Ok people, I have a final list of a bunch of different hair powders that I have finally given a full run for review. A while back, I had thought about trying the Bumble & Bumble hair powder and ended up trying a whole bunch of Hair powders. dry shampoo, hair refreshers and all the other buzz keywords that basic powder is marketed these days.

and so I ended up actually trying a bunch of different ones - here goes the roundup:

Bumble & Bumble hair powder in black: This came in an aerosol can, and surprisingly enough the formula didn’t clog the spout, but beware! The powder is BLACK. I mean SUPER-black. I ended up choosing this one because my hair was a really dark brown and thought that the brown formula might end up looking weird, so I went with black, but it ended up being too dark. It did cost a bundle, I think like 29 bucks, but I ended up getting most of my money back by selling it on ebay.  Anyway, besides it going on super dark, it applied rather thick. I think if maybe they had a more medium color or even a no- color it might prove to be more useful. I have super oily hair, so when I want to get a good poofy hairstyle going, hair powder does the trick. Price ranges from $24- 42 USD and available at authorized resellers or http://www.bumbleandbumble.com/

Hair Fix Vegan Hair Powder: about half the price of Bumble & Bumble and comes in various colors also, plus it guarantees organic ingredients and no-perfume which is a plus, but it comes in a shake-out style and I found it to be a bit difficult to apply, plus a bit messy. The directions read to part your hair and squeeze a small amount out into your hair and then run the powder through, but alas, that never quite worked for me…it always ended up being a super messy ordeal. Priced around $20 USD and available from MyHairFix.com. plus they guarantee satisfaction with a money-back guarantee.

Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo - This one is actually marketed as a dry shampoo rather than simply “hair powder” but it does basically the same thing as the others. It comes in only one color which is white, and has a nice aerosol spray which makes application super easy, but at approximately $35 USD for a small bottle in salons, or $22 online at various cosmetic websites, I’m not sure the 2 ounce size is worth it. Plus I didn’t really get to test it on an up-do because my son ended up using it all up!

and finally, my favorite hair powder ever, because of it’s diversity and availability:

Johnson & Johnsons Baby Powder. Yes, that’s right. Any cornstarch based formula will work, but in a jam, I’ve found that good ol’ baby powder works just fine. Plus it’s a psychological fact that the scent of baby powder is soothing to most people, so you don’t have to be afraid of heavy perfuming. Plus it costs less than $5 bucks at your local drugstore, and can be used for a variety of other purposes too. My dollar is being spent on the J & J - especially in these hard economic times! I’ve found that the easiest way to apply it is with a cotton ball, parting your hair and dusting the powder on to the part, then combing it out to distribute it into the hair. Fabulous!

Technorati Tags baby powder, bumble and bumble, dry shampoo, hair fix, hair-powder, myhairfix.com, rene furterer, vegan hair products

There’s few things as good for the soul as yummy ice cream, except maybe knowing that when you are eating the good stuff AND proceeds are giving BACK to the very core of how you got the yum in the first place. Or simply put, Hagen Daaz’s new Vanilla Honey Bee Ice Cream is giving back a portion of the profits to aide in figuring out how to  save the honey bee population that is struggling to stay alive

Technorati Tags causes, hagen daaz ice cream, honey bees, ice cream, organic, save the honey bees

Ok so all of you know that I am a local at the Topanga Mall, and I can’t WAIT until the Neiman-Marcus store opens September 5 (that’s right around the corner!!). I’ve seen a new Jimmy Choo store in the works, and a new Tiffany’s store located right on the corner outside of the new Neiman’s which has a cute corner-like appeal and is right across the way from Salvator Ferragamo. It’s kind of weird that if you go down that corrider of the mall you will end up at Sears but whatev. Who goes down that corridor anyway?

Anyway, My favorite time of the year is around the corner…I’ve seen Bath and Body Works prepping to put the pumpkin scented candles on the shelves and before you know it, Fall will be in full swing - WOOT!

Here are the lists of Fall events at the Topanga Nordstrom - but don’t forget for all you Ventura County fashionistas that the NEW Nordstrom’s is going to be having a grand opening at The Thousand Oaks Mall too this fall! That will have to be it’s own post later. Ok here we go with August’s Events in Woodland Hills:

Clarins Skin Care 40 Minute Complementary Facial
August 12-14, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
818.884.7900 Cosmetics

Dr. Zein Obagi Personal Appearance
Friday, August 15, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday, August 16, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Space is limited, so book your appointment today.
818.884.7900
Cosmetics

MAC Cult of Cherry Collection Launch
August 22-24
818.884.7900
Cosmetics

Technorati Tags Clarins, fall fashion 2008, MAC Cult of Cherry collection, nordstrom, obagi

Technorati Tags bath and body works, BBW, Home Spa, pedicure, true blue spa, youtube

When I first heard the commercial for Olay’s Body Transform Age Serum, I was half asleep and thought that perhaps I was dreaming, because the though of an anti-aging BODY serum sounded fabulous for the whole battle against the cleavage-crows feet has continued to ensue. I went to my local CVS to check it out, and sure enough, it was true, PLUS it was under 10 bucks! It lasted me around 2 months and I just finished my bottle and have a pretty good idea on how mediocre it is - my crows feet are still winning the battle, and my skin doesn’t look any more transformed.

One thing I DID have to do though, is put it in my downstairs bathroom because the perfume scent was SO intense, that it was giving me a headache when I put it on before bed and didn’t have enough air filtering. After moving the bottle downstairs to the bathroom, I did use it after my shower to keep my skin softened, which it did, but I’m not sure I will shell out another 10 bucks to get it again. Actually, you can find coupons in the paper for this at least once a month, but honestly, it’s not really a product that I’m lemming for anytime soon. These days, every dollar counts and when you actually go to buy something, its going to have to be something great, IMO. The economy doesn’t have room for expensive ‘try mes’.

Technorati Tags aging skin, cleave crows feet, olay body age transform serum, perfume

Dare I say this?? I think I might have experienced the first successful eye treatment! Skinceuticals - through a fabulous swap thru MakeUpAlley.com seems to be eliminating the pigmentation under my eyes. Say it isn’t so!! I still have some hollowing, but that is so minor compared to an evening skin tone - and after doing a quickie google search on the product, I’m seeing that it’s only 33 bucks for a full size. That’s pretty competitive pricing considering that the Olay products at the local market are in the $27 price range. Plus I already know it works.

I also acquired a bottle of the Antioxidant serum from Skinceuticals, but good grief, it smells absolutely AWFUL…parallel to racoon urine. Not that I know what racoon urine smells like exactly, but if I did, I am sure it would be in the category in line with this product. Unfortunately, I can’t really give it much more of a review than that because I simply cannot stomach the stench, so who knows if it works or not. At a price point of $135, it really is a shame that it smells so horrific!

Technorati Tags antioxidant serum, crows-feet, dark eye circles, eye treatments, skinceuticals

Be sure you shop smashbox during your lunch hour this Tuesday or Thursday between the hours of 9am-2pm PST because Smashbox.com is giving away free lip glosses!

My fave items are:
PHOTO FINISH FOUNDATION PRIMER SPF 15 & DERMAXYL™ and ARTIFICIAL LIGHT LUMINIZING LOTION

Technorati Tags photofinish makeup primer, Smashbox-Cosmetics

Holy bat-cow batman, I seriously hate Bare Mineral’s Rare Minerals night treatment. I decided to give it more of a test run the first time around, and silly me, I ended up with red, flaky skin AND 3 BLACKHEADS. OMG. I am 37 years old, and have never had a blackhead before, so you can just imagine my pissivity. At first, I thought that it was the Diorshow mascara that was flaking off, but when I tried to rub it off, I noticed that they weren’t going anywhere.

So I rubbed harder, and realized that it wasn’t really mascara. I dug up my super-zoom eyebrow plucking mirror and saw that it was actually something stuck under my skin. I did a google search and low-and-behold, I’ve got exactly 7 blackheads. I am beyond upset, and feel that Leslie Blodgett herself should refund my money, PLUS get me a series of trips to a skincare specialist that I am going to have to invest in now to make this very terrible wrong go right. UUUuugggh.!!! I’m too upset to keep writing. I think I’ll go stare into my magnifying mirror for a while more.

Technorati Tags bare escentuals cleanser, blackhead, Blackheads, Diorshow, leslie blodgett, mascara, mineral, night treatments, qvc, rare-minerals, Skin, treatment

So here’s the deal with Pureology...I love it. Hands down, it is the bomb diggity. I’ve got a rundown of all the products & what they did for me:

Purology Antifade Complex Hydrate Shampoo:
I have color treated, oily and thin hair so I have quite a battle on my head, but this stuff works great, leaves my hair full with limited color fade AND smells super great. Not too perfume-y with just the right amount of refreshing scent to not overpower the shower, which is also important to me for whatever reason. A total regular purchase for me.

Pureology Hydrate Condition:
Not too heavy or greasy, works well with the shampoo, plus it usually comes in a kit on specials with the shampoo. A total regular in my hair haul rotation.

Super Straight Relaxing Serum:
Mmmm this stuff smells fantastic, and leaves your hair soft and shiny without any heavy greasy residue when flat ironing. It also seems to ‘coat’ the hair and perhaps protect it (I am totally thinking positive here…I’m not a chemist so I can’t call it for sure) from the heat when pressing with a flat iron. Will totally buy it again.

Pureology Incharge Flexible Holding Styling Spray:
A bit too greasy/oily for my hair. It has shine elements in it, so while the immediate effect is shiny hair that is held in place, after about 3-4 hours, my hair ends up being limp and greasy. I can see where it would probably work fantastic for someone with course, dry hair, but not for me. It kind of reminded me of the pink Mink Oil mixed with a light hair spray. I’m gonna give mine to Brianette and see if it works for her.

Pureology Nanoworks Restorative Hair Treatment:
Not much different than any other hair treatment, probably won’t buy again.

Pureology InstaRepair Hair Treatment:
This product didn’t really impress me too much - it helped detangle, but it had a very masculine cologne scent and that is what pretty much threw me off. Won’t buy again.

I get my stuff from

they have a rewards program, plus free shipping & the current competitive pricing which is way cheaper than driving all over town to get your must-haves. Plus, I love getting fun stuff in the mail rather than bills! LOL.

Technorati Tags bomb, buy, color, deal, drugstore.com, greasy, hair, Hands, Hydrate, pureology, review, scent, shampoo, spray, stuff, treatment

I’ve finished my month’s run of Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa line, and I’ve got to say overall, it’s some pretty good stuff. Here’s the rundown of the products I tried, and a quickie review for each:

Heel of Approval - Cracked Heel Treatment
I don’t have cracked heels, but the cream smells lovely, feels silky and isn’t too heavy. I usually use it at night, and only a couple of times per week.

Shea it Isn’t So - Shea Butter Foot Cream
OMG this is my absolute FAVORITE product ever - I use it as a leg & hand softener too, every single night. I wake up with silky smooth limbs and am SO in love with the scent…it’s not too heavy, refreshing and botanical, kind of like the lemon sage Bliss lotion, but half or even 1/3 of the price. I’ll probably never buy Bliss again, because this stuff is way cheaper and just as good!

Acrylic Foot File
At 8 bucks, I’d rather buy a cheapie one from Rite Aide for the same outcome. Probably won’t buy again.

Look Ma, New Hands! - Softening Hand Lotion with Paraffin
I am a hand-lotion obsessive, but this one just felt a bit too waxy for my personal taste probably due to the paraffin in it. Kind of on the pricey side too - for not being something I absolutely love @ $18.50

Just a Minute™ 60-Second Manicure Scrub
A great scrub, but again, at $12.00, I’m not loving it. Walmart has one for less than $4 with equal results.

Suddenly Sauna for Hands - 15 minute thermal hand pampering kit
I’ve got to do a youtube review for these to show you how they work, but it’s pretty cool, much easier than warm towels and would make a good gift! Stay tuned for that one.

The final word…I’m a fan of the True Blue Spa from Bath & Body Works, and am pretty excited to see that they have lots of sales where you can get 2 or 3 for $20 depending on what promo is going on at that time. Right now, the website is doing a 2 for 20 special, but at the store, I picked up 3 for $20, just an fyi.

Technorati Tags bath and body works, BBW, bliss, cracked heel treatment, foot cream, hand treatments, pedicure, true blue spa

Ok, so I finally got around to getting a few good uses of the new MAC Volcanic Ash exfoliator stuff, and although I probably won’t run back and get it (since it’s available for a limited time only) I WILL give it a good review, because it cleaned the hell out of my face, shoulders, neck and anywhere else that I put it on.

It was a bit too much for my face, but as a body exfoliator, it pretty much owns over any other scrub I have used - and is almost as good as a trip to the Korean style day spa, minus the buckets of water being splashed on you during the rinse cycle. One word of caution - be sure you have LOTS of moisturizing agents because this stuff will wipe out any and everything from your face. I have pretty balanced skin, so I can’t say if it works well for either oily prone or extra dry prone skin, but it will give you a blank canvas to start all over with.

Technorati Tags exfoliation, MAC volcanic ash exfoliator, MAC-makeup, scrubs

Alright…this one is for all the fellas out there!

Nothing is more sexy than your dude having dope skin and has enough sense than just thinking soap and water will do the trick. That’s all fine and dandy when you’re young but just like us gals, age will eventually catch up and if you didn’t take the proper precautions in the beginning, the bar soap will no longer cut it and then it’ll be too late. You wouldn’t want your women to age prematurely would you? And no, I’m not saying I want my dude in front of the mirror longer than I, ugh…that is another topic we will discuss in the near future because that is not the biz! I’m just saying that it’s cool if they’re confident and want to look good. A guy that takes care of himself and gives a damn about what he looks like is super dope sexy! Don’t you agree ladies? Us ladies take the time to keep ourselves up and look good, so our dudes should do the same. There’s nothing more gratifying than walking around side by side thinking you look good and also knowing that your dude looks just as good or even better! That’s what’s up :)! Soooo….with that said, fortunately there are a lot of products out there geared for men only without all the fussy packaging. These products pack the same punch as all the millions of women products out there, but are specifically for men and their needs. The basic men skin care line includes a cleanser, exfoliant, a shave prep, shaving cream, and a moisturizer. Of course different lines carry different items but that is the gist of what a guy should use daily. Here is a list of the top 5 men’s product lines from all different price ranges that I love and recommend you guys give a try. Ladies, if your guys need a little nudge in this department I suggest you treat your dude to any of these products and I guarantee they’ll use it if its within their reach!

Anthony Logistics for Men - A Clean Start Kit (also available at Nordstroms)

Lab Series For Men (also available at Nordstroms)

Dermalogica - Skin Kit For Men

Zirh Mens Skincare

Neutrogena Men

Come on guys…try any of these. You can hold me accountable if you don’t love it. Holla!
Chas

Technorati Tags men, products, shave, Skin

Eyelash Extensions
Paris Nails
7045 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Canoga Park, CA
818.710.6606

Technorati Tags diorshow mascara, eyelash extensions, eyelash weave in LA, fake lashes

Its about that time! I know I usually post fun makeup tips and products…but its time for me to get Mama on you and bust out my esthetician coat for this. SUNSCREEN. Ladies and Gents! I cannot stress how very important it is that you do not step foot outside of your house without applying the proper amount and coverage. The sun is the number 1 cause of aging…especially in the more sunny parts of the world. Here in Cali we should be stocking up on it like we buy cases of water, heck…we should BE buying stock in sunscreen (but thats a whole other show, lol). Doesn’t matter if you bronze up like a shiny penny or bake up like a lobster at Lobsterfest at Red Lobster, everyone needs to wear it. Age and race unimportant, the sun doesn’t discriminate and its rays will take a serious toll on your skin. Im not saying you should hide out like a hermit just make sure that the sunscreen you applied will suffice. Your face and your decolletage are the first to show signs of aging due to the sun…and for women, that is deadly, lol. There are many good products out there from all different price points, I’ll share two. I also recommend that you get a seperate sunscreen that is specifically for your face, but if your are in a bind and are going to be in the sun by all means put whatever sunscreen you have on deck on your face. The first one I will share that I absolutely LOVE is the Super Sensitive Faceblock spf30 by Dermalogica. Its super light weight and doesnt have that greasy feeling that most sunscreens give (a plus when you’re hot and sweaty). That one is a bit on the pricey side, so another one that I also love that you can get anywhere is by good ole Neutrogena. For just about 11 bucks you can get the Neutrogena Ultra-sheer Dry Touch SPF85 sunscreen. Super high five for the spf 85! This too is super light weight and feels great on your skin. TIP: after daily routine put sunscreen on face right before primer…the primer will help seal the sunscreen in longer. Remember, just because you cant see the sun doesnt mean it wont harm you still…slather it on! Other than that have a fun summer…alot of good products out to celebrate, stay tuned!

happy bronzing - Chastity

Technorati Tags dermalogica, neutrogena, product, review, summer, sunscreen

Greetings ladies and some gents…

I have a great product review to share with you guys! With my undeniable wit and charm (kidding!), I was able to score a travel size sample of Prevage products. I’ve been on the search for a good eye cream with actual results than wasting my time slathering my eyes with stuff that I’m not so sure is working. The Prevage Eye anti-aging moisturizing treatment works wonders and is worth the hefty price tag it comes with. First of all, the consistency is great, it’s really light weight and isn’t at all like a heavy cream which most eye creams tend to be.

It doesn’t have that shiny, greasy look but looks matte on the eyes. Within a few days I noticed that the skin around my eyes felt and looked tighter, firmer, and plumper. I have had this result with other products before but not as quick. I love this stuff, and you only need a very small amount to achieve the results, which will be easy to do because the full size tube isn’t very big so it forces you to use very little. But I’ve had the smaller version for over a month and it’s still going. I definitely plan on buying the full size version when I run out (TIP: if you end up with left overs after applying to your eyes, put some on the areas where laugh lines tend to show up…shouldn’t hurt right?). Soo…you can get this fantastic product at Sephora and some Nordstroms for a cool 98 bucks. I know, I know…but if you manage to stack the chips for this goodie, I guarantee you will be glad you did!

Enjoy! Chastity