NON-makeup for Men

Sometimes I wonder, do guys ever want to enhance or perfect the look of their face & skin? Are they ever jealous watching their women primp & polish & make everything look just a little bit better? (Yes, these are the kind of thoughts that cross my mind). But I'm not talking about the occasional dab of cover-up over a honking zit (dont worry guys, I'm pretty sure you've all done it before)... what I'm talking about are the imperfections like redness, uneven skin tone, enlarged pores, undereye circles... all that stuff that combines to make your face look not so hot, but maybe you dont even notice? Theses concerns are the cause of my complaints of having "bad skin" even when it's perfectly clear without a blemish in sight. BB Creams have been all the rage for a little while now & in my opinion, the jury's still out on exactly how revolutionary they are. The millions that I've tried so far are good... but I'm not writing home about them. Most of them to me just feel like makeup, not a face perfecting wonder cream. Until I realized that Per-fekt has a translucent version of its skin perfection gel! https://perfektbeauty.com/skin-perfection-gel# And the name is SO accurate - it is absolutely skin perfecting. Guys, I know it kind of looks like makeup & maybe Sephora scares the hell out of you, but this stuff is worth it. Enlarged pores, redness/uneven skin tone, fine lines, excess shine etc. are all dramatically diminished with just a thin layer of this gel. And you still look naked faced. I know you think you dont need it, & maybe you're blessed with a killer face and perfect skin (damn you!) but for those of us who are actually human, this gel is genius. So buy it for your girlfriend & then steal it if that's what it takes... just use it. I guarantee you'll put it on your face once & if you arent amazed by how great your skin looks, I promise your lady will notice. And she'll be jealous. And then you'll have to share your secret (or tell a little white lie...).

Fool-proof Palette

Whoever invented the first make-up palette is my hero. What better than a whole bunch of shades of shadow or gloss all together in one handy-dandy compact? No more carrying around 5 different lip glosses or having to rummage through your makeup bag to find the two different shadow compacts you want to use amonst all the clutter. But who hasn't bought a palette, taken it home, & realized that you have no idea what colors go together, how to wear them or why you bought something so overwhelmingly confusing. Okay, maybe that's a tad dramatic, but I've definitely had my excitement over a palette purchase smashed to smithereens when I realized the options were just too many and my makeup application skills were just too lacking to make sense of it all.

CARGO Cosmetics must have heard my cry of confusion because I have just discovered their Essential Palettes for eyes. http://www.cargocosmetics.com/ Each stripe of shadow is expertly labeled with a clear imprint of the words: Browbone, Lid, Crease, Outer corner. GENIUS. Why has someone not done this before? It's absolutley goof-proof. Unless you can't read, or don't know which part of your eye is which, you simply cannot make a mistake. By the time you've used enough of the shadows to erase the imprinted words, I guarantee that you've memorized which is which - makeup muscle memory anyone? The only hitch is that this brand is tough to find - www.beauty.com or the brand's website http://www.cargocosmetics.com/products/eyes/essential-palette is definitely your best bet!

Zit Happens

There is something day-ruining about waking up with a zit (at least for me). But seriously, I think we can all agree that when you wake up & see a giant mountain of clogged pore on your face, it's like having your coffee with a side of huge bummer. For the ladies, we'll spend a good portion of our morning trying to cover it with heavy duty cover-up over powder over cover-up until we've made the facial flaw exponentially more noticeable now that it's caked over with makeup. Not to mention the fact that once you remove all that makeup, your blemish is guranteed to be worse than when you started! For the guys, most likely the reaction to a zit (if it's even noticed) is to move on with the morning without a thought. Or to pop it. I highly recommend refraining from any picking or popping if you can (not that I take my own advice 100% of the time...). One time my boyfriend asked me why I hadn't told him that he had a zit... to which I replied that the zit in question was so high up on the side of his forehead that I frankly can't see up there very often with our serious height difference!

Whether you're a guy or a girl, whether you obsessively try to cover up your zit or honestly could care less that you have one, Mario Badescu Drying Lotion http://www.mariobadescu.com/drying-lotion should be living in your cosmetics collection for moments like this. This will be the best less-than-$20 you ever spend. I stumbled across this stuff ages ago in the bouts of a high school breakout. Once my skin cleared itself up with age, I totally forgot about this miracle worker. Recently, I once again had a need for some serious zit-zapping help & was walking around near my office & stumbled across the Mario Badescu Spa. The amazing-ness of the Drying Lotion all came rushing back to me & I burst into the spa ecstatic to once again own this insanely effective item. I think the spa workers were a bit unnerved at my unbridled enthusiasm for the Drying Lotion but I couldnt help myself. I rushed home, took off my makeup & carefully dabbed on the pink "sediment" as they call it. After a few hours, I washed it off and my zit was literally almost gone. No joke. I used it again before bed & when I woke up in the morning - clear skin perfection. If only I had remembered my old friend Mario Badescu in my college years... I could've saved myself lots of cover-up applying time!

For Safe Styling, Use Protection

There are a lot of things I do that I know aren't good for me, but I do them anyways. Most of these vices are pretty standard - not getting enough beauty rest, imbibing past the point of tipsy, fried food, the occasional nip of a cig... (these last two I blame on the second vice listed). But there is one thing that I can cross off of my bad-things-I-do list... damaging my hair with the blast of the blowdryer & clamp of the flatiron. Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray does exactly what the name says & it's fantastic http://www.oscarblandi.com/product_detail.php?pid=54. I've used more than a few products that claim to protect my tresses from the extreme measures I put them through all too frequently, but this is the first that I can actually feel working.

The great thing about this spray is that you can (& should!) use it on both damp & dry hair. Other heat protect products are only to be used on wet hair before blow drying or on dry hair before styling with a hot tool... but that always annoyed me because why am I only protecting my hair for one part of the one-two damage punch? I sprayed the Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray on my damp hair right out of the shower & then blew it dry (high power, high heat, high damage potential). Instead of being a giant frizz-fro when I was done, my hair was soft & smooth - and I was hooked. I actually barely had to touch it up with my flatiron! But of course, in the name of research, I had to test out its capabilities on dried hair too. I was nervous to spray it on my hair because in the past other products added moisture to my dried hair & caused that horrible sizzle-of-damage with the touch of the flat iron... but the Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray was totally different - in a good way. It went on completely dry, left no residue & instead of looking  fried & flattened when I was done, my hair actually looked healthy, smooth & soft! No frizzies, flyaways or all that other jazz my poor damaged hair usually has after I torture it with heat styling.

For any lady who ever uses a blowdryer, flat iron, curling iron, hot rollers or any other tool that scares any man in your life who has ever watched you do your hair - this product is an absolute MUST. And an added bonus - it protects up to 450 degrees! You don't think your hot tool gets that hot? You're wrong. It does. And your poor hair is begging for you to run out & buy Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray.

Looks gimmicky, but trust me!

I have to admit, I was wrong. I saw Hawaiian Moon Aloe http://hawaiianmoonaloe.blogspot.com/ at a beauty industry tradeshow & my first thought was how much I don't trust products that claim to address a whole laundry list of skin concerns. It actually annoys me when I see those infomercial type products that say they work wonders on everything from acne to eczema. I mean, that's just a flat out lie. And why should I waste my hard earned $$ on buying something that's just going to disappoint? Some might call this being cynical, but I call it being a discerning consumer. So back to the Hawaiian Moon Aloe. Yes, the name is kind of strange. I can't even find a real website. The product itself looks like it belongs on an infomercial. And don't even get me started on absurdly long list of skin ailments it promises to improve. Okay, so now that I'm done completely knocking this product, let me reiterate that I was totally wrong in all of my assumptions.

Hawaiian Moon Aloe is amazing. I was a bit concerned that I'd made a horrible financial investment (minor exaggeration) when I spent $60 on a 9 oz. jar of the stuff. But the smallest amount spreads SO far - I have used it every day since I bought it a few weeks ago & it still looks completely full! It dries almost instantly & leaves my skin feeling ridiculously smooth & soft. I use it head to toe & felt so great about my face today that I went to work naked-faced! (Ok, I was running REALLY late so the state of my skin wasn't really a factor in the sans make-up decision, BUT my skin did looks great). Let alone how incredible this stuff feels to use, it actually delivers on the improvements it claims... at least the few that I've experienced... some on their list I literally have never heard of in my life! (Edema, Candida, Folliculitis, Impetigo???)

I burnt my forehead & nose pretty badly & should have been punished with some seriously gross peeling, but I slathered Hawaiian Moon Aloe on religiously & the nasty burn oh-so-quickly turned into a nice tan. A few days later I got attacked by some killer mosquitoes after a day in the park & had about 8 big bites all over my leg. So I decided to test out the claims to help insect bites & itching... and even as a devout "After Bite" user, I have to admit, the Hawaiian Moon Aloe tempered the incessant itching and the bites actually went away much faster than usual. Other things I've seen marked improvement in with this cream: Eczema, sun spots, spider veins, blisters, cuts, chapped lips, a random allergic reaction rash (Is that TMI??)... So check it out. You can buy it only on http://www.aloecream.biz/ or 888-ALOE-CRM (888-256-3276). Like I said, seems like an infomercial fail, but I'm drinking the Kool-Aid on this one.

Lash Love

I have never been loyal to a mascara. There are plenty of women out there who sweeeeeear that they've used the same mascara since High School or College or some other makeup milestone. In my opinion, there are way too many mascara fish in the sea out there for me to settle down with just one. Yes, I am a mascara commitment-phobe. They all promise different things - length, volume, curl... and a million combinations of marketing jargon to get you to think that their mascara is somehow wildly different than the other hundred mascaras on the shelf. Not to toot my own horn, but I do have nice lashes (Thanks, Mom). That said, I'm a tad obsessive about mascara since I feel like it's the one makeup item that stands a chance at playing up a nice asset of mine.

Every volumizing mascara I've ever used has made my eyes look like tarantulas are attacking them (thick, clumpy, gross) & every waterproof mascara that I've ever used has made my lashes flaky & dry (also gross). So I tend to look for mascaras whose packaging makes wild claims about lengthening & defining the lashes. Low and behold, I may have found a mascara that I could start a long-term relationship with. I've already made the commitment re-purchase a few times. Benefit Cosmetics (one of my Sephora go-to brands) They're Real! Mascara is my mascara nirvana http://www.sephora.com/they-re-real-mascara-P289307. It makes some pretty aggressive claims (consumer perception survey, of course):
- 94% saw dramatic length and volume*
-90% saw base-to-tip curl*
-94% saw visible lift*
-100% saw long-wearing results*
Working in the beauty industry, I'm usually pretty skeptical of claims like this. BUT in my repeated experience, the finish is glossy & long-wearing, my lashes are lengthened, curled, defined/separated AND the incredible brush gets mascara on all kinds of little hidden baby lashes I didnt even know I had! The brush is really the star of this mascara - it's unlike any other mascara brush I've ever used before. The bristles are staggered so they grab close to the root to really pull the lashes out for length & definition. The brush has a rounded top with tiny precision bristles that get to those tiny little lashes other brushes miss to give you a more wide-eyed look. Beyond the amazingness of the brush (yes, I know, I'm a beauty product nerd), the formula itself is everything you want in a mascara - it doesnt flake, clump, dry out, smudge blahblahblah. I've even gotten my face wet & it didnt end up in nasty black streaks down my cheeks (not that I'm recommending going for a swim & expecting it to maintain its integrity...). So go to Sephora, shell out $22 & then oooh and aaahh at the snazzy brush & how awesome your eyes look.

Upgrade Your Shave

I love reading men's magazines - GQ, Details, Men's Health, Maxim...I find them way more interesting than women's magazines because they have more content in them than the same article over and over about "10 sex moves that will make him go crazy!" or "8 ways to know if he's THE ONE". Booooooring. In contrast, guy's magazines have articles with incredibly useful info like "How to fold up a fajita like a pro" or "How to make your bed in under 30 seconds." I came across an interesting poll the other day in one of these magazines that said men would rather share their toothbrush with their lady than their razor. This shocked me. Sharing a toothbrush is just plain gross but sharing a razor seems pretty harmless? But you gotta trust a poll in a magazine right?

So while we've learned that apparently sharing a razor is a big no-no, sharing the product you're slathering on yourself to shave with, is a definite YES. ZIRH Shave Gel is the ultimate shaving product http://www.zirh.com/.  It's a million times better than that awful Skintimate foam chicks use, or the even worse Gillette crap-in-a-can so many guys use. Sure, ZIRH's Shave Gel is a little pricier than the aforementioned poor excuses for shaving products, but in this case you get what you pay for (250ml size jar is $22.50, 100ml size tube is $15).

The ZIRH Shave Gel goes on clear so you can see where you're shaving. While this makes no difference for girls who shave 90% of their bod, for guys who shave their heads or like to maintain some sort of facial hair look, this is revolutionary. Chock-full of awesome ingredients, every surface you shave feels incredibly smooth & soft afterwards, with a lingering clean, aloe scent. Razorburn & bumps have ceased to be a concern for me since I've started using ZIRH. So the main point here is that while ladies should keep their well-manicured paws off of their man's razor, both ladies & gents should go right ahead & buy a jar of ZIRH Shave Gel & proceed to happily share in the joys of an upgraded shaving experience.

Sunscreen Savior

I have a confession to make. I am a skincare junkie but I HATE sunscreen. I know this sounds contradictory because everyone who is concerned about their skin won't utter two words about skincare without talking about SPF. Yes, I know, it's important for preventing all those signs of aging I never want to encounter (hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, suspicious moles etc.). But the fact of the matter is that I absolutely despise slathering the stuff on my body. I hate having to stand there gooping it on from head to toe. I hate those dumb little areas that I always miss (tops of my feet, my ears etc.) that always turn redder than the rest of my bod. I hate how greasy it feels. And I especially hate smelling like cheap coconuts & the Coppertone kid combined. Gross.

My abhorrence for sunscreen got even stronger after a beach trip awhile back when upon my return, I found that my bottle of sunscreen that I had carelessly thrown loose in my bag had leaked & gotten the crap all over my clothes. I thought that sealed the nail in the coffin for me at ever attempting to melt the fiery hatred I have for the stuff. Fast forward a year or so & I'm packing for a recent trip to Florida & am rummaging around in one of my many "product drawers" in my tiny apartment & come across what I thought (in my late night packing stupor) was a pack of my make-up remover wipes. Upon closer inspection I realized that this pack of wipes was actually SUNSCREEN (gasp!). Obviously a freebie sample that I have never used, I decided that there was no time like the present, and threw the pack of wipes into my bag to come to FL with me.

The bright yellow packaging made them hard to ignore when I was suiting up to hit the pool, so I decided to suck it up & try one out. Supergoop! Sunscreen Swipes are the real deal. http://www.supergoop.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=11. I can no longer say that blanket statement that I hate all sunscreen... now I just say that I hate all sunscreen BESIDES Supergoop! Sunscreen Swipes. One swipe is enough product to cover you from head to toe. There is no greasy feel, no gross smell, no lotion globbing all over the place. These are quick, easy to use & incredible. They're formulated with antioxidant-rich green tea extracts to deflect free radicals, and Vitamins C and E to keep skin moisturized - the feel is light, soft & fresh, not at all like any other sunscreen application I've ever had! Supergoop! Sunscreen Swipes have no parabens or irritating chemicals so you can use them on your face & even on the kiddos. It's safe to say that I've officially changed my tune about sunscreen.

Love at First Spray

Once in awhile, there comes a beauty product that changes my life. I know that sounds extreme, borderline crazy, but it's true. I've always had baby fine hair - the kind of hair that annoyingly just hangs there doing nothing but being boring. Besides wearing it down & straight or in a lame ponytail or lopsided braid, my hair gives me nothing to work with. It won't hold a curl or any type of style that requires using various tools & products - believe me, all that these efforts have ever afforded me was a lot of wasted time, a few burns around my neck/ears/sides of my face and a horrible looking mane of hair trying to impersonate a "style." Therefore, I had resigned myself to just being a hair flunky with no hope for ever having that styled hair I so coveted...But no longer! Enter Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray http://www.oscarblandi.com/product_detail.php?pid=58. This product is nothing less than a game-changer for me. I took a travel size can with me this weekend on a trip & I literally used up the entire can (thankgod I have a spare!). The versatility of this product is to die for. I sprayed it on freshly showered dry hair, day old slept in bed head & everything in between & the stuff just works. As long as your hair is dry, it works. And by "works" I mean it gives you incredible volume, texture & hold - this is the hair trifecta I've never been able to achieve! Swing your hair to one side & then go to town spraying it from roots to ends - you can't overdo it, I promise. On my freshly showered clean hair I sprayed it enough so that I could use a fun hair pin to tie it up in what actually looked like a "style." On my day old, definitely dirty, slept-in bed head I sprayed a ton & scrunched it up & somehow ended up looking like I had nice, wavy, thick hair! Where bobby pins used to fall out, they now stick where I put them - which for those of us with fine hair, this is a miraculous battle to win! Now my endeavor is going to be figuring out how to use hot rollers because what I've heard is that if you use hot rollers, take them out, then spray this stuff, the look will be voluminous & actually hold throughout the day... if I succeed in this, I'm going to start rocking wild hair everyday (and probably throw my flatiron out the window - straight hair, be damned!)

Here's an example - pseudo-french braid from the left to the right then gather together the pieces from the right & twirl it all together to make an awesome looking low side bun! Without the OB Pronto Texture & Volume Spray, the pins needed to make this look wouldn't have stood a chance at staying in my hair!

Six Pack for Summer

With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, I thought it appropriate to address the fact that women aren't the only ones concerned about their beach bods. Don't worry guys, it happens to the best of men - your six-pack abs have seen too many 6-packs of beer and are now lost underneath a layer of winter blubber. You'd think that the warm weather would jumpstart your dedication to the gym but somehow it just seems more conducive to day drinking... and believe me, from personal experience, margaritas do nothing to help your belly flub. So, when I saw that Billy Jealousy, in the brand's fantastic edgy style, had come up with the clearly named, SIX-PACK Slimming Solution, a product promising to tone, tighten & chisel the ab region, I had to try it out (for the sake of research of course!) http://www.billyjealousy.com/categories/body/products/six-pack.

Now, I'm no stranger to Bliss' FatGirlSlim http://www.blissworld.com/bliss-fatgirlslim/ (guys, I bet if you searched in your lady friend's medicine cabinet, you'd find this iconic tub squirreled away somewhere)... & I thought it interesting that there was a male equivalent of this on the market. So before you resign yourself to playing the Fat-Funny-Guy role in your efforts to get chicks this summer, hear me out about this product. Billy Jealousy claims that this is a "powerful resotrative cream that helps your lymphatic system detoxify your body & remove fat, while natural caffeines enhance the breakdown of fat" - hefty claims, no? As expected, this is no miracle-worker. You can't just sit on your lazy butt rubbing this stuff all over your beer gut twice daily (as they recommend) & expect to wake up looking like Ryan Gosling from Crazy, Stupid, Love. But I have to say, when I slathered the cream all over my body (heck, why just stop at the belly blubber?), I FELT much tighter & more toned. I guarantee that my boyfriend didnt' notice that I was looking especially svelte, but the way that I felt definitely gave me more confidence - and when you're strutting your stuff in essentially underwear on the beach, confidence is key.

So the bottomline here is: Go to the gym, eat healthy & why the heck not shell out the $44.00 to give yourself that little edge of confidence you'll get from feeling tight, toned & chiseled. Oh, and maybe stick to 3 beers instead of slinging back the whole 6-pack... not only will that small effort make re-discovering your own six-pack abs easier, you can share the other 3 with that cute little lady eyeing you from across the pool.

Bronzed & Beautiful

Now that the weather is slowly but surely warming up, it's time to start thinking about how to achieve that sexy sun-kissed glow we all want without committing the two major I-want-a-tan-fast faux pas. Faux pas #1: Caking on bronzer (Snooki called, she wants her skin tone back). Faux pas #2: Exposing your face to the sun sans sunscreen (One word: wrinkles). So what other options are there, you ask? Sunless tanning facial lotion, of course! But not just any one will do - I've tried more facial lotions promising me a "natural glow" than I care to admit & I can confirm, that they are not all created equal. Things we don't want from a facial sunless tanner: that nasty sunless tan stench (you know what I mean), breakouts or clogged pores, any hint of orange or streaks. Agree? Lucky for you, I've done the dirty work in testing out all these bad boys & I've come to one conclusion: you've got to splurge to get the right results. Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning is perfection. http://www.clarinsusa.com/Liquid-Bronze-Self-Tanning/ Everything about this product merits it's $34 price tag. The second I feel Spring in the air, I switch from using my usual daily moisturizer to using this. Here are the praises I have to sing about Clarins Liquid Bronze: it goes on smoothly & evenly, it's subtle tint makes it virtually goof-proof, the bronze really gets glowing in the next few hours, the color is incredibly natural looking, no streaks, no orange, it smells just lovely, it leaves your skin soft, no chance of clogged pores or breakouts, AND it has Vitamin E to protect your face from free radicals & pollution! This sucker is worth shelling out the cash & the 4.2 oz actually lasts quite awhile if you're only using it on your face. Bottomline, don't waste your time & $$$ trying to turn your pasty face into a golden glow with anything else.

TGIFrugalista Friday!

So you face planted in your bed post Thursday Happy Hour sans washing your face huh? You know that's bad. You deserve that zit you woke up with (sorry, tough love). Even though we all know how dirty a habit it is to sleep in your makeup, we've all done it before (myself included). The thing is, your skin regenerates itself overnight & if you're all clogged with the dirt & makeup from the day, your skin can't do what it needs to do. Also, who likes waking up with that crusty spider-lash look - not a good look for anyone's eyes. Believe it or not, waking up with a naked, makeup-free face, is way more attractive than the nasty smudgy makeup leftover from the night before. Gross. But I totally understand the feeling when washing your face  feels like it would require a Herculean effort. The answer to this dilemma is to stock makeup removing wipes in your nightstand drawer. Or in your purse for those of you ladies who may not be sleeping at home...The point is, makeup removing wipes leave you with no excuse & Neutrogena Make-Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes are by far the best. http://www.neutrogena.com/home.do Don't be fooled into thinking that these guys aren't tough by the "ultra soft cloth" claim on the package - one towelette is strong enough to get industrial strength waterproof makeup off with ease. A great perk with these is that you don't have to rub or tug at your eyes to get stubborn waterproof eye makeup off (and there's nothing more annoying than having to rub your eyes to get that mascara off, only to find that you've lost lashes in the process). Neutrogena's towelettes feel amazing on your eyes & skin - the texture is softer than any washcloth & they leave behind no residue or greasy feel whatsoever - all you feel is super soft, cleansed skin. And then you can just toss that sucker in the trash - no water or rinsing needed. So before you head out for your Friday night drinks, stop by any drugstore & pick up a pack of these & put them in your purse. Don't go for any substitute, get the Neutrogena ones - believe me, I've tried every brand out there & these are the ones you want to go home with at the end of the night!

Fave Moisturizer of the Moment

I'm a moisturizer freak. I slather myself with lotion from head to toe twice a day. I have an eye cream, a face lotion, a neck cream, a body lotion & a hand cream - all separate products & several different varieties of each (I'm fully aware that this is not normal). My latest favorite hand cream is actually a sample I got from one of my many Sephora shopping trips (okay, shopping SPREES is more like it). DERMAdoctor KP duty dermatologist moisturizing therapy for dry skin - not the world's most catchy name - but truth be told, I picked the sample solely for the funny purple chicken on the packaging http://www.dermadoctor.com/. Since I work in skincare, I love to use products that are actually "clinically proven" to do whatever they're supposed to do & this product fits the bill. The whole brand incorporates medically proven technology to combat a host of common (& not so common) dermatological issues. Turns out, DERMAdoctor's KP duty is formulated to not only improve dry, rough skin but also to get rid of those nasty "chicken bumps" too. I used to recommend simple exfoliant + lotion combo to help get rid of  chicken bumps (apparently Keratosis Pilaris is the formal name for "chicken bumps" - who knew?). But once I found out that there are actual products purposed just for that, I had to try it out. So I've swapped out my regular body lotion & have been using KP duty on the backs of my arms where I get those bumps & they're totally gone - seriously! You can't ask for more from a product than to do exactly what it says it will!

Good morning, bright-eyes

We all know that there's a plethora of unpleasant circumstances that can cause unsightly eye redness & there's nothing worse than having those bleary evil-eyes that make you look like either you're in allergy hell, haven't slept in days, or have been locked in your cubicle staring at your computer screen for 10 hours. All too often for me, I end up experiencing the aforementioned trifecta, which makes my eyes look like they need a serious dose of Visine. But wait! There's another, way less championed anti-redness eye drop that blows Visine out of the water. Rohto Eye Drops http://www.myrohto.com/ do everything those other eye drops do, but way better. They relieve redness, dryness & irritation with less drops & in less time than the other brands. And the added bonus with Rohto is the amazing cooling sensation - even if this stuff didn't make my eyes perfectly white, I'd probably still use it just for the instant feeling of total eye refresh! So get up from your cubicle (I know your eyes are burning) & go to any drugstore & buy these. Rohto drops are actually a product that found their way into my BF's daily regimen BEFORE I even came on the scene & started making him use all kinds of lotions & potions that he's never used before - so that means this stuff is legit - totally goof-proof & a must-have for both ladies & gents.

Must-have hair product for snooze-button babes

If you're anything like me, Monday mornings are rough. While I should be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from a restful weekend full of catching up on sleep, I'm not. I'm haggard from too much Sunday Funday & my hair looks like a wild lion's mane. So after I attack it with my flatiron, I reach for the BEST dry shampoo product I've ever used (and I've used many a dry shampoo in my day). Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo powder is a god-send. The powder works into your hair (start at the roots) & absorbs all the excess oil from a night of tossing & turning & makes your hair smell like you actually showered (you'll fool everyone, I promise). I actually use this product too much - I have a travel-size 1 oz. that I keep in my purse so I use it after work if I'm heading out to happy hour or dinner - it gives it just the boost of freshness I need to feel confident going from day to night sans touching-up. Since I don't wash my hair every day (in my defense, my hair is very dry!) Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo, while the name is a mouthful, is the quickest hair freshen-up I've ever found. The only issue is, it's kind of hard to find in stores...thankgoodness the brand has a website! http://www.oscarblandi.com/products.php

Frugalist Friday!

Here is the first of many Frugalist Friday posts! The idea is that this is one cheap drugstore purchase you should be making on your way home from work that I promise you will use repeatedly over the weekend. First up, Maybelline's BABY LIPS www.maybelline.com/Baby-Lips. Baby Lips in Pink Punch has spread like wildfire through my office. It started with our E-comm & Social Media guru. When I saw her perfectly pink pout, I demanded to know what she was wearing. When she whipped out the crazy neon tube I thought, no way, that looks like something a 13 year old who just graduated from BonneBelle would use. But being the product junkie that I am, I went out on my lunch break & bought it anyways. And now I'm obsessed. Super hydrating, it's really helping out my chapped lip situation & the subtle color is perfection. I've been slathering it on right when I get out of the shower so my no make-up + wet hair look is a little less Swamp Thing & a little more fresh faced. I'm pretty sure my BF thinks this pretty pink pout is my au naturel look... at least he will until he reads this...

First One is for the Guys!

In the spirit of welcoming men to the beauty game, I thought I'd make my first post about an awesome product that every guy should keep in their gym bag. Think about when you hit the gym & maybe you haven't gone in awhile so you wake up sore. Really sore. First thing you do is rummage around in your medicine cabinet for that nasty old bottle of Ben-Gay.. or IcyHot. STOP. Do NOT put that muck on your aching muscles. Unless of course you want every woman within 5 feet of you to run away due to that nasty stench exuding from your pores. Eww. Instead, turn to Jack Black www.getjackblack.com. Dragon Ice Relief & Recovery Balm is what you need. Touted as a pain relieving cream, this goop is chock full of wild ingredients like Dragon's Blood, MSM & Willowherb that go way beyond reducing inflammation & soothing your muscle & joint aches - this stuff actually stimulates immune defense to help support your body's healing process! SO much better than the old school stuff. So now that you're using a modern man's recovery cream, maybe you're ready to ask your honey to massage it on to your sore self...I guarantee she wouldn't do it if you were still stuck in the IcyHot stone age... xx HBLR