My Favorite Things / Hair Edition

Hello, dear friends.  Happy almost-Friday!  We are having a lot of rain, but the weather peeps promise sunshine by noon.  Hopefully, I'll be able to fit in my walk today. 

As I am sure you have gathered, today's post is all about my favorite hair products.  I have been coloring my hair for a very long time.  It all started when I was in my teens and decided to give Sun-In a whirl.  

I will neither confirm nor deny that the brassy broad on the left is moi.  I will tell you, however, that the lovely young lady on the right is my high school bud, MHB.  

The saddest part of this transitional time in my life was that I honestly thought I looked like Cybill Shephard!

A quick note about Amazon.  I live out in the country, and a Sephora or Ulta are located at least thirty minutes away.  I order all of the mentioned products on Amazon Prime because the other two stores charge shipping if it's under a certain dollar amount. 

Fair warning on Amazon!  I always read the reviews to find out which products are the real thing.  I've learned the hard way that just because they are on Amazon doesn't mean that they are the genuine article.  There are a lot of fakes out there, so you need to take the time to glance at the reviews.  Also, look for the label Amazon's Choice.

Not to worry, before I post a link, I make sure it is legit.

I complimented my Book Club buddy, Mary Frances' hair last year, and she sang the praises of the Living Proof line.  I started using it and have never looked back.  Now I use a lot of their products.

My go-to shower buddies.

The Mister is instructed he cannot use my good stuff!

Amazon

I look for a few things in a shampoo. I like it to whip into a rich lather, have a pleasant scent, and preserve my "natural" hair color.  Living Proof does all three and manages to keep my color looking fresh. 

Amazon

This conditioner is the bomb!  I have used many color care conditioners that make my hair feel heavy and look greasy after a day or two.  I have recently learned that this is caused by silicones.  Living Proof is silicone-free.  I can go longer between shampoos, and it makes my hair feel soft and silky.

Amazon

I have two words for you:  game-changer.  My girls turned me on to this product over Christmas.  It is a hair mask that I use every week or so to repair the damage that I have endured from all the sun, coloring, and highlights over the years.  I apply it to damp hair and leave it on for about an hour.  Then I rinse, shampoo, and condition. 

Disclosure:  I have it working its magic while I am writing this.
I would show you, but I don't want to scare you!

The only way that I can describe this product is that it makes my hair look and feel younger.  It also keeps my hair soft through several shampoos.

I like Olaplex so much that I have given it as a gift to some buddies of mine.

 Amazon

I was late to the party when these wet brushes came on the market.  They do make a difference.  No more fighting with my knots and tangles. 

I really could have used one of these when my girls were little.  It would have saved me from listening to a lot of screaming and theatrics.

   Amazon

I've been using this leave-in nourishing treatment for years.  It does ten wonderful things for you - but I can only remember one.  I use it to add shine to my hair.

You'll have to look up the other nine.

Amazon

I use this spray on high-humidity days.  
All you have to do is spray it on dry hair and does a fabulous job de-frizzing.

Amazon

I've tried a lot of dry shampoos in my lifetime.
Does anyone remember Pssssssst?

Without a doubt, Perfect Hair Day is the best dry shampoo out there.  

Great smell and makes my hair actually feel clean.

Amazon

I spray this on wet hair before I dry it for heat protection.

Amazon 

I have used this hairdryer/styler for about a year now.  I have perfected my routine since day one.  I use my regular hairdryer for a few minutes until my hair is damp dry.  I then bring in the big guns - this guy - and style away.  I am always happy with the result.

Amazon

I get my hair professionally colored every 5 to 6 weeks.  It never fails - I always have something special happening on that 4th week while I am donning a quarter-inch of grey.  This is where this root touch-up comes in handy.  I just use it on my part and around my hairline and call it a day.

This kit is easy to use and very neat if you are a normal person.  
It's a whiz on eyebrows too!

Amazon

I never claimed to be a normal person.
I always end up having to clean around the hairline and wrists.  
 These wipes are great.

Amazon

I love these hair ties!
They are so comfortable and no more ripping out half of my hair when I remove them.

That's it for now.
If you're looking for me, I will be celebrating Sista's birthday!

What are your favorite hair products?
I'd love to hear from you!



Until next time...

And I thought that I had bad hair days!

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A New York State of Mind

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend.  The Mister and I spent ours in NYC visiting our #1 and Adorable Jonathon.  The weather was positively gorgeous.  Perfect shopping weather.

Again, we stayed at the Essex House, which is always such a treat.  It is located across the street from picturesque Central Park.  It's a great location for shopping and Broadway shows.  And best yet... it is walking distance from the newlyweds' love nest.

We took Amtrak and arrived in the city at lunchtime.  The newlyweds were both working, so we were on our own for the afternoon.

If you have read my past posts detailing our adventures in NYC, you know that we love Fig & Olive and it's usually our first stop after checking in to the hotel.

The food and service are always topnotch.

The Mister's favorite thing to do is order lots of little plates so he can try many different dishes.  Fig & Olive offers tons of creative crostinis.   We even decided over a glass of wine or two to make crostinis the theme of our next dinner party. 

The Mister is crazy about their flavored olive oils.

The next stop was to pick up some sweets for the newlyweds.

How cute is this?

My girl tells me that Nello is known for its fabulous Italian food.

Teddy Bears aren't the only ones who love it.

Plenty of celebs do too!

The next stop has been on my bucket list for a while.

Afternoon tea at the Plaza.

First thing... I paid my respects to Eloise.

Our girls had the Eloise doll, and KTG gave them a beautiful autographed Eloise book when they were young.

As I've mentioned many times, my hubby is in the hotel biz, and we have made many moves in the last thirty years. When we relocate, we usually end up living in the hotel for a few months.  

Our first move was to a hotel in Torrey Pines, California.  We were waiting for our house to be built and lived in the hotel for three months.  It was quite luxurious and came equipped with butlers wearing tails.   At the time, we only had our #1. Our sidekick was a rambunctious five-pound Yorkie named Jackhammer. 

One Saturday, when we were out for lunch, the Mister's beeper went off.  Jackhammer had escaped while the maid was cleaning the room.  When we got back, we found 5 young men in tails running all over the hotel in search of the escapee.  

The good news is that Jackhammer was found.
The bad news is that the breakout was the first of many.
  

Nestled in the napkin were warm buttery scones.

Those were the Mister's favorite.

What a way to spend an afternoon!

I highly recommend the experience.

That evening, we met #1 and Adorable Jonathon at their darling apartment for a glass of Vino.  We then went on to have dinner at Wolf, one of several outlets located in the new Nordstrom.

One of the apps that we ordered was this Albacore Tuna Credo.
Both the food and service were fabulous.

The next day we met the newlyweds for brunch.  We got to the Meatpacking district early, so we decided to take a stroll through Chelsea Market.

The Mister was in awe of all the fabulous food.  

He was like a kid in a candy store.

With eyes glazed over, the Mister visited every vendor.

I get the same look when I am in Sephora.

Our lunch destination, Pastis, was right down the street.

When we left, the heated patio was packed.

We all love steak tartare, and this one is one of the best.  I had Chicken Paillard salad for lunch, which was so darn good, it practically brought tears to my eyes.

We shopped in Soho for a couple of hours.  This is a pic of the Amazon store, which not only sells books, but also all of the most popular items sold from their website.

We stopped at Serafina for a glass of vino before going back to the hotel.  Notice the wall with all the crayon signings.

The Mister is so happy to now have a guy in the family.

That evening, we had dinner at Harry Cipriani's.  I was very excited to go because we have been to Harry's Bar in Rome a couple of times which we love.  Also, this restaurant was mentioned a few times in Finding Mrs. Ford, one of my favorite books of 2019.   

Our faces are smiling because of the company we keep.  

I won't go into the details, but to say that the food and service were deplorable at Harry Cipriani's would be an understatement.

Our last stop was a final glass of wine at the hotel.

Our weekend came to a sweet end with a hug and a kiss to the best NYC tour guides in town.

It was a fabulous weekend.  

The only thing missing was our #2!

If you are interested in reading about our other adventures in NYC, you can find them here, here, here, and here.

Until next time...

We got home to hear a very good report from the babysitter.

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