Ouidad- The Curl Experts

New this summer at Sephora- The Ouidad line of curl enhancing products, specifically suited for curly hair types. The line claims to “focus on the building blocks of healthy hair, not on the aesthetic, short-term effects.” This is what first caught my eye because I believe too many of us are focused on making our hair look great right now and aren’t concerned enough about what the long term effects are going to be.

The creators of Ouidad products believe that curly hair needs body and bounce and have opted not to use waxes, silicones, and heavy oils in their products that tend to weigh the hair down.

Take a look at a few of the products in the line. Has anyone tried any of the Ouidad products yet? If so, share your experience! I haven't yet tried any products by these self proclaimed "Curl Experts", but my hair is as naturally curly as it gets, also known as nappy! So I'll report back on my experience once I've tried out the line!


CurlQuencher Moisturizing Shampoo

Sooth desert-dry thirsty curls with a burst of extra moisture from Curl Quencher Moisturizing Shampoo by Ouidad. Safe for color-treated, permed, and chemically straightened curls, its luxurious lather softens and protects parched hair while leaving it more manageable and easy to style. With its special formulation of chamomile, corn oil, vitamins and wheat amino acids, Curl Quencher leaves hair shiny and manageable.

Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Panthenol, Phytantriol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Cholecalciferol, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Propylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Wheat Amino Acids, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Methyl Gluceth-10, Cetrimonium Chloride, Glycol Stearate, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance.

12 Minute Deep Treatment Intensive Repair

Deep Treatment Intensive Conditioner by Ouidad feeds and strengthens curls with a combination of essential amino acids, proteins, and effective moisturizers. An essential first step to rebuilding the health and liveliness of curls damaged by processing or harsh conditions, Deep Treatment penetrates through the hair cuticle to nourish the internal structure of your curls, restoring bounce and controlling frizz.

Deep Treatment is the foundation for restoring and maintaining your hair's health and beauty. Due to a curl's tendency to lose nutrients and moisture, frequent deep conditioning is necessary to replenish the mane's strength, allowing each strand to regain its internal weight and body and minimize the tendency to frizz. Used with heat, the mix of proteins and Amino Acids effectively penetrates hair to bond with the cuticle, leaving hair revived and restructured for enhanced performance.

Proteins, Amino Acids, Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Lactamide MEA, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydro-lyzed Soy Protein, Cystine Bis-pg-propyl Silantriol, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Glycine, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Arginine, Lycine, Glutamic Acid, Myrist-amine Oxide, Polyquaternium-11, Butylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-59, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.

Moisture Lock Leave-In Conditioner

A lightweight moisture treatment for curly hair inspired by skincare science. It creates a "moisture foundation" by infusing individual strands with conditioning proteins vital to healthy hair and great looking curls! Prickly Pear Cactus Extract draws moisture from the air and seals it in for superior conditioning. Antioxidants Green Tea and Vitamin B5 protect hair and promote shine. And Arnica Extract, a healing agent, promotes long-lasting hydration and helps seal the cuticle layer to prevent frizz and encourage healthier hair and scalp.

Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl peg/ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Amodimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polyquaternium-59, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Opuntia (Prickly Pear Cactus) Tuna Flower Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Butylene Glycol, PVP, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.


www.ouidad.com

HLMN Weekend Roundup 7.17.09

Beauty Junkies Unite reviews InStyler Rotating Hot Iron Hair Straightener.

Check out Beauty Sweet Spot's, Jeannine Morris, on an NBC segment and enter the Huge Lips Skinny Hips contest to win a trip to NYC for two filled with sexy activities

Check out Best Things in Beauty for a Laura Geller Giveaway Contest.

Why did Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash disappoint Blaq Vixen Beauty?

Claire's Beauty falls in love with KenzoAmour EDT Florale.

Denim Debutante reviews Aritzia Boutique.

Fab Over Forty takes an indepth look at neuLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum.

Fabuless Beauty tells you how to try Physicians Formula cosmetics for FREE.

Glamour Whore dares you to be bold with red hot makeup looks.

If you're looking for a great primer, choose Avox Magix. Gouldylox Reviews loved it.

Hot Beauty Health shares with its readers a britbeauty brand, Illamasqua and it's coming to Sephora.

The Informed Makeup Maven reviews primers, foundations and beauty powders this week and gives away an Avene tinted compact for summer.

Krasey Beauty shares her night of beauty, twitter, and a lovely evening of girl power in NYC.

Visit Lipgloss Break to Enter to win LashFood Mascara and Go Green with a Baggu Bag!

Obsession Confessions of Glamour and Love has the scoop on the Janrah Boutique Sip and Shop Event in Seattle, WA.

The Style and Beauty Doctor is obsessed with nail trends. Take a look at her current fascinations.

Su Ferreira has a great FOTD makeup tutorial.

Unfunded's opinion is heard in the LA vs. NYC fashion debate on 39th and Broadway.

For more information on The HLMN or on how to become an affiliate please visit our website.

Come to the Sip and Shop Janrah Boutique Event in Seattle, WA

Local fashion designers unite at this one of a kind shopping event presented by the lovely ladies of the Janrah Boutique along with The Queen of Fashion.


The Janrah Boutique travels to major US cities providing a venue for the hottest local fashion designers, new and established. The event allows these designers a chance to showcase their fashion lines and gain exposure and hopefully new customers.

The Boutique was born from an idea that two aspiring fashionistas had while attending the University of Washington. Janet and Samarah were both aspiring fashion designers with a passion for fashion and a strong desire towards community involvement. Eventually their dreams became manifest via a traveling boutique aptly named The Janrah Boutique.

For this particular Seattle event, the Janrah Boutique teamed up with the Queen of Fashion, A.K.A. Kanika Green, born in Tacoma, WA who is known for her fashion blog and distinctive fashion sense. A New York City fashion student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Kanika Green plans to introduce Seattle with something new as part of her foundation toward future success in the fashion world.

At this upcoming one night only Janrah Boutique’s Sip and Shop Event, you’ll enjoy an amazing evening of appetizers, cocktails, music and unique, one of a kind designer items. Instead of the usual local dive bar or movie night, grab some friends and try something new while taking part in supporting your local designers!

Check out a few of the featured designers for this month’s Janrah Boutique event:
Lunaversoul
Artesian Glass Creations
Strumbalina
Soul Print Productions
The Lotion Lady
Queen of Fashion
Fire Lily Jewelry

This event is happening next Wednesday, July 22nd from 7pm-11pm. Mark your calendars!


The Janrah Boutique would like to give a special thank you to their event sponsors:

Mixed Chicks
Valana Minerals
Madison Market (Where you can find Valana Minerals!)
Seaspot.com
The Pig & The Peacock
Dr. Miracles
Magnificent Designs

The Truth About Eyeliner

Does Your Eyeliner Really Look as Good as You THINK it Does?

My generation has become quite experimental with makeup, specifically with regard to colors and drama. We are all about the face primer to ensure our dramatic look will stay put and shine bright and intense all day long. A major part of that desired intensity often comes from the use of eyeliner.

Liquid, pencil, gel, cream, eye shadow applied with an angle brush, however you do it, these days we chicks like to go to town on some eyeliner! The staple eyeliner option is usually black or dark brown pencil, often rimming the entire eye. It has become such a common inclusion in the modern-day makeup application ritual, that some woman rarely stop to check to see if it even looks right on them.

A common mistake I notice regularly is rimming the entire eye with black eyeliner. While this can achieve the goal of making larger eyes look smaller, it can equally make small eyes look even smaller and harsh. Black eyeliner really should be put on the shelf during the day and saved for nighttime play time. And if you should choose to wear black eyeliner during the day, wear it only on your upper lid, to avoid looking overly intense and unapproachable.

Contrary to what many women seem to think, most men prefer a more natural look to your makeup. Not to mention, you lose the “Wow!” factor when you get all dolled up, if dolled up is your everyday look. Why should your man take extra notice of you on a night out, if you always look that way? I prefer to tone it down during the week and pull out the glam on the weekends, which means less black eyeliner during the week. Then when you say, “Ok, I’m ready,” you can pause for that “Helloooo, Hottie!” reaction you were hoping for!



For your everyday look, opt instead for a dark brown liner and only line the upper lids. If you have larger eyes and want to make them appear smaller, choose a softer brown eye shadow and apply it with an angle brush just to the bottom lash line about a ¼ inch in from the outside corner. Obviously, if you have a darker skin tone, you should use the darkest brown liner and a darker brown shadow for your eye liner.

Another way to tone down your eyeliner would be by smudging the liner into the lash line. This creates a softened effect to your liner which helps you avoid that harsh, unforgiving look. A woman with beautiful blue eyes and brown hair will often look ten times more approachable in brown eyeliner than black.

Your goal should always be to bring out your best features when applying makeup. When a person is looking at your face the first thing they notice should never be your eyeliner. Eyeliner is intended to enhance the shape of your eyes and give them definition, not to be a distraction. Too many women try to mimic celebrities or pictures they’ve seen and liked hoping to achieve the same look on their own eyes. However, so often that particular look does nothing to flatter their faces, and sometimes quite the opposite!

As I always say, pictures never lie. Try a few different looks then take some pictures so you can see the difference. Share them with a friend and get her opinion. You may find that when you tone down your look you bring out your beauty.

Men VS. Women: The "Nagging" Argument

Why is it that the minute women open their mouth about something that's bothering them with regard to something men are doing or not doing, it is immediately interpreted as "nagging"?

It seems fairly obvious that on average, men are far less troubled about the same types of things that might trouble a woman. If it doesn't immediately affect them, it doesn't faze them. Because of this, as a woman when things start to bother you, the man becomes exasperated, wondering
why you can't be like him and brush things off. They wonder why you demand so much of them all the time.

Fact: Men like sex. Thus, men like women - speaking traditionally obviously. Some men even love women and either have the intention of or are currently spending their lives with one woman.

Fact: Women are feeling creatures. They have emotions -lots of them. Women take far more interest in the small things in life.

So, if you're a man and you love a woman, why is it so hard to understand that along with sex comes a woman. Along with a woman comes emotions and concerns that you will have to deal with from time to time The immediate response to a woman expressing concerns cannot be that she's "nagging" again. It's amazing to me that 9 times out of 10, a man can alleviate most of his perceived annoyance from the woman, by simply listening and acknowledging her concerns, then conveying a desire to understand and to help. Notice how I did not say by trying to fix her problem. I said, "listening and acknowledging her concerns, then conveying a desire to understand and to help." Men are known for being the "fixers". They want to fix things because once the problem is fixed, they no longer have to deal with it and they can carry on doing whatever it is that's important to them. If it doesn't seem like there is a quick solution to "fix" the problem, they quickly begin to lose interest and you as the woman, are now back and square one. The ironic thing is that merely listening and attempting to understand is often all the fixing that was needed. Yet, despite that fact that most men are already aware of this fabulous fix-it solution, it's still one of the most widely acknowledged problems in the battle of Venus vs. Mars.



As woman we desperately need to practice our tactics when something is bothering us. This seems like a given, but I'm going to say it any - do not approach your man to talk while the game is on or while is favorite TV show is on. You are asking for whatever negative response you receive with that kind of behavior. Avoid saying, "We need to talk." Now this my work for some, but in my experience approaching a man in this manner is like watching a dog on alert where he up on his hind legs with his hair standing straight up! Approach the conversation casually at a moment where there aren't too many other distractions going on. Don't preach your point of view or point your finger at him reminding him of his 3rd grade English teacher. Be calm and above all else be respectful. It's is often wise to have thought hard about what you want to say so you can say it in the most concise, most brief manner possible. A man's attention span is often short so the quicker you can get your point across the better.

Practicing these methods of approaching your man about a problem will make it easier on both of you in the long run. For many men, it may take a while for them to appreciate your needs and concerns, but keep at it. For some, it may seem like no matter what you do they just don't listen. They don't want to hear it. They aren't open to communicating.

To those men I say, if you wanted a person who was rarely bothered by anything, a person who always lets things roll off their shoulder and who rarely asks a thing of you.... you should have married a man!!!

HLMN Weekend Roundup 7.2.09

Best Things in Beauty explains why Cream de la Mer continues to be the miracle moisturizer.

See which celebs looked super fabulous at Debra Lee's BET Awards Pre-Party at Black Style Central.

Blaq Vixen Beauty has teamed up with Suave to give 3 lucky BVB blog followers a Suave "Shower Yourself Beautiful" Beauty Bundle!

Even celebrities love Old Navy. The Cheap Chica has the story.

Fab Glance Nashville once again takes a look at one of this season's hottest trends: the boyfriend blazer.

HairsMyStory reviews HIP Kohl Eyeliner and Color Presso.

Hot Beauty Health shares with us 6 perfume oils that you'll fall head over heels for.

In a Word Fab has "The Gossip" on Beth Ditto's new collection for Evans.

It's Mario Badescu week at The Informed Makeup Maven where a new MB product is reviewed everyday.

The Makeup Girl takes a look at the upcoming Beautyfix three collection.

Obession Confessions of Glamour and Love takes a look at the Sasha Fierce collection from Beyonce.

The Showdown has everything you need to know and see from the much talked about BET Awards.

ThisThatBeauty is partnered with Diane von Furstenberg and giving away Limited Edition Lipstick "Foreign Affair".

Unfunded has a sneak peek at the new Jelly from Toywatch.

To learn more about The HLMN or how to become a member, please visit our website.

Beyonce Unleashes Sasha Fierce Collection- a Junior’s Clothing Line

Photo from www.wwd.com


Beyonce and fellow fashion partner in crime A.K.A. Mom- Tina Knowles have just announced the Sasha Fierce Collection for juniors that will be reflective of Beyonce’s “alter ego” Sasha Fierce. The highlight of the collection is a lot of leather, trendy sunglasses, and jewelry to create a more edgy feel in comparison to the regular House of Dereon Collection. The line is intended to sell during the back-to-school phase and will be available at Macy’s and Dillard’s.

What’s your opinion of the collection? Yay or Nay?

Photo from www.wwd.com