Bargainista’s High Low beauty review - Calia Texture Curl Cream and Tousle Me Softly

I’ve been quietly trying some new products over the summer. Some because I found them in stores and wanted to give them a try. Some were sent my way from friends at PR firm or directly from the brands themselves.

Let’s start with the hair. You may remember I’ve got a cool tool to help me straighten my hair. Well, actually, although it’s awesome it’s quite hot and the process of blow drying my hair first (it’s got a mind of it’s own and needs a good stretch first) then using a straightener is time-consuming.

So, for summer I decided to go with the flow rather than fight it. Calia, my current hair salon launched a new line of products and for $18, I bought a tube of their new Texture Curl Cream for curly hair with the promise of soft curls without frizz. A dab the size of a quarter will do you. On a good day, my hair has soft waves and curls, little frizz and no crunchy or sticky residue.

Shortly after I started using this new product, the folks at Palette PR sent me the complete Tousle Me Softly product line by Herbal Essence totally by coincidence. When it comes to hair products, I’m a bit of a snob and usually stick to salon quality brands. I’m not a big user of drugstore brands per se, even if they often sell for a quarter of the price.

But, I couldn’t resist since the timing was right and I decided to give the Tousle Me Softly finishing touch cream (approximately $5 per jar). I tried it and put it through exactly the same process as the salon brand since both products had similar instructions, once I dissected the marketing speak on the containers.

Results:
Tousle Me Softly finishing touch cream provided great hold and little frizz. However, my hair did feel a bit crunchy. If you’re on a budget and can’t afford the higher-priced stuff, this did an impressive job.

As for the other tousle me soft products, I tried the tousling spray gel too. It didn’t work on my hair nearly as well as either cream. My hair was crunchy and sticky. I’m keeping the flexible hold hairspray ‘cause I’m sure it will suit me fine and the wild violet and pomegranate scent is fresh but not overpowering. I gave the shampoo, conditioner and mousse away to a couple friends.

Whether I’ll keep the curly, tousled look over the fall, the verdict is still out but the tousled look seems to be sticking around for a while.

Have you tried either of these products? Do you have hair like me that’s neither naturally curly nor straight but somewhere in between? What are your favourite summer hair tricks?

LUSH – the perfect home spa day is on sale

I’ve always liked LUSH products. I’m more of a shower person. LUSH Bath Bombs are the one thing that motivates me to relax in the bath.

Recently, the marketing folks at LUSH sent me some products to check out. I absolutely loved the fresh citrus aroma of the Avobath Bath Bomb. Not only did my bath smell wonderful, the scent trickled through (but didn’t overpower the whole second floor of my house. Of course I smelled pretty good too!

I still have a couple Vitamin C Toner Tabs to try out and a Seanik Solid Shampoo bar I’m a bit funny about my hair so I’ve been reluctant to test it out. The idea of washing my hair with a bar of soap isn’t terribly appealing. LUSH soaps make amazing hostess gifts too.

What about you? What’s your favourite bath product? Have you ever tried a LUSH shampoo bar, what did you think? Should I give it a try?

This just in… LUSH Boxing Day Sale in stores and online
In-store deal:
What: Buy a LUSH holiday gift and get a 2nd holiday gift (of equal or lesser value) for free or buy any holiday product or any soap and get 2 holiday products or 2 pieces of soap (of equal or lesser value) for free.*
When: Dec. 26 - Jan. 18
Where: Check LUSH’s website for locations across Canada.

Online deal:
What: Buy a holiday product or any soap and get a 2nd one (of the same product) free.*
When: December 26 at 4 a.m. EST
Where: LUSH

*While supplies last – so get out there early to stock up on your favorite LUSH goodies. This offer excludes bulk hair care and cleansers except for body soap.

Conair’s Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener helps me tame the beast

I was thrilled when the kind folks at Thornley Fallis asked me if I’d be interested in learning more about Conair’s new Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener.



Anyone who knows me knows I have lots of hair that naturally is neither straight nor curly but somewhere oddly in between.

I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a flat iron for a couple of years. I’ve tried a few but always found them hard to handle and I never got great results.

The Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener has two steam settings, three height settings for the detangling comb and several heat settings. My hair is thick and coarse which makes it challenging to say to the least, so I’ve been using it with steam and always on the highest setting.

When I learned they were actually giving me my very own hair straightener, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to try it out. For the past three weeks or so, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing:
• washing hair at night, straightening the next day
• washing hair in the morning, blow drying then straightening
• air drying my hair, straightening once it’s dry
• and so on…

It handles easily. I find it lighter than conventional flat irons but that’s probably because apart from the tourmaline ceramic-coated plates (apparently they help prevent you from damaging your hair), it’s made from lightweight plastic metal. I can straighten my hair in about 15 minutes – a bit quicker than my flat iron experiences.

Results:
It works! I find it works best if my hair is bone dry otherwise, it ends up a bit frizzy. My hair doesn’t look as good as when I’ve had it straightened at the salon but I’m pretty happy with the results regardless. I’ve been on the fence about whether or not to use a protective product at the same time. I’m not sure if it’s necessary because the steam is supposed to help condition my hair as it straightens. What do you think?

As for the price, compared to flat irons typically costing about $200 and up, Conair’s Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener retails for $99. Not bad.

And now for an infomercial moment...
There’s a special offer on their website where you can get a 30-day trial and a bunch of accessories for $14.99 – the cost of shipping. If you decide to keep the goods, you can make three monthly payments of $39.99 each.

And there’s more…
Check out Tame the Beast for a chance to win one of four Grand Prizes of “Total Hair & Beauty Makeover” worth up to $1,000 PLUS a gift basket of Conair hair-related products and John Frieda styling products worth up to $500!

Update: I hope you enjoyed the video. I found it on YouTube.

Waiting at the hairdresser with wi-fi

Earlier I told you about my hair mishaps and how I switched to another salon offering better service – and better stylists as well.

On a whim, I brought my laptop along last week when I went to Calia for colour and a cut. It was a weeknight and I really wanted to write a blog post or two instead of reading gossip mags.

Imagine my surprise when I sat down and saw a wireless router on the floor. Besides that, my colour technician told me I could use it – for free!

I was so excited, I shared the news on Twitter. Doug Walker replied: “@EdenSpodek sounds like a great way to wedge hair clippings into your keyboard...”

He’s naturally blond, but those of us who need some help to maintain our brunette locks, have to spend a lot of time sitting around waiting, waiting and waiting. People were still talking about it three days later.

Peter, the salon owner came to talk to me and tell me about his plans to renovate and create a wi-fi environment for clients while they’re waiting…

I told him about my blog and my twittering about how awesome it was to have wi-fi while having my hair done. He gave me some amazing new shampoo and conditioner for free. I had no idea he understood this space. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in my humble opinion. Now if only I could convince him to update his website...

If you decide to make an appointment and drop by, tell them I sent you.

Do you know of any local businesses providing wi-fi other than coffee shops? Do tell.

Weekly wish – grey-haired beauty

I’ve been colouring my hair for a long time. I’m currently a brunette. I’ve gone as light as strawberry blond (but don’t tell anyone) and used to have brown hair with highlights in varying shades of chestnuts and reds. I didn’t always colour my hair to cover the grey but I’d be lying if I told you that wasn’t the case today.

I got to thinking, how much money do I spend on hair colour in a year? Rough guestimate: $800. How many more years do I expect to colour my hair? 20? In today’s dollars (without factoring in the inflation rate) that’s roughly $16,000! When Mr. Bargainista reads this, he’s gonna flip!

“Damn straight!” says Mr. Bargainista.

Last week I was chatting with David Jones aka “the silver fox” who was nominated as one of Toronto’s sexiest PR & Marketing bloggers in 2006. Unless he’s lying about his age, he’s gone prematurely grey and loving every minute of it.

I asked David how men are able to get away with grey hair when women are shunned for doing the same. His answer was simple: George Clooney.

My friend Alexa Clark of Cheap Eats fame told me how she took the plunge and decided to let her silver hair shine through. Some of her friends thought she was making a political statement. That simply wasn’t the case. She’s got gorgeous locks and she’s showing them off. C’est tout!

So this week, my wish is a bit different. I’m wishing for a female celebrity of Mr. Clooney’s stature to stand up and be a role model for prematurely grey-haired women everywhere.

The current Hollywood writers’ strike presents the perfect opportunity for a talented and beautiful actress or two to grow out her locks. Several mature, sexy women actors are starring in TV shows and films and aren’t letting down their hair and showing us their true colours.

Just think, what if the Desperate Housewives returned with their natural silvery or salt and pepper manes? How ‘bout Mary Louise Parker or Holly Hunter? She’s turning 50 this year – surely she’s not a natural brunette anymore. ; ) Of course if/when Julia goes grey she’d be the perfect candidate.

And to those of you who think I’m making a political statement, that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’ve been visiting here for a while, you’d know this wish is all about saving money. ; )

photo credit: Andrea Busse using Lex 's camera on flickr

Beauty Confidential - how to look like a million bucks for less

One of my favourite holiday surprises was receiving a copy of Beauty Confidential, a new book by former magazine beauty editor, Nadine Haobsh (aka blogger Jolie in NYC).

Nadine is big on developing personal style and doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to beauty even if it’s the mantra espoused by her peers.

Although I read beauty mags at the hairdresser, I’ve never paid much attention to beauty books. Until now that is.

Beauty Confidential is written in a light conversational style and chalk full of valuable tips about every beauty concern under the sun. The format is useful too. Each chapter includes a “product guide” listing each product mentioned in the chapter, along with it’s website address and price range. How handy.

If you’re like me and find yourself collecting cosmetics, hair care and skin care goodies, this handy little beauty book is a must read. You’ll learn when to save your money and what products are splurge-worthy in order to look your best.

Good haircuts and colour are worth the big bucks but you can follow Nadine’s illustrated step-by-step instructions and learn to blow-dry your own hair like a pro. Learn how to groom and trim your eyebrows properly, give your self a professional manicure and lots more. Why throw money away on expensive nail polish when you don’t have to when the less-expensive brands will do. Did you know lots of drugstore skincare products are formulated the same way as others costing megabucks?

You’ll get lists of all the best beauty products (i.e. shampoo, mascara, skin cream, blush, foundation, sunscreen, etc.) and why those products have earned their stripes. Even some of my personal favourites including Lancôme Definicils mascara, Essie nail polish and Cetaphil were list-worthy. ; )

So, if you’re like most women I know and have a stockpile of make-up, skin creams, hair care, body lotions and potions, Beauty Confidential is a smart investment.