Luxury

Lancome Juicy Tubes

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Lancome Juicy Tubes

Luxury brand Lancome isn’t on the forefront of beauty trends, but Lancome Juicy Tubes ($20) glosses endure as a classic and a favorite in the broader community of cosmetics fanciers.

I like the idea of lipgloss, but rarely the execution. As a youngster, I owned a few Wet n Wild tubes (and they still make a shade I used to use and still enjoy!), but never fully embraced them once I started wearing makeup in earnest as an adult. I can cope with the need to reapply often (though I don’t want to), but sticky is unacceptable.

My preferences translate to a relative unwillingness to risk $20 (or even a sale price; at 20% off they’d still be $16) on one. Admittedly, I was curious though: we’re talking about a non trendy/hype machine product with enduring 4.5 star reviews. Could Lancome Juicy Tubes be that good? What would a $20 lip gloss have to do or be in order for you to buy it?

Giving Lancome Juicy Tubes a Shot

There’s no universe in which I spend that much on something that looks like I could’ve gotten it from Claire’s as a child. When I was able to nab a free sample tube, I did.

In (an acronym and) a word:

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Dyson Supersonic: Luxury Meets Performance

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Dyson Supersonic
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, $399 new / $275ish refurb

This post’s title should be Beauty Skeptic or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dyson Supersonic.

At the end of 2018, I shared that I had purchased a refurbished Dyson Supersonic hairdryer. This is now the single most expensive beauty tool I own. In the time between the time I placed the order and delivery I vacillated between whether or not I was losing my damn mind.

Answer: Maybe?

If you’ve been reading for a long time, you’ll know that when I like to use pricier tools for a long while while before writing about it. This enables me to evaluate its performance long term and make a confident recommendation. We’ve all gotten a product (beauty or otherwise) that was great at first and then maybe not so much as time passes. Frankly, I find the gushing, “I’ve used it for 3 days and it is TOTES WORTH IT,” reviews grating beyond belief.

The dryer arrived on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I have no alluring unboxing photos; since it is a refurb, it doesn’t come in fabulous retail packaging that’s worth showing you. It came in a very utilitarian, nondescript, white cardboard box with white inner packaging that was effective but not luxurious. As much as I can appreciate nice packaging and presentation, I also appreciate not paying a huge premium for it.

First Impressions

  • “Wow this thing’s weight is distributed sooo nicely.”
  • “Diffuser? Ugh, space consumption.” (Great for the curly girls, though).
  • “Concentrators – omg, there are two of them? NEAT.”
  • “Omg the magnetic bit for the tools is amazing. This is so nice, so much better than something that snaps on that can wear with time and become less secure.”
  • “OH! It sounds so smooth. And – this thing is powerful.”

Review

Time-to-Dry

My hair, which is long (and longer than usual at the moment thanks to CoVid-19), goes from, “I got out of the shower five minutes ago,” to dry in less than ten minutes. This varies depending on what products I’m using and how diligent I’m being about sectioning – but it is great. Thanks to a girlfriend, I started wearing wireless earbuds when I blowdry (genius), and I usually go through about two songs. That’s like 6-8 minutes.

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Chatter: January 2019 Favorites

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Chatter

I cringed as I typed the title of this post. Seriously. And then I had to stop and think – hell, what were my favorites last month? I had to chew on it. And then, life prevailed and I had a hard time coming up with things, I put it on the back-burner, and here we are at nearly the end of February with no, “traditional,” favorites post.

Sigh.

So instead of the usual spread, here’s a brief, bulleted list:

  • Vaseline. I am not a seasonal pedicurist. Vaseline is inexpensive and unscented; slapping it on under socks immediately after showers and again before bed has kept my feet in great shape in between pedicures. Plus, it has other uses – makeup removal if you’re into that (I’m not), lip balm, addressing extremely disobedient dry patches, etc. (Target)
  • Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. At one point, I tried to switch to Biosilk. But after a calamity, I reverted to Super Skinny. It smells better, feels better on my hair and my hands. (Target, Ulta)
  • Dyson Supersonic. I mentioned buying one of these around the holidays. And, wow – yeah, it’s good. Review coming … well, when I come up for air. (Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta)
  • Bliss What a Melon De-Stressing Overnight Mask. I don’t do a ton of masks, but picked this up in a recent haul. It applies easily, does not feel gross, and dries down quickly enough not to cover your pillowcase in goo. At $13, it’s inexpensive, too. (Target or Ulta).

Clarisonic Mia 2 Review

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This legacy post has been given a facelift for clarity and readability. Updates have been marked in line. Enjoy! Unfortunately, the Clarisonic Mia 2 is generally not for sale any longer (though I did see a set at Costco recently), but I can confirm that the results I experienced tend to follow several of their other devices. :)

Disclaimer: The following Clarisonic Mia 2 review was written by me and originally published over at the now-defunct Skincare Addiction Blog.

I tend to face ultra-hyped products with a certain degree of skepticism. After all, we’ve all plunked down money for something that just couldn’t live up to the marketing and was too good to be true. That doesn’t mean I am not interested in trying them, but it does mean I take a little more than two-days-worth of convincing before I dub something, “game changing,” or, “holy grail.”

Clarisonic Mia 2 Stock Photo

I wanted to try a Clarisonic for a a while but could not bring myself to shell out for it. I had an Olay Pro-X which was a mere fraction of the price, and when it comes right down to it, how many buttons and internet* and whatnot do we really need in our skincare routine? Eventually, the motor in my Pro-X began to falter – even with fresh batteries and a fresh brush head I had to use it longer to achieve the same level of clean that I was accustomed to. I started looking into the Clarisonic Mia 2, as I tossed around the idea of replacing my 2+ year old Pro-X device. To my delight, my now-husband gave me a Clarisonic Mia 2 as a very early Christmas gift last year (so Clarisonic doesn’t know me).

My Skin

I wasn’t seeking a miracle worker in the Clarisonic Mia 2; I neither believe in miracle beauty products nor have any severe skin conditions to contend with. That said, let’s talk about my skin, about which I have few complaints (back in December 2014):

  • Normal/Oily T-Zone. Cheek dryness during winter
  • Larger pores throughout T-Zone
  • A few Hormonal (cycle-related) blemishes around, “that time”
  • Sebaceous filaments on and just to the area just below and next to my nostrils
  • Occasional flakiness around nose & odd texture (not dryness) between eyes and across the upper-bridge of my nose
  • Not sensitive

The Wait

Although I wanted to gush about it right away, I decided to be patient. I know I tire of reading/hearing how life-changing this new-fangled (and often expensive) product or gadget that the reviewer has had for oh, three days. It may be, but some things deserve a greater level of scrutiny (this isn’t drugstore lipstick, after all) before being published.

Considering that a Clarisonic is an investment item for many consumers, I decided to use it for a whole year before talking about it.

First Impressions

Clarisonic Mia 2 - UnboxedClarisonic Mia 2, unboxed

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Discuss: Beauty Budgets

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Beauty Budgets - Vladimir Tarasov / Via Getty ImagesBeauty Budgets
Vladimir Tarasov / Via Getty Images

This legacy post has been given a facelift and an update, but content/opinions are the same. Enjoy!

I came across this Wall Street Journal article on the the high price of beauty. In the article (here), the annual beauty budgets of four successful women are discussed.

Expectations

I’m not quite sure what I expected, but what I read was definitely not it.

The four women are, in order:

  • A, “style expert,” and founder of what is essentially an organization that gives makeovers to needy women
  • An actress
  • A jewelry designer and
  • An entertainment executive

Clearly, all women of means, but I was still not prepared for what I read.

Three of the four women indicated an annual beauty expenditure was around twenty thousand dollars. Let’s put that into numbers instead of words, and let it sink in. Their beauty budgets were around $20,000 per year. The fourth came in just under $10,000.

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Help Me, I Bought a Supersonic

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Dyson Supersonic

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, $399

It’s almost Christmas. 2018 is almost over. After Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Dyson was running some specials on refurb appliances via their eBay outlet – including their absurdly expensive dryer, the Dyson Supersonic. It was down around what I expressed in March 2017 as being willing to throw at it.

Hmm, interesting.

My poor current dryer, which I reinvigorated earlier this year, is showing different signs of failure. We’ve had a good run, but it seems likely that I will need to replace it before long. The timing can’t be argued-with.

I wrestled with it for a while because even with the heavy discounts it is damn rich for my blood. After a couple weeks, I decided to lose my mind give it a shot. With a sale plus a promo code, I got it the badass Iron/Red combination for $214. Plus, you know, eBates.

The dryer has yet to arrive but should before the holiday. Since it is a refurb, I do not expect it to come in its fabulous retail packaging – but it will come with both concentrators, the diffuser (which I don’t need), the mat, and the hanger.

Admittedly, I am vacillating between, “What have I done?” and, “CAN IT GET HERE ALREADY?! I WANT TO TRY IT.”

I plan to put the dryer to work immediately and will report back with first impressions. Hopefully it suddenly makes me really good at hair.