A few of our favorite things…

Dec 21st, 11 / 0 Comments

For the holiday we thought it would be fun to take a peek into the minds of some of our favorite beauty bloggers and get their thoughts on Christmas style.

Here’s what they had to say!

What’s your favorite holiday beauty routine?

What’s the best part about the holiday season?

My holiday style is…

 

General

Santa and his elves

Dec 19th, 11 / 0 Comments

Last year, I painted Santa heads on my nails and all my friends thought it was so cool. So, I thought this year I would change it up a bit and paint Santa with four of his little helpers. This takes a steady hand (don’t look too close) and a little bit of time, but they can really turn out cute.

Let’s get started.

Supplies:

Nail Polish Remover                       
Yellow Nail Polish                            
Polish Remover Pads                     
Black Striping Polish       
Clear Base Coat                                
White Striping Polish     
White Nail Polish                             
Red Striping Polish          
Green Nail Polish                            
Wax Paper         
Blue Nail Polish                                
Dotting Tool or Toothpick
Clear Top Coat                                                                  

Remove your old polish, file and buff your nails. Apply a clear basecoat and let dry.

Paint a French tip of white on your thumb and while it is drying, paint a red swatch across your nail at the nail bed. You have just painted Santa’s beard and the top of his cap. Next, take the white striping paint and add the white “fur” to his cap and add two small curved lines for his mustache. Drip a red drop of polish onto the wax paper and with a toothpick or dotting tool, and add his mouth. Repeat the same with blue paint for his eyes. Add two eyebrows with white striping paint and you are finished.

Again, paint a white French tip for the elf’s shirt and paint a green swatch across the nail at the nail bed for his cap. With red striping polish, paint two crescent shapes at the top of the white shirt for a collar. Drop yellow paint on the wax paper and add a tassel to his cap. Again, add a drop of red for his mouth, and two black drops for eyes and a button on his shirt. With white striping polish, add two eyebrows. For a little of dimension, add some white polka-dots and black lines on his cap and make a pointy ear… and there is elf #1.

Continue painting elves with any colors that you choose, or if you like, use the colors that I used below.  When you have finished, let all nails dry for at least 30 minutes, then apply two clear topcoats.

And now you have all these cute little guys at your fingertips. I hope you give them a try, because they do seem to cause quite a stir. Have a fun and happy holiday season. See you next year.

Until next time…..keep those nails covered.

Nail Art

Sure, I’m freezing, but don’t I look marvelous?

Dec 16th, 11 / 1 Comment

I’ve always liked this snapshot. It shows my dad in his Jeep, plowing the snow from our driveway.

It’s a typical December scene in the winter wonderland known as Michigan.

It got me to thinking about dressing for cold weather.

Our parents taught us to cover up from head to toe and insulate every square inch of ourselves with thick clothing.

But there are always those who sacrifice themselves for fashion.

You know these folks. You might even be one! They’re the ones who say, “No, an insulated coat makes me look heavy, so I’ll take the lighter one.” Or “I just styled my hair and it looks marvelous, so there’s no way I’m putting on a hat.”

Where do you stand on this issue?

Vote below and please feel free to comment.

Winter Fashion

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Polls

Childhood Christmas Curls

Dec 14th, 11 / 0 Comments

One of the most powerful memories I have of Christmas as a little girl, was the hours and hours it took getting my hair ready for the all important Christmas family reunion.  It wasn’t enough that you had your special red velvet dress with the satin bow and your black patent Mary Jane shoes, you also had to have CURLS (with a capital C.) 

What you have to know is that my hair is naturally stick straight, but it was the fashion to have Shirley Temple curls!! My mother would wash my hair and roll it on wire rollers – these torture instruments are thankfully no longer for sale!!  After sitting under the hair dryer for an eternity to dry my hair, I then had to sleep all night with the wire rollers making dents in my head.  When mother took the rollers out the next day, VOILA! …. I had curls… for about 20 minutes. 

I am happy to report that for girls of all ages with even the straightest of hair, there is a modern solution for quick lasting curls.  The miracle is the Caruso Professional ProSet Steam Hairsetter.  The secret to perfect curls is the steam process that literally locks in the curls while moisturizing and adding body and shine to the hair.

Isn’t technology wonderful?  Does anyone have stories about childhood hair traumas to share?

Uncategorized

Great Gifts

Dec 12th, 11 / 0 Comments

The countdown begins! We are only 13 days out from Christmas!  Still have a few names on that shopping list?  Yeah, me too. As much as everyone longs for a Christmas kitty sweater, may I suggest a few more practical gifts:

Eye-Vac Electric Dustpan Vacuum
This is honestly on my wish list and perfect for anyone with hardwood floors or tile. This unassuming little black machine sits in the corner eagerly awaiting you to sweep dirt and dust its way. When the Eye-Vac’s sensor detects the debris it turns on, sucks it all up and then shuts off.  No more fumbling with a dust pan.

Hot Shot Tools 3 Barrel Waver
Since I know my kids don’t read this blog…one of them has this all wrapped up and under the tree. For those who lived through the 80’s, this works just like a crimper but creates waves instead.  And to spare mom the grief of burnt fingers and singed bathroom countertops, she also received the Heat Protection Styling Glove and the Silicon Heat Styling Mat (on sale for only $5).

Mircro Touch Max Hair Remover
I purchased this as a stocking stuffer for my husband.  I almost gave it to him early as I watched him maneuver a cuticle nipper up his nose this morning. Seriously, I can’t make that up.

But enough of what my family is getting. Our gifts page has an abundance of great recommendations that are sure to make the recipient way more excited than that kitty sweater.

Uncategorized

Pantone Color of the Year

Dec 9th, 11 / 1 Comment

The Pantone Color of the Year is…drumroll please…

TANGERINE TANGO!

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® describes Tangerine Tango as, “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

What do you think? Love it? Think Pantone was off? Vote and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Tangerine Tango

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Color

Recipe for Holiday Beauty

Dec 7th, 11 / 0 Comments

For me, the holidays equal parties! I love nothing more than getting together with friends and family, wearing some festive clothing (or maybe an Ugly Christmas Sweater) and celebrating the season.

In the spirit of giving, I thought I’d share my Recipe for Holiday Beauty. It’s super simple to follow – you take a dash of gold eye shadow, some candy-coated lips, a swipe of liquid liner, a few twists of a wand, sprinkle in some sparkly accessories and you’re done.

Do you have a holiday go-to look? Please share your “recipe” in the comments!

1. Femme Couture Prime Wear Lip Creme in Black Cherry
2. Plugged In Pink Lace Cone Curling Wand
3. Sally Girl Mini Baked Eyeshadow in Gold
4. DCNL Jewels Headband with Bow
5. FingerPaints Limited Edition Fun-Fetti
6. Ardell Fashion Lashes #109
7. Palladio Liquid Liner in Black

Uncategorized

Winter is here!

Dec 5th, 11 / 1 Comment

Even though it’s not really sticking, today is our first snow day. I woke up to a snow-dusted yard and the realization that it was actually winter and I should start getting serious about my winter beauty routine. Do the seasons sneak up on anyone else?

Here are a few switches I make when the weather turns chilly:

  • I’m a big fan of Frutique skincare products. In the warmer months, I use Frutique Apple Night Restore Crème as my nightly moisturizer. But, I need a little more oomph in the moisture department in the winter, so at night I switch over to Frutique Hydrating Peach Smooth Crème. It’s a very thick and creamy moisturizer and fixes my patchy, dry skin right up.
  • For my hair, I use Miracle 7 Deep Conditioner on a daily basis, instead of my usual Miracle 7 Color Protect Conditioner. It keeps my dry, static-prone strands in check.
  • Beyond Belief Whipped Crème in Vanilla is my winter lifesaver. I’m vigilant about washing my hands, especially during flu season. Add cold weather into the mix and my hands get painfully dry. This crème is moisturizing but not greasy, and the scent is light enough to not overwhelm any coworkers.

What changes do you make to your routine when it gets cold? I’d love to hear about them!

General

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti

Dec 2nd, 11 / 2 Comments

Growing up my sister always had an angel food cake with funfetti frosting for her birthday. That creamy, color-flecked frosting was so delicious it almost made up for the fact that someone was getting presents and that someone wasn’t me. I’m the baby of the family, what can I say? :)

Those birthday memories plus the fact that I’m slightly obsessed with all things sparkly at the moment, makes the limited edition FingerPaints Fun-Fetti (available exclusively at SallyBeauty.com) my new favorite thing.

It’s a densely packed multi-color glitter in a clear base that looks fabulous on its own, or layered over a polish of your choice. I usually wear it on a bare nail, but for New Year’s Eve I plan on layering it over gold polish to up the sparkle factor. You can never have too much bling, am I right?

Are you planning on rocking the sparkly nail this New Year’s Eve? Any fellow funfetti frosting devotees out there?

FingerPaints, Polish

New Argan Oil products!

Nov 30th, 11 / 1 Comment

Have you jumped on the Argan Oil train? It really is an amazing product and judging by the popularity of our One ‘n Only Argan Oil hair care products, a lot of you agree!A product thumbnail of One 'n Only Argan Oil Hair Spray

So in an effort to continue to bring you great products that you love, we are introducing three new additions – One ‘n Only Argan Oil Hair Spray, Mousse and Spray Treatment. Can I get a woot, woot? :)

A little bit about these new additions:

  • Argan Oil Hair Spray provides strong hold, control and instant shine. It can be used on wet hair to add texture and body or dry hair for natural, long-lasting, touchable support.
  • Argan Oil Mousse delivers maximum volume, body and control. It also controls frizz and is ideal for blow drying and creating curl separation.
  • Argan Oil Spray Treatment is a lightweight, alcohol-free, non-greasy formula that provides instant shine, seals in moisture, conditions and smoothes the cuticle. It helps eliminate frizz and repair dry damaged hair.

Check them out and let us know what you think!

Styling Products