14

Waxing on about hair wax

in Hair

Aleks(andra) is an editor in Chicago. When she’s not writing, attending sporting events with her husband, testing recipes, or watching teen-centered dramas, you can find her in the salon haircare aisles of Ulta and Sephora. She’ll be reviewing higher-end products for Hair Thursday.

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It’s probably not a stretch to say that most haircuts today involve layers of some sort. Layers –whether wispy, choppy, long, razored, etc. – are designed to make your look like less of a solid mass. But, layers can’t work alone! They need product to live up to their full potential.

At some point, I’ll discuss what to put in your hair before you style. Today I’m covering pomade / wax /crème / paste – a.k.a. that finishing stuff that comes in a jar and requires a very light hand or you’ll look like you haven’t washed your hair in a week.

But, the absolutely wonderful thing about the product I’m about to recommend is that it’s quite difficult to do the latter. It’s a wax that works on nearly any hair type – save really coarse, unruly hair – and is buildable, i.e., you add on more until you achieve the level of definition, texture, hold that you desire. In short, it’s my (current) product holy grail:

Aveda Light Elements Defining Whip

If the customer reviews are any indication, I’m not the only one who loves it. This stuff is almost goof-proof, has a subtle lavender-tinged scent, and is made with certified organic (!) ingredients.

It’s taken the place of Kusco-Murphy Lavender Hair Crème, which had the added allure of having to be tracked down at a covert Chicago beauty supply store, in my product repertoire.

For my layered bob, I start at the ends and pull up through my hair, add a bit to my bangs, then smooth everything down lightly. Voila!

What’s your finishing product holy grail?

14

Dream Journal

in Life

Don’t worry, I promise I won’t make this a regular occurrence because seriously, who wants to hear about people’s dreams? BUT DUDE, I have bizarre ones.

For instance, last night I dreamt I was at an Andrew Bird concert with Wito. Somehow, we took Bob Dylan’s seat, but he was totally cool with letting me sit in his space. (Ah, Bob. What a gentleman. I guess he would rather sit on the pavement and talk about the gov’ment.)

Wito was singing along rather forcefully, and Andrew walked over to us, mid-song, putting the microphone in Wito’s face, where he proceeded to sing the entire song verbatim. (Imitosis, for those of you needing additional inane details.)

Then, as Wito was singing like a perfect little cherub, Andrew leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You have insanely beautiful eyes”, which caused me to blush like a little schoolgirl, but before I could respond with a thank you, he said, “But you really need to learn how to use eyeliner”.

Wha?

Why am I telling you this? Well, my friends, I have a deadline looming and figured it’s time you knew how I respond to such situations. I ramble on incessantly about my dreams instead of working. Peace be with you.

(Although, when I see Andrew Bird’s show in two weeks, I will surely apply my eyeliner with deft precision.)

16

Links Galore

in Odds and Ends

1. I’m writing a weekly column that I really, really, REALLY love. The fine folks at Brita have started the Filter For Good challenge, which has already eliminated over 100 million plastic water bottles to date. (You should take the pledge yourself!)

Along with 5 other bloggers, I will be posting once a week (on Thursdays…what is up with me and Thursdays?) with simple ways to become more environmentally-friendly in your own home. (Kind of like this post I wrote here.) I’ve added a widget in my sidebar with my most recent posts. You should check it out, you know, if you give a rat’s ass about helping our planet. NO PRESSURE, MWHAHAAAAAA.

2. Today’s post at The Working Closet has some damn cute coats, if you are interested in a fine piece of outerwear. Personally, it has been 90 degrees here, so I’m hoping this post is equivalent to some sort of internet rain dance. (They say the high is 68 degrees today…I’m not buying it.)

Also, why haven’t you joined the Working Closet Flickr Pool? I want to know what you are wearing to work, people! For research, of course! Ahem. It doesn’t have to be some fancy setup, for crying out loud, I take mine in a mirror with my iPhone.

2908540018_7ddc01ab70.jpg

HI-TECH. (Please ignore the hair. This was a couple of hours before a much-needed cut.)

C’mon, if you can’t eradicate plastic water bottles from your life, you can at least take a photo of what you are wearing. I need some inspiration. DO IT FOR YOUR COUNTRY.