January 18, 2010

Have you been really disciplined with your New Year’s resolutions and want to reward yourself?  Maybe you’ve already lost a couple of pounds and need a non-food treat?  How about getting yourself a Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not an early-adopter.  I’ve only had an iPod for a year, an iPhone for a few months, a Wii for a couple of weeks, and I’ve yet to buy a blu-ray player.  My television is over 20 years old and weighs as much as I do.  Oh yeah, and my car will be 10 years old in a couple of months.  With all that in mind, I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that I’ve been hearing about the Clarisonic for over a year and just now got one.

Why did I wait so long!  My skin is already dramatically different in only two weeks of using the Clarisonic:

• It feels much much cleaner deep down, and clogged pores are becoming clearer

• It’s radically smoother in texture

• The color is healthy

• Pores look smaller

• It feels firmer!

I noticed some of these benefits immediately, and I continue to be pleased with the cumulative improvement I see in my skin, which is a pretty big deal for me.  I’ve never had pretty skin in my life.  I started making weekly trips to the dermatologist when my skin started breaking out at age 12.  In my early 20s, I was one of the first people to use Accutane, but by then I had scarring that really bothered me.  In late 2007, I had 6 Fraxel laser treatments at a cost of well over $5000.  By the way, I have a high tolerance to pain, but that was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.  Thankfully, I did see substantial improvement in my skin’s texture and scarring was reduced somewhat.

But even so, I’m still not happy with my skin and I’ll always be looking for ways to improve it.  The Clarisonic is an excellent tool, and it cost much less than $5000!  I got mine for $225 through QVC because their deal came with some extra goodies like cleansers and additional brush heads.  The model I got comes with a brush for your body, as well as 3 facial brushes.  You can also buy the Clarisonic through Amazon, Ulta, Sephora, and probably lots of other retailers.

I highly recommend the Clarisonic…don’t wait forever like I did!

~BigSis

January 15, 2010

Do this.  To your hair.  Now!

I’m not kidding, you’ll thank me!  You may already have this product in your pantry, but if not, you can easily pick up a jar.  You don’t need to go to the beauty supply or the salon though.  And you don’t need to take out a loan to buy it!

What is it?  Coconut oil!  You can get it at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or any health food/natural foods store.  You can order it online from Swanson Vitamins or Vitacost and probably tons of other sites.  You may even be able to find it at a well-stocked grocery store.  I get mine at my favorite hippie health food store called Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage.  For a 16 ounce jar, you can expect to pay only around $10.

I have coconut oil in my pantry because I put it in my smoothie each morning.  I never thought about smearing it on my hair though until I was reading on Beauty Brains about an expensive hair treatment called Ojon ($55).  Ojon is made of palm oil from the rainforest, plus fragrance and some extracts. The Beauty Brains said that coconut oil and palm oil are essentially the same thing, and each will actually penetrate the hair’s cortex.  Most conditioners only coat the surface of the hair shaft, and don’t get into the hair itself.

Penetrating the hair’s cortex can help replace the natural oil that we lose simply by washing our hair.  When you replace that oil, you’re “refatting” the hair.  The Beauty Brains suggested that using a coconut oil based conditioner could be as effective as Ojon.  I’ve since seen online that lots of girls are just using plain ol’ coconut oil, and getting good results so I had to try it.

Coconut oil is solid in my house right now since it’s 60-something degrees, but it will be liquid when the inside temp is in the 70s.  Since it’s solid I took a blob and warmed it in my hands a bit til it softened.  Then I just started rubbing it into my hair.  My hair’s almost shoulder length and is a little thin now (dang hormones), and I used three walnut-sized blobs of coconut oil.  I combed it through, and let it sit for about an hour.  Ojon recommends leaving their treatment on overnight when possible, so I may try that with the coconut oil when I can.

After an hour, I rinsed really well with pretty warm water, and then had to shampoo twice before the oil was out of my hair.  I did use my regular dab of Pureology conditioner afterward, since the coconut oil is supposed to work inside the hair and not outside.

What were the results?  My hair was softer, shinier, fuller and had more body.  It even had less frizz before flat-ironing.  After the next shampoo two days later, the results are still there.

I’m planning to give my hair this little tropical treat once a week.  It’s easy, it smells fabulous, I can do it myself, and it makes my hair happy.  What more could I want?  Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

~BigSis

January 13, 2010

Are you an Urban Decay fan? If you’ve been reading BigSisLilSis for any time at all, then you already know that we’re both crazy about our Urban Decay products!

I thought that I’d take a break today from all the talking I’ve been doing about my 2010 goals to share with you my latest Urban Decay purchase. I’ve only been using the Urban Decay Ink for Eyes for a few days now, but I’m already in love with this product.

Here’s how Urban Decay describes the Ink for Eyes: It’s everything you want in a cream eyeliner! More precise than a pencil, more forgiving than a liquid, this super-smooth formula offers more control, play time, and buildable coverage than your average liner.

Urban Decay Ink for Eyes

Honestly, what’s not to love? First of all, I’m crazy about this case! It’s long and slender and comes with a mirror and a double ended applicator that has an angled brush on one end and a smudger on the other end. Before I started using the Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencils, I always used my angled MAC brush to apply my eyeshadow as a liner, so that may have something to do with why I like this applicator so much.

The color that I bought is Demolition, which is the chocolate brown color shown in the photo. I really love this color!

Now, let’s talk about what’s in this pretty, shiny little case. This creamy liner just glides on with such ease that it’s really quite surprising. No skips or smears! Really. Urban Decay does have a secret ingredient, though, it’s Nylon 12, a high-tech polymer that decreases drag for flawless application while softening and absorbing any excess oil. Urban Decay doesn’t claim this is waterproof eyeliner, but when I remove my makeup, this liner is just the same as it was when I applied it, just like the 24/7 pencils.

The liner comes in several other beautiful colors, so now that I know how much I love this product, I’ll have to try some other colors.

Luckily, we don’t have a Sephora nearby, but anytime I go into Ulta these days, I have to browse the Urban Decay counter. BigSis is ultimately responsible for my new-found Urban Decay addition. She is the one that originally turned me on to the Primer Potion and 24/7 pencils.

In case you missed my Urban Decay Hacker Tutorial, I mentioned that Urban Decay was changing the wand on the Primer Potion. When I finally broke down and bought my new tube, I noticed that it does have a new wand. We’ll see if it cuts down on the wasted product at all.

I just bought a friend of mine the cute little case of Urban Decay nail polishes for her birthday. I’ve never tried any of their nail polishes but I’m hoping that she’s happy with them since I’ve never been disappointed with any Urban Decay product. (And, no, I’m not getting paid to say that.)

Do you have any favorite Urban Decay products that you’d like to share with us?

~LilSis

December 10, 2009

If you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MAC products like we do, you’ve probably already visited the nearest MAC store or gone online to check out their 2009 Holiday Collection. MAC never disappoints! Once again, they have some beautiful products that are only available for a limited time.

If you still have someone on your Christmas list that you’d love to surprise with a sparkly, shiny gift from MAC, you’ll want to hurry to take advantage of this deal!

MAC Cosmetics is offering free standard shipping on any purchase AND free gift wrap until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 13th.  To take advantage of the free gift wrap, use code GIFTABLE09 at checkout.

Happy Shopping!

~LilSis

November 20, 2009

You’re right, LilSis; I do have something to say about great body creams that don’t give you a financial guilt attack!  I love everything about L’Occitane, but their shea butter products are a bit of a splurge.  There are times for splurging, but there are also times for being a little more frugal (like now).

Let me give you the scoop on an AWESOME inexpensive cream that you can get at pretty much any drugstore or discount store.  It’s Gold Bond Ultimate Cream.  I’ve tried both formulas: Ultimate Healing has aloe, and Ultimate Softening has shea butter among other ingredients.  My favorite is the shea butter formula since it’s even richer.  You can get the cream in a pump bottle or in a tube.  I prefer it in the tube because it’s SO ding dang thick and rich that it’s hard to get all of it out of a bottle.

I love the Gold Bond cream year-round for arms, legs, feet and hands.  It’s heavy-duty enough for winter dry skin, but it soaks in quickly and isn’t greasy so it’s great for summer too.

The bonus?  You can frequently find a coupon in the Sunday paper for $1 or $2 off this great cream.  It’s a touch more expensive than Jergens or Vaseline Intensive Care, but I think it’s much more effective.

But wait!  There’s more!  I have an incredible foot cream for you too.  It’s Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme.

Wowie!  This creme smells beyond scrumptious, and will moisturize your dry feet beyond belief.  This is an extremely thick creme; I would even say it’s goopy.  Deliciously goopy!  If you need a thick creme to slather on your feet overnight, this is the one!  Rub it into your feet and cover with socks, and you’ll wake up to super smooth soft tootsies!  Plus it’s pretty cheap…only $9 retail.

When I think of this coconut creme, I always remember how I used to rub it on HayHay’s Fred Flintstone feet when he was a little guy.  That may embarrass him, but it’s a happy little memory for me.

There you have it, LilSis, my favorite inexpensive but uber-effective creams that will obliterate your dry winter skin!

~BigSis

November 19, 2009

I still can’t believe that November is over halfway gone. It doesn’t even feel like Winter here in California because it’s still relatively warm during the day, but the air is really dry right now. Luckily, we don’t have to run our heater very often because that just seems to make the air even more dry.

And what goes along with dry air and winter weather? For a lot of people, dry skin can be a real problem in the winter. It definitely can be for me if I don’t do everything I can to prevent it. I slather myself every morning right out of the shower with a variety of lotions, potions, and creams, in an effort to avoid the dry, itching, pasty looking skin. We’ve talked about our favorite eye creams, more than once, moisturizers, more than once, and hand creams, but I don’t think we’ve ever talked about foot creams, so here goes.

I have to admit, I love a good foot cream! My absolute all time favorite EVER is L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Foot Cream. I recently ran out and haven’t yet ordered a replacement.

This amazing foot cream contains lavender essential oil and in my opinion, there is nothing better than the heavenly smell of lavender. That’s one reason I love putting this foot cream on at night. The scent of lavender is so soothing. It also contains anti-inflammatory arnica extract to reduce redness and irritation and mint to cool the feet.

With that being said, this 5.2 oz tube of foot cream sells for $26.00. I definitely think it’s worth the money during the best of times, but when we are all trying to scale back on unnecessary expenses, I need to try to find a cream that is a little more reasonably priced.

The other night, I was finally able to stop, sit down, and take off my shoes around 8:00, just in time for Dancing with the Stars. When I took off my shoes, I noticed that just in the past couple of days, my heels had become so dry that they were almost starting to crack. (Sorry if that’s TMI.)  So, I grabbed the nearest tube of cream from my cabinet in the kitchen to put on my feet. What I ended up using was Eucerin Calming Creme. I keep a larger tube of this in my nightstand for my hands but I just happened to find a sample size that SirHoney’s dermatologist gave to him. I had never used this on my feet before but it worked great!

After rubbing this into my feet that night and keeping my footies on til I went to bed, I woke up the next morning to almost normal heels. This creme is pretty darn impressive and costs less than $7.50 for a 8 0z tube. This creme contains oatmeal and glycerin to help with itching caused from dryness. This creme is so rich yet not greasy at all. I was surprised at how quickly it soaked into my skin. It also happens to be fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.

And, in the winter, when necessary, I use Eucerin’s Dry Skin Therapy Original Creme. I use this on my hands and on my face, only on the dry spots. My sister-in-law is the one that told me about the Original Creme when I asked her once how she kept her face so young and soft looking; and she was over 55 at the time! I bought a 2 oz tube of this for less than $4.00 and it has lasted for months and months.  This is a very rich and thick creme so it’s probably not meant to go on everyone’s face, unless you have really dry skin like me, but it’s perfect for dry hands.

I know BigSis is a HUGE fan of Eucerin’s Aquaphor products and my husband’s dermatologist also recommended some of those for him. I’ve used the Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment and I love it. It’s great for hands, feet, or lips!

So, if you’ve got any secrets for beating dry skin this winter, please let us know! I bet BigSis has a few new favorites that she hasn’t yet shared with us!

~LilSis

November 14, 2009

The past couple of mornings when I used my Urban Decay Primer Potion, I knew that it was just about time. Time for what you may be wondering… If you’re a UDPP user, you probably already know what I’m talking about.

Urban Decay has an almost ‘cult like’ following when it comes to some of their amazing products. I think both of us have had some of the purple kool aid, too! I recently mentioned how much I love Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eye Pencils and the Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner and BigSis mentioned her love for the eye pencils much earlier this year. And, months ago after BigSis told me how much she loved the Primer Potion, I bought myself some Sin Primer and have used it every day since.

There’s only one problem with this UDPP and it’s the cutesy container that it comes in. The wand can only go straight down into the container and loads of product is left stuck in on the sides and at the bottom. It obviously hasn’t kept us from buying it though.

When we were on our trip last month, (yes, still talkin’ about BlogWorld in Vegas), BigSis showed me her little jar FULL of potion that she managed to get out of her ‘what appeared to be’ empty UDPP bottle. She had seen “the hacking” mentioned on some beauty blogs after she bought the product so she knew there was precious potion hiding in the container. And luckily, she shared that with all of us.

If I hadn’t known about that, I would have tossed my “seemingly empty” bottle in the trash once I couldn’t get any more to come out on the wand. And after you see what’s left in this container, you won’t want to throw yours away either until after you hack into it.

I never did ask what she used to hack into her bottle but I decided that this should do the trick!

Here’s my unsuspecting little container!

Not much potion on this wand.

I was going to cut the bottle lengthwise but I decided that might be a good way to end up the ER, so I started by cutting off the top.

The plastic was actually much easier to cut than I thought it would be.

Just look at all the precious potion hiding in here!

Look closer.

Score!

Can’t stop now, I’m on a roll!

And look how much was stuck at the bottom.

It was a messy job, but…

time well spent!

Voila!!

(Note: My Primer Potion is the Sin Primer and it does come in a different bottle than the original PP so it is possible that this container is made from a different plastic. I have heard that the original bottle may be tougher to cut into!)

One final note, I noticed on Urban Decays website, they mention that the Primer Potion now comes with a new wand. Here’s what it looks like.

Hopefully this new wand will be of some help getting the primer potion out of the sides but it would have to also be longer to prevent all the waste at the bottom. I guess we’ll find out once we run out of our stash and have to buy a new one.

~LilSis

November 12, 2009

Urban Decay 24/7 Sets

You know what I love more than my new Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils? Give up? Okay, I’ll tell ya. It’s my new Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner.

I’m so glad this eyeliner was included in my 24/7 Set because otherwise I never would have tried it. The set I bought came with the Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy and I love it!

The sets come in two choices, either the Stereophonic or the Hi-Fi, and both are a great bargain at $29.00. Each comes with four 24/7 eye pencils and one Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner.

I was on the phone with BigSis while I was in Ulta shopping last month before our Vegas trip.  I remembered her telling me that she loved her Urban Decay eye pencils, so when I stumbled upon the display of these sets, I asked her about them and she said they were the same pencils!

These eye pencils are unbelievable. Not only do they go on really creamy, but they are also waterproof and stay on all day! I’m so glad that I picked up one of the sets.  I love every single color that came in my set.

The Hi-Fi set includes the new shade, Mildew, a deep green, which is exclusive to this set. The set also includes Zero (black), Flipside (teal), 1999 (plum), and the Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Distortion, an iridescent sparkle.

I picked the Stereophonic set that features the new shade, Crash, which is a rich eggplant color that is exclusive to this set. This set also includes Zero (black), Underground (metallic taupe), and Gunmetal (dark gray like it sounds). And my favorite item in this special set is the Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy, a beige sparkler.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

I think the main reason that I even tried this eyeliner is because we were in Vegas and I thought it would be something new and fun to try! And, I haven’t stopped using it since. It’s really easy to apply with a tiny, precise brush so you can apply as much or as little as you like. Just a little line of this over the 24/7 eye pencil adds just the right amount of glitter! You can even add a dab to the inner corner of your eye for a real pop!

The Heavy Metal Glitter eyeliner comes in over ten amazing shades! These usually retail for $18.00 each so getting one in this set with four eye pencils for only $29.00 is a real deal!

If you have someone on your Christmas list that loves trying new things with eye makeup, one of these Urban Decay sets would make a perfect gift, for under $30.00.

And, believe it or not, just a little glitter does make a girl really happy!

~LilSis

November 4, 2009

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I don’t like wasting a bunch of money trying out new beauty products unless something is highly recommended to me by someone who has actually used the product and has had proven results.

That’s the main reason I buy my hair products at my hair salon instead of wasting money at the drug store. You can try out a new shampoo, conditioner or styling product and know that you like it before you buy it.

When I find a beauty product or a brand that works for me, I’m a very loyal customer! I’ll stick with it for years, like I have with all these:

• Origins favorites
• Great Lash Mascara
• MAC eyeshadows
• Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant
• Prescriptives Traceless, which is now being discontinued!

But, one thing I CANNOT seem to find is a lipstick that stays on for more than half an hour!  I still buy MAC lipsticks and MAC glosses because I love the colors but I need something that will last!

A few weeks ago, before our trip to Vegas for BlogWorld, I popped in Ulta as a last ditch effort to try to find a long lasting lip product. I ended up walking out of the store with two new products.

Benetint Pocket Pal

After listening to the sales person at the Benefit counter rave about this product, I end up buying this Benetint pocket pal. This product receives great reviews on Sephora and the salesperson went on and on about it.

Benefit claims that this is the original and still the best lip tint and cheek tint available. This stuff didn’t work for me and it wasn’t cheap! I’m still trying to decide whether or not to return it to Ulta.

It was okay on the cheeks, but not that noticeable and not what I had intended on using it for when I bought it. It appears very dark red in the bottle and is a very thin liquid so it goes on more like a light pink, not red. The sales person told me that you can apply one coat, let it dry, apply another, and another, and keep repeating until you get the desired shade.

I probably tried it on four or five occasions when I applied three or more coats of the tint, then applied the gloss and within a very short time, all that was left was a slight tint remaining in all those little lines in your lips. (Not the look I was going for.)

Lorac 8 Hour Long-Wearing Lip Color

The second product I ended up buying was this Lorac 8 Hour Long-Wearing Lip Color and Ultra Glossy Top Coat.

I’m not as disappointed in this product as I am with the Benetint, but it’s just okay. It goes on smoothly and I like the top coat that goes on with a brush instead of a sponge, but it did NOT last 8 hours on me.

So, back to square one!  I actually know women who have had lip liner and lip color tattooed on their lips! Ouch!! I don’t think I’m willing to go to that extreme!

So, here’s my plea for help!  If anyone reading this has found a great lipstick with some real staying power, please share it with us! Pretty, please?

~LilSis

October 9, 2009

Have you heard the news about Estee Lauder phasing out the Prescriptives line? If any of your favorite beauty products happen to be made by Prescriptives, I’m betting you’ve heard about this!

I’m really BUMMED because I’ve been using Prescriptives Traceless foundation for YEARS now and I’ve never found a foundation that I love as much as this one.

Prior to discovering Traceless, I used the Prescriptives Virtual Skin foundation, which I also loved, but Traceless is a little more sheer, goes on a little smoother, and looks more natural on me.

BigSis & I have both talked about our essential beauty products this week so I thought this would be a good time to mention this news from Estee Lauder. When I talked about the Top Three products I can’t live without, it was hard for me to choose between the MAC powder and the Prescriptives Traceless foundation.  I can hang at the house with just mascara on, but anytime I go out, I always have on the Traceless Foundation and the MAC Loose Powder.

Since I’m trying to prepare for our trip to Blog World in Vegas next week, I ran into Macys to grab a new Traceless so I don’t run out while out of town.  When I asked if they still had any Level Three Traceless left, the salesperson told me that she had three containers. For some stupid reason, I only bought two of them instead of all three. I’m probably going to order more online before they’re all gone! One container lasts me a few months so I won’t need to make a change any time soon if I stock up now.

By January, 2010, the Prescriptives line will have been phased out of the department stores. There is a slight chance that you will be able to order some products online even after they are discontinued, but if it’s a popular item and you LOVE it like I LOVE the Traceless, you better stock up NOW!

The sales person at the Prescriptives counter told me that Estee Lauder was holding a training class today at our local Macys to teach all the employees how to transition Prescriptive customers into other products, obviously others brands under the Estee Lauder ownership. I hope I can eventually find something that I love as much as Traceless!

If anyone has a favorite foundation that’s light and sheer and goes on nice and smooth, PLEASE let me know about it!

~LilSis