Cosmetics Galore

I think that just about every woman I know has a little mini crush/admiration for Jennifer Aniston. I think it’s because not only does she have great, easy taste when it comes to fashion and manages to make a plain black dress look downright adorable yet sexy at the same time, but she seems like she’s the woman who you could have a conversation with. She’s “obtainable” that way, even though she is a huge mega star and has had her life repeatedly invaded by the paparazzi and her love life scrutinized, written about and speculated on for over a decade.

Let’s talk first about her fabulous hair. She has always had really beautiful hair, one of the most admired heads of celebrity hair there is. It always seems to lay right, and she wears it in the most gorgeous yet simple updos and side swept looks.  She can wear it wavy or pin straight and look really pretty doing it.

Her makeup is simple.  That’s why she looks somewhat like the girl next door – even though she’d be the girl next door that every guy wants to date.  She uses simple nudes, what looks like a small amount of natural foundation and shades of brown a lot and pink, which fits her naturally tan, fit look best.  She wouldn’t look good with caked on makeup, and she seems to know that and chooses the most elegant and simple, casual looks for her makeup, yet manages to look young, fresh and vibrant every time.

She has a look of “fun” about her. Like she’s the girl that every man and woman wants to be friends with. And that my friend, is probably more attractive than anything else – hair, makeup, clothes or any other physical attribute.  And she looks to have no cellulite in those photos of her in bikinis, which makes her the envy of most women.

I’m kind of liking her hair when she doens’t flat iron it.  It looks so pretty with the multiple layers of highlights that seem darn natural if they aren’t.  The waviness and texture really looks fantastic with her chocie of clothes and makeup too.

Australians apparently have been indulging in the use of something I had never heard of before reading about the authorities warning against it. It is an injection of hormones that increase melanin production so that you can tan faster (or actually it gives you pretty much an instant tan like a self tanner would).

In what seems like a dream trifecta, this injectable substance also claims to increase your libido AND make you skinnier by suppressing your appetite and leading to weight loss. So what’s the rub? Well, it really has never proven to be safe, and in fact has been banned in several countries so far, so that’s never a good sign that a product is reputable.

Even though it has been banned in several countries, some can still obtain it over the internet, which has prompted the Australian authorities to warn people from using it due to what they see are big dangers.

The injectable substance has been called the “Barbie drug” because it makes you tanner and supposedly thinner. It is actually a synthetic hormone and is still being used by women and men alike to get an instant tan and to help with fast weight loss. We all know the drill – if something seems too good to be true, it is.

Also, we’ve seen these “too good to be true” types of products end up causing serious harm to people, possibly even death, so it’s always best to put your skeptic hat on when reading about these things and try not to buy in to the hype.

The drug has been available by prescription, but is still freely available on the itnernet with no prescriptio, which worries authorities even more. The side effects reported thus far have been flushing, nausea, darkening of freckles, and erections that last waaaay too long, among others.

My husband has become addicted to a few of the Aveda products much to my dismay (they’re a bit pricey, but goshdarnit, they smell good and I like the way they make my hair look). He actually recently lost his just-purchased Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair tube that cost him a pretty $24 and tax and had to re-buy it.

Talk about a double whammy to the wallet! But I definitely understand – once you really like a product and it really works well on your hair, well there’s no going back. When something makes his hair lay right, it’s game over. He’s got thicker, wavy brown hair that is a bit longer (he doesn’t get it buzzed but rather cut with regular sheers every time he goes to the stylist), so when it looks good it looks fabulous, and like others with longer hair, when it looks bad it looks downright sad.

The product, which I have snagged a couple times from him to use of course, is a pretty good one. It could be a little too heavy for some hair types, but my long brown hair tends to me more on the coarse and dry side, so my hair just soaks it right in. As with many other Aveda haircare products, a little bit goes a long way which is comforting when you’re paying more for a higher quality product.

It comes with that same old woodsy-earthy smell that most other Aveda products come with, and it’s claim to fame is that it is made with quinoa protein. Quinoa is a seed that is commonly eaten almost like brown rice is. It is a very unique grain/seed because it contains all of the essential amino acids, which makes it a great dietary choice for vegans and vegetarians who cannot eat animal or dairy sources of protein.

My husband uses a little dab of it after he washes his hair. He lets his hair air dry with it in, and he swears that it makes his hair more tame and less frizzy and crazy throughout the day, so I’d say that’s quite a ringing endorsement for this particular hair product - especially from a guy who barely runs a comb through his hair in the morning otherwise!

Hello everyone! This is the new format for Cosmetics Galore, a veteran cosmetics and beauty products review site that I’ve been running now for about seven years. It has certainly flown by, and the site has definitely grown a lot and taken some turns, both for better or for worse (apparently some search engines now shun review sites, but hey, we’ll roll with the punches and keep bringing these reviews to you, our readers!)

I just wanted to introduce the new format since I’ll be occasionally posting updates in a shorter format. They’ll be all about things like new beauty crazes, makeup tips, natural enhancement products and beauty supplements, slimming and cellulite reduction tips and all things beauty.

I want to really start focusing on natural beauty, because in the past two or so years I’ve really come to see that natural, preservative and chemical “non toxic” beauty products are really what we all should be using. I’ve started using many all natural beauty and personal care products and frankly, I’ll never go back to using toxic body care.

This is truly my passion now, and I want to share it with the readers. I’ve even dabbled in making my own all natural products, and will also share that with all of you too.

So welcome to our new format, and please, since you now have the ability to post comments – post, post, post! That’s what it’s all about – sharing. Please no spam and no rudeness – this is a community that will be modeled in the spirit of respect, passion and fun.

WELCOME!!!!