7th Day of Beauty - Treat Your Tresses

Christmas is a week from now! We're only seven days away, friends!

Around a week ago I wrote about how important deep conditioning is for your hair. Today, a week prior to Christmas, is a great day to treat both your hair and your scalp to a moisture bath. There are many methods of locking moisture into your hair, whether it be hair masks or deep conditioners, but not many of these treatments are good for your scalp. The most important thing to remember when it comes to hair is that a healthy scalp brings healthy hair, so you should really take good care of it.


What can you do to moisturize your scalp and hair at the same time? My favorite hair treatment of all: hot oil. There are tons of different hot oil treatments out there, and it can be difficult to pick the right one. If you go to Walgreens or CVS, chances are you won’t have as many options as you would at a beauty supply store. While VO5 treatments are the most popular and affordable, they aren’t the best you can find.

My favorite hot oil treatment is Proclaim Olive Hot Oil. At $0.99 a bottle (one treatment per bottle) it’s extremely affordable and available from Sally Beauty Supply. Coming from an Italian family, we are taught all the benefits of olive oil in the old country. My ancestors apparently used olive oil for everything…hand and face moisturizer, lip conditioner, even to help keep a regular digestive system…why wouldn’t we put it on our hair too?

To use the hot oil treatment most effectively, place the tube you choose into hot tap water to warm up. Shower and shampoo as you regularly do, and towel dry your hair once you’re finished. Open the hot oil treatment and apply liberally to your scalp. Work through with your fingers, again, concentrating first on your scalp, and then working through the rest of your hair. This treatment is even better if you have someone that can rub it into your scalp for you…it’s extremely relaxing, and who doesn’t like a great scalp massage?

Once you’ve worked the oil through your hair (use up the entire bottle) place a shower cap over your head and wait ten to fifteen minutes. If you have long hair, feel free to clip it up so you don’t have to worry about it falling out of the cap. I stay in the steamy bathroom while I wait for my hot oil treatment to finish. The heat in the bathroom helps the oil stay active for a longer period of time than it would if you were in a room temperature atmosphere.

Once your ten to fifteen is up, jump back in the shower and rinse out your hair. IMPORTANT TIP: make sure you soap up your back, shoulders, chest and face so the oil doesn’t sit on your skin and clog your pores. Once you’re finished in the shower, I suggest you give your hair some time to rest. Comb out gently with a wide tooth comb, and if you must blow dry, don’t dry your hair completely.

You will see a difference in your hair’s shine, softness and manageability. Your scalp will feel refreshed and comfortable. I try to do a hot oil treatment at least once a month, but in the summer I treat my hair more frequently to keep my hair and scalp protected from the heat and chlorinated pool water. The results last quite a while, and you will realize how helpful this is once you see the results you get!

Your scalp and hair will be in great shape for Christmas!

9th Day of Beauty - Find the Perfect Accessories

We all know the best way to make any great outfit even better is to accessorize. Where can you get great accessories that won’t break your bank during the season when most of us have absolutely no money? And how do you accessorize without looking like you got lost in your grandmother’s costume jewelry drawer?

First off, remember that accessories aren’t limited just to jewelry. Think of all the other places you can wear a little sparkle: your hair, belts, shoes, even your glasses (if you need them, no poked out lenses please) can add a ton to your style! If you have longer hair, you can pretty much add anything to it to bedazzle yourself a little more. Headbands, clips and great gem-encrusted hair ties can really bring your hairstyle over the top.

My favorite place to get hair accessories? A great website named Dressy Tresses. They may be a little more on the pricey side, but the quality is great, and it definitely wins over all the cheaper places that sell accessories. They use great crystals that don't fall out if the items are dropped or messed with. Also, unlike some accessories that seem to have great crystals, they don't get dull or lose any of their sheen over time.

I probably have the biggest hips in the world for someone my weight, so I usually buy all my belts from New York & Co. I actually just bought a great black sparkle belt from there for $12! Not all of their belts are so blinged out, but they definitely are tough enough to make you look a little hardcore.

The only other place I've been able to find belts is Burlington Coat Factory, but it's totally a hit or miss type of store. Since Burlington is kind of like TJ Maxx and Marshalls (they get all the overstocks from great brands that have nowhere else to sell) the types of products they have change every time you go. Burlington is definitely my favorite place for shoes, though!

So where's the best place to buy some high quality costume jewelry? Ugh, there's so many I can't pinpoint one! If you're going for something with higher quality, New York & Co can help you out there. Their prices are slightly higher to go along with the great quality. Charlotte Russe, Claire's and Target all have great accessories that hold up pretty well for a cheap price.

Don't forget you can always wear your REAL jewelry too, but keep it to a minimum. I know someone, who shall remain nameless, that has somewhat of an obsession with jewelry and wears multiples to the max. Rings on every finger for both hands, multiple necklaces and crazy amounts of bracelets...the walking jackpot for criminals. Don't draw this much attention to yourself, you will definitely look ridiculous.

 

If you're wearing your hair back, try wearing a great pair of chandelier earrings with some great colored crystals. Remember, you don't have to match your outfit, wear whatever color you think works well with your ensemble. Wearing something a little lower cut? Go with a sexy drop necklace that will draw just enough attention to that area (please, don't wear an over the top necklace that makes your chest look like a huge reflective sign). My favorite necklaces have a little shine, but are mostly earthy looking stones that accentuate the colors I'm wearing.

It's Christmas...all about peace, love and joy. Try to make amends with family members you may not get along with that well. The accessories you choose can be great conversation starters to work with family members you don't necessarily mesh with.

 

What is your favorite way to accessorize? Do you have a go-to place for your accessory needs?

10th Day of Beauty - Pick & Play with Your Hair Tools

My new obsession as my hair is continuing to grow is all the different hair tools out there that I haven’t been able to use in about four years. Before I chopped my hair off, I could have done anything to it, and it would hold. It was super long, super manageable and in great condition- all key factors in giving yourself a great heat style.


I’ve written recently about my love for Bed Head’s triple barrel waver, so I won’t gloat about it again (I do think, however, this is what I will use to style my hair for Christmas Eve). There are so many tools out there that can give your hair extra body, extra curl, make it extra flat and straight…anything you’re looking to achieve can be done!

So how do you pick the right tool to use to get you the ultimate look? More importantly, how do you pick the right style for the day? I’ll be telling you my favorite tools to get you the most popular hairstyles, and hopefully help you pick out what will work best for you on Christmas day.

Pin Straight Hair

I’ve love straightening my curly hair, mostly because it’s such a different look from what I’m used to seeing. I’ve gone through a couple of straighteners, but finally found two great tools that give me the best straight hair I can get. If you have super thick and super texturized hair (like me) it can be hard to find something that gets hot enough to work with your hair properly.

My favorite flat iron is a half-inch iron by Helen of Troy, which heats up to a crazy hot 450 degrees and never steers me wrong. It’s lined with the oh-so-popular ceramic plates, so it won’t damage your hair as much as some other tools do, and doesn’t snag individual strands. If you don’t need that much heat to work with your hair, there’s a great, easy to adjust heat toggle on the front that can range anywhere from 0 – 450 degrees.

Helen of Troy products are available at Sally’s Beauty Supply. If you’re not a fan of straighteners because of the horrible crease mishaps that can happen, you can always try my other favorite straightening tool, the InStyler!

InStyler…where do I start discussing my love for this tool? Well, let me start with the one negative I have about it: It freakin’ hurts when you burn yourself with it! I’ve never really burned myself with a heating tool before, but I seem to have horrible luck with this guy. Because of the bulky size, I’ve burned my ears, my neck, my scalp, my back and my fingers. A colleague at my last job used to burn her cheeks constantly from her InStyler. Maybe I just need to be more careful…

So what’s great about this tool? The rotating barrel and comb combination leave you with silky, beautifully straight hair with no frizz. It creates great flips, but can straighten your hair under as well. It also can create great body by pulling your hair out with the comb part underneath. It has three heat levels (I always leave mine the hottest) and if you’re an airhead like me, it has an automatic off if it’s left on and idle for too long. It’s a pricey item, but it’s been worth every penny since I got it!

Curly Hair

As mentioned in the 12th day of beauty article, big, soft curls are totally in this year, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon. I haven’t been able to do this style myself, but I’ve heard some great things about the Hot Tools 2111 Ceramic Tourmaline two inch curling iron. I’ve been told it heats up in a flash and the curls it creates come out perfectly big and bouncy. It heats up to 430 degrees and even comes with replacement springs, so if your curling iron pops you can fix it yourself. I’ve had the Hot Tools gigantic dinosaur straightener for more than eight years and it still works awesome.

Looking for tight, Shirley Temple curls? I’d go to Hot Tools for this also. They have a huge variety of different one inch curling irons that can definitely give you those adorable ringlets.

A few tips to remember when playing with heat tools:

• Don’t forget your heat protecting products. Use this before you dry your hair to make sure you don’t blow dry your hair to death or fry your ends. My favorite heat protecting tool is Sleek Look by Matrix. It’s a great crème that has always helped my hair by keeping it protected while I torture it.

• Make sure your hair is completely dry before you start styling with tools. Wet hair leads to crazy hot steam and burns, and also totally jacks up your hair.

• Day old dirty hair is the best for heat styles. The natural oils in your hair help to hold curls better than freshly cleaned hair.

• Hairspray should set every style you do. Don’t over-do it and give yourself crunchy hair though.

Playing around with the style before the day you will be wearing it is a great way to get adjusted and learn how to use your tools well. Practicing can give you ideas on how to style it once you get the texture you want, teach you what to do and what not to do while working with the tools, and show you how well your hair products will hold the style.

12th Day of Beauty - Get Inspired!

Find a great style on either a celebrity or something you’ve seen in a magazine that you’ve always wanted to try, and go for it! There are only a certain number of days in the year that you can go all out and try new things, why not make Christmas one of them?

Is there one look you’ve seen over and over again but never had the opportunity to try? Is there one celebrity whose style is so amazing that you’d want to give it a whirl? GO FOR IT! Whether it be their clothing, hair or makeup that you’re super impressed with, try your best to embody the style and make it your own.

Clothing, as mentioned in a previous article, has been sequined up, and I don’t see the trend ending anytime soon. Wear something that a celebrity who inspires you is known for, and bring their confidence with you wherever you go.

Soft curls have been all the rage this year (I can’t wait for my hair to get long enough so I can rock them myself!) and the one tool I can’t wait to try when my hair does get long enough is Infinit by Conair’s You Style Multi-Functional Styling Iron ($41.99).

This tool straightens (or de-frizzes) and creates perfect soft curls at the same time. I was absolutely amazed by the ads I've seen on television, and I feel it'd be perfect for people like me who have to straighten before curling, Like every Conair product I’ve tried, it’s inexpensive and gives you great value.

The makeup looks I’m hearing that are favorites this season? Plain and simple: Victoria’s Secret. The dreamy, sexy bedroom eye look has always been in, but the Victoria’s Secret fashion show this year blew everyone away.

To get this look, use soft and luminescent colors (pearly, not shimmery) in neutral tones close to your skin color. You will only need three shades besides your regular eyeliner and mascara: a highlighter, lid color and contour color. I’ve created my take on the Victoria's Secret eye below:

Highlighting Color: Wet N’ Wild’s Idol Eyes Crème Shadow in Pixie

Shadow Color: Being True’s Eye Shadow Pan in Sandstone

Contour Color: Being True’s Eye Shadow Pan in Myrrh

A few tricks to get this exact look (*NOTE: the flash has made the colors appear lighter):

• Apply a pencil that can smudge right into your lash line on the top as well as the bottom. Line your water line on top, but stay away from your water line on the bottom.

• Take a densely packed eyeshadow brush and add some color along the bottom lash line of your eye. I used the lighter color to add a little highlight.

• Pick a great mascara to volumize and lengthen your lashes. Try some false lashes for an over the top look.

Follow these steps pictured to get this great look! Want to make it a little extra sexy? Use some darker shades and stay with a nude lip.

Whatever it is that you’ve been dying to try, pick it out and try it out for Christmas! I know you will get tons of compliments, ensuring yourself of how beautiful you truly are!

Product Review: Leonor Greyl Masque Fleurs de Jasmin

Attempting to grow my hair out has been a traumatic process. In July, after growing it for about five months, my hair stylist (I should say, EX HAIR STLYIST) chopped my hair to what I thought was the point of no return. After another five months, I'm finally getting somewhere. Recently a good friend who is an amazing hair stylist work on my head to give me a beautiful updo. I was shocked when she said my hair was in such great condition, considering I haven't gotten it cut in such a long time.

I think one of the reasons my hair is so healthy and smooth is due to Leonor Greyl's Fleurs de Jasmin hair mask. I got this product last year from a blogger convention and have been in love with it since I started using it. I've used it as a weekly treatment for about eight months now (I think since I have such short hair, the life of this product has been rediculous) and it's been working wonders on the texture of my hair.

Having curly hair, I've always had issues with frizz. When I straighten my hair, it gets extremely puffy. I've been looking for a great conditioning treatment for quite some time, and finally got it. This hair mask has given moisture back to my hair, and locks it in so it lasts all week. Frizz is no more, my curls hold great shape and aren't weighed down, since this deep treatment is SO light. When I straighten my hair, there is no more puffiness.

I've tried a ton of different deep conditioners and hair masks but have never experienced the results I've gotten from Leonor Greyl's. This tub of hair goodness is $57, and worth every penny!

Have you had any experiences with deep conditioners or hair masks?

Bed Head Waver - One of My Favorite Hair Tools EVER!

I've been posting a ton about makeup and hair products on this blog and decided to post something about hair tools.

Being that I have been going out for an exceptional amount of birthday parties recently, this weekend I went all out and did something special to my hair instead of letting it curl naturally or straighten it. One of my big problems with going to nightclubs is hair...whenever it's straight it gets rediculously frizzy (it's naturally curly, so it get's to look like a hot mess) and whenever it's curly it goes straight.

I was beginning to think that crazy club hair was just going to be part of life, until I found the Bed Head Waver about two years ago at Target. It was about $50 (it's about $30 now), which was a stretch for me to buy since I'm not too big on hair tools, but I thought it'd be worth it. Man, was I right...I LOVE this thing!

I find that it works best when your hair isn't freshly washed. The cleaner your hair, the less hold there is to the styling tool. I also tend to spritz each section with hairspray before waving it, which makes a horrifying crackling noise and leaves residue on the waver, but gives you a great look that holds all night long.

The second thing to remember with this tool, especially if you have long hair, is to remember that you need the barrel waves to MATCH as you bring it down your hair. You have to make sure that wherever the wave ends, start the next to make an even flow. Once you try it out a couple of times you will definitely get how to do it, especially since not matching makes you look pretty messy.

I've posted a picture of how I waved my hair with the Bed Head waver on Friday.

What do you think of the waved look? Is this a tool you would try?

Product Review: Redken Sheer Straight 06

Hope everyone's weekends went great! I took this weekend as an opportunity to try a whole bunch of different products - one of which being Redken's Sheer Straight 06.

I'm getting pretty used to my InStyler now, and decided to try it out with some different stying products. My usual straightening routine involves some type of volumizing gel, usually Aussie or Garnier. I blow dry and then go to my straightener. I was running out of my Aussie and received this Redken straightening gel just in time.

The texture of this gel is unique- it sort of feels like a gel cream due to it's coating ability and pearlescent coloring. I used only about a dime size amount on my shoulder length hair, and it coated nicely. It also smelled great, and didn't feel sticky at all.

I blow dried my hair the way I usually do, and was surprised to see the ton of frizz I usually wind up with (I don't necessarily take care when drying my hair) weren't all over the place like they usually are. My hair seemed instantly smoother and I was excited to see how it would work with the straightener.

When straightening, I noticed a HUGE amount of steam coming off of my hair. I figured it was from the heat protecting properties of the product, since most heat protection products let off an exceptional amount of steam. As long as it doesn't smell like burning hair I don't mind the smoke!

I found my hair was extremely smooth and really manageable after I finished styling. My hair felt and looked thicker, and I had no fly-aways or frizziness around my part. It also left no residue on my InStyler.

After a couple of tries, I decided this styling cream was definitely something I'd like to keep around. Redken products can be found at tons of different salons, and their website, Redken, gives you a list of places where you can buy their products to try.

Have you tried any Redken products?

Growing Hair Faster - Mane 'n Tail Shampoo?

Good Monday Morning everyone! Hope your weekends were great and everyone enjoyed their daylight saving's time extra hour of sleep.

I've been trying to grow my hair out since before my last hair cut- the angled bob cut is definitely my favorite, but the long luxurious locks I see on tv are starting to hypnotize me into wanting long hair again. Before I cut my hair up to my chin, I had extra long, down past the back of my bra hair that was thick and healthy.

I decided to try something new, and I was tired of having the straight on the bottom, curly on the top hair that I dealt with every day. Because I didn't have the proper hair cut, it made my hair straight on the bottom with my regular tight curls on top. I looked a hot mess 70% of the time, and eventually got sick of it.

I wish I had the abilities I have now to style my hair, I probably would have never chopped it off! Now that I'm trying to grow my hair out again, I haven't been handling the in between length of longer than a bob, nowhere close to being as long as I want it, very well.

Thanks to the internet, people's obsession with 'get results fast' products brings about some crazy results. When looking for ways to get my hair to grow healthier and faster (although I know all I need to do is wait...who wants to do that?) kept giving me the same kinds of answers. Prenatal vitamins, B vitamins, extensions, and Mane 'n Tail shampoo.

I'm not about to shell out tons of money to buy extensions or crazy vitamins I don't need, so I decided to try the Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioner. I used to use this shampoo when I was very young, but wanted to test the results and see if it actually made a difference. Wondering where the name came from? The shampoo and conditioner were originally formulated to be used on a horse's mane and tail (very creative, huh?) to keep the hair strong and protected from the elements.

I've been using this shampoo and conditioner for about three weeks, either every day or every other day. So far, I've noticed that my hair looks brighter and shinier. Since I do have curly hair, sometimes when I straighten it it's frizzy or fluffy before I use some kind of product in it, but I've noticed that these two products make my hair very smooth and manageable. Actually, I haven't been able to keep my hands out of my hair; I've never had it feel this soft.

Since I did use this shampoo and conditioner to see if it helped my hair grow longer, I will continue to use it daily. I haven't seen a change in length as of yet, but it has only been three weeks.

If you're interested in trying out Mane 'n Tail for yourself, it's available at Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. The products are VERY affordable, I paid $5 for each product and the bottle was HUGE. Check out their website, Mane 'n Tail.

Have you ever heard of or used Mane 'n Tail products? What was your experience like?

All Over Care for Summer

Summer's right around the corner, and it's important to think of how this will effect your beauty routine. There are many different aspects of your winterized beauty routine that will need to be changed to survive the sweltering heat! Check these beauty tips out:

HAIR

Easy on the Sun-In!
- Although everyone wants those sun-kissed strands to shine throughout the summer, sprays like this can dramatically change your hair's health. Although there are hair lightening ingredients in these types of sprays, there are also agents that can dry out ends and create a ton of frizz. Also, be careful with salt water and chlorinated pool water. These can dry you out super fast! Want your hair's shine back after going overboard with any of these? Try a hot oil treatment like VO5's Moisturizing Hot Oil which you can get for under $5, or a hair mask like Perlier's Mediterranean Hair Mask for $18.50 if you want to splurge.

Don't forget your usual conditioning!
- While I am used to skipping a conditioning or two every time I wash my hair, it's important to keep your hair moisturized throughout the summer.

Hair Ties...
- These can become your worst enemy! It's a well known fact that hair ties lead to premature breaking and damage to the hair, and with the heat and humidity the summer brings, tying up your hair is often the only thing a woman can do to keep a little cooler. Try clips or headbands to keep the hair off of your face and ears (uncovering those ears will actually help drop your body temperature dramatically!) or go my route...chop it off!

SKIN

DON'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT SUNSCREEN!
- As I'm sure all of you know from every single beauty, health and skincare article ever written, sunscreen can be the most important thing you put into your beauty regimen, especially in the summer. The repercussions of just one sunburn can be severe enough to put you at risk for skin cancer, future age/brown spots, and premature aging. Not only is red skin damaging to your health, it's also painful...and very unattractive! Have acne prone skin and you're afraid to put sunblock on your face? Try a mineral foundation. These often have a minimum of SPF 15protection, and can make all the difference in your skin's defence against the sun's harmful rays. Had a bad sun experience? Don't forget how effective and repairing goold ol' aloe is- I never travel without it!

Switch out those heavy moisturizers.
- Winter calls for heavy moisturization and protection against the dry cold, but moisturization in the summer is often a little easier. Heavy creams in the summer can often lead to breakouts on your face and body. Know how you get super oily on a hot day? Think of that oil, sweat and thick cream all sitting on your skin festering...yuck! Try a fluide or emulsion to moisturize your face- this lighter moisturization can make all the difference between a beautiful skincare week and an oil slick on your face.
Want to moisturize your body? Try a dry oil or emulsion here as well. It won't leave you feeling sticky, and some leave your skin with a beautiful sheen that glistens in the summer sun. Want a body oil to try? Check out Payot's Huile Precieuse Minerale or Pevonia's Botanical Dry Oil.

Stay Hydrated...on the inside
- Drink plenty of water to stay breakout free. Frozen margaritas and strawberry daiquiris are delicious, but alcohol does NOTHING good for your skin! Plus, it dehydrates you and can make you look super bloated in your teeny weeny bikini...yuck!

Control your Shine
- Getting extra oily on your face and don't want your makeup to smudge? Try some rice paper or blotting paper. It works wonders and is usually pretty cheap!

MAKEUP

Prime, Prime, Prime
- Primer can be your best friend, especially in the summer. This can make all the difference in your makeup staying on your face on warm days. It's not just helpful with your foundation, but also your eyeshadow. Make sure you prime your whole face every day!

Try Something New!
- A good friend in the industry just told me about Urban Decay's new temperature sensitive line that keeps makeup set in the heat. Keep your eyes peeled for this one...it's going to be awesome!

Chill with the Powder
- Shine is sometimes hard to control, and powder seems to be the favorite weapon of choice against this demon. Try some shine control powder like Laura Mercier's Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder. It will work wonders!

Have any summer tips that can help readers? Let me hear 'em!

Revolution in Cut Primer - Layered Bob

Happy Saturday, everyone!

After about three months of attempting to grow my pob-esque hairstyle out to a bob or midlength shag, I caved and ran to the salon on a snowy Friday night in New Jersey. This cut, while much needed, was even more exciting than any in the past because of a new product I was going to try - Revolution in Cut Hair Primer for Layered Bobs.

Revolution in Cut is a new hair care line created by celebrity stylist Ric Pipino. It consists of caring, priming and styling products.

The Caring products include a sulphate free shampoo, conditioner and a deep conditioner. Styling products include a smoothing cream, curling gel, lifting root spray and tousling pomade. The most exciting thing about this line, however, is the 'revolutionary' primers, specifically designed for different hair styles. So what is a primer, you may ask...


Primers are hair products designed to take control of your hair after caring for it (after showering, before style products). Revolution in Cut has six different primers, crop, layered bob, bob, short layers, long layers and blunt. The main purpose of these primers is to keep your fresh hair cut growing in the direction your stylist intended.

Some women may find it's hard to style their hair after a fresh cut...you can never get it to look exactly like your stylist did. With Revolution in Cut Priming, the life of your haircut is extended, and styling is a cinch! After washing with the sulphate free shampoo (warning: sulphate free shampoo is not supposed to lather, so don't pile it on!) and conditioning, I towel dried my new 'do and got ready for the priming experience.

Since I have almost no hair in the back of my head, I used only about half a pump. The silky cream rubbed into my hair very well; I was cautious about how close I got it to my scalp. Sometimes these pre-styling creams can make your roots get weighed down or look greasy, and I didn't want to deal with that. To my surprise, drying time was cut in half! My hair took about three minutes to dry in full, and the usual frizziness of my short, naturally curly hair was cut out completely. It smelled amazing, and I hoped straightening would be a breeze.

As I predicted, straightening took about 5 minutes, and my hair looked as perfectly sculpted as it did yesterday when I left the salon. I took some of the tousling pomade, Tousle Me, and attacked the back of my head with it...hoping my craving for big, sexy hair would be fulfilled. Again, I was correct.

Revolution in Cut has earned a place in my heart, and I can't wait to try more of their product line. I look like I have movie star hair, and I couldn't be happier! Will definitely update on whether or not I feel the lifespan of my haircut is extended with the use of these...

You can buy Revolution in Cut by Ric Pipino at Beauty 360. Products range from $18 - $32. Judging by the small amount I've used and the excellent results I've seen, the products are definitely worth the price!

Have you ever tried a priming product? What was your experience like?

Image courtesy of GBG.