From Last Year to This Year

Now that the busy month of October is over I plan to (and will) seriously implement my fall/winter haircare regimen. Some of the things I plan to carry over from last winter include:

• Buns (protective style)
• Deep Conditioning
• Oil Rinses
• Aloe Gro (for moisturizing purposes)
• Henna
• Roller-sets
• Length Retention Tips

Each week I will document every step that I made with my haircare because I am curious to see if I can get a repeat last winter's length retention. This will prove that I have found a method of length retention that works for my hair. My current length has already been documented and I do not intend to do another length check until sometime next spring.

Fall/Winter Regimen Part 1
Fall/Winter Regimen Part 2

Also, since my hair care will be kind of boring this winter I will use the opportunity to deliver some information that I have been compiling for a few months. Simple but effective hair care strategies.

Chinese Laundry: Avona Boot!

Hello Divas!

Despite the ups and downs, Life Is Good!

Chamele is back with the perfect short fall boots!  Did someone say distressed blue is the new "hot" neutral?  Check it out!

Day 23

I have been on the hunt for some chic blue suede boots. "Why blue suede," you ask?  I have no idea. Sometimes, I have these feelings of whimsy that come and go. I get inspired. What can say? I was thinking of an over-the-knee boot in an inky midnight with a cone heel and round toe. Unfortunately, I have not found that exact match. I did however find a cute pair of Chinese Laundry denim colored mid-calf boots perfect for fall weather.

The Chinese Laundry Avona comes in ink blue distressed color, a blue that is gray enough to become a neutral accessory. (Remember last season's neutral was pale pink. Just add a little white or a little black and you have your new neutral.  I will leave the lesson in color theory for another day.) It has a cone heel and is not too high that it can't accompany a day look.  The boot has a slight slouch that would look great paired over dark leggings and a tunic top. The Chinese Laundry Avona can be found at Zappos for 129.95 in the ink blue distressed shown above and in : mauve distressed, stone distressed and black suede.

Until tomorrow,

Chamele

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 2)

Some of the products I want/plan to experiment/try again this season:

Shampoo:

Giovanni SAS - I have used this once and didn't like the feeling, however I was unable to prepoo before using because I was away from home

Dudu-Osum Liquid Black Soap - this is not an experiment, I am bring this back into my regimen because I have used it and my hair loves it.

Conditioner:

Suave Aloe Vera & Ginseng - Honestly I have used this and I loved it. However, I didn't purchase it again because I had other conditioners that I need to use up before buying more.

Aubrey Organic HoneySuckle Rose - I keep hearing so many good things about this and I am just curious

Deep Conditioner:

Still deliberating...

Stylers:

Koils by Nature Heavenly Delight - my hair simply melts with butters and I love the consistency of the Koils by Nature butters

Other:

Castor Oil

Jasmine Oil

Amla Oil

-I want to incorporate more oils into my overall product rotation and hair regimen so I will be attempting to some how include oil in at least 50% of my regimens from this point forward

The first day of Fall is September 23...I plan to start this reggie around that time.

I am open to any comments, opinions, and/or suggestions about the products list above.

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 1)

This year's regimen is a slightly tweaked version of last year's regimen. After going back through my posts I realized I have updated my regimens a lot and I am determined to put a stop to all the madness (LOL) and have set in stone regimens. Each I watch the weather forecast they talk about how the humidity and dew-points are decreasing so I know that time is drawing near to implement the Fall/Winter regimen.

Fall/Winter 2010 will go as follows:

1. Cleanse

Co-wash weekly and clarify monthly. Pre-poo before each shampoo.

2. Condition

Deep condition weekly. Except on shampoo week, on those weeks a quick 3-5 minute rinse out conditioner will be used.
3. Moisturize

After rinsing and while hair is still damp apply leave-in conditioner and then seal weekly.

4. Treatments

Oil Rinse after each shampoo monthly.

Henna bi-yearly.

5. Style

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, roller-sets and/or twists that are pinned up or styled in up-dos. Hair styles will be done weekly.

6. Trims

Trim as needed.

Products for the Fall/Winter 2010 will be in part 2.

How does your regimen compare?

Opinions are welcome

Holiday Series #5: Holiday Nail Colors from Borghese

I received these Borghese Holiday nail polishes in the Serena set to try and have found the colors I will be wearing throughout this Holiday season. This fall, I was loving the burgundies and purples and so glad this set includes similar colors with glitter! Read about the fall nail polish trends here.

The four colors in this set are dark, festive, and perfect for this season's trend of deep, vampy colors. The kit contains 2 solid colors with the dark burgundy- my absolute favorite- and dark navy, and 2 glittery ones, similar to the effect of the popular Sephora OPI 212 nail polish.

Review: The satin finish of these nail polishes are amazing.. can't stop touching them! The luxe polishes are also long-wearing, no chipping for at least 3 days, and come with a Duale Curve Tip Brush that help with your polish application. This means less nail polish on your skin!

I am extremely pleased with this set and they only cost $2.50 each polish, since the set costs ~$10 at your local drugstore. This is a bargain especially if you're looking for an affordable way to change up your holiday nail look for different parties and events you're going to this season.

Swatches coming soon!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Clinique Bonus at Macy's in October

(Source: Macys.com)

It's baaack! I completely forgot about the fall Clinique Bonus at Macy's until I saw a post on a forum. (Check out the Spring Clinique bonus here.) A lovely member was showing off her cute bag (the green one) and I couldn't resist.

Did I need anything from Clinique? Maybe. Did I want to get the bonus? Yes!

With a $21.50 purchase at Macy's or Macys.com, you can get one of the larger makeup bags (green or red delicious apple color) with its accompanying apple-shaped smaller makeup bag. In each you will get:
* Lash double Mascara in Black
* Colour Palette
* 7-Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula
* Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
* Different Lipstick in Spiced Apple

Speaking of makeup bags, stay tuned next week for my Apple & Bee cosmetic bags haul from the PrettyCity Beauty Sample Sale. You don't want to miss this. :)


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Fall's 2009 Hairstyles

Find Out How to Wear Fall's Hottest Hairstyle

Follow these how-tos and tips to get your most playful hairstyle ever

Eli Thomas, owner of Thomas Chance Hairdressing in Santa Monica, Calif. shows you how to transform medium-length straight hair into a fun, tousled style (a la Hayden Panettiere, Blake Lively and Jennifer Aniston). With just a few key styling items, you'll be set! See the how-to

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Sephora OPI Nail Colors for Fall 2009

Dark nails is one of the trends for this Fall, as well as purples. Below, are some colors that I am eyeing from the Sephora by OPI Nail Colour collection. (See the pattern here?)

In The Shadows	Caffeine Fix	On Stage

Matte nails are also another trend and Sephora/OPI is offering Matte nail polish! Here are the three colors that are available. Will you be wearing this trend?

Domestic Goddess	Metro Chic (One of their popular colors!)	What's a Tire Jack?

I am also liking the France and Espana collection from the regular OPI collection. They offer a great selection in deep red, purples and even almost black with hints of dark green, dark purple, and wine colors. They are so gorgeous! Spruce up this Holiday wearing similar colors from Borghese nail lacquer, get more details here.

Sephora's Testers- If you're not sure what color would look good on you, I would recommend going to a Sephora store because they have testers! So you can try out their amazing nail polish remover and of course the Sephora By OPI nail colors above and have fun with it. Or you could always go to the website to see their swatches.

OPI's website- I recently checked out the OPI website and they have this great tool where you can see what the colors will look on your hand. On your screen you will see a hand (and you can control the color of the skin) and complete swatches of the nail collection. It's perfect to see how your hand will look if you're wearing the color. Very helpful application if you're not sure of which color you want. Read reviews on OPI products.

My nail history- I usually like to have my nails short and I don't wear nail polish very often. I used to buy the Wet 'n Wild and Brucci brands at drugstores back in the day and sneak off in the bathroom to paint them. I even used to mix my colors (blue and silver was my favorite combo)! I remember the smell of the paint was horrible - can't even imagine the fumes I must have inhaled, which was why I had to paint in the bathroom, near the window.. So the smell of it made me stop using it for a while, until brands got smarter and realized you could make nail polish without the chemicals! :)

Upcoming: A nail polish review on OPI and SULA (nail polish formulated to easily peel off- no joke!)

Check out Holiday nail polishes with Borghese

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Everyday Minerals- New website

I thought I would let my readers know that Everyday Minerals now has a new and improved (some may disagree) website! Some of the big changes in case you haven't seen it yet: 1) Community based- They are becoming more social networking friendly by having groups, photo capability and blogging for individual users. You can also "add friends" and send private messages to them. This is a bonus for people who want to contact other forum members without letting everyone know what they have to say! 2) Changes in Custom Kits- The free custom kit, the personal custom kit and the Super Custom kit are now gone.

To learn more about the kits and the controversy about the website...

The Free Custom Kits are now replaced by "Try Me Free" kits which are pre-selected kits in various shades based on light, medium, tan colors or a trio of blushes, concealers or eyeshadows. They are a bit limited but if you are new and do not own a lot of various blushes, these are a great way to try the favorites!

The Personal Custom kits (6 items for $34) is replaced with a 25% off discount of 5-11 items of full-sized products. So, this way you have more leeway in the number of items you want while getting a discount.

The Super Custom Kit (12 items for $50) is now available through a 45% off discount of 12 items or more! This is by far their best current deal because if you order more cheaper items, the price will be less. For example, a lip product costing $4 will only be $2.20 if you have 11 other full size items. Previously in the old Super Custom Kit, it would have cost an average of $4.17 ($50/12= $4.17).

Controversy- Many customers on the forum are upset with EDM because these kits are gone, when they had said earlier in the forum that the Super Custom kit was going to stay with the new site. Frankly, I think that is unfair for them to ask a company that is obviously here to make money to lower their prices. With a new site, there are costs involved that simply do not pay for itself.

Yes, compared to the original Super Custom Kit, if you order 12 full size items for $12 each, you would have only payed $50 compared to the $79 you would pay now, even with the 45% off discount. But realistically, does a customer order always $12 items? One usually orders blushes which are $8, or eyeshadows which are $6, or even brushes which vary from $5-10. So, point is: strategically add items to your cart to maximize your value.


Coming up: The new EDM Fall 2009 Collection
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Everyday Minerals- Fall 2009 Collection

The Everyday Minerals Fall 2009 Collection is here on their brand new redesigned website.

Their new collection consists of two new face colours, Dusty Miller - a lucent all-over face blush and Sandy Cherry - a deep peach with sparkles blush. Also, their Shady Stroll Collection consisting of 4 new eyeshadow/eyeliner colors - Queen Anne's Lace, Wood Sorrel, Sweet Woodruff, and Weeping Willow. The overall look these eye colors achieve is a blue-ish grey while using the Weeping Willow or Sweeping Woodruff to make the look smokier and more intense.

In addition, they have reformulated their concealers to be more hydrating (making it feel more silkier when applied) for your skin! This Thymeless Concealer set comes with a concealer brush as well in their four basic concealer colors.

Their current special: Free Lemon Spice Murumuru Lip balm with a purchase of $18+, using code LIPS and adding the lip balm in your cart

Get your Meg's Makeup here!

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Urban Decay - New Fall Products

Urban Decay's Fall Collection- Urban's new products are out and available for purchase on their website including new tan colors for bases, new shades for lips and new products such as a cream eyeliner and complexion/mascara primer potions.

Some items that I would like to try:

The Cream Eyeliner. Called Ink for Eyes, it looks easier to use than a liquid eyeliner while getting the same intense look. They are offering 6 different colors of their cream eyeliner, each in a palette in a long rectangular shape, the same size as the brush. The brush is inside the palette so it's easy to travel with. :)

The Mascara Primer Potion. Perhaps good-bye to mascara running and panda eyes?

Ammo Plus Primer Set. Valued at over $50, you get a full-size Primer Potion and 10 eyeshadow shades for $39.

Check it out here @ http://www.urbandecay.com/index.cfm


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Gucci Fall Winter 2009 Collection

The Fall and Winter Collection for Gucci is available at Neiman Marcus now. Check it out! Isn't this bag gorgeous? :)


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Fall Must Haves: Booties, Oxfords, and Mary Janes

Hello Divas!

I hope your day is awesome! Today we have a guest writer, Chamele. Chamele is a shoe fanatic and has the most fabulous shoes! Below she is going to tell us why we must have a pair of Booties, Oxfords, or Mary Janes! Check it out.

I am excited about this year's trends in shoes because they are the epitome of high fashion! Designer's have married classic style with a hint of edge and yet still a touch of feminism. Further, the trends all resemble- "big-girl shoes." Let me explain what I mean by "big-girl shoes." "Big-girl shoes" are the shoes you see walk in a room before you have a chance to identify their owners. Big-girl shoes announce themselves and say, "Hey, I am the raw deal, and the chick standing here is nothing to mess with." Well, this year's trends say all of that and then some.

The Bootie


Okay, I must admit, I was a little skeptical about the bootie trend last fall; however, I found the chicest pair of Steve Madden black booties with a folded cuff. This year, I have been won-over and I am super psyched about the bootie trend. Designers have varied the shoe, appealing to women with a wide array of tastes. I have spied at least half a dozen pair for which I am jonesin'.

The Oxford

"Men inspired" shoe wear is another burgeoning trend. The oxford styles are classy, sassy, and oh-so-very C.C (that's me). I love, love, love classic footwear and have since the tender age of 3. Every year, my mother purchased, at my request, a pair of black and white saddle oxfords. My style matured and by ninth-grade I was sporting a very classy pair of black patent leather oxfords with a square toe, enhanced with a tassel. I received compliments on those shoes for four or five years; and so, I speak from experience when I say,” The oxford will be long-lived!"

The Maryjane


I love the style of the Roaring 20's and early 30's as much as I loved my saddle oxfords. It should come as no surprise then that there are at least four pair of Maryjanes in my closet. A good pair of Maryjanes can be worn with a flirty dress, or soften up an edgy suit. The Maryjane says, "Ultimate Femme Fatale."

If there are three types of shoes that you must have this fall, they are the Oxford, the Maryjane, and the Bootie; and if you can only get one shoe, get an oxford style bootie. It is versatile and can be worn with anything!