1. Voluminous Ponytails:

kate beckinsale via people

Very retro and such a great everyday look! Just use a little dry shampoo to add volume and tease the top of your hair before combing it back to give a little extra lift and curl the back.

2. Copper Shadow

elizabeth olson via people

This is a perfect trend to try! Copper brightens up brown eyes like you wouldn’t believe – and makes blue and green eyes really pop!! Its a great update for a smoky eye look for a special occasion.

3. Bed Head Bob

jennifer aniston via people

Now here is a look for a busy moms! The tousled, slightly messy bob is all the rage – imagine that! You’re supposed to look like you rolled out of bed and didn’t have time to do your hair.

Since I had a hair cut appointment coming up soon anyways, I asked my friend Anastasia Sendo if she would help me put the product in my hair and give me her professional opinion. You know, like they do in the Suave Professionals commercials.

Step 1: Read the instructions. It’s great that this product doesn’t have formaldehyde, but it’s not for every hair type. I saw some terrible reviews online, and I wonder if that’s because people who should not have used the product, did. Read the instructions carefully.

Step 2: Apply smoothing to damp hair from root to tip. Anastasia explained that the keratin chemically altered the structure of my hair, helping to smooth out my kinky waves. It helps to have a friend who happens to be an awesome hair stylist on your speed dial. But it’s easy to do at home too. Just make sure to do it somewhere with windows because this product STINKS.

Step 3: Wait. 15-25 minutes depending on your hair type. Normally this waiting wouldn’t be all that exciting, but I was with Anastasia at U Only Better Salon which makes everything better.

Step 3: Rinse hair, towel dry, and apply cuticle seal cream. Wait seven minutes, rinse for five, then apply the heat defense leave-in conditioner and blow dry as normal.

What? This is totally normal.

Bottom line: If you’re expecting a product that will straighten your hair so that you don’t have to flat iron, this isn’t it. If you have really curly hair, this is unlikely to smooth out all the curls. But if your hair, like mine, is coarse with a slight wave, this product will smooth out the frizz, which means less time spent using the flat iron. Win!

Suave says the product will last up to 30 days, so I’ll take non-flat-ironed pictures around Days 15 and 30, and update this post.

Disclosure: Suave sent the product and an Amazon gift card, but I was in no other way compensated by Suave or U Only Better Salon. As always, all opinions are my own! 

Rut-Roh.See, my hair looked like this:

before

It had been a busy day of cleaning the house, running errands in the rain and wrangling three kids. I had not showered. Under that cozy grandma sweater, I am actually still wearing my pajama top. It had just been that kind of day. I needed an intervention. Stat.

So I ran to the bathroom, slapped on some makeup and grabbed the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo that has been sitting on my desk waiting for me to review. I sprayed it on the roots of my hair and rubbed it in a bit, then brushed it out.

My hair felt great – soft and full and no longer oily. I grabbed a curling iron and BAM!

after! RAWR!

The verdict: AMAZING! My hair does not normally get that kind of volume without professional intervention.  Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo was easy to use and had great results – you would never have guessed that was day-old hair! I love it. This product just earned a place of honor in my bathroom cabinet!

I prefer Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion to other dry shampoos I have tried – I had much better results with this one. Maybe its the “Keralock™  Technology” that contains keratin and absorbs oils? Whatever it is, this product has something different. This product costs about $1 more than Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo, and I think it is worth the extra dollar!

Suave has launched a whole line of Keratin Infusion products that is definitely worth a try! I’m very curious about the Keratin Infusion 30-Day Smoothing Kit: it infuses hair with keratin protein and leaves it smooth, shiny and manageable for up to 30 days. YES, PLEASE! There are also shampoos (including a color-safe line), conditioners and serums.  Let us know if you give them a try!

disclosure: i received product to facilitate this review. as always, all opinions are my own.

Yesterday I was looking for a Bloom.com deal and guess what showed up in my inbox from Plum District this morning?  Oh yeah, it’s like the beauty product gods were listening.

Plum District brought back the Bloom.com deal today as part of their Best of 2011.  Get $50 to spend at Bloom.com for only $25.  That’s 50% off!  And if you’re a new Plum District member, you’ll get an additional $5 off when you sign up through this link.  Also, there is a reported coupon code out {fabulous} that should get you an additional 10% off.  Report back if it worked for you or not.  This deal expires Saturday 12/31/2011 at midnight EST.

Here’s a little more info about Bloom.com so you know what a great deal this is.

• Bloom.com is a social beauty store. They offer top beauty products and once you tell them a bit about yourself, Bloom recommends products for you.  I love this feature. It makes choosing the right foundation, moisturizer, mascara etc a lot easier.

• Bloom.com also offers gifts with purchase called BloomBonuses.  Depending on the amount you spend you could getup to 10 BloomBonus items with your order.

• As a Bloom.com member, you earn 10% back in BloomDollars every time you make a purchase.  BloomDollars are actual dollars that allow you to choose your own rewards. For example, if you’ve earned $25 BloomDollars, you have $25 to shop with at Bloom.com.

• Bloom.com offers a great return policy too.  They call it the 365 Try It, Love It Guarantee.  If you are unsatisfied with any product purchased from them, simply return it for a full refund, even if the container is empty.  Read more details about the guarantee here.

I’m new to Bloom.com but I’ve already planned out my first purchase.  I’ve been on the hunt for a new foundation and Bloom recommended Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation so I’m anxious to give it a try as well as the Beauty Blender.  Have you heard about this beauty sponge?  I have read about it several places and it has fantastic reviews.  Now that I can get basically 50% off through the Plum District deal, I think I’ll finally take the plunge!

But unfortunately, I have do not have a live-in hairdresser, an hour to work on my hair or the ability to see the back of my head. So I’ve had to make do with trying to get ready as fast as I can while getting three kids ready for school at the same time! So I’ve come up with some tips for a great frizz-free blowout without spending an hour on your hair!

1. Out of the shower, towel-dry hair and comb with a wide-tooth comb. Then put on a frizz-preventing serum, such as John Frieda Frizz-Ease.

2. Let your hair dry almost all the way (insert feeding breakfast, finding lost homework and reminding kids to brush their teeth 20 times here). When its almost dry, grab your hair dryer. Dry it up quick (use a round brucsh if you have the time).

3. Seal your look with a ceramic flat iron, curling iron or both. That will give you the shine and polish (and minimal frizz) of a full blowdry without spending the time.

4. Finish up with hairspray to hold your style!

Its so easy! If you have even less time and need to be out the door 10 minutes ago, try something like Blow Hair Care’s Ready Set Blow Express that is specifically designed to accelerate blow dry time while plumping hair for fuller style, taming frizz, static and flyaways. It’s a lifesaver!

{source}

Although I’m not the biggest fan of hers in general, I have to say – this hair is a WIN. It’s sassy, chic and still just a little bit edgy, style-wise (what? I know *I* can’t pull off pink hair of any kind!) The understated makeup looks great with it, too. Great job, Katy Perry’s Stylist!

What do you think of Katy’s new look?

I’ve never been one to wash my hair every day. When it was long, I would throw it up in a ponytail every other day, and even over the summer, it was long enough to at least stick it up in a clip on the “off days”. But now? With my current short hair style, I find that I need to wash my hair every day because when I wake up, it looks like, well… like I slept on it! Plus, I’ve started smearing coconut oil on my face every night before bed, so even if my hair wakes up looking half decent, it’s usually oily around the front.

But with TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo, my world is about to change!

TRESemmé Fresh Start is a dry shampoo that is designed to revive your style between washes.

Formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor, the full line of dry shampoos rejuvenates hair without a drop of water. And with a renewing burst of citrus extracts infused into every product, you can leave hair with a clean, fresh scent.

Okay, sounds great! Let’s put it to the test. They sent me the Fresh Start formulated for oily/straight to normal hair, and I put it to the test this morning. It was the perfect morning to try it because I have to be out of the house early for a work appointment, and I’m going to work out later today so I don’t feel like doing the whole get-ready routine with a wash and blow out. I just need to revive my hair a bit so I can make it through the day without looking like a total skank. Here’s a quick video on how to use the TRESemmé Fresh Start Waterless Shampoo.

Here’s how it went down. First I applied makeup so as not to scare anyone on the Internets.

Then I bribed my husband into taking pictures of me before leaving for work. That’s a good man.

Before

Shaking it up, getting ready to spray.

Shake It Up!

Spraying It On

You have to pick up your hair in sections and spray each section. Then leave it for a minute or two (I went into the other room and found some jewelry to put on to finish my look) before combing through.

Then it’s time to brush it through.

Brushing It Through

Brush, brush, brush...

And then primp it a bit.

primping

It did feel nice, running my hands through it. It a nice, smooth clean feel. I can’t say that it added much volume, but then, my hair isn’t exactly friendly to volume. It did give it a little boost and it smells nice and clean.

AFTER!

And I’m ready to face the day!

Watch this video for a tutorial!

Elnett Satin Hairspray is a uber-luxurious line of hairsprays from L’Oréal that has been around for almost 40 years, but is just now available in retail outlets across the US. While it is a favorite of models, celebs and top stylists around the world, it is perfect for busy moms as well!

Elnett offers long lasting hold that disappears at the touch of a brush, leaving hair clean and shiny with a satin touch. Hair stylists love it for fashion shows and photo shoots where models are wearing multiple hair styles. Which is just perfect for us busy moms! I can use Elnett in the morning, throw my hair up on a trip to the gym, and then brush it out later for date night — so much nicer than layering on products all day that leave my hair dull and crunchy.

disclosure: i received products from L’Oreal to facilitate this post.

I normally don’t like shampoos for color-treated hair. I adore smoothing shampoos and I miss the smoothing effects when I use color-safe shampoo. Almost every other sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners I’ve tried have made my hair feel like straw.

But then I found L’Oréal EverPure Smoothing products and I am one happy girl. I’ve been using EverPure Smoothing Shampoo and Smoothing Conditioner for five weeks now and I am loving it.

My hair was super smooth and soft but – this is amazing – my hair color has not faded at all. AT ALL. And it was summer, girls.  I was just using the shampoo and conditioner – EverPure also makes a UV-Protectant Spray that would probably produce even better results. Its infused with rosemary and juniper, which gives it a lovely scent. I’m amazed at how high quality this is for such a great price!

Oh, did I not mention the best part? EverPure Shampoo and Conditioner retail for around $6. Now that’s a splurge I can handle!

Goody has a whole collection of “Ouchless” hair accessories that are designed to be easy on a little girl’s (or big girl’s!) hair. They sent us a brush and some ouchless elastics to sample.

I went right to work on my daughters’ hair, and here is what we came up with:

Both girls have fine hair that I try to protect by using only elastics without those metal pieces that tend to get stuck and cause breakage. These Goody Ouchless elastics are totally smooth and have nothing to catch in my little girls’ hair.

The Goody Ouchless Cushion Paddle Hair Brush is really cool, the way it is constructed it, it has a cushioned system that gives when the bristles get caught in a snarl of hair, so it doesn’t hurt to brush their hair nearly as much as with a regular brush. Also, it is all once piece and has no metal parts to catch in their hair.

We at All Things Chic highly recommend the Goody Ouchless products for your pain-free hair styling needs!