The Beauty Agenda
Flaunting Fabulously
A New Column by Patricia Lee
Why not let holiday shopping be the only reason for the winter woes? Battle brassy, blah hair and bothersome, badly timed blemishes, perfect your pout, and flaunt fabulous fingers and toes to sparkle and shine during the holidays.
Q: My highlighted hair seems to be turning brassy and orange after a few weeks, and the color doesn’t seem as bright and fresh. Is there anything I can do about it?
A: A self-professed highlight junkie, I can completely relate to your situation. Highlights offer tremendous transformational effects on one’s hair and look. Scores of individuals love and swear by them. Giving drab hair an extra oomph, accentuating curly hair or a great layered cut, and drawing attention to and brightening up one’s face prove to be just a few benefits of highlights. Often timely and pricey at many salons, it’s understandable that you would want to maintain that “just out of the salon” look. However, highlighted hair remains more delicate than untreated, uncolored, untouched hair and requires special care.
To boost the brilliance of blasé, brassy hair, try a chelating shampoo, such as Joico’s Resolve Chelating Shampoo, which removes dulling product buildup and mineral deposits. After wetting hair, work the luster-boosting liquid into your hair, allowing it to penetrate and work its magic for about five minutes. After rinsing out the shampoo, apply a bit of conditioner to the bottom half of your hair to drench dehydrated ends. If you live in areas like Los Angeles, which harbor higher mineral deposits in the water, liven up lifeless hair and counter copper tones by using a chelating shampoo once a week.
Ultimately, infrequent washings prove most prudent in maintaining multi-colored hair. Containing harsh chemicals to remove gunk and grease, shampoos simultaneously strip color as they clean. In between washes, pulling hair into a pretty ponytail or creating a cute, messy up-do refreshes the repetitive and routine. If one’s hair desperately needs a wash due to excessive oil, select a dry shampoo, such as Klorane Extra Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Extract (in a convenient aerosol can) or Bumble & Bumble’s Hair Powder, working in the oil-obliterating product really well. And with that, I bid you happy highlighting.
Q: I have an important event to attend in a couple of days and need to hide a red, irritated blemish I’ve popped. Please help!
A: Breakouts seem to cruelly crop up at the most inopportune times. First, calm down and keep your frisky fingers from further fiddling with your face. Sebum-inducing stress and constant contact can contribute to far more flare-ups. To boost your immune system, you may wish to go the holistic route, taking vitamins such as chelated zinc. For information on vitamin supplements, contact your pharmacist or doctor for dosage and supplement information.
Irritated and inflamed, the rupture may still be red. To cut back crimson tones, you can try to drip a few drops of Clear Eyes or Visine onto the area, allowing the potion to penetrate the skin. Most often within minutes, you’ll notice reduced redness in the area. After applying makeup, dab a dot of green-toned concealer on the blemish, gently blending the red-nixing neutralizer; do away with weird, whitish-looking skin by avoiding over application. Dipping a decent amount of loose powder onto a triangular makeup sponge, completely cover the area, allowing it to sit and settle onto the skin. Follow up with the finale: dust your entire face with loose powder, a bit of bronzer and blush, and you’ve successfully squelched the sightly spot.
