$10 for All This

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For less than a pizza, you can have all of this delivered to your mailbox. Well, not less than a Little Caesar’s pizza…or Domino’s on Tuesdays…never mind. How about for a mere $10 you can have all of this!

When I opened my Ipsy bag this month I was very happy with the size of the samples inside. And it’s not the first time it’s happened.

I’ve tried out several of the popular beauty subscriptions, and I can honestly say Ipsy is the best.

Here’s what I got this month and what I think about it…

The bag itself: Mmm not a big fan of this one. I talked about in this post how I plan to use these bags for helping me organize. This one just isn’t my style. But it would probably be good to hold hair stuff because that’s a mirror image of what I look like doing my hair in the morning.    ….why are you laughing.

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IT Hair Care – 12 in ONE: I’ve used a hair care product like this before, and I like it. It promises to do a bunch of things (a 12 item long list). I need to try it when I’ve got tangles, BECAUSE I HATE TANGLES. I only used a little and it made the ends of my hair softer and more behaved, so I can imagine this bottle is going to last me well into menopause.

IT Cosmetics: I don’t think it’s related to the hair care product, but it is ironic that they’re both called “it.” While this eyeliner brags about going on smooth (and it does) I didn’t like that it ended up all over my lid within a couple of hours. I use these types of eyeliners on days when I’m going light on the makeup and I was really hoping this would stay put. Maybe with a little bit of help – like a primer or eyeshadow – it will stay in place. Because going on smoothly will help me add the light touch of liner I’m going for.

Lord&Berry lipstick: Nice, neutral shade. Went on smoothly and you didn’t need a lot to add color. Not bad.

Josie Maran Whipped Mud Mask in Vanilla Apricot: I’ve never got done with a mask and thought DEAR LORD MY SKIN!!!!!!!!!! And this mask, unfortunately, didn’t break that streak. What I look for is ease of use. This one you leave on from 5-10 minutes and just wipe off – again, not bad.

Dermelect nail polish: It’s really a treatment that helps splitting, weak nails that happens to be colored a delightful shade of purply pink. I’m excited to see what my nails look like at the end of the week. Since I paint my nails every week they are certainly on the weak side, so I’m a great candidate for something like this. I’ll keep you posted…

Sign up for this greatness? You won’t regret it… 

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Best Beauty Buys

In my inbox right now sits an email from Etsy with the subject line, “Make your holiday gifts!” I haven’t deleted it because in the world inside my head, I’ve got time to sit around and make things like Christmas crafts. (Thank you, Etsy, for playing along with me).

The reality of it is any free time right now goes to the mound of wash we’re now treating like a rock wall and strapping up to scale in order to get anywhere in our apartment. Just kidding. I’ve taken to stuffing it places so I don’t have to deal.

That’s why lists like the annual Allure Best of Beauty makes life a little bit easier. Even in my single  days when I had time for things like reading whole magazine articles, I didn’t want to have to stand in the beauty isle and wonder if I was making a good purchase.

Today I’ve brought you a few of my favorites from the list. Some I’ve already been using and love, and others I can’t wait to get my hands on. Hopefully this will prevent you from ever standing confusedly in the beauty isle and wasting valuable wash time.

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One: This boost it spray is amazing. It really does help with lift and teasing, AND as an added bonus gives your hair good texture. It will come in handy with my Halloween costume (Muahaha).

Two: Dove has proven itself to me over and over. I love their mousse, their hairspray is something to run out for in the middle of the night, and now this. I haven’t tried it yet, but Allure tossed around words like “polish”, “soften” and “bounce” to describe it’s effects. I’m in.

Three: This whole oil cleanser thing is fascinating/sounds like paradise. It removes all your makeup – eyes, everything – and does so without drying out your face. I’ve not yet tried Shiseido’s version but now I’m thinking it’s going straight to my shopping list.

Four: I own this brush and while the bristles are still in tact, I’ve used it so often I wore the rubber on the handle down to the wood. #useful

Five: This NYX brush is for contouring and looks like it would get along with my cheek bones just fine.

Six: As much as I love putting makeup on, the whole mascara process makes me jealous of boys. It’s by far my least favorite part. But maybe a good eyelash curler like this one by Tweezerman would change my mind. It’s apparently amazing. I’ll be the judge of that…

Seven: On the days I work from home, it’s BB or CC cream for me. I can’t wait to try this one out by Rimmel. Not only does it cost about the same as a combo meal ($6.99) but it gives a luminous effect to your skin.

Eight: So I could have 18k gold on my fingers for $7.49? Why are my cuticles living life without this?

To hear all about a brand that’s been on the Allure Best Of list more than once, AND how you can get a discount on it, click here!

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Where to Save and Splurge with Hair Products

I was going to start this by saying I could REALLY blow a budget when it comes to hair products, but then I thought about it for a second and realized, I could easily blow a lot of money on just about anything I put on my body…just ask my husband ;)

But just as there are ways to save and splurge with beauty products, there are strategic ways to spend when it comes to how you do your hair.

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Hair tools: Splurge

Because these are things you use on a regular basis and because they really play a big role in the health of your strands, it’s important to spend a little bit more to get quality hair tools.

A straightener especially can make a difference. The higher quality tools (like Chi) will have things in place to protect your hair (like real ceramic) and a way for you to see the temperature. You may think that’s just a luxury to see how hot your tool is, but it can be the difference from you frying off strands because you can see how hot you’ve gotten it.

A blow dryer is another good example. The good ones are high powered which means you spend less time underneath them = less chance of you doing any more heat damage to your hair.

And while this might be a surprise to you, a hair brush is another great tool to spend a little bit more on. This brush acts just like a straightener leaving your strands super soft and frizz free.

Let me point out, investing in great hair tools is money well spent because they’re going to last a long time and really make the investment worth it in the long run – especially in the life of your hair!

Speaking of saving…. Since you’ve bought some expensive tools, let’s save when it comes to certain hair products. Not all products are worth skimping on but these three are…

Hair products: Save {on certain ones}

Hair Spray – if you want to read all my thoughts on this spray, you can do so here. It works great, doesn’t leave your hair sticky and truly holds your style.

Heat Protectant spray – again, for a full review click here. I love the way it sprays and that it really coats my hair which is important with something that’s protecting your strands.

Mousse – honestly, Sauve is a favorite of mine. My biggest requirement for a mousse is to not leave my hair crunchy. I want it to control frizz and let my natural wave do its thaang. I’ve not tried a ton of expensive versions, but I have gone through all the drugstore possibilities and this one always comes out on top.

Now Sephora and Ulta are filled to the brim with hair products we can all easily splurge on, and I’m not saying never do that. But you can cut some corners with these three products which will allow you to spend a little more on others.

I hope this helps! It’s always good to have the peace of mind that you’re putting your money in the right place!

Watch yesterday’s segment to see where to save/splurge on beauty products!

 

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A Hair Product That Works in the Real World

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A lot of television and movies require a willingness to check reality at the door. Actually, so do most reality shows.

Other things that make that list? Video hair tutorials where you’re shown how to create the “perfect wave” or an “easy up-do” using drugstore brand tools. These types of videos mesmerize me.  I’m such a sucker for them because I think that since they’re using drugstore brands, I can totally achieve the same look! Wrong.

For one thing, the hair styles are being created by professionals. It’s never the model doing her own hair in a messy bathroom, 15 minutes before she’s supposed to walk out the door. Video tape THAT.

Another thing…there always seems to be strategic edits to the video which completely glamorizes the actual time it would take to try that hair style. Oh, the video was only 4 minutes? That must be how long it takes to achieve the perfect side-swept bun! Wrong.

But they make those videos for suckers like me, who still go out and try the product any way. Which is what lead me to picking up this TRESemme Heat Protective Spray a couple weeks ago.

You should be using some kind of heat protective on your hair, even if all you do is use a hair dryer. It’s good to have an extra layer between all of that heat and your hair. This spray is nice for a number of reasons…

First, it sprays out a fine, wide mist of product. Let me get a “What What” for those of you that understand the spraying mechanism can really make or break a product. I hate it when it sprays a straight concentrated stream into one part of my hair, soaking it and then drying into one crunchy chunk. This spray completely avoids that and really allows you to cover a great amount of hair and also doesn’t soak it down.

Second, it smells fantastic. Another big pet peeve of mine is smelly hair products. It takes a lot of effort for me to wake up early, wash my hair and then dry it, I don’t want all of that hard work to come to get flushed down the drain because what I’m spraying on my hair smells like dusty funeral parlor. TRESemme heat protective spray smells clean and fresh. In fact I would consider spraying it in my hair everyday just to give it a smell-boost.

I’ve also noticed my hair is a little shinier since using this spray. And it gives me peace of mind when I go straight from the hair dryer to the curling iron.

All of which, adds up to the fact that I don’t have to check reality at my bathroom door – I actually walk away with hair I’m happy with.

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