hairstyles

Accessories to Add Some Flair to Your Hair

July 10, 2012 at 6:19 pm , by Jennifer Picht

I think my fellow long-haired ladies will agree: There’s nothing worse then sticky, sweaty hair during this summer heat wave. Instead of letting your hair down, it’s time to dress it up! There are tons of cute and cheap hair accessories so you can turn a boring pony into a stylish hairdo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: You remember those 80’s scrunchies right? Yes, they’re really back! A cute, floral scrunchie can create a chic ponytail. Urban Outfitters. $10. 
Center: Jump on the bandwagon with the bow trend! This flirty and fun hairpin will transform your updo. ModCloth, $12.99. 
Right: This sequin heart headband adds a touch of glamour. Ban.do, $35.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: This bright head wrap a pop of color and a vintage vibe to your look. Etsy, $18.99.
Center: This printed headscarf is a cheap, easy way to rock a trendy pattern. Nordstrom, $28.
Right: Floral hair bands and clips look cute and flirty at the office or elegant and trendy at a wedding or party. Nordstrom, $38.

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6 Great Hairstyles Spotted on Pinterest

March 8, 2012 at 2:07 pm , by Catherine LeFebvre

There are two things I’m thinking about almost constantly right now: spring coming, and Pinterest. It’s getting warmer out (not that it was ever really cold here in New York this winter, but still), and since I’m always a sucker for a new social media outlet, I’ve been stalking summer hairstyle pins. Here are a few favorites. Click on the source link to get step-by-step instructions:

Check out more great styles on my Braids and Buns board!

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In My Words: Katharine McPhee

February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm , by Sonia Harmon

Latest role. In Smash I play a girl from Iowa who dreams of being on Broadway. It’s the perfect part: Growing up, my mother always took me to see musical theater; plus, the series is produced by Steven Spielberg. Anything he’s involved with grabsmy attention.

Moving from Los Angeles to New York City, where the NBC show is filmed. My New York apartment is so much smaller. I was like, Where do I put all my shoes? So I bought all these bins, filled them with shoes and shoved them under my bed.

My dream collaboration.  I would love to work with Adele. Of course, I only say that in my dreams because I don’t believe it will ever happen!

How I give back. I started McPhee Outreach, which helps children in need. We built a preschool in a small country in West Africa called Burkina Faso. I wasn’t able to be at the opening ceremony, but I watched a video of the people there talking about what the chool meant to them. I was like, Wow, I helped make this happen.

Best advice I ever got. Keep one or two voices in your life, meaning one or two people you can trust. And don’t stray too far from those voices because this business is stressful!

Guilty pleasure. Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Khloe is my favorite—she’ll say exactly what she thinks, then follows it up with, “I’m only telling you things other people say behind your back.” Love that about her!

Before this current hairstyle, McPhee’s hair was cropped and platinum blond. “I get tired of the same old thing.” Check out this slideshow of McPhee’s best hairstyles.

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How to Wear It: Not Your Mother’s Ponytail

September 12, 2011 at 11:42 am , by Nykia Spradley

Stocking up on new school supplies—from shiny pens and mechanical pencils to completely revamped wardrobes—has become a Fall right of passage for children. But, why should the kiddies have all of the back-to-school fun? While you’re working on overhauling your own autumn wardrobe (FYI: peplum blazers, mustard hues, and polka dots are all the rage), don’t forget about your hair. Here is a grown-up ponytail style from celeb stylist David Lopez (his clients include the Glee cast—Heather Morris, Lea Michelle, and Diana Agron) to add to your autumn repertoire.

STEP 1: Prep your strands beforehand by applying a texture spray or mousse to the hair line and blowdry completely.  ”Don’t forget to blow dry the hair around the nape of your neck upwards towards the base,” says Lopez.

STEP 2: Gather all of your hair into a ponytail with a large paddle brush.  Use the top of your cheekbones as a guide to line the ponytail up and follow diagonally towards the crown.  ”I like to use a ‘wrap’ style ponytail holder but a snag free holder works just as well,” adds Lopez.  After securing your ponytail take a one inch section of hair and firmly wrap it around the base of the ponytail to hide the elastic. This trick makes an otherwise sporty style look a bit more glam.

STEP 3: Use a large barrel curling iron and wrap large one inch sections to give the pony some bounce. A ponytail showcases the ends of your hair so smooth them with a light oil like Amika Obliphica Pure Oil too boost shine and definition.

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Three Ways To… Look Your Best for the Super Bowl

January 31, 2011 at 9:30 am , by ekaufman

Being from Boston, I stay true to the New England Patriots, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be kicking back this Sunday to watch the most important football game of the year. Whether you’re cheering on your favorite team or just watching for the fun of it all, Super Bowl events require a different, more casual, beauty preparation. Here are three ways to sport a great look for the big game:

If you’re a fan, represent! Use eye liner to show your pride by wearing team’s colors. Bright yellow and emerald green might look silly as an eye shadow, so keep your makeup from looking garish with a slick of colored eyeliner across the upper lash. Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes, $17, has a fantastic assortment of shades. You’ll feel festive and fellow fans will appreciate the statement.

Any occasion taking place around the television shouldn’t involve too much work. It’s better to go for a more relaxed look and pull back your hair. Hair ties and headbands are effortless. Differentiate this style from your gym ponytail by using a curling iron to create loose waves, or go super-sleek with a flat iron.

Keep your lips simple. Traditional football cuisine can get messy. Rather than constantly wiping and re-applying, wear a gloss that’s easy to smooth on without missing a moment. With a variety to choose from, Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer, $5, works as lipstick and balm in one by both coloring and moisturizing lips.

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Beauty Coach: Play Hair Salon on Wii

October 14, 2010 at 12:45 pm , by Erica Metzger

The last time I played hair salon, I gave my Barbie a tragic bob. In retrospect, my technique was doomed from the start. Just picture it: an impatient seven-year-old yanking Barbie’s hair back with a rubber band and using safety scissors to slice through her ponytail. Needless to say, Ken soon lost interest in Barbie and so did my aspirations for professional hair styling.

When I heard about Redken‘s Busy Scissors, $20, a new hairstyling game for Nintendo Wii and DS, I got to wondering whether things would have ended differently with Barbie if I had practiced some basic styling skills first. This box art alone makes me want to give her some blunt bangs.

In the game, you shampoo, cut, color, perm and style the heads of a demanding Hollywood clientele to advance your career. It sounds a both fun and exhausting, right?

Now I’m dying to pull a Quantum Leap. You know, I’ll play the game for a couple of few days and get my confidence back up. Then I’ll get my hands on a Barbie and nice sharp scissors and finally give her a trim that she deserves. I just have a feeling Ken would appreciate it this time around.

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A Curly Girl’s Best Friend

August 12, 2010 at 12:02 pm , by Jennifer Castoro

My general method of styling my kinda-curly, kinda-wavy, straight-in-random-spots hair is to throw in some mousse, scrunch and go. I know I should diffuse it or use more products or do something more involved than washing it and sleeping on it, but I just don’t know where to start. (That’s me at right, with my “before” curls – sorta frizzy, kinda fluffy, a bit long and generally meh.) So when I got the chance to take a lesson in curly-hair management from the masters at the Ouidad salon in NYC, I was stoked. Most every other cut I’ve gotten has ended with a time-consuming and ultimately pointless blow-dry, in which the helpless stylist expends maximum effort getting my stubborn hair to lie flat and succeeds until I leave the salon, when it shrinks up until back to its normal state of pouf. But my talented and super-friendly stylist, Mirsada, styled my hair in glossy, bouncy swirls after the cut and taught me how to recreate the look at home, on my own (see the “after” by clicking on Read More, below). Ouidad’s philosophy is that you shouldn’t fight your curls, and I appreciated the lesson in curl-styling since no one’s actually done it that way before! (Aside from the hairdo I got for my prom, when I instructed the stylist to go curly and I left resembling Marie Antoinette.) Mirsada also sent me on my way with a step-by-step styling guide (complete with illustrations, in case I was really challenged) that all clients at Ouidad get, too. The process:

1. Wash (with gentle shampoo, since my curls aren’t coarse) and condition (with a daily conditioner). Easy!

2. Spray with botanical leave-in conditioner, so curls don’t frizz or tangle.

3. Apply frizz-busting gel to hair in four separate sections, one in back, one on each side of my head and one on top. Mirsada taught me the Ouidad rake-and-shake technique, which basically consists of coating the hair with gel, dividing it up with your fingers and wiggling it till the natural curl of your hair takes shape. (Check out the much-better description, with pictures, here.)

4. Scrunch hair with towel and air-dry naturally or use a diffuser to speed it up.

5. The next day (Ouidad recommends shampooing 2 to 3 times per week), refresh curls with leave-in spray.

Click through for the results…

Read more

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