Beauty

May 2013 - Posts

• RED Hearts: Beauty: To Dye For - Easy Ombré

  By Zulay Regalado, 24, reporting from Miami on the first at-home hair coloring kit to rock her locks

  

  I’ve always admired anyone who has braved the world of at-home hair coloring and lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, I lack in the “visionary” aspect of this art. I usually fork over the $100+ to treat my hair with professional hands (and I swear I can hear my wallet sob from inside my purse).

  My current hair obsession is the ombré, a two-toned coloring technique worn by celebs like Jessica Alba and Drew Barrymore. Shivering wallet in mind, I began to research DIY techniques to replicate this popular style and add some variety to my long, sometimes wavy, mostly chestnut hair.

  Thankfully, the gods of DIY dying spared me the embarrassing aftermath that would surely come of this little project, and I discovered the Feria Wild Ombré Hair Coloring kit by L’Oreal Paris. In typical “do first, cry later” fashion, I gave it a try. The kit comes with an applicator brush, and distributing the transformative potion was surprisingly as simple as brushing my hair. I chose the Medium to Dark Brown color, and after several seconds of waiting for my head to catch fire and finding nothing but perfectly two-toned locks, I was ecstatic. The best part? I paid less than $20 for the entire process. My wallet sobbed that day, but this time it was tears of money-saving joy.

  Check out the step-by-step ombré application tutorial below, and visit your local drugstore for your L’Oreal Ombré kit

  Posted May 16 2013, 08:50 AM by admin with no comments

• RED Hearts: Beauty: The Gel Manicure Comes Home

  By Camila Henao, 19, reporting from Chicago on the secret to perfect polish—for weeks

  

  My nail polish collection is more extensive than I’d like to admit. Sometimes I think I must have the full spectrum from OPI, Essie, butter London and Sally Hansen, and I’ve picked up plenty of random and valued polishes at the dollar store. I love painting my nails and trying new things.

  Trust me on this next part: I am a smart and serious student and person with the right priorities. I know the place of chipped polish on the hierarchy of tragedies in this world.

  Still, it frustrates me that it seems no matter what base, polish or topcoat I use, by the fourth day or so my manicure is looking pretty shabby. I’d heard that the answer to this is gel polishes, rumored to stick around for three weeks, but I’d never tried them in a salon—or had any idea you could use them at home.

  So the Gelish Basix Kit was a revelation, enough that I now want to buy all of the cute shades of polish in their line and leave behind the collection that took me so long to build. (I did my feet in Tiger Blossom, a deep, delicious candy red, and see my hands in Up the Blue. Both are near-pristine pretty ten days in, impressively past the usual tipping/chipping point.)

  Going Gelish is a bit pricey: the Basix Kit is $50; the LED Curing Light that sets the gel is $70; and the polishes are $15. But it’s so worth it for the staying power, especially if you’re someone who pays for salon mani-pedis (do the math) or just a fanatic like me, who always needs the next new nail thing.

  Plus, the whole gel process is easy, a successful at-home science experiment. The kit includes a nail surface cleanse that you prep with; a pH bond, which helps the foundation stick; and a topcoat to seal everything off.

  It also comes with a remover that won’t damage your nails, but you’re not going to need that for a good long time, up to 21 days later. As long as you can get past admitting that you’re willing to invest in the beauty of your nails—we’d never point fingers—Gelish belongs in your collection.

  Posted May 02 2013, 09:11 AM by admin with no comments