Not your Mother's beauty blog. Or is it?
A mother-daughter duo provides brains on beauty.
Developed with a focus on an educational and healthy approach to beauty, Mother Blogger and The Working Girl track and test beauty products without any ulterior motives and without regard to brand influences.
To learn more than you ever wanted to know about the beauty intelligentsia, click here. You may contact us at GWBBBlog at gmail dot com.
Established in October of 2006
All rights reserved.
See what products are worth the splurge
Yes, it is Mother Blogger's and The Working Girl's fave beauty store -- they love a beauty store where the staff knows them my name -- but that doesn't mean every product on the shelves is perfect. The ones on this list, however, are so check them out before your next trip to the mall.
See buys
Even if you rarely curl your hair, a good curling iron is always nice to have in your bathroom. It's an easy way to spruce up your look and can even double as a flat iron in a pinch. So to find your perfect iron, check out these reviews from TotalBeauty.com readers. They told us which will give swoon-worthy curls -- and which will just leave your hair fried.
See irons
The Worst: No. 3: TIGI Bed Head Tourmaline Nano-Ceramic Styling Iron 1", $31.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6
"[It] makes my hair dry … plus the handle and the whole rest of the machine gets just as hot as the barrel …"
The Best: No. 8: TIGI Hardcore Curl Stick, $99.95
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8
It "gives more natural-looking results than a curling or flat iron … hello, imperfectly perfect curls!"
No. 7: Conair Instant Heat 1" Curling Iron, $14.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.3
"It shuts off automatically … no longer do I leave home and wonder if the house might burn down …"
Want to see the rest of the list? Click here!
Check out the top 11 Web sites, TV and phone apps that'll make your beauty world a prettier place.
You've seen the commercials: "Yep, there's an app for that." And it's true; there is a site or app for just about everything beauty-related, antiaging-related, and hair-related you could ever want. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which ones are really worth your time? Total Beauty has found the best of the best and are sharing them with you.
Check them out
With so many skin care, hair care, and makeup products vying for your attention (and dollars), how do you ever determine which products are best? Paula Begoun and her Cosmetics Cop team show you their top picks so you can start the New Year with a smart new look!
10 Best Drugstore Facial Products
Notes: Very good gentle cleanser that feels silky and completely removes all makeup; often stocked with Neutrogena makeup, not their skin care.
Notes: Very good fragrance-free water soluble cleanser for all skin types.
Notes: An excellent moisturizing body wash for winter-dry skin or eczema. Fragrance-free.
Notes: Hands-down, one of the best body lotions anywhere due to its exemplary formula. It doesn’t leave skin greasy, either. Make sure you purchase the Green Tea formula, as it is the most state-of-the-art among the Quench moisturizers.
Notes: Another top body lotion owing to its sophisticated formula that’s fragrance-free and great for dry, sensitive skin.
Notes: A fragrance-free, lightweight, pH-correct AHA product with 10% glycolic acid.
Notes: There are few state-of-the-art daytime moisturizers with sunscreen at the drugstore. Although pricey, this certainly qualifies as a brilliant formula that competes with considerably more expensive SPF-rated facial moisturizers from the department store.
Notes: A gentle, mineral-based sunscreen that’s also fragrance-free. Great for rosacea-affected skin.
Notes: A very good nighttime moisturizer with retinol and antioxidants. Also fragrance-free. And yes, this is still being made even though Neutrogena offers similar products on their Ageless line.
Notes: One of the only benzoyl peroxide/anti-acne products at the drugstore that doesn’t contain needless irritants.
10 Best Drugstore Makeup Products
Notes: Beautiful liquid foundation with broad-spectrum sun protection and a great range of mostly neutral shades for fair to dark skin tones.
Notes: Everything a great pressed powder should be, at a very reasonable price plus beautiful shades
Notes: A long-wearing, crease-free liquid concealer on one end, subtle highlighter on the other. Ideal!
Notes: One of CG’s best foundations without sunscreen, it looks amazingly skin-like and lasts.
Notes: An excellent cream-to-powder blush that gives skin a lit-from-within glow.
Notes: Smartly-coordinated sets with a smooth texture, good color payoff, and true matte finish.
Notes: A very good eye pencil with impressive longevity. Doesn’t need sharpening.
Notes: No sharpening plus a smooth, soft application and flattering colors make this brow pencil a must-try.
Notes: Lash Blast in the orange tube gives ample thickness and length, while the one in the yellow tube provides less thickness but makes lashes inordinately long. Both are impressive.
Notes: An inexpensive creamy lipstick that provides rich color and a finish that’s not overly slippery. Great shades, too.
10 Best Drugstore Hair-Care Products
Notes: Great shampoo that’s nearly identical to Aveeno’s Nourish + Moisture Shampoo. Both are good for normal to dry hair that’s slightly coarse, curly, or thick.
Notes: Excellent shampoo for all hair types, but especially good for fine hair.
Notes: Although this contains a fragrant plant extract, the scent is subtle and doesn’t change the fact that this is a very good gentle shampoo for all hair types.
Notes: A standard, but good leave-in conditioner for dry hair that’s comparable to much costlier products from Kerastase (Garnier and Kerastatse are owned by L’Oreal).
Notes: Good lightweight, spray-on conditioner for those with fine or thin hair.
Notes: Every Pantene conditioner is great (and they’re all similar) but this one has a subtle scent that doesn’t overpower. Use sparingly on fine or thin hair, lavishly on thick, coarse hair.
Notes: Ignore the long/curly/wavy hair claim; this is a great conditioner for normal to dry hair of any thickness.
Notes: This won’t completely shield hair from humidity and its hold isn’t ultra strong, but it works great as a finishing spray for all hair types.
Notes: A well-formulated styling spray for all hair types. Alcohol-free and loaded with helpful conditioning agents. Benefits curly or straight hair, especially if it is fine or thin.
Notes: A great styling/straightening cream that also works to tame frizzies and add shine. Versatile, but too thin for those with very thick or coarse hair, who’d do better with a silicone serum or pomade, of which there are plenty of good ones available.
For the latest new product reviews, reference Beautypedia.com, the completely searchable, continually updated version of Paula's book, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. It features over 40,000 detailed product reviews for only $24.95/year.
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The Working Girl on Allure's Breakthrough Award, the Tria Hair Removal System
Photothermolysis is the process by which the TRIA Hair Removal System’s laser energy targets the dark pigment in the hair, where it is transformed into heat that disables the hair follicle.
Photothermolysis.
Say what?
Call it laser hair removal.
Call it effective.
The TRIA Hair Removal System delivers smooth, hairless skin in as little as four months. Skip the doctor's office and save mucho deniro.
My experience...
Since my one-time visit to the salon to get my bikini area waxed, I have been hesitant to do anything but shave. The experience was painful during and after.
My palms were sweating.
My legs were shaking.
My walk looked like Humpty Dumpty's.
It simply ruined my day.
I slowly and meticulously read the directions to the Tria Hair Removal System. I called the 800 number to answer the few simple questions and activate the laser device.
I charged the bad boy up and I was ready to get rid of some hair.
I started at the lowest setting.
Warmth permeated down my underwear line.
I can handle it. Give me some more power. Highest setting it is.
A slight tingle but nothing like my waxing experience. It took about 10 minutes for me to do my bikini area thoroughly.
Ahh. First treatment complete.
Now, for three months I will repeat this process with ease every two weeks and then again, once a month for three months. I am utterly ecstatic with the system and can't wait to see the results!
Visit the website to get more information on the product, the process, and the technology at www.triabeauty.com.
Jessica Lange is featured in the May issue of Town and Country magazine wearing Jill Sander and Akris.
The special home issue also features the Hamptons, the storied stretch of villages and beaches on Long Island. In this issue, examples are shown of charming and eccentric residences. It made us want to wax poetic...
What else is in the issue?
Town and Country's Favorite Foundations:
Must-Dos for May:
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