Carrie Underwood's + Giada's Same Must-Have Nail Color!

Are you looking for a classic, always appropriate nail color that works in any situation---casual or formal?

Then look no further! Carrie Underwood and Giada De Laurentiis both LOVE OPI's Bubble Bath and can't live without the soft pink nail lacquer.

What's so great about Bubble Bath?

Singing superstar Carrie likes it for a couple of reasons:

"This color looks nice with everything," she tells InStyle magazine. "And since it's a light shade, chips are a lot less noticeable."

OPI makes very good nail polish and at an inexpensive price for the long-lasting quality and colors. We found a bottle of OPI Bubble Bath at Amazon for $7.94. It's a nice pink-y nude shade.

TV cooking star Giada De Laurentiis always has her hands on display, and of course, the camera moves in tight to demonstrate how she's preparing her many dishes, so she knows that TV viewers WILL notice her nails. Apparently, everyone IS noticing her lovely hands, because at a book signing, a fan once begged Giada for her nail color secret.

Giada told the fan that she uses OPI Bubble Bath because it holds well for her when washing dishes/cooking/etc. Plus...we found proof of this OPI nail color here at the FoodNetwork. It's a great Q & A of Giada, where the petite beauty also discusses makeup, hair and jewelry!

Hey, we aren't high maintenance when it comes to our nails, but if OPI's Bubble Bath is fine enough for Carrie Underwood + Giada De Laurentiis, well then we're grabbing up a bottle, too!

When Hair (Extensions) Too Much Of A Good Thing--Lilly Ghalichi Debuts Shorter Do!

We LOVE Bravo TV break-out star Lilly Ghalichi from Shahs of Sunset! Gotta adore 'Persian Barbie!' We like her exotic, glam look and her fierce smoky eye makeup, and her hair.

Wait a minute!!

That's A LOT of hair! We mean....OMG! Humongous faux locks!

Even Lilly has admitted to a lengthy Big HAIR routine:

Clip-in extensions, a teasing comb, and tons of hairspray.

Is lots of hair TOO much of a good thing sometimes?!

Well....Yes. Forgive us, Lilly, because we adore you.

Lilly swears her hair is a LOT shorter now, as you can see in the bottom photo, which was taken last week during Shahs of Sunset Renunion Part I. We LIKE it!

Check out her hair extensions tips from Lilly's glam blog:

"Any girl that loves big hair needs a good pair of clip ins. I'm not a big fan of permanent extensions as I feel it's unnecessary to have all that hair 24 hours a day (when you sleep for example). Plus, it is really damaging for your natural hair.

"First we curl the extensions (before we put them on my head), then we curl my own hair, and apply the extensions. Once they're all in, we tease at the root, and then apply lots of hair spray to hold it (my favorite is Paul Mitchell). Once we are finished styling, we go a step further to make it extra big by flipping my head upside down and then giving it one final good all over spray."

Part II of the Reunion show is on this evening --Bravo channel- 9PM with Andy Cohen.

Can't wait for the sparks to fly again!

What do you think....Too much hair .....Not enough hair?! Or Just right!

Is SmartLash Eyelash Enhancer An Intelligent Choice To Try?

Long lashes + full brows.

Most women really want these 2 beauty enhancements and to have them appear naturally. But many of us are not blessed with both, and some of us don't have either long lashes OR thick brows. So we pencil, shade, gel, use faux, and so forth.

Maybe this beauty product could help along the way. It's called SmartLash Eyelash Enhancer by Intelligent Beauty Labs and no.....it isn't cheap at $125. It is a beauty investment, but one that has gotten lots of great reviews.

So, what does SmartLash do?

In clinical studies, participants in 60 days experienced:

•Up to a 68% increase in the appearance of lash length!*
•100% saw an increase in the appearance of eyelash length, fullness and thickness after 30 days. •100% indicated a superior performance of this product when compared to previously used eyelash enhancement products.
•100% said they feel like they need less mascara.
•100% would recommend SMARTLASH to a friend.

SmartLash does NOT contain side effect producing prostaglandin used in prescription lash enhancers like Latisse.

It's easy to put on, too. Apply  it 2X (morning + evening) to the eyelid skin at the base of the lashes (do not apply directly to the lashes). Can be applied to the eyelid skin at the base or both the upper and lower lashes. It can be applied to the brows, too. One tube of SmartLash will last about 30 days.

We found SmartLash Eyelash Enhancer at DermStore.com

Can Sea Salt Really Add Volume + Smoothness To Hair?!

Sea salt.....It's not just for the dinner table. This special salt is formed from the natural evaporation of ocean water. And sea salt has been around for a very long time in more ways than one.

Sea salt has always been present in some cosmetics + skin care products as an exfoliant or scrub.

But what about hair?! Can sea salt deliver big volume and smoothness?

Some people say it really can!

Look at Lush company's BIG Shampoo ($26.95. 11.4 oz., at Lushusa.com).

This pricey tub of shampoo contains more than 50% sea salt which is included for ridding hair of styling product, grime, dead skin cells, etc. Leaves your mane full, smooth, + bouncy! A lot of women swear by this sea salt shampoo.

You could also make your own sea salt shampoo for a lot less. Check out this by a former Miss California Marianna Hewitt. She claims that:

Mixing three parts coarse sea salt with two parts shampoo will give you back some amazing hair! 

Look at her DIY sea salt shampoo recipe.  Marianna Hewitt explains that hair needs exfoliation just as much as skin:

DIY sea salt shampoo recipe DailyMail.com.

Looking For Satin-y Smooth Skin: Work It With Microdermabrasion Cream!

Maybe you can't get to the spa, or maybe you're on a tight beauty budget... BUT still desire satin-y smooth skin.

It isn't hopeless. You can improve things with a little muscle and some microdermabrasion cream.

And it doesn't take too much time out of your busy schedule to perform this simple + effective exfoliating routine:

Apply to damp/wet skin.
Slowly and gently massage cream into skin for 30-60 seconds.
Rinse well.
Best results are achieved when used 2-3 times per week, with 2 days between application.

Microdermabrasion can be done at-home safely with a cream. Those with very sensitive skin might have to proceed cautiously, but otherwise,  every complexion could benefit from a microdermabrasion cream.

We have found an excellent cream in Clinicians Complex ($65, at dermstore).

A bit of a beauty investment, but the jar goes a long way, and you WILL love the smooth results.

Here's what Clinicians Complex says about their microdermabrasion cream:

Formulated with the same diamond-shaped magnesium oxide crystals used in many professional machines, this resurfacing cream immediately improves the texture and appearance of aging skin. Ideal for use against fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and even adult acne, this rich cream clears away the dull skin cells the accentuate lines and clog pores, leading to a more youthful and radiant complexion. Ideal for use on the face, neck, hands and body, it thoroughly revives the skin, leaving it feeling smooth and comfortable. Great for use between in-office procedures.

These micro creams DO work. Don't be afraid to try one.

Need Perfect Brows ASAP? Try Brenda Christian's Universal Pencil

We have mentioned here several times before that we are, er.....eyebrow-challenged. However, in the last couple of years or so, we have gotten our brows to grow in modestly. So, our brows are slow-wwwwwly improving. Still, we have to use a brow pencil to fill in a few spaces.

That's why we are interested in trying a universal brow pencil that a lot of women adore, including professional makeup artists.

Yeah, we know that the beauty word UNIVERSAL doesn't always live up to its claims of 'suitable for all skin tones, hair colors,' etc.

But---we wanted to explore the Universal Brow Definer by Brenda Christian Cosmetics ($18, at BrendaChristian Cosmetics).

We can't wait to try this pencil because of all these unique features:

Uses the pH of your hair follicle to determine ideal eyebrow color match

One color works for everyone

Provides natural three dimensional eye brow hair appearance

Corrects mistakes from waxing or over tweezing

Recommended by American Journal of Esthetic Medicine as the ideal visual replacement for natural eye brows

Fragrance Free

Perfect for Sensitive Eyes and Skin

Brenda Christian, a former makeup artist also gives step-by-step instructions how to use the Universal Brow Definer and a Perfect Brow Gel that you can add to complete the natural look.

We think this is a good product to try!

Stupid Ways To Ruin Your Skin---And We've Done Them

For those of you young enough to care about maintaining healthy, great skin, here are some
Stupid Ways to Ruin Your Skin:

TOO MUCH TIME IN THE SUN. Most of the sun damage done to our skin happens in childhood. However, the damage is cumulative and keeps on delivering year-after-year. We spent many a summer lying on the beach, ignoring the sunscreen and laughing at the world.

Remember this: Dermatologists say it takes 15 years for sun damage to show up as skin pigmentation + wrinkles.

SKIPPING THE EYE CREAM. Sure, we use an eye cream now. But we should have been applying one in our 20s. The eye area  is the first place to show aging. The skin around the eyes is thinner and more delicate  and thirsts for hydration. Plumpness + elasticity in the eye area tends to disappear quickly  as we age.

An eye cream is protective and nourishing.

IGNORING THE NECK SKIN + DECOLLETE. Necks DO age, along with the decollete, or the skin between the breasts + the neck. When we're young, we tend to concentrate on the face, the complexion. But there's a whole lot going on BELOW the chin. Just take your night cream and apply some also to the neck+decollete, because those 2 parts of the body also get older and sag + crease, etc.

STARTING AN ANTI-AGING ROUTINE LATE. It's wise to begin an anti-aging routine while you are young. Learn all you can about your skin type, its problems and how you can prevent damage down the road. Just because you can't find any major lines + wrinkles yet, trust us, these ugly signs will get to you at some point down the road. Your goal is to MINIMIZE the damage.

GETTING A DERMATOLOGIST AFTER 40.  Another dodo move. Don't see the expert after 40. That's late. Finding a good dermatologist is key. Don't wait until you see the skin problems developing, like we did. Go now! Ask for a prescription for Retin-A. It's the best thing out there for keeping good skin or repairing the damage.

It's never too late to develop healthy, glowing skin. But it is best to invest in your complexion at an early age.

We've had to learn the hard way.