Archive for the category ‘Beauty’

Have Parasol, Will Travel

By sarah

I was in India a few weeks ago, and since I knew it was going to be an average of 104 while I was there, I had a parasol on my “must-pack” list. I’m also such a whitey that twenty minutes in the sun at the wrong time of day can mean a sunburn so I needed something with built-in UV protection.

The gorgeous parasols at Carasol definitely would have fit the bill but were more than I wanted to spend, especially the folding models. With a little digging however, I found a fabulous alternative from Paradise Umbrella, an umbrella manufacturer from China that features a whole line of cute UV-blocking parasols. They fold-up to a very compact size (small enough to put in your purse!) and prices start at a very affordable $15. Be warned though–most of the parasols are not intended for use in the rain (something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a monsoon season combo).

I ordered one for less than $20 and it worked like a dream. It was small enough to fit in my purse and cheap enough that I could have given it away if one of my relatives freaked out about its awesomeness (which, of course, would have culturally required me to give it to them on the spot). It takes a bit of wrangling to get it properly folded, but if you’re on the go you can just collapse it and shove it in your purse.

Bottom line–I was very happy to have this little item on my trip. After all, my mother-in-law probably wouldn’t have let me out of the car without it.

Yo Doctor, what the heck does a parasol have to do with beauty and health?

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This entry was posted on June 10th, 2010 under Beauty, Lifestyle.

I heart Lemon-Aid.

By sarah

In case you haven’t gotten the message yet, I like to keep my morning routine quick. I love me some girly primping, but with an invention in the works, two todders and a husband, there is no way I’m spending more than ten minutes getting ready (and yes, that includes hair). So obviously, it’s a big effing deal when I tell you that Benefit’s Lemon-Aid may have permanently weaseled its way into my makeup bag.

Benefit calls Lemon-Aid a “miracle-working soft-yellow correcting cream that instantly hides redness and discoloraiton on your eyelids.”  Though I’d seen this product in action before (my gorgeous college roommate loved the stuff) I was never totally convinced that I needed an eyelid primer… especially one that costs $20. Also, I was always a little freaked out that it’s so yellow. But as anyone who ever took an art class knows, mixing opposite colors on a color wheel neutralizes the effect–so basically, smearing yellow-orange goo on your reddish-blue eyelids make them look, well, neutral. You just dab it on and it doesn’t look like yellow, it looks like awesome.

Ever since it arrived I’ve been happily patting it on the bottom portion of my upper eyelids as part of my morning routine. I’ve found that it really doesn’t look yellow unless you put too much on (though I probably looked in the mirror fifty times the first day I wore it, just to make sure). In general, it seems like most people seem to love this stuff as much as I do, but a few users complain that it will crease if you apply it to the whole lid and that the results aren’t as great on darker skin.

Personally, I think it’s worth the extra thirty-four seconds.

Pictured top to bottom: no make-up, with Lemon-Aid and with Lemon-Aid and mascara



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This entry was posted on May 26th, 2010 under Beauty.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo

By sarah

Ever since I’ve started wearing my hair longer, I’ve been interested in trying a good dry shampoo. These days I usually only wash my hair 2-3 times a weeks, and though I often wash my bangs in the sink in the morning (glamorous, I know) there are some days when I’m definitely pushing it. So naturally I wondered if a dry shampoo could be a useful item to have around on those days when I really should wash my hair, but just wouldn’t couldn’t.

After shopping around, I decided to go with the Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo because it had good reviews on Sephora.com and it only cost $11. The Klorane shampoos also looked promising, but several reviewers complained about how quickly their product ran out. I also wanted a non-aerosol product so I could have better control over application.

Now, mind you, eleven dollars ain’t going to buy you a whole lot of anything at Sephora–in this case, just an ounce of powder. It’s really more of a “trial size” at this price, but for someone like me who wasn’t planning on using the product very often, it was a perfect entree to the world of dry shampoo. And it’s a great size for traveling too–I’m heading to India next week and can’t wait to include it in my in-flight “freshen up” kit.

So anyway, I waited for a week or so until the perfect “dry shampoo day” came along: disturbingly greasy hair and no time to wash. I wrestled the cap off (seriously, you need scissors) and started dusting. The instructions said to separate sections of hair with the pointed cap and squeeze the bottle gently, powdering your hair with the oat, rice and tapioca flour combo designed to absorb excess oil created by your sebaceous glands. I did as instructed, focusing on the more oily areas of hair toward the front of my head, then brushed the powder through, pulled it into a pony, and voila! Trickery complete.

After I powdered up my hair felt soft and fluffy, kinda like a kitten. Not a trace of powdery residue. And one of the Oscar Blandi ingredients is lemon verbena, so there’s a lovely citrus-y smell when you are done. It didn’t seem to totally replace a hair wash, but it was a good quick-fix; overall, I thought the effect was great. It turned me from a bad-hair-day mama into a Marie Antoinette… and for eleven dollars, I’ll keep that in my beauty first-aid kit.

We’ll see how it does next week in the 110 degree Indian heat.

Eleven dollars?! Eff that. I bet I can just make my own.

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This entry was posted on May 6th, 2010 under Beauty.

The rumors are true: Omaha has a fashion week.

By sarah

Yes, it’s true! Omaha has it all: music, steak, an indoor rainforest….and now, our very own fashion week! Last night I was lucky enough to participate in a special VIP Exclusive Season Preview event, a runway show featuring the ten local designers who will be showing collections at Omaha Fashion Week 2010 in September. All proceeds from the evening went to the Omaha Women’s Fund, a local organization whose work improves the lives of women and girls in the Omaha metro area by financially supporting initiatives established by other groups (among them the kick-ass Domestic Violence Coordinating Council).

There is actually some quite awesome fashion and modeling talent in Omaha; two names to watch include 16-year-old designer Kate Walz and the eminently talented Princess Lasertron (a.k.a. Megan Hunt). Silicon Prairie News also just posted a great interview with event director Rachel Richards if you are interested in learning more about the Omaha fashion scene.

In the meantime, here’s a little taste of yesterday’s prettiness for you to enjoy!

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This entry was posted on April 1st, 2010 under Beauty, Lifestyle.

Anti-Aging… Antebellum-Style

By sarah

Plastic surgery, Retin-A, Resveratrol, Botox… Better Than Botox… seriously, with all the anti-aging approaches out there, how does a person even know where to start (or stop?). Well, my dear readers, let me tell you one of the cheapest and simplest ways of keeping your skin young and healthy: stay out of the sun.

Yes, it’s true that some sun is good for you, vital in fact for healthy living (get that Vitamin D!), but you really only need 10-15 minutes of direct sun a few days a week. And, in fact, sun damage causes wrinkles and liver spots, as well as more dangerous lesions like actinic keratosis and melanoma. Basically, when you fry those little skin cells in the sun too long, UV light and radiation causes cellular swelling and damage and can create DNA mutations that may lead to cancer.

Bottom line? Get out of that tanning booth, and get under a parasol.

I’ve actually been carrying around a parasol for close to twenty years, and though it takes a certain amount of moxie I think it’s a cheap, easy and cute way to protect yourself from too much sun–especially if you’re going to be out all day. Of course, the darker the parasol, the more sun protection you will get, but even the protection provided by a lighter color or paper parasol will be beneficial. It also keeps you cooler than many hats and doesn’t mess up your hair. What’s not to love?

I used to have to trek out to Chinatown to get my summer supply of parasols, but that was back in the stone ages before the internet was invented. There are some seriously cute parasols on the market now, everything from traditional paper parasols to steampunk-style antiques. Really, the only hard part is not poking other people in the eye.

1. Designs by Victoria, Brown and Black Steampunk Parasol, $200

2. Carasol, Cynthia parasol, $240

3. Pamela’s Parasols, single-letter monogram parasol, $98

4. Luna Bazaar, Rose Quartz paper parasol, $6.50

5. Parasols by Tamie, Chinese New Year parasol, $75

6. Luna Bazaar, Green Mehendi Henna Design paper parasol, $26

7. Something Wicked, Black Skull parasol, $80

8. Designs by Victoria, Ivory and Silver Steampunk Parasol, $165

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This entry was posted on March 5th, 2010 under Beauty, Lifestyle.