I have been wanting to reduce the amount of times I washed my hair each week as we (the blogosphere) have learned that too much washing is not good for the mane.  I have only been able to make it to every other day, which still seems excessive, but my hair looks dirty by the third day and that’s not pretty.  This gorgeous girl doesn’t wash her hair for a week at a time and it shows (in a good way) she has long, flowy locks that anyone would covet. I have read that a lot of people with these beautiful manes use dry shampoo.  I have tried it once, I bought a Sauve aerosol from the drug store but I didn’t like the smell and I was worried about chemicals so close to my scalp (and in turn my brain).  When I received a gift certificate to Kaufman Mercantile, I admittedly was drawn to the Adler Hair Powder because of it’s packaging, when I saw that it was what I thought ‘dry shampoo’ I was in.  So, my thoughts?  It doesn’t exactly look like I have clean hair, when you put it on (and only use a little) it immediately adheres to the oil in your roots (is that TMI?) and creates an almost clay/pomade like texture. It doesn’t feel clean, in fact it feels a little ‘producty’ which wasn’t what I was expecting from a natural product.  The upside was that I can get my roots to lift and appear like I have a lot of body/volume, which is near impossible with my super straight, heavy hair, body is not usually what I have.  You really need to go easy on this product, it reads to use a teaspoon, but I would even go lighter and build (that’s my philosophy with most cosmetics). If you have dark hair like I do, you are also going to want to rub in very well or else you will look like you have gray hair, which is a very specific look and not one I want to have at this juncture. So, this product is great to create root lifting volume, but I don’t like it for a shampoo substitute.   Don’t get me wrong, I will take volume at my roots whenever I can get it, but I won’t use this to combat the look of dirty locks, for now I will continue to wash my hair every other day until I get a better suggestion.  What about you?  Do you use dry hair shampoo?  If so, which brand do you like?  Have you tried the Adler hair powder and had a different experience? I would love to know!

I was going to wait until Friday to mention this, but this is a ‘stop the presses’ sort of situation, so I re-arranged the previously scheduled programming to bring you this beauty innovation–stat.  I have waxed poetic on many occasions about my love of Tarte’s cheek stains, they are hands down the fastest way to get ‘insta-pretty’.  I feel like blush is neglected in most beauty regime’s or applied so horribly that you wished that it was opted out.  My mom used to use a tube of red lipstick on her cheeks; after expertly blending it in it always imparted a perfect rosy glow on her tawny cheeks (try it in a pinch it works really well).  I have to be so careful on how I apply blush as I have hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks and I don’t want it to look like I have a dusting of dirt on the apples (which can happen if I ever dared use a badly chosen powder formulation). I know that the Tarte stains are very natural looking and I don’t look like I have streaks of cosmetics on my skin (which is a beauty ‘don’t). You don’t want your blush to sit on top of your complexion, but rather blend perfectly so it looks like you have a beautiful natural flush. I have had one problem with the stains, they don’t work with any mineral foundation, in fact, I couldn’t find a blush that did.  I have very dry skin, so mineral make-up wouldn’t seem like an ideal choice, but it’s actually the one make-up that covers my hyper-pigmentation really well without it looking like I have a ton of make-up on (key for any cosmetic is a very gentle hand during application and to layer it on).  For those that are interested, I prefer finely milled mineral foundation–Laura Mercier and Korres are some of my faves.  I was at Ulta the other day picking up my fave splurge moisturizer and saw that Tarte had come out with a new blush, every single piece was sold-out except for one color, it seemed to me a good sign (or a good shop-lifter).  I picked up a tester in the one color that was left, it was not what I am used to or what I preach here, the color looked in the sample compact a little dark + dusty/flat and it had some shimmer (I am not a fan of shimmer), but I tried it on and wondered if the lighting was off.  The color on my skin was a beautiful peachy hue, it blended perfectly and went on with a glide that I am not used to–airblush.  There was no signs of where the blush was applied (sometimes with the stains if you don’t blend well it can cause a ‘halo’).  I applied with my fingers, which I continue to do, it’s super light.  It’s not like any blush I have tried before (and since I have been around since dinosaurs walked the earth, I think I have tried them all). I tried the Dream Bouncy Blush from Maybelline and a similar product from Sephora, but those dried to an almost powder-like consistency on my face and pilled, this Airblush is undetectable if you blend well (which is effortless to do).  How long does it last?  It lasted a good 8 hours on me which is excellent as my makeup tends to wear off fairly quickly (again due to my dry skin and yes, of course I prime, etc.)   As for the shimmer?  I am not crazy about it in any product, but it’s very, very fine so it is hardly noticeable (I don’t look like I am going to a rave or anything). I think it’s worth going down to Sephora or Ulta and trying the Tarte AirBlush out, I have used it with the BB cream too and it performed perfectly.  I love it and I can’t wait to try the other colors!

I love beauty products so much, like I would marry them if I could.  I started off my once illustrious career in PR/Branding in the cosmetic industry so I know the ins & outs and can speak of quality products with authority (I also am a beauty big mouth so let me have at it).  Above is my new beauty/make-up regime, these are the products I have been using everyday so I won’t scare my husband or the neighbors–it has been working.  I recently ran out of my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, it’s pretty spendy so I thought I would try a drugstore option that has been getting rave reviews–Garnier BB Cream. I have mentioned BB creams prior (I am a fan), I liked the Smashbox offering but I am in between shades right now so its been benched for the season. My skin is dry, so if you have oily skin this BB cream may not be for you,  it has a very emollient texture, in fact I put it on in the morning without putting on any other moisturizer. BB Creams are different from a foundation or a tinted moisturizer (sort of in between in texture/consistency) so getting the feel for how much to apply may be a bit tricky at first, use a light hand and build. I am using the Light/Medium, it looks much darker right out of the tube (the very large tube), but it’s deceiving, it matches my skin quite well. It’s sheer but has good coverage. I have been using the Neutrogena Night Retinol cream and have been having good results with it lightening the hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks, I don’t think I would have been able to get away without concealer if this was a couple months prior, but today I am happy to say I just use the BB Cream (great because I have been both lazy & busy). Like a regular moisturizer you are going to want the product to ‘set’ before applying the rest of your make-up. I usually put it on and then make my coffee and come back to finish the rest. I have been foregoing the mascara–shocker and just curling my lashes, it’s easy and makes me look more awake than I feel. I think most women could use a little blush, it’s the easiest way to get an ‘insta-pretty’ look, it’s also the most wrongly applied cosmetic or the one one that women skip all together, gah!  My motto?  ‘No one blushes mauve’ so stay away from colors that look dusty, browny pink, they aren’t usually flattering. Tarte makes the best sheer cheek stains that will make you look like you have naturally rosy cheeks (this product will last you forever too). The best way that I have found to apply is with a brush. I learned that trick after seeing this gorgeous make-over and this video, I couldn’t replicate her results with that type of brush but was able to do so with the foundation brush shown above.  With the brush you get sheer, luminous natural looking rosy cheeks. Lastly I swipe Burt’s Bee’s Honeysuckle over my lips, it’s a sheer nude lip tint, it feels nice and moisturizing without the stickiness of a gloss or lipstick. Altogether I take about 4 minutes tops (maybe) to look natural and like myself but without scaring anyone. If you have any questions ask them in the comments I am happy to answer them!