For me, the easiest way to experiment with my hair is to change up my shampoo and conditioner regimen. I mean, we all know that if our hair is weighted down by gunk it can be heavy and lifeless and if we use something naughty it can strip all the essential oils away and break more easily. I always start with the source if my hair is suddenly acting persnickety. Instead of spending money on STYLING products first, I make sure my hair isn’t getting the shaft. (HA HA get it? SHAFT? *wipes tear*)
I’ve mentioned before what I’m dealing with up top, which is thickthickthick hair that has a natural wave. I am sensitive to perfume-y smells because, call me crazy, I hate to be followed around all day by a dish of my grandmother’s old and dusty potpourri. Since my hair is so heavy I have to be careful when selecting a shampoo as it needs to rinse clean, and the conditioner has to be thick enough to get out all the tangles and snarls without me stepping out of the shower like a greasy monkey. See what I have to put up with? So it’s a tough match with me and my cleansing products is what I’m saying.
Thus enters Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly line. I have begun embracing my messy waves (that long ago were actual CURLS but apparently having a baby made my body re-set the hair function as well as turning a number that rhymes with blirty.) All I did was roam the aisles at Target and the fabu purple bottles jumped out at me. I was sold by the advertising that said “Embrace your softer side with perfectly imperfect hair” because DUH I could totally do that! I’m soft AND imperfect! I tossed my bottles in the cart and actually looked FORWARD to taking a shower. Seriously, I might have done a casual glassade into the bathroom.
I loved the shampoo and conditioner right away. The wild violet & pomegranate had a clean and romantic aroma which my husband has said on more than one occasion ’smells heavenly’ which, I think we can agree, is never a bad thing. My waves are less frizzy and there is no added weight to my hair. The conditioner is fab in that it’s thick out of the bottle but spreads evenly over wet hair without glumping all over the place. It rinses well too. Herbal Essences also has a bunch of styling products to complete the whole tousled process but I’m not quite there yet. Just still enjoying the freshly clean and messy look I’m rocking over here.
All I’m saying is try it. You’ll like it. Each bottle is around $4.00 depending on where you go. It looks like it’s not sold online but I see it in stores all the time.
No go be imperfect!
I am a gal who: has very little free time, can have jenky skin, loves potions and is nearing her mid-thirties. These powers combined have left me needing something nicer than bar soap for my face but something simpler than a “cleansing system.”
Browsing the store one afternoon, I found these: Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Cleansing Pads.
I know Aveeno is a trusted brand and frequently mentioned in Allure’s Best of Beauty line-up.
There are 28 pads in each container. One side of the pad is smooth and soft, the other side is textured for light exfoliating. The “clear complexion” claim comes from the pads containing 2% salicylic acid as well as natural soy. Salicylic acid can be great for rejuvenating skin in that it helps sloughs off dead skin cells and extra oils which can in turn cause breakouts.
The Aveeno site touts these pads as “hypoallergenic, oil-free, soap-free…gentle enough for everyday use and sensitive skin.”
I’ve used these pads for a week and am very happy with them.
Pros:
They remove my waterproof mascara.
The textured side is great for exfoliating and not at all irritating like the Buff Puff of yesteryear.
They’re easy.
They smell pretty good.
Cons:
They’re not high foaming. I like foam.
Skin is tick dry afterwards. I’m chalking this up to the salicylic acid.
All in all, I’m going to keep using these. I know this product isn’t alone on the market–it has many companions in the easy-wiping-easy-cleaning-easy-makeup-removal market. But I think Aveeno did a good job on the product and they’re worth the money.
Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Cleansing Cloths, $7.29 for 28, available at most major retailers and Drugstore.com.
Does Bodyglide not sound like a naughty product? It totally does, right? Except it’s not.
Bodyglide is an anti-chafing product. It provides a thin layer of smooth slickness any place where you might get chafing. (Um, this description isn’t really making it sound any less naughty, is it?) It was originally designed for athletes, to help with chafing from straps, shirt cuffs, thighs, that sort of thing. It’s a solid stick, like a deodorant, so it’s easy and non-messy to apply. And in honor of the half marathon I’m running this week, I thought it was time to share it with you- I’ve been using it to eliminate chafing from seams on the sleeves of my running shirts, and it’s made a HUGE difference.
But I’ve owned BodyGlide for YEARS, even though I just started running. Why? Because it is a miracle foot blister preventing stick. Forget those teensy tiny foot care sticks Johnson and Johnson sells - this works better, and is a better value. When I want to wear cute flats and heels without wearing horrid sweat-inducing pantyhose, a rub of BodyGlide all over my feet keeps them blister-free. This is a minor miracle, particularly in the spring and summer when warm swollen feet seem to sprout blisters just by LOOKING at high heels. When I was working at a law firm and I had to wear heels every day, I kept Bodyglide in my desk drawer at work. True story.
I’ve heard it used for lots of other purposes, too- to prevent chafing between the thighs when wearing skirts in hot weather, on the palms of hands if you’re doing garden work or kayaking or anything else that can cause blisters, even to lessen the itching/rubbing from a particularly itchy tag inside your clothing.
It sounds a little weird, and people might look at you funny if they find it in your desk drawer at work, but this is one product I highly recommend, for athletes and stiletto-wearers and everyone in between.
Bodyglide, $7.95 (also available in travel size) at REI.com
(Welcome Allyson from Pocklock! Take it away!)
I live with one rosy cheeked little girl.
My daughter’s skin is super sensitive and it has been since birth. She’s also very allergic (she got that from her mama) to everything. I’ve always been super cautious on trying any new bath or lotion product on her after her hypersensitivity was called out during our first vacation to visit my mother in Miami when she was just eleven weeks old. I had asked my Mom to buy all the same lotions we used on her skin at home which she did, however, on the third day we were there Lyla’s legs broke out in this horrible looking rash. She was too young for sunscreen so we weren’t taking her outside without being fully covered. When I called the pediatrician, they recommended Aquaphor.
The Aquaphor caused the rash to become even more red and BLEED. And the child? Screamed her head off.
My kid is allergic to Aquaphor. Go figure.
In the winter time here in New England, she’s prone to her skin chapping and bleeding much like it did that one time in Florida. I worry most about this when it comes to her face. Most Mom’s recommend using Aquaphor on their kids to prevent chapping in the winter. And um. Well, we know how that turned out last time.
Instead, I’ve started using Boudreaux’s Baby Kisses. I apply it after bath at night before bed and in the morning before we leave the house. She also has a tube that I keep in her cubbie at daycare and her teachers apply it before they go outside and before nap. The ointment is not too think or greasy. It’s quickly absorbed so it doesn’t immediately get wiped off. If I stay on top of the applications, the difference is truly noticeable. And the best part? She has zero negative reaction to the product which is a huge win in my book!
Oh, and I totally have nothing against Aquaphor. It just doesn’t work for us. (Please don’t send me hate mail!)
Boudreaux’s Baby Kisses, $3.99 at local stores and drugstore.com
(The lovely Jen from Jayesel! Take it away!)
I’ve always struggled with my skin. I’ve never had acne so bad I needed professional intervention, but I do have large pores and a pretty uneven skintone, plus the occasional nasty breakout (thanks, PMS!) My skin was never going to be perfect peaches-and-cream, so I knew I’d have to fake it with makeup. And once I started wearing makeup in junior high, I was on a mission to find the Perfect Foundation.
I tried regular foundation in a glass bottle. I tried the weird powder-to-liquid foundations. I tried going with no foundation, just loose or pressed powder. I either ended up with goopy, heavy coverage that felt like I was wearing butter on my face, or I had too little coverage that still showed the unevenness of my skin.
Boo.
I never really settled on a foundation that would ‘work’ for more than a couple of months… either my skin changed, or I grew tired of fooling myself into thinking whatever I was using was working. Basically, whenever the Product Of The Month ran out, I didn’t love it enough to purchase it again. I was on a never-ending carousel of foundations. It wasn’t very fun. And it got kinda expensive.
Then, about 4 years ago, my sister hosted a Mary Kay party for her mother-in-law who had just started selling the stuff. I knew a little bit about Mary Kay but I had never been a User (ha, sounds so illicit!) We had a great time at the party, and after trying it out during the ‘makeover’ portion of the party, I decided to give the Medium Coverage Foundation a shot.
Four years later, I’m still loving it. And this coming from the girl who changed foundation every other month for 15 years? Is a big deal.
It’s the perfect weight for my skin- not too heavy, and it rarely feels greasy and heavy (a little bit in the summer when it’s hot, but I think that’s more because OMG HUMIDITY than anything with the product. I just use a bit less in the warmer weather.) For my weird skin, the coverage is perfect. It’s easy to blend, and it hides just about everything but feels very non-gross (technical term!). I love that I can put it on in the morning, pair it with some concealer for any major blemishes, and just touch-up with powder throughout the day. They also have a ton of shades to choose from, and if you have a local Mary Kay rep, you can easily try a few to find that perfect match.
I have received several compliments on my skin in the past few years since I started using the Mary Kay foundation, and part of me finds that HILARIOUS, looking back on all the years I spend struggling to find something that worked.
And probably the best part is that it’s only $14 a tube and it lasts a LONG time. I think one tube can last me at least 6 months (though I don’t wear make up every single day, maybe 4 or 5 days a week, typically) So for a product that works so perfectly for me and costs so little in the grand scheme of things? I SAY SCORE.
Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation, $14.00 at MaryKay.com
In what is perhaps the least-glamorous item to ever grace the pages of LiveWellSpendWell, I’m here to sing you the praises of…..epsom salts. Yes! Like your grandmother used to use! The ones that come in a large four-pound container that looks like a milk carton! Sexxxay.
I first discovered the joy of epsom salts when I got an incredibly gnarly ingrown toenail. After paying a doctor an absurd amount of money to hack it out (with what I later realized were $5 ingrown toenail scissors), I asked him if there was anything I could do to make it hurt less and to keep it from happening again.
“Well,” he said, “obviously you’ll want to use epsom salts.”
Huh. That would not have occurred to me. Advil? Sure. Neosporin? Absolutely. Some sort of prescription-issue painkilling ointment? Bring it. But little crystals of magesium sulfate that you dissolve in water and then soak your foot in? Sounds old fashioned and silly.
Well it may be old fashioned, but it ain’t silly. Magnesium sulfate has anti-inflammatory properties, so it’s excellent for soaking sore feet, and it made that toenail feel waaay better. My husband, who is prone to sprained ankles, dissolved two cups of the stuff in a bucket of warm water and reported a dramatic improvement in ankle pain and swelling. And since I’ve been training for a half marathon, I’ve started taking epsom salt baths after particularly grueling long runs and my hips, which are prone to soreness, feel WAY better. Miraculous.
It’s got other uses too- tofu binding agent (not kidding), natural laxative, broken-lava-lamp reviver (apparently it makes things more buoyant and can help merge the flecks of wax in a lava lamp that’s been shaken back into a cohesive mass). Really, you should check out the wikipedia page. Fascinating. In short, it’s a pretty screaming deal for a couple bucks.
Epsom Salts, available for $6.99 for a 4-pound box on drugstore.com, and substantially cheaper at your local drugstore.
So! *brisk handclap* It sure is winter around here isn’t it? Whether we’re in the middle of a snowpocalypse buried under four feet of snow or skidding around on icy side walks, chances are no matter where you live it’s colder than normal and rather dry. It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that this combination can turn your skin all wonky. Especially your lips. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner (Pssst. It’s Sunday) you need to get your pucker in tip-top shape. Enter ChapStick Overnight.
I have been using ChapStick Overnight Lip Treatment religiously for years before I go to bed and holy geeze can I tell the difference. I’m not going to come right out and say I give Angelina Jolie a run for her money, but you’re intelligent people and can deduce what you’d like. The point is, this stuff works. It hydrates, it protects, and it truly stays put throughout the night. I don’t get any results from regular lip balm because it’s not thick enough to last six to eight hours. With this balm, my lips are shielded from our dry central heat air, and don’t feel like they need a drink of water when I wake up. Another happy bonus? There’s no tell-tale evidence on my sheets the next morning. I’m a tummy sleeper so I always worry about getting my nightly beauty routine all over our bed but by some miracle, this stuff stays on lips and refuses to budge. Sort of like a strip of velcro, if velcro were a lip treatment.
Do you ever get dry and scaly skin around your lip line? It’s not a hot look. I have been prone to it more times than I care to admit so before I fall asleep I go to TOWN and apply this beyond my lip line. My husband says I look so shiney he can see me in the dark (which is a total exaggeration, btw) but hey, we’re married. It’s not all perfumed sheets and Victoria’s Secret up in here. Is it a wee bit goopy? Yes. But it’s not like a spider web forms between your lips if you try and talk, because that would be horrific (and kind of awesome all at the same time). It’s more substantial than your basic gloss, yes, but it does it’s job. It doesn’t really have a flavor to it for better or for worse, and after a bit your forget you have it on. Though SOME bedmates may not.
I’ve skipped a few nights here and there if I find myself unexpectedly staying overnight, or if I forget to pack it when going out of town and trust me, I can FEEL IT the next day. Flakey and sandpaper-y and BLECH. It’s easy to become addicted once you start using it, as your lips will feel like they are eighteen again. And with the most romantic holiday rapidly approaching it’s important to make sure they are primed and ready to go. Your lipstick will look better. It will slow you down from looking like a sour puss. Good morning smooches will be all the more enjoyable. And for $3.99 at most drugstores you really can’t go wrong.
Take back the night and show winter who’s boss! Happy and hydrated makes for a good night’s sleep.
ChapStick Overnight Lip Treatment, $3.99 at most drugstores and drugstore.com
Wassup, my livin’-life-on-the-cheap hotties? I really don’t talk like that, but sometimes, I have to get things like that out. Let’s all take a deep breath and move on.
My name’s Sarah Lena, and I write at The Anvil Tree and you can see me at Southern Fried Snark. When the lovely Samantha asked me to do a guest post, she did so for two reasons: 1) she loves me and that feeling is TOTALLY mutual and not just because we’re both married to a man named Bryan and 2) she knows I am a cheap product HO. And then I was all, Gah, how do I narrow down what products I want to tout?! I couldn’t, so I decided to narrow it down to a line. I? Am John Frieda’s lovah.
We’ll start with this: I have curly hair. It was curlier before the kids, but still has a lot of natural wave to it. Also.. get ready .. I don’t wash my hair. A lot. I maybe wash it twice in a seven day period. Judge if you must, but with curly hair? Dude, it TOTALLY looks best after two or three days of grit and oil.
Back to mah man, Mr. John Frieda.
His Curl Around ($5.99) line is a GODSEND for ladies with curly hair. Or, quite frankly, even if you don’t but you plan on adding volume to your hair. (Hot rollers, teasing, what have you.)
Also, his Luxurious Volume Root Lift Spray ($5.99) is a staple in my army. It totally gives you Texas-big hair. Spray it in while your hair is drying (DO NOT TURBAN WRAP YOUR HAIR and DO NOT PUT ANY HEAT INTO IT UNTIL IT’S ALMOST DRY) and trust me. Great lift.
Lastly, the piece de resistance (please imagine me saying that with a french accent):
This produce is aptly named. John Frieda’s Secret Weapon Finish Creme ($6.49) is THE BOMB. After your hair is finished, styled, whatevs, rub a tiny bit of this between your palms and just kinda scrunch your hair. Make sure your tips are hit by this. Amazingly moisturizing, not at all weighty, and your hair looks salon-perfect.
So what’s totally awesome? I just gave you a complete hair routine for about $20 that you can find at places like Target and drugstore.com! You’re very welcome!
(Many, many thanks to the ladies of Live Well, Spend Well for having me!)
One of my best friends has a great story about going on a date with a guy who was an annoying know-it-all all night, acting like he was much more sophisticated than she was, bragging about where he’d traveled, boasting about his foodie pedigree, that kind of thing. At the end of the insufferable evening, he topped it off by ordering the “pot de creme”- pronounced “paht dee creem,” rather than the more traditional “poh duh crehm,” thus redeeming the awful date by giving her a fun story to tell for all eternity.
So yes, pots de creme may seem a little…fussy. But I cannot get over how cute these little pots are. They have the classic lion’s head accent, and each hold two ounces. They’re dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and oven safe to 350 degrees.
And at $13.96 for a SET OF TWELVE, I will FIND reasons to use them. Chocolate pudding! Creme brulee! Really tiny portions of soup! Serving dips and condiments at a party! Heck, I’d use one on my bedside table to hold my rings at night.
If, like me, you’re eying the upcoming wedding season with some trepidation, I’d also note that they’d make an excellent classy-looking, not-too-expensive shower gift.
Set of twelve pots de creme pots, $13.96 on sale at Sur La Table.
Guest Post: Olay Complete Review by SoMi Speaks
Hey there, friends of Live Well Spend Well. Samantha, Katie and Kori were kind enough to let me take over this space for a day. What were they thinking, right? Oh wait, you don’t know me? Therefore, you don’t know the stink I am capable of causing? Well, maybe that’s a good thing. In any case, my name is Nilsa and I have my own little life blog over at SoMi Speaks.
Growing up, I adored my grandmother. I looked forward to the annual trips from St. Louis to Washington DC, where she would dote on me for a week at a time. We’d go to the many museums downtown. We’d visit my grandfather at his liquor store, mere steps from the Capitol, where I was always put in charge of lottery ticket sales. I played dress-up with her jewelry. Watched while she put on her make-up everyday.
One memory emblazoned in my mind from that time is her bottle of Oil of Olay. She used it for as long as I can remember.
When I finally graduated college, I decided it was time to be a grown-up. That included beginning to care for my skin. Since I really didn’t know where to start, I started with what I knew. Oil of Olay. Throughout my 20s, I used this moisturizing cream. Day and night. Not realizing I was supposed to be using something different depending on whether the sun was up or down.
During those years, to be honest, I had great skin. Well, after that little acne attack that I took care of through lethal drugs from my dermatologist. But, I’m not here to talk about that. That time of my life gifted me with smooth, supple skin. It was never dry. It always felt smooth. Little did I know, it’d all change in my 30s.
My skin this decade has been more challenging. Granted, I’m not as diligent about washing and moisturizing twice daily. Shame on me. But, my skin, it’s gotten dryer. Some creases have begun to show. It’s no longer smooth and beautiful the way it once was. I varied my washing and moisturizing routines, but was having trouble finding one that worked. One where I really noticed a difference, an improvement in my skin.
A couple years ago, I got a good tongue-lashing from the woman I was using as a make-up artist for my wedding. My skin was DRY! She gave me a very expensive, designer moisturizer for the months leading up to the wedding with strict instructions to use it every night. Wanting to be a beautiful, glowing bride, I followed her instructions. For months. I even purchased the $70 tub of cream when her donation ran out.
And you know what? I didn’t really notice a difference. And so, about a year ago, I was done with the expensive treatments. I wanted the ease and inexpense of over the counter. And more importantly, I wanted a product that worked. So, I returned to that handy jar of Oil of Olay (though, now I think they’re calling it Olay Complete).
It’s taken some time, but I really have noticed a difference in my skin. It’s not as dry as it once was. And while some of the wrinkles are here to stay, I have noticed a slowing in their growth. So long as I continue with my daily morning routine of Oil of Olay (and my night routine of a moisturizer made specific for night), I truly believe my skin will continue to improve.
Olay Complete. $8.49 – $10.99 for 4 oz at local drugstores and Drugstore.com.
