Archive for July, 2009:
I was curious if a certain plastic surgeon in my area offered the smartlipo service, since he has done hundreds of liposuction surgeries and they all look pretty fantastic according the before and after pictures on his website. He’s located in the Akron, Ohio area and has a good reputation for great looking “work”. I’ve been researching this smart lipo thing for a while.
Not that I’m going to even get it, although I’d never rule out anything that was minimally invasive that I could afford without putting my other bills in jeopardy that would make me feel great about myself, but it’s kind of my job to know what the latest, greatest techniques for all these fun, new and exciting forms of plastic surgery and self improvement are. Not to mention, it’s a great time reading about all of it!
His staff did write back to me. I questioned whether he offered it because I couldn’t imagine that he didn’t, being so up on everything else, and I was right. Although his website showed only liposuction before and afters, his staff wrote back and told me he uses the Pro Lipo system for laser assisted liposuction.
I couldn’t find much on the internet about people’s experiences with this type of liposuction, nor could I find much about the specific brand name, except what I did find intrigued me since this appears to be just like liposuction, except the laser assists in breaking up the fat, and the cannula is probably smaller as well, and the recovery time is reduced, but they actually suck the fat out like they do in regular lipo, not just rely on the body to “get rid” of the fat after it’s broken up and supposedly destroyed by the heat of the laser.
That’s the only reservation I had about Smartlipo. It seemed that not every doctor used suction as well, and some people were saying they weren’t getting results after the surgery, making me wonder if there was no suction, did their body really “get rid” of the fat cells that were “destroyed”? It is hard to find docs that tell you they use suction along with the laser, so you’d have to go talk to them about their method. Laser assisted liposuction is supposed to help treat the appearance of cellulite as well, which is another bonus, since usually the areas we’re getting treated for are also marked with cellulite, which gets worse in fatty areas of the body.
I’m a coffee drinker. Now, I don’t drink three cups a day or anything like that, but I do drink a cup about 5 days a week, sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the week, and how tired I am. I also tend to like foods and drinks that stain the teeth, such as darkly colored soda, teas, blueberries, dark cherries, you name it. If it’s dark, I love it! Well, that’s a good think by the way, because darkly and richly colored foods actually are usually higher in nutrients and powerful antioxidants. But I digress.
What’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander, so to speak, so me liking darkly and vibrantly colored foods and drinks isn’t in the best interest of keeping gleaming white teeth. Everyone wants whiter teeth. It seems time doesn’t go by without a new whitening product coming out. In fact, the Kardashian girls just released one that’s supposed to be pretty good from what I understand actually.
Whitening your teeth definitely adds a new dimension of beauty to your face. You don’t even realize it until your teeth are white, how much better your smile looks when they’re bright and white. You can over do it however, so don’t go over whitening your teeth either. I’ve seen some celebrities whose teeth look like they could glow in the dark, and that’s not what you’re going for (anyone recall a great Friends episode where Ross whitens his teeth to impress a girl, yeah, that’s what you want to avoid!)
So, find yourself a good teeth whitening kit or gel that’s gentle enough you can use it fairly often. You don’t want anything that wears the enamel away, so you can use it over and over again without it actually doing any damage to your precious teeth. I’m not a fan of the whitening strips. They tend to leave your teeth yellow in the crevaces they can’t reach, so get something that maybe uses a tray, or a formula that just sticks to the teeth pretty well and foams up that you can spit out in five or ten minutes. Also, you might benefit from a more expensive, polishing toothbrush that is geared toward whitening. They have them at Wal-mart and Target, just look for the ones that claim they help whiten teeth.
Trust me, white teeth do get noticed. Even your dentist will notice if you’re using a good, quality whitening product. And keep up with it. Don’t do it once and then expect the results to stay. Keeping your teeth white is like keeping cellulite away, you’ve gotta have a good maintenance program, and good products to get the job done.
I’m really liking Avon products lately. They’re cheap, some of them work really well (admittedly others are what you pay for), and they have a great assortment of colors, flavors, you name it. Plus they’re now avaiable for you to buy online, which is another bonus. I remember the days when I had to go through an Avon rep to buy my makeup. I loved Avon back then. As a teen with little money to spare and a huge need to try all the latest cosmetics, Avon products were the best of both worlds for me. They were inexpensive and they also offered a lot of the latest colors that were in style, but they also worked pretty well.
I have tried a few that I just plain didn’t like. I actually just tried a sample that I got along with my last order when I ordered my Beyond Color Plumping lip balm and lipstick and my True Color Eyeshadow quads that I couldnt’ stand. I have it on still as we speak and cannot wait to get home and wash it off since it’s stigling my skin and was way too thick for my already oily skin type. This was cream that was a day and night moisturizing agent that advertised as being extremely moisturizing. Never a good thing for those that break out easily.
The only good thing about it was that it had an SPF 15 in it, but it was extremely heavy and greasy, and went on an opaque white. Wouldnt’ recommend that and I’m glad it was just a sample! At any rate, onto the real review here, which is my True Color eyeshadow quad and my Beyond Color lip plumping lip color and lip balm, which I bought in both a nude plumping color (plain( and a nude but deeper color to try it out. It has “double retinol” which supposedly helps to make the lips look plumper. Not a great plumper, but an excellent primer I must say. And a great nude, light color to wear on it’s own. Only $4 a pop too, not bad.
The eyeshadow quads are awesome though. I got four of them, one a smoky eyes set, one a browns set, and one an island paradise set which had some turqouise, tan and brownish colors and a bright white. They are all great. The color lasts, and goes on super bright and saturated.
You’d think you spent a lot more than the mere $6 it cost for this stuff. It’s a really pearlized texture, but they don’t go on pearly, more matte I’d say. They do last well, and when applied with an expert brush, they look great. Of course, they come with the typical cheapo sponge, but if you use that you’ll get a poor result.
I was curious to see if eyelash growth gels and mascaras really worked, so of course I ordered one online to find out. I ordered one of the least expensive brands, because honestly it seemed like they all had mixed reviews, even the pricier brands, so I figured I’d try out a cheap one just to see how it works. I’ve only been using it for about four days, so the jury’s out on whether it works, but it’s the Ardell (yes, the brand you see in stores that makes fake eyelashes and glue and stuff) brow and lash growth accelerator. It comes in a mascara tube with a wand just like mascara is applied.
It is a clear gels that contains proteins that supposedly boost the growth and health of the eyelashes and the eyebrows. I definitely need a little help in the eyebrow department also, as there are several areas that are very sparse thanks to me overplucking them in the nineties and early 2000′s because of the ultra thin brow look that was in back then. Now, more lush, yet shaped eyebrows are all the rage, and I also noticed that I didn’t even look good with pencil thin eyebrows, plus it’s harder to grow them as you get older, so I’m trying to grow in some of the “bald” spots quickly.
I have pretty thick eyelashes to begin with, but a woman can never have too long or too thick eyelashes, right? I figured, no harm no foul, so I purchased a 3 pack of the Ardell Eyelash and Eyebrow growth product to check it out. I’ve been using it now for 4 days, doubling it up, using it in the morning and at night, to see if maybe that might give me a bit of a jump start on my eyelash and eyebrow growth.
I will tell you that although I cannot tell if it’s resulted in any “growth” yet, I notice that my mascara seems to glide onto and grip better to my lashes, almost like I put a primer of some sort on them, so with mascara they look thicker, which makes me wonder if this formula isn’t some kind of binding material that binds to the lashes and makes them appear larger especially once mascara is applied.
As for my eyebrows, of course that’s too early to tell, and I suspect I may be waiting a month or so more before I notice any real results or actual growth on either my brows or my lashes, but I’m a very patient and diligent person when it comes to beauty experiments, so hold tight and I’ll have an update for you in about another month. I do like how it works as sort of a primer for my lashes, I can tell you that. You do have to wait for it to dry completely before applying your mascara. And my one complaint is that the applicator doesn’t bend enough to make you feel like you’re getting it on your eyebrows really well.
When my Sedu ionic hair dryer started to not yield as good results as it used to, I figured maybe there was a point when these so called ionic, ceramic dryers ran their course with the stuff that makes your hair less frizzy and need to be replaced. It still worked, I just didn’t feel like it was making my hair silky and shiny like it was when I first got it over two years ago, so when I saw a Babyliss Pro Ceramix Xtreme hair dryer at TJ Maxx for $24.99, I thought that was a pretty good deal for a higher end “designer” hair dryer. I went for it and bought it.
The one I bought, I think retails for close to fifty bucks, although I found them on Amazon.com for cheaper, but not any cheaper than what I got it for at TJ Maxx. The one I purchased is actually not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s all about functionality, not looks, when it comes to hair styling tools. It’s this awful bright purple color, and it actually doesn’t look expensive, it looks cheap if I’m going to be totally honest. However, after using it, I can honestly say that I probably won’t try another brand of hair dryer again.
Not only are the Babyliss models less expensive than most high end hair dryers, they actually work better in my opinion. This dryer gave me instantly smoother, shinier hair, and it seemed to also shield it a bit against humidity, as our bathroom is always humid, and my hair tends to poof up when I blow it dry. This, when used in conjunction with a good round boar bristle brush, and good hair styling products, really makes your hair look great, and feel great too. I noticed my hair was way more bouncy than usual, and it felt lighter on my head, while also looking like I’d had a shine treatment.
It just looked REALLY HEALTHY, even in the heat and humidity. It also does like it says and reduces drying time, I noticed I was drying my sections of hair in about one minute as opposed to two or three, it just suddenly was dry. Great product, two thumbs way up on this great buy!
The more I’ve been reading about the Smartlipo procedure, the more enticing it becomes. And then I start to think I should be happy with myself. I’m not overweight, in fact I’ve recently shed close to twenty pounds, however I still have that stubborn saddle bag fat that sticks to the side of my thighs, unmoving, even though I eat right and exercise.
I’ll admit it, I’m a perfectionist, and it’s not the best thing in the world, but I also feel like it’s gotten me places that perfectionism and obsession may not have taken me. It can be a burden though, and even though I do tell myself that I don’t have to be perfect, there are certain things I’d like to be content with, and a certain way I like to look in and out of clothes. Call me vain, but my theory is that you only have one time around, why not look and feel your best, and present your best self forward to the world?
There really isn’t much you can do about certain pockets of fat that have been there your whole life. Shoot, ever since I started to develop a woman’s figure, my thighs were there – bang, boom, pow. I wouldn’t mind them if they didn’t also have cellulite on them, but they are an aggravating part of my anatomy I’d like to change if I get the chance, and what with the recession and Doctors reducing prices on non essential procedures, it might just be the right time to take the opportunity to get this bothersome part of my body improved.
Sure, I could spend it on home improvements, but then again, sometimes I think, you only live once and if you aren’t happy with something, why not change it and throw caution to the wind, especially when it’s a totally safe and minimally invasive procedure, and may even improve cellulite? After all, you have a certain amount of fat cells in your body, and the only way to reduce the amount of them is literally to have some of them sucked out.
It’s true that when you gain weight, you don’t actually gain more fat cells, it’s just that the ones you do have grow larger and take up more space, thus expanding parts of your body that are problems, for women namely the buttocks, hips, thighs, belly and upper arms. Researching Smartlipo has lead me to several reputable doctors in the Ohio area, but it’s hard to tell which are the most reputable and most reasonably priced. What is the most important thing when considering who will do your Smartlipo?
Definitely the Doctor’s experience with Smartlipo specifically. If your chosen doctor is new to this procedure, it leaves you wide open to being a guinea pig who may or may not get the best results. If you’re booking a consultation, ask for before and after pictures and specific references for the Smartlipo procedure from former patients.
I just love going to TJMaxx and browsing their beauty section. You never know what you’re going to find, and lately I’ve been finding some great deals there. I recently purchased a Babyliss hair dryer there for $25 that normally would have cost about eighty bucks, haven’t tried it yet though, and will be sure to review it for you as soon as I do. I also purchased two Rusk hair care products. One is called Rusk Pro Elements Keratin Smoothing Treatment. It’s formulated to help smooth and hydrate chemically or color treated hair, which is perfect for me since I have both, and my hair has been dry lately.
It’s not a leave in conditioner, it must be rinsed out though. It cost me 3.99, but it costs about 10.00 retail, so I thought that was a pretty good deal, and it’s about 4 oz. of product, which isn’t huge for a hair product, but it’s enough for a few treatments which is fine by me. It advertises as a deep-penetrating treatment that is formulated with natural keratin, vitamins and proteins that helps improve the strength of your hair. It is supposed to improve the shine and resilience of your hair also. I thought it was worth a try!
Directions for use were to apply to shampooed, wrung out hair. It’s a very thick and emollient formula, sort of lumpy, so I knew it had a lot of emollients in it. It wasn’t runny at all, which I consider the sign of a great conditioner. It smelled good, not too smelly, a nice lighter fresh scent, and it was an opaque color. It felt great in my hair when I was in the shower, and when I blew my hair out, it looked great. I happened to also use the other Rusk product when I blew it out that I purchased at TJMaxx, called Thermal STR8, which is a serum that you squeeze out of a squeeze bottle that is supposed to protect and shine up the hair when you are blowing it out for a straight, shiny look.
I think both of these hair care products worked great in tandem because my hair looked smooth, shiny and “skinnier” for the next few days. It also had incredible shine and manageability, so I give both products a thumbs up. I liked the Rusk products so much that I went back and bought their leave in spray conditioner for color treated hair. It has grapefruit in it, and it’s supposed to help extend color and protect and moisturize the hair after shampooing and styling, and is supposed to be sprayed onto wet hair after washing and conditioning. I’ll let you know how that Rusk product works out too!
First off, let me say that I think L’Oreal has superior hair care products for being a drugstore brand that is reasonable and totally accessible. I have always used their haircolors and always been pleased with the outcome, other than the few times I’ve picked the wrong color, but it had nothing to do with the quality of the product, just the wrong color choice on my part. Well, L’Oreal has addressed a burgeoning desire by the public to have natural, chemical free haircare, at least harsh chemical free, that is, with their EverPure line of sulfate free shampoos, conditioners and hair products.
The line EverPure is actually designed for color treated hair, since color treated hair tends to fade when products are used with a lot of harsh chemicals and salts like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is increasingly used in most shampoos for it’s lather potential and easy cleansing of the hair. However, this is the same kind of stuff that takes the color out of the hair faster and makes it dry out and fade a lot easier.
You see, pigment deposits itself in the hair shaft and beneath the cuticle, and harsh chemicals lift that dye out of the hair faster. But those that don’t color treat their hair can also use EverPure by L’Oreal, because you don’t have to have color treated hair to benefit from using a harsh chemical free formula.
Here’s the cool part about the L’Oreal EverPure shampoo, at least the one that I used. By the way, the only product I’ve used in this line is the EverPure Moisturizing shampoo with Juniper and Rosemary. They’ve formulated it without sodium laurel sulfate, which is the harshest of the salt chemicals, but it still produces a nice lather, so you still get that benefit of feeling cleaner and more buildup free than you would with most other harsh chemical free shampoos since they hardly lather at all.
That’s the problem I had with the Phytenbella I used for the Brazilian treatment, it didn’t lather at all and my scalp still felt itchy and oily after I used it, not clean at all, even after using gobs of the (expensive) stuff. Now, if you look at the ingredients on EverPure, you will see some “sodium” related ingredients, but these are watered down, gentler versions that are non detergent like and won’t strip or damage the hair.
EverPure moisturizing shampoo goes a long way, you only have to use a little. I wouldn’t classify it as high lather, but it produces a very pleasant, slippery, silky lather that makes your hair feel wonderful. It literally made me feel like I was washing silky hair, not dry or damaged hair, as it had felt with the other stuff. I’m definitely going to be trying the conditioner that goes with the shampoo soon as well and will give you a full review of my experience with the Everpure conditioner as well. I love the shampoo though, and will continue to use it from now on and will recommend it to anyone who asks.
Ok, well, it’s been about one month since I got the Brazilian Keratin hair smoothing treatment done, and I’m not so sure I’m impressed with it’s ability to moisturize the hair and keep frizz away in the summer heat. I notice that my hair still has tons of little flyaways at the top which look like frizz, and it’s not the healthiest feeling hair. I do notice that it seems softer in the shower when I’m washing it, but when I blow it dry, although it is straighter, I must say, it still sometimes feels like straw and looks like it too. I guess I expected this treatment to have similar effects to thermal reconditioning aka japanese straightening and so far it hasn’t really compared to that.
The only thing that I like better than the thermal reconditioning is the fact that my hair will still have wave and curl to it if I want it to, without as much frizz, but I still have to use a ton of product to not get my hair to expand and kink up in the humidity, which isn’t what I was expecting only a month after paying $350 for a treatment. I understand that it doesn’t last more than a few months, but I guess I was just expecting something a little more impressive out of it for the money I paid.
I will say that the Brazilian Keratin treatment has done the following for my hair : It has softened the texture of my hair and made it more relaxed. It may have reduced some of the frizz, but I still notice that it poofs up in the humidity.
Let me also confess though that on the first night of the treatment, when you are not supposed to sweat, get it wet, or mess with it in any way, I actually sweated a lot in my sleep that night. So much so that I woke up and the nape of my neck was a little moist. Could that have ruined the treatment? I suppose it’s possible, which is why I might give this treatment another shot with the air conditioning on at night next summer. My goal for this treatment was to have maintenance free hair for this summer since my hair becomes unruly in the summer, but so far it really hasn’t worked out ideally.
Another drawback is that I hate the shampoo you have to use for this treatment. I’m using one called Phytenbella which costs $35 for a large salon size bottle, and it seems like it just dries my hair out and doesn’t really clean my scalp. I do wonder if that’s part of the reason my hair isn’t behaving, so I did go out and buy L’Oreal’s Sulfate free moisturizing shampoo, and my hair does seem to look better when I use that. The shampoo you use when you have a Brazilian Keratin treatment can’t have any salts in it, because salt is what takes the treatment out.
More to come on the L’Oreal stuff, which I actually love and will continue to use after this treatment comes out all together.
