Posts Tagged ‘beauty blog’

Beauty Smarts Carnival- A Collection of Articles from Beautiful Bloggers

Welcome to Spa Boutique’s  first time ever hosting the Beauty Smarts Blog Carnival!

What this means is we’ve collected a number of great articles all in one place for your learning pleasure. This month the entries were really themed along Tips and Tricks for skincare and beauty. From fragrance to eyeliner, you’ll be beautiful all summer long!

The lovely Amanda from A Minute With SpaBeautySchools gives a hopeful breakdown of the future of the Spa industry with her article “The Steady Growth of Beauty Schools“. The economy may be quickly shrinking, but that doesn’t mean that all businesses are suffering. In fact, beauty schools are doing a pretty good job of staying afloat during this tough economic crisis, as more and more beauty-obsessed individuals ditch the cubicle for the beauty salon classroom in a variety of beauty school concentrations.

For those of you interested in starting up in this industry, she has a lot of great information. She normally hosts these carnivals, so you should stop by her site to see the previous five.

Chat de los Santos from Chris & Chat Spa and Facial Care offers some great and realistic tips for those of you who are using or are thinking of using Retin-A products with “Guidelines on Maximizing The Benefits of Tretinoin Retin-A“.

Along the lines of properly using skin care products, Aparna from “Beauty and Personal Grooming” goes into detail about the “Dos and Don’ts of  Skin Bleaching“. If you are fond of bleaching, these are some points to keep in mind to make the maximum use of this cosmetic preparation. A few tips about bleaching, the benefits of bleaching and the precautions to follow while bleaching  are mentioned in these posts: The wonders of cream bleach and How to apply cream bleach.

Are you all about the Natural? Diana from Hot Beauty Health gives a list of “10 Natural Secrets to Preserve Your Youth and Beauty“.  From common sense to great at-home recipes, you’ll have beautiful, glowing skin in no time!

If you’ve been struggling to get that flawless look with your powder foundation, then Julie’s post at Healthtrition is a must read! With a love for beauty products and a great list of tips, “Applying Face Powder- Tips and Tricks” is a great read.

Risi-Leanne Baranja from Palacinka makes us all better consumers with her “Summer Challenge: Refreshing Fragrance” article. She’s great on Twitter as well, so make sure you’re following her for updates.

At Makeup Lovers Anonymous, get perfectly lined eyes with tips and tricks from a pro!

So there you have it, a great collection of some awesome summer tips.

With that, Beauty Smarts Blog Carnival number 6 comes to an end. You know what that means….start getting ready for Number 7!

Are you a blogger? We invite you to contribute to the next Beauty Smarts carnival: Submit Here.

Readers: Let us know what you love to read about. We can give you more of what you’re looking for with each Carnival.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Beauty Bloggers: Sharing the Knowledge

Something I just noticed, showing my naivete when it comes to blogging, is that we lacked a Blogroll.

Most of you know what this is. Essentially it’s other bloggers that we as a company and I as myself enojoy reading. These have to do with Beauty and Fashion and even just the gloriousness of Vancouver herself.

The women that write these are powerful, brilliant and hilarious. They focus on sharing what they’ve learned to make everyone elses lives more interesting and full.

I wanted to give a shout out to those that I read daily, have supported us as a company or have encouraged me personally. It’s a wonderful network to be a part of and by no means is my list complete. I will add to it as I make new discoveries.

They will be full of joyful information to make you feel fabulous, or tell you of events to be fabulous at.

We’ll do it alphabetically to be Swiss-like and neutral:

• Black Girl with Long Hair: I was pleasantly surprised when this fantastic site linked to one of our blog posts. They have a wonderfully interactive community that shares tips and tricks for hair styles and health. They also do fun giveaways!
• ChickAdvisor: This is necessary resource for all those Beauty Junkies out there. User generated reviews of spas, products, restaurants and shops. The store reviews are almost primarily Canadian, as are the events. But any one can benefit from the product reviews. Their ChickLit Blog keeps you up to date on the hot new trends, parties and all round interesting things.
• five-corners: a great fashion and lifestyle blog based out of Vancouver. She’s been wonderfully supportive,  and is super informed about shopping sales in the Vancouver area.
• Musings of a Muse: This girl blows my mind. Everyday I get an email that reviews or informs about a list of products from all over the world. I don’t know how she finds the time, but I love every second of it. You must subscribe to her RSS feed. Also she makes it ok to combine an obsession with beauty products with geekiness (represent the WoW Ladies, ya Blood Elf Priest). Funny with a healthy does of love for sparkles and nice smells.
• Spa Beauty Schools : She has been so supportive of us since we undertook Social Media. This site is for people interested in becoming involved in the beauty industry. It’s an excellent resource all around for information, tips and tricks. She also has her own personal blog at Simply Fabulous which also deals with Fashion.
• Temptalia: Probably one of the most popular beauty bloggers out there. She does close ups of beauty hauls, specializes in Mac makeup and plays around with gogeous eye makeup looks. Impossibly kind, she also does a lot of polls and giveaways. Very interactive!
• The Beauty Brains: These ladies are a must if you love products but have a bit of a skeptical streak or sensitive BS meter (like me, I frown a lot while listening to pitches from most cosmetics lines). They combine a love of beauty with science. Claims and questions are submitted by readers and then assessed using published journals in biology and chemistry to see if it’s feasible. They are proponents of the idea that claims have to make sense in relation to the ingredients used and the proven uses and effectiveness of said ingredients. Even though our philosophies clash occaisionally, they present their ideas in a funny, informed and easy to read manner. It’s hard to argue with science.

There you go! This is just a taste of the blogs that enrichen my existence. They all make me laugh, teach me neat stuff and all around make me a more interesting person.

So read! Learn!

Support the Beauty Warriors that scrounge and search for the perfect product/tip/revelation for you.

Leave your favorite bloggers in the Comment Section below, I would love to know who inspires you.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

What To Look For When Buying Hair Styling Tools

How long have you had your curling iron/flat iron/blow dryer?

How well is your hair holding up?

What always amazes me is how easy it is to accept that there are degrees of quality for our food products (processed, fast food up to home-made, from the garden, organic options) and their peripherals. If you’ve ever used a cheap knife or frying pan, you know the difference.

The beauty industry is the same. Yes there are economic, fast and easy options. But when you go with higher quality, which does not necessarily mean more expensive, the results are noticeable. You should see improvement, it should not remain static.Your skin and hair should change.

Investments for something you use everyday make sense, and this includes hair styling tools. There’s a common misconception that everyday heat styling is damaging to the hair. This is only true if you don’t use products designed to prevent it and use cheaply made tools that burn and tear the hair. Of course that would be damaging.

Luckily, and this may be a newsflash, there have been significant improvements to the technology and heat styling can now be beneficial if done properly.

2 key things to look for in any tool are:

1) Ceramic:  Either coils in blowdryers or solid/coated irons. The best being of course solid. These provide gentle, even heat distribution so you won’t burn portions. It emits far-infrared heat which actually seals in moisture. Hair is smoother and breakage is less, giving your hair an overall healthier appearance.

2)Tourmaline: This is a finely ground semi-precious stone. Theoretically it emits negative ions. Usually set into ceramic. It heats hair in a way that causes less damage. The negative ions smooth and defrizz, also providing shine and smoothness to the entire hair shaft. The problem is that there hasn’t been a whole lot of research to support this. The other issue is “negative ions of what?”. There’s no such thing as just random ions. They have to be ions of something. Until this is proven, it is mostly anecdotal and experience that is this theory’s support. But people love the results!

For individual tools there are specifics as well. Here we go!

Blow Dryers:

- Lightweight. Nothing’s worse than being inspired to style only to have your arm cramp and ache 5 minutes into the process.  Pro dryers (see what I did there..? Sounds like “blow dryers”. HA!) are made with better materials that weigh less.

-Settings. Heat and speed settings. Get more control. After styling, use a Cool button to set it. This also seals the cuticle, creating more shine.

-Technology. Ionic. Ceramic. Tourmaline. All good things.

Curling Irons

-Diameter. The smaller the barrel, the tighter the curls.

-Handle type. “Marcel” is the professional style, it has no spring  and the pressure is decided by the ahnd that holds it. “Spring” atomatically clamps down on the hair. Spring handles are infinitely easier to use on yourself.

-Heat Settings. You want a variety to work with. It should also heat up quickly.

-Technology. Againg, the magic Ceramic and Tourmaline. Metal and aluminium rods often pull and tug at the hair. Breakage is increased. Not cute.

Flat Irons

-Width. Wider plates will do more hair at a time, but the narrower ones are more versatile and lighter. Most pros use the 1″ wide ones, you can do curls with them as well.

-Edges. With rounded edges you can create curls and flips. This is a fun way to experiment with different hairstyles.

-Plates. When made of ceramic you get the slip. Hair won’t snag and be ripped out.

-Heat. You want one that gets up to at least 400F, this gives you more styling control and longer lasting results. Thin or fine hair should use lower heat settings.

Overall, professional styling tools  will give you faster use, more even heat and way less damage. Try and keep in mind that the people who are trained in haircare use these products because they are the best. They also last WAY longer. I’ve had mine for 5 years.

If you do a lot of styling it is well worth the investment for how beautiful your hair will be!

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Bigger! Faster! Stronger! Hair by Lakme

We’ve recently re-launched the Lakme K-Style line from Barcelona. It went through a much needed revamping and is now much sexier. Because really, who doesn’t want big, sexy hair?
I myself am a big fan of the Lakme Hottest: Sea Mist, but I’m partial to the slightly rumpled, next-day textured look.
With Lakme K-Style you get 23 new products designed for every style imaginable. Advanced technology, years of experience and a great sense of creativity, no wonder this is a worldwide brand. Smoothing, curling, controlled, voluminous, it’s all there.

One of the really fantastically unique products they launched is a hair texturizing powder called Lakme K.Style Hottest: Chalk. This isn’t like a dry shampoo or oil absorber, although it does do that, perfect for lazy, sleep-in mornings when you just want a few more minutes of sleep, not shampoo. Its main focus is to give volume and texture. So if you’re bored with your regular, predictable products, give Lakme a try.

 

They’re big in Europe.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

SpaRitual provides an option for vegan nail polish.

Manicures! Pedicures! The joy of pampering. You can guarantee that pretty much everyone has come across nail polish/varnish/lacquer and it’s distinctive smell at least once in their life. Some of us spa workers, multiple times a day…or hour.

There was some concern recently about the ingredients that go into the more popular brands. As a result, some smaller niche products began popping up, understanding the discerning spa goers desire for an alternative. These have grown in popularity and now include full ranges of unbelievably gorgeous colors that can can proudly declare to be “Vegan”, one of those being SpaRitual. Now what this means is that there are absolutely NO animal derivatives at all in the process it takes to make the polish. They have also managed to formulate with naturally occurring colors and are free of synthetic dyes. They are one of the few that can claim to be toluene, formaldehyde and DBP-free. What is DPB? The full name is dibutyl phthalate, which is currently banned for use in cosmetic products in Europe, but not here in North America.

Both Spa Ritual and OPI have gotten rid of their formulas containing those ingredients, but only SpaRitual can claim Vegan Status.

We at Spa Boutique are huge fans of SpaRitual. Every time we come across one of the colors, there’s lots of exclamations of embarrassingly girlish noises and dreamy, far-off looks while we think of how this particular hue represents us as a person. But no matter what color we choose, we can feel good about using it!

 

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!