Hi, my name's Jami. I'm hear in a round-about way. It started with my doing a search on makeup artist George Masters, which led me to the blog Peculiar Beauty, which linked to here. Then when I clicked "random beauty knowledge" I got a 404 Not Found so I went to tell via the "ask a question" link and found I had to sign up to use that. (I did eventually find the e-mail address and have just been informed the IT guys are on it.)

I may or may not post much. I tend to be rather - vocal - about my opinons and it gets me in trouble a lot. Being fat I don't bother with beauty stuff. I just throw on some makeup in the morning to cover my pimples and give me some color and that's about it. I feel since I'm fat it really doesn't matter, people always focus on my weight.

In fact, I'm a bad girl, I pick my pimples. But Proactive didn't work, neither did Ance Free, the expensive prescriptions, and Zeno only works on certain kinds of pimples. It seems popping them is the only thing that actually gets rid of them.

I don't know if linking blogs is allowed, if it's not just please remove all this. But I wanted to give as an example of how my opinions tend to tick people off by letting you see what I've written over on My It Things and my more personal blog over on Blogger.

Like I said, don't know if I'll post much. Probably mostly lurk. I mean, it's a wonder I haven't been banned over at iVillage considering the hard time I give them about how their "personality" tests don't have enough varity in answers and such. LOL

Hi Everyone:

I'm a mommy of two adorable boys (3 and 1) and living in California. As a working mom, I like beauty and make up products that is cost-effective and easy to use. I love reading beauty tips & tricks and product reviews, especially if they are NON-ENDORSED and non-biased.

Thanks

Hi everyone,
My name is Christine, I am 61 and live in Toronto, Canada. I have been very unhappy with the look of my foundation for a while, I switched from liquid (Sothy's, a French product) to Mineral Powder (Ireland) on the advice of a consultant who specializes in Mature skin (her claim, not mine).
I finally did a google search for help, and found this site. I love that fact that the information does not come from people who have something to sell, and that the Brains take a scientific approach and are not scared to say, when the hype does not translate into reality.
I posted a questions a few days ago, and already got some very good suggestions that I will check out. Sarah F, I have just added the Sephora Nude Skincare Eyecream to the list., thanks.
I love this site...
Christine

Hi, I'm Nell. :) I'm 26 and beauty products junkie ;). I found this wonderful blog and forum while I was searching for info about "dangerous" chemicals in my cosmetics. Natural cosmetics supporters had managed to scare me really, really bad but after I read this blog I know better. That's why I decided to register and say "THANK YOU!!!!" to the Beauty Brains and the other forum members. You really helped me.

I am a beginner hairdresser and I wanted to look into becoming a cosmetic scientist. I googled it and happened upon this blog.
So of course, I am hooked. I am still not over being a fan of natural products, but I definitely know now how many products claim to be "natural" and are not.
And with all of the competing theories out there I want to be a cosmetic scientist even more now.

:)

Greetings All,

I'm sooo excited to meet all of you and to finally have people to talk to about my favorite obsession:) my family and few friends don't understand my excitement about products.

I just turned 30 in July. Feel like ive been in transition all my life but more intense within the last 5 years. I came across beauty brains last year when i was searching for schools or guidance on how to become a cosmetic chemist. i don't have a science background. initially went to school for psychology, until i realized that its one of the few things in life that bores me. I've been an admin in the corporate world and freelance most of my life. at this point i aim to find work with passion and purpose. that's why im trying to figure out what im going to do about school. i was accepted to the London College of Fashion's Cosmetic Science degree program. Unfortunately its a challenge to find funding. being that i don't have a chemistry baground, i wonder if they accepted me just for the money they would get from an international student. the financial aid dept and admissions arent that helpful.

i grew up vegetarian. so ive always been conscious of the things ive put in my body or on my skin (thanks to my mom:) i'm a true product junkie (from shaving get to cooking oil). I spend hours in the pharmacy comparing products and ingredients. I'm like a kid in a candy store when i go to Sephora (i'm a natve new yorker). I'm lazy when it comes to makeup and always very frustrated that i have to search high and low an order online just to find a foundation for dark skin. That's why i will make my own line. im tired of mixing colors and going a shade lighter or too red. its all about undertones which seems to elude the cosmetic industry. i will make my mark one day soon so that every woman regardless of color, culture or tone can enjoy quality natural cosmetics and skincare.

peace and blessings to everyone on this journey we call life....

Hi there.
My name's Yvonne. I'm 31 and live in Germany, I'm married and have a 19 months old son.
At the beginning of the year I decided to let my red hair grow long again and keep it natural (no more perms, ma'am!)

It was last year that I started being interested in the ingredients of beauty products. I started to buy only natural cosmetic products but in the meantime I found out that this isn't always the best thing to do.

I'm more than happy to have the Beauty Brains on my site to guide me through the beauty jungle.
Thanks a lot for that!

Yvonne
xoxo

I'm very happy to have found this forum, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to ask questions and share information with others who have a similar hair type as mine.

I'm Native American, Caucasian and African American and my hair is a real mix too. I have very coarse hair that is also very porous and very very curly, with a mix of fine tight kinks, larger s-curls, and springy spirals. I'm one of those people who kind of fit into several "curl type" categories. In an absolute zero product state, my hair is extremely unruly, dry and impossible to comb. I have tried a relaxer, twice, but it only made it lay in tight waves. It did help with the frizz though.

When relaxers failed me, I decided dreadlocks were the way to go because I hated combing my hair. I liked the way they looked on me but they eventually got so thick it took over 4 hours to dry them under a hair dryer every time I washed them! One night after sitting under the dryer forever and still finding them wet, I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut them off about 2 inches from the scalp, and with a lot of grease managed to pick out the remaining hair. I washed it, conditioned it, but some leave in cream on it and took a look in the mirror. Amazingly, I discovered that my hair was healthier and more moisturized than it had ever been before! It actually looked nice, short though it was. I realized that the care regime I had used to care for my locks had really been helping my hair; washing once a week with a sulfate-free shampoo, using leave-in products, clarifying monthly with warm vinegar, and never brushing it (which had caused an over-oily scalp and flake issues).

For several years after cutting my locks, I kept this up. Then I started using cheaper shampoo, forgetting to condition, not taking time to put a leave-in product on it and never clarifying. I did continue not to comb my hair except once a week when I washed it, and then I was careful to never touch my scalp with the comb. Because of this, my scalp at least remained healthy. The days I didn't wash, I put my hair up in a bun and smoothed the fly-away hairs around my head with gel and slicked it with a boar bristle brush to make it look neat. (Yeah, I know, I was horrible :(

Recently, I noticed that my hair had grown quite long (to my butt when wet) and that the ends were very split and brittle. I asked my husband to cut it in half (to the middle of my back when wet), which he kindly did. When dry, of course, it was much shorter, too short to do my usual bun routine. I was forced to try something different. A co-worker of mine saw the state of my hair and recommended some products. She even made me a list with the prices and everything! (Yes, it was that obvious I needed help!) She has very small tight curls, very short length, and her texture is baby fine. Most of the products did not have the same end results for my hair as hers, but the people at Sally Beauty kindly let me take back all the ones that didn't work.

Luckily, she did inspire me to fix my hair care routine. By trying the products she recommended, I learned that my hair needed something different. I have since tried a number of new products, done a lot of research online, and learned more than I ever thought I would care to know about my hair. I feel much more comfortable with its natural form than ever before, but I still have some issues when it gets really wild. I'm getting there, slowly but surely!

Right now, the best products I have found are:
VO5 conditioner (used instead of shampoo)
Biolage Matrix Conditioning Balm- the generic version you get at Sally Beauty (Used as a rinse out conditioner)
Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14-1 (used as a leave-in conditioner/oil)
Organic Root Stimulator Twist and Loc Gel (Used as a light Gel after the leave-in/ this one has no protein)
Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel (Used as a thicker Gel after the leave-in/ this one has protein)
Proclaim Olive Oil Sheen Spray (Used as an all-over mist. It smells great and gives extra moisture and shine)
Parachute 100% Coconut Oil (used as a monthly deep treatment)

I haven't used these for very long, but I can already tell they are working well for my hair and it is looking better than ever!

If anyone else has my type hair and has some tips, tricks or product recommendations, please let me know!!

My name is Alex(andria) and I am a 41 yr old digital retoucher. I am a skeptic, and I also love yummy skin products. I just got some samples of the simply organic line, and am a fan of arcona. My fave shampoo, conditioner and oil are from Rare Elements and I just tried a line from Persephenie that has a full body scrubs, bubblies and oils that are truly amazing.

I was dx'd with MS 3 years ago, and after making a switch to natural and organic products I did notice a difference in my skin. Am loving the BB's! What a great site!

Alex

hi all,

i'm joseph, 41...not far from 42, and a skincare fanatic(or as my friend and i call each other "skincare 'ho)"...at least as much as my budget allows. i've been using isomers the past four or five years now but do sneak in other bits from product lines as they tempt me. i try to read as much as i can to understand skincare ingredients so i can make informed decisions about my purchases. i feel, whether good or bad, all of our decisions should be informed!. it's difficult to name any of my favorites as i have many, primarily from the isomers line. i definitely love my facemaster though...put that at the top of my list!! my latest quest is for a moisturizing concealer (yep, all about a little man-makeup as needed!) in a very natural skin tone for the discoloration i'm starting to see in my eye area...that ain't easy!

so glad to have found this forum...the beauty brains do rock!