Beauty
Taming hair that has something between a little wave and lot of curl. We've spent forever trying to figure out a good system that works for this situation, and here is the result:
First: Wash your hair with a reasonable (i.e. small) amount of shampoo every other day at most and condition it whenever you wash it. If you need to wet it like you are going to wash it that is fine, but learn to tone down the shampoo - your hair will be happier! Our favorite picks are Kerastese Bain de Force Shampoo and Ciment Conditioner. Kerastese also makes a great hair mask if you feel that your hair could use some repair. How do you know? If you are using alot of products and blow drying frequently...it probably could use it!
Next: Start drying your hair with a quality ionic blow dryer. Yes, they seem unreasonably expensive, but how much did your aunt spend on that bread maker she got you for your wedding? You know, the one you never use? The thing is, most of use blow dry our hair more than 3 times a week, sometimes 7. I bet you don't use your oven that many times a week! So invest in a quality blow dryer that won't fry your hair. The is a reason that all of the salon hairstylists have good dryers, they want you to come back. Trust us, we didn't believe at first either, but it will look and feel alot better. The best two brands are Chi and T3 and you can't go wrong with either one. The Chi is a little more reasonable and you see this used by all the celebrity stylists. The T3 is sleek as well, and they make a travel version. Don't worrry about how many watts it is, we've been told it's ok for a dryer to flip your circuit breaker for too long! The truth is, any of these dryers will dry your hair much quicker anyway without burning it in the process. Work some Phytodefrisant Relaxing Balm in while your hair is still damp and finish blowdrying.
Last: Finish it off with some shine serum like Redken's.
For the same type of hair, on relaxing weekends or when there is no time to blow dry, go with controled curls or waves instead. We spent some time and money figuring this one out as well, so here's how:
First: Wash your hair the same way as described above, minimally shampoo!
Next: Air dry or towel dry, adding Paul Mitchell Extra Body Sculting Foam while it is still damp.
Last: Work in some Bumble and Bumble product to give it some extra shine and your done!
Keeping straightened hair straight after a blow out. This is going to sound nuts, but the best product for getting the grease out of your hair between washes has been on the market for over 100 years. If you brush a little Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder into your tresses between shampoos, you will retain the volume that you want to have and tame any oiliness. Redken's Dry Powder does essentially the same thing, but costs bundles more.
Skin
One of our best secrets for skincare is Dr. Baumann's 'SkinType Solution'. This book allows you to figure out only and for all what your skin type is with a comprehensive questionaire. Not the 20 questions usually produced in the pages of fashion magazines. The type system breaks skin into 4 main categories, oily vs. dry, sensitive vs. resistant, pigmented vs. non-pigmented, and wrinkled vs. tight. The book then identifies recomended products in different price ranges (from Target to department store brands) and a skin care strategy for your specific skin type. This is as close to getting tailored advice from a celebrity dermatologist as you can get for the price...so savor the info!
In general, we love the brand mdskincare but if you are trying to keep yourself on budget Aveeno is definitely the way to go for a drug store brand.
Another one of our favorite beauty secrets is Boscia Blotting Papers. We like the Green Tea version the best (might as well get the anti-oxidants while you can) but the original works just as well. Wipe these papers over shiney areas halfway through the day and they will get you looking like you just did your makeup!
Makeup
So many types, brands, and price points for makeup. How is a girl to choose? Our best advice for finding what works for you is avoid the makeup counter sales people. Few of them have more training than a few hours here and there. What you can do, is inquire to when there will be a national consultant visiting and sign up for a makeup application with them. This is the real deal, and they will probably be able to select atleast some great basics for you to start with.
Our absolute favority beauty tool for 4 years running is the Shu Emura Eye Lash Curler. The pros resoundingly suggest this curler heads above the rest, and for good reason. We actually realized that the curler may affect clumping more than the mascara does after test driving this curler with a bunch of different mascara tubes.
Here is the list of our favorite nail products: Tweezerman for a cuticle snipper, it is built like a tweezer for better control. Solar Oil cuticle oil, it makes your skin amazingly smooth and all the salons prefer this brand. Finally, Avon Polish Strips. These things are great! You just put them on like stickers and then rip the rest of the strip off!