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Haircare

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Winter Skin and Hair Savers

December 14, 2013
It’s that time of the year where my skin and hair is in desperate need of that extra boost of moisture to fight dry patches. Finding lightweight moisturizing products can be a bit of a challenge for my sensitive skin. My nose is particularly sensitive so light-fragranced items are a must. My go-to fixes and staples this season right now:
  • Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream $40 is a lovely light-scented hand treatment, it’s a bit pricey for me to justify using on the body, but it’s a nice moisturizing cream for the hands. It smells like candied roses which is really nice (coming from a person who doesn’t really like strong rose florals).
  • Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream $55 is probably the priciest hand cream I own, I was lucky to get this as a gift with purchase one year. It smells like a spa treatment. It’s a bit heavier than most hand creams I use but it dries down to a soft silky finish. It helps diminish those dry lines in the hands upon application. Read the reviews on Nordstrom.com and you’ll see this is well worth the price.
  • L’Occitane Extra-Gentle Lotion for Hands and Body $20 is the perfect body lotion for me. I’ve gone through five bottles already and keep one at work and one at home. I’m a huge fan of L’occitane’s Shea Butter line. They have several different options of moisturizing intensity depending on your skin needs. I like this one because it melts into the skin and makes any itchy dryness disappear without being too greasy. I love the lightweight scent – it’s very soothing and comforting. It’s neutral enough to be unisex. My husband and male co-workers always borrow mine.
  • Caudalie Divine Oil $49 is relatively new to me. I’ve written about the mini size that I’ve tried which is perfect for the purse. I loved it so much I bought the full size in the trio set. I spray it on the legs and elbows. It smells fresh and light and feels nice on the skin. It’s also designed for the face and hair – I’ve only tried it on the ends of my hair to add a bit of shine (although I prefer other hair treatments).
  • Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner $25 is one of my favorite lip treatments. Review here. It’s soft, moisturizing and you can feel the results instantly.
  • Jo Malone Vitamin E Vitamin E’ Body Treatment Scrub $90 is the ultimate luxury body scrub. It’s a spa in a tub and smells like a luscious honey dessert. It’s strongly scented and extremely moisturizing – if you visit your local Jo Malone store or counter they should be able to make a small sample for you to try. It’s really REALLY amazing.
  • Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Oil $20 is one of the first cuticle oils I’ve tried. In the past I’ve tried substituting baby oil but found it hasn’t really helped my dry cuticles. This one is made of pure white jojoba oil, vitamin E and coconut oil (it smells like coconuts). It works well on my cuticles and a little goes a long way. Be careful to keep application to the cuticles as it can feel a bit sticky on the finger tips. The texture is perfect to actually stay on the cuticles (versus some oils that are so liquid/fluid they roll off quickly).
  • By Terry Baume de Rose $60 review here. My holy grail lip treatment, but still a three way tie with the Jo Malone and Hourglass.
  • Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade $28 is the hair cream of all hair creams. It adds shine without being too heavy or greasy looking on the hair. I find it lasts all day long. I’ve used it a couple of ways. One is right after I shower on towel-dried damp hair. This is the only thing I’ve tried that lets my hair air dry perfectly without any frizz. It makes the perfect pre-heat treatment as well (whether it’s blow drying or straightening). I also find it makes a great finishing product to add a bit of texture and shine. Bonus is that my husband likes it on his hair as a pomade (even though it’s really a cream). The smell is incredible too.

What are you winter skin and hair savers? I’m all ears to hear what your favorites are!

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Mason Pearson

June 12, 2013

I’ve been eyeing Mason Pearson brushes for quite some time but often overlook the hair care section. I purchased the Detangling Comb ($34, made in Switzerland) and the Pocket Mix Brush ($108, made in London) a couple weeks ago and am head over heels in love. I have thick slightly wavy hair that is prone to frizz with any hint of humidity. I usually buy inexpensive hair brushes from CVS or Ulta but decided to finally give Mason Pearson a try. There is no going back now.
  • The Detangling Comb is a smooth sturdy acrylic comb. The quality is excellent and there is a noticeable difference in how this performs compared to other brands. The handle is the perfect length to grip easily as you brush your hair. (I use to brush after a shower or bath on wet hair.)
  • The Pocket Mix Brush is the cutest miniature luxury brush I’ve ever seen. I went with the least expensive brush which is a combination of boar bristle and nylon to try as my first brush splurge. I couldn’t be happier. The combination of nylon and boar bristles makes this a gentle brush that brushes hair to a smooth soft even look (no hair tugging or breakage).
For reference, check out MasonPearson.com to view the different sizes and brush types in their entire brush lineup. Dimensions and diagrams are extremely helpful. I never realized how many options there were.

For size reference, they are small enough to fit into a medium-sized purse. Here they are hand-held:

on the nails, remnants of Chanel Skyline

Bottom line: a splurge definitely worth taking. The quality of the brushes is very good and everyone I know who owns one raves about how long they last. I would like to purchase one of the larger sized brush eventually, but right now I’m not quite ready to take the jump.
Have you tried Mason Pearson? What’s your favorite go-to hair brush line?
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