Aveda

Keep Calm and Centered With the Relaxing, Redolent Aveda Shampure Line

December 7th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

There are so many redolent reasons to wander into Aveda, like the teas…

Oh, my gosh! — every time I walk in there and someone’s like, “Would you care for some tea?” I’m like Billy the Kid with how fast my had whips out for that cup. YUM!

But one of the best reasons to visit Aveda is their Shampure line. If you like lavender, peppermint and basically anything that smells herbal and earthly, I think you’ll love it. I know I do.

It’s a line of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body oil, and they also have a body mist now, all in the same scent, which is a potion of 25 pure plant and flower essences to soothe your senses.

The strongest notes to me are lavender, peppermint and ylang-ylang, which is a white, tropical flower from the Philippines (woo!), and they smell so cozy, calming and wintry together.

This is a great time of year for it. I love it.

aveda shampure composition oil — I really like this real-deal body oil for uber-dry legs.

The Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner ($14 each for decent-sized 8.5-oz. bottles) are my favorite things in the line. I use them once every other week as a clarifying set for my roots and my strands because they completely — like, I’m not kidding — get my hair squeaky clean.

Shampoo Ingredients:

Aqueous (Water\Aqua\Eau) Extracts\Extraits Aqueux:Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract , Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate , Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate , Lauramidopropyl Betaine , PEG-6 Cocamide , Dimethicone PEG-7 Isostearate , Babassuamidopropyl Betaine , Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Hydrolyzed Brazil Nut Protein , Wheat Amino Acids , Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil , Glycerin , Tocopheryl Acetate , Ascorbyl Palmitate , Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , PEG-30 Castor Oil , Polyquaternium-7 , Sodium Sulfate , Fragrance (Parfum) , Geraniol , Linalool , Citronellol , Limonene , Sodium Chloride , Polysorbate 80 , Sodium Gluconate , Maltodextrin , Potassium Sorbate , Sodium Benzoate , Phenoxyethanol , Annatto (CI 75120)

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Aveda Texture Tonic to Define and Enhance Texture for Hair That Looks Effortlessly Undone

October 31st, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

I cannot stop smelling my hair today! It smells exactly like that yummy tea they serve at Aveda stores.

You know the one. It’s herbal, a little sweet, a little bit like fresh crushed sage sprinkled on top of a bucket of ginger candy and cinnamon. It smells fresh and delicious, and it’s all up in my strands right now because I just sprayed the new Aveda Texture Tonic ($25) into my mane. The aroma is super strong.

Texture Tonic is a new texturizing and styling spray in Aveda’s hair styling line, and unlike most salt-only beach wave hairsprays, like Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, it’s a sugar AND salt spray.

I’m not exactly sure what the sugar brings to the table, but it’s bringing something. I’ll say that much.

One thing I love about this spray is that it doesn’t make my hair feel hard or crunchy, and you know I don’t do crunch.

It does add grit and texture, and it capably coaxes out waves, but it isn’t nearly as gritty as Bumble’s Surf Spray. It’s, like, mid-level grit, so you don’t feel that salt spray stiffness or stickiness, and your mane remains touchable (although not as soft as it is when I use R+Co Sail, which is the love of my life right now).

Aveda Texture Tonic is similar to…

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion Oil and Salt-Infused Spray

R+Co Sail Soft Wave Spray

Bumble and Bumble Surf Foam Spray Blow Dry

AG Hair Cosmetics Texture Spray

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The Aveda Foklor Autumn/Winter 2016 Makeup Collection

November 22nd, 2016 by Karen 14 Comments

aveda foklor collection — I’m wearing the Aveda Foklor Collection on my eyes and lips

Well, someone was feeling creative when they named this collection. 🙂 Why is “folklore” spelled like that (like “Foklor”)? I’d really like to know. It’s interesting, though, right?

So, I don’t know a lot about Aveda makeup, but I’ve used it a bit before, and one of the things I like about the line is their botanical ingredients (fun fact: I was a botany major for about 2 seconds). Like, their Petal Essence Single Eye Colors contain aromatic waxes from jasmine flowers and geranium leaves, and their Nourish-Mint lip products have organic mint.

Foklor is their fall/winter 2016 collection, and it’s so colorful! I don’t know why, but I expected more subdued colors, and these are punchier and more exciting than I thought (yay!).

The eyeshadows are my favorite things in the collection. There are four of them, and the greens, in particular, are absolutely stunning. The powders are a little frostier than I usually like, but I love how easy the pigments are to build and blend. I can get a dramatic look fairly quickly with them without having to layer too much.

The Aveda Foklor Collection
Limited edition for autumn/winter 2016, available now at Aveda counters and online

Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color in Carnelian ($18)
Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color in Sheer Primrose ($18)
Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Pink Lupine ($18)
Nourish-Mint Lip Shine in Chuparosa ($18)
Nourish-Mint Lip Liner in Tarragona ($18)
Petal Essence Eye Definers in Slate Shimmer and Gypsum Gold ($17 each)
Petal Essence Single Eye Colors in Chia, Rose Quartz, Dusted Sage and Balsam ($15 each)

I’m all about these eyeliners, too, like Slate Shimmer, which is a gorgeous, dark and smoky bluish gray with tiny flecks of teal glitter. It’s very…almost NARS-y and really pretty.

The liners have a harder texture, so you might want to warm them up on the back of your hand first to get them nice and soft.

aveda foklor collection eyes — Aveda Foklor Eyeshadows and Eye Definers

aveda foklor collection lips — Aveda Foklor lip products

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The Aveda Indian Sunset Collection: These Sunset Shades Go Together Well

March 16th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 10 Comments

OK, as soon as I saw this collection, I knew it would be perfect for my friend Pearl. She and I went to art school together and have long since loved collaborating.

We basically just make pictures and push each other out of our comfort zones. She has impeccable style, and her makeup is usually just mascara and lipstick (if any at all). The limited edition Aveda Indian Sunset collection is perfect for gals like her who don’t generally wear bolder makeup but still want to experiment with some color.

Aveda Indian Sunset Collection — Aveda Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color in Sheer Clove $17, Nourish-Mint Lip Liner in Spring Rose $17, Petal Essence Single Eye Color in Desert Clay, Peach Nectar, Lilac Glow, and Amethyst Dawn $15, Petal Essence Face Accents in Tesserae and Apricot Whisper $24, Petal Essence Eye Definer in Violet Blossom and Sea Fern $17

The collection includes 11 new shades for eyes and lips, including four shadows — two purples and two orange shades. My favorites are Amethyst Dawn (a purple satin) and Desert Clay (a matte, earthy orange), which are the shades I used on Pearl’s lid and outer corner, respectively.
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A Mini Guide for Your Winter Malaise, or How to Treat Yourself When You’re on the Mend

March 16th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 11 Comments

selfie, sick, illness, — Pale? Puffy? Three days without washing your hair? Might be a viral infection.

This week I struggled for a subject to write a longer post on when it came to the subject of beauty and beauty related things. I grappled for an idea, when suddenly, like a message from above, it hit me, and hit me hard.

Bronchitis.

No, this post won’t be exclusively about bronchitis, but it will be about how to feel more like yourself and how to enjoy the products you use every day, while you’re battling a cold, infection, virus, what have you.

I used to get bronchitis every year as a kid, so when I started to get a dry, raw cough that kind of felt like a hole in my chest, I did what any 25-year-old might do, and tried to self-medicate for a few days. I don’t recommend it, but I took some cough syrup and hoped that this was not bronchitis. I had also already planned a night out in New Jersey to see some friends for my boyfriend’s brother’s birthday, so I wasn’t going to miss that just because of a little cough.

Come Sunday morning after the birthday celebration, and I couldn’t tell if it was the one (one!) shot I was convinced to do or the hacking cough that had me feeling so low. Either way, the alcohol probably didn’t help, and by Monday it was time to see an actual doctor. One listen to my chest and a solemn nod, and my prognosis was clear. Bronchitis it was! Next time I should probably forgo the alcohol and see a doctor sooner.

In the meantime, here are some of my words of wisdom on how to feel a little more like yourself while you’re recovering from/dealing with an illness.

Moisturize and hydrate

Every time I say the word “moisturize” to myself, I get an image ofLady Cassandra from Doctor Who, screaming “MOISTURIZE ME” and imagine strange men in suits misting me with a water planter.

Sounds nice, right?

Not if you’re basically just skin and a face. Anyways.

Since moving into a new place and dealing with dry air all winter long, boyfriend conceded and purchased a humidifier, which has been a godsend. As a cool mist humidifier, I’m not sure what the exact differences are between this and a warm mist (besides temperature), but it has made our bedroom much more tolerable, and in the first few days, has really helped my chest congestion. It also seems to have helped his winter nosebleeds!

This one from Crane is available at Target and comes in a bunch of funky colors. The one night I went without it, my nose was in absolute agony.

Don’t forgo the H2O

We’re all told that we need to drink more fluids, and this one can’t be any truer than when we’re sick. Now, there’s only one time you can rip my coffee from my cold dead hands, other than me actually being dead, and that’s when I’m sick. I’ve learned that I can’t even drink soy milk when I’m sick. Anything in milk form makes it that much worse. Water and tea are where it’s at. Treat yourself to your favorite brand of tea, and get to brewin’.

tea, harney & sons, owl mug, — Current fave: African Autumn by Harney & Sons; rooibos, cranberry, and oranges.

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Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo

November 6th, 2015 by Karen 19 Comments

For me, Aveda is one of those stores that’s like Jupiter’s gravity. It draws me in! There’s one at the Corte Madera mall by my house, and my nose compels me to walk in whenever I’m there, just to smell the shampoos and conditioners.

The ladies who work there are always so nice, too. “Can I get you a cup of tea or help you find a product?” And I’m like, “Nope! I’m just here to sniff the shampoos…”

LOL! They must get that a lot. 🙂 I don’t see how someone could not walk into an Aveda store, though. They’re so herbal and earthy and refreshing and just so, so good to my nose. My favorite of their fragrances is Shampure, which just so happens to be the scent behind their new Shampure Dry Shampoo.

Shampure is their signature calming scent, and it’s filled with 25 flower and plant essences, like lemon verbena and lavender (the bottle says that the ingredients are “99.8% naturally derived”). Ahh… It’s like a relaxing Sunday afternoon at the spa.

So because of the scent, of course I had to try the new dry shampoo. A 2-oz. bottle costs $30, and it’s on shelves at Aveda salons, spas and stores (it’s also available online). Also, hello! — dry shampoo junkie right here. I use them four or five times a week.

First things first, the packaging.

Hmm… It works like a squishy bottle of baby powder, and the product is a non-aerosol powder, so you tip the bottle upside down, then bring it right side up, then squeeze, and the powder puffs out in a mist.
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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

September 2nd, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

1. Pears

Mmm… Sweet green, juicy pears. I love them so much right meow! I got a huge bag of organic pears at Trader Joe’s last Sunday, and most of them have already managed to find their way into my tum. 🙂 I might be on the verge of a full-on pear obsession.

I get that way sometimes about certain foods, where I ravenously crave them every day, over and over for weeks or months, and it’s starting to happen with pears.

I still haven’t succumbed to the temptation to “borrow” any from the huge pear tree I pass every day on my walk, but today may be the day… We’ll know by around 7 o’clock tonight.

2. Tocca scents

I keep a bunch of perfumes on this cake stand display on top of my dresser, but the only one I’ve been wearing lately is Byredo Gypsy Water, and I’ve been wearing it for months.

Hmm… This might be a good time to try a different scent every day with a scent of the day series on Instagram! That might be fun.

In the process of sniffing some of these today I discovered that a couple of them had gone sour. 🙁 The ancient bottle of Estée Lauder Private Collection perfume I’ve had forever smelled like moonshine, OMG!

It broke my heart to ditch it because it was a gift, but in the process of test sniffing these, I rediscovered some old faves, like, basically, EVERYTHING from Tocca.

Why did I ever stop wearing Tocca?? Their scents, while delicate, still have such presence, and whenever I wear one I just feel…chipper and glad. And, hello! — they last all day long too.

Today I’m wearing Violette, which I really like (but I like Bianca and Graciella even more).

3. Aveda Clove Color Conditioner

I have caramel highlights in my hair from about the mid-shaft to the ends, and I’ve been using and LOVING this Aveda Clove Color Conditioner ($21) to keep ’em looking vibrant and fresh.

All I do is wash my hair, then use Clove instead of my regular conditioner, and I leave it in for a few minutes before rinsing it out. I think it makes my highlights much richer (Clove in place of my regular conditioner once a week is enough to keep the highlights poppin’), and it has a fresh, very Aveda-esque herbal scent that I like. The only thing is…it’s kind of pain to keep the shower stall clean when you use it because it’s pigmented, so it’ll leave a stain in the tub if you’re not careful.

That’s why I bring a scrub brush with me into the shower, and after I rinse my hair, I’ll quickly scrub the shower walls to remove any spots or smears.
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Say “Chai” to the Aveda Light the Way Candle: Limited Edition for Earth Month

April 21st, 2015 by Karen 7 Comments

Mmm…chai tea.

That’s exactly what the new Aveda Light the Way Candle ($12) smells like to me. I have one scent-ifying my office right now, and oh my gosh, it smells good! — like vanilla and cinnamon (but not like someone dumped out two bottles of pure vanilla and cinnamon in the room).

Happy Earth Day Eve. 🙂

This limited edition Aveda soy wax candle is made from soy and other plant waxes, and it burns for about 30 hours (!). All of the proceeds from it go toward supporting water-related projects funded by the Global Greengrants Fund. According to Aveda, one Light the Way Candle purchase provides a year’s worth of drinking water for a person.

The glass it comes with is made entirely of recycled glass beverage bottles, too. Isn’t that cool? Even the box is made from 90% post-consumer recycled paperboard, and the candle’s scented with certified organic essential oils, including organic vanilla, cinnamon and ylang-ylang from Madagascar. Aveda also says that children living in the Manakara region of Madgascar drew the artwork for the packaging.

Established in 1993, the Colorado-based Global Greenrants Fund provides grants to grassroots environmental causes around the world. Read more about their work at greengrants.org.

Look for the Light the Way Candle now at Aveda salons, spas, stores and online at aveda.com while supplies last.

By the way, if you purchase one online, the shipping is free. 🙂