But I AM smiling!

Serums, Oils and Oils!

My daughter Claire and I went to a monthly craft show called PopShop this weekend. There were some really cute handmade local stuff from vendors, food trucks, plus vintage/second hand stores on each side of the parking lot. We finally had a chance to try Common Bond Bakery, a French patisserie that seems to be closed when we drive by.

 The bakery was bright, sunlit and perfect for photos, which brings me to the point of this post, which isn't about my love for pastries.

It's about my resting bitch face. 

I have the brow furrows, the labial-nasal fold, the crinkles below my mouth... the whole fabulous grump package. I used to go through my pics and remove them until I found this great Beauty Booth app which just blurs skin texture and leaves you looking radiant but still textured. I have been reviewing several skin care items lately and all rate effective in their own way but let me tell you, BUY THE VITAMIN C SERUM. NOW. I have been using the Radha Vitamin C Serum 20% for over two weeks and found it superior to my prior brand in consistent results. I wash with my Wasabi clarifying wash in the AM, then follow with the Vitamin C serum from my forehead hairline down, really working it into the eye area and my "angry 11s" between the brows, which have really softened with use. 

 I have been embarassed over my large pores and acne scarring between my nose and cheek, that wonderfully named "labial-nasal fold", and this Vitamin C serum has added a softened, hydrated effect that is so visible. Sometimes I don't even use my beauty filter! I let it sink into my skin, though I do skip my nose as it is very sensitive to anything I attempt to use. I massage the serum over my neck and onto my chest/decolletage and the softening effect has also happen on my bustline. It is not greasy, my skin drinks it in quickly and within minutes I can apply concealer and foundation over the area without any makeup sliding or oxidizing. I prefer it to a BB cream or primer, frankly.  When I get a pimple that leaves a scab or dry skin behind, the Vitamin C softens it and it peels off easily. Extractions are also much easier and my face is much less red after using my salicyclic wash. 

My daughter Claire has some blemishes but nowhere near the blackhead and acne scar issues that I have. She has started oil cleansing in the PM and adding the Vitamin C serum as well. She has no breakouts and no stinging, which can be an issue with some sensitive users. She is eighteen, I am forty four, so I have been encouraging her to care for her skin with anti-aging products NOW.

 I was given a generous sample of Radha Beauty's 100% Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil and wish I could say that I love coconut oil as much as I enjoy vitamin C serum and their 100% pure organic argan oil. I found the coconut oil too heavy for my facial skin, and its high comedogentic rating keeps me from trying it anywhere else but my feet, where it does a nice job post-shower with socks to cover. I DID make *fabulous* fried chicken with it last night, my family said it was the best I'd ever made. Super crisp batter, never smoked or had that burnt taste the last few pieces tend to get. Definitely worth a splurge for cooking, still undecided on whether I'd recommend it for oily/acne prone skin like mine. I'm preparing to bleach Claire's roots and heard it makes an effective protectant in that case, that you can bleach with the oil in the hair during processing and it still lifts but doesn't damage. Their Radha 100% Argan Oil is in a HUGE cobalt bottle with glass dropper, very low scent and wonderful on my hands, awesome for client hand massages during heat treatments.

 Lastly, Radha Beauty also gave me a sample of their Intensive Youth Eye Gel. It feels very rich, almost like a dense lotion when it comes out of the pump but it absorbs quickly and I can use it under my eye makeup without issue. I have a horrible sunken ridge under my eyes, with a yucky swollen poof over it and using this every night has really kept that puffiness down. I did get a small red spot under my eye, a sort of blemish, when I used the product for about the third time, but it resolved itself within a day or two, probably just the super hydration of the product. Definitely worth a try if you're looking to prevent eye puff and wrinkles. Let me know if you try the chicken!

  

 It's difficult to get a clear selfie of my eye but you can see the redness and bagginess. *sob* The Radha eye gel really smoothed them out as seen in the more flattering above pics.

*Sponsored by BrandBacker*

Braids, Braids, BRAIDS

Claire's Braids

 Can I take a moment of your time to brag about how awesome my daughter Claire is doing in cosmetology school? Since she won't make her own blog/portfolio, someone has to show the world her style.

 Her braided pompadour was done by her classmate Glammed by Yasmika. The creativity found in cosmetology schools is endless, you should support your local school with a visit to their salon.

Live and Let Dye!

Used A New Color Product

  Part of the edgy hair color experience is being pleasantly surprised when my color doesn't come out exactly as I had hoped. What is totally unprofessional to do for a client is pretty freakin' fun to do on yourself as far as experimenting with dyes and a "plop it on and see" attitude.
 My roots are at least an inch plus and very dark against the silver grey blue tones of my current color, which breaks up the layers great in some points but looks kinda yuck as a face frame. I didn't want to bleach out my roots yet so my plan was to tone the brass between my old bleach (silver blue grey) and my roots (just yuck) with Wella T18. Armstrong & McCall closes so early that I find myself at Sally with the Wella T18 and a tube of Ion Color Brilliance Lavender and I pick up the new-to-me Ion Ash Intensifier, which you add to the color process to drab that brassy red brown ick that makes blues and purples go all green. This product is VERY POTENT, please use the minimum amount unless you're cool with surprises like I am.

 Here's how the drabbing went down.

Back of the hair is getting more brass than ash, making green tones.

I liked the dark roots in the crown and bangs but -ugh- not against my face.

What a difference sunlight makes! Same day, hair looks platinum silver grey outside.

To blend in my dark roots more, I decided to add a whole tube of Ion Ash Intensifier because it was suggested in the instruction pamphlet to use up to .5 ounce (size of the tube) to make a dramatic difference. Oh, I would say DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE was had here.

SO... WHAT I LEARNED IN BEAUTY SCHOOL IS:

Always do a test strand! Or not, because I'm cool with this blue hue too.

How To Dye: Silver Steel Blue Grey Version

Silver? Blue? Grey? Whatever it is, I love my hair color.

I made the radical shift from years of brassy hot copper hair color to this cool mermaid look in tones of blue, grey, ashy silver and purples last year before summer. I went from this:

..... to this in a 24 hour process which I did myself at home.

UNlike most of the silver grey hair you see online, I don't use a filter or mess with the saturation/warmth of my photos, so what you see is actually what I wear, not a photoshopped version of a steely gunmetal blue gray dyed hair that is next to impossible to achieve. Sure, I use a blur tool on my skin but I'm 43 -- I MEAN I WOKE UP LIKE THIS. 

I will never be tumblr famous because I'm old, but my hair is really rad and I think the cooler tones suit me better than the hot reds.