This week I am pleased to share Kristen's latest hair care product reviews. In a few weeks, look for Kristen's next report on new ideas in makeup. Enjoy!

Kristen is a 26 year-old government employee and mother of one from a Texas town just east of Houston. Kristen frequently makes trips to Houston for cosmetics and skincare and the people at the Laura Mercier counter and the Sephora store know her by name. In fact, she named every color on one of the makeup artist's face and she offered Kristen a job working for Laura Mercier! She has combination skin that is exacerbated in the summer (due to the extreme humidity in Texas) and normal to dry in the winter. She is acne prone with redness around the nose and chin and a handful of red acne scars, which she is always looking for something to even those out. Until then she has settled into finding the perfect foundation/concealer/powder system to cover it. Kristen has large, almond-shaped blue/green eyes that she considers to be her best feature. She is a natural brunette but highlights so it's blonde and "Julia Robert's curly" that she straightens. Kristen's real joy is not finding the perfect product for herself, but applying makeup on someone else and watch them stare in the mirror for 30 minutes in awe. Have a question for Kristen? Email her here.

Tigi BedHead Chocolate Head ($15.95 for 3.7 fl oz.)
I am a fan of this line so when they came out with some new products aimed at my hair type, I jumped at the chance to buy something. I bought this conditioning treatment and boy, does it smell like chocolate! The consistency is not like other reconstructive conditioners I've tried in that it is not thick and heavy. In fact, it is pretty runny. On the container, it says to shampoo and condition your hair like usual, then apply Chocolate Head for 3-5 minutes. Since my naturally curly, highlighted hair is dry, I usually ignore the 3-5 minutes and leave it on for as long as I am in the shower. I really wanted to like this conditioner, but I was disappointed. When I rinsed my hair, it didn't feel very soft, much less silky. In fact, the conditioner I already use makes my hair softer. It also says it is supposed to make your hair shiny, but I didn't see it. For the quality, pass on this product. For the money, you pay for so little, definitely pass on this product. If you must have a deep conditioning treatment from this line, use Dumb Blonde. It is much better and you get more of it for the same price. The only thing that I can say that was nice about Chocolate Head is that is smells like chocolate, but even so, it didn't mesh well with the fragrances of the other hair products I use. Save your money.

Sebastian Hand Press Flattening Fluid ($13.95 for 5.1 fl oz.)
I read about this in a magazine recently as being a revolutionary hair straightening product for those who have wrestling matches with their hair dryers that could rival the contenders on the World Wrestling Federation. I hopped in my sports car and drove fast to the closest shop that carried the Sebastian line. After you wash your hair and sponge out any excess moisture, apply this product with both hands and press your hair between your hands while moving your hands down the length of your hair. It's supposed to look like you flat ironed it when you really didn't, and get this - WITHOUT A HAIRDRYER! You are just supposed to put it in your hair and air dry. Fishy, I thought, but I was willing to give it a fair try. It smelled great, a real clean scent, which I liked. Was this product as revolutionary as the magazine said? NO! It was completely worthless on my hair. The consistency was too light to make my curly hair go wavy, much less straight and have that flat ironed look. I tried air drying like the directions said. Heck, I even tried it and used my hairdryer and flat iron and it still didn't look smooth. My Charles Worthington Results Relax and Unwind Balm works much better and is much much cheaper. As my mom would say, if something is too good to be true, it usually is. This might work better for someone who has thin hair with a slight wave, or those with straight hair looking for something to wash and go with. Maybe, but I doubt it. But, by all means, someone let me know if it works for you.

Matrix Sleek.Look Smoothing System (Smoothing Shampoo $10, Conditioner $13, Lite Styling Cream and Extreme Styling Cream, both $13, Lockdown Spray $14)
As always, anything that is aimed at making my curly hair straight I am buying. I was able to score a set that has mini versions of the whole line. I really love the shampoo and conditioner. They smell great and the conditioner makes my hair feel silky when I rinse it out, which is something I look for when trying a new conditioner. The styling creams come in two versions, lite and extreme, with extreme being the harder holding one. They also smell nice and clean, but weren't anything special. I need something a bit heavier for my hair, but those with not quite as much hair as I have (think Julia Roberts) will probably like these styling creams. The Lockdown Spray is supposed to be sprayed on your hair after you've blown it straight and ironed it to protect against humidity. Well, I don't think anything could help my hair in the Texas heat, so I really wasn't surprised when this didn't work for me. I really didn't have high expectations since I know my hair in this weather, but hey, I can hope, right? I love the shampoo and conditioner, especially the conditioner, and will continue to purchase it. Matrix's Sleek.Look can be found at diamondbeauty.com, and most beauty salons in the country.

Thanks, Kristen, for these helpful reviews. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!