Hype!?!? Super Expensive Flat Irons

I'm a little bit cheap when it comes to things that aren't shoes, but anything that'll save me time and keep my hair from frizzing will ...maybe... cause me to change my mind. I have come to terms with my very non-asian hair (waves and little curls) but every once and a while do like to straighten and look like a sucker oh, I mean soccer mom.
So... a boars hair brush and a good hair dryer does the trick but man oh man, on hot days this method just blows.
My cheap little Revlon perfect heat 1" hair straightener does the trick for the pieces I miss but humidity usually causes the super straight to turn a little less so - not back to the original state, but not as straight as when I left the house.
The post is really for those super expensive hair straighteners - a good friend recently bought the T3 Bespoke Labs wet-to-dry narrow iron and was gracious enough to let all of us use this. Rave reviews from everyone who used it and for a second I thought maybe... $200 seemed like a reasonable price to pay for beauty. Read reviews online and for the most part, they were all positive and the negative reviews were written by people who turn "spell and grammar checks " OFF. I guess this post is really a cry for any feedback - is this really worth the money???

Summer Lotions

Traveling often, I typically have my little bag of 3 oz. beauty and bath products ready to go. One trip was so unbelievably tiring, that "little bag" just stayed in the bigger travel bag. So... the next trip I took to the San Francisco Bay Area, I was ready to go - too bad the bag I ended up taking wasn't the one with the "little bag". Had to stop by the neighborhood Longs Drugs to get the necessities. I didn't want to buy a whole new container of my usual Kiehl's facial moisturizer, but the many drugstore brands I've tried over the years, never quite worked with my skin - Neutrogena, L'oreal, Oil of Olay, Purpose...
Picked up one under $10 and with natural ingredients to work with my sensitive skin. Earth Science makes this almond-aloe moisturizer. You can buy it with light fragrance - or fragrance free (it still has a really light nice scent). It was winter when I bought this and I found it to be a little too light for winter - especially when it was used while we were in Big Sur. But that said, it's perfect for warm weather. The lotion is non-greasy, really light on your skin. Although I liked this lotion, it wasn't enough to make me switch over from my usual lotion - which is worn under makeup. That said, it gets a very good endorsement from my husband who, makeup free, likes a lotion that doesn't make him feel nasty after a few hours.

RETRACT - Mineral Foundation Powder

I bought Laura Mercier mineral foundation powder which like I raved does work nicely, but alas I am getting pimples again. I guess I should have been patient and finished my free sample before seeing if it is complimentary to my skin but I just thought, eh a couple days use and no pimple should be good and I purchased it. :/
I would recommend using the entire free sample before purchasing. I guess me+mineral foundation (so far) ain't a good combo. Good product, but not for my skin unfortunately.

Stinky Crude Clay

I'll bag on this because I am a fan, but it's one of those products that comes with a warning... this product just doesn't smell good. It's one of those things that smells just like it looks. It is called crude clay after all.

Been years since I've used this - used it back when I had a short layered cut, it's best for those kinds of cuts. It really does work well to keep a good hold and still look dry. So if you want to spike out your hair, or keep those layer ends just so, but don't want a sticky, heavy, wet-looking product, this is the one to use. You really don't need to use that much at a time, so the one jar can last you a while. Keep in mind, you need a good clarifying shampoo to get that crap out of your hair.

After all that shit-talking, I'll end this post this way if I had that short cut again and was looking for something I would absolutely use this again, to get those ends flying out the way I like. Sebastian Xtah Crude Clay. Stinky but works great.

Foundation Powder

Bare Essentials is a great foundation because I love the easy and even application it provides. Though I was receiving pimples that I normally don’t usually get. I’m not sure if I had mentioned but I was doing a “test” of whether my sunscreen or the foundation was the cause of me getting random pimples. After a couple days test, it looks like Bare Essentials was the culprit. (I actually even went further to test whether my application brush was dirty but I cleaned it with the brush solution specifically for the brush but alas still pimples) SO, the product may not be for everyone but it does look great. But, it wasn’t something that I wanted to wear on a regular basis to get that nice coverage and so I looked for other means of coverage. I did fall for powder foundation because it’s so fast and non fussy to put on. The great Laura Mercier brand that so many friends use makes powder foundation. I have tried their tinted moisturizer but the skin color they matched was yellow-y which was not flattering. But their powder foundation had one in my skin tint and so far (couple days now) no signs of pimples. Initially when you wear it, it does look makeup-y (<--don’t you just love my vocabulary) but once it settles into the skin it provides great coverage, looks natural, and has spf which is always good. In case you still aren’t sure, you can go to the nordstrom makeup dept for Laura Mercier and ask for a sample with your skin color to test it out. That’s what I did. J

Doesn't work--don't buy

Clinique even tone skin corrector. (I had a picture but I took it out, their claims anger me...)

Maybe it works for others but not for me. (Yes, I used it twice a day every day for 4 weeks with not even a slight semblance of any visual result)

Bubbles!

I like to soak in the tub, preferably a clean one when my body aches or it's been a hell of a day. This isn't done in the summer, because a cold bath just won't make you calm. This is about bubbles and what used to be called bubble bath has matured into foaming bath, or bath balls, or something. If I'm gonna soak, it better have a lot of bubbles, not smell like a fruit stand and those bubbles better stay foam-ey til I'm ready to get out.
A few I've tried are the Lush Bubble Bars (~$7.00) - the concept is kinda cool, just a handmade soap ball in cute colors and shapes with a mild scent that you throw in the tub and let it dissolve into bubbles. You feel like a little kid. Bad things now: 1. Unfortunately if you don't use the whole thing, it's a mess to keep 2. Bubbles just did not hold up. Kiss my Face Foaming Bath Gel (~$10.00) - Most of their gels smell like a version of bengay. Only the early to bed has a nice calming, subtle - good - smell. Bubbles are pretty good, last way longer then the lush bars, but they don't last as long as the next one: Body Shop Foaming Bath (~$18.00) - this is probably the favorite lately. In my quest for good cheap things, this was more than I was willing to spend, but it does the trick so I had to go back. Unfortunately, most of their scents are geared towards the girly-girl in people - really strong fruit and roses kind of thing - and they have one "neutral" scent left - SHEA. Lots of bubbles, lasting until you're ready to face that world again, this time with a nice scent, relaxed, and soft skin.

Lips!

Lipstick only goes on as smooth as your lips are. So... before you put on that color, keep those lips smooth - nothing says don't kiss me more than chapped lips with lipstick.
That's just a side comment obviously. On to the main post - lipstick! People have their favorites and it usually has more to do with costs and taste. There are too many to list so I'll just comment on my latest favorites.
Besides having cool minimal packaging - NARS lipstick just has good colors and application. And in hot southern California, don't ever remember the lipstick getting too soft in its case causing a strange mess inside.
MAC lipstick is another favorite, with a little bullet of a case, great range of colors, and a taste like mocha. The gloss is a favorite of some, but it's a little too sticky and slutty shiny for my lifestyle. An option is a nice stick gloss by Laura Mercier. It's a semi-shiny gloss (more like a sheer lipstick) without the stickiness. A light taste of something (not bad). Only downside is the lack of options in colors.
If you want something eco-friendly, CARGO offers a "green" lipstick with some pretty neutral shades in a completely biodegradable case. Not sure if it's the "green" lipstick ingredients, but the lipstick gets a little too soft and gets the inside of the case a little bit messy. Plus side is the lack of taste.

Cream Foundation

After years of using liquid foundation, decided to simplify my life a little and try something different. Was mostly unhappy with the way my face would feel after having the foundation on for the whole day and having to do powder touch-ups. Was at the time, using face cleansers from Shiseido and happy with their products, so decided to try one of their foundations. The saleswoman recommended "the make-up hydro liquid foundation". It's a cream foundation that goes on with a sponge and feels clean on your face. It gave a natural look when I had it on and didn't feel heavy on my face. And of course, it had SPF 20 for those SoCal rays.

You buy the case and the make-up separately and the first purchase will set you back about $40.00. The case is only about $10.00, it's the makeup you pay for. I don't recall this causing any break-outs, but everyone's complexion is different and cream foundations may not be the way to go for some people. Although I did like the product, for the price, it just didn't last long enough for me and I was just getting lazier and more frugal. So a few years back, I wanted to simplify my life again and started using tinted moisturizer instead. Laura Mercier - that's a whole other post though.

Brush Cleaners

You wouldn't touch your face with filthy hands or fingertips - the same principal should be applied to the makeup brushes that you use on your face. It's recommended to clean the brushes every three to five months (or when you feel like those brushes are getting a little disgusting). I've tried a couple of different brush cleaners - one by smashbox and the other by MAC.

The Smashbox brand cleaner ($15) is a spray on type. Instructions say to spray on a tissue and wipe away. This is intended as a sort of minor cleaner - to use between major shampoo cleaning of the brushes. So the directions are meant to give you a sort of clean. I bought this as a major brush cleaning tool because of the misleading name "Brush Cleaner". Initially followed directions, but this didn't get it as clean as I would expect (it gave a "so-so" clean, like when you wash your hands without soap) so I sprayed on a wet brush, rubbed gently with my fingertips, and washed away with water until the brushes rinsed clean.

The MAC brand cleaner ($10) is more like the shampoo application. This is the major cleaner - it cleans, disinfects, and conditions. You put a little on a wet brush and sort of wipe away the "dirt" gently with your fingers and water until it rinses clean. I've used this more often than the smashbox and prefer the MAC cleaner over the smashbox one. Cleaning with both cleansers can be done the same way as described in the next section.

A more affordable option is using baby shampoo to clean your brushes. The important thing to look for when not using a make-up brand brush cleaner, is that the cleanser is a gentle liquid soap or shampoo. Anything containing alcohol may dry out your brushes. Don't soak the brushes in soap and water, this may cause the brushes to fall apart. Put a drop of the shampoo/soap in the palm of your hand, wet the brush, and stroke the brush in your palm. Repeat this until the brushes rinse clean. Squeeze out the excess water and lay out on a paper towel or clean towel to air-dry.