With the water pelting my back, I diligently pumped the bottle of WEN cleansing conditioner (don't call it shampoo!) 40 times.
Forty times!
Inventor and QVC star Chaz Dean assured me I'd need that much to cleanse and moisturize my thick, dry hair. I told him I'd go broke, if I didn't get carpal tunnel syndrome first. But I followed instructions and worked that huge handful of creamy fig scented stuff into my mane. It felt and smelled like pureed fruit being dumped on my head (more a parenting reality than beauty technique in my world). WEN does not lather, because Dean says lathering agents include harsh chemicals that damage hair. But I had no trouble working it in and didn't mind the new sensation. After rinsing, my hair felt heavier - it hung neatly, without frizzies or snarls. When I dried it, I must say: it was the shiniest and softest I've ever felt. I can't think of another product - and I try lots - that made such a noticeable difference. The question is, was it a good difference. I'm no master stylist (as has been well-documented in this blog), but the softness seemed to make my hair look overwhelmingly fluffy rather than piece-y (my ultimate goal). Dean says the more I use the product, the better my hair will get (he's big on quantity, and at $28 per bottle). I'm curious enough to stick with it - at least until this bottle runs out.
Check out my funny conversation with Chaz in the Pioneer Press on Saturday, June 27.
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« May 2009 | Main | July 2009 »
June 25, 2009
June 18, 2009
Botox in the street. Now that's a party!
Every independent shopping district has tried a Girls' Night Out event, but Excelsior, MN has really figured out how to draw a crowd week after week and here's why. Tonight, I witnessed a Botox injection on Water Street. Right there, in the heart of boutique row, with a crowd looking on, sidewalk diners peering over their menus and cars zipping past a doctor from a local clinic pumped the stuff into the forehead of a relaxed looking blond. People clapped. And then it was on to the '80s Diva Costume Contest. It's action every minute on Girls' Night in Excelsior. Seriously, other retail areas could learn a lot from this small lakefront town, which has parlayed its summer Girls' Night Out program into a real draw for local businesses. Here are some takeaways:
- Be organized. Have a committee, put together a calendar, build a website. Put fliers and posters in every store window.
- Get all the retailers on board. Just like mall retailers must keep mall hours, businesses in downtown Excelsior are unified about staying open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays between May and August. Power in numbers.
- Theme it. When each Girls' Night is it's own event, customers are inspired to return.
- Offer a real deal. Twenty percent store discounts, free chair massages, buy one, get one - stores and restaurants do what they can to make shopping on Thursday nights feel special. (A list of promos can be picked up in every store, but I'd argue stores should make their specific deals even more prominent.)
- Karaoke in the street. It draws attention, involves the public and it's funny.
- Prizes. Real prizes. People love prizes. The winner of tonight's costume contest received $400 worth of products at a local skin clinic. That will inspire the ladies to not only show up, but do so in neon spandex and lace. Like, totally.
June 17, 2009
Target run with a Real Housewife
Bethenny Frankel of Bravo TV's "The Real Housewives of New York City" beat me to the Midway SuperTarget in St. Paul this afternoon. I even arrived 15 minutes early, but she was already in the check-out line buying Hanes boy shorts, makeup wipes and a SoBe drink. And, she made a pit-stop before our shopping date at Wal-Mart. (I'd tell you what she had to say about it, but that could jeapordize any future licensing agreements.) You can read all about our shopping escapades in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Sunday, June 28, but I won't make "Housewives" fans wait for this dish: The much hyped Season 2 scene in which Kelly Bensimon told Bethenny "I'm up here and you're down here" was not at all staged, Bethenny insists. But even at the time it was happening, the ever-enterprising Bethenny said she knew it was like "manna from heaven." Indeed, "I'm Down Here" is the working title of Bethenny's third book. As for the next "Housewives" season, which begins filming in July, Bethenny isn't worried about coming up with good material. "I have a boyfriend," she said. "That's enough." She did pause twice to gush over baby clothes...
Bethenny left a little something behind at the Midway Target: she signed every copy of her book, "Naturally Thin."
June 15, 2009
Shopping with green guru Danny Seo
Got a question? Need some help? You could wander around a store forever. But quietly stroll the sales floor with a notebook in hand and managers appear out of thin air. Today's locale: JC Penney at Rosedale Center. My shopping companion: green lifestyle expert Danny Seo, designer of JC Penney's very own Simply Green home line. There he was, picking up one of his own pillows when a manager with a clipboard surfaced offering to "help us." What she really meant was: who are you and what are you doing that may get me in trouble with corporate? Danny, who is a fixture on the JC Penney website, not to mention the author of best selling books, a magazine columnist and frequent guest on national shows like, oh, Oprah, couldn't have been more cordial, but it was clear he was a little hurt. "I work for JC Penney," he told her, and recited the names and numbers of folks in the corporate office to verify this. "He's decorated for Tobey Maguire!" I offered. The manager retreated. We finished shopping. At least he gets a corporate card, which he used to pay for around $100 of his own merch, which he'll give away on Shop Girls Saturday, June 20.
Read more about my shopping spree with Danny in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on June 21.
June 11, 2009
June 09, 2009
Beaucoup Bethenny
Do you really want to know how you look in those pants? You need to shop with a sharp-tongued, but well-meaning girlfriend like Bethenny Frankel of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City." The multi-tasking non-housewife Housewife (single, no kids, health foodie, drink designer, entrepreneur, author) hits the Twin Cities next week and there are a couple of opportunities to see her, and, oh yes - shop with her (momentary pause to appreciate what a weird world this is). Frankel will headline the "Shop Like a Socialite" event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 at Corset Boutique in Hopkins. Tickets are $50 and include a $10 store gift card and a free copy of Frankel's best selling book, "Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting." Bonus: everything in the store will be 30 to 75 percent off. Order tickets here.
On Wednesday, June 17 at 6 p.m., catch Frankel at the Mall of America Rotunda where she will sign copies of her book.
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