The Damsel in this Dress

I would really love to believe that natural is better in every capacity.  I especially apply this philosophy to my hair, if I can help it, I try not to use products with sulfates and parabens, unnecessary chemicals, etc.  Let me preface this by saying, I get stressed out easily.  I can’t help it, I stress out about everything.  How many posts am I missing on my Tumblr queue? I wonder how many tweets I missed while I was asleep.  Which of my dozen (not joking) daily vitamins did I forget to take?  Is Biotin making me break out?  Why can’t I find the last episode of Undeclared online? Was I rude to my kitten earlier? Where am I supposed to wear my new leather skirt?

Because of my daily struggles with stress, it’s inevitable for me to find a white hair or two.  Instead of plucking them out, which I am now convinced breeds more of them, I decided to try a more natural approach with henna hair dye.  After reading (and googling) the ingredients of about every hair dye stocked at Whole Foods, I settled on Surya Brasil henna cream in Black.  

I ordered the product off of Amazon (because I have an Amazon Prime membership and now order anything and everything off of there), and kept it around for about a month worrying (stresssing) about if I was making a big mistake dying my dark brown hair black, and convincing myself my dark brown hair was a beautiful color, etc., probably giving myself more white hair in the process.

One fateful day while my boyfriend was at work I decided to take the plunge.  The dye went on dark brown for me, and after I’d left it on for about 45 minutes, I washed out the dye to find that… it really hadn’t coated my white hairs well.  My white hair was a shade of light brown, and my hair looked virtually the same otherwise.

The henna washed out after two showers, and alas, my white hair was back again.  

I’ve used this henna dye in dark brown on my mother who has much, much more white hair than me and she’s had slightly better results, with the dye washing out after about three weeks.

The product did make my hair slightly softer, but I wouldn’t recommend this product (which ranges from $7 to $15 depending on place of purchase) for any type of hair treatment.

So, it’s back to Whole Foods for me in search of something much, much harsher.

Photo courtesy of vitacost.com.

Garnier Fructis products are so hit or miss for me.  Some products are like god’s gift to women everywhere and others are about as effective as toxic sludge.  I ended up buying Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine ($5.99) for a few reasons, one being I am a CVS ExtraCare Beauty Club member which means Garnier Fructis products are basically buy one get three free a few times a year, and the other being I’d just seen a Sarah Jessica Parker for Garnier Skin Care commercial, so the brand was already engrained in my mind.  And I mostly do anything Sarah Jessica Parker says because she’s practically a goddess to me.

I’m guessing the other three Garnier products I lugged home weren’t effective or maybe they just couldn’t compare to the sheer awesomeness of this product.  If I could only use one haircare product on a desert island, this would make the cut.

What I love about this product is that it works instantly on dry hair.  I have long, thick, layered, wavy/curly hair.  Before using this product, I’ll air dry my hair sans product.  That way I have a lot of natural volume and wave…and unfortunately, the frizz that comes with it.  When my hair dries, I section it out into eighths.  Just a tiny bit of this product is effective, so with my having long hair, I use about a jellybean sized drop of product per section.  I rub it all over my palms and apply it from my ears downwards, using the remnants of formula on the top section of hair.  (My hair gets oily fast, so I try to avoid using oil near the top.)  You’ll have to experiment to see what amount of formula works for you, but I’ve found that it’s easy to go overboard with this product, just an iota too much and you’re working the wet look.

Instantly, you’ll notice your hair is so much softer and the frizz is gone.  You can put your hair in a topknot, or blowdry the product in for a few minutes to combat frizz, but I’ve never needed to do that because the product itself was enough.

It works wonders on processed and brittle hair, too.  I gifted it to my mom who in her menopausal state can’t handle heat styling, and has drastically overprocessed hair.  She used this product religiously on her dry hair, which made her hair much more manageable.  She loved it so much she salvaged every last drop of product until I had to secretly throw away the bottle because if I didn’t she probably would’ve done that thing where you put water in the bottle and shake it and pretend there’s still product left.  Moms.

Photo courtesy of drugstore.com.

I will never, ever be able to relay to you how much I love the AcneFree Terminator Acne Spot Treatment.  It’s easily the most effective treatment I’ve ever used.  I found it in a desperate mad dash through CVS on a Friday night in search of anything that could tame the huge oozing gash of a pimple I was sporting on my right cheek.  Up until then I’d been covering the pimple with a carefully placed (practically glued) wisp of my hair, and the monster-of-a-zit was easily growing by the second.  Really, I could feel it throbbing.  Anyways, I could feel people staring at the pimple, and not just in that self conscious way where you think everyone notices it.  Everyone did notice it, and I could tell people weren’t looking me in the eyes.  So, that’s what brought me to CVS on a Friday night, (a strategic time on my part, where I’d run into the least amount of people or at least the ones that didn’t matter) shielding my face from anyone who might be aggravated by the sight of the tumor growing on my face.

I rarely trust products with unfrilly packaging, but after comparing all of the acne treatments in the beauty aisle, I settled on this since it had the highest percentage  of micro-benzoyl peroxide.  I slathered the zit with it when I got home and promptly passed out, and when I awoke the next morning, the zit was noticeably smaller, less red, had stopped oozing, and was downgraded to a normal looking blemish.  Still there, but eons less embarrassing than what had been in its place the day before.  I applied the treatment throughout the day, and by the next day, the pimple was completely gone.  There was a tad of redness and the area was a bit dry since I probably had gone overboard with the treatment, but compared to a mammoth zit I’ll take dry skin any day.

You can get this treatment at any CVS or Walgreen’s, the tube I got was $5.99 and I’ve had it almost a year, and it’s not even 25% gone.  I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this product before, it’s nothing short of a miracle worker.  Now every time I read a magazine interview with a dermatologist or beauty editor or makeup artist or skin expert of some kind, where they say “You can’t get rid of acne overnight!” I’m going to just assume they don’t want us to know about this amazing borderline witchcraft cream every girl should stock in her makeup drawer.

Just a warning, you should use a minimal amount when applying this product to your face, and only focus on the acne spot itself, and try not to get the product on the surrounding skin if you can help it.  If you apply (too much) of the product to an unaffected area of your skin, you may end up with red, itchy, dry, blotchy skin, as I have many a time since I obviously can’t learn my lesson…

Photo courtesy of Walgreen’s.

VPL convexity breaker jersey maxi dress, $295.

I’m not one for maxis, but this casually elegant yet youthful garment has that understated “wow” factor.

Courtesy of NET-A-PORTER.

Oscar de la Renta feather and sequin-embellished lace dress, $5,690.

A perfect amalgam of sassy and chic, this sultry number says, “I don’t take myself too seriously.” 

Courtesy of NET-A-PORTER.

ALICE by Temperley sequined mesh dress, $595.

The pink slip is detachable, making this the ultimate versatile investment.

Courtesy of NET-A-PORTER.

Eat them or apply them! 7 Foods to incorporate into your beauty routine

While slathering my hair with an olive oil mask, I decided there had to be more foods I could incorporate into my beauty routines.  Luckily, I received this in my inbox, chock full of new methods to try…

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s also lurking in the grocery aisle. Put these supermarket superstars at the top of your shopping list and use our innovative tricks to sneak more of them into your diet—and your natural beauty routine.

1. Avocado

Eat It!
Consider avocado the overachiever of beauty superfoods: It’s rich in protective antioxidants and essential fatty acids, which help keep skin plump and smooth, says New York City dietitian Shari Bilt Boockvar, RD. Eating the fruit can also help replenish the protective layer of fatty acids that surrounds skin cells, keeping moisture in and preventing dehydration, according to Jessica Wu, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Southern California Medical School and author of Feed Your Face.

Apply It!
“An avocado face mask may help slow skin’s aging process,” says nutritionist Lisa Drayer, RD, who points to a 2006 study published in Phytotherapy Research that found that applying avocado oil to skin can stimulate collagen and elastin production. Make an anti-aging moisturizing mask by pureeing a ripe avocado and mixing it with 1/4 cup sour cream, which has lactic acid to help exfoliate dead skin cells. Spread over your face and leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing with water.

2. Tea

Drink It!
All teas boast skin-boosting antioxidants, but green and white varieties are especially good because they have double the antioxidants of black tea as well as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a type of antioxidant that “protects skin from damage caused by exposure to sun and pollutants,” says Dr. Wu. Sip up—but cook with the brew too; it makes a great poaching liquid for chicken or fish.

Apply It!
Tea is a natural hair-color booster that can function as a rinse to bring out highlights in dyed or undyed hair, says Jet Rhys, owner of the Jet Rhys Salons in San Diego. Chamomile revitalizes golden highlights in blonde hair, black tea perks up brunettes, and berry or red teas add oomph to auburn or red hair. Prepare 8 ounces, let it cool, then saturate your strands with the solution. Put on a shower cap and wait for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse with water.

3. Almonds

Eat Them!
Going gray? According to Dr. Wu, almonds contain high levels of catalase, an enzyme that may help slow the graying process by preventing a buildup of hydrogen peroxide in follicles that can cause hair to turn gray. 

Apply Them!
Go nuts for this exfoliating body scrub recipe from Kym Douglas, the author of The Beauty Cookbook: Grind 1/4 cup almonds in a food processor until superfine, then mix in 2 tablespoons organic virgin coconut oil to make a paste. In the shower, rub the skin-softening mixture over rough areas, such as knees and elbows, and then rinse with water.

4. Cocoa

Eat it!
“Cocoa has a high concentration of flavanols, plant compounds with antioxidant properties that help protect skin from sun damage,” says Dr. Wu. Add a tablespoon of 70% cocoa powder to a cup of BBQ sauce for richer flavor.

Apply It!
A no-cal way to get the skin care benefits of cocoa’s flavanols: Use it as a bath soak, suggests Ginger McLean, spa director for the Spa at the Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania. To do, add 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, which also nourishes dry skin, and 1/3 cup instant fat-free dry milk to your tub.

5. Yogurt

Eat It!
Get ready to show off your pearly whites! Spooning up yogurt can help keep your grin gorgeous. “It has calcium and phosphorus that can strengthen tooth enamel and protect your teeth from cavities,” says Drayer. What’s more, varieties such as Greek-style yogurt are high in protein, which is an essential nutrient for the production of collagen, a fibrous substance that keeps your skin youthful looking, according to Dr. Wu.

Apply it!
Yogurt contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy that’s great for sloughing away dead skin cells and unclogging pores, says Dr. Wu. She suggests using full-fat plain yogurt as a mask: Apply a thin layer to clean skin and leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing. You can also whip it into a protein-rich hair mask, says Rhys. Whisk together 1/2 cup full-fat yogurt, 3 tablespoons honey, and 1 egg yolk. Apply to hair, put on a shower cap, and wait 15 minutes before rinsing and washing as usual.

6. Strawberries

Eat Them!
Strawberries pack the double punch of high levels of vitamin C and ellagic acid,” says Howard Murad, MD, FAAD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen and acts as an antioxidant to prevent environmental damage. And a 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that high intake of vitamin C was associated with a lower likelihood of wrinkles and skin dryness. Ellagic acid increases skin’s ability to hold moisture and, says Dr. Wu, has been shown to help fade dark spots caused by sun exposure.

Apply Them!
Studies show that both ellagic acid and vitamin C in strawberries help protect skin from environmental damage, so using strawberries as part of an at-home beauty treatment could be beneficial. Try this face mask recipe from Douglas: Puree the berries in a blender and mix in chilled full-fat plain yogurt and a squirt of lemon juice (it has antiseptic properties and may help lighten dark spots). Apply the mixture to your face, leave it on for 20 minutes, then rinse.

7. Coffee

Sip It!
Coffee is a well-known pick-me-up, but a cup of joe can perk up skin too. “It has antioxidants to help protect skin from sun damage and help prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin that leads to wrinkles and sagging,” according to Dr. Murad. Aim for no more than one 8-ounce cup a day, as coffee in large doses can dehydrate skin. Another way to enjoy more of the buzzy beans: Use finely ground coffee as part of a spice rub for steak or beef.

Apply It!
The caffeine that’s in coffee is a topical diuretic (it pulls water out of skin), so it can help depuff eyelids and is often used as an ingredient in cellulite creams because it temporarily gives skin a smoother appearance, says Dr. Murad. Douglas recommends using cooled coffee grounds as a scrub on thighs and buttocks, where cellulite tends to appear.”The scrubbing stimulates circulation, and the caffeine in the grounds has a temporary shrinking effect on the cellulite,” she explains. A coffee rinse can also deepen and richen the hue of brown hair, says Rhys. Brew 2 cups of strong coffee and allow it to cool. In the shower, shampoo, squeeze out excess moisture, pour the cooled coffee over strands, and put on a shower cap. At the end of your shower, rinse, then condition as usual.

From “7 Double-Duty Beauty Foods” by Elizabeth Brous
Courtesy of Prevention.com

(Source: thedamselinthisdress)

Dolce & Gabbana lace dress, $2,205.

A modestly alluring black lace dress reminiscent of understated old time glamour.

Courtesy of NET-A-PORTER.

Burberry Prorsum patent leather-trimmed cape, $1,295.

You know, for braving the elements…hoodless.

Courtesy of NET-A-PORTER.