What's the Dealio with Dry Shampoo?

A few years ago, the concept of dry shampoo was foreign to most people but now it's being mentioned everywhere. In fact, Marie Claire magazine just named Klorane Dry Shampoo one of the 15 Best Products of ALL TIME. Rebecca Romijn said the Klorane was her one "desert island" product she couldn't live without. Dry shampoos are basically powders that absorb oil and odors and add texture. They come in a powder form (just like a bottle of baby powder) or a spray form (my favorite). Using traditional shampoo on your hair every day is a sure way to dry it out, damage it, and speedily fade out any color you've had done. Yet for many, hair becomes oily by the second day and something's gotta be done! Who might need dry shampoo? Let's see...

1. The Busy Mom - Can't take a shower until the kids are napping at 3:00 but still need to run errands and host a playdate. Luckily Oscar Blandi makes this nice travel size spray called Pronto that fits right in your diaper bag. And smells like lemon verbena!

2. The Partier - Shut the bars down at 2:00 am, hit the all night diner at 3:00, too tired to take shower by 4:00 but hair smells like cigarettes and french fries. Just spray some vanilla scented Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser and pass out.

3. The Always Late One - Oh NO! Overslept again and must catch bus to work in ten minutes. Hair looks a little greasy but no time to wash. Sponge bath and dry shampoo to the rescue!

4. The Oily-haired one - Ok, here are my rules for you. Use a clarifying shampoo, do not use conditioner anywhere on your hair except the roots if you have to, and put some mousse on the roots after showering. If roots seem a little crunchy when dry, just brush through. This will help slow up the oil production. Dry shampoo should get you through the next day.

5. The Thin/Limp-haired one - You already use volumizing products and blowdry your hair upside down and all that jazz. Yet the next day you are back to thin and limp hair. Add some texture and body back with dry shampoo.

6. The Coarse-haired one - Your hair looks terrible when you first wash it, all frizzed out and unruly. Yet by day three, the natural oils have calmed it down and things are looking better. Hey, even Justin Timberlake confesses to only washing his hair every ten days. If there were just a way to wash only the roots of your hair... Oh wait! There is!

7. The Salon Regular - Don't you wish you could have that professional blow-out salon look ALL the time? Some people do. They go to the salon for a blowout once a week (say Monday or Tuesday) and then use dry shampoo to keep the style going through Friday. Multiply the price of a blowout by 4 and it doesn't seem that outrageous for having amazing hair the entire month.

8. The Stylist - There's no better way on a photo shoot to add some grip and volume to a style (especially with super clean hair) than this. Batiste is a hair stylist's kit staple and super affordable.

I thought of some more (The Camper! The Humanitarian!) but you get the idea. Remember to keep spray about 12 inches from your roots. Let dry and then brush through. Powder (try baby powder if you're not sure this is for you) needs to be shaken, then quickly open bottle and poof powder into the air ABOVE hair so that it lightly falls down on head. If you poof it directly onto the hair, you will have big white spots. It's kind of like spraying perfume in front of you and then walking into it. People with really dark brown or black hair need to be careful because even the sprays can show up as white if used too closely. There are some dry shampoos made especially for dark hair (try Orlando Pita T3 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo in dark tone - also comes in light and auburn ). One of the first companies to try colored ones was Bumble and Bumble. I hope they re-formulate because it's a great concept but the product is a little too sludgy. Want to try one that's not so heavily scented? Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo may be the one for you.

L'Oreal HiP review

The thing about drugstore makeup, especially powdery stuff like eye shadows and blush, is that it used to be so sheer. When trying it on, it rarely looked like the color in the case. L'Oreal HiP (High Intensity Pigments) changed all that by giving us "intense color payoff" in a drugstore brand and it has been immensely popular with regular folks and beauty editors alike. I decided to compare a few HiP versions of some of my favorite products, starting with MAC pigments (color shown: melon). A staple in every pro's kit, MAC pigments ($20) are moist (see how it clumps up from the moisture), velevety smooth, and made to adhere to the skin - unlike most shimmers that blow away or fall off without pressing them or mixing them into another product. I found the HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments (color shown: visionary) to be only slightly grainier than MAC's but adhered fairly well and looked almost the same on the skin. HiP Pigments ($12) come in a much smaller jar but it is PLENTY for individual use and it also comes with a nice little brush to apply it with. I have gotten a lot of compliments on this golden color which works great to brighten the eyelid and inner corner of the eye.

The HiP Cream Shadow Paints ($12) are almost exact replicas of the MAC paints ($16) (note: I think MAC stopped making new paint colors and changed the format to Paint Pots). You can use the little brush it comes with to apply the cream but you need to act VERY fast. Once it dries it is literally budge proof and there is no turning back. There is probably a better margin of error if you use a color that is close to your skin tone but with a dark one like steely (shown above), you need above average blending skills to use it on its own. A better idea is to use steely as a base for a super smoky eye then go over it with a dark shadow and use a fluffy brush to blend away any edges.

Several cosmetics lines are coming out with their versions of the immensely popular Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils ($17). These are very creamy and blendable (for a short time only - about 30 seconds) and once set they do not budge. They are even waterproof and come in fun chrome metallic colors. I have been enjoying HiP's Color Chrome Eyeliner in violet volt ($10) - even though the color looks closer to navy blue in some lighting. The package says "liquid pencil" (huh?) but it goes on very smoothly like a gel. In fact it's so smooth that it's almost slippery as it glides across the eye and it's so soft that you can easily put a lot on with just a touch (slightly softer and creamier than Urban Decay's). It therefore needs constant sharpening. I almost always need a little brush or smudger to blend it just a tad so it doesn't look so much like a clear line. Also like the Urban Decay ones, you need to act fast before it sets. It claims to be smudge-resistant and I would agree with that for the most part. There are liners that last longer than this but not many in a pencil form.