Oh, the beauty products I have in my home ... it's really unbelievable all the makeup, hair, and skin products I use every day! One of the best things about being the Glam Diva is that I have the opportunity to let you in on the best of the best in beauty products! So without further a due, let me share with you which products I'm loving at the moment:
Ted Gibson Brazen Brown Shampoo and Conditioner
I've tried my share of color depositing shampoos and conditioners and this Ted Gibson Brazen Brown Shampoo & Conditioner is by far the best. The color is fabulous, it doesn't smell strange, and a little goes a really long way. You can truly keep your hair color looking good for many extra weeks with the use of Ted's shampoo and conditioner. I love you Ted!!!!
Flirty Little Secret Bronze Edition
I raved about the original version of this great product and now they've gone and added bronzer to it! If you aren't into the full on self-tanning thing, a little swipe of this shimmery Flirty Little Secret bronzer on your legs, décolletage, or all over your body, will have you looking hot in no time. And don't forget it contains firming ingredients and those pheromones that ‘subtly inspire confidence and a flirtatious mood around you'...well, who could turn that down?!
Xen-Tan
As a shameless self-tanning addict, I am always looking to try the new self-tanners that come onto the market, as I know strides are continually being made in the formulations. Immediately, I noticed Xen-Tan Dark Lotion smells great, unlike some other self-tanning formulas. When I applied it, I got a really good, natural-looking color. I have dark hair and an olive skintone so this is perfect for me. Do wear gloves or coat your hands in some sort of cream to keep it from staining them!
Xen-Tan also has a product called Transform, which is a daily moisturizer with gradual self- tanner. It's perfect to keep your tan looking glorious year round, or you can use it on its own to ease into warm weather clothes like shorts and mini dresses!
The Olsen twins and E! personalities Giuliana Rancic and Samantha Harris are big fans of Xen-Tan products!
Lisa Hoffman Spa Shower Cleansing Gel
I am a complete freak for bath and shower products and am so happy to have found Lisa Hoffman's (yep, she's Dustin's wife) wonderful line. Skin is cleansed and you get a light feeling of moisture with this fresh smelling shower gel.
Florida Foam
With the hot sticky weather approaching, I'm so glad I have Florida Foam to come to my rescue. I have oily skin and an oily scalp, and this product keeps shine at bay all day! The oat flour protein in this formula absorbs oil without drying out your skin or scalp. Get some of this, NOW!
Your eye brows play a huge role in the total look of your face. These brow products can help keep your brows looking beautiful and well groomed, even if you are a little late for your brow waxing appointment. Tame, texturize, and fill in your way to glorious brows in the blink of an eye!
Chanel - Perfect Brows is a can't miss mirrored compact complete with three brow powders, so you can blend up the perfect color. Bonus mini tools include an application brush, a brow brush, and tweezers so you can groom on the go if needed.
Trish McEvoy Brow Builder - I have never, with all the beauty products I've tested and loved over many years as a beauty product junkie, seen a product like this brow builder! Tiny fibers are encased in a gel that easily and believably fills in sparse brows or helps give regular brows that sexier, fuller look that is all the rage right now. You will dig this stuff ... it is amazing!
Lancome Brow Groomer - Applied like mascara, this formula helps keep brows in place and adds a bit of subtle color, too. You can use it over brow pencil and it won't flake or fade, all day or all night.
Put some wow in your eyebrows with a little extra special attention to these sometimes overlooked eye framing wonders. The shape of your brows totally affects the balance and look of your face so make sure you are making the most of what you have in the brow department.
With warm weather approaching, we all begin to get excited about shorter dresses and skirts, shorts, and naturally, swimsuits. This means legs, legs, legs, on display for the whole world to see. I've got tips on how to make sure your legs are in tip-top shape for coming seasons. It's a snap to get your legs looking stunning. Check out my ingredients for the recipe to give you flawless legs:
Fitflops - These flip flop style sandals help tone and trim your legs while reducing strain on your feet, knees and back. I got a pair last year after reading about them, and I had to get on a waiting list for them to become available in the US! You can feel them working, yet they are quite comfortable to wear, anywhere, anytime. If you are not in a regular exercise routine, these shoes make it easy to do something good for your body. Believe me, your legs will thank you.
Gabriel Couzian Washing Oil - With all the shaving and exfoliating we do during the warm weather, it is paramount to give your skin the moisture it craves to be healthy and look beautiful. I use this oil in the shower and it gives my skin, especially my legs, a succulent drink of hydrating moisture that lasts and lasts, long after I dry off and go on with my day. This is really great stuff!
DermaQuest DermaGlow Self Tanner for the Body - Never in my entire life have I used a self tanner that smells this delectable! This one smells like pina colada and you don't get that annoying odor that most self tanning products give off as they undergo the process of ‘tanning' your skin. I get a glorious color from this too, but the fact that it smells good is a huge plus for me. I put this on my legs year round as I simply cannot deal with white legs - it's just not my style!
Per-Fekt Body Perfection Gel Brilliant - A sheer, slightly glimmery gel product that helps hide little imperfections on your skin. A true gift for fairer skin tones that might not want to risk a freaky look from the wrong self tanner shade, this gel will give you a sun-kissed glow that will rock the world of everyone around you. The shea butter in this formula helps keep your legs soft and touchable, too.
Personally I live for spring as it is conducive to all these leg-baring fashions, and the heat is not quite as unbearable as in the summertime! Start getting your legs in warm weather readiness mode now, and you can hit the town with legs that will be the talk of it!
A person's mind can easily become boggled by all the jars, tubes, and bottles of skin potions that promise to rid you of wrinkles, sun spots, and acne - and let's not forget those who make claims to be ‘similar to or better than Botox.' I've used many skin products on my face in my time as a certified product junkie, beauty writer, and salon and spa employee and manager. I can tell you very honesty what you already know in your sane mind and deep down in your heart ~ no skin product is going to get rid of the wrinkles or fine lines on your face.
It angers me when companies make these claims, because it is simply not possible for wrinkles to disappear unless you get some sort of filler to plump them up or paralyze the muscle the way Botox does. Even with the use of these treatments, remember that your wrinkles still exist! When the injectable wears off, you are faced with the choice of refilling or going on with life with your wrinkles in tow. Obviously this is a very personal choice. I would never begrudge anyone his or her chosen beauty routine no matter what it entails. Personally, I feel better about skin creams that say they can "soften fine lines and wrinkles," because that is an attainable goal with a topical product and it shows they know our level of intelligence. I want to buy skin cream from a company that respects me, and I want to use their creams and still respect them when I wake up in the morning!
Having said all that, here is a rundown of some of the newest skin creams on the market. I'll tell you what they claim to do and at what cost to you. The technology ands new ingredients coming to the market daily are nothing short of phenomenal. I am a firm believer in "to each his own" with anything relating to beauty products, as each person's body chemistry is different and products will have varying levels of success with each indivual. Now, let's get to the actual products:
Best Skin Creams
DermaLastyl-B $89.00 for two month supply with free shipping
This face cream says it renews the natural tropoelastin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help prevent the onset of new wrinkles. I like that it says ‘reduce' and doesn't claim to wipe them off your face forever. It is said to contain other ingredients to help relax facial muscles, promote collagen production, and to help protect against photodamage. The website contains clinical study information too, as well as a section called "The Science of DermaLastyl." DermaLastyl-E is their eye serum, which is also available through their website.
Prevage has really made a name for itself in the anti-aging category. The new night cream contains Idebenone, a powerful antioxidant and one of the current darlings of the skin care world. Claiming to soften, firm, hydrate and brighten your skin tone, the cream comes in a jar with what they call "customized one touch dispensing." I'm not quite sure how that works; I would certainly assume that with the push of a button, the cream shoots up out, but I'm worried that a lot of cream could be left in the jar that you can't get to with the one touch dispensing. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding and one touch dispensing helps you to be able to get every single drop of Prevage.
To "prolong skin's youthful appearance" is the promise of the new cream from Estee Lauder. Clarity and tone will visibly improve, and fine dry lines will be plumped away with moisture. They never say it will make lines a thing of the past; I gotta give them that! With 23 patents pending worldwide, Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Crème has a lock on "The Youth Molecule-ResveratrateTM." The website info says that day after day, year after year, your skin will look "vibrant, hydrated and healthy." They are obviously not worried about your skin becoming immune to the effects of their cream. Erin Lauder still looks young, but she is young. I wonder if she uses this?
Described as "a superior anti-aging formulation of three intense polypeptides, and potent antioxidants to refinish, replenish and retexturize your skin," Dr. Brandt's cream boasts polypeptides, the BBF of Idebenone in the skin care arena. Using the term "diminishes" to explain what it can do for fine lines and wrinkles, I give props to the doctor as, once again, he is not claiming he is going to go Houdini on your face and you will wake up the next day wrinkle free. The doc recommends you use this at night, and apply extra moisture afterwards if you experience dryness or peeling. Oh how I loathe dryness and peeling!
Which side of the fence are you on in the stem cell debate? Well it really doesn't matter with this new cream-serum as the proteins, peptides and lipids which make up the StimulCell formula are the replicated signals delivered by skin stem cells that help restore and renew the skin's surface to a visibly more healthy, radiant and youthful looking state. Formulated for evening use, this cream-serum claims to make the skin more "smooth, supple and younger looking." By eating the doctors' 10 recommended super foods and using this revolutionary new cream-serum, he believes you will be well on your way to good health and glowing skin.
Blue fingernail polish is something that reminds me of my new wave or punk rock days of long ago, so it's a bit amusing to me that it is such the rage now. I wore it a few months ago and even with my nails filed short, I didn't really think it looked very good, but I got many compliments from friends who loved it. Definitely make sure you wear dark blue polish on nails that are short (below fingertip length) and that your cuticles are in check and moisturized, as the blue polish will surely draw attention to your hands. Here are a few pretty blue polishes that caught my attention:
Chanel Blue Satin - This is available on various places on the web, but can be hard to find at Chanel counters. Some light makes it look almost black but it contains a pretty iridescence that is rather mesmerizing!
OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue - The shade of this blue polish is ultra fabulous and I can see this as a ‘go to' toe color with strappy sandals for summer. That's the nice thing about nail polish colors that scream "look at me!" ~ if you aren't so excited about wearing them on your hands, your toes can be a fun way to experiment.
Napoleon Perdis Poolside - A long wearing, super high shine polish that will make you part of the trend in no time. Napoleon has a lot going on! Check out his website to see all his fine cosmetics.
Essie Aruba Blue - I love Essie polishes as they last and I don't have problems with sparse coverage like with some nail polishes. A quality line with many gorgeous shades to choose from, including a beautiful lighter blue called Aruba Blue.
Models, celebrities, and soccer moms are all sporting blue nail polish for spring, so if the mood strikes you, do give it a try. What do you have to lose? Nail polish remover and a few cotton balls will erase anything you aren't please with in the polish department. It's so easy to be blue for day, in a good way, with the cool new blue nail polishes!
A person's mind can easily become boggled by all the jars, tubes, and bottles of skin potions that promise to rid you of wrinkles, sun spots, and acne - and let's not forget those who make claims to be ‘similar to or better than Botox.' I've used many skin products on my face in my time as a certified product junkie, beauty writer, and salon and spa employee and manager. I can tell you very honesty what you already know in your sane mind and deep down in your heart ~ no skin product is going to get rid of the wrinkles or fine lines on your face.
