Tag Archives: Pantene

Summer Concerts and Beachy Waves

Pantene Summer Concert Hair (2)

I have a full lineup of summer concerts ahead. First up is Pitchfork, where Brian Wilson will perform Pet Sounds in full, Lollapalooza, and even Riot Fest. Yup, I’m doing the full festival circuit this year. Whether or not you’re music fest-ing, summer concerts are aplenty. Chicagoans flock to Ravinia and Millennium Park for more excuses to do everything outside when the weather turns. Even my parents hit up their local bandshell for some jams.

I follow a few style principles for summer concerts. Comfortable shoes that can get dirty – usually my Tevas, because you know you can come home and throw those in the wash and you will need to – and loose tanks, and tees. I also like to give my hair beachy texture and let it run wild. It’s so much more fun at concerts when you can swing your hair around. It’s not the place for perfection.  There’s something awesome and so summertime about letting the elements into your hair:  a mix of sun, breeze and food vendors. Lobster corn rolls anyone (arguably worth the price of admission to Lolla alone)?

Pantene Summer Concert Hair (4) Pantene Summer Concert Hair (10)

I wanted to give you some tips on styling summer concert hair using Pantene’s newest set of suds and sprays.  The new Expert collection has a new look that stands out and a more concentrated Pro-V formula for instant gratification. The Expert Intense Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner is a tall drink of water for your hair – perfect for when you’re exposing your hair to the elements. I’m convinced this could revive the thirstiest head of hair. For even more moisture, like when you know you might want to extend your style for a few days, I’ve been using Pantene’s 3-Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner. Love this stuff – I’ve used way pricier hair masks that you leave on for 40+ minutes and still see or feel no difference. This saturates every strand and makes it stronger, giving you helpful protection during any music festival.
Pantene Summer Concert Hair (5) Pantene Summer Concert Hair (9)

Pantene Summer Concert Hair (11) Pantene Summer Concert Hair (7) Pantene Summer Concert Hair (6)

At this point, my straight hair is super straight and shiny. To get the beachy style I can ease into for a day at a music festival, I’ve got to add texture.

  1. First, I prime by spraying Pantene Smooth Airpray all over clean hair to give it a texture that you can still move and brush. This one is alcohol-free, so it’s not drying.
  2. Use a curling wand, holding each in place for 10 seconds to really let the curl take.
  3. Once they’ve cooled, brush them out. Tug on them, twist, and shake. Or shout (or not). The key is not to have pageant curls.
  4. Once you’re satisfied, spray Pantene Airspray in a medium hold on your ends and then massage throughout hair, concentrating on ends. I find this helps me get a piece textured without spraying my whole head with a hairspray that can hold everything in place perfectly.
  5. For a final shine, I spray the Smooth Airspray all over since it also acts like a humidity shield.

Pantene Summer Concert Hair (8)

Do you have any summer concerts you’re looking forward to? Anyone in Chicago doing a festival this year? Let me know! I’ll trade you tips on beachy waves if you can share any easy hair braid tricks for long bobs.

note: This post was sponsored by Pantene. All tips and summer plans are my own! 

Seize the (Leap) Day

field museum chicago

“I’m so excited to get an extra day of February,” said no resident of Chicago, ever (especially when that extra day is a Monday). It’s all too real for me after a week in Florida. Vacations always feel like sprints. Add in leap year to your reentry and the longest short month feels like a true marathon. It may be slow going, but I know we’ll eventually cross the finish line.

I’m prepping for the race this week with P&G Beauty. They’ve sent me a special care package made for marathon days (/leap months!) that I want to share it with you all (more on that below).

P&G beauty

Like it or not, Leap Year 2K16 is a go so, how about we like it? Novel concept, but I say we do something that we’ve been saving for a rainy day. Since Leap Day is a Monday, let’s say that “rainy day” is any day the rest of the month. You choose! How many times have you said you’d be a tourist in your own city? Go check out that new exhibit? Try that fried chicken Bloody Mary you read about. Whatever your “to do…someday” item is, I think a leap year is permission to finally cross it off the list.

So, here’s what I’m thinking.

olay body wash

Start the day with a shower. Obvs. Suds up with the new Olay Fresh Outlast Energizing Lime & White Tea Body Wash. It’s the latest addition to the Outlast collection – very fresh and citrusy and lingers on your skin throughout the day. Olay body washes are also really awesome in the winter because they don’t dry out your skin.  I won’t need to wash my hair because that’s not a daily thing for me however, on wash days I’ve been testing out the upgraded Pantene conditioners that allow you to take your hair past “the cutting point.” Think of this as a smart conditioner, targeting weak spots to repair and prevent damage sooner.  You can actually use the conditioner root-to-tip and it won’t weigh your hair down. This was an adjustment for me because I was taught very early to wash my hair and condition my ends. I’ve been trying the Sheer Volume variation and it keeps things smooth and shiny for the long stretches of time I go between washes.

chicago field museum

Next up: a day at the Museum. I am so guilty of never taking advantage of all of Chicago’s many cultural spots. Lucky for all of us in the Chicago area, February is filled with free days. The Field Museum – home to Sue! – is free the entire month. The Art Institute is always worth the price of admission, but it is also free Thursday evenings. I totally want to check out the new Van Gogh bedroom paintings. And, if you are actually making the most of February 29, the Adler Planetarium and Museum of Science and Industry are both free that day.

secret xtend

Say, you decide to really push the limits of your extra day and forget to reapply deodorant. Then you may be curious about the new Secret Outlast Xtend that continuously keeps you dry for 48 hours. Hoping some of you willing to try it out will let me know if that lives up.

I’m giving away 10 of every P&G product mentioned in this post. Leave a comment and 10 of you will get a special treat in the mail.* I’d love to hear about your leap day aspirations. Also, have you tried any of these products? Anything you love about them or you’re most interested in?

Oh, and aren’t you curious about the friend chicken Bloody Mary? It’s at Buck’s in Wicker Park and I just want to eat there for brunch every weekend.  That needs to be part of February, March, April…etc.

*P&G Beauty will fulfill the prizes. If you’ve previously won a P&G prize, rest assured, it should be arriving soon.

P&G Beauty sponsored this post. All thoughts and opinions my own – thanks for your continued support of 312 Beauty!

Relax, You’re On Vacation

Miami Beach

The 2015 journey is coming to a close. Like everyone else, I’m all, “what, another year on the books?! For real?” The first part of the month was condensed chaos. December is always such a hectic time of the year that it can be a struggle to actually enjoy the holidays. Seems this is always the case for me every year and I decided that, finally, I would do something about it. Never have I been so happy to board a 6am flight out of Chicago on a Saturday but when Miami is the destination, it’s worth the early departure. For the first time, I happily traded in a cold week of Christmas for beach and sand. I don’t care if it is only 75 degrees outside – that ocean water is warmer than Lake Michigan ever will be at its peak warmth. Take me to the beach every day!

Overall, this has been a year of a lot of firsts. I want to keep that open-minded theme through the end of the year and to prepare for 2016. I brought a few new products with me all with goal of relaxing and recharging. And did I ever (I know…radio silence over here!)

Miami Wynwood

I got a head start on that whole New Year, new look. I’m all about that balayage life. I’m as blonde as I’ve ever been, yet it’s so natural and blended. I’m way too much of a novice to even imagine coloring my hair on my own, but my P&G pals sent me a box of Vidal Sassoon Salonist. It has a two-step process with a brush and bowl so you can add depth and tones to the lengths of the hair, just like in a salon. If there’s anyone that wants to try, please leave me a comment and I’ll send a box your way!*

Vidal Sassoon Salonist

Pantene Pro-V 2 Minute Masque

Now that I have color in my hair, I’m being more proactive about keeping my hair moisturized. Especially because we’re in “perpetually dry forced heat someone please turn on the humidifier” time of year.  I’m doing a mask once a week now. I’ve been trying out a few options, one being the Pantene Pro-V 2-Minute Masque. It’s such a budget steal! For under $8, you get a giant tub. It’s more of a deep conditioner that you leave in your hair for 2-5 minutes, so you can easily do it in the shower without waiting around. It is deeply moisturizing and you feel the effect immediately. If I do it at night and let it air dry before bed, I wake up with the softest hair. It has that signature Pantene smell too, which I will love forever. I did this the right before my vacation!

Olay Overnight Mask

My first night in Miami was fantastic–we got a whopping 12 hours of sleep. It was glorious. We were still up by 8:30 a.m., so I didn’t have that panic of sleeping the day away. Turns out, going to bed really early sets you up for a relaxing vacation. A good night’s rest is beauty sleep in itself, but I amped it up with a few skin treatments. One was a sleeping mask from Olay, the Regenerist Luminous Overnight Mask. It’s a gel mask that you can sleep in without washing off. I applied it onto some dry patches – my chin was flaky – and overnight it did its thing. The gel feels refreshing on the skin, especially after a day spent in the Miami sun.

I hope that you are having a restful and relaxing end of the year! Would love to hear how you’re using the time to recharge! And, let me know about the Vidal Sassoon color by leaving a comment on this post. I’ll coordinate with my P&G team to hook you up with a box of your choice and the Pantene Pro-V 2-Minute Masque! I can follow-up with you by email to coordinate specific shades!

*giving away up to 10 boxes – please contact me by January 15, 2016.

This post was sponsored by P&G Beauty. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. As always, thank you for supporting the brands that support 312 Beauty.

Link Love: Jouer “Chic Peek,” Birchbox February and BB Cream for Hair?

Jouer-Fall-2013-Preview

Jouer Founder Christina Zilber gives a “chic peek” of Jouer Fall on Instagram. I will definitely paint the town red with this adorable makeup bag!  (@czjouer)

Lancôme announced they will partner with Jason Wu on a makeup collection later this year. (Fashionista)

Birchbox revealed a sneak peek of their February “red carpet” theme box. I always look forward to seeing these each month!  (Birchbox TV)

Chi City Fashion makes it her 2013 mission to introduce Chicago’s most stylish, starting with blogger and pastry chef Eva Daiberl. (Chi City Fashion)

BB Cream for your hair? Coming soon from Pantene. (Refinery29)