MANICURE OF THE WEEK's FULL NAME: The Joanna 'Flair Minimum' Manicure

CREATOR (AND OWNER OF THIS LEFT HAND): Paulie Dibner, Art Department Assistant, Martha Stewart Living.

CONFIGURATION: 2 lilac nail + 8 blueish-violet nails

NAMED IN HONOR OF: Jennifer Aniston's character in Office Space. While Joanna did adorn her waitress uniform (15 pieces!), she wasn't feeling the embarrassment-of-riches self-embellishment vibe at Chotchkie's restaurant. Paulie's mani agrees that less-is-more.

POLISHES:

Face Stockholm #107 Creamy Hyacinth ($12)      Essie Nice is Nice ($4.40)

TIPS:

— The darker shade is thick. Paulie finds a single coat sufficiently opaque.

— Mix it up when picking which two nails to flair. This time, Paulie D went with her ring fingers' nails, but next time, who knows? She likes to keep us guessing.

— Remember: "That's what the flair's about. It's about fun."

]]> http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/02/10/manicure-of-the-week-motw-the-flair-mini-mani/feed/ 3 http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/02/09/freebie-for-your-thoughts-nest-candles/ http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/02/09/freebie-for-your-thoughts-nest-candles/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:00:17 +0000 Robin Sayers http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/?p=1559

PHOTO: ANNA ROSS

*/TAN-staf-ful/: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Coined from Robert Heinlein's 1961 sci-fi classic, Stranger in a Strange Land.

THE DELIVERY: A box from Nest Fragrances that became a hot topic of conversation due to its ginormous size (and weight!) ...

PHOTO: ANNA ROSS

Sir Elton John's Woodside Garden ($38): "A lush garden in full bloom"
—Abigail Libers, Associate Editor

Tahiti Vanille ($32): "A true, clean vanilla"

—Alex Sanidad, Research Editor

Wasabi Pear ($14-$58): "A marriage made in a pear orchard behind a sushi restaurant"

—Ali Bahrampour, Copy Editor

Black Fig & Honey ($32): "Sweet mystery"

—Carl Germann, Managing Editor

Grapefruit ($14-$58): "Overripe citrus falling from the trees in an abandoned grove"

—Eleanor Duncan, Copy Editor

Moroccan Amber ($14-$58): "Sweet souk"

—Jenny Comita, Deputy Editor

Pink Jasmine ($14-32): "Grandma's nightgown drawer filled with perfumed soaps"

Kathleen Kent, Copy Chief

Peony Blanche ($32): "A small-town sundries shop"

—Kristen Flanagan, Assistant Editor

Blue Garden ($32): "Swinging on the front porch during a Georgia summer"

—Lisa Hartman, Editorial Intern

Bamboo ($14-58): "Fresh flowers and a hot shower at the St. Regis New York"

—Marli Guzzetta, Research Editor

Orange Blossom ($14-58): "A square in Seville, Spain"

—Miranda Crowell, Deputy Editor

PHOTO: ANNA ROSS

[One of our fantastic Spring 2012 editorial interns, Sarah Kim, a 21-year-old Journalism and Cinema Studies major at NYU, came in sporting a gorgeous Cleopatra-esque eye look, but with a twist. Here's the story of how the Hanging Cat-Eye was born of necessity, with simple step-by-step instructions for how to get the look yourself. — Ed.]

THE BACKSTORY: I think for most girls, there comes a time when we decide that our "womanness" cannot be achieved without something drastic being done physically, to mark our transition from youth to adult. Judging from the stories my friends and I share, this almost always produces dreadful results. My own bad idea came in the form of an attempt to mimic the smokey / cat-eye look that was in all the fashion magazines circa 2010.

THE CHALLENGE: Being of Asian descent, what looked gorgeous on the blonde beauties in those magazines made me looked like a victim of a mugging. But I really wanted something special for a school formal, and surrendering is always a lot more difficult when naïve, and so I tried again. Surely this classic makeup move could be adapted to work with my eye shape, right? Though I had to work through many different versions, I found success in the form of the Hanging Cat-Eye.

EYELINER: I go back-and-forth between MAC Fluidline ($15) in Blacktrack and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($22) in Black Ink.

BRUSH: I used an old Dior concealer brush that is no longer available, but it's almost exactly like this Dior Backstage Concealer Brush ($24).

TIME COMMITMENT: About 60-90 seconds per eye, depending on how precise you want to be (or how late you are to class or work!).

PHOTO: ANNA ROSS

STEP 1: Thoroughly coat your brush with gel eyeliner. Gently swipe brush across the container's side to prevent any clumps of color.

STEP 2: Starting just past the middle of eye (near the outer edge of the iris), paint a line down and out; the angle can vary, but what's pictured is roughly be around 30 degrees or so.

STEP 3: Extend the line past where your lower lid ends, continuing about another 1/4" to 1/2", depending on how dramatic you want to go.

STEP 4: Now go back to the outer eye where your lids meet, and stroke another line down to meet the first line. You should now have a black "V."

STEP 5: Fill that "V" with more gel liner so it becomes a black triangle. Repeat steps on opposite eye. Voilà! Your cat-eye is hung.

STEP 6 (OPTIONAL): A tight-line (an ultra-thin line super-close to the lash line) along the top lid in the same color will heighten the glam, but only if time permits.

WHY I LOVE IT: In as little as two minutes, these few simple strokes of black liner have the ability to dress up any last-minute outfit—it's upgraded my " T-shirt-and-jeans" look on many occasions, making me appear more polished with minimal effort. And yet, this same look is perfectly suited for an edgy black-tie affair.

BOTTOM LINE: It's not bad to be young and foolish! I'm glad I didn't give up.

PERP: Miranda Crowell, Deputy Editor, Martha Stewart Living

VICTIM: Emilio

CRIME: Petty Beauty Larceny

STOLEN: California Baby Calendula Cream

STREET VALUE: $13

PLEA: Guilty as charged

STATEMENT: "I bought this organic moisturizer for my 4-month-old son's eczema, and it worked like a charm. But every time I slathered it on him, I couldn't resist stealing some for myself. Soon, I was creeping into his nursery to sneak another dollop. And then more in the morning before work. I can't help myself: It has an amazing scent, and while it's thick, it soaks in quickly, leaving my hands refreshingly minty and silky-smooth. While I freely admit my wrong-doing and throw myself on the mercy of the court, no jury of my obsessively hand-washing, parched skin, new-mom peers would have convicted me."

SENTENCE: A rebellious teenager starting in 2024.

But then I promptly lost three of them. Rather than buying more, I ordered 15 yards of fold-over elastic (for about $10), and set about making dozens and dozens for myself, my friends, and my coworkers.

As you’ll see in the video, it couldn’t be easier: Each one takes a little more than 30 seconds, including applying Fray Check glue to the raw ends. The only problem is, it looks so cute in my ponytail that my resolve to wear my hair down has further eroded.

You'll need scissors, Dritz Fray Check, fold-over elastic, ruler. (To make one hair tie, cut a piece between 10 and 11 inches long.)

Watch this real-time demonstration:

And here's the finished product at work!

Are there any other easy ponytail/updo supplies (or upgrades) you swear by?

This morning, the new coffeehouse in my neighborhood, Au Breve, let me caffeinate off-menu with a Dirty Chai Latte (chai tea + milk + espresso, a.k.a. java chai, red-eye chai, chai charger, tough guy chai ...). Does it mean I'm too much of a product junkie that instead of my first thought being, "That frothy heart is pretty darn cute," it was, "That color is so NARS Sheer Lipstick [$24] in Little Darling"?

Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System, $119, clarisonic.com

]]> http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/20/beauty-haiku-%e7%be%8e%e3%81%97-%e4%bf%b3%e5%8f%a5-clarisonic-mia/feed/ 2 http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/19/screen-beauty-homeland/ http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/19/screen-beauty-homeland/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:31:36 +0000 Robin Sayers http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/?p=1151 Our Executive Editor, Yolanda Edwards, loves Showtime's Homeland, and she's been hounding me to get with the program — literally. Currently I'm TV-less, however, so the logistics of watching a cable series are a bit tricky. Last night, just 3.5 months late to the party, I finally caught the pilot, and was Yolanda ever right. I can't wait to have a Homeland marathon this weekend!

Claire Danes stars as a CIA counter-terrorism agent named Carrie Mathison. In the middle of the pilot, we see Carrie open her medicine cabinet. I spied a product I too keep in my medicine cabinet: Bumble and bumble's Styling Lotion ($25/8 oz.).

The company describes it as "A versatile styling option for control, body building or sleekness, plus a nourishing moisturizer which leaves the hair soft with natural movement." If you click the link above, you'll find a short how-to video demo'ing the product, but here's how I use it: I spray it on my hair when it's about 75% dry, then do two straight (as opposed to French) braids. After my hair dries, I take the braids out and have great waves with minimal effort and no damage from heat. I've done this braid-waves trick both with and without the B&b Styling Lotion, and I can tell you the wave holds 10x better when I use the BbSL.

Do you recognize any of the other products in Carrie's cabinet? I'd love to know your best guesses --- please share them in the comments!

]]> http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/19/screen-beauty-homeland/feed/ 1 http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/18/the-beauty-dept-goes-hollywood/ http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/2012/01/18/the-beauty-dept-goes-hollywood/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:34 +0000 Abigail Libers http://howlovely.marthastewart.com/?p=1145

OK, so in reality, The Martha Stewart Show (a.k.a. Martha) tapes in New York City's Chelsea, just down the street from our MSLO headquarters. But with all the lights, cameras and action—and producers, directors, sound techs, makeup artists, hairstylists, prop masters and PAs—it certainly felt like Tinseltown.

Our new Beauty & Lifestyle Director, Robin Sayers, and I arrived at the studio yesterday morning at 8 A.M., only to find that we were wearing almost identical outfits: Tomato-red tops with dark blue jeans. (For the show, Robin added a green blazer, so neither of us seemed too much like Jennifer Jason Leigh's character in Single White Female.)

Robin participated in a panel discussion with Martha's dynamic hair and makeup duo, Anthony Sorensen and Daisy Schwartzberg, respectively, while I sat in the front row of the 190-member studio audience every day and took questions from viewers on Twitter and Facebook and live Tweeted at @themarthashow as the episode progressed. I continued to do this for the rest of the beauty-themed shows this week.

We got to have our hair and makeup done by the pros, and not only did they all do an amazing job, they also let us grill them about what products and techniques they love, info we'll be sharing with you soon and putting to good use ourselves.

Missed the shows? Check out clips here.

While we were glad that Martha herself seemed pleased with how we did on her show, there were two critics whose thumbs up or thumbs down mattered most to us: Our mothers, Nancy Sayers and Emilia Libers. Their shared review? Apparently we're both more beautiful than Angelina Jolie and better spoken than the Queen of England. They're not at all biased.