Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray

If you are looking for a strong hold, humidity fighting, fast drying hair spray then you need to try Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.

Control force is Aveda's firmest holding hair spray that also offers long-lasting hold and humidity defense for all hair types—and has a net-zero climate impact.*

Control force offers all-day firm hold and 24-hour humidity defense, fast-drying, non-flaking formula, UV filters and anti-oxidants, and of course the calming aroma of organic essential oils of Bulgarian lavender, beramot, palmrosa, and vetiver.

I have been using these hair spray on myself, and on clients for the past year, and I am in love with it. If defentently does what it says it's going to do. I also like that it does not leave your hair super "crispy" like other hair sprays do.

This hair spray can be used as an every day spray or for those special occasions or nights out. I carry the travel size with me at all times because you never know when you might need some.

Control Force retails for $26 for the 9.1 oz bottle and can be purchased at Aveda Salons, Insitutes, or Stores.

I highly reccomend this product.  And promise that you will love it!

Grade
Ease of Use: A
Performs as advertised: A
Cost to benefit ratio: A
Overall: A+

* Through Aveda’s funding of renewable energy to offset the CO2 associated with the manufacturing, transportation and use of Aveda aerosol hair sprays.

e.l.f. Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer

I love eye shadow, some may say that I have an addiction. But you can't wear your eye shadow unless you have a good eye primer.

If your like me, you want a primer that is light weight but that will also make your shadow last long, not fade or crease and not break the bank. Some products can be very expensive. But I have found the answer in e.l.f's Studio Eye Primer and Liner Sealer.

e.l.f's Studio Eye Primer and Liner Sealer is a two in one product, The Prime side sets your eye shadow in so your color won’t fade, bleed or crease. The Liner side transforms your favorite eye shadow into a waterproof, smudge-proof liquid liner with this unique clear liquid and built-in felt tip precision eyeliner brush. Now you can have your eye makeup lasting longer for no fuss no budge color. 


Sounds amazing, right? Well it get's better because it only costs $3.00, you can't get any better then that. 


I use this product almost every day, and my shadow sure does last all day and all night, I have never had to touch up my shadow. But it is also light weight, that I don't feel like I have a lot of product on my lids. 


It's very simple to use, just apply to your lid and then smooth out with your finger or Q-tip and then apply color, there is no waiting for it to set or dry. And the liner sealer is also easy to use, just pick which color shadow you would like to use, scrape some off onto a tissue and dip the felt tip into the powder and apply to your lash line for amazing long wearing eye liner. 


I promise you will love this product. 


Grade
Ease of Use: A
Performs as advertised: A
Cost to benefit ratio: A
Overall: A+

Rimmel Glam Eyes Day 2 Night Mascara

Rimmel has recently introduced their own flavor of a 2 in 1 mascara, with which you can create two dramatically different lash looks with one bottle of mascara. It's all in the cap, It's actually a double cap, one is the length cap, and the other is the volume cap. It's available in two different shades 001 Black and 003 Extreme Black. And is available at almost any retailer that sells make-up.

Rimmel advertises the two different looks as "Day" and "Night", the length being for the day, and the volume for the night. I was excited for this product because sometimes, I would like length over volume and vice versa, but wouldn't always like to use a different mascara.

Rimmel has advertised that the Length brush makes your lashes 75% longer. The mascara does seem to make my lashes appear longer, I wouldn't say that they are 75%. However the outcome is very satisfactory.

Rimmel says that the Volume brush thickens your lashes up to 12 times their normal thickness. After a few coats of the mascara, I found my lashes to be thickened to a satisfactory level, but not 12 times their normal thickness.

I have found myself using the volume cap more then the length cap when I use this mascara. It all really depends on what exact look you are looking for.

It is fairly inexpensive ranging anywhere from $6-8 depending on where you purchase it at. I would say it's a good buy if you are looking to simplify your daily routine of mascara.

Grade
Ease of Use: A
Performs as advertised:  D
Cost to benefit ratio: A
Overall: B

Heat Protection 101

Most of us use hair dryers, flat irons, and curling irons on our hair. Most of us also skip using a heat protecting product prior. Why is this so important you ask? Well, I will tell you:

1. Thermal stylers (Such as blow driers, flat irons and curling irons) cause thermal damage to your hair.
2. Some also help protect against breakage from the thermal stylers and brushing. 
3. Some also help protect already damaged hair and help repair it.
4. Most have UV protection too.

Yes, UV rays, can cause damage to your hair, if you send enough time exposed to them. So just like protecting your skin, you want to protect your hair as well.

There are many different heat protectants out there from different companies, in a variety of price ranges, so you are bound to find one to fit your budget. Some are also geared towards a specific type of hair or hair difficulty, and have other great benefits. Even if you don't use product in your hair, I highly suggest using one of these, you will notice a difference.

My all time favorite is Aveda's Brilliant Damage Control. It's good for all hair types, protects against thermal damage, reduces breakage from brushing, and also protects against UV rays and is also a great detangler. It cost's  $15 and can be purchased online or through any Aveda retailer.

Another is Suave Professionals Heat Protection Spray, price varies from store to store, but it can be found at most retail stores such as K-Mart, Target, CVS, and of course online at any of the same or suaves website. This one protects against heat damage only.

Bedhead has Some Like It Hot Serum, which smooths hair without weighing it down, adds shine, protects your color, and fights humidity, along with providing heat protection. This one also varies in price and can be found at authorized Bedhead retailers, or online.

Most are very easy to use by spraying on damp, towel-dried hair or using a small amount and working into hair and then blow drying and styling as desired. 

Any one of these will be a great improvement to your styling process, you will love the way your hair looks and feels after using it.

Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer

Recently I have ran into some situations where I have needed to cover up a couple of my tattoos. So I did some research and after talking to a friend of mine, I checked out Kat Von D's Tattoo Concealer.

What it is: a heavy duty, highly pigmented, transfer & water resistant, multitasking concealer. It is advertised to hide tattoos, dark circles, and blemishes. Available in 8 different shades, such as: Porcelain, Sand, Light, Medium, Tan, Almond, Caramel, and Cocoa at Sephora for $25.

The website advertises a "4 step process" to apply the product - but the reality proved to be a little more complicated.

What I did to cover up my tattoo:

1. Applied eyeshadow primer to the area (you could also use a face primer)
2. Applied a coat of the tattoo concealer, allowing time for it to dry
3. Applied another coat and blended the edges to match the tone with my skin (use a shade that resembles your skin tone) and allowed it to dry
4. Applied two additional coats only on the body of the tattoo, allowing time to dry between each
5. Applied powder foundation to the whole area to help blend the color


To speed up the process, I dried the coats by using my hairdryer on "Cool" for exactly one minute on each coat. Be sure to purchase a brush that you will use exclusively with this product, as I found it very difficult to remove the product from the brush after I was finished. It took me 4 coats of the concealer, and 1 coat of primer/foundation at the start/finish of the process, but your mileage may vary depending on the color/size of the area you're covering.


Here's what I started with:

And here's how it turned out after the covering process:

Applying this product kind of sucks so I wouldn't suggest this to someone who needs to cover their tattoo everyday. It lasted a sufficient amount of time, about 6 hours, before my ink started peeking through.

I have also used it under my eyes, because I sometimes get very dark circles, and it works wonderful to hide those, and I only had to use one coat, along with my normal powder foundation.


Grade
Ease of use: D
Performs as advertised: B
Cost to benefit ratio: C
Overall: C