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 So, what is BB cream? Is it a foundation? Is it a moisturizer? And what does it stand for?!

It's pretty much a glorified tinted moisturizer. It's a bit more pigmented (by that I mean it provides more coverage) than the regular tinted moisturizer but usually not as much as a foundation. I tend to like BB creams that are on the thicker, more pigmented side, but that's just me. Oh, and it stands for "beauty balm" or "blemish balm".

Some companies like to make it seem like their BB cream can do 84932 things when in reality all it's going to do is even out skin tone (but usually not as much as a regular foundation but more than a tinted moisturizer) and hydrate the skin (more so than foundation and I'd say almost as much as a tinted moisturizer).

I use a BB cream instead of foundation for my everyday routine. I love them. And for me, the thicker, the better. My favorite, currently, is by Missha (the one on the left). It's a Korean brand. A lot of people say they feel some of their colors are too ashy, but I have pink undertones that I don't like so it helps even them out. I'm also a fan of Maybelline's BB cream. It's highly pigmented (at least the medium color is) and I think it evens out skin tone very well.

If any of you kittens want to share your thoughts on BB creams, leave a comment :) Meow

 
I was perusing one of my favorite beauty blogs, The Beauty Brains, awhile back and came across a post about something called a "polyelectrolyte complex" and I researched it more on my own and thought I'd share what I found. (What kind of Beauty Cat would I be if I kept amazing secrets like this to myself?!)

Pretty much what this polyelectrolyte complex is, is a concoction of positively charged (cationic) polymers and negatively charged (anionic) polymers. And since opposites attract (at least in the world of chemistry!) they kind of act like a bunch of little magnets. As the hair dries with this concoction on it, each strand of the split end starts coming towards each other, and sort of gets glued together. The split end is also partly mended by the adhesiveness of the polymer that forms a film once it's dried.

According to a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, the complex has been proven to work and doesn't cause build up on hair. It also rinses off with shampoo which leads them to believe it could be effective when used after shampooing. They also found that after combing, the complex was less effective, but effective nonetheless! They took 100 hairs with split ends, treated them with this magical complex, and 92 of them were mended. Then they combed them 2o times and 68 remained mended. Pretty amazing, right?

If you come across a product that claims to mend split ends, make sure it has these two ingredients listed: Polyquaternium-28 and PVM/MA Copolymer. If it doesn't have those, it's not worth your money.

I use Tresseme's Split End Remedy Leave-In Conditioner and absolutely LOVE it! My hair feels as smooth as butter and I enjoy knowing that my split ends are not noticeable so only I know about them. Well, and now you too, but don't tell anybody!

I am only aware of Nexxus, Tresseme and Joico to have this polyelectrolyte complex but according to Amazon, Joico's product has been discontinued. I know Nexxus and Tresseme are both owned by Unilver, so that makes sense that they both share this technology. I couldn't find proof on whether or not Joico is owned by Unilver. I'm curious as to why Joico discontinued their polyelectrolyte complex though. If anyone has any dirt on this, do share!!!

Images: Google Images
References: www.TheBeautyBrains.com
                       Journal of Cosmetic Science: Semi-permanent split end mending with a polyelectrolyte complex
 
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Who out there washes their hair everyday? I don't! I do not have time to wash my locks and style them, from scratch, everyday. So one of my little weapons to tide me over until my next hair washing is dry shampoo. (It's also good for adding texture to hair that needs some "oomph", like fine-textured hair.)

How do you use dry shampoo? Shake the can really well and spray a little bit on small sections of hair that are greasy or dirty looking. Always give a shake before each spray. Brush it through your hair to help distribute it evenly (you can use your fingers to do this but I find it doesn't work as well if you have dark hair since the shampoo is typically light in color and can look a little dusty. A brush with a lot of bristles is best.) And voila! Magically clean-looking hair! Enjoy a few more minutes of sleep in the morning, kittens :)

Umberto's Dry Shampoo is amazing! The scent is mild which I appreciate because some brands make me feel like I'm inhaling cancer and it definitely hides the evidence of me not washing my hair for several days. It doesn't contain water which is a good thing to leave out in a dry shampoo since this can make your hair fall. I also love how it's conveniently available at Target. Have any of you tried this product or another dry shampoo? Leave a comment and tell me what you did or didn't like about it :) Meow.

Ingredients and what they do:
Isobutane: Aerosol propellant (replacement for chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC propellants)
Rice starch: Absorbent and bulking agent
SD Alcohol 40-B: Used as antifoaming agents, cosmetic astringents, solvents and viscosity decreasing agents
Propane: Aerosol propellant (replacement for chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC propellants)
Butane: Aerosol propellant (replacement for chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC propellants)
Cyclotetrasiloxane:
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate: Anti-caking agent and absorbent  Cyclopentasiloxane: Hair conditioning agent and solvent
Silica: Used as an absorbent, anti-caking agent, solvent, bulking agent, opacifying agent and suspending agent
Cetrimonium Chloride: Anti-static and to prevent odor

Image: Behrman Communications
References: www.CosmeticsInfo.org
                       www.TheBeautyBrains.com                      
                       www.ewg.org