Beauty Blog

With summer in full swing, I am curious to see how many of you beauty freaks have made the hair color switch from dark to light, if you’ve made one at all.  Light haired gals, freshened or brightened any blonde or red coloring?  Summer brings an urge in some women to lighten their hair color, wanting of course to go with the season.  It’s not always necessary though.  Making the choice to go lighter in the summer, and darker in the fall will eventually do a number on those tresses.  Sometimes, it isn’t always necessary to dye the hair according to the seasons.  I haven’t dyed my hair in well over a year, and healthy?  Yes, it is.  I did get it cut though!  Finally!!  This was a big step for me and I absolutely love it, but I’ll get into that in another posting next week.  Back to color . I saw three of my friends this last week, all of whom had dyed their hair.  The first did hers over a month ago, pre-June and went for some blonde highlights, but shortly after only having for a few weeks, went back to dark.  I asked her, why did you switch?  “Because it’s summer and you get highlights in summer..” was her response.  Fair enough, although I was happy to see her go dark.  It had looked so good, the blonde wasn’t ever necessary…not this year at least.  Then I see girlfriends two and three this week, one had gone darker, the other lighter, but no blonde was involved it was more auburn with a sun-kissed look.  Both looked beautiful!  And they had freshened up their looks without feeling the need to go light.  If you want to make a change, keep it subtle and go for a sun-kissed look, this includes highlights.  You can request for you hairdresser to tone the highlights and blend them so they aren’t so strikingly bright and unnatural looking.

Observe the good:

Now, observe the bad:

If you are going to lighten up, there is a technique called the balayage technique.  It’s a different way to put highlights into the hair, and less damaging than the traditional foils that are used.  It’s more of painting in the color on smaller pieces than sectioning off chunks of hair which can sometimes leave you looking overdone because too much was highlighted.  Balayage is a more ‘natural’ looking method, since apparently hair and hair color au natural is all the rage lately.

Image Source:elle.com, people.com

If you follow celebrity fashion or keep in touch with the latest music videos, you might be wondering why the nails that the ladies are sporting look extra spunky these days.  It is thanks to a revolutionary new nail treatment called Minx made from flexible film strips applied to the nails using a heat lamp.  The high gloss, long wearing coating takes about 15-20 minutes for application and needs absolutely no drying time, therefore avoiding accidental smudging or denting.  They are supposed to last for 1-2 weeks without chipping.  To remove them at home you just warm up the film with a hair dryer and peel it off.

So, if you are tired of your run of the mill, timid polishes and can’t stand fake nails either, check out Minx’s stunning array of selection.  The solids are anything but boring (think gold metallic like Beyonce in “Single Ladies” or chrome silver) .

The patterns range from intricate, delicate bridal laces to bold and brash animal prints.  You could even custom design a favorite photo into a nail coating.  How is that for a choice?  If you are worried about any harsh chemicals in the formula, you can relax.  Since it requires only heat for application and removal, it contains no harmful substances and is totally eco-friendly.

This hot new trend sported by the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Pink, Fergie, Christina Aguilera, Victoria Bekham among others, can now be found at Spa Nordstorm Escape. Or, to find a Minx nail salon in your part of the country, try the spa finder at Minxnails.com.  At Nordstorm , getting a minx treatment would cost you $50 including manicure and just $30 without manicure.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more manicure supplies.

It seems as though Julia Roberts gets more beautiful with age!  She tends to go back and forth between brunette and blonde, but the latter definitely works better for her I think.

Many women choose to go lighter for summertime which is usually complimentary to sun-kissed skin, but beware of frosty looking highlights.  Here, Roberts has a honey-colored base with golden highlights.  A lot of celebs go back and forth between colors, it works on some of them, but on others, highlights just make them look older.

Kate Hudson recently made the switch to dark brunette which looks very beautiful on her here at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic.  The brown suits her although I can’t help but think her trademark blonde locks keep her looking younger.

Fergie looks better with lighter hair also.  Her look below at the MTV Video Music Awards in Japan is so hard looking, whereas the blonde softens the curves on her face a bit more.

Whether you decide to go darker or lighter for summer, my best advice would be to ask your stylist to use a really conditioning formula on your hair.  Maintenance is also really important so the color doesn’t fade or get brassy.  Shopping around for good color-saving products wouldn’t hurt either.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for deep conditioning treatments.
Discounts on color protecting shampoo and hair dye.

Image Source: extratv.warnerbros.com, glamour.com, people.com

How is she 50?!

I would kill for that toned pelvis!!

Britney and Madonna together again!! Awww, shucks.

Whilst in the audience…

Lucy Liu…bringing the cuteness.

Donald Sutherland whom I love from the show “Dirty, Sexy Money”

Where’s Fergie?

I realize that her Madgesty has the hands of a zombie,  and from time to time when the light hits her she looks like the Crypt Keeper, but the woman knows how to put on a show! The tickets are pricey but as you can see well worth it and power packed with celebrity spotting. Nicole Richie was actually seated behind us but I was too chicken to request a photo op. She’s super tiny by the way and her eyes are even bigger than they appear in celebrity photos.

I think this is a nice way to end the week. I hope you continue reading Smarter Beauty Blog posts and keep the comments rolling in! - Michelle  

M.A.C. has tapped Fergie for the latest Viva Glam ads, and while I’m all for the cause, I’m rarely pro-Fergie.  However, for some inexplicable reason she seems to have a lot of fans, so I guess this was a good match.

Fergie told WWD:

I have been a fan of Viva Glam for a long time — I have been following the campaign for years and I think it’s a great outreach…MAC picks people like RuPaul, Mary J. Blige — people that are a little controversial and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. I’m very proud to be a part of it.