Hip Mom Samples Beauty Products

Well, fall has been throttling ahead at the speed of a 747. If you’re lucky, you don’t look and/or feel like you’ve been hit by a 747! But if you’ve been shuttling kids to soccer to birthday parties to parent conferences to trapeze lessons, well guess what, Mama? You need a little break.  Let’s think about something fun and frivolous that will also help you look and feel a bit better while you are rocking the carpool (or nursing at 3 a.m.). And, if you’re doing both, you’ll need all of these and a bit of divine intervention. Let’s go sleuthing to find the newest, chic-est beauty products.

Lush

I had passed Lush, “Fresh Handmade Cosmetics”, in the mall a few times, but hadn’t ventured in until my friend and TulsaKids web & social media editor, Abby, mentioned they had these interesting “shampoo bars,” and was intrigued by them. Lush concocts these bars of small, long-lasting bundles of concentrated shampoo that do the job of two to three bottles of liquid shampoo. They’re also packed full of effective ingredients and essential oils, so you can lather, rinse and repeat up to 80 times!

They smell divine; I try a citrusy orange bar called “Brazilliant,” and I love the smell, like sunbathing in an orange grove. The bars don’t lather as much as most shampoos, so that takes a bit of getting used to, but my hair doesn’t seem to mind. I actually get a compliment at Target on my hair — not sure if it’s the Brazilliant or the fact that I actually washed my hair. Lush has all kinds of ambrosial-smelling bars (try one or a few  just for the aromatherapy!) I probably won’t switch over 100 percent from normal shampoo in a bottle — a lifetime of habits die hard — but I will definitely keep them in my “hair rotation.”  I can’t wait to try “Jason and the Argan Oil,” “Jumping Juniper,” and “Seanik” — this one has seaweed and lemon in it for shine!

Lush promotes their use of 100 percent natural ingredients, their fights against animal testing, and their goal when possible to sell their products in solid form to avoid unnecessary packaging.  I also try an excellent conditioner, “Happy Happy Joy Joy,” which gives my hair some oomph and shine despite all the sun and wind damage it’s gotten on the sidelines of countless football and soccer games. It contains jojoba oil, which apparently smells like cotton candy, taffy and happy hour. And the secret weapon? A “dry” shampoo christened “No Drought,” for when you can’t be bothered – or just don’t have the darn six minutes – to shower. I love this stuff: a soft powder with an energizing lime scent. You simply sprinkle some in your hair and rub through starting at the roots. Voila! My hair instantly looks perkier and smells divine. This should carry me over until the nanny arrives, and I can hop in the shower. (Ha! Ha!)

Sephora

Next, I march upstairs to Sephora, that chic emporium of all things cosmetic. Well, I’m really here because Kendall Jenner told me (fine, ok, she told the NY Times too) that Sephora has these wonderful masks — and they do! There is a whole wall of masks for whatever is ailing you:  the “Green Tea Mask” to help with le zits; the “Lingzhi Mask” for anti-aging and smoothing; the “Honey Mask” for nourishing and balancing, for example.

My darling 7-year-old and I each try a mask: Colette tries the “Rose Mask” for tightening and brightening. It smells like a bubble bath strewn with rose petals. Colette loves the mask, but says she can’t really tell a difference in her skin. Well, duh. She is 7; if there is a product that improves the skin of a 7-year-old, let the venture capitalists know!

I try the “Pearl Mask” for perfecting and brightening (gah! the 2 a.m. feedings). My skin does look perkier the next day — really! And if I am making it up, who cares? Each mask is a mere $6. Bonus? We freak out the brothers with our sepulchral mummy faces!

I also take the opportunity to ask the Sephora salesperson why I have never mastered in my jillion years on earth how to sport smudge-proof eyeliner throughout the day. The secret? Eyeshadow primer. I try Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion. You just swoosh this nude base over your eyelids and then apply waterproof eyeliner. Well, she’s right. Finally I don’t look like I’m crying chocolate tears all day long, or at the forefront of the zombie apocalypse.

Rodan and Fields

And now for some serious skin care, particularly for those of us moms skirting the assisted-living years of motherhood. My friend Jessica is an independent consultant with Rodan and Fields, a skincare company founded by two dermatologists. Jessica points me in the direction of Acute Care. She says, “This product is really cool because it’s a filler that can be applied directly into the skin without using a needle.” Ah, so it’s like Botox! Acute Care uses proprietary “Liquid Cone Technology” containing only two ingredients, peptides and hyaluronic acid, both of which occur naturally in the skin, but in decreased amounts over time. The hyaluronic acid in the patch plumps fine lines immediately, and the peptides boost collagen production to soften lines over time. The cones are produced by the same machines that are used to make semiconductor technology! While you sleep, the ingredients literally melt into your wrinkles.

I’m intrigued, so I try out Jessica’s sample on my deep and angry frown lines (I blame many years of 3-year-olds, a terribly tough age around here).  I press the product into my lines and go to bed. When I wake up, I am stunned: the lines are not there when my face is resting! They remain when I squint, but I cannot believe the change after just one use. Apparently, this is common. Jessica says over 70 percent of people who use Acute Care will experience results or decreased wrinkles in the form of expression lines. I guess I am in the lucky 70 percent — unfortunately for Jessica, she says Acute Care doesn’t work for her. She says that if someone sees results after one application of Acute Care, there is a 95 percent chance they will see full results after using the entire box. So track down a Rodan and Fields consultant and score yourself a sample to try.

Acute Care is so much less intrusive than Botox, without all that pesky botulism. And while the population of people who both nurse AND need Botox is probably small, here is the magical solution. A full course is 10 applications for $220, which is quite a bit cheaper than Botox – without having to leave your home. I am so thrilled — now I have to convince PVT that he cares deeply about erasing my wrinkles (instead of, say, getting me new boobs).

Younique

Finally, I interrogate my friend and neighbor Jordan Philbreck, who works as a presenter for Younique. You have probably heard of Younique. They sell this magical mascara called “Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes,” which is an easy two-step process for Kardashian-esque lashes. In fact, whenever I have an irrepressible urge to drop a couple of hundred dollars to get my pathetic eyelashes filled in, I apply the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes and am instantly content – for around $30. But Jordan shows me how much the line has expanded. They have everything from complexion enhancers to eyeshadows to night serums. Jordan loves their “Touch Mineral Liquid Foundation” and the accompanying concealer — it gives her just the right amount of coverage. Judging by her flawless skin, I can’t wait to try the foundation too.

So ignore those kids for a little bit and have fun trying out some new products. We mamas have to stay in the game!