Get Pretty

Pretty and Palatable

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

When weighing the options on the dessert menu, it's common for us to consider how that decadent bowl of crème brûlée might affect our waistlines - but our complexions? Not the first thought that comes to mind. In honor of the Chefs issue, we decided to explore that old adage, "You are what you eat." And no, it's not as simple as your mom's back-in-the-day warnings that too much chocolate begets a chin full of pimples. Esthetician Crystal Morgan knows a little something...

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Color Me Surprised

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Loyal readers, I have a confession to make: I've never actually colored my hair. This revelation would be shocking enough even if I wasn't a beauty writer of sorts. But I'm something of an average brunette, and I just never found hair color to be a real necessity. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm a classic Type A? Roots are something I'm not sure I'll be able to handle. When I chat with Peter Bradley and Dirk Diegel of Bradley & Diegel (77 Newbury Street, Boston,...

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Pretty Party

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Have you ever noticed that your pre-event prep period sometimes takes longer than the actual event you end up attending? (Those false eyelashes don't exactly apply themselves.) And often, if those few hours of grooming involve a few friends, a few closets, and a few too many glasses of wine, they can turn out way more fun than the festivities themselves. With that sentiment in mind, local groups are hosting their own parties that combine two of our favorite things: revelry - usually...

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Get Laid

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Guys, you know we're gonna snoop - the medicine cabinet, that questionable DVD collection, the bottom of the underwear drawer ... it's all fair game. When it comes to that first one though, it's easy enough to make us like what we see. Ditch the grandpa deodorant and drugstore cologne to make a good impression with the modern packaging and no-frills utility of the latest scent from F/P Homme. The brand's new Numero 003 fragrance, which just launched this month, is fresh, airy,...

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Enduring Beauty

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

You’ve spent two hours poring over past pay stubs, bank accounts, and budget numbers when your boyfriend turns and asks, “What are the chances you can do without the monthly facials?” Slim to none, you think to yourself. But then you take a quick appraisal: salon trips, mani-pedis, regular waxing, color touch-ups … and then there’s your quarterly Sephora allowance. In an effort to soften the latest blow to your beauty budget, we’ve tapped local experts for suggestions on making the most out of...

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Don’t be afraid of the dark

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT

I went to school in Connecticut. Suffice it to say that this fall’s super-smoked eyes, dark lips, and generally goth-toned makeup don’t exactly fall within my comfort zone. So when my editor challenges me to take a few of these looks public, I cringe. But like any good beauty writer would, I stock up on eyeliner and begin an exhaustive review of the finer points of eyeshadow smudging. First stop: the experts. Magda Ogbe, a makeup stylist who reps NARS all over, including in Boston, explains...

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Sun Damage Fixes

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Well, we hope you’ve enjoyed every second of it: lazy Saturdays basking on the beach, long lunches on your favorite outdoor patio, Sunday morning jogs by the Charles. And we won’t knock that “healthy glow” of yours, but this New England summer sun has, no doubt, done a number on your skin. As temps begin to drop and we all shuffle back inside, now is the time to do damage control. Read on for our recommendations (and some great deals!). And next time, WEAR MORE SUNSCREEN! For the Spa...

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Get Packing

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Most dudes are perfectly happy to throw their half-empty shaving cream, a travel toothbrush, and a mini bottle of that awful body wash-shampoo-conditioner combo in a plastic bag — Ziploc if they’re feeling fancy — and call it a travel kit. But consider the Billy Jealousy Wanderlust Travel Kit ($36) akin to that fancy luggage your girlfriend traded your ratty gym bag for. Furnished with the brand’s Hydroplane Shave Cream, Fuzzy Logic Shampoo (with DHT blockers to keep hair loss in check), White...

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Rock your body

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Jessica Bradley is not a groupie. But you will find her hanging around backstage at pretty much every major concert that hits Boston. This rock-star massage therapist soothes the sore muscles of some of the coolest clientele we can imagine. Which came first, your passion for massage or your love for music? Both. I love doing massage, and I’d wanted to do that for the longest time.... But I also love music. I’ve done selling T-shirts and things like that, handing out flyers. And then when I...

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Highbrow, Lowbrow

Heather Bouzan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

She might get hives at the mere mention of lipstick and mistake an eyelash curler for a torture device, but even the most low-maintenance female understands the importance of eyebrow grooming. After all, the eyebrows set the tone for the entire face, and even a few hairs gone awry can skew one’s looks in dangerous new directions. But if we have to do our damnedest one more time not to gawk at another straight-guy unibrow, we may run amok with a pair of tweezers. Seriously, what is it about brow...

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Get Schooled

Heather Bouzan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

In an effort to avoid overwhelming our male readers with alternatives, there’s one hair-removal technique that we’ve neglected to mention: the practice of threading. This method, which originated in the Middle East long before it began popping up in the States, features twisted-together strands of cotton thread that are rolled over the face or body, trapping and plucking out hairs from the skin with each pass. The technique has always been the exclusive realm of specialists, only available at...

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Buzzed Beauty

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Most features about hangover cures focus on re-establishing your inner equilibrium: what food to eat, pills to pop, and sleep strategy to use in the name of restoring balance after your buzz. This is not one of those features. Let’s be real. Sometimes you just have to wait those headaches out. But in the meantime, how do you look your best even when you don’t feel it? From early-morning meetings to a brunch date with your new in-laws, certain occasions call for a polished look that won’t...

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Tress Management

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

If there’s one thing we love about summer, it’s skipping the shower, shelving our straightening iron, and heading to the beach au naturel. After a few hours of baking in the sun, we love shaking out the wild, tangled mess of curls that seems to magically appear where our straight-to-a-fault locks used to be. And for a night out, all that’s required is a shrugged-on tank top, a slick of lip gloss, a quick toss of our hair — and with that, we’re sun-kissed, beach-haired, and good to go. With...

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Body deli-cious

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Especially now that “going green” has proven itself a trend that, shockingly enough, might actually endure, emails trumpeting the launches of the latest all-natural, eco-obsessed beauty treatments appear in our inbox almost daily. But rarely do the serums, lotions, and masks being hawked actually sound good enough to eat. That’s indeed the case, however, with Cali-based skincare line The Body Deli, which recently landed, for the first time in the Northeast, on shelves at Brad Duncan Skin Care...

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About face

Heather Bouzan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Tucked away in an artists’ loft building that even our favorite Boston cab company had trouble honing in on, Cheryl Ferrari’s South End-based Face Facts Healing Spa (46 Waltham Street, Boston, 617.451.9499) has managed to find a quiet kind of success without “modern essentials” like attention-grabbing signage, a gimmicky marketing plan, or even a web site, for that matter. Instead, Ferrari offers a unique take on skin and body care that stands out amid the crowd of tired seaweed facials and...

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