I Want to Be Eve Myles or How Leonor Greyl is Keeping My Hair Fab, Despite What I Do To It

I have decided I want to take time off from being a red head. Don't get me wrong, I love my red hair. It partially defines who I am. However, I want to try something different and have decided to go really dark brown. Think Eve Myles from Torchwood.


Except there is a problem. My hair (when I started) was a really light, bright red. For those of you who don't know much about how hair color works, you can't take warmth out of your hair (the red) without adding ash (a cool tone). Here is the problem. Adding ash to really warm, light colored hair can sometimes make it go battleship gray. And while I do like Stacy's sparkle-y gray streak on What Not To Wear, it's not for me. My point is, it is a process, trying to get my hair from fire engine red to really dark brown.

Excessive coloring can strip the moisture out of hair and damage the hair cuticle itself. And while my hair is short, I still want it to look healthy and vibrant, not dull and harsh. To keep my hair looking it's best while I continue to dye it darker and ashy-er, a few products from Leonor Greyl have been saving my locks.



Masque A L'Orchidee' by Leonor Greyl has been my go-to hair masque for deep conditioning treaments in-between all of my frequent coloring. This conditioning mask is formulated with plant lipids that strengthen the hair, film-forming silk proteins for unparalleled shine and botanical oils to increase hair flexibility.





The rock star in my hair arsenal to keep my tresses singing is no doubt the Huile De Palme, an oil you apply before you shampoo to really give hair a serious moisture and shine boost. It smells fantastic, too. I have actually been sleeping in this, to get the most out of the treatment. For a decadent experience, apply the oil (or the masque) to your damp hair, microwave a damp towel for about 30 seconds and wrap the steaming hot towel around your hair. This will make your locks drink in the Huile De Palme and leave you with amazing hair.

While I am still working on achieving that Eve Myles color, my hair looks amazing, despite the fact I have colored it three times in as many weeks!

I love it. Check it out!




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Glamping Day Four: The Bear

On our last day in Gatlinburg, I was awoken by Abz yelling, "OMG! A bear got into our trash! It's everywhere!" Like any good sleuth, I immediately put on shoes and ran outside to the scene of the crime. It was there that my father-in-law and I, he in his robe, discovered that our large protective trash bin had been carried from one end of the porch to the other. (These are claw holes from where the bear grabbed the bin.)



Our house happened to have a wrap around porch that went almost the entire distance around the cabin. You could only exit from the one side. The bin had been carried past several chairs that did not give a wide berth, a grill and my wet clothes from Zorbing.

The bear then apparently shook the large bin until the metal piece that kept it closed fell off. The doors then opened, the trash cans fell and the bear dragged the trash bags into the woods. It was everywhere. However, the bear kindly did not disturb the chairs, grill or my wet clothes, which was really nice, all things considered.


Everywhere we went in Tennessee, I saw the same message. Garbage Kills Bears. Being an animal lover and certainly NOT wanting to kill bears, I decided to pick up the garbage. While my mother-in-law later pointed out I didn't need to clean it up (??), I couldn't fathom leaving the trash there.


Picking up the stuff on the driveway was easy. Climbing down the muddy, steep hill in my MBT shoes and a skirt was a different matter. Not wanting to negligently kill a bear, I risked falling in mud to pick up gross leftovers. I continued to brace myself (which always yields a 50/50 chance of falling) on branches and rocks down the short incline to the tree line to retrieve the trash. (It is steeper than it looks here. Trust.)


When I made it to the tree line, I stood up and took a breath, looking back over my shoulder at all of the trash I had cleaned. Feeling proud, I looked down the mountain and then up at the clear blue sky. I was filled with pride from my good deed.



In the next breath, I heard the loud crackle that is only accomplished when something very large and very heavy moves in the woods. Instantly knowing the bear hadn't yet left the very trash I was collecting, I did what any good non-bear killer would do. I hiked my skirt up to my hoo-haa so my legs could take wide steps up the steep hill and I ran like nobody's business back into the house.

I would like to point out a few things:

1. I carried the collected trash with me and left it in the drive way.
2. I pulled my skirt down before running into house, where I almost smacked into my father-in-law, who looked perplexed as to why I was running.

I then hurried around telling everyone what happened. Loxy's bro and sister-in-law actually went outside looking for the bear. Don't ask, I don't know what they would have done if they found it. Perhaps just photographed it, I suppose. Loxy himself saw the bear from an upstairs window, but I was the only one with a close encounter of the bear kind.

What does this have to do with makeup?

After my encounter, I was visibly shaken and looked a little "off". Not wanting to go to breakfast at "Little House of Pancakes" looking disturbed, I turned to my new favorite trick to make your eyes look naturally amazing.I used Mally's Lash Illusion Liner under my eye, just along the base of my lower lashes. Then I lined the inner corner of my upper lash line with the same liner. Here is the key. I used Tarte's Rest Assured pencil on the inside rim of my lower eyelid. Then use the Rest Assured just under the line I already created under my lower lash line with the Mally pencil. I finished off my eye with the creamy shimmer part of Rest Assured just dotted and smoothed out in the inner corner. This makes your eyes pop while looking refreshed, without looking like you are wearing any makeup!

What are your tricks for looking great, despite being almost chased by a bear? (or anything like that!)


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Glamping Day Three: The Hike

As mentioned, I don't like outside. I like inside. Where there is air conditioning, snacks, my dogs and television. However, my super active brother- and sister-in-law joined us and wanted to "see the Park". I understand this as a reasonable thing to do, but I had yet to make good use of the screening room in the lower level of our swanky house.

Resolved to being outdoors all day, I needed to up my SPF game. I am in the middle of fading some serious melasma (brown splotches from sun damage) on my face and I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. The products I am using to erase my sun damage are finally working, so I don't want to risk a thing.


I was told we would be hiking up a portion of a mountain, to a waterfall and then back down. The beauty of this is (sadly) lost on me, but I used it as an opportunity to seriously test out some products. My products would have to withstand the sun, sweat and brow wiping for an extended period of time.

Here is what was on tap for my hike:

Jan Marini AntiOxidant SPF 30
Tarte Smooth Operator SPF 20 Tinted Moisturizer
Tarte Eco Cheek Natural Cheek Stain
Tarte Four Day Stay Lash Tint
Tarte 24/7 Lip SPF
Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control

Halfway up the hill, we found this sign, which made us laugh at my mother-in-law, who was panicking and constantly asking us to practically walk on the side of the mountain trail that wasn't the edge.


I was laughing so hard at Abz, I accidentally snorted in a fly, only half of which came out of my mouth. Hilarity ensued. Also, it was gross.



We finally reached the small area where the waterfall was located. It was pretty. I don't know about the rest of the country, but in Baltimore, we have railings everywhere to make sure we don't fall off of things. On this park trail, at the waterfall, there were only faded signs asking us to step back. One woman fell three times, on slippery rocks where there was falling water. As klutzy as I am, I took this as my clue to go back down the mountain.



So how did my products fare after hours of sweating in the great outdoors?Jan Marini AntiOxidant Face Protectant kept me looking positively pale. I love this stuff! Plus, it never felt thick or looked white-ish, which is a huge plus in my book. And it's waterproof and sweatproof to boot!


Tarte Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer assisted in my SPF goals and truly made my skin look radiant and glowing. I love how fresh my skin looks with this and it held up pretty well, despite the fact it isn't waterproof or sweatproof.

Tarte Eco Cheek Natural Cheek Stain gave me that perfect Evangeline Lily creamy cheek flush I was hoping for. This color is gorgeous, dries down nicely and lasts and lasts. Plus, it is a build-able color, so you are in control of how soft or bright your cheek color can be. It has a nice sheen that isn't too much, but isn't too subtle. Perfect!
Tarte Four Day Stay Lash Stain didn't run or flake. My lashes were not crunchy and didn't look like I was trying too hard, which is a good thing when you are in the wilderness, even if you are glamping.Tarte 24/7 Lip was lovely as ever, its bright color a nice change from my usual no-color lip protection.


Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control is a complicated product. I spent a lot of time researching a product that used a real sunscreen to protect my locks. Apparently, it's illegal for hair products to list an SPF rating for hair products, so I had to do some real research to find a product that had an actual proven (to my satisfaction) SPF ingredient (in this product, it's Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, which is listed as the fourth ingredient). My hair color did not suffer, but I am not sure I can suggest this product wholeheartedly. While it did protect my hair, it also made it crunchy. My hair protectant quest continues.

Check back tomorrow, for my last day of Glamping, where I met a bear.


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Glamping Day Two: Zorbing in Pigeon Forge

Day Two of my Glamping in Gatlinburg extravaganza was unique. We started the day hoping to go whitewater rafting and when we had called on Wednesday, we were told the river was dam-controlled and Thursdays were a no go. We excitedly called on Friday to schedule our rafting tour. Turns out, Friday was a no go because of the dam as well. When we asked why were weren't told this on Thursday, it was because we didn't ask specifically about Friday. Ugh.

Not off to a great start, I insisted on Zorbing. Why I wanted to do this, I have no earthly idea. Basically, Zorb is the "sport" of rolling down a huge hill in a hamster ball, with or without water. It started in New Zealand and it just so happens that Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is one of the only places you can officially Zorb in the US. I don't like roller coasters and I generally dislike fun (my co-workers will agree, as I have almost never gone to a happy hour in 13 years). But I wanted to Zorb!


I understood from the Zorb website that I would get wet. Really wet. I also knew my family had no plans for me to take the time to retouch my makeup, so I tried to plan a day that would allow me to not look like a train wreck while not getting sunburnt. After Zorbing, we were planning on spending the day at Dollywood, where I had hoped, but doubted, they would have large breast themed attractions. Rides or no rides, I didn't want to look like a drowned rat, so here is what I was banking on to help me maintain some kind of decent appearance:

Tarte Eco Cheek Stain: a gorgeous creamy peach stain.


Jan Marini Skin Research AntiOxidant SPF 30: Waterproof UVA/UVB SPF 30, my new fave sunscreen.



Tarte Lights, Camera Splashes Waterproof mascara: the waterproof version of their amazing mascara.


Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes in Grey 22L: a beautiful gray liner for blue eyes that lets you look glam without looking like you are trying too hard - especially when you are Zorbing in Pigeon Forge.

Once I saw people leaving Zorb, I realized that getting wet wasn't really what was happening. It was more like being put in a washing machine. I left my hope of not being a hot mess in the red van that took us to the top of the hill. I got out of the vehicle, into the ball, and went down the hill.

Two fun facts before you watch the video:

1. If you crank the audio, you can hear me screaming the whole way.
2. My shorts fell down.




After my trip down the hill, how did I fare? My eyeliner was almost gone, my mascara stayed put, and my cheek stain held its own, although slightly worse for the wear. I did reapply my sunscreen, as I am not willing to risk burning my skin for my blog. All in all, I would say Zorbing is the ultimate test for makeup (and the closest thing you can get to actually being put in a washing machine. And while my slightly made-up face held up ok, it didn't matter. This is one of those times my inner beauty took over and out-shined my makeup.


Check back tomorrow for my day of hiking, which fulfilled my outdoorsy quotient for the rest of my life.

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