How To: Keep Your Nails Healthy This Summer

June 25, 2012 at 11:07 am , by Nykia Spradley

 

While nail care is an issue you get behind in fall and winter by slathering your talons with shea butter and jojoba oil, during the summer you’re probably more concerned with color (i.e. Monday = pink…Tuesday = banana yellow…Wednesday = lavender…). And if you’re like us, you just cross your fingers and hope that your excessive polish play doesn’t lead to more peeling and splitting of your nails.

Since we’re prone to paint our nails every hour (no, really.) during the summer (NAIL POLISH 4EVA!), we were stoked to stumble upon Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Anti-Aging Nail Lacquers. Not only are the summer shades creamy perfection, but they’re also infused with a protein peptide that strengthens flimsy nails. #winwin

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Keratin Upkeep: Maintaining Fresh Salon Smoothness

June 18, 2012 at 1:06 pm , by Nykia Spradley

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Behind the Scenes at the Shoot: The Bronze Age

June 7, 2012 at 9:00 am , by Sue Erneta

Recently, a team from LHJ traveled to Joshua Tree, California to shoot The Bronze Age, a story for our June issue. It’s such a spectacular place that we wanted to show you some behind-the-scenes shots. We hit the road before dawn so that we could get the morning light in Joshua Tree. The sun was just coming up as we arrived.

Our first shot was perfect. I don’t think I’ve ever seen light that beautiful.

Here’s a view of the whole crew. It takes a lot of people to make it all come together. There were three staffers from LHJ from the Fashion and Photo departments, the photographer plus his assistants and a digital tech to handle all the digital files, a hair stylist, a makeup artist, plus the location van driver! That black thing on a stand behind the photographer is a wind machine that gets controlled by the hair stylist. I bet you didn’t know they needed to be wind gurus, too!

Our photographer, Tom Corbett, has no problem getting a little dirty to get the shot! (Buy the BCBG dress here.)

The whole crew is there in case there are any last minute touch-ups. Here, makeup artist, Amy Chance adds a little body makeup to our model’s feet. (Buy the dress here.)

We always shoot more than we need and this back shot didn’t make the cut. (Lucky you! You get to see it here!)

Another outtake. Doesn’t she look like Raquel Welch in this one? You know, from that movie where she’s climbing around the rocks in that fur bikini? Except this time it’s a bikini and sweater from Banana Republic.

Hope you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at our shoot. Have you ever been to Joshua Tree? What did you think? Tell us!

 

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How To: Create a Fishtail Braid (Without Actually Creating a Fishtail Braid)

June 4, 2012 at 3:57 pm , by Nykia Spradley

 

The unofficial start of summer was Memorial Day (yay!), and with that comes a season full of ponytails and plaits–anything to keep cool. But if you’re like us, the basic pony and regular braid can get boring after, ohhhhhhh, the 27th straight day of wearing them. Enter this fancy fishtail number. It’s cute, right? We thought that since we have two left uncoordinated thumbs that we’d never-in-this-lifetime be able to pull this style off. As it turns out it isn’t a REAL fishtail braid. In fact, it isn’t a braid at all.

According to Nick Penna Jr., owner and stylist at SalonCapri in Boston, the natural, carefree, and minimalist ‘do looks WAY more difficult than it actually is. Here’s how to fake a fishtail…

STEP 1: Begin with unwashed, un-brushed hair, and use the end of a rattail comb to create a part down the middle of your head.

STEP 2: Separate hair into two sections and begin twisting the ends toward the center of your head.

STEP 3: Secure the end of the twists together with a clear elastic.

STEP 4: Use a few bobby pins to “seal” the twists together. Insert one vertically at the top of the twists and one in the middle.

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How-To: The Half-Updo That Everyone Will Be Wearing This Spring

May 14, 2012 at 10:48 am , by Nykia Spradley

 

When Nicholas Penna Jr., owner of SalonCapri in the Boston-area, sent us the photo of this fancy-schmancy updo we flipped over his handy work, and then preceded to find out when he would be in our neck of the woods next so that he could give us the ‘do. Turns out, according to Penna, the style (he calls it “The Crown”) is simple enough for  any updo novice (US!) to do on themselves. Here’s how he told us to get the look…

STEP 1 If your hair is naturally straight, follow STEP 2 and STEP 3 below to curl the hair. If your hair already has a curl to it, skip to STEP 4.

STEP 2 Separate hair into top and bottom sections. Clip the top section up, leaving the bottom section to hang.

STEP 3 Using a 1 1/2 inch curling iron, curl all of the hair that is down. Alternate the curling direction between counterclockwise and clockwise. Repeat this step with the top section of hair.  Separate curls with your fingers to achieve a piece-y look.

STEP 4 Take a 1/2 inch to 2 inch piece of hair slightly above one ear and pull it across the head to the other side and let the section drape slightly so there will be enough room to pull hair pieces around it. Combine the draped section with a small piece of hair right behind the other ear and pin the joined hair pieces with a bobby pin.

STEP 5 Starting at the side of the head where the first hair section was taken from, select another piece of your hair from under the draped section. Lift it upwards, over, and then under the draped section, leaving it to fall underneath.

STEP 6 Next, grab another piece of hair from under the draped section a 1/2 inch to an inch over and follow the same step. Continue across the head by choosing random pieces and pulling them over and under the draped section until you reach the other side of the head.

STEP 7 For the last pinned piece, lift it over and under but let it wrap over the first bobby pin used to secure the draped hair section (to make the bobby pin less visible). Take a second bobby pin and secure the final wrapped piece where the draped section was first secured above one ear.

STEP 8  Finish with a light spray of medium hold hairspray, like Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer.

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The White Smile Diet

April 30, 2012 at 1:21 pm , by Nykia Spradley

Admit it, we diet for every other reason under the sun, so why not for whiter teeth?
But this isn’t your typical diet. Think of it more as a compromise that will leave you with a brighter smile. Dr. Timothy Chase a New York City dentist dished on what to eat and what to give up to get your choppers their pearliest.

Do’s

Certain foods help to remove bacteria that cause plaque which hardens into a yellowish tartar if not brushed away soon enough.

• Crunchy fruits and vegetables work best because they function as an abrasive scrub for your teeth.  They also stimulates the production of saliva, which helps to keep plaque from forming:
• Apples
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Strawberries and oranges are both useful for polishing teeth.  Rubbing an orange peel or a strawberry over your teeth, following by washing out your mouth with water will get your noticeable whiter teeth after a few months
• Dairy products such as yogurt, milk and cheese contain a lactic acid which may help protect teeth against decay.  Hard cheeses are best for whitening since they help remove food particles as well.

Don’ts

• It’s important to avoid stain-causing foods and substances as much as possible.  A simple rule is any food which causes a stubborn laundry stain can stain teeth too.  Brushing teeth or at least rinsing one’s mouth with water after consuming these foods is a great way to help prevent staining.  Foods to avoid include:
• Coffee
• Tea
• Blueberries
• Red Wine
• Soy Sauce
• Tobacco
• Soda

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Fringe Benefits: 3 Ways to Transform Your Bangs

April 9, 2012 at 10:43 am , by Nykia Spradley

What if we told you that a completely new, completely fresh hair look can be yours in just a few minutes. Don’t believe us? Maybe you’ll believe Joico International Creative Director Damien Carney. Here, his favorite bang looks for spring.

#1 Blunt and Beautiful

Get your hair dresser to add a graphic effect to your ‘do by creating a super sharp square bang. An excellent choice if you have a circle face shape, this bang style neutralizes roundness, thins cheekbones, and opens the eye area.

How to style ‘em: Blow dry hair smooth and flat. If you have super-textured tendrils, tame them with a flat iron.

#2 Super Soft

Have your hairdresser chip and chop into the edges of your bangs. “This creates a softer feel that kind of looks as if you’ve been growing them out for a while; very sexy and slightly messy and undone,” says Carney.

How to style ‘em: To add body and bounce to your bangs, blow dry them using a large round brush. Direct the hair to the side for a glamorous look. For a youthful vibe part your fringe down the center.

#3 Long and Natural 

Longer bangs look great when a little wave is added to lift the hair away from the face, says Carney. They also help to control the hair from flopping and crowding facial features.

How to style ‘em: Take a large curling iron and twirl the hair away from the face. Before the bangs cool and set, run your hands through them to break up the hair. “Remember the looser the movement in the bang area, the more modern it looks,” says Carney

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