Beautiful Things My Mother Taught Me


Mom and me, circa 1979 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by CoverGirl. Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I’m so excited. Not just because Mr. Spoiled Pretty and my son, Westley, are treating me to a decadent brunch. But because it’s an opportunity to celebrate my hero, Andrea Stamps. I must admit that until two years ago, Mother’s Day was just another CONTINUE READING

Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles: 2 for $22


At Christmastime, I agonized over what to get my son's daycare teachers. There are 12 of them - and even though he has his two main teachers, they all have interaction with him and take excellent care of him. So I needed to buy 12 gifts to show my appreciation, without breaking the bank. $10 each seemed doable, except CONTINUE READING

IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB Creme SPF 15


As a beauty expert, I’m embarrassed by how late I am to the BB Cream party. In the past year, so many friends and colleagues have asked me about BB Creams—what’s the buzz, which brands are the best, etc. —and they would look at me funny when I admitted to not having tried BB Creams yet. I mean, they CONTINUE READING

CoverGirl Outlast Brilliant Shine Nail Gloss in Vio-last


I’m very fickle about my fingernails. Before I paint my nails or get them professionally did, I spend a inordinate amount of time pondering my polish options. I consider the season, recent trends, my wardrobe that week and anywhere special I might go. But despite all of this planning, I’m usually over my polish choice before it even dries. Not CONTINUE READING

My New Arm Candy: Rebecca Minkoff Swing Bag


After beauty products, handbags are my secondary addiction. But when it comes to arm candy, I have discriminating taste. For me, the perfect handbag seamlessly marries fashion with function, is handcrafted from high-quality materials, has really unique hardware and is classic but edgy - all at the same time. I don't like to carry the of-the-moment "it" bag. I CONTINUE READING

Bust a Move On Over to Saturday.com


Earlier this month, Kate Spade (aka creator of cuteness and the reason why I can't seem to keep money in my wallet), launched a brand new line called Kate Spade Saturday. Kate Spade Saturday is a new global lifestyle brand created to channel the spirit of Saturday seven days a week. This younger, more accessible sister to kate spade new CONTINUE READING

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Hair Styling

The Root Of The Problem

Posted on February 12, 2008 by daneen in Hair, Hair Styling, Holy Grail, Tools | Leave a comment

rootcontrol The Root Of The Problem
Every 8 weeks, I visit my hairdresser Erik to get my roots relaxed. And for the next 4 weeks, my hair does whatever I want it to – and I revel in straight-haired bliss. But once my curly roots start growing in, my hair goes up in a ponytail and I mentally count the days until my next salon appointment.

Any gal with relaxed hair knows what I’m talking about. There’s nothing worse than your roots sabotaging a potentially good hair day.

Luckily, Editorial Stylists Kevin Ryan and Frank Rizzieri have gotten to the root of the problem, and created an innovative styling tool that has me loving my locks – even in week 7.

Root Control is designed to allow quick, safe, and effective straightening and styling of all types of hair. It’s great for touching up hairlines and roots in between blowdries and relaxers. It can also be used to redirect cowlicks and style bangs. Plus, its combination of ceramic barrel and double comb allow you to style the hair while keeping the heated barrel away from the scalp.

Product features include:
*Dual Styling / Pressing Combs
*Ceramic Heating Barrel
*Instant Heat Up
*Advanced LCD Digital Programming
*Up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit Pro High-Heat
*9ft. European Jacketed Line Cord
*Heat Resistant Storage Pouch with Embroidered Logo

At $179.00, Root Control is kinda costly. But can you really put a price tag on a good hair day?

Not yet convinced? Watch this video of the tool in action, then be prepared to pull out your credit card. Trust me. It’s worth every penny.

Root control is available online at rsessiontools.com.

Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

Posted on February 5, 2008 by daneen in Eye Liner, Fashion Week, Hair, Hair Styling, Lip Pencil | 2 Comments

fw1+016a Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection
I woke up on Saturday morning and headed to the Exit Art Building for the Thuy Fall 2008 Collection presentation. A presentation is different from a runway show, in that there’s no actual runway – just models strutting their stuff amongst us mere mortals. The show was very impromptu, which I really enjoyed. Though after waiting almost an hour, it began without warning (I attended with Amber and Marina – Marina was somewhere getting juice when the show finally began).

fw1+070 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 CollectionRomero Jennings, Head Makeup Artist for MAC, was responsible for the models’ ethereal eyes and lengthy lashes; he lined the inner rims with shimmery white pencil and applied a few coats of black mascara for definition. Jennings polished off the look with a strong matte mouth. Lips were lined and filled in with Brick Lip Pencil (intense golden red), then Brown Lipmix (a MAC Pro product) was applied on top of the pencil.

fw1+047 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 CollectionTo balance the bold lip, Liam Carey, Senior Stylist for Ted Gibson, pin-curled the models’ hair. Then, keeping it soft, he styled tresses into dreamy side-ponys and updos*.

Amber, Marina, and I walked away from the Thuy show with a goodie bag filled with, well, goodies. Of the beauty treats, I am most excited to try Ted Gibson’s Beautiful Hold Hairspray; its fool-proof formula allows it to be layered depending on hair styling needs, and it has a sophisticated gardenia fragrance.

*Marina was so enamored with the models’ curly tresses, she accompanied me back to my hotel so she could use my T3 Medium Duality to re-create the look. Unfortunately, in the short period of time she had before her next appointment, she couldn’t figure out how to curl with the flat iron – so she straightened her hair instead. And it looked fabulous nonetheless.

Look at the models giving me face. I felt like Mario Testino.
fw1+053 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

fw1+060 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

fw1+074 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

fw1+065 Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

Fashion Week Part Deux: Thuy Fall 2008 Collection

How To Style Your Bangs To The Side

Posted on January 31, 2008 by daneen in Beauty Tips, Hair, Hair Styling | Leave a comment

KirstenDunst How To Style Your Bangs To The Side
In the February issue of Allure, a reader asks, “I want to wear my bangs to the side. How do I style them?”

Garren, the owner of the Garren New York salon at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in NYC shares some words of wisdom. He writes:

Looser, softer bangs are in right now, and getting that effect is all in how you dry them. Part your hair when it’s damp, apply a conditioning spray (or a styling spray with very light hold), and sweep bangs to the side. Then let them air-dry almost fully; they’ll take direction better than if you started blow-drying when they were soaking wet. Use a large, round brush to pull the bangs down and to the side as you finish them with the blow-dryer – never pull forward; you’ll end up with a big bump. If you need to get ready quickly, blow-dry your hair most of the way, then sweep your bangs over and tuck them behind your ear so the effect will still be soft and natural.

Garren’s advice isn’t so helpful to brown girls like me (let my relaxed hair air-dry? neva eva). But for other hair types, he probably knows what he’s talking about – so I thought I’d share.

Three Cheers For T3!!!

Posted on January 11, 2008 by daneen in Hair, Hair Styling, Holy Grail, Video | Leave a comment

T3 Featherweight allure Three Cheers For T3!!!
After reading countless rave reviews, I jumped on the T3 bandwagon. And let me tell you – I’m gonna ride it ‘til the wheels fall off.

T3 Bespoke Labs Featherweight Dryer is what ‘good hair’ dreams are made of. Every time I use it, I fall deeper and deeper in love with this hair dryer. How do I love T3? Let me count the ways:

*1800 watt, 2-speed/heat settings plus cool shot
*Tourmaline technology and infrared heat reduces static electricity
*Negative ions add moisture and sheen
*Eliminates the frizzy, “blow dried” look
*Seals hair cuticle – resulting in sleek, glossy hair
*Evaporates water in the hair faster, cutting drying time by up to 60%
*Super lightweight (13 ounces)
*Quieter than traditional hair dryers
*Chic bejeweled handle

With my old hair dryer, I would mix 2 or 3 different leave-in conditioners/hair creams in my hands, slather it on – then spend 20 minutes blowing it dry. Mind you, it only takes 10-15 minutes to dry my hair completely, but I had to dry in shifts because my arm and shoulder would start to give out. Once I was “finished,” I would apply a serum to make the cuticle lay down, then spend another few minutes sealing in the shine with another blast from the dryer. And after all that, my hair still looked puffy and parched.

Before T3 came into my life, blow drying was an exercise in endurance. Now, I actually look forward to drying my hair, because the end result is healthy looking hair – not wrecked and ravaged like before. Plus, I find myself applying less hair products because I just don’t need them anymore.

I am such a T3 convert that when I went to see Erik, my hairdresser, a few weeks ago, I took along my Featherweight. You heard me right. And guess what? Erik fell in love too. He used the T3 Featherweight in conjunction with 360 Plump (a weightless, non-sticky hair plumper created by T3 and Orlando Pita) – and nothing else. After Erik was finished styling my hair, he was absolutely blown away (there I go again) by how thick, bouncy, and naturally lustrous my hair looked.

The only downside to this dryer is its $200 price tag. But trust me – and I’m not exaggerating – it’s a steal considering the time and hassle it will save you. Plus, it’s kinder and gentler on your hair than the dryer sitting in the cabinet underneath your sink; and if you care about your hair, sooner or later, you’ll need to start taking care of it – or you won’t have any left.

Bottom line: a T3 hair dryer is a solid beauty investment, with rich dividends.

Go Ahead – Rain On My Parade

Posted on December 3, 2007 by daneen in Hair, Hair Styling | Leave a comment

rain Go Ahead – Rain On My Parade
Humidity is my hair’s archenemy. Just the slightest bit of moisture in the air results in serious tress distress. As soon as the meteorologist mentions rain in the 5-day forecast, my hair starts misbehaving. So imagine my surprise when yesterday, in the middle of a Philadelphia freezing-rainstorm, I was that girl you love to hate. You know…the girl whose hair always looks divine, rain or shine.

So what’s my hair’s new secret weapon against the evil winter elements? I’ve been using Profound Beauty’s Stylist Linear Serum and Linear Cream.

Go Ahead – Rain On My ParadeAfter washing and conditioning my hair, I mix equal parts of the serum and cream in my hands and apply to towel-dried hair. The lightweight, silicone-based serum seals and protects the hair cuticle; and the cream, a blend of silicone and emollients, smoothes and softens my mutinous mane. The result is sleek, straight hair that resists humidity and doesn’t weigh hair down. In fact, I was somewhat dumbfounded at how the products managed to simultaneously straighten and add volume to my baby fine locks.

If you really want to push it, and have the girls at work seething with jealousy, finish off your do with Structure Shine – a serum that imparts long-lasting luster while protecting hair from heat styling.

Log on to profoundbeauty.com, click ‘Find Your Routine,’ and follow the online consultation. Once you have completed the questionnaire, Profound Beauty will recommend a personalized assortment of products to take you from “yikes” to “yowza.”

Complicated Name, But Simply Amazing

Posted on October 19, 2007 by daneen in Hair, Hair Styling | Leave a comment

alfaparf Complicated Name, But Simply AmazingYou’ve probably never heard of this product, but once you use it, you’ll never forget it. Just don’t forget who told you about it…

Semi Di Lino Cristlli Liquidi Illuminating Serum by Alfaparf Milano is an ultra-luxurious beauty fluid that instantly adds more light, shine, and softness to every hair type.

Alfaparf Milano, started in 1980 with the goal of distributing high quality Italian haircare throughout the world, is now sold in 80 countries around the world. Their products are known for “making soft and shiny hair a breeze,” and the Semi Di Lino Cristlli Liquidi Illuminating Serum is a cult favorite among hairstylists and beauty addicts, like me.

Semi Di Lino Cristlli Liquidi Illuminating Serum forms an invisible protection film that temporarily smoothes the hair cuticle and seals split ends, resulting in strands that are soft, shiny, easy to comb, and pleasing to the touch.

The Semi Di Lino line is made specifically for hair that needs shine, and contain linseed extracts to brighten, Vitamin E to protect, and Omega 3 and Omega 6 to reconstruct. The light formula isn’t greasy, won’t weigh down your hair, and brings out the highlights in both natural and colored tresses. It can be used on damp hair before styling, or as a finishing touch on dry hair. And the fragrance is heavenly. The reasons to purchase this product go on and on…

The only downside is that the product is not widely available in stores. Your best bet is to purchase online. Right now, SleekHair.com is offering a 1.69 ounce bottle for $22, which is pretty decent. Spoiled Pretty suggests doing a Google search and finding a reputable seller with the lowest price.



pixel Complicated Name, But Simply Amazing

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