Shopbop Biggest Sale Event
Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping has started on a LOT of websites already. Now is the perfect time to jump on the deals and get that wish list item that you’ve been eying for forever. Shopbop is my first stop of course. In addition to 20% off hundreds of new items, the Shopbop spend-n-save event kicked off the 23rd! Offer begins Wednesday, November 23, and ends Monday, November 28, at 11:59pm. Follow these links to shop!
Shopbop Black Friday & Cyber Monday – 20% Off Hundreds of New Styles!
Shopbop Black Friday & Cyber Monday Promotion Code! Take Up to $500 Off Your Order During Our Biggest Sale Event Ever! Use Code BIGEVENT
Alexander Wang Morgan Bag
$835
For a whole lot more Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, be sure to check my Sales & Coupons page.
Marc by Marc Jacobs Bob’s Memphis Trip Pouchette
$298
Veda Muffin Purse
$480
Marc by Marc Jacobs High Heel Suede 10th Anniversary Sandals
$395
B Brian Atwood Fontanne Platform Pumps
$350
Cushnie et Ochs Wrap Dress
$1,295
A.L.C. Ruby Jacket
$693
Willow Broidery Cutout Pleated Skirt
$495
Milly Allegra Knee Length Skirt
$254
Jeunesse Francoise Blouse
$230
sass & bide Forever Hand In Hand Print Tee
$345
Dolce Vita Emmy Lou Dress
$154
Belle Noel Pave Hair Chain
$60
Alexis Bittar Pave Woven Bow Cuff
$295
Ultra-Femme accessories
Elegant and ladylike accessories for a fun summer day.
Newport News Tote bag $59 $29
Multi stranded necklace $44 $29
Straw clutch $44 $34
Textured cotton canvas bag $59 $39
Beaded multi-strand necklace $49 $29
Bow-accent hair accessory $24 $12
Double-strand pearl chain necklace/belt $44
Paper straw hat $34 $19
Ruffle bracelet $19 $14
Striped tote bag $44 $34
Beaded Pendant Necklace $34 $19
Summer Hair Tips For Your Hair Type
Everyone believes that summer may bring glorious visions of natural highlights and that sexy beach hair look that we all want to achieve. Though, the reality is that the summer sun, spiraling hot temperatures and related humidity may damage your hair’s cuticle resulting in dry, drab, split, brittle or frizzy hair and ragged ends. Riccardo Maggiore from the Riccardo Maggiore Salon believes you can have healthy, beautiful hair during the summer months if you know how to properly take care of it.
Maggiore Riccardo (www.RiccardoMaggiore.com) Summer Tips:
Fine Hair:
For fine hair, long layers are ideal. The layers will create movement and volume. This is perfect for the hot, summer months.
Wavy Hair:
Wavy hair is great for summer; it’s like beach hair without even stepping foot on a beach! Work with that texture and use plenty of moisturizer to emphasize the waviness.
Curly Hair:
Heavy layers are good for curly hair too. However, you don’t want to over-layer the hair. It should be cut long enough to achieve the desired style.
Thick Hair:
For thick, straight hair, increase layers to achieve more movement and further thin hair in order to accomplish a look that heavy hair sometimes will not allow.
How can you avoid scalp/part burns?
Try to avoid parts in your hair all together! Use a fashionable headband or scarf to slick hair back. But if you must part your hair, use a sun specific product with a UV protectant, like Riccardo Maggiore Rinnova Texturizer, a unique leave-in treatment which contains sunscreen agents to protect hair from damaging UV rays.
What’s the best way to deal with summer dryness?
Summer sun and heat can cause major dryness to hair. The key is to moisturize! Put tons of moisture in your hair. Use moisturizing shampoos, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners – anything that will maximize moisture.
If you plan to hit the beach or pool, apply oil or a product with SPF to the hair. This will create a “seal” that will protect and prevent salt water, chlorine or sun to penetrate and cause damage.
What’s a great tip for dealing with summer frizzies?
Find a product that will help combat frizziness, like Riccardo Maggiore Luminoso Anti Frizz Drops, a glossy finishing product that helps to smooth and seal the hair cuticle, offering a radiant luster while eliminating the frizzies and static electricity.
The best way to control curls during the summer?
The best way to control natural curls is to use products that moisturize. Use a moisturizer, like leave-in conditioner, to produce long, flowing curls, and heavy product, like gel, to produce tighter curls.
Refresh Your Locks for the holidays
Is this chilly winter weather drying you out?! No time to run to the salon before New Years Eve? Well guess what…you have a secret weapon to heal dry hair in your kitchen cupboard! Olive oil and mayonnaise isn’t just good for cooking, they’re an excellent moisturizing treatment for your hair and scalp. Here are fabulous tricks from stylists Josh Rosebrook and Robear Landeros at LA-based salon The Parlour on 3rd.
To do an olive oil moisturizing treatment From The Parlour on 3rd Master Stylist Josh Rosebrook:
1. Take 1/4 cup olive oil and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Part your hair into four sections and apply the warm olive oil to your scalp, section by section. Make sure to work the olive oil from the scalp to the ends of your hair.
3. Put a plastic cap on your hair and let the olive oil work its magic for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the cap. Shampoo, condition, and style your hair as usual.
Healthy Hair Mask From The Parlour on 3rd Stylist Robear Landeros:
The easiest, cheapest, and most effective hair mask secret known to stylists is mayonnaise. Who would have thought? Mayo is composed of egg yolk, lemon juice and vinegar, which can strengthen and moisturize your hair. Avoid commercial brands. Stick with organic for best results. Place a plastic bag over your hair after you apply. Leave it on for 30 minutes. If you don’t mind smelling like a ham sandwich, the end result is worth it!
Filed under Hair | Comment (0)Emjoi epilators on HauteLook
My trusty Emjoi epilator has been with me for almost 10 years. I got it for $99. Now I cannot believe how inexpensive it has gotten and how many different newer and improved models there are, especially at this sale at HauteLook right now. If you are looking for an alternative way to get rid of unwanted hair besides shaving and waxing, I strongly recommend Emjoi epilators. You can pretty much use it anywhere on the body, even on bikini lines (although I’m too chicken to try it because of the pain, everywhere else the pain factor’s pretty small).
No Frizz
With all the crazy pregnancy hormones, my hair did get fuller…except it’s not the picture perfect bouncy kind of full but thicker coarser and frizzier variety. Every time I get my picture taken, my eyes just zoom in on the crazy hair! I have so many anti-frizz products at my disposal. One of the best tools is this Living Proof Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair 4 oz ($24). It’s specifically for thick hair like mine. Lately it’s been raining a lot, this cream coats the hair with an extremely effective but thin and light layer to protect it from getting frizzy because of the humidity, keeping the hair velvety smooth and shiny. And what I really like about it is that you don’t have to spend much time styling, unlike other anti-frizz products where you have to use a flat iron or blow dry with a flat brush to get the smooth hair. I just use a small drop on the wet hair and blow dry as normal. But of course you can still use a flat iron and you’ll get amazing results.
Twist It Up- Fashion Week Do It Yourself Hair Tips
I got this in my Inbox and I really want to try it with my own hair. The bun just looks so chic and still young.
Wanna try it? Below are step by step tips to create this great look- perfect for a night out or the office.
1. Make a side part and take three inches of the hair closest to the front and pin to the side.
2. Take another three inches from the crown of the head, right behind the section of hair you just marked off and pin that to the side as well.
3. You should be left with two sections of hair on both sides of your head.
4. Take the hair from the right section, and twist hair into a low ponytail, you should go from your temple to the nape of your neck.
5. Take the hair from the left section, and do the same but make sure you keep hair on an angle.
6. You should be left with 2 “rolls” on each side of you head.
7. With the hair in the low ponytail, you should coil pieces together and allow them to fold into each other, just use pins to hold hair in place.
8. Take the top section from the crown of your head and twist that piece loosely like a rope and pin it to your head.
9. Take the last section of hair and fold the hair into the rolls with your finger and pin all loose pieces with your finger.
Louise Galvin’s new Mother to Be hair products
Now that I’m a mother-to-be, all of a sudden I’m obsessed with using the most mild natural chemical-free shampoos and conditioners. For all the mother-to-bes and new mommies out there who are looking for the best green hair products for you and your baby, you will definitely want to check out UK’s celebrity colourist Louise Galvin’s Sacred Locks Range of Hair and Body Care Products – Carbon Neutral Beauty. All her hair products are about nature hair care. Her new fragrance free range Mother To Be, New Mothers and Baby Too! is so gentle, it’s safe for baby too. The line was created after Louise found when she was pregnant her hair needed a little extra help to retain shine and vitality and create volume. She also found that she was far more sensitive to smells (me too!) and the citrus aromatherapy oils in her other products were sometimes overpowering in the early days of her pregnancy. Pre-biotic formulation helps calcium retention and promotes scalp health, essential in pregnancy. In her research she discovered an incredible new, luxury ingredient – Ximenia Oil, also known as Seaside Plum, a rich oil that works like a natural silicone to smooth the cuticle and add moisture without weighing the hair down or causing build up. This delicious ingredient originates from the African Savannah and has for centuries been used by pregnant women to restore natural lustre and gloss.
What is more impressive is that this special range donates 50 pence from each product sold to child health charity ‘Best Beginnings’. As a patron of Best Beginnings, Louise Galvin works endlessly to give the gift of a healthier start to all the children in the UK. Louise’s support helps ensure the charity reaches the 300,000 women a year, across the UK who are not receiving the vital support or information they need. Louise Galvin has pledged to personally help raise vital funds for the charity.
Mother to Be Shampoo £22, Mother to Be Conditioner £24, and Mother to Be Treatment Masque £26.
Carbon neutral beauty
As summer approaches and our hair needs extra care to fight the harmful environmental elements like air pollution and sun damage, it certainly helps to look to hair care products that feel luxurious, effective and free of harmful chemicals. Celebrity colourist Louise Galvin is at the forefront of carbon neutral products. Louise Galvin is a renowned hair colourist in the UK as she has coloured the hair of a lot of celebrities in over 20 years’ experience in the hair colouring industry. Based at her father’s famous Daniel Galvin salon in London, she has coloured the hair of countless fashion and beauty icons including Sophie Dahl and Patsy Kensit. Her in depth knowledge of coloured hair has led her to create the revolutionary Louise Galvin Sacred Locks haircare line, the first Carbon neutral beauty company in the UK, and also available internationally through her website and selected retailers.
Louise has designed range of hair and body care products to deliver what women want: hair with flexibility and movement; the kind of deep natural moisture that is apparent at a glance; and a lingering, sexy smell. The range also hydrates and restores the shine to long and colour-treated hair and effectively prevents fading.
Not only are Louise Galvin products exceptionally effective, they are also free of harmful ingredients, relying instead on entirely natural or naturally-derived ingredients such as the essential oils: grapefruit, lemon, orange, geranium, tagetes minutiae and mandarin. Grapefruit extract takes the place of harmful, artificial preservatives in all products in the range while the moisturising agent is 100% vegetable-derived glycerine. Conditioning agents are derived from natural corn, soya and wheat. All the products in the range are rich in pro-vitamin B, vitamin E and a modified form of honey.
Louise Galvin products contain no sulphates, no propylene glycol, no petrochemicals, no silicones, which result in build-up, no artificial perfumes, no parabens, no phthalates and no synthetic preservatives. Louise is also passionate about the environment and is committed to creating products that mean you can achieve luscious locks guilt-free. No animals are harmed in the testing of her products and any greenhouse gasses that are produced in their manufacture are off-set by investment in The Carbon Neutral Company. The products use only natural or naturally-derived ingredients such as essential oils, natural extracts and vegetable-derived moisturising and conditioning agents in place of harmful, artificial preservatives. They are also free of sulphates, parabens, slicone, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and polymers.
Louise Galvin Sacred Locks is perfect for the confident, feminine woman of today – a woman who cares for her looks as well as the world around her.
Please visit the site
I don’t *need* anything for Christmas, but I always want something fun and cute
In our household, we don’t really give big-ticket items as gifts at Christmas. My parents usually just give us money envelopes along with a couple of small presents. Sometimes I’m more excited about stocking stuffers because I request small things that I covet but feel a little guilty of getting for myself because they are non-essential but are so cute and so much fun and totally appeal to my girly side. They totally put a smile on my face. My guy’s still shopping for me, and I strictly said keep ‘em small and inexpensive. He might be peeking at this.
Frederic Fekkai Spray On Hair Crystals, Champagne $18.50. This reflective crystalline mist infuses hair with added dimension and brilliance. “Hair is a woman’s best accessory. Let it shine, glimmer and glow like never before.” ~ Frederic Fekkai
Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer $17. This little miracle worker will prevent all the fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oil slicked and hard-to-blend eye-shadow accidents.
Benefit sheer cream blushers $20. It amazes me how Benefit can keep coming up with more fantastic blushers that make your cheeks look so dewy and youthful.
The Julietta Arm Warmer in Fuschia $18.95, with 30% off code COSMIC (till 12/22), $13.27
Cushy Bow Slipper Socks $10. I have quite a nice collection of slipper socks, all Christmas gifts. These look like they’ll make you feel like you are walking on clouds.
Little Food Erasers $8. Soooooo cute! They look too good to be used.
Owl Salt & Pepper Shakers Set $24.
Flower Pin Brooch Golden Orchid $14.99. This will look stunning pinned to cardigans, jackets, dresses, and even as a hair accessory. I love a pretty brooch to channel Carrie.
Lace Drop Earrings $18. So pretty. Wish I could make these myself. I’ve seen many similar earrings DIY’ed by other crafty bloggers, which makes me very envious.
I’m a brazilian wax virgin
I must sound like a newbie to a lot of you. I have never gotten a brazilian wax. Our Brazil trip’s coming up in August, I’m thinking I should get one in the honour of the tirp 
. I’m afraid if I don’t, I will feel inadequate among all the beautiful beach bodies there, lol. My little town didn’t used to have beauty salons that did brazilian wax, but I think there are a few now that do. I could’ve gone to Toronto (an hour away) to get one done years ago, but I was scared to death of it. Do you have any advice for me? I need to know everything there is to know about getting a good brazilian. I’ve started doing some research on the Weeb. Everyone seems to say it’s not as bad as you’d imagine and the brazilian waxers are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Here’s what I learned so far. Anything else you know darlings, tell me!
Most waxings occur in a private room with a door. I have heard of some with just a curtain between you and others. You remove your pants & underwear & lie on a table with clean paper or sheets. It is possible that you could be provided with a paper thong, but chances are… you won’t.
Because you only need about a quarter-inch of hair for the wax to grab onto, your waxer will start by trimming your pubic hair to the right length.
The best waxers are fast, which means less discomfort for you. The waxer will dip a waxing stick into a pot of hot wax & then spread it onto your skin & hair. She will then apply a cloth strip over the still-warm wax, pressing firmly so the cloth, hair and wax adhere to one another. When the wax has cooled, she will pull the strip off, in the opposite direction of your hair growth, pulling the hairs out by the root.
Most likely, your waxer will tweeze any stray hairs.
Waxing usually starts in the front & moves toward the back. You’ll likely have to move around in all sorts of odd positions in order for the waxer to do her job.
Once the waxing is over, the waxer will spread soothing lotion over the waxed areas. You should ask what to do in case of bumps, redness or ingrown hairs. Your waxer should be trained in this.
Don’t forget to get the name of the waxer so when you make another appointment you can get the same person so you don’t have to bare all for another complete stranger 
.
And remember to tip the aesthetician 20% – 25%.
Tips:
The procedure, like any waxing, can be very painful at first, but frequent visits usually cuts down on the pain factor. It’s suggested taking a couple Advil at least 15 minutes before your procedure. As for the embarrassment factor — we like to think getting a Brazilian can’t be any more embarrassing than a typical visit to your gynecologist’s office. These aestheticians have seen it all before.
The downside of a Brazilian wax… while it lasts as much as 3 weeks, the hair will grow back & you’ll have to do it again.
Another downside… hair has to be a certain length before it can sucessfully waxed.
Another down side… you might experience red bumps or ingrown hairs.
(Source: http://beauty.about.com/od/hairremoval/ht/bikiniwax.htm)
Filed under Hair | Comment (0)Ask Petite Chou – Shampoo & conditioner to fight hard water
Hey MPC,
I just recently moved into a new house. I’ve been noticing that our water is very hard and it’s wreaking havoc on my hair and scalp. My hair’s gotten really dry. And I never used to have itchy scalp but it gets dry and itchy as hell. Can you recommend a good shampoo/conditioner that can combat this situation and improve my hair before I shell out 3 grand to have a water softener installed.
Love,
B.
Ahhh hard water, the reality of life eh? I don’t know how I can live without a water softener. B, get that water softener soon, and you can definitely get a decent one for less than $3000. Anyway, honestly I don’t know of a shampoo and conditioner on the market that specifically addresses the hard water problem. If any of you know, please tell us . I generally lean towards cheapie drugstore shampoos and conditioners, except occasionally I’ll splurge on a hair and scalp treatment as my scalp is temperamental – sometimes dry and sometimes oily.
Dr. Hauschka Neem Hair Lotion
$24.95, fantastic leave-in conditioner for both hair and scalp! It will relieve the itchiness, great for dry or oily scalp.
Frederic Fekkai Protein RX Reparative Treatment Mask
$28.50, pretty much the best hair mask out there. It’s like hair magic IMO.
Anyone else has tips for this problem? Any favorite hair treatments?
Filed under Hair | Comment (0)Deal Alert – Yves Rocher Last Chance Shop
My favorite page on Yves Rocher’s website is its Last Chance Shop. There’s always a ton of must-have skincare products like body washes, lotions, hand creams, scrubs, at extremely cheap prices. I usually buy a bunch at a time, these things I always need and use anyway so it’s not a waste. My mom (Yves Rocher’s her favorite skincare line) used to always buy double of everything so that she’d save half for me. I’m starting to do it for her too now. These are some of the things of great value that I just stocked up and strongly recommend.
Aqua Body Wash with Ginseng $14 $5.60. I pretty much only use body wash from Yves Rochers. This body wash is one of my faves, the herbal aroma smells great in the shower. It has mini beads that gently exfoliate. When I use a body wash that has exfoliating beads, I really go at it, it’s almost like a workout, lol.
Jardins des îles Shower Oil $6 $2.40, this one is a fantastic follow-up to your body wash, super hydrating, makes your skin silky smooth and glowy.
Pure Air Detangling Spray $14 $5.60. This detangling spray technically is for preping your hair before you start styling, but since I don’t style my hair, I just use for its great smell and conditioning, it’s a fast way to refresh your hair.
Wrinkle Smoothing Day Lotion SPF 20 $45 $18. My mom’s fave passed down to me, a great day cream since it has anti-oxidants and SPF 20 in one.
Vanilla Liquid Hand Soap $4.50 $1.80. I bought 5 of these, really lovely hand soap. Don’t you love it when the fragrance of the hand soap lingers? I unconsciously keep smelling my hands. Looks great on my kitchen counter.
Arnica Restorative Hand Balm $11 $4.40. I love hand creams as I’m deathly afraid of having leathery old-looking hands. This one works great, it’s loaded with grape seed oil, very soothing and moisturizing. Just don’t forget to put on sunscreen on your hands during the day too
Slimming massager $4. It’s probably a stretch to call this massager slimming, but anything to stimulate better circulation thus getting rid of toxins, reducing cellulite and improving skin texture is a good tool to have.
SpaLook.com coupons galore
Anyone shopping for popular spa and boutique skincare and beauty brands? Spalook.com‘s the best place to go to for its huge selection and low prices. Its lowest prices are guaranteed, or they’ll refund you for 115% of the difference in price! And every order comes with free samples. It’s a great site to load up on your dr. brandt, Molton Brown, Peter Thomas Roth, Freeze 24/7, Thalgo, etc. I have found a bunch of SpaLook’s coupons. Hope you find them useful! 
Get 10% off your $100 or more purchase at SpaLook.com. Coupon Code: Spa10
Get a FREE Sundari 5-piece set for dry skin when you spend $125 or more! Code: ASUND
Get a FREE SuperSmile Whitening Toothpaste (a $19 value) when you spend $45 or more. Code: AST
I want Camilla Belle’s bangs
Has anybody seen 10,000 B.C. yet? I’m excited about seeing the movie. Give me any big visual effects movie and I’m happy. Camilla Belle’s so cute. I’m totally jealous about her hair, so sleek and shiny, and the bangs are just adorable on her. I really want a change with my hair and I have this urge to get bangs like hers. Hers are kinda different ’cause they aren’t exactly uniformly cut straight across and they cover her eyebrows. It totally works on her. The last time I had bangs was when I was 10. I know thick flat bangs have been popular for a while now. Do you think if they are on their way out? And it takes a certain hair type/texture for this kind of bangs to work. Does any of you have bangs like that? Is it hard to upkeep?
(picture sources: hollyscoop.com, men.style.com/details)
Filed under Hair | Comment (0)
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My Personal Invite Link to Rue La La for you
