Just Say No To Sulfates

If you are like 99% of your fellow women, you've been dyeing your hair since you were a teenager (and with those grays creeping in, you aren't about to stop now!) You may have even finally solved your poodle head problem and got a La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment, leaving your hair sleek, smooth and glossy. So far so good...but there is a problem: How to keep the hair you love, the hair you love when every time you shampoo, you are one step closer to your hair reverting to colorless and frizzy?

First let's talk a little chemistry (don't worry, there won't be a pop quiz later).

Most shampoos on the market contain sulfates (sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and a whole other group known as the laureth sulfates) and sodium, which do their jobs but have some wicked side effects on your hair.

These chemicals and salts are used because:

• They are good cleaners, dissolving dirt and oil, especially the kind found on your hair and body, making then useful for shampoo and body washes.
• They make that foam we all love so much. We consumers are convinced that if there's not a lot of lather, we aren't getting clean.
• They are cheap for the manufacturers. Sulfates can be thickened just be adding salt (sodium) and cost only 25 cent a pound or four times less than more expensive surfactants. Money, as always, talks.

But these sulfates and sodium dry out hair and skin, stripping out the natural oils --and with them, your hair color and keratin treatment. So what can be done?

At Believe, we carry a line with a shampoo that contains no sulfates or sodium and products that actually protect your hair : Semi Di Lino Diamante Color Protection. This professional line comes to us from the researchers and chemists at ALFAPARF MILANO, a leading Italian multinational manufacturer of professional, exclusive hair color, hair care and styling products with more than 30 years of experience in the business of beautiful hair. The Semi Di Lino Diamante Color Protection line is the latest technological frontier for color protection, the exclusive combination of the unique shine of Linseed Extract with the revolutionary Anti-Fading Color Block Technology.

The line contains these products:

Color Protection Shampoo--Salt and sulfate-free Shampoo, it gently cleans while maintaining the cosmetic color. Its special formula provides the hair with softness and shine.

Color Block Treatment--Professional post-color treatment. It restores natural pH balance, blocks oxidative processes, and closes the cuticle of the hair with Lactic Acid. It seals the cosmetic color in using Olive Oil Extract. Fresh relaxing and de-stressing effect for the scalp. It makes the cosmetic color last longer while adding shine.

Color Protection Oil--Anti-oxidant vitamins that penetrates the hair to counter oxidative degradation. It guarantees maximum color protection in between color services. Hair fiber looks smooth and extremely polished and the professional color is preserved.

Color Protection Conditioner--Conditioning cream brings perfect moisture to hair lengths. Its innovative formula guarantees maximum color protection. Provide the hair with an incredible shine effect.

Color Protection Crystals--Ultra light shield protecting the hair from any antioxidant agents while prolonging the color and integrity.

It's been a long road to find the perfect color and finally straighten out your mane. Let us at Believe, using this latest technology from the Semi Di Lino Diamante Color Protection line, help keep you loving your hair. Come see us today at Believe.

Brighten Up Your Eyes

• Whether your eyes are puffy, red, or surrounded by dark circles, Mother Nature has provided many a trick to help lighten, brighten, and give you that attractive look of wide-eyed wonder (and we at Believe add our own bit of makeup magic to complete the transformation. Read on...)
• (Hold your horses before trying any of these natural remedies. Be mindful of any allergies you may have and use accordingly...)
• Before bed, apply a spoonful of castor oil on the lids and around the eyes, with a slight massaging action. This keeps the skin lubricated.


Use two organic green tea bags to make a cup of tea. Let it brew and then put the bags in the refrigerator to cool. Lay the cooled bags over your eyes for 15 minutes to make your eyes less puffy. (Make sure the bags are cool--warm bags will increase blood flow to the eyes and make the situation worse.)
• Chilled cucumber slices laid on the eyes for 20 minutes reduce puffiness and feel very refreshing.
• Try wrapping grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to your eyes. Wait 15 minutes and wipe off, applying moisturizer right away.
• Rose water (if you want to use petals from your own garden to make a solution, be sure your roses have been grown pesticide-free) can be used on eyes to soften and brighten the skin. Wet cotton and apply the cotton balls to your eye sockets--wait 10 minutes.
• If your eyes are truly swollen (we hope you haven't been crying!) grab a bag of frozen peas and lay it over your eyes. The peas conform to the shape of your eye socket better than a regular ice pack.
• Drink water all day, keeping your insides (and outsides) hydrated. There's a reason it's called The Fountain of Youth.
• If you are past 40, the tear ducts around your eyes are likely to be clogged with years of sebum, eye makeup, drops, pollution, smoke and all the other crud our eyes are exposed to everyday. To open the clogged ducts and get your natural tears flowing again, rinse a clean washcloth in the hottest water you can stand, wring it out, and apply to your eyes for 15 minutes before bed. This treatment melts the oils and opens the ducts--making eyes moister and younger looking. (Every now and then, scrub near the lashes with a washcloth and our PCA cleansers.)
• Need we say it? Get enough sleep! It's good for your eyes, skin, and sanity.
• And...here at Believe we are delighted to announce that we have the product that renowned beauty Kim Kardashian swears by (to get those gorgeous eyes of hers). Created by her own makeup artist (and legend in his own right) Mario Dedivanovic, people are driving hours to get their hands on this product and Believe has got it--EYE M GLAM Highlighter!

Mario explains, "EYE M GLAM is a sheer highlighting powder that will give you the most gorgeous, golden glow. Using Giella mineral pigments, I custom blended EYE M GLAM while sitting on the floor in my apartment one evening, determined to come up with the best highlighter. I wanted a product that would give all my clients a consistently sheer and natural glow. Being able to use and test it on my celebrity clients for television, photo shoots, and on red carpets has helped me perfect EYE M GLAM into a universal shade that is flattering on all skin tones."

Here's what people are saying, "When I dusted this product EYE M GLAM , I found it to be light, airy, glossy and easy to pick up using my flat shadow brush, but I didn’t stop there, next I dabbed a little on my shoulders, decolletage. Honestly, this EYE M GLAM mineral highlighter is definitely one of my favorite buys of the year, it is ahhhh-mazzzing for all skin complexions. It doesn’t go ash, nor does it have big chunks of kid-like glitter. It is glamour in a jar. The color pays off. The glossy glow it gives had me hooked…"
and
"My skin illuminated with this product, not only did my eyes sparkle…I was ready to take on the world …"
Mario offers these tips for using EYE M GLAM:

• Use it on the inner corners of eyes to separate and brighten.
• Apply onto your brow bone to highlight and lift.
• For bulletproof eye makeup that won't move, use Magnetic Eye (another Giella product carried here at Believe) first, followed by EYE M GLAM.
• For more intensity, wet your brush with a bit of water. 
• Highlight your face with EYE M GLAM. Swipe down the bridge of nose, across cheek bones and on your cupid's bow.
• Dust EYE M GLAM along your collar bones and decolletage for a fabulous nighttime look. 
• Mix it with your tinted moisturizer or foundation for an all-over golden glow.

Come into Believe now to get your own EYE M GLAM (it is so popular, it is hard to keep in stock) and people will soon be calling you Bright Eyes.

The Eyes Have It

Even if you are covered head-to-toe to beat the winter winds, one part of you is always on view: Your eyes. Much more than just the "windows of the soul" poets used to write about, studies show they are the first thing people look at when meeting you (yes, even men chose eyes above the more--ahem--predictable parts of a woman's body.) At Believe, we want your eyes to show off the real you to the best advantage and, since you are like no other person on the planet, your eye makeup should reflect your uniqueness. That's why our makeup artist Sam, stands ready to make perfect custom blended eye makeup from the world- renowned GIELLA line just for you.

Sam says, "Each woman should be able to optimize her best features and play down those that aren't so great. I help all my customers through the process of selecting the perfect combination of products to achieve the image she wants."

Sam has quite a product line to choose from with the GIELLA family of products and here's some suggestions of ones that might just work for you:

Eye Shadow Primer

This is truly a makeup artist's dream. Magnetic Eye is an eyeshadow primer that covers redness, darkness, or skin discoloration. It's the one- stroke way to keeping eye shadow on all day, without creasing or fading. It works best by applying it with Brush #10, and it saves time spent retouching eye makeup.

Pressed Eye Shadow

This silky formula comes in matte, semi-matte, and shimmer and glides on skin smoothly, blending easily. It's available in a range of shades for lids, crease and highlighter. Quartz, Rose Wine and Blush Beam work beautifully together, or try Vanilla Cream, Dreamy Taupe, and Topaz. A smokey eye can be achieved with Caviaron the lid into the crease, Star Fruit on the brow bone and Chambord around the edges of the top and bottom lashes. Finish with layers of Ebony mascara rolled under and upward.

Loose Eye Shadow

These finely milled mineral shadows apply softly or with full coverage. Using loose shadow is easy, too. Dip Brush #6 or #7 into the powder, swirl the loose shadow around the inside of the cap of the shadow, until the powder disappears into the brush. Then apply to eyes. Also, try wetting the loose shadow and using it as eyeliner....it stays on all day!

b-dazzle

This is a universal color that is custom-blended with a combination of 7 different ingredients. It takes away darkness and brightens the eye. It's the perfect quick pick-me-up to enhance brightness in the inner corner of your eyes and an easy way to wake up your eye without using too many products.

Eye Liner 

This is a cream-to-powder liner that applies like a wet shadow. Apply the liner on the side of the brush (#8), not the tip. It is less likely to "skip" and keep the line closer to the lash line. When dry, it is smudge-proof and crease-proof.

Custom Blended Pencils

These pencils are soft, full of pigment and do not run or smudge. (And they are vegetable-based with mineral pigments without parabens.) They are a soft, easy gliding pencil that defines eyes and compliments eye color. Try Deep Brown for blue and green eyes; Sage for hazel and green eyes; Fig for blue or green eyes; Jet for brown and deep blue eyes; Cocoa for lighter blue or green eyes; and Midnight Sky for hazel, brown and blue eyes. The trick for getting a thin line is holding the pencil on the side, not the point, and make short strokes that go into the lashes.

Mascara

This mascara contains silk powder, but no fibers, and it gives rich, full lashes in each stroke. It is a non-flaking, water-based polymer formula that is smudge-proof and water-resistant. It contains a special lash-building brush that lifts and separates lashes to make them look fuller. Tip: Roll mascara brush underneath lashes for extra lift and volume. Repeat several times.

And here, just for you, are some Q & A tips from the makeup artisans who created the GIELLA line:

Q: “Do you recommend white pencil in the inner lower lid of my eye?”

A: White pencils are a great trick for brightening the eye and taking away the red. It is best if applied lightly on the inside of the eye otherwise it can look a little scary. Another choice would be to use a beige or flesh tone pencil. It is not as stark as white and does the same trick of keeping the whites of the eye white.

Q:“What are the best colors for green eyes?”

A:Opposite green on the color wheel is red-violet so coppers, plums, pinks and brownish-plums are great choices to “pop” the green in your eyes.

Sam, our brilliant makeup artist here at Believe, is eager to show you the fabulous colors (and combinations) to bring your eyes out of hiding and make them--and you--ready to dazzle everyone you see. Just make an appointment with her by calling the salon at 914-747-0778.

Hope we "see" you soon,

Lisa

What IS the Brazilian Keratin treatment you keep hearing about?

As the song goes..."Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Impanema goes walking and when she passes, each man she passes goes ah-h-h-h..".

Ok, we can't promise you will be taller or tanner or younger, but we can pretty much guarantee the lovelier part and you can certainly expect more ah-h-h's when you come to Believe for a La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment.

If you spent your whole life:

Avoiding rainy or humid days and fog of any kind (that leaves your trip to London out),

Put yourself in your best friend's hands when she was holding a hot iron near your scalp,

Made your head a toxic waste dump by using every chemical straightening treatment under the sun,

and still think you look like a poodle, don't worry.

Believe can fix the problem. Say goodbye to Jimi Hendrix Head and hello to gorgeous, sleek, and shiny hair. No more damage, no more drama, with the La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment. Let me explain what the treatment is and what it can do for you.

La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment is a revolutionary hair smoothing method that softens, moisturizes, and dramatically straightens your hair. It does not require any strong chemicals. It uses a solution containing keratin & collagen that works with your hair's cuticle and gently take its place inside your hair.

Keratin's strong protective qualities improve the hair both inside and out. It is virtually a “liquid form of hair” that gently blends with the hair on your head, bringing with it what it was lacking and what was lost over the years.

Is the hair dull dry and damaged? Is it curly, wavy, frizzy, has too much volume or is unmanageable? Application of the La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment puts an end to all that. The smaller keratin molecules penetrate the hair cortex, improving and repairing the quality of the hair from the inside. The added strength, elasticity, and moisture result in the smooth, soft, shiny effect. The larger molecules coat the hair cuticle and protect your hair from environmental insults like UV rays, smog, and smoke. It even prevents further damage to the hair shaft.

Because this isn't a permanent treatment, as the keratin-based solution diminishes over time, your hair will eventually return to its natural form, but will stay soft, shiny and healthy looking. The more you receive the treatment, the healthier and more manageable the hair becomes. This is one of the great bonuses of getting a La Brasiliana Keratin Treatment. Your hair keeps getting better!

The treatment takes between 1.5 to a few hours to do depending on what treatment you choose (come sip some tea or espresso and chat with us here at Believe while we work on making you even more beautiful than you already are) and generally lasts around four months. You can also book a manicure or a Revitalizing Hand or Neck Treatment while processing. (Here's another positive surprise about the treatment: Not only does it work with damaged hair—the more damaged the better! The treatment lasts even longer on damaged hair—up to six months.)

Have questions? Yes, we can do the treatment to previously-straightened, relaxed, and color-treated hair. Yes we can color your hair on the same day you get the Keratin treatment. Yes, we can do teens' hair (it's perfectly safe for anyone over the age of 12).

So no more excuses. Wave goodbye to the frizz and spend 2011 loving your sleek, shiny mane. Give us a call at Believe to schedule your Keratin treatment soon.