Nail Shellac

Nail Shellac, is the latest nail process to hit salons - a cross between nail polish and acrylic tips – that’s reported to last up to 14 days. My networking buddy Nikki gave it a try and reviewed the process for us. Here’s her report.

The process began with a regular manicure and then the Shellac-ing began. The application process is similar to regular polish, but you dry your nails under UV light for about 1 ½ minutes after each coat of Shellac is applied. The UV light cures and hardens the Shellac, otherwise it will become soft and sticky after about 3 days. Four coats are applied – a clear base coat, 2 coats of colored Shellac and a top clear coat. The manicurist said the Shellac dries so completely under the UV light that you could Shellas your toes and then lace up your sneakers and go jogging immediately after the process.

Shellac isn't "bullet-proof" and how well you take care of your nails determines how long it lasts. As with acrylic tips or regular nail polish, the rate of your nail growth is going to affect how long the beauty of the Shellac-ing lasts.

Nikki was pleased with how long the Shellac lasted - it looked good for over a week. She typed a lot, washed her hands quite a bit, and washed a few dishes in hot water and a little bleach and the Shellac lasted through all that. After about a week, she could see the space between the polish and the cuticles was widening as her nails grew out. As of day 10, she noticed that the polish began lifting off one side of a nail. It didn’t last 14 days for Nikki.

The Shellac is removed by soaking nails in acetone for 10 minutes. The residual softened shellac may be removed/scraped off with an orange stick or cuticle tool.

All in all, Nikki liked her Shellac experience and would do it again.

Nikki’s Shellac manicure was $35 at the Sensia Studio & Japanese Day Spa. For more about Shellac or to find a Shellac manicurist in your area, visit Creative Nail Design.

For more about Nikki Johnson, The Millionaire's Assistant™ visit www.assistantnikki.com, follow her on twitter or find her on facebook .

Thanks so much for your review Nikki!!

Smorgasbord Of Anti-Ageing Treatments

Lori Yeats, owner of Soteria Skin in Bellaire, TX, invited me to try her ultimate anti-aging facial. I was blown away by all the anti-aging treatments she packed into this 2 hour facial and had to share the experience. The facial is a tremendous value and unlike any that I have experienced. It’s $155, but similar services at other spas could be as much as 3 to 5 times that. Here’s everything included in the facial:

1. Microdermabrasion – This treatment removes the outer and upper layers of dead skin cells, accelerates cell turnover as well as collagen production for firmer, more glowing skin. This process can minimize fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged pores, and acne scars. My skin was smoother and more glowy after the treatment. It can take a few days after this treatment to see the full effects.

Lori’s microdermabrasion pre-treatment really sets her apart. Most other spas prep the skin for microdermabrasion by removing facial oils with acetone (yes, the same ingredient that’s in most nailpolish removers). Soteria uses a papaya enzyme mask to get the same results with natural ingredients and without using harsh chemicals.

2. LED light therapy – LED Light Therapy has been used by NASA, the US Army and athletes for quick healing. It is also an effective, non-invasive way to help rejuvenate and repair the skin. In the ultimate anti-aging facial, the skin of the face is exposed to red and infrared light that penetrate into the dermis layer of the skin, energizing the cells, stimulating collagen and elastin, to give skin back its youthful look.

3. Microcurrent Non-Surgical Facelift – As we age, the communication between our brains and muscles decreases, causing our muscles to weaken and our faces to sag. This treatment uses micro currents to get the facial muscles and brain “talking” again. After Lori treated on side of my face, she let me look in a mirror to compare it to the untreated side. Wow, I instantly saw a difference in the tone and lift of my face! This is a great treatment to do a couple days before an important event. For lasting effects, you need a series of treatments that re-educate your muscles

4. Oxygen Therapy – Oxygen has been used to speed skin rejuvenation in medical applications for years. Soteria Skin adds oxygen therapy to their facial to increase the effect of the other skin renewal treatments. You may not recognize the direct effect of this treatment, but the results of the other treatments will be more pronounced because of this step.

Thank you Lori for a great experience! For more info about Soteria Skin or their Ultimate Anti-Aging Facial, visit www.soteriaskin.com

Test Panel - Veet Ready To Use Wax Strips

At-home waxing strips are brand new from Veet. If you’re feeling shy or have a last minute event, now you can take care of that furry upper lip in the privacy of your own bathroom.

The Imagine testing panel loved the results we got with Veet’s Ready-To-Use Wax Strips for the face. They were easy to use, painless and most importantly…gently removed the hair from the upper lip area. The wax is room temperature and mounted on backing paper so there’s no hot mess to contend with. We may never go back to the salon for a lip wax!



Here’s how to use them:

· The wax strips are packaged between two backing strips. Rub the wax strip between your hands for 10 to 15 seconds to warm the wax. Peel apart the paper backings to expose two ready-to-use wax strips.
· For face, apply the wax strip to the hairy place on your face and rub the back of the strip in the direction of hair growth.
· Hold the skin taught.
· Pull back on the backing paper tab in the direction of hair-growth in a quick, swift motion.
· Remove any excess wax with the Perfect Finish Wipe.

$4.49 for 20 wax strips for the face and 4 perfect finish wipes. Now available at drug stores, grocery stores and mass merchandisers.

For more info and a coupon, visit: http://www.veet.us/veet-ready-to-use-wax-strips-for-face.php

Houston Mutt Strut & Runway Race, March 5, 2011

Here is our latest project. We made this short video parody of Far East Movement's music video of their song Like A G6 to get the word out about the Houston SPCA's Mutt Strut & Runway Race. Here's a link to the original music video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4s6H4...

Our dogs Pinkie & Zee had a great time making this video for their favorite event! They are both found dogs and want to help other animals find great homes. 

Pinkie & Zee will be at the Houston Mutt Strut struttin' their stuff, so say hi if you're there too.

If you like their video or just want to help with their fund raising efforts, would you sponsor them and make a donation to the Houston SPCA in their name? 

Here's a link to their page http://tinyurl.com/6dguszp And remember, every dollar you donate is equal 7 dog dollars, so we appreciate any amount you decide to give!

Special thanks to Houston Freightliner and Western Star and Atlantic Aviation Services. The entire video was shot with a Canon Elph and edited with Apple iMovie. Styling with Doggles and little boy's hoodie by C9 at Target.

Thanks so much for watching!!

Welcome Home!! - Ring Ring Please Come Home!

UPDATE Nov. 16, 2010: The ring came home today!!! Thank you everyone for your prayers and intentions to bring it back! It was found in a pawn shop on 11/4/2010. Thanks to the work of friends, the Houston Police Department and the District Attorney's office, it was confiscated and returned. The ring came back even cleaner and sparklier than when it left for it's "vacation."

This isn't the usual tips, cool stuff, and how-to post. Today I'm writing to ask for your help. My engagement ring was stolen from my home (in Houston) this weekend (Aug 14) and today I'm writing to ask if you would help me find it. Would you check your local pawn shops in Houston and surrounding areas and let me know if you find it?

It's unique and should be easy to identify if you spot it. Here's a picture. It's a gold ring with a 2.8 carat oval center ruby, surrounded by diamonds and ruby baguettes, size 7ish.

Wouldn't this be a great story if Twitter, facebook and social media helped find and get the ring back?!

Thank you so much for your help!

P.S. Of course there's a reward for the person who finds it and helps me get it back!

Could Wearing The Wrong Thing Cost You Your Vote?

If you vote, Election Day is one of the most important days to pay attention to what you wear. You can be denied access to polling places just for wearing the wrong thing.

Electioneering ordinances prohibit campaigning within a certain distance of the entrance to a polling place (distances vary by county). This means wearing buttons, stickers, jewelry, signs, clothing or other paraphernalia supporting or opposing any candidate, political party or measure is prohibited. The prohibition even extends to candidates and measures that are not involved in that particular election such as President Obama. Displaying slogans and symbols that can be related to political movements or parties on your person such as “don’t tread on me,” the Gadsden flag and tea bags are also bootable offenses.

So, what can you wear? Any clothing without slogans or symbols are safe. If you choose to express your political opinions on your person on Election Day, be sure to bring a jacket or coat that fully covers the campaign clothing/paraphernalia to wear while voting. Alternatively, you can also wear the American flag, red, white and blue or the color of your political party (i.e red or blue).

Fashion Houston 2010

This TV segment airs on Great Day Houston on October 8, 2010. Thank you Chloe Dao and Cesar Galindo for your graciousness and kind words. I so appreciate you being part of the segment with me!

Fashion runway events occur in the major fashion cities around the world – New York, Milan, Paris. Houston is the latest addition to that list. Next week, for the first time, Fashion runway shows are coming to Houston in Fashion Houston 2010! On the runway, you’ll see some of our hometown fashion superstars like Chloe Dao, Toni Whittaker and Caesar Galindo.

Until now, runway shows have been private and by invitation only. Fashion Houston 2010 is open to the public! Tickets are $35 for standing room - $250 for VIP seating. For more info about the designers, scheduling and tickets, go to www.FashionHouston.net.

So, if you’re going to the shows, what do you wear?? You may not have the top designer’s fashions in your closet, but you can take inspiration from your favorite designer and create a fantastic outfit from items right in your closet. When you use a look for inspiration, you don’t need to copy the outfit. Instead, incorporate similar elements to make your own look. Here are some example of inspiration looks the Imagine Team created with clothing and accessories from Dillard's for some of Chloe Dao and Cesar Galindo's designs.

Project Runway Season 2 Winner, Chloe Dao is known for her easy, feminine, timeless fashions with interesting details. These two Chloe Dao looks also have a whimsical element. T

Look 1: Chloe’s dress has the following components: asymmetrical neckline, an electric blue horizontal and vertical geometrical element and whimsical pink tulle ruffle. In the inspiration look, the Imagine Team chose an asymmetrical dress in a similar color pallet with a sleeve that mirrors the inspirations pink ruffle. We added a blue man’s tie worn as a belt for a whimsical blue geometric element.

Look 2: Chloe’s outfit has the following components: an easy printed boat-neck blouse and loose, pleated shorts with big pockets. In the inspiration look, we chose a chiffon boat-neck blouse in a similar color pallet. The print seems to flow across the blouse mimicking the feel of the flying birds in Chloe’s outfit. We added loose pleated shorts in a coordinating color.

Fashion Designer Cesar Galindo’s collections are crisp, clean and architectural. His pieces are usually created in solid colors.

Look 1: Cesar’s dress has the following components: a simple silhouette, an architectural skirt, knee-length hem and sparkly neckline. We chose a white cotton dress that has a similar crispness and silhouette. We added a couple crystal necklaces for a sparkly v-neckline.

Look 2: Cesar’s gown has: a strapless neckline, simple silhouette, beautiful flowing fabric, and a full-length hem. We chose a silk strapless gown in a similar color. The inspiration dress is a full-length gown with a similar neckline and flowing fabric. We used a flower hair piece to mimic the tiny hat in Cesar’s look.

Thank you Imagine Interns Bonita Harden and Kiana McFarland for assisting with the inspiration looks.

Audience give-away

4 pairs of VIP tickets to Houston Fashion Week, courtesy of Audi's Fashion Houston 2010.

What's Sarah Wearing?

Eva Varro print dress ($155, Dillard's Post Oak) and Coach platform peep-toe pumps.