Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Decoding Hair Products
Sometimes, a fabulous haircut just isn’t enough for DIY glamour. Hair products that can lift, smooth, and move your hair to perfection are just as important as heat styling tools that can straighten and curl. Unfortunately, it’s hard for Beauties to find their ideal styling products amid such an overwhelming selection. Here's how to make products work for you.
SERUM/OIL
Serums and oils are used to add shine and moisture to wet or dry hair, before or after blow-drying. These can look greasy on thin or fine hair, so use sparingly on those hair types,. Start with a dime-sized amount in your palms and works from the ends up. Reapply small amounts if necessary.SPRAY
Hair spray is a universal finishing product. It can provide a light hold or a completely rigid effect, depending on the product and the look you're after. To avoid a crunchy effect, don't use this on wet hair. Mist quick bursts of hair spray at an even distance from the head to finish any hairstyle.MOUSSE
Mousse is great for finer hair because it gives volume without much evidence it's there. Comb through wet hair evenly and blow-dry for volume. The amount you apply, however, is a balancing act. You want to apply enough to give hold, but too much product will leave your hair crispy. Start with a dollop the size of a Ping-Pong ball and work your way up.GEL
Although it’s formulated in varying degrees of hold, gel is still one of the strongest stylers out there. Gels work well on short textured styles that need to maintain a single look without much movement. Start with a quarter-sized amount in your palm and work your way up from there, distributing it evenly throughout the front and back of the hair.WAX/POMADE
Wax and pomade have the ability to hold like gel, but allow for more movement and malleability. Use pomade to define and separate short haircuts, and to finish and texturize longer hairstyles. Wax-based products give an even stronger hold and come in matte and glossy formulas. Take tiny amounts at a time and work the product up from the tips of the hair.STYLING CREAM
Styling cream comes in varying degrees of hold, can be used wet or dry, and provides lightweight definition compared with a pomade. Example of a product after blow-drying is Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine, but experiment and see which consistency fits your desired finish. Apply a dime-sized amount at first, then apply more product if your hair is long.Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Happy 86th Birthday Arnold Stang and R.I.P
Smell Like Summer
Beauties, are you feeling sad that summer's over? For many, the warmest time of the year is spent mostly on the beach, at a lake, or poolside and is rife with delicious meals, beautiful sunsets, and pretty summer dresses. Something as simple as a smell can conjure those memories. Which is why these are Top 3 products that bring back that summer-lovin’ feeling.
1 Leila Lou by Rosie Jane Perfume Oil
This eco-friendly oil is made from essential oils such as pear, jasmine, and tangerine and smells just like the air on a warm summer’s evening. You'll be mentally transported to a warmer place when you wear it, and the cute little bottle means it's easy to take anywhere!2 Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil
Body oils are great for colder weather, as your skin needs even more moisturizing. Smooth this decadent blend of perfumed avocado, sesame, olive, and jojoba oils over your shoulders and legs to smell like coconut, sand, and surf, even when it's cold outside.3 Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray
Just because you don't feel like a beach babe doesn’t mean your hair can’t look like it came straight from the seaside. This classic salt spray doesn't just achieve a matte, beachy texture—it also smells like coconut and sunscreen, and contains seaweed and kelp extracts to keep your hair healthy.
Serge Lutens
Serge Lutens has long been famed as a perfume master and makeup artist extraordinaire, and women worldwide obsess over his exclusive cosmetics line, which he has perfected through years of work and expertise. His fragrances are adored for their complex scents—almost no flower or note is left behind. Each fragrance is unique, and seems to release a different layer the longer you smell it. His elegantly packaged makeup line, which he created in 1967 at the request of Christian Dior, is one of the most desirable to place on your dressing table, and is curated down to the essentials every woman needs. He was also a photographer and art director, working with legendary photographers like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.
Feather Eye Lashes
From Swarovski crystals to real mink fur, it seems as if false lashes have gone couture over the past decade. And now that feather hair extensions are officially a trend of the past, what do we do with our stockpile? Wear them on our eyes, of course!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Does Your Skin Need Special Water?
The French have perfected cheese, croissants, and now...water? They've been extracting aqua from some of the most mineral-rich environments for hundreds of years, and now they are bottling it for use on your face! Perhaps the most well-known fancy facial water is Evian Mineral Face Spray—yes, the same company behind the bottled spring water—sourced from a small Alpine town on Lake Geneva. Fortunately, most of France is filled with glaciers, lakes, and rivers that are practically untouched by human hands and full of essential minerals and nutrients. And while toner, a similar kind of product, is typically formulated with a cocktail of essential oils, thermal water is virtually additive-free. French citizens take their spring water seriously—treatment at these thermal springs is covered by their national health care! Try Top 3 favorite thermal sprays and embrace water, à la Française.
1 Avène Thermal Spring Water
Avène crafts all of its skin care with world-renowned, mineral-rich water found in the southwest Avène region of France. Packed with calcium, magnesium, and silica, this water is ideal for those with sensitive skin or who suffer from eczema. Spray this on your face in the morning and evening before moisturizing, and you'll notice hydrated, plump, and more glowing skin.2 Vichy Thermal Spa Water
Vichy’s thermal spa water is sourced from central France. Loaded with 15 regenerating minerals and antioxidants, it protects your skin against free radicals and helps prevent fine lines and the signs of aging. Try this facial water if you have allergies, rosacea, or very sensitive skin.3 La-Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water
Similar in composition to Avène's thermal spring water, La-Roche Posay's water hails from—you guessed it—the northern region of La Roche-Posay, France. This anti-inflammatory mist hydrates, soothes, and locks in moisture., Try it on a sunburn or after shaving your legs to reduce irritation. Beauties who live in a desert climate like me will love this for alleviating dry, dull skin.
Why I Love Keira Knightley
Not only has she made us jealous when she got to kiss Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean and played Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, but Keira's also the face of Chanel and starring in a new film about psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, A Dangerous Method.
Since chopping her long locks into a bob, Keira has looked sleek and sophisticated at every event she’s been to. She keeps her hair shiny and straight, and plays up her dark eyes with lots of liner and mascara.
For a twist on her new 'do, Keira pulls her hair back off her face. She has always been a fan of big, bold brows, and adds a rosy pink lipstick to accentuate her pouty lips.
Loose waves frame Keira's face and sweep past her heavily lined dark eyes. They aren't smoky, just lined all the way around and coated with layers of mascara.
Keira looked chic and sophisticated at the Chanel show. Her hair sleek yet textured, and her cheeks had a peachy warm glow.
Work Manicure Inspiration
Just because your nails need to be work-appropriate doesn’t mean they can’t look chic and fabulous. You have the manicures you'll want while you're typing away at the office.
Use OPI's color in Barefoot in Barcelona, a dusty rose that is bolder than the everyday nude but still subtle enough for a conservative office.
Add a feminine pink bow accent to this simple manicure in a classic nude shade.
Use rich colors to create this graphic half-moon-shaped nail design.
Use OPI's color in Barefoot in Barcelona, a dusty rose that is bolder than the everyday nude but still subtle enough for a conservative office.
Add a feminine pink bow accent to this simple manicure in a classic nude shade.
Use rich colors to create this graphic half-moon-shaped nail design.
Happy 13th Birthday Google
Monday, September 26, 2011
Street Style Beauty at Fashion Week
Fashion Week not only gives you a glimpse of what to wear next season but also showcases the city's best-dressed fashionistas. So let's check out their beauty looks as much as their outfits!
Brownish red lip is the color on the lips of Beauties. Also happy that big, bold, brushed-up brows are back!
An otherwise bare face and '60s-inspired cat eye looks cute with a fishtail braid. Add a scarf and knot it at the top of your head, just like at the Marc Jacobs' show.
Bright shoes with a contrasting pedicure is a worldwide favorite. I just adore this sky-blue shade.
We didn't notice many bright manicures, but instead a return to bare nails and bright lips.
Brownish red lip is the color on the lips of Beauties. Also happy that big, bold, brushed-up brows are back!
An otherwise bare face and '60s-inspired cat eye looks cute with a fishtail braid. Add a scarf and knot it at the top of your head, just like at the Marc Jacobs' show.
Bright shoes with a contrasting pedicure is a worldwide favorite. I just adore this sky-blue shade.
We didn't notice many bright manicures, but instead a return to bare nails and bright lips.
Beginner's Makeup Kit Essentials
A makeup kit is more than just eye shadow, blush, and foundation. Most don’t take into account the incidentals and extras they'll need to make sure their bases are covered on their first important job. We’ve got a list of things every pro should pack in their kit!
Q-tips, Sponges, Tissues, Hand Sanitizer, Makeup Wipes, and Mascara Wands
To be sanitary and make sure you're not putting anything contaminated on your client's face, you'll need disposables for applying and touching up makeup.Business cards
Much of freelancing is word-of-mouth, so be prepared to hand out business cards so your client can spread the word about your amazing work.Camera
Be sure to have a camera handy so you can snap photos of the work you've done. Having a portfolio of past work lets potential clients see what you can do.Pencil sharpener, mirror, tweezers, brush cleaner, and bobby pins
You'll need these to help you apply the makeup in your kit. Don't leave home without them!Haute Harvest
The cascading leaves are a gorgeous example of fall, but who said the season has to be all orange and brown? The harvest moon hangs in a periwinkle sky and shines on fields of gold, while pumpkins and potatoes yield unusual hues of purple and green. Infuse these rich, vibrant shades into your beauty routine—lacquer with magenta, line with gold, and shade with mint.
Top 3 Face Masks for Fall
Beauties, if you haven't been using a face mask, then now is the time to start. With fall already here (we're so excited to start wearing coats, gloves, and scarves!), your skin needs some extra attention. Masks not only help to draw out impurities, but also exfoliate, hydrate, and leave your skin dewy and fresh. A vital part of your skin-care regimen, masks should typically be used once or twice a week depending on your skin type. Here are Top 3 picks for fall.
1 Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque
For Beauties with oily skin, this mask is a life saver. It goes on heavy and thick, so you immediately feel like you're getting a deep clean, and leaves skin silky smooth. The clay tightens and moisturizes your skin while simultaneously drawing out impurities such as blackheads and whiteheads.2 Dr. Brandt Detoxygen Mask
This foaming mask is packed with miniature oxygen spheres (to deliver more oxygen to your skin at a concentrated rate!) and seems to bubble on your face. Wash it off to reveal super-soft, smooth, glowing skin—like you've gotten a week of good sleep!3 Cosmé Proud Gold Revitalizer
Flecks of 24-karat gold in this gel-like mask contain natural ions that work to remove the dead skin from the top layer of your skin and allow ingredients such as collagen, vitamin E, elastin, and pearl extract to nourish and revitalize. The gold also helps to remove blackheads, and when you rub the mask off your face, you can actually see the dead skin cells falling away.
It's Mole Check Time!
It's been quite a summer, and you've had your fun in the sun. Even though you used SPF, you may be starting to see little spots on your skin. Some are common moles, but others can become precursors to melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer). Fortunately, melanomas are easily found with warning. "Eighty percent of melanoma moles are actually found by patients, not doctors," says New York City-based dermatologist Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, M.D., Ph.D. "When patients are darker after tanning, they tend to notice these spots more." Melanoma moles are triggered by intense sun exposure to both UVA and UVB rays, but heredity is still the most important factor. "One particular gene mutation, cdnk2a, causes familial mole syndrome, which increases melanoma risk by 15 to 19 times," says Dr. Alexiades.
Luckily, melanoma is almost 100% curable in its early stage, and you can help prevent it despite your genetic makeup. Protect yourself from the sun and stay indoors during peak hours (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Dr. Alexiades recommends wearing at least an SPF 30 whenever you're outdoors.
Moles are common on the legs for women and on the back for men. If you find a suspicious mole on your body, use the chart below to perform an initial self-diagnosis, then see your dermatologist.
A. ASYMMETRY
If a mole is asymmetrical (meaning if you draw an imaginary line through the middle, the two halves don't match), it is a warning sign for melanoma.B. BORDER
An unevenly bordered or scalloped mole can be an indication of early melanoma.C. COLOR
Variation in color isn't healthy. Benign moles are often a single shade of brown.D. DIAMETER
Melanomas are usually larger in diameter (more than a quarter-inch wide) than small, benign moles.E. EVOLVING
If you see your mole change in shape or texture over time, check in with your doctor.
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