shot of sass, served on (n)ice

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Beautiful Girls

Niki's Top 5 Beauty Tips (in no particular order)

1. Smooth and Seal - this hair product is ridiculously cool. You spray it on after your hair is dry and run a brush and hair dryer through your hair. It makes your hair non-stop-touchably soft and much, much less frizzy. My stylist tells me she encourages curly-haired people who blow-dry their hair straight to use this instead of a flat iron because flat irons are terrible for your hair. I just think it makes my hair beautiful, so I'm a BIG fan. (She also tells me only to buy it from salons or beauty supply stores because the versions at CVS and other places are watered down versions of the original product; I haven't decided if I believe her or not.)

2. Only shampoo your scalp; only condition from the nape of your neck to the ends - Your ends don't need washing and your scalp doesn't need conditioning, per my stylist and also a magazine I read somewhere, sometime.

3. Sun Salutations to start your day - I know, I'm a hippie, veggie yoga freak. But I cannot espouse the benefits of even 2 minutes of sun salutations before I hop in the shower. My un-scientific research has shown that on days I don't do them I am less patient and more likely to let stress get to me than on the days I don't. If I have enough time, I might do other poses, but 2-3 run-throughs of sun salutations A and B never fail to get my blood flowing.

4. Sexy underwear - I have an underwear fetish. I'm a sexy underwear-aholic. Call me whatever you like. Up until about 2 years ago I never wore anything but cotton panties. Sure, they would have nifty/cute designs, but anything remotely frilly was for sexytime purposes only. Hanky Pankys sort of changed my attitude about lacy, and it's been downhill ever since. If I know it's going to be a long and/or stressful day, I make sure to love my panties - gives me that extra bit of confidence in the courtroom. I'm amazed at how comfortable pretty underwear can be! I found this awesome sale on expensive lingerie, so check it out and see if they have anything you like. (Apparently Reese Witherspoon bought some stuff from here for Jakey G, so naturally I had to Google it.) (Psst. If you like the ones in the photo, just click it to buy.)

5. This nifty face wash - I use to do this every night for about a year, to combat flaky, dry skin that plagues me in the winter time. Then, for some reason, it kind of quit working. Although I no longer do it every day, I still use it a couple of nights a week, and it definitely helps. You will need:

* Avocado oil
* Honey
* Salt (sea salt works best, but use whatever you have)
* Apple cider vinegar

a. Rub a small amount of avocado oil all over your face.
b. Next apply honey, all over.
c. Gently rub salt, all over.
d. Rinse with water. Pat face dry.
e. Splash vinegar on, let dry naturally.

Don't believe me? Apparently Catherine Zeta-Jones does a half-version of this, too! You will smell like salt and vinegar potato chips, so it's best to do it at night when you will be washing again in the morning (otherwise you will sweat the vinegar, i.e. when at the gym, and that's just gross/funny).

9 tips left at the bar:

Captain Dumbass said...

I like the ones in the pic for number 4, I'm guessing they don't have my size though.

tempe & chris said...

I'm totally trying the face wash. (And sending you a sample of my moisturizer, promise!)

Yay! I heart hanky pankys. They rock. I think I have like 25 pair of them now.

penelope said...

I'm totally trying the face wash, too! Such a good idea, stretching in the morning, too...

Karen said...

Niki,
I am so excited about the hair product. I've never seen it. Having hair the texture of Mowgli (from the Jungle Book) and Diana Ross, I am in dire need of giving my hair iron a break. I am really hoping it works for me!

And no, not everyone of Asian descent is blest with straight hair. Much to my chagrin.

Bj in Dallas said...

Can't wait to get the Smooth and Seal for M2's hair.....thick and wavy like a horse tail...I tell her she will love it one day, but not so much right now.
Good underwear has been a must for me for many many years. I get the 'I have a secret' feeling from it too.......! And you might be in an accident and the ER doctor cutting off the panties is a hottie!!!!! Ya hoo!!!!

Anonymous said...

Niki, I'm always looking for hair straightening help. So you put in on after you dry your hair, or before? How does it work if you do it after? Obviously I am challenged today...maybe not enough sleep or coffe...

Niki said...

Sheila - It's totally confusing because it's probably against the tradition how its normally done. You put it on AFTER you dry your hair but the key to making it work is going over your hair again with a dryer/brush after it's on; don't cut corners and put it on wet/damp hair, won't work. My hair is naturally straight-ish (but my town is freaking humid!), so for curlier/frizzier/thicker hair, you may want to try sectioning it off for best results. And don't forget the CVS version is allegedly diluted and not as strong!

Also, I should mention to you all before you try the face wash - it might sting a little when you put the vinegar on, but that's ok, it's just restoring the pH balance to your face. . .or something. : )

BJ - You have reminded me of another perk to pretty panties and now I just may have to scope some hot, single ER docs!

Karen said...

Niki, it is official. I am a retard. I FINALLY found the Smooth and Seal and excitedly bought a can/bottle. Forgetting to read your instructions, I sprayed a liberal amount on my already dry, but still kink-dog hair. I guess I thought it would straighten magically. Well, that didn't happen, but I DID have remarkably soft kink-dog hair! It gave Jason a good laugh, at any rate.

So, I am supposed to straighten it with a blow dryer and round brush, then spray it on, then run the hair dryer over it again?

penelope said...

Wouldn't it be awesome if there were just a magical straightener in a can? I would buy it in a heartbeat. I do have this Smooth and Seal stuff on my list as well.