I Do Declare

As the Declaration of Independence goes, all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of thick, shiny hair.

What? Just go with it!

These indisputable dreams are increasingly close at hand with Focus Hair Care's Rejuvenating Shampoo. This spicy, eucalyptus-y scented potion is enriched with biotin, Argan oil,  Hemp seed oil and Ginseng root to improve scalp condition and promote thicker, fuller hair. It's aim is to build body and volume in fine, thinning tresses, and to encourage growth and activate dormant hair follicles. Plus, it's paraben free, sulfate free, gluten free and cruelty free/not tested on animals.

The most interesting aspect to Rejuvenating Shampoo, besides it's unique spicy perfume, is that once you work it into a lather, you let it sit for 2-3 minutes before rinsing. It feels mildly tingly and sort of like the foamy lather is expanding and thickening while you wait. Very cool. My thin locks definitely look and feel more substantial with every use. 

 Looking to stand up to your own unruly tresses? Here are some more tips from Focus Hair Care to get you on your own revolutionary track:

-Eat protein rich foods like barley, maize and brown rice and always drink plenty of water.

-Keep energy levels high while encouraging the production of new hair cells by eating every 3-4 hours.

-Massage your scalp for a few minutes each day to increase circulation and keep hair follicles stimulated. 

-Shower in tepid water instead of hot to save your hair from becoming brittle and susceptible to breakage. 

-Stress is one of the biggest causes of hair loss. Identify your triggers and learn to manage your stress.

-Aim to wash hair every other day and supplement with a dry shampoo. Over washing causes hair to lose its natural oils.


Focus Rejuvenating Shampoo and Conditioner can be found purchased on the Focus Hair Care website. 

Your Best Beautiful

Every day, a woman looks at herself in the mirror at least 10 times. And how many of those times do you feel your best beautiful?

Olay wants to make it 10 out of 10— and beyond. Their new 2014 YOUR BEST BEAUTIFUL campaign is designed to empower women to put their best face forward and embrace the best possible version of themselves each day. It goes beyond the surface and encourages us all to dive in and explore our needs, desires and goals to feel stronger, more confident and more powerful than ever before.

So when do you feel your best beautiful? What improvements are you making in your life in 2014 to truly feel your best beautiful every day? Share with us and Olay in the comments below and on all the social networks with #BestBeautiful

Nail Down 2014's Easiest Beauty Look

What's that I hear? Ah, it's the death knell of nail art!

Goodbye tiny bowties! See ya later zig zags!

And for anyone without wizard hands and three hours to dedicate to painting your digits, the latest nail trend is a welcome reprieve.

A matte nail looks velvety, fresh and just plain cool. Plus, it's a freakin' snap to achieve. Just buy a matte top coat to create a matte nail with the endless colors you already have. There are many great, affordable options out there including Orly Matte Top and Essie Matte About You.

I received the latter for Christmas (shout out to Beth & Kyle! Woot!) and went to town with a vibrant purplely blue cheapie I've had forever. I applied a clear base coat followed by two coats of color and allowed those to dry. Then I added one topper of Matte About You (use two if you can see shine coming through). The results? Flat, matte and definitely different. Dig it!

The tools

In progress- two coats of color. Notice how shiny the polish normally is.

The three nails on the right have been matte-d.

Ta-dah! All done!

Essie Matte About You retails for $10, and is available at ULTA Beauty and other selected beauty and retail stores nationwide.

Total Blackout

Outside all I see is white white snow. But inside, I'm enjoying a sooty blackout thanks to NYX Kohl Kajal Black Eyeliner.

What? You don't practice new beauty looks and products when you have a sorta-snow-day? Then you're missing out! Especially with this awesomely inky and amazingly inexpensive pencil that goes on smooth and lasts all day and night. It has the best quality pigment I've ever used with a hoarder-friendly price tag of $6.

Kohl Kajal offers a matte black finish, but NYX's other Noir Collection options include glossy, satin finish, liquid and more. Plus, the wallet-friendly product offerings extend to lips, nails, tools, body, face and even accessories.

Los Angeles based NYX Cosmetics was named in honor of the ancient Greek goddess who ruled the night... and their pitch-black eyeliners also surely do her proud.

NYX products can be purchased through their website, www.nyxcosmetics.com. Check out their Store Locator page to also search for a retailer near you.

New Year, New Skin

Happy 2014 dear readers! 

The end of 2013 got away from us, but we promise you, this year our resolution is to step it up and bring you more beauty coverage and product reviews than ever before.
And what better way to start off, than with some fab skin care lines, that are sure to get you glowing and even more gorgeous than you already are!

L'BRI PURE n' NATURAL
Bet you've never heard of this company, even though they're the nation's leading provider of aloe-based skin care, beauty and nutritional products. After a 1985 work incident left co-founder Brian Kaminski with severe burns from his waist down, wife and co-founder Linda Kaminski turned to natural aloe to help soothe his pain and ease the healing process after doctor prescribed bandages and ointments did not seem to work. Years later, "remembering their experience with aloe vera, Linda and Brian decided to start their own skin care company with formulas based" on the natural plant. Their further rationale, as Brian explained, "Most skin care products begin with water as the basic ingredient." Using aloe as the main ingredient would promote healing and help people enjoy younger, healthier skin.

 Facial Masque: This great smelling "non-surgical face lift" comes out like a liquid, but then gets tacky as it dries on skin. After ten minutes you rinse it off, pat skin dry and behold! Amazingly softer, brighter skin! With extended use, it will reduce the appearance of large pores, fine lines and wrinkles.
A keeper for sure!

Rejuventating Facial Peel: Whoa, you guys, this product is awesomely ridic! Firstly, it has a sort of orange jell-o scent, consistency and look... nothing like I've ever seen or tried before. It's nice and cooling to apply too, yay. Secondly, after you allow it to dry for 20-30 seconds after applying, you go back over your skin with fingers and rub gently in a circular motion until you see "small beads of skin form." Yes- YOUR SKIN IS LITERALLY PEELING OFF. It's the actual dead skin cells being lifted away. Freaky- in the best sort of skin-enhancing way! Truly, this is one of the neatest products I've ever used, especially because you see and feel it working.

Learn more about L'BRI PURE n' NATURAL and the entire product range at www.lbri.com.
Products are sold through L'BRI consultants. Call 800-742-8828 or email support@lbri.com for a consultant near you.


SKIN BEAUTIFUL DERMACEUTICALS
Beautiful mind. Beautiful skin. That's the Skin Beautiful Dermaceutical mantra, and their ground-breaking philosophy, practice and skincare line harnesses the science of empowering positive mental thoughts and actions with clinically proven anti-aging products. In other words, they believe true beauty is a holistic concept and even go so far as to include a unique affirmation, or Affirmacize, inside all packaging. You are then supposed to adhere the Affirmacize to your bathroom mirror and repeat it to yourself as you use the products daily. A bit new-agey and nutty? Yes. But hey, I'm always down to get my "om" on!

Skin Rescue Oxygen Treatment: Features superfruits and oxygen to help repair skin at the deepest level. This clear gel has a soothing scent and sinks right in to skin.

Time Reversal Eye Cream: Combines Marine Filling Spheres™with anti-aging peptides and antioxidents to quickly restore skin's ability to remodel and repair itself. I found this to be a sweeter smelling cream that gives a great moisture boost to the eye area.

Dermal Nutrition Antioxidant (DNA) Repair Cream: This thick cream smells like heaven and leaves skin feeling super soft and looking supple. It features a "powerful blend of high-tech peptides and superfruit antioxidants to literally stop aging in its tracks by communicating with skin at the DNA level."

All Skin Beautiful Dermaceuticals products can be found at www.skin-beautiful.com

I really loved using all of these products and felt that each was a productive and proactive step in my skincare routine, especially as I venture into this new, wonderful year. Bring it on 2014!

Last Minute Stocking Stuffer Alert!

Still need a few little items for those style-savvy ladies in your life? Do them a solid and grab a few Mixed Chicks Dent & Tangle-free Spring Bands to throw in their stocking.

These telephone cord looking bands are perfect for all types of hair, and leave hair kink and tangle free. They're available in light yellow, clear light pink, clear aqua blue, clear amber and clear black.

As a gal with frustratingly fine tresses, these little wonders still did a fantastic job of keeping my hair back for the entire day. I especially loved how the shape of the bands really allowed for a great messy bun or topknot.

I also passed a few along to a pal with completely a completely different hair type than mine and every time I've seen her in a pony tail since, she's been rocking the Mixed Chicks!

Another great stocking stuffer option from this awesome brand is their namesake shampoo, deep conditioner and leave-in conditioner. They gently clean and condition straight, wavy or curly hair and smell like a dream.

I enjoyed a nice little sampler trio!

Mixed Chicks is an all-around amazing company dedicated to women of all ethnicities and backgrounds. They celebrate the fact that "we not only come from everywhere, but we are going everywhere."

And on those adventures, it's always nice to have an extra dependable hair band or two!

Mixed Chicks Dent & Tangle-free Spring Bands $3.

Mixed Chicks Shampoo, Deep Conditioner and Leave-In Conditioner can also be found on their website.

Holiday Party Prep 101

Yule-time soirees offer the perfect opportunity to glam it up and experiment with new fun make up looks. And AVON is, as always, a fantastic resource for quality, affordable products that pack a mean beauty punch.

True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Metal Eyes: I love eyeshadow kits that tell you where to apply the color- a simple aspect that really helps yield stellar results. The mix of silvers and golds in this kit is also great for creating your own look. I am super into the sparkly white Snowglobe highlighter and the perfect moody pewter, Night Star.

True Color Eyeshadow Single in Bronze Luster: Bronze is so rich on the eyes and a unique take on the more traditionally festive silver and golds. It's also a great choice to make your green or blue eyes really pop.

Ultra Color Lip Crayon in Reddy for Me: Although I'm not a lipstick/lip color person, this chubby crayon option was a breeze to put on, left a nice pop of gold-flecked color, and lasted quite a while.

SuperShock Gel Eye Liner Pencil in BlackOut: Ever since Sephora SO rudely messed with their eye liner formula and thusly ruined my LIFE, I have been on the hunt for a new, intense, long lasting, black eye liner. And this stuff is the JAM. I love everything about it—it goes on smooth, the color is awesomely inky and it lasts even when applied to the inner waterline. Oh, but you know what I don't love? The fact that I carried it with me so often that I lost it! Arghdsdfjvldfjsdv!

AVON products can be found through your local representative or online at avon.com