Summer Bronzy love...

If you are not rocking a perfect summer tan... then you are probably like me... rocking a perfect summer fake tan with bronzer. :)

Just have to spill the beans on my new favorite bronzer. It doesn't have the brown/orange/red tones that leave us looking a little Jersey Shore Happy, but it DOES have just enough shimmer to still look great, and not mimic the teen wannabe's.

Enjoy. It costs a whopping $3.00, I purchased it at Target (http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=elf+golden+bronzer&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories)

And yes. It is ELF. Dust some of it not only on your cheeks, forehead and nose... but across your collarbone. Thank me later for falling in love. :)

e.l.f Golden Bronzer

Happy Summer.

My review of Pantene Pro-V

I committed a hair sin. I have spent 10 years in the hair industry listening and thus teaching my clients three very important words: “Never use Pantene.”  There is loads of information about what it does to your hair, but I thought, “Hey, let me try this out.” So, for 30 days the only shampoo and conditioner that touched my head was Pantene Pro-V.

What I noticed immediately was that wonderful smell! I remembered that smell from childhood. When I was growing up, Pantene Pro-V was the “expensive” shampoo. It lathers well, and leaves my hair feeling silky smooth… while it is still wet. In the first two weeks, I felt as if I had been fooled. Was it possible that I had taught a vicious lie to my clients for years? Was it possible that Pantene Pro-V could actually transform my hair into all of the spokeswomen and models’ hair, I saw in the commercials? Hey, Stacy London from What Not to Wear uses it, right? At least she SAYS she does…

Unbeknownst to me at the time, my hair was slowly unraveling. At the end of week 2, I had developed a layer of “scabs” if you will, across my scalp! I had huge pieces (I know, sick, but at least I’m honest) of my scalp peeling off, and wearing ANY dark colors became a thing of the past.  My blonde highlights became brassy (orangey-yellow tinted); the ends of my hair began to feel dry, and by the end of week 3, I was seriously jonesing for my normal shampoo. However, I continued to use Pantene to give it a fair chance.

 At the end of this “experiment,” my naturally curly hair was breaking around my face.  I had so many split ends that I had to GIVE myself a haircut, which by the way, is a huge no-no in the hair world, even if you ARE trained to do hair. I had to redo my color, and give myself professional conditioning treatments for 2 weeks to even get my hair CLOSE to the way it felt prior to my Pantene stint. Consensus? DON’T DO IT! It is like hair suicide. At least I can now feel confident that my education was correct, Pantene Pro-V is seriously bad for your hair.

New Years Eve Ready!

It is that time of the year again! My top products to get you New Year’s Eve Ready!

First off, lets address what you should NOT do. Do NOT decide to suddenly exfoliate your entire body, two days before. It takes a day or so for the impurities in your skin to show up. If you are exfoliating, do it at least a week before.

Do not decide to suddenly change your skin care for a new “glow.” If you have an allergic reaction for some reason, you will definitely have a glow, just not the kind you want! Think :: Will Smith in Hitch.

Do not decide to try a new hair color… yourself. PLEASE leave this to a professional. There are WAY too many things that can go wrong with coloring your own hair. Believe me, I have spent years fixing my clients’ sudden hair color inspirations.

As long as you avoid those common mishaps, you are in a better position than most to thoroughly enjoy your New Year’s Eve!  Now on to my favorite products for 2011!

1.       Hair: There is nothing better than well-conditioned hair. Make sure to deep condition your hair the day before New Year’s. My current favorite is Salma Hayek’s Nuance line: Black Currant Intense Hydration Hair Mask ($7.99)

2.       Moisturizer for your body: Neutrogena’s Body Oil in Light Sesame. The scent is light enough to layer your favorite perfume on top of.

3.       Foundation:  I always spend more on my foundation. Typically I use Aveda. However, I fell upon this foundation when I realized I had forgotten to pack mine for a very important event. Loreal’s True Match Naturale is a loose mineral foundation that comes with a brush attachment on the top. I never use the attachment, because after one use, you have the potential to contaminate your skin, I.E: acne. It provides GREAT coverage, and if you apply it too heavily, you can buff it out with a powder brush.

4.       Bronzer/Blusher: I am completely obsessed with Salma Hayek’s Cheek Trio in ‘Spice 305.’ It comes with three colors that can create a glow, or a bronzed look. It has a little bit of a sheen to it, so it is a great addition to the apples of your cheeks.

5.       Eye Shadow: I was recently given this amazing gift. Avon has created an “Expert Mega Palette” containing 36 lip glosses, 36 eye shadows, 6 blushes, application brushes, and a mirror, all for $29.99. It is small enough to throw in your purse, and gives you so many options and choices of colors that you simply can’t go wrong. Avon has made a huge come back recently, with celebrities like Ashley Greene to back them. This product was also featured on The View. I love this all in one kit!

6.       Eyeliner: I am a HUGE fan of liquid eye liner. I love the look of Adele’s eye liner and had to try it out. I already had Mac’s gel liner, but always had issues with it smudging. It my opinion, if I spent that much, it shouldn’t smudge. Now I have found the love of my life in eye liner. L’Oreal Lineur Intense in Blackest black. I don’t use a water proof liner, but this does NOT budge!

7.       Mascara: You all know I am HUGE mascara junkie. I am always trying out the newest one I can get my hands on. There is one mascara that has stayed put as a staple in my makeup routine all summer:  Maybelline’s “The Falsies: Volume Express” in blackest black. I apply it from the base of my eyelashes to the very tips, and angle them out slightly to give a “retro” look. It layers well, stays put, and doesn’t clump or flake.

8.       Lip Gloss: My favorite makeup accessory, even when I feel terrible, is lip gloss. In the winter time, I love the look of a glowing complexion. We don’t have the sun to give us a sunkissed look, and I hate the look of bronzer on people in the winter. So, what I love, is a smooth complexion with glowing cheeks and lips. Avon has the perfect color in “Sucked Red.” It comes in a set of 3, and at $7.99 for all three of the glosses together, you can’t beat it.  It is an orangey pink, but it looks great on everybody.

9.       Hair Gloss: I am absolutely in love with Redken’s Argan-6 oil. It is around $20, which is definitely a little more expensive than my typical reviews, but this is a miracle worker for me.  The big hype in the industry right now is all on Moroccan oil. It smells amazing, but personally, it does NOTHING for my hair. I know a lot of stylists that will disagree with me, but I actually had the opposite effect, it dried my hair out. However, Redken’s Argan-6 oil made my hair soft, silky and shiny. It can be applied wet or dry, or both. And because I believe shiny hair a must have, this is a new staple.

10.   Nails: I am the laziest person when it comes to nails, even so, I am in love with Sonia Kashuk’s “Tauped.” It is the perfect shade that changes with what you wear. It can be a brown, a grey, a purple. It’s perfect.

Remember, regardless of your makeup or hair perfection, your beauty absolutely comes from the person you are and the confidence that is a reflection of it.  Let that reflect the gift you truly are to this world, and everything else will fall in place! Happy New Year!!  

Q & A with Date Night! Round 2

Here we go ladies! Round 2 of my monthly Q&A, directly solely by YOU and YOUR questions! I have done my best to answer them from my experience, but I would love to hear from you and your experience, so please feel free to comment and add to these! This month was full of winter-skin and makeup questions, so that is what we will focus on!

1.       How can I tell if my skin needs moisturizer?

    When you wash your face, if it feels dry and tight, you need moisturizer. However, the key is to determine what kind and how much. If you use a moisturizer, and you end up with very oily skin within a couple of hours, you aren’t using the right product. You might need to step it down to a less-rich product. Similarly, if you end up very dry and tight within a couple of hours, step up your game, with one that has more oils and humectants to it. My favorite light-weight moisturizer is Aveda’s for Sensitive skin. They use this for burn victims in hospitals, so it is pretty amazing lotion. My favorite heavier moisturizer is Nuance: AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream.

2.       My lips are ALWAYS chapped. What can I do about this?

    My biggest trick is to gently exfoliate your lips with a tooth brush. Then slather on a generous amount of your favorite lip balm. I love to stick with lip balms that have a lot of natural oils in them.  My favorite is EOS Organic Lip Balm Smooth Sphere. It is less than $4.00, and the lemon flavor is amazing.

3.       My skin is so dry; I can’t seem to put enough lotion on! What can I do?

    Well, obviously, every dermatologist (which I am not) will tell you, stay away from hot showers. However, I am a hot shower addict, so I also had to find a way around it. My favorite tricks are oils! Neutrogena makes the most amazing sesame scented body oil, but at $10-$15, it can be a bit expensive, especially if you use it every time you take a shower. However, baby oil is very inexpensive, and it smells amazing! The key to using oils is applying them while your skin is still wet. Apply it right after your shower. I always try and wipe some of the water off first, and then use the oil. It’s great because it is VERY easy to apply and takes no time. Then try to air dry, or at least pat yourself dry. Give yourself about 5 minutes and then get dressed as usual!

4.       My hair is so damaged now that it’s cold out. It seems like the conditioners I use don’t work!

    Your first problem may be that you need a haircut. Most of us are attached to our length, even if it is nasty, trashy, split-end hair. J However, you can NEVER fix split ends. Ignore everything you have been told by TV commercials. In the end, the only remedy is a good haircut. After this, you may still have dry hair, and that is where at little T.L.C comes in. Do a deep conditioner at least once a week. I always do it twice.  Look for one that has natural oils in the first few ingredients. My favorite deep conditioner is Aveda’s Damage Remedy, but it has a very HIGH price tag. As an alternative, I use olive oil.  Shampoo like regular, and then apply the oil like you would conditioner.  Tie your hair up, and let the steam in the shower do the hard work. Let it sit as long as you can. I keep olive oil in my hair for about 10-15 minutes, and then I rinse with cool water. Yes, you will likely have greasy hair faster than normal, but it has done its job, and your hair is healthier for it!

5.       My skin looks ashy in the winter. I have been told not to exfoliate, because I will dry out my skin, what should I do?

    I completely disagree. Exfoliation is one of my BIGGEST beauty tricks. I exfoliate my body multiple times a week. I do not do this to my face, however! Ashy skin is a result of dead skin cells building up. The blood supply goes to the healthy skin cells, which gives you a warm, glowing appearance. You have to get those ashy skin cells off to get back that beautiful winter glow! I love the exfoliating gloves you can purchase for $5 at Wal-Mart. I apply a body wash with a salicylic acid directly on the gloves, like Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash in Pink Grapefruit ($7.50), and scrub! Don’t overdo it; you don’t want scabs, just pretty skin. 

6.       My cuticles constantly split open and bleed in the winter months. I don’t know how to keep them from doing this.

    Your cuticles split open because they are dry. They need moisture to remain flexible. Think about how many things your hands do a day, and if they don’t have the moisture they need, they will pull tight (think of a dry rubber band) and naturally split open. Do yourself a favor, spend $5 on cuticle oil and apply it to your nails every night before you go to bed. You could also just grab a little olive oil out of your kitchen cabinet and apply. This will save you a lot of pain, because it never fails that those tiny little cuts hurt worse than the big ones!

Send me your beauty questions to cayladoeshair@hotmail.com!

Nuance by Salma Hayek

It’s official. My skin hates me. In a stroke of genius, I decided to try out a billion (or 4) different types of skin care over the last 4 months. After this last stint, instead of the super luxurious feeling, glowing, 10 years younger  looking skin, I am left with… “Hello, my name is Cayla, and I am 15.” I.E. Puberty burdened skin. The good news is, the product I am about to review did NOT produce this effect!

I started this little adventure with purely selfish motivation of saving money (this is what this blog is about, right?) I was introduced to Salma Hayek’s Nuance line while scouring the CVS aisles for a new makeup stash. The plus was that CVS is constantly running these ridiculous sales, for example: Buy $25, get $10 off. That’s amazing to me. So I got new-crush, High- School giddy over the possibilities of a new line of skin care, and dove right in. I purchased the following products: Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel, Renewing and Brightening Facial Serum, Correcting Spot Treatment, and Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream, and AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream. I also, of course, got crazy with retail therapy and decided to buy her makeup AND hair care. But, unless you are prepared to read a novel, I’ll just stick to skin care.

As I went through the products, I became enchanted by the line’s intention . On the back of the moisturizer box, reads the following: “My line is inspired by my grandmother, who dedicated her life to keeping women beautiful. My products are designed to help every woman enhance the nuances that define her individual beauty, and make my grandmother proud.” That is beautiful to me. Probably the coolest part was the “secret ingredient,” which is bark of the Tepezchouite tree. This ingredient was highly sought after by ancient Mayan civilizations, for its “effective, natural skin treatment.” 

The Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel uses fruit acids to naturally exfoliate your skin. No manual exfoliants needed. Put it on your skin, let it sit. I loved this product, but it is very powerful. I quickly realized this was a once a week product for me, because my twice a week regime, created a ‘burn-like’ effect.

I truly didn’t notice anything from the Renewing and Brightening Facial Serum. Perhaps this is a product for someone who suffers from dark pigmentation, as “brightening” would imply. I’d skip it all together, personally.

I was a huge fan of the Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream. This product goes an insanely long way. You need a pea –sized amount, for both eyes. Emulsify the product in your ring fingers, and gently pat on to your eye, starting on the outside, and working your way IN toward your nose. This will have you going contrary to typical wrinkle lines

The Correcting Spot Treatment contains 10% sulfur acne treatment in it, which made me very excited, but it didn’t do anything for me. This one is definitely a product I’d skip on.

My last, and very FAVORITE product was the AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream. I am 27, and highly addicted to anti-aging products. However, what tends to happen is I end up being so greasy I could distract on-going traffic.  HOWEVER, this product is interesting in the way it almost has a gel/cream consistency. It goes on your skin, absorbs in, and seems to protect it from getting flaky, or dry, which is a huge issue for me during the cold weather seasons. I used it in the morning and at night, and found that it was equally efficient, and didn’t make me greasy within a couple of hours! It ranges from $16.00 to $20.00, depending on if it is on sale, but it goes a very long way. I still use my ring-finger when applying moisturizer, and smooth it on my face upward. THIS IS THE KEY. Always go opposite of wrinkle lines. Also, make sure when you are using a moisturizer, you be sure to spend the extra 15 seconds to apply it to your chest, the front and side of your neck, and blend back into your ears. This is probably the most missed area for women, and the largest TELL TALE sign of age!

Check out my next article on her makeup. Hint: I am a HUGE FAN.