Beauty Blog » Hair Styles

And I’m not talking about your legs.  R&B singer Cassie looks super HOT with her half shaved head!  I recently saw pictures of it and thought it was brilliant.  Who?  Why?…I’m not too familiar with Cassie either, meaning that I only know of one of her songs–a good little club jam that graced the airwaves for what seems like two or three years.  She’s also been seen canoodling with P. Diddy, or so rumor has it.  Anyway, about three months ago, she shaved half of her head for a shocking new look I guess.  Of course some love it (like me), and some hate it.  For those of you who hate it I say, “Open your mind a bit!!!”  Her makeup looks amazing too!  Obviously she was professionally styled for this but the smoky gray on her eyelids makes her green eyes (I think those are contacts by the way) really pop.

Here is Cassie at the 2009 BET Awards, and I think she looks absolutely stunning.  She was probably thinking “Diddy, eat your heart out!”

This is what Cassie looked like before

She was definitely just as gorgeous then but now with her new look she has a more exotic thing going. She also has a good head for revealing as shaved.  Anyone can do this really, but its not going to look the same on everyone of course.  Cassie actually reminds me of the model and wife of David Bowie, Iman.

Iman has been like the ultimate exotic African American supermodel forever.  She makes cosmetics now.  But seeing those photos of Cassie at the BET Awards just made me think of Iman.  Cassie looks mature now, statuesque and she’s carrying herself with confidence, something Iman always does in every photo that is snapped of her.  The thing is, if you decide to do something this drastic, you must be able to wear it with confidence.  As silly as that sounds, its just the plain old truth.  My hair is curly and wild, and I might consider doing this one day, not shaving half of my head, only a small portion on the right side, the area where you tuck you hair behind your ear.  I had a previous co-worker that had half of her head shaved.  It looked good.  She wore it well.  My best friend shaved a little portion of her head and her hair kind of falls into it, disguising it sometimes.  I think it looks awesome.  I don’t know you guys…is this the new trend???

Image Source: glamour.com, beautyfashionlife.files.wordpress

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for electric shavers.

Braids have been seen on the runways and red carpets recently and forecasters are predicting them to be a hot summer style for the hair.  This makes total sense.  Braiding your hair not only will keep you cool (a long mane on your back can act as a winter coat sometimes), but will keep the hair out of your face leaving you looking fresh and your hair looking well groomed.  One of my favorite year-round styles for my hair is to wear it in braids.  First, i part the hair in the middle, do two regular braids–one on each side, and then I pull both up, wrapping them across the top of the crown, and finally securing them with bobby pins near the ears.  I like to leave a few shorter pieces loose in the front to frame the face.  I don’t see to many gals wearing their hair this way, and I always hear them tell me “I wish I could pull that off…but I just can’t.”  Nonsense!  Even if you don’t do the ‘Heidi’ style I do, there are so many variations to try, that eventually you will find one that suits you.  Nicole Richie was seen recently with a cute little braided style…

This style is super easy.  Part hair in the middle, do a french braid on each side, then twist ends into a low bun in the back.

Diane Kruger also opted for a braid on the Cannes Film Festival’s Red Carpet…

This is similar to Richie’s except messier.  For this you will do a side part, keeping it loose and slightly tousled, then on each side start a braid using imperfect, uneven chunks of hair.  Resist trying to do a back part also.  When the two braids meet in the back, combine them and either create one single braid with remaining hair, or weave them together and create another small braid that will be meant to rest on your shoulder.  I hate the rubber band at the end.  A quick fix is to take a small piece of hair from the end and wrap it tightly around the rubber band, disguising it.  This trick is very chic looking and easy!

There’s nothing like some great beach hair.  The kind of textures, waves and body you can only get from being at the beach, in the ocean, under the sun.  I used to have it all the time when living near the ocean…its fabulous!  The ocean and its salt water can offer many vital nutrients to your skin, and it can give your hair a great natural look, but salt water and heavy sun exposure can also dry out the hair badly.  I know that at this time of the year and the closer we get into summer, the more women want “beach hair!”  Interestingly enough, with a stroke of marketing genius–products were created to help women achieve this look without actually having to go into the ocean.  They’ve been around for a few years now, but I have yet to try any of them.  It seems as though these products would work well on finer, more straight hair–I could be very wrong about this though.  As a curly-haired girl, I have plenty of texture and body.  After one dip in the ocean, the curls are somewhat weighed down and have a beautiful shape to them.  Unfortunately, the ends would feel like sandpaper and the roots would become a bit oily.  I am curious to see if the beach hair products work, and after shopping around, I found a few that I would consider purchasing:

Fekkai by Frederic Fekkai created a small line of products for summertime hair including the Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves Style Spray ($23).

Apparently this spray is formulated with marine waters, AquaNutrients, sea kelp and a UV Shield to give you moisture locked texture and shape.  A few spritzes of this stuff is good for sun-exposed, moisture thirsty hair.  Sounds like it would be perfect to use after you’ve come out of the ocean and rinsed hair with freshwater.

John Frieda created a product called Ocean Waves Sea Spray Texturizing Styler.  Made with “sea water”, this spray is only $6.49 and was rumored to be discontinued but available at johnfrieda.com

Ok, so picking up one of these products is convenient, but I did some research and learned how to make my own product for “beach hair” and found out it’s easy as pie! I’m going to save a few bucks and opt for creating my own.  All you will need is a small spray bottle, one cup of water, four or five drops of essential oil (this would include natural lavender, rosemary, or any other fragrance of your choice) and two teaspoons of sea salt.  Mix together in a spray bottle and your done!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more Frederic Fekkai products and John Frieda products.

For all of you vintage Hollywood glamour junkies like myself, I ask…who on earth wouldn’t want to look like the stunning Veronica Lake?!

Her skin! Her eyes! Her fabulous hair!  Kate Bosworth recently took inspiration from the glamorous Lake, and copied this look for the Costume Institute Gala.  Bosworth doesn’t need much to look beautiful, her different colored eyes are captivating, and she already had great hair for this style. Also take note of the red lips!

To achieve this style, there are a few steps in the actual styling process.  First you must start with a good blow dry, apply a good styling creme. I’m going to highly recommend the Jonathan Silky Dirt Shine & Define Creme $16

This stuff is awesome because it can be used on damp or dry hair, and it can be used as a grooming creme and a shine treatment.  This will be all you need for the styling process!  The convenience is unbeatable, how annoying and un-ecofriendly is it to have to buy and use multiple hair products for one type of style?  Plus, this Jonathan Product is 100 percent vegan, and contains no animal, wheat-gluten or gluten-derived ingredients.  After you’ve applied this and blow dried smooth with a round brush, take small pieces of the hair and curl with a curling iron, then pin up with bobby pins.  After letting set for about ten minutes, remove bobby pins and brush out curls gently.  After you’ve done this, apply a bit more of the shine creme to your hair with the your fingertips.  This hairstyle is meant to have a severe side part like Lake’s and Bosworth’s, plus side parts make the nose look more delicate.

Once you’ve achieved the hair, the rest is easy.  Bosworth looks as though she has naturally long lashes, but if you weren’t born with such a gift, it doesn’t hurt to fake it once in a while. Going with some cheap fake eyelashes is fine, you’re not going to keep them forever right? If you go with falsies that have a finer texture, they are going to look more real.  These MAC 21 Lashes are only $12, and you could probably wear them again since they are decent quality.

MAC 21 Lash: $12

And here’s a tip: fake eyelashes always go on better and look better if applied over a thin black eyeline done with some liquid eyeliner.

Now for the lips, I’ve already suggested one of my favorites which would be MAC’s Ruby Woo–the truest of true ruby red’s.  But I am curious to see how the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte is, $34 sephora.com.  The smooth and creamy lipstick not only comes in this fabulous gold tube (very old Hollywood glam), but it is chock full of pigmented color and has an SPF of 15. Perfect!  Try the Red Muse shade.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more red lipstick and flake eyelashes.
Discounts on styling creme.

I mean their hair is at least!  Apparently bangs are making a resurgence again this spring.  I can remember two years ago making the cut myself so I could have trendy look which at the time was to have them long and heavy so that they fall in your eyes and you almost cannot see…kind of like model hair.  Boy were those high maintenance.  If my hair was clean, my bangs were oily from usually touching them too much and most days I would have to just wash the bangs by themselves while trying not to get the rest of my hair wet.  This made for some interesting mornings.

I think this season’s bang trend will have less emphasis on the thickness and weight, and more on length and shape…which the aim is for natural looking bangs that just fall right above the eyelashes.  I warn those with naturally curly hair like mine:  bangs aren’t impossible, and you can make them look good when you straighten the hair and take the time to style it–this is the key.

Mischa Barton looks like she has great hair.  She easily transforms it and it has a natural wave to it that looks great with her new bangs (also make note of her smokey eyes and nude lips…what a hip gal!).  Stick straight hair with bangs is cool, but if you have a little wave to work with definitely take advantage of it since it will create a natural look with longer bangs.

Stray away from blunt cut bangs and instead have your stylist make them a bit choppy at the ends.  You could achieve the smoothness and even create some waves with a skinny flatiron like the T3 Mini Flatiron ($115.95).

J.Lo made the cut too.  I really think it suits her, the slicked back, ultra tight bun thing she does is so severe sometimes.  This new do makes her look more youthful, and playful.  Not so serious and uptight.

This is a revival of a retro 60’s look.  To achieve body like this, try round brushing your hair while your giving it a blowout.  This will give you loads of volume and a slight curl to the ends without having to use the curling iron.

Finish with a light hairspray like the Oscar Blandi Lacca Hairspray ($23).  This stuff has sugar in it!–a natural anti-static ingredient.

Image Source: instyle.com, people.com

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more flat irons and light hairspray.

Well this debate all started when my best friend (male) and I were discussing Sienna Miller and her acting as Edie Sedgwick. To which he replies, “Well she has a nice body, kinduv an old face for her age but I don’t like short hair on chicks… a lot of guys don’t.”

Got me thinking, is that true?  Do guys not like SHORT hair on girls regardless of physique and face? I started asking some of my other boys and as a whole they primarily all responded in a similar fashion. That yes, in general - men do NOT like short hair on women. 

Supposedly there are always exceptions to the rule (Natalie Portman, Halle Berry etc.)  but they are few and far between AND while guys think those chicks are hot, they still contend that they would be “hotter” still if they had long locks.

Just thought this was interesting and worth posting about. The irony is when women talk amongst each other we generally think, “Oh sure Suze, cut your hair it’s so long and drab. It’s way cuter short.” Oops! Not that I think that women should conform completely to a mans idea of sexy but again, pretty interesting to consider.

Any males out there want to chime in? Ladies, do you guys agree that men prefer longer hairstyles?! 

Long Hairstyles?

Short Hair?

Take care of your hair with these Discount Hair Care Products!

Okay so I was looking through my New Year’s Eve Party pictures from last year and while my hair started off cute, by the end of the photo slideshow my hair was a hot, drunkin’, sticky MESS!!

I’m talking, random strays stuck to my face, sweat, flushed pink alcohol cheeks! Barf-tastic! Literally and figuratively, my only saving grace is that everyone else in the pictures seem to suffer from the same beauty malaise.

Well this New Year’s I am going to take a pro-active approach to the New Year’s hairdo - I am thinking PONYTAIL!

Not like a boring “sporty” ponytail but like a bouffant version a la’ Bridget Bardot esque.  I figure its fancy enought for an event like New Year’s but styled enough that it will look good through out the night. Basically keeps the hair off my face and helps me to remain polished even if I am stumbling around.

What hairstyle are you guys going to rock for New Years Eve? 

Hello gals, and Happy Holidays!

Perhaps you’ve already picked out your holiday outfit, and if you have, then you are way ahead of the game than I am. Usually I have a dress in mind and then the night of, I mysteriously will change my mind. Again. And then again. And then again. My boyfriend will attest to this agonizing ritual.

The dress I have in mind is babydoll black with gauzy overlay and silver threads. It’s short, it’s rocking and I wore it last year but it’s coming out again. I had so much fun at New Year’s in it and it was so comfortable, I have no qualms about it appearing again this year.

Ok, so I bring this up only because I think that Rihanna’s eye (above, done with Nars Duo Shadow, color Joulee Poupee) is such a refreshing look. It does have an 80’s bent but I think the look will look wonderful with a vibrant red dress (as long as the rest of the face is nude). This is to avoid the spangled glitterball one might become once we go crazy on silver and gold eyeshadow. Why not do something a bit unexpected and try a fresh strong color on the eye?

Also I totally dig Jessica Biel’s strong pink lip. It’s an alternative to the classic red lip. It looks so pretty, don’t you think?

Nars lipstick in Funny Face is a good pick. My personal favorite is Nars in Niagra (coral peach).

A good example of glitter overload versus glitter chic is the photo below: Same dress, two different looks.
Mary Kate keeps it simple and understated with loose hippie hair and no accessories while Carrie (though I love her) turns it up a wee bit too loud with fussy hair and dark tights and accessories galore).

Hope your holidays are sparkly!!!

Let’s face it Mrs. X-tina LOVES the make-up! She has never shied away from laying the stuff on thick and cakey… but in her defense I do recall thinking that:

1. She would be so much prettier without all the crap on her face
2. Minus the drag queen cosmetic application the lady can wail!! The lass can belt out a tune, whereas I always felt that Britney was more an “Entertainer” and required much “synthesizing” in the musical arena.

Well my question is has she had plastic surgery done on her face!?

The recent release of tour photos and images in general seem to display a completely morphed looking Christina Aguilera. She looks like Brooke Hogan in the image above, and that is NOT a compliment. I realize that pregnancy alters hormones and such but do they completely alter your face? She still wears the same pound and a half of make-up so I don’t see that being a factor, it seems like the actual shape of her facial has been somehow altered? Am I wrong?

She looks very much like Bobo the Clown in this Pucci number…

Now take a look back! What do you guys think? I think she had plastic surgery done. Could excessive make-up really alter ones appearance that much! And if so, well then my love of cosmetics just took a serious nosedive! (Plus she obviously Pamela Anderson’d her boobs, so I figure she would have no reservations about messing with her face)

Here is an OG picture of dainty, pre-silicon Christina! What a waste… she was so pretty right?

What do you guys think?

• Natural changes due to age and time…
• Excessive make-up gone horribly awry…
• Plastic Surgery!

OR some un-listed other variable I have missed?

 PS. Is that her hair, a wig or a weave? The hair is kinda trippy too… 

**I implore you to drop what you’re doing and - Go out and VOTE!!**

Now time for silly matters who do you think wins this year’s BEAUTY ELECTIONS!?

We have three beautiful contestants, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain. There will be 3 categories to choose from in this contest; supporting their men, formal wear and professional gear.

Let the superficiality begin…

Michelle Obama supporting her man…

Michelle Obama rocking the formal gear…

Michelle Obama in serious mode..

Sarah Palin’s man supporting her…

Sarah Palin in her formal attire… mmmm….classy.

Sarah Palin in work mode …

Cindy McCain supporting her man…

Cindy McCain in formal attire…

Cindy McCain in professional mode..

So regardless of which way you lean politically, who do you think wins this year’s Political Beauty Elections?

VOTE .. VOTE… VOTE…