Hello!
So today before applying some self-tanner, I decided I needed to really scrub off all of my old stuff. Now, I've never been one for having exfoliating products on hand (I just use an old hand towel), but I needed something with some real grit.
I recently purchased some Bodacious Bath Oil from Bath Junkie (which is a product I 1--% recommend, and it is SUCH a cool store!!!!) and decided to mix some of that with some granulated sugar. Yes, I grabbed a 1/2 cup, scooped out some sugar from the container, and perched it up in my shower, haha! I grabbed a little fistful, put a few drops of oil, and scrubbed away.
Oh my goodness- it worked FANTASTICALLY!! My skin has never been smoother! Ah!
That little 1/2 cup might have a permanent home in my shower, lol!
(Only, of course, if I haven't applied self-tanner recently ;) )
Sorry there aren't any pics for this post! But just trust me-- you HAVE to try the sugar trick. Especially now when everyone's skin is so dried out from the summer heat. Mmm.. Magnificent =)
Have you tried this before? Have a favorite scrub you'd like to recommend? Do share!
Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
At-Home Beauty!
I have a fun story to tell.
So my lovely co-worker (the same one who was nice enough to let me borrow her Clinique mascara!), sent me a text message a few weeks back about how she was going to try doing a Mayonnaise mask on her hair to help with some dead ends, and she thought I might want to do a post on it. Heck yes! I love it!!
So I get to her apartment and she has a jar of Kraft Mayonnaise and some towels ready. (And Pretty Little Liars playing on the tv-- I'm so hooked on that show..)
The idea is that Mayo has a lot of hydrating/oily ingredients that will help out thirsty hair.
Let's check this out:
Ingredients
Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Vinegar, Contains less than 2% of Egg Yolks, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Salt, Sugar, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium Edta As A Preservative.
Well, no doubt Soybean Oil is good, as are water and eggs-- but the vinegar and salt/sugar etc. aren't the best.
Here is a picture of my with the super hair mask!
She put the towels in the dryer while we were applying so then we could wrap up our hair and let the heat help the mayo really penetrate the hair. After 10 minutes we rinsed our hair--- which smelled gross =\ -- and it was a little softer... but I think I'd call it greasy instead of "soft," haha! And once you used shampoo it was all gone.
If I were you, I'd steer away from Mayo as a hair mask, lol. A good at-home concoction is simply using Olive Oil, in the same way we did this (with the warm towel). I honestly have not tried Olive Oil, but in theory it is better than this because you have only 1 ingredient, and it's a non-greasy oil.
If you have tried either of these, (or have heard stories), please let me know! =)
Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven
So my lovely co-worker (the same one who was nice enough to let me borrow her Clinique mascara!), sent me a text message a few weeks back about how she was going to try doing a Mayonnaise mask on her hair to help with some dead ends, and she thought I might want to do a post on it. Heck yes! I love it!!
So I get to her apartment and she has a jar of Kraft Mayonnaise and some towels ready. (And Pretty Little Liars playing on the tv-- I'm so hooked on that show..)
The idea is that Mayo has a lot of hydrating/oily ingredients that will help out thirsty hair.
Let's check this out:
Ingredients
Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Vinegar, Contains less than 2% of Egg Yolks, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Salt, Sugar, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium Edta As A Preservative.
Well, no doubt Soybean Oil is good, as are water and eggs-- but the vinegar and salt/sugar etc. aren't the best.
Here is a picture of my with the super hair mask!
She put the towels in the dryer while we were applying so then we could wrap up our hair and let the heat help the mayo really penetrate the hair. After 10 minutes we rinsed our hair--- which smelled gross =\ -- and it was a little softer... but I think I'd call it greasy instead of "soft," haha! And once you used shampoo it was all gone.
If I were you, I'd steer away from Mayo as a hair mask, lol. A good at-home concoction is simply using Olive Oil, in the same way we did this (with the warm towel). I honestly have not tried Olive Oil, but in theory it is better than this because you have only 1 ingredient, and it's a non-greasy oil.
If you have tried either of these, (or have heard stories), please let me know! =)
Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Guest Post: Curly Hair!
Hello all!
Well I have my Lasix TOMORROW, ahhh!! So I thought I'd put up a post or two since 1. I can't use a computer for a few days (I think?) and 2. Well, I haven't posted in a while, and I have a lot of my list!
Today I want to share some nifty curly-hair tips that I received from my beautiful friend. I am always anxious to hear about other types of hair since well, I don't have it, haha!
(G- feel free to correct anything I put on here!)
Her problem is activating the curl, and creating volume without frizz.
Here is her step-by-step plan of action:
- Straight out of the shower, she brushes it with a flat paddle brush, parts it, and clips it up in a bun.
- Once the roots are dry, with the clipped-up ends still being damp, she puts in the following products:
- Aussie Catch the Wave Mousse & Leave-in Conditioner
- Aussie Catch the Wave Scrunch Hairspray
- Big Hair Texturizing Salt Spray
(All of which can be found at Walgreen's, but not on Walgreens.com... grr.)
And then blow dry the rest of the way with a diffuser.
The kicker is: by smoothing out the roots first, they dry while being pulled so that eliminates frizz at the roots.
Here is a pic of the finished product! She is on the left* just in case you need to know. =)
(and an homage to my long hair... siiigh.)
And here she is kissin' on her boy, but her hair looks FAB so I had to share =)
Beautiful! =)
Anybody else have any tips to offer?
I've been reading that for curly/wavy hair, another key is to add as much moisture yourself-- conditioner, leave-in cream, serums, etc. -- because curly/wavy hair is more porous than straight hair, and it frizzes out because it absorbs the moisture in the air... so if it's very moisturized when you walk out the door, then less frizz occurs. Interesting!
Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven
Well I have my Lasix TOMORROW, ahhh!! So I thought I'd put up a post or two since 1. I can't use a computer for a few days (I think?) and 2. Well, I haven't posted in a while, and I have a lot of my list!
Today I want to share some nifty curly-hair tips that I received from my beautiful friend. I am always anxious to hear about other types of hair since well, I don't have it, haha!
(G- feel free to correct anything I put on here!)
Her problem is activating the curl, and creating volume without frizz.
Here is her step-by-step plan of action:
- Straight out of the shower, she brushes it with a flat paddle brush, parts it, and clips it up in a bun.
- Once the roots are dry, with the clipped-up ends still being damp, she puts in the following products:
- Aussie Catch the Wave Mousse & Leave-in Conditioner
- Aussie Catch the Wave Scrunch Hairspray
- Big Hair Texturizing Salt Spray
(All of which can be found at Walgreen's, but not on Walgreens.com... grr.)
And then blow dry the rest of the way with a diffuser.
The kicker is: by smoothing out the roots first, they dry while being pulled so that eliminates frizz at the roots.
Here is a pic of the finished product! She is on the left* just in case you need to know. =)
(and an homage to my long hair... siiigh.)
And here she is kissin' on her boy, but her hair looks FAB so I had to share =)
Beautiful! =)
Anybody else have any tips to offer?
I've been reading that for curly/wavy hair, another key is to add as much moisture yourself-- conditioner, leave-in cream, serums, etc. -- because curly/wavy hair is more porous than straight hair, and it frizzes out because it absorbs the moisture in the air... so if it's very moisturized when you walk out the door, then less frizz occurs. Interesting!
Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven
Friday, July 9, 2010
Review: Clinique High Lengths Mascara
Hello there!!
Well I was lucky a while back when a co-worker (whose lashes ALWAYS look amazing!) said, "Hey! Have you seen this mascara?? I have a trial size if you want to review it for your blog!" Heck YES- how nice, right??
So here it is-- Clinique's High Lengths Mascara, $14 at Clinique (also available at Sephora)
What it claims:
Stretch limp, lifeless lashes to lengths beyond your wildest expectations. And wow - eyes look noticeably wider, fully energized. Our curved, fine-toothed comb finds the tiniest lashes and brings them out of hiding. Ophthalmologist tested and appropriate for sensitive eyes.
Here is the wand:
Let's take a look at some pics!
Without mascara:
With:
It really gives fantastic separation and length! Good job, Clinique!!
It wears well throughout the day-- no smudging or flaking. I will warn you though, this mascara DOES NOT layer well-- so be sure to apply all you want to BEFORE it dries. Remember that, and you're golden!
Also, it took a minute to get used to the wand. I had a difficult time figuring out just how to position it because the curve of the wand doesn't match the curve of my lashline, so I had to kinda twist and turn to find a good angle in which to apply it, haha! I eventually got the hang of it- partly because I was determined to get alllll the way to the base- but just be aware that it might take you a bit of maneuvering. ;)
I probably won't be purchasing this because I prefer to have more volume, but I really was impressed with how much length it gave-- and for a lengthening mascara it does have good volume!
What do you think? Think you'll try this? Do you like Clinique mascaras? Prefer drugstore brands? Let me know!
Until next time-
~Beauty Maven
Well I was lucky a while back when a co-worker (whose lashes ALWAYS look amazing!) said, "Hey! Have you seen this mascara?? I have a trial size if you want to review it for your blog!" Heck YES- how nice, right??
So here it is-- Clinique's High Lengths Mascara, $14 at Clinique (also available at Sephora)
What it claims:
Stretch limp, lifeless lashes to lengths beyond your wildest expectations. And wow - eyes look noticeably wider, fully energized. Our curved, fine-toothed comb finds the tiniest lashes and brings them out of hiding. Ophthalmologist tested and appropriate for sensitive eyes.
Here is the wand:
Let's take a look at some pics!
Without mascara:
With:
It really gives fantastic separation and length! Good job, Clinique!!
It wears well throughout the day-- no smudging or flaking. I will warn you though, this mascara DOES NOT layer well-- so be sure to apply all you want to BEFORE it dries. Remember that, and you're golden!
Also, it took a minute to get used to the wand. I had a difficult time figuring out just how to position it because the curve of the wand doesn't match the curve of my lashline, so I had to kinda twist and turn to find a good angle in which to apply it, haha! I eventually got the hang of it- partly because I was determined to get alllll the way to the base- but just be aware that it might take you a bit of maneuvering. ;)
I probably won't be purchasing this because I prefer to have more volume, but I really was impressed with how much length it gave-- and for a lengthening mascara it does have good volume!
What do you think? Think you'll try this? Do you like Clinique mascaras? Prefer drugstore brands? Let me know!
Until next time-
~Beauty Maven
Thursday, July 8, 2010
New hair- New products!
Hello lovelies!
Well, I recently chopped off ALL of my hair. Whoo! Talk about a thrill, haha! But with a new cut comes.... different products!! =)
I recently purchased Pantene's new Fine Hair collection-- it works fantastically with short hair. More about that later. ;)
Here was my inspiration picture:
At the salon I purchased Bumble and Bumble's Grooming Creme, 2 oz. tube $12.00
I asked my stylist about which would be better for my fine/straight hair-- the creme or thickening spray, and she recommended the creme because 1. It's summer and everyone's hair needs more moisture and 2. The creme would have better staying power with my hair. Interesting!
She just used this on my ends to make it piecey:
However, today I tried it from about mid-way to the ends, and look!!
PS LOOK I can still do a ponytail, woot!
So great!! I am diggin' it =) And you want to know the best part? This is just air dried! (I know, I'm jealous I don't have waves, but hey, this is the next best thing, eh?)
I also have been using my trusty Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly mousse to make it curly:
Love it! I adore experimenting and having new things to play with, haha!
So tell me-- do you change products with a new cut? Do you change cuts often? With the seasons? Haha! Leave me some input!
Until Next Time-
~Beauty Maven
Well, I recently chopped off ALL of my hair. Whoo! Talk about a thrill, haha! But with a new cut comes.... different products!! =)
I recently purchased Pantene's new Fine Hair collection-- it works fantastically with short hair. More about that later. ;)
Here was my inspiration picture:
At the salon I purchased Bumble and Bumble's Grooming Creme, 2 oz. tube $12.00
I asked my stylist about which would be better for my fine/straight hair-- the creme or thickening spray, and she recommended the creme because 1. It's summer and everyone's hair needs more moisture and 2. The creme would have better staying power with my hair. Interesting!
She just used this on my ends to make it piecey:
However, today I tried it from about mid-way to the ends, and look!!
PS LOOK I can still do a ponytail, woot!
So great!! I am diggin' it =) And you want to know the best part? This is just air dried! (I know, I'm jealous I don't have waves, but hey, this is the next best thing, eh?)
I also have been using my trusty Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly mousse to make it curly:
Love it! I adore experimenting and having new things to play with, haha!
So tell me-- do you change products with a new cut? Do you change cuts often? With the seasons? Haha! Leave me some input!
Until Next Time-
~Beauty Maven
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