MORE BEAUTY PRODUCTS THAT WORK
Okay, people, you asked, so I’m answering. After my last BPTW column, (which you can read here: www.itsnotaboutme.tv/news/2012/08/09/listbeauty-seven-beauty-products-that-actually-work,) you asked for more.
I really thought I had covered them all, but as time has gone on, I’ve either remembered these or discovered them anew.
So, here’s the second list of beauty products that work. As always, please let me know if you have some to share with the rest of us glamour gals. And guys. Are you reading this, Johnny Weir?
Desert Dust—you know how when you’re young and you first discover/hear of something, and you think it just came out? Well, that’s how I was with the old Indian Earth! (Remember those little terra cotta jars filled with original bronzer?) I had long forgotten about that product when a producer got in touch with me a few years ago, when I was still doing my show, to let me know that she had found one that was even better—a compact called Desert Dust. Turns-out that the woman who invented the first product had refined it into this newer one!
So, now it’s the best bronzer in a compact, which is so much easier to use than that convoluted jar ritual. Most of my pals use the Original shade, while my lighter-skinned compadres go for the Rose. Either way, you’ll look naturally better than with anything else. Or on your own!
Olive Face and Body Oil (but for off-label use on nails)–I’m never a fan of homemade remedies because that’s using food that can be used otherwise, i.e. consumed. It’s like making Xmas decorations out of pears and popcorn–what a waste. But I am a fan of using beauty products in ways other than what the company tells you to.
This product is olive oil for the face and body, for extreme moisturizing, I think. (There are no directions on the bottle.) For me, it’s good to use only if you’re alone because you look greasy with it on. But, last year, a nail tech told me to use plain olive oil on my nails when they’re bare, to counteract the drying effects of polish. I noticed that I had this stuff and now I rub it into my hands at least once a week, and don cosmetics gloves. A young guy just touched my hand by accident, and, right in front of his new fiancee, blurted out, “Oh my God! You have the softest hands.” Thanks, Olive Oil bottle!
On a sad (to me) note, I was having a garage sale recently, and a girl brought a bottle of this up to the table. I couldn’t imagine why I had put it there, but, knowing I have multiples of many products, (because I’m insane,) I didn’t want to start taking things back. Turns out, Mr. X had erroneously put a container of my own new beauty products out there! I’ve been seriously mourning the loss of that bottle ever since, even though I have almost my whole one left!
[Note: I think the company recently changed the formula, so I’d have to check-out the new one before I recommend it as much as the old one.]
Kymaro Fix My Roots—OMG! How did girls live without this before? (I wish some of those who let their roots show on purpose would wise up to it, too; I hate seeing different color roots!) It’s basically hair mascara, but so much better than others I’ve seen in the past. You just brush it onto the areas you want to match the rest, blow-dry for a few seconds, and that’s it! Lasts until your next shampoo, even with lots of brushing. (Trust me on the brushing, which I’m obsessive about. I hate unbrushed hair almost as much as I hate exposed roots!)
Julep Nail Treatments–this system, from a Washington state salon, involves more steps than the tried and true Nailtiques, and is therefore most likely a tad more expensive, but it’s well worth it. There are three products, which can each be used alone or in concert. After a month of gels, or lots of manuel labor (like clearing-out my Brooklyn house or doing a garage sale,) I use all three for about a week. And then I’m all set with strong nails for another few months! What could be more simple?
[Note: I’d be remiss if I didn’t caution other asthmatics about the intense odor of the Nail Therapy because it bothers my condition a lot; it stops short of inducing an attack, though. The rest of the system is fine in that department.]
Maybelline Brow Pencil (but as lip liner!!!)–I’m totally serious about this secret. No specific-use liner comes close. Just make sure that it’s the dark brown, and not the black, or you’ll look like a crazy person. And make sure you blend it in a bit with your lipstick. Best of all, if you carry just one cosmetics item to the club at night, this can triple for brows and eyeliner, as well.
Pantene Shampoos and Conditioner–those who’ve seen me over the years know that my hair is still the best thing about my looks. (Hey, a girl’s got to have one good thing, right?) I switch-up shampoos every now and then, as you’re supposed to do, and try new brands occasionally. But, no matter what higher-priced “luxury brand” companies want you to believe, Pantene is still the best for long, straight, non-frizzy, shiny locks. Period.
And here’s the biggest secret of them all:
Cheapo Exfoliating Gloves That You Can Get At A Discount Store—[Note: “Cheapo” is not a brand; it’s my term for how little they cost.] This is not just me saying it. When I was at Two Bunch Palms, an expensive resort known for their beauty treatments, I was having a full body exfoliating scrub before a massage. The whole process was multiple hundreds of dollars. I asked the woman what that wonderful, non-scented exfoliating stuff was. She showed me…those gloves!!! I couldn’t believe it! She said they work better than any scrubs. I’ve used them ever since. And they’re perfect before fake-tanning because they don’t leave a moisturizing residue, which is a no-no for spray, and self, tans.
[Note: unlike bloggers, I’m not compensated for any of my opinions. Rather, I just like to share my secrets in the hopes that it makes beauty easier for even one other person.]
