Beauty, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat

Showered with goodness

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Here we are, week 8 of, (depending where you are in the world), lock down, self isolation, quarantine…you name it, we are all living with and adjusting to this “new normal”. Back in March I decided it was time to start testing all the products that have been sent my way. Some purchased, some won, and some sent to me. I realized this is the perfect time for a gal like me with sensitive skin to try out new skin care products. If I get a reaction, which I tend to do and end up looking like a failed science experiment, no worries! It’s not like I’m going anywhere. So, when I was offered to give the new shower gels from Arbonne a try, I accepted. More often than not, I shy away from scented shower gels. Usually scents and I are like oil and vinegar… we don’t mix. I have tried many Arbonne products before so I should have known that these were going to be fabulous. Let me Introduce you to Arbonne Botaniques Concentrated Shower Gels!

First things first. Arbonne wasn’t kidding when they said “a pea size amount” is all that is needed. A little of this goes a long way. These shower gels gently cleanse your body’s skin without stripping your essential moisture. Your skin is left feeling silky soft. Aloe Vera and cucumber extract hydrate and condition the skin and Chamomile flower extract smooths and softens skin. Don’t let the size of the bottle fool you. These 100ml bottles with last for at least 40 showers or baths. Like I said, a little of this shower gel goes a long way. Work a pea size amount into a washcloth or your hands, the lather with go on and on. Trust me. It’s pretty great.

As always, Arbonne Botaniques Concentrated Shower Gel is;

  • Hypoallergenic – I can attest to this.
  • Cruelty free – no testing on bunnies
  • Vegan
  • Certified Gluten Free
  • Sulfate free
  • Phosphate free

Arbonne Botaniques Concentrated Shower Gel comes in two scents, Apricot and Apple. … I’m personally a fan of the apricot. Memories of the 80’s when apricot everything was all the rage.

You can find out more about these FAB products on their website http://www.arbonne.com

* Fun Tip * when visiting the website, you can find a consultant in your area.

Beauty, Hair Care, health and wellness

The True Trio

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As you all are well aware, yours truly is a hair product junkie. I adore trying new products, learning about their ingredients, their properties and most importantly, if they deliver on their promises. I am not a licensed hair stylist. What I am is a women with over 15 years of hair care experience. I have been to color and cut classes, sat down with chemists and creators of lines to discuss their products, toured their warehouses and even spoke with presidents and decision makers of many suppliers. I have worked the floor of trade shows and been a manager of a Salon/retail shop and been a rep. on the road. That being said, I usually focus on Salon Professional products. Until today. Yours truly has come across a line that is on par with Salon Professional hair care lines. It’s been a while since a product blew my mind and left me asking perfect strangers to “touch my hair!”. Let me introduce you to Arbonne True Hair.

Arbonne True Hair

This trio is, in a word, AMAZING! Arbonne True Hair is;

  • vegan
  • cruelty free
  • gluten free
  • silicone free
  • paraben free
  • sulfate free
  • color safe
  • derived from natural & sustainably sourced ingredients

Now I know, when you read the above list, I can hear the sighs and see the eye rolls. Many of you have been led down the natural hair care path to end up with dull, lifeless hair. Not today my friends, not today. Arbonne True Hair leaves your hair soft, shiny, frizz free and bouncy. Yes, I said bouncy. I couldn’t believe the natural volume of my hair after using this fab trio. I love big hair. I love lots of volume hence my adoration for mousse and root lifts. I only used these three products, Arbonne True Hair Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave in Treatment and this was the result…

Here’s the lowdown on Arbonne True Hair. A three step process. Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave in Treatment. Created for all hair types, from fine to thick, straight to curly. It is color safe. Since it is paraben and sulfate free, it is safe to use on extensions as well. All the products contain;

  • Pea Protein – delivers moisture and prevents breakage
  • Sustainably sourced Baobob – increases hair strength and repairs hair, root to tip
  • Ashwagandha Root – contains antioxidant properties, reduces the effects of environmental stresses such as dryness and humidity.

Arbonne True Hair delivers a natural shine and leaves your hair as soft as it was when you were a preschooler.

True Hair Shampoo – Sulfate free = low lather = not a lot of suds. (want more suds, add more water to produce more lather). This shampoo effectively removes product build up, could be used as a clarifying shampoo. Rinses out with ease.

True Hair Conditioner – Lightweight, almost weightless (yet rich enough for the thickest of tresses), rinses out with ease and detangles like nobody’s business. Apply after rinsing out shampoo, leave in 1-3 minutes, then rinse.

True Hair Leave in Treatment – this little gem is a wonder! A cream leave in that is applied to towel dried hair, starting at the ends and working your way up. You can blow dry, or air dry your hair, which ever you prefer. This Leave In is humidity resistant = no frizz. It works as a thermal protectant, adds shine and prevents breakage and split ends. It is a lightweight formula that is non greasy. True Hair Leave in also contains something a little extra. Coconut and Avocado oils deliver essential hydration to nourish your hair.

You can find this fab trio online at http://www.arbonne.com , select your country and VOILA!. You can also get it through any of the fine Arbonne consultants in your area. The price may seem a little much, but it’s not. It is on par with all Salon Professional products of this caliber.

If you are looking for a more natural hair care regime, look no further. Arbonne True Hair delivers on it’s promises.

Beauty, Hair Care

Design Me another Monday Motivator

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Happy Monday Beauties! Yes, Monday is here yet again. For many this week is jammed packed with the final days of school, graduations, last minute daycare and summer day camp preparations, trying to convince your toddler that winter boots can’t be worn to the beach and that getting the blue cup instead of the red one is not the end of the world, threatening to change the wifi password if someone doesn’t take out the trash, all the while, trying to drink your coffee while it’s still hot and getting your hair under control. I may not be able to help you with all of the above, but I can be your personal Glinda the Good Witch when it comes to your hair. Let me introduce you to a couple of gems. Meet Design.Me Hair Puff Me and Puff Me Light.

I was introduced to Design.Me Hair a little over a year ago. My Venus Beauty Supplies Rep. Patricia, a true gem, told me of a new product that she thought was right up my alley. It may be 2018, yours truly still adores big hair. The more volume, the better! …I was a child of the ’80’s, what can I say? I had tried many volumizing powders by other brands. They were good, but I never got the results I had hoped for. I found them messy to work with since most came in a shaker form, much like a salt shaker. It was difficult to get the product exactly where I wanted it. Then came along Design.Me Hair Puff Me. The beauties at Design.Me Hair designed their volumizing powder in a pump spray format so you have the control to apply the powder exactly where you want it. Puff Me and Puff Me Light are cruelty free, vegan, sulphate free, paraben free and gluten free. Here’s the low down for you;

Puff Me (Pink Bottle) – Apply to dry hair, focusing at the roots. Spray 2-4 inches from your hair (5-10 cm for our metric friends). You can spray and style, or for more texture with your volume, spray and rub it in a little.

  • offers INSTANT volume
  • odor free
  • mess free (no white powder/residue along your hair line or on your shoulders)
  • formulated for normal to thick hair (perfect for thick ethnic hair)
  • adds the perfect texture for braids and updo’s

Puff Me Light (White Bottle) – This gem is a lightweight formulation of the original Puff Me. A more workable, playable version if you will. Apply to dry hair, once again focusing at the roots. Spray 2-4 inches from your hair (5-10 cm for our metric friends). You can spray and style or like with Puff Me, for more texture with your volume, spray and rub it in a little.

  • offers INSTANT volume
  • odor free
  • mess free
  • formulated for fine to normal hair 
  • helps add texture to updo’s and braids…helps them to look fuller.

Puff Me and Puff Me Light are a great addition to your hair styling regime. From pixie cuts to top knots, Design.Me hair has got your back, on Monday and everyday.

 

Beauty, Hair Care, health and wellness, That girl in the red coat

…a FAB Monday Motivator

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Here we are, it is once again Monday. On my part of the globe, the sun is shining and the humidex is on the rise, and we all are well aware that humidity and hair, they just don’t mix. With the summer temperatures on the rise and humidity in the air, our hair can tend to look stringy, fuzzy, dry or all three. …not the best news for our selfie generation. Well Beauties, do I have some motivation for you on this finest of Mondays. Let me introduce you to Design Me FAB ME, a leave in spray that can mend 18 of your hair woes. Yes, you read that correctly, 18 benefits in one bottle!

This little green bottle is quite honestly a magic potion for your hair. I have fine hair, lots of it, but fine. Many leave in sprays leave my hair greasy,lifeless and weighed down. Design Me FAB ME does not. After using this spray, my hair was soft, silky with volume to boot!

Now, back to these 18 benefits I told you of. Design Me FAB ME offers;

  • protection against color fading – perfect for vibrant colors
  • smooths split ends
  • gives your hair a silky feel
  • helps to prevent damage
  • offers thermal protection against the heat of your blow dryer
  • revitalizes your hair’s natural protective layer
  • offers protection against environmental damage
  • detangles
  • helps hair become more manageable
  • reduces blow drying time
  • helps reduce static
  • offers frizz control
  • offers porosity control
  • adds shine
  • offers light conditioning
  • hydrates your hair
  • strengthens your hair
  • enhances volume

This gem is created for all hair types. For best results, apply to damp, freshly washed hair. Spray throughout, comb through, then blow dry and style. I have applied to damp hair and let my hair air dry. The major difference was blow drying added more volume. As with all Design Me hair products, this gem is cruelty free (no harm to the bunnies), vegan, sulphate free, paraben free, gluten free and the scent is pure heaven.

Design Me hair FAB ME can motivate you to have a FAB! Monday, or any day that ends in “y”.

Beauty, Hair Care, That girl in the red coat, Women

Changing lives with every good hair day

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Imagine each time you used your flat iron, you could be changing another woman’s life and the life of her children. The simple act of doing your hair for a day at the office, the soccer field or a night on the town could give another woman an income, food on the table, independence. Well Beauties, there is no need to imagine such a scenario. Thanks to AG Hair Care, making sure you have a good hair day enables another woman to have such things.

Let me introduce to you to AG Firewall, a thermal protecting (flat iron) spray. AG Firewall is one of the members of the AG Smooth line. This gem provides;

  • high shine
  • a smooth protective barrier between your hair and your flat iron
  • smooths, protects and prevents breakage
  • controls flyaways
  • controls unruly hair

AG Firewall is infused with Argon oil – sustainably sourced, fair trade organic Moroccan Argon oil, which is rich in Vitamin E and antioxidants which keep hair smooth, soft and protected. AG Firewall is cruelty free (no testing on the bunnies), Paba free, Paraben free and Gluten free. It is an aerosol spray that contains NO CFC’s = friendly to our ozone.  It is meant to be used on dry hair only, right before you use your flat iron. For best results it is best to section out your hair. The smell is heavenly, it leaves a soft, workable hold to your hair, it does not flake and is not sticky. Created for all hair types.

So, how are you changing a woman’s life by having great hair you ask? Using any of the AG Smooth line hair products helps women in the poorest regions of Morocco. The Argon oil used in their products is sourced using sustainable and organic farming methods and is produced by local women of the Berber tribe. In turn, this give the women employment and an income which equals independence. It enables these women to support their families and provide education for their children.

Imagine looking at your reflection in the mirror with the thought that because of you, another woman can have pride in her reflection too. Now that is a thing of beauty.

Beauty, Fashion, health and wellness, lifestyle, That girl in the red coat

The 10 minute mani

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I received a message a few weeks ago from a lovely lady I met at a motivational seminar over 6 years ago. Thanks to social media, we have stayed in touch. (…the real reason for social media, in my not so humble opinion). She let me know she enjoyed my Instagram posts and my blog. She then asked me for my professional opinion about a new gel nail polish system. …professional opinion, a lovely compliment at a much needed time. Of course I said yes, you all know how I LOVE to try new products, how I love researching new things. Without further adieu, let me introduce you to GelMoment.

GelMoment is an at home gel nail polish system, and I gotta tell you, it is FABULOUS! In 10 minutes, yours truly had her nails done. 10 minutes, from start to finish! I love a good mani, I am not a fan of waiting for my nails to dry, and since I can be a little klutzy, I usually have to retouch or redo a nail or two. …but not with GelMoment! This system cures and dries your polish in 45 – 60 seconds. It does. Select your shade, apply a coat, place your nails under the light, wait – 45-60 seconds and that’s it! After the polish had cured under the LED light I pressed down as hard as I could on each nail – no smudge, no finger print indent, nothing but a smooth, shiny finish. I did dishes, I did laundry, I cleaned the house, I even worked in the garden – no chips, no peeling, nada, just a pretty mani.

GelMoment is a DIY one step gel polish application. GelMoment is;

  • non toxic
  • made in Europe
  • Lasts up to 14 days
  • Dilbutyl Phthalate free, Toluene free, Formaldehyde free, Formaldehyde Resin free and Camphor free
  • Cruelty free – not tested on animals
  • Solvent free
  • Gluten free
  • Latex free
  • Safe to use on children

The GelMoment removal process takes a little more time, 20 minutes instead of 10. It is just as easy as the application process. Gelmoment offers remover pads and clips. You simply place the remover pad over your nail, place the clip over the pad, wait 5-10 minutes and VOILA! The gel polish is removed, no damage to your natural nail or the skin around it has occurred. …those of us familiar with acetone know how dry our fingertips can get while removing any kind of polish. If you find that there is a tad bit of polish residue left on your nail, GelMoment provided a cuticle pusher that can also be used to gently remove any remaining polish.

With the GelMoment system, there is no need for a base coat or top coat. There is a hint of a scent, no overpowering polish scent like you may find in other systems. GelMoment offers over 45 colors, so there is a shade for every taste or fashion sense. GelMoment offers an array of accessories from files to nail art gems, hand lotions to buffers.

For those of us who feel short on time due to our own schedules, our kid’s schedules, our work schedules and life in general, GelMoment is the perfect system to have on hand at home for everyone who loves a fresh, professional looking mani.

#thatgirlintheredcoatapproved