Beauty

While I try to be as green as possible, there are some eco friendly and body friendly beauty products that I just can’t support. Deodorant used to be one of them. I have tried all kinds of natural, paraben free, sulfate free, etc and come out very stinky and smelling worse than had I put nothing on at all! So, after years of searching for a healthy deodorant, I went back to my old stand by, Secret Powder Fresh…. until now.

LaVanilla has an amazing line of natural, healthy deodorants. I have given this stuff a test drive doing everything from going to the gym, shopping (a legit sport in my book), doing errands and the end result is still a lovely breath of fresh air, LaVanilla style! My favorite is the Lavender Vanilla but all the scents are all totally yummy. How can you go wrong with Vanilla plus anything?

Now granted, the price tag is a bit steep, coming in around $18 a stick. But, stick with me, it last forever! I swear this stuff reproduces itself in the bottle.  With all natural ingredients, who knows what loveliness is growing in there.  DO yourself a favor, stop spending money on natural deodorants that don’t work and indulge in this La-vliness!!!

As a kid we all dream of having super powers and most girls dreamed of being Wonder Woman…she did have the best accessories! I remember dressing up as her for Halloween on several occasions and while it may not be anywhere near October, I no longer have to wait until the Fall to bust out my super hero powers…

MAC is now here to save the day! Their new Wonder Woman line is every make-up lovers dream….the lip gloss and lipstick tubes are as big as Wonder Woman herself and the bronzers and eye make-up palettes are to die for.

The packaging alone makes you want to purchase every item on the limited edition line but with prices ranging from $15 to $40 you may just have to pick a couple of favorites.  With lip glosses named Secret Identity and Heroine, I think we can all agree that this is certainly the time to indulge our inner Wonder Woman!

Oranges, corals, hot pinks are everywhere for spring and I can’t complain! A dozen spring runways from Marc Jacobs, to Milly (pictured left), to Isaac Mizrahi, featured bold coral makeup. This runway look may seem hard to wear but don’t be afraid it can work for anyone looking to add a little color into their spring wardrobe.

This feminine look will amp up the drama for spring and looks amazing with crisp spring whites. The feminine hues look great on cheeks and lips. Try ELF Candid Coral blush for $3.00!!! Or if you prefer a cream blush try CoverGirl Simply Ageless in Plush Peach. For the lips go for Revlon lip gloss in Coral Reef. But if you’re not ready for all the drama pick up Revlon’s Craving Coral for your nails.

I am totally sick of the drab winter colors and I am leaving winter behind early. This look will leave any woman looking young and fresh. Try coral on your nails, your lips, cheeks, and even your eyeliner…just not all at once!

I’ve had a longstanding love-hate relationship with my curly hair. I love the way it makes me stand out, I even wrote my college essay about how it makes me feel unique! But I also love the sleek, glamorous look straight hair gives me. I won’t deny I get lots of compliments… “I love your hair” or “you’re so lucky!” But when it comes to straight vs. curly, the grass is always greener definitely applies.

I would never permanently straighten my hair because I love being able to choose either option- curly or straight. I do temporarily straighten my hair quite a bit, though and I use a straightening iron I’m now vey much obsessed with, the Remington Wet 2 Straight.

I’ve had the first version of this straightener for a few years but it recently died a very sudden death when I was halfway through my locks a few weeks ago (which looked pretty ridiculous till I borrowed my friends’ iron). After some researching online, I found out that Remington had come out with a newer version that had great reviews, so I headed off to Target to purchase it for $24.89. You can probably could find it cheaper somewhere online, but I didn’t feel like waiting!

Now let me tell you, this version was a whole different ball game. It straightened my hair in the fastest time ever and all my friends told me my hair was the straightest they’ve ever seen it! I used the wet option, which allows you to go immediately from shower to straight and shiny, no waiting-for-your-hair-to-dry period necessary.But be warned, it does elicit a somewhat unsettling sizzling noise as you work it through and a good amount of steam, but the manual says this is completely normal and fine.  Apparently there is some sort of complex scientific process going on (that I don’t quite understand) involving steam holes and vents that transform the water in your hair to vapor in the air…and you can also use the dry setting and use the iron like a normal straightener.

I used Tresseme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray before starting the process, which is necessary for anyone who uses hot tools as much as I do. Now you tell me, what’s your favorite straightener? Have you tried the Wet2Straight? If not, I highly recommend it!

Even though its cold and drab outside this freezing January, give yourself a mood boost with your makeup! Adding bright color into your makeup will boost your look and your mood.

Play up your lips to complement the bright color on the cheek bone, a la Natalie Portman. Don’t be afraid to try an array of colors on your skin tone.

The colors will look different on your face so don’t be alarmed by the shocking color of my personal favorite from Bobbi Brown…Pale Pink. The price is a bit steep but totally worth the splurge of  $24.00

For a more budget friendly and dual purpose glow, check out Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow and Mood Boosting Blush for more than half the price at $11.95. It will give you that bright pink glow but as claims to have natural plant extracts that will have similar effects as endorphins.  Has anyone tried this can confirm its happy boosting powers?

There’s a ton of colors and brands out there, but go for something bright and try on multiple colors until you find your perfect shade!

The perfect perfume can be hard to find and it’s almost never cheap. With hefty price tags you may be forced to play it safe and only buy multi-functional perfumes for day to night is usage.

This isn’t a bad thing but sometimes you want a different scent for a different occasion. Another issue I have had with my scents over the years is a travel issue.

For those of you always on the go or if it feels like your living your life out of a bag sometimes, you may understand the frustration that I have faced with perfume travel. I have ruined a few bags and lost some good scents in my attempts to travel with perfume, that is until recently.

Thanks to roll on perfumes I can now travel the world with my perfume always on hand!! If you have yet to have purchased your favorite perfume in roller form you have to and the best part is…. most of your favorite scents now cost you around $20!

And because the price is so reasonable it’s also a smart way to test out a new perfume before you commit to a whole bottle. These smaller rollers sizes allow give me the ability to own multiple scents so I can play around with my perfume depending on the occassion!

This little roll on is a CheapChica’s dream! Check out the selection at Sephora for a ton of options!

I’m really loyal to my hair products. Once I find one I like, I rarely buy a new one…but Conair recently asked me to test out their Infinity Pro by Conair hair dryer and I thought it would make a worth adversary for my hair…

little did the people at Conair know that I have a lion’s mane for hair and it’s not exactly the kind of hair that’s pleasant or easy to dry.  I’m not one of those girls that can get out of the shower, towel-dry and turn the hair dryer on for a few minutes and *poof*- ready to go.

I’m the kind of girl that plans my “wash days” around my workout schedule because I dread the time and effort it takes to wash, deep condition, blow-dry and then style my long locks.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I don’t actually style my hair while drying.  I leave that kind of hard work to the pro’s…I’m terrible with a round brush and my Hot Tools does all that work for me in 1/4 of the time that a hair dryer would.  That being said, I do need a hair dryer that’s hot, powerful and that has one of those nozzle things so that my hair doesn’t look like a broom once I’m done drying it.

I’ve been wanting one of those T-3 Ion dryers that my salon uses because even without the round brush, my hair ends up looking shiny and smooth.  My stylist says it’s thanks to the super thin nozzle attachment that concentrates the air flow so being the CheapChica that I am, I thought I’d just go out and buy the nozzle instead of a whole new dryier…well, no such luck my friends.  Those super skinny nozzles are custom fit to the nose of the dryer and none of the dryers I found at Target or Wal-Mart fit the bill…they all came with fat nozzles that just wouldn’t do the trick!

So when I got this new Infinity Pro dryer in the mail, I couldn’t have been more excited to try it.  I put it to the test this weekend and I’m happy to report that it was just as light as the T3, just as powerful (maybe a little louder) and the nozzle (it actually comes w/two of them) was super thin which resulted in sleeker, frizz-free hair compared to my last dryer.  I loved the way it felt in my had and while the color is a little loud for my taste, it’s kind of fun too!

If you’re ready to shell out $100+ bucks for the T3, don’t–save you money and pick this one up for under $35!

Now for the even better part, I’m giving away one of these dryers and to enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me your #1 hair drying/styling tip so that we can all learn and prosper in the quest for perfect hair! Good Luck!

Note: Winner must live in the US. One entry per person and winner will be notified via email on 1/21/10.

Ah the New Years Eve kiss…how iconic and how important that your lips be properly glossed for that special moment bringing in 2011. Luckily Smashbox has given us several options for a luscious pout with their Wish For The Perfect Pout collection (including 6 glosses) ranging from dark plum shades to lightly sparkled tones.

I have to say, one of my favorite things about Smashbox glosses is their application. All of their glosses go on very smoothly and they aren’t sticky (hate when my hair gets stuck on in my gloss!).  This set is a $96 dollar value for only $29 so it will let you experiment with new hues on New Year’s Eve without any buyer’s remorse and who knows, maybe your signature color for 2011 is hiding within this box.

These glosses are a New Years must have and I’m sure whomever you’re kissing will not mind getting a little of this gloss on their cheek or lips!

Pick this up for yourself or give this as a gift to any girl who loves a great manicure. This four pack was featured in the J.Crew Holiday Gift Guide. I love Essie nail polish and so does J.Crew, they’re offering 2 different color sets for just $20!

Essie’s colors are effortlessly girlie and chic at the same time. Choose between the Vixen Vermillionare set and the Ballerina Clam Bake set. The Vixen set features statement reds, oranges, and pinks. But, I prefer the unique colors of the Clam Bake set (pictured left). The more subtle set is great for the season and you will still get that pop of color with clambake orange color.

Don’t forget about the little Cheap Chicas in your life, J.Crew also has a set for perfect mini Essie lovers in your life for $20 as well. These colors are fabulously girly…I might even like them better! I love the light blue and festive gold that can add sparkle to any occasion!

And if you’re giving these as a gift, make sure you wrap fast so you don’t keep them for yourself!