Static hair basically means thirsty hair - so sounds like you’re overdoing it with the straighteners. If you also have lightened hair, it’s double the trouble, because the dyeing process is dehydrating enough as it is. What you need to do is put moisture back in. Make sure you’re using an ultra-rich shampoo and conditioner. You should also be deep-treating your hair at least once a week, so buy yourself a moisturising hair mask. If your hair is coloured, you may also need a protein treatment in the mix - ask your colourist for the right prescription for you.
In terms of styling, I’d suggest a leave-in conditioner or moisturiser (you apply it to towel-dried hair), followed by a thermal protectant. Try to let your hair air-dry as often as possible - you can always iron over and smooth out the hair’s surface layers later on. Or twist your hair into an up-do or pony in-between straightening sessions. The less heat damage you inflict, the more quickly you’ll get your hair back in frizz-free shape.
The easiest way to get a sun-kissed look: buy the darker shade of your favourite tinted moisturiser. Unlike other bases, pigment in tinted moisturiser is diluted enough that you don’t need a perfect-match with your actual skintone. But there’s enough of it to infuse your complexion with a gorgeous new glow.
Great Buy: Dove Protective Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 in Honey, $8.99.
Revlon just has a knack for nailing the perfect polish. Silky-smooth formula? Check. High-intensity pigment? Yep. On-trend colours? Always. Just check out the six newest shades to join the Nail Enamel range:
Red Carpet Red. The ultimate scarlet.
Tropicana and Coral Me Wild. For happy summer feet and hands.
Perfect Pink. Like the name says.
Nude Chic. Sexy and classy at once.
Blackest Black. Featuring a flattering navy shimmer. Tip: For a sexy not scary effect, slick it on short, rounded nails, as seen here on Eva Mendes.
The new shades are $11.95 each and available from December 1st.
But let me just say how ecstatically beamingly happy I have been since Saturday night. (And there’s nothing like happiness to give you a glow and smooth out those stress lines.) But, whichever way your vote swings, you have to admit, it’s exciting that we finally have a woman in such a powerful political position. I’m talking, of course, about new deputy prime minister, Julia Gillard. While I can’t wait to see the new government sign Kyoto, overhaul the education system, bring fairness back into the workplace, and start treating indigenous and asylum-seeker Australians with the respect they deserve, I have to also admit, the sometimes-superficial beauty editor in me is curious to see how Julia will keep herself so groomed in the weeks and months to come. A bad hair day or forty would be completely understandable in such a high-stress job. But the public tends to be pretty merciless when it comes to the image of high-profile women, especially when those women start to look like they might be letting themselves go a little. Crazy, seeing as they obviously have much more important things on their mind than exfoliants and hair gloss. Anyway, I’m thinking Julia’s chances of frizz will be minimal seeing as her partner is a hairstylist. Clever woman, that one.
In America, there’s been a lot of controversy lately about eyelash growth treatments. Namely, that some of the lash-stimulating ingredients being used in the mixes, which tend to derive from prostaglandins, may have unwanted side effects. For example, they may alter iris pigment; in worst-case scenario, they may damage vision. Last weekend, the US Food and Drug Administration confiscated $2 million dollars’ worth of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash, a brand that has been on sale in Australia for a while now.
I know how hyped up this particular product has been lately, so as soon as I read this, I emailed the Australian PR to get their response. I heard back last night. Apparently what was confiscated was old stock not intended for sale - Jan Marini reformulated the product a year ago. The new version is called Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner (note the ‘conditioner’ on the end). I have been assured by the company’s representative here that the new formulation, which is the only version currently on sale in Australia, does not contain the controversial prostaglandin bimatoprost or any other prescription drug ingredient.
My advice: if you’re using the product already, make sure it has ‘conditioner’ as part of the product name. If you happen to have the old version, chuck it immediately. While the company notes that it sold 72,000 units of the first formulation without any problems reported, it’s just not worth the risk.
