Mission Control- Luxury Shapewear Review

I have a love/hate relationship with shapewear.  And I'm sure my husband feels similarly.  Not because he wears it himself, but because shapewear isn't the sexiest thing I've ever worn.  I've joked that, while on a date, shapewear is false advertising just like a push-up bra.  Obviously my husband knows what I'm packing these days (see "plus-sized woman").  I'll be honest, I can't wear half the clothes in my closet without some type of shapewear on- It smooths out all of my lumps and bumps.  But let's face it, there is no sexy way to put on or peel yourself out of something that looks and feels like a sausage casing cleverly disguised as the 1940-esque girdle your grandmother wore.  My poor husband.

Needless to say I've been on the hunt for sexy shapewear for obvious reasons.  So when I stumbled across this beautiful lace bodysuit in June's InStyle Magazine, only to find out it was also shapewear, I had to look into it.  Others have tried to "dress up" shapewear, but none have mastered the balance of form and function quite like Mission Control.  Their products are less shapewear and more performance lingerie.  It's as beautiful as it is functional. And above all, affordable!

I put their products to the test on some of my friends and clients.  And their overall reaction?  W-O-W!  Some of my skinniest clients (aka- furthest from actually needing shapewear) said they would even be willing to wear shapewear if it looked as cute as this.  Now that's saying something.  My beautiful and very brave friend Amanda has graciously agreed to let me post photos of her wearing the product (because we want to see the stuff on real people, not just a model).  Pictured below are one piece from each of the Mission Control collections:

A-LIAS Sculpting Hi-Waist Brief. $38.
Notice how this "panty" easily pulls up towards her bra strap.  These babies don't roll down like others I have tried.  Only down side, and it's not necessarily a bad thing, is the they aren't exactly seamless.  To get the pretty stripes of color, they had to include seams.  However, when worn under this same black knit dress, you couldn't see them at all.

Exoskin Compression Tunic, $68
While this one is the prettiest of the three, it is really invaluable for those body con dresses.  What's great about this one is it allows you to wear your own bra.

















Body Boudoir Contour Cami, $52.
Isn't this lace beautiful?  Who wouldn't want to undress with the lights on in this hot number?  This cami comes from the same collection as the bodysuit I fell in love with in InStyle (see beginning of post).  It's so cute I don't want to hide it under my other clothes!  No one would guess that something this feminine and sexy is actually shapewear.  That's because it's not... it's performance lingerie. A+

Big thanks to Mission Control for letting me review their product, and to Amanda for being my amazing model :)

Images courtesy of InStyle Magazine, Mission Control and Jennifer Axcell

Day 14: EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT on Shellac manicure in the San Francisco-Bay Area

So here they are, DAY 14.... see any chips?  NO.  Among regular wear and tear, these shellaced puppies survived two weeks of work, two airports and the hand washing dishes, CHIP FREE.

You can tell it's been a couple of weeks.  Look at that grow out.

 Surprisingly, this hard-to-chip hybrid polish is really easy to remove as well.

Step 1-Soak in Acetone

Step 2-Scratch off Shellac with an orange stick (cuticle pusher)

Soak and repeat as needed. DONE!

The best part of this whole process (other than the fact that the Shellac lasts at least 14 days) is that is causes no damage to your natural nail.  There's no "prepping" of the nail or abrasive filing.  Just soak and scratch off.  Simple.  I was also really please to see that there was no staining of my nails like you find with traditional red nail lacquer.

Finally, for the part you've all been waiting for......  I am so excited to announce that The Sanctuary Spa in the Marin Bay Club has agreed to offer my readers a $10 DISCOUNT on their Shellac manicure.  All you have to do is mention this blog post!  Hurry, the promotion only lasts until September 15th.  Book your appointment with Sarah before it goes back to full price.

Image(s) courtesy of Sanctuary Spa Marin Bay Club

Day 7 of Shellac Manicure

 7 DAYS, NO SIGNS OF ANY CHIPS!  Shellac is amazing!

The Best 14-Day-Chip-Free Manicure Ever: Get your hands on "Shellac" at The Sanctuary Spa Marin

It's been all over the magazines, including the September issue of .  I first heard about the "14-day no-chip hybrid gel nail polish" from my manicurist, Sarah, at the Sanctuary Spa at the Marin Bay Club.  I trust Sarah with my nails because she is a meticulous perfectionist, which is an important quality in a manicurist.  So when I found out that her perfect manicure could last a full 14 days without the slightest chip, I was sold.

This gift to all women who are disillusioned by traditional nail lacquer and its incessant chipping, comes from salon brand CND- Introducing Shellac.

To show you how easy, and frankly similar it is to a regular manicure, I took photos of my latest application.  I'm not usually a red nail person, but for the purpose of showing you guys what this stuff is capable of, I went bold to make sure everything (even any flaws) show up through the process.

Base coat of Shellac being applied (comes out of a regular looking polish bottle and everything).

After curing the gel under the UV lamp, first coat of the color is applied.

UV lamp (2 minutes max depending)

Final top coat being applied.

The end result?  Perfect red nails that won't chip for two weeks!

Removal process is simply to soak the gel in acetone and gently scrape off.  None of the hard removal of acrylic or traditional gel nails.  I've been told that you can do this at home, but most salons will tell you that you need to have a professional remove to protect your natural nail.

Word is spreading and now this stuff is hard to come by.  In fact, it's causing quite a bit of uproar because salons are having a hard time getting their hands on product (forgive the pun).  I consider myself very lucky that the spa manager at Sanctuary was able to get her hands on some for her clients... and for the small additional cost of $10 to a regular manicure.  Two weeks chip-free, even though you have to have it professionally removed... well worth it!!  A-

Make sure to book your appointment, by calling (415) 945-3030.

Image(s) courtesy of CND and Sanctuary Spa

--UPDATED-- Final Thoughts on the Brazilian Keratin Treatment

So it's finally day 4.   Tuesday morning 9:30am, the day I get my hair washed for the first time since getting the keratin treatment on Friday.  I can't wait to see it clean and styled the way I like it.  I'm going to spare myself the humiliation of posting yet another humiliating picture of myself on the world wide web (because my Facebook page has enough of those already), and not post a picture of it as it is now. My hair is pretty scary at the moment.  I've pulled out my largest and darkest pair of sunglasses to wear to the salon in hopes no one recognizes me.  If I thought it was flat and slightly greasy before, well, I think I could fuel my car with the amount of oiliness it has after four days.



I'm off to the salon now.  I'll post the results as soon as I get home...



--UPDATED--

It feels so good to heave clean hair!

I can't begin to tell you enough how glad I was to have my hair washed.  Once I was washed and plopped my butt into the chair, the first thing I noticed was how easily Jeremy combed through my wet hair.  That little fine-toothed comb went sailing through my locks like butter... smooooth.  The end result, super soft and manageable hair.  While drying, he just used his fingers to style.  And look how nice and frizz free it is!


All in all, I think this is an amazing product for straight hair and am excited to wash it at home and let it air dry to see what it does with my natural waves.  We'll see if it really lasts the 3-6 months like they say.  The process was painless, but unfortunately takes four days to set in.  Four days that I did not leave the house for fear someone would recognize me.  But so far, it was worth it!  I'm giving the Brazilian Blowout an A- (minus only due to the four-day-scalp-oil-slick I had to deal with).

The Brazilian Keratin "Blowout" Explained (no, not the waxing kind)

I blogged previously about the Brazilian Keratin treatment I was getting from my go-to hair guy, Jeremy Boatman, and promised pictures.  Before I give you my personal spiel, let me give you some 411 on the product/treatment from the product website:

image taken from www.braziliankeratin.com

- Quick - On average, the treatment takes one stylist 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours depending on the lenght and texture of the hair.

- Universal - It can be used on dyed or highlighted hair. In fact, it can be used on any type of hair.

- Gentle - It is NOT meant to be permanent and it DOES NOT require neutralizer or immediate rinse. It requires redoing approximately every 3 to 4 months.
That is why you can leave it on the client's hair and walk away if you have to. That is why you can use it on children. That is why it blends with the natural growth of hair.

- Natural - It does NOT use strong chemicals to open and close the hair cuticle in an effort to straighten it, “breaking the bonds” of the hair shaft. Keratin is a natural substance which comprises approximately 88% of your hair.

- Healthy- It penetrates the hair repairing internal damage and coats the hair preventing further damage. The results are SOFT, SHINY, STRAIGHT hair. 

- Easy - Begin with a shampoo designed to open the cuticle. Saturate the hair with the product (an average of 3 ounces). Blow dry. Iron small sections of hair close to the scalp with a low heat flat iron. Iron the entire head with a high heat flat iron to seal  the keratin into the cuticle. - Simple - Do NOT wet, wash or use any clips or pins (or anything) on your hair for FOUR days. After  the fourth day, shampoo and condition your hair with products free of sodium chloride and sulfates, which will strip the keratin from the hair. Our specially formulated line of shampoos and conditioners are the best available for maintaining the most long-term results.

- Simply Amazing - The results speak for themselves. As one client said: “I'm so happy I don't need my therapist anymore!”· Good for anyone who has hair.

What is it?


Keratin is a type of protein high in the amino acid “Cystine.”  This special amino acid is what makes hair super tough and extremely elastic. Scientists refer to Keratin as a “Biopolymer,” due to its unique structures and interesting properties. Biopolymers are found throughout nature and give form and structure to naturally occurring substances all around the world; everything from leaves to trees, and turtle shells to goose down. Keratin is a classic example of a Biopolymer and it is the main structure building protein in our hair and nails.

So here are my two cents:

I had a very busy day yesterday with the Anniversary Sale.  After shopping like crazy, Lola the rat dog (aka Canine shopper extraordinaire) and I headed over to the salon to get our hair done.

Lola getting her hair did as well

I've heard great things about this treatment, and seen it advertised in many fashion magazines.  Being warned that I would not be able to wash my hair- or pin it back away from my face in any way- for four whole days, I still wanted to do this.  Why?  Because I have wavy/straight hair that is prone to frizz.  The thought of being frizz and straightener free for 3-6 months was enough to get my butt into the chair.  Just think, less money spent on styling products and less time under the dryer and round-brush in the mornings.  Just wash and go... I liked the sound of that.

Day 1- It looks a lot scarier here than it did in-person

So $300 and 2-1/2 hours later, I left the salon feeling greasy as if I had washed my hair in canola oil.  Due to the application process, my hair was soft and very straight (aka flat).  Application: It starts out with a cleansing wash, then dried.  Little section of hair are coated in the product, dried completely, then flat ironed 7 times!  That's each little section.  If there was any upside to the fact that my hair is now thinner due to wedding planning stress back in December, it's that it shaved some time off this application process.

As part of Jeremy's Brazilian package, he is going to wash out my hair for me on Tuesday morning (and two more times in the next 3 months).  I'll be sure to post again with a picture and my thoughts on the results. But for now, I'll just say I am very optimistic for the long-term (well, 3-6 months) results and excited to see how it looks and feels on Tuesday.  Stay tuned.....

And the WINNER of the Next bracelet is.......

The winner of the Next bracelet was chosen randomly by using Random.org.  To be eligible to win, you had to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter, then submit a comment to the original post telling me how you would have styled this bracelet yourself.

Thank you to all who entered, and my apologies to those who posted their comments on my Facebook wall instead of the original blog post and were not entered into the drawing (I will make that more clear next time).

Without further ado, the winner is...... Diana!!!  If she were to style an outfit around this bracelet, she said she would "wear the bracelet with either my favorite black dress (originally modeled by my grandmother) or navy blue sleeveless top, classic white pants and cute kitten heels."  Congrats to you!  If you email me your address, I will have one of these beauties sent directly from Next.

Image(s) courtesy of Diana's FB page (thank you!)

---UPDATED--- Stylish Giveaway- Win a British Classic from Next and Beyond Black

If you don't know already, let me be the first to announce to you that the ultra fab UK based clothing store Next is now shipping to the states (2 day delivery as standard for $10).  Next is one of the UK's top high-street stores, and a personal favorite of mine.  I was approached by them to help promote their new American shipping policy, and I could not say no!

They let me pick from five of their Great British classics that they felt really summed up everything that's brilliant about Next.  I chose the Gold Coloured Chunky Ribbon Bracelet (£12.00).  I wore it during my latest photo shoot at Barney's.  I wanted some bling to add to my outfit that wouldn't be too distracting or clash too much with the wallpaper.  And this bracelet fit the bill.  I love the black ribbon and how it makes this expensive looking bracelet fun and flirty.

And the best part about it, they are letting me give one away to one of you!  To enter, friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, AND post a comment to this post letting me know what you would wear the bracelet with.  You must complete all three to be eligible.  I will randomly pick the winner on June 28th!

---UPDATE--- I posted this giveaway while I was on vacation, then didn't check my email again until today to post all of the comments I've received and approve my FB friends.  I'm  EXTENDING THE DEADLINE until July 7th for entries.  Thanks to all of you who have entered already.  I'll be posting the winner on the morning of the 7th.

Image(s) courtesy of Next and Beyond Black

Spanx for Men: Yes or No?

My female clients know of my love/hate relationship with Spanx.  I don't always like having that extra layer (especially on hot summer days),  but I hate lumps and bumps more than a little extra sweating.  For many women like myself, shapewear is a necessary evil.  And now men can have the same experience [inset evil laugh here].  Introducing Spanx for men!

While I'm not sure anything other a diet or being stuffed into a sausage casing is going to make you look 10 pounds thinner, I do believe that shapewear can smooth out your lumps and bumps.  And this shouldn't be a luxury just for women (Lord knows the other options for guys aren't so great).  I know I couldn't wear half of my closet if I didn't wear Spanx.  So in the name of fashion, I am going to force my husband to test out these little beauties for you guys. 

Stay tuned for pics from my very unconvinced husband....

Image(s) courtesy of barenecessities.com

Product Review: The Invisibelt- "All Belt No Bulk"

I can't tell you enough how many times I get clients telling me about their woes when it comes to finding pants that fit correctly. And the number one problem is that their waistlines are smaller than average to their hip sizes, leaving a nice big gap in the back of their pants.

I fit into this category myself. My first suggestion to the other women out there finding this a problem, is to look for companies/brands that sell styles of pants cut specifically for this reason. For example, the denim line Joe's Jeans, carried by most major department stores, has a "honey" cut jean that comes in in the waist and is a bit roomier in the butt and thighs. And if you still have some extra room in there, take them to a tailor and have them taken in.

But what if you can't get to the tailor in time and you just have to wear that brand new pair of jeans? Are you wearing belts all the time to keep your pants up, but hate the all-too-wonderful belt buckle bulge you get under your shirts?

In the mail today I received a product that addresses this very issue. Myself, along with a couple other women, wore the invisibelt for a week with various outfits. It's been featured in People, Lucky and Shape Magazine, and retails for $19.95. Here is our honest (unpaid) review of the product.

Invisibelt's Claims*: -eliminate the unsightly bulge caused from bulky belt buckles -gives the support of a belt with a flat, clear and smooth finish -provides an instant slimming effect -enables women to wear fitted sweaters over pants or skirts- no trace of a belt buckle detected -unique adjustable waist size (sizes 0-14) makes it ideal for the average woman. Larger size belt fits up to 4x -available in "naked" (clear) or "noir" (black)

What We Found:
the pros:
- Having two color options was nice to have (there are more colors arriving and others already available on the invisibelt website)
- Once we figured out how to adjust the belt properly (there is a how-to video online) there was a nice snug, but not tight, feel like your pants were not going to need to be pulled up all day long
- Because there was not a traditional buckle, there was no bulge under a shirt (BUG PLUS+)
- The belt was a nice width so that it didn't feel like it was cutting into any belly fat or love handles
- Worked very well under a long tunic style shirt and jeans

the cons:
- when wearing a dress pant with a bit of silkiness to it, the belt seemed to ride up past the belt loop and sit against the skin on your back (possibly due to not tightening enough first)
- All reviewers wished that the belt came in a fabric or leather so that when seen (such as when you sit down in a chair and your shirt tends to ride up), it looked more like a traditional belt

But just like the inventor, Kathy, says on the website's how-to section, "it's about function, not fashion." I personally appreciate the thought that went into this product. Definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that" kind of moments. However, just like the clear bra strap, while functional, it isn't the most comfortable or stylish. When it comes to plastic in outfits, it is better to not be seen at all than to be seen wearing plastic.

I give this product a B+ for ingenious design, ease of use, and functionality. Let us know when a leather version comes out!





*Images and information courtesy of invisibelt

My Official Spanx Haute Couture Review

As previously posted, I purchased a pair of Spanx to go under my wedding dress. They recently introduced their new Spanx Haute Couture line, and I figured it was the perfect shaper to go under my dress for a fancy event such as a wedding. here is what Spanx has to say about the product:

Luscious Lace Mid-Thigh Shaper

$128

• Exclusively developed scalloped shaping-power-lace with additional layer of mesh support smoothes hips and flattens stomach
• Lace waistband lays flat under clothing
• Silky shaping microfiber smoothes hips, thighs and bottom
• Laser precision cut hem offers invisibility under clothing
• Cotton gusset provides comfort and breathability

I ordered them, tried them on, and here is what I thought:

Pros: The lace was really pretty, and a nice change from the basic and boring (yet fully functional) design of most shapers. But this no-show lace proves that seamless doesn't have to mean ugly. I liked the variety of colors offered on the Spanx website, which were not all available to me on NeimanMarcus.com when I purchased mine. As for the fit, they were just as comfortable as my other Spanx products, and the lace didn't itch. The mid-thigh length is great as a replacement for tights/nylons because you can still wear shorter dresses and wear sandals because it's footless.

Cons: Maybe it's just my body type (curvy in all the right places), but I found the mid-rise of this shaper, which means it hits around the middle of your stomach, to cut into me at a weird place. Every time I sat down, it started to roll down my mid-section. The high rise "Power Panties" have worked much better for me over the years. Unfortunately for me, I have a low back wedding gown and can't wear high-waisted anything. Just to note, one of the contributing factors to the "rolling down" effect is because it was a bit too small. In the regular Spanx line, I wear a size large (I want shaping, but not to feel like I'm in a sausage casing). Even after eating a steak I can still feel comfortable in that size. Apparently the sizing runs smaller on the Haute Couture line (I double checked the size guide online), a large being a size 8-10 instead of 12-14.

Final Thoughts: I would have kept the product had they offered a larger size or the sizing stayed true to their original line. No one wants to have to wear a shaper. But if we're going to, it should at least be pretty. I give them a B+ for creating a beautiful product but not offering larger sizes.

Item description and picture courtesy of Spanx.com