Pink Rock Candy – Top fashion trends, news and shopping of 2010

At 21, I’ve become quite adept at ignoring the demands of my parents, but when my mom commanded me to start using the bottle of MoroccanOil treatment she purchased, I had little trouble obliging. MoroccanOil, for those of you living under a rock or in a town full of bald people, is a trendy hair oil made from the kernels of the Argan tree, endemic to Morocco. Argan oil has been used in Morocco and surrounding nations for hundreds of years, but we Westerns have just become hip to its super nourishing abilities. Now products with Argan oil are popping up all over the place, but the first in my mind was MoroccanOil. At $37 per 3.4 oz bottle, the Oil Treatment is a tad pricey, but the results are magnificent. My hair is not only naturally dry, but also chemically straightened and, most likely, slightly heat-damaged. So, after I wash my hair I apply a quarter-size puddle of the oil treatment to my hair, and even after blow drying it feels soft and looks shiny. The oil absorbs into the hair instead of settling on top as not to weigh down your strands, leaving me with healthy locking locks. MoroccanOil has a full line of products, including the Intense Curl Cream ($28) for your tendrils.

Here are other Argan Oil-rich products to try out: (more…)

At 21, I have an irrational fear of under eye bags. I know it’s strange, but a girl has to be afraid of something. Not to mention, I rarely get the proper eight hours of sleep each night. A while ago, I tried a couple of great Bliss products, but they were sort of time consuming. So, this weekend while rushing around like a mad woman, I decided to try Elizabeth Grant’s The Socializer pens. The two, night and day pens are jam packed with de-bagging, anti-dark circle, eye-illuminating ingredients, most of which I won’t even attempt to describe. Just know they work. On Friday, I went to the beach then the pool, had a barbecue, and watched the Yankees game well into the wee hours of the morning with my guy. Needless to say, the next morning my eyes felt beyond heavy. After dabbing a couple of clicks of The Socializer Bright Lights (AM) formula under my eyes, I looked as rested as a babe. To keep the facade up all day, I decided to put The Socializer Late Nights (PM) formula on after 12 or so hours and my eyes were as bright and bagless as they were that morning. These pens are my new savior! I’m terrible a keeping a regimen, so these on-the-run, results-in-no-time magic pens are just peachy. Editor’s Note: This product was obtained and tested as a sample at no cost or profit to Pink Rock Candy/Chelsea Rae Simmons.

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Some people, I won’t mention any names, desperately need sunscreen else they turn as red as steamed lobsters. Others don’t because they “never burn”, and others still may not “need” sunscreen, but still apply SPF for safety’s sake. I fall under the last category. My only problem with most sunscreens isn’t the viscosity or the potential to clog pores, it’s the smell.

I’m very driven by smell when it comes to many body products. I generally like smelling like foods: vanilla, cinnamon, citrus fruits, etc. Floral scents are much too frilly, so I steer clear. Much to my chagrin, most sunscreens come in one scent called Gross.

Check out these four great sunscreens to remedy this scent catastrophe:

• Sonya Dakar Daily Body Shield SPF 30, $59
• Kinesys Spray Sunscreen, Girl, SPF 30, Vanilla-Green Tea Scent, $19
• Alba Botanicals Aloe Vanilla SUNBLOCK Mineral SPF 30, $10
• Hawaiian Tropic Sunblock Ozone Oil Free Stick SPF 50+, $6

When I know I’m going to spend hours in the easy East Coast sun whether at the beach or watching my guy play baseball, I grab the Sonya Dakar Daily Body Shield. It’s lemony scent is fresh and not too over baring, while the lotion itself leaves no greasy residue.

On the other spectrum, if I was to lounge around in the searing tropical sun, I’d grab the Hawaiian Tropic sunblock stick. Not only is it SPF 50, because I promise all skin tones can burn, but it has a soft piña colada scent.

Talk Back: What are your favorite sunblocks, scented or otherwise?

For those who hadn’t realized, I’m black— shocking right— and as a “woman of color” putting anything sheer on my lips is an exercise in futility. You can imagine my surprise when I applied Jane. Be Pure Mineral Lip Balm for the first time and saw my lips rouge every so sweetly. Since then, I’ve been hooked!

The Be Pure Mineral Lip Balm not only is able to add a nice sheer tint to my darker colored lips, but it keeps them soft, provides natural SPF protection and smells delicious like coco butter.

I initially found this tube of Jane. miracle balm at the bottom of a tote full of makeup from years ago. Jane. and I have been involved, on various levels, since my sister introduced the two of us when I was an overactive sprout of 10 or 11. My sister wore makeup, so I used to sneak and wear makeup too.

Since then, Jane. and I have lost touch a bit. The only place near me to buy their products is at RiteAid, and let’s faces it, finding a RiteAid in the world of CVS, Walgreens and Duane Reade is a feat in itself. The only one I frequent is in at Grand Central Terminal, and those visits are generally geared toward grabbing a bag of chips before rushing to my location.

That being said, I’ve started a small collection in different colors and apply them regularly— I love them when creating a natural look for school.
If you, like me, have no idea where your nearest RiteAid is located, you can buy all Jane. products on their webstore.

Every other Sunday, I have mommy-daughter time at the nail salon. I usually get a $30 mani/pedi, while my mom gets the full shebang— she pays, so I try to keep it cheap. However, last Sunday, my darling mom insisted I try the OPI Axxium Soak-off Gel Lacquer System on both my figures and my toes.

Her reasoning, I’m very hard on my nails and tend to chip them within the first few days. The system, in her mind, will remedy this situation, but all I could think about was the cost, of which I’m still unsure.

So, I spent two hours getting layer after layer after layer of hot pink, Strawberry Margarita, gel lacquer applied to the nails on my figures and toes with a UV lamp drying cycle in between each layer. The process was quite obviously time consuming, and I couldn’t help feeling bad for the perfectionist nail technician who worked his butt off applying the coats. By the end of the process, I wasn’t sure whether I should have given him a hug or bought him a beer.

Despite the time it took, my nails look pretty and, hopefully, will last for about two weeks without a single chip— if I’m really good, I might even be able to stretch it to three weeks.

The OPI Axxium Soak-off Gel Lacquer System comes in its top selling colors including my favorites, Cajun Shrimp and Russian Navy.

It’s day three, and not a chip in sight, we’ll see what happens by day 10.

p.s. Danielle from The Style and Beauty Doctor tried it in February and it was a success!