The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 5

Without further ado, here's the fifth and final installment of my and Beauty Blogging Junkie Amber's favorite beauty products of 2010. I figured 2011 is as good a time as ever to... post the last post in our series. Which I should've done in 2010, but whatever. I was busy watching "Hoarders" and not making resolutions.

Here are the beauty products we discuss. As you can tell, I veered off course and discussed my seashell shoes and a Marc Jacobs pen that looks like lipstick. Kinda counts, right?

Me: LA Looks Cashmere Curls Gel (the holy GRAIL of curly hair products), Lancome 020 Le Rouge L'Wren Scott Nail Polish (which is highly sold out, unfortunately -- I got the last one in all of Saks), Haus of Price Shoes,  Marc By Marc Jacobs Lipstick Pen, and MOR Cosmetics bath and body products

Amber: Sally Beauty Supply Femme Couture Mascara Set (with glitter mascara!), Beverly Hills Skin Care Advanced Youth Recovery Cream, Philosophy The Supernatural Superbeautiful Foundation SPF 20.

 

A Round Of Applause For My Hair!

To know me is to know that my hair is kind of the bane of my existence. I like having curly hair, but, in the words of Kanye West, it's a process. Getting the right balance of conditioner, styling products and the providence of the gods of anti-humidity is a non-stop chore. While some people have the occasional "bad hair day," I have about 345 of those every year. The remaining 20 calendar days are random and unforeseen good hair days. Like today, lo and behold! So I had to document the rare event that is my good hair day. Credit goes to Davines No. 1 Finest Oil Non Oil, my beloved LA Looks Cashmere Curls, and C.O. Bigelow Protein-Enriched Conditioner for Dry Damaged Hair, and the dry climate of Los Angeles, where I'm holed up on a work trip at the lovely Andaz Hotel, where the beds are comfy and the WiFi is free! L'chaim!

Post script: Sorry for the lag in posting! Work grind keeps on grinding, plus I'm beatin' up the beauty beat for Naag.com. But the 'Binge abides!

Un-LOCK-ing The Mystery Behind PERFECT Curls!

Get it? UnLOCKing???? I AM KILLING it over here!

Okay, so inspired by yesterday's post about the $2 joy-fest that is Cashmere Curls styling gel, I must encourage FashionBinge readers, like Dear No One's Amanda, who asked how to get good curls to read this "how to get good curly hair" post.

If you're too lazy, I'll summarize the tips to getting curls of perfection:

1.) DO NOT use shampoo. EVER. Seriously, just read the post.
2.) Do NOT wash your hair daily. Every other day -- or when nasty -- is fine.
3.) Cut layers! Which, of course, comes with having a good stylist. But layers, layers, layers. If you have long curly hair without layers'm a big fan of the graduated layers in the back -- think, like the shape of a V instead of straight across, which can look kinda poodly, you know?
4.) Use a CRAPTON of conditioner in the shower.
5.) When you're out of the shower, flip your fucking head over, and lightly absorb some of the excess water with a couple of paper towels or a spare t-shirt if you're super green. (Before you ream me about how bad paper towels are for the environment, I use the damp towels to wipe up the bathroom too, kay? AND STOP JUDGING ME!)
7.) After the shower, while you're still basically upside-down, use ANOTHER crapton of conditioner.
8.) Use an AWESOME gel.
9.) Flip your damn fool head over, and either shake out your head a little, or, if you're using a super strong gel, and shit be stickin', use a wide-toothed comb and lightly separate your curls.
10.) ABSOLUTELY NEVER USE A BRUSH IN YOUR HAIR EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER.

Kay! Stay tuned for more hair product revYOOOOS you can USE!

Cashmere Curls = PERFECT Curls For UNDER Two Bucks!

++ UPDATE: Moar curly hair tips here! ++

($1.79, LA Looks, Drugstores and Such!)

Do NOT laugh. LA Looks' Cashmere Curls gel gives you (read: me!) SPECTACULADO curls, and this shiz is under $2. PERFECT CURLS for less than the price of a LATTE, people! I'm using it in this photo, and, I'll be like the fourth to admit, my hair looks phenoms:

... And I'm only saying that because people said that on Facebook, totally unsolicited. And because if you have curly hair, you NEED to get LA Looks' Cashmere Curls.

And now, I will allow Boyz II Men to express the sentiments that are totally similar (except a bit more exaggerated, and way more Hilfiger and silk PJs) to the way I feel about Cashmere Curls.

Boyz II Men - New Music - More Music Videos

New York Times To New York Ladies: Don't Wash Your Hair

If the New York Times told you to jump off the Williamsburg Bridge, would you do it?

I know that I personally would jump off the Brooklyn Bridge because it's so much cooler than the Williamsburg Bridge. But for realzorz, the Times is all like, hey, looks like ladies aren't shampooing their hair.

Um, duh. Any good pageant queen will tell you -- dirty hair is stylish hair!

And anyone who's heard me go off on my curly haircare rant KNOWS that I've been preaching the no-shampoo gospel for nigh on five years or so. I bought the book Curly Girl (yes, I actually bought a book about hair care, but only because it was just $10 and because I had a Barnes & Noble gift card and because one of my gay bestie's other girl besties bought it and swore it changed her life, so I figured, why not change mine?), written by Devachan founder Lorraine Massey, who's quoted in the article.

I followed her #1 cardinal rule of curly hair -- no shampooing. That was back in the day, and now I haven't used the shit in YEARS, except for maybe once when I went swimming or something. And, no joke, my hair went from "blah" to "huzzah." If you've got curly hair, chances are it's dry (I can't speak to the greasy haired ladies, but you've told me that the idea of not washing daily is a totes no-go, and I believe you). And shampooing, per Massey (AND, supes importantly, per ME!), will only dry it out even more. Seriously, as soon as I stopped using shampoo, it was 1,2,3 Impacto on the hair hotness tip. I still wash it -- probably up to five times a week -- scrub it and use a shameless amount of conditioner. Just no shampooey. It's all the difference in the world between frustrating, frizzy hair and totally transformed curls that take almost no time at all.

I also totes recommend Devachan -- I've been going there for years. It's expensive but worth every cent, especially if you don't wear your hair curly but you're ready to make the jump. They totes takes tons of time to walk you through the whole curly hair maintenance process.

If you don't live in New York, Devachan (I swear to God, I don't work for them -- that's how miraculous their skills are), check out Stylist's Devachan curly hair photo gallery.

Also, the Times article goes on about shampoo alternatives (cheesecloth? uhhhh no thanks), and I've been loving on "Dry Clean Only" by Sebastian ever since I was old enough to legally enter bars, back in ye olden days when smoking anywhere within four inches of an alcoholic bev was still allowed. It's essentially Febreze for your hair. That sounds gross, but if your hair be rockin' it, what's the point in wasting all that water (and time) if you were only in a smoky spot for like 10 minutes -- long to enough to pick up some smokage but not enough to merit a total rewashing, IMO. Or if you have a rad -- and expensive -- blowout. It's not so easy to find, but it's worth the time spent tracking it down. Just a few spritzes and you're good.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, there's absolutely no reason to wash your hair every day. Skipping a day or two is good for the planet and good for your hair. That also means that it's time to substitute the "I'm washing my hair excuse" with "I'm color coordinating my sock drawer."

Alright, 'Bingers. True confessions: how often do you wash? And... to shampoo or not to shampoo? THAT is the other question!