3/29/2013

Hello Hello Open Thread

I've had a generally shitty week or two in terms of doing anything I enjoy, like blogging or whatever.  First my kid got impetigo, then she got an upper respiratory infection that promptly turned into an ear infection, then she got gastroenteritis, which was the shitty cherry on the shitty sundae.  I'm not sure if you've been around 4 year olds with snotty colds or stomach flus, but they basically put mucus everywhere and then puke all over everything you love, and then also spray diarrhea on everything.  IT'S AWESOME!  


Anyway, I didn't want y'all to think I don't love you anymore, or that I forgot about you, so I thought we could have an open thread and chit chat about whatever.  I want someone to tell me about IONS and how they are in all the hairbrushes and blowdryers.  What the hell do they supposedly do and/or are they totally imaginary and don't actually do anything?  Discuss.

I'll be back after Easter with good stuff again!

129 comments:

  1. I got an ion whatever blow dryer as a gift 5 or so years ago and I'm still using it. I have no idea what difference the ion thing makes. It's a button that I can press on it to activate it or whatever, so I do. Every time. Why not use every worthless feature?

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    1. do you activate it? or just leave it off?

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    2. I always assumed it was the usual "Spend $20 more for the same technology your momma had" snake oil, but if you read reviews some people love the difference. Of course, some people also buy $75 t-shirts so, it's a wash.

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  2. Hope the little one feels better soon! Take care of yourself too!

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    1. thanks! she's feeling better, now she is just bitchy and short-tempered.

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    2. Bitchy and short-tempered. Sounds like me this week. I hope she's on the mend and your next few weeks improve!

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    3. until she's 100 % snot and puke free.....you should just shrink wrap the wee fkr! that way, all the stuff you love, doesn't get spoiled! also, take photographs of everything she's messed up, show her them, and cast it up to her at every available opportunity!!!!
      you may have guessed, that i don't have kids!!
      i do have a hairdryer, but have no idea if it has IONs in it, so i'm as lost as you! it does however, dry my hair and doesn't melt the purple out of it! yaay! x

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  3. My first ion hairdryer made this weird little snappy noise like it was going to electrocute my hair when I pushed the fancy button. Freaked me out. I think mine now has it like just on all the time? I don't even know, because I have a 1 year old so I basically never dry my hair. spin pins ftw.

    I just ordered some of my standby makeup to restash, except Everyday Minerals stopped making one of the colors. RAGE.

    Did that help?

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    1. yeah, i had to get a new dryer recently because my old one was running hot and smelling weird, and the new one has all them ions. i don't have to push a button, though, i suppose they are not optional ions.

      i hate when they discontinue my shit. i had to buy 4 tubes of urban decay hot pants lipstick a few months ago because they were getting rid of it and it's my default everyday lipstick.

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    2. I take forevvvver to go thru a container of this stuff, so I had no idea. I wish they had some sort of alert they could put me on so I could order a ton of it.

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  4. Anonymous3/29/2013

    I used an Ion hair dryer for 5 years and just recently switched to a non ion dryer, and honestly the ion dryer dried my hair WAY faster and with less frizzy fly aways than the regular one I have now. Might be psychosomatic, but I really feel like I can tell the difference.

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    1. hmmmm. now i'm second guessing my hairdryer purchase because my hair is so flat that i kinda want it to be more frizzy :/

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    2. I have three hair dryers to compare - a Revlon fold-up travel dryer, really old tiny dryer, and a Revlon Ion (similar to this one: Revlon RV484 Pro Stylist 1875W 3 Heat / 2 Speed Silver Ionic Dryer). The ion dryer definitely dries my hair much, much faster than either of my other two, regardless of what products or brushes I use. The folding one and the Ion one get to about the same temp and speed, so I think there must be something to the ions!
      For me, hair volume depends more on brushes, products, and drying technique than whether the dryer has ions. I've heard the faster you can dry your hair, the better (prolonged heat exposure = fried hair, according to my last hair magician) so for me, using the ion dryer is a great solution to spending an hour pointing a lava-hot air cannon at my head.
      Does not replace flat-ironing if I am going for the super smooth look, but ion dryer produces less overall frizz than my other two.

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  5. Anonymous3/29/2013

    Hope your daughter feels better soon! My mom ran daycare from home for years, so every time one kid got dropped off who was sick, our whole family would get it. AWESOME.

    I'd love to know what your take is on bags. I saw the ideal bag you put on your Christmas list, but I'm sure there are many of us who'd like to see more cute ones, or ones for different needs--for instance, I'm a traveling pack rat, so I have a gigantic Mossimo bag I got at Target for $30. It's the color of pistachio ice cream and I would marry it if I could. BUT I'd love to see what other bags you and the other ladies dig!

    Keep up the great work, Natalie!

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    1. i am still fixated on that stam. i have campaigned, though, to put all of the household and business expenses on my amex, so i might be getting enough points to get one, especially since i upgraded from a gold card to a platinum and they gave me like 50,000 points for doing that. I like big bags. i don't carry a lot with me, but i tend to go places with a bunch of people who like to put shit in my bag all the time. my daily bag is usually one of those quilted nylon marc by marc totes, or the slingy one. those are nice and big but not super ostentatious and looking like someone needs to mug me.

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    2. If you are a real purse hobo (e.g. full stick of deodorant and pliers and a pair of shoes and a meal and more) you need a large Longchamp Le Pliage. I think most of their stuff is nice without being too flashy. I had this pristine black, vintage Longchamp purse that I was literally mugged for so maybe I'm wrong though.

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    3. let's take a moment of thanks for all of those who cary large bags, only to end up with everyone else's shit in them.

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    4. I'm getting my man a manpurse so he stops putting his shit in my bag. One of these days the credit card is not going back to him. Possibly today, I need all the new SuperBlack colors.

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    5. Anonymous4/01/2013

      I have the MJ Slingy (per Natalie's Xmas post) and I like it. I'm the same way: I don't carry a lot, but I need stashing room. I have a bad back and can't schlep around a bunch of shit every day. As much as he denies it, my husband is very guilty of the "hey can you throw this in your bag?". On days when I'm running errands and whatnot, it never fails that my bag gets full of receipts, lists, little things I've bought that can fit in there (could be earrings, or meds from the pharmacy) and sometimes candy wrappers.

      I need to just stick to the bags-in-a-bag system so I can easily transfer things from one bag to another. If my makeup, pads/'pons, asthma inhaler, aspirin etc are in small makeup-type bags, I don't leave crap behind when I switch.

      I second Berae's recommendation of the Le Pliage. I have a large one in navy that will indeed hold everydamnthing. Very basic and won't go out of style. I'm told they're still a pretty common sight in France. Not crazy expensive and hold up well.

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    6. I need a new BIG bag now that my 2nd kid is on the way and I am NOT going the diaper bag route again. I want something hoboey with studs and some Color . Michael kors has some nice stuff but I don't have $400+ to drop.

      My old roomie had an ion dryer and I think it really cut back the friz...yea it made those snapping sounds to. Nowadays i am putting the air on high while driving to work and blowing it in my face. I think it's worth the extra 5 min of sleep.

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    7. I, too, support the recommendation of Longchamp's Le Pliage. I've been dragging mine around everywhere with me (on the subway, to various dirty construction offices, etc.) for almost 2 years and it's only just barely showing signs of wear, if I look very closely. It also holds so much crap I have officially named mine Mary Poppins. You would not BELIEVE the amount of stuff I fit in there AND IT STILL ZIPS. I'm convinced this bag is magic.

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    8. I'm a big fan of the totes bag myself. Not the super huge, I-can-carry-everything-I-would-need-for-an-overnight-stay in it kind of bag, but a tote nonetheless. I have a particular love of novelty bags since they compliment my nerdtastic ways. I'm bummed though because they are getting harder to find. What am I supposed to do without Mario and Luigi pasted all over my purse??

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  6. I had a dryer that let you choose between negative ions and positive ions? One of them dried your hair faster, but the other gave it more volume, I think. I have no idea which is which, because all I ever learned was that the blue light = volume, and that is what I usually used. I don't know if I actually could tell the difference, or if I was just pretending that I could.

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  7. Both of my children got some sort of stomach bug (kids are really bad at directing their vomit towards an appropriate vessel, and also bad at distinguishing between diarrhea and toots, FYI) last week, then I got it a few days later. Turns out, no amount of hand washing can help you if you are the poor soul scraping their shit and barf off of various surfaces. Also, totally unrelated, but I want to throttle whomever decided that perfect attendance should be awarded at schools. Yes, keep sending your virus addled children to school so you can clap while they get a free kid's meal voucher at the end of the year.

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    1. i had to put that child back in pullups for a couple days. i had a parental crisis because i didn't want to give her a complex, but i thought that the complex caused by shitting all over herself all day long would have probably been worse. i somehow escaped the sickness, but my husband did not, and i was on middle-of-the-night-bodily-fluid-cleanup duty so obviously i am some kind of mutant superlady.

      those people are sending their kids to school so they don't have to hang out with them while they are dribbling crap everywhere and complaining all day long hahahaha. i can't say i blame them, i'd do the same if i had no sense of obligation to not infect my community.

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    1. Ugh, typo:

      I wanna talk about perfume. For spring I'm liking Lanvin Rumeur and L'Instant de Guerlain. They are pretty similar but I use more of the Guerlain because it's EdT. Never enough perfume, though. More, more!

      Like, what does Tom Ford's Black Orchid smell like? I know it's old news but I've never smelled it, yet I'm still convinced that I need it.

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    2. i've not smelled that. were you the one who told me about tokyo milk or was that another one of my blog bros? anyway, i got a little purse set of hand lotion and rollerball perfume and lip stuff in that "tainted love" fragrance, and that smells good as hell. it reminds me of MV3, which was the mac perfume that was (allegedly) for dudes that smelled like candy and musk, and that was my favorite perfume before they discontinued it.

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    3. MV3 was the thing that got me into perfume back in the day! I remember deciding I liked the smell of Earl Gray Tea so tried finding anything with Bergamot in it, and at the time in small town Toledo, that's all I could get.

      I'm a big fan of most Tom Ford scents, but there is something about Black Orchid that just doesn't do it for me, a little too much Vanilla. I don't like scents to smell like baked goods. Azure Lime is my favorite. Tropical notes and really nice for spring/summer.

      My daily go to is Pulp by Byredo ( http://byredo.com/). Their scents are a bit more exotic and they last all day long, and in terms of aesthetics make my favorite bottles.

      Frederic Malle (http://www.fredericmalle.com/main.cfm) is another great company that seems to be getting more attention lately, and if anyone can get to their store in NYC I highly suggest it. They have these vapor chambers that allow you to clearly each perfume, it's geeky but really cool. Dans Tes Bras on paper sounds like it would be a hippie dream "A fragrance carved with hefty chunks of cashmeran, sandalwood, musk and patchouli. It is reinforced with salicylates and incense, softened with heliotrope, and colored with a violet accord." but on skin ends up smelling very clinical, which I dig in the summer. You have to really give each scent a fair try.

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    4. Haha, a scent chamber?! That is insane and awesome and I need to try it. I keep hearing good things about Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower. Never heard of Byredo. I'll have to check them out, thanks.

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    5. Black Orchid! It is my jam this winter. I must say though, it smells way different on my skin than when on a testing strip. I had a fun day doing a big sniffing party at a Sephora with one of the ladies who worked there and that one was the winner.

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    6. I've been wearing Bellodgia for many, many years. It's made by Caron, and not always easy to find. It's a spicy floral, a lot of carnation in it, and one of the few colognes I use that transitions well from winter to spring.

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    7. Ooh, I almost forgot - I'm also putting Salvatore Ferragamo's Incanto Shine on heavy rotation this spring and summer. The bottle is ridiculous and the perfume is like an antidepressant in perfume form to me. It's also really cheap on Amazon.

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    8. YES to Byredo... I love them. I used to live in London but was broke so I'd go to Liberty and get samples of Blanche whenever I could, and those lasted me a good long while. It made me smell like an untroubled rich lady with hardwood floors. Then we moved back to the states and my awesome husband surprised me with Byredo's Palermo last birthday. It makes me so happy, both the scent and the pretty bottle on my dresser.

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    9. I got a couple of samples of Viva la Juicy La Fleur, and get tons of compliments when I wear it. It doesn't react weirdly on my skin or make me feel like I must get away from the scent the way other perfumes do, but I can't bring myself to buy it. I think the bottle is kind of tacky and I just can't give that much money to a company that made tacky velour sweatsuits.

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    10. I've been wearing Viva la Juicy for ages. I agree that the bottle is totally tacky, but if you take the giant pink bow off, it's slightly less embarrassing to have around.

      My new favourite is Vera Wang's Lovestruck. That's definitely the next full-sized perfume I'll buy.

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    11. I really dig Deisel Loverdose. It comes in a big purple heart and smells like jasmine sex. Its awesome.

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    12. seconding Diesel Loverdose. My boyfriend literally tries to mount me the second he smells it on me. I think there are pheromones in it. But yeah it's like a slightly licorice smell, and though I actually despise the taste of black licorice, it has a really nice scent when mixed with all the other vanilla/musky stuff they've brewed into it.

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  9. In the same topical vein as hair dryers: I subscribe to the "Magic Isn't Real" philosophy when it comes to most things that involve my bloated vanity... EXCEPT for conditioners. I am a dime-store sucker and will buy almost anything in the attempt to make my not feel like straw, and not so greasy that I have to wash it hourly. My latest folly being an argan oil conditioner, and I wanted to know if I am a fool or do some of these work. Does the keratin, pro-vitamins, grapeseed oil, rapeseed oil, silk extract or any of that other wondrous miracle or an additive actually work. I have at this moment 5 bottles of failures that I now use to shave my legs and my hair still looks crappy.

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    1. obviously, i am on that magic-isn't-real tip, but i have issues with conditioner (and shampoo.) i want to be able to use drugstore stuff because it is cheaper, and there shouldn't be any difference, but whenever i try to be pragmatic about it and get the pantene or whatever, it is bad news. all that stuff makes my hair look bad, and it makes me get zits all over my scalp. so i have to go back to my fancy stuff, then i decide to get the cheap stuff when i need to rebuy and don't want to spend fancy-stuff money for it, and then my hair looks like shit and i have zits all over my head again. the only thing i can use is terax, apparently. even other fancy brands give me problems.

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    2. My understanding with ingredients like that (or at least argan oil) is that the best way to make them work for you is to just buy the straight oil, put a bunch at the ends of your hair at night (like enough that your hair looks greasy and gross) and then wash it out in the morning. Usually when you're buying conditioner or styling product with argan oil in it what you're mostly paying for is silicone.

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    3. http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sexy-Hair-Renewal-Ounce/dp/B004ZMCUIO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364647802&sr=8-1&keywords=healthy+sexy+hair

      This is the argan oil I use. You put a little bit in your hair when you blow dry. I usually have to wash my bangs every day for the grease factor, but I can get away with not washing the rest of my hair. After I use this stuff (which I do like once a month or so), my hair looks the same the second day as it does right after the wash. Also, it makes my hair SUPER soft and nice.

      I've also heard of doing a hot oil treatment with coconut oil, which I have yet to try.

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    4. I subscribe to the theory that since your scalp produces oil naturally, you shouldn't be using a shampoo that strips your hair oils and then conditioner to re-moisturize it. I use el cheapo baby shampoo, and since my hair is long and the ends get dry, I use a little cheapo conditioner just on the ends (also so it won't break when I comb it out). I use a dab of Phyto 7 on the ends to tame any frizz. I air-dry as much as possible. Then I brush my hair a lot at night (that ol' 100 strokes thing), the move the scalp oil down the strands a bit. I wash it about once a week, and if it starts looking a mite oily, I use some dry shampoo. I used fancy-ass products for a lot of years, but this regimen seems to be working just fine.

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    5. Since my hair is now at Rapunzel-Esq lengths, I think I'm giving up and it's buns till I cut it off. I tried the sexy curly hair products and it smells EXACTLY like the old salon selectives, which makes me now incredably suspicious that there's old vats or this shit floating around and companies just bottle it up and re-sell the same old shit. As I spiral down further into my disenchantment, it makes me more and more jaded with each passing bottle, and less liekly to shell out the big money for the high dollar stuff. You can never really tell what's going to happen with the first use- you have to have two or three washes to see if it's even worth a damn in the first place. BUNS FOR LIFE!

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    6. What is the trick to just washing your bangs! When I try to do it theres either too much shampoo and it takes a month to wash out or my whole head and face get soaked... I feel like there must be a secret I don't know about.

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    7. I have super short hair (little mohawk-length and shaved down sides) and I use all colour products because it's dyed a very unnatural colour.

      That being said, about once a month I do a K-Pak treatment on my hair to try and make it forgive all my blow drying, straightening, curling, teasing, and bleaching. It seems to work pretty well.

      I also use dry shampoo and only wash my hair every third or fourth day. Works like a charm.

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    8. I have the same scalp pimple problem, I really dig the sulfate free L'oreal stuff, so far no pimples after 2 weeks. It smells really good too

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    9. I have weird hair-it's very fine but I have a lot of it, and it's both dry and oily (also I bleach it because everyone says I look better blonde, so whatever). Come to think of it, my facial skin is both dry (kinda flaky) and oily (big pores, greasiness, zits, Exxon-Mobil spelunking for reserves. Nothing helps it, but that's not the point).

      Consumer Reports actually did an article about 2 years (I think) ago. They found that shampoo doesn't matter as much, but conditioner did, so they recommend using an inexpensive shampoo and a better-yet-pricier conditioner. Every time I use drugstore stuff, I either get major knots or get greasy in about 2 hours. When I can afford it, I invest in Fekkai conditioner (the one for colored hair). I use less than regular drugstore conditioner and my hair is soooo soft and lovely. A supermarket chain near me no longer carries it, so I got it half price (which was still $11.50, but it's worth it.)

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  10. i bought that naked 2 palette you're always going on about and i feel so fancy. it's the most eyeshadow i've ever had in my life.

    the only issue is that i will use the black to line my upper eyelids. it looks great, and then 10 minutes later i walk in the bathroom and there's black smudges all over UNDER my eyes. i am not putting on a ton...wtf is happening? this caused a mildly embarrassing situation for me the first time it happened. should i be wetting my brush or something first? i'm using an angled one.

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    1. i usually wet my brush and kind of pinch it between my fingers so the edge is as fine as it will go, then i put it in the shadow, and i blow it off before i use it to line my eyes. i will always get fallout under my eyes if i don't do that. do you do a primer, too? if you have stuff flaking around under your eyes, it is probably a you-need-to-blow-it-off situation, though, rather than a primer situation.

      i use that palette basically every day, it's kind of embarrassing.

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    2. When I use shadow as liner, I always get tiny, almost undetectable bits of brush fallout that land under my eyes and on my cheeks. I've learned to smudge-check (swipe my finger under my eye) to see if any shows up so I can do a quick cleanup before I go outside to look like a dirty old coal miner.

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    3. Are you tapping the brush after you pick up the product? I think that can prevent fallout, too.

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    4. I manage to hold a tissue under my lower lid to catch any secret bits that fall out because it gets almost instantly stuck in my foundation. If i don't do that I have to either do my makeup backwards and do shadow before face or take off and reapply foundation under my eyes/ on my cheekbone.

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    5. I find that it's because I get some on my eyelashes as it I do it, and then when I blink, it transfers the powder from my lashes to my undereye area. I find that if I just put my finger along my lower lashes and, like, blink on it a few times, it catches all of the powder that would've been transferred to my face. Then I do mascara, if I'm wearing it. Works like a charm!

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  11. I was told by my former hairdresser that ions in water make it evaporate faster, he said some car washes use ionized water for the same reason (faster evaporation = no water spots). I have no idea if that's correct or if he was feeding me some bullshit that was fed to him by the people who sold him his expensive ion hair dryers (which he then tried to sell to me).

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  12. Anonymous3/29/2013

    My hair is graying. But in dramatic streaks in the front. The rest is dark brown. People love it. It's a weird fluke that helped my self image more than makeup has. And I love makeup.

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    1. i'm jealous. i will say, though, that i am going prematurely grey (premature in that i don't think most people my age are 50-60% grey) and the weird wirey slightly wavy texture the grey hairs have is really working for me. i just dye it anyway, having it go grey is making it a lot more interesting and style-able. my regular hair is soooo straight and limp and slick, it's impossible.

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  13. Being a dude with short enough hair, I only use hairdryers in winter emergencies involving walking, so I don't know what ions are supposed to achieve. I know that it sounds kind like a lot of smoke up your ass because you can put ions in your hair with a balloon, but online reviews aren't bad so...

    In other news, what suppliers do you get your nail polish making stuff from? I can never find where to buy this and I'd enjoy making a hobby of making my own polishes, and giving them out to friends spontaneously. I like making things and all that jazz so it seems like it'd be a good time for me. I don't want a commercial operation so I wouldn't need to worry about consistency or any of that in the products.

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    1. i get my stuff from cosmetic industry suppliers, so i have to buy like a kilo of pigment or a pound of glitter or a barrel of polish slop at a time. i know that some places like the conservatorie sometimes have small amounts of supplies, and you can get a few grams of glitter or whatever you want. you could probably mess around with seeing what you can come up with mixing different drugstore polishes, even. i've seen some people make interesting stuff on a small scale using drugstore stuff, and it is a lot less mess and commitment. i basically invested all of my freelance money into starting my nail polish stuff, and it's taken me 2 years to get to the point where i feel like i can bodycheck people with what i make, so it definitely isn't a casual undertaking. i spent less time in college hahaha.

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    2. I can only assume Rip Taylor is just hanging out in your office throwing glitter all the time.

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    3. you'd be proud of me, kelly... i work so clean that there is never any glitter anywhere but in the polish and in the glitter jars.

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    4. I just wanted to say that I'm relatively new to this blog and absolutely adore it. I recently started using more product and makeup, a slow growth from my bare-skinned hippie days. I also have a similar history to yours with nails - picked'em most of my life, ended up with awful nails and cuticles, and have gotten deeply into polish. Deeply! In fact, last night, I purchased my first bottle of Super Black (Lombard), and simply can't wait to get it!

      A question about removing glitter polish: I've seen some mention here about soaking half a cosmetic pad, wrapping it around the nail, and putting foil over it. I tried it, and maybe I'm a klutz, but I couldn't get the foil to stay on and the whole thing was a wreck. I tried it again (with one nail), using a teeny rubber band to hold the pad in place. Seemed to work OK. It there some particular reason to use foil, or is the idea simply to snug the wet pad against the nail?

      One more glitter polish question: I find I sometimes have trouble getting the glitter to deposit on my nail. If I just swipe it, I end up with a lot of clear and just a few glitters. Short of putting on 97 coats to get enough glitter, it there some fabulous trick to get more glitter from the brush to the nail? I recently bought the new OPI When Monkeys Fly, and it's pretty great.

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    5. i used to use the foil trick, but i stopped because my nails were getting so dry, and it takes forever... i've been using that sephora instant nail polish remover in the orange jar that you stick your finger in (i keep one for regular polishes and one for glitter since the glitter will shred the sponge.) anyway, i just stick my finger in there a few times until the polish is all gone, then i just scooch the glitter off with an orangewood stick. if it won't scooch, i just stick my finger in for another couple seconds. that stuff works so fast, i can get all the glitter off all of my fingers in a couple minutes. just don't push the glitter off until it will scooch on its own. way way better, and my nails don't get shredded from soaking them in acetone forever. you shouldn't need to do anything like that with lombard, though. the holos come off more like regular colors, you might have to give them a second swipe if you have leftover holo grit, but it's nothing like glitter in terms of removal.

      that OPI one looks like it's pretty sparsely glittered. i imagine it is a pain to get the glitters out haha. i don't know of a special trick to get them out, maybe give it a good shake every couple fingers in case you got all the glitter in the immediate area of the brush and are just pulling up base. i think glitter polishes like that one are more for using over other colors maybe? i don't have very many like that because i am lazy and i just want to put one polish on when i do my nails, esp since i have to use base and topcoat. i don't wanna bring out 34 bottles haha.

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    6. After I read about the nail polish remover jar on this blog I found them for sale in this cheap cosmetics and accessories place and they had a special glitter one too! Instead of a regular sponge it has a rough one, it says to just put your finger in but I twist mine around side to side, then take it out and do a quick swipe with regular polish remover on a cotton wool pad. It works SO WELL, it has cut my glitter-polish-removing time by like 75%.

      I live in Australia but it says Made in USA so I assume you could get it there (it's a parallel import, not originally made for the Australian market) but I forgot the name and annoyingly I can't find it right now. It has a blue label. It cost about $3.

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    7. I also picked up the nail polish remover Natalie mentioned and it is so awesome! That's why I'm now going through the comments here, intrigued by these ion hair dryers (my hair gets out-of-control-frizzy if the weather even thinks about rain).

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  14. I remember the informercials about the ionic toothbrush and how it would, like, change my life for the best forever. IONS: they are the outer-limit, cuz nobody understands them! and by nobody I mean me.
    I bought my first Korean BB Cream today. I hope it solves all of my problems (includind that deadline I have like on thurday?) and makes me the women I want to be: lazy & blemish-free. Derrp.

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    1. i can kinda understand the ions in the hairdryers maybe making your hair have less static in it, cause i have an ion gun i use for materials i keep in plastic jars that will fly all over the place when i open the jar if i don't shoot it with the gun first... but what in the world would ions do to your teeth? that actually doesn't make any sense.

      be careful, those bb creams will solve all of the problems in your whole life. it's all downhill from here. you've peaked.

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    2. I also just started using Missha BB cream. I never used foundation until a few months ago (starting to get some age-related discoloration) - I always had decent skin and favored a natural look, and just wore my own skin, and no blusher. I had a really hard time getting a good color match, probably because I was trying out drugstore products and there was no try-on. I was trying to avoid going to Sephora, having someone find something that matched by skin, and then having to plunk down $80. But I'm finding that just wearing BB cream over moisturizer does the trick. For the discolored areas, I just put on a little more BB cream there and it conceals fairly well. It only took two tries to get a BB that was a good match. And I love that it has stupid amounts of sunscreen in it (42 spf).

      Delete
  15. AAAAAAAAAAAH. I have reached my prime, at the ripe age of 30. I guess it's an Easter miracle?? blerg.
    ps: I feel sooooo validated that you've replied to me. OLD LADIES IN FRONT OF THEIR COMPUTERS WITH A BOTTLE OF WINE ON A FRIDAY NITE UNIIIIITE. kbye.loveurblog.okbyenow.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous3/29/2013

    ALRIGHTY KIDS. LET ME SCHOOL YOU ON IONIC HAIR DRIERS. Or at least the small amount that I know about it.

    Ionic hair driers are supposedly supposed to make your hair have less frizz and less flyaways because they only release negative ions. Water generally tends to have a positive charge, so the the concept behind the ionic hairdrier is that the negative ions meet up with the positively charged water ions and they break down faster. It's supposed to reduce drying time by using the power of science, which is then supposed to reduce heat damage and static and thusly frizz. (PS: People with limp hair should generally stick with non-ionic hair driers, as they really do tend to make your hair limper. Limper? More limp...?) Usually this is done by running hot air over tourmaline, which generally is conducive to producing negative ions rather than positive.

    It's a nice concept, but like a lot of things, not all hair driers are too terribly honest about whether or not their hair drier actually does this ionic bullshit. It's the BB cream situation. A few companies started something that made sense, and then a bunch of other people had no idea what that meant, slapped the word on their product, added another button that maybe changed the fan speed or something. Here's what you wanna look for if you WANT a real ionic hair drier:

    Heavy, ceramic coating on the body. This heats the air more evenly and prevents a lot of positive ions from building up. Plastic driers generally create a lot of static. Remember that shitty plastic slide at the playground when you were a kid that shocked the shit out of you in the fall? That's what a plastic hair drier is to your hair.

    Look for one that either contains a tourmaline core or crushed tourmaline, which generates negative ions when the hot air is passed over it. Generally the tourmaline cores are a bit better, but crushed tourmaline does an okay job.

    As for all the hair driers that have the optional ionic settings... I just.. no idea how that even works. None whatsoever. I don't know what could suddenly be exposed to the heat of a drier that could make it do that.

    As far as ionic hair brushes go, they basically work by dispelling static so your hair lays flat and doesn't freak out and fly all over the place. This only works if static is your problem, not damaged hair cuticles or anything. I don't put too much stock in these to be honest.

    THERE YA GO. And I don't own an ionic hair drier, but I am a scientist-in-training, and also on top of that I am very skeptical when it comes to products anyway. I pretty much heavily research just about everything before I debate buying it. You suckers with long hair have got it a lot harder than me. My hair is like 7/8" of an inch in the back so I just towel dry my shit.

    BAM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesomesauce. I actually don't wear makeup or blow dry my hair, and I think this blog is hella interesting and read all the comments, too. You have a fancy, smart readership, Natalie Dee!

      Delete
    2. HUZZAH FOR SCIENCE!

      Delete
    3. I have a tourmaline curler, and I dunno what it does, but damn, you can sleep on that shit for days and it stays curled. MAGIC SCIENCE.

      Delete
  17. I wait so long for this blog...I don't even care that it's about gross kid junk. My hair would be all gray if I let it grow out completely. I color it about every 3 weeks. And the differing texture of the gray does have benefits. My hair feels fuller and it's much curlier in places.

    I got nothing about hair dyers, though. I spent almost a year using one with a retractable cord without realizing I could pull the cord out more than a foot or so.

    ReplyDelete
  18. P.S. miss escobar needs a refill...

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  19. I hope your daughter and husband feel better Natalee. Thank you for talking to us dispite all that.
    I guess I have only used shitty hair dryers. I stopped using them a few years ago because it made my hair look like straw. It was an admittedly cheapo dryer. It was probably the plastic kind that is not good (now I know). Now my hair is half wavy and half limp-not a good look. Maybe I need to think about investing in a good one. BTW I stumbled on your push liner post and it was awesome. I now do it everyday because it is so easy.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have a hairbrush with ions (ionic?) and it's basically just a regular hairbrush as far as I can tell. I kind of hate it even. If the idea is that it is supposed to eliminate static, it sure ain't doing that. My hair is really fine and every time I run this brush (or any brush) through it, it just starts standing up all over the place.

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  21. I try not to use a hair dryer if I can get away with it. The only times I ever use mine are if I'm in a huge hurry, or during coloring episodes. I've been Manic Panic-ing my hair for about ten years, and I've learned that the dye job is brighter and lasts a bit longer if I hit it with the heat a few times before I rinse it out. But my hair is naturally a medium mousy brown, so I have to bleach the f@ck out of it in order for any color to show up at all. This is bad for the old hizz-air, hence my reluctance to use the dryer much. Since the ripe old age of 26, however, I've noticed I've been getting a little gray here and there. In a sick way I hope I'm like my Dad and go totally white/gray by 40 so I don't have to bleach it anymore.

    The one heat-styling product I do use semi-regularly is a straightener. My hair is very thick and wavy, and I've always had a frizz issue. The straightener fixes that, but I always make sure to mix in some protecting serum before as damage-control. I used Peter Coppola capsules for a while and they rocked, but I can't find them anymore. I've just been using the Freida stuff since, but it seems to do the job.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Please tell me there's someone else out there under 50 that likes and wears Beautiful by Estee Lauder. Apparently I'm like 20 years late to the scene, but I love this shit and have been wearing it daily since I got it last week. At 28 I've got certified old-lady-in-training qualities (yeah birdfeeder watching and housecoats), but I don't want to smell like one yet. My day-to-day look is a combo of thrift store and target, and I wear a lot of Tarte makeup. What do you think? Clean and timeless scent or mothball city?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. This is great! As long as your lipstick isn't bright pink and on your teeth, I'd say clean and timeless. Do you have any year old mints in your purse? I have black coffee breath :)

      Delete
    3. I wear Estee Lauder's Sensuous on the daily ever since I got it a couple months ago, and I was thinking the exact same thing today. I feel like the only person under 50 who wears that stuff. I feel like walking through Macy's and shaking my fist at everyone buying Thierry Mugler Angel and Coach Love Poppy. DAMN KIDS!

      Man, I love this blog. I feel like I've found my tribe.

      Delete
  23. I just asked my million year old mother, who is a hairdresser, and she said "It supposedly makes it dry quicker and be less static-y. It's something about heat that's more dry."

    There ya go. Qualified professional here.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm an awful, awful pessimist, and I also have the internet, so I end up googling everything. Apparently "ionic" hairdryers are bullshit and have no scientific claim behind them- most consumers first experience them in a salon environment after being treated with conditioner and anti-frizz whatnots, etc, thus making it seem like the ionic hairdryer is great.
    I don't know, sounds like crap to me. I have a regular conair hair dryer with a gel grippy that I've had for a few years, and a Jilbere NanoGold Ceramic flat iron that I bought at Sally's about 10 years ago for 200$ish and it still works like new. Also, I live in Florida and I have very thick, curly hair, so most of the time it turns to a frizzy fucking mess regardless of what I do, so maybe I just think all miracle hair stuff is bullshit.
    I'm looking at you, Wen by Chaz Dean. Where's my 6 inches of overnight hair growth and immediate super model contract I was promised?

    BUT WHAT I WANT TO REALLY TALK ABOUT IS TANNING. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person that just can't get enough of the sun- I go to the tanning bed to get my butt and lady bits all the same color as the rest of me, and you can't pry me away from the beach. My boyfriend hates that I tan, he thinks I get too dark and likes pasty women, whereas I hate being pasty and feel much more confident and attractive when I am tan. I love tanning lotions, the relaxing, warm feel of the tanning bed, even the way a mild sunburn feels. I'm not going so far as to be Snooki with it, but I do always brush on some mild bronzer on my cheeks too.

    idk I love the sun and it seems like everyone is like OMG NO, STAY IN YOUR INTERNET CAVE, THE SUN WILL GIVE YOU CANCER, YOU PASTY, PASTY BITCH. Tell me more people really can't get enough of sun and tanning, and feel way better about themselves with a tan? Or, what lotions you use! I like tingles, right now I'm using Supre Berrylicious 20x with a heavy amount of powershots mixed in, and Brown Sugar. Sometimes I buy cheapo tanning lotions at Walmart too (European Gold) and mix powershots in with them too. Mmm, nothing like the feeling of your skin being on fire.


    (my captcha was "Crackfool" ???)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wait, Natalie, aren't you married to a former chemist? Don't chemists know about ions? I want to know what he thinks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. fuck me for wanting to be social! ;) he's a chemist, and he explained to me what ions are, but he wasn't sure why it would be particularly beneficial to have them on your hair appliances, so i thought we could brainstorm on it.

      Delete
  26. I wish I could talk about tanning. I can't tan..I just turn a lovely shade of peely red. For awhile, I did the fake tan thing until I saw pictures of myself and realized that I looked like a jackass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you wanna know something funny? i am like a ghost, but if i went out in the sun and didn't wear SPF and i laid out and all that, i would get really mega brown. i have some pics of me as a kid where i am soooooo tan, and my hair is all blonde and i look like i should be on a beach postcard. it is like an alternate dimension. i would just not tan if i were you! you'll look so good when you are an old lady, and all of your tan friends will be looking like one of those apple dolls.

      Delete
    2. :) It is nice to know that people are happy being as white as I am! It seems like we always think the grass is greener- pale people want to be tan and tan people want to be pale. Honestly, as bad as it sounds, if I was tan I would probably want to be pale. Story of my life!You look good the way you are-dark hair and porcelain skin..the china doll look works for you-I can't even imagine you with light hair/tan!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4/01/2013

      If it helps, I am in the same white boat. I can't fake tan at all; I wouldn't be fooling anyone. Kids called me Casper in jr high. I am 40 now and no one, I mean NO ONE believes me when I tell them I'm 40. I've been mistaken for mid-20s and at the most, 32. Being super white and unable to tan will work to your advantage as you age, I promise.

      Delete
    4. PASTY AND PROUD!! As a redhead I burn, peel, and am white again and I'd look pretty ridiculous if I tried any of the spray tan/tan in a bottle stuff. It also pleases me to be regularly mistaken for ages much lower than my 30 years. SPF wins.

      Delete
  27. I sell hair tools to put bread on the table. I know a lot of people think ions are a load of marketing bull crap but unfortunately they aren't. It really comes down to what your hair needs are. Girls with thick long hair often say ions are pointless and to just focus on wattage in a hair dryer. However if you have thin or fragile hair, ions should mean a lot to you. If you focus solely on wattage, you'll just be forcefully blowing hot air on your hair for way longer than you should be. Ions help to force the water molecules from the hair as well as make them smaller so they dry quicker. I think there are a lot of crap dryers that claim to use Ions but the only one I swear by is the Chi touch screen dryer. It might seem unnecessarily lavish, but you can better customize your hair drying by choosing the heat setting, speed, and your own hair texture. It does wonders to more effectively dry the hair quickly and without over drying the follicles. The settings are adjusted using a slider interface instead of buttons. So if you want something in between hot and medium, you can create it.
    Sorry to sound like an ad, I just really love haircare and know a lot about it

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you, Natalie, and all your fans, for letting me live vicariously through you. You make me want to paint my nails and put on makeup and actually do something with my hair. But it's kind of like losing weight...it takes time and planning and I'm just not there mentally yet. The 1-2 times per year that I wear makeup, I pull out what I bought for my wedding in 1994. I brush and condition may hair once a week, and blow-dry only if it's under 20 degrees when I head to work (meaning, not for 2 years in southern OH). I AM seriously considering buying your nail polish, though...if I can't motivate myself to use it, it will be a great gift.

    Thank you for continuing to share your many talents with us!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Eyeliner! Using it makes me look less dead in the eyes but if I use anything besides liquid liner, it all falls under my eyelids within an hour, even if I'm using primer. Should I just resign myself to using liquid, or is there a pencil technique that can prevent this?

    Also: who knows of a good liquid liner that stays on your eyes and doesn't involve a felt tip? I'm really liking Revlon Colorstay but the tip is pretty pokey on my eyeballs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have done the heavy black eyeliner / winged thing for a very long time now and have mostly been a fan of liquid eyeliner, but this stuff has converted me to pencils: http://www.target.com/p/pixi-endless-silky-eye-pen/-/A-13669612-- It goes on super smooth and lasts all day, and I have no problems with it smudging. You have to sharpen it ever other day because it's so creamy (I put it in the freezer first before sharpening), and I'm on my second pencil now in the last three months (compared to Mac-Noir, which I still have the same pencil that I've had since 2007ish), but otherwise it works really well.

      Delete
    2. Have you ever tried gel liner? It is so easy to use and the pigment is darker and stays put longer. Maybelline makes a good one. As far as liquid liners I think the best is Lorac Front Of the Line Pro. It does have a felt tip, but it isn't pokey or stiff. I wear a cat eye (or some vesion of it) everyday and this is the best I've found. It isn't cheap-it's $19-$23-but it is worth it!

      Delete
    3. Gel liner is the bomb. I have problems with pencils smudging too, so I tried Bobbi Brown's gel liner and loved it. Comes in some very cool colors. But then super-cheapy E.L.F (at Target) came out with a gel liner and for $1 or $3 or however much it was, Bobbi Brown can kiss my ass. E.L.F also has some decent eyeliner brushes for cheap too.

      Delete
    4. I got a free gift from Sephora recently, emerald liquid liner. It had the tiniest little brush, and after trying to remove some that I spilled on my finger I was afraid it would never come off my eyes! I don't know if the full sized liners have the same applicator, but it had definite staying power once it dried. I had to track down an oily eye makeup remover to get the remnants off the next morning.

      Delete
    5. I actually have Bobby Brown gel liner, and I like the color a lot. I tend to gravitate towards liquid, however, because often times I prefer a simple black and because I feel less of a need to tug on my eyelids when applying.

      I tried ELF liquid liner. I love their brushes but the actual liner flakes and fades pretty quickly.

      Delete
  30. Does anyone have suggestions on gel polishes? I want some cool new colors and I want to branch out from my Couture polishes.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is off-topic, but I have a question for you. Do you have any advice on moisturizers that minimize brown spots? I had a bottle of the origins version that cost like fifty bucks, and despite the 35 spf, got even more sun spots. These aren't cute little freckles, these are the big ol' brown spots. Is the clinique stuff worth the price?

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have a cheapy hair dryer that has an ion button. It seems to do nothing. But I mostly bought it to dry paint when painting, and it was the cheapest one. It's just when I press the button, there's no change in noise or feel or anything.

    I also have a ion brush. I saw it in a thrift store and I was so equally amazed and confused by why a hair brush would need batteries. But it was a dollar, so I bought it for fun. I don't have real hair on my head, but I do have some wigs, and it's pretty good for those. I'm not sure what it's doing, though.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I use the ion button on my hairdryer that I've had since the mid 90s to speed dry things that I've painted on. I'm all about the instant gratification.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Non-ion question: has anyone ever used a dermaroller? I have one arriving from Amazon tomorrow, but I'm still not convinced rolling pins all over my face will do anything besides feel like a jellyfish attack. Hmm?

    ReplyDelete
  35. sorry to hear about your sick child. :( i can sort of feel your pain, i'm usually cleaning up dog puke on an every other day basis if my dog eats too quickly. (and it's always on the carpet, too..)
    i bought a sharper image ionic hairbrush maybe 6 years ago on mega clearance at bed bath & beyond. it was a clunky, heavy plastic bristle brush that made a weird noise when you turned it on and also emitted an odd smell. the one thing i did notice when you removed the brush part the metal part underneath collects your dandruff, so i guess that was a plus.
    i ended up using it as a dog brush and threw it away recently.
    i bought my first "bb" cream over the weekend, it's revlon photoready in the lightest shade. it worked okay, i didn't realize it had so much sunscreen in it (burned the shit out of my eyes) and a little went a long way. i have rosacea, and it covered the redness surprisingly well... and was less fuss than if i did my supermakeupface(which consists of concealer on cheeks & nose like warpaint, some foundation, shitty and expensive clinique redness reducing powder)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous4/01/2013

    OK, wholly unrelated to artifice, but... anyone have advice on keeping shit together as far as everyday things like appointments, work, and general crap that we all gotta do? My head feels like it's been through an eggbeater because despite writing shit down and all that, I still have a hard time keeping things together as far as appointments, scheduling, etc. I have a long list of things to be done, and I can't hide behind the guise of no time-- I have time; I'm just not using it properly.

    I work full time. I don't have kids, but I have a charming yet horribly ADD husband, so he's no help-- I gotta keep up with some of his shit too. I know Natalie and those who are self-employed would have it harder-- it takes way more discipline (and work!) to work for yourself than it does for an employer. Dunno if any of y'all out there have some sort of system when it comes to getting things done. I have an iPhone but I need the satisfaction of writing things down.

    And now ions/dryers. I had the ionic brush that Lindsey posted about, and it was OK. I think it did make my hair a bit smoother but nothing huge. I felt like my scalp was a bit cleaner after using it, but I think most of that was in my head (har). As for hair dryers, BaByliss has been wonderful for me and they last for years. Some are super expensive, like $100 and up, but I got the Ceramix one ($30) and it's been the best hair dryer ever.

    AND! I wanna recommend lemon juice to all y'all. As in putting it on your face! I've been putting lemon juice on a cotton ball and using it like a toner at night. Can use Real Lemon in the squirt bottle or straight up lemon juice. Either one's fine. Been doing this for a week every other night and my skin is brighter and clearer! It did cause some skin purging in the beginning and I had little breakouts, but nothing crazy. I am combo/sensitive-- VERY sensitive, as in can't use most products out there sensitive-- and this does not hurt my skin at all. It's lessened the clogged pores around my nose, and what is there comes out more easily. Lemon juice, people!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have the same problem with keeping shit together. Or, rather, I DID before I started using a good ol' fashioned calendar/planner thing again, with a pencil that lives with the calendar and is only used for the calendar. My favorite is one from B&N that I cannot find online to give you a link (sorry). It's smallish and wire bound with protective plastic covers and little perforated tabs at the bottom corner of each page, so you can always flip right to the current week. My trick to using it regularly is that first thing when I get to work I flip it open and leave it open on my desk all day (and it did take some practice to remember to close it up and bring it home with me when I left work, but I've got it down now). I've also trained people that unless they watch me write it in my calendar, they need to send a follow up email to remind me to write it down. I have an iPhone, too, but I do MUCH better with the write-down type of calendar and leaving it open in front of my face all the time. I'll keep searching for an online example of the calendar I love the most and post a follow up comment if I'm able to find it. :-)

      Delete
    2. I have that same problem. I used to have to write everything down too. Then I realized if I don't look at it, then it is pointless. I've ben doing this thing from FlyLady.com to get organized better and it really does help, even if my house is still a godforsaken mess most of the time when I come home from work. The major plus is the Cozi on-line organizer. If you check your e-mail everyday, this thing is a lifesaver.If you don't check your e-mail, you can get text messages too.It has appointment times, recipes, daily e-mails with your appt for the day, and you can set it up so that your husband (or teenager in my case) get e-mails OR text messages for his appointments. And...it is free!

      Delete
    3. I'm in the process of moving right now, so I also have a bunch of crap to do every day. Reminders on my iphone is saving my life, today it told me to return library books, pick up boxes from a friend, call to book the moving truck, and get quarters for laundry. If I have to remember something more than a few days out, I put in on ical on my phone and set an alert for that. I used to be all about the paper notes & planners but this is working out well for me now. I always have my phone nearby so I don't have to remember to look at the wall calendar or write on my hand like I'm fifteen.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4/03/2013

      Thanks everybody!

      Delete
  37. Anonymous4/02/2013

    A few weeks ago my boss bought himself and I these 'things to do' notepads: http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/catalog/catalogSku.do?id=ND184860&cm_cat=2000000371
    It is embarrassing how much they've increased our efficiency.
    The books have an appointments section on the left hand page, so it can be used as a diary, and it also has some space for notes. Then the right hand side is a simple to do list.
    It's so cathartic to tick things off and it's quickly becoming one of the most important tools in our business!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4/02/2013

      The above comment was meant to come up as a reply to the one above. I haven't just gone mental..

      Delete
  38. Ewww...I hope the kiddo stops leaking and feels better soon. I heard once that ions are supposed to like...neutralize the electrical charges in your hair to eliminate frizz or something like that. I have an ion blow dryer, but I also have curly Italian girl hair and live in Cbus where it is only either rainy, windy as hell or humid and gross year round. I think you posted something about Columbus so you probably know what I mean.

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  39. 3 things: the naked 2 palette is awesome, and I too, use it every day. I use two shadows on my eyes, one as a brow highlighter, and I use the shade called, "suspect" to fill in my brows. It is amazing. Works better than any actual "meant for your brows" product that I have used.
    For liquid eyeliners- it has a felt tip- but it lasted all day in 130 degree weather in Iraq. I had so many eyeliners shipped to me. This was the only one that stood up to the extreme elements: Stila stay all day liquid liner. Amazing product.
    I find that blow drying is more about product and technique than anything else. Angle down from root to end, and don't wave from side to side- roughs up the hair shaft and causes frizz. Also- I love Living Proof Prime style extender. Awesome as a style primer, hear protectant, and it smells so good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to check out that Stila eyeliner. Sounds impressive!

      I've been using "Suspect" for brows, too! I've been meaning to try this Korean one after reading good things about it:

      http://www.amazon.com/K-Palette-Tattoo-Lasting-Eyebrow-Pencil/dp/B007IE3UAI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2ZLMHL1IVPEQT&coliid=I2RIUJQZ4N97FA

      Delete
  40. I don't know nothing about no ions, but now I'm definitely curious. Once my blowdryer shits the bed, I'll investigate an ionic one as a replacement. I've got think hair - each strand is coarse and I've got plenty of 'em - that's kinda wavy and I've been using Bed Head After Party Smoothing Cream after I blow dry. A pea-sized amount is really all you need, really!, and I smooth it from the base of my skull down. My hair is just past shoulder length. Even if my hair isn't all the way dry yet, it still keeps things nice and smooth. AND! the bottle looks like a pink dildo from outer space.
    http://www.drugstore.com/tigi-bed-head-after-party-smoothing-cream/qxp83553

    ReplyDelete
  41. Can anyboby help me out with this? I just got a UV lamp for gel nails off eBay and a gel top coat. Can I use the gel topcoat with regular old nail polish instead of gel EVERYTHING? That gets to be a little expensive for me..anybody...?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw this article recently that is pretty much the same question, apologies if you've already seen it- http://tinyurl.com/d72dosw

      Delete
  42. I'm a little late to the party, but maybe someone can help me out with this. I am super new to this makeup business, and I'm having problems with lip colour. It stays on my bottom lip okay, and it stays on the arches of my top lip pretty well, but everything I've tried (lip stains, both liquid and felt tip, regular lipstick applied straight from the tube or with a brush) rubs off the lower part of my top lip within minutes. Sometimes I can't even get the colour parked there to begin with. I'm very conscious of trying not to lick my lips or nibble on stuff or whatever, but it's like that little bit of skin is freaking makeup-proof. I'd love to try wearing a bright red lipstick thanks to all the contest ladies who rocked the hell out of it, but I'm super conscious of the big bare spot on my upper lip and it makes me feel like a freak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4/19/2013

      I have exactly the same problem and I've been using Natalie's method. I think it's just that when I speak, the centre of my lips is on the inside of my mouth, but when I relax my mouth/close my lips, it is on the outside, Which makes that part of my lips extremely difficult to keep coloured. I have literally no idea what to do against this except obsessively apply lipstick... any other suggestions would be great!

      Delete
  43. Anonymous4/06/2013

    I love my Mason Pearson brush!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Opinions about this article, anyone/ Natalie?
    http://www.xojane.com/beauty/eye-creams-for-your-dark-circles-and-emotional-breakdowns

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anonymous4/09/2013

    Hope your daughter is feeling better! Anyway I got a T3 ion shit that retailed for like 300 bucks on clearance for 20..supposedly the ions smooth out your hair with less frizz and protect the cuticle...my hair is fine and if I don't use the cool blast button my hair starts to curl and frizz so its basically an over expensive hair dryer.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I am in love with my Super Black Lombard. Never had a polish anything like it. Will buy a couple more colors once I get paid. I am the envy of my college-age interns, and when they're admiring any grooming detail of twice-their-age me, it make me way happy. But I'm way happy anyway, just looking at my hands.

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  47. I'm looking for feedback on gel manicures- I'm moving out of town in about two weeks (as I also mentioned above) and between work, packing, and tons of errands every day, I can barely keep a manicure looking decent for one day. I pretty much always do my own nails, but for the past couple days I have really been thinking about getting a gel manicure a few days before I move, in order to a) be able to pack my polish & b) to not have to worry about my nails for a week or two when I'm loading the moving truck, unpacking everything, etc. However, a few of my nails already have issues with peeling (and I already try to mosturize, avoid acetone, etc), and I'm worried that gel polish will make it worse. Anyone have thoughts on this? Would in be better to have the polish eventually removed in a salon or do it myself? I would love a break from worrying about my nails but I also don't want to wreck them...

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  48. You are hilarious. I looooove you! I spackle the toilet bowl with diarrhea when ill. OK. All the time. Gross, right?

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  49. I want to mention the Lorac Pro Palette, b/c I am OBSESSED. I bought it instead of the Naked II palette and I am so glad. It has 8 matte shades, which is what sold me, AND 8 shimmers. I pretty much want to tell every person about it.

    I bought UD Razor Sharp upon your recommendation and I am in love with it, seriously. I tell everyone about it, thank you.
    and...I'ma bout to order some Super Black polishes! I'm so glad you take paypal! I love all the jelly/sheer glitters you have.

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  50. Visit my site if your looking for great makeup ideas:-)
    http://JodiByrne.com

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