Frugal Fridays, Shine On Me! (A Reminder and Review)

Today's Frugal Friday is more like a reminder. If you haven't joined Sephora's Beauty Insider program, I really encourage you to do so. Even if you only shop there occasionally, it's better to get a few points here and there than none at all. It's free to join, they send you discounts from time to time, and after so many points you get free stuff. This is a no-brainer, folks.

No, the Sephora people did not pay me to say all that. I really love this program that much. For reals. And here's why:

You see, recently, the bonus gift for 500 points (that add up quicker than you'd think) was a travel set of Bumble and Bumble's Let It Shine shampoo, conditioner and finishing spray. I needed travel sizes for a trip anyway, so I hopped on the deal.

First of all, the shampoo and conditioner are the most color-safe I've ever tried. I'd just had my hair dyed red, and usually, the first shampoo after a coloring leaves me with a tub and towels that look like they came off the set of American Psycho. This time, though, there was nothing left in the tub, and the towels only showed the tiniest amount of transfer.

Secondly, the finishing spray is gorgeous. In the past, I've dealt with sprays that either did nothing--no shine, no hold, no nuthin'--or had great shine, but were so oily they killed my hairstyle. One also left a greasy film all over my bathroom floor. That was fun. With the Bumble and Bumble, I just lightly mist a little over my hair (use VERY sparingly!), and either brush it through or tousel slightly to distribute. You can also just spray a little on your palms and run through to separate curls or pieces. It has a very light hold, and your hair glistens.

Lastly, and most importantly down here in the ninth cir--Deep South: no frizz. None. Nada. On vacay, I washed my hair with the B&B, then blew it out to straighten and sprayed a little finishing spray on it. My hair never frizzed up. The next day, it looked just as good. I thought, "lower humidity".

So, we got home. I repeated the process. No frizz. I thought, "lower humidity?" We went to my Mom's. It was 100 degrees, and we were out by the pool with an electric mist sprayer thingy pointed right at me. NO FRIZZ. Let me repeat that: NO FRIZZ. This was not a fluke. There was an outdoor photo shoot for the movie earlier this week, and that was the only stuff I would trust. I fixed my hair in the morning, and by the end of our evening shoot, my hair still looked amazing (God, I hope it photographed as well). I couldn't do anything about the mosquitoes, but one victory at a time. (Sephora, $23-$25)

My point (and I do have one) is to join the program. Had I not gotten this a free gift, I never would have found the brand that can preserve my color and keep my naturally-spastic hair frizz free. Now, that promo has passed, but the new ones are just as impressive. These are great ways to really be able to try out something that you've maybe been interested in, but didn't want to shell out the big bucks without testing. I've also been known to break up sets for stocking stuffers and small Christmas gifts (yes, I'm cheap. What of it?). However you choose to use your gift, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that this is a way to get a little something back for all the money that you've spent on routine maintenance. It's not exactly something for nothing, but it's something, and we could all use a little something these days.