Smooth it out

I was browsing through the nail care isle at my local CVS, when I noticed that Sally Hansen, my favorite nail care company, now makes lip glosses. Interesting. I debated with myself about whether it would be a good product (because their nail products are great), or a bad one (because they just recently moved into lip care). So, of course, I had to try it. I chose Sally Hansen Line Smoothing Mineral Lip Treatment in "Kunzite."

Now, I was not aware that lines on your lips were a problem, but apparently they are. Maybe this is because I never wear regular lipstick, so I've never noticed lines before. Or, maybe it's just because beauty companies like to convince us that normal things (like lip lines) are not normal and instead are a sign of...gasp...age.

That being said, I have to say that I actually like the gloss- sorry- mineral treatment. I did not notice any difference in any lines on my lips, but it did plump them a little. I just wish the company would have named the product what it actually is- a lip plumper. Nothing crazy like DuWop Lip Venom (a personal favorite), but a little. They did tingle slightly, and the taste is pretty good.

Now, maybe they were smart in naming it what they did, since most of us (especially myself) are all about the word "mineral" in our products. And truthfully, I probably did buy it because it said "mineral," but all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. At under $10, why not?

Icing

On Carrie M's recommendation, I tried Pantene Ice Shine Conditioner. And I have to say, great recommendation. The stuff is fantastic. It smells amazing, and left my hair silky and soft. I'm not sure that it was 'ice shiny,' but that's pretty impossible with blonde hair (one of the drawbacks to being a blonde- my hair will never be as shiny as a brunette's).

The conditioner was very impressive, especially given that I tried it during a week that we had 250-degree heat indexes (ok, maybe not 250, but definitely over 100). And it handled the conditions well. My hair stayed soft and manageable, without turning into a curly, frizzy limp mess in the heat.

Finally, another non-salon product that actually works on my hair. Thanks, Carrie!

Polished gem

I've become addicted to Biore's Pore Minimizing Refining Exfoliator. It's the perfect solution for those of us who don't have the extra dough to go to a dermatologist every week. I've been using it every other night lately in an effort to get rid of a few layers of dull skin. And to my surprise, it's really working. Unlike a lot of "exfoliating scrubs," which have only a few granules, but are mostly gel, this is an actual, legitimate exfoliator. But a word of caution- it is not for those of you with very sensitive skin.

The only problem I'm having is that it's a little tough to really scrub. When I tried using my fingers, they got a little sore after the first minute. So I had to improvise and switch back and forth between my fingertips and my palms.

Otherwise, a great product. I saw immediate results. My skin felt smooth and 'freshened' even after the first use. It's definitely something I will be using frequently.

Color Glaze Me

You'll have to excuse the recent absence... I'm coming off a bad hair and skin week. Speaking of a bad hair day:

So Wednesday night I decided to try John Frieda's Luminous Color Glaze (in "Honey to Caramel"), and I'm not quite sure this product lived up to my expectations. Maybe it's because I have fine, curly-ish hair (don't ask- it's a disaster), but it left my hair stringy and dull. I'm 99% sure I rinsed all of it out, but it almost looked like I had left my conditioner in. I definitely didn't see the "glistening shine and silky, luxurious texture" that it promised. In fact, I ended up having to pull my hair into a bun because it looked so terrible.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this product to try on a work day.- I couldn't wait to get home and wash my hair.

In all fairness, though, I can imagine that this product would work very well for someone with thicker hair. Like I said, mine is very fine, so I have to be very careful about the products I use. If anyone out there (namely with thicker hair) has tried this and liked it, by all means, please let me know. I'm curious to see if it works better for someone with a different hair texture.