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Hair

The Sedu Revolution Styling Iron Giveaway!

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UPDATE: The contest is closed. Congrats to Indian Girl, who won the Sedu Revolution Styling Iron!

Girl, my hair has been working my last nerve! It’s getting long, feeling heavy and always up in my mix, gahhh! I’ve been thinking about getting a haircut but haven’t been able to choose a new style.

But you know how it is when you know you want a change but can’t make a decision. Sometimes, after enough time spent waffling, you just snap! I don’t want that to happen, so in an effort to prevent my own personal bald Britney moment (seriously, I’m two seconds away from chopping it all off!) I’ve been flat ironing with the new Sedu Revolution Professional Nano Tourmaline Ionic Styler ($139), a one-inch plate flat iron that even does curls and waves.

Who’s that girl? Is that Marcia Brady, LOL!

The Revolution works fast, heating up to 450 degrees F in about a minute. Yes, that’s seriously *HOT*, but Sedu says the Revolution causes less heat damage than most flat irons thanks to so-called infrared ceramic heating elements in the plates. Set at 390 degrees, the recommended temperature for normal hair, I’ve gotten good results and haven’t seen any signs of damage to my hair, but as with all heating flat irons, please be careful.

At that temp it takes me two slow passes with the iron to straighten one batch of hair — not only straighten, but also shine. I can’t believe how shiny this thing makes my hair, KABAM!

Because the Revolution’s plates are curved, you can also use it to curl and make waves. Since my hair’s naturally wavy, I probably won’t use it to curl very often, but you never know. And the company was good enough to bundle the iron with a Styling Guide DVD, showing how to use it for different looks. 🙂

Something else I like about the Revolution… It’s travel friendly. It weighs less than it looks like it should and even comes with a heat-resistant storage pouch perfect for carry-on bags!

The Sedu Revolution Professional Nano Tourmaline Ionic Styler

Price: $139
Use: A flat iron to straighten hair; doubles for curls and waves
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

The Sedu Revolution Styling Iron Giveaway!

Straighten up this winter with the $139 Sedu Revolution. Enter by signing up to receive my updates by email or by leaving a comment on this post (or both!). If you’re already signed up for the updates, you don’t have to do anything else to be entered to win — you’re already entered — but you can double your odds by also leaving a comment on this post (a comment about anything at all).

The Prize

The winner receives the…

  • Sedu Revolution Nano Tourmaline 1″ Styling Iron
  • Sedu Styling Guide DVD
  • Heat Proof Appliance Storage Pouch
  • Owner’s Manual

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter the giveaway, and you can do both of them to double your chances to win.

  1. If you haven’t already signed up to receive Makeup and Beauty Blog daily email updates, then enter your email in the pink box below (or click this link).
  2. If you have already subscribed to the email updates but want to double your chances of winning, add a brief comment at the bottom of this post (be sure to use a valid email address).

Enter your email address:

I’ll choose the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11 PM PST on Sunday, December 7. GOOD LUCK!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reese Witherspoon: Her Best Cut?

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Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon sure keeps her stylists on their toes, doesn’t she? Here are some of the cuts she’s worn over the past few years. No. 5 (in the middle) is from Four Christmases, the movie she’s in with Vince Vaughn.

Which of Reese’s cuts do you like best?

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Popular Winter Hairstyles

Bangs: To brighten a winter pallor, try sideswept or full bangs. It’ll frame the face and draw attention to your eyes.
Bobs: Need a quick, low-maintenance cut this winter? Consider a short bob with heavily tapered tips for a edgy look, or a deliberately messy bob for a sexy look.
Long Hair: Long hair looks great over bulky winter outfits and under hats. Consider hair extensions if you’re already sporting shorter hair.
Shags: Another classic short hairstyle, the shag can vary in length, layers and texture. Try adding lowlights for depth and dimension.
Volume: To balance layers of bulky winter wear, add volume to hair with root boost sprays and volumizing shampoos.
Razors: The messy texture of razor hair cuts gives an edgy look to holiday styles.

I’m thinking about changing my cut to either a shag or a bob for winter…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves: $3.99 Help for Wavy Hair

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In five short years the Garnier Fructis hair care brand from L’Oreal has become a giant in the $5 billion US shampoo, conditioning and styling category, ranking as the number two brand overall. Next month, the company launches seven new products and, according to Garnier Assistant Vice President Mario Aragon, becomes the first mass range (read: $budget$) to target wavy hair.

The new Wonder Waves shampoo and conditioner are supposed to strengthen and promote wave retention throughout the day. The styling products — a mousse and a spray — will provide lightweight control and definition. Priced at $3.99 SRP each (daaAAaamn!), the shampoo and conditioner weigh in at 13 oz., while the mousse will come in a 6.8 oz. can. Expect the hair spray in an 8.5 oz. pump.

I can’t wait to give these a try, even though I don’t expect them to set the world on fire. I’m just glad to see they’re priced accordingly and take the economy into consideration.

And in January Garnier releases some new volumizing products. The company says the new Fructis Body Boost Fortifying Shampoo and Body Boost Fortifying Conditioner will pack lightweight formulations to add volume with a relaxed effect. Like the new Wonder Waves products, they’ll be priced at $3.99 SRP each (big 13 oz. bottles), and a companion product, Fructis Style Full Control Mousse, will complement the volumizing shampoo and conditioner with lightweight control formulated for all hair types. It, too, will cost just $3.99 (for 6.8 oz.).

I like what Garnier is doing as far as their pricing model… It’s easy to remember. Rather than fluctuating the prices of their different products, they alter the quantity while maintaining the same $3.99 price point, so the most costly products still cost $3.99 but come in a smaller container.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Redken Real Control Overnight Hair Conditioner: Sleep Well

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If your permed, damaged or color-treated hair hates hard work and refuses to behave, mark your calendar for next month’s release of Real Control Overnight Treat ($20), a new nighttime conditioning hair treatment from Redken.

Redken wants to help you to be as efficient as a Swiss watch, so they made Real Control work while you sleep, absorbing fast (limiting the amount of product that transfers to pillows and sheets) to condition and repair dry, chemically treated hair. Since I’m a fiend for multi-tasking, I had to give it a try. If I can get my beauty sleep on and condition my dry crow’s nest o’ hair while dreams of C. Bale flutter through my head, I am *so there.*

Why Overnight?

Overnight Treat contains Shea butter to smooth and control frizz along with proteins and ceramides to moisturize and repair. Redken claims that leaving it in while you sleep gives the product time to work and amplifies its conditioning powers by cutting down on exposure to environmental pollutants.

How to Use It

I’ve been a regular user of leave-in conditioners for years and often use them before bed, but this was the first of the products I’ve used that was specifically billed as an overnight treatment.

The bottle states that it should be applied to damp or dry hair before settling down to sleep and may be left in or rinsed out the following morning.

Texture and Scent

I’ve been applying it right after showers. In my hand, the product feels more like Lubriderm lotion than leave-in conditioner.

An amount the size of a silver dollar thoroughly coats my long-ish (past my shoulders), thick hair. The company claims it absorbs quickly, and I have to agree with them there. I only had to spend a minute or two to massage it into my hair.

Despite how thick the product feels in the palm of my hand, it doesn’t feel heavy once it has been worked into my hair, and I like the fragrance, too — like a light version of Bath and Body Works’ Sweet Pea lotion.

Visible Results

In the mornings after using Real Control my hair feels softer, looks smoother and seems more alive than the day before, and my hair does not look weighed down at all. Untreated, my hair tends to look and feel dry and rough, not smooth at all, and I tend to get split ends, but using Overnight Treat for a little more than a week has improved the condition of my hair in each of those areas.

Long Hair? Make a Bottle Last Three Months

To get as much bang for my buck from the product, I’ve been using it just once or twice a week, even though Redken says it’s safe to use every night. A couple treatments per week still keeps my hair soft without burning through the small 3.4 oz bottle too quickly. If your hair is shorter than mine, you can make your bottle last even longer.

Redken Real Control Overnight Treat

Price: $20
Use: Overnight conditioning and repair for dry, chemically treated hair
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

These Boots Were Made For Walking

My late night BOOT LUST has kicked in to coincide with the end of summer, and I found these brown cuties by Gabriella Rocha on Zappos last night!

Yeah, they’re a bit Robin Hood, but I like the round toe and criss cross design. I didn’t get them, but I was hella tempted.

Whatcha wearing on your feet today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Taming Waves with Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious

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Let me take this moment to apologize to winged creatures everywhere, because since I started using the latest additions to Bumble & Bumble’s Curl Conscious line of shampoos, conditioners and styling treatments, the bird’s nest on my head has been closed for renovations.

The Curl Conscious line has been around for years, but Bumble & Bumble gave it a face lift, adding a few new products and changing the packaging while maintaining the overall focus on products for curly and wavy hair.

Three New Curl Conscious Products

  • Nourishing Masque ($25 for a 5-fl oz. tube), a conditioning treatment usable as a hydrating mask or a regular conditioner (the way I preferred), moisturizes the heck out of my hair. With a lovely orange scent, it softens hair without weighing it down. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

  • Holding Foam ($27 for 3.5 oz. bottle), a gel-to-foam styling product, delivers exceptional hold and structure for wavy hair, while keeping it touchably soft. I use it on damp hair after conditioning and then air dry. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

  • Reactivating Mist ($22 8.5-fl oz. for a spray bottle), a spray for either wet or dry hair, re-activates styling product and revives limp curls. I spritz it from roots to ends after applying the Holding Foam. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

If you’re curious about the changes to the Curl Conscious line, surf over to the Curl Conscious section of Bumble & Bumble’s website. It features how-to videos as well as a snazzy “recipe card” with product recommendations for different hairstyles.

How’s your hair doin’ these days? Is it misbehaving or being nice?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Do You Think of Victoria Beckham’s New Short Hair?

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Lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to cut my hair. I like it long, but I’m itching for a change, maybe something drastic. The only thing holding me back — and I recognize how silly it sounds — is that I’ll probably want all the fur I can get to keep warm in the winter, LOL.

And I’m not the only woman hearing the siren call of the scissors. On Monday at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 show at NY Fashion Week, the posh Mrs. Victoria Beckam revealed a new ‘do. It’s very Halle Berry-esque, yah?

I think V. Becks has the right ‘tude to pull it off and looks great. I don’t know if I’d ever have the guts to go this short, but ya never know.

How are you wearing your hair these days? Are you happy with it, or are you feeling the urge to get a new cut?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unruly Mullet? Try Blue Q’s Mullet Line of Beauty Products

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I have never in my life wanted a mullet as badly as I did yesterday afternoon.

El Hub and I had a few minutes to kill before the start of a movie we went to see, Tell No One (two words — SEE IT!), so I cruised into a beauty store across the street from the theater.

The store’s inventory looked pretty standard at first, but then I spotted these:

  1. Sparkling Mullet Body Wash/Car Wash, $12, (“Strong enough to clean the car, yet gentle on the nards”)
  2. Vibrant Mullet Shampoo, $8 (“For a healthy, shiny mullet… new muscle car scent!”)

LOLOLZ!

They’re part of the … uh … Mullet line by Blue Q.

While I’d wager that one would not technically require a mullet to be able to use these “beauty” products, I imagine they would be *that* much cooler if one did. 🙂

Can’t get enough mullet? Earn your B.S. in mullet-ology at Mullets Galore, a site dedicated to the art of mullet classification in both urban and country settings. You’ll find plenty of mullet pictures to inspire your next trip to the salon.

Mullet line distributor Blue Q sells a wide range of bizarre bath and body products (along with magnets, car air fresheners and t-shirts) with fun, cheeky names and packaging.

They distribute several brands, including Miso Pretty, Dirty Girl and Cat Butts (Tabs’ favorite).

I’d like to try the Cute as Hell line. Check out the artwork on the packaging. It’s very Nightmare Before Christmas.


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Suave Professionals Vibrant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner: A Winning $7 Drugstore Combo

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I’ve been getting lucky, ladies! I’ve been finding some great drugstore shampoos and conditioners lately, like Suave Professionals Vibrant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner ($7 for the pair), a drugstore knock-off of a popular salon product, Sebastian Laminates Shampoo and Conditioner. I used Sebastian products back in the mid-90s and loved them but not the $20 price tag per bottle.

One thing I like about Suave Pro Vibrant Shine is the fragrance. A thick head of hair weighted down with a heavy scent can feel downright oppressive. If you don’t like overwhelming scents in your hair, then give this a try. Both the shampoo and conditioner have a very light, vaguely fruity scent that smells clean and not synthetic or plastic-y at all.

The shampoo lathers into a rich, sudsy foam that takes some work to rinse out, but I like products that force me to make sure I’m rinsing thoroughly. Same goes for the conditioner, which also takes some time to rinse out. Just as a comparison, it’s a bit thicker than Aussie’s Opposites Attract Conditioner, so if you have difficult hair that needs to be weighed down, Suave Pro Vibrant Shine Conditioner might be a good option.
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