BabyLove here!  I’m constantly surprised by how quickly my two boys have become so aggressive.  William is 4, and Calum is 2, and I’m ready to move out. All day long, they yell at one another, push, pull, steal toys, bite, kick, punch, and scream at the top of their lungs.  The only solution that I’ve come up with is that I MUST get them out of the house within a hour of them waking up.  My location of choice-the beach.

Both boys are sturdy enough to stay standing in the water.  They can swim a little, and it allows me a chance to sit on my towel, close enough to the water just in case one goes under.  The screams are replaced with laughter, and they play sort of nicely together.  It’s so pleasant to watch them enjoy themselves without all of the injuries usually sustained at home.  Their pediatrician told me, “boys are like dogs, you have to run them,” and he’s right.  When we get home, they’re both too tired to try and annoy one another.  Everyone wins.

I’m not a fantastic swimmer, and I’m not incredibly thrilled about getting into the water with fish and seaweed.  My least favorite part of going to the beach is picking through my hair and finding a random dead bug. The never ending battle is trying to rinse the sand out of my kid’s hair.  But, since we go to the beach first thing in the morning, come home for lunch and nap, and then go back to the beach after dinner, it’s becoming a daily battle.

Here at Megsmakeup.com, we were all thrilled when Circle of Friends came into our lives.  Megan has posted some lovely videos with the owner Eleanor, highlighting some of their fantastic bath products, but most of you might remember them from their very popular lice preventative shampoo and conditioner. Remember to pick up some for the upcoming school year, it’s the best!  They carry the smartest products, and they work fabulously.  So, I was so excited when I received a package from Circle of Friends, full of their swim care line!  Their pre-swim condition, and swim shampoo have saved all the heads in my house this Summer.

Is there ANYTHING worse than a flippin' Summer cold? Goddess Granny seriously needs to know because I'm been battling one for about two weeks and my energies, looks, and nerves are ravaged! Combine the congestion with the usual schedule of Summer obligations and ta-do's along with family birthdays and the engagement of my youngest stepdaughter and I will be the first to admit that a HUGE dose of R&R and pamper me pretty is in order! I look like Death eatin' a cracker as they say here in Texas: I hit up Ulta today and found a few new treats to take the edge off but have been dying to share something FABULOUS and FUN with y'all so here goes!

I have an amazing hair stylist who goes to lots of shows and industry events both in Dallas and NY and she recently came home all excited about a new hair-enhancing product called "Hair Tinsel!" Beyonce sported a head-full of the twinkling strands at the 2010 Grammy awards and the trend has REALLY taken off because it's easy, semi-permanent and affordable...Finally something we mere mortals can do to look like a star on a realistic budget! It's ALL the buzz at the top beauty-events right now with no sign of slowing down as we go into Halloween and Holiday season...My salon has trouble keeping several colors in stock but I'll share my source with you in a bit: you can actually try to do this at home, there are videos on line as well as DVD's that show you how. I prefer to simply ask my stylist to make me pretty! I'd be surprised if most didn't already have a set of colors on hand because this look is smokin' and most salons are cashing in on the fun! LOTS of pretty Texas girls are extra- shiny this Summer!

The product is known by several names but "Hair Tinsel" seems to be the one most recognizable: what they are consists of strands of uber-fine mylar based hair-strands in a wild and vast array of colors that are tied to a strand of your hair for a really amazing and FUN effect! You can get a radical highlighted look or just (like I do...) add a bit of sparkle and a pop of color here and there! They last quite a while-several weeks in some cases. They can be washed and styled with the exception of using HIGH heat on the tinsel: just lower the heat-setting when you do these areas or simple skip them. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have been complimented and/or stopped in the last week: my stylist put some "Sparkling Champagne" strands into my red hair in hopes of brightening me and my red, runny nose up a bit and I LOVE the results! Not trashy in the slightest, just a really cute and contemporary look for any occasion and totally can be worn by any age including the younger ones! Not much else you can do to add such an impact to your looks that isn't either permanent, complicated, or expensive that I have experienced!

Summer is in full swing here in the Sac Valley and all I can say is....God BLESS Sweetassgal's pool!  I love my pool.  I'm in it every day...even if it's just a quick dip.  I'm a water baby and always will be.  In fact, 50 years from now I'll probably be that funny little old lady at the public pool with her flower trimmed swimming cap, skirted swim dress and giant sunglasses kicking all the youngin's butt's in the lap swim lane.  I'll be a cool old lady doing cannonballs and back flips in the backyard cement pond with my grandkids.  And I'll NEVER tell them I can't swim with them because I just got my hair done!
 
Of course this does bring up a good hair question.  How is my super dry hair fairing with all of this daily chlorine and sun exposure?  Answer...not too darn bad but not super great either.  I've had days where my hair literally feels like straw.  You know the sound that tissue paper makes when you crinkle it?  That's what combing through my hair sounded like.  These are the days I pull out my precious bottles of Prive Shampoo and Conditioner that I hold in such high esteem.  Yes...the very same expensive product I reviewed back in December and LOVED.  It's spendy but it lasts forever and ever and it works!  But since I like to try out new things for GCT then I put the Prive aside for times of extreme need and let something else step up to bat.  
 
Up for consideration is Organix's Hydrating Tea Tree Mint Shampoo, Conditioner, Mist and Treatment.  I adore Tea Tree and Mint is welcome ANYWHERE in my beauty products. I get such an incredible sense of cooling and invigoration from them both.  When it's 103 degrees outside and I can't stand a hot, steamy shower then I tend to gravitate towards products that give me a cooling sense of relief.  And since I can't exactly bathe in my pool, then I've got to replicate the effects in the shower.  The absolutely BEST thing I can say about this set is that it is truly cleansing, invigorating and really kick starts your mornings!  I swear I start singing "Walking on Sunshine" every time that minty scent hits my nose.  Not being a morning person...this is really incredible and I don't get that from other hair products I've tried recently.

Meg here! So yesterday was my birthday (what age is cougar technically)? I turned Ta-Dah! 34! As you know, I'm in Greece. For my birthday I was in Santorini. It's a beautiful island and the nightlife is hopping. As with any nightclubs you're going to get your visitors that come around to your table. Two Italian man children (O.K...Not children, but you get my drift.) stopped by to chat us up. On hearing it was my birthday...

Italian Man/Child: No! Really! 34? That's so old! I thought you were my age.
Me: How old are you?
Italian Man/Child: 24.

I've never been so conflicted in wanting to either slap someone or stick my tongue down their throat. I used restraint. I did neither. I will be kissing a different man when I get back to LA though! Thanks Dr. Simon.

We've reviewed a lot of Korres products in the past and in honor of me being in Greece I thought I'd fill you in on my go-to Korres Basil Lemon Body Milk. Korres started in a small pharmacy in Athens. Since those humble beginnings they have exploded onto the international cosmetic scene-so you know they've got to be good!

Sweetassgal here hoping everyone is enjoying their summer.  We're here in the thick of the 100 degree plus heat in the Sacramento Valley and that means one thing for me...vanishing makeup!  I can almost never maintain a well made up face when I open the door and that wall of heat hits me like a Mack truck!  As my skin starts to glisten, everything I've applied simply seems to slide right off my face!  So at this time of year I tend to lighten up on the make up a little.  Softer, more shimmery colors highlight my eyes, a dusting of powder helps keep down the shine and soft glosses take place of heavy lipstick.  
 
Taking a break from one of my favorite color palettes I broke out my lovely little cube of UltraPure Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Glisten.  I love the packaging from the outside.  It's very modern clear cube that allows you to view the content color from below and it puts me in mind of a beautiful white deco vanity stacked with these gorgeous little cubes in a rainbow of potted colors.  Something about them makes me want to play with them they way you would poker chips, using them to bet and to up the ante, clicking them between my fingers back and forth.  I'm weird I know but I get these strange little urges when something perks my interest.
 
Opening up the packaging I found out why I shouldn't play with my makeup!  This is a loose pigment and a large amount of it had settled in the sifting cap.  As soon as I opened it I spilled a lot of the contents onto my fingers and my pants.  Lesson learned.  My first impression of the super fine powder that was left on my fingers is that #1...Glisten is a GORGEOUS summertime golden hue perfect for highlighting and brightening your eyes and #2...it's so super fine that I couldn't even feel it on my skin.  This bodes well for lighter application in the hot summer months.  Application was simple as I dipped my brush in the top and gave a sweep across my brow bone, into the crease of my eye and just a little underneath on the outside corners.  It gives you a golden goddess type of look that makes me want to braid my hair in interesting patterns and wear breezy white dresses with large gold cuffed jewelry.  There I go with my urges again.

I travel a lot: not every week but usually at least once a month...it's always exciting but almost never "easy" anymore so I really try to schedule and pack in THE most efficient ways possible to avoid mini-meltdowns Goddess Granny style! I remember the days when travel was something a bit more glamorous and fun and when people who traveled dressed and acted like they were doing something special with their time.For the most part this has also changed but I still try to be that girl boarding the plane who looks a bit more polished and ready to hit the pavement or sand of my final destination ready to rock and not in need of a makeover because who wants to waste time polishing up their act when you could be enjoying a perfect libation someplace special?

One of my "tricks" to to pack my regular makeup case, usually a sleek black pro number by MAC in my check through luggage (there is NO way anyone who is serious about products and cosmetics can abide by that flippin' 3oz.TSA rule and sustain sanity! )and then have another small case in my purse that holds some rather amazing tried and true products that would allow me to look good no matter if my bag makes it or not: I'm just not willing to sacrifice style for a baggage fee so unless it's a very short trip, I check a bag.

Back to that little cosmetic case of magic: multi-purpose pencils and colors in miniature sizes that cover and color, samples of scent and creams and carefully re-packaged bits and bites of much loved favorites...It all fits in one hand and I even have a pair of extra lashes/dab of glue in there! I'm not gonna' be stranded on some island with those hunky "Lost" guys and look a fright...

BabyLove here!  When I was in my early twenties, I always, no matter what, had my feet perfectly manicured.  Every two weeks, and even in the dead of winter, I’d make sure to book a pedicure.  Now, the only thing I have time to book are doctor appointments for sick, booger nosed kids.  I’m honestly LUCKY if I fit in two or three pedicures a year.  Every time I have a few minutes to relax, the thought of getting up, shaving my legs, and getting in the car is exhausting.  And honestly, having my feet look nice is almost more important to me than having my hair trimmed.

There are products that, when you receive them, you know that you can sort of depend on to work.  Take makeup, for example.  It might not be the absolute best makeup you’ve ever used, but for the most part, if you buy a bronzer, you can expect that it will bronze your skin.  You might hate the color it turns you, and it might break your skin out, but it still makes you look tan.  I guess my point is, that it’s much easier to judge a product that you see immediate results from.  So, I think we can all be a little skeptical when we receive “magical” creams to reverse our lines, and awful stretch marks.  Some of these products work, of course, but they take time, and I know that I can be extremely impatient.

When Arielle, from Barielle, sent me Barielle’s Rejuvenating Foot Cream, I figured I’d give it a fair shot, but not get my hopes up too high.  The back of my $22 tube of MAGIC reads, “The unique blend of Glycoluc and Alpha Hydroxy acids combine to yield a time release system that will help exfoliate and reveal a fresher lookin layer of skin, renew cell production, and assist in the regulation of excessive perspiration.”  I have to say, it does all of this.

Meg here! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I've kicked the jet lag and am back! I mean, I sort of have kicked the jet-lag. I don't exactly know what time we're on since everything happens SO Late! I am a few steps ahead of a senior citizen in L.A., It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make the early-bird special. I actually cringe when people want to meet for dinner at 9pm. That's just so late. I'm not sure when I turned 72.

I'm a bit hipper in New York. I'm not home so I guess it's very devil may care. I actually venture out without complaint for a 10:30 dinner.

This Greece deal is a whole different ballgame. People meet for dinner AT MIDNIGHT. I haven't been home yet before 4am. Things stay open here until 7am! I know. Craziness.

Obviously and old lady like myself is going to have to pop into the powder room and do some consistent touch-ups. I'm not about to spread my entire arsenal over a restaurants vanity. I'm loving my Catcosmetics Love Match! This palette features Cat Hickland's bestsellers! I have in a sleek case a very pigmented eyeshadow, bronzer and blush. I especially LOVE the bronzer. "Catnip" is my go-to bronzer and I have it in it's large individual case. The fact Cat stuck it in this portable case is genius. One less thing I to have to lug around.

Meg here! It's summer and I am fortunate enough to have an in-house Greek at Megsmakeup.com. When Eleni told me she was heading home to Greece I was sad. When Eleni told me to come along I jumped at the chance!

I have arrived in Athens, just got here a few hours ago and I'm pretty jet-lagged. I'm forcing myself to stay awake to try to get on this time schedule. I'm going to do my best to get the posts up everyday but hey, I'm on vaca.

Meg here! Do you ladies know Sheckys.com? It's this cool women's site where they throw these massive shopping and cocktail parties around the country. They're really fun and if you haven't been to one before, I suggest you go!

Claudia is the main dame over there and she asked me if I would be willing to give some of their Sheckter's my thoughts on the hottest summer trend. I don't know about you ladies but I am seeing the neon nail everywhere!