Allure Magazine vs Cheap Chic Diary: Making Up For Less!

We're always flattered like mad when these big, corporate fashion giants pay attention to what we write!

Which is why were were particularly excited to see that this month Allure Magazine jumped on our Cheap Chic Bandwagon by recognizing that you don't have to spend a ton-o-bucks to look good.

In fact, though flabbergasted as they seemed to be that these products even exist, much less that they don't cause your skin to burst into flames when you use them, still, in a feature titled "Beauty's Big Secret" they did give the ultimate Fashionista Nod to saving money!

Well, as you Recessionista's already know, we at CheapChicDiary have been exaulting the power of low priced beauty products for quite some time now - and never once were we shocked and awed at their power to make us ( and you!) look amazing!

In fact, we would venture to say that with a little bit of creative picking and choosing, you can come away with some truly fabulous product buys in every category across the board - and still have enough left over to take your beautiful new face out on the town!

It is in this spirit that we offer up some of the suggestions from Allure Magazines low end beauty buys - alongside of some of our CheapCHic Diary picks - to give you a make up bag full of low priced products that really do what they say!

Allure Picks: Ulta.com Cheek Color - $6.50 - Assorted Colors
Cheap Chic Diary Picks: Avon Be Blushed Cheek Color - $5.99 (in 8 shades)
ELF Natural Radiace Blush - $1.00 (in 6 truly radiant shades).

Allure Picks: Femme Couture Mineral Effects Pressed Powder Make up - $12.99
Cheap Chic Diary Picks: Physicians Formula Talc-Free Mineral Face Powder - $12.95 (in 9 really natural shades

Allure Picks: Femme Couture Flawless Touch Brightening Corrective Pen - $8.99
Cheap Chic Diary Picks: ISADora EyeBrow Lift and Define Pencil -With a fabulous eye brown pencil on one end an and a pink-white highlighter on the other that doubles as an eye brightener, a brow lifter and a concealer! - $13.00
ELF Eye Widener Pencil - $1.00

Allure Picks: Sephora Blush Me Trio for a bronzy glow - $15.00
Cheap Chic Diary Picks: ISADora Bronzing Powder - $14.00

Allure Picks: Sephora Colorful Eye Shadow Palette in Taupe ( $24.00)
Cheap Chic Diary Picks: Physician's Formula Baked Wet/Dry Eye Shadow in
Oatmeal or Butter - $7.95 ( for three shades) ( Also available in 9 color combinations).

And when it comes to Lip Glosses and Lipsticks, well our friends at Allure seem to think there just aren't any worth mentioning - or at least they didn't mention any in this article. We think they're wrong! So here are our picks for budget lip glosses that really go the distance in color and shine!

Cheap Chic Diary Lipgloss Picks:
ELF HyperShine Lip Gloss - $1.00 - in 8 shades
AVON Floral Delight Lip Gloss - $4.00 - 4 shades
ISADORA Crystal Gloss stick - $12 - 6 Shades

So there you have it! And whether you listen to us or Allure, it's important that you think twice before you plunk down that credit card and bring home your rent payment in cosmetics. You can look great on a budget!

Model pictured wearing ISADora Bronzing powder in Highlight Bronze, ISADORA Crystal Gloss Stick in Mango Fizz, Physician's Formula Wet/Dry Shadow in Gingersnap. Jewelry: Silver and Red Coral Chandelier Earrings from CountryDutchess.com

For round-the-clock fabulous time & money saving beauty and style advice visit CheapChicDiary.com - or visit us anytime at CountryDutchess.com - Your Source For Fabulous!

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this CheapChicDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All
Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Chic, Cheap and Safe:How To Clean Up Your Make Up Act!

By CountryDutchess.com

It's time to clean up your make up act! No, we don't mean finally getting around to wiping out all the gunky lipstick and eye pencil melted to the inside of your make up bag -although that wouldn't be a bad idea either.(Your mother told us to write that!)

We're talking about a growing movement towards safer cosmetics - products that contain fewer of the chemicals that many environmental experts now say could be very bad for our health - including having links to infertility, auto immune diseases, even breast and ovarian cancer.

And while the US has yet to follow the lead of European nations by banning a number of these questionable ingredients from lipstick, foundation, skin care and more, a new environmental initiative is hoping to fill in the gap. Known as the Compact For Safe Cosmetics, it provides companies the opportunity to make a voluntary pledge to follow the European Union's lead by eliminating the use of these same key chemicals in their products.

To date, some 600 companies have signed the pledge, and made the promise, giving consumers a wide range of choices among products that may possibly be safer to use. These include such major companies as Belli Cosmetics, and Motherlove (for pregnant women), Burt's Bees, Aubrey Organics, Afterglow Cosmetics and many more.

In addition, the science gals we talked to offered up these 7 ways that every woman can clean up her act - by creating a safe, yet chic personal make up bag. Here's what you can do!

1. When choosing personal care products remember that simpler is better. This means not only actively looking for products with fewer chemical ingredients (choose soap instead of shower gel, or moisturizers without fragrance), but also using fewer products overall.

2. Think about how necessary a product is before you use it – for example, bubble bath for your baby, or for yourself. If you can do without it – do without it.

3.Use your nose as a guide: If a product has a chemical-like odor think twice about using it- or where you will apply it.

4. Buy from companies that demonstrate recognition of the problems –and a concern to make things better. Think twice about purchasing from a company that sends the message that "little bit of poison" won't harm you.

5. Visit product websites and search out the full monty on ingredients – many of them will offer more disclosure there then on the label. If you still want to know more email them and ask. Visit www.CosmeticsDataBase.com for an up-to-date cross reference of over 22,000 cosmetics and a rating of their chemical ingredients.

6. Whenever possible seek out products from companies that have signed the "Compact for Safe Cosmetics" pledge .

7. Get a FREE CD report from Vassar College on environmental links to breast cancer – including the role of cosmetics and personal care product.

To read more on this topic visit RedDressDiary.com

Photo of chandelier earrings Courtesty of CountryDutchess.com

For round-the-clock fabulous time & money saving beauty and style advice visit CheapChicDiary.com - or visit us anytime at CountryDutchess.com - Your Source For Fabulous!

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this CheapChicDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Cheap Chic and Green: Natural Beauty Products on a Budget

Looking for green and natural beauty products - but don't want to spend a lot green to get them? Here's some advice on how to get the best bargains in natural cosmetics!

By CountryDutchess.com

So...you say you'd love, love, LOVE for the contents of your make up bag to be more green and natural , but darn it, it just costs a fortune! And really, what's the point of saving the earth when you'll be too broke to enjoy it! :) ( Okay, we do know there is a point to saving the earth beyond our own selfish beauty needs, but hey, we do have these selfish beauty needs and we just can't ignore them, right?).

Well, we are sooo happy to tell you that with a little bit of Internet snooping, we have found some of the most GLORIOUSLY GREEN Cosmetics – at prices even the chicest cheapskates among us can afford! Yes, you can save the earth, save your skin, protect your health – AND still have enough left over for that uber healthy bottle of red wine and handful of dark chocolates!

Even better news: Not only are the products w e found loaded with good for-you-ingredients like fruit oils and vitamins, and more importantly none of the nasty chemicals and preservatives that some studies show we might want to avoid, they also happen to be some of the best offerings in their category, green or not!

Now if try one or two and get hooked on green, you can expand your Cheap Chic and Green list even further, by keeping an eye out for one of several certification logos that tell you if a product is organic, natural, or preservative free.

Here's what to look for :

• If it says USDA/ORGANIC it means it's ingredients are 95% organically grown. From a purity standpoint this is as pure as it gets.
• EcoCert- For those of you buying European imports, this is the French label requirement for products containing a minimum of 10% organic ingredients. Not a lot – but usually EcoCert products also contain other natural ingredients, so check the labels.
• Cosmetique Charte Cosmebio is another European regulation label which also means 10% or more of the ingredients must be organic.
• Natural Products Association Certified : Another important label that means the products must be 95% natural and free of potentially harmful synthetics.

Of course not all natural products carry these labels – and some that don't are still excellent choices. But do check ingredient labels ...and if anything on there looks like something you'd find in a chem lab, then you might want to skip it!

But that said, you might also find some great products that have some natural ingredients and a few questionable ones- and if you really love it, we think it's okay to use it. The way we see it, if you can knock off even one or two chemicals from the ingredient list you're still doing something good for yourself – and for the earth!

To help get you started thinking green while looking in the pink, here's our choices for Cheap, Chic and Green!

For Lips:

1.Mineral Lipstick from ELF ( EyesLipsFace.com). A great, sheer lip treat that's brimming with jojoba, olive and coconut oils, vitamins E and A and other good-for-you naturals this paraben-free treat comes in 12 gorgeous colors – it rivals the pricey department store brands and it costs just $5.00!

2.Burts Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss ( BurtsBees.com) – Four gorgeous colors, super shine, all natural ingredients, certified by the Natural Beauty Products Association - and all for $7.00 ! What more could Mother Nature ask for ? Also try their Radiance Lip Serum – no color but a glossy, healthy glow for under $5.00!

3.Kiss My Face 3 Way Color for Lips, Cheeks, Eyes (KissMyFace.com) Olive butter, natural fruit essences, mango butter, vitamin E – just some of the naturals found in this 3 way product that gives you that healthy, I-Just-Hiked-Up-A-Mountain look even though you were really just on an escalator in an air conditioned mall! Under $7.00 for the triple threat!

For the Face:

1.ELF Mineral Foundation: ( EyesLipsFace.com) Dying to try mineral make up – but don't have the gold mine to make the purchase? Then you've got to try Elf Minerals – paraben free, natural minerals, great colors, a natural healthy look – all for under $5.00!

2.Fast Fix Concealer by Sally Hansen: (SallyHansen.com) Yes, Sally Hansen, the one who made all those snazzy nail polishes is now making a line of natural cosmetics that are paraben-free and loaded with good-for-you ingredients like sunflower oil, mango butter, and papaya! Among the best, this amazing concealer – for just $8.99!

3.Organic Wear Foundation by Physician's Formula: (PhysiciansFormula.com) This company has gone natural in a big way, with a full line of organic products that are department store quality at an extremely reasonable price! We love that! In this instance it's a foundation that is free of all synthetics, parabens, GMOS, and synthetic colors and fragrances. 6 natural shades – it goes on like a dream and lasts – for just $13.95

For The Eyes :

1.Instant Definition Eye Shadow by Sally Hansen – Adding ingredients like ginko biloba make it good for you – leaving out the parabens is even better! You'll get both in these eye shadow trios in 8 color palettes – for under $8.00!

2.Organic Wear Natural Eye Shadow by Physician's Formula– Not a nasty chemical to be found! This all-organic eyeshadow not only looks amazing on – it's good for you and good for the earth! What's not to love! Just $7.95 for a two-color duo in a variety of colors.

So there you have it- a make up bag filled with Cheap, Chic and Green ! For more fabulous beauty tips and money saving ideas visit CheapChicDiary.com – for round the clock gorgeous!

Jewelry Photo courtesy of CountryDutchess.com

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this CheapChicDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All
Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

7 Tips To Save Your Nails - On A Budget!

By CountryDutchess.com

Nails looking a little ragged? Manicure budget now going towards the rent? You're not alone babycakes! When the going gets tough, the tough start doing their own nails! It's practically a fact!

But while it may be easy to swish on some polish and go, when it comes to more serious nail care, if you're like most of us, you're at a loss about what to do!
(That's what you get for reading the National Enquirer instead of paying attention to what you nail tech was doing! )

But not to worry, we've got you covered! We've consulted with Dr. Dana Stern - one of our favorite New York City dermatologists - who has a slew of tips for keeping your nails looking great even on a tiny budget!

Nail Care Tip 1: Use nail hardeners sparingly – or not at all. " The take home message here is that products used in salons are not miracle cures – and a lot of them do more damage than good, and this is particularly true of nail hardeners," says Stern. She reminds us that healthy nails are flexible nails, so to keep yours from breaking try massaging them with a natural oil ( like vitamin E) and skip the nail hardeners.

Nail Care Tip 2: Ditch the acetone-based polish removers – The one product that all dermatologists agree you should avoid if you have brittle nails are the acetone nail polish removers – it has been documented time and again that it strips the nails, causing them to become brittle. In fact, that's the finding of a new nail study jconducted at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City where Stern says she and her colleagues also found that women who have professional manicures have more nail breakage than those who do their own nails at home - mostly due to the harsh chemicals used by many salons.

Nail Care Tip 3: Avoid orange emery boards - They cause small cracks and fissures in nails that lead to breakage and tears. Instead, opt for a smooth diamond file – and never “saw” those nails back and forth. File in one direction only and do it slow and easy to reduce the risk of breakage.

Nail Care Tip # 4: Switch Shampoos! Yes you read right shampoo! What most women never realize, says Stern, is that shampoo can be the culprit behind nails that are dry, brittle and prone to breakage. This she says is true even if your hair looks great! The reason? Many shampoos contain detergents – particularly those for oily hair or the ones that add volume,. Both can strip oils in order to give hair more fullness - but in the process, also strip nails of vital oils necessary to stay strong! The solution? If you just love your shampoo, make certain to condition nails with a cuticle oil after ea ch and every hair washing. It will put back what you took out during the shampoo!

Nail Care Tip # 5: Take biotin supplements - In several studies researchers found that biotin supplements (a member of the B vitamin family) increased nail thickness and prevented splitting and breaking. In one German study of 71 people with severe nail problems, 2.5 mg of Biotin daily for several months benefited everyone in the study – with 91% citing significant improvement. Results are apparent in about two to three weeks.

Nail Care Tip # 6: To Avoid Chips, Wrap Nail in Color - Swoosh some polish under the nail tip allowing it to “wrap” your entire nail. .This will protect the ends from cracks and splits and help the color stay on longer.

Nail Care Tip # 7: Never Polish Nails Before Bedtime – While this applies more to toes than fingers, the issue here is cotton sheets, which can leave marks and dents in a nail finish. The key is to put at least two hours between the time your nails are dry and the time you slip between the sheets. You'll be amazed at how much longer your manicure will last if you do!

Earrings and Photo courtesy of CountryDutchess.com

For round-the-clock fabulous time & money saving beauty and style advice visit CheapChicDiary.com - or visit us anytime at CountryDutchess.com - Your Source For Fabulous!

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this CheapChicDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All
Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.