QVC Beauty.

Call me a little wacky, but I actually TIVO QVC's beauty shows if I am not home to watch them live. Yes, I am a bit of a beauty freak. Have you figured that out yet?

But these shows not only contain some great products, but great application and product tips as well. I love the different sets they put together, and they usually have an item exclusive to QVC, or special pricing. What's not to love, ladies?
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Exclusive to Sephora.

How do I start my day?

After dropping off my little girl, I come to the office and have a date with my computer and my coffee. I start by reading the bevy of beauty blogs and surf on over to Sephora.com and few other beauty sites.

Sephora has negotiated some excellent exclusive's this season, and I thought I would share a few of my favorites here with you.



Philosophy The Ski House - A wonderful little gift in the cutest ski house box. Indoors you will find everything to keep you warm: Double Rich Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a Marshmallow Body Souffle, and a Kiss Me Pink peppermint lip balm. $35

Smashbox Swingin' Scene Ultimate Beauty Collection  - What is there not to love about this $140 value from Smashbox. IT IS ONLY $59!!! Inside a chic carry-all bag is: a  layer lash primer,  that's a wrap mascara in black, the travel size Photo Finish Foundation Primer,  Blush/Soft Lights Duo in Action/Shot, 2 Lip Glosses in Location and Illuminate, and an Eye Shadow Trio in Freeze Frame. $59

Bare Escentuals Shake Your Tail Feather  - Another superb value ($131) from one of my favorite lines, Bare Escentuals. Shake Your Tail Feather is about luminous colors, and here is what is included in the beautiful bronze bag: All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance, bareMinerals Glimpse in Peacock, bareMinerals Eyeshadow in Pure Spice, a Big Tease Mascara in Blackest Black, Beautifully Luminous Lashes in gold, and a Lip Gloss in Dolly Buxom. This coupled with 2 full size brushes to help you apply makes this a generous offer. $55

 

Help for Summer's Tired Over-Stressed Tresses.

My brittle Summer sun-soaked hair needed major help. I turned to an unlikely source in Kiehl's.

I have used a few of their products before, and swear by their Hand Cream, but I had never turned to them for hair care items. But after reading in Cosmo about one of their new hair masques, I thought I would look into it more.

kiehls_hair.jpgAfter doing some research on the web, I decided to pick up the Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Deeply Repairative Hair Pak to see how they would work on my tired and overstressed tresses.

These products are made specifically for very dry, damaged hair (me!) and are all based with Avocado Oil, Lemon Extract, and Olive Fruit Oil. Many hair care products are formulated with Olive Oil, but never mixed in a formulation with the vitamins and amino acids that are ever so present in Avocado Oil & Lemon Extract.
Simply put, these products are not only nourishing, they are repairing, and protecting as well.

The shampoo - You only need a quarter sized amount to wash shoulder length hair. There is a sufficient amount of lather to the product and it rinses quickly and easily. It smells nice too - not overpowering! Upon rinsing, hair is felt almost conditioned - wow!

The conditioner - A small amount is all you need as well, as it is very rich, but spreads down over wet hair with ease. I left it on for about 2 - 3 minutes, and what was left washed out quickly as well. I swear my hair absorbed most of this, not just letting the product lay there.

The masque - This somewhat whipped texture product needed to be scooped out. I hate to dip my wet hands into a jar so I don't get water contamination issues, so I just grabbed a plastic spoon, and scooped 2 spoonfuls into my hand. I let this sit on my hair for about 7 minutes - longer than the suggestion, but I had a lot of shaving to do. Again, what wasn't absorbed into my wet hair was easily washed away.

The results - AMAZING! You would never, ever know that my hair is colored, highlighted, and recently beaten up in the sun, salt, and chlorine over the past few weeks. But the true test came the next day. You see, I left for a few days away trip that evening and brought my bottles of travel shampoo and conditioner that were already packed with me. I used those for the next two days, and my hair still looked and felt fabulous. I mean the shine is there, and it looks and feels incredibly soft. WOW - WOW - WOW!

If you are dealing with any type of dry or damaged hair issues and don't mind spending the money on all three products ($62) I urge you to take the plunge and splurge. And if you don't want to spend that much, at least invest in the Hair Pak. This product is awesome on it's own, and you will only be investing $25. ( I gave it to my Mom to try and that alone worked wonders for her.)

Available at Kiehl's Stores (you can look up locations here) and Kiehl's.com.