Shampoo Week

Shampoo is extremely important the fact that it is used every day or almost every day makes it so. I am going to discuss different shampoos this week. Once again I will talk about my love for Aveda, but not today. Today I am going to start with a hair color shampoo. Most colorist will tell you not to use anything with sulfate because it can cause hair to fade. That is true. However, I have found a shampoo & conditioner which is perfect for color treated hair.

 

Biolage ColorCare Therapie. This shampoo is great. It is clear which works best when you do not want to weigh hair down. There is a very low PH. They use Orchid + UV Complex to moisturize and protect the depth, tone and shine of color-treated hair without parabens or synthetic dyes. This complex really helps with not letting the hair fade. There is a whole line to mirror the shampoo. When you do have haircolor in your hair it is best not to shampoo every day, but if you must this shampoo will help the color and shine last longer.

Freeman Clay Mask

Masks are a very important part of anyone’s beauty routine. Of course there are many different ones for different skin types. It is good to use a mask once or twice a week. The one I have pictured is really inexpensive, it runs about $4.00. It can be bought at most mass stores, I got this one at Walgreens. Freemans is a great line and has a wide variety of masks. This Clay mask happens to be the Mint and Lemon clay mask. Clay is used for deep pore cleaning. The lemon cools and helps with any inflammation caused by breakouts. I don’t have oily skin, but I do like the deep pore cleansing it provides. I usually make sure to add extra hydration after a clay mask since I am dry. It is always good to prep the skin by making sure the surface is clean. Even a mild exfoliation would be good to help loosen the dirt in the pores. I left this on for 15-20 minutes. Most clay mask also add a glowing effect. Just like a facial, it is great to not put any make-up on right after the mask.

NYX False Lashes

Bad

Good

I had an event a few weeks back and needed false lashes. These are not everyday things, but did want to jazz my look up. I also bought a back-up set just incase. Good thing I did . When I pulled the lashes out, they were hard and stiff. The glue was not strong enough, and they kept falling. THey were NYX lashes. Luckly I had the trusted Ardell lashes, even with the horrible glue, they stayed on all night. They both run about the same cost around $4.00, but I would say 100% go with the Ardell, and get their glue.

Don't let those highlights turn Brassy

Many of us usually lighten our strands for the warmer months. You want to make sure you your hair look as shiny as possible. Highlighting is an investment, so you should take care of your hair and keep those strands looking their best.  Day to day heat, sun, and salt or chlorine water can make those highlights look dull. Common styling can do the same. You want to make sure you are washing at least once a week with a shampoo designed to cut down on brassiness. I went mostly blonde last year, and these 2 shampoos were life savers. Aveda Blue Malva and Pureology's Perfect 4 Platinum Shampoo. The Purology you can use daily, the Blue Malva  is once to twice a week. The shampoo is purple. The purple in the shampoo helps neutralize the orange or greens that blonde hair can get. They both smell great. The cost is a little more but it is worth the price.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

This is the fountain of youth in a blue bottle. I love this stuff. Their website describes this as a Purely Potent Over-Night Repair. That is certainly is!! It is a lightweight, nighttime treatment. It regenerates, repairs, and replenishes skin for a smoother, healthier skin. It can be used morning and night, however, most repair products work best at night when you skin is resting. It is 99.8% naturally-derived and paraben-free. It has 3 main ingredients which help with retoring, replenshing, soothing and stimulation. The main ingredient Evening Primrose repairs and also is a radiance booster. The cost is $68.00 for a large bottle. It is recommended that you use over a serum, I use a line reducing serum. Place a few drops in the palm of your hand, breathe in, and then press into the face. If you are dry you can use a moisturizer over this, but do allow for the serum to fully absorb. After the first night you will see a difference. I have been using for over a month and can see a huge difference. My skin looks more radiant. My make-up as never looked so amazing either, and I just use at night. I will probably try it during the day. It does say that it is great under make-up. The smell is amazing, it is very relaxing. I highly recommed this product.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Needing to find a special gift a special mom? Here are some top picks any mom would enjoy

Circle E Candles - These are amazing. They can make the whole house smell wonderful. They have many scents, and I know this in not beauty, but some of them can really call you down. www.circleecandles.com

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh- This fragrance has been my go to lately. It is so soft and pretty for summer time. Even my 10yr old wants to wear it. The line has rollerballs for travel, body lotion and Eau de Parfum. $ 23.00-75.00. At Sephora, Nordstrom & Macy's

Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb -This fragrance is the bomb. It is amazing, It smells great on anyone. You can get a rollerball starting at $25.00 to a 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray for $105.00. At Nordstrom & Sephora

 Origins Ginger Collection - I personally am not a fan of this scent, but it is a best seller for a reason. I do however love the way all of the Origins body souffles and salt scrubs feel and leave my skin. That makes this a must gift.

Naked 2 Palette- This is amazing. It has full sized shades all with great staying power. There is a good range from shimmer to matte, and has a deep black that can alter has a liner. $50.00 At Sephora



MAC Make-up brushes. These brushes are amazing there are so many to get the job done right . I would recommend the 168- Large Angled Brush : perfect for applying bronzer , 217-Blending brush : great for blending shadow on the eyes, or setting with powder over concealer under the eyes. 190 - Foundation Brush : this should be a must in every brush collection. 263- small angled liner brush : perfect to wet an apply shadow as liner.

The Pre-Cleanse

In esthetician school you learn to do 2 cleanses. The first is the pre-cleanse and the second the cleanse. You can use the same cleanser twice, but there are some great "pre" cleansers on the market. They are all usually an oil based cleanser, which is OK. Oily skin gals, this is a huge yes to do. It will not clog pores or make your skin more oily. It is basic chemistry, you need oil to remove oil. What it does is allow the make-up dirt and oil to break down on your face, allowing your actual cleanser to do its job and clean pores for a better cleanse. A few I have used and I think are great are Dermologica's Precleanse, Origins Clean energy cleansing Oil, and Bobbi Brown Cleansing oil.

The best way to use these are to apply to dry skin. You want to massage in the skin to make sure it is breaking down the make-up, dirt and oil. Next you want to add a little water and massage in some more. Then rinse. You can start the second cleanse with your normal face cleanser. This is truly a must. If you have ever had a facial you will always get 2 cleanses, so why not treat your skin like it should be. You will see a huge difference in how your skin care works and your make-up goes on. The clarity of your skin will also be noticeable.

Weleda Iris Hydrating Day Cream

A few months ago in my beauty boxes, it seemed like Weleda Iris Hydrating Day Cream was a staple. I received a sample in all of my boxes. I consider myself the luck one now. I am in love with this day cream. It is for combination to dry skin types. I looked on their website for a little more information. With Iris root this cream can help your skin naturally balance itself. It is a soothing moisturizer packed with fatty acids, carotene and vitamins A, E and F, these protect and naturally balanced your skin against harmful environmental influences. Organic cocoa seed butter nourishes your skin into supple perfection. Your is luminous and moisturized softness you can see and feel. It is also a great base for tinted moisturizer, foundation or poweder. My skin feels moisturized all day. The price is great only $20.00. I highly recomed this moisturizer. They also have another version for oily to combination. Now that I am down to my last sample, I will be ruinning out to get this.

Tip 2

Suoer soft feet. At night apply Aquaphor (sold had most grocery stores and large mass stores). Put socks on and leave on while you sleep. You can do the same for your hands.

Volume

Craving volume, in humidity? It is possible!!! I have found a great combo that makes my volume stay in humid weather. The 2 products are from Aveda. On towel dried hair, I first put Phomollient™ Styling Foam in my hair. You want a good golf ball to baseball size. Concentrate on the roots, and spread through hair. The next step is to spray Aveda's Volumizing Tonic on the roots. I proceed to dry my hair using a large round brush. The result is tons of volume. You can finish off with hairspray. Lightly spray all over. I love Aveda's Air Control or Paul Mitchell's Super Clean Spray.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

Simple is a brand new line that recently launched. I love the concept; Simple never uses harsh chemicals, dyes or perfumes. Using only the purest possible ingredients, even on the most sensitive skin. I have a couple of products and decided to try the wipes first. Since I was traveling this is a great way to take make-up off on a late night or even refresh in the morning. I did not like these wipes. There are a dozen other wipes which work better. I used an eye make-up remover, but needed 3 wipes to somewhat take make-up off and then had to finish with a face wash. I tried them a few times with different make-ups and all 3 times the same. I would recommend looking for a different brand of wipes. If you have sensitive skin, a baby wipe works better. Hopefully the next product of theirs I will like.

I am Back!!

I have been a bad blogger this month with 2 long work trips. So I am back.

I had a formal event on my last trip, and had no time to really do anything about my light skin. I quickly reached for something I got in 1 of my beauty boxes. Comodynes self-tanning towelettes. The claim They provide an even tan on face and body in just 3 hours, giving a natural, healthy skin tone with no streaking. Their formula, with a moisturizing complex, eliminates the feeling of tightness and keeps the skin soft. Their perfume leaves no aroma on the skin. The Self-Tanning towelettes are safe, unlike UV rays their formula does not penetrate the deep layers of the skin. The tan tone depends on the skin type and their intensity adapts to provide natural results on both fair and dark skins. Recommended for all skin types. Paraben-Free. So I said a quick prayer that I did not turn orange since I did this 12 hours before my flight. Luckily I did not have to show any leg because the towelette only covered my upper body. I opened the package and started swiping away. I did exfoliate before for a nice even tan. I did not notice any difference after 3 hours, but when I woke in the morning, I had a nice golden look. It was not too dark and I only had 1 streaky patch on my inner arm which may have been from washing my hands. A gradual self tanner was able to fix. 1 week later and I am still looking like I have a little color. I have always been a little hesitant on using a towlette, but it was great. I did not have the mess of the cream, and it really did not give me the smell most tanners do. After checking the website, it said use 2-3 days in a row for a deeper tan.

Tip 1

This week I will give very useful beauty tips. Clarifying shampoo. This is a must at least every 2 weeks. This will rid your hair of any product that may build on the hair shaft and will also give your scalp a cleanse for build-up as well. Make sure to condition with a good moisturizing conditioner and rinse with cool water.

Priti NYC's Soy Polish Remover

Priti NYC's Soy Nail Polish Remover Wipes are 100% biodegradable. They are non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and contain no petroleum ingredients they are also infused with organic lemongrass essential oil. I received them in my Beauty Box 5 box last month. I will say I was extremely skeptical. I was in a pinch and was out of cotton balls, so I grabbed this little sample to take off a deep red polish on my nails. When you take it out of the package it has a thin wet wipe, still very skeptical. It had a yummy lemongrass smell. So here goes, I was dead wrong this is amazing stuff. My polish came off in 1 wipe. It even left a oil behind so I could rub in to nourish my cuticles. I used this 1 wipe to take off all the polish on my ten nails. This is truly amazing stuff. You can my a bottle for $22.00 or individual travel pouches, 10 for $10.00. This stuff is great.

Too Faced Eye Insurance

This is an eye primer. It comes in a tube which I like, and has a pretty color to it as well, that highlights the lids. The color works well if you suffer from dark circles. My like for this product stops there. A primer is supposed to not crease and make shadow stay on longer. This product is a best seller, and I am not sure why. It does not matter if you put on a little or a lot. My lids looked greasy within a couple of hours and by hour 4 my color was very faint. There was a lot of creasing as well. My lids looked oily and I was blotting them all day long. There are much better primers out there. My advise buy another primer.

Eye Primer

As the summer months approach I am quickly realizing eye shadow primer is a must. Has the weather heats up, the eye shadow tends to slip. Eyeshadow primer is great for no slip eye color and even to get a truer shade on the lid. I have tried a few. Two I would highly recommend are Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow base. This product is awesome. It comes in a wand and has a creamy consistency, however once you apply it dries clear. You do not need much at all. Your eyeshadow stays on all day and does not move at all. The color stays vibrant from morning till evening. It retails for $24.00.

The second would be Laura Mercier eye basics. I use Wheat. It comes in 8 different shades. I use Wheat, it is a light natural beige. I can use it as an all over color on days I feel lazy. It works perfectly alone, and with a little liner you have a great neutral eye, which you can wear with a dramatic lip. This retails for $24.00 as well.

Both of these products are long lasting. You will want to make sure you close them tightly so they do not dry out. Both of these are on the higher end of pricing but both definitely worth the splurge.

Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture spf15

Tinted Moisturizers are just a light foundations. They really do not offer much in the moisturizer department. They do offer a spf, mostly around 15. Most of them however are not buildable coverage, like this one. I do like this tinted moisturizer. It comes in 3 shades, light, medium and dark. You need very little, and it comes in a tube, with a small opening, so not much comes out. I love to wear this on the weekends when I need just a little coverage. If you want a little more coverage, a mineral powder works great over this. It is not to oily. The wear on my skin is not to long maybe 4-6 hours before I see a little fading. I always use this over a higher SPF if I know I will be in the sun all day, because it does give a nice healthy glow to the skin. It retails for $43.00.

Nail Saturday??

So I had a busy week with travel for my "real" job. So here is my post for the week. I will be on top of it next week. Happy Easter!!.

This week I chose, Zoya Kendal. I love this color. It is a great pale lavender with a hint of grey. The wear on this is great, almost a whole week with no chips.

Nail Friday!

Back to the trusty OPI brand. I went for a neutral color this time. Coney Island Cotton Candy. This is a very soft peach/pink base neutral. I did use 3 coats because it is very sheer. Since it is so sheer , it dries pretty quick.

Beauty Box 5

My first impression was that the packaging was not near as nice as the other 2, but the products made-up for that. The samples were AMAZING!!! Most of the products were from natural or eco-friendly lines. I received a full size brown pencil eye liner, soy nail polish remover pads, self tanner, a soy based cleanser and Weleda Iris day and night cream. The Weleda day cream has been in all 3 boxes and I was very excited about getting another, it is becoming my go to lotion. This one works by filling out a profile, and then they will select your samples at random. I however missed the deadline and did not submit my profile, and got a bunch of different items and they all look great. I tried the eyeliner, which is like most pencils, but stayed throughout the day and was great for under the eye. I will update later on the others.