February 2020

My general rule of thumb for life is this: spend all of my money on skincare and makeup, and neglect my hair in full. I pay too much maintaining my faux-blondness to possibly consider spending exorbitant amounts on products too (besides my beloved Olaplex No. 3)—so when something effective and inexpensive comes out, I’m on board.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to my very favorite beauty podcast, Breaking Beauty, where the hosts, beauty editors Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgens were talking about their favorite new drugstore products. My eyes were glazed over on minute 40 of 50 of my pre-caffeine train ride when something caught my attention: a product that changes your hair in eight seconds. That’s right: eight seconds—a far cry from the 30-minute deep conditioning masks we’re used to.

Normally, I’d skip right over this information and deem it too good to be true. But Jill and Carlene have never once steered me wrong, and given their glowing reviews and explanation of the science behind the product, I was on board to throw $8.99 at it to find out if it worked myself.

L’Oreals Wonder Water Lamellar Hair Treatment is a liquid product that’s meant to be used for eight seconds on wet hair, after shampooing and before conditioning. The amount you use depends on your hair’s length, thickness, and level of damage, but there are very official milliliter marks on the bottle to give you a clear indication of how much you should use.

While lamellar technology is new in the hair-care sphere, Dunn and Higgens predicted that we’ll be seeing it more and more in the coming year. According to L’Oreal, “Wonder Water works to coat the hair with moisturizing agents and an amino acid, and it targets damaged areas of hair, forming small and very organized thin layers called lamellars that help smooth the surface of strands without weighing it down.”

My hair is long, fine, and extremely straight, but given all the dying it gets, I’d probably rank it at about a 4/10 damage-wise. I’m always looking for ways to bring back some of the shine and movement it’s lost in the process of color treating it throughout the years. Given this, I followed the instructions and used it in the shower after shampooing, and opted to use 20ml of product. I struggled a bit with my approach to applying it, but ultimately just winged it and tried my best to cover all of my hair in product. I then worked it into my hair for about 10 seconds, rinsed, and followed up with my regular conditioner.

You know when you use a really good deep conditioning treatment, and when you rinse it out of your hair you can immediately feel that your hair feels silkier, even though it’s dripping wet? That’s how I felt after using this, so I was extremely optimistic. I wanted to test the results, so I followed up with my Revlon One-Step blow dryer and gave myself a little blowout. Since I didn’t use anything else special in my routine (i.e. a deep conditioner), I was able to really tell if the product worked—and it delivered. 

Since my hair is fine, it’s easy for conditioning products to weigh it down and make me feel like I immediately need to shower again. What made this product so unique is that it did, in fact, make my hair look shinier with fewer fly-aways, but it did it in a way that didn’t make it look like I had used 100 smoothing products to get it there. My hair felt fluffy and light, and it looked genuinely healthier—plus it got there in 10 seconds, which isn’t a far cry from witchcraft in my book.

The bottle advises to use the product 3-4 times a week, which is how much I wash my hair, so I’ve honestly been using it every hair wash to get my strands silky (I can never have too much of a good thing). I would say the one downside to this product is that it comes with 200ml of product, so it doesn’t last an incredibly long time—but given that it costs me a little over the price of a latte? I don’t mind. And based on this product’s performance and reviews online (it already has 4.6 stars from 150 reviews on Target’s site), I’d bet this isn’t going to be the last time you’re hearing about this.

The post This $8 Product Can Change Your Hair in 8 Seconds appeared first on The Everygirl.

Skincare has seen a lot of wild trends in recent years—from the obsession with Korean “glass skin” to peel-off masks to snail mucin, it’s safe to say that we’ve all tried just about everything imaginable in the pursuit of perfect skin. Everyone has their own reasons to care about their skin, but there is one commonality among all of us: we just want to look our very best. 

Because we all share this common goal, the conversation around “anti-aging” skincare has started for the better. We’re a far cry from never again worrying about a smile line or crows feet, but the messaging that younger is better has finally started to soften, and we’re seeing less and less focus on eternal youth. 

Brands and media are embracing skin that’s more “lived in” and less on what were once before perceived as flaws—fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots, etc. So when you see us discussing “anti-aging” skincare here at The Everygirl, we want to emphasize that the point isn’t to further stigmatize the aging process.

For our readers who are no longer worried about acne, and instead are onto the next phase of their relationship with their skin, here’s a list of drugstore products whose key ingredients are meant to nourish and protect your maturing and gorgeous complexion.

CeraVe

Resurfacing Retinol Serum

Vitamin A is the only ingredient in skincare that is scientifically proven to reduce signs of stress and aging, making it an absolute must-have product in your youth-preserving routine. CeraVe’s retinoid-based serum is also packed with ceramides and niacinamide, making it ideal for those of us wanting to care for our maturing complexion while also still fighting off the occasional breakout. 

Bliss

Renew & Smooth Glycolic Polyhydroxy Acid Night Serum

If you really want to see the best results from your retinol treatments, you definitely want to include a glycolic acid somewhere in your routine. Glycolic acid encourages your skin cells to turn over more quickly, which allows for retinol to more effectively penetrate the skin and get to the deeper layers to work its magic. This particular serum is also balanced with plant-derived squalane, which will help your skin retain a good moisture balance.

Derma E DMAE

Alpha Lipoic C-Ester Creme

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant that, when applied topically to the skin, can help defend against free-radical damage caused by stress and the environment, making it an excellent ingredient to layer under SPF during the day. This particular formulation is best for drier skin types, since it's a cream consistency, but it can be “watered” down with a couple drops of hyaluronic acid for even more effective hydration and protection. 

Garnier

Skin Active Clearly Brighter Anti-Puff Eye Roller

We all know how hard it is to get enough sleep when you have to be a full-time adult, which is precisely why we always have one of these super handy eye rollers tucked away in our refrigerator at all times. Garnier has been making this product for years, and it never stops being a lifesaver for puffy and tired eyes on early mornings. Packed with caffeine, hydrating glycerine, and Vitamin C, just a quick swipe in the morning makes up for at least a couple hours of rest you didn’t actually get! 

L'Oreal Paris

Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Honey Balm

One of the first things that tends to happen when your skin starts to transition into a more mature phase is the inability for it to effectively retain a healthy moisture barrier, which is thankfully not a difficult problem to overcome! “Heavier” products aren’t always best—focus on more humectant ingredients that provide their own hydration while assisting your skin in maintaining what it produces naturally. The Manuka honey extract in this product will do just that while also soothing any irritation or redness. 

CeraVe

Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen

Sunscreen is paramount for any and all complexions, no matter what particular issues you might be trying to treat, so it’s always best to find a product that is affordable, reliable, and convenient. The CeraVe Ultra-Light Lotion has been one of the brand’s best-selling products for years for this exact reason—not only providing adequate sun protection, but also including a highly protective and nourishing ceramide complex in the formula as well. 

The post The Most Effective Drugstore Anti-Aging Products appeared first on The Everygirl.

For some, going to the nail salon is a blissful, relaxing experience. You show up, pick out a color, and someone else shapes, buffs, files, and trims your nails, while you lie back, completely untroubled. Sadly, the experience is quite the opposite for me. Getting my nails done is a chore. Maybe I’m just a freak who’s obsessed with her phone, but the thought of being hands-free for an hour is a nightmare. It seems like the second I give my hands up to the nail technician, everyone I know wants to make plans and discuss our lives in utter detail. I’m squirmy and uncomfortable (I’m constantly told to relax my fingers, over and over again), so I’m always messing them up and annoying whoever is doing my nails. 

Basically, I hate getting my nails done. Unfortunately for me, I love having my nails painted and trying new colors. It’s equivalent to putting eyeshadow or lipstick on; it’s a way to express how I’m feeling and try trends. So, you see my dilemma here. Instead of galavanting about with bare fingernails this spring, here are the trends I’m trying and how I’m getting them at home.

 

1. Mint + Sage Green

 

2. Bubblegum Pink

 

3. Cream + Beige

 

4. Sky Blue

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Feeling that weekend freedom 🌤

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5. Creamsicle

 

6. Fuschia Pink

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Pink for summer 💗👙🎀💅🏼

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7. Yellow

 

8. Lilac

 

9. Bright Red

 

10. White

 

What nail colors are you excited to try this spring? Share with us in the comments!

 

The post 10 Nail Colors to Try for Spring appeared first on The Everygirl.

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