"Save My Feet Blister Elixir" by Peaches and Boo Boo Product Review

Hi Shine and Sparkle Report Readers,

This is a quick review of a product a co-worker recommended to me years ago.  It has been worth its weight in gold since then.  The "Save My Feet Blister Elixir" by Peaches and Boo Boo* has a name as mysterious as its creators.  The magic behind it is equally as baffling.

That being said, it's a slippery lotion that you put on your feet where/around where blisters happen.  It keeps most of them from ever happening by reducing the friction between your foot and your shoe.  I know, I know, I was skeptical at first.  But since my co-worker swore by it, I had to try it.  Years later, I still have not finished a bottle and it continues to keep me from getting those "new shoe" blisters.

The manufacturers say "Save My Feet is designed for the woman who owns a variety of shoes and wants to have comfort from blisters and irritations. This product works on flats, pumps, sneakers, and even between toes for flip flops. Greaseless, stainless, non-mediated. Nice fresh scent.
A little goes a long way so you can use it every day."  I say, it's good for anyone who wears shoes.

The price of this item is $20USD for 4oz, but I'm serious that a little goes a long way and will last you years.  It is really such a life saving product. It claims it lasts 8 hours, but if you have very new shoes, I suggest bringing it along and re-applying if you start to feel friction (aka the start of a blister).  Mini Tip: It doesn't do jack if you already have blisters.  It's really just preventative.

There is not much to say about this other than I'm ecstatic that it works!


Shine & Sparkle!


*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. Also, like all my images, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if someone throws a hissy fit.

Ms. Sparkle's Best Conditioners For Your Hair

Back to regularly scheduled beauty blogging Shine and Sparkle Report readers!

Today, I wanted to let you know my top conditioners for different hair types.  My amazing friend Kethry asked about.  I've been meaning to do a conditioner post for a while but there is a surprising amount of work that goes into it.  I had to really think about the scope of this post to avoid writing a novel or not being an informed blogger. These conditioners are my favorite examples of conditioners that might work for your hair.  It also can serve as a bit of a guide when you go out looking for a new conditioner.  That being said, everyone's hair is different and you might have to experiment a little to find out what works best for your hair.

Scope Of This Sparkle Report:
I limited my suggestions to just what I consider to be "regular" conditioners (or products that perform like regular conditioners) rather than "deep" conditioners/masks to that are used 1-2 times a week.  I pretty much stuck with types of Healthy Hair and Dry/Damaged/Color Treated Hair as the two discussed hair types.  There is a little in there about hair texture, but lets face it, I have the most experience with my own hair texture which has been all of the textures discussed in this post at one time or another.  However, not having much experience with super curly or kinky textures, I think I'm best qualified to give advice within the stated boundaries.  I also know I only touched on the whole "moisture vs. protein" issue and I'm kind of high up there with the pricing.  That being said, in order to get anything written, I just had to go with it.  Since this is a full on report, I tried to keep this intro as short as possible.  Feel free to ask any questions or your suggestions in the comments!

Healthy Hair:
You are very lucky! You do not have damage or increased dryness.  Your hair is the same as it was when it first popped out of your scalp.  Congratulations.  The internet says that currently 75% of American women report having dyed their hair at some point.  So having completely healthy or "virgin" hair puts you  in a position of maintaining the health of your hair.  This also means that conditioners that are very heavy might weigh your hair down because your hair is not absorbing all the extra ingredients that are used to make unhealthy hair look healthy.  Thus, most conditioners will work well for you.  I'd pick either a volumizing, light moisturizing, or smoothing/sleek conditioner depending on how you like to style your hair.  If you like "big hair" pick a volumizing conditioner.  It will weigh your hair down the least.  If like it a bit more sleek, pick a light moisturizing conditioner.  If you have very frizzy hair naturally and you want it very smooth and need the extra weight, go with a smoothing conditioner which has heavier ingredients.  Below are my top picks:

• Volume = Tea-Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Conditioner by Paul Mitchell*.  This smells great and is a very light conditioner that will still leave your hair feeling nourished. If you have seen my shower make over post or my healthy hair post, you will know I've been in love with this line forever!

•  Light Moisture= En Root Moisturize My Hair Conditioner by The Balm.  This is my go-to conditioner no matter what your hair type, but I think it works outstandingly on healthy hair that needs a bit of moisture.  I suggest checking it out even if you have damaged hair that needs to be quenched with moisture.

•  Smoothing/Sleek= Sleek.Look Smoothing Conditioner by Matrix.  If you have frizzy or curly hair that you are dying to tame, this is my solution.  You can go full hog and get the 3 step system.  I think it's only really necessary to nab the conditioner.  You get the same results if you use any shampoo before it and a smoothing product/serum afterwards.
  

Dry/Damaged/Color Treated Hair:
Ah, anyone who has picked up a box of hair dye at the drugstore or watched their hair turn colors in a salon chair knows that your hair is never quite "healthy" afterwards.  Having thoroughly stressed out your hair, it tends to get dry, tangled, or frizzy really easily.  It might even be breaking off and you know the split ends are on a rampage.  Trying to tame these problems is an million approximately $49 billion dollar industry and I have written quite few posts about hair products and hair care methods to keep these hair destroying symptoms at bay. However, the battle is completely and utterly lost without a good conditioner.  The following are my favorites to address the top 3 ailments that conditioners need to address for dry/damaged/color treated hair: (1) Extreme Dryness; (2) Protein Loss; (3) Color Fade.  I personally do not count these as "deep" conditioning products based on how much more of a result I see from other deep conditioners. However, I recommend them as regular conditioners for those with very dry/damaged hair leave them on for a shorter amount of time if using regularly.  The times to leave it in your hair will vary depending on your hair.

• Extreme Dryness= K-PAK Intense Hydrator by Joico.  This does some serious hydrating to your damaged locks.  You can use it as part of their Keratin recovery line (after using their protein rich shampoos and conditioners.  However, I find that this works wonders at restoring moisture no matter what you use before hand.  Mini-Tip: You know your hair needs moisture when it's super frizzy and a strand of hair snaps very quickly when wet.  A drug store equivalent for me is the Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Moist, but but if you ask me what my favorite is, this is the one.
  
  

• Protein Loss= Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor by Aphogee.  This is cheap and very effective at restoring protein to the hair. Mini-Tip: You know your hair needs protein when it's super a strand of hair keeps stretching longer and longer when wet like a rubber band. I can leave this on for longer than 2 minutes without it making my hair too brittle (and needing to use the Joico Hydrator to restore balance), but I would start with a little less time to ensure your don't put too much protein in.
  
    
• Color Fade= Color Depositing Conditioners by John Frieda .  Here are a few quick things you need to know about color fade.  1) Harsh sulfates in shampoo are the main culprits of this phenomenon. 2) Your conditioner can help deposit a bit more color or help keep color in your hair by surrounding it in silicone (see my post of silicone in hair here), but it does not really "strip" color significantly from your hair.  John Frieda has the largest easily accessible color depositing conditioners.  They have ones for red hair, brunettes, and blondes.  They also have a violet shampoo to counteract yellowness in blondes. Are there better color depositing/toning conditioners depending on what color you need? Yes.  Is that a subject for another post? Yes. 

As you can tell this wasn't the easiest report to write but I did my best!  Hope this helped and that you enjoyed the first report-style post in quite a while.  Let me know via any of a gazillion social media outlets if you have any questions or would like more in-depth information on any of the products or concepts in this post. I love to hear from you!

As always,

Shine & Sparkle!

*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. Also, like all my images, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if someone throws a hissy fit.

Follow Me On Bloglovin'

Oh, hello again Shine and Sparkle Report Readers,

Today I wanted interrupt your regularly scheduled programing with this flash announcement.  I'm now officially part of Bloglovin'.  Aren't you ecstatic?! Ok, so maybe you are not jumping up and down with excitement, but at least you can be thankful.  Oh so thankful that I chose the discrete/simple "Follow Me On Bloglovin'" button on the right hand side of my blog over this .gif monstrosity below.  Dear lord, have you had a seizure yet?  Seriously, please don't have a seizure, scroll so you aren't looking at this thing anymore.  Do it now!

So, what is Bloglovin'?  It's a really great new tool I just learned about that is "the easiest way to follow your favorite blogs and discover new ones."  I realize that their by-line tells you nothing.  Pretty much it is a place to "follow" all your favorite blogs and see them in one easy to read feed. I realize that you might already have Google or another feed site doing this for you.  But I do really suggest this third party blog reading site. 

They have done a great job making blog reading simple and easy to use.  The web design is quite elegant if you ask me.  It also really opens the doors for the discovery of new blogs to read.  I highly recommend signing up for Bloglovin'--not just so you can follow me, but because it's a really great resource for blog lovers of any topic.

There is even an Bloglovin' iPhone App!

So I would be ever so grateful if you followed me on Bloglovin'.  I hope you are having a Sparkle-rific week.


As always,
Shine & Sparkle

Re-growing Lettuce, Celery, and Green Onions DIY

Howdy Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

I found a great use for old containers (like cleaned out Bath and Bodyworks Candle Jars).  It is very simple and cuts down on the cost of feeding Squiggles his fresh veggies (or your kids. Or yourself). 

All you will need is the following:

• Lower stub (normally discarded) of romaine lettuce, Celery, or Green Onion
• Water tight vessel that allows light to pass through it
• Water
• Place to put it where it gets some light (like a window)

Steps:

1. Put lower part of plants in about 1/2 an inch of water
2. Wait
3. Change water every day or so
4. Watch plant re-grow from the center of the plant stub.

Amazing right?!  This DIY is so much fun to do.  It also makes a little green plant for minimal money and effort.  Kids (or easily amused adults) will love watching it grow.

Shine & Sparkle!

A Luxury Shower Product Make-Over!

Fancy Seeing You Again Shine and Sparkles Report Readers!

Today I have a special make-over edition post!  Maybe this will help you if you decide to do a luxury make-over of your own shower products.

This make over is of a  wonderful friend of mine--Robert.  He is smart, funny, extremely tall, and loves luxury products.  We bonded over a love of Louis Vuitton and I envy his apartment's expert interior decorating. During his Kickstarter launch party, I happened to wander into his restroom.  Not that I was being that nosy, but I politely commented that I could totally make his bathroom products and experience match his plethora of Louis Vuitton blankets and Versace pillows.  We got talking about collaborating his photography with my beauty prowess to make over his shower.  Here on the Shine and Sparkle report, I know we are used to adorable paint-drawings and guinea pigs, but this episode has some real visual class. OooohAhhhh.

 So as with any make-over story, here is the before picture:

As you can see, this is a classic "guys" shower.  Irish Spring, Head and Shoulders, and Axe.  Now, to be clear, there is nothing horrible about these products (other than some of the chemical ingredients and the flash back to teenage boy smells).  But for my posh friend RP, I envisioned so much more.  Plus, lets not get into the unwieldy loofa. I'm not even sure how one is to use such a large dried gourd.  Yes, this is a large dried gord, similar to a okra on steroids.  Again, nothing terrible about it, just...not consistent with the RP I know.  He would argue I left his restroom with a look of horror.  I'd just say I left with a mission. 

So on a lovely Monday after work, RP and I journeyed around the city of San Francisco.  Hitting Peninsula Beauty, Nordstrom, and The Body Shop.  In keeping with the make-over format, here are RP's amazing after pictures:

This picture is copyright of "RP".  Please contact me if you would like to use it.  Why? Because it's polite.

Shampoos*:
Paul Mitchell--Lavender Sage
Paul Mitchell--Tea Tree Special
Macadamia Natural Oil--Macadamia Rejuvenating Shampoo
Joico--Smooth Cure (Sulfate-Free)
(Now RP has great shampoos to combat any type of hair day!)

Body:
Jo Malone--English Pear
Jo Malone--Pomegranate Noir
Jo Malone-- Lime Basil & Mandarin
The Body Shop-Plastic Body Poof
(Jo Malone's fragrances are luxury product at it's finest.  Some of the highest quality scents available.  Picking these was so much fun.  I might have even grabbed one for myself.  If you see my tweets, I posted a picture of the box.  I will be doing a detailed review of my Jo Malone Body Wash soon!  If you read it, you will see what scent I got as well.  Also, RP's loofa from The Body Shop  is so much better than an okra.  The plastic rinses clean and doesn't breed bacteria! Huzah.)

Not Pictured:
Jo Malone Candle
GlamGlow--"Youthmud" Anti-Aging Mud Mask
The Body Shop--Tea-Tree Facial Cleanser
The Body Shop--Lip Butter
(Even though I have written a Post About The Body Shop Ionic Clay Mask as an affordable dupe for the GlamGlow, nothing says "luxury like GlamGlow!  Also, Body Shop lip butters are heavenly...mmmm.)

I'm quite proud to say, after the shopping trip, RP said that he had the most amazing shower once he upgraded.  I'm so glad he likes them!

 As always,

Shine & Sparkle!

 *I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.  Also the pictures are copyright of Robert.  Please contact me if you would like to use it.  Why? Because it's polite.