Silly Monkey Stories: 3 Painted Monkeys

On Sunday night, one of the children said the funniest thing.  I thought it would make the perfect Silly Monkey Story for this week.  Of course, I forgot to write it down and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was about.

As a consolation Silly Monkey Story, I present to you these photos that were taken after the recent Pumpkin Fair at school.  I did not attend the fair this year because I had have an awful cold.  My very brave husband decided to take all 3 children by himself.  When they got home, they just could not wait to show me the boys' painted hair and my daughter's painted face.  Of all the prizes they won and the games they played that day, those were the things they were most excited about.

I just want to go on record as saying that, I was against my son getting a mohawk all along and painting it green does not make me any happier about it.

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

Getting Ready for BlogHer: Colored My Hair in Nice 'n Easy's Dark Spice!

When my friend Louise from MomStart complimented me on how shiny my hair looked in a photo I had published in one of my recent Getting Ready for BlogHer articles, I joked with her that it must be the light reflecting off my gray hairs. Although, I said that in jest, there really is truth to that statement. If you look closely in the "before" photo below, you can see all the awful wiry gray hairs. I never realized how awful the problem was until I saw this picture . . . after all, I usually only have a frontal view.

Out of all the Clairol hair coloring products, Nice 'n Easy seems to work best on my gray hairs. I have thought about using the Gray Solution formula, but did not want to risk missing out on the depth of color Nice 'n Easy offers me, which really emphasizes my natural highlights.

Before and after . . .

It's hard to see because of the lighting, but the previous color was much more red. When I look at my hair in the mirror, it looks very dark and rich with no apparent grays.

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Visit Clairol.com to view their full line of hair products and to catch the Magic Mirror video of Angela Kinsey talking to women from inside a mirror in Grand Central Station. Click on the share button next to this video to prompt a $1 donation to Dress For Success from Clairol, who has agreed to donate up to $50,000 to this worthy cause.

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If you use Clairol's Natural Instincts, then you are invited to enter the Natural Instincts Hair Color Contest through August 30th, 2010. All you need to do is upload one before and one after photo of you along with a brief statement about how you feel after using Natural Instincts. The entry that receives the most votes will win a prize including a chance to star in a how-to video, receive a complete makeover, and $1000 to shop in New York City. Click here for complete contest rules.

Thank you to Clairol for providing the information shared in this post and for providing a sample product free of charge to base this review upon.

5 Quick Tips on How to Get Ready for a Red Carpet Event

Angela Kinsey, the current spokesperson for Clairol products, has 5 easy tips for any woman who needs to get ready for a special event on short notice. It does not need to be a red carpet event, but could be a last minute invitation to be someone's plus one at a wedding or a charity dinner.

Since 'tis the season for red carpet award events, I thought these tips would be fun to share . . .

1. Pick a light-colored nail polish for your manicure—not only does it dry faster, but if it chips before the big night, it’s less noticeable. Try and do your nails the day before so wet nails won’t be an issue on event night.

2. Skip the false lashes and try a great lengthening mascara like CoverGirl LashBlast Length. (Hey, I use LashBlast!)

3. Choose a long lasting lip color—only one application and it lasts the whole night, all you need is a glossy touch up!

4. Make sure your roots are kept at bay – for busy gals like myself, try coloring your hair at-home with Nice ‘n Easy the week of the event to brighten your look and ensure shiny color. (I use Rich Burgundy No. 132!)

5. EAT! On event day, choose something light but filling so you’ll still feel like your fabulous self when you get into your evening attire.

Thank you to Marina Maher Communications, Inc. for providing the information shared in this post. I did not receive compensation to share this information with my readers.

Review: Clairol Nice 'n Easy Hair Color

Christmas is just a little over a week away. That means it's time to make yourself look and feel younger and better for all those people you only see once a year. For me this means trying to hide some of those gray hairs that seem to be multiplying.

In the past, it has been hit or miss with hair coloring for me. Sometimes the color doesn't work with my dark hair. Sometimes the product doesn't cover my stubborn grays. And sometimes I don't like the texture of my hair after it's been colored.

This time, I went to Clairol.com to use their Full Hair Color Shade Palette to choose a shade I liked. There I was greeted by Angela Kinsey's (from NBC's "The Office") friendly face. I've always liked reddish highlights in my hair. Last time I tried an auburn type red and did not care for it so much, so this time I chose Rich Burgundy, which is a cooler color than the warmer auburn.

Although, it is difficult to see in the photos, this color took to my hair very well. Before coloring, my hair was a black/brown. Now the color is much richer, although you can only see the burgundy in the sunlight. The color covered most of my gray hairs, which are usually thick and wiry. Those strands came out deep burgundy so they do not stand out as bright red or copper against my dark hair. I was also very pleased with the texture of my hair, which was thick and shiny rather than limp.

One thing that I do want to point out is that Clairol (and the other leading brands of hair color) may want to consider including a second pair of larger gloves in their kits. I know I cannot be the only woman whose husband helps her with applying hair color. The gloves included barely fit anyone with larger hands and they tear easily when stretched.

You can find Clairol products most places where hair coloring kits are sold. What color would you choose for your hair?

Thank you to Clairol for providing a hair coloring sample kit for this review.

Colored My Hair For the First Time in Over 3 Years!

I think the last time I colored my hair was right before I found out I was pregnant with our now 2.5yr old twins. The color of my hair was the last thing on my mind while I was the size of a house. After the twins were born, I was lucky to get to wash my hair, never mind color it. I actually barely remember to go get my haircut more than once every 9 to 12 months.

Well after only 8 months, I remembered to have my haircut a little over a week ago. I happened to not care so much for the haircut and decided that some color might make me feel better about it. Plus I had been noticing more grays lately.

The color I opted for was Natural Instincts #30 Rosewood. I thought it would be a nice color for fall. My husband helped me apply the color as he's done many times in the past. Aren't I lucky girls?

I'm pretty happy with the results. The main goal was for me to hide my gray hairs and this particular Clairol product delivered. As usual, you can't really see the color unless I am standing in bright light. Otherwise, the color just seems like a darker richer version of my natural shade. The camera's flash really helps to show the difference in color.

Before and After

So far the color has stayed in place. I've had other permanent hair coloring kits come off the gray hairs after just a few washings. It could be that the special color-protecting conditioner that came with the kit is making the difference.

Well, what do you think? Should I go more burgundy next time?