Beauty and the Drink

I first found out about this brush from Mario Dedivanovic's blog; the video post of him doing Kim Kardashian's makeup.  After watching Mario do the most perfect crease on her eyelid, I knew I had to get this brush. Honestly, its been the best investment because I use this brush every single day. The bristles are not too hard, not too soft - they're juuuuuuust right. Mario said it best, the #15 picks up pigment really well and shadow doesn't fall off - what more can a girl ask for from a brush?!

Image courtesy of Sephora.com

Okay, sit down ladies, cuz I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine: use OPI Bond Aid before your base coat and you'll have a beautiful chip-free manicure for almost 2 weeks!

<--Seriously, here's the proof! This is after 11 days!

This little baby totally keeps polish on waaaaay longer than if I went without - saving me money and trips to the salon!

How does it work? Bond Aid brings the surface of the natural nail to the proper pH for optimum adhesion of primer, polish or glue.

Many salons here in the Bay have been using this before polish to give a great long-lasting manicure - totally awesome, right?! - so next time you're in the salon ask your nail tech for Bond Aid and give it a try!

Day 1 Brazilian Blowout

Guess what? I FINALLY did it. I got the Brazilian Blowout!!! 

After seeing so many of my co-workers get this treatment - and loving it - I just HAD to try it for myself! So I researched some salons in the Bay Area and decided to take the plunge at La Diva Hair Salon.  They were close to home and had a super awesome informational website, plus they managed to squeeze me in for an appointment on my birthday. YAY! 

This treatment has changed my life. I didn't realize how long I was spending on my hair each morning! Instead of 20 minutes just to defrizz my mane, its been 10 mins for drying AND styling! How cool is that?!  At this rate, I'm seriously considering sending all my hair styling products to family and friends because I have yet to really use any of it. Just a drop of shine serum and thats it. Really, that's it. With the Brazilian Blowout my hair is super shiny and frizz-free. I literally flatiron my ends and I'm off - to live my life.  Just the way its supposed to be, right?

SIX WEEKS LATER....

So its been a little over 6 weeks and its still pretty straight.  I lightly flatiron ends and any waves that appear ... and my hair finally held a curl about 3 weeks ago!  One thing to note is that I've been using the Brazilian Blowout Shampoo & Conditioner (every 2 days) and the Masque (once a week), so I believe that's helped the treatment last a lot longer.  The only downside is that the products have caused a little dandruff, but it's a small price to pay for beautiful hair - I'm totally in LOVE with my locks and loving the treatment so far! Well worth the cool $175 I spent at La Diva. Thank you hair gods! 

Stay tuned for my 12 Week Update! 

Wanna know more about what I thought of La Diva Salon? Check out my review here.

UPDATE 6/13/2011:  Its been almost 4 months since my treatment and I have about 40% of my frizz back.  Not too bad, but not too good either. I will most likely get another treatment soon, I'm just trying to time it perfectly with my Vegas trip in the fall as I like to curl my hair and I've found that it curls well after 6 weeks. Anyway, thats the scoop - stay tuned! 

CoverFX Eye Prep & MAC Pro Longwear ConcealerWhen my last under-eye cream ran out, I decided to look for a new one.  Hey, if its not perfect why not try something else, right? So I wandered aimlessly through Sephora, testing out all the lovely creams.  A lot of them seemed to have the same approach for diminishing under-eye circles. Thing is my circles are hereditary, so there's basically no cream out there that will completely get rid of these things. But when I came across CoverFX's Eye Prep Anti-age Smoothing Primer, I thought wait a minute - maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way - maybe I should wear something that camouflages instead of trying to treat my problem! I mean I wear concealer all day, everyday so why not! Plus maybe an awesome primer will keep my concealer color true and from creasing in all the wrong places.  And taaaaaa - daaaaaa!!!!! A light went off. This is it - the product I've been looking for!

I'm so happy I found this primer!! It's lightweight, hydrating and crease resistant.  All my fine lines and wrinkles are significantly less visible. And this primer bonds to my concealer like no other! (Think UD Primer Potion for the under-eyes!) YAY! Good find! 

Around the time I found CoverFX Eye Prep, twitter was all abuzz about the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. Heard lots of positive feedback so I had to give it a try.  I was previously using the NW20 Studio Sculpt but it was creasing and had a cakey feel to it after it dried.  I was down to try something new and thank gawd I did - Pro Longwear is super awesome! 

Currently I use NW20 & NW25; I have to mix the two.  While I LOVE how easy this product goes on (so lightweight!) and the coverage is amazing, there's been a couple issues: 1) For some reason the NW20 Pro Longwear Concealer is lighter than the NW20 Studio Sculpt, so I had to buy an additional darker shade (NW25) to create the perfect color - making me spend a little more $$ than I wanted. 2) I've also noticed that the pump shoots out a little too much product. I've spoken to a MAC rep about this and she said that's why they went with the pump, because it pumps out various amounts - perfect for all sorts of uses.  Ummmm yea, so it hasn't worked out for me that well as I have wasted a LOT of product along the way.  I pretty much wash about half the pumped product down the drain each time - yikes! I kinda wish this guy was in a tube or a tube with a wand. *sending my makeup wish to the MAC Cosmetics pros* But the end result is AMAZING, such great coverage, so I'll keep using this concealer until an improvement comes along.

Overall, I am happy with my new dark circle regimen.  And although I have a couple issues with the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, its not show-stopping and I'm sure many others will never encounter the same issues. So if you're looking to switch things up give these products a try.  You will love the end result!

Images from Sephora.com & MAC Cosmetics.

"Before" is the top row / "After" is the bottom row

Well, here it is. Sorry it's taken me so long, but I'm one of those gals that takes her time with pricy products - gotta make sure the baby works! Plus, my skin takes about 3 to 4 weeks to adjust to a new foundation so I really wanted to spend some quality time with the TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System. Anyway, here's what I thought ...

The good...

• Right out of the box the instructions were extremely easy to follow. It was super simple to assemble.
• At first glance, TEMPTU seemed delicate and flimsy. But I've tugged and pulled - at times thought I broke it - but it's still intact and good as new. It's very durable.
• The system allows you to really customize your coverage. Not only can you adjust from Less to More on the Air Pressure Dial, but the AIRbrush Trigger gives you even more control (the more you pull back on the Trigger, the more coverage you'll get).   TIP: If you're wondering how heavy coverage should be, spray it on your hand first, get a feel for where you have the AIRbrush Trigger pulled to.  Then once you find the right amount, move it to your face. Also, the easiest way to avoid blotchiness is to "feel" where the air touches your face.  If you remember the pattern and how many times you go over an area, things will look a lot more even.
• The pods last a really long time.  I've been using the same one everyday for 1.5 months and I still haven't run out. Note: I have the dial down to Less.
• The shade finder on Sephora's site for TEMPTU is one of the most helpful ones I've come across. I learned that I had pink undertones and later on could easily pick darker shades for the summer time.
• TEMPTU goes on lightning fast! No more messy fingers and sponges. Foundation stays in the pods, not on the counter tops. TIP: Laura Merciers Oil-free Primer works perfectly with TEMPTU.
• Coverage is AMAZING.  Life changing really. People do notice and give me a second take. My loving boyfriend says it takes about 10 years off - isn't he sweet!  CHECK OUT the before and after photos.
• TEMPTU looks perfect in any light - I never feel like I have to hide from daylight.  You'll also notice that my freckles and age spots seem to be less noticeable.  And PS oiliness is a thing of the past!
• It's totally sweatproof. When I go to the gym and wipe my face, makeup doesn't come off on my towel.  This also means that it doesn't come off on my clothing which is another bonus! YAY!
• This stuff stays on allllllll day without any touch-ups.  At the end of a long day it still looks great.

The not so good...

• The pods were difficult to pull off for the first week or so - totally making my fingers hurt. Ouch!!! But I asked a Sephora cast member about this and she said it was totally normal with new pods and with time it would become easier. She was right, now it's a piece of cake.
• Traveling with the TEMPTU is a bit hard. There isn't a travel case so I've been wrapping it up and packing it carefully.  So far so good, but I'm not sure how long I can keep doing this.
• If you are between shades, it becomes difficult because you can't blend foundation shades with the pod system.  TIP: To help with shade issues and any dewiness that arises, I've been using Laura Mercier's Loose Setting Powder lightly on top (after TEMPTU has set for a minute or so) - a sprinkle of Beige for dewiness or a bit more to darken it up and Transparent for when I want to make it a tad lighter. It seems to do the trick.
• Applying the blush has still been an issue for me. There has only been a time or two where I have gotten it juuuust right, but I guess I'll keep practicing.  TIP: You can still wear your normal blush over TEMPTU - just remember to let the foundation set for a minute or so.  I've been wearing NARS Orgasm when I don't have time to fiddle with this blush.

My recommendation:
TEMPTU is definitely not for the occasional makeup wearing gal. It's a serious beauty tool that requires patience and dedication. It took me about 1 to 2 weeks to finally get it right, to where it wasn't blotchy, but after all the trial and error I'm extremely happy with the result.  I think its great for the makeup loving gal who wants to take things up a notch.

If the price seems too high, maybe this could be an investment for you and your besties to take on.  You know, to use for special occasions.  Maybe after trying it for a bit you may find that its worth the price tag.

Still not sure if TEMPTU is right for you?
Go to any participating Sephora store and have a cast member spray it on you.  They will show you how to use the tool, even share special tips and techniques. You'll also be able to test for allergies and find the perfect foundation match. 

Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo

Ever since I moved from my home state of Colorado, my hair seemed to never be the same. The heavily mineralized water of Las Vegas dried and dulled my hair - ugh I shudder at the thought. But today I think my lovely locks finally got their groove back! And I'm happy to say that the Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner from Kiehl's was the kick start they needed. My naturally wavy hair was luxurious, frizz-free and super shiny! My co-workers were touching and feeling, giving me tons of compliments. Yay!

Welcome back hair, welcome back.  

Photo courtesy of Kiehls.com