Oribe

Power Polish

May 24th, 2019 by Karen 20 Comments

orbeez spa — This is totally a thing. (Ooh! — the colorful little beads look like boba.)

Need some faux flowers for a crafts project? How about an oversized LED flamingo? If you need something craftsy or DIY, check out Michaels, the combination craft supply store/inter-dimensional portal to an alternate reality where times as we know it does not exist.

Be warned, though: 5 minutes in a Michaels is like 8 hours in the outside world. In fact, after 15 minutes in a Michaels store…you may never actually leave; however, this danger is offset by all the weird treasures, including this children’s foot spa…

What, exactly, is so taxing to the feet of little children that they need a Calgon moment? 😂

Heck, though, if I were 8, I’d probably want one too…

GO SCIENCE

After a little googling, it turns out that the “Orbeez” in the name, “Orbeez Foot Spa,” refers to the colorful beads, and they’re a thing kids play with these days (who knew?).

The actual chemistry behind them is pretty cool. The beads are made from a super absorbent polymer, and when you add water, they grow from 100-300 times their original size.

I bet they do help tired arches, but there’s absolutely no freakin’ way I’m allowing one of these things in my home, because any time tiny, round things get set free in this #toddlerlife, it’s like Pandora’s Box. There’s just no way to ever corral them back into one place again. My three-year-old will go on to finish high school, college, then astronaut training, and I will still be vacuuming Orbeez out of dusty corners. They will most certainly haunt me for my next five lifetimes, and when I come back as a silky, long-haired ragdoll kitty, I’ll be swatting the same damn beads off the couch!

Nail polish as a source of strength?

So, when Connor inevitably asks for a spa pedicure, I’m going to put her feet in a bucket of warm water, stick some flower petals and lemon wedges in it and call it day. And then I’m going to offer up my collection of nail polishes to choose from, which also now includes this gorgeous purple from Chanel.

chanel purple ray swatch day 1 — Two coats of Chanel Purple Ray just after I painted my nails. I’m also wearing Sally Hansen No More Stains Spray-On Base Coat and Essie Platinum Grade Finish Top Coat.

chanel purple ray swatch day 6 — And here it is after six days… Good wear time!

Purple Ray ($28) is equal parts tough, elegant and optimistic (which is basically what I strive for every day of my life, ha!). I mean, that’s not the official PR description, but I think it’s accurate.

For me, nail polish isn’t just nail polish. It’s the beauty equivalent of power posing (power polishing?). Listen, when my nails are done, I feel good, and everyone and everything in my path better watch out!

It’s all about the power pose…

Sure, nail polish is just frosting (what’s inside is the most important stuff), but if looking at pretty polish on your nails reminds you that you’re a bad-@ss, then do it! Say it all day, every day long.

Say it: “I am a bad-@ss.”

And yes, I really do get this worked up from two coats of Purple Ray nail polish!

Waxing philosophic

I’m going to do a fresh mani in just a few, but I gotta sort my hair situation out first. I’m down to the last few spritzes of my beloved Oribe spray wax, so please pause for a second while I shed a perfectly placed glittery tear.

*pause* 😪

Have you jumped on the spray wax train yet? GIRL. Get yourself a ticket. Grab the next ride out! ’cause spray waxes are awesome. I’ve only used the Oribe one, but it’s sooooo good. It’s a flexible finishing product that you spray on your finished style to break up the uniformity of your hair and leave you with softly defined pieces. It also adds shine, smoothness, bounce and lift.
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Product Spotlight: Oribe Free Styler Flexible Hold Working Hairspray

January 22nd, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

I don’t love cowlicks, but cowlicks love me. [Insert crying-face emojis right here 😭😭😭.] My cowlick situation was almost mildly tolerable before I started growing out my grays, but now it’s next level orange alert!!!

It’s the texture of the gray hairs, man. They’re wirier than my non-gray hairs, and the short, stubby pieces stick out, especially the hairs right smack dab in the middle of my hairline and in the center of my part.

If I leave them be, I look like I’m being mildly electrocuted… Hence Oribe Free Styler Working Hairspray.

Expensive as it is [$42 for a 9-oz. bottle, OMG!], I love this stuff. I’ve been into it ever since I sprayed about half a can on my bangs for the victory rolls I did for Halloween. The rolls stayed put and weren’t crunchy, and you know me when it comes to crunchy hair (not a fan). When I took my hair down that night before bed, even after ALL that hairspray, I was able to run a brush through it without any flakes or tugging.

Which is rad.

What takes this stuff from “nice” to “must-have” for me is how well it handles crazy cowlicks and those stubs of wayward gray hair. It tames them easily, and I use it daily now as part of my routine. I like that my hair can still move around with it and doesn’t look lacquered into place like a helmet.

It freezes your hair in place but doesn’t make it stiff. Your hair also won’t look too shiny and “done,” thanks to the satin finish, which I also like.

Here’s how I work it: When I’m done curling or braiding or whatever I’m doing on any given day, I almost always have a crown or crazy cowlicks sticking out along my hairline and in my part, so I spray a fine layer of Free Styler directly on top, then finesse them down with a fine-toothed comb from Sally Beauty.

If there are any wayward bits left standing, I’ll repeat the process until I’ve coaxed everything into place.
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With Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax, Luminous Locks Are a Few Sprays Away

October 19th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

OK, so, the thing about Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax is that it’s so good that you will never want to part with it, but it’s also $42 for a dainty 4.2-oz. bottle.

But…but…but…GLOSSY LOCKS. I don’t think my hair has ever looked this shiny in my entire life, and that’s no small feat because my ends have this really annoying habit of drying out on me, especially when I’m in a blow-drying phase, like I usually go through in fall and winter.

The not-so-great thing?

As previously mentioned, it’s $42 for a 4.2-oz. bottle.

Ouch.

Thankfully, you only have to use a little. I do a quick jooj on dry hair after it’s styled, then psssst, psssst, psssst on my side-swept bangs, the pieces that frame my face, on my ends, and on the uppermost layer of my hair. Then I gently work it through with my fingers for enough shine to make all the mirrors in Versailles jealous. 🙂

I used to think that Oribe Texturizing Spray was the end-all, be-all of products for perfectly tousled hair, but then I met this.

By the way, it isn’t just a shine spray.

“Create weightless, buildable texture with control and lasting hold. This ultra-fine wax mist adds style, separation and sheen to short cuts and long lengths.”

— oribe.com

For the most part, Flash Form does what Oribe Texturizing Spray does, too — weightlessly separates and defines hair for schemxy texture while it boosts volume and gently holds curls and waves in place, but it also smooths frizz, (which Texturizing Spray doesn’t really do).

Oh, and there’s the shine, of course! Texturizing Spray has a matte finish, which is fine for roots, but maaaan! Gimme shiny, piece-y ends any day of the week.

Benefits:

Fortifying Polymer Blend creates texture and light hold while strengthening hair.

Wheat Starch adds buildable, brushable texture and separation.

Soy Protein provides strength and elasticity to hair.

Plant-Derived Amino Acids help the hair retain moisture while adding light shine.

Glycerin and Panthenol hydrate and condition to protect against breakage.

Amber Extract delivers antioxidant, conditioning and hair-strengthening properties.

Oribe Signature Complex (Watermelon, Lychee and Edelweiss Flower Extracts) defends hair from oxidative stress, photoaging and the deterioration of natural keratin all while protecting from the drying, damaging and color-depleting effects of the elements.

I want to warn you and say “DON’T DO IT” because it’s so expensive, but I also want to say “DO IT DO IT DO IT” because it’s awesome-sauce.

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Easy Everyday Hair Styles for the Dog Days of Summer, Day 4: Friday Fun Buns

August 10th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

And for more heat-less hair styles for the dog days of summer, check out…

Day 1: The Woven Wonder

Day 2: Textured, Tousled Waves

Day 3: Wash-and-Wear Wow

OK, I’m sweating behind my knees and between my toes right now… I woke up this morning to second-day air-dried bed-head hair and scorching heat (today’s been in the ’90s, and we don’t have air conditioning), which left me with the following choices for living my best hair life on a blisteringly hot day like today: 1) throw it into a high pony (boring), 2) squirrel it underneath a hat (which is great for sun protection, but man…hats make me sweat so much.), or 3) fun bun it up.

Wanna guess which option I went with?

I feel like buns had a mega moment a few years back with the whole sock bun trend, but I’m still here for them in a major way. It’s an easy hairstyle for a summer Friday because you can look as sleek and done or as messy and undone as ya please! Do a single bun, or double the fun with two. Keep it simple, or jooj it up with dainty Dutch braids (like I do here). They’re surprisingly versatile.

Today’s fun buns is/are the last of the heat-less summer hair styles I had planned for this week, and they build on day 3’s wash-and-wear ‘do.

Once again, I Oribe’d it up…

Dry Texturizing Spray is an old fave of mine (I like keeping a backup on hand), but Mystify Restyling Spray is new to me. You spray it on second-day (or third- or fourth-day hair, for that matter), and it reactivates whatever styling product you have in your hair from the day before. It also has UV and heat protectors to guard your hair if you decide to use hot tools.

Let’s get ready to put the fun in ‘ze bun…

1. Fix flatness with dry shampoo

Spray a dry shampoo or texturizing spray through your hair, concentrating at the roots, to lift your second-day style.

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Easy Everyday Hair Styles for the Dog Days of Summer, Day 3: Wash-and-Wear Wow

August 9th, 2018 by Karen 22 Comments

And for more heat-less hair styles for the dog days of summer, check out…

Day 1: The Woven Wonder

Day 2: Textured, Tousled Waves

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve thoroughly embraced the triple “L”s (otherwise known as #lazyladylife), or if it’s because stepping outside right now feels like walking into the world’s largest oven, but I’m super into wash-and-wear hair right now. Beach babe meets laid-back French girl chic, if you please. Loose waves that willfully bend whichever way they want, with textured ends that signify that I tried enough to care about my hair this morning but didn’t obsess over every stray strand.

Lurves it!

And ya know, it’s also an instant pick-me-up, too, because I swear, I stand up straighter and smile wider 🙂 when my hair is even just a little bit done. It makes me feel like a functional human being.

For this easy hair style, I used Oribe products again because right now “Or” is my “bae.”

See what I did there…? 🙂 OK, that was pretty lame. I should not be allowed to say “bae” in public.

Here’s how you can work those dog-days-of-summer breezes to your air drying advantage…

1. Prep with a repairing shampoo and conditioner to heal any damaged ends

I like shampoos and conditioners that don’t strip my color, and Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner do that while simultaneously adding moisture and shine.

2. Towel dry, then apply a lightweight, moisturizing styling balm from the mid-shaft to the ends

Here’s the thing about air drying: unless you’re one of the lucky people who steps out of the shower with perfect hair that automatically falls into place (my friend Christine has hair like this, and yes, I’ve been jealous for over two decades), you gotta work a little something-something into it. Ideally, it’s a styling balm that does a bit of everything — moisture, hold, a touch of smoothness, and hydration, of course! The goal is to tame that mane a little (but not too much).

Oribe Featherbalm does everything aforementioned, so your air-dried ‘do looks done but not overly worked.

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