A Cost-Efficient Product to Help Keep Skin Matte All Day!
Not too long ago, I was really fortunate to learn about a product that works just as well as the oil-absorbent sheets skin product lines sell for a fraction of the price.
I have really oil, combination skin and I’ve always had a problem with keeping my forehead and nose matte. I remember learning about these little oil-absorbent sheets when I was in Middle School that helped take the grease off my face, and I was elated. It’s always been something I’ve been self-conscious about, so I just about ran out to purchase them. The allure was gone after I saw the price was over five dollars, and there were only fifty of them in each package, if that. Nothing has changed since, and I’ve never purchased them again. I felt very guilty about using the ones I did end up picking up at the store, because of how expensive they were. Since then, I have just resorted to doing what most of us do: get the oil off with a napkin (or the back of our shirts… you know you do it, too!) The problem with the napkin/shirt thing is that it doesn’t absorb quite as much as one would like, and it also takes off or smears makeup around. Still, it is better than the very pricey alternative.
…or so I thought!
I recently learned about a product called “End Wraps” that are sold at Beauty Supply stores which essentially work just like oil-absorbent sheets! Their intended use is actually for assisting in keeping hair from damaging when having a perm done. My intended use, however, is for blotting the oil off of my face. Basically, you just dab the little sheet all over your problem areas, look at it in disgusted awe, crumple it up to throw out, and be matte-faced once again! The box I purchased brings a thousand of them, and it cost me $0.99. Yes. Ninety-nine cents. For a thousand of them. Awesome, right?! They’re actually even bigger than the ones skin product lines sell, too. I put mine in a little tin mint-like-box, toss it in my purse, and I’m good to go. The only sadness I feel after using them now comes with the thought of how many years I’ve lived without knowing about this miracle product.
I really would recommend them to everyone, especially if you’re like me and have oily/combination/sensitive/problematic/awful/ugh/WhyMeDearGodWhy skin and/or live in a hot and humid climate. I have been doing it for a while now and have not had any sort of negative reaction to it or outbreak what-so-ever.
Please pass along the message so others can marvel on how awesome this product is for keeping the shine where you want it and not where sadly, it naturally shows up, and let me know how it works out for you. I would love to hear any feedback on whether you like it, how it’s working with your skin, and whether you’ve felt as though it’s caused any negative reactions. I truly hope this works out for you guys, because I just can’t stop raving about it!
Product: Sally Beauty Professional Jumbo End Wraps
Rating: 5/5
Price: $0.99
Packaging: Use a little tin thingie!
Quality: 5/5
Would I Buy Again? It’ll be a really long time until I’ll have to again, but YES!
(A review by Rediscover-Me)
ratioofppl2cake-deactivated2012 asked: Any super quick remedies for an unexpected acne breakout?
Benzoil Peroxide is the absolute best! It can be very harsh on your skin at first, but it’s honestly the only thing that I (and many other people) have ever used in order help with breakouts. I have very bad acne, and I can usually see a change the next morning after putting it on overnight when I use it.
Be careful, though! The less-concentrated stuff works just as well as the “Maximum Strength” skin product lines try to get more money for.
The site acne.org is AMAZING, and tons of people swear by it. It was pricey, but I bought a huge bottle of BP, and have had it forever with absolutely no fear of having it run out any time soon.
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Another thing you can do is what is called an aspirin mask. You crush up some aspirin, make it paste-like with some water or aloe vera gel, and keep it on for ten minutes. The salycid acid in it helps tremendously, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily going to stop the problem right in its track.
Google searches will find you tons of tips and tricks on how to get rid of acne but honestly, coming from someone with the worst kind of acne there is, the best thing you can do is be as gentle as possible, get on a persisten regimen (like the one on acne.org), and give it time. It will probably get worse before it gets better, but it’s -so- worth it!
Personally, I went down the Accutane route, and loved it. It’s very harsh though and I would absolutely never recommend it for mild acne.
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One last thing: Never pop it or mess with it. It’ll only make it angry and it’ll end up being even more noticeable. Same thing goes for when applying make-up to cover it. Try to apply the concealer or whatever else on the outer edges of it, using a patting motion AROUND the outsides of the blemish and only patting a little bit on top of it. Never add extra amounts of make-up or smear it across when blending concealer on it— patting it will assist with keeping the inflammation down that will come from aggravating it by smearing, and too much makeup will make it stand out even more.
Good luck!
That adorable gal you see looking suspiciously at the camera is the daughter of Pandemic Laughter and AltLeftArrow. As you can tell, she is definitely a member of the Curly Girl Camp! In this post, I’ll talk specifically about how she can have a stylist cut and shape her hair to help maximize its loveliness, then I’ll have a second post about hair care products, styling products and styling techniques to help her look her most lovely!
The first step with curly hair is determining what kind of curl type and pattern you have, and what the hair itself is like in terms of thinness, thickness, coarseness, etc.
Most people with curly hair actually have very fine individual hairs, they just have a LOT of them, and I definitely think this is the case with this pretty young lady. Each hair is very soft and actually very fragile, which is why curly hair is so prone to frizzies and flyaways.
In terms of curl pattern, it seems that she has pretty even, pretty tight corkscrew curls. An even curl pattern makes things easier, because it means it will be easy to separate and make the curls more uniform. I have a very uneven curl pattern—some are corkscrews, some are wavy, and some are straight, so it takes me some work to get them looking uniform when my hair is long enough to curl properly.
My first recommendation is to find a stylist who specializes in cutting curly hair. You may have to hunt around a bit, but it is worth it. One way to do this, and something I’ve done often in the past, is to basically accost strangers with “good hair” and ask them where they get their hair cut. I know it feels weird, but if you see someone with a good-looking head of curly hair, just say “Excuse me, I couldn’t help notice how pretty your hair is! Where do you go to get it cut?” Worse case scenario, you’ve given someone a compliment and if they can’t take a compliment, that’s their problem!
Once you have found a good stylist, he or she should look at the hair when it is dry as well as when it is wet to try and figure out the curl pattern as well as any cowlicks she might have. When my hair was chin length or longer my stylist would cut a bit while it was wet, then dry it, then finish the haircut dry by razoring the ends to help reduce the bulk of my hair.
Reducing the bulk is your first goal. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, and one good way to start is by working some graduated layers into the hair. Much like my hair does, her hair, if not layered, seems to grow as much sideways as it does lengthwise. Even with my hair pixie short, I still have to do major thinning on the top and sides of my head to help provide separation and movement and keep myself from getting the dreaded “helmet hair”.
Here’s a few pics of long, curly hair with layers that you can bring to a stylist to help guide them in the right direction!
You’ll notice in both styles, there are a lot of shorter layers to help frame the face as well as reduce bulk.
Another thing you could consider to help make the definition of her curls more prominent would be some subtle highlights and lowlights. With dark hair, like mine and hers, it’s hard to see the individual curls and sometimes you get the “wall of hair” effect I’ve been fighting most of my life. Highlights/lowlights help reflect the light and make each curl look more separate.
For her coloring, I would recommend something very subtle in the dark auburn range. A trio of colors, placed in the areas the sun would naturally hit, would do wonders to help give her curls more definition and would also compliment her skin tone really well.
So! That’s step one!
Monday I will follow up with shampoo, conditioner, styling products and techniques that I think will help make her hair look its best!
Hi, everyone. I’m Liza (rediscover_me on Tumblr), and I wanted to share my experience with the “No Chip Manicure” as well. After hearing about it through Jewles, I decided I had to try it.
I’m the type of girl that loves very natural nails, so my preference when going to a nail salon would be to just have either a French Tip, or something similarly simple and classic done to my own nails and be good to go. The problem is that I’ve never been able to go more than a few minutes without having the polish start to chip off somewhere. It’s very discouraging to spend money on something that doesn’t last more than a day. Because of this, when I have the ability to splurge on a nail salon visit, I tend to get either a white tip or pink and white acrylics done. This process is expensive, lengthy, at times painful, and extremely damaging to my own nails. On top of that, it’s almost pointless because I like them so natural looking that I ask for them to be cut down almost to the length my natural nails tend to be at already. So, imagine my joy after hearing about a nail salon process which allows for my very own nails to be beautifully manicured and polished for up to two weeks without any fear of what my real nails will look like after the fake ones comes off!
Of course, I felt as though this would be too good to be true. Even after reading reviews on how the “No Chip Manicure” works and how many people love them, I was still hesitant to spend the money on it. I decided that I would make my final decision at the salon. When I arrived at there, I spoke to a couple of the technicians about what I wanted and told them about the reservations I was having on spending money on something that ultimately would end up being a big disappointment. Almost at the same time, the three technicians I was speaking with lifted up their own hands to me, and one of them said “Honey, it works. Look at how beautiful my nails look right now despite what I do for a living.” It was a done deal after that.
One of the girls took me over, and started the process. Maybe it was because of how many steps there were, and how enthralled I was by it all, or because of how much I despise the time it takes to get acrylic sets done, but I could swear this manicure took less than twenty minutes from beginning to end. Because I keep my nails pretty well groomed she didn’t have to do much to them before getting down to business. She applied a clear gel on my nails first, and then asked for me to put each hand under a UV lamp to “set” it. Seconds later, they were out of the machine to apply the first coat of white French Tip polish, and back into the machine they went. Again, they were taken out, and another layer was applied. Rinse and repeat, the process went like that until the end, which again I will state felt like no time at all. My jaw was probably on the ground the entire time.
The salon priced the “No Chip Manicure” at $20 for the polish only, and $28 for an entire Manicure/Massage and polish. Since what the girl had to do as far as grooming my nails was so minimal and I didn’t want the massage, I was only charged $25. I asked them about how much they would charge me to get the polish off, and was told it was included in the price of getting them re-done. Even if they were to charge to have the polish taken off (which I doubt, though I can’t be quoted on this as I didn’t ask), I feel that it’s a very fair price. The other advantage I’m seeing to having mine done as a French is that since only the tips are painted and the rest is just clear and glossy, I may be able to wait a while longer before having to get them re-done so long as the color is still there.
Overall, I’m extremely impressed and satisfied with the “No Chip Manicure”. I’ve been able to do everything I normally do without any fear at all of having them chip, and whereas before when I had a regular manicure done I would constantly look down at my nails in fear that one of them was chipped, I look down incessantly at my manicure now only to admire how beautiful my very own nails look. They’re shiny, gorgeous, and actually feel stronger than before I had them done, and while I’m only on day two of having the “No Chip Manicure”, I don’t think I could ever go back to having my nails done any other way!
“No Chip Manicure” Rating: 5/5
(I will take a picture of the same hand closer to the two week mark or before I have them re-done to show how the manicure held up along with anything else I feel would be helpful for you guys to know before getting one yourselves.)
That was my question when I ventured out to get a mani/pedi about three weeks ago before going to visit my family. My mother and sister both have annoyingly perfect nails that grow like weeds and never break. Me? I have brittle nails that split and crack and I’m a NIGHTMARE at keeping polish on with all the typing I do and classroom stuff like writing on white boards.
I figured I would treat myself to a mini-spa day and thought I’d try one of the “no-chip” manicures I had heard so much about. Frankly, I don’t bother getting manicures anymore because I always chip or dent or smudge the polish the second I leave the salon. I don’t get pedicures more often than a few times a year, but I have to say I’ve yet to be able to do as good a job at removing the dead skin on my heels as a professional nail tech can.
I went to a very non-glam strip mall kind of place near my house. They had massage chairs, I had an iced coffee and a magazine, I was all set. I got a no-chip mani using the OPI Axxium Gel product, which was nice because they had the corresponding regular OPI polish for my toes (more on that later).
The no-chip was $35, which seems to be about the standard going rate for a no-chip in Chicago proper, regardless of the product. The salon I went to was fairly small, and only had about 15-20 colors to choose from. If you have a particular color you love or need a particular shade to coordinate with something you are wearing for a special event, it probably couldn’t hurt to stop into your own nail salon ahead of time and ask to see their no-chip colors to see if they have something that will work for you.
The no-chip application process was painless, and not dusty or smelly or scary like getting acrylics put on. It really just looks like polish—it doesn’t add any thickness to your nail—and has an incredible mirror-like shine. My technician was great and super friendly and told me to apply an oil like Solar Oil or Essie’s Quick Dry Oil once a day to my new no-chip mani to keep it looking fresh. He said I could expect to get about two weeks out of it—I bet him I could go even longer than that!
One minor annoyance I noticed as soon as I was done is that, despite being the same color “name”, the OPI no-chip polish was a very very slightly different color than the regular OPI color that was on my toes. It wasn’t enough that anyone except me would notice, but it did bug me a bit. I’m not sure if this was due to my technician not putting on enough coats of the product on my manicure, or if this is just to be expected with the no-chip colors. If I were you I would ask them to swipe a bit of the no-chip onto one nail and a bit of the “regular” polish onto another nail, hold them in the light and see if you can see any difference before committing to it. If you’re like me and like your tips and toes to match and are slightly OCD, having even a slight difference in color staring you in the face for three weeks can be a bit annoying.
It’s been three weeks exactly, and I truly did not “chip” at all. I used the Essie oil one every other day or so—I put it on my bedside table and most nights I remembered to do it before conking out. You can see the regrowth of new nail since I chose a dark color, and my right thumb and index peeled a little near the nail bed because it grew out and because, frankly, I picked at it. Getting a no-chip off is kind of an intense process involving warm 100% acetone—I saw a tutorial online and contemplated doing it myself, even bought a bottle of acetone at Sally, but I chickened out and am going to just go back and get it redone.
Tomorrow I’m going to go get a no-chip mani and regular pedicure at a salon near me that specializes in no-chips—they have over fifty colors, which is pretty exciting. I’m hoping I won’t have the matching issue I did last time but this time I know to look for it ahead of time, so I think I should be fine. I’m also going to get a lighter color so that the regrowth won’t be as obvious. They use a different product than the OPI line, so I’m intrigued to see if it holds up as well.
All in all, it was definitely worth it. If you’re able to keep regular polish on your hands from chipping for two weeks, than its not worth it. But, if you’re a hopeless clutz like me? This is pretty much the only way I plan on getting manicures in the future. For $35 a pop, every three weeks, it’s really not a bad deal, and if it gives me some much-needed “me time” and helps me feel more polished-looking (no pun intended) I think it is worth it.
I’ll take pictures tomorrow after my new mani is done and will update you week by week as it grows out.
To all our new followers: thanks for joining us! Reblog and let your friends know about our new endeavor here!
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Tomorrow I will have a very special “Part I”-with pictures— of a hair dilemma sent to us by Ms. Pandemic Laughter. Her daughter has very long, very thick, VERY curly hair, and I’m going to provide some styling and product suggestions to help her tame her mane. She’s a gorgeous pre-teen with hair to die for, but it definitely takes a little work for us curly girls!
