The Pretty Pear

The best thing I've done for my hair

I have color treated, super thick, super curly, somewhat long and very unruly hair. I will never have smooth, sleek hair (which is just fine by me, by the way) but I do want to keep it as healthy as I can.

I have tried no/low sulfate shampoos but I just can't get used to it. It works for some people and I might try it again but right now, I use a moisturizing shampoo that also has sulfates. My hair hasn't fallen out and I'm not dead so I guess it's ok.

I ditched my cotton terrycloth towel and bought a microfiber towel and only use that for drying my hair. It's small so I even bring it with me when I travel. I don't scrub or rub my hair with it at all. I wrap it up turban style right out of the shower, let it soak up the drippy water, gently work a curl cream or leave-in conditioner through my hair, and then wrap it back up until I'm ready to scrunch with gel.

Why a microfiber towel? Regular terrycloth towels are very nubby and create friction, which roughs up and damages the hair shaft. Microfiber is also more absorbent. If you blow dry, your hair will already be drier from the start than if you used a regular towel. This cuts down on blow drying time, which reduces heat damage to your hair. Plus, my microfiber towel is smaller and lighter than a regular bath towel and it's more comfortable on my head.

I have curly hair but I think microfiber would benefit any hair type. I have the microfiber towel here. There's a larger version for long hair here. They're a little spendy but I think they're totally worth the price.

I should note that I've also cut out any hair products that contain drying alcohols, which has probably helped with the health of my hair considerably. Interestingly, the best non-alcohol hair gel I've found is the dirt cheap LA Looks super strong hold gel found at my supermarket. Go figure.

Fall preview: nails

I've become a little obsessed with nail polish. I always keep my toes painted when it's warm out but I haven't been one to do my finger nails, until recently. What sparked this love of polish? Well:

1. It's an inexpensive splurge, unless you like pricey Chanel or Dior polishes. I'm perfectly happy with cheaper polishes so I can afford more bottles.
2. I love color and nail polish comes in every shade, hue and shimmer imaginable.
3. Giving yourself a mani/pedi or going to a professional for the royal treatment is a wonderful way to relax and take care of yourself.

OPI's France collection is making a big splash amongst polish lovers. I picked up Parlez-vous OPI?, a dusty, grayish, lavender shade. It looks primarily lavender on my skin tone but it looks more gray on others. Gray is huge for fall but if you don't want to wear a straight gray shade, a dusty color like Parlez-vous OPI? might suit you well. And if you're wearing a lot of gray clothing, a shade like this complements the overall look without becoming too monotone.

Another popular shade from the collection is You Don't Know Jacques, which can only be described as a brownish-gray, like wet cement. I tried it on in ULTA and didn't love it but after seeing pictures of it on other people, I'm starting to think I might need it. It's a very unusual, yet sophisticated shade that looks fantastic on short nails.

You can see swatches of the full France collection on Scrangie's blog here. You can find the France collection and other polishes super cheap at Head2Toe Beauty. I've ordered from them very recently and everything came securely packaged and the prices can't be beat.

Can she do it?

I am horrible at maintaining a weblog so I'm giving myself a goal - a new post every day for the next seven days. I really like to think my posts through and find lots of pictures and links, etc. but that also keeps me from posting regularly. So I'm throwing caution to the wind and just writing about whatever comes to mind.

Ok, here goes.

Kiyonna is having a sale. Did I mention that? Guess not. Anyway, I ordered that jacket last night and I can't wait to see how it looks. I have a hard time finding jackets that fit at the hip but aren't too boxy through the shoulders, bust and waist. I like that it's a wrap style without a lot of structure and has the belt so I can cinch at the waist. And it has pink lining! I love pink and brown together so that detail sealed the deal for me. It looks like it might be a tad short but we'll see. It's on sale for $50 down from $142. That's amazing.

My favorite lipgloss right now is Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Dolly. It's about the same color as my lips but better. It's supposed to be a plumping gloss but I don't see much of a difference there. It is very shiny with a little bit of shimmer, so that automatically makes lips look fuller. Plus it has a minty sensation that's quite enjoyable.

guess I'll just keep blow drying

I saw a commercial for Easy Straight a few nights ago and it caught my interest. My hair is naturally curly but I usually blow dry it straight and, honestly, it's kind of a pain in the ass. I've decided to let it grow out but in the meantime, it's too short to wear curly without it looking crazy. It looks okay but kind of too wild for job interviews or any situation wherein I might want to be taken seriously.

Anyway, Easy Straight is supposedly a chemical straightener that's gentle on the hair and lasts 3-6 months. I read the entire website and decided that when I had $30 to throw on my hair, I'd give it a try. Well, I'm glad I checked out MakeUp Alley and found this thread first. I'm not sure if you have to register to read the boards so, basically, some women are filing a class action suit against the makers of Easy Straight because it caused their hair to fall out at the root. I do enough damage to my hair, thanks.

Couple of things here:
1. Check out products before you invest in them. I don't look up every single purchase I make, but if it's going to cost more than $10, it's worth the time to see what other peoples' experiences have been. This is especially true with skin and hair care products.

2. What's with curly haired girls wanting straight hair?! I'm guilty of it myself but geez. I'm sick of all the work that goes into making and keeping it straight, so I'm going back to my curls. There's a theory that it's a race issue because white people have straight hair and black people don't. Blah blah blah. I cut my hair short because I thought it'd be cute, not really because I wanted it straight. It just turns out that my hair doesn't look good short and in its naturally crazy state.

Glad I didn't make that purchase.

skincare on the cheap

I've come across two skincare ideas on Makeup Alley that you might want to give a try. They're so cheap you probably already have them in your cabinets.

Baking soda scrub
I've heard about using baking soda as a scrub in the past so I decided to give it a try. I mix a handful of good ol' Arm & Hammer with a bit of Cetaphil cleanser and then give my face a good scrubby massage. The grit is just big enough to really exfoliate but not big enough to harm your skin. I recently discovered that the St. Ives medicated apricot scrub I've been using forever contains lanolin and is probably just making my skin more greasy. I like using baking soda because I just want the scrubbiness and not all the other crap that's in some face scrubs. Plus, that one big box will last forever.

Aspirin Mask
I've read a lot of ways of doing this but this is my method: I use the back of a spoon to crush up 6 or 7 generic, uncoated aspirin. I then mix it with a tiny bit of water, mix that mush with some Queen Helen's Mint Julep Masque to hold it together and massage it into my face. Over that, I put a thicker layer of the mint masque and let it all dry.

Aspirin contains salicylic acid, which is the same stuff used in a lot of over the counter acne products. Over time, it's supposed to suck all the crap out of clogged pores and improve skin texture. I've only done it a couple of times and my skin is incredibly smooth already. I always follow up with Cetaphil moisturizer because the masque can dry your skin a bit. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone with dry or sensitive skin, though.

eBay trickery

eBay is a modern miracle. I really believe that it's capitalism at its finest. They give people a set of rules, a market place, and then just let them do whatever and it works. It's also a great place to find treasures that you could never find in a retail store.

I've been wanting to try Bare Escentuals products for a while now. You might've seen the infomercial. I'm a QVC nerd and they carry Bare Escentuals, so that's where I saw it. I guess it's all pure minerals "from the earth" with no binders, preservatives, waxes, etc. I was considering dropping $60 on a starter set but then I regained my sanity.

meet mark

I'm really slacking on the links around here. I did make a new discovery, though. Mark: the new beauty experience from Avon. I'd love to try some of their products. Going for women my age is always a good idea. It seems that we all love good, cheap, fun cosmetics. And, if you sell their stuff, you earn $40 on every $100 you sell. I considered becoming a rep for about two seconds until I realized that I don't know enough women my age to make any real money. Those prices really are amazing. I wonder if the quality is any good.