Summer is almost here and it's time to change up your beauty products for the warmer months. Here are three new (at least to me!) products I've recently discovered that are currently rocking my world.
#1: Redken Powder Grip: The lovely stylist at Detour Salon used this on my hair recently and I fell head over heels in LOVE. We all know that hair looks and styles better with a little grime in it.. but if you have fine, blonde hair, day old hair looks... well.. day old gross. This power gives a little volume and grip to the hair with a matte powder - so it can't look greasy even if it tried. I use it right on the top of my head for a little volume and oomph.
#2: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres Glossy/Stain: This is literally a lip gloss/stain hybrid. Its super long lasting and even after the gloss is gone, my lips stay a subtle reddish/pinkish hue. I got color #10, but I recommend hitting Sephora to try them on.
#3: Jillian Dempsey Avon Eye Shadow: This product is pure genius. I'm pretty good with make-up, but putting the shadows in a case that shows you exactly where to apply is pretty fool-proof. Plus? I love having the colors that I know all go together to make a perfect eye. And it's nice that they all come together - so you are not buying a whole pot of eye-shadow for one little spot on your eye. This shadow set is currently on sale for $5, so I say buy it NOW.
Happy Shopping!
*disclosure: Avon sent me a complimentary sampling of some of their products, including the Jillian Dempsey eye shadow. Opinions are my own. Other products were purchased.
Photo from Petula Pea PhotographySo, just in case you didn't know this about me, I obsess. Yes, yes, I know it's a surprise for all of you, but when I get something in my head, I obsess about it non-stop. A few months ago my hairstylist at Detour Salon in Encinitas showed me the hair extensions that she was getting put in later that week. I was intrigued. I thought extensions were only for Paris Hilton and the Real Housewives. But then she started pointing out all the other girls in the salon that had them in...and I began to obsess. See, I love trying out new beauty trends. I've done spray tans, sugaring, waxing, eyelash extensions, Latisse, Shellac nails and a crackle pedicure...anything that can make something longer, fuller, shiny/bright and/or 10 lbs skinner I have tried.
Yes, I am a product/service whore like that.
So extensions?! I NEEDED them.
As luck would have it, a few weeks later a woman who had seen me speak at the San Diego Social Media Symposium came to me asking if we would be interested in doing a SDMOMfia Blow Out Bootcamp event at Detour Salon. Little did she know that I had been a client (and huge fan) of the salon for the past 4 years - and I jumped on it! I mean who DOESN'T want to learn how to get those Victoria's Secret Supermodel curls? After chatting back and forth, they asked if I would be interested in modeling and trying out hair extensions - they would put them in for me that night and I could model the new procedure during the event. I was thrilled...I may finally have the long, thick hair that I've spent years, and possibly thousands of dollars in products, trying to achieve.
I've had them in for 1 1/2 weeks now and I can tell you that I love them. I'm thrilled with not only the length but the thickness of "my hair." But I have gotten a few questions that I thought I would answer:
- How did they put them in?
Unlike the individual extensions that you always see half grown out on Brittany Spears, these ones are a band of hair that is sewn into my hair about 1/2 way down the back of my head. They use my real hair to sew the band on, and then a tiny metal clap is used to secure the hair.
Did it hurt?
No - but I will let you know that I have an abnormally high tolerance to head/hair pain. I always joke that my head was desensitized after years of having to have massive tangles combed out of the back of my head.
Is it human hair? Yes - from Europe. But it has gone through a huge process to clean it and sanitize it. Here is more information on the actual extensions: www.nxshair.com
Can you wash it and brush it as normal?
Yes. I wash it in the shower with my normal shampoo. I'm just careful when washing it. When I brush it, I have to use a boar's hair brush.
Does it itch? A little. Not enough that I would get them removed. And let's be honest, I'm not sure if it's the extensions that itch or the constant talk of head lice being found at Lucas' school that's causing my head to tingle.
How long does it last? According to the information on the hair, the piece will last 4-6 months. I do have to go in every 4-6 weeks to get it tightened.
Will it ruin my hair? I really hope not. :) I've been told no. The clamps are not permanent and can be removed without damaging the hair. Which is why they can remove the piece and tighten it.
Final Thoughts:
I will admit that that I was worried about it. For about a week, NOT ONE PERSON mentioned it. While on one hand I thought it meant it looked totally natural, the paranoia in me took over and I kept thinking that it looked really bad/fake and no one wanted to tell me that it looked like I had plastic Barbie hair. Not to mention that Zoe kept stroking it while singing songs from Tangled...I was getting a little nervous. Then it happened - someone commented on how long my hair had gotten, then a few more people noted about how beautiful and thick my hair is. And now? I'm hooked. And tossing my head around a lot.
*If you would like to see what all the other SDMOMfia Mama's said about Blow Dry Boot Camp at Detour Salon, please check out the post here. If you want to join the MOMfia at one of our fun events, "like" us on Facebook and keep an eye out for our next great event!
A bit of a confession. About 5 months I grabbed one of those San Diego Daily Save deals for Latisse eyelash enhancer. At $49 dollars, this was a STEAL as the goods usually go for about $120. And yes, it worked. And no, it didn't turn my blue eyes brown (FYI: My eyes do have a brownish circle. Always have.)
I have to say, I love Latisse. Singing from the rooftops love. Big puffy heart LURRRVE.
And I'm out.
Sigh.
I usually have 2-4 different types of mascara on tap. I'm one of those women who can't pick up a prescription at RiteAid without buying a mascara. I also can't walk past Sephora without popping into to try out a member of their ridiculously expensive elite mascaras. Somehow, over the past few weeks, I've run down my selection. I had been alternating between Maybelline's Lash Stiletto (Glossy Black, waterproof) and Anastasia lash lifting, (also Black).
The issue I have with waterproof is that I can never get it off. Even using the mascara remover from the same company, the Maybelline mascara while FABULOUS on, does not come off. The long term problem with that? I think that not being able to properly remove mascara leads to lash fall out or break off. I end up scrubbing my eyes to hard (SO bad for those of us beginning to face aging concerns) and I can feel my lashes sticking to my eyelash curler when I use it the next morning.
Facing a drastic decrease in lash fabulosity, at a quick Target run this week I picked up Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara (black). Knowing how well Latisse worked for me, I was hoping that this mascara would be all I ever needed.
With a quick once over of the packaging, I noticed a very bold marketing statement:
*96% saw instantly longer, lusher lashes
Being on a quick diaper/toilet paper run, I saw the statistic, saw the name, and it grabbed me and I purchased the product. It was only later that I realized the sheer ridiculousness of this statement. I mean, I HOPE that 96% of women using mascara instantly see a difference in their lashes when they apply mascara. Isn't that the point?
Unfortunately, I seem to be in the rare 4% of the population, because post-application I saw NOTHING. Like there wasn't even mascara on the wand. I dipped again. Got a little something. Smeared the wand on my hand and got a black smudge, so I KNOW there is something in the tube... but still, nothing on the lashes.
I have to say in my 22 (or so) years of wearing mascara, I have never encountered one that did so little for my lashes as this product does. Even the clear mascara I wore as a young teen did more than this one.
My advice? Save your $8 and put towards your Latisse savings fund.
