Beauty and Fashion Tech

Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Shampoo and Conditioner

I am generally a big fan of the Burt’s Bees products. So when I recently had my virgin hair highlighted through a double process of foil bleaching and toning, I decided to try them first for color saving and moisturizing products. I hate to say it, but they let me down in this department. I tried the Green Tea Color Keeper Shampoo and Conditioner
. According to their website:

“Green Tree Extract provides natural UV protection to maintain vibrant hair color, while Fennel Seed Extract helps neutralize processing chemicals and Jewelweed protects and repairs.”

The site also mentions “luxurious lather,” which was the main problem for me. The hair lightening process opens up the cuticle of the hair to allow color to penetrate. The result? Well, despite the increases in technology in hair color, a certain a certain amount of damage occurs. For me, my once absolutely normal, not too oily, not too dry, very soft hair, became a bit dry and easy to tangle. I have fine, but thick hair, which also increases tangling issues with me. So when I tried the Burt’s Bees, I found that it sure does have “luxurious lather.” This stuff lathered more than any shampoo I have used in years. I normally like lather, but with the change in my hair, all it did was create a mess of tangles. Then, when I used the conditioner, I found that it was not quite thick or nourishing enough to get the tangles out and make my hair feel conditioned. I had to use handfuls of the stuff and was still pulling out hair when trying to detangle it. Needless to say, I was not happy.

On a side note, I was well aware of the many benefits of green tea, including UV skin protection. But I was unaware of its potential to protect hair color. There does seem to be some support for that. The product also has an interesting green tea/herbal scent. It might work better for those who actually do not have dry or color treated hair, but want some prevention from UV rays. Also, while I won’t be using the shampoo again, I tried adding a bit of the conditioner as a rinse after conditioning with another product. As a light conditioning rinse I didn’t mind it, and I think I will try that in the summer in order to get a bit of green tea UV protection on my hair. So it wasn’t a completely wasted purchase.

Shop for more Burt’s Bees products

By Carleenp Posted in Hair Care | 2 Comments

Stila Limited Edition Smokey Eyes

Stila has a new limited edition smokey eye palette that looks gorgeous. It is available at Sephora for $40. Sephora also has a short audio clip that provides instructions for creating the look. Stila eye shadows are generally highly pigmented and provide a nice lasting color. They are one of my favorite higher end brands.

By Carleenp Posted in Eyeshadow | 1 Comment

Zeno: Zap Your Zits!

I have been trying the Zeno acne treatment device for some time now. While I don’t have serious acne problems, I do have the occasional breakout and am always interested in treatment products.

I was fairly skeptical of the Zeno at first, but after some use, I do believe that it works pretty well in some instances. But that is the catch. In other instances it might not work as well as the buyer hopes. At $150 or more for the device, that could matter to some.

The Zeno claims that when used early in acne formation, it can clear up a lesion in as fast as 24 hours. The gadget works by delivering concentrated heat to the pimple over a period of two and 1/2 minutes. Zeno calls this a “heat shock response” in the bacteria that causes acne lesions, which causes the bacteria to “self destruct.” My first question about this was, where does that bacteria go when it “self destructs?” Surely it must go somewhere? For some instances I found out–it brings the pimple to a head.

That is what my first tries with the Zeno induced. Essentially the pimple would come to a head much quicker than it might otherwise, and then I would end up doing that thing we are all not supposed to do, yet often cannot stop ourselves –pop the pimple. I can’t really complain too much since the whole process with the Zeno still got rid of the acne quicker than normal. But it hardly met the advertised promise of making it go away in as fast as 24 hours and the price seems rather steep for nothing more than expediency in pimple popping.

HOWEVER, on several recent occasions, I managed to use the Zeno when the pimple was very new and very small. Both times, the pimple never became anything larger and indeed did disappear between 24 and 48 hours later. After those experiences, I think that if used early enough, this product can make a meaningful enough difference to warrant to price. To be fair, the product liturature does state that it is best when used early.

Something else that anyone contemplating a purchase should consider is that the Zeno does not claim to work on blackheads, whiteheads, or severe cystic acne. While the web site does not seem to clearly state that, the brochure that came with mine specifically said that it is not meant for those types. From my experience, it doesn’t do much at all for any kind of deep cyst-like acne, except perhaps bring them to a head a bit quicker.

Finally, the device tip only lasts for a set number of uses (mine is 90) and then the tip must be replaced. Replacements are available at Walgreens or online, and run around $25. That extra cost, while not hidden, is not widely advertised with the product and could be overlooked by some consumers. It is something else for a person considering a purchase to consider.

Comparison shop for Zeno products

By Carleenp Posted in Acne products, Beauty Tech, Skin Care | 6 Comments

Tokidoki for Smashbox

Italian designer Sigmone Legno and partners, the people behind the anime inspired Tokidoki, currently have a limited edition cosmetics line for Smashbox Cosmetics. I purchased several products:

Artificial Light: This illuminating liquid was a perfect color for my fair skin. It can be mixed with foundation for an all over shimmer or use it like I did–as a subtle highlighter on the cheek bones. I love this stuff. The color is quite versatile and would likely work well on any skin tone.

Lip Gloss in dolcissima: I can’t rave enough about this! It feels good, it has a wonderful peachy/pink color and it has an adorable anime inspired container to boot. I am going to severely miss this product when I use it up, it is one of the best shades for me that I have found in some time.

Skin Tint: The color of the skin tint looks pretty bright in the tube, but it goes on as a milder pink shade. A little goes a long way though. I also toned it down a bit by mixing the artificial light over it. There are skin tints out there that I like better, but this one is still quite nice, and like the rest of the line, I love the artwork on the tube.

Overall, I highly recommend this line to anyone who appreciates the Tokidoki art. Even those who don’t care for the art, may still be impressed with what are very nice color shades. I wish that my budget would have allowed me to also try the eyeshadow!

This is a limited edition line that has been out for a little while, so I don’t know how long it will remain available. When I checked Sephora, it was sold out. But I was still able to purchase the items through the Smashbox site.

For other Tokidoki items, check the Tokidoki web site.

By Carleenp Posted in Face Products, Lip Products, Makeup | 1 Comment

New Skin Care Line From Garnier

Garnier has a new skin care line, now out in the stores. The Garnier Nutritioniste line offers a variety of products under three categories:

Ultra-lift: A product set focusing on wrinkle control and firming. The set includes two firming moisture creams, one with SPF 15 and one without, an eye cream, a serum, and a night cream. Key advertised ingredients are Vitamin A, Omega 3+6, and rice protein.
Skin Renew: A set focusing on smooth, even-toned skin. The set includes two moisture lotions, one with SPF 15 and one without, a moisture cream (no SPF), anti-fatigue eye cream, a serum, and a two-step micro-polish kit. Key advertised ingredients are Vitamin E with Grape Seed Extract (a natural skin lightener and antioxidant), Vitamin B5, and Green Leaf Extract.
Nutri-Pure: A set focusing on cleansing and “detoxifying.” It includes wet cleansing towelettes, a cream cleanser, a gel cleanser, and a microbead scrub.

I spotted the products at Target, which also has a free pamphlet describing the products and a tester bottle of the Skin Renew Serum. The serum has a nice feel and smell. At approximately $12 for a bottle, I am curious to see if the vitamin C level is enough to have any noticeable effect. Unfortunately, such products rarely publicize the amount of key ingredients.

I purchased the wet cleansing towelettes and am impressed. They provide enough cleanser to remove makeup, but do not foam up in a manner that would over dry the skin. As with the serum, they also have a nice aroma.

I plan to explore these products further. Interested readers can order a sample from the Garnier website linked above, which appears to send the sample through Start Sampling.com.

By Carleenp Posted in Skin Care | 1 Comment

Prada Cell Phone

According to mobilekorea.tv, LG Electronics and PRADA have announced the release of a completely touch screen mobile phone; the PRADA Phone by LG. The phone eliminates the conventional keypad and includes a camera, MP3 Player, video player, and document viewer. The announcement covers sale locations in Asia and Europe. Unfortunatley, there is no word on imports to the United States.