Beauty is Easy

Convenient, Affordable and Yummy! Softlips

BeautyDiva — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:17:31 +0000

I remember when Softlips lip balm hit the market. I was in junior high and they advertised all over Seventeen magazine. My friends and I went nuts for them. They were a sleeker, chic-er version of chapstick and were one step closed to the lipsticks we weren’t yet allowed to wear. I don’t think they had more than one or two varieties at the time. It’s been eons since I thought of Softlips and was pleasantly surprised to see how big their line of offerings has grown. They now have varieties with SPF 20, Organic options and tinted sticks. And they come in tons of flavors.

In the SPF 20 they have your basic Vanilla, Cherry and Strawberry, but also get a little fancier with Mint with a Hint of Vanilla and Raspberry with Green Tea Extract. All these flavors are great - it’s hard to choose a favorite. They all have just enough scent to be appealing, but not so much they seem like lip balm for tweens. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know that I’m a little fanatical about sunprotection, so these get my two thumbs up recommendation.

You might also know that I’m a big fan of natural and organic products, so I’m also enamoured with their Pure line. This is their organic offerings (100% natural, 95% organic), made with organic coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba seed oil, shea butter and vitamin E. Honeydew is my favorite - it’s fresh and fruity. They also want to check out their other offerings: pomegranate and (my favorite beverage) chai tea. I haven’t tried the tinted line, but they contain SPF 15 and come in a shimmery light pink, shimmery dark pink and shimmery brown and look like they’d be a great multi-tasking lip product (color, moisture and an SPF!).

If the convenient, go anywhere size, SPF protection, organic offerings and wide range of colors and flavors weren’t enough to entice you, check out their amazing price: $2.79/ea or $3.99 for a two pack. Now that’s an amazing deal. Just think, you could have one on had at all times for the price of a single department store lip balm. That’s one for your pocket, purse, gym bag, diaper bag, glove compartment, desk drawer, bedside table….

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BeautyDiva — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:05:46 +0000

18 Highest-Rated Body Scrubs

Our readers share their secrets to super-soft skin

Flaky skin is a huge no-no in the summer. The solution? A body scrub that sloughs off flakes and leaves skin hydrated. But not all scrubs are created equal. Read these reader recommendations to find one that’ll work best for you.

See scrubs

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Latest And Greatest, Contest and Giveaways

BeautyDiva — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:18:40 +0000

Be sure to check out these contests and enter to win some beauty booty!

ENDS TONIGHT! My Makeup Bag is giving away travel friendly beauty products.

Lipgloss Break has lots of exciting giveaways: Huge Lips Skinny Hips lipgloss (enter by August 4th), StripTeas exciting teas that come in recycleable foil infusers (enter by July 31st), a tube of LashFood (enter by August 11th) and a tube of Nouriva Repair Moisturizing Cream (ends July 22nd).

A Beautiful Sentiment has a MAC Full Fuchsia (pro store exclusive) powder blush pan and a Pro Palette x6 blush compact for one lucky winner who enters by July 31st.

Win a desk set made from sustainable materials from More Than a Pretty Face (ends August 1st).

A YBF Skincare bundle worth $209 could be yours from Bionic Beauty if you enter by July 22nd.

Good luck!

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BeautyDiva — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:59:51 +0000

Create a Tousled, Beachy Hairstyle on Short Hair

Follow these easy steps to turn blah hair into a sexy, lived in style

Eli Thomas, owner of Thomas Chance Hairdressing in Santa Monica, Calif. shows you how to transform a sleek bob into a more playful, tousled look (a la Ginnifer Goodwin, Blake Lively and Jennifer Aniston). All you need are a few key items and you’re set!

See how-to

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Why Didn’t I Think Of This?!? Invisibelt

BeautyDiva — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:53:56 +0000

There are some products that hit the market and make you think, “why didn’t I think of this?” The idea is so simple, it’s obvious, and yet no one had done it before. Invisibelt is one such product. This thin plastic belt, helps hold up your pants without giving you the belt buckle “bulge.” That’s it. No fancy bells or whistles…just a clear or black belt to keep your pants up.

In high school I bought a clear plastic belt because it was cool - and got tons of compliments on it to boot. But it had a regular, though clear plastic, buckle on it. It was meant to be seen. The Invisibelt is not. I didn’t realize how much I needed this belt until I had it. As I’ve been slowly loosing my pregnancy weight, my pants are getting looser and looser. I usually wear a belt to keep them up, but sometimes you don’t want a belt to break up the line of your outfit or you are wearing a longer top and don’t want the belt buckle causing a lump. I’ve really just decided to keep hitching up my pants on those days, which is really annoying and really unattractive.

The Invisibelt solves both of those problems, by being “invisible” and having a flat “buckle” - interlocking pieces that snap together. Earlier, I’d said there are not bells or whistles, which is a bit of a lie. The belt comes in clear and black (for wearing with black pants), but also comes in white, pink and purple and some printed options, like peace signs and skulls for the teen-set. With some of those options you still avoid the buckle buldge. I’ve been wearing this belt a lot. It snaps shut and opens easily, but can be a bit of a pain to adjust. Theoretically you can adjust it to your size (it’s a one-size fits most product) and then just keep it there, but I’ve found that only holds true if my pants fit exactly the same. A lower or higher waist requires a bit of adjusting. But really, once you get the hang of it, it’s easy enough to do and helps your outfit look great. I think I’m going to have to get me a black one too…

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BeautyDiva — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:22:43 +0000

Top 11 Drugstore Mascaras

Get gorgeous lashes for cheap with these standouts

Think you need to head to a department store and spend upwards of $20 to get a decent mascara? Think again. TotalBeauty.com readers prove that there are drugstore mascaras that give them the same — if not better — results, and all are less than $10!

See mascaras

No. 11: Almay One Coat Nourishing Lengthening Mascara, $5.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.5*

“This NEVER clumped, did lengthen my lashes a bit, did NOT flake (even after I purposely rubbed my eyes a little) …”

No. 10: Wet n Wild MegaProtein Mascara, $2.29

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.7*

“It’s gentle, lasts all day, and my lashes look thick and soft, not at all clumpy …”

No. 9: L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara, $8.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.9*

“The brush separates lashes and coats them so that you get long, individual lashes …”

Want to see what’s no. 1? Click here!

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Multi-Tasking Sunscreen: Erno Laszlo’s Total Face & Body Protection SPF 30

BeautyDiva — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:53:12 +0000

I get super excited when I find products that embody the Beauty Is Easy spirit of making beauty, well..easy. Erno Laszlo’s Total Face & Body Protection SPF 30 is one such, life simplifying multi-tasker. I’ve always attempted to be a light packer, without having to travel without all my beloved beauty loot. The best way to accomplish this is trhough products that serve multiple purposes. Now that I have a baby to tote along with me, keeping packing light is an even greater challenge.

We took a long weekend this last week and went to stay in the mountains. Packing suddenly included (among other things) hiking boots, baby carrier backpacks, bathing suits, bug spray and lots and lots of sunblock. I took along a bottle of waterproof sunblock spray for the pool, but also packed a travel size bottle of Erno Laszlo’s Total Face & Body Protection SPF 30. This thick lotion has a light citrus and sunscreen scent and is meant to be used for sunprotection head-to-toe. It’s also made with tons of antioxidants, essential vitamins, minerals and shea butter to protect against aging and provide moisture.

Since I have oily skin, I chose not to use this on my face, but I did use it all over my body every day. I also skipped my normal moisturizer and just applied this. It did a great job of proventing burning, but also kept my skin well moisturized (it can often end up very dry in the heat if I don’t moisturize). I also used this product on my daughter. Her skin is seeing the sun in big doses for the first time and I’m obsessive about keeping her safe from sunburns and causing her skin future damage. After our first day out, applying the spray sunblock every hour, she looked a little pink. The next day, I used the Erno Laszlo, reapplying after a few hours and she didn’t seem to get any sun at all (mommy triumph!).

I also passed the bottle over to my mom to use one day and she really liked it. So much so that I ended up leaving it with her when we headed home. After 4 days in the intense mountain sun, only my shoulders got a noticeable amount of color, but I didn’t have any burns. And my daughters skin is still sunburn free. The formula is pretty rich, so I would only use it on your face if you have normal or dry skin. And you can skip your regular moisturizer, lest you end up with too much product on your face. No fun on a hot day. But keep it in mind for the winter, when you want that extra moisture and don’t want to skimp on your sun protection.

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BeautyDiva — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:21:23 +0000

Tousled Hair 101

The tools and tricks you need to master a tousled, beachy hairstyle

It’s the perfect carefree look for summer, and it’s a cinch to do. Just follow these steps and soon you’ll have envy-inducing waves in your hair.

See how-to

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Get A Handle On Your Hair With Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Slim And Brume Nuit Apres-Soleil Treatment

BeautyDiva — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:16:46 +0000

Even if you don’t normally suffer from unruly hair, summer conditions might have you fighting the frizz. Humidity, sun and dry air can all take a toll on our tresses and leave us in need of some professional help. Kerastase is a well known salon brand that has the help you’ve been looking for with their Nutritive Oleo-Relax Slim in a leave-in creme and concentrated masque. Through in the overnight leave in Brume Nuit Apres-Soleil treatment and you’ll be back to smooth hair in no time.

The Oleo-Relax Slim products contain apricot oil, camelina oil, pracaxi oil and ceramide. I don’t know what 3 of these 4 ingredients are either, all I know is that they help smooth and straighten the hair, while protecting it from moisture (humidity) that can cause it to get poofy. After shampooing, I applied the masque and left it on for 10 minutes. The masque comes in a jar and is a thick orange cream with a musky-spicy scent. It rinsed out easily, but didn’t leave my hair feeling as slick as I thought it might. The first time I used it, I let my hair air-dry to test it’s frizz fighting capabilities. It did a pretty good job, and even though it says it is supposed to help straighten hair, it actually left my hair wavier than usual.

The next time I washed my hair, I followed the recommended regimen of using the Creme after towel-drying my hair. This leave-in treatment is meant to help further fight frizz and calm ends. The Creme is white and has a sweet vanilla-y floral scent. I tired the air-dry again and got even nicer results - very little frizz and still had nice waves. The directions say to style as usual, so the next round was tested using both the masque, creme, my usual styling product and a blow-dry. My hair was very un-frizzy and looked really great. The product felt a bit heavy in my hair, but the product is for those with thick hair and mine isn’t really thick or thin.

Next up I tried the Brume Nuit Apres-Soleil overnight treatment. I’ve never seen a product like this and was really excited to try it. Why not treat your hair while you sleep? Lot’s of time for the product to do its work! This treatment is sprayed on the hair before going to bed. You can spray it on dry or wet hair - just be sure you don’t have product on your hair, otherwise this stuff can’t actually get to your hair. I sprayed it on and then combed it through, as well as massaged it into my scalp. That because this not only treats hair, but your scalps as well. It aims to undue damage done by the sun, as well as provide future protection. For the hair, it helps fight color-fade and UV damage while strengthening hair and providing moisture. For the scalp it helps with sunburned or irritated scalp. I was worried about what it would do to my sheets, because it did make my hair look greasy, but it didn’t hurt my precious 600-thread count. It’s light floral scent was pleasant and faded after about an hour. In the morning I washed and styled my hair as usual and it did feel softer and my scalp was definitely less itchy than it had been for the last few weeks. Since this product is later washed out, I think it would work well on all hair types.

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BeautyDiva — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:20:34 +0000

Solve Beauty Bummers with Deep Cleaning Tricks

Issues like acne and body odor are no match for these sneaky scrubbing tactics

These basic steps will help you solve your biggest confidence busters, ensuring your pores remain clear, your body smells fresh and you feel totally clean and gorgeous from head to toe.

See tricks

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