Spring Beauty Picks + Tips
Rogue's Top 5 Beauty Picks for the Spring
You "Argan-ah" like this from HSI Professional
Written by Cici Andersen, Beauty contributor
I got the chance to test the HSI professional Argan Oil Thermal Protector Spray. It claims to have anti-frizz, and smoothing properties. I tried it several different ways:
First I tried spraying into my own freshly washed hair and letting it air dry. (I should mention my hair is currently blonde and has had several chemical processes and DESPERATELY needs to be both anti-frizzed and protected!) What I liked about it is that it is almost undetectable.. No harsh fragrance, weighless and no oily residue.
Then the next day I tried it again but this time I blew out my hair. I wouldn’t say it smoothed it any better than if I had nothing in it at all- so my hopes is that it’s actually heat-protecting above all and it’s not just water inside a can.
The HSI treatment oil however is a godsend. On the third day, I prepped my hair with the HSI thermal protectant and added in the Argan Oil Leave In Hair Treatment. Not only did my blowdry and style last the entire day and night on the town, but I woke up with silky smooth quite-polished-for-having-fallen-asleep-on-my-couch hair!! I zhushed it back into place and wore the style the entire next day. It feels silky and it didn’t weigh it down. I loved how shiny it looked and will definitely be keeping this in my beauty arsenal.
Colour Rocker Lips & Pastel Hair are Meant to Be
Written by Mariah Nicole, Beauty Editor
Photos by Cici Andersen, Beauty Contributor
We all know MAC Cosmetics for it's famous Studio Fix foundations and wide array of eye shadow colors. It's an innovative and artistic brand that caters to professional makeup artists and consumers world-wide.
While lip-cremes, and matte lip-cremes are all the rage right now, MAC just launched a new line of matte lipsticks to shake things up.
"Matte lipsticks to rock out with. These instant icons make a scene, delivering an adrenalizing hit of colour in 28 rebellious shades. Amp it up with lime green, bright golden yellow, fiery fuchsia and rich, riotous teal. Or go even louder into the madness with a plum-tinged noir, deep forest green or a smoky lavender-grey. Colour yourself fearless."
Our beauty contributor, Cici Andersen, played around with a couple colors to show us how to rock out to unique color tones.
Any Metal Eyes for Every Eye Color
Spring and Summer are the perfect time to let your eyes shine and sparkle day or night. Hard Candy makes it super easy with their new Metal Eyes Chrome Kit:
- Includes 4 highly pigments metallic pearl eye shadows, mixing liquid, a mixing well, a professional dual ended eye shadow brush, and a mini black eye liner
- Choose your own intensity by mixing the eye shadow and mixing liquid together for a desired look
- The shadows can also be used dry for a less intense metallic effect
The kit is easy to use and the mixing liquid does provide a lasting effect for the shadows. I loved using the pointed tip end of the brush to apply the shadow as a gold liner. So go ahead, match your eyes to your flash tattoos, your chokers and your rings. Wear a single metal all day, or transform your eyes at night with dramatic black liner and mixed metals.
Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair 1%
Written by Heather Seidler, Editor-in-Chief
In the ceaseless battle to find the best anti-aging products, I've tried 40+ products since entering my thirties--in all price ranges and variances of quality. It's not easy charting the snakeoil-infested waters of anti-aging skincare in search of the best, seeing as almost every company claims to be the best. Most people can't afford to try a lot of brands in order to ascertain what works and what is snake oil. Well let me help you out with that. After trying a dozen products in 2016 alone, I found 2 products that truly worked for keeping my skin looking youthful and vibrant while noticeably reducing wrinkles. One is an organic Aloe-based moisturizer and the other is Dermalogica's powerful and award-winning Overnight Retinol Repair 1% that I use in conjunction with Dermalogica's Skin Resurfacing Cleanser.
In my line of business, stress and lack of sleep are part and parcel to my daily life. So good skincare products are my livelihood. We don't get paid to endorse any products, so this is an honest recommendation. Dermalogica's Retinol bridges the gap between pricey prescription retinols and low-grade Rite Aid type brands, with unquestionable efficacy.
The Overnight Retinol Repair 1% comes with a Buffer cream, which is a type of lightweight moisturizer that can aid your skin in acclimating to this active form of retinol. Once your skin has gotten used to the retinol, you can apply it straight to your cleansed skin without using the buffer or you can add a few drops to your existing night cream. Since I've tried higher concentrations of retinol before, I skipped diluting the retinol with the Buffer cream all together without skin irritation, even with my sensitive skin. A great thing about this product is you can customize your own concentration of retinol, so you can dodge the issues of overdrying or irritation that may occur with other products.
After six weeks of testing out this product, it's become my all time favorite retinol product. This Retinol was designed to help with cellular turnover in the skin and combined with its other ingredients and potent peptides like Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 (which stimulates collagen), I saw dramatic changes in the appearance, texture and tone of my skin. It helped fade ancient acne scars as well minimize my pores, and most importantly, it made my wrinkles less noticeable in a short span of time. Plus a little bit goes a long way.
Dermalogica is known for its high quality, responsibly sourced ingredients based on the best of science and nature combined and their latest Retinol is no exception. When used regularly, it really does firm up your skin, reduce discoloration and improves your overall skin appearance. I couldn't be more impressed.
Some of its benefits are:
- Microencapsulation technology delivers quicker, more effective penetration of Retinol.
- Customizable for each user to help minimize skin irritation from Retinol.
- Synchronizes with nighttime circadian rhythms for dramatic nightime skin repair.
The Secret to Hair Vitality from
Bosley Professional Strength
Written by Heather Seidler, Editor-in-Chief
While there are several supplements on the market that claim to grow hair & nails, Bosley is ahead of its competitors. Attaining and maintaining full, thick, luxurious locks, especially with color-treated hair such as mine, can be a real challenge. While my hair is far from thinning, it had lost a lot of its luster over the years due to daily heat styling and monthly color treatments. I found the perfect solution to supplement my deep conditioning treatments when I discovered Bosley's latest launch, their new specially formulated dietary supplement Healthy Hair Vitality.
It's professional strength formula combines everything from common hair strengthening ingredients like Biotin & Folic Acid, to their unique blend of Horsetail Extract, Vitamin A, Saw Palmetto (to help DHT levels), Vitamin B6 (which helps avoid hair loss & dandruff) and Cysteine (an important element in the formation of hair/skin). Also, the tablets are easy to swallow, unlike some other hair "horsepill" vitamins I've tried.
In 30 days, I saw a noticeable difference in my hair density and after 45 days, I've witnessed real fullness and thickness restored to my once frail, fragile pastel purple/pink head of hair. When used in conjunction with their line of daily-use hair thickening shampoos & conditioners, I saw real benefits and notable results--more than I experienced with similarly popular hair-improving supplements like SugarBear. I'm now a staunch believer in the efficacy of hair vitamins for hair growth and overall hair health--it does start on the inside.
