Monne (That's What I Want!)

a while ago, i mentioned that i had purchased a self tanning product from QVC called Monne Express Self Tanning Liquid, $24.50. i was extremely excited to try this but somehow when it finally arrived at my house, it got shelved in the bathroom and slightly ignored. on a whim the other day i tried it, and mon dieu! i am shocked, stunned, awed, wowed-- you get the drift. this is THE FIRST SELF TANNING PRODUCT I HAVE EVER USED THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE A REAL TAN! i truly cannot believe it! after testing so many gradual tanners and regular self tanners and bronzers and lotions, i have finally found THE ONE!

anyways, the Monne Express Self Tanning Liquid comes in, of course, a liquid form, which is very thin and basically the consistency of water. i was very worried about how i would apply this smoothly seeing as how i knew it would take ten years to do using cotton pads the way they demo'd application on QVC, so after reading some reviews i went out and bought a foam brush (left), which is basically a sponge on a stick, a very common art/craft store tool that cost me a mere 79 cents at Fred Meyer. this turned out to be one of the best investments i have made in years! i would say that the foam brush was crucial in getting a nice, smooth, QUICK application of the product. at first i tried the cotton pad method and basically it was garbage and was taking forever, plus i can barely stand to touch cotton, it makes me cringe! using the foam brush, i squirted a small amount of the product onto the sponge and then dabbed it on my body, blending in circular motions with first the sponge after i had it in the right spots, and then my hand. this worked like a charm! very easy, i would recommend this method to anyone (like myself) who is NOT a self tanning expert. you could also mix a small amount of the liquid with your regular body lotion if you'd prefer to apply that way! it definitely did help to have my boyfriend present to do my back, but i'm sure everyone has a friend who could help them do this, or if you're an expert, you've figured out a way to do this by yourself (how?). after i had applied the product to my whole body, including face, i was very pleased at how it dried immediately and didn't feel the least bit sticky. however, i noticed a few spots that looked a tiny bit streaky, and since you are directed to apply the product to clean, moisturizer-free skin, i also looked somewhat dry. i solved both these issues by applying lotion and rubbing it in very good, which blended together any streaky areas, kept my skin soft, and helped everything turn out very evenly. literally, i have not ONE word of complaint!

after initial application, i looked very nice and naturally tan, but that was because of the guide color of the product (which did not rub off at all on any of the clothes i wore that day or night). when i woke up later that evening after taking a nap, my body was nicely tanned in a subtle but still very noticeable way! when i washed my face however, it looked kind of pale. i was disappointed, and did another quick facial application, and the next morning when i washed my face again, it was golden tan perfection! absolutely NO streaks, no tell-tale orange areas, just a perfect golden-brown tan in my naturally tanned-skin color. i just couldn't (and still can't) believe it! i truly thought i could never find a self tanner that i would be happy with, and i am ecstatic with my Monne!!! several days later, my tan is fading evenly and slowly. i am in LOVE with this stuff! i would do free advertising for them, which i guess this post is, because i beg of you-- TRY THIS PRODUCT! you will ADORE it! i could go on and on, but i'll spare you my insane gushing ;D

so far, the only place i've found Monne available to purchase is QVC, where they carry the liquid version and an Express Self Tanning Spray Duo where you get two 5.29 fl. oz. for $39.84, a fabulous deal in my opinion. visit QVC and order some for yourself, and let me know how much you love it!

Say WEN!

ok readers, i know i was absent for two days before today so i'm making it up to you with a double post! the picture i have included above for your viewing pleasure is a collection of WEN Cleansing Conditioners created by hairstylist to the stars Chaz Dean. what is a Cleansing Conditioner you ask? it's your shampoo, conditioner, and styling product in ONE convenient bottle. it is free of the sulfates and detergents that are found in (almost) every other brand of shampoo, and because of this it never strips your hair of it's essential oils, moisture, or color. have you ever noticed after dying your hair that when you shampoo you can actually see some of your color being rinsed away in the suds? or maybe you haven't, but you've definitely noticed that after a month or two the brilliant auburn or golden chestnut brown color that you paid an arm and a leg for at the salon has faded into something more along the lines of "blah". well this is because the detergents and sulfates in shampoo (the ingredients that give you the suds and foam) are stripping the bejesus out of your hair!

so what's the solution? WEN of course! each of the 5 Cleansing Conditioners cleanses your hair without any detergents or sulfates, instead using natural astringent properties that leave your hair soft, healthy, shiny, bouncy, and undamaged. skeptical? i certainly was, i must have watched Chaz's demonstrations on QVC atleast 500 times before i decided to give it a try (30 day money back guarantee, how can you not love the Q?!) because i just couldn't imagine getting my hair clean without shampoo. i was wrong! i didn't even have to go through an adjustment period of figuring out how to use it correctly (probably because of the aforementioned thousands of times i watched Chaz do it), it was so easy i got fab results the first time.

so how to do it? it's actually fun! what you do is hop in the shower, rinse your hair out really thoroughly under the hot water, and then wring it out so it's damp but not sopping wet. then you take about 5-10 pumps of the Cleansing Conditioner and apply it to the left front of your scalp, then the right, then the crown, then the back/bottom, etc. after you get your scalp covered (using 5-10 pumps for each section), you wet your hands and then massage your scalp really well (just like you would while shampooing) for about 2-3 minutes, concentrating on covering each inch of it with gentle, circular motions. you won't get any suds, but the product will kind of foam up a little bit. i use the Fig Cleansing Conditioner, and i loooooove how it's minty and super invigorating and while you're massaging it in, your whole scalp is tingling and smelling amazing! after your massage (which can help to stimulate hair growth, btw), you take another 5-15 pumps (depending on how long or thick your hair is) and work it through the length of your hair and the ends. after that, take a wide-toothed plastic comb and comb it all through, securing it on top of your head with a hairclip or elastic, and leave it until you're ready to get out of the shower! then you rinse thoroughly with warm water, then a quick cold rinse, and you're done.

you won't even believe how soft and untangled your hair is before you even towel dry it! not only do you shampoo and condition with WEN, you can then add another 2-3 pumps to damp hair to leave in as a styling creme or leave-in conditioner. you can also use WEN to wash your body with, or to shave your legs with, or even to wash your pets with, although at $28 for 16 ounces, i'll be saving it for my hair. although the price is steep, it does last for quite a while, and the results are amazing! super soft, shiny, bouncy hair, not the least bit weighed down or gross. i was pretty shocked by how completely clean it got my hair, and if you can believe this, my hair seemed to stay cleaner for longer when washing with WEN compared to using regular shampoo and conditioner. weird, huh? i just ordered another bottle of the Fig Cleansing Conditioner, which is a much better deal when you're getting 32 ounces for $44, and i can't wait until it arrives! Fig is formulated for dry, damaged or ethnic hair, but there's a formula out there for everyone! Cucumber Aloe, Sweet Almond Mint and Lavendar are suitable for all hair types (especially fine to medium hair), while Tea Tree works wonders on sensitive scalps that suffer from irritation and flakes. i would definitely give these Cleansing Conditoners my Pretty Kitty Stamp Of Approval, and i hope you'll have the pleasure of trying them out soon!

interested in doing more research? you can find WEN products at QVC and Chaz Dean's website.

bright eyes

i was watching QVC the other day (shocking!) when i came upon this new product from Mally Roncal's line called Mally Beauty Liquid Light Eye Brightener. i thought i would share this with you, my beloved readers, because i find it's delivery system very interesting! it's basically a concealer-type product that you can use under your eyes, on your brow bones or cheekbones, and/or on your nasal-labio folds to brighten things up. what's fascinating to me about this product is that it starts off as a powder that you shake into the palm of your hand but then when you use your finger to swirl it around, the warmth of your skin changes into a liquid! Mally said she wanted a product with the finish of a powder but the application of a liquid and thus the Liquid Light Eye Brightener was born. after you apply the creamy brightener to your face, it dries and changes back into a powder finish on your skin. neat, huh? not only was the gimmick of it unusual, but the demo's on the models showed that the product actually does work well to brighten things up. want to wake up those tired eyes? the Liquid Light Eye Brightener, available in two shades, is only available through QVC so click on over there and check it out! there's even a video to watch if you want to see the shape-shifting brightener in action! and Mally is so cute and funny, i'd watch her do just about anything. i love it when she refers to herself as a drag queen! girl loves her makeup and her big hair, and there's nothing wrong with that!

QVC easy as 1,2,3

let's talk about QVC, bay-bee! i am totally, utterly addicted to this home shopping channel! i feel like no one ever mentions this GLORIOUS resource of beauty booty on the makeup blogs i read, and i can't help but wonder why? Lisa Robertson, (pictured to the left) a host on QVC, always says "no one does beauty better than us", and i'm telling you, girl knows what she's talking about! not only do they carry almost ALL of the best brands, (for example: Tarte, YSL, Bare Escentuals, Philosophy, Smashbox, Ojon, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Prescriptives, Kate Somerville, Kinerase, LORAC, Stila, and many, MANY more- seriously, check out the list of brands they carry here) but they have the BEST prices EVER! QVC almost always sells their products for less than what you'd spend in the stores, and they have fantastic deals where you can get, say, two tubes of Dr. Denese Self Tanner (usually $25) for $26.14! also, they have 'easy pay', which is this really helpful payment plan where you can divide the price of something costly into several payments (say you're buying Kate Somerville Exfolikate and it's selling for $100, you can do 4 payments of $25 a month so your wallet doesn't take such a hit all at once!) the prices can't be beat, and you have 30 days to try out anything you buy and then SEND IT BACK if you don't like it for a total refund. plus, S&H is totally reasonable and you can get whatever you order within 1-1.5 weeks.

ok so...fabulous selection of products, check! amazing prices, check! shopping while on the sofa in your favorite sweats, check! could there really be more to love about QVC you ask? yes! yes there is! QVC is the best BEST best thing to watch when you're bored! they have whole shows devoted to beauty (my two favorites, Beauty Beat and Saturday Night Beauty) and they are wildly entertaining! not only do they show you what you can get but they have the creators of the makeup lines there with them, showing you HOW to use the products they're hawking! it's great! i DVR each and every beauty related program on QVC and veg out in a makeup-induced coma while watching from the comfort of my aforementioned sweats. every saturday night there is an hour of Saturday Night Beauty, hosted by my favorite QVC girl Patti Reilly (right), and i'm warning you, lock up your credit cards before tuning in because you will want to buy EVERYTHING!

also, an interesting tidbit: QVC is now getting exclusivity with the brands that they sell! for example, Smashbox released their Halo Hydrating Perfecting Face powder a few months ago on-air, but you won't be able to buy it anywhere except QVC until this coming december. since that one launched, i've seen several other brands doing the same thing, so if there's something out there you're desperate for, your only shot at acquiring it may be to hit up QVC!

you can tune into QVC anytime because it's on 24/7, but if you're just interested in the beauty shows, check their showtimes at QVC's beauty page online. their online website is amazing too, it has tons of How-To videos, reviews, and information about the brands and products for sale. and don't say i didn't warn you about the impending bankruptcy you might fall into!