by Brandi Savitt – May 10, 2010

Wax On, Wax Off

By the time most American women have reached their twenties, we’ve been shaving our legs and under our arms for years.  We’ve been plucked, waxed and tortured by various hair removal treatments promising smooth, clear, pain free results, all in the name of beauty…  No matter how it’s done, removing unwanted hair from intimate places (or anywhere for that matter), is not only unpleasant chore, it can become shockingly expensive!

With summer fast approaching, we thought we shed some light on the Fab & Fru pros, cons & costs of some of the most popular methods of hair removal. Not all skin types or wallets are created equal, so choose the technique of torture that works best for you.  You know what they say- the more you do, the easier it gets!

*Note: Because we have millions of hair follicles, no method can guarantee ABSOLUTE permanent hair removal.

Shaving

Shaving is the easiest, quickest and the cheapest way to remove hair yourself.  Unless you cut yourself or have extremely sensitive skin, it is pain-free.  To avoid nicks, always use shaving cream or lotion and a sharp razor.  Shaving works best on legs and underarms. While some women do shave their bikini area, it is common to get uncomfortable ingrown hairs in that area.

Effects: Because shaving cuts the hair right at the skins surface, stubble develops in one-three days.

Cost: Cheap- the cost of a razor & cream

Plucking or Tweezing

With a good pair of tweezers (one with slanted prongs work best), you can easily remove stray hairs on your brow, face or bikini area.  However, tweezers are more a tool for maintenance rather than a method of significant hair removal.

Effects: last 2-5 weeks

Cost: $3-$40

Cream Depilatories

Hair removal creams are typically sold over the counter and dissolve hair at the skin’s surface.  They are easy to use and work quickly.  However, be careful! The harsh ingredients can cause skin irritation or even chemical burns. -Use gloves & an old towel when applying the cream.

Effects: Lasts one to five days.

Costs: Anywhere between $3.00 to $15.00 a bottle/box.

Waxing

Waxing works on all body areas, from the legs to the face, and whether you go for a regular, a Brazilian, or you get rid of it all, it is one of the more popular hair removal techniques for the bikini area.

Of course it hurts because your hair is being pulled out at the root, but you DO get used to it over time and the more you do it, the hair does grow back thinner (we swear)!  It works as the resin binds hair to a strip of cloth, which is yanked off ( the opposite direction of hair growth).  -Some thick waxes are applied and then peeled off.

You can wax all areas yourself using hot or cold wax kits sold in stores, but we do recommend seeing a professional for the best results- especially for the bikini area!

Effects: Lasts 3-6 weeks.

Cost: Home kits range between $10-$25.  SPA prices depends TOTALLY on the body part and prices can range from $5-$100.

Sugaring

Sugaring is a more gentle wax alternative where a warm sticky paste has been made from a base of sugar, lemon and water.  The paste is applied and removed just like waxing- but often less irritating to the skin.  It does not always work as consistently as waxing does, but clean up is simple because the mixture washes off easily.  Home kits are commonly sold, but it is difficult to find a professional spa that uses the pure method.  -Be careful, many places that advertise that they do sugaring, really are using a wax that has some of the ingredients added.

Effects: Sugaring breaks the hairs off just below the surface of the skin (not at the root) so treatments last 1-3 weeks.

Cost: Home kits range from $10-$20.  SPA prices depends TOTALLY on the body part but prices range from $5-$100

Entice Your Honey with Chocolate & Vanilla

By Kathy Pape– February 4, 2010

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it seems fitting to discuss the power of fragrance.  Isn’t Feb 14th all about surrounding oneself with the the scent of flowers, decadent food and (hopefully!) good memories?  Scientists have proven that our sense of smell is our most powerful form of memory  – and actually triggers our emotions! Because scent has the power to pull on our heart strings, and Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love, Fab & Fru set out to find which fragrances will give you the most bang for your buck. It turns out the sweetest staples of childhood — vanilla and chocolate — are the top two picks!

Personally, the smell of vanilla reminds me of baking cookies with my mother as a little girl.  This is what perfumers call a “scent memory,” when a familiar scent reminds you of a special place, a wonderful time in your life, or a favorite person.  In fact, scent is why I dragged my son’s blanket across the country with me on a business trip.  The smell of it made me feel close to him. (Let’s face it, we also all have negative scent memories too! An ex-boyfriend’s cologne or that musk that your mean math teacher wore too much of? But for now let’s focus on the positive…)

“Studies show that men associate the scent of vanilla with love,” says our Fab & Fru fragrance expert, Jane Hendler, founder of Organic Parfumerie Ajne Rare & Precious. “The history of Vanilla goes all the way back to the Aztecs who drank it with chocolate and swore by it’s power of seduction.  In modern times, neurologist Dr. Alan Hirsch has scientifically proven that vanilla is the number one fragrance that attracts men!”

And speaking of chocolate, Hendler tells us the Aztecs were actually onto something. “Chocolate contains chemicals associated with feelings of happiness, love, passion, lust, and stamina”.  Many consider it a powerful aphrodisiac and cacao (cocoa) is found in many popular fragrances, including many of Ajne’s. The word Cacao means “food of the gods” and the Mayans actually worshiped the magical bean.  Researchers have spent years studying the effects of chocolate and whether it can truly be classified as an aphrodisiac.  While they haven’t proved that it causes feelings of sexual arousal, scientists have agreed that chocolate does release serotonin into the body, causing a rapid mood change, a rise in blood pressure and feelings of well being that are usually associated with love.

Ladies, did you know that your sense of smell acts directly on the limbic system, which regulates emotions and memory? A study by the Fragrance Institute shows the average person can actually recognize about 10,000 fragrances, and can recall smells with 65% accuracy after one year of smelling them.  This is amazing when we compare it to the rate we recall images, which is just 50% accuracy- 3 months after we see them.

There’s a reason delicious smelling chocolate, perfume and candles are popular gifts for Valentine’s Day, and it seems we should all be adding a little more cocoa and vanilla to our daily lives.  Both scents make us happy, attract the opposite sex and give us a feeling of well being. And best of all- they’re Fab & Fru! You don’t have to spend a lot of money to smell sweet.  Just dab a little vanilla extract on your wrist the next time you have a date, or try baking some chocolate chip cookies to get your honey in the mood…

Aside from raiding your pantry for vanilla extract, there are other reasonably priced ways to wear vanilla. Some of our friends’ favorites include: the Vanilla eau de Toilette from The Body Shop, and Bath and Body Works  Warm Vanilla Sugar.  And you know I just love the drugstore brand St. Ives.  They make a Swiss Vanilla lotion that will only set you back a few bucks, yet give your whole body a light flavor you will love!

We’ve found a ton of D.I.Y recipes online for making your own vanilla extract perfumes, and we want to know – have any of our readers ever experimented with making their own Fab & Fru perfume? How good (or bad) did your scents turn out? Here’s to a sweet smelling Valentine’s Day! Sending lots of LOVE to all our readers!  xoxo

From Our Fab & Fru Friends at Coupon Sherpa

Feel like you spend way too much of your budget on beauty products? Well, you won’t be surprised to know that Fab & Fru says you don’t have to spend big bucks to look beautiful.  The good news for all you glamour girls out there is that opting for a more natural, “green” approach to your beauty can save you some serious green in your wallet! Our friends at Coupon Sherpa have the following suggestions for a Fab & Fru beauty routine.

1. Add baking soda to your shampoo to cut the crud Like vinegar, baking soda is one of those cure-all remedies we love!  Plastering mousse, root lifter, gel and hairspray to your quaff add up (literally).  Several salon and generic brands offer cleansers that promise to strip back the layers of product for a clean slate.  These products typically have some type of mint extract and make your scalp tingly.  Forget the tingles, which have nothing to do with stripping away build up anyway!  Adding a couple teaspoons of baking soda to your shampoo on occasion will do the same thing- sans a $20 bottle of product.

2. Inspect the active ingredient in anti-aging products Do you really need to spend $75 a bottle for youth-in-a-jar cream? Not when you know that many drugstore brands are made by department store manufacturers and contain the exact same active ingredient as the fancy bottle!  Look for it on the back of the jar.  If the percentage of active ingredient is the same you’re essentially purchasing the same product.  Save money and get the ugly bottle.

3. Beef up your powder If you add some cornstarch to loose finishing powder, you’ll get the same look but stretch the powder longer.  Some women mix a one-to-one ratio but slightly less cornstarch will make the application more powder like.

4. Avoid unsightly bikini rashes Dreading the thought of prepping for a beachy holiday getaway? Preparing to don a swimsuit is painful enough without a painful bikini line shaving ordeal! While nothing is fool proof to entirely prevent ingrown hairs and red bumps, applying deodorant to the area is very effective.  Don’t fall for expensive after shave for women–just swipe unscented deodorant over the area a few times to achieve the same calming effect.

A Fab vs. Fru “She Said, She Said”

Stephanie’s Fantastically Frugal Find

I must have walked past the Fantastic Sam’s around the corner from me thousands of times. I never gave it much thought, and never considered that I would ever go inside.  Truthfully, I figured Fantastic Sam’s wouldn’t be so… fantastic.  I was used to upscale salons, and of course the upscale prices that went with them.

A couple months ago, I was running errands, thinking about how badly I needed a trim, when I passed by FS for the third time that day. On a lark, I decided to dash in with no appointment – I figured even if it wasn’t so fabulous, it would definitely be frugal.  But the real question was … could it be both Fab & Fru? I was skeptical, to say the least. But, I only needed a trim, no fancy styling needed – how bad could it be?  Beverly Hills was only a short drive away if I needed some major fix-it work on my locks…

I have long brown hair that has had the same style since I was two – namely, no style. I get the ends trimmed every so often, and that’s about as complex as my haircuts get. Even though I don’t get anything intricate done it still costs me over $100 by the time I go to a salon, go through the whole shampoo, cut and blow dry – a lot of money and time for not a lot of style.

Who would have guessed – Fantastic Sam’s was the answer to my prayers! Ten minutes and $17.95 later I walked out with my dry ends trimmed away, a smile on my face and money in my pocket!

Now, granted, if you have more high maintenance hair, or really love the salon experience, then clearly this no frills service would not be for you!  FS had all the charm factor of a high school cafeteria, and it wasn’t like anyone was running around offering me hibiscus tea.  But, as far as I was concerned, my $17.95 trim looked the same as the $100 trims I had been getting. Plus this one only took ten minutes, and I just popped in when I had time. What could be better?

I have to admit, I didn’t try any of their “fancier” services, but for a basic trim you can’t beat it. I figure even if I just substitute Fantastic Sam’s for a pricier salon a few times a year, I will be saving hundreds of dollars, not to mention countless hours – now that is Fantastic!

Brandi’s Favorite (& Fabulous) Splurge

Stephanie has beautiful long straight hair that every stylist on the planet would just love to get their hands on.  They’re trained on hair like Steph’s.  However, as a woman with curly hair, I have had more than my fill of disastrous experiences where stylists have no clue how to deal with hair like mine, and I leave the salon wishing I could put a paper bag over my head.

Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t have a high maintenance hair either.  I typically just wash and go, and because I have curly locks, I don’t even have the faintest idea how to use a curling iron.  So, you may ask: why would I CHOOSE to spend money on an expensive haircut?  Believe me – if a cheap cut got me what I wanted, I’d be the first to let my mother trim my hair for free…

Back me up ladies, you curly hair girls must know what I’m talking about!

I used to only get cheaper cuts because I thought that the mistakes made would just hide themselves in my mess of curls.  But after a few weeks, my hair would look like a mushroom – flat on top, then just bushy.   I found myself getting my hair cut every 6-8 weeks.

It was four years ago when I first stepped foot into the Devachon Salon in Soho, and my life changed forever.  Devachon is all about curls of all shapes and sizes.  They taught me to care for my hair differently than a straight hair girl (now I never have spilt ends and only need get my haircut 2-3 times a year).  They cut my hair differently, giving me lasting cuts that enhance my curls.  And they just simply understand my hair.  Finally!

I will never deny those of you looking for a bargain, and you may never understand why I think my salon is worth the hype and the splurge.  So, while Steph just discovered a Fru alternative to her high-end habit of luxe haircuts, I have finally found my rightful place at a totally Fab salon that GETS my unruly curls.   And even if I have to beg, borrow and steal – I will never stray back into the world of ‘straight centric’ hair salons again!

Remember, half of being Fabulous & Frugal is just being Fabulous!

No Scare D.I.Y. Hair Care

My hair started to go gray when I was about 17.  Through my 20s, it was sort of (at least I thought) a cool salt and pepper look – a few silver highlights poking through my otherwise dark brown hair.  As I hit 30 and the grays were steadily out numbering the browns, so I finally bit the bullet and started going to salons to get my hair dyed.  Bringing my hair back to its old chestnut glow was like welcoming a dear friend I hadn’

t seen in years – I was hooked!

I have long hair, and it grows like a weed.  When I get my hair dyed I can literally see gray roots poking through by the end of the week.  The salon I was going to advised me that due to my fast growing, very gray hair, I could pre-purchase sort of a frequent flyer plan because my roots should get touched up every ten days!  As a busy editor & mom of two young boys, if I shower everyday it is a victory.  The odds were I could not haul myself to a salon for a several hours every ten days like clockwork.

But it did get me thinking…they were offering me a discounted plan that cost literally thousands of dollars a year!  I decided to take a step back and calculate how much I was actually spending on hair coloring per year.  At least once a month, but sometimes more often if I had a special event coming up, so say 15 times a year times about $150 (blow dry and tip were factored in) was … about $2250 a YEAR?! On my hair?? I couldn’

t believe it!

Like any Fab & Fru girl, I started to think outside the box.  Or, in this case, inside the box.  That’s right …

. I thought about dyeing my own hair.  I will tell you there were many options at the drug store that cost about $3.99 but I splurged and paid about $15 for an all-natural, ammonia-free product. It was certainly one of the more expensive D.I.Y. hair colors I found, but relative to salon prices, a major bargain! Believe me, I was not hopeful going into the process and had images of brown goo splattering all over my white towels, white floors, and white dog.  But I figured it was worth a shot.

As I put on my latex gloves and started rubbing the glop through my hair, my husband peered around the bathroom door and laughed – I did look ridiculous.  Ok, it wasn’t as glamorous as sitting at the trendy salon drinking Hibiscus tea and reading US Weekly.  But – I loved that I was able to do it on my own schedule –

at 9pm once the boys were asleep, while in the privacy of my own room talking to my husband and watching CNN.  Plus, it only took about 30 minutes out of my busy day.  So far, a victory. But how did it look?

When my husband, who probably wouldn’t notice if I came home with a beehive hairdo, glanced up from the Philadelphia Eagles website and said, “That color looks really good on you”, I knew I was on to something…

The next morning I went to my son’s school to drop him off and was stopped by my friend Kim  – a particularly fashionable mom with FANTASTIC hair.  She pulled me aside and said, “I’ve never really noticed your hair before, but it looks great – where did you get it done?”  I literally was beside my self with joy in the preschool parking lot.  I had just hoped my DIY dye job wouldn’

t be a total disaster.  Far from it!  My hair looked better, cost less, and saved me tons of time as opposed to going to the salon to get it done.  I could barely contain myself as I shared the good news with the other moms that my chestnut mane only cost me $15 bucks and half an hour.

Now, I realize dyeing your own hair isn’t for everyone.  If you love the salon experience or get more complicated coloring done than just single process, you might not be up for doing it yourself.  For me it was a great trade because I hated going to the salon anyway and figured why should I be out thousands of dollars a year for something I wasn’

t even enjoying!

So of course I got to thinking:What else could I do with the $2250 a year I would be saving?  I calculated that if I saved it for one of my boys’

college tuitions, at a rate of even 3% a year, $2250 a year over 15 years yields almost $45,000!  Granted, by the time my kids are ready to go to college that will probably pay for no more than one semester, but still – seems like a beautiful investment to me!

Spa And Beauty Treatments For Next To Nothing

Are your financial woes stressing you out? Are you longing for the days when splurging for an afternoon at the spa would instantly rejuvenate your spirits, but now you no longer can spare the cash for such a luxury? Well, our Fab & Fru friend Virginia called us up to let us know that there’s still a way to enjoy your favorite spa treatments without putting a serious dent in your bank account! Every city has high-end beauty and massage schools where students need to rack up hours practicing their trade. Some of these schools charge a marginal fee while others are actually free! So, if you don’t mind a supervised student giving you a mani-pedi, haircut, facial, massage, or even bikini wax (on second thought, you might want a fully trained professional for that one) then visiting your local beauty school may just be your ticket to recession style rejuvenation!

To get you started, we’ve complied a list of some of the better known salons and schools, but there are plenty of city specific beauty and massage schools that offer similar discounts as well.

BEAUTY SALONS

Aveda Institute

Aveda has institutes around the US that offer a multitude of guest services. The individual institutes have their own web pages listing their offers and times. Look up one near you using the directory and schedule an appointment.

Services: hair, waxing, facials, skin, makeup
Price: cuts from $20, facials from $40
Link: http://www.avedainstitutes.com/

Paul Mitchell The School

Even more recognizable than Aveda is Paul Mitchell. With schools everywhere, you can set up an appointment with a supervised students and get the same salon treatment for a fraction of the price.

Services: hair styling and make up
Price: cuts from $12
Link: http://www.paulmitchelltheschool.com/pmts/index.cfm

Sassoon Salon

With schools in most major cities, sign up to be a model and get a cut or color treatment for much less than they’re worth.

Services: hair cuts and treatment
Price: cuts from $20
Link: http://www.sassoon.com/education/models_wanted/united_states.jsp

Blaine Beauty School (Massachusetts only)

Available in several locations across Massachusetts, this beauty school offers the works for a complete makeover with most treatments under $40.

Services: hair, facials, nails, makeup, waxing
Price: cuts starting at $14 (on sale now so $5!), color starting at $20, facials $25, manicures $10
Link: http://www.blainebeautyschools.com/AboutUs/LocationOverview