Oribe Hair Beauty - and A Makeup & Perfume Ensemble

What do Jennifer Anniston, Penelope Cruz, Gwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Natlie Portman, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron (whew… breathe….), Hilary Swank, Camreron Diaz, Gisele Bundchen, Madonna, Ellen Degeneres, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss have in common?  Besides being incredibly gorgeous, they’ve all been spotted wearing the lovely hair products from Oribe.  He’s done covers and major spreads for W magazine, Vanity Fair, GQ, Elle, Allue, Glamour, to name just a few.  He did the hair for the Vogue 100th Anniversary Special. He’s worked with every celebrity in the book.  Diana Ross even showed him how to secure a wig.

And now Oribe has developed his own line of hair care products that, although expensive, are well worth the money paid. (That’s saying a lot for this Suave conditioner girl.) 

The Shampoo and Conditioner for Beautiful Color have baobab oils (the seeds of the boabab are used to thicken soup—your hair does feel thicker).  And perhaps it is the Lychee oils that give these products the oh-so-light, oh-so-fresh smell—almost of freshly cut grass, almost of some exquisite French perfume.  A smell so delicate that you just want to keep applying it over and over so you can figure out what, exactly, it is. A lovely mystery to revisit every morning while showering.

If you live in Baltimore, you’ll want to get your Oribe from the trained stylist (trained directly by Oribe, himself) at About Faces Day Spa & Salon (they have five locations, so check their website for addresses and directions: aboutfacesdayspa.com.)

Now, what to do once you’ve used Oribe?  Segue into this.

TIGI S FACTOR Dream Drops make the dullest hair shiny.  The silicone adds absolute brilliance and smooths out frizzy hair, plus, it smells so good you’ll have to make a supernatural effort not to eat it!  The perfect companion product for ceramic iron usage, which you’ll be using next.

The ghd Professional IV Ceramic Ionic Hair Straightener comes highly recommended by our senior beauty editor (that’d be me) because 1.) she used to be a hairstylist and knows what’s good, and 2.) she grew up in high humidity and finally found in the ghd the one thing that would keep her hair smooth and straight, even through heavy mists.

Now that your hair is as healthy as it has ever looked, yay, let’s go for some shu uemura ‘Flip Color’ False Eyelashes.  They appear black from the top view, but a vivid color peeks out from below once flashed. Very intriguing. (If you’re too timid to try the Flip Colors, try the shu uemura ‘Retro Graphic’ False Eyelashes, instead.)

Almay Smart Shade Makeup is nice and inexpensive, yes!, and has some secret something going on that blends into the look of your own skintone.  Plus, it has the nifty SPF 15.  There might be a better feeling makeup upon application, but for the money and the coverage (without looking covered), this is one we use often.

The Clarins Instant Light Perfecting Touch Concealer is a good bet for blending those dark undereye colors into whatever color your skin is… and the effect is very natural. None of that “Hey! Look at me!  I’ve used concealer under my eyes” look.

There’s a reason why allure gave the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner their Reader’s Choice Award.  It goes on as you wish (in a line, or with a soft-smudge), and the color is just very natural and very pretty. It offers a shine within a matte look—very difficult to explain, very beautiful to see.

Our choice for the lips is the Geulain’s Kiss Kiss Lipstick. This lipstick makes lips look fuller, with a semi-matte finish, and it’s long-lasting with no color bleed.  However, it’s the intensity of color that makes us love Guerlain.

Now that your hair is so shiny and your face is gorgeous, let’s add a nice Springtime scent. Issey Miyake ‘L’Eau d’Issey’ Eau de Toilette Natural Spray is so light that nobody will know you’re wearing a scent, but people will be thinking, “Gosh, she smells good.”  The scent is simply this: fresh, country air.

As this whole hair and beauty regime is about simplicity with a touch of glamour in the hair and eyelashes, we offer the subtle
Hobo International ‘Jaclyn’ Tote in a soft bluebell colored leather.  Throw in any makeup you want to take with you, and a good book (may we suggest Pride & Predjudice, by Jane Austen) and go!  Life is good, and with your hair and face looking great, it’s even better than good.  It’s shining fabulous!