February Favorites

Hey everyone! It's time for February Favorites. I've got some tried and true, plus some brand new favorites for you to check out!

1. The Aveda Institute 
I love this place. You get great service from cut to color to highlights in a professional space, but performed by students either graduating in 6 months (mid-level) or 3 months (master level). The prices are unbelievable and they really listen to what you're looking to do and make the magic happen. Of course, educators check-in and make sure things are running smoothly, but I've yet to encounter a problem.I was very happy with the price and the service. Definitely recommend!

2. AdvoCare SYS Day
I love a good day cream. One that hydrates without making skin feel greasy, has ingredients that are good for the skin, and can help keep wrinkles at bay. AdvoCare's SYS Day lives up to it's name Supplement Your Skin. Get yours here.

3. Nivea's In-Shower Moisturizer
Ok, I was a little skeptical at first. I have super dry skin in the winter. Despite all my efforts to moisturize, I always ended up disappointed. But when I saw the commercial for this new product, I had to hunt it down. They have 3 versions, and I went ahead and got the one for very dry skin. After you cleanse your body, you rub this on the areas you want extra moisture (for me, arms and legs) and then rinse off, pat dry and go. It works! I could definitely tell the day of the shower, but also the next day. I love it. I think it will be great in the warmer months, too. You can find it in the lotion aisle.

That's it for now, but don't forget I'll have a great eco-beauty spread in the next issue of Atlanta Social Season - Spring issue!

Empties Review - It's All About The Hair!

I've been missing you gals (and guys!) It's that time again to let you know what I've used up and am loving. Oddly, it's all hair products this go around. But thats OK! We have to take care of our hair, too, so let's get started.

I am a big believer in touching up those pesky gray roots at home. I don't know about you, but I don't have time to run to the salon every 2 or 3 weeks to keep the gray away. So, I started doing that at home, when my schedule permits and it's working out great. I'm really loving the Color Brilliance Cream Color from ION. My hair has been highlighted and is quite long now, and I really like the ombre look, so it's easy to choose a color close to my natural hair color and fill in the roots, and achieve a beautiful ombre style.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Of course, you don't have to do this, because the ION color is great for all over coloring if you're not interested in highlights ( or if you have really short hair) It takes about 45 minutes for the color to process, and I find myself doing the dishes, watching a show, catching up on some reading while it's doing its thing. It's like double tasking! You can find the ION color (and the 20% devloper that mixes with it) at your local Sally Beauty Supply.

Long hair needs some extra pampering, so that it doesn't dry out, break and look scraggly. I've been loving the Matrix Color Bloom Mask. I use it once or twice a week, leave it in for about 5 minutes while I'm finishing up in the shower and it really seems to keep my color looking vibrant and my ends feeling moisturized (which is essential when you're growing your hair out, so you don't end up with lots of split ends that will have to be cut off) You can find this at some drugstores and Ulta stores. 

Dry Shampoo, I love you. I became a believer in dry shampoo over the last year and do not know how I functioned without it before. I try different kinds all of the time and just recently finished two bottles. Not Your Mother's dry shampoo is great - the white cast isn't terrible, it smells nice and the bottle is fairly large. I had never tried it before, and I'll definitely purchase it again.

I also went through a bottle of Tresseme Dry Shampoo. I picked this up in a hurry at the grocery store. The price sucked me in - it was cheap and on sale. So I grabbed a bottle and hoped for the best.

I'll be honest, it has a little bit more of a white cast, but it dissipates quickly once you brush it through. It's a great economy option (and is easy to find since it's pretty much everywhere.