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tips and tricks

Tips & Tricks Travel

This Year In… Travel!

safe travels

2013 was a very good year indeed for a number of reasons, not least of which were some of the amazing trips I was able to take. Travel has always been one of my passions, so I always appreciate any excursion I’m able to take – whether it’s two weeks in Europe or a quick weekend jaunt to upstate New York. My biggest challenge is that there are so many wonderful places to see in the world, yet so little time (and vacation days!).

When I was approached by the Marriott to do a post on my travel tips, I couldn’t have been happier to oblige. I’ve stayed at more than a handful of their vacation properties over the years, including my stint in N’awlins and my upcoming trip to Italy (more about that soon), and I’ve always had great experiences.

Keep reading for a few of my favorite travel tips and resources…

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Beauty

Mane Details: Holiday Curls Tutorial + Pantene Giveaway

Holiday Curls1

Greetings, Everyone!

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve been test-driving a few haircare products from Pantene.  And the curly ‘do you see above is the finished look.  Below is a step-by-step breakdown of how I achieved this style.  Enjoy!

Pantene Co-Wash & Deep Conditioneraa5Pantene Styling Products

Tools of the Trade:

  • Pantene Natural Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner
  • Pantene Natural Deep Conditioner
  • Pantene Ultimate 10 BB Creme
  • Pantene Advanced+ Keratin Repair KeraGloss Mist
  • Pantene Pro-V Stylers Maximum Hold Mousse
  • Curlformers
  • Seamless Detangling Comb
  • Hair clips

Holiday Curls7

I’m usually too busy (and impatient) to properly deep condition, but this winter has left my hair feeling DRY! So after washing my hair in sections to minimize tangling, I applied my conditioner and sat under the dryer for 15 minutes.

Holiday Curls6

Starting on freshly washed and conditioned hair, I ran a bit of the Ultimate 10 BB Creme through my entire head before setting my hair using Curlformers. My hair was surprisingly easy to detangle after the deep-condition, so I just worked a teensy bit of mousse and KeraGloss mist into each section before rolling. I’m an old pro at using Curlformers (and I promise to do a video tutorial soon), so it only takes me 30 minutes or so to do my entire head. I used short wide rollers in the back and long skinny rollers in the front to give a bobbed look to the finished style. Once I was all done, I hopped backed under the dryer for ~25 minutes.

Holiday Curls5

I look absolutely ridiculous here, but I was pretty pleased with how smooth and frizz free my curls came out. The mousse gave a nice hold, but my hair was definitely soft to the touch and bouncy (and yes, I did whip it back and forth to check).

Holiday Curls3

After a bit of separating, fluffing, and another once over with the KeraGloss mist, this was my finished result. Not too shabby, right? This style lasted for about 3 days. After that, I just pulled it back into a curly ponytail for the rest of the week.

All in all, I’m pretty pleased with the Pantene products I received.  The KeraGloss mist and Mousse were my two favorites, and I’ll definitely be restocking when I run out.

And because this is the season for giving, Pantene has offered to do a special giveaway for you guys as well.  One lucky reader will receive a gift package chock full of Pantene hair goodies (valued at $50).  Just leave a comment on this post sharing your holiday hairstyle plans to enter.  The contest closes Thursday, December 26th @ 9pm EST, and a randomly selected winner will be announced that Friday.

Good luck!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.