From our winter, desert expert Mandy. She has the solution for dry hands in the winter, even if you have sensitive skin like we do! I have also tried this product thanks to Mandy's great advice and I love, even in balmier Houston. From Mandy: So when my family moved from the swamp to the high desert...all of us had some serious skin issues. Dry, flaky, itchy then painful skin ruled in our house. My kiddo has eczema that essentially blew up and I worried about having to get prescription steroid cream for her at such an early age. After many dollars spent on high end and drugstore products...I found our holy grail. Friends, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream saved our collective skins. It is full of good stuff like antioxidants and colloidal oatmeal and non of the bad stuff. I use it daily on my kid and it keeps the eczema at bay. I use it on my face and it's never broken me our or irritated my sensitive skin. If you travel a lot, get a travel tube for plane rides. It's available here. My your hands stay beautiful all winter! 
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  Keeping with our theme of shopping small this holiday season: our favorite etsy perfume shop, Deep Midnight Perfumes, released it's annual holiday sample pack. This year's theme is Christmas Carols. Here are our thoughts so far... WHITE CHRISTMAS Perfume Oil: Main scent notes are: Fir Trees, Balsam, Cedar, Orange Peel, Clove, Red Currants, and Sugar Crystals touched with crisp Winter Snow. This is a unisex scent and yet it's my favorite of the bunch so far. The woods are balanced by the sugared fruit notes. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY Perfume Oil: Main scent notes are: Rich Myrrh, Arabian Sandalwood, Frankincense, Cedar, Amber and Pomegranate. This is a unisex scent that is resinous and earthy, tending toward the masculine side of the scale. On my skin, this is quiet, balanced, and soothing. SANTA BABY Perfume Oil: This is a fruity, winter gourmand scent that is unisex tending toward the feminine side of the scale. The main scent notes are: Plump Bing Cherries, Sugar Cookies, Caramel, a touch of Lime, rounded out with crisp Snow and wintery Pine Trees. The caramel gives it an almost coffee note on my skin--delicious. CAROL OF THE BELLS Perfume Oil: This unisex scent is a woodsy and wintery gourmand with main notes of: Black Currants, Caramel, Ginger, Fir Tree, Clove, Green Musk, Spun Sugar, and Winter Berries. The woods stand out on my skin but are nicely balanced with the currants and caramel. DECK THE HALLS Perfume Oil: Main scent notes are: Baked Apples, Pistachio, Orange Peel, Clove, Cardamom, Pink Peppercorn, Bergamot and a touch of Holly Berry. It is a unisex scent tending toward the feminine side of the scale. Smells like fruitcake in the best way possible. And a couple of favorites from Christmases Past: *Already mentioned Dark Streets Shineth (for my incense kick) in October posts. Comfort and Joy: Love the carol and love this snuggly perfume. This blend is comprised of deep vanilla bean, sweet roasted chestnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and rounded out with cedarwood, frankincense, and touches of sage and myrrh. Naughty Nutcracker: Does anyone else love those Terry's Chocolate Oranges as much as I do? Rich chocolate fudge, candied walnuts, rum and Grand Marnier Liqueur, Siberian Fir trees, and snow. This is a gourmand in which the chocolate and Grand Marnier dominate on my skin. Dark Winter's Tale: During the winter, I have my one (or three) coffee of the year--a certain gingerbread coffee drink and this perfume may remind you of that heavenly aroma. Inspired in part by a fantastic cookie recipe from another etsy artist, this holiday perfume contains these notes: dark gingerbread, rich vanilla, molasses, cardamom, anise, and black pepper. And if you just can't decide which of these great scents you need here are some great sample packs here, here and here for you (and of course gifts) for just $18 for 5 scents! May your holidays be merry and amazing scented! Mel and Mandy All Photos Property of Deep Midnight Perfume   I struggle with dry, winter weather and my hair! My hair is already fine and color treated. Add in the dryer, colder winter weather, and I have hair situations I gotta fix. These are a few of my favorite hair products for keeping shine and moisture through these winter months.  The Mason Pearson brush has been around forever...I mean literally since 1885....talk about staying power. This brush is not cheap but it is the best for a ton of reasons. These brushes are made of natural boar bristles - talk about back to nature! Also they are largely produced by hand through their patented designs. The rubber cushion base gently massages your scalp and evenly distributes hair oils from root to tip. The result? A natural hair product (your own juices) that really nourishes and grows your hair without having to add anything else. Perfect if you can only take a brush in your carryon!  I have color treated hair so it can really get dry when moisture comes out of the air in winter. Blondeshell by KeratinComplex has to be one of my favorite conditioners. It has tons of moisturizers like shea butter and also deposits keratin to treat hair and give it some strength when the winter months make my hair brittle. Extra bonus - it also debrasses any brassy blondes. That is a win win. I only use this once a week but I have really loved the results. Keratin Complex does not leave red heads or brunettes out in the cold - pun intended - try their other hair treatments here.  The daily grind? Besides my Mason Pearson brush, Oribe Supershine is my daily product after washing my hair. It does not weigh down my fine hair and I get immediate moisturizing effects. This is good for all hair colors. Note my hair is fine with some slight waves but easily straightens. My stylist has curlier hair and also loves this product.
I would love to hear your winter hair favorites in the comments. To beautiful hair this winter!  So I have to confess I do not wash my every day and I don't get it colored nearly as often as I should. I do my best to extend styles as long as humanly possible, especially if I get my hair "done." I have very fine, color treated hair. That means lots of problems with frizz, breakage, and roots that somehow give away all my secrets.... Here are the few finds that help me get the most of out of my salon dos... Extend My Color For an immediate color fix I use Keratin Complex Blonde Dry Shampoo. This blonde colored powder is great to soak any excess oils but importantly to cover my roots (And I am sure my grays but I am in denial about those). It is a great quick fix to apply to a part and no one will be the wiser that you need to get into the salon. This great product also comes in several shades so blondes are not the only beneficiaries of this great product. I found it on super sale here (this link also goes to brown and clear colored dry shampoo too). The other product I love is by John Frieda. The Go Blonder Lightening Spray actually is a dye spray that changes the color of your hair gradually (I usually use it 3-4 times to get to my lightened color). I often travel and I may be 3-4 weeks later than I should be in getting to my color. This spray is my salvation. I spray all over my routes and it actually lifts that color so the break is not nearly as severe. Also I have never had any bad effects from mixing this with my salon color. The other great thing about this product and tested by my brown headed bestie Mandy - an all over spray gives her natural highlights all over without drying out ends. A win win for everyone!   Extend My Style I am a Dry Bar junkie. I have one literally across the street from my house - really... (my paycheck mostly goes here). I love the smell of their products - all of them and my hair dresser always asks me what I have been using. That means it is good stuff all around. One of my favorite products of theirs is the Triple Sec. I have not found any similar products for keeping curls and adding volume and seriously having the most amazing 2nd or 3rd post "do" scent. It does not leave hair sticky or brittle either. I also love this when I have "natural" hair - i.e. my natural waves without straightening. Its great to give volume and lift and texture to natural waves. So here is to great hair for days and days and days!  |
About MELM.E.L. is an attorney and small business entrepreneur whose mission is to help professionals conquer the workaday world with style and poise. POPULAR POSTS
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