One of my favorite looks for fall, the navy-and-gold eye can be worn subtly for day, or drama-ed up for night
2-Minute Makeup: Navy & Gold Eye
Posts Tagged: Beauty
One Of My Favorite Things About Working From Home
Right now:
- My hair is soaked in an oil treatment
- I have on a mud mask
- There are white Kerstin Florian eye-depuffer stickers pasted under my eyes
WEN by Chaz Dean
I rarely talk about products I don't like - mostly because I don't see the point; I'd rather tell you about things I recommend - but I get so many queries about the WEN by Chaz Dean line I thought I'd let you know my thoughts. And those thoughts are: eh.
WEN, for those of you unfamiliar with the products, is a non-lathering (soap-free) haircare line that's sort of the anti-shampoo: it purports to eliminate the "harsh and damaging" chemicals and detergents found in other cleansers, thereby leaving your hair soft and healthy.
I ordered a box of products a couple of years ago on the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend, and kept it up for about three months (over the course of which I tried both the Sweet Almond Mint and Cucumber Aloe lines), and honestly, it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the non-lathering formula - I never got that fresh-from-the-shower super-clean feeling - wasn't a huge fan of the scents, felt like the packaging was a little flimsy and dated-looking (again, this was a couple of years ago; it might've changed), and really didn't like that it seemed virtually impossible to cancel my "subscription" - box after box after box arrived in the mail in the coming months, and though repeated calls to the company ended up removing the charges from my credit card bill, it all made me a little nuts.
But I know that the stuff is billed as basically a miracle product for hair, so I'm wondering: what have those of you who've tried it thought of the line (or similar non-lathering haircare products)? Did you like it? Or were you as on the fence about the stuff as me?
Best New Beauty Finds / Fall 2011
The best of the best, found at drugstores, in friends' makeup bags, and my own drawers.
John Sahag Workshop Referral Program
I keep meaning to mention this to you: John Sahag Workshop (where I go for my color, from Doug, and my cuts, from Karmela), has a new rewards system that can go a long way towards offsetting the price of treatments with senior stylists.
Here's how it works: If you refer a friend to JSW, they get $50 off their first visit, and you get $50 off your next visit (after their first visit). First-time visitors get to take home a free John Sahag Workshop product, and then get $50 off when they refer someone else, and so on. And there's no limit, so if you refer, say, four new clients, you get $50 off at your next four appointments.
Click here to read all about my experiences with keratin treatments, and remember that if you book an appointment for keratin with Doug and mention RG, you get 10% off. Enjoy!
Click here for a how-to video on curling your hair with a flat iron (shot at the salon).
Absolution L’Eau Soir Et Matin
I was introduced to this new line today at a meeting, and adored it: eco-friendly packaging, organic ingredients, and super-cool, customizable products.
My favorite: L'Eau Soir Et Matin (pictured at left), which is a cleansing flower water/toner that removes all makeup and deposits nice things (like hazelnut oil, Neroli and geranium) onto your skin, and that doesn't need to be washed off. This is the kind of product you'd keep by the bed with some tissues for an extra-lazy night, or stash in your desk drawer to wipe off your day makeup before freshening up to go out for the evening.
Absolution also offers a lovely basic moisturizer that you mix with various skin-specific "solutions" (anti-aging, revitalizing, etc) right there on the top of the bottle, sort of like an artist's palette (click here and scroll down to see the illustration).
Bliss Fabulips Event
At last night's Bliss event over at the W on Lex, with Casey (whose company was hosting). The event was held to celebrate the release of the Fabulips Treatment Kit, which is basically a mini-facial for, yes, your lips (it's offered as an add-on to any facial treatment at Bliss Spas, or you can purchase the products at Sephora).
These tomato tartlets have nothing to do with lips or spa treatments, but were so weirdly delicious that I had to show them to you anyway. They're just little cracker cups filled with diced tomatoes, mint, cheese, and a couple of seed (or maybe nut?) things...but whoa, good. You can make your own mocked-up version by piling some diced tomatoes, finely sliced mint leaves, and some mild shredded cheese onto a regular old store-bought cracker.
Wide Open Spaces
Those Sally Hansen Stick-On Things
Finally, after having them recommended to me by everyone in the world, I did it: I bought the Sally Hansen stick-on things (officially known as Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips).
The plan yesterday was to get an actual, for-real pedicure, but at 6PM, on the way home, I decided that I wasn't particularly in the mood to spend forty bucks or to sit in a salon, so CVS it was. The plan was also to pick up a pretty grey polish a la Dior Gris Montaigne and Sally Hansen's Fairy Teal (or something similar), but all the greys were purple-y and all the teals were sparkly, so I had to revise.
I ended up going with my trusty Mink Muffs on the toes...and leopard on my fingers. I totally love it, and I hear that it'll last a week, which would be exciting (since my manicures are usually ruined within ten minutes of application, which is why I never, ever get them done in salons).
Pros/Cons:
Autumnal Fingers & Toes
Favorite nail look for fall: a pure grey on fingers paired with orange, teal, or pink on toes.
I've been way negligent with the pedicures lately, and my feet are starting to look like Frodo's, so this afternoon we'll be doing grey + teal in preparation for tomorrow's trip to Canada (the word on the street is that it's more autumn-y up North).
From left: Dior Gris Montaigne, Essie Vermillionaire, Sally Hanson Fairy Teal, Sally Hansen Shell We Dance.
