hair – Page 2 – the Spiff

#thespiffknows, Beauty, beauty products, hair, hair spray, makeup, Sephora

These Beauty Products Went to the Head of the Class in 2014

December 30, 2014 No Comments

Between subscription beauty boxes and new beauty technology, it seems that the beauty product world is taking great strides to make things easier for us all. Pretty soon we’ll be doing the Jane Jetson thing – walk into our closet and a few puff of makeup-laden clouds later, emerge ready to take on the day!

I’m excited to see what 2015 is going to bring, but I’m also very happy to take my favorite products from 2014 into the new year.

Here are my top five favorite beauty product picks from 2014…

Dove Hair Spray
I have tried so many different brands and holds, but this Dove extra hold hair spray that you can pick up at any grocery store, has become my absolute favorite. When I spray it on while I’m styling then again afterwards, I can wake up the next day with the same hair. It also doesn’t crunch up and leaves my hair shiny

Beauty Blender
This little sponge doesn’t look amazing, but once you try it you’ll believe. If you get it a little damp, it expands to twice it size and becomes the absolute best way to apply concealer or really any kind of foundation to your face. It gets right in there and leaves your makeup so smooth.

Artistry Moisturizer and Spot Corrector
This was the year I really decided to spend a little extra on my skin. Because it’s something you’re wearing always so why not invest a little more in it. Their spot corrector actually works, and this moisturizer does a great job of brightening your skin overall. Contact this gal to get you some!

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer
This is a primer that goes under your concealer. It automatically brightens your under eye area just by itself, and it helps your concealer stay put. I just started using this and I’m impressed by it. You can pick it up at Sephora or Dillard’s.

Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray
I am addicted to this stuff. It just provides the perfect pick-me-up mist in the middle of the day and really helps set my makeup. On the days I use it I can tell a difference on my face. My makeup doesn’t look so tired. And if you get the big bottle it will last you a long time. This one has lasted me a full year.

Beauty, hair, hair spray, product review

Product Review: Nexxus Hair Spray

September 10, 2014 No Comments

Does anyone else get excited to go to the travel section?

Everything in it is so cheap and so darn cute! Just think of how much fun we could have had with our American Girl dolls and the miniature size body washes – oh the social media pics I could have produced as a child….

Nevertheless, I love the travel section now for different reasons (thankfully they go outside the bounds of setting up dolls in real life scenarios with hair spray and shampoo). I love it because it allows me to test run products without spending a lot of money.

While on vacation a couple weeks ago, I didn’t pack any of my hair sprays so that I could go by the travel section (ha the sentence could end there) and grab a brand I’ve never used before.

This time I picked up Nexxus Hair Spray (more specifically “Finishing Mist”). This one promised a touchable hold, which means you can still run your fingers through your hair without getting caught (I hate it when that happens and you’re sitting in front of people who you know are being entertained watching you untangle your fingers).

I really liked two things about this spray and really disliked one…

1. I loved that it did what it promised – it held my style and still allowed movement in my hair and the ability to run my fingers through it after styling.

2. It passed the overnight test. I had to only touch up in a few places, but overall the style held strong after sleeping on it.

What I disliked the most was the smell. It has that hardcore heavy hairspray smell.

But because the hair spray performed so well in the other categories, I may not toss it out entirely. I’ll just have to keep going back to the travel section to buy more…I should do that now and maybe buy lots of other things while I’m standing there…

Beauty, hair

My Favorite Beauty Purchase from 2014 (Thus Far)

August 27, 2014 No Comments

Wand is the perfect word for this thing.

Not only because it sounds better than, “curling stick” or “curling pole.” But also because “wand” makes me think of magic. And how it curls my hair – hair that wouldn’t take to any other curling iron or roller in the past – is magical.

There are many great things to be said for a curling wand, but today I want to talk about the wider width one I recently purchased at Target.

I wanted something that would mimic my natural waves so I could touch up the next day, or go full on beach wave look without having to let my hair air dry.

So I went out and bought this mammer jammer.

Its barrel is 1-1 1/2 inches wide – and let me tell you width makes all the difference.

It can give you great curls, but my favorite thing about it is that it can also give you that tussled wave look. My hair is very layered, so there are nights when I’ll sleep all over the bed in crazy positions and wake up with kinks everywhere (I don’t know exactly if that’s how they come about, but it is pretty wild how some days I’ll wake up with straight hair and other days…not so much).

Curling wands are nice for adding a touch of texture here and there. They also eliminate that line that you can sometimes get from a curling iron, and make the whole look a lot more natural.

Try one out for yourself this summer! They’re less than $30 and can add a new do to your routine.

Beauty, hair, product review

Product Review: Dry Shampoo

July 30, 2014 No Comments

I’m sometimes afraid to tell people how often I wash my hair.

I don’t want them immediately assuming I only bathe once a week, because that’s not true. I simply only wash my hair once I week. I bathe the rest of me once a month. Silly head.

If you’re sitting there wishing you could cut down your hair washing regimen from a daily thing to at least every couple of days, know that it’s actually possible. It is! If you’ll stop washing it as much, your hair/scalp will eventually slow down in its oil production and get used to a wash every couple of days.

Right now you’re probably thinking about that in-between time when you’re having to get your hair used to not being washed as much and how horrid that may be. Well, friend, it won’t be too horrid if you’ll just buy yourself this dry shampoo.

I’m such a big fan of this NYM (Not Your Mother’s) hair product line, that recently I realized it was time to try their dry shampoo. The results? A decent smell (I’ve yet to find one that’s HOLY-MOLY good), no residue, clean and manageable hair. #nailed it.

It comes in a great big can too, so if those first couple days of not washing your hair turns out to feel a lot like rehab, you can go to town with the spray. Just be sure to rub in it every time.

Anyone else notice my sudden campaign to stop washing things? I promise it’s filled with good intentions :)

Beauty, beauty products, hair, summer

Spite Humidity, Have a Good Hair Day

July 21, 2014 No Comments

As I type this, I’m sitting outside enjoying a 75 degree day, completely humidity free.

That’s something I never could have done in the middle of a Floridian July (I am wearing my Jacksonville t-shirt, just so you know I haven’t completely lost allegiance ;) But I did want to point out that my humidity fighting resume includes battling it in Florida where the air sweats for you.

I’m certain our fight with humidity here in Tennessee isn’t over yet (in fact, two days later it’s in full swing again), so I wanted to pass on a few tips on how to help you fight the humidity battle…and win.

The very first step to fighting frizz and humidity, is to suck all of the moisture from your strands.

This means you’ve got to spend extra time under the blow dryer, but it’s worth it. Because when you don’t dry your hair completely, the moisture that’s left in it reacts to the moisture that’s in the air, and that’s what helps to bring about the frizzies.

Next, find a hair spray that has the words, “all day humidity resistance,” on it. This one from TRESemme has worked really well for me all summer. Spray over hair that you’ve styled or even just spritz it on a day when you’re wearing your hair straight for an extra layer of defense.

You could always lean into the humidity and allow it to work for you by going with some sea salt spray. I talk about this stuff a lot this time of year because it works so well. Unlike mousse it’s not going to harden your hair and make it crunchy. No, instead it’s going to give it a soft, matte texture. Even if you don’t have any wave to your hair, spray this stuff in and let it air dry for that tousled/bedhead/I’m a model off duty look.

And of course, you can always revert to throwing it up in a pretty bun, then taming your flyway’s with a cutie little hair tie like this one. It’s fabric that surrounds wire, so it stays put and doesn’t hurt your head, stopping humidity right in its tracks because it’s too busy saying, “Dang girl! You’re looking good!”

Previous page Next page