Beauty Expiration Dates

Courtesy of the February issue of Real Simple magazine:

Your products won’t last forever, but here’s a comprehensive list of cosmetics and how long you can expect to keep them:

Anti-aging and acne treatments: Three months to a year. Antioxidants are easily oxidized, so be on the lookout for any changes in color.

Body lotion: Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.

Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel: About three years.

Bath oil: One year.

Sunscreen: Check the package for an expiration date.

Mascara and liquid eyeliner: Three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.

Eye and lip pencils: Three to five years. Sharpen them before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.

Lipstick and lip gloss: Two to three years.

Foundation: About two years. Most bottles are designed to last that long. And if you don’t use it, chances are you didn’t love it to begin with.

Perfume: About two years. To get more mileage out of a perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity. Instead, stash it away in a cool, dark place.

Nail polish: One year.

Hairstyling products: Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.

Bar soap: Up to three years.

Shaving cream: About two years.

Deodorant: Up to two years.

Swiss Miss!

Hello all, sorry for the lack of posting all last week. I was actually on a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, and things were so crazy before I left that I forgot to post an announcement about it.

However, I can write a short post about one thing I noticed in Switzerland, and I think this is something common throughout Europe-- women seem to wear their hair naturally much more there. I've heard this said before about women in Paris, for example. Here in the states, it seems everyone's gravitating towards this ultra-styled look-- everywhere you look, most women look perfectly blown-out, or with super-straight, sleek styles that can only come from slaving away with a flat iron, or with bouncy, beautiful curling-iron ringlets. It probably stems somewhat from how every movie and sitcom showcases women who seem to wake up every morning looking perfectly groomed. Everyone's hair is styled, and you can always tell.

But in Europe women seem to instead learn how to work with their own hair texture. They don't end up looking like frizzy messes-- instead they embrace their curly or wavy-haired-ness, and get good cuts that seem to suit their hair type. They must find products that make the most of their hair texture, rather than fighting it. Or they find chic ways to wear it up and out of their face, without having to spend hours on their hair.

I must say, I find this somewhat inspiring (and not just because I happen to be flat-iron-less at the moment, after foolishly burning mine out with the wrong type of power adapter). It's a relief to know that it's ok to just wear my hair naturally. This is silly, of course, because really I've always known this, but it does feel like there's pressure here to "do your hair," making one feel as if she's not properly grooming herself otherwise. When other women around you wear their hair in the curls and waves that only come from Mother Nature, it feels more "ok" to allow yourself to do the same. Maybe I should grow my bangs out, instead of continuing to wear a style that dictates the need for straightening them out. Maybe I should invest in a good haircut that will allow me to make the most of my curly hair, rather than fight it most days.

Maybe we should all consider doing the same, and save ourselves the time (and our hair the heat-damage) of everyday styling.

Eureka!!

Last night I was planning on going out to this bar to celebrate friend's birthday. I decided to curl my hair with my curling iron, which I've done several times before. But I seemed to have a hard time getting the curls to really "stick" so, taking a magazine tip I'd recently read, I tried out this new technique: after curling each section of hair I coiled the curl back up and pinned it against my head with a bobby pin (I also sprayed each section with some of my new Paul Mitchell Spray Wax before curling). This only added a couple of seconds each time I curled a strand of hair, and it allows the hair to cool off while still curled. Which, when you think of it, totally makes sense-- when hair's hot or warm it's still very pliable and shapeable, but once it cools the style becomes more "set." This is the reason you use the cold shot button on your hair dryer after drying/styling sections of your hair-- it locks the style in place.

So I went around my whole head spraying, curling, coiling, and pinning (btw, I used a 1" curling iron). After I was done I did my makeup, then took all the bobby pins out. Here's what my hair looked like: (click on each picture to enlarge)



Pretty sweet, huh? =P As I took the pins out the curls almost stayed in place, barely uncoiling (the pictures above are after I shook my hair out a bit). I've never had them turn out so tightly coiled. It actually stayed pretty well curled throughout the night (so much so that one of my friends kept marvelling at it lol). The pictures below are of what my hair looks like this morning, after having slept on it and everything:



This is normally what my hair looks like a couple of hours after curling it, and it's still holding! It's also really nice an bouncy-- even after the wax (and light dustings of hair spray) my hair never felt sticky or hard or anything. I think the coiling helps make the curls look softer and a bit more natural (as opposed to the obvious curling iron ringlet). I think I could just wear my hair out the way it looks now-- I feel like I've got the Jessica Simpson loosely curled bob. ; )

So there ya have it, girls. Feel free to experiment with this at home!

Paul Mitchell Spray Wax

I've been trying to stay away from buying more hair products, as I already should have any type of hair styling concoction I could ever need. However I recently broke down... While in Austin I went with my sister to get her hair cut. I was watching the guy style her hair, and saw that he was spraying something on her hair before flat-ironing each section. I looked on their shelves for what it was-- Paul Mitchell Spray Wax.($15 at amazon.com, I got mine at Ulta for $12.95) "Hmm," I thought, "this looks interesting...." I noticed that her hair looked really nice afterwards, her layers looked all separated and piece-y yet still light, moveable, and soft. I couldn't resist, I had to try it for myself. So n my much-anticipated trip to Ulta (I don't have one anywehre close to me here in Cali, so I'm always very excited to go when I'm in Austin) I snagged a bottle.

I used it for the first time on fresh, clean hair the other day-- I sprayed a bit of the wax on sections of my hair before flat-ironing, trying to be careful to hold the bottle a good arm's length away. I noticed that my hands and hair felt a little sticky as I was using it and got a bit worried, but that feeling went away after a few minutes (I guess once the extra wax evaporated?) and I was left with really smooth, piece-y hair. The true test? I had 3 different friends tell me they really liked me hair that day. =) Woot! I've liked using waxes and pastes in the past, but sometimes it feels like they're better suited for short hair, and can be a bit too goopy. This spray wax gives a lighter application that's easier for the rest of us to use. Next, I'll have to try it with a curling iron... I wonder what kind of hold it'll give curls, and if it could be a less-sticky alternative to hair spray? hmm... ; )

Cirque de Beaute' at Sephora!

Beauty gift sets galore! Whether you're shopping for yourself, or getting an early start on your holiday gift list, you're bound to find beauty sets to please! So head on over to Sephora.com to check out The Greastest Gift Show on Earth! Let's see, I can already think of one friend who'd greatly enjoy the LipFusion Perfect Pout set ($39), and Philosophy's The Holiday House ($35) has already made it onto my Amazon.com Wishlist. Or how aboput Nars Multiple Orgasm ($49)? ; ) Oooh! And how about Stila The Gift of Glaze($28)! I've been wanting to get my hands on one of their Lip Glazes for a while now!



My goodness.... It's too much! Anyway, get your booties over there now to check out all these goodies!

Wishlist: Holiday Gift Sets!

Ok, so as I was looking through the Sephora website for yesterday's post, I stumbled upon all sorts of new, incredibly yummy-sounding goodies that Philosophy is offering as Holiday Gift sets. And... I want them all!!!

Let's see, first there's The Ski House ($35), which includes a 4 oz Double Rich Hot Cocoa ultra rich, award-winning 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Marshmallow Body Souffle, and a .5 oz Kiss Me Pink peppermint lip balm. I mean, my god, who doesn't want that? If I had Hot Cocoa body wash and marshmallow lotion, I don't know if I'd ever leave the bathroom. Ever.

Then there's Holiday Rescue ($25), complete with an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, plus a 3.5 oz Exfoliating Hot Salt Scrub. Another reason not to ever leave your shower.

And let's not forget some of the men that can make the holidays so sweet... Like The Ice-Cream Man, The Milk Man, and The Gingerbread Man. Each kit contains an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Pampering Shimmer Body Souffle, and a .5 oz. Delicious High-Gloss Lip Shine, for $38. If you're not a one-man kind of wioman, there's always A Few Good Men ($25), a lipgloss trio including one lip gloss in each of the scents above.

I've already added a few of these to my Amazon.com wishlist, and am considering getting them as gifts for friends and family. They just look too cute (and sound way too yummy) to pass up!

Psssssst!

I read about Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo ($5.49) in InStyle over the summer-- supposedly Ken Paves uses this on Jessica Simpson's hair to get extra volume out of it. I've been on a quest for a dry shampoo for a while, yet was unwilling to shell out the big bucks for Bumble & Bumble's version (especially after reading mixed reviews online). So you bet my ears perked up a bit at hearing about this supposed wonder-product that cost a mere $5 bucks!

Before trying it, I did some research online... and I found several reviews that complained that, while this product was pretty amazing, the bottle seemed to be faulty and most of the product would leak out after the first use. Eventually, I decided to try it out anyway. And, well, my experience pretty much echoed the reviews I read at the time-- it worked great at de-greasing my roots, but the 2nd time I tried to use it hardly anything came out at all.

However, tonight as I was looking for a link I found some newer reviews on drugstore.com from the past couple months and they claimed that their bottle last through several uses, so I'm tempted to go buy another bottle and try it out again. I think I can spare another $5 on the hope that they'll have fixed the leakage problem.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lots of beauty brands, big and small, have been launching special editions of their products to help fund Breast Cancer research. I was going to put together a post full of such products that I've come accorss, but then found that other blogs have already done so-- and possibly done a much better job than I could! So here are links to some great posts highlighting products that support breast cancer research.

Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint

Beautiful Makeup Search (this looks like it'll be an ongoing series of posts, so be sure to check back over the course of the month)

The Product Girl

If I find others along the way, or if I spot products that aren't already spotlighted in any of the above, I'll be sure to mention them here. Shop to your hearts' contents, gals, it's all for a good cause!

Aveda- Sap, Shimmer, Brush

I was at an Aveda salon today returning the Sap Moss Shampoo ($12) that I bought a few weeks ago (didn't like it at all- the texture is too sticky, I like my shampoo to glide a bit more so it doesn't feel like I'm tugging at my hair). The store would only offer an exchange or store redit, so I was looking for something to exchnage the shampoo for and started wandering over to their makeup. A sales associate soon came over and she was showing me Aveda's new fall makeup collection. She decided to try one of the Inner Light Shimmer Accent gels ($20) on me-- she patted a bit along the top of my cheekbone and on under my eyes, explaining how it would help brighten up my complextion and make me look a bit more awake.

After she's applied the gel, she leads me to a mirror to check out the results. I don't know if it was the lighting or what-- but the shimmer made the teeny, usually non-noticeable fine lines around my eyes totally obvious! It was horrible! I tried to smile and thank the lady for her help and go off to browse through some other section of the store, but inside I was thinking "um... NO."

Eventually I settled on this wooden brush ($12). It claims to add volume and lift to the roots, and reduce stress on your hair. We'll see. So far Aveda's 0-3 with me (see post on their Pure Abundance Hair Potion), but I've been needing a good brush so I guess it works out.

Anyway, have a good weekend, everyone! =)

The Beauty Brains (my new fave site)

I found this website (thanks to Delightful Blogs) last night, and have hardly been able to tear myself away from it since! (ok, so I slept for a few hours between perusing it last night and this morning...) The bloggers behind The Beauty Brains are professional cosmetic chemists whose job is to create and test different beauty products. Their blog is a series of question-and-answer posts about everything from shampoos and conditioners to makeup, and how it all works. This site is AMAZING! I keep clicking through their old posts and learning all sorts of new things! For example:

What are the best cheap hair care formulas?
Are expensive beauty products really worth it?
What do antioxidants and vitami C really do for your skin?
Do sunscreens work on hair?
How well do anti-aging products really work?
Are salon products sold at Target, etc, trustworthy?

And much, much, much, much, MUCH more. There's also a link to a cosmetics ingredients dictionary, and general info on how products like shampoos, conditioners, face lotions, etc actually work. This is a great site to get information on what's behind the marketing ploys of different new products, and how to educate yourself to be a better, smarter consumer so you can known what you're buying and get what you want. Go check them out!!

Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion

So I've been reading a lot about these new hair powders that act like a dry shampoo-- you use them at your roots to absorb oil so that you can go longer between hair washings. Sounds pretty brilliant-- your hair doesn't get as dried out from too frequent shampoos, and if you spend time getting that perfect blow-dry or other straight or curly styles, you want to extend the life of your styling efforts as long as possible.

The two main products I keep seeing over and over in magazines are Bb Hair Powder ($19- $34) and Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion ($22). I've recently been dissapointed by my first foray into Bumble and Bumble hair products (with their Surf Spray) so I decided to try the Aveda Hair Potion first.

I went to the Aveda store at the mall and was able to find the Hair Potion quickly (it is clearly being highly promoted) and my first reaction was "I'm gonna pay $22 for this?" The bottle is tiny. I believe its contents are just under an ounce in weight. But I figured it's powder, which doesn't weigh much or take up much space, so there must be a decent amount of it in there and decided to go for it... being sure to also ask about their return policy just in case.

The stuff itself is pretty nifty. It's a powder that, as soon as you rub it between your fingers, turns into a sticky paste. When sprinkled directly onto your roots it feels cool and tingly. However, its merits kinda ended there for me.

One thing I found odd was that all the magazines advertised this Hair Potion for its oil-absorbing qualities. However neither the in-store ads nor the bottle itself really even mention this effect. They seem to be marketing it mainly as a way to give more body and volume to fine hair. Anyway, I tried it out-- sprinlling the powder directly onto my roots and rubbing in from there, another time forming the paste in my hands and transferring to my hair afterwards... I tried it on several different occasions, trying to give it a fair shot to show me what it's made of.

Well, it would at first fluff up my hair at the roots, but then 5 minutes later it'd fall flat again. And when I attempted to use it to absorb the appearing grease on my 3rd day post-shampoo, it didn't seem to really do anything. If anything, since it turned into a paste the stickyness of the paste only seemed to make my hair feel more greasy, or like it had way too much product in it (I guess that could've been my fault, using too much powder, but I tried to use it sparingly).

To sum up... I will be returning the teeny little bottle today.

I'm still debating whether I want to try the Bumble and Bumble version. I've heard raves, and I've also seen many reviews complaining that since their new formula is an aerosol spray, it's very messy and tends to get powder everywhere. In fact I read at least 2 accounts where the use suggested spraying it on while standing in a closed shower stall, then running out quickly so as not to inhale the fumes. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to splurge on a fancy hair product I'd rather not have to run screaming from it, much less risk my life while doing so (I can see myself now trying to escape the shower and tumbling over the edge of my tub). I am however curious of another product I recently heard about, Satin Sugar, that I may try... Then again perhaps I'll stick to good, old fashioned corn starch for a while.

Get It Straight

*I have been having serious issues with Blogger and the photo uploading tool lately. If anyone knows what's going on, please help me out! It seems like this has been going on, off-and-on, for at least a few weeks. Thanks*

In this day and age of hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, etc, our hair is subjected to more heat styling that ever before. Although this may make hair look awesome in the short-term, long-term it causes hair to become damaged and brittle. As a result, a whole slew of heat-protecting hair care products have arrived on the market. USE THEM!

Sleek.look by Matrix Smoothing System Iron Smoother Spray (~$13)-- This was the first product I tried when I started using my flat-iron. It was brand-new, and I believe the first heat protecting spray designed to be used with flat irons. I was amazed by the results-- it made my hair easier to straighten, and the style lasted longer. I remember one morning I straightened my hair and wore it down, only to walk outside and see that it was raining. I instantly thought "Oh, crap" and waited for the frizz fest to begin. But, to my utter shock and amazement, my hair stayed straight and sleek all day long. I was AMAZED.

Eventually, however, I found that I was less than thrilled with the use of a spray. It left wierd gunk on my flat iron blades. And I had a hard time trying to make sure my whole head was covered in its protective spray, without overdoing it (and ending up looking greasy). So I ventured out to try to find a cream formula. Enter:

Redken Align 12 Ultra-Straight Balm (~ $15)-- This product is designed to be spread through damp hair. It then helps you get a better (straighter, less frizzy) blow-dry, and flat iron, while helping protect hair from the heat. It requires a bit more forward-thinking (I myself don't always know right out of the shower if I'll want to wear my hair curly or straight) but that hasn't been a huge problem even if I use it and then decide to stay curly. I usually let my hair air-dry, partially to lessen the amount of heat-styling I subject my hair to and also b/c I have yet to figure out how to blow-dry my hair successfully. Anyway, Align still ensures that my hair is better protected against the heat of my flat-iron while at the same time helping it relax and straighten, and stay that way.

The last step in my routine is to use Sleek.look by Matrix Sealing Serum (~$15). This helps tame any frizzies or flyaways, while providing great sleekness and shine. It's one of my miracle tools.

Each of these products are sold at salons and come with a warning that professional hair salons are their only authorized distributors. However I have found each of these at beauty stores, drugstore.com, and even Target. The prices generally are about the same, so if you can find them at a professional salon that's probably best, though it can be difficult at times to find a salon that carries the products you want. I do believe that most Supercuts, Great Clips, etc carry most Matrix products.

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray

I posted a while back about my search for a replacement to the now-discontinued John Frieda Beach Blonde Ocean Waves spray, which was one of my top favorite hair products. This stuff was simply amazing-- it smelled so yummy and uniquely like summer, it helped bring out the curls in my hair and gave it great texture. However, since they don't make it anyone (Lord knows why) I've had to try to find something else to do the trick.

Someone suggested I try Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray. It's a bit pricier ($24 for a 4oz bottle, compared to my $6 bottle of Ocean Waves spray), but I figured that also meant it must be better, right? So I plunked down the cash and tried it.

I have to say, I am not that happy with the results. I've tried it a few times, spraying it on damp hair, another time on dry hair, playing around with it in different ways. But I've yet to achieve the same look as I got with my beloved John Frieda spray. And to top it off the Bumble and Bumble spray makes my hair feel really dry, as if it's damaged (my hair normally feels pretty soft).

*Sigh* The search continues.

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

If you use any sort of heat styling on your hair (or you simply have dry, delicate strands) it is imperative that you use a deep conditioner once a week. Ever since I've started using one, I've noticed that the number os split ends I get has been reduced to nearly zero, and my hair just feels softer and healthier overall.

My favorite deep conditioner is Neutrogena's Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask ($6 at drugstores). It's inexpensive, feels nice and rich going on, makes my hair feel unbelieveable soft and silky after rinsing it out, and just makes my hair feel so much nicer in general. I've briefly tried other deep conditioners to see what else is out there, but this one is by far my fave. Yet another success by Neutrogena.

I normally would have a really hard time trying to keep track of when I did x, y, or z for the week so I was initially unsure of how well I'd remember to use this conditioner once each week. What I've found really works is to use it on sunday night (or whenever night I wash my hair that's closest to the weekend/beginning of new week border). The switch from one week to the next is enough of an "event" at the end of each weekend that I can attach this little extra shower routine to it and can remember to do it a bit more easily. This is what works for me, y'all can certainly figure out what works best for you and your beauty routine. =)

My Flat Iron, My Best Friend

I have battled with my curly/wavy hair ever since it decided to stop being easy and straight at about age 12. This usually resulted in me having big, frizzy hair, or simply putting it all back into a ponytail. Eventually (about 2.5 yrs ago), I got up the courage to look into and buy myself a straightening iron. My sister already owned a Hot Tools 1190 flat iron (~$30 at beauty stores, Ulta, etc) and liked it, so I decided to try it myself.

I remember the very first time I used it, and how beautiful and straight my hair looked! My new flat iron and I became best friends instantly. I used it for a good 6 months or so before I decided to upgrade to a newer, fancier, more expensive flat iron. The one I bought was twice as much (with suppodely ceramic coated plates for less hair damage) and I swear it didn't seem to give me any better results. From my own personal experience, as well as from the hours of research I did reading review boards on many many different flat irons, the Hot Tools 1190 model is by far the best one out there for its price range.

Eventually I upgraded again (after leaving my flat iron on for 24 hrs straight and frying the plates) to an HAI flat iron ($90, beauty stores), which has fully ceramic plates and great heat controls. I highly recommend this flat iron for those out there willing to spend this much. It heats up in about 30 seconds, straightens my hair beautifully, and seems to do much less damage. It is my new best friend.


Of course, please don't even think of using heat styling tools on your hair without some sort of protecting hair product. My current favorite is Redken Align Ultra-Straight Balm ($12, at salons and beauty supply stores). Another good product that I have used in the past is Sleek.look Iron Smoother (~$15, at salons and beauty supply stores). Some less expensive options are available at drugstores but I haven't tried those yet. There are few things I really splurge on, my hair (and its health) is one of them.

Beach Hair

I have been loving the whole beachy hair trend that's been going on for the past year. it allows me to wear my wavy/curly hair naturally and still be stylish! My favorite hair product all last summer was John Frieda's Beach Blonde Ocean Waves Sea Spray.

I would simply let my hair airdry overnight, then in the morning I'd spray a bit of this texturizing spray over it and voila! I had easy breezy beach hair.

I've been quite dissappointed recently to find out that this product has either been discontinued or for some other reason seems to have become very hard to find. =( In trying to find a replacement I tried out John Frieda Sheer Blonde Tousled Tresses Fine-Mist Wax , but all it seemed to do was make my hair look like it badly needed a wash.

Today while shopping at Long's Drugs I found this: Garnier Fructis Style Surf Hair Texturizing Spray. It makes the same promises as my beloved Ocean Waves Spray did. At $3.99 for the bottle, I decided to give it a shot. As soon as I got home I sprayed it in my hair, and I have to say I'm fairly pleased-- it gave my hair a bit of texture without feeling sticky or making my hair look greasy. I'll have to give it a few more tests (i.e. wear it out a few times, see how my hair behaves) before giving a deifinitve answer, but so far so good! Yay!