Laurin and Kelly Talk

Mascara - What's in Your Bag?

Mascara is my most important beauty product, and I try nearly every new one that comes out. One of the benefits of being blonde is having sparse blonde hair on my legs and face - no mustache worries here. However, having blonde, thin eyelashes is a big negative. I don't go anywhere without mascara and if you ever catch me wearing sunglasses inside, it's because I have on no mascara. I'm just vain that way.

I was recently lured in by the media blitz of advertising being conducted by Maybelline for their new mascara, Lash Stiletto. It was billed as an extreme lash lengthening and black patent shine mascara and I went right out and snapped it up. Then, I was asked to "Try It" for my local news station, 10 Connects.

Yes, I know I should have been using eye cream all these years. Also, if my eye appears bloodshot in the closeup it's not because the camera man and I were knocking back shots to get through the pain of trying to get some usable film on me, it's from scrubbing off and re-applying 4 different mascaras for the comparison. I'm pretty sure he drove straight to a bar after the shoot, though.

Lash Stiletto was such a thumbs down for me that I gave my tube to my friend who doesn't wear mascara - I know, bad to share mascara, blah, blah, blah - because it really is like not wearing mascara. It is difficult being friends with someone so gorgeous who doesn't need mascara. So annoying. Anyway, she loved it because, as I thought it might, it gave her great lash length without any clumps whatsoever and just made her look more polished without making her feel she was wearing  a heavy-duty mascara.

For the "Try It" segment I was asked to test the Lash Stiletto against a few other mascaras. I chose the iconic Maybelline Great Lash Blackest Black in the pink and green tube, Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black, and Lancome Hypnose in Black.

You know my opinion of Lash Stiletto. It didn't work for me because I need thickening and volumizing (redundancy alert?). It's great for lengthening and the formulation is absolutely clump-free. It is very easy to apply and has reasonable staying power. It is $7.50 at drugstores.

Great Lash is a mascara I tried back in High School. It was at the top of makeup artist's lists then, and there it remains. I stopped using it at some point because we all move on to new things, but I'm using it again. In addition to it being the bargain of the century - I got a 2-pack for $3.99 - it really works and stays put. It's a little hard to apply without making mistakes because of the formulation, but once it dries, lovely. I even found it to be shinier than Stiletto. Hmm.

I've used Loreal Voluminous for years. They have a carbon black formulation now. Carbon Black is the new black in case you were wondering. Voluminous makes my lashes voluminous, so there's that. For around $7.50 at the drugstore, it does everything I need it to do.

Finally, Lancome Hypnose, another mascara in my bag. This mascara is practically identical to Voluminous in the way it works for me and it took this comparison for me to figure this out. It smells a little fancier and the tube is definitely sexier, but Hypnose is Voluminous for 3 times the price - $24.

Why pay more for Hypnose? I guess it's similar to the way I feel about lipstick packaging. Do I pay a little more for a beautifully designed lipstick case that people see me using? Sure. It makes the whole art of applying lipstick more of a treat. Perhaps it is time to give up on Hypnose after all these years since no one ever sees me applying mascara, generally, except for today at 4 PM on the local news. It's the financially responsible thing to do.

So which mascara is the winner? For my money, Voluminous or Great Lash. But, maybe something new will be out soon... What's in your bag? I have some CVS bucks burning a hole in my pocket.

Photo credit: Star Dust

Meet the Flocker

Kelly, remember all those free products I received with my Beauty.com order before Christmas? A hair product called Flocker was in the bunch and it's my new favorite styling product for my curly hair. The styling product I had been using was discontinued, so I started using Flocker because, well, it was on my bathroom counter.

Flocker freaked me out at first because it comes out in this thin, cold, fizzy foam state which quickly effervesces into a clear liquid. I was dubious, but it took my curly hair to a whole new level of submission.

I just sort of pat it on and sometimes use it to separate or arrange some of my curls. It gives me perfect ringlets and isn't crunchy or sticky in the slightest.

It's for any hair type and you can use it on wet hair right out of the shower, on dry hair when you need some fluffing, and to revive day 2 hair. It gets my highest recommendation, truly.

Now I have to buy a can. It's $22 at Folica.com.

Why Didn't I Think of That? The Tassi Hair Band

Kelly, one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was the Tassi Hair Band . Thanks, Shannon! I have been reading about this product quite a bit lately and thought my fledgling frugal self didn't absolutely have to have a fancy schmancy hair holder-backer thingy. After trying it? What can I say? When I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Since embracing my curly hair, I have been all about day 2 or even day 3 hair (dry shampoo is amazing), so I need to keep my hair dry in the shower. I also wash my face every night due to other frick fracking annoyances. I use one of those thin, stretchy hair bands to get my hair off my face, and then I pull my long hair back in a small band.

The Tassi makes all of this so much quicker and easier, plus my hair stays completely dry in the shower now. Just put it on like a regular hair band with the wider part behind your head, and tuck all your hair in. I have a LOT of hair and it's plenty big for me.

It won't mess up your hairstyle, flatten your hair, or put a kink in it. You can even sleep in it. It is a must have. It comes in 12 colors and only $14.99. Update: Buy the Tassi Hair Band here for only $12.99!

Tassi? You complete me.

Photo Credit: Tassi

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Kelly, why is it that at the first sign of colder weather my lips get chapped and stay that way until it warms up again. I don't really get it. It's Florida! It's not like I'm climbing up a glacier or something.

I've been suffering with this condition for about two weeks, treating myself with every form of balm and lip product I can find around the house. Then, Erin saunters up and asks me to open the tin of lip balm she's holding.

As an initial matter, I am amazed she can't open something. She is the David Blaine of the six year old set. But, once I'm over the shock, I realize it is my long-lost tin of Smith's Rosebud Salve that disappeared months ago.

I applied a thick layer to my trout lips and remembered exactly why I love the stuff. Finally, total and complete relief. It's good for lips, cuticles, diaper rash, wind burn and more, and perfect for everyone's stocking this Christmas. It is around $6.

My lips actually puff up quite a bit when they are chapped, so I guess they will go back to normal now that the Rosebud Salve has turned up. And, no, this post isn't an attempt to cover up the fact that I got lip injections, because I would totally tell all.

Sephornication

Kelly, this was going to be a simple little post about dry hair shampoo, but it turned into a post about why I should never go to Sephora unsupervised. I went there today under the guise of buying a birthday gift for a friend, and doing a little product research. I went a little crazy, and blame the perfume.

Here's what happened. I started by getting another tube of The Balm Plump Your Pucker lip gloss in Crush My Grapes that tastes just like the name. Despite my translucent complexion, deep purple lip gloss is the only thing that works on me. I desperately needed this. For a week I have been whipping my lip gloss tube like an old fashioned thermometer to get any out. So far, so good.

But then I inhaled enough perfume to make me stagger around the store thinking everything I tossed into the basket was necessary for my well being. I sniffed everything with vanilla in it. Am now convinced vanilla lowers inhibitions.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Caudalie Cleansing Water. I really did need this because I like to freshen my face during the day and this is just a wonderfully yummy-smelling micellar water with grape, chamomile, mint and caraway. It removes your makeup, even on the eyes, with no rinsing needed. It's perfect for sensitive skin and hydrates well.

Then, with the help of a very patient sales woman, I tested out all the dry shampoo powders and sprays in the place, including the Ojan Rub-Out Dry Cleanser. I just love the Ojan scent. Ultimately, I chose another powder over an aerosol can and went with the French brand Klorane's Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Extract.

I like how the product comes out in a powdery cloud when you squeeze the sides of the bottle. The previous tester apparently left the top unscrewed though, so about half of it fell on the carpet when the sales woman first squeezed it. I giggled like an idiot because I was still hopped up on vanilla.

On to the gift. Those products that tone your skin with caffeine - allegedly - have always intrigued me. Friend is in incredible shape and looks amazing.  She will love the Bliss Love Handler lotion I got her and not think it is some kind of back-handed gift like I'm saying "Here is the birthday present I bought you because I love you, fat ass." 

She has mentioned being annoyed by her eyebrows. Aren't we all? So I got her a really neat combo brush/scissors for brows. I also think she needs to experience the miracle that is dry shampoo so she's getting a small bottle of the Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo. I am such a great friend.

Finally, I was seduced into trying the press-on nail stickers - thanks in equal part to being perfume-drunk and being inspired by a recent post on Pretty Bourgeois - and some clear snag-free hair elastics.

 

The fact that it was such a productive trip doesn't give me an incentive to stop going to Sephora anytime soon. I got the perfect gifts for my friend, picked out a new dry shampoo, and ran into a fellow blogger, Amanda, her gorgeous Mom, and her adorable little girl. Oh, and I qualified for not 1, but 2 free gifts. I picked a mini face wash and Lorac eye shadow in Serenity. So I'm all good.

Photo credit: All photos Sephora.com.

Blissfully Domestic is Re-launching Tuesday

Busy weekend Kelly. I'm sure it is for you too since the surf is up! I just wanted to remind everyone that the online women's magazine Blissfully Domestic is re-launching on Tuesday. I can't wait to see it. I am particularly excited since I will be a contributor to the Style Channel on BD. Wish me luck!

Speaking of style, I caught a show called The Dish on the Style Network today. I guess it is their answer to The Soup on E! except completely geared for women with beauty product reviews and the like. I couldn't help but notice they showed that picture of Solange Knowles that burned my retinas. Fortunately I was far enough away from the screen that my retinas did not suffer further damage because I was totally prepared to add them to the lawsuit against those Fug girls.

The host of The Dish is Danielle Fishel, who is suspect is Debra Messing's spunkier little sister who changed her last name so she could make it all on her own.

If anyone has seen the show, what did you think? I am a HUGE Soup fan so for me it was like having soup and a side fashion and beauty salad.

Photo credit: Style Network

I Feel Bad About My Face

And Kelly, if this goes on so long that "I Feel Bad About My Neck" and my face at the same time, I'm going to be extremely cranky. At forty it seemed that my face turned on me. I began to notice my tiny wrinkles had been joined by their less linear, yet equally unwelcome, friends the pimples.

I had to take action. I know quite a few forty-somethings who have used or are on Accutane, and it sounds like a hellish ordeal where you burst into flames if the sun shines on you during the months of treatment because your face is so red and dry and the rest of your skin is so itchy and tight.

My dermatologist even told me not to try Accutane without exhausting all other potential cures, so I tried a bunch of drug store products, many prescriptions, antibiotics, and even that program that cured Jessica Simpson. Nothing helped.

After googling "help for acne" in a total teenager snit one day I found Dan at Acne.org. Dan suggested a preposterous treatment plan that involved simply using a mild cleanser, followed by a very large glob of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide spot cream, followed by a basic moisturizer, twice a day, touching your face as lightly as possible.

I was dubious. What about exfoliation? What about toner? What about a mask? What a nut! I tried it though, and within days my face was clearer than it had been in months. My face was a little red and dry for only about one week.

My biggest problem was I didn't realize how much I touched my face until I consciously tried to stop. I'm sure I looked like a crazed puppet that first day, swinging my hands up to my face and forcing them back down. For hours.

I had been following this regimen so faithfully, and was so thrilled with my perfectly clear skin, that when I ran out of benzoyl peroxide on a recent trip I figured "Eh, what's a day or two?" A lot.

After three days I discovered that my former face was back, angry and insulted at my complacency. I am back with the program and have clear skin once again. I will continue this until I grow out of this adult acne. Perhaps by fifty?

Unexpected bonus: After faithfully doing this twice a day for a couple of months, my skin is dramatically more even. I only wear mineral powder about half the time now. I am very fair and have not experienced more sensitivity to the sun, but be careful just the same.

Dan sells his own products but I used these: Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser, CVS brand 2.5% benzoyl peroxide - it's a tiny tube of spot cream, and Cetaphil moisturizer. I am going to buy Dan's benzoyl peroxide product because it is in gel form and is more cost effective because it is essential that you use a HUGE GLOB.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Dan is very rich.

Technorati Tags: acne,pimples,"adult acne",Acne.org

Supreme Wavy Head

Hi Kelly. I don't have $800 for a Sally Hershberger haircut, but I did have $12.50 to buy her products the other day. I was headed to the beach and wanted something new to enhance my wild mop of hair since I'm embracing the curly.

I was drawn to Sally's wavy hair products because of the packaging, pale seafoam green with gold lettering and the Supreme Head logo, then the scent hooked me. It smells like beach fruit, which is not an actual thing, but I think describes it.

I got the Wave Spray and the Finishing Cream, and it turns out I also need the Style Primer because it makes the other products work better. Either that or I am the target audience and a marketer's dream.

Sally told the New York Sun that 50% of great hair is the product so you don't have to get an $800 cut from her to get great style. That is really a relief since it's never happening to me.

I have used both products for a couple of days now and my curls are dramatically less frizzy and are more defined. The product website is interesting in that it has videos of Sally demonstrating the products on models. She has also said that most people apply products incorrectly and don't get the benefit.

My hair definitely is beachy, with a delicious scent. In fact, if you encounter me on the beach in Sanibel you'll be thinking "That woman has Gisele Bundchen hair, but she smells better." Uh-huh.

 

Technorati Tags: "beach hair","Sally Hershberger","hair products","wavy hair","curly hair","frizzy hair"

My Nails are Like Buttah

Kelly, I spend a lot of time being annoyed by my nails. I cannot stand to put lotion on my hands during the day, mostly because I'll be washing them again five minutes later thanks to the 2 little grime gremlins I live with. I also have the ability to pick at polish chips invisible to the naked eye.

As a result of the aforementioned personal issues, I usually have dry hands, drier cuticles, and chipped polish. Manicures don't work for me because, after spending the time and money, I see that little mark or glob of polish stuck to a cuticle and then....

I have discovered an effective solution after years of trying every lotion, balm, ointment, oil, polish, sealer, healer, whathaveyou in the known universe. I gave up my buff colored polish for completely bare nails and started using one of those 4-sided buffing blocks that file, remove ridges, smooth, and shine.

Then I use Burt's Bees  Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream on the nails and the webs of my fingers,  followed by the Hand Salve, the Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream, or the Beeswax and Banana Hand Cream. I got all these products and more in the Essential Body Kit, one of the many inexpensive and perfect for travel kits made by Burt's Bees.

Amazingly, the products last through several washings and are healing my dry skin. My nails stay shiny from the buffing and their condition is improving daily. So I've freed up some time in my day. More blog reading house cleaning!

Multi-tasking bonus: The cuticle cream is in a tiny balm tin and can be applied while driving (at stoplights people) without turning the steering wheel into a greased piglet.

Green Bonus: No more gagging over polish remover and using a bunch of cotton balls.

Trust Me On This Tanner

Hi Kelly. I'm excited about my vacation to the Bahamas, but dismayed at my hue. You know I'm very pale, and not in an ethereal Scarlett Johanssen way. I just did the full body exfoliation and tanner application. What a job, but I know a little color covers a multitude of candy bars sins.

I've tried a great many self-tanners and nothing works better for me than Lancome Flash Bronzer. It's tinted, which helps tremendously around the tricky spots. Recently The Daily 10 on E! tested out some tanners and Lancome was pronounced the winner. It's pricey at $31, but so worth it and I'm still on last year's bottle!