Archives for 2015

Number 4 High Performance Hair Care What to Know

December 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

So now that it has been almost seasonably chilly for a whole three days now, I am rather jealous of my friends who are going on holiday to warmer climes. If you are headed off for a well deserved trip, it’s a great time to check out an excellent hair set we were set for review.

Number 4 Haircare Hydrating Holiday Jet Set

Number4HairCare Hydrating Jet Set comes with Hydrating Shampoo, Hydrating conditioner, Super Comb Prep & Protect and Fleur de Temps Body Lotion and Mini Darlings plus L’eau de Mare Brush (specifically for wet hair).

Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Holiday Jet Set

Ingredients

There are many quality ingredients in the Number 4 L’eau de Mare Hydrating Conditioner. Some ingredients are commonly seen in small doses even in drugstore brands shampoos, but many of these ingredients are only found in higher-end products. Some notable ones that caught my eye:

Vitamin B5 for shine
Gooseberry Oil is one of the ingredients in their Liquid Purity complex cocktail – if you haven’t used a hair product with Gooseberry Oil in it, you are in for a treat. And if you have used Gooseberry Oil products in the past and can’t find a good one (such as all us fans of the discontinued Neil George Gooseberry Oil hair care line) you will really like a shampoo with Gooseberry in it.
Jojoba similar in structure to the hair, fills in tiny cracks in the hair and makes it smooth and not crunchy feeling
A bunch of good anti-aging ingredients. Don’t just think of anti-aging ingredients if you are over a certain age think of it as if your HAIR is LONG then it is OLD. If your hair is longer than your shoulder, and it grew that long at the average rate of half an inch a month, how old does that make the last few inches of your hair, plus all the abuse your hair has taken during that time with styling, flat irons, swimming, sun, chemicals, highlights and coloring. If your hair is long, it can use anti-aging ingredients.
Color protecting ingredients that are also good for scalp health. These include algae, soy, tea.
Hydrating and Strengthening Ingredients: such as Burdock Root, Oolong Tea, Irish Moss, and Vegetable Protein (Vegan).
There is also Silicone, smoothing to be sure, but FYI if you are attempting to avoid Cones of any kind.

Scent. Spa like scent, Fragrance Notes: Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and Patchouli. I really primarily smell Ylang Orchid, Jasmine, Vetiver and NOT the Patchouli once hair is dry.Very nice experience while lathering, hair is still scented when dry, but not so strongly as to compete with your chosen fragrances but noticeable when hair is in motion. Smells clean.

There is a very nice, rich lather, very thick and full feeling. The instructions say to wash twice, but my hair felt clean with one good head massage and wash, working up a nice lather throughout my hair. (NOTE: I did NOT have styling product or hairspray in my hair before washing, if I did that might indeed require two washes) The instructions indicate that if you want more lather; add more water not more product. A quality shampoo and conditioner like Number 4 Hydrating doesn’t require as much product as some shampoos and conditioners to get a good result. I advise using less shampoo and conditioner than you think you might need and adding more if necessary. For example, I decanted just enough conditioner to apply to one side of my hair, then once I massaged it in it was really enough for both sides. I used it throughout my hair and left it in a few minutes. It absorbs nicely and washes out clean. My hair is past the small of my waist but not hip length and it is a rather thick, so I tend to need more product than some to coat my hair. The bottles seem somewhat small, but based on how little is needed; it is a good deal and a nice size for travel without having to skimp on product use.

Even wet my hair felt different than usual after washing and conditioning, soft of expanded and strong feeling, not quite left with a coating of product per se, but the surface felt different, as if I already applied a leave-in product to smooth the surface. To find out what this affect was, I opted NOT to use any additional product while styling my hair.

ON PRE STYLE ROUGH BLOW-DRY

After using the brush designed for wet hair that comes in the kit (which while my hair did NOT have tangles post conditioning, it is nice to have a brush that is gentle enough for wet hair, especially when you do have to detangle or comb through styling product) I did a quick rough dry“ no real styling and LOVED LOVED LOVED the shine and bounce. Without any additional product my hair was soft with just a tiny bit of flyaway, but it is the first few days of real cold here in New England this week. Not bad for no product added.

The bounce in my hair was a pleasant surprise since I am overdue for my regular trim, and they are pretty lifeless the week before a trim, so I will be remembering to use Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner the week before a trim to get some life back in dull ends. The shine and bounce remained with hot roller styling.

The Fleur de Temps Body Lotion is a solid lotion, but the Patchouli scent was much stronger than in the shampoo and conditioner. If you work in a fragrance-free work environment, it might be a bit of a strong scent, but otherwise it is a lovely consistency of lotion.

And if you are headed off on vacation (and even if you aren’t) – the Super Comb Prep and Protect is a great UV/Color Polar Shield – don’t let the sun wreck your color! It also contains the Liquid Purity Complex so you will be conditioning your hair with that great Gooseberry Oil as you protect your hair. Nice multitasking combo.

VERDICT

SHINE SHINE SHINE!!
Softness, bounce and swing
Nice lather, just a bit of product goes a long way.
Light scent once dry
My really dry ends that badly need a trim don’t look so dry
Hair color was not stripped or faded after use
The brush is incredibly gentle and far less hair is left in the bristles after brushing vs other high end brushes.

Find the Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Holiday Jet Set Pack at Number4Hair.com for $25.

After using Number 4 Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and styled with Topganic Style & Go Moisturizing Cream with Keratin from Brazil

How to Use a Mascara Fan Brush 10 Tips

December 18, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Ten Tips on How to Use a Mascara Fan Brush to Apply Mascara

This week we discussed the use of a Mascara Fan Brush to create fluttery, wispy lashes that are full, defined, an SO long with rich color, yet still look natural & don’t clump. Our basic tutorial of How to Use a Mascara Fan Brush covers a step-by-step use of Mascara Fans, & we reviewed many of the best (and worst) Mascara Fan Brushes on the market. Today we cover ten tips to turn you into a Mascara Fan Brush Ninja Diva.

TIP: View your first several attempts with a mascara fan brush as just practice. Using a Mascara wand requires a much heavier hand than the light, gentle strokes of applying mascara with a mascara fan brush. Do not just wiggle the brush horizontally like some mascara wands directions indicate, comb a fan brush vertically only.

TIP: If you do not have a steady hand, hold the fan brush bristles close to the lash base, and slowly blink your lashes over and through the bristles to paint on the product. Steady your hand with your elbow against a surface if needed.

TIP: Clean off the mascara fan brush, then do one final light brush through to remove any debris or clumps. Comb outside lashes outward, comb middle lashes straight, and comb the inner lashes inward for the most natural, widest, doe-eyed look.

TIP: try to work with as little mascara as possible when combing through the lashes, think of it as more like lightly painting than covering and coating. You can always add more layers.

TIP: Fair-haired girls: don’t forget a light stroke on the top of the upper lashes. We spend much of our time looking down at our phones and devices, the top of our lashes show!

TIP: Clean up any mascara on eyelid skin or undereye bag with a q-tip dipped in moisturizer and just dot the spot.This way you do not ruin your eyeshadow and only need a small touchup

TIP: Some report holding a spoon under their lash line or a business card catches any mascara drips or accidents from landing on eyelid or undereye bags.

TIP: Try to think of coating the lashes individually than sweeping a brush across all the lashes at once. When lashes do stick together, angle the fan vertically and use a corner to separate them at the root.

TIP: For the longest and darkest look that is clump free and still natural on bottom lashes, comb the mascara fan brush from underneath the lashes forward and down to the tips. This gives a full look with more control and less mishaps. It also “pushes” the lashes forward for more pop and definition.

TIP: Since a lash fan brush emphasizes the length of the lash so well, some choose to use black brown mascara on lower lashes. My lashes are black, so I use black for both top and bottom lashes, but only apply eyeliner to the top lashes since the bottom is generally well-defined and have a bit of product on the lash line, sort of a tight-lining concept.

Got a tip or hack for using your Mascara Fan Brush? Contact us! We would love to hear from you and will post the best ones on StyleChicks (accredited to you of course)

How to Use a Mascara Fan Brush: What to Know

December 18, 2015 · Leave a Comment

How to Mascara Fan Brush Guide + MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush Review: An Ode to Mascara Fan Brushes and why you need one.

Why Use a Mascara Fan Brush?

A mascara fan brush seems like an unnecessary product since mascara generally comes with its own wand and lash tools exist to comb out clumps. I felt this way until I used a mascara fan brush myself.

Here is why I love a good mascara fan brush.

BACKSTORY I love dark, thick mascaras but they are difficult to apply well: I love dark blacker-than-black wet mascara but often these formulations are heavy and weigh lashes down too much to hold a good curl. They often are messy and clumpy on application and can flake.

So many mascaras I LOVE upon application are so dark, lush and lovely like:

Fairy Drops Scandal Queen
Fiberwig
Calvin Klein CK One
Hot Lashes Mascara
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Dior DiorShow
Tarte 4 Day,
Benefit BadGal

All these mascaras give lashes OOMPH. But I must apply them too heavy handedly because my mascara looks way too obvious and fake no matter how much I clean off the wand before application.

I like a thick lush lash, but somewhat natural looking. Or at least not multi-lash stuck together clumpy disasters.

So while lash tools,combs, and mascaras with special wands are quite useful, they rarely give even application of mascara, and generally cannot create the look of individual lashes, combs generally leave at least some lashes stuck together.

SOLUTION: To solve this beauty dilemma, use a Mascara Fan Brush to de-clump and apply these lovely dark, thick, wet mascaras smoothly and clump-free for wispy, fluttery, long, dark THICK lashes – even on your tiny lashes.

How to Find a Quality Mascara Fan Brush

There is a range of fan brushes on the market from a basic drugstore beauty chain store fan brush to the $65 Barney’s Claudio Riaz Lash Touch Brush. A good quality one is the MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush for $20.

Mascara Fan Brushes can individually “paint” and coat each tiny or long lash separately for AMAZING definition of your lashline. Each lash stands out with no clumping yet appears naturally dark and long and thick.

About The MAC 205 Mascara Fan brush

MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush

The MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush is frequently used by bridal makeup artists for a few reasons:

to create wispy lower lashes
to coat mascara onto to the top lashes for those lowered lid bridal photo shots
to better blend false and real lashes together with mascara application
to apply mascara to individual fake lashes without disturbing their placement
for all day, clump-free lashes that do not require touch-ups.

This brush is probably 40% smaller than competitor mascara fan brushes such as the Paula Dorf, and has tiny soft wispy guard bristles that make it easier to remove clumps and create feathery lashes.The MAC is:

Easier for those with the steady hands of a true makeup artist than a clumsy makeup fanatic like myself to use.
MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush Bristles

But a little practice went a long way and now I can always get a good application the first time, which reduces the time I spend declumping and combing excess mascara upon application (but keep q-tips at the ready). This reduces how much reapplication or clean-up of mascara I do when touching up my makeup.
Notice the longer and shorter bristle lengths in the photo to the right. When using the MAC 205, try to load the mascara onto the shorter fan bristles, not the longer guard bristles.
HOW TO DO IT: Do this by bending and holding the longer guard bristles away from the shorter bristles with your finger while only coating the short bristles with mascara. This way, you can apply the mascara with the short bristles and comb out clumps and direct the lashes with the longer bristles.

Best Use LEARNING CURVE – it takes practice

Mascara Fan Brushes take a bit to get used to, mostly how to wiggle it into your lash line without being too heavy-handed to spread the product evenly.

But once you get the technique down, it lasts for the day without touchups and goes much faster than traditional wand application and de-clumping.

In the photo seen above, this was Calvin Klein CK One Mascara, a thick black mascara that stays put but is too heavy to apply directly from the tube.

In this photo, I did a quick running-out-the-door-I-am-late, 30 seconds for both eyes, didn’t have to de-clump much (although I see one clumpy spot on my lower lashes I could have fixed) and I didn’t have to reapply at all during a 13 hour day. No real flaking during the day either or undereye cleanup.

While the Mac Mascara fan brush can do a perfect application within a few minutes, this photo is a realistic every day quick use of a THICK BLACK mascara applied with the brush with some practice.

HOW TO USE A MASCARA FAN BRUSH

Comb through your lashes with a clean lash brush spoolie or lash comb, especially if you have curly lashes or flat lying lashes. Curl lashes now if desired.
Sweep the wand of your favorite over-the-top wet, dark mascara against the tip of your mascara fan brush to deposit enough mascara for one eye. Brush away any obvious clumps. Start with less than you think you need, you can always add more.
Begin with your upper lashes and lightly touch the fan bristles horizontally to the center of the root lash line, depositing some product. Then wiggle it into the lash root and comb through in one stroke, gently pushing that color out along the length of the lashes, taking your time, lightly painting your lashes up and out. Comb through with a clean spoolie if you use too much product or have any lashes stuck together. You can also separate lashes any stuck together wiggling the brush vertically as well.
Repeat the same procedure with the lashes on the outer corner, applying in vertical strokes where necessary to catch all the lashes. Then proceed to do the same the inner corner lashes
Check your upper lashes for any clumps or stuck lashes, use a spoolie if needed or lash brush. If mascara got on the waterline unintentionally, clean up with a q-tip.
Do the other upper lashes of the other eye

BEGINNER’S Best Use Fan Brush TIP

If you do not have a steady hand, hold the fan brush bristles close to the lash base, and slowly blink your lashes over and through the bristles to paint on the product.

HOW TO USE A MASCARA FAN BRUSH ON LOWER LASHES

Assess if more product is needed on the fan brush before beginning lower lashes
Use the apply-to-root technique described above, then wiggle it into the lash root and comb through in one stroke. Comb outside lashes outward, comb middle lashes straight down, and comb the inner lashes inward for the most natural, doe-eyed look.
Clean off the fan and do a quick final comb through for any clumps from underneath the lashes.
Assess if you want another coat.
Clean your brush immediately (or at least later that day), because it will get stuck and gunky quickly.

Where to find the MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush

MAC Cosmetics Online, $20, free shipping & samples
At eBay, around $20 – $40
On Amazon, third party seller

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System What to Know

December 16, 2015 · Leave a Comment

The amazing result I had with RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System by Trophy Skin surprised me since my skin is not flaky or rough, so I didn’t expect there would be much to exfoliate or buff. But I was wrong.

The RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System is an impressive tool. It diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and leaves skin brighter – that pinkish sort of awake, peppy younger, and SO very smooth and glowing. I keep touching my face to feel how soft with each use. I knew immediately it was a good purchase.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System

My exfoliating routine was gentle, but lacking, as my skin can get lackluster: soft washcloths, at-home use of glycolic acid pads or Brazilian Peel AHA, gentle fruit acid washes, and on rare occasion, Clinique Seven Day Scrub, especially around the mouth. I moisturize well and of course, use sunscreen.

Here is an overview of the Microdermabrasion Tool and its’ different functions and a review with tips and tricks of each of the included heads and tips.

THE WAND TOOL

It is powerful for an at-home tool that comes with three heads: a diamond tip dermabrasion head, an extractor tip, and an infuser head to help serums penetrate the skin.

HOW TO USE THE WAND: The wand comes with four speed settings, one lit up dot being the gentlest suction and speed. Press the button continuously until the first green light appears.

The tricky part is keeping constant contact of the suction wand on the skin, or else you skip sections. It is a balance between not pulling on delicate areas of skin too much while still getting benefit from the product, so people with less resilient, more mature skin might want to limit where they use the wand to avoid more delicate areas.

DIAMOND TIP:

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Microdermabrasion System Diamond Wand Tip

The circular diamond tip sands and buffs the skin while suction pulls away the resulting dead skin debris that become fine powdery debris whisked away by the suction. Brown spots look lighter and smoother. Surface gunk clogging pores and dry skin slough off so skin is less clogged. Wrinkles diminish when the dark impurities are sucked off it leaves the area smoother and able to better reflect light, making a wrinkle appear less deep and less noticeable. It also gives a smoother surface to apply makeup.

That was the stuff on my face. Ew.

Want to see the gunk that comes out of a face, the face you think has been scrubbed clean? Yeah, it’s not pretty.

Yep, this is the gunk sitting on your face right now.

Like a facial, don’t do dermabrasion right before an event, as tempting as it might be once you feel how soft and glowing skin is after the treatment. But you also can get red and irritated for a bit. I do it at least one to two days before to allow myself time to moisturize and hydrate. Microdermabrasion + NuFace Trinity leaves skin SO glowing and youthful. There are four settings on the tool. Start at one and work up, it is doing more than you may realize at first. Delicate areas of skin will be red after, but not too irritated and the redness diminishes quickly once you practice technique.Try to avoid using the wand directly on active blemishes (more on that later) but blackheads and whiteheads will be much less noticeable.

I especially like how the microdermabrasion addresses eleven lines and the lines near the mouth. It is also great when directed at neck wrinkles and areas of the chest and de’colletage that get less-than-dewy looking and need a bit of attention, especially when dehydrated.

OK, I assume you have seen enough of this.

You can use it almost anywhere, including shoulders and upper back; two areas I didn’t realize were a little neglected despite using body scrubs on those areas. Moisturize after use.

Once you get the hang of it, advance to higher and more powerful settings on the tool, especially around the forehead and sides of your neck, shoulders, and chest. I also have been using it on an old shaving scrape that left a light scar on my legs, and on my hands, but it is a challenge to maintain the suction on an uneven surface.

TIP: When using the diamond tip, ALWAYS make sure one of the little black pads the size of the pencil eraser top are in the wand to prevent the tool from getting all that gunk on your face embedded into the tool. The diamond tip buffs skin so that a fine powder of debris comes off and lands on these black pads and looks like the photo seen above right.

EXTRACTOR HEAD
Don’t use the extractor attachment on the same location on the same day as the dermabrasion diamond head. The extractor pulls sebum and blackheads out of your skin. I didn’t expect much since I don’t have many blackheads, just some in the nostril curl. At first glance, the extractor doesn’t seem to have done much, and then I took a peek inside, and well, EWW.

I am a dainty skin-obsessed lady, I (judiciously) use one of those metal black head extractor tools, and I exfoliate and ALWAYS remove my makeup at night. So the fact that this much blackhead and sebum-y gunk was just sitting

These pictures are disgusting. You’ve been warned.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System Extraction Head.

Here is a slideshow of some more pictures and how to use the device, and because there are more gross pictures of things you really don’t want to think are in your skin, I added some classy music to the background.

QUESTION: CAN THE EXTRACTOR HEAD SUCTION OUT THE CONTENTS OF A PUSTULE PIMPLE?

Friendly advice: I was tempted to see if the extractor head could just pull the contents of an active, noticeable pimple that had formed a head and looked ready to be extracted with a gentle nudge from my handy metal blackhead extractor. The suction extractor tip is powerful, but not the tool for this kind of acne, because the suction held on one spot too long leaves an angry red mark on the surrounding skin leaves too much of an angry red, for lack of a better word, hickey-like mark, at least it did on me. Leave it to the Dermatologists, a trusty blemish extractor tool, apply a hot compress, or zap it with a good topical blemish cream. This is more a tool for blackheads and whiteheads and pre-emptive skin care that removes the oil and debris trapping dead skin layers, leading to a less pimple-friendly environment in the long run.

Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System Infusion Tip

THE INFUSER TIP HEAD
I am underwhelmed on the infuser head; it is just not doing it for me, which is a disappointment because I was excited about that feature. This company has made a solid quality product in the RejuvadermMD, so I would be excited to try their Labelle Ultrasonic Skin Spatula for product infusion.

VERDICT

This is a good tool especially for clogged or flaking skin, skin with brown spots and fine wrinkles, blackheads, and skin that could be smoother. Be careful around delicate areas, but it is very useful on skin on the neck and shoulders that should be treated like facial skin but often is subject to body skin exfoliating measures. Even if you don’t feel much need to exfoliate, this tool leaves skin with a fresh, youthful glow.

Where to Buy It

Find the Trophy Skin RejuvadermMD Handheld Microdermabrasion System at Bergdorf Goodman or at Amazon for $199.