High Maintenance

Toby Keith has a song called "High Maintenance Woman".

Whenever I hear this song on the radio I am reminded of the time a friends husband called me high maintenance.

He was listening to us chatting about people and said, "Boy, you are high maintenance".

My immediate response was, "Yes, I am. I've got standards. I mean who wants to be low maintenance?"

My friend chuckled and appreciated the way I spun the negative connotation. Her husband was somewhat surprised by my response, but didn't have anything else to say on the subject.

So what exactly is high maintenance?

Someone who takes care of themselves? Someone who spends money on personal grooming habits? Someone who likes nice food? Someone who likes to dress nicely? Someone who treats others with respect and dignity? Someone who expects others to treat them with respect and dignity?

I color my hair. I wear makeup. I love good food. I usually look put together. I'm also nice, hard-working and a great friend. I am not mean nor do I feel entitled to anything.

Is that all sooooo bad?

If anyone tells you that you're high maintenance - smile and say, "thank you".

at-home facials, part 2

This post is for the diva who wants an at-home facial that doesn't involve an electronic gadget.

The easiest way to replicate a facial at-home is to exfoliate once or twice a week and use a facial mask once a week.

When choosing a mask, decide what you'd like to accomplish (deep cleansing, moisturizing, calming, etc.). If your budget allows it, you should consider buying issue-specific masks and use them as needed.

Here are some of my favorite masks.

under $10: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque This works wonders on oily skin.

under $20: American Beauty Spare Moment Moisture Mask This makes you feel like you just gave your skin a drink of water.

under $40: REN Multi-Mineral Detoxifying Facial Mask Great deep cleansing and purifying clay mask that leaves your skin smooth and decongested.

sky's-the-limit: Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant Gently exfoliates while reducing the appearance of fine lines and large pores. Brightens and revives complexion. A little goes a long way, so it's worth the splurge!

Queen Helene is available at most drugstores and online at drugstore.com. American Beauty is available at Kohl's stores and online at kohls.com. REN is available at select Sephora and Barneys New York stores and online at renskincare.com, barneys.com and sephora.com. Tracie Martyn is available at select Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus stores and online at barneys.com, neimanmarcus.com and traciemartyn.com.

The most important piece of advice here is consistency. Whether it's once a week, every other week or once a month, figure out what you can work into your schedule and stick to it.

If you can't make time for yourself, who will?

at-home facials

I'm not really into "gadgets". But I purchased one last week that's making a big impact on my face.

Meet Conair's Microdermabrasion Facial System.

I enjoy getting facials but don't have room in my budget to have them with any type of frequency. So I decided to try and give myself facials at home.

Facial masks are great and I use one at least once a week. But I felt like something was lacking in my regimen; I decided it was the steam that the professionals use.

After a small amount of research (and reading many amazon.com reviews) the Conair Microdermabrasion Facial System sounded like the ideal facial steamer.

This system comes with two facial sauna cones (wide facial steamer and narrow sinus cone), a microdermabrasion tool with two attachments (gentle exfoliating brush and sponge for applying moisturizer) and a timer that you can set for three to fifteen minutes. For safety, the unit automatically shuts off after 45 minutes.

I've used mine twice already and really like it. The system is very easy to use; just fill, attach your preferred cone, plug-in and wait (only three to five minutes) until the indicator says it's time to steam. It's small enough that you can set it up almost anywhere.

I used the wide facial steamer cone for 10 to 15 minutes and loved the way my skin felt when I was done; soft, moist and clean. The timer is a great feature that I used both times.

My in-home steam use didn't replicate my professional facials, but it was pretty darn close. Considering that I spent the fraction of the cost of one facial on my steamer, I'm more than happy with my at-home facial.

Conair's Microdermabrasion Facial System is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond stores and online at target.com, amazon.com and bedbathandbeyond.com. This facial steamer is also called Conair Complete Facial Sauna.

up next: at-home facials, part 2

Lipstick Queen's Oxymoron

Poppy King has done it again.

She's created a lip product I can't wait to try, Oxymoron. It's a matte gloss.

What?

Matte gloss?

Is there such a thing?

Only the Lipstick Queen could create a lip product that glides on like a gloss but looks matte like a lipstick. (Hence the name)

The four subtle shades are inspired by the colors of cheek blush. Oxymoron is as easy and simple to use as blush too. Just pick your shade and apply with the (provided) Lipstick Queen brush.

I'll be trying this soon and will let you know what I think in a future post. Knowing Poppy King's attention to detail and passion for lip products, I'm sure it's a winner.

Lipstick Queen products are sold at select stores and online at barneys.com.

Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil

Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil offers great color with mega staying power. This smooth waterproof formula stays soft and creamy for blending (about 30 seconds), then dries down and will not budge.

This remarkable pencil even stays put on the inner lid. When applying on the inner lid, apply, then try not to blink for a second or two, and you’ve got immovable liner. Really.

It's similar to Clinique's Cream Shaper for Eyes (which I wrote about last month); but Urban Decay's 24/7 sets itself apart from other eyeliner pencils with their vibrant hues and metallic tones.

A friend's strong recommendation led me to purchase Urban Decay's 24/7 pencil in their black shade, Zero. It went on effortlessly and stayed all day. I used it on my inner lid one evening and it didn't smudge (or budge) all night.

Lust is such a rich plush purple that I couldn't resist and just "had to have it". I'm currently debating which metallic shade - bronze, gold or silver - I should pick up for Summer. If you prefer bright colors, be sure to check out Electric, Deviant and Covet.

Urban Decay products are available at select Sephora stores and online at urbandecay.com and sephora.com.