TRESemmé® Color Revitalize Review

I received TRESemmé® Color Revitalize shampoo and conditioner to try as a BzzAgent. Even though I recently dyed my hair darker, and wanted to keep it from fading, I was hesitant to use color protection hair care. My past experiences have been that color protection means sacrificing in other areas. Not so with Color Revitalize! Usually color protect shampoos are gentler (by necessity) but often at the expense of getting a good, deep clean. Color protect gives me a good clean feeling, without ever feeling harsh. I feel like it has also protected the depth and richness of my color (even with Summer quickly approaching, and the subsequent increase in time spent in the sun). The conditioner has a nice creamy texture to it, and leaves my hair feeling soft and manageable.

Overall, I recommend this system for colored hair. It works well, and the price is right!

My Favorite Flat Iron

A few months back I finally threw in the towel with my cheap drugstore flat iron. My hair was always frizzy, and it took about 5 passes to get it somewhat straight. And so the search began for the perfect flat iron. I still didn't want to spend too much on it, but I was willing to, if need be. So I ended up at folica.com.

After searching their inventory, and reading hundreds of reviews, I settled on a Solia. From the reviews, it looked like it was just as good as more expensive irons (like the CHI), but it ran about $40-$50 cheaper. I think I actually ended up paying about $80, and got a nice little salon-style holster for it too.

I absolutely love this thing and wouldn't be without it! It has an adjustable heat setting, so you can go cooler to avoid damage, or hotter for really unruly hair. The blue tourmaline plates just glide through your hair and create a smooth finish. I used to have to blow my hair out straight, then flat iron it, and I'd still end up with kinks, and a ton of fly-aways. This gets my hair stick-straight (even if I let it air-dry) and tames all those little frizzies that I hate so much. I use the Solia in conjunction with my CHI Silk Infusion, and the result is super-soft, super straight, super shiney hair. What girl wouldn't want that?

Farrah Fawcett

I thought it only fitting today that I pay homage to a great lady, Farrah Fawcett. She was the Rachel Greene of her time. Every girl had her hair style. In fact, Cosmopolitan Magazine's cover hair is still strongly based on this look. So today, a few tips on 'the Farrah' modernized.

First, you really need some layers in your hair. You don't have to go layer crazy, but a few, especially around the face will help. Work in a bit of mousse, and/ or spray with a curl activating spray (like Tresseme's). Using a 1 to 1 1/2 inch curling iron, start by the face. Keep the curling iron vertical, curl hair away from the face. Do this for all the sections around the face. Use the same vertical iron, but alternate directions throughout the rest of the hair. Spray with hairspray, and gently loosen curls with your fingers. To avoid looking too much like a 70s throwback, go for loose, sexy waves rather than big hair.

Farrah, your glorious hair and bright smile will truly be missed. Thank you.

On The Bathroom Counter

It's that time again, where I just randomly rave about things that I currently have in my bathroom. Enjoy!

St. Ives Cellulite Shield Advanced Body Moisturizer-
I know, I know. It sounds too good to be true. Just moisturize your body like you always have and your cellulite will just melt away. But, being the beauty junkie that I am, I had to try it. I'm not claiming that it's the miracle product, but it does work. It firms and smooths, plus it actually does a pretty decent job of moisturizing. I may have to go back and try their targeted treatment as well, St. Ives Cellulite Shield Gel Creme.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub-
While I'm on a St. Ives tangent, I can't neglect to mention the Apricot Scrub. Some people think this is too harsh, but it really depends on how hard you scrub. I use this every morning to remove the dead skin cells before I put on my makeup. I'm pretty sure this would make it into the list of things I'd need with me on a remote island.

Neutrogena Light Night Cream-
I love everything by Neutrogena. Their products are gentle and don't clog pores. This night cream is light, and not greasy or heavy at all. Plus it's non-comedogenic. It also does the job of an intense moisturizer, so I wake up in the morning with soft, smooth skin.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer-
I'm pretty sure this is the greatest invention ever. It evens out skin tone, and adds a bit of color, without the hassle (or the streaking) of other self-tanners. It's so easy to use, and keeps me glowing even in the dead of winter.

Nioxin-
My hair is pretty weak to begin with (my brother got the lovely think hair), and then I go and abuse it practically every day. Needless to say, more hair ends up in my brush, and all over the bathroom than is actually on my head. I started using the whole Nioxin system a few weeks back, and I've already noticed fewer hairs are falling out. And every hair saved means my hair is just that much thicker. I'm excited to see how my hair improves in the next few months.

Tips for the Perfect Blow Out

I know most of us wish we could have super shiny, sleek locks like Jennifer Aniston is famous for sporting. Here are some pro tips that can help you get a red carpet blow out at home.

You Should Know: That even professional stylists feel they get a better blow out when someone else does their hair. This is partially because there are better angles when your standing over someone, rather than holding your own arms above your head. Also, stylists blow out several styles a day, and they've often been styling for years. Of course that's going to produce better results than you may be capable of at home. Don't let it get you down, use these tips and do your best!

Wring It Out: Trying to dry dripping wet hair will not only be time consuming, but your results will be less than perfect. Towel dry hair first, and if you have time, let it air dry for a few minutes as well. (I usually moisturize my face, and pick out an outfit during this time)

A Downward Flow: For the shiniest of tresses the air should flow down the hair shaft, smoothing the cuticle. This means holding the hair dryer high above your head and keeping it aimed down. Some stylists recommend bending over and blowing upside-down, but this tends to ruffle the hair. If you truly want the smoothest hair, stay upright and use a brush to get volume.

Speaking Of Brushes: Depending on the style you want, you'll need to choose the proper brush. A paddle brush is the standard for straight styles, while a round brush will give you volume and texture. If your hair is prone to frizz, don't use your fingers. (However, this is a great technique for a little natural texture)

Divide And Conquer: Clip your hair into separate sections. The more unruly your hair is (or the straighter you want it), the smaller those sections should be. Be careful when clipping already dried hair though, you don't want to create kinks in your smooth 'do. You will want to start drying at the back of your head and work forward (unless you have a particularly difficult area, then start there). Dry your roots first, and then move on to the ends. In fact, the ends may be almost dry by the time your done with your roots.

Perfect Product Placement: When prepping your locks for a blow out, you should take into consideration your hair's texture. Thin or fine hair does best with a light mousse that won't weigh hair down, while thick or curly hair needs a stronger gel or wax that will tame the unruly locks. Also consider using a finishing product, like a smoothing serum or straightening balm. The amount of product you use will again depend on your hair's texture.

Men's Hair Trends 2009

Zac Efron, sporting the very popular messy/ shaggy 'do. It's kind of emo, it's kind of metro, and it's very Hollywood right now.



What guy doesn't wish he was David Beckham, or at least looked like him. David changes his hairstyle almost as often as Victoria does, and currently he's been spotted with a slightly longer faux hawk. Will his style influence trends as much as his wife's do? Only time will tell.


Oh Justin Timberlake, he brought sexy back, and with it he brought a close cropped cut that has the girls swooning. Bet he doesn't have to do much to style his hair each morning.

Celebrity Hair- The Pixie Cut

It seems like everybody, from Katie Homes to Victoria Beckham, has chopped off their locks lately. It's the fashion forward trend. It's easy to care for, and it can look gamine a la Audrey Hepburn, or convey a rebellious rocker edge. However, once you've taken the plunge it becomes difficult to keep the look fresh. Here are some easy ways to keep short hair fun and fabulous.

Just Dye Already: If you're bored and can't change the style, change the color. Take it to a deep, rich brown, or add some highlights for texture.

Apply Some Heat: Play around with products. Tousle with texturizing paste, or smooth it out. If your hair's long enough play with adding curls, or use a straightening iron to smooth or spike. The blowdryer is your styling best friend. Use it to sleek your hair in a certain direction, or create texture and volume.

Accessories Are A Girl's Best Friend: Cute bobby pins can add some life without drastically changing your style. Try a few around your face. Put a flower behind your ear, or add a headband.

Look To The Stars: Find your favorite trendsetters and steal their style! They have expensive stylists telling them what to do with their hair, so let a little of that Hollywood glitter rub off onto your own style.

Kristen Stewart- Unfussy Straight Hair

Hair trends are leaning toward the slightly unfussy, and who better to flaunt this look than Twilight star Kristen Stewart. The look is polished, but not perfect. There's a slight edge of bedhead or rocker chick to it. Here's how to get the look:

Start by blowing your hair out straight using a large brush. Get some volume into the roots using a combination of a round brush on the roots, and drying your hair upside-down. When the hair is dry rub in some smoothing serum like CHI Silk Infusion. Pull back the top half of your hair, so you can focus on your underneath layers. Use a straightening iron to straighten your hair, but don't be too perfect. Leave a tiny bit of wave to your hair, you just want it mostly smooth. Then do the same to the top section of hair. After the hair is straight, tease a bit at the crown. Then use a bit of texturizing paste, like Jonathan Product Dirt, and run hands through hair, creating volume and movement. You can make it a bit "messy" but make sure the overall look stays smooth and unfrizzy. That's what will keep it looking polished, and not like you just rolled out of bed.

A Little Something for the Redheads

To be a redhead is to have a rare beauty. However, being so rare, redhead beauty is not exactly an article that shows up in your monthly Cosmopolitan magazine. Now, I'm a brunette, but I have always wished I was born with flowing chestnut locks. I have been blessed with an extraordinary amount of redheaded friends, and I thought I'd show them a little love today.

Hair- Please, whatever you do, don't dye your hair to that fake red color. It's so pretty the way it is. You can, however, enhance the color. I recommend using John Frieda's Radiant Red line. It's a really subtle enhancement. If you really feel like your hair has faded, go to a nice salon to get your color. Cheaper red haircolors often look more maroon, and fake. Red hair also looks really nice with some subtle blonde highlights to brighten it up.

Makeup- Try a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation. It will even out your skin tone, without looking cakey, and your natural freckles can come through. Use a light concealer under your eyes, and wherever you need it. Again, go for something not too heavy. Heavy makeup is not the friend of the fair-skinned.

As far colors go, go for the most sheer, light shades you can find. You will benefit from layering on more of a light shade, rather than just dumping on a bright color. Steer clear of red undertones.

For eyeshadow, go for the colors named things like sand or bisque or warm. Go for neutrals and golds. Gold shimmers will play up the golden highlights in your hair. I have also seen a sheer pastel lavender eyeshadow look pretty. Again, the secret is starting with a light dusting and building up.

Stick with warm browns for your eyeliner and mascara, anything else will look too heavy. You may choose to go with a brown-black for special occasions, but if you're fair-skinned don't go darker than that. While most people look better with eyebrows a shade or so lighter than their hair, redheads tend to benefit from the opposite, taking the brows half a shade to a shade darker to avoid looking too washed out.

Peaches and beiges are great choices as far as blush and lip color goes (peach is a great eyeshadow too), you can even push the oranginess to a terra-cotta color. Thankfully, orange and peach tones seem to be in vouge for everyone, so it's a bit easier to find. Steer clear of blue-red lipstick tones. Redheads can pull off a bit of bronzer too, just keep it in the golden shades, and use a light hand with a big fluffy brush.

Keira Knightly- Hair and Makeup

I adore Keira Knightly's style. She always looks so glamorous on the red carpet. So I decided to steal this look for an everyday hair and makeup idea.

Makeup- Keira always has fresh glowing skin, so use just enough concealer and/ or foundation to even out your skin tone, and keep powder to a minimum.

Dust a bit of shimmer bronzer on your cheekbones, temples, and eyelids. Next, take a medium beige eyeshadow and cover your lid from lashes to brows, and take some underneath your eye as well. Then take a darker brown around the outer corners and your crease. Use a shimmery medium brown just on the center of the lid, below the crease, and finish off with a shimmery white under the brow and on the inner corners of your eyes.

Now use a black eyeliner to rim the eyes in black, going along the waterline and smudging outward. Then use a brush to smudge it even more. Curl the lashes and coat with a black mascara.

Fluff a soft pink blush high on the cheekbones. And finish off the look with a pink lip gloss.

When I wear this look in the daytime I use softer browns, and go a bit lighter on the eyeliner. For night I go every bit as heavy as Ms. Knightly's look above.

Hair- Add a bit of smoothing serum to dry hair. Tease hair at the crown (just a little). Use a large curling iron (1 1/4- 1 1/2 in) and take large sections of your hair and curl the ends. Pull your hair into a low ponytail, slightly to the side (you can leave the top a bit messy) Touch up the ends with the curling iron as needed, and curl your front layers. Spray with some hairspray.

Beauty Tips

Here are a bunch of random things that just couldn't quite justify an entire blog, but I thought were very useful.

-The new mascara brushes: I am totally in love with these, helps reduce clumping and makes lashes fuller. Try LashBlast by Covergirl (also liking the luxe version which has a bit of shimmer)

- Baby oil: I live in a very dry climate, so my skin dries out fast. I combat this by using baby oil as a moisturizer right when I get out of the shower, I don't even dry off first. Just use a bit so your skin doesn't stay really oily. Plus it's super cheap!

- Tresseme Curl Activator Spray: Love this! Helps my curls stay all day. I recommend it to anyone who loves curly hair, but has trouble keeping them in.

- Shine boosters: These are kind of like a clear hair dye. It seals the cuticles and makes your hair look as shiny as it does after you dye it, but it doesn't change the color.

- Coffee grounds: Ok. This one is gonna sound a little weird. Used coffee grounds can help fight cellulite. The best is to rub them on, let them sit for a while, then wash them off. If I'm in a hurry I'll just rub them on in the shower. It makes a mess, so be prepared for that. Also, you have to stick with it (it's not instant magic, try it for a week or so and see if you notice a difference). I heard about this one from an ex-model. Something about the combination of exfoliation and the caffiene is supposed to make your cellulite less noticable.

Best Beauty Site

I love Folica. It's one of the best sites out there for hair and beauty products. There are tons of user reviews and tips. I have had wonderful success with anything that's a "Best of Folica" product, including my Soila hair straightener, and CHI Silk Infusion. If you're looking for any hair related product I recoomend you start here! http://www.folica.com/

On the Bathroom Counter- CHI Silk Infusion

This is one of those products that I've been waffling over forever. I kept reading great reviews online, but hesitated a bit at buying another hair product. Could it really be that much greater than the other million products lurking in my bathroom?

Finally I gave in and got a 2-oz bottle at ULTA. (Great store! But that's a tale for another day) I am totally loving it! I have kind of oily hair, but a ton of baby hairs growing back in right now, plus I have that sort-of wave that looks like Farrah Fawcett just got out of bed. Great right? Oily, wavy, and frizzy. Just a tiny drop of this, (seriously, less than a tic-tac for long hair) and my hair is smooth as silk, but not oily looking. I've even noticed an improvement in my hair's smoothness when it's clean. I just rub a bit into my dry hair, and then style away! Thanks CHI!

Effortless Style- The buzzwords of summer hair

Oh summer, a time for flip-flops, cute skirts, and of course beach hair. I believe tousled hair became the official 'do of summertime because no one really wants to spend an hour in a stuffy bathroom with hot tools. Plus, beach hair exudes that effortless style that makes people believe you're just naturally beautiful, so much so that you don't even do your hair, it just ends up that way.

Some tips on scoring this undone look:
- Braid your hair and sleep on it (especially great for those who have little to no natural wave)
- Using a brush or comb is forbidden, use your fingers instead
- Use a texture spray or paste, anything with salt will encourage "beach head"
- A curling iron can also be helpful in creating this look, just make sure they are more of loose "twists" and vary the size, direction, and spiral tightness often.

Another easy summer option- The messy bun. Check out this great tutorial: