Posted on Mar 31, 2009 at 10:58AM
L'Oreal Paris Excellence To-Go
Reviewed by Jamie
Save yourself hours at the salon and some moola with the new L'Oreal hair color kit that processes in just ten minutes.
I'm always a bit hesitant to try at-home hair coloring products because of countless mishaps with them.
Brassiness.
Orange.
Yellow.
Dry.
Brittle.
Forget those adjectives with the new and improved, time-efficient way to get your roots back to fab not drab.
It's great for the working mom or professional woman with little time to waste with salon visits and oopsy moments with at-home color.
Why do I love this product?
- Less ammonia content and a more pleasant smell.
- Doesn't burn the scalp.
- Even color result.
- New dye technology consolidates the hair cuticle.
- Full gray coverage -- ahem, note to Mother Blogger.
Results:
Amazing! Finally, a natural looking blonde (9 Light Natural Blonde) that complements my skin tone and left my hair soft and silky, not fake and brassy!
Available at www.lorealparis.com and chain drug, food, and mass market retailers ($9.49).
Click here to save $3.00.
Related Articles:
Posted on Feb 5, 2009 at 8:57AM
Beauty Products Review: Ms. Pedicure
If your winter tootsies are as rough as a pumice stone, then you need to give Ms. Pedicure a call! Ms. Pedicure introduced five new products for spring 2009. The collection has been revamped in girly pink and white stripes, giving Ms. Pedicure a sassy and chic look with a playful edge for her spring lineup.
Ms. Pedicure's lineup includes the following:
- The Foot Spahh: Ah, the utlimate luxury for reviving tired legs and feet. ($12.99)
- Smooth Talker: Tool to stop calluses before they even start. ($4.99)
- Heeling Fine: Intensive cream that smoothes and softens heels. Contains shea butter. ($3.99)
- Smoothy Groovy: Foot brush and pumice stone combo ($2.99)
- Rock n' Sole: Pumice stone ($1.99)
Don't think that Ms. Pedicure diss'd your nails. Also new for spring is Ms. Manicure's Handy Dandy Mani. This kit is packed with everything you need to keep nails looking their best. It's the perfect size to throw in your handbag for touch-ups. ($9.99)
WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT MS. PEDICURE AND MS. MANICURE:
- Easy to use
- How-To and professional tips included on each product
- Quality tools
- Budget-friendly: With the initial outlay costing $27, you are already ahead of the game
- Ms. Manicure and Ms. Pedicure's updated look makes doing-it-yourself more palatable
Any woman or girl on your Valentine list would love any product from the Ms. Pedicure or Ms. Manicure line. To purchase the products, go to mspedicure.com.
Click here for other beauty product reviews on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.
Click here for current articles on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.
Click here for most popular articles on Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog.
Posted on Jul 15, 2008 at 3:00PM
Beauty Product Review: Nikkel Medical Grade Microdermabrasion Kit (for in-home use) -- Microdermx - New!
What is Microdermx? Read the review.
Posted on Apr 5, 2008 at 1:52PM
After a long, hard week, girls, there is nothing like the weekend to pamper your face, and with neither time nor money, who wants to spend their hard-earned dollars on a salon facial? Follow these 7 easy steps to soothe your skin, and as an added bonus, soothe your frazzled wallet, too.
- Cleanse face. Drop four green tea or chamomile tea bags into a pot of boiling water.
- Apply an exfoliating scrub with fruit enzymes.
- After boiling the tea and water for three minutes, remove from heat. Hold your face 12 inches above it, close your eyes, and using a towel, create a tent over your head and pot.
- After three minutes, rinse off exfoliant and pat dry.
- Apply a face mask that is suited to your complexion.
- Put your feet up and relax until it is time to remove the face mask.
- Rinse and blot dry. Immediately apply your moisturizer.
With the money you saved by performing the facial at home, you could take your significant other out to dinner tonight, put $100 in your vacation fund, or pick something up in a hot spring color. Now that's brains on beauty.
Enjoy!
Posted on Mar 10, 2008 at 12:08PM
Today Show's US Weekly contributor, Jill Martin, offered 10 clever beauty and fashion secrets this morning. These smart tips du jour may not change your life, but they could make you feel perkier, more uplifted, fresher, sizzling, or smooth and glossy.
- Cleavage Cupcakes for the perky-breast-challenged woman.
- Butt Booster for the Does-this-make-my-a**-look-big woman.
- Go Smile Touch Up Minis for the after-5-too-much-wine woman.
- Preparation H for the puffy-eyed woman...and other puffiness. (Apply a few drops under your eyes to reduce puffiness. I think the jury is still out on this eye enhancement.)
- Swab Plus cotton tips filled with eye makeup remover for the drama queen and teary-eyed woman. (For your purse -- brains on beauty!)
- Silver makeup bag that morphs into an evening bag for zee drinks-after-work woman. (From Blue Tree NYC . Ooh la la!. You will love zee very French muzeek at Phoebe Cates' site, too.)
- Wearing fishnet hose worn over nude hose for the inclement-weather woman.
- Fabric softener for the fuzzy-fluffed or kinky-quilled woman. (Rub fabric softener over the frizzies.)
- Baking soda for the mephitic-maned or malodorous-mopped woman. (Rub a bit of baking soda into hair.)
- Baby powder for the lubricative-locked or saponaceous-stranded woman. (Rub a bit of baby powder into hair.)
Posted on Mar 5, 2008 at 11:55AM
Apparently we have been living in the dark this winter because on one of our rare sunny days, The Hubster looked at me and said, "You've got a mustache!!!" My hormones, or lack therof, created a hirsute fringe on my upper lip. Indeed our society, and The Hubster, seems to have grown more “trichophobic” - phobic about body hair -- my body hair! -- but my response was an unemotional "Whatever." (Do you know what that means in women's code?)
After pretending like the offending hairs didn't faze me, I sprinted to the bathroom faster than Jackie Joyner-Kersee, best woman sprinter of all time, to start the War on Hairs. If I was a patient woman, I would wait and have it waxed at a salon, but no-o-o-o, we were going out to dinner with friends, so I had to remove the fuzzy foe. Without much time, I had four options:
- Tweezing: I tried to squeeze the hairy hysteria off of my upper lip but it was taking too long and was too painful. It's also not wise to pull the hair out by the root because it injures the skin. After repeated attempts of plucking, you can end up with round, hard bumps like that of a skinless plucked chicken. Not a good look.
- Snipping with scissors: This option is better than plucking but it doesn't last as long.
- Bleaches, waxing, and depilatories: Although I have a few beauty products of that ilk in my beauty product graveyard, in the past, I have removed part of my epidermis with such products, so I will leave that to the professionals.
- Although I don't generally use a razor, it is an effective way to remove hair. Despite widespread belief to the contrary, removing hair by a razor or other means does not make it grow in faster or darker. So I pulled out my Seiko Facial Shaver that I use for shaving delicate places and said, "Bye-bye mustachio!" I have shaved my facial peach fuzz many times before and it has never grown back as anything but peach fuzz.
Brains on Beauty: Although option No. 4 worked the best in this scenario, for longer results, I would still opt for professional waxing at a salon or electrolysis or laser performed by a dermatologist. For a list of other options, please check Women's Health for further defuzzing treatments.
Sources: Hormone Help Center , Women's Health, Seiko
Posted on Feb 24, 2008 at 7:00AM
Yesterday, this dogged blogger spent a good part of Saturday afternoon at the veterinarian's office with The Haute Dog. I love this dog like a son, but he is a
Drama Queen! (I wonder where he gets it from.) On one occasion last year, The Haute Dog had what turned out to be a gas pain that psychologically and physically paralyzed him. Truly! He flipped over on his back with all four legs extended straight in the air, looking like rigor mortis had set in. So I tend to ignore his theatrics. I bet you are wondering how I discovered how to get a professional looking manicure in minutes via The Haute Dog. Stay with me, girls.
On Friday afternoon, I found The Haute Dog had maneuvered and strategically placed a warm heating pad over his head and abdomen. That night, in an attempt to climb the stairs to go to his bed, he gingerly traversed the steps as if he were an injured skier with stitches in his paws. Saturday morning, he went on a food strike. He wouldn't eat his standard Saturday morning meal -- an omelet -- or his dog food.
Adding these new symptoms to an already established anatomical male condition, I thought we better make the trek to the vet's office. Three hours and $250 later, I am told that Drama Queen has colitis -- gas! -- again! --which finally brings me to my nails.
I had intended to get my nails done on Saturday afternoon, but alas, the beagle's antics took center stage. Minutes before leaving for a party, I took a look at my raw fingers and ghastly fingernails that had been marinating in DIF, a fast-acting wallpaper removal product, for most of Friday.
Thankfully I had in my beauty product graveyard Avon's Instant French Manicure Dry Nail Enamel Strips that I had purchased last summer but tossed aside because I thought my lack of dexterity would be an issue.
As it turned out, my daughter was home for the weekend, so she did the honors of the application. We both think the strips look better than a salon manicure, partially because my nails were so brittle from the DIF marinade. In addition, we both think they would be a bit tricky for somebody to apply on their own, but I give them 4 out of 5 paws for their professional look.
If any of you women have your own Drama Queen housed in your abode (be it, human or dog), keep a stash of Avon's Instant Enamel Strips in your cosmetic case. In minutes, you can leave the drama behind and head out the door to your party with professional looking nails.
Posted on Feb 19, 2008 at 7:10AM
We know you girls and women don't have time to sit in a salon chair for an hour every week to get your nails done. In 2 minutes in the privacy of your own home you can perform your own manicure. Nic's Sticks by OPI are a multi-tasker's best friend -- just pump, paint, and go. For women who like to pack their lives in their handbags, Nic's Sticks are handbag-friendly and ready for application just in the nick of time. Once again, OPI names are more fun than a barrel of monkeys:
- For the Midwest girl, Snow Time To Wait is apropos. (We are expecting five more inches of the white stuff today.)
- For the smart college student, Cram For An Exam, adds an extra two minutes on to your partying -- err, studying time.
- For the elementary school parking lot diva, Carpool Mama will keep your nails impeccably painted while you are pointing out how your kid was already accepted at Harvard.
- For the high school girl, Text Me, should keep you out of the principal's office.
- For the jet setter, Red-Eye to New York will have you landing on time.
- And for The Woman, Catch Ya Later.
Go to Nicole OPI to see how Nic's Sticks look on you. Because this product is so new, we were unable to locate any reviews on this product at this time. Since The Woman started tearing down wallpaper with a fresh mani -- where was her brain? -- she will go to Target today and purchase Catch Ya Later and report the findings to you girls tomorrow. Nic's Sticks are also available at selected locations of Wal-Mart, and Meijer.
Catch Ya Later...
Posted on Nov 29, 2007 at 7:16AM
Are you ready to surgically rearrange your anatomy? Well, don't cut off your nose to spite your face! Give a few of these natural beauty tricks a test drive before you nip, tuck, or supersize anything.
Aging Fabulously : The post lists the top 50 skin creams according to beauty retailers.
Care by Stella McCartney Radiance+Youth Elixir: Stella's eco-friendly cream contains organic ingredients that stimulates the collagen in your skin.
Jurlique Wrinkle Softener Beauty Cream: Jurlique's cream delights your olfactory senses in an herbal antioxidant formula.
Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel: Juice's brew soothes redness and reveals newer skin. Cheers!
Abrioné Microdermabrasion Facial Scrub: Abrione's scrub renews your skin via intense exfoliation. (According to one of the top over-50 beauties, Christie Brinkley, using a loofah and a mega exfoliating scrub will keep your skin from aging as quickly. You can see the full article of the beautiful Christie at Self.com).
Dr. Hauschka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream: Dr. Hauschka's eye cream wakes up the area around your eyes using mango, pineapple and rose oils. Doc's recipe is good enough to eat.
Juice Beauty Lip Plumper: Juice's Beauty Lip plumper amplifies your smoochers with a sugary-sweet, kiss-me-now mega-lip gloss.
The truth: Retin-A (by prescription only) and sunscreens with Mexoryl or Helioplex get my derm's highest recommendation. Dr. Derm suggests saving your dollars and using drugstore products Roc or Oil of Olay. She recently added Prevage to my regimen, in lieu of Skin Medica's TNS Recovery Complex System, but in my opionion, the jury is still out on the effectiveness. I switched a month ago to Prevage so I will give it a few more months before I share my assessment. I will share this truth: A girlfriend of mine is using Skin Medica and her skin looks positively radiant, and Bobbi Brown uses TNS in her skin therapy (Okay, I know I should document where I read that Bobbi uses TNS, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I read that. Sorry. Trust me, I did read that beauty secret.)
The naked truth: I wish I had used my brain and listened to my dear old dad, who is now a sagacious octogenarian, when he advised me to wear sunscreen in my 20s and 30s! It would have saved me many wrinkles and many dollars!
Most of the beauty products that I mentioned can be purchased from Sephora. A special thanks to the local Sephora. Natalie, the store manager, graciously donated the time of two makeup artistes for the Christ Child Society fashion show and luncheon. Since I will be behind the scenes, any secret beauty tricks I absorb will be posted here. Shhhh!
