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This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Pantene Full & Thick.

I have a question for you...and one of you lucky commenters will have the opportunity to win a $100 Visa gift card and a years supply of Pantene products when you tell me: what is your biggest hair-care challenge? Is your hair over-processed? Do you suffer from breakage? Is your hair thinning?
I don’t mean to date myself, but, when I was in high school, I saved my pennies to buy myself Pantene shampoo and conditioner. Looking back, I’m not sure why I didn’t ask my mom to buy it for me when she did her weekly shopping, I just remember socking away my babysitting money to buy bottles of Pantene – which, at that time, had very snazzy gold-colored caps and seemed very high-end.

At some point I probably decided to save money or use health-food store shampoo or bought shampoo for color-treated hair and lost track of Pantene…but fast forward to a month ago when Blogher asked me if I was interested in Pantene’s new Full and Thick shampoo and conditioner and suddenly I am transported back in time.
It’s true – I’m the perfect candidate for Full & Thick shampoo and conditioner. Age and years of coloring have combined forces to make my already thin hair even thinner – and, now that I think about it, kind of lifeless.
And I have to tell you, I’m sort of jaded when it comes to “new formulas” that promise exciting results. I agreed to try Full & Thick and write about it and…
I am happily surprised to tell you that my hair actually appears to be fuller and thicker!
I’m not kidding!
I fully expected to report that I saw no difference whatsoever after using this shampoo and conditioner for the past two weeks but IT’S NOT TRUE.
My hair, which is in a very awkward stage as I am growing it out right now, has much more body and seems to be easier to style right now and the only thing I’m doing differently is using Pantene shampoo and conditioner.
Why is this, you wonder? (And so do I.)
Well, Pantene says they use Pro-V Full & Thick conditioner to:
strengthen hair against damage and prevent hair loss from breakage and help maintain a thick look from root to tip.
What does this mean?
It means that Pantene shampoos and conditioners have vitamins in their ingredients to help protect and nourish hair.
I hadn’t thought much about the ingredients in my shampoo before last month but I’ve been paying close attention to my hair since using Pantene and I really see a difference.
Pantene has an extensive website which can probably answer any questions you might have about their products as well as suggest products based on your particular needs.
You can read up on which shampoos and conditioners they recommend for processed hair, thinning hair, hard to manage hair and normal hair.
As for me, I’m having nostalgic moments lathering up with Pantene, remembering my younger, thicker, natural brown hair and enjoying having some body and shine again. And, another surprise, Pantene is widely available and you won't have to save your babysitting money to buy some.

Check out the rest of the BlogHer reviews for 8 additional chances to win!




To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me your biggest hair challenge - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) July 1, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) August 1, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Estee Lauder skincare - The splurge

Times are tough, I know that. Money is tight in most of our homes and, if you've read my Beauty Hacks before, you know that I am a drugstore/beauty aisle in the supermarket kind of cosmetic consumer. But the good people at Estee Lauder thought I might be interested in trying out some high-end skin care and who was I to argue? (Yes, I'm aware of the fact that there are skincare products that cost hundreds of dollars, but I'm not going there.)>One hundred dollars was given to me to buy whatever I wanted on the Estee Lauder website. One hundred dollars that I might never spend on myself - or, I'm sorry to say, my skin. Me. The woman who writes about her seven dollar moisturizer and Carmex. So, I can imagine what you are thinking: is there a big difference between the usual stuff I smooth over my cheeks and the fancy stuff? You've probably read, as have I, that the drugstore brands have many of the same ingredients as the expensive brands...does it make a difference?

I decided to make my money go as far as it could and opted to purchase a skincare regimen. I researched the site and bought cleanser, toner and moisturizer and kicked in seven dollars of my own to allow me to get the richest, most concentrated moisturizer Lauder sells as I figured I'd get the most bang for my buck.

Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser is right up my alley. It foams (many "foaming cleansers" do not), it has a light, pleasant scent (my drugstore brand smells a little chemical-ish) and it does, in fact, splash away. I think, after using it for a week or so, that it is slightly drying - but that might be my fault. Perhaps I don't really have combination skin anymore. It's very possible.

Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion is the toner I selected. It too has a light scent and seems to work well to freshen my face and prepare it for moisturizer and makeup. I didn't have a supermarket toner to compare it to - I haven't used toner in many years but can tell you that it feels refreshing and clean and nice to use and that my moisturizer seems to smooth on more easily after I've used it.

And now, the big guns:

This, friends, is Resilience Lift Extreme. This, take a deep breath, is $70 an ounce. This? Is a moisturizer I would never, in a hundred years, purchase for myself. It is an "ultra firming cream" with spf 15 and it promises to give me a "lifted look" while it firms and smooths my skin. This is what divides the low end products from the high end products. This goes on like melted butter and does seem to make my face and neck seem, um, just a little less saggy. I've been looking a little saggy lately.

So, here's the thing. Yes, a cleanser is a cleanser - it probably doesn't much matter where you buy it if you know what your skin needs. And a toner from the high end probably has less alcohol content and will be less likely to strip your skin of moisture. One could argue that drugstore toners do just as good a job. But moisturizer, people, moisturizer might be an area where you should consider a splurge. I'm sure all moisturizers have similar ingredients. They all boast the same kinds of benefits: smoothing, firming, glowing. But I'm here to tell you that it is becoming clear to me that expensive moisturizer must have more lipids and nutrients and proteins because it really does seem to work differently than my cheap stuff.

Am I advocating that you run right out and purchase $70 moisturizer? No. I am thanking Estee Lauder for letting me see the benefits of not pinching pennies when it comes to my face. My face, which is out there every day doing its best under less than perfect conditions. My face, which really does look a little smoother and less droopy around the jaw. If I was going to blow the budget on something for myself any time soon I just might drop money on my skin, which, now that I say it, doesn't really sound that crazy.