Spotted at the Hair Salon

American-Made Things Loved This Month

A distillery tour + a street art surprise, a hair lotion, a concealer, and a screwdriver set. Here are more than a few American-made things that I'm loving this month:

Five Cool Things Made in Canada

When you think of Canada, you might just conjure up images of maple syrup, beer, and hockey. In honor of my family and friends north of the U.S. border, here are five awesome Canadian-made things that may surprise you:

American-Made Things Loved Today

Five American-made things I've been loving lately: a bath mitt made of honeycomb material, a leopard calf-hair belt, a Pinot noir from Oregon, a trio of eyeshadows, and espresso gelato.

The Eyes Have It

Lately, I've been noticing that my eyes have been showing my age a bit more. Puffy, dark circles, under-eye bags, just tired looking. And are those fine lines I'm seeing? Good grief. Anyway, maybe I just need to go bed earlier. Maybe I just need to pop a couple of chilled tea bags on my eyes more regularly. Or, maybe I need to start using some eye cream. ::gasp::

Now hear me out, I'm not entirely convinced that these eye treatments work. While there are some skin experts who believe that additional eye cream is unnecessary, there are some who say that products for the eye area can be beneficial. I know people who use them, however, and they swear up and down that they work. While I am not a beauty expert, I'm in the can't-hurt-to-try-things camp. So, I decided to sample a few eye products for myself.

Five Other Ways You Can Use Q-tips

So, apparently you're not supposed to put cotton swabs inside your ears to clean them. (Cue Girls OCD-like comments below.) Uh huh, that's right. Cotton swabs, however, are useful for lots of things. I keep a container on my dresser and never travel without them. I buy Q-tip brand cotton swabs, made in the USA, in bulk at Costco.

Here are five "other" things you can do with cotton swabs:

First Aid for Dummies

You know those days where you forget to apply sunblock to an odd-shaped triangular patch on your arm? Or you burn your hand on the tea kettle while boiling water for tea after a bad day at work? Or you scratch your leg on that same stupid corner of the coffee table? You know those dumb days?

Portland Made, Part I

Today's post is written by Eric Gold, a freelance writer in Portland and editor of portlandmade.com. This is Part I of a Portland Made miniseries. 

In Portland, as anyone who can read knows, you could eat at a different food cart and wash it down with a new local microbrew every day for a month—and you’d just be getting started. But Portlanders bring the same level of craft, inspiration, and collaborative enthusiasm to their work in wood, metal, leather, clay, and fabric as they do to their Probats, cocktail shakers, and saucepans.

Portland Made launched in April with the mission of promoting Portland, Oregon-based makers, manufacturers, and retailers of local goods. You’ll find more information on these products at Portland Made, along with the stories behind the makers who make Portland one of the most creative cities in the world.

Beachy Waves

As you can see from my beach makeup post yesterday, my hair naturally has a slight wave to it. It can be unruly on a good day. Add the sun, wind, and sand of the beach and it can be kind of a nightmare.

Putting My Best Beach Face Forward

I apologize in advance for a post that might seem a little vain: makeup for the beach. There is something sort of wrong about putting on a full routine of makeup just to go to a place where, potentially, your face is going to get salty, sweaty, wet, and maybe even a little sandy. Some days, however, I like to have a little something on. So bear with me as I outline what I think is a fairly modest account of what I put on for the beach.

Powder Your Wig

If you had told me five years ago that I could go without washing my hair everyday, I would have laughed in your face. Under normal circumstances, I have hair that gets greasy and stringy after half a day. A hair revolution, if you will, occurred when I changed my shampoo and conditioner and started using this product: dry shampoo.

Spotted at the Hair Salon

Hair Color Chalk

If anyone has tried this temporary hair color chalk, what'd you think of it? Reviews welcome.

P.S. See more in the Spotted... photo series. 

Thinking Outside the (Cigar) Box

Are you on the hunt for a gift for the main man in your life: a father, a brother, a husband, or a friend? Lucky for you Cloak & Dapper, an online men's general store carrying quality items made in the USA, is putting together these gift boxes that are just a bit different while still paying homage to the classics. Their cigar box gift boxes are just in time for Father's Day (but I really think this would be a great gift for any man on any occasion). They've made it easy by thinking of everything while still providing each customer with the chance to choose some of the individual details so that you really can tailor it to the liking of your gift recipient. It's a new spin on the "traditional" while at the same time offering an exclusive experience.

Endless Summer

Heidi and the kids, all wearing Supergoop!

Today's post was written by my friend, Heidi: Freckled former Vermonter married to a nutmegger. Mother to one budding artist and one bandaid-obsessed princess. Government lawyer. Lover and borderline hoarder of linens.

I don't like hormone disrupters, nano particles or allergens, but I don't have time for thick, chalky mineral sunscreens.

For Beards

Do you have a beard? Perhaps you would enjoy using this all-natural beard oil. A friend of mine recently gave this his seal of approval. Available in 0.5 or 1 oz bottles.

(Photo by Jim White.)

Stuff I Love: Made in NYC

 

I am honored to be a guest blogger at USA Love List this week. I contributed a post as part of their "Stuff We Love, State by State" series.

Lip Balm

Some of my stash of lip balms

I am a lip balm girl. I must have one with me at all times. I have them stashed in my purse, jacket pockets, work bag, nightstand drawer, and in various places around my apartment. Even if I wear nothing else on my face, lip balm is a must for me before I leave the apartment.

Here are some favorites:

Renaissance de Mousse

Giovanni Natural Mousse Hair Styling Foam

Lately, I've been reaching for this hair mousse more than others. Yes, hair mousse. (Does this mean I am trapped in the 90's?) I like this one because it provides good hold, gives my hair some volume, and leaves my hair feeling soft not stiff. It adds just a bit of texture without leaving my hair too sticky. The non-aerosol pump dispenser is easy to use. Plus, it's made of natural ingredients that I can actually pronounce.

Confession: 99% of the time I blow-dry my hair, I only do my bangs and the hair on the crown of my head. It's okay, my hairdresser already knows. She has eased my concerns and assured me that no sin was committed in this case.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.

PM Facial Cleanser

At night, I wash my face with this oil-based cleanser from Boscia. Since I grew up thinking that an oil-free face wash was the only option for my skin type, I was very hesitant to use an oil cleanser. Not the case at all and I am glad that I got over my fear of oil cleansers. (To all you skeptics of oil cleansers, please give it a try.) This MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil takes off every bit of makeup and leaves my face feeling clean and moisturized.

The formula is very different from anything I have seen before. It applies as an oil but rinses away with a milkiness to it, without being greasy. Yes, you read correctly, I don't feel like I smeared French-fry grease all over my face after using this. If I am really feeling luxurious, I first steam my face with a hot cloth for a few minutes before applying the cleansing oil.

As long as we're being honest here, I can tell you that there are many nights that I don't wash my face before I go to sleep. In that case, I use a teeny amount of the cleansing oil on my eyes only and then wash as usual with my morning facial cleanser, also from Boscia.

Please note: older bottles of this product are labeled as being made in Japan; newer bottles indicate that it is made in the U.S. They have recently moved production to the U.S. since building 'clean room' facilities that can accommodate their needs.

AM Facial Cleanser

I wash my face in the morning with this gentle cleanser from Boscia. Their preservative-free, sulfate-free Purifying Cleansing Gel has become my go-to cleanser. It's great for those with normal to oily skin. I've noticed recently that the formula changed slightly (different color, slightly different scent) but it's still one of my all-time favorites. It rinses away easily, doesn't dry out my face, and isn't irritating to my sensitive skin. Although it claims to remove makeup, it doesn't do well with things like my waterproof mascara. (I have to use another Boscia cleanser for that.)