I am in love with two curl-enhancing products from the TIGI Curlesque hair care collection.

My friends with pin-straight or crazy curly hair are always quick to point out how fantastic it is to have wavy hair. Theoretically, the waves enable me to wear hair that’s either curly OR straight, depending on my mood.

Since the grass is always greener, particularly when talking hair, I have coveted both the super straight and super curly variety. While I love the sleek, blown-out look, I don’t have much time to muss and fuss with blowing out my hair. And when I try to get the curl going,  I end up with the wavy-in-all-the-wrong-places look that often includes a bit of frizz.

With a little help from the tremendous Jonathan, co-owner of Blush Salon in the tony neighborhood of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, I now have an easy, no fuss way to give my boring waves a little boost.

In freshly washed, still damp hair, apply about two pumps of Tigi Catwalk Curlesque Leave In Conditioner. Then, work about a half of a palm-full  of their TIGI Catwalk Curlesque Lightweight Mousse into the hair, concentrating on the middle and ends. Scrunch up the hair to get the curls to form and let it air dry.

According to Jonathan, the addition of the leave in conditioner prior to the mousse helps weigh the curls down slightly, giving them a beautiful, slightly elongated shape without frizzing or kinking them out.

The end result is soft, flowing curls.

I love the simplicity. The process adds only a fraction of time to my morning routine.

Dsiclosures: The TIGI links are Amazon Affiliate links. The TIGI products tested were purchased by me.

This Gary Harvey-designed piece of eco couture is made from 350 Skin Food packages, and was unveiled at the opening night party of Eco Fashion Week in February 2010.

Summer sandal wearing does considerable damage to my heels, leaving them parched and cracked. Usually a winter spent in cozy socks clears up the aggravation. Last year the skin on my right heel was particularly bad, including a fairly deep fissure, so even a full season spent covered up did nothing to alleviate the problem. Any foot salve I tried did little to help. And at this point, my heels simply laugh when I whip out the pumice.

When Weleda sent me a bottle of their cult-classic product Skin Food, I knew I wanted to try it on my heels. As an experiment, I used it only on my right heel, the one that’s much worse for wear, and leave my left foot untreated.

Given the state of my right heel, my Weleda Skin Food test seemed almost unfair.

After a little over a month of frequent application, the deep fissure is about half way closed. And while my skin is still pretty rough (and I suspect nothing short of a serious peel or a dermaplane will fix it completely at this point), the Weleda tested heel is noticeably softer and slowly getting healthier.

Essential fatty acids in the Sunflower Seed Oil is the key to Skin Food’s hyper moisturizing properties. Dry skin is, clearly, fatty acid deficient and Sunflower Seed Oil replaces it. Skin Food also contains Sweet Almond Oil, which is not only an excellent hydrator but also absorbs into the skin nicely without leaving an oil slick behind (hence why I was not slipping and sliding all over the floor after application).

There’s a ton of other soothing and antibacterial ingredients in this little tube, including rosemary, calendula and chamomile. But I think the oils are the key to Skin Food’s proven success.

This is definitely one of my new go-to products for dry, irritated and damaged skin.

Weleda Skin Food is $17.50 for 2.5 ounces and is available at Target, Whole Foods and online at Weleda.com.

Disclosure: I was sent a tube of Skin Food to test by Weleda’s PR representatives.

I am interrupting this week’s usual Friday Bombshell Blogger shout out with an important skin care PSA.

You cannot–I repeat–can not “close your pores.”

Yesterday, I noticed a tweet by a fairly popular skin care blog blasting out a recommendation for some product that “closed” her pores. Because part of the mission of this blog is to be a forum to counter the misinformation, I call bullshit.

Your pores are your pores. They are genetically determined. You cannot close them. You cannot make them smaller. You cannot make them disappear. Nor do you want to close them, make them smaller or make them disappear. They serve an important purpose.

Without our sweat pores, our bodies would have no temperature regulation. Our pores excrete oil, which not only keeps our skin moisturized but also helps protect our skin from environmental pollutants.

If you “closed” your pores, you would cause all sorts of acne eruptions on your face. Closed pores = dead skin and oil build up, with no way for oxygen to enter, giving the bacteria a great environment to thrive. The bacteria that causes acne cannot live in the presence of oxygen.

What you can do to minimize the appearance of your pores is to make sure that they are “clean.” Pores can get stretched by dirt and oil, which makes them appear larger. If you have oily skin, a good clay mask can help pull the dirt out of your pores. Combo skin should use clay only on the T-zone, with a rich moisturizing mask on the other areas. When I was working with a Jurlique spa, I saw great client results with Jurlique’s Purifying Mask (Amazon affiliate link).

Dry skin? You can barely see your pores–this is the curse of the small pores. They may be invisible, but the invisibility comes at a price. You cannot secrete enough oil to keep your skin naturally moisturized. Stay away from the clay, and look for a mask whose base has uber moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, seaweed or a natural oil like grapeseed or jojoba. A good moisturizing mask is Caudalie Moisturizing Cream Mask (Amazon affiliate link). The potent grapeseed oil is fantastic moisturizing antioxident for your skin.

If you are reading a magazine article, a blog post or an advertisement that touts a miracle product that will “shrink” your pores, make them “disappear” or “close” them, know that it’s not only impossible but also not what your skin needs.

Have you tried some sort of “pore minimizing treatment” that caused your skin to freak out? Share it in the comments!

Frederic Fekkai is my go-to hair care line when I do something naughty to my hair.  I became a full fledged beauty editor when his salon really hit big and his product line was first launched, so perhaps I have a soft spot for anything Fekkai related. But nostalgia aside, his Protein Rx (Amazon affiliate link) line, infused with a milk and soy protein complex, saved my hair when I made a misguided attempt at henna.

So, when finances began to get tight, I decided to try my hand, once again, with at-home color. This time, however, I was going to spend a little more and go for the good stuff. I was going to go with Fekkai. It’s a bit of a financial commitment $30 a pop, but I’m still saving coin.

Frederic Fekkai’s color system (Amazone affiliate link) uses the brush-and-bowl professional method for application. The consistency of the color is much thicker than the usual at-home, squeeze-the-bottle brands. It definitely helps ensure a more even coating.

But–and this is a big but–it’s hard to manage the brush-and-bowl application on your own, particularly when trying to reach the back. To ensure even coverage, I recommend partnering up with a pal for a hair color party. Or, you can have your significant other do the work. Manly Man Husband could have quite a career as a Fekkai colorist.

The scent of the color is much milder than the usual at-home suspects, and the color definitely did less damage to my hair–no breakage or dry, split ends in sight after use.

However,  after about four weeks, it seemed like the blond color I chose was turning brassy. Another color application (roots for 30 minutes, whole head for 5) seemed to remedy the situation, but once again, at the end of 4 weeks, the color went back to the brass. So, I decided to switch my color from blond to red because the brassiness was getting on my nerves.

I have to preface this with a disclaimer–red refuses to stay in my hair. Even when I have it salon done, permanent red will simply wash right out. When I was in college, my stylist gave me a gorgeous red color that promptly turned pink after a week.

So armed with my hard-knock red-head knowledge, I decided that I would not wash my hair for FIVE days to try to let the color set. I bought his at-home glaze to use to try to keep the color vibrant and protected. I even left the color on for 15 minutes longer than the directions recommend (based on the helpful advice from the Bloomingdale’s sales woman).

But after simply rinsing the color out of my hair, I had a strawberry streak in the front right section as the blond peeked through. Poor Manly Man Husband thought he missed a pretty big spot, but the next hair wash was even more telling–more strawberry streaks, even after waiting FIVE days to wash it. However, the good news is, after about three weeks, it’s not pink. It actually looks almost natural. I am curious to see if the color rinses out in the next go-around.

For the price, it’s quite a financial commitment compared to the drug store colors out there, but I am still saving money with the DIY process. Even though I seem to be having some problems with the color at the end of 4 weeks (and I wonder if the brassiness of the blond had to do with the color rinsing out), it’s around the time that I should be re-coloring anyway, so it’s something I can live with.

The lack of damage to my hair is what blows his cheaper competition completely away.  For this alone, I think it’s worth the significantly higher price point.

The relentless blonding of my hair leaves it dry, brittle and pretty frizzy. Finding a shampoo that will hydrate and control the frizz is a challenge. My friend Ginger turned me on to Davines, a boutique hair care company from Italy, and their NouNou line for color treated hair, which includes their Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner (Amazon affiliate links). And now that I am down to the bitter end of the bottles, I am ready to talk about my results.

Except, I am kind of ambivalent about this one, and I am not sure why, since the results were definitely good.

For hydration, NouNou was amazing. I have one spot of hair, directly above my right temple, that turns into a mini-frizz ball immediately after a shower. If I don’t smooth it out with a little oil and a comb, the frizz ball remains a kinky, flyaway disaster. NouNou was the only shampoo and conditioner combo that tamed this mess. I also noticed less breakage and split ends over the past several months of using the product. But my color seemed to fade out a bit, although I suspect this was the result of using an “at home” (rather than salon) color and not a result of NouNou.

The shampoo is very lightly fragranced, but the conditioner smells so concentrated out of the bottle that I almost returned it. It’s not unpleasant (it has a sort of spicy scent) but it is strong. Luckily, the scent is not at all overpowering on the hair like it is in the bottle.

The bottles last a long time–my initial purchase was in July or August and I am only now running out (worth noting that I shampoo/condition every other day). I did however get some inconsistent lathering with the shampoo. Some days a little went a long way, other days I felt like I needed to use more product to get the job done.

I can’t really wrap my head around why this shampoo/conditioner combo is so hydrating. There’s a lot of ingredients to muddle through on the list, and the ones they highlight on their marketing material show up towards the bottom.

For example, Davines touts the use of Chestnut Milk to nourish and hydrate, and it comes mid-point on the ingredient list (which is not bad). But the third ingredient listed is glycerine, which a favored humectant in skin (and hair) care products because of its ability to hold moisture. I suspect that the glycerine may be more of a contributing factor to hydration than the Chestnut Milk.

The conditioner includes tomato extract to protect the hair from free radicals–and most cosmetic experts say it’s one of the strongest antioxidents out there.  Regardless of its antioxident properties, lycopene protects the skin from UVA/UVB rays. I don’t think its much of a stretch to assume it would do the same for hair. And sun exposure is often a culprit for color fading. So theoretically it could help there, although, as I mentioned, my color did experience some fading.

Bottom line, I this is a terrific hydrating shampoo and conditioner combo, which I would definitely buy again because of its great results. But I think Davines used a few beauty buzzwords whose contribution to these great results may be tenuous.

While every beauty brand sells on buzz words and great packaging, it’s the results that matter most. So for results for color treated, dry, damaged hair, yes Davines NouNou is definitely recommended for your arsenal.

Upon the advise of several esthetician’s, this weekend I went on a hunt for Colorescience, a mineral makeup line that was started by the original founder of Bare Minerals.

I was looking for a mineral line without all the usual talc and potential irritants that are found in the lines out there. After consulting with a few other esthys about the best mineral products for the skin, I decided to take the plunge and dump a few bucks on this pretty expensive line.

So I found a spa that carried them nearby and headed over, picked out my makeup choices (Wild to Mild primer, which is essentially a bronzer, and the Sunforgettable SPF 30 in Almost Clear) and did not bother to read the labels.

The products are beautiful. The bronzer that goes on so smooth that even Manly Man Husband commented on the glide. And the barely there dusting powder gives a nice, natural and glowing sheen. My skin on the whole feels soft and moisturized, which is very different from the way it feels when I apply other mineral brands. My top complaint about mineral makeup is the dryness I feel when I wear it–afterall mineral makeup is pretty much glorifed powder. And since I prefer a dewy look to matte, I am overall pretty happy with how the makeup wears.

The other incredible bonus with Colorescience is their sun protection. I believe they are the only mineral makeup line out there that has the Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of approval. The line claims to be “very water resistant” and that claim appears to be true (have the salesperson perform the water test with the makeup and you will be impressed). The packaging claims that the SPF level is retained after 80 minutes of water activity. That is more retention than most traditional sunblocks.

But, my goal in purchasing Colorescience was to try a line without irritating ingredients commonly found in mineral makeup lines. And here is my very expensive lesson learned–these esthetician’s, who I do trust, were (kind of) wrong.

The very first ingredient on the Sunforgettable makeup is bismuth oxychloride, which can be a skin irritant and a pore clogger and can aggrivate acne like mad. It is not considered a toxic chemical, but it can make reactive skin go completely bonkers. However, it does give a high luster to cosmetics (that pearlescence sheen), has a good slip and binds very well with the skin. Basically the very things I rave about a paragraph or two above.

Now, here’s why my esthy friends were not completely wrong…  What Colorescience does NOT have in it is talc, which is a cheap filler in loads of mineral lines, and leads to skin dryness and that cakey look.

The cost for this line is pretty expensive. It was around 50 bucks for each product, although the Sunforgettable SPF 30 has a refill cartridge for $25, which is good for two refills. While it is fairly cost-prohibitive, I am happy I have it in time for my long beach weekend. The SPF power is definitely a huge bonus, so I am willing to pay a little extra.

My skin, so far, has reacted fine with the product–no itch or irritation. So, with this, I give Colorescience a product rec. But if you are looking for a line without the potentially irritating ingredients, this is not the one to buy.

Remember how I told you about my deplorable face washing situation a few week ago? Well, I am now paying the piper and breaking out.

I picked up a bottle of Sonya Dakar’s Drying Potion during the beauty show in April. It’s a zip zapping remedy that Hollywood stars use to get red carpet ready. I am a sucker for Drew Barrymore, so when she was name-dropped by the sales rep, I had to pick it up. She suggested using only on the pimples that already came to a head–even better if it was applied post-extraction. It works.

Dab it on before going to sleep (it leaves your skin white, so you won’t want to head out of the house like this) and in the morning, the offending pimple is much MUCH smaller. Is it a magic elixir? Nope, but it does clear a breakout up much faster (in my case, 48 hours).

Here’s what I don’t like… First ingredient is SD Alcohol, which will dry your skin right out. Which is why I think this a good product to use in case of emergency. On an ongoing basis, I think skin would be best served with something milder.

I have seriously needed new shampoo and  conditioner, and I have spent  the last few months  gazing longingly at Alterna’s Hemp Organics line at the spa. The stylists kept telling me how awesome it was, but I have had such unfortunate experiences with organic shampoos (including hemp based ones) that I was really skeptical. Last weekend, I took the plunge and purchased the repair shampoo and conditioner for my color treated hair.

In a word, phenomenal! It is hydrating, shine boosting, and keeps my hair tangle free. Big bonus is that it is sulfate free, and the goodies (including white tea and avocado) are free from pesticides and fertilizers. Highly recommend!

I left you, dear readers, with a cliff-hanger at the end of
the first installment of Human Lab Rat, which detailed my failed attempt to
color my hair sans chemicals. 

With my hair the color of an oxidized penny, I pulled a hat
down to my ears and ran to the only place I knew could help—Frederic
Fekkai.  I stumbled through Henry
Bendels with my hippy-dippy hat covering half of my face, shoving past the
perfume Nazis to get to the back of the cosmetic section where I saw the
displays of Fekkai’s lux products. 
As I starred at all the bottles, a sweet voice behind me sing-songed “may
I help you?” 

I turned to her, wild eyed, and whispered, “I henna-ed my
hair.” 

Her eyes opened as wide as mine. “WHY would you do a thing like
that,” she was almost as mortified as me. 

“It’s breaking. My hair is brittle and breaking like straw,”
I was half way between laughing and crying, as I pulled my hat off so she could
survey the damage.

She took the bottle of clarifying shampoo out of my hands.

“You don’t need this, yet,” she said. “Don't worry about fixing the color. Right now, you need
to strengthen.”

She handed me two bottles of Fekkai’s Protein Rx Shampoo and
Conditioner, advising me to also get some of the Protein Rx Hair Mask and use
that once or twice a week to help with the breakage.

While I would have loved to get the bad-penny color out
with a good clarifying shampoo, my hair was already so fragile that I needed to
inject it with some serious vitamins before I could attempt to fix the color.

Fekkai's Protein Rx products were nothing short of a miracle. They contain
soy and milk protein, which reinforces and strengthens weak and damaged hair.  Within a week, my hair was much
stronger and no longer breaking off. 
After a month, the only tell-tale sign of my henna disaster was a lingering
greenish undertone, which was fixed with a professional color job (I will save
that five hour ordeal for an epilogue).

Now that my hair is Fekkai-ed back to health, the protein products are
side-lined in the shower.  Too much
protein can make healthy hair stiff. But I have my weapon in reserve should I
get the itch to experiment again.

Over the weekend, the husband was replacing some old
insulation under the house.  It was
hot and he was sweaty, so he kept using his shirt to mop up the sweat that was
trickling down his face.  Of course,
he forgot he was dealing with fiberglass insulation, which was all over his
shirt—the shirt he was using to wipe his face with.

The next day, he noticed that his skin was peeling.  So he applied tape and proceeded to rip
the skin right off.  I was mortified,
but of course he had enviously soft skin. 
This prompted him to suggest I add a fiberglass facial to my treatment
menu.  Lovely!

I am no fan of mechanical exfoliators. I find that the
granules in the product are too harsh for my skin, leading to some serious
irritation. One of the all-time worst products I have used on my face is the
St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I know so many people swear by it—it always wins
readers choice awards in the glossy magazines—but my skin is as raw as
tenderized meat after I use it. 
The apricot bits are so rough and sharp that it leads to microscopic
cuts on the skin—sort of like my husband’s fiberglass exfoliation.

A while ago, a friend who works for Origins gave me a sample
of their Modern Friction, which they call “nature’s gentle dermabrasion.” Given
my mistrust of buffing products, it sat in my sample box for months. This
weekend, I misplaced my usual chemical exfoliation product.  It was late, I was tired, and I did not
feel like tearing up the house the find it.  So, I decided to give it a shot.

Using rice starch rather than any sharp edged granules, Modern
Friction gently sloughs off dead skin while lemon oil serves as a
brightener.  It also contains aloe
to keep irritation at bay.  My skin
glowed without redness, and a small cluster of blackheads on my chin completely
disappeared.