Fast Track To Fabulous Hair

Long, lush tresses are back with a vengeance

and hair is looking glossier and smoother than ever.

But don't be fretting about hours spent with a flat iron

and buckets of goopy serum.

This time around its a sleek and sexy one step process,

courtesy of those wild and wonderful Brazilians.

Yep! Its the Brazilian Blowout.

And don't be confused - this particular Brazilian

although it does indeed involve hair,

happens upstairs, not downstairs.

The Brazilian Blowout is a gorgeous long term treatment 

that puts keratin into the hair shaft and seals it there,

defrizzing, smoothing and leaving you with silky, super shiny hair.

You can wear your hair straight, or you can have your curls smoother and more defined.

photo credit Alexander Tamargo/Getty images

Jennifer Lopez in Harpers Bazaar

 

It also cuts down the time you spend styling your hair, 

and the amount of product you have to use

in order to get controllable and luscious looking locks.

No wonder celebrities swear by it!

The Brazilian Blowout is ideal to help you through the summer months

when swimming and humidity can turn a hairdo into an unmanageable ball of frizz.

Whatever the climate you're in, your hair will look sensational and be very easy to maintain

The treatment lasts approximately four months,

and it works wonders with color treated hair too.

 Check out what Nicole Richie has to say about the Brazilian here

I actually had mine done this summer 

by celebrity hairstylist (Alyssa Milano, Girls Next Door)

Heather Strange, who is now 

at Carolynes Salon in Scottsdale.

(323) 443-5572

Heather uses a formaldehyde free formulation that contains collagen, 

which adds elasticity back into the hair.

Frankly, I have no intention of ever going without it again.

Low maintenance, frizz free hair is a life changer!

(if you are in Arizona and want a Brazilian Blowout, tell Heather you found her on this blog and you'll get a 20% discount!)

Bare essentials of safety from Air New Zealand

Making sure we have a grip on all the safety stuff. Kinda.

Manu Magnificent!

As I'm always traveling somewhere,

I'm always in the mood 

and in the market 

for new travel bags.

 

So I was super excited to find this amazing weekender bag

from Manu.

Stylish, chic, modern lines,

perfect for a three day getaway.

Ideal to tote on board your flight

to somewhere gorgeous and fun.

 

And available in an array of fabulous colors too.

You just can't go wrong.

The cleverly designed straps

go over your shoulder

for comfort and divine function,

but the don't drag on the ground

when you hold them in your hand.

 

And they come in a red velvet pouch.

Its the little details that get me everytime.

Check them out at www.ManuManu.com

A sturdy, functional travel bag. Two straps are long enough to slip over the shoulder, but won't touch the ground when hand held. Full width pouches on either end for newspapers and additional travel items. Extra heavy duty zipper is secured on each end with Porsche snaps. Rounded metal feet. Interior is fully lined with waterproof nylon and contains a 12" wide by 6" deep zippered pouch.

(22 1/4"w x 13 1/2"h x 12"d)

Design: Emanuela Frattini

Customize your color for a 20% upcharge

The Irrepressible, Irresistable Lucy B

You know,

you really do meet the most fun and fabulous people on twitter!

One of my much adored twitter friends

is the very dynamic Lucy B

(on twitter @LucyBLingerie)

m

magnolia garter belt

Lucy B Lingerie is a retro, vintage lingerie and accessories line,

reminiscent of the 1940's and 1950's.

 sweet tart garterbelt

This is lingerie designed to make you feel glamorous. 

 playing for keeps

Sexy wear for the modern woman,

LucyB scantie pantie

designed to bring out,

and celebrate,

your inner bombshell.

 sheer nylon panty

To. Die. For.

Lucy B Lingerie is made in California.

The line is constantly evolving 

with lots of fun new things to check out.

Visit Lucy B Lingerie at 

www.LucyB.com

Friday Night Drink Recipe!

Still on my "wishing I was in Italy" theme

here's another fabulous Prosecco cocktail,

perfect for a hazy lazy summer eve.

Prosecco Limon

Here's how you make it:

2 slices of fresh lemon

sugar

1/2 oz limoncello

1/2 oz sour mix

4 oz prosecco

Use one slice of lemon to moisten the rim of a champagne flute, then dip into sugar to make a sweet/tart frosted rim.

Carefully add the limoncello, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sour mix and prosecco. Garnish with a lemon slice.

This one is so refreshing and light!

Enjoy!

Travel Packing 102: Essential Skin Care Items For The Girl On The Go!

In Travel Packing 101 we sorted out the perfect glam getaway beauty bags,

now we need to figure out what essential skin care items have to go with us, and how to pack them.

First up: pack everything down to travel size! No full size heavy bottle of lotions and potions.

Streamline what you're bringing, and put it into plastic travel sized bottles and jars.

Some companies make travel sizes of their key products.

travel pack skin care from Hylunia and Rhonda Allison products from 

The Southwest Institute Of Natural Aesthetics in Tempe AZ

Image by Lilet & Glenn Hamp ofLightRain Images

Essential Skin Care Items For The Girl On The Go

* Cleanser.

Choose a gentle cleanser that both cleans the skin and dissolves makeup.

* Eye Makeup Remover pads if you're planning on wearing waterproof mascara

* Eye Cream

You'll never keep looking youthful without it!

* Daytime Moisturizer

Specific to the climate you're going to. Dry climates require different products to humid climates

* Daily Facial SPF product

This is not the SPF you use at the beach. This is everyday, walking around, Facial SPF

*Night time Moisturizer

Don't even think about going without it! Night time is when your skin does all its youthful repair work.

* Booster product

Extra hydration if you're getting dried out, such as a serum.

Extra deep cleansing help if you're in humidity to avoid or clear breakouts

* Rescue Product

When things go awry, as in unexpected sunburn, windburn, or irritation

Hylunia's Colloidal Silver Spray gives instant relief.

You can get it in travel size too!

Look for products that multitask.

Face Atelier created Melt for the savvy traveler.

It cleanses, dissolves makeup, and gives your skin some extra treatment love in one simple yet lovely step!

Other great ideas for the traveling girl are single serve skin care capsules.

Dermalogica's amazing Multivitamin Power Firm capsules give your face some intense night time love.

Just pack one capsule for each night you're away.

Philosophy's Booster Caps can be added to your night cream to, well, boost it!

If your skin is looking gorgeous, you will too!

all images courtesy of LightRain Images

How To Wear Beach Makeup

Wearing a full face of makeup to the beach

just looks plain ridiculous.

However.

Most of us don't really want to be completely au naturel either.

So here's the 411 on how to do fab beach makeup:

* wear masses of SPF

before you do anything else, liberally apply a very high facial SPF. 

My personal favorite is Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF 85 with helioplex.

You won't be greasy, and you'll get some decent protection from burning.

When you do need to reapply use a powder SPF like ColoreScience

* Avoid foundation.

If you absolutely must have something on your skin, opt for a very light dusting of a crushed mineral makeup.

Regular formulations will melt, sweat and look gooey (and ridiculous).

Keep any concealing to a bare minimum. 

Color correct any under eye action, but use a very light touch.

The harsh glare of the sun will magnify anything you have on 

* Be bronzed

 an all over gel/cream facial bronzer will give you ample color

and have such a refined texture, that you won't see it on the surface of the skin.

I like L'Oreal Sublime. Equal parts self tanner and bronzer

are dispensed at once, giving you controllable color for face and neck.

Body self tanners tend to break the face out, and leave it with a rougher texture.

   

* Add a pop of color

my favorite color piece for the summer is Nars Multiple tint.

This is a limited edition product, so you need to get it quickly.

Multiple tint comes in 3 shades:

Beverly Hills (red)

Turks and Caicos (orange)

Cadaques (fuchsia)

These can be used on cheeks, eyes and lips. 

They're very sheer, build able color

so you can infuse just the right amount of life into your skin, while giving a lovely, bright, summery lip.

They also leave a divine finish to the skin, with a beautiful, healthy glow.

*Waterproof or water resistant mascara

your choice of formulation is really important here.

You don't want to be building huge, thick, bold lashes when  going to the beach.

Long, sleek, defined lashes are key.

My favorite beach mascara this season is also by Nars

Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara is water resistant,

and builds sleek beautiful lashes.

If you are going to wear eyeliner, try Makeup Forever's aqualiners. 

They  become waterproof in around 60 seconds, so you have time to smudge and soften the line first.

 

*No touch ups.

 lips are always OK to touch up, and powdered SPF too.

But nothing else.

Remember, this is about looking fresh and beautiful,

not looking like a hot, greasy caricature of yourself.

* Big hat, big glasses

while looking fabulous, protect your scalp from melanoma, your skin from supersonic aging

(and all skin cancer's)

and protect your eyes.