Review and Giveaway: Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion

Mixed up weather can sometimes equal confused tresses for many of us.  It's a relief when a product comes along to silence the chaos along the hair shaft.  Simply Smooth Xtend Magic Potion does a superb abracadabra and POOF... the keratin and botanical blend infuses into the hair fibers instantly creating a shiny, sleek seal. (don't believe me?  take a look at the pics below)   Ok, back to the magic potion!  The weightless formula is great for all hair types so whether you're relaxed or natural the mystical tricks are all the same.  An instant and SAFE solution for all of us who have been spooked by the bruhaha about other professional keratin treatments.(straightening is NOT required for this product)  Simply Smooth Magic Potion is sodium chloride free, so there aren't any fumes just a nice light scent reminiscent of cocoa butter.

 Ingredients --> need a little help? read my post on label reading

This power packed wonder potion is brewed and packaged for easy use .After you shampoo, you have the option to use this as a stand alone leave in condition or in conjunction with your regular regimen. Either way, your tresses will be instantly rejuvenated, repaired, detangled, defrizzed, smoothed and shined.  Yes, it's like that trick where the magician KEEPS pulling out colorful scarf after scarf  creating a never ending bout of laughter.  Simply Smooth keeps pulling out benefit after benefit which Xtends the health and structure of your hair.   

 3 sprays onto my hand (a little goes a long way) It dries down without any film or stickiness.

 applied to hair

combed through and semi dry

Since my hair has been entranced by this potion I want to share the magic with one of YOU.  Yes, you can have your very own bottle!!.  It's simple follow this blog (box over on the right), then share this post on your Facebook page or RT it on Twitter, make sure to leave a comment BELOW to let me know you did it.  A winner will be picked randomly on Friday, November 25,2011 (must be 18. US resident only)

for more info visit: Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion, $30

*product provided courtesy of beautystat.com*

Friday, October 28th ...Boston Event: Backstage Beauty w/ Ricky Wilson

Ricky Wilson

Celebrity Makeup Artist Event

Celebrity Makeup Artist & Educator, Ricky Wilson and the Dior Show Artists Team  will be at Macy's Boston to share tips, tricks, and techniques that will help you to enhance your own beauty & style.  Come out to meet the team, see what's new on Dior and connect with other beauties in the Boston area.  

WHEN:

Friday, October 28th (11am-5pm)

Macy's Boston (Downtown Crossing)

617-357-3332 (call for an appointment)

About Ricky Wilson: Ricky's  extensive career as a makeup artist has included work on fashion shows, publications, celebrity clients and socialites.  He has contributed articles to Allure, Shape, Essence, Shope etc., Teen Vogue, People, US weekly and Star.  His work has appeared on the pages of Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Brides, Lucky, Elle, Allure, Town and Country , and Modern Bride. Rick'y expertise has been put to work  behind the scenes at MTV, Full Frontal Fashion, Vogue TV, The Early Show and Los Angeles and New York Fashion Week.  He has collaborated with designers John Galliano, Vivian Westwood, Rosa Cha, Vera Wang, Emanuel Ungaro, Tommy Hilfiger and Betsey Johnson.  He was also recently spotlighted in Vogue's Trend Watch TV and has created custom red carpet looks for clients the the Academy Awards, Grammy's, and LA's Independent  Spirit Awards.

Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Eye Primer Review

My days seem to have become longer as my  life transitions due to a growing schedule. In an effort to conquer the daily tasks at hand, I have not been a good girl in honoring my beauty sleep schedule.  As a result, Mine eyes are not showing the glory of my youth.   KORRES®   Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Eye Primer has been a friend in this time of need.  This 3 in 1 formula  has delivered on it's claim to prime,correct and stay put.  The peach toned cream glides on smoothly and minimizes the dark circles BEFORE you apply your concealer.  Any product that keeps me in the "guess my REAL age" game is a total win. Did I mention that this stuff STAYS PUT ALL DAY?  Yes! So if fading or shifting is your issue then you want to give this a try. It's texture allows for even coverage and despite the tint the matte finish is not ashy.  Now, although fine lines and wrinkles aren't a concern for me, having benefits that guard against them is important to my skincare regimen.  The Quercetin and Oak extracts are what set this product apart from others.  These ingredients protect against the elements (antioxidants), soothes any dryness or inflammation, and helps to restore any damage in the eye area.  Good stuff, right?!  My only wish is that the packaging  were different. (i'm not a fan of pumping wands)  However!, I look refreshed so I'll not let the pump be an issue.  :)

Korres $21 @ Sephora


*provided by Beautystat for review consideration

korres

Pantene Pro-V Casting Call

Pantene, known for providing women with healthy, beautiful hair for more than 60 years, is seeking five African-American women to star in its upcoming 2012 print advertising. The search will take place at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

    Pantene aims to provide women with healthy, beautiful hair and offers a variety of products for every hair structure, including the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural collection, designed to help keep African-American hair strong against damage, shiny and moisturized.  As part of “My Black is Beautiful,” a campaign that celebrates African-American beauty, Pantene hopes to encourage African-American women to let their beauty shine inside and out. To find out more, women can visit www.pantene.com/womenofcolor.

        FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 1-2, 2011, 11:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

Sign-ups begin at 10:00 A.M. and are limited to the first 200 people

Callbacks will be held on Sunday, July 3, 2011

  MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER

     2^ND FLOOR- ROOM 226

900 CONVENTION CENTER BLVD

IMPORTANT:

Women with relaxed and/or natural hair are able to participate, however those with extensions or weave will not be considered. The winners will be featured in Pantene’s print advertisements beginning in 2012 and will receive an all expense paid trip to the print shoot location.  Winners will be announced at a later date.

Go for it Gorgeous One's!!!

Pantene relaxed & natural

NuMe Professional Styling Tool/Couture Review

If you want stellar results when styling your hair then you must have a tool that holds true to its claims.  When myself or my clients want to straighten out our natural curls I'm now going Couture by NuMe.  This NuMe Professional Styling Iron helps me get sleek, shine, bounce & hold.  It's lightweight, heats up really fast and as you can see from the pictures below, DELIVERS!!  NuMe offers a variety of flat irons for different needs and hair types.  The Couture is my choice because it's best for thick & curly hair.  It's tourmaline infused plates allows for a smooth glide and a beautiful sealed in shine.  If your stumped for styling ideas, no worries the inside lid of the package offers directions for five options: silky straight, soft curls or waves, flip in, flip out, and volumize.  My only wish for this iron is that the grooves on the top be made with a softer gripping material.  Over time of use, especially if the hair is plenty and  the temperature is up (it heats up to 410) the grooves  became uncomfortable to my fingers.  All in All  I am pleased with the results.  

About NuMe:  A successful brand from Europe that has just launched in the US.  After working closely with stylists in the industry for over a decade, we've taken everything we've learned to deliver the highest quality products for the most incredible results.

 We've created products that will revolutionize your everyday look. We understand how frizzy and unruly hair can change the way our customers feel. Hair is truly transformational and the good news is, unlike the other features we're born with, it can actually be transformed into the silkiest, most gorgeous styles.

I                       the plates allow for smooth straightening, no pulling, snagging or pockets

All curls done with NuME Couture

So tell me what do you think?  If your interested in more NuMe products check out... NuMEStyle.com

Queen Helene Royal Curl Review

At some point in time in our lives most of us have been introduced to Queen Helene. Whether it was the cool Mint Julep mask your mom would walk around the house in or the pink gel shared in the girl's bathroom to "slick down those edges", Queen Helene has long ruled the beauty cabinets.  Continuing in their commitment to remain a leader in health and beauty, Queen Helene Royal Curl enters the court. An all natural royal treatment rolled out in four great products.  Amino Acids, Vitamins and antioxidants are just some of the power packed nutrients that round out this royal formula which is sure to nourish and tame your curls.  

Stay Clean Shampoo - a mild lather detangling formula which cleans unbelievably well.  My hair felt moisturized and had a wonderful sheen.  Did I say it DETANGLES?

Moisture Rich Conditioner-  this conditioner can be rinsed out or left in depending on the density of your hair type.  This light formula will soften, add shine and work out any tangles that the shampoo missed.  If you're looking for a daily maintenance moisturizer to protect those ends.  This is a product to consider because it does it's job without any residue.

Curl Shaping Creme- although it's called a creme it is more like a gel in texture. The holding power is AMAZING! I didn't put anything in my hair other than water (mist) for four days.  Now, it's important to follow the directions "a dime size per section"  my hair is thick so I did more like a quarter and it dried a tad bit crunchy (lol)  Still, even with that mishap I didn't have any flaking or residue on my hair or scalp

Smoothing Oil - i'm not a huge fan of oil products because I tend to get breakouts on my face (around the hairline) when I use them. This product was no different on ME.  Although I like the light formula, scent and its humectant factor.  I will only use it as a hot oil treatment.  

All in all my hair and I are well pleased with our Royal experience(take a look at the pics below)  So if you're looking for an all natural product ("No harsh, or drying chemicals like alcohol, sulfates, petrolatum, parabens or phthalates")  that delivers on it's claims, smells good, and has a modest price point of $8.99 this is for you. The product hasnt hit the shelves yet but you can get it on the site, click here

(shampoo, conditioned & gel) 

 (diffused, no stretching)

 (Day2 ~ just a tiny bit of smoothing oil to wake up curl)

(Day3~ no product added just mist w/ water for twist out)

*product samples courtesy of BeautySat

Queen Helene

Soul Purpose ~ Salon Red Hair Care

 Soul Purpose in collaboration with renowned Hairstylist and Educator Arthur Harris presents Salon Red, a multicultural natural haircare line fortified with Argan oil and silk amino acids.  This high quality botanical base line is successfully formulated to meet the needs of all hair types and textures.  So if your looking to quench the thirst of your dry tresses, simply maintain your healthy hair or treat yourself to an at home spa experience, Salon Red's quality formulation can provide just that and more for you AND your family (yes! it's child friendly)

 Hydrating Shampoo, 12oz $22:  is fortified with antioxidants, green tea extract, Acai Berry, Sugar Cane, Argan oil and silk amino acids. It provides defense to color-treated hair, filters harmful UV rays and is rich in antioxidants to protect hair. All natural, sulfate and paraben free. Adds moisture to dry chemically treated hair. Helps minimize breakage, detangles, enriches hair and evens porosity.

Moisturizing Conditioner, 12oz, $24:  is fortified with antioxidants, Argan oil, tea tree oil, green tea and silk amino acids.

Detangles hair, repairs surface porosity, hydrates hair helping to prevent dry brittleness and breaking of hair. Eliminates static charge and protects hair from harmful UV rays.

Nutri-Shine Hair Gloss, .5oz, $15: Promotes a healthy shine and prevents frizzy, dry and fly away hair. It's enriched with nutrient rich oils, butters, vitamin E., olive oil, shea butter & avocado butter. Promotes a healthy scalp and hair. A beautiful, healthy gloss for all hair types.

Shop Salon Red! click here