Hair lost that sexy sizzle?

Sep 3rd, 10 / 0 Comments

I don’t know about you, but all the time I’ve been spending outdoors and in the pool this summer has taken a little of the sexy sizzle out of my hair. My locks are looking dull and lifeless and I’m starting to suspect that the sun and chlorine have teamed up to wage an all out war on my tresses!  I want to send the summer out in style this Labor Day weekend, but things are not looking so good in the hair department.

Don’t be like me and wait until the damage is already done to take action. There are some preventative steps that can help. For instance, you can wet hair with tap water before swimming to seal the cuticles and keep the chemicals out, or there’s always a hat. But my feeling is, a hat is often better suited for a poolside party. Besides, it’s not what I had planned to wear to my Labor Day celebration. What’s a girl to do?

Since my  hair color is still looking great and it’s not time for a touch up, I’m going to pull out my secret weapon – Ion Color Brilliance Demi Permanent Intensive Shine in clear. It adds great shine, lasts 4-6 weeks, and since it doesn’t contain color I can use it not matter what my shade is. Nice!

Do any of you have any tips for reviving summer damaged hair? Please share in the comments!

Color

Truth in Blogging

Sep 1st, 10 / 2 Comments

If you search around our blog site, you’ll see that each of us has an avatar. And you might find this shocking: My avatar looks nothing like me.

 So in the interest of accuracy, I’ve posted a different avatar to the left. My daughter Lindsay drew it many years ago. It’s not perfect – my forehead is definitely more prominent, and I’m sure I never owned a shirt like that one. But it’s closer to reality.

 Beneath my official avatar (and beneath my signature), it says “Grooming for Guys.” Let me be honest here. I’ve never been accused of spending too much time in front of a mirror.

 Looking at my blog posts over the last month, I think we should change “Grooming for Guys” to “Thinks Too Much.”

Yes, I tend to share too many opinions and anecdotes here. I’ll bet most of my readers wish I’d just recommend a nail color and be done with it.

So I’ll do just that.

FingerPaints. One of the things I like about our FingerPaints line of nail polish is the clever color names. How can you resist shades with names like My Art Belongs to You, Steal My Beating Art, and Hue Rang?

Mindy, who also blogs here as the Nail Polish Princess, is the witty talent behind those names. I bow to her greatness.

Maybe she’ll accept a shade suggestion from me: I’ll Be Art in a Minute.

Until that one is available, I’m sure you’ll be happy with the shades listed above, as well as Tough Art to Follow and Easel-y Entertained.

Uncategorized

A Simple, Weekend Face

Aug 30th, 10 / 0 Comments

Wow!  Life can be exhausting at times! I’m sure you can relate to this. I myself have a full time job, and come home to become a mom and a wife. Then on the weekends I become mommy.  Yes, there is a difference between a mom and a mommy.  Mom is one who is stern, gets everyone fed, bathed, homework done, and to bed on time.  The ‘mommy’ lets her hair down, doesn’t want to really spend time applying make-up, and likes to lounge in sweats! But, who really feels that good with no make-up on? Not me! So, I have developed the perfect 4 step routine that takes less than 5 minutes of your time.

Step 1: Apply liner to only the top lid.  For the perfect fuss free liner, try Beautique Eye Pencil in Black or Brown.  By applying liner to only the top lid it will help to open up the eye and make it appear more alert.

Step 2: Apply mascara, again only to the top lashes.  Use a matte black like Femme Couture Total Impact Blackest Black. This will give length and fullness to the lashes. Why matte? This look is simple, so you want to keep impact to a minimum.

Step 3: Blush! Add some color to your cheeks to combat paleness.  The ideal blush, Femme Couture Floral Blush, is a two in one mix of color that provides bronzer with a hint of pink (My shade pick: Dusty Mauve).

Step 4: Don’t forget the lips! By adding a hint of glisten or light color, it will help to balance out the simple look. Sally Girl Wand Lip Gloss carries all the right shades, plus it’s small and easy to carry in a pocket or wallet for quick application on-the-go.

Now put your sweats on and go to that sporting event with your child, or even feel good walking through the grocery store not looking so pasty. Best of all you know you only spent 5 minutes to look this good – what a great feeling!

Make-up, Uncategorized

Not Just For Your Grandma!

Aug 27th, 10 / 1 Comment

Let’s be honest here, shower caps get a bad rap. But, we’ve all been misinformed. Shower caps can be really cute, plus functional. Seriously! Want a blowout to last? Wear a shower cap. Want to maintain shine and softness? Wear a shower cap and skip daily washings. Have you recently tried a keratin or straightening treatment? Wear a shower cap! You get the point. Shower caps are indispensible. ­

“Okay, so they have their uses, but what if someone sees me wearing one?!?” Don’t stress! Betty Dain Creations has a new line of fashionable shower caps that are definitely not your grandma’s shower cap. The line is divided into three collections, The Hipster, Fashionista, and Socialite, each with distinct designs and features for different tastes and personalities.

The Hipster collection is for all you green ladies. The cap is made out of an eco-friendly vinyl alternative and is biodegradable. It’s available in 3 prints- a retro flower pattern called Flower Power, a psychedelic paisley pattern called Hippie Chick, and an edgy tattoo pattern named Tough Love.


The Fashionista collection is for you style mavens. These caps come in a stylish ruched design with a satin bow in two prints- Diva, a glamorous shopping pattern named, and Sassy Stripes, a sophisticated zebra pattern.

The Socialite collection is for ladies with discerning taste. It features a terry lining to absorb any moisture that may escape while showering, and is also fully reversible. This versatile little feature means you can use it as a sleep cap to set those curls. Named Safari Spots after its exotic leopard pattern, this cap is the ultimate bath accessory.

Function and fashion don’t always mix, but these caps have it all. All of the shower caps are oversized to fit the thickest or longest of hair, while being 100% waterproof and mold resistant.

So tell me. Do you rock the shower cap with pride?

Hair

Where did THAT come from?

Aug 25th, 10 / 3 Comments

So this might be a slight exaggeration...

File this under “Things adults don’t tell you will happen when you get older.”

When I was a teenager, content with my light and barely noticeable peach fuzz above my lip, I had no clue that once I reached my late 20s it would horrifyingly and inexplicably turn dark and coarse. Cue the Psycho soundtrack!

Unfortunately, I don’t know how long I’ve been rocking the ‘stache (Thanks a lot for telling me, family and friends!) because I just happened to notice it the other day while reapplying lipstick at a red light. The bright afternoon sun hit my upper lip just so and I saw that I was in fact, a pubescent boy.

A few months back my best friend called asking for some suggestions on at-home facial wax. Working for Sally Beauty means that I tend to get a lot of these calls and I’m always glad to share all I’ve learned. I gave her a few options and hung up the phone, happy in the knowledge that waxing my upper lip was not something I had to deal with.  Those were the good old, innocent days…

Now I figured it was my turn to give her a call, especially since she had already done all the experimenting and I knew she would give it to me straight.  She found that she had the best luck with the Gigi Facial Hair Removal Strips and said that they were quick, easy to use and got the job done. Sold!

So I picked up a box and went home to take care of my “problem.” And you know what? She wasn’t kidding. They were quick, easy and effective. I don’t know what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised by how little of a mess they made. So long, mustache. It was not fun while it lasted.

Do any of you wax at home? What products have you found most useful?

Skincare

My Dream Has Come True

Aug 23rd, 10 / 7 Comments

Has it happened? Has my dream come true? I don’t have to color my hair every 8 weeks to keep my gray concealed? I can actually embrace my gray hair for what it is, gray hair?

Well, my group of work friends who keep me on schedule for my hair color have told me no. The fact that gray, silver and white hair is a current trend with Kelly Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Kate Moss and others, does not entitle me to grow out my natural hair color and flaunt my gray. So, according to them, I have to be celebrity status, younger or older to pull it off.  I guess I fall in the middle where it’s just not fashionable. Do you think that is the case? The beauty about hair color is that it can be changed at any point and time.

Is anyone out there tempted to go with a gray accent like Stacy London or do an all over gray like Kelis?

For now I will not attempt to disrupt my hair color schedule because the color that I use (Ion Color Brilliance Permanent Crème 4IR) is really a good color for me, but in the meantime I will dream of the day when my gray hair will be an asset and not a curse.

Color

A New Look

Aug 20th, 10 / 3 Comments

Me in college, with my very first beard.

Every now and then I grow a beard.

The comments usually begin about three days into the process.

Numerous people look at me and make this statement: “You’re growing a beard.”

Yep, my days are spent endlessly answering people who have stated the obvious.

It gets tedious. So I’ve come up with something to say other than, “Yes, you’re right. I AM growing a beard.”

One response reveals my interest in being precise: Actually, I’m always growing a beard. I’ve just stopped shaving it.

My favorite response is one I borrowed from the actor Martin Mull: No, I still shave every day. I just think the blade’s gotten dull.

(By the way, regular trimming is the first responsibility of every beard owner. The Wahl Trimmer I’m always telling you about is ideal.)

I’ve never been brave enough to shave my head. Ray, a friend of mine, told me that every man has to shave his head once. For some men, it’s a good look. For others, it isn’t. But you never know whether it’s a good idea for you until you’ve done it.

I’ll always remember the moment Ray told me that. It was a Monday morning. I’d just walked into his office and was shocked to see he’d shaved his head over the weekend.

I was determined to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. That lasted about five seconds, then I burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Ray is a handsome guy, but the shaved head look was not for him. Poor Ray. He heard a lot of laughter over the following few days. I give him a lot of credit. He could have just taken vacation days and disappeared for the rest of the week, but he was brave and returned to the office every morning. Ray ended up letting his hair grow and grow and grow. It got REALLY long. He didn’t cut it for ages.

Let’s have some fun here. Tell me the comments you’ve received – positive and negative – when you’ve changed your look. Feel free to add your responses.

One more thing: If you see me and I happen to be growing a beard, I hope you’ll say hello and tell me what you’ve been up to. But please don’t say, “You’re growing a beard.” I knew that long before you did.

Men, Tools

Biker Beauty

Aug 18th, 10 / 0 Comments

This past July I went to South Dakota to the Black Hills to cruise on a Harley with my hubby.  Yes, the make-up maven became a Biker Babe for a week! 

It’s great to throw on a doo-rag and not do the hair, but make-up you can’t forget! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a diva when it comes to cosmetics, so how was I going to make my look last all day?  The answer – PRIMER. 

Thank goodness for this invention because after a 12 hour ride I still looked good. I still had to apply lip stick at every stop but everything else looked picture perfect. 

I used Femme Couture Eye Primer (1) and it kept my shadow on with no creasing. For the face, Palladio Herbal Liquid Foundation Primer (2) was a miracle worker. Of course SPF is very important, so I layered the primer over my daily Beyond Belief Vita C+ SPF 15 (3). It really went on smooth and felt light.  Trust me - these primers are worth every penny!

Are you as big as fan of make-up primers as I am? I want to hear about your experiences!

Make-up

NBCL Scholarship Luncheon

Aug 16th, 10 / 0 Comments

Outside it was a gray and overcast day, with the smell of rain in the air, but inside the Clarion Hotel in Shreveport, LA, the mood was bright and sunny. Ten deserving cosmetology students were being honored as recipients of  scholarship monies from Sally Beauty to continue their educations.  This happy occasion was the annual National Beauty Culturalists’ League (NBCL) Board luncheon.  The NBCL is over 90 years old and is the largest association of African-American cosmetologists in the world, with membership in the US and the Bahamas. For the past 10 years Sally Beauty has been granting $10,000 a year in scholarships for deserving students to fund their cosmetology education. 

First, it was time to take photos.  There was a lot of nervous giggling and tittering as the 10 winners lined up to have their photos made holding the oversized presentation check.  Dr. Katie  Catalon, the President of the NBCL for the past 6 years, stood proudly among the winners in her smartly-tailored red suit.  Renee Reynolds, the Sally Beauty Director of Multicultural Products, smiles from the left side of the photo.

Next, it was time to eat lunch. The 90 NBCL Board Members, along with the winners, enjoyed a delicious chicken pasta primavera topped off by a slice of Italian Crème Layer cake for dessert.   At each attendees place was a favor bag containing  Silk Elements ColorCare After Color Sealer,  FingerPaints Nail Color and Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treatment.  Are any of these products your favorites?

Beauty Industry, Uncategorized

Red, red lipstick: A true story

Aug 13th, 10 / 4 Comments

Tara and her fabulously red mouth.

I have two professional lives – one as a writer and one as a photographer. That’s me — the man who picked two careers that bring most of its practitioners very little money. And no groupies. What was I thinking?

 Long ago, I frequently photographed a woman named Tara. Tara was (and still is) a pretty woman fond of very red lipstick. I learned from Tara that red lipstick photographs well, even in black and white pictures.

 I liked the look but never really thought much about it. Then many years passed and I photographed a woman named Courtney.

 We were in Courtney’s backyard, and halfway through our photo session, she said she wanted to put on lipstick. She asked me if I had a preferred shade.

 Me, always accommodating, asked, “What shades do you normally wear?”

 “Earth tones,” Courtney answered. “Browns and beiges, mostly.”

 Courtney was surprised when I responded, “Put on the reddest you’ve got.”

 She went inside and probably had to rummage through her sister’s and mother’s makeup to find red lipstick.

 She returned outside looking perfect, and I shot a picture that her mother later told me “took her breath away.”

 Red has impact. I’m probably not the first person to tell you that. In my humble opinion, it’s a good look for blondes, brunettes, and most species in between.

 These days, it’s almost a religious tenet, me telling my subjects to wear red lipstick.

 I’ve expanded my vocabulary beyond “reddest you’ve got” to describe what I’m after. These terms include, but are not limited to, very red, red red, and super-red.

 In the interest of performing a useful act here, I decided to move beyond a list of different ways to say red, and name a specific lipstick that gets the job done.

 I just checked with Melissa, the official Sally Beauty Supply makeup maven, who also blogs here. Melissa likes Femme Couture Ultra Hydrating Lip Color in Runway Red.

 So there you have it. Give Runway Red a try and tell me what you think.

Agree? Disagree? Have a yummy chicken recipe or a clean joke? I invite you to click on the blue “comments” link at the top of this posting and let me have it.

Make-up