Get this cute tote with a mini SuperBalm Moisturizing Gloss and Mirror with any Clinique Fragrance Purchase with the code TOTE08
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Archives for March 2010
Lock & Mane has T3 goodness for you – get a fab gifts with purchase
It’s raining like crazy here. The kind of rain that your hair never seems to dry in, no matter how long you blow dry. The only reason I got out the door on time today was my T3 hairdryer – cuts the time, cuts the frizz, and leaves your hair smooth and soft. I’ve had mine for several years, and it is still in great shape – definitely worth every penny. And as much as I love it for my curly hair, it creates a perfect straight blowout with ease – a great way to economize in lieu of trips to the salon.
The good folks at Lock & Mane are running a great promo on their T3 products:
| Buy a T3 Dryer and get… | A Perfect Blowout Styling Set (which is on L&M for $30), consisting of:
– T3 FreeFlow Vent Brush: Vented body lets air freely circulate through brush. Smoothes hair in preparation for the blowout. – T3 AntiGravity Barrel Brush: Ceramic barrel retains heat when used with T3 hair dryers. Creates volume with shine during the blowout. T3 Sectioning Hair Clips: Strong spring tension and 4 inch length. Makes it easier to section your hair during blowout. |
| And/Or Buy a T3 iron and get… | The Smooth Operator Styling Set for Irons (also on L&M for $30), consisting of:
– FreeFlow Vent Brush: Widely spread out bristles that detangle hair in preparation for straightening. – Sectioning Comb: Pointy tip to make sectioning hair easy. Sectioning Hair Clips: Strong spring tension and four inch (4″) length. Makes it easier to manage sections during straightening. Styling Comb: Long with well spaced teeth to distribute hair through plates. This is how the pros get a perfectly smooth finish. |
Just use checkout code Blowout to get the extra goodies! Find them at Lock & Mane -we’ve raved about the T3 time and again – now’s a great time to pick one up!
What You Need to Know Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain
When Tarte came out with mascara that says it lasts 4 days, this got StyleChick Lyn’s attention. Here is what Lyn has to say about Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain:
I recently tried Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain, which Sephora says is a stain that keeps lashes looking naturally full for four days without reapplying.
Putting mascara on just twice a week sounded like a great time saver. Imagine waking up in the morning with full, thick, ready to go lashes? So I gave it a try and found for me there were pros and cons to the Tarte mascara.
Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain Experience
I did LOVE the way it looked when I first applied the mascara, and thought it was likely to replace my trusty mascara standbys of Imju Fiberwig or Shu Uemura Basic Black.
While Shu Uemura Basic Black is a light to medium dull black the Tarte mascara is very VERY black and glossy. The word stain made me expect more of a stain liquid consistency to the mascara (maybe like Liptini has for lips? Ooh that would be AMAZING) but the consistency of Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is not like a regular mascara or a stain, it has more of a liquefied vinyl feel to it.
Even when I applied it very gingerly, it did have a bit of a vinyl look when it dried, this is more noticeable from the side view of the lashes then the head-on . This mascara was not coming off no matter what and my lashes looked a mile long. My lashes held their post-Paula Dorf eyelash curler curl after the mascara application, which is a plus. I hate when mascara is so heavy that it droops a good lash curl immediately.
The problem was even though the Tarte mascara did not run, it did come to look plastic-y vinyl like on my lashes, making them look a little fake, especially where I was not careful to comb out any clumps. It is NOT a rush and go sort of mascara that you can quickly apply, it requires time.
My biggest problem though was it irritated my eyes as the day wore on, so wearing it for four days was just not going to happen. The vinyl-like feel is also so heavy that I was reluctant to wear it overnight for fear of damaging or pulling out my lashes due to the weight of the applied product.
I really wanted Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain to work and it did look absolutely great when first applied, sort of in an anime girl doe eye way,so I tried the mascara a few times, but each time my eyes got irritated and I got asked if I had been crying or if I was sick. I have never had a problem with a mascara before and I can tolerate most eye makeup and products well (and I have no problem suffering for beautys sake!) but Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain just irritated my eyes too much. It did not flake or run and the actual mascara stayed absolutely intact, so I am not sure of the source of the irritation. The lashes looked perfect even though my eyes looked red and bloodshot and itchy.
As a second beauty idea, I had also hoped the Tarte mascara could double as a grey hair root touch up in a pinch as it says it would last for four days, so I thought I might be able to cover a few pesky gray hairs that refuse to submit to hair dye. Now bear in mind Tarte makes no promises of the sort, but if you had the same idea that I did, I found it too thick and vinyl-like to actually apply to hair. There are some good temporary hair color pens just for this purpose now, I think I am going to just give in and try one of those.
But Tarte mascara looks so good when first applied, that if Tarte came out with a sensitive eye version, I would try it again in a heartbeat.
Where to Find It
Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is $18 at is available at Sephora.com
Saved from a bad hair day with Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Instant Glossing Cream
My hair just did not work out as expected yesterday. I think it was mad at me because I made my semi-annual attempt of trying to convince it to be pin-straight the night before (it’s possible, but just not the best idea – waves and curls just suit me better). So I styled as usual yesterday morning, but it looked like my hair plotted frizz all night to get back at me for the straight blow-out incident. Usually I’d just put it up in a french twist on a hair-revolt day such as that, but instead I reached for Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Instant Glossing Cream. Smoothed the frizz down, and gave me a nice soft wave.
To show the shine power of this stuff, we took a pic under the worst possible lighting conditions – icky office bathroom lighting:
To give you a sense of the volumizing and texturizing ability of this stuff, that’s about half my hair pulled to the side. My hair is by no means as light as it appears here – the product just imparts an amazing shine that gives hair that “light” look, even on dark hair. Instant Glossing Cream really is great stuff – and it tames my vindictive hair yesterday!
Find Oscar Blandi Pronto Instant Glossing Cream at Lock & Mane – and don’t forget they are offering a free Blandi luce travel size and free shipping on the new Pronto Instant Gloss with code getgloss at checkout.
New Product: Oscar Blandi Pronto Instant Glossing Cream
This past week, I’ve had a spring in my step and a glint in my eye. Why? Because I’ve had fairy tale princess hair everyday (well, I prefer the term “Queen Regent Hair”, but that’s another topic). Did I kiss a frog? No! Get put under a sleeping spell with deep conditioner in my hair? Nope! Had blue birds style my hair each morning? No, but that would really speed up my morning routine and I’d really like scientists and/or animal trainers to make that a reality.
So how did I get such confidence boosting hair? Easy. I smoothed Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Instant Glossing Cream into my curls after I blow-dried, put it all up into a bun while I put on my makeup, unclipped it, shook it all out, and I had perfect, glossy, soft, vibrant wave-curls. Which lasted all day and even into the next day.
Now, I’ve never had success with glossing creams, enough so that when the good folks at Lock and Mane sent this product to me, I didn’t know what to expect – but I got my hopes up since Oscar Blandi’s products have never let me down before. I have a lot of hair, but even the most judicious application of glossing products usually makes my hair look thin. Not so with this product. It goes on truly weightlessly, and imparts a fantastic shine.
Even better, it makes highlights look incredibly vibrant. I have a mix of blonde and red strands in my brunette hair (as you know, I don’t color), and the blonde has been getting a bit dull lately. After a couple of days the blonde seemed to be kicked back into gear – a lot closer to the shine and color that I had when I was about five. The darker bulk of my hair has had a great clear shine – the product doesn’t add color, just reminds your hair what color it should be!
Beyond the fantastic shine, I am in awe of the texturizing and styling ability of the product. As I mentioned, it really is a wash (and dry) and go product. I think it works even better on day old hair – even if you already have product in your hair. And it has an amazing light citrus top note that fades to a perfect clean scent, which is great for those days you wake up late or after the gym (FYI – this has been gym tested – and has passed with flying colors – no frizz or flyaways even after an intense workout).
If you massage a bit onto your crown and then put some of it on your hand as you twist big sections and you can get a fantastic, touchable Bridget Bardot like look while still looking modern and young – just gently massage your scalp for volume. Easy as could be.And just smooth some in for a picture perfect french twist without flyaways or frizz.
Pronto Instant Glossing Cream has Keratin for heat protection, as well as “Cystine copolymers” to impart that amazing shine. And it doesn’t have any of the bad stuff, either – no Sulfates, Parabens, Synthetic Dyes, Petrochemicals, GMOs, DEA, or Triclosan.
The other Style Chicks will be adding their thoughts in the next week or so (and we’ll be adding some “about town” pics) – but I can’t recommend this product enough. It does what other glossing products claim, and adds to it fantastic styling benefits. To sweeten the deal, Lock & Mane is offering a free Blandi luce travel size and free shipping on the new Pronto Instant Gloss with code getgloss at checkout.