Well, that's probably what they should have named Lancome's Primordiale Optimum. This reeks of “elderly matron clutching her pearls,” but...and this is a strong but, this product is fantastic. It purports to be a skin correcting moisturizer and after using this for a few months, I have to agree that my skin looks amazing and I have noticed fewer fine lines. Botox in a bottle? Definitely not, but for someone like me who's pushing thirty and needs just a bit of extra work here and there, it's a good buy.

Also, this has SPF 15, not at lot, but it makes the perfect non-greasy moisturizer for those days when I'm only outside to go from the house to the car to work and back again.

Now, you may be wondering why I've come out of hiatus to review this product and the reason is that it's been discontinued! I have gone and purchased 3 extra bottles of this stuff to take me though. I urge you to check your local counters as well as Lancome outlets and grab any remaining bottles.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 5:09 PM EDT

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At $3.00 for a huge (7.2 oz) bottle , its one of the cheapest toners on the market.   It claims to be for all skin tones, and it pretty much is.  A very basic thing with witch hazel and aloe, I can't see it breaking anyone out.  I also can't see it doing anything else.  Its nothing more than a rinse to ensure you've gotten all the soap off your face - that's it.  Save your money and get a 99 cent bottle of witch hazel.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 6:47 AM EST

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In case my stunning graphic wasn't clear, this ruined my super awesome black weekend dress.  Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 7:35 AM EST

Updated: Monday, 4 January 2010 7:38 AM EST

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This was supposed to be a "Happy New Year" post, but each click of the keyboard was met with angry rain and screaming thunderclaps.  Yep - one of those days.  I'd intended to wear my hair down - even slept in rollers  Dominican Blowout style - but it could all be for nothing.

I ran for the remote to turn on the weather.  The humidity around here is always high (I live on the coast), but today it was UP there.  Am I doomed to frizzes?  NOPE!

We've always been taught that high humidity = bad hair, but that's not the whole truth.  Sometimes humidity could be at 80% and you still have a good hair day.  Why?  Well....I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that if I only look at humidity I'm missing out on good hair days by wrongly preparing for bad ones. 

A few years ago I was taught to instead look at dew points, NOT humidity. The dew point is the point at which water condenses.  Why does this matter to you?  Well...

dew point below 50 = non frizzy curls or straight hair days and

dew point above 50 = frizzy and/or kinky curls, fly aways etc.

So this explains why sometimes when its cold, but the humidity is high, you can still have a good hair day. You can make it better by remembering this rule:

dew point below 50 = add moisturizer

dew point above 50 = CO wash with humectants 

If you can't remember this, or can't find the dew point online, may I introduce you to a brilliant site HairForecast.com.

Inspired by a then meteorology student for his then girlfriend (now wife) who always called for a hair day report, the site tells you what kind of hair you can expect in your town.  Just plug in your zip code and fight the frizz.

This guy, already a legend in my eyes, is also part of a group donating wells to poor communites - each time you click for your Hair Forecast, he takes money out of his own pocket for the cause. Check out the website and let me know what you think.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 7:10 AM EST

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I had an interesting experience this week and since I'm not quite sure what I think of it, I thought I'd share it with my readers.

I have insanely kinky, natural hair that I flat iron straight once a week. When I come out of the shower its an afro - I roller set it wet, let it air dry then spend ages to flat iron it to shoulder length. To do this over and over again would not only be 1) damaging but also 2) time consuming.  Note: Before you email “well why don't you just rock your afro?!” A lot of people look beautiful with afros – I am not among them. That's it. Don't read something into it that's not there. So to preserve the flat ironing, I usually just pull my hair back in a bun and go about my way until the next straightening session seven days later. Have I set the scene for ya?

Ok, so the other day I meet a dear friend of mine out for breakfast and I wear my hair totally down. Remember, this is an odd thing for me – I'm always seen with a pony tail, bun or Heidi buns (think lowly goatherd Heidi, not Heidi Klum Heidi). So this guy walks right past me, turns around and freaks out. He goes on and on about how good I look and blah, blah, blah. At the moment, it was an awesome ego stroke but then – at least in my head – it took another turn. Dude keeps talking and talking and talking about how I should always wear my hair down and then tries to touch my hair (at this point you should have figured that we're of different ethnic backgrounds). I'm a little weirded out, but let it go. I mean whatever right?

WELL – that same day, I meet another friend for lunch. Same spiel: “why don't you wear your hair down all the time...you look so good this way...” Really? What was I before? Some cave dwelling troll or something? Nothing else had changed, I always wear my (dare I say fabulous) makeup, I'm regularly in jeans and a tshirt – the only difference was the hair. I asked him point blank, “is it [hair] that big of a deal for guys” and tell me point blank, “yes.”

I have known both of these men forever and know them to be good, decent human beings. So what just happened? Was it an issue of shallowness or American ideals of beauty? Could it simply have been that my hair was just different and I should take compliments at face value? Curious indeed. Thoughts?

Posted by theworldsdresser at 7:29 PM EST

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For what it's worth - I usually hate primers.  I mean, there's the odd good one now and then (Smashbox Photofinish NOT among them), but yeah, they're not my thing.  I love them on brides, I love them on mature and dry skins, but for me personally - nah.  

Enter in Tarte's Clean Slate Primer.  It does what no other velvet-esque primer does: works without breaking me out!  If I even get to close to a primer, my face wells up and begins to look like a 3D map...complete with erupting volcanoes.  But Tarte's Clean Slate is like a whole new world.  Made without parabens and sulfates it looks as beautiful as Smashbox Photofinish WITHOUT the drama.  I adore it!  Under powder, under liquid, under nothing at all - it just makes the face looks flawless and keeps everything from settling into fine lines.  You need this right now.  Really!

Note: I have super oily, super sensitive, acne prone skin and after months of use, I still don't have any problems.  Let me know what your experiences are.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 7:59 PM EST

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I'll warn you though, this carries a distinct I'm-an-Alpha-Male scent, so be prepared to smell like the HDIC, but otherwise this is money gloriously spent. The lotion is oil free, dye free and it doesn't break out my super sensitive (and naturally oily skin). Will I buy this again? Absolutely!

Click here for more of my reviews on hair removal/shaving products.

Posted by theworldsdresser at 6:22 PM EST

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Sorry for the brief hiatus. I've been in the process of moving for a bit and I'm now just settling back into things. Thanks for all the lovely emails – I'm going though them as quickly as I can!

For just now, I'd like to let you in on something I've been trying for the last two weeks. The latest Marie Claire issue had a listing of the best conditioners (commercially available) and I was shocked to see an old drug store cheapie – Pantene Pro V – on the list. Never one to shirk away from a challenge, I dropped my $3.49 and decided to give their much touted Pro Lengths version a test.

The results? Well, it was actually pretty good. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that its the SECOND best drug/grocery store product around (if you'll scroll down a bit, you'll find my #1). To be honest, its a far distant second, but when you combine price with product, its a pretty good deal for the money. The smell was good, my hair was soft and yes, after two weeks, it feels strong. If you're wondering if I've tried the Pro Lengths shampoo, the answer is no. I'm sticking with Carol's Daughter Tui (click on the side bar for that review as well) since I know that it won't leave my natural-yet-heat-abused hair feeling like jacked up straw.  My advice? Get it...its cheaper than a latte!

Posted by theworldsdresser at 7:05 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 25 November 2009 7:09 PM EST

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