A La Mode

Shameless Plug...

2012-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is an interview with my friend Lindsey, who is one of the very best makeup artists I know and a kickass hair stylist to boot! She's also a really sweet person.

Beauty 101: Complexion

2012-01-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Since working at a cosmetics retailer I've learned a lot about makeup and beauty products. So I'm taking some common questions I and my co-workers get and putting together a new feature-lette here at ALM. Welcome to Beauty 101!

Beauty 101 will cover the things you need to know to navigate a makeup counter or maybe a skincare consultation. It will cover products and what they do and what differs between them. And if you have questions, drop me a comment and if I can I'll get you the answer and post it here!

The first thing we're going to talk about is complexion products. At my job I get a lot of customers who are confused about which product does what and which ones they need or want. So let's break it down:

Primer

Smashbox
Photo Finish Primer,
$36 at smashbox.com

A foundation primer is used after moisturizer and treatment products but before foundation. It works on the same principle as a paint primer: it prepares the surface of the skin for makeup and improves the makeup's performance. A good primer will even out your skin's texture enough to provide a clear canvas for your foundation, which will give you a more even application, and will help your makeup to last longer by giving it something to which to adhere.

Many primers are silicone based, like the Smashbox primer pictured. This gives them the smooth texture (once applied to the skin it will feel slightly velvety) and can help to fill in uneven texture. Natural brands like Korres make silicone-free options as well, and you can get primers that will o everything from filling in visible pores to color correcting to controlling oil. It's important to know what you want the product to do: are you just looking for something to improve makeup wear, or do you want an additional benefit like correcting redness or hydrating your skin? Once you know what you want, you can start researching or asking more pointed questions when you see a sales associate at the beauty counter, which will give you a better chance of getting the right product.

Foundation
Your foundation is the base color that will go all over your face. Some people confuse this with concealer, which is more targeted to specific problem areas (more on that in a minute).

Choosing a foundation can get complicated. There are a lot of options out there right now: powder, liquid, cream, mousse, anti-aging, tinted moisturizer, etc. And given the innovations in cosmetics you can get a foundation with almost any skin benefit you can imagine as well. When you want a foundation, start by answering these few questions:

• What level of coverage do I want? Do I want something that will hide light freckles and imperfections (full coverage), or something that will just give me some evenness of tone but allow my skin to show through (sheer coverage)? Or something in between?

• What type of skin do I have? Does it tend to feel oily or dry during the day? Am I allergy or breakout-prone?

• What type of foundation do I want? Am I most comfortable with a powder, or a liquid, or a compact, etc.?

• What would I like my foundation to do? Do I want something with an SPF? Something with anti-aging benefits? Something that will control oil or hydrate dry skin?

Once you have those answers you can start looking for a product that will suit your needs.

Now here is the important part, and I cannot stress this enough: Foundation should MATCH your natural skin tone. Match. As in exactly. The idea is to create the look of perfect natural skin, which means that you want something the color of which will blend seamlessly with your own coloring. "But I want to look tan!" you might say. And that's fine, but the way to do that is by using a self-tanner or a bronzer. Using a darker foundation will only make it look like you're wearing too-dark foundation unless you plan on using it all over your body. If you can see a difference between where the foundation is and isn't, it's the wrong color.

Foundation swatches.
Image courtesy beautyntreat.blogspot.com

If you go to a cosmetics counter, you can ask to be color matched. An artist should make at least three linear swatches at your jawline and leave them for about a minute (color can change as the skin warms the makeup). The one that disappears is the best color.

If you aren't comfortable testing a product on your face or don't have access to someone who can match you, the inside of your wrist is the closest match you'll get to your facial skin color. Do not test for color on the back of your hand. Your hands get more sun exposure than your face, so they're usually a darker shade. If you go tanning, do so before you get color-matched to ensure accurate results.

Concealer
Concealer, unlike foundation or primer, isn't something that goes everywhere. This is something just for covering up problem areas: dark circle under the eyes, blemishes, etc. But like foundation, concealers come in a variety of textures. There are liquids, creams, and even powders like those offered by BareMinerals.

Again, you want this to match your skin tone. A too-light or too-dark concealer will actually call more attention to flaws than nothing at all.

Make Up For Ever 5 Camoflage Cream Palette,
$36, sephora.com

A lot of people make the mistake of going very light for under eye concealer – your skin there is a little lighter than the rest of your face, but go too light and you'll get glowing ghost eyes. For dark under eye circles look for a concealer with a peach or orangey tone to it. The orange will counteract the blue of the veins that create dark circles and help to conceal them. You can also supplement with a brightening product like this pencil by Benefit.

For blemishes you want something that matches your skin tone and covers well without needing to pile it on. You can use a green-toned concealer to counteract redness and then use a concealer that matches your skin tone over it to mask the spot.

When blending concealer, pat, don't rub! Rubbing around the eye area will pull the skin and contribute to wrinkles. And rubbing anywhere removes product and irritates the skin. Instead, apply the product and then lightly pat it with your fingers or buff it in small circular motions with a fluffy brush. This will give you a natural finish, save you product, and give your skin a little less stress.

Blush/Bronzer
A face with foundation can look a little flat or pale. Blushes and bronzers add warmth and color back into your complexion. A good bronzer can fake a slight tan or create contour in the face, accentuating cheekbones and creating shadows where you want them. A good blush can give you a brightened, glowing complexion that looks youthful and flushed.

Again, know what texture you want. Blushes and bronzers come in powder and cream forms. If you're using a powder foundation it's best to stick with powder blushes and bronzers since putting liquid on top of powder may change the texture and turn your foundation cakey or chalky.

After that it's a matter of color – for bronzer, you don't want something too much darker than your skin or it will look fake. Look for something that you can see on the skin but blend easily to a natural-looking finish. If you have pale or pink-toned skin, look for golden browns over orangey tones. Decide if you want a matte finish (no shimmer or glitter, which can look more natural) or something with more of a sheen to it (which can highlight the skin and add radiance). And if at all possible, try it on!

There are lots of ways to use bronzer, YouTube has plenty of tutorials depending on the look you want to achieve. A good blush/bronzer combo will give you a well-sculpted face that picks up light where you want it to and looks warm and healthy.

Highlighters
You know how celebrities always have skin that glows? How the light picks up their cheek and brow bones just so and makes them look otherworldly? They don't get out of bed that way.

Jennifer Lopez

Take J-Lo here. If you look at her browbones, upper cheekbones, chin, and bridge of nose, you can see a slight glow. That's created with a highlighter.

Highlighters come in a variety of textures (sensing a theme here?) but they all do the same thing: they accentuate the high points of the face and create dimension. If you're using bronzer at the places where you want shadows (hollows of the cheeks, etc.), then you want highlighter at the high points to further sculpt the structure of your face.

A highlighter, like this illuminator by NARS, should be applied sparingly and not add a lot of color to the face. You want to create the illusion of perfect facial structure, not look like something out of a sci-fi movie. Ultimately you want something that blends out sheer but gives a nice healthy glow to the skin. You can also mix highlighters with a liquid foundation for an all-over glow (this can help add radiance to dull or aging skin).

Do you absolutely need every type of product listed here? No. Makeup is all about choice. You decide what you want and what you're comfortable with. Maybe you want a minimal-effort, fresh-faced look. Maybe you want to look like a magazine cover every day. Either approach is fine. The key in either case is knowing what you want and the tools you'll need to get it. So I hope this guide helps you do that!

Ladies, I got a pitch for ya.

2011-12-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

As I try to relaunch this thing and balance it with my other blog, I'm brainstorming some ideas for both. And right now, I'm asking for your help with one of them.

This idea occurred to me a few months back while shopping with my sister. She and I have pretty opposite tastes: she's Ralph Lauren, I'm Betsey Johnson. We both admired a few of the same garments, though, which got me thinking: style isn't so much about the actual clothes as it is how you wear them. My sister and I would buy the same dress but each style it completely differently.

So here's my idea: I'd like a stable of women I can consult. Each week I will send you a link to a product. A garment, accessory, something you can wear. I'll also give you a budget. Then you look around online and build an outfit around that product. You send me links to everything you'd pair with it, and I'll compile the results and post them here.

I think this will be a fun way to showcase how many different ways you can wear a simple dress or pair of shoes or whatever. It'll give us all a chance to see something through new eyes and maybe look at our own closets in a new way. If you're interested, drop me a comment here and we'll talk!

Linkapalooza!

2011-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Black Friday weekend fried my poor little brain, and it only gets busier from here! But a busy schedule is no excuse not to be fabulous. So while I work up some more meaty content, here are some fun links for you to check out:

• The Frisky has some pretty and simple alternatives to the basic ponytail.

• Refinery 29 would like you to avoid these holiday fashion faux pas.*

• Find a red lipstick that will work for you at Glo on MSN. My personal favorite is Adora by Kat Von D. I've yet to find someone who it doesn't flatter, and it wears like a champ even on my Teflon lips.

• The New York Times reports on a proposed measurement system for Photoshopped images.

• No time to spend on a manicure? BellaSugar rounds up some fun, festive, and quick nail decals.

• VampyVarnish (one of my favorite beauty blogs) reviews a new Pixi eye palette from Target.

* Can I just say how ecstatic I am that the open-toed shoes with tights trend is over? That was never a good idea. Now if only I could find a decent selection of closed-toe dress shoes for winter... look for a post on that if I manage to find any good ones. Does no one like warm toes anymore?!

Merry Shopmas!

2011-11-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

I'm baaaaaaack!

Well, that's the plan anyway. I work retail and it's late November, and that means my soul will belong to the mall gods for at least the next month, but my intention is to pull this blog back from the netherworld and get back to it.

And I mention the timing not just to make a blatant play for your sympathy, but also because it's topical! Black Friday is staring us down and soon many of us will be fighting the crowds in search of gifts for our loved ones. So in the hopes of making everyone's season a little more merry and a little less Grinchy, I give you:

Care and Maintenance of Your Retail Associate: A Handy Guide for a Happier Holiday

No, this is not the new Romero movie. This is your local mall.

Before I start, let me say that this list is not just intended to be the grumpy rantings of a retail salesperson. These tips will make your life easier too. Some of them are common sense, some of them are common courtesy, but they're all good things to keep in mind. That said, let's get into it:

1. Know what you want.

This isn't always possible, of course. Sometimes you need help finding a gift and you really don't have any ideas, and in those cases it's fine to ask a worker for some guidance and ideas. That's not what I'm really talking about here. What I'm talking about is when you do know what you're looking for – you saw this particular item in a magazine or on Dr. Oz or on the news, and you or someone else really wants it, but damn if you can remember what it is.

Don't be that guy. Write it down. Tear our the print ad. Employees at major retailers can't possibly know every published appearance of every product we sell, and if you just tell us it's that thing that Anderson Cooper mentioned yesterday we won't be able to help you because we were probably at work and not watching Anderson Cooper (which is a lamentable situation in itself). This will wind up wasting your time and ours as we walk you to every item in the store that could possibly be what you've described and you tell us it's not the right thing. You'll think we're idiots. We'll think you should have written it down.

If you know what you want, make it so that we can help you get it. Which brings us to...

2. Be prepared and aware.

It's going to be crowded. It's going to be hot as the seventh circle of Hell. There are going to be long lines. Your children will be bored and hungry and screaming for you to buy them everything in sight. And let's not even talk about parking.

But the thing that too often gets forgotten when people are shopping and hyped up and grumpy from all these things is that the employees not only didn't create this situation, but we're powerless to change it. We can't control our store temperature, or tell everyone else to please shop later because you have somewhere to be, or make that out-of-stock item magically appear. We're as miserable as you are. In fact we're probably more miserable because while you can say "screw it" and go home and shop online if you want, we have to be here no matter how bad it gets and we've had people yelling at us all day about things we can't control. But still we smile, and apologize, and tell you to have a nice day. Because that's our job.

I'm not saying we're infallible. But there's going to be a lot of annoyances that aren't our fault, and we'd really appreciate it if you'd take a second to take a breath and realize it's not our fault before you take out your frustrations on us. (And saying "I know it's not your fault but..." before yelling at us anyway doesn't count. I still can't figure out why people do that.)

If there's really a problem that's flagrant or out of the ordinary, ask for a manager or the store's corporate customer service number. You'll get to talk to someone who can actually fix your problem, and isn't that better than wasting your time yelling at a powerless cashier?

3. Be an informed consumer.

There are some questions to which you will simply never get an honest answer from a retail employee. This isn't because we mean to be disingenuous. It's because it's our job to sell you things. That means we can't tell you if such and such an item is just an overpriced gimmick and you can get it cheaper elsewhere or that those jeans are out of style and that's why they're on clearance. Well... we could, but if our managers heard us we'd catch hell.

Yes, we can advise, and yes, it's our job to steer you toward the best product for your needs and desires. But ultimately, we can't tell you that a product we sell sucks even if it does. The best we can do is suggest a better product.

This is where you can do yourself enormous favors by taking advantage of the internet. You can find almost any information on almost any product with some simple Googling. You can find online forums and reviews that will answer your questions with a lot more honesty than we can. And then you can have a more clear picture of what you really want. (And once you do, don't forget to write it down!)

That said, please don't think I'm saying you can't ask us questions. There are a lot of things with which we can and will be happy to help you that will help you in the long run. Ask us for a gift receipt. Ask us about our return policy. Ask us prices. Ask us if we've tried a product and/or what we use. Ask us if an out-of-stock item will be replenished or is available through our online store. Ask us if there's an item we sell that's better suited to your needs. Ask away! Just ask us things we can actually answer honestly and be aware of what homework you need to do on your own.

4. Give yourself time.

Remember when I said there would be lines and no parking? I wasn't kidding. The time to shop is not before that party you need to get to or your child's school play or on the way to your boss' cocktail fete. We can't (and won't) bump you to the head of a line just because you don't want to or don't have time to wait. No one else wants to wait either. This goes back to kindergarten, people. Everyone has to wait their turn.

Also, if you shop on a weekend – which if you work a 9-5 you'll probably have to and for that I'm sorry – please be reasonable about it. Everyone else who works a 9-5 is also shopping. That means the stores will be exponentially more crowded and there will be lines. Scolding the greeter at the door because the line is too long at 1pm on a Saturday in December when you can plainly see that every register is open and working is pointless and sort of petty of you. We're obviously doing everything we can. You're shopping at the busiest point of our week. What did you expect?

Leave yourself time and have realistic expectations. We'll both be happier for it. And if you can, shop at off-peak times like during the week or in the morning.

5. We're not mind readers. Please act accordingly.

We've all done it: we're thinking something and we forget that other people don't live in our brains and so we get sort of confused when they don't know exactly what we're talking about or what we want. So I'm not saying doing that makes you a jerk. Just don't be angry at us when we don't follow your train of thought. Let us ask the questions we need to ask and answer them as clearly as you can.

Also, please don't take it personally if an employee you know has helped you before doesn't remember you or what we sold you. We see so many people that we just can't remember every face and interaction. If you're a regular customer, of course we'll do our best to be mindful of your preferences and visits. But give us a little patience if you can.

6. Please, please, PLEASE treat us like humans.

I can't tell you how many times I've had people walk up to me and shout a single word, whether it be a product name or a noun or something like "returns!" And yes, it's my job to fill in the rest of that sentence for you and direct you to what you surely meant to ask me for in a polite and grown-up way. But having to do that is sort of demoralizing and dehumanizing. Ditto for mindlessly thrusting your credit card in my face at the cash register, refusing to speak to me at all, seeing that you're in my way and my arms are full of product and going back to what you're doing without giving me even an extra inch of space, using your child's stroller as a battering ram (I have honestly seen people do this and it boggles my mind), or expecting me to follow you around holding your items while you ignore me and/or shop for you after you've thrust a list at me.

We're people just like you. Yes, it's our job to help you. And yes, the American service industry has evolved to be such that no matter how poorly you treat us we're required to smile at you and apologize for not being subservient enough. But none of this is an excuse for you to forget everything your mother taught you about common courtesy and manners. Retail employees are not machines. We have limitations, and feelings, and yes, other customers. Please remember this. Speak in full sentences. Say "thank you" if someone is helpful to you. Understand that there are customers besides you who may need help too. Basically... be nice. (Unless we really give you a reason not to be nice, of course, in which case I refer you back to the end of point #2.)

7. Pay attention!

Know your surroundings. Is there a credit card pinpad right in front of you? Then don't hand the cashier your card. Is said pinpad giving you directions? Follow them. Is there a sign that says "line forms here?" Don't start a new line and expect to be served.

This is really a basic life survival skill that an alarming number of people seem to lack. Just look around. In a retail setting, we want to make your experience as efficient as possible. This helps you be happy and come back, and it helps us serve more customers and make more money. But this requires you to be aware of your surroundings. I know it's crowded and your kids are screaming, but please just use some common sense here.

Also, please for the love of God get off the phone if you're at a cash register or expecting service. You have no idea how annoying and impossible it is to help somebody who isn't paying attention to you or listening to anything you say. And yes, texting counts.

8. Clean up after yourself.

Ever walk into a store and think, "what a mess?" Did you then leave the clothes you tried on in a heap on the fitting room floor, or leave a used tissue on the beauty counter, or finish your soda and leave the cup on a sales fixture?

Congratulations, you're part of the problem!

Seriously. Please don't do that. I'm not asking you to clean our store for us, but just don't make our job any harder than it already is. If your mom didn't teach you to clean up after yourself then your kindergarten teacher probably did. Remember those lessons. Look for garbage cans for your trash. Bring your tried-ons to the fitting room attendant. If you break or spill something, tell someone.

And please don't change your child's diaper on an inappropriate surface and/or leave dirty diapers lying around in stores. We don't want your child's excrement anymore than you do.

9. Watch that kid!

Children are great. They're cute and they're precocious and they laugh when you make faces at them. But they're also big fans of making a mess, and they don't know not to break things that aren't theirs, and they tend to run off and cause a panic when you can't find them.

Please watch your child. Don't ignore him or her while you shop and s/he wrecks our store. Don't dump them in a toy store and expect that the employees there will watch him or her. Don't let them wander off and get lost. Don't let them play with or chew on anything you aren't planning to buy. Don't yell at us when we politely ask little Scooter to please stop climbing on that fixture because he could get hurt.

In short... be a parent. We can't do it for you because we have other things to do.

10. Help me help you.

The cash register experience ain't what it used to be. These days every store has either a rewards card or a credit card, and a customer service survey (which you should really take the time to take because it improves your service and often comes with perks), and a thousand other little things. I know that can be annoying. But I promise if you're patient we'll give you all the information you need and we'll take the best care of you that we can.

Let us ask the questions we need to ask you. Answer them. Ask us questions you have – but please not while we're trying to talk to you. With a little patience and listening from us both we can get you helped and out the door more quickly and efficiently. Just let us do our jobs. We're here for you, after all.

•••

This is all a really long way of saying one thing: be smart and considerate. Everyone is in this together, and the people working at your local mall or stores are working really hard. Please keep that in mind while you do your holiday shopping and everyone will be a lot happier.

Short Hiatus

2010-10-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

No new posts this week since I'll be out of town. I'll be back next week. Have fun and be fabulous, everyone!

The Oil Cleansing Method

2010-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about the the oil cleansing method of skin care* – it showed up on the message boards at NaturallyCurly.com – my already oily skin cried out in anguish at just the idea. Spreading oil all over my skin to clean it? No way!

The idea behind oil cleaning (OCM for short) is that in chemistry, "like bonds to like," which means that applying the right oils to your skin will cause them to bond to the oils already present and clear your skin without subjecting it to harsh detergents and drying agents. (The Beauty Brains explain this better than I could.) Proponents also point out that oil alone doesn't cause acne: it's a combination of factors like hormones, dirt and dead skin cells that clog the pore, and irritation.

After reading all the glowing testimonials from the posters over at NC.com I decided to give it a try. My oily, breakout-prone skin and I are constantly at war and I've tried all sorts of things to try getting it under control. At the time I was in full-on natural mode (I've since found a middle ground between natural and other products), so the idea appealed to me.

And at first it was great! I made a mixture of castor oil and extra virgin olive oil (sometimes I'd add a drop or two of lavender oil as well) and would massage it into my skin as soon as I got into the shower, leaving it to set in with the shower's steam before rinsing it off with muslin face cloths I got at The Body Shop. (They don't appear to be available anymore, which is a shame because they're fantastic – they're soft but lightly exfoliate, and they rinse much cleaner than traditional washcloths. Glad I still have plenty of them!) At the same time I replaced my moisturizer with a drop or two of pure jojoba oil. (Jojoba oil is closest to skin's natural oils, so it works well as a moisturizer.)

But after a while my skin started feeling greasy again. And I broke out like crazy. I always have blackheads and tend to get larger blemishes on my cheeks and chin, but this was worse. I had large, painful cystic acne pimples, blackheads galore, and clusters of whiteheads. It also bothered me that I wasn't using a sunscreen anymore since I'd switched from my regular moisturizer with SPF to the jojoba oil. (Sunscreen is vital, people. I don't care if you're pale like me or have olive skin or what, if you don't want your face to look like a Birkin bag someday, you need sunscreen.)

Now to be fair, I didn't try changing our the olive oil for a different oil (jojoba and sunflower oils are popular). I also didn't try the traditional method of steaming, which entails laying a hot washcloth over your face and letting it sit until cooled – I never have that kind of time in the morning or patience at night. So maybe if I had tried it a different way it would have worked for me. But if you look at the NC.com thread I posted above, a lot of other people had similar problems to mine. Then again plenty of people continue to oil cleanse and love it. Like anything else it really depends on your skin. Nothing works for everyone.

One thing I can say for sure: if you want to try oil cleansing, you don't have to spend a lot of money to do it. Lots of websites recommend DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil, but at $25 it really doesn't seem worth it to me, especially when you can make your own personalized mixture for so much less.

*That link has a lot of new agey language to it, like telling you to meditate about the skin you want in order to get it. But the information is sound. If you prefer a more empirical take on it, check out this post at acne.org.

Happy Hookerween

2010-10-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again... the time when all fashion rules go out the window in favor of wearing as little cheap fabric as possible and freezing your rear off. What do I mean? Here, let Lindsay Lohan explain:

(Good lord she looked fantastic when this movie came out. But I digress.)

That's right ladies, it's time again to ask yourself why children and grown men get a selection of actual Halloween costumes while we get about 90% stripper-wear and 10% "cow suit with squirting udders." Can someone please explain this to me? When did Halloween become the day when women are all expected to freeze our extremities off because we're wearing some cheap, shiny, probably unflattering costume bastardization of a beloved character or archetype? You can't be an angel, you have to be a sexy angel. Sexy fireman! Sexy nurse! Sexy gangster! You can't even be an athlete – you have to be a sexy athlete.

And it just gets dumber every year. This year I feel like the costume companies have really gone above and beyond to provide truly surreal examples of "sexy" costuming. Here are a few of the most disturbing and confusing:


Sexy Sesame Street: Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Elmo. Whoever decided Elmo should be sexy should seek therapy.


Remember Freddy Kruger? Disfigured undead child molester Freddy Kruger? He's a sexy she now.


Sexy Optimus Prime and Bumblebee of the Transformers. Because nothing says cheesecake like robots that turn into cars.


Sexy Brian from Family Guy. Yes, this is a sexed-up costume of a male cartoon dog. No, I can't explain it...


...but it doesn't even hold a candle to Sexy Chewbacca.

I just don't even get it anymore, people. It's almost like the costume companies are competing against one another to find the most unsexy things possible to convert into skimpy, ridiculous costumes and then sit back in giddy anticipation to see how many women are actually willing to walk around wearing the insane getups they've made. A massive conspiratorial practical joke is really the only explanation that makes sense to me. It's all just gotten too weird.

So what's a girl to do? Well, Ricky's NYC, the city-based beauty retailer, has a pretty extensive Halloween Shop that includes a terrifyingly expansive selection of "sexy" costumes (everything I've shown here except Chewbacca comes from there – Sexy Chewbacca will run you $200+ here) but also has plenty of other costumes as well as a wide assortment of wigs, makeup, and accessories.

If your taste tends toward the surreal but away from the revealing, check out the collection of costumes Simon Doonan (Creative Director for Barney's NY) designed for Target. It includes something called a "Glamour Ghost" (a white robe emblazoned with the phrase Chic or Treat) and a Vegas-style Elvis vampire. Target also has a large stock of less campy costume options.

If you're crafty, of course, you can always make your own costume. I'm not all that crafty but over the years I've amassed a lot of random accessories (cat ears, horns purchased at the renaissance faire, sparkly wings and a tunic from the year I was Tinkerbell, etc.) to be able to MacGuyver something together at the last minute – because I always wind up waiting until the last minute and then there's nothing left at the stores but that stupid squirting cow suit.

But whatever you do or wear this Halloween, I implore you: don't fall victim to the Hookerween Conspiracy. You'll only wind up freezing and possibly turning someone's warm childhood memory into a weirdly kinky trauma.

Back from the Abyss

2010-10-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Afternoon, readers. Have you forgotten me?

I've been away for about a month now. This is for a few reasons I thought I'd explain:

1) I started a new job in August. I love this job and it's going great! But I'm working a lot of hours and I work for a beauty retailer, so by the time I have a free moment I'm often unmotivated or tired of thinking about fabuolosity.

2) I hit a bit of a writer's block wall. This could be connected to the aforementioned lack of motivation; I'm not really sure. But I've had a little trouble coming up with new ideas that everyone hasn't already read about 400 times.

Right now I'm brainstorming some ideas for new posts and trying to crack the whip on myself to get back to writing. My plan is to get back to updating at least twice a week with maybe a "quickie" post with some fun links once a week on top of it. But I am sorry for the sudden prolonged absence and I hope to be back up and running consistently soon.

In the meantime, please check out Scrangies's blog on Depression Awareness Month. October gets a lot of attention for being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Depression also needs a lot of attention. The chances are good that you or someone you know is affected by depression – and it might be the last person you'd expect. A lot of stigma is still attached to mental illness, so talking about it is important.

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder about five years ago. Right now I'm in the best shape I've been since then, but I'm still learning how to compensate and adjust for my ups and downs. Sometimes that makes it really hard to motivate myself to write, which is part of the reason I started this blog in the first place: I wanted to give myself something I had to keep up with. In fact part of the length of my absence is due to the fact that once I hit a pitfall, I can tend to get overwhelmed and let it snowball. So once I hadn't updated for a week I wasn't sure how to fix it and then that week stretched out into two, then three... etc. This blog is part of my self-rehab, so to speak. I love to write, and I love fashion, so it made sense that I should start this project to keep myself working on something all the time. But sometimes I'll hit a wall like I did this past month. All I can ask is that you stick around while I work to keep myself consistent.

Actually, I can ask one more thing: read that blog entry. If any of it sounds familiar, if any of the symptoms of depression hit home for you or someone you know, please don't ignore it. It's better to ask and be told that you were worried about nothing than to let something like this tear you apart because you think you have to go it alone.

It was bound to happen eventually... the 90s are back.

2010-09-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Fashion, they say, is cyclical. Everyone has heard someone say (or has said themselves) that it's no use throwing away clothes because "everything comes back in style." (Incidentally, this is terrible advice – by the time it comes back in style it probably won't fit you and/or you'll be embarrassed to ever have worn it. When in doubt, throw it out! Or better yet, donate it.) In a world of seemingly finite ideas, fashion is bound to repeat itself. And since we finally seem to be coming to the end of the dark days of 1980s retro it looks like the 1990s are on their way back.

Elaine Benes, retro style icon.

Remember when we were all wearing floral-print dresses with big clunky shoes? Guess what? It's a bona fide trend in New York. They're calling it a resurgence of Elaine from Seinfeld, but I remember the shapeless floral sack spreading far beyond that show. I even had a few myself. And the socks with granny shoes is sort of a natural combination between this summer's awful socks with sandals trend and the less offensive menswear-inspired Oxford shoes that are all over the place. Toss in a pair of leggings (and lord knows those don't seem to be going away) and you've got yourself a full-on retro chic ensemble.

Remember yesterday
when I said mixed prints
were a trend for fall?
I give you Angela Chase.

One fashion editor is calling this look "Upper West Side Grunge," which is sort of ironic since the original look was a natural offshoot of the original grunge trend. So much of fashion in the 1990s was about meticulously putting together a look designed to send the message that you didn't care how you looked. It was sort of an over-correction for the excess of the 1980s. Everything was baggy and incongruous and mismatched – and if you were really devoted, wrinkled as well. Oh, and by the way? Grunge is coming back in it's way too. Check out how much plaid Old Navy is showing this fall. Big plaid shirt + distressed jeans or leggings + boots = grunge. Only this time around it's a little more polished and less... well, grungey. We don't so much mind people knowing that we care what we look like now.

Thanks for bringing sexy back, Katie.

Lest you think it's just grunge making a comeback, the other end of the spectrum is seeing a resurgence as well. 1990s prep is back in a big way – let's go back to Old Navy and have a look at their "perfectly preppy" page, where argyle reigns supreme. The September issue of Glamour even featured a "how-to" guide for accurately dressing the preppy part. We can thank Katie Holmes for bringing pegged jeans back into style – she started doing it two years ago. And let's not forget the oversized blazer, worn with everything from leggings to jeans to those shapeless dresses and everything in between.

Even our retro is retro! The whole Mad Men craze sweeping the nation? The one that has women in full skirts and men in tailored suits? It feels just a little like the 1990s swing revival, where women were wearing full skirts and hot red lips and men were wearing tailored zoot suits and slicked-up hair.

There's a saying: if you're old enough to remember the trend the first time, don't wear it the second time. It's usually good advice since the things we wore at a younger age look inappropriate once we're older. But in the case of 1990s wear I think it's safe to say I'll be avoiding some of these rerun trends because I'm still cringing at the pictures of myself wearing them the first time. (If baby tees and baggy jeans come back in style, I don't even want to know about it.) So no thanks on the pegged jeans and floral sacks – though I may pick up a plaid shirt or two.

Mostly I think we're safe as long as men don't start shaving stripes into their eyebrows again and as long as we women don't start walking around looking like this:

We call those "mom jeans" now. And let's not even discuss that ruffled blouse.

On Target: Tucker for Target images are online!

2010-09-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Dress $39.99
Reversible Vest $24.99
Camisole $22.99

Target's newest Go International collection is finally up for preview on the Target press website. The blogs have been buzzing about this newest collaboration – with Tucker by Gaby Basora – for a few months now. So how are the clothes?

Woven Tee $24.99
Shorts $34.99

So far, they look good. The line is designed to favor layering which is perfect for transitioning from summer into fall. There are a lot of dresses and skirts (in varying lengths – I love that everything isn't super short!), paired with layering pieces like vests and sweaters designed with a mind for mixing pattern and color. Mixed prints is looking like a rising fall trend which makes this line very of-the-moment. But since it's all separates, it's still accessible to those not so adventurous.

Trench $59.99
Dress $39.99
Camisole Dress, $34.99

Most of the pieces look very wearable... although I don't know about those shorts. (Baggy herringbone shorts? Really? Who's going to look good in those? And why is the shorts and tights thing coming back anyway? But bad retro trends is another post for later this week...) There's even a reasonably subdued jumpsuit if you're into that sort of thing. I love love love the vibrant colors and prints. So much of fall fashion gets bogged down in dark and dreary that it's refreshing to see some hot pink and purple mixed in with the more traditional hues.

Dress $39.99

The line becomes available in select stores and on Target.com on September 12 and most pieces seem to hover below the $50 mark (though there is a $79.99 bomber jacket). But I wouldn't advise buying online if you can find these items in a brick-and-mortar store. The Go International line is junior-sized, which means trying on is a must unless you're used to shopping the junior racks. Also, it must be said: the fabric quality can be dodgy. What looks great in pictures can sometimes look flimsy and cheap in person and Target often keeps these lines affordable by skimping on the fabric. (The Jean-Paul Gaultier line was really bad.)

I'll definitely be hitting my local Target to check out the Tucker line next week! If I find any gems I'll post an update – and if any readers check it out, let me know!

A Potpourri of Quickies

2010-09-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I look through my collection of bookmarked links and realize that I have plenty of things I want to share with no connecting thread to tie them together. Today is one of those days. So instead of sitting on them any longer, here's a round-up of some great style-related links for you:

• More on color trends for fall at Refinery 29.

• The Budget Fashionista recommends seven fall items you can buy right now.

• StyleList has some tips on transitioning your wardrobe from summer to early fall.

• Levi's has released a new denim line called Curve ID, designed to better fit women's bodies. But there's some controversy concerning the line's sizing and promotion.

• Today was 9/02/10! Celebrate 90210 Day with the original West Beverly High class and Go Fug Yourself.

• Yahoo's style page has some cute fall coats – all under $100!

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'll be back in full swing next week, so watch this space!

Fall Color Trends from Pantone

2010-09-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

What colors will you be wearing this fall? According to the Pantone Fashion Color Report for fall 2010 (you can download a free PDF at the bottom of the linked page), the on-trend fashionista's palette will be made up of vivid brights anchored with neutrals like khaki and chocolate:

"Mindful of consumers' need for practicality, plus their desire for newness, designers offer many options for women to extend and embellish their wardrobes this fall," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Building on the color palette from spring, this season's offerings include innovative takes on fundamental basics, as well as transporting, lively colors that conjure images of travel and adventure, whether real or aspirational."


Sephora Collection Colorful Palettte in Eternally Purple, $24 at Sephora.com

The concept of carrying color over from the last season for economic reasons is echoed from the Spring 2010 report, which focused on neutrals mixed with primary brights already in most closets. Shades od coral, red, khaki and green have carried over from the spring and are warmed up with chocolately plum, warm yellow, and fall's hottest shade – purple.

Purple is where's it's at this year! Makeup and nail polish are hot in every shade from plum to lavender, and purple hues were all over the fall runways. What's great about this shade is that it's almost universally flattering. There's a shade of purple for everyone, and it's a rich, saturated color that feels simultaneously warm and vibrant.

Mossimo sweater, $17.99 at Target.com

The warm gold on Pantone's list isn't as easy to pull off. If you're pale (like me) or have a cool-toned complexion, yellow can easily wash you out and leave you looking sickly and tired. If you're feeling daring you can punch up a neutral outfit or black dress with a pair of brightly-colored tights, which will both keep your legs warm in the autumn chill and allow you to wear colors you normally couldn't since the color isn't right next to your face. Or you can layer a lightweight sweater like this one from Target under a blazer (boyfriend blazers are still big!) or break up the color by adding a scarf at the neck. That way you get a pop of the yellow without it overwhelming you. (I think this sweater would look great with some zebra print accessories if you want to combine trends!)

With springy colors like coral and turquoise, it can be tough to know how to transition them into a fall look. The trick is pairing them with richer shades: instead of khaki, try wearing your coral pieces with gray, green, or chocolate brown. Carry turquoise into fall by mixing it with gold. You can shake up your neutrals, too. Try gray shoes where you might have worn black for an updated look.

And as always, an easy way to try out a new color is with accessories. Add a bold scarf to a neutral outfit, or look into a bright pair of pumps or a bright purse. That's also a simple way to update your look without spending lots of cash.

For some more ideas on fall's hot colors, check out this article at CollegeFashion.net

Argan Oil: Beauty Miracle or Goat Poop?

2010-08-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

There's always some new thing that's guaranteed to make you beautiful. Last year it was mineral makeup, before that it was vitamin c, and on and on. The new kid on the block is argan oil. From The Beauty Brains:

The fruit of an argan tree: image courtesy of sptimes.com

Argan oil is produced from the kernels of argan tree fruit. These trees only grow in a few regions, like Morocco, so this oil is one of the rarest in the world due the small supply and the limited growing area – hence the high price and the hype.

Traditionally the oil is produced by hand. First the soft pulp is stripped from the nuts which are then laid out in the sun to dry. Stones are used to crack open the dried nuts so the seeds can be removed. Next, they’re gently roasted to give the oil a rich, nutty flavor. A little water is added to the roasted seeds and they are ground into a thick paste which is squeezed by hand to extract the oil.

Legend has it that there’s another way to produce this precious oil: Breaking open the nut shells is really hard work and the Moroccans have found that it’s easier wait for their goats to eat the fruit (yes, goats are big fans of argan fruit. They’ll even try to climb trees in search of this succulent treat!) The seeds pass through the goat’s digestive track and emerge on the other end a bit softer since they’re partially digested. So, all the Moroccans have to do is follow the goats around and wait for the seeds to… uh, reappear.

(Apparently that part about the goat poop is just a legend.)

The Brains say that argan oil has properties that could help skin (as an effective treatment for oily skin or psoriasis but with the possible side effect of clogging pores), but they weren't able to find any proof that it will do much for your hair. But the Argan Oil Society website says that it has several benefits for hair, including:

Argan oil hydrates the hair in a natural way. It stops the curliness and roughness of hair in an efficient way.
Argan oil penetrates into the hair pores or shafts and enhances the elasticity of hair. It also proves to be very nourishing for the growth of hair.
Argan oil is very good for uncontrollable and unmanageable hair. It restores the smoothness of hair and makes them manageable again.
Natural antioxidants present in Argan oil strengthen the hair by repairing the damaged cellular membrane of hair.
Presence of Vitamin E in Argan oil makes it a tremendous agent for hair treatment. Many external and internal agents like heat, over styling and oxidization damage the hair. Vitamin E present in Argan oil is very useful in restoring the natural hair and renewing and repairing the damage caused by destructive agents.

Argan nuts being pressed into oil: image courtesy of care2.com

Suddenly the market is flooded with hair and skin products containing argan oil, the most popular probably being Moroccan Oil. But at $37, it's worth having a look at the ingredients. Moroccan Oil is mostly silicones – argan oil is the sixth ingredient on the list! And while silicones are effective for fighting frizz and smoothing hair, you can pay a lot less money to coat your hair with silicone by buying a bottle of Frizz-Ease. And if you use a sulfate-free shampoo (like I do), you'll need to avoid silicones because non-sulfate detergents aren't strong enough to break them down, which will leave you with build-up. So a product like Moroccan Oil won't work with that type of routine. Similar products (like Marrakesh Oil) are also available, but they have a similar ingredient list and carry a similarly high price tag.

Nothing is wrong with these products, of course, as long as you know what you're buying and aren't following a silicone-free routine. But you're paying a lot of money and not getting as much of the advertised pivotal ingredient as you might think.

If you want to find pure argan oil, which you can use on your skin or hair, model Josie Maran features it in her cosmetic line available at Sephora. Or you can check out alternative retailers like The Posh Peddler.

Since argan oil is expensive you may also want to consider alternatives: coconut oil is similar enough to hair's natural oils to penetrate the hair shaft better than most oils and is available at health food or organic food stores. And jojoba oil closely mimics the oils in your skin, so you can use that as a light moisturizer or skin oil. Jojoba oil is also available at health food stores, beauty supply stores, or your local Trader Joe's. Both are less expensive than argan oil.

Like most beauty trends, it's important to read ingredients and know what you're buying before you part with your cash. A little knowledge goes a long way to saving you money!

Take a walk on the wild side this fall!

2010-08-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Cheetah Print Dress, $24.99 at Target.com

Somehow it seems like fall is synonymous with animal prints. Maybe it's the warm tones associated with them, maybe it's some subliminal way of embracing the warmth of a foreign safari as the temperature drops, but whatever the reason, I love it. I wear my leopard print flats year-round anyway! And I've already got my eye on this cheetah print dress from Target. (Though it's mis-named: cheetahs have spots, not stripes.)

Leopard is always a popular look. I love this cropped jacket – the shape has sort of a Mad Men feel, and you could just as easily wear it over jeans and a t-shirt as you could a little black dress and heels. It's the kind of piece that will instantly lift your basics into a more polished look. If you're feeling a little more adventurous, the same site also offers monochromatic leopard-print jeans.

Cropped leopard jacket,
$21.99 at NewportNews.com


Zebra print skirt, $19.99 at Target.com

Target also has a nice selection of zebra this fall. Zebra is a great print because it's black and white palette and graphic look make it really versatile. You can wear a zebra print piece with almost any other color. Mix it with brights and it creates a bold, pop-art look. I love this cardigan for exactly that reason – the bright pink (or is it purple?) border creates a nice contrast. I also love that they continued the pattern into the colored area. Or you can keep your look all black and white and still have the bright pop of the pattern. This skirt would look great paired with a crisp white shirt and black pumps.

Snakeskin purse,
$34.00 at NewportNews.com

If you prefer to keep things more subtle, you can still work some wild style into your look. Try a snakeskin purse – the pattern is a little less flamboyant but you still get the idea. (This is a better option if you prefer a bigger bag.) Or remember those leopard flats I mentioned? Shoes are a really easy way to give an outfit a little pop. Check out these cute flats at ModCloth, or these from Payless – the Payless shoes also come in a cute blue and black version. If you prefer pumps, there are plenty of affordable options.

Liven up a solid dress or cinch the waist of a cardigan with a zebra-print belt, like this one, on sale for $29.99. (It also comes in leopard.) Or give just a hint of the wild with a leopard print watch.

"Feline Feisty" flat, $29.99 at ModCloth.com

If you do choose an animal print, make it the focal point of the outfit – I love the look of a bold print with bright colors, but keep the shape and style of your other pieces simple. Print + ruffles or shoulder pads or any other kind of frippery can become too much really fast. To keep it classy, keep the focus on the print. Keep jewelry simple and makeup subdued (though a bold red lip and leopard print do make a classic bombshell combo). Definitely stay away from actual animal print makeup.

A lot of people shy away from animal prints because they think they're hard to wear. But really you can tailor them to your own style with the amount and type that you choose. You don't have to look like someone out of Married to the Mob.

Even stars love a bargain sometimes

2010-08-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

A friend tipped me off to this:

Image courtesy of Yahoo!

Talk about mixing high and low fashion! What did the adorable Drew Barrymore choose to wear to host the Nylon magazine/Express party this week in Los Angeles?

This gorgeous $25 metallic-printed 3/4-sleeve shift dress from a thrift store paired with $760 Yves Saint Laurent "Tribute" pumps, of course!

I thought it would be fun to highlight this given my last post about vintage shopping. It can take some digging, but you can find some really amazing pieces shopping thrift or vintage – and you can almost guarantee that no one will be wearing the same thing as you!

Yes, Drew is wearing that gorgeous $25 dress with $760 shoes, but a great pair of nude pumps isn't too hard to find at a variety of price points – check out ShopStyle, where you can filter your options by price, size, and even retailer. Target also has them for just $29.99.

Quickie: Shopping Vintage Online

2010-08-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

If you love vintage clothes but find it overwhelming to comb the web yourself looking for quality pieces, check out Zuburbia. Every day Zuburbia features a "VOPD" (Vintage Piece of the Day), and the site gives a weekly round-up of some of the best vintage buys on eBay.

From the site owner's mission statement:

I hope to share tips, hints, info and vintage shopping adventures in addition to bringing you my Vintage Pick of the Day (VPOD)—a vintage item I spied on one of the gazillions of vintage clothing sites that populate the Internet.

Every day I’ll be visiting sites and looking for unique, eye-catching, I-gotta-have-it pieces in all price ranges.

If you’re new to vintage, I hope these items will whet your appetite. If you’re already a vintage lover, perhaps you’ll end up acquiring an item you’ll wear with pride.

Just think of me as your own personal vintage shopper!

If you prefer shopping for yourself, try Vintage Vixen or Vintageous. Both sites offer a great selection from a variety of eras and detailed descriptions of each item's condition and sizing. I've found the prices more reasonable at Vintage Vixen, but Vintageous tends to have more designer and ornate items.

Trends: the bad and the ugly

2010-08-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, trends. The terror of the fashion-phobic, the delight of fashion editors and advertisers looking for new reasons to tell you to throw away all your clothes and buy new ones. I think it's important to be choosy with trends – to find what's appropriate for your own age, shape, budget, and style instead of trying to follow everything. I love stores like Forever 21 for trendy accessories and accent pieces because their prices are low, so you can experiment without breaking the bank.

Sometimes it's tough to choose between picking up on a trend and skipping it. But sometimes? Sometimes it's really really easy. Take, for instance, this list of the year's worst fashion trends.

Sandal booties? This might actually be worse than socks with sandals being considered stylish. What's the point of these things? It's like wearing socks in the heat of summer but without any of the actual benefits – your feet are still uncushioned and exposed to the elements. Isn't the whole idea of sandals to expose feet? I know that fashion is supposed to be innovative and sometimes subversive, but I don't get this new push toward taking shoes designed to be open and making them stuffy and sweaty.

Also? They're ugly. There's no way strap-on cankles are flattering. And don't even get me started on the pointlessness that is open-toed boots.

The list also includes ill-advised items like harem pants, jumpsuits, and clogs – the kind of things that sometimes work on models in magazines, but almost never work on real people.

Where I live a lot of teenage girls fall into one of two groups: the girls who wear barely-decent miniskirts with Ugg boots (ugg is right) in the summer or (for some reason) with flip flops in the winter, or the girls who wear sweats or pajama pants and hoodies everywhere with their hair sloppily pulled up in a bun but with a full, perfect face of makeup. I'm sure the fact that neither of these looks make any sense to me means I've officially become old, but I find myself wanting to shake these girls and shout at them about frostbite and/or the merits of a comb.

Then I remember that I once wore nouveau-hippie trapeze dresses, neon, and acid-wash jeans (why are those back in style?!) tucked into my socks. Youth is made for bad decisions and fashion is no exception. But as an adult, I'm more confident about developing my own style and choosing which trends I want to follow.

With that in mind, Refinery 29 has compiled a list of fall trends worth skipping.

Go bananas for your body

2010-08-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

A survey in the UK found that women who wear a size 14 tend to be happiest:

Girls who wear the dress size 14 rated their general happiness higher than any other, with a quarter rating their mood as extremely happy.

More than 43 per cent of size 14 women also said they were as happy as they could be with their career, while almost a third say they couldn't be more content with their love life.

Second happiest were women who wear a size 12 followed by those in a size eight. The unhappiest women were those in a size 24, size 20 and size 22.

This is good news for Americans since the average woman in the US is a size 14.

But if you're not 100% happy with your current shape (or even if you are and want to get more fit), the fall issue of InStyle Makeover has a lot of handy workout tips. A few of the good ones:

Strength training won't bulk you up like most people think. Using heavy free weights a few times a week or doing yoga can increase strength without drastically changing muscular appearance.
Skip the sports drinks! Most of them are loaded with sugar. Instead, try milk, which builds muscle and burns fat. A lot of celebrities have also started drinking coconut water, which has become trendy for its hydration ability, electrolyte content, and other health benefits.
Working out doesn't need to be hard. Walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, then follow that with crunches or push-ups for a simple routine to stay in shape.
Variety is important. This sort of contradicts the last point, but varying your routine (trade in the treadmill for the rowing machine, try free weights instead of push-ups) can help prevent your body from finding new ways to store fat and work different muscle groups.

And after you've worked out, treat yourself with a tasty ice cream substitute made out of my favorite super fruit: bananas! By the way, bananas are the only necessary ingredient. No really. You chop them, freeze them, and puree them. You can add nuts or a little cream if you want, but all you really need is the bananas.

Quickie: Helpful How-tos

2010-08-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

The web is filled with all sorts of helpful tutorials for all your fashion and beauty desires. Here are a few examples:

Liberty of London's YouTube channel has several videos explaining new and interesting ways to tie a scarf. If you've got gorgeous scarves and don't know what to do with them (or just want some new ideas), check this out.

MAC Cosmetics hosts makeup tutorials on their web page that feature makeup artists showing you how to create a variety of looks using their products. s the video plays, a list of the products they're using comes up underneath the video window so you can buy anything that interests you easily.

WikiHow is a user-generated collection of "how-tos" for every possible scenario. Check out the Personal Care and Style section.

Howcast on YouTube hosts a variety of "how-tos" in video form, including this one on how to look good in skinny jeans.

Find ALM on Facebook!

2010-08-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

ALM is now on Facebook!

So far I've had no luck adding the Facebook "like" box to my page here. Once I figure it out I'll add it.

Gray: the new hot neutral – for hair.

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Good news! If you're starting to see some gray hairs sprouting up and making panicked calls to your stylist, put down the phone. Gray hair is a growing trend.

Kate Moss sported gray streaks at an event in January.

The New York Times reported a wash of silver among the young and fashionable in April:

Also caught up in the silver rush were pop icons like Pink, who showed off gray-tipped strands at the Grammys, and Siobhan Magnus, the “American Idol” contestant, who accessorized recently with a skunk streak and spectacles.

In embracing a tint their mothers would have shunned, such role models are lending gray new cachet, giving shades from ash to ermine an unlikely fashion moment. Now, some say, the trend, which trickled down from the runways of Chanel, Giles Deacon and their rarefied ilk to fashion hot spots around the country, seems poised to go mainstream.

The UK picked up on the trend late last year.

Ironically, gray hair seems to mostly be in vogue among the young. It's seen as sort of punky and subversive and the next logical step for young trendsetters who already have blonde and pink in their rear-view – while women whose hair has gone naturally gray are still spending money to color their locks. The grass is always greener on the other side. But even that may be beginning to change. Model Kristen McMenamy, a household name in the 1990s, has grown out her hair into flowing silver strands.

Kristen McMenamy in August's Vogue.

McMenamy says she stopped dyeing her hair six years ago:

"You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll. I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture." She added, "You've got to keep moving forward."

Of course some people, like stylist Louis Licari, are bucking the trend. Licari says that gray hair "gray hair makes women look older and their complexions dull and drab..." Easy for him to say. On men gray hair is considered distinguished and handsome (see anyone nagging George Clooney to get a dye job lately?). He goes on to sat that the artificial grays being displayed by young women like Kelly Osbourne are attractive precisely because they are fake, and that natural gray is unflattering and "creates a huge burden for most people trying to look their best." The point of which seems to be that your hair is only OK if it's fake. But don't worry; Licari ends his article by saying that you have to be comfortable with your appearance, even if it means he'll tell you that you look old.

But in fact going too dark with hair color can create too high a contrast with skin that loses some of its luster with age, and that can make you look older unless you're willing to cake yourself with makeup (which can in turn settle into fine lines and cake up). So maybe nature knows what it's doing. To that end, StyleList has put together tips for making the most of your gray, from hair maintenance to makeup tips.

I think Licari has one thing right: you have to be comfortable. If you love the way you look, then who cares what anyone else thinks? Going gray can be tough on women when we're constantly pressured by advertising and magazines to stay somehow perpetually young and supple, and those first strands of silver can deal a devastating blow to our self-image. (I say this out of personal experience; I'm currently in a constant state of worry over the increasing number of white hairs I'm finding mixed in with my natural red.) So if for whatever reason fashion has turned in such a way as to make one facet of aging acceptable, I say go with it if you want to. (And if it makes you happy, go with it no matter what fashion says. The best kind of beauty comes from being happy.)

Of course the weirdest part of the gray hair trend might be the fact that it has somehow made Lady Gaga's current Vanity Fair cover seem almost mainstream:

Lady Gaga on the cover of August\'s Vanity Fair.

Who saw that coming?

Treats for summer hair

2010-07-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have wavy hair that tends to be dry. Pair this with my sensitive, allergy-prone skin, and I'm constantly on the hunt for a new conditioner that will soften my hair without leaving my scalp itchy. I have a bathroom cabinet filled with past failures. But this time I think I've found a good one!

Image courtesy of TheBodyShop.com

The Body Shop's Banana conditioner was discontinued for a long time, but they've brought it back. I heard nothing but good things about this mythic conditioner so I jumped on the chance to try it out (especially since it's on sale right now – 2 full-size bottles for $10 instead of the usual full price of $8.99/bottle). I'm so glad I did! This is good stuff! It conditions really well without being heavy which is fantastic for the summertime. Also, while I usually go through conditioner by the gallon, I don't need much of this to make my hair feel great. It detangles really well, too. There is a strong banana smell, but if you use any kind of styling products in your hair it's easily covered.

If you want to go the real all-natural route, you can make your own banana and honey conditioner. You can add things like olive oil, an egg yolk, or avocado as well for a deeper conditioning treatment. (The recipe says you can keep this in a bottle, but I would recommend making it fresh every time you use it since it contains no preservatives.)

Once your hair is well-conditioned and feeling gorgeous, you might want to create the "beachy waves" that are always on-trend in the summer. Kate Hudson is known for this look.

Plenty of brands sell texturizing sprays designed to help create this look. Herbal Essences recently released the Tousle Me Softly line designed to create these loose waves (I occasionally use the mousse, but it doesn't have the best hold. I haven't tried the gel or the spray.) A lot of products, like Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, use some form of salt to create waves. Want the waves without the $23 price tag? Try this DIY styling spray from NotMartha.org. With some hair gel, epsom salt, and water, you can make your own version of the B&B spray and enjoy your waves while you spend your cash on something else.

With any kind of wavy or curly hair it's important to maintain moisture – frizz is caused by the hair's cuticle expanding to grab moisture out of the air, which is why hair frizzes more in humid weather. If you keep your hair well-conditioned you can avoid a lot of frizz. Rinsing with cold water helps to seal the cuticle as well. And resist the urge to touch your hair while it's drying! Ruffling the hair while it's wet will make the cuticle stand up which creates more frizz. I haven't used a salt spray myself, but I would recommend a little extra conditioning afterward since salt can dry out the hair. Though with all the chlorinated pool water and salty ocean water that come with summer, a little extra conditioning is never a bad idea anyway.

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2010-07-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

$30 jeans and other sale items at Gap

2010-07-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Over at The Budget Fashionista, you can find five pairs of Gap jeans for under $30!

I love Gap jeans. My favorite go-to jeans are Gap Long and Leans. I usually buy one pair and wear them to death over the course of a couple of years since they run on the pricey side for non-designer denim, but Gap also has great sales like this where you can get their terrific jeans for less. They have plenty of other great deals right now too, like this great menswear-style shirt for $17.99:

They also have some pieces you can use to transition your summer clothes into fall like this cardigan that comes in four colors and starts at $14.99:

I find that Gap's tops and tees tend to run a little roomy and I usually don't need to worry about going a size up like I do some places. The fit of their jeans tends to depend on the cut and style, so you may want to try them on in-store. But if you can't get to the mall, don't be afraid to order online: Gap has a very generous return policy and takes online returns in-store.

If falling into the Gap isn't your cup of tea, check out some other denim options under $40.

All images courtesy of Gap.com.