Which Products Do You Wish Were Available in High School & College?

I recently turned 29 for the third time...which got me thinking about how far beauty and fashion have come in the past 10-15 years.

It also got me thinking about how much cuter I could have looked in high school and college if the products we have today were available back then.

Among my wish list are: flat irons; No Frizz products; more foundations and concealers for brown girls; a threading salon in my neighborhood; Spanx; Forever 21; and everything Urban Decay.

So I ask you: if you could turn back time, which products/brands do you wish were available in your adolescence?

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Winners of The Beauty Girls Giveaways!!!

The time has come to announce the winners of The Beauty Girls giveaways!!!

Congratulations to Sherry Brooks, Carla Brown, Melinda Fathel, Cindi Hoppes, Cindy Ingalls, Katy Knight, Keerat Malhi, Aisha Ozair, Bonnie Pen, Jessica Persky, Sarah Poole, Whitney Skeete, Nancy Vu, Annmarie Weeks, and Tiffany Worboy. These lucky ladies have won the Lancome giveaway and will receive my favorite lash lengthener, Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara!

Alena Burroughs, Kellie Butler, Holly Chmil, Stephanie Ciosek, Junghee Kim, Soledad Martinez, Suzanne Mitchell, Torie Nelson, Ellen O'Connell, Pat Schroeder, Kristen Zarrelli, and Sarah Zvolanek are winners of the Living Proof giveaway. Each winner will receive a set of No Frizz Straight Making and Wave Making Styling Treatments, Shampoo and Conditioner!

The 'sweet smell of victory' is more than a euphemism for Zoe Barker Benfield, Faith Bradham, Tricia Christie, Liz Doebler, Kim Gasparon, Elizabeth Getzen, Cezanne Hayden-Dyer, Donya Hobbs, Nancy Huynh and Sara Lilly. These readers have won 50ml bottle of Lola Marc Jacobs. The long-lasting, day-and-night scent opens with pink peppercorn, pear and ruby red grapefruit. Blooming midnotes of rose, fuchsia peony, and geranium make a feminine statement. Layers of vanilla, warm tonka bean and creamy musk create a sensuous drydown.

I have one thing to say to Elaine Chang, Naomi Shapiro and Shaun Spangler - cut the cord! These ladies are winners of the Barbar giveaway, and will receive the Barbar 1900 Tourmaline Cordless Combo - which includes both a tourmaline plate flat iron and curling iron that heat up in less than 3 minutes!

Many thanks to Lancome, Living Proof, Lola Marc Jacobs, and Barbar for generously sponsoring these giveaways!

The Beauty Girls Giveaways: Day 5

Hi, y'all. Today is day 5 of The Beauty Girls' beautious giveaways! And it's my chance to host some!!!

Today begins your chance to win some of my FAVORITE products from Lancome, Living Proof, Lola Marc Jacobs and Barbar!

Here's what's up for grabs:

LANCOME

15 winners will receive Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

LIVING PROOF
4 winners will win:
*Straight Making No Frizz Styling Spray for Fine to Medium Hair
*Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Spray for Fine to Medium Hair
*No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner

4 winners will receive the following:
*Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair
*Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair
*No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner

4 winners will receive the following:
*Straight Making No Frizz Styling Treatment for Thick to Coarse Hair
*Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz styling treatment for thick to coarse hair
*No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner

LOLA MARC JACOBS
10 winners will receive a 50ml bottle of Lola Marc Jacobs

BARBAR
3 winners will receive the 1900 Tourmaline Cordless Combo

To enter the giveaways, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The subject line should read "The Beauty Girls Giveaways." Also, be sure to indicate which contests you want to win (for example - "Lancome and Barbar," or "ALL OF THEM!")The contests end at midnight (EST) on Sunday, September 20th. Winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Monday, September 21st, I'll announce the winners' name. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contests are open to U.S. residents.

Living Proof No Frizz Debuts Shampoo and Conditioner!!!

I don't know who is in the running for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But I'll tell you who should be - the people over at Living Proof.

Sure, they haven't ended any wars or found a way to mend the broken healthcare system in the U.S., but they have achieved the unthinkable. Women worldwide are finally at peace with their hair thanks to Living Proof's revolutionary No Frizz products.

Developed by a talented team of MIT scientists, No Frizz is a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge, humidity-resistant formulas that work for all hair types. And besides obliterating frizz, these products also manage to smooth hair without a heavy or greasy feel, impart lasting shine and softness, and repel dirt and oil so you can go longer between shampoos.

Ever since I started using the No Frizz styling products "frizz" has ceased to be a word in my vocabulary (except here, obv). I use No Frizz religiously and even take them to the salon with me when I'm getting me hair did. When Spoiled Pretty partnered with Living Proof for a giveaway, the winner wrote back - raving that these are products she'll use FOR LIFE. I mean, just read her review and tell me you're not convinced.

As if these styling products weren't enough of a contribution to society, Living Proof now adds shampoo and conditioner to its repetoire.

"We like to refer to these two products as a labor of love for our scientists," says CEO Rob Robillard. "When we first started introducing the No Frizz styling products to the press and to retailers out there, they kept saying — 'why don’t you have a shampoo & conditioner?' Then as all you fans out there learned how great the styling products were you too kept asking — why don’t you have a shampoo & conditioner? The answer was quite simple. We didn’t want to launch just any old shampoo and conditioner, we wanted it to be as revolutionary as our styling products. We wanted you to be blown away again."

These new daily care products wash away frizz and provide heat protection from tools like blow driers, curling irons and flat irons. The Humidity Blocking, Weightlessly Hydrating, Sulfate-Free Shampoo was developed with PolyfluoroEster and SLMI, a gentle, sulfate-free surfactant, to remove any trace of dirt or oil without stripping the hair. It promises to be the perfect choice for everyday cleansing for all hair types, including color-treated hair. Humidity Blocking, Weightlessly Hydrating, Shine Restoring Conditioner is the natural companion to leave hair soft, shining and hydrated without weighing it down.

Moisture Restoring No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner will soon be added to the No Frizz family. It is an ideal option for drier hair, incorporating PolyfluoroEster with lightweight glycerin as the key moisturizing component instead of heavy oils, a first for a leave-in frizz-fighting product.

No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner are available now at livingproof.com. The entire collection will launch in September 2009 at Sephora and QVC.

CEW’s Best Beauty Products on QVC!

Tonight, the 2009 Cosmetic Executive Women Beauty Insider Choice Awards Winners and Finalists will be showcased on QVC! Tune in from 10 p.m. to midnight (EST) for special promotions on the best in beauty.

Featured products will include everything from skin care to hair care to cosmetics. A few of the highlighted products to be featured include: Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector, Fresh Appleseed Brightening Exfoliant, Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation, Living Proof No Frizz, NIA 24, Ojon Tawaka "The Ball," Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment, YSL Rouge Volupté Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15, Bare Escentuals Bareminerals 100% Natural Lip Gloss Duo, and Philosophy Hope in a Jar SPF 20.

I Can't Stand The Rain, Against My Window

Thank heavens for umbrellas and No Frizz by Living Proof. In Philadelphia, it seems like it's been raining for 40 days and 40 nights. Seriously, I'm about ready to build me an ark.

For my review of No Frizz, click here. Spoiler alert: these products are supa dupa fly.

I Told You Living Proof's No Frizz Works!

Megan O, winner of Spoiled Pretty's No Frizz Giveaway recently wrote me, to rave about her prize. Here's what she had to say:

"I wanted to say thank you of saving my life! Well, not exactly, but you did introduce me to a product that has been life CHANGING. I was the winner of the Living Proof No Frizz for fine to medium hair set. These two products are AMAZING. I am the person who this product was created for! I have long fine hair that is a hybrid of curly and straight, but not a nice beachy-wave curly, a frizzy tangle of waves in an unorganized mess. I have NEVER been able to let my hair air-dry and go. Either I blow dry it straight (and hope the humidity is non-existant) or I put hella product in to contain the frizz and hold the little curl I have. I have tested both the Straight Making and the Wave Shaping Curl Defining, and I honestly can't decide which I like better. The Straight Making spray not only keeps the frizz at bay, but it makes my hair incredibly silky (don't know if this is supposed to happen, but I'll take it). And, for some reason it helps keep the oil to a minimum and I can actually go an extra day without washing my hair. The Wave Shaping spray has FINALLY allowed me to wash-and-go. I can spray this in my damp hair, scrunch it a bit and I can head off on my daily adventure. Frizz free waves ALL day without the crunchy, wet-looking hair that accompanies the former curly/wavy hair routine."

Megan adds, "All around these are two FANTASTIC products and I could go on and on raving, but I think I've made my point. I'll be placing an order for more soon. This is definitly a 'holy grail' product for me, and I will use it every day for the rest of my life. Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to try this product."

No Frizz is available at livingproof.com, and is sold at select Sephora stores, Sephora.com, and QVC.

No Frizz Giveaway Winners Revealed

Good hair days are here again for Meghan Olsonoski, Becky Grady and Nakia Hansen. Congrats, ladies! You're about to experience No Frizz by Living Proof, a collection of breakthrough, anti-frizz products that deliver results you can see across the room! Besides obliterating frizz, these products also manage to smooth hair without a heavy or greasy feel, impart lasting shine and softness, and repel dirt and oil so you can go longer between shampoos.

Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to Living Proof for making this contest possible.

And stay tuned because the next giveaway announcement is just around the bend.

No Frizz Giveaway - Sponsored by Living Proof

Women everywhere know that even the smallest changes in humidity can have a major effect on how their hair looks and feels. Remarkably, in 30 years of research and development, science has done little to tilt the balance in your (and your hair’s!) favor. Nearly every anti-frizz product on the market today – there are more than 1,000 – treats frizz with silicone, a technology in use for three decades. The problem with silicone is that it doesn’t address the causes of frizz; it doesn’t prevent humidity from entering the hair shaft, and it doesn’t reduce the surface friction on hair. Rather, silicone works by weighing down hair with oil, ultimately allowing humidity to penetrate, leaving it limp and greasy.

So Living Proof scientists set out to apply advanced technology to solve the toughest beauty challenges - and, miraculously, they created a collection of breakthrough, anti-frizz products that deliver results you can see across the room. Besides obliterating frizz, these products also manage to smooth hair without a heavy or greasy feel, impart lasting shine and softness, and repel dirt and oil so you can go longer between shampoos.

No Frizz is available now at livingproof.com, and will be sold (starting in February 2009) at select Sephora stores, Sephora.com, and QVC.

If you read my recent review, you know that these products are the reason why frizz isn’t even a word in my dictionary anymore. And if you’ve been reading Spoiled Pretty for more than a week, you know that I can’t keep a good thing to myself. So I’ve teamed up with Living Proof for a giveaway.

Three readers will get lucky, this go-round:

* One winner (with fine to medium hair) will receive Straight Making No Frizz Styling Spray and Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Spray.

* One winner (with medium to thick hair) will receive Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream and Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Cream.

* One winner (with thick to coarse hair) will receive Straight Making No Frizz Styling Treatment and Wave Shaping Curl Defining No Frizz Styling Treatment.

To enter, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name, mailing address, and hair type (fine to medium, medium to thick, or thick to coarse). The subject line should read "No Frizz Giveaway." The contest ends at midnight (EST) on Sunday, January 25th. Three winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Monday, January 26th, I'll announce the winners’ names. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

Product Polygamy Week: Hair

Woo woo! Party over here! Party over here!

Welcome to day three of Product Polygamy Week, Spoiled Pretty’s celebration of the beauty items that get big love from me and my girl, Amber.

SHAMPOO
The Barb: Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo For Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair
Looking for a shampoo that will nurture your tortured tresses and restore their good health? Then look no further than Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo For Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair. Your hair needn’t be dry, damaged, and color-treated to enjoy this product. As long as your strands are one of the above, they will reap the rewards of this sublime shampoo.

The Nicki: Barry Fletcher Moisture Therapy Honeysuckle Moisturizing Shampoo
This is all I have to say…Barry Fletcher’s Moisture Therapy Honeysuckle Moisturizing Shampoo left my hair so silky smooth that I almost didn't need conditioner. What more is there to say? Oh yeah - an 8 oz. bottle is only $7.

The Margene: Bumble and bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo
Made with coconut oil and murumuru butter, Bumble and bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo gently cleanses, supremely moisturizes, enhances shine and tames frizz. Still need convincing? Peep this - it smells like a frothy pina colada. Bottoms up!


CONDITIONER
The Barb: Barry Fletcher Moisture Therapy Revitalizing Conditioner
Nothing makes my hair softer or more manageable than Barry Fletcher's Moisture Therapy Revitalizing Conditioner. It hydrates, strengthens, and leaves my strands implausibly silken. Plus it smells just like a pina colada (are you noticing a pattern here?) and costs $10 for a tub.

The Nicki: Moroccanoil Masque
The people responsible for the Moroccanoil hair care line must practice magic and wizardry. That’s the only explanation I can come up with that could possibly account for the products’ supernatural powers. Moroccanoil Masque is a rich, creamy treatment, designed to hydrate and repair damaged hair. With continued use, it revitalizes hair, restoring shine and manageability.

The Margene: Joico K Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor
If your hair is over-processed, severely damaged and/or you suffer from breakage, then Joico K Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor is the answer. This is not - and I repeat NOT - a moisturizing product. This is a hair reconstructor; it rebuilds and improves the structure of your hair. After just one use, you’ll notice that there’s less hair in your comb/brush, your hair looks healthier and it feels stronger. Just remember to follow this up with a moisturizing treatment, because too much protein can make hair strong but also brittle.


STYLING PRODUCT
The Barb: Moroccanoil Oil Treatment
If you go out and buy just one thing off this list, let it be Moroccanoil Oil Treatment. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to accurately describe how this magical elixir has changed my life. I’m a beauty blogger, so I have to test and review a plethora of products. Which means that I have to switch it up all of the time. But the one hair product I CANNOT take out of the rotation is Moroccanoil Oil Treatment. This amazing oil strengthens brittle hair, softens unmanageable manes, nourishes dry scalp, restores shine, eliminates frizz, protects against UV damage, speeds styling time by 40% and provides long-term conditioning to all hair types. I don’t know one person who’s tried it an thought, “meh.” Use it once and you’ll want to buy it in bulk so you’re never without it.

The Nicki: Redken Extreme Iron Repair
You’ve heard it time and time again…take it easy on the thermal styling tools. But your hair just looks too damn good when you’ve had a nice blowout and you touch it up with the flat iron. I know, I know. I’m guilty too. So if you’re like me and determined to be a blowdrying, flat-ironing badass, please invest in a thermal protector like Redken Extreme Iron Repair. This lightweight, heat-activated lotion protects hair from heat-styling damage while strengthening the internal and external fiber. And it eases your guilty conscience when you’re putting hot tools in your hair every five minutes.

The Margene: No Frizz by Living Proof
Okay, I lied. Remember when I said if you buy one thing on this list, make it Moroccanoil Oil Treatment? Well, I forgot that I would also be including No Frizz by Living Proof on said list. No Frizz is a revolutionary new hair care line that contains a brand new molecule that does what silicones can’t: eliminate frizz by blocking out humidity. No Frizz by Living Proof is the winner of Allure Magazine’s most coveted beauty honor: the ‘beauty breakthrough award’ of 2008. Already an insider favorite to stylists and celebrities, it hasn’t been available to the general public until recently. Then it hit the market, but you couldn’t find it anywhere because beauty zealots were snatching it up in bulk, like they were on an eppy of Supermarket Sweep. Sounds crazy, but this stuff is serious; it was created by a scientist at MIT!

Since I’ve been using this, frizz isn’t even a word in my dictionary. I forgot what it meant because - rain or shine - my hair looks exactly the same. Hot mess, puffball hair begone! And one thing I absolutely love about these products…it instructs you to apply as much as you want, that you can’t overdo it. I love glopping on some styling products, so a product line that lets me go hog wild (but won't let me overdo it) gets an A+ in my book.

My partner in crime, Amber, is hair obsessed. So you know she’ll have some great product picks. Go check her out and I’ll see you tomorrow…same time, same place.