dry and then store it in the box - this helped me make the product last longer. Here is what LUSH says about this shampoo: ''Wet both hair and the shampoo bar. Glide the shampoo bar down the length of your hair about three times (right, left and back). Work into a lather and rinse thoroughly. Follow with LUSH conditioner if needed. Keep your solid shampoo in a cool, dry place between uses; we recommend using a LUSH shampoo bar tin.''. I've used liquid shampoo all my life, so I had doubts about shampoo in a bar - but it foams up so fast and so well, it's very easy to use. Personally, I absolutely detest lavender and I hate the smell of it, but it's workable, even for me. If you enjoy lavender, this is for you. As far as the ingredients go, you can check them out here: croatian or english. Oh, the reason my photo of this shampoo is light/white purple, and everywhere else it's dark-purple it's because this is what it looks like before you use it. Once wet, it turns into the gorgeous purple. Price of products is about 69 kn.

I hope this review was helpful. I really had a great experience with this product, and it made my hair work with me (and not against me), and made my hair look not-oily. So I do recommend it if you too have oily scalp and oily hair. As far as other Lush products go, I've tried out Godiva shampoo, which is the best smelling hair product for me, but it does nothing for my oily hair, so I do avoid it now (insert tears). I have also heard amazing things about the 'Soak And Float' shampoo which fights dandruff, but it depends can you handle the smell or not. I might get it for someone else. Since I've used up my 'Jumping Juniper', I'll have to go to Lush and get it again, but I might try a soap or two. Or that famous 'Lemony Flutter' that everyone has been raving about - I wonder if it's as good as I heard. Any recommendations? What do you think about Lush products? 

Essence Sale - What I Got - Part Two

I went back for more essence goodies (LINK to my first essence post), I've been bad, LOL. Because I fell in love with the first two pigments I got (numbers 13 and 20), I got a lot more - and I'm obsessed - they're fun to play with, and they're just breathtakingly beautiful. The price of all items on sale is 9.99kn, and you can get them at DM in Croatia (later probably at Kozmo and Muller as well). A quick description of individual pigment shades:

01 studio 54 - Tiny glitter particles, doesn't blend into the skin, more difficult to apply than the others
02 smell the caramel - a gorgeous caramel-gold shade.
08 cop & copper - copper shade, easy application
06 WOW it's orange - coral-pink-orange. The name is misleading, it's a very pastel-like shade.
13 paparedzzi - not a fierce red, more of a pink-red, a mild red shade, still gorgeous.
03 box of chocolate - dark brown with sparkle
20 black sparrow - black with silver/blue undercolor

I applied all the pigments using this product:

Essence COLOUR ARTs Eye Base - I'm loving it, it's really great to use with pigments. I think this might become my new favorite base...how the hell did I not notice it until now? I might buy one more, I'm that obsessed with it.

I also got these false lashes - I went to my local DM the first day of sale, and I thought they were sold out, but when I went back a week later, they found they had more lashes in their storage and they put them out. I'm happy I got them, since I really wanted to try them out, but aaaargh I'm so angry they didn't put all the items out at once. Sloppy. Anyways, I'm so excited about these, I'm going to have so much fun with them!

And I got Stay With Me longlasting lipglosss in 02 My Favorite Milkshake. The shade is gorgeous (very peachy), but it's very watery. Because I didn't wear lipgloss for a while it will take me some time to get used to the feeling. But I think it's a good product. The shade really is a great match for my light skin tone.

Grow Your Blog Hop Party

Hello! and welcome to Why-Knot-Kwilt?

For those of you visiting for the first time through 2 Bags Full's

 Grow Your Blog hop party ... I welcome you with a warm heart!  

For those of you returning ... I give you my sincerest thanks!
And most of all ... Vicki of 2 Bags Full ... what an undertaking!
I thank you sincerely!!

Introductions are in order ...

I am Wendy, single mom of two girls under ten years of age, living in Western Montana, USofA.  I have been quilting for just under ten years now ... most projects as gifts for friends, family, and well, give-aways on my blog ....

I was first introduced to quilting by my friend Vicki.  Now, I've been sewing since my very first Holly Hobby sewing machine was given to me when I was 5 or 6 years of age.  My grandmother used to give me fabric for presents and then I inherited her used Singer.  You know, one of those heavy-duty, nothing ever broke models?? Loved it until the day I could no longer replace parts on it.  Loved my grandmother more, of course.  Back on course ... I always said "I'll quilt someday."  Well, someday came when I became pregnant at 36 yrs old and I was sent home on bed rest.  After twenty-some years in the corporate world, what the heck was I gonna do sitting at home all day on bed rest. (Type-A personality here ?!!?!?! :) )  Along comes my friend Vicki.  She quilted for years back east (anything east of the Rockies seems to be 'back east' to my Montana-bearings but Vicki was a legitimate North-Virginian) and Vicki decided she might take on teaching me to quilt.  Upon the death of my dependable, loyal Singer, I got a steal of a deal on a new Bernina Virtuosa on eBay ... heavy duty with lots of stitches I just had to learn how to use (still haven't mastered many of them).  My first quilty-thing was a wall hanging with my first born daughter's name on it pictured below:

Of course, two years later, I made this one when my second daughter was born:

What I find ironic looking back now is that the cool pastels and the vibrant brights of the fabrics so parallel my girls' personalities ... who knew? {grin}  

About the time I was making my youngest daughter's quilt for her first birthday, Fons & Porter had been running a baby quilt contest.  A friend suggested I enter my quilt into this contest.  Newbie to the quilting world that I was, I didn't know any better, so I entered. ... Needless to say, I didn't win the baby quilt contest, but I found out F&P deemed my humble quilt worthy of entry into their Easy Quilts baby quilts magazine issue!

  Holy Cow!!  How cool is that!!  

How could a person not feel they didn't win when this is the result of losing?

Happy Flowers quilt designed by me!

Can you say ..... Holy Cow Poop!  
After a quilting start like this, how could a girl not get hooked??? 

Oh My Goodness?  How do I possibly follow this up?  ...  Well, through the magic of internet broadcasts, youtube videos, blogging tutorials, and many other online sources, I've learned about quilting "rules," quality fabrics, proper tools, and most importantly what it means to follow my instincts no matter what or how much advice others offer.  I love the process of piecing a quilt as much as I now enjoy quilting and completing a quilt.   I like to encourage the same in others ... no matter what, follow your creative instincts, do what feels good to you when you create!

Why I blog ...

When I began my blog in May of 2010, it was at the encouragement of a friend and I have to say she really had to talk me into it.  I knew nothing of blogging nor of the blogging world.  I had heard the word bandied about, but never really investigated what a "blog" was.  Well low and behold, I was introduced to Amy's Creative Side and her marvelous Blogger's Quilt Festival, but, you needed a blog in order to participate. So ... I thought "why not do it?"  Naming the blog took me several more days to ponder.  I'm not clever.  When I try to be funny, I fall flat.  So, then I thought, "Why Knot"?  Hey that works.  Now, look what I've become!!!

Then something happened ... and for me it was magic!  In June of 2011, Madame Samm of Sew We Quilt blessed me with a blog makeover.  I was OVER THE MOON excited!!  Not only about the blog makeover, and don't get me wrong, it was amazing!, but the fact that she picked my humble blog to fancy-up.  Way Cool!

Over that next year and into 2012, my blog friends became my lifeline... life changes happened, and still, this blog of mine kept me grounded in reality, this blog and my blog friends kept me involved, kept me crafting, kept me inspired, and kept me connected. My blog friends are my online quilting circle since I have not been able to participate in one locally over the last few years.  Here I am, in 2014, finally able to start seeing the possibilities of a good life again, and still, my blogging friends are there for me.  Thank you dear friends!

What my blog is about ...

Since my family and most of my friends do not live anywhere near me, I sometimes share tidbits about what is happening with me and my daughters on a small scale, just to let them know we're doing okay.  Mostly, however, my blog is about my creative endeavors and the quilting projects I am currently working on.  Madame Samm of Sew We Quilt ... which again, is my online quilting group ... leads inspired and challenging hops, many of which I join to stay creative and active in my group and blog.  As many of you moms know, you don't get very many opportunities to be told you are doing good, much less encouragement to stay involved and creative in something that makes you happy ... well, this blog and my commitment to it does just that ... it keeps me creating, it keeps me encouraged, and most of all, the comments left by visitors, truly inspires me and they are so very appreciated!!  While I may often extol the need to be kind, I will be the first to laugh at my own mistakes and find that perhaps by sharing my mistakes, you too will laugh with me and feel better about little mistakes you might make.  There are no quilt police on this blog ... if there ever were, well they found reason to run away real fast long ago! I have a seam ripper and I'm not afraid to use it!!! {ha!}  If we can't laugh at being human, well ... what's the point? {grin}

My goals through blogging ....

I have cut back my corporate world schedule to 20-hrs a week so I am more available to meet the needs of my daughters and their school schedules.  This is hard to do, as I am sure many of you totally understand, but it was a choice I had to make and so far do not regret.  I hope to continue to grow my quilting work for others and perhaps one day expand my creativity into more full time than not, but until then, the steady paycheck is a must!  As I wrote earlier, this blog helps keep me connected and inspired.  A few years back I had a long arm Gammill, but events led to me selling it.  I hope to one day soon own another so I may get back to the wonderful art that is long arm quilting.  I currently piece and quilt for customers using my domestic machine, and while that is of course a challenge, every customer is so very appreciated and the payments help keep my household running.  I've developed two patterns for Craftsy and am currently working on a third ... in fact, for one of my upcoming hops, so I hope you come back for another visit ... here's a hint:

If that isn't a teaser, well then, I don't know what to tell you!  I was never really interested in high-heels ... until just recently ... now, well I've become enamored with them and I created this small collage for inspiration.  While I don't yet own a pair like these ... I one day soon hope to treat myself to a pair (though will need a reason and a place to wear them)!! That's all you get .... 

Intrigued?  I hope so as that means you will come back for another visit!

Please do ... I enjoy meeting new people and learning about new places ... which means if you don't get a response to your comment immediately, know that I am off visiting the other 585 participants of the Grow Your Blog hop party !!!

Thank you so much for stopping in and I hope to see you again soon,

Until then, warm hearted wishes,

Wendy of Why-Knot?

Studio Basics Concealer Brush Review

Happy weekend everyone! This brush is amazing! It's by STUDIO BASICS, and it's a concealer brush. I found it in Kozmo in Croatia (not sure in which stores it might be available in other countries). Price: only 28kn. This is one of my favorite brushes of all time. I've had it for about a year, and you can't see that on the brush - all the hairs are in place, and it's so easy to wash and maintain it. This brush  is firm enough to be a good tool for applying creamy concealer, yet it's so soft on the face. It's very precise, I use it under my eyes or for small flaws on my face. It's amazing with cream or liquid concealer. It blends the product so well into the skin. Seriously, I'm in love. I went to Kozmo last week, and they still have this brush available, but they also have one more concealer brush from this brand, which has a silver handle and brown hairs, and that one didn't seem half the quality of this one. So, beware. I've been checking out other concealer brushes, for instance Muller has a concealer brush (from their own brand) available, but that one seems like it's not firm enough, like it would move too much. This one is firm on the tip, and the flat sides are soft and great for blending. It's such a great product. I give it a 10/10! 

I found the photo above from Amazon, since I did not take a picture of the packaging, and obviously I threw it away. As for the other products by this brand, the other brushes available in my local Kozmo did not appeal to me. Have any of you tried these yet? 

Catrice Sale - What I Got

Catrice is having a sale right now and all items on sale cost the same: 16.99kn. A great price for some items, not a big leap for others (nail polishes etc.). Anyways, I got all three quattro eyeshadow palettes that are on sale. Swatches and photos below. Overall, this is a sweet deal. The color payoff is good, and the texture of the shadows is so great...so soft and silky. You get matts and shimmers, these little palettes are amazing. If you like the shades, get them, they're awesome. The names are: 070 Mud Spencer & Corale Hill (the one with the beautiful coral shade), 090 Before Or After Eight? (the one with the blue/green shade), and 080 Yellow Submagreen (the one with the yellow shade). I love the one with the coral shade the best. What a great deal, right?

I also got a blush, 060 Rosewood Forest. Not sure if I like it. It's really dusty (look at the photo below, the product is a mess already, and I've only used it a few times), nowhere near as great texture as 'Pinkerbell'. But the price is good, and it seems to last a long time once applied. The shade is a bit dark, but if you like it, this too is a good deal. I wanted to try out this shade on me, since most my blushes are pink.

The brow pencil on sale is great, but it's too light brown for me, I'm too dark to get any use out of it. Some great lipsticks are on sale as well, but are all sold out already. Did you get anything?

Essence Sale - What I Got

Happy Wednesday! So essence and Catrice are having a sale on some items right now, and I thought I might share with you some stuff I got. In Croatia, essence is on sale at DM, but last week still was not on sale in Kozmo or Muller (not sure if that's changed yet). All essence stuff on sale is 9.99kn. So let's get started - If you're wondering what is on that photo above, it's the combo of these products:

Sorry, I took the nail art decoration kits apart before taking a photo of them. I love the little mixing jars, and already had a few of them, they're great for glitter storage. Overall, I think these nail art kits are great and I will use them a lot. The mixing jars are just adorable and I recommend them - I've been using them for a lot of things, they're very handy and you can see what you have in them.

Now for the eyeshadows - I should say, I only buy essence eyeshadows on sales, never for regular price, I guess because I really don't need more eyeshadow, but a girl can't say no to a good sale LOL. The light eyeshadow on the left (58 cappuccino, please!) is from the current sale, the other two I got last time when essence had a sale, but I thought I might show them anyways, to give you an idea of what you're getting with this brand.

Essence eyeshadows are a great deal. I'm happy with them, and I find some gorgeous colors on sales. The ''cappuccino, please!'' will be a great highlight shade, but I had to go to four DM's to find one. Overall, these are good eyeshadows, they don't shed dust everywhere and the packaging is very sturdy, and the color payoff is good.

So now for the pigments - I got these two because I liked the shades, I'm not sure if I'll get any more, but these pigments really are pigmented (LOL). The swatches below are done with just a few drops of dust. The packaging is so tiny and cute, and the color payoff is sensational. I sincerely recommend them.

I also got the essence all about matt! fixing loose powder. I already have the compact version, but I got this one because everyone's been saying it's amazing. I'm not sure yet how I feel about this product since I've only been using it a short time, but it does make your skin matt. 

And I also got these - I always get essence's matt papers, but I don't like the packaging of these. I might move it to another box or something.

So that's it. Overall, the nail glitters are a great addition to my collection, and I've been really enjoying the eyeshadows and pigments - they really didn't disappoint. I think you can find really awesome products for an even better price than usual. Have you found anything good during this sale?

KKCenterHk N.NAIL Water Decals Review

Today I have a KKCenterHk product to present to you: N.NAIL Pink Rose Flower Nail Water Decals [NNAIL-WDHHG103].  You can check out this amazing product HERE. This is the first time I'm using water decals, and it's so easy. I cut the stickers out, removed the top foil and placed them in water for 10 minutes, and then I just applied them to my nails (more detailed instructions HERE). Using this product is similar to putting wet stickers on eggs on Easter. They're easy to use, and the effect is amazing. I applied top coat over them so they would last longer. They're very easy to remove. I now get why everyone loves water decals (it's so much better than stamping). This product is awesome, I recommend it. It's a 10/10.

The polishes I used for this look are by essence, and they're really old - like I said, I need to use up my old polishes, so I can buy new ones. As always, I used essence's Studio Nails High Gloss Top Sealer - one of my favorite products. It gives the nails amazing shine.

***KKCenterHk has sent the water decals to me for a review.