39% of you think Christina Ricci’s Met Gala outfit is the best of the cray-cray, which I have to say is surprising. 23% backed Karolina Kurkova, and 20% of you were rooting for fabulous dame Linda Fargo. I personally voted for Florence Welch’s Alexander McQueen.
Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump’s big bangs, which made their debut at the very same event, are prompting some debate.
55% of you wear sunscreen on your face only on “normal” days, which probably include being at work or picking the kids up from school or whatever. For most, it isn’t exposing your skin to lots of sun, go good for you for being in the habit. 35% apply none at all, which I think is OK as long as your sun exposure is limited, amirite? 10% of you apply it everywhere, and your skin is probably going to look the best in the next 20 years.
Today I’m curious as to what you think of the latest look sported by rockstar spawn Kelly Osborne.
Once upon a time, I wore headbands. All the time. You see, I was growing out my bangs and the only way to survive that very grueling and traumatic experience was to simply push those puppies up and off my forehead altogether. There was, of course, an unfortunate month when the bangs were exactly the wrong length and would stick up from behind the headband. On those days, I would refuse to leave the house and instead quietly weep in a corner.
Supposedly the 50′s inspiration is here in a big way, and that includes the use of headbands as an accessory. For some reason, though, when I think of headbands I think of Hillary Clinton, not the 1950′s. That could be good or bad. Upon reflection of Hillary’s personal style, (as much as I admire her) it is most likely bad.
I like headbands because there is an infinite variety of them. Wide, thin, leather, fabric, glittery, tortoiseshell, lace… You name it and there is a headband that has it. An Etsy search comes up with over 250,000.
It’s been a long time since I’ve broken out a headband, but I’m wondering if it isn’t time to start experimenting with them again. However, I do seem to remember that certain kinds can give you quite a headache if you wear them for any length of time.
So what is your verdict on headbands? Stylish or frumpy?
When I first found out I was going to have a biopsy that came with major surgery, I was bummed.
I suddenly felt the need for change.
So where did I go?
Well, I still need to go to Sephora, but I went right to my hair salon.
I’d been falling into the trap of using a lighter dye on my hair in order to camouflage the gray. The more gray that would come in, the lighter we would go.
It looked OK, but I was starting to get major zebra stripe once my hair started growing out, and I choose color weaving specifically to avoid that type of thing.
I looked at that dark band and bam! It hit me that instead of trying to play the blonde-ing game and winding up looking like an OC Housewife, perhaps it was time to return to my roots. Literally.
We took my color much darker, and she did a very fine weave, as opposed to a chunkier one so that I would get the maximum amount of dark color.
If I do say so myself, it looks rather fabulous.
It brings out my skin tone more, my green eyes pop, and now I can venture toward darker eye and lip makeup without feeling like a painted trollop.
And can you see my grays? Well yes, but they actually look kind of good and help to give my hair a nice dimension.
My young padawans, do not be afraid of the dark side!
The Telegraph had an interesting little article on the “coolest” brands in Britain, which were anointed to be hair products company ghd and skin care line Dermalogica. They also labeled them as iconic, but I’m not sure I agree. Then again, I don’t live in Britain.
It got me to thinking about the way I feel about certain brands that I like. I mean, I adore Guerlain lipsticks, but I’m guessing the company is not considered to be “cool.” Doesn’t mean I won’t stop buying them, though. I think I’ve moved past the stage where I’m worried if people will think I’m cool by association of what products I use. Case in point, I drive a minivan.
The definition of cool is so nebulous, and so very dependent upon the person you ask.
If you had to choose the “coolest” beauty brand, what would it be?
It’s that time again! The time where I give some sage advice on things you can buy for those with an appreciation for the specialty of this blog. And all under fifty bucks!
Beautyblender Makeup Sponge Applicator (2)
For those that prefer liquid foundation/concealer, I have heard nothing but fantabulous things about these applicators. A bit pricey, but supposedly worth every penny. Definitely something to give someone who probably wouldn’t spring for it themselves.
Gal Pal The Original Retro Ice Bag
Ladies such as myself will remember that this type of ice bag was pretty much the only game in town when we were kids. And you know, I kind of miss them because they really did have a nice shape to them that made it easy just to plop it where it was needed. Comes in lots of cute designs, too!
THE NEW BLACK ‘Graffiti – Ombré Nail Shades’ 5-Piece Set
For the more adventurous nail enthusiast, everything they will need to create the perfect ombre look. Or not. That’s the beauty of this gift, because the colors still rock even if they don’t use them as originally intended.
Makeup Studio Blockbuster Palette
Not sure what colors they might like? This palette is guaranteed to have at least a dozen or so, seeing as it contains a whopping 197 products.
Three full sized M.A.C. products for a great price. And a bag to boot!
L’Occitane Verbena Harvest Perfumed Sachet
Nice, natural sachets are hard to come by any more. This is one of the best. And who says you have to buy just one? Makes a perfect hostess gift.
I’m a big fan of pretty packaging, and the box for this collection of Fekkai hair products is touted as a collectible. Inspired by Aix-en-Provence, France, this is the first year of a new series of gift sets from the company that brings you nice hair.
I’m of the opinion that you just can’t go wrong with this set. You can quote me on that.
Me! Bath Mini Bath Ice Cream Gift Set
Get a bunch or get just one! These bath fizzies are a fun, unique gift.
Sephora Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Her
Another almost can’t-go-wrong gift. And a teensy secret is that if the receiver doesn’t like any of the sample fragrances, they can pick out any one in the store that has the approximate value. Or, you could do aLash Sampler, or a Sampler for Him.
33% of you love getting beauty products for the holidays, and 33% of you would rather have a gift certificate to get them yourself. 20% like it only if they know exactly what they are getting, while 11% say no way.
Sad to say I like picking out my own stuff, but sometimes I will tell my husband what perfume I want and he can get that. Unless it’s something like lotion or soap, I am more than happy with a gift card. However, I’ve never been known to turn a beauty product away.
The past four days have found me busy, busy, busy and needing to put product in my hair, which I normally go without unless I’m going somewhere. The bad thing is that when I go to bed with stuff still in my hair, I break out. Sometimes my face will break out if I even apply the product, which happens with almost all Paul Mitchell products. It isn’t so bad if I can get it out beforehand, but did I mention the busy and the toddler?
Inspired by the mid-to-late 18th Century (but without the boats, birdcages, and such) hairstyles worn by women of fashion. For a quick overview of the history of this period in hair, go here.
Love it.
I think I would like to have my hair done to look like this at least once in my life. I don’t know where the hell I would go with it, but I would look great doing whatever it was I was doing. Fellow soccer moms, taste the bitterness that comes with a wash and go!
Pictures may be NSFW, so I’ll include them after the jump. Because I love you and I don’t want you to get fired.
From a recent Elle Magazine interview:
‘I’ve really grown into it – I feel like myself with short hair. And it’s been a really long time since I had long hair, five years,’ she explains.
‘Of course, the only people who like it are gay men and my girlfriends. Straight men across the board are not into this hair!’
‘I cut it for the one straight man who has ever liked short hair and I wear it in memorial of somebody who really loved it.’
Of course I’m not going to knock her for the very personal reason why she keeps her hair short, but does she seriously think that straight men do not like short hair? And hey, maybe there are some gay men who hate pixie cuts, don’t ya think?
I’m disappointed that she would buy into such a tired trope and attempt to generalize the male population in its entirety.
I’ve had both very short and very long hair, and I never felt less attractive with short hair. It was just time for a change, as I had pretty much had short hair from the time I was in third grade, thanks to my Mom, and didn’t grow it out until senior year of high school. But never did I look in the mirror and think, yeah, I’m turning off the entire straight male population. Nor did the straight male population ever give me the idea that they hated my hair.
Which then of course gets into the very tricky territory of why we have our hair the length that we do, and are we doing it for ourselves, or for the men in our lives?
I will admit to keeping my hair long for my husband, but when I felt the time was right to chop off seven inches or so, I did. With his full support, not that I wouldn’t have done it anyway.
So, do you think most women keep their hair a certain length for themselves, or for their partners? Or maybe a little bit of both?
I admit it, I am a bad breaker-upper. After my first boyfriend and I broke up, I decided he didn’t deserve the Billy Joel concert tickets I had bought him mere weeks before, so I took them with me as I left his house. Another guy I was casually dating implored me that even if we stopped dating, to please keep speaking to him. Well, he sent me a salacious card that offended me at the time, and I just simply stopped speaking to him, despite my promise.
But probably the worst break up I’ve ever had was with my former hair stylist. She was the sister of my former college best friend, and I just kind of fell into becoming her customer since I saw her all the time at my friend’s house and such. Not that she wasn’t good, she was fine, but over time, little things started to annoy me.
She was an itinerant hair stylist, always changing her salon. I think during the ten or so years that I went to her, she must have changed salons at least 6 times. She kept selecting salons farther and farther away from where I lived, and it got to be a bit much to travel 45 minutes just to get a haircut.
Along with every move came a price hike. I think she was up to almost $145 for a haircut and partial color weave when I broke up with her.
She also had a bad habit of “working in” other customers during my appointment time, meaning instead of my appointment taking an hour and a half, it wound up taking almost three hours. While I was “conditioning” at the sink she would cut someone’s hair. This took at least 20 minutes. Then, as I was under the dryer, she would cut someone else’s, also adding at least an extra 10-15 minutes. She never asked me if I minded, I guess she just figured it was her prerogative. Eventually, I felt disrespected and used, just like some of my former relationships.
But, what really drove me nuts was that she would always talk about herself. I had always thought that you were the customer, and so the hairstylist was supposed to be the attentive listener-therapist who would commiserate with you about your latest problem. Not her, instead I found myself giving her the advice and having to try to squeeze in some tidbits of my own whenever she would pause for breath.
So I am rather ashamed to say that I allowed her to do the hair and makeup for my wedding, and then never spoke to her again. I know, I know, I should have called her, wrote her a “dear Jane” letter or something. But, I am a wimp when it comes to things like that, and as the examples above show, I am not very good at breaking up. It is not so much malice on my part, I simply slink away and try to avoid directly hurting someone’s feelings. As if she hadn’t noticed that her customer of 10 years stopped coming. But, as guilty as I feel, I haven’t had the guts to ever say anything, even though my sister and mom (whom I referred to her) still go to her on a regular basis. Coward, thy name is Glinda.
