Category: April, 2010

Straight-Away Pro Cordless Flat Iron Giveaway!

Posted on April 30, 2010 · Filed Under giveaways · 247 Comments

Attention ladies on-the-go! This professional quality cordless (as in NO CORDS, awwww yeah) flat iron is the bomb diggity. Lightweight, portable and rapidly heating, the Straight-Away Pro can be used at full heat for up to 45 minutes or for touchups over a period of 10 hours. Check out the features!

*Ceramic plates with Tourmaline
*3 second heat up to 260° F
*Reaches full heat at 410° F
*2 hour charge time
*LED screen display
*Temperature memory function (will heat up automatically to temp last used)
*Li-ion battery with aluminum heater
*Safety setting shuts off after 3 minutes of use
*On and off the cord usage
*Option to lock/unlock plates for safe transport
*Straight-Away Pro comes with a wall charger and heat resistant pouch

Leave a comment on this post between now and Wednesday, May 5th at 6pm PST and you will be entered to win one Straight Away Pro iron. The winner will be announced next week. Good luck!

4.5 – The Best Cuts for Thin, Fine Hair

Posted on April 29, 2010 · Filed Under makeovers · 17 Comments

Meet Lauren.

From Lauren’s email:

I am a college student and am moving to a new state and starting a new career path and would love to start fresh with a new hairstyle. I seem to have the most bland hair that can’t seem to do anything but fall flat. I would really appreciate the help!!!

Lauren’s hair:

Naturally medium brown
Normal to oily
VERY fine and VERY straight
Lengthwise, anything but a really short pixie will do
Uses a blow dryer on occasion, along with mousse, hairspray, and a curling iron that she hasn’t mastered yet
Only uses shampoo

I’m so glad Lauren sent me her plea (even if it was a year ago..yikes!) because it addresses an issue that I’ve learned a lot about lately. WHAT TO DO WITH SUPER FINE HAIR. And I have some great advice because I speak from personal experience! Well, not so much MY hair, but my son’s hair. (Who knew you could learn beauty advice from a preschooler, right?)

Take a look for yourselves.

He has really beautiful hair – great color, super shiny, but it is SO FINE.

I know we talk about layering a lot at Hair Thursday, but this is one type of hair that will not benefit from lots of layers. Trust me, I learned the hard way about a year ago. I was positive that layering my son’s hair would give it some movement and texture, when in reality, the layers made him look like he had a run-in with a overzealous weed whacker. Movement? No. Texture? Not so much. Wispy, flyaway and discombobulated? HELL YES. It looked pretty bad, but luckily layers grow out…as evidenced in the above photo.

The key to super fine hair is precision cutting. Those with very fine hair can pull off super sleek looks that most of us thicker peeps can only dream of! I do recommend shorter styles, as most below-the-shoulder looks will appear stringy.

Here are two looks to consider for Lauren’s new style.

(Uh, not saying Lauren should go blonde. Just happened to be the color of the cuts I liked.)

Option #1 would work beautifully on Lauren’s hair. The below-the-ear to chin-length is a great one for fine hair. It doesn’t become stringy and has a defined style. Some very (VERY) light layering is happening towards the ends to give that tapered look, but the layers are kept very long and blended. I also love the idea of bangs sweeping across Lauren’s forehead. Great accent for her eyes and cheekbones!

Option #2 is along the same lines, but keeping the length. In fact, Lauren could always cut #1 and let it grow to #2 when she wants to grow it out. (Love the side part.)

As for products and styling, I love the info that Tracey from Sweetney shared with us several months ago. If you have fine hair, this is a must read!

Also, it’s worth mentioning that adding highlights and/or lowlights can really give super fine hair dimension and a fuller-looking appearance. Food for thought, Lauren…

So…what’s the verdict? Option #1 or #2?

Gorgeous Spring Makeovers

Posted on April 28, 2010 · Filed Under cosmetics · 3 Comments

Lord knows, I LOVE ME SOME MAKEOVER ACTION. Thanks to the ladies of DailyMakeover.com for providing me much happiness in the form of new hair products and lip glosses. Swoon! DailyMakeover invited some of their fave New York-based bloggers to join them for a night of manis and makeovers at the fabulous Dex New York Studios. (Hey! Don’t forget about us West Coast folks!)

The night kicked off with a virtual makeover session – everyone had a blast uploading their photo into the Makeover Studio and trying on their fave makeup brands and celebrity hairstyles. Then, super-stylist Dexter Phillip and his team of hair and makeup magicians gave each blogger a spring transformation. Get the scoop on their looks, then go create your own spring awakening in the Makeover Studio.

Eileen Dautruche, MissWhoEverYouAre.com

“I want something completely different. My normal look is barely there makeup,” said Eileen. Dexter applied a blend of mineral foundations to make skin glow while lips were pretty in pink. Dex New York Loose Mineral Pigment in Fitzpatrick Golden Sand and Mineral Pressed Eyeshadow in Wallstreet Onyx gave her eyes a sultry effect. “It gives her an exotic smokiness while keeping the glowing look of spring,” said Dexter.

Dina Fierro, Eye4Style.com

“Spring is about a fresh, glowing and radiant look that has playful colors that highlight the features,” so he created a soft and pretty look for Dina to highlight spring’s fresh and light feel. On her lids he used a blend of gold and brown shadow, while her cheeks were adorned with an illuminating pink blush. On her lips he used Lipstick in Court Street Apricot and Lipgloss in Christopher Street Orchid to create her glowy pastel pout. “This look was great for her because the gold tones in the shadow made her green eyes pop and the blush and lipgloss coordinated with her neutral skin tone,” said Dexter. “I normally go naked or for more dramatic colors, so it was fun to explore a more natural look with color,” added Dina.

Felicia_makeover_Spring 2010.jpg
Felicia Walker Benson, ThisThatBeauty.com

As Felicia’s casual-chic look goes to show, spring doesn’t have to be all about tea party pastels. Dexter used a wash of copper and brown shadows on her eyes to give her subtle definition and sexiness. Her skin was given a radiant glow thanks to a blend of Tinted Hydrator #6, Mineral Glow in East Hampton Sand and Loose Mineral Foundation #10. On her lips he used a deep fuchsia lipstick that was topped off with a touch of shimmery pink gloss to soften the shade. “This look is great for her because she looks fresh and clean with a youthful glow and only the slightest pops of color to make her features beautiful!” said Dexter. Felicia also loved her look, saying “It’s fresh, modern, and embodies spring!”

Kristin Booker, FashionStyleBeauty.com

Contrary to her fellow bloggers, Kristin decided to go all in with this bold and bright look. “Kristin is wearing a great colorful look for spring that expresses her vibrant personality by use of bold but appropriate colors,” said Dexter. On her eyes he used a mix of Mineral Loose Pigments in Top of The Rock and South Street Seaport, while her cheeks and lips were kept soft and pretty with shimmery pink blush and lipgloss. Said Kristin, “When it comes to makeup and hair, I am decidedly NOT a risk taker. I was skeptical but once the makeup was on, it surprised me with how GOOD it made me look. After that, the sweeping pompadour was added and, well, you can tell from the photo that I was really feeling it.”

Looking gorgeous, ladies!

Check out more DailyMakeover articles:
Runway To Real Life: Babydoll Lashes
Makeover Alert!: Hayden Panettiere’s Edgy Crop
Get The Look: Nicole Miller Spring 2010