Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Shave it, yank it, ignore it- everyone treats body hair differently. I've pretty much stuck with the tried and true, but here's a few favorite options of mine.....

Body By Brigitte wax strips are easily the BEST I've ever used. They are specifically made to cause zilch pain or redness!  No kidding- it's pretty freaking amazing. And they actually work too! They aren't at all sticky, don't need warming to work and actually yank all of those little buggers out! The down side- I CANNOT FIND THEM ANYWHERE ANYMORE! HELP! The web site says they are available at Ulta, but it must be in store only, because the product isn't listed on their web page. I suppose i need to just call around to my local Ulta stores to see if they carry them.....

Another easy peasy waxing option is Parissa cold wax strips. I made an awesome discovery about this brand- BUY THE ONE MADE FOR MEN! You get bigger strips that are easy to cut to size, so you get waaaay more for your money that way, and the product is exactly the same. The large sized wax sheets also make it a snap to wax large areas like the legs in one fell swoop. I will give this one caveat. You have to warm the wax up on these by rubbing the sheet briskly between your hands, and if your bathroom is freezing like mine was recently, no amount of palm friction will get it to work. I had a gloppy useless mess. Now I know not to keep them somewhere with subarctic temperatures :-) The kit comes with azulene oil, which is divine. A little of this on a cotton ball removes any excess wax and also soothes any redness. I love that Ulta sells the Azulene Oil all by itself as well!
Special Offers: Sale Items, Clearance and Free Gifts at ULTA

Speaking of strong enough for a woman but made for a man..... My hubby uses an electric shaver, so I get these men's shaving products that he can't test for me because he's just not a razor guy. This leaves the task to my intrepid self, and I have discovered some truly awesome products!

Jack Black Beard Lube Conditioning shave with jojoba & eucalyptus

is delightful. It has a slight mintiness to it that makes for a really refreshing morning shave. The oils in it soften the skin so you're less likely to get ingrown hairs and you don't have dry patches that leave you vulnerable to nicks. After using this, I didn't even really feel a need to put lotion on my legs because this made them so soft. A little goes a long way, and it's cheap too! According to reviews I've read written by men who actually used this for it's intended purpose, it's perfect for thick or coarse hair, so you might throw some of this your man's way! The packaging is "manly" enough that he won't feel like you're trying to metrosexual him.

Now if being metrosexual doesn't bother your fella, then Sothys Homme Detoxifying Active Cleanser

 is great. It's designed specifically to clean men's skin with a high level of lipids-enhancing malt extract and sea salt. Hubby will only use Ivory. Party pooper. What I discovered it's great for is, yup, you guessed it- a shaving lotion. It smells wonderful and leaves your skin baby butt soft. It doesn't smell all Brut or anything, so women can use it on their legs with no fear.

The Art Of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil, Shaving Cream, and After Shave Balm

is what I used on my gams today- more products where the men get to have all of the fun.....I am fully enamored of the Pre-Shave Oil and intend for this to remain a staple in my stable. While all of these say they are unscented, the oil had a light clove scent that just drove me WILD. Coconut oil soothes, calendula oil heals, and peppermint invigorates. I haven't shaved my legs in, ahem, a while (hey, I'm a redhead- cut me some slack!) and using these products left my legs super soft and smooth and the hair forest was mowed away with minimal fuss and a single swipe of the blade! Whoo-hoo! The shaving cream is a light enough lather that you can actually shave it away, as opposed to, say, a Barbasol layer that takes 12 swipes of the blade just to cut through the cream. The products are sold seperately, but I think the kit would make an awesome gift for a razor inclined fella. Or gal, for that matter- what the hell!

All of the lovelies are available at Skincare Rx, who does a price match guarantee as well as a product satisfaction guarantee so that you don't have to get stuck with a dud.

Shoes And Cheese

Those are a few of my favorite things.....

I recently got these boots, and am amazed at how they create this optical illusion that I have tiny feet! (I wear a size 9). I love that so many of their choices have that slenderized heel. When I have worn them I get stopped every few minutes by people wanting to know where I got them. They are SO freaking comfortable, I wore them all day at work, where I walk around for hours and was fine. They look SO GOOD with fall and winter clothing.

HERE IS YOUR INVITE
to join Just Fabulous, who now not only has shoes, but fabulous purses as well. If you don't know about them, they're a membership club where you rate different things for how they appeal to you and then once a month they stock your personal boutique with choices based on your style preferences. If you don't like what you see, you simply answer a few questions and they send you a new batch of choices. You can choose as many items as you wish (or as few- you can always skip that month). They show photos of celebrities wearing each style, have multiple angle photos and a video of someone walking in them so you can see how they move.

A new feature is that you get points for every time you make a purchase, and once you get enough points your choice for that month is free! Sweet!


  I LOVE getting shoes that appear to be multi-hundred dollar shoes for $39 bucks!

When You're Ready to Get Serious About Skincare

I've got some Dermologica stuff that I've been REALLY impressed with, and now I have a Clarisonic to use with it- so I have some massive high hopes!

Dermologica is one beautiful Cinderella story: having found its roots in a little California storefront, it’s grown to become one of the most renowned skincare companies in the world. And unlike so many other lines, it’s truly worthy of all its praise—it restores youth and beauty to all skin types, effectively addressing concerns ranging from acne to aging via targeted, personalized regimens. By focusing on pure and simple skin health and steering clear from breakout-causing irritants found in so many other beauty and skincare products, Dermalogica has remained the top choice in professional skin therapy for more than 25 years. It’s no wonder porcelain-skinned stars like Lauren Graham and Liv Tyler –who demand the very best for their skin—rely on Dermalogica. Here are the brand’s most beloved products.


 

Soften fine lines and wrinkles both day and night with this  nutrient-rich moisturizer. $54

Soften fine lines and wrinkles both day and night with this 

nutrient-rich moisturizer.
$50

Gently lather and rinse, and this soap-free foaming gel will 

thoroughly remove toxins and debris to soothe your skin without

disturbing its natural moisture.
$32

Gentle and effective, a little of this award-winning exfoliating 

powder goes a long way. The unique formula activates instantly

upon contact with water, leaving your skin noticeably smoother 

and brighter. A must-have for great skin and easy to carry around for summer travels.
$50

A favorite of Grey’s Anatomy star Chyler Leigh, this light, oil-free 

moisturizer creates a forcefield against moisture loss, eliminating dryness 

and hydrating your skin from day to night for an effortlessly cool look.
$52

Holiday Styles Just In At Just Fabulous!

HERE IS YOUR INVITE
to join Just Fabulous, who now not only has shoes, but fabulous purses as well. If you don't know about them, they're a membership club where you rate different things for how they appeal to you and then once a month they stock your personal boutique with choices based on your style preferences. If you don't like what you see, you simply answer a few questions and they send you a new batch of choices. You can choose as many items as you wish (or as few- you can always skip that month). They show photos of celebrities wearing each style, have multiple angle photos and a video of someone walking in them so you can see how they move.

A new feature is that you get points for every time you make a purchase, and once you get enough points your choice for that month is free! Sweet!
I had enough points to cash in for an extra selection, so I decided to check out their purses. The one I got was of SUPERB quality, and I'm getting TONS of compliments on it!

I recently got these

(Sorry for the crap picture!)
and am amazed at how they create this optical illusion that I have tiny feet! (I wear a size 9). When I have worn them I get stopped every few minutes by people wanting to know where I got them. The fake spike heel on the back of wedge is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I LOVE getting shoes that appear to be mulithundred dollar shores for $39 bucks!

Birchbox brings tiny joys to my dark little world

Birchbox is an awesome new beauty sampler that is both monthly and cheap. For $10 you get a box with 5 or so deluxe samples of luxurious and generally pricey beauty products. Once you sign up, you also have access to their website, which is a one stop beauty school, with videos, how to articles and tons of product information. Each month they also give tutorials on the best way to utilize the products you received.

Right out of the gate they wowed me with their inclusions.

I got large samples of Marc Jacobs Lola perfume, Tatcha gold flecked rice blotting papers, Nars Makeup Primer with SPF 20, Cargo Bronzer, and The Face Shop's collagen mask sheet.

WOWZERS! As an added bonus, with each box you are given points to redeem towards full sized versions of the products!
To sign up, just go to Birchbox

Sinful Colors, you have made me angry!

Sinful Colors is a drugstore brand of nail lacquer that I had grown to trust. They've always had great colors that made them a deliciously affordable impulse buy when stopping to pick up prescriptions or toilet paper. The color San Francisco is a rich and velvety green with a slight metallic tinge to it. It also lasts a long time and is really durable. I had some on my toenails this summer that stayed on for two full weeks with me running around barefoot!

Around Halloween I went to Walgreens and nearly wet myself when I saw the color Neon Melon. Much to my chagrin, it chipped in multiple places the very next day. I redid my nails and used a clear coat. Guess what? It chipped even worse! WTF?!?!?! It is also so watery that even after MANY coats, it was still ridiculously sheer. I saw another review referring to it resembling painting on your nails with a highlighter. Someone suggested painting it over a white polish to get a less sheer look, but I don't feel like buying another polish just to use this one up. BOO! I think from now on I'm going to spend a few more bucks and go for slightly better brands.....

Two great tastes that taste great together

I really like Ulta cheek colors, they're inexpensive but still go on smooth and clean. Their cheek colors are infused with chamomile extract to soothe and moisturize the skin. (Right now they're buy 2 get 2 free!) Today I put on one of my favorites- the color Adore. It's a brown with a hint of burgandy, but the thing I really like is the microscopic gold flakes in it! They're tiny tiny tiny, but add this neat shimmer effect. For those shy types, this would be a great blush to come out of your shell with some evening.



I found that with this striking cheek color, a lighter lipstick is good to balance it out. I found the perfect match in Tarte's vitamin infused lipstick in Hatha,

a golden neutral with rosy undertones. This is a universal shade that should work well on anyone, and it's natural enough to not be blaring but does add a dash of color. This is a great daytime color, and with the addition of some darker lip liner will go straight into evening. (Any time I wear a neutral or light color after sunset people think I've gone insane, so I will usually add something to pop the color a bit.) It has a bit of a shimmer to it, but again it's very subtle. It's extremely moist and feels like some amazing balm. The only down side is that I find it to be a bit short lived compared to some other (less green) companies . In enviromentally friendly packaging and infused with a jillion nutrients though, it's a great lippie.

From the Tarte website:

			acai berry extract: antioxidant rich super fruit helps fight free radicals, promotes cell regeneration, has known anti-inflammatory and skin softening properties and combats premature signs of aging
			beeswax: as an alternative to synthetic waxes, natural beeswax is used as a waterproofing agent, a protective barrier between the skin and the environment and it has also been know to naturally stimulate collagen production which plumps the skin and decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
			chamomile extract: rich in essential oils this natural plant extract is antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory, and has been known to treat and heal dry or damaged skin
			vitamin A: beneficial antioxidant that helps remove free radicals, promotes collagen production and retain moisture, which plumps fine lines and wrinkles to give the appearance of younger skin
			vitamin C: antioxidant that fights free radical damage and prevents oxidative stress and premature signs of aging, while brightening skin
			vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free radical damage