Recently in Products We Love Category

They describe their formula as, “Mulberry, molassesand licorice combine for a unique brightening complex that, with the help of antioxident-rich lotus flowerworks to improve skin clarity.” In basic beauty speak this means it aims to revive skin and restore radiance with a brilliantly formulated mix of super fruits and super foods.  I don’t know about you, but one of the most depressing parts about winter for me is how dull and lifeless it can leave my skin, especially my face after braving the cold, brutal winds. And from my experience the past several months, I can say this moisturizer does all it sets out to do — My skin is soft, moisturized, and brighter, and as a bonus, I feel like my skin tone is more even! And, I have to give mark credit for their ingenious packaging. While it takes a little bit more effort to get the product going through the dispenser at first use, because of the kind of pump they use, your products will have a longer shelf life.

You can buy Unite Blonda Toning Shampoo and Conditioner for $26 at shop.unitehair.com.

I rotate through shampoos and conditioners, because I swear after using them for any length of time they seem to stop working effectively. Then I discovered Pureology’s line of haircare products. First of all they’re all formulated to be extra gentle to colored hair, in fact they have what they call an anti-fade complex that promises to “help colour-treated hair retain its fresh-from-the-salon vibrancy with every use.” And if that wasn’t enough for you, they are 100% vegan and contain absolutely no sulfates. I’ve been using this line for almost a year now and my friends will attest to the fact that my hair looks best after a shampoo and condition using Pureology products. 

Because my hair is baby fine, I use the Pure Volume (extra volume for fine hair) shampoo on my roots and the Hydrate Light (extra conditioning for light, fine hair) conditioner on the ends. Tip: most people don’t need to lather up their whole heads with shampoo, apply a dime-sized amount to just the roots and lather and rinse. As the shampoo rinses out it will clean the ends perfectly. Conditioner is the opposite, especially for those of us with thinner hair, apply it only to the ends and let it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing. 

You can buy Pureology at hair salons across the United States, check out pureology.com for locations.

Today’s lesson is one of the “be careful what you wish for” kind. I saw that Kiss My Face had a new Cold and Flu Shower and Bath Gel and I was intrigued by the concept. Its ingredients include olive oil, aloe vera and allantoin, all of which are the perfect antidote to soothe skin that is feeling achy and itchy. It also contains eucalyptus which is cooling and soothing to the skin, while fennel acts as an anti inflammatory and horehound has soothing and aromatic properties. All of this sounded delightful and I found myself wanting to put try it out for myself … well within days I found myself battling a cold that forced me to put the bath and shower gel to the test. While I can’t say that it shortened my cold or improved my symptoms I can say that it smelled great and really helped open up my sinuses. It also provided just the aromatherapy I needed to sleep the cold off. This baby’s definitely a keeper — just heed my advice, be careful what you wish for.