Tips & Tutorials

Mar 11

OSCARS | Spring Hair Trend: Messy Up Do How-To

Posted on: March 11, 2010 @ 3:00 pm 1 Comment »

Celebs including Faith Hill, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Miley Cyrus, Penelope Cruz, Zoe Saldana and Kristen Stewart all embraced this look.

To get the look at home, celebrity stylist Oscar Blandi (who created Faith’s look and has worked with Penelope and Jennifer) suggests following these steps:

Step 1 : To create this look, the base is critical. Let 70% of the hair air dry and apply Oscar Blandi Volumizing Spray from roots to end. Flip the hair upside-down and blow-dry on low mild heat.

Step 2: Secure all the hair at the nape of the neck with an elastic, using your fingers as a comb to separate the hair for a natural pulled back effect. Wrap individual hair sections around the ponytail and secure with hair pins for a undone chignon.

Step 3: Lightly pull out hair around the hairline to create a tussled loose frame around the face.

Step 4: Finish with Oscar Blandi Lacca Hairspray for shine and a flexible hold.

I did not write the article above – it was sent to me by the PR agency that represents Oscar Blandi. I do use Oscar Blandi products and am a big fan of them!

How to Dress Like You Have a Trust Fund (Even If You Don’t)

Posted on: March 10, 2010 @ 3:00 pm 3 Comments »

The Socialite Look: How to Dress Like You Have a Trust Fund Even If You Don’t

By Bridie Clark,
Author of “The Overnight Socialite”

You know the type: It’s raining, or 3 am, or the middle of yoga class and this woman looks crisp, pulled together, ready for her close-up. Her hair is freshly blown-out, her jewelry is tasteful Cartier. Linen wouldn’t dream of wrinkling when she wears it. Seeing her, you envision a walk-in closet full of neatly folded Italian cashmere. She must be rich, you think. Her look would be impossible to achieve — or maintain — without a trust fund and a lot of free time.

Actually, the “socialite look” — we’re talking Aerin Lauder, not Paris Hilton — is just a matter of mastering a few basic rules.
1. Figure out what works and stick with it. Anchor your wardrobe with clean lines, good fabrics, classic tailoring. Develop a signature look . . . even a uniform. Avoid trends. The look you’re striving for is fresh but timeless, and most trends have an expiration date.

2. Before you make a purchase, try to calculate Cost-Per-Wear. A Burberry trench that you’ll wear every spring for the rest of your life could be worth a splurge. Likewise you’ll always want to wear a great watch, “everyday” jewelry with just the right amount of bling, a simple clutch for evening, a T. Anthony tote that’s comfortable but chic. A little black dress is part of every socialite’s arsenal — make sure yours fits perfectly, and you’ll wear it all the time.

Seven Guidelines for Middle-Ground Communication

Posted on: February 28, 2010 @ 9:00 am 1 Comment »

Valentine’s Day is over, leftovers are eaten, and your flowers are probably about ready to be tossed out. So now that the niceties have been dispensed with and you’re not in the clutches of any Hallmark Magic, how’s your relationship faring? If it’s not going well, it can be taking a toll on your sleep and overall health – which can be affecting your beauty! If you’re not sleeping well, overeating from stress, and not taking care of yourself, it’s hard to look your best. So, while it’s not straightforward beauty advice, I wanted to share this article about how to improve your relationship! If you’re not interested, feel free to skip to the next article – otherwise, follow the jump!

Seven Guidelines for Middle-Ground Communication
By Marty Babits, LCSW, BCD,
Author of The Power of Middle Ground: A Couple’s Guide to Renewing Your Relationship

If you need help regulating and resolving conflict, these guidelines are for you. They can help you make difficult conversations productive, steer you and your partner away from destructive talk, and help you nurture an atmosphere of emotional safety. Adopting these guidelines, whenever pertinent, will safeguard the middle ground within your relationship:

1.

Avoid generalizing and stereotyping. Do not generalize about your partner’s moods. When you think you know how your partner feels, but don’t stop to ask or listen, they’ll often feel neglected and misunderstood. Rule of thumb: there is often a difference between how your partner feels and how you think they feel. Your partner’s sense of emotional safety, as a result of generalizing, can become depleted.

TeenPROM Launches A New iPhone and iPod Touch App

Posted on: February 20, 2010 @ 9:00 am 2 Comments »

“Hearst Magazines’ TeenPROM magazine, the ultimate prom resource, announced the launch of the TeenPROM App-Zine. Created exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the TeenPROM App-Zine is a must-have mobile resource with all of the hottest trends and coolest looks for prom, parties or any special occasion. The app is available for $0.99 in the Apple iPhone App Store and can be found at here.

Created by the editors of TeenPROM magazine and produced by NearbyNow, the application allows teen girls to find everything for prom right from their iPhone or iPod Touch.

“Our readers have been dreaming about prom for years,” said Jane Fort, editor-in-chief of TeenPROM. “With all of the excitement around the usefulness and popularity of iPhone and iPod Touch apps, we wanted to create a companion to TeenPROM magazine that would extend our incredible prom-related content beyond the pages of the magazine and into the mobile realm. With the TeenPROM App-Zine, the perfect dress, makeup look, hairstyles and so much more are now available right at your fingertips.”

Features of the TeenPROM App-Zine include:

* Sneek Peeks: Exclusive video of TeenPROM’s shoot with Twilight’s Ashley Greene and Ashley dishing on prom dresses, dates and her style icon Audrey Hepburn.
* Hot Hairstyles: Celebrity red carpet hairdos and a prom hairstyle look-book with more than 60 styles to choose from.
* Go Glam How-Tos: Fabulous makeup looks plus tips and tricks that guarantee gorgeousness.
* Dressing Up: Over 190 prom and party dresses for every budget and body shape and in every style.
* Prom Horoscope: Who doesn’t want to know what the stars have in store?”

I’ll admit it – I’m like, the last person on Earth not to have an iPod. I borrow my boyfriend’s when I require traveling music, but for the most part… I’m totally out of the loop. Lame, I know. Regardless, I’m pretty amazed by the apps that are being released recently! This is no exception, and I think it’s a fabulous idea. If you check it out, let me know what you think!

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Written by Laney
Filed Under Tips & Tutorials

NYFW & Tarte Cosmetics How To’s (Part 2)

Posted on: February 19, 2010 @ 3:00 pm 2 Comments »

Susan Woo Fall 2010 Look
Lead Makeup Artist: Tina Turnbow
Overall Look : Effortless beauty-A fresh, slightly-dewy complexion with kohl-rimmed eyes.

Complexion: It’s all about a healthy, dewy complexion.

* Spot treat problem areas and darkness with Tarte The Eraser 4-in-1 Concealer.
* Apply Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer w/ SPF 20 all over the face.
* Using Rest Assured Brightening Wand, apply the sheer pink highlighter on top of cheek bones, over lids before shadow application, on the bridge of the nose, on the cupid’s bow and in the corner of eyes.
* Apply Natural Cheek Stain in Doll Face in a U-shape from top of lids to outer and under eye area (acting as an illuminator).

Cheeks: Just a hint of flush.

* Dab Natural Cheek Stain in True Love on apples of cheek.
* Highlight cheeks with Natural Cheek Stain in Doll Face.

Eyes: Kohl-rimmed eyes-emphasis on the eyes without being too smoky.

* eye shadows:
o Using the Eye Couture Eye Palette apply the shimmery deep gray and top with the silver sheen

* liner:
o Line inner rim and lash line with EmphasEYES™ High Definition Eye Pencil Black.
o Using emphasEYES™ waterproof clay shadow/liner smudge the top line. You want to create darkness around the lash line.

* lashes:
o Curl lashes with Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler.
o Coat top and bottom lashes with Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 natural mascara.
* brows
o Using the lash and mascara comb brush brows in an upward motion.

Lips : A healthy, natural, berry stain.

o Natural Lip Stain with LipSurgence Technology in Moody (exclusive to Sephora)

I did not write the information above; it was provided to me by tarte.

Shopping Addicts: Tips to Deal with Credit Card Debt!

Posted on: February 18, 2010 @ 12:00 pm 6 Comments »

Today’s hot topic isn’t so fashionable – there’s just nothing sexy about debt. And all those MUST HAVE tubes of lipstick? Well, they add up… so debt’s not that hard to fall into. I’ve had some shopping woes of my own in the past, but am now happy to say I’m debt free! So, I thought I’d share this fantastic article for any of you that need a little help figuring out how to free yourself.

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Written by Laney
Filed Under Tips & Tutorials

Sexy Valentine’s Day Tips

Posted on: February 14, 2010 @ 12:00 pm No Comments »

Beauty & Style Tips

Valentine’s Day is the only romantic national holiday we get to dress up, so why not have a serious amount of fun doing it? Here are a few tips that, regardless your style, hair length or skin tone, will help you look absolutely gorgeous for your special Valentine.

Clothes

*Try a different Color this Valentine’s Day.

Black works really well if you want to downplay yet stay sexy, and teal is an unexpected color that will make you center of attention. If you are planning on wearing red, choose the right hue for your skin type. Olive and darker skin tones should look for a warm hues red. Porcelain gals should stick with cool toned reds. Regardless of the colors you go for, the cut can make or break your look. Find out what works for your body type, to look sensational on Valentine’s Day.

Busty Babes

A sweetheart neckline is just sexy enough while still covering your (ahem) upper deck.

Petite Ladies

Wear ruffles to add to what you’ve got, and give your look a flirty vibe. Avoid all over ruffles though, or you’ll look too juvenile.

Hourglass Honeys

A beautiful wrap dress in your signature color will highlight your curves and flatter your skin tone.

Pear Shapes

An empire waist with a v neck is sexy yet demure. Try a simple (not excessive) ruffle on the sleeve for an added touch of flirtiness.

Hair

Short lengths- Straight and sleek with tons of shine will make you look like modern bomb shell. Make your part to the side and then leave it alone to let your simple beauty speak for itself.

Medium lengths- Try light waves with a large barrel curling iron. Use a wave setting mousse instead of hairspray to cut down on crunchiness, and finish with an anti frizz serum to knock out fly-aways and frizz.

Long lengths- Go for full on glamorous curls with a large roller set . Roll your hair in large heated rollers and do your make-up while you wait for them to heat, when it’s time to take them down run your fingers through them gently and spray with a light hold hairspray to keep your curls touchable.

Make-up

Glamorous- Channel Sophia Loren and do a dramatic cat eye with your black eyeliner and swipe on some bronzer for a dramatic, sexy glow. Finish with red lipstick and you are good to go!

Neutral- Play up your eyelashes with a black-brown mascara and swipe on a nude lip gloss. Try a tinted moisturizer instead of a foundation for a more natural look.

Nails

*Red & pink have officially taken over every facet of this holiday. Try a different color for your nails.

Black- Don’t knock it until your try it. A neat, black manicure can be quite sexy with a complementing outfit in red, black or even nude.

Mauve- Different? Yes, but you will be surprised how well it matches up against a nude or black dress.

French Manicure- A classic choice and for a very good reason. If you’re not one for color, the french manicure on (neatly trimmed) nails gives just enough sexiness without seeming like overkill.

Single ladies

Going stag this Valentine’s Day? Here are a few ideas to make it a little more fun.

Treat yourself to the most sinful dessert you can find.

And revel in the fact that no one will be present to witness tomorrow’s consequences.

Go out with another single friend and have a no holds barred girls night.

Going out and having a good time is possible without a guy. Grabbing a friend for some harmless, “girls night” fun may be just what you need. Photographic documentation is a must.

Invite single male and female friends over for a platonic Valentine’s Day movie marathon

Make snacks and keep the conversations of love and relationships minimal. Some single guys just don’t like Valentines Day because there is just too much pressure to be Mr. Romance. Making fun of some romantic comedies all night with a bunch of platonic girl friends (and food!), ensures you’ll all have a good time…together.

VDay Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Walnut Crepes!

Posted on: February 13, 2010 @ 3:00 pm 4 Comments »

The big day is *just* about upon us – so what to do if you haven’t prepared? How about whipping up this delicious dessert for your sweetheart? This delicious dessert recipe from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich will banish all thoughts of stale chocolates and chalky candies… until next year, that is.

8 Tips for Renewing Your Relationship This Valentine’s Day

Posted on: February 12, 2010 @ 9:00 am 3 Comments »

8 Tips for Renewing Your Relationship This Valentine’s Day
By Marty Babits, LCSW, BCD,
Author of “The Power of Middle Ground: A Couple’s Guide to Renewing Your Relationship”

1) How many ways do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Pick at least three qualities about your partner that you love. Gift each one of these with something special. For example, give her a CD by her favorite recording artist in celebration of whatever you consider to be her (or his) most appealing facial feature. Choose a clothing accessory that includes the color that you think best flatters your partner and celebrate the way they look in that color. Come up with a quality that you have always valued, from the start of your relationship onward and feature that in a message written in a blank card by you with a tender sign-off. De-emphasize the gifts and emphasize the qualities that you want to call attention to and celebrate.

2) Surprise! Believe it or not some psychoanalysts evaluate the psychic well-being of their clients by determining the degree to which they are capable of surprise! A person who is not responsive to surprise elements in their life is unable to respond spontaneously. Their capacity for joy — and feeling in general — is impaired. Give your partner a reason to light up the surprise center in their mid-brain! Think of something that they would like but will not suspect. Have you written them a poem lately? Have you recorded the opening strains of “You are the Sunshine of My Life” on a hand-held tape recorder lately and handed it to them with a post-it instruction to hit the play button? When was the last time you brought your sweetheart a passion fruit chocolate truffle from one of the finest chocolatiers in your community? Whatever it is, make it pleasant and surprising. By the way, the residual benefit of surprising your partner is that you activate your own surprise center. No pun intended, it will be surprisingly beneficial for you.

3) Hand your partner a prerogative pass. (Print it out on an index card if you like.) With this pass he or she will be able to exercise their prerogative in a situation where there is usually a conflict over who gets their way. The one limit to the pass is that they are not allowed to exercise a prerogative if it forces you to do something that you feel uncomfortable doing. Next time you have a conflict over which restaurant to go to your partner can flash the prerogative pass and you’ll go Italian if that’s their choice rather than whatever else you might have felt in the mood for. Again, this presupposes that you like Italian — whether or not it would have been your pick that evening or not.

4) Look your partner in the eye and tell them three things that you love about them. They can be big ticket items, like the way you feel together when you are making love. They can be smaller fare, like the way you love it when they wrinkle their nose and close their eyes when they are hysterical with laughter. They can be somewhere in between like when they listen to you explain something in a way that you yourself realize is quite impossible to follow without complaining that they got lost four times in the telling. Write down what you are going to say before beginning this one. Then read it with feeling as if you were auditioning for a part in a movie starring opposite whoever your greatest heart-throb might be. By the way, you can fantasize about a star from any era in this exercise. Living or dead, domestic or foreign — anything goes. Only make sure you deliver your lines with feeling.

5) Think about something that you and your partner have had trouble coming to terms with in the past year — like speaking civilly to each other when either of you is angry; or perhaps, discussing a conflict in your financial situation. Without referencing your partner, give a commitment to improve your own ability to speak about the topic without blaming. Tell your partner that you are going to accentuate understanding the issue from their point of view and that you are hoping to have fewer hurtful arguments this coming year. Tell them that you want to conduct your relationship in the middle ground as much as you possibly can; this means that you want to work together, acknowledge and appreciate each other’s hopes and dreams and make all plans with these understandings in mind.

6) Is your partner an exercise enthusiast? If so, did you happen to catch Marisa Tomei doing hula hoop exercises on The Ellen DeGeneres Show? The exercise looks like fun — read about comments on this product on Amazon — and if you think your partner would enjoy a novel kind of exercise, purchase the item and attach a note pledging, “I hope you enjoy going through this hoop. I look forward to going through all sorts of hoops with you! And I’m lovin’ it.” Note: Only take this suggestion if you and your partner have a similar sense of humor and you think this would tickle them.

7) Do you prepare a food dish that your partner loves? If the answer is yes, put an announcement inside your Valentine’s Day card saying that on such-and-such a date you will be cooking a blankety-blank dinner for them to continue on with the celebration of the love you share. Ask them to contribute on that night by bringing along whatever will enhance the meal for you — a favorite beverage or dessert that they can purchase or make.

Take a minute to think about a trait of yours that your partner has communicated having a problem with — for example, a hot temper or messiness. Think about any constructive suggestions that your partner has made that you think, when you are considering this calmly and not when you are in the heat of a disagreement, is reasonable and possibly something that you might be able to put into practice. This tip works best if you feel that the trait is something that you actually would like to change within yourself. Research self-help either on the internet or in the self-help section of your favorite book store and find out what authors suggest may be helpful in your particular situation. Jot down the best helpful tip you can find and write your partner a note stating that you have heard their complaint, take it seriously and are poised to work on it. Outline the plan that you have read about that makes sense and feel you can realistically implement. Describe it to your partner. Sit back and let the communication magic do its work. You will have just demonstrated acknowledgment of their feelings; appreciation of their communications on a difficult topic; acceptance of their concerns. You well may have instilled hope and mutuality into your dialogue.

More originality in your renewal message signals desire to take things higher. Chocolate and flowers have their appeal, but can become real humdrum. So take some time, do some prep work and put these tips into action — as many as you can. Maximize connection with a fresh plan. Pick up a book that speaks to you on improving your relationship! And get busy because timing is everything and it’s almost Valentine’s Day!

Author Bio
Marty Babits, LCSW, BCD (New York, NY), author of The Power of the Middle Ground: A Couple’s Guide to Renewing Your Relationship, is a psychotherapist in private practice and a member of the Executive Supervisory Committee of FACTS (the Family and Couples Treatment Service) of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy.

For more information, please visit www.PowerOfTheMiddleGround.com.

Valentine’s Day Recipes from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Posted on: February 07, 2010 @ 9:00 am 4 Comments »

“Waste Not, Want Not” and Make it Delicious!
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali,
Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

There is no more appropriate time than now to think about how and why we cook. Food is a way of connecting with the people who surround us. Through it, we communicate emotions like love, compassion and understanding, and there is no better opportunity to communicate with our children than at the table. It’s where we can discuss our values of life that are important to us as individuals, as a family and as a part of the world we live in.

As overconsumption and greed have come to haunt us, now is a time for reflection. We should be looking back at the generations before us to understand their approach to the table. Growing food, shepherding animals, foraging for the gifts of nature is all part of respecting food. Nothing needs to be wasted. Bread can be recycled and used in soups, casseroles, lasagnas and desserts. Water is carefully conserved as in the pasta recipe I share below where the same water in which vegetables are cooked is used to cook the pasta that follows, and then that is saved for soups or for making risotto.

When one respects the food we prepare, it also leads to a more sensible and balanced intake of proteins, legumes and vegetables.

So “waste not, want not” and make it delicious!

Excerpt from Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)