February 3, 2017

IGK's cleansing oil for hair, celebrating Australia Day, jumping on the DIY dermaplaning bandwagon, Charlotte Tilbury's 5-minute makeup looks, and the Kérastase brush that analyzes your hair's health.

A cleansing oil for your hair

The idea of washing my face with an oil scared me for quite a long time (because of my propensity for pimples and all) but once I tried it, it’s become a staple in my evening skincare routine. That was a gateway drug of sorts, because now I use a facial oil in place of moisturizer at night as well—and my skin has never looked better.

So when I came across IGK’s Smoke & Mirrors Conditioning Cleansing Oil for hair, I was intrigued. (I made the jump to cleansing conditioner a while back, so an oil doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch). Formulated with coconut and sweet almond oils that help nourish, strengthen and boost shine as they melt away product buildup, excess oil and make your hair smell delicious, it’s ideal for just about anyone—and especially those with color-treated hair, damaged hair, dry scalp or curls that have a mind of their own. Oh, and it takes the place of both shampoo and conditioner, so you get to skip a step when you're running late in the morning.

I haven’t had a chance to try it just yet—but I would definitely give it a whirl. If any of you beauties have, do tell!

A great way to celebrate Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day to all of our friends down under—even though as I look at the clock I realize it’s already tomorrow on that side of the world. (Better late than never, right?) In this hemisphere I’m celebrating the  1778 arrival of the first fleet of British ships with some of my favorite Aussie beauty brands, including Aesop, Auspect, ModelCo and Jurlique.

But one Australian brand is making the holiday a heck of a lot more exciting for us… Lano (maker of one of the best lip balms ever) has teamed up with Shen Beauty for an amazing giveaway. For a limited time, you’ll get a free Tinted Balm of your choice (an $18 value that works overtime as a cheek color, eye gloss and highlighter) when you purchase Lano’s 101 Ointment, a 100% natural miraculous multitasker that can be used to hydrate and protect skin from head to toe. Jagged cuticles, cracked heels, chapped skin, you name it. (We hear more than a few celebs use it inside their noses to prevent getting sick while flying commercial.)

So hop to it, Sheilas… You don’t want to miss your chance to get a piece of the Australian beauty action!

Have you started dermaplaning yet?

As with many types of trends, revolutionary beauty treatments and ingredients are often met with significant backlash before they become part of the mainstream. Take Botox for example… 15 years ago, injecting botulinum toxin into your face was almost unthinkable—and now going without it is just crazy talk.

A more recent example would be dermaplaning, which was immediately represented as shaving your face when it came onto the scene. Yes, this exfoliation technique does involve a razor blade that removes facial hair—but it also removes the uppermost layers of skin, in turn improving the skin’s look and feel and helping your skincare products penetrate better. As with many other beauty treatments, dermaplaning originated as an office-based treatment performed by a trained professional, but now there are a bevy of ways to reap the benefits at home.

I first tried DIY dermaplaning with a vibrating device, but I’ll admit it took me about three or four tries to realize that I wasn’t devoting enough time to the process. Now I’ll spend upwards of a half-hour, sitting on my vanity in front of the mirror in broad daylight to ensure I get every square inch of my face. I also learned that your choice of tool does make a difference, and I’m here to tell you NOT to waste your money on the Tinkle even though they’re less than $1 each on Amazon (sometimes you DO get what you pay for).

If you’re thinking about trying dermaplaning for yourself (or you’re already a fan) do it the right way with Stacked Skincare’s Dermaplaning Tool. This professional-grade, non-vibrating tool (we’re not calling it a razor) safely removes dead skin cells and peach fuzz and delivers results you can see and feel instantly. Obviously this isn’t something you want to do on a daily or even weekly basis, but 10 minutes or so twice a month should keep your skin smooth, soft and luminous.

Still not sure if DIY dermaplaning is right for you? Watch this video to see how easy—and effective—it is!

Short on time? These makeup kits get you pretty and polished in 5 minutes flat…

As much as I wish I had more time to spend on my makeup each morning (because it’s so fun!), getting my son to school on time generally means I use one complexion product like a BB or CC cream, concealer, a chubby eyeshadow pencil, mascara and a creamy cheek color that I can apply with my fingers. The result is usually good enough for sitting in my office and running errands, but I know I could do better if I had a bit more time.

This leads me to yet another reason I’m basically obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury (the actual person and the makeup)… Her new Quick ‘N’ Easy 5 Minute Makeup Looks make it seem like you spent far more time putting on “your face” than you did, and who doesn’t want that? (P.S. Each comes complete in its own little cosmetic case.)

I received the Daytime Chic Look (which would have been my first pick if I were to purchase it—and believe me, I almost did). Depending on the state of my skin I’ll either use the Mini Wonder Glow on its own, or dab a little on my cheekbones and forehead over my BB or CC cream. Then, I lightly line my lids with the Classic Eye Liner in “Audrey” (which happens to be one of the first CT products I bought in London before it was available here) and swipe on the Legendary Lashes mascara. Lastly, I use the Beach Stick in “Formentera” on my cheeks and lips—and I’m out the door. (BTW, that's not me in the photo above.)

My second pick would be the Natural Glowing Look, and I’ve actually been able to recreate it since I have all the essentials, either from CT or another brand. This one comes with a Mini Wonder Glow, Colour Chameleon eyeshadow pencil in “Amber Haze” (I have this, it’s amazing), Legendary Lashes, Beach Stick in “Moon Beach” and the Matte Revolution Lipstick in “Very Victoria.”

For night, I try to set aside as much time as possible for my makeup “ritual,” but sometimes I find myself rushing to get out the door (usually thanks to my 8-year-old son). Sound familiar? Fortunately there are two 5 Minute Makeup Looks for evening. The Red Carpet Party Look feaures a Mini Wonder Glow, Rock ‘N’ Kohl eyeliner in “Barbarella Brown,” Lip Cheat Lip Liner in “Kiss ‘N’ Tell and Matte Revolution Lipstick in “Red Carpet Red.”

If you prefer more edge than glam, the Smokey Eye Evening Look has you covered with the Color Chameleon eyeshadow pencil in “Black Diamonds,” Rock ‘N’ Kohl eyeliner in “Bedroom Black,” Legendary Lashes and K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in “Penelope Pink.”

Best of all, Charlotte has created video tutorials for each of these looks, so you can see how truly easy they are—and decide which one (or two) to get!

This hairbrush is smarter than you

Our smartphones keep getting smarter and smarter, and they’re also starting to infiltrate areas of our lives that we never imagined. Case in point: I had to buy a new washing machine yesterday, and wouldn’t you know that I can download an app that can tell the machine to start or alert me when the load is done. Beauty apps are nothing new, but we’re definitely going to start seeing apps that are linked to specific tools. And the winner of this year’s International CES Innovation Award is the Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings.

Officially the world’s first smartbrush, this tool has multiple sensors, including a microphone that analyzes manageability, frizziness, dryness, split ands and breakage based on the sound produced when you brush your hair. The brush also measures the force of your brushing so it can tell you if you need to be more gentle, and it counts the number of strokes per session. Other data that’s beamed to the mobile app includes whether you’re using it on wet or dry hair (the brush itself is splash-proof). All of this information is compiled along with weather conditions like humidity, temperatures, UV levels and wind to give you a hair quality score, insight into the effectiveness of your brushing, tips for having a better hair day tomorrow and, of course, Kérastase product recommendations.

Believe it or not, this brush will retail for less than $200 when it becomes available later this year—which is less than some Mason Pearson styles. See it in action here!