haircare

Beauty: A Recession-Proof Industry?

Bren — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:56:06 -0800

It's Cyber Monday - and I should be shopping. But the sad truth is that I simply can't afford it. A victim of lay-offs, I am most definitely feelin' the blow as I approach yet another month of unemployment. As Hard Candy and other brands call it quits, more jobs in the beauty industry disappear. But the beauty biz is a billion-dollar industry, based solely on selling you things you need and more importantly, things you want. And beauty is still one of the strongest industries - but will it last?

Historically, lipstick sales have increased during turbulent economic/political times. Lipstick sales more than doubled following the 9/11 attacks. And if you've the bad luck to be job-hunting at this particular time, you might notice that CVS, Sephora, Longs, and Macy's Cosmetics departments seem to have the most openings. But we are knee-deep in the worst recession the country has ever experienced as unemployment rates keep soaring and company after company goes out of business. Does that mean the beauty industry is safe?

Well... yes, actually, if past trends are anything to go by. According to this article, women are still spending mad cash on their face lotions, face powders, and foundations. The question is, how can they afford it? Women are more apt to cancel a vacation or forego a new car instead of giving up their beauty products or their Botox - that's nothing new. Those are mostly the women who shop department store cosmetic brands. It's no surprise, being that Nordstrom's carries La Mer and other high price-tag cosmetics. But what about us normal gals, who get most of our products at, say, drug stores or specialty boutiques, and aren't in a position to give up a vacation in order to keep buying lipgloss because we don't vacation to begin with?

I worked in the industry for a smaller cosmetics line up until a few months ago, when the entire staff was let go due to dwindling sales. OUCH. In September, the brand was pulled out of Sephora. This last month, I got the official word: it's being discontinued. Employees of WaMu, I feel your pain. So now what? How can we indulge when we're broke?

Let's face it: some of us are simply going to refuse to give up our expensive moisturizers, lotions, potions, foundations, and lipstick. And that's fine. But as someone who's been unemployed for what seems like FOREVER, l've had to give up some of mine (and believe me, I'm still sad). So for those feeling the crunch, here are a few ways to save some cash while still lookin' fresh and fab:

Ways to Deal:

Bring a homemade lunch to work or school. Seriously. Chances are you'll be eating way healthier, which is going to make your skin look 100x better - and you'll be saving cash on food and skincare. Yum.
Shop at places that actually give discounts on cosmetics and haircare. For example, Ulta occasionally offers 20% off coupons that apply to anything but fragrance. Work it.
Cut down the amount of pedicures/manicures or facials that you get. If you're feeling lofty, do them yourself.
Switch high-end haircare to drugstore brand. Twenty bucks versus five bucks for shampoo? It's a no brainer. And there are a ton of great brands to try.
Skip the shaving cream and put your conditioner on double-duty. If you wax, try do it yourself kits.
Let your highlights grow out, or dye your hair a color close to the natural so upkeep isn't as frequent or expensive. I have short hair, and haven't dyed my hair since May. The results? I'm rockin' my natural hair color for the first time in over a decade, and receiving a ton of compliments for it.

If you savvy Sparklers have any other suggestions or your own stories to share, I'd love to hear them.

Budget-Friendly Beauty: My Top 5 Drugstore Haircare Products

Bren — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:14:08 -0700

I love my hair. In years past, I have been known to spend hundreds of dollars to get juuuuust the right cut, texture, and color. But now? Well, now I spend all my money on gas and cute shoes, but I still get compliments on my hair all the time - and here's a secret: all my hair products cost under $7 bucks. Who doesn't love a drugstore deal?

Goin' the drugstore route doesn't mean skimping on quality. If you compare the ingredients in the bottles, a lot of times they are the same exact ones. From what I understand, "salon quality" just means higher concentrates of the ingredients - but there's really not a big difference. So check out what I consider the top products in the drugstore aisles.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner
I totally fell in love with Herbal Essences after they revamped their products (the "totally organic experience" thing just didn't work for me). They now have an entire line of fresh and fun hair products for different woes, everything from dry hair to normal hair to breaking hair to long hair. I'm partial to the Hello Hydration line in the fun blue bottles. They smell DELICIOUS, work just as well as salon products, and at under $5 a pop for a 40oz bottle, totally budget friendly. ($3.99, available at drugstores nationwide)

Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream, Sleek & Shine
I love this so much I travel with it, lest I have to shower somewhere and, God forbid, be without this miracle product. Hey, I used to have triple-processed platinum panels in my hair... And now my hair is a soft black shade. So believe me when I say my hair has been around the block quite a few times. This stuff has replenished the moisture, kept my ends from splitting, and smoothed the fly-aways from all the breakage I've incurred. It lasts forever, smells pretty neutral, and isn't a pain in the wallet to replenish. Loves it! ($3.99, available at drugstores nationwide)

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Tousled Tresses Fine-Mist Wax
When I bought this, I was blonde, but switched it up in-between uses and wasn't about to throw out perfectly good product. Worked like a dream, so brunettes, please keep reading. I went through every single drugstore product that had the words "paste," "wax," "pomade," or "putty" in the title. The one thing they had in common? They all left my hair gunky, heavy, dirty, or gross. But this stuff is bottled perfection: amps up the texture, brings out my layers, easy to use, totally hooks it up with that edgy, piecey look that's always in style. ($5.99 - Won Allure's Best of Beauty Award; easier to find online than in stores)

Sunsilk Waves of Envy, Sea Mist
I love this stuff so much I already wrote a full article on it. It's that good. I know a lot of Sparkle Divas prefer the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, but I think it's way too little product for way too much price, especially if you have to replenish often - and it's drying. The Sunsilk Sea Mist gives the right amount of texture, is SO good on the go (I keep mine in my car), and generally rocks my short-haired and tousled world. ($3.99, available at drugstores nationwide)

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask
My flat iron is my best friend. We hang out together, go through products together, travel to far off places together. But it's a co-dependent relationship: I rely on my HAI to keep me smooth, while it sucks the moisture out of my hair. Neutrogena has come to my rescue again and again with this deep recovery hair mask - I simply lather it on once a week, leave it in while I watch Sex and the City reruns, then rinse it out and bam! Soft lustrous hair again, no mayo needed. ($6.99, available at drugstores nationwide)

What drugstore haircare products do you think are to die for? Any other suggestions / recommendations?

Drink that Smoothie, Eat that Pasta, Order More Pizza: It's Good for You.

Bren — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:22:24 -0700

Next time you hit up your local grocery, be sure to stock up on tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guavas, papaya, apricots, and red bell peppers. Have a dinner party, a slumber party, a pool party. Make sure the menu includes one of the following: smoothies, fajitas, pasta, pizza, and anything you can put ketchup on. Why? Well, because you've got to get your LYCOPENE on.

About two months ago Jenny posted a blog listing the benefits of eating pizza. Did you read it? Did you love it? Did you note that consuming anything with tomato paste increases your skin's collagen-elasticity and as well as your protection against the sun's harmful rays?

Here's why: Tomato paste, and any of the fruits and veggies I listed above, contain this magical carotenoid called LYCOPENE.

Beauty companies are hip to this ingredient's buzz: Revlon uses lycopene as an ingredient in their lipglosses, Aveda in their Color Preservation haircare, and Booth's in some of their facial masques. But the reason I was so intrigued: Garnier Nutrioniste counts it as a major player in their Skin Renew Regenerating Moisture Lotion, which happens to be the moisturizer that I can't live without. When I found out I was already using it, I just had to know what's up.

What does it do?

It's a Powerful Anti-Oxidant: Anti-Oxidants are mega important, being that they help neutralize the damaging effects of the sun, the environment, crappy diets, nasty smog, crazy lifestyles, etc. The list goes on, and Vitamin C is usually relied on to do all the work.
Important Source of Vitamin A: Guess what retinol is? A form of Vitamin A. Guess what Vitamin A does? It rocks your world! It also helps keep your skin firm, your skin clear, and improves your vision. No joke.
Skin Regeneration: Lycopene helps speed up cell turnover, new cell regeneration, and exfoliation. If radiance is what you're after, look for products with lycopene.

Lycopene is also rumoured to ease the digestive process and has been suggested to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. While research is still being conducted regarding those claims, in the beauty world, it has already proven itself. I say, anything that allows me to eat more pizza and pasta is definitely my new bff.