Tend Skin

I've tried a million different products that are supposed to reduce ingrown hairs and razor burn, but Tend Skin is by far the best! Available at Sephora, you can buy it in either a bottle or in a handy little rolly applicator that applies the product right where you want it.

Before I found this, I had the worst ingrown hair problem ever. Bumps everywhere, some that were so bad they would plague me for months.
Tend Skin has gotten rid of 95% of these, and I almost never get razor burn!
Used after epilating, it leaves me completely smooth. After shaving, it leaves me mostly smooth.

You need to apply it immediately after hair removal, or it isn't effective. Just a warning, it burns like hell!

L'Oreal Eyelash Boosting Serum

While at the Walgreens a few weeks ago, I came across this Lash Boosting Serum. Although I do use Latisse regularly, I have found that my eyelashes fall out quickly and break off.

I thought, what the hell. I'll give it a shot. It was only $14.99, anyway, so at least it's not a huge loss if it doesn't work!

Basically, you just put the stuff on like you would mascara, and the drag the applicator across your upper lashline. You are supposed to use it before bed and under mascara. I tried only this for about three days before I went to get my new bottle of Latisse.

To my amazement, this stuff actually worked pretty well! I noticed a difference in my eyelashes almost immediately. They were longer, and stronger within three days. It also made my mascara go on much more smoothly.

I started back up with the Latisse and I've noticed a HUGE difference in the way it works. My eyelashes seem more moisturized, and have stopped falling out when I take my makeup off. They don't seem to fall out at all, really. They are more even than when I was only using the Latisse, and they are growing longer as well.

This serum is a great supplement to the Latisse, or even just a great product by itself. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to improve their lashes.

Sunlabs Tanning Lotion

I have been using Sunlabs for a few years, on and off. I love this lotion, because it gives you a great, long lasting color.

It is pretty expensive, though, as far as tanning lotions go. It is NOT a gradual tanner, it is a self tanner that is meant to be applied and left on for at least 3-4 hours to develop, and then washed off. It will make you look like you smeared mud all over your body, which means that you can't wear it and go to the store or anything.

This tanner smells really strange, so it's a good thing it isn't supposed to stay on.

It is great if you are going on a vacation or something, though, because it doesn't wash out every time you bathe or swim, like a spray tan. It just kind of wears off on it's own time. It doesn't ever really become blotchy, either, and I love that.

It's a great self tanner if you are patient enough to sit around being smelly for a few hours. (Hence, my on and off again relationship with it.)

It can be purchased at Ulta, or online. I usually get mine through Shimmer Skincare

Fake Tan Tip

TIP:
If you get unwanted color on your skin (like palms), WINDEX works amazingly well! I use windex with a nail brush and a bit of soap, and it removes unwanted color from ANY fake tan, as long as you get it pretty soon after applying the tan.

Salon Bronze Airbrush Tanning System

I was getting models ready at a fashion show, lately, and one of them whipped out this handy little airbrush tan gun. As a particularly pale person, naturally I was intrigued by such a fabulously easy solution to my pigment problem.

I went on down to trusty ol' Sally's and found that it was a very reasonable $12.99. The refill is only $8.99, so I grabbed one of those, also.

The kit is basically just a little gun that you insert the bottle of color into, and then you squeeze the trigger to spray. It comes with a few makeup sponges, as the directions recommend spraying the color onto a sponge and then using that for your face, hands and feet.

It is very easy to use, but it will definitely come out better if you can get someone else to spray it on you. Make sure you shake it a lot, for a more even spray. It is messy, so doing it in the shower or bath works the best.

I really like this little airbrush system. It's very quick, and dries very quickly. It isn't orange, lasts for awhile (mine lasts up to 2 weeks!), doesn't rub off everywhere, and doesn't smell.

I love this stuff! You can buy it at Sally's website, HERE.

Simply Smooth Keratin Treatment

I can't say enough great things about this stuff! I originally heard about it from a stylist who told me that it would make my hair more managable. I have extremely curly, crazy hair, and have never been able to just shower and walk out the front door.

I started doing research on it, and found their website: Here

I decided to just order the products myself and do the treatment at my house, rather than pay a salon a buttload of money to do it for me.

I found all the products at Sleekhair.com and even googled their site for coupons and found several good ones. The total for all of the products was about $235, and I got a coupon for free shipping.

The Process

Well, first of all, this treatment is supposed to lock in color. The information I found online suggests dying your hair immediately before applying the treatment. I painstakingly did my roots and then a semi perm over that.

When I washed the dye out, I rinsed it, then used the purifying shampoo three times. My hair was squeeky clean!

The next step is to blow dry your hair 100% dry. I used a brush to help straighten it while I dried. It took forever, but finally it was done.

Next, I got out a tint brush and bowl and put the treatment in the bowl a bit at a time as I worked. You need to coat all of your hair from root to tip in the keratin treatment. It takes a long time, but you need to make sure you get all of it. My very sweet boyfriend helped me with the back. The treatment doesnt smell too bad, kind of like vanilla. Not unpleasant, since it doesn't contain formaldehyde.

Finally, it was all coated. I put a processing cap on (you can get them at Sallys for really cheap!), and waited for about 20 minutes.

Next, I began blow drying the keratin treated hair. I used a paddle brush to make sure it got as straight as possible. My hair felt gunky, even though it was compelely 100% dry.

After that, I turned on my flat iron. You need to iron your hair with a 450 degree iron to seal the treatment in. I bought a Hot Tools iron, which isn't terribly expensive, and has temp. settings up to 450 degrees.

I went over every bit of my hair up to 5 times with the flat iron, curling the ends under a little. I was hoping my hair would feel less gunky, but it was still there when I finished. My hair looked kind of flat and greasy.

You are supposed to go 96 hours without washing your hair or getting it wet at ALL. You can't put your hair up or back or wear hats at all, any creases can become perminant. It was HARD! I HATED walking around with gunky, greasy looking hair for days. I made it abour 3 and a half days before I caved in and showered.

You are supposed to use the special x tend shampoo and conditioner to maintain the treatment, as it washes out and doesn't grow out. The less you wash your hair, the longer it lasts.

I noticed a difference immediately! Instead of getting crazy and curly, it was pretty and wavy and NOT frizzy at ALL! For the first time in my entire life, I washed it, air dried it, and walked out of the house without looking like a mad scientist!

It is SUPER soft, too, and shiny! It feels amazing! I was able to curl it and the style stayed all night without frizzing at ALL! It's amazing, I can't believe how wonderful my hair looks! The best part is that even though I washed my hair, the color still looks as good as it does immediately after I dye it. I have super bright red hair, and it fades very fast.

I LOVE this stuff, I really can't express that enough. It was SOOOO worth the price of the products and the 4 hours it took me to apply it and even the 3 and a half days of walking around looking like a grease ball without being able to put my hair up. This stuff is amazing, and it should last about 3 months.

Seriously, if you struggle with frizz, GET IT! I'm not joking.

UPDATE:
7/7/10
The treatment lasted for about 3 months, as promised, and I can't wait to get another treatment. It really did change my entire hair life. It was so much more managable, and it looked amazing! My hair was SOOOO soft. I really love it!

Braun Silk Epil Xelle Epilator

I have a new love.
Her name is Braun.

I'm sure if you are a woman you, too, have experienced the hardships of body hair removal. We've tried the Nair, only to get rashes. Razors give us razor burn. Wax works, but it takes forever for the hair to grow long enough.

I was feeling pretty hopeless at this point. I had resorted to waxing my bikini area and armpits, and shaving everything else. Until I heard about the Braun Silk-Epil Xelle.
I read countless positive reviews online and finally went down to Ulta to see if
they carried it. They do! I picked mine up for $69.99 plus tax. (Make sure you keep your reciept for anything you buy at Ulta, btw. You can return ANYTHING you buy there as long as you have your reciept and if its a bottle of something it has to be more than half full.)

I came straight home, took it out of the box, hastily read the directions, and plugged it in. I was using it on my bikini area, on more of those pesky little strays that always seem to grow back too soon after you wax.

It's pretty easy to use, no batteries required. You just plug it into an outlet, choose which head you want to use and switch it on. It comes with a shaver head, and two epilator heads. (One with "soothing rollers" and one without) I chose the head without the rollers, snapped it on, and switched on the epilator.
It has two settings, and a neat light on it so you can see the hairs better. I turned it on high and rolled it across my skin. You are supposed to roll it against the grain of the hair, and at a 90 degree angle.

Ten minutes later, I was hair free! This thing was incredible. It stung a bit, in some places more than others, but any girl who has ever waxed before can handle the pain. Since I wax bi-weekly and tweeze strays already, the pain of the epilator was definately tolerable. You do have to hold your skin tight, though, because it will try to suck in loose skin on occasion.
I even tried it on my leg, and it worked like a charm. It hurt like hell, though, so I don't see myself doing legs anytime soon. I'm a weenie about leg waxing, too.

Long story short, I LOVE this thing! It is so efficient, so quick, it even removes tiny little stubble, and the pain isn't even that bad, especially compared to waxing. I definately recommend it!

UPDATE:
7/7/10
I thought I would update on this one. I sucked it up and did my legs after writing this review. It HURTS. BAD. I cried like a little girl.
HOWEVER, it is totally worth it. I do my legs once a week or so, and the hair is noticably thinner and easier to remove every time. It is much less painful after a few times, as the hair is not all growing back at once, and now I have smooth legs almost all the time! I shave with EVOO if I have any stubble in between epilating sessions, and it makes a HUGE difference.

Feria Color Moisturizing Treatement

As a girl who depends heavily on hair dye, I am always searching for the best conditioner out there. Most are all right, nothing to rave about. During a trip to Sally's, I discovered this wonderful Feria conditioner hiding on a bottom shelf.
I remember using Feria dye way back in the day when I was a brunette, and this stuff was always my favorite. It just smelled so good and made my hair amazingly soft.

I grabbed a tube of it and used it after my next hair dye. I am in love. My hair is amazing after I use it! I've never seen it so shiny and vibrant, not to mention SUPER soft and it smells like heaven. It even makes my hair more managable to straighten and curl. I actually mix this with my normal conditioner for every day use, and it still makes my hair amazing every time.

It's a whopping $8.49 at Sally's, but IMO it is well worth the cost. (I'm not the only one, look at the reviews on the website!Definately give this stuff a try if you color your hair, or even if you don't!

Verbena Custom Blends

Verbena Custom Blends

Tiring of my trusty old Calgon Hawaian Ginger body mist, I went off in search of something new. What better place to search than Etsy?
I came upon Verbena Custom Blends. I'm not sure what drew me to these products, maybe it's the fact that everything is made fresh and from scratch. Everything looks absolutely droolworthy!

I had a really hard time picking which lotion and spray I wanted, especially with things like the Pink Sugar Coconut and Chocolate Drizzle cupcake soap and the Creamy coconut and frosted lime cupcake sugar scrub clouding my vision.

Finally, I chose the Pink sugared strawberry marshmellow cream body cream and the Pink sugared strawberry marshmellow Perfume

I eagerly awaited my purchase for the next week, and at long last, I opened my mailbox and there it was! After only a week!

I tore open the packaging and found my order also came with lots of delicious samples! A few lotions and a sugar scrub!
My body cream smells soooooo delicious! It really does smell just like strawberries and marshmellows! It is thick and very moisturizing, perfect for my chronically dry skin. The scent is so long lasting that it smells exactly as good as it did when I put it on several hours ago! The perfume smells just as good. Everything is fantastic, and almost makes me want to eat it.

I LOVE this store, I will definately be ordering from it again! I have nothing but good things to say about it!

Dove Visibly Smooth Deoderant

I saw a commercial for this Dove deodorant about six months ago. It promises to help decrease underarm hair after repeated use.
Sounded great to me! I made sure to grab some the next time I was at the store. I've been using it for months, now, every night before bed (as directed by the label). I still haven't noticed any difference in my armpit hair growth. It IS very good for applying after I shave my bikini area. Seems to cut down on razor burn and ingrown hairs.

It's very disappointing, but I am going to have to give this deodorant a thumbs down in the hair reduction department.

1/5/10: Update
Still using this deoderant, and it sure didn't eliminate any hair growth. It does really help with ingrown hairs, though, if applied immediately after shaving!

Olive Oil

I have been using Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of shaving cream on my legs and underarms, lately.

It's working like a charm. You only need a teeny tiny bit, and it helps to rinse the razor out very well every few strokes (or it gets kind of gummy from the oil). I shaved every day for a week, and my legs were completely soft and smooth every single day. Usually, shaving every day causes bumps and irritation, but I had none of that, and no problem eliminating stubble!

I have let the hair grow for a few days, and it seems softer and more sparse, also. I may be crazy, but I really think the EVOO is making a difference!

I probably wouldn't recommend this if you are prone to breakouts or anything, and certainly using oil on the face seems like a bad idea, but so far it seems to be working for my legs.

Smooth Away

In my long quest for efficient hair removal products, I found myself making a spur of the moment purchase of Smooth Away while at Sally's. A friend of mine told me that it worked for her, so I figured why the hell not?

Well, it's pretty much really fine sandpaper in a fancy package.
The directions told me to gently rub the hair away in small circles. The first thing I noticed was that it was rubbing off my tan, exposing pale spots on my leg. Ok, so it's good at exfoliating at least. (Even though now I had to apply more self tanner after this)

The hair was just NOT disappearing. I tried and tried and it was not removing any hair. I tried it on my boyfriend, though, and it did remove some of his really long leg hair. It left stubble behind.

So, all in all, totally not worth it. Apparently, you have to have hair like an ape or man in order for it to remove anything and it still leaves stubble. It's still easier to shave.

Two thumbs down.

Remington Emi Hairdryer

I saw a review for this crazy looking hairdryer online, and thought I might give it a try. I went on down to target, and to my delight, it was on clearance for $20.00.

I eagerly tore the package open and read the directions. It seems you are supposed to put your wet hair into the weird attachment in little one inch sections, and let it whirl your hair around until it is dry.

Ok, I went and washed my hair, and put a tad bit of smoothing serum in it. I have very curly hair, and crossed my fingers that this thing would make it look pretty without straightening.

Well, after doing my entire head with this thing, which took just as long as my normal $10 conair, I looked like I had dreads all over my head. The directions say you are supposed to finger comb through the mess and you will have perfect waves.

Easier said than done, though, since my naturally curly hair was a knotted mess. It took forever to untangle, and when I was done it looked terrible. My hair looks awful airdried, but it would have looked better than this dryer made it look.

I tried to use the other attachment the next day, a diffuser for straight looks. It took AGES to dry, and wasnt any less frizzy than using my old dryer.

Sadly, this thing did not work at all for me. How dissapointing.

Latisse

I had first posted a review about Revitalash, a few months ago. It didn't work, so I went in search of something that would.
Having read glowing reviews about Latisse online, and looking around on their website...

www.latisse.com

...I went to my plastic surgeon and asked for some. It came out to about $130 bucks.
I got home and opened the package, the contents of which are pictured above. My surgeon told me that I should cut each applicator in half, but everything I read online suggests that you should just trash the applicators altogether, since they waste too much product and are very scratchy. I just took the applicator from my old revitalash and washed it off to use with the Latisse.

I've been using it now for about a month, and I can definately already see a huge difference in my eyelashes. I didn't take a before picture, but my eyelashes were disgracefully short. They have grown a bit in length, and seem to stay curled amazingly well. They are stronger, also, and falling out less.

I will be updating as I continue to use this product, but so far I am very satisfied. I would keep buying it just based on the results after this one month, and am looking forward to the change in the coming months.

Sally Hansen's Spray on Shower off hair remover

I bought this stuff after hearing my sister rave about it. She said it worked really well for her, and her legs stayed smooth for awhile.
It's about $9 a bottle, and I found mine at Walgreens. I went ahead and bought the extra strength formula, since I am plagued with super thick hair.

I got it home and decided that I didn't want to be the guinea pig. My boyfriend willingly let me spray some onto his pubic hair to try it out. It came out of the bottle pretty evenly, and didn't smell too terrible at first. You are supposed to let it sit on the area for 3 minutes, then check and see if it is doing anything.
It wasn't.

We left it on a little longer. The label advises that you not leave it on longer than 10 minutes, so he washed it off after maybe 6 minutes. The smell was getting worse as time went on, but still not as bad as Nair.
In the end, some of his long hair came out, but it was sort of patchy, and didn't work very well.

I tried it myself on my legs a few weeks later, and left it on for the full 10 minutes. I didn't have any burning or anything, no discomfort at all. When I washed it off, none of my stubble was gone. It smelled pretty bad, and was a waste of time.

I would not recommed this stuff. It's way too expensive, and it would take longer than just shaving, anyhow. It didn't seem to work all that well, and now I am stuck with half a bottle of the stuff.

Exotic dancer clothing websites

Snaz 75
http://www.snaz75.com

AWESOME! Was able to use a coupon code, and they upgraded me to free overnight shipping. I've never had such great customer service. I have ordered from them lots of times, and always have excellant service, good prices, and fast shipping.


Red Door Store
http://thereddoorstore.com/

When I last ordered from them, probably a year ago, they had great prices, and free overnight shipping. Now, their prices are higher than Snaz, and I don't think they do free shipping anymore. About the same selection as Snaz has.

Pin up girl clothing
http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/

Terrible customer service. I waited for TWO MONTHS for my shoes to ship, and they never responded to any of my emails. Their phone line didn't even work. When they finally got to me, the shoes were the wrong size! I even gave thema second chance a few years later, and the same shit happened with the dress I ordered. It was ugly in person, and cheaply made, and took forever to ship.


Ami ClubWear
http://www.amiclubwear.com/

Pretty much the same experience as pin up girl, except the boots were the right size. They are kind of cheap looking in person, but I guess you get what you pay for. I did have to wait a month for them to get shipped to me, and nobody would reply to my emails. There are a LOT of negitive reviews on the internet about them, even a facebook group devoted to it.

Now, I did order after this from their EBAY store, which recently has been empty. Mixed feedback, but I recieved my boots in a more timely fashion, and they were good boots. If they ever add more to their ebay store, I recommend going that route, because at least you can file a paypal dispute if you never get your items.

It's really a shame, because they have such cute clothes, but I just can't bring myself to go through the pain of ordering from them again.

My Diva's Closet
http://www.mydivascloset.com/

Ordered fishnets from them on two seperate occasions. Very fast shipping, reasonable prices. No complaints at all.

Coquetry Clubwear
http://coquetryclubwear.com/

I had ordered from her ebay listings a few years ago, and was very disapointed with the bikini tops and thongs that I got.
I ordered a skirt set and a hoodie dress from her, got them today, and was very disapointed with them.
The skirt set was on sale for under ten bucks, so I didn't really care about that. The dress was 45 bucks, though, and is made of awful scratchy fabric. It's a cute design, but the stitches (zigzag) dont look very sturdy at all. I will not be ordering from her again.

Sugar Doll Bikinis
http://www.mysugardoll.etsy.com/

I have ordered several things from this shop, and I love them! Not only are they adorable, but they are also well made. I loooove her clothes and she ships extremely fast. I got things within two days of ordering.


LA Drama Queen

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5570771/

I ordered a really cute romper from this store. I requested a lining to be put in the otherwise see-through top, and told her I would pay extra. She not only put the lining in, but didn't charge me any extra. It's well made and adorable.
Unfortunately, I had paid $60 for this romper, and then found the exact same romper on ODgirl.com for $20.
I was concerned that somebody copied her design, so I sent her an email and apparently she sells designs to a company that works with ODgirl.com.

I'm pretty sure that is against the etsy rules. I am not terribly upset about it, but I do feel kind of cheated. So, moral of the story, search elsewhere first before buying directly from her on etsy, I guess.

StripperClothesOnline

http://www.stripperclothesonline.com/

I bought the Blue Gingham bikini from this site, and I LOVE it! The detail is amazing, and the bikini is perfectly constructed. Every seam and stitch is done just right, and you can tell that she spent a long time on the garment. It fits me perfectly, even though I am an A cup (unlike the model in the photo), and is absolutely ADORABLE! At $58, it seemed slightly pricey, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was well worth the money. Something like that should be more than that, even.
I will def. be ordering from her again!

Revitalash

With high hopes, I purchased revitalash on ebay on 1/12/09 for $70.
I had read really good reviews of the old formula, and was hoping that the new formula could live up to it's standards.

I have been using it since then, and I am very dissapointed with it. My eyelashes are not even the slightest bit longer. They do look less clumpy with mascara on, but that is hardly worth the money.

Apparently, they isolated the ingredient in a rx eye drop typically used for glacoma patients, which had a side effect of making thick, long, luxurious eyelashes. Well, apprently the producers of revitalash didn't get proper legal clearance to use said rx, and due to patent laws, as well as the fact the the makers of the eye drop (Allergen) saw they were sitting on a goldmine, revitalash was forced to reformulate.
(source EDN)

You can still get that eye drop, which has been reformulated by Allergen into Latisse. I'm pretty sure you need to get it from a plastic surgeon or something, but there is a doctor finder on their website.

The stuff is crazy expensive, about $120 a month, but from almost every review I have read is incredible.

Hopefully, I will have a review of Latisse in a month or so!