Surprisingly Awesome

If you're anything like me, you assume that the majority of infomercial products are useless junk in reality. I must admit that, years ago,  the first time I saw an advertisement for the Turbie Twist, I laughed. It seemed like a total waste of money. I thought, yes, I get it...it stays in place...but...it's just a TOWEL!

Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I was browsing the hair accessory section at my local drugstore and I noticed the Turbie Twist displayed unassumingly amongst various hair styling paraphernalia. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I grabbed one and tossed it into my cart. I totally expected to think it was a waste of money and to give up on it after just one use, but, to my delight, my Turbie twist turned out to be surprisingly awesome!

I opted for the less expensive (by one dollar) unprinted microfiber version. I examined the package before I tried it out. The product claimed to be made of a "new" microfiber material that is supposed to dry your hair faster. I didn't even know these turbans were supposed to do that.

The Turbie Twist is thin and, at first glance, seems a bit flimsy. I doubted its ability to cut down drying time for my long, plentiful hair. The tag says that the product is made of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide. It's machine washable (always a relief). The back of the towel has an elastic loop. To use it, you're supposed to flip your wet hair over, place the back of the towel over the back of your head, and then drape the rest of the towel over the length of your hair. Then you simply twist the towel up around your hair and tuck the end of the fabric into the elastic loop (it's all very obvious and straight forward once you have the product in front of you).

So I decided to give it a try. At first, I thought the Turbie Twist was too small for my hair. The length of my hair was slightly longer than the length of the towel. But I just folded over the ends of my hair and twisted the towel around my wet locks. Worked just fine. If you have one of these and you have long hair, you can still fit your hair in the towel if you fold the ends of your hair over.

I was amazed to see that the Turbie Twist knocked at least a third off my usual drying time (probably more). The Turbie Twist IS thin, but it is surprisingly absorbent. It seems to just suck the moisture out of my hair.

And...the Turbie Twist IS liberating! It's not like having a bulky towel around your head. It's small, lightweight, and comfortable. It's also perfect to keep by the sink so I can quickly get my hair out of the way while I wash my face or apply make up.

I was surprised by how much I love this thing and decided I needed at least one more (although I knew I would have loved to have a whole set). I swung by the drugstore and grabbed a plain pink one. When I got home, I noticed that this one was 100% cotton. I guess I mistakenly bought the original version instead of the microfiber version. I was disappointed to discover that this cotton Turbie Twist lacked the absorbent power of my microfiber Turbie Twist.

Moral of the story: If you are going to buy a Turbie Twist, make sure it's the MICROFIBER Turbie Twist!

These things are awesome and you're going to want a whole set to use after each shower. I found this AMAZING deal on this set of four MICROFIBER Turbie Twists. Such a better price than what I paid at the drugstore.

Don't you just love when a product exceeds your expectations?

<3 Bee

Overhyped and Overrated

These products aren't necessarily bad enough to make it to The Sh*t List, but they are still pretty disappointing.

This living, breathing list is reserved for products that fail to live up to the hype. These products received glowing reviews, came highly recommended, or touted themselves as some sort of miracle in a way that was at least semi-believable. Whatever the reason, I had hoped that these products would be less of a bust than they turned out to be. I will continually be adding to list as I encounter (or remember past encounters with) such disappointing products.

So, if you're considering buying into the hype surrounding any of the following products, read what I have to say before you try them out.

• Maybelline Great Lash

Let's start with one of the most overhyped and overrated products out there. I'm sure that, like me, you have been hearing for years that this stuff is just soooo great for the price and blablabla. I have tried various version of Maybelline's Great Lash and they all have been underwhelming. I have known this since high school, but I guess that from time to time I just keep deciding to revisit Great Lash due to all the undeserved accolades and hype surrounding these mascaras.

Learn from my mistake: Maybelline Great Lash mascaras are NOT and NEVER HAVE BEEN worthy of the hype. I'm sorry. I have tried truckloads of great mascaras and this just doesn't even come close to being one of them.

With that said, it's not horrible. I've tried worse. But why would you want to settle for a product knowing that it's just "not the worst out there..."??

It doesn't lengthen lashes. It doesn't thicken lashes. It doesn't hold a curl. It doesn't last very long. It fades. It's a bit wet and can be messy. Even the "BIG blackest black" version is just way too thin and doesn't do much to amplify lashes. I suppose it's possible to achieve a decent amount of coverage--after like 10 coats.

• Suave Professionals Humectant Conditioner 

Beauty Homework!

I bought this book on a whim about a year ago and I am so glad that I did. It really is an essential "owner's manual" when it comes to all things beauty and health.

In You Being Beautiful, authors Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz (that's right--Dr. Oz) lay out a straightforward, informative, entertaining, and down-to-earth guide to understanding skin, hair, and other factors that determine both inner and outer-beauty.

The authors' colloquial and sometimes comical style of writing, along with their informative and funny illustrations and diagrams, make this encyclopaedia of crucial beauty knowledge a quick and easy read. You will probably want to read it cover to cover, but it is also a perfect reference to keep around whenever you have concerns or questions regarding your skin, hair, nails, or body.

I have recommended this book to friends, family, hair stylists, aestheticians, and even nurses. All of them have loved it just as much as I do!

So get your summer reading on! :)

<3

Bee

Ahhh....the little things...like: hair ties

Sometimes something so small and so simple can make you feel like....ahhhhhhhhhh.

I was at CVS last week browsing the haircare aisle and I noticed something interesting. Scunci has released a new line of hair ties called "Scunci Evolution." From a distance, these might look like your average "ouchless" or snag-resistant hair ties . . . but they are so much more.

I needed some new hair ties and this new evolution line was fairly priced so I figured I might give them a try...but then I saw this 21 piece pack of smaller, thinner black evolution hair ties. The included hair tie holder sold me. I had to take the plunge and try them out. I was so impressed that I went back and bought a 14 piece pack of translucent white hair ties in the larger size.

They are smooth and composed uniformly of a gelly silicone-like substance (so they are also snag-free). But these hair ties magically seem to just stay put. They really don't slip. I can put my hair up in a bun on top of my head using one of these and go to sleep...and my hair will actually STAY in that bun until morning. I move around quite a bit during my sleep...so this is quite a feat.

I've also worn these new hair ties working out (ya know...jumping, dancing around, etc.) and my ponytail or bun stays exactly where it's supposed to. These hair ties are godsend for athletes and dancers.

But that's not the only reason these things are amazing. They are STRONG. Over the years, I have a few friends with super thick hair who constantly break hair ties. They only could use the thicker hair ties because the smaller ones didn't stand a chance. Well, I can say with certainty that even the thickest of hair is no match for these bad boys. They STRETCH. Even the smaller ones would be perfect for super thick hair.

And, since they really don't slip, you don't have to wrap them around a million times to make them stay put. I don't even need to wrap the little black ones around a second time to get them to stay in place (but I usually do anyway just to be extra safe).

As an added bonus, I am absolutely in love with the hair tie holder that my first set came with. Such a simple but such a GENIUS idea. As you can see in the image above, I added my white hair ties to this little pink thing. It's made of the same non-slip silicone-like gelly stuff that the hair ties are made of, so there's no real danger of it coming loose on one end. I constantly lose my hair ties so this is a great thing to have.

But...I am super confused. I cannot seem to find the smaller hair ties online anywhere. I wanted to find a site that carries the pack that includes the hair tie holder and link to it in this post. But I couldn't find them in cyberspace. However, I can assure you that they do exist and that CVS is currently carrying them in its stores. I have seen them at two different CVS stores as recently as yesterday.

I highly recommend these new hair ties for all hair types. My only warning is to (as you always should) remember to be gentle when removing the hair ties. They are completely smooth, so they are less likely to get tangled in your hair than traditional hair ties which have fibers and grooves. But, since they are so slip resistant, you should remove them slowly instead of yanking them out all at once. Unwrap the hair tie slowly if you wrapped it around. You want to be careful not to accidentally create too much friction and yank out some stray hairs.

But that's just common sense. These things are amazing! I will never go back to traditional hair ties. Head over to CVS and grab some!

<3 Bee