Hi ITG Readers,

You may have seen me pop up on here a few times (I dyed my hair pink, got false eyelashes put on me, braided my hair into a beard, and sometimes show up in the team’s Instagrams). But I am here to tell you about my prom last Friday in New York City. This being my first one, I didn’t have any idea of what to expect since everything I knew, or imagined, about prom came from movies or TV. Meaning: bowls of punch, some sort of choreographed dance number, pig’s blood, and Marty McFly (see below). So why am I telling you this? Because when I told Emily I was going to my first-ever prom, she basically squealed and told me I had to write something about it for ITG. So… this is my prom:

Every year, the seniors vote on the place they want their prom to take place. (I’m only a sophmore, so I had no say in the decision, but my boyfriend, Eli, did.) The winning location: the Hudson River. I wish I could tell you that I went to prom in a super-secret glass-cube club that’s safely submerged in the Hudson River, but I can’t—we were on an old-fashion river boat. This, luckily, didn’t put any limitations on hair, makeup and outfit choices, as might have been the reality of the whole underwater cube-club idea.

About two months ago, I asked my mom, Jeanine, who you guys probably know, about a dress. She told me that we would figure it out and not to worry. I let her do her thing. I wasn’t actually worried, more just excited to see what she was going to do. Like any mother would, she called up Natalie Portman to see if there was anything I could borrow (sarcasm intended: Natalie has become a family friend, thanks to years of my mom doing her makeup). She did. The day of prom—the same day as my physics final, ugh—I got ready with my friend Hazel. This consisted of ideating on worst-case scenarios and eating Trader Joe’s microwave tamales. I was afraid of falling off the boat, or somehow getting left behind on the boat and then being dragged to another school’s prom. After eating too much, we got ready to go. My mom did my makeup and assisted with my hair. Makeup-wise, I wanted to basically look like a cleaned-up version of myself. (It had been finals week, so I was wearing sweatpants, no makeup, and yelling a lot in school.) We used a Tom Ford Silverized Topaz Eye Color Quad, Chanel blush, and lots and lots of Chanel Inimitable mascara. My dress was a greyish black color, made of layered tulle and strapless. It was tight on the top and then poofed out and ended just above the knee. It was by Lanvin, and it was gorgeous.

At 6 PM, my boyfriend came over to pick me up. I had ordered him a boutonniere the day before from a flower shop, which thankfully looked beautiful (the clerk had asked me something about “bling,” which I politely declined—the thought of a bedazzled orchid concerned me). I wasn’t sure how to put it on, so my dad had to fasten it on my date’s blazer. This would have been extremely embarrassing and a night ruin-er if my life were a 1980s film, but (unfortunately) it is not, so it was all good. I decided to wear my mom's crystal Valentino sandals because I was not going to be able to walk around in heels all night and feared that I would trip and become a trending gif on tumblr. We got to the boat with a small umbrella (it was sprinkling), and boarded. Somehow, we managed to be early, but the staff let us on. Inside, there was a lineup of soft drinks, which all tasted like every soda and juice mixed together in a glass. (None were actually that bad, but I was frazzled and needed something to complain about.) For some completely pop-culture-inspired reason, I expected lots of paper-mache decorations and streamers—reality: balloons!—and, I sincerely hoped, a live band! No such luck. The rest of the night consisted of lots of dancing (I basically became Rihanna), food (a lot of pasta, which I indulged in happily), about 1,000,000 photos, and, of course, many more selfies. Also of note: no slow song! I was okay with it, though, because I was a mess after loudly singing along to Kanye lyrics I didn’t actually know and getting stepped on about five times. Although my prom didn’t end with me electrocuting everyone with telepathy, or starting a group dance number, or revealing my true identity as an undercover reporter, I had a blast. The only sad part is now I have to pack up my dress and send it back to Natalie Portman.

Xo

Esmé

Mascara-izers of the world, look alive (which is probably easy for you, with all of your inky, perky lashiness): Lancôme has collaborated with Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz on a nine-piece makeup collection...and the mascaras look like this. While the oft-celebrated wands and formulations of the Lancôme Show by Alber Elbaz mascaras—Définicils, Hypnôse Star, and Hypnôse Drama, respectively—remain unchanged, the Elbaz-illustrated tubes (with doodles of winks, stars, and rose petals) scream limited-edition ("LIMITED EDITION!!!!"). So whether you prefer the deep black gloss of Définicils (like Karlie Kloss), the clear-cut definition of Hypnôse Star (hi, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem), or the wide-eyed, volumizing effect of Hypnôse Drama (cheers, Arianna Huffington), there's no time like the present to snag one for travel, to beautify your makeup bag, or just in case your current supply runs out. We're supposed to replace our mascaras every four months anyway, right?

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.

This past weekend, Man Of Steel dominated the box office, earning a handsome $128.7 million. But that wasn’t the only attractive aspect of the Superman franchise reboot. We now have on our hands arguably the most dashing superhero to date: Henry Cavill (above). And one thing our new hunk offers that his supernatural peers don't is an abundance of chest hair, noted in this hilarious conversation on NYMag's Vulture. The authors raise a valuable point—sure, teen-targeted TV shows may encourage many a “high school student” (read: pushing-30 actor) to remove any and all natural hair growth, but where are the grown-up examples of definitive masculinity? Surely Captain America didn’t halt his battles against the Nazis for a quick visit to the esthetician. So, why is Hollywood implying he did?

Maybe it’s a vaguely creepy attempt to encourage young girls’ admiration of (much) older actors or, conversely, older folks' enjoyment of an apparently prepubescent gentleman? Perhaps it’s just so we can more easily see the six-pack abs. Or, another possibility: the bigwigs in California are banding together to promote a new male beauty trend, and consequently, some form of gender equality! Waxes for all! But we doubt it…

What we do know for sure is that manscaping, whether of the chest, back, shoulders, or some nether-region adventure, is on the rise. Way back in December 2008, Diddy (always on the cutting edge) told Allure that real gentlemen should “return the favor.” We are now living in a world of (supposed) equal opportunity, so, keeping in that spirit, maybe men, too, should enjoy the opportunity to wax? Or should we just be showing the hirsute among us more love? We’re not sure where to stand on this one, so we're throwing it back at you all. Men avec chest hair: love or loathe? Thoughts?

[1] Henry Cavill, [2] Alec Baldwin, [3] Antonio Banderas, [4] Jake Gyllenhaal, [5] Jon Hamm, [6] Sean Connery.

"I make decisions in my dreams and wake up and know what I have to do in my life. That’s why my second record is called My Dreams Dictate My Reality. For example, I had a really weird dream that made me move to LA, which is where I live now.

I write music as if I was taking photos of what’s in my head, like a photo of a memory, or like I’m writing a proper letter to someone, saying things that are too hard to say when you’re face-to-face. Music is really vital for me. It’s something I have to do every day, whether it is listening to it, making playlists, playing an instrument, or writing poetry. It’s a daily routine. Actually, I started taking piano lessons when I was five, right after my dad died suddenly. I felt totally abandoned, so my mom made me get out of the house and do all of these activities to take my mind off of it. I also started acting around that time. It was so fun. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a storyteller.

I still act occasionally—I’m in a movie that’s just come out called Augustine. It showed last year at Cannes. It was a long process, but it was the best thing I’ve done in my whole life. That’s the only time I will accept a movie role: if I think the project will be life-changing and awesome.

I love living in LA mostly because of the healthy living: nature, big spaces, mountains, beach, hikes, great friends and the great music scene. It's very mellow, and very inspiring...and sunny! Whenever I’m sad, I go for a manicure and pedicure to cheer me up, and I always get happy colors. It’s so cheap in the U.S., like thirty bucks. I would never do it in France because it’s like a hundred euros, but in LA, it’s a great thing to do when you have an hour to spare with your friends.

I only wear makeup sometimes, and when I do, it’s very little. I wear They’re Real by Benefit mascara, and I cover up blemishes, but that’s it...though I do wear perfume. Today I put on Al Oudh perfume from L'Artisan Parfumeur, because I couldn’t remember if I washed this dress or not. [Laughs] I live out of a suitcase! The perfume smells like incense, which I've always been drawn to because I used to burn incense all the time. But my favorite scent is Gaiac 10 by Le Labo. It was made exclusively for Tokyo. I think you can still find it. It smells like clean laundry, no wonder I like it. [Laughs]

My hair used to be really long and curly—I just cut it two days ago. I didn’t plan on it! I just went to the hairdresser for a trim. I’ve been going to Brandon Dailey [at Mudhoney] for the past five years, and I was like, 'I want a change. I want to dye my hair all white.' He suggested that we cut it first because bleaching it would ruin my long hair. We cut it midway, but then it looked bad, so we just kept going shorter and shorter.

Style-wise, I dress really feminine. I like vintage dresses paired with something like a crazy jean jacket with Divine on the back of it, like the one I have on now. It says 'Female Trouble' across the back,  which is a John Waters movie. Divine was one of his muses. This one is made from a t-shirt that I put onto a vintage jacket. I buy a lot of vintage—my storage unit looks like a vintage store. It’s full of clothes, furniture, rugs, and all of that. I feel like vintage clothes have a story, so I have a hard time getting rid of them. I do give a lot of stuff to my friends, though. My 'Rap' hat is from a vintage store in LA called Freak City. I also like to shop for things at flea markets like the Rose Bowl in LA. Vintage dresses are the best. They're so comfortable, it feels like you’re wearing your pajamas."

—as told to ITG

SoKo photographed by Emily Weiss in New York on June 15, 2013. Check out SoKo's debut album, I Thought I Was an Alien, here.

PLUS! Seeing as though we're always asking friends for music suggestions, we figured we'd start asking our profile-ees. Enjoy this mix of The Cure, MGMT, The Smiths, Billy Idol and more, from SoKo's iPhone to your ears.

"I remember reading teen magazines growing up, and not feeling like anyone in them. I wasn’t blond—then; I didn’t have a boyfriend. That's when I had that idea to make Sassy, a magazine that would be for the kinds of girls that I felt like I was. I didn’t want other girls to go through what I was going through. I wanted them to feel cool with themselves the way that they were... It’s the one good idea I’ve had in my career, and I just keep doing it again and again in different mediums: creating a space where women can support each other in a judgment-free zone, and be themselves completely. That’s Sassy, that’s Jane, and now that’s xojane.com and our beauty site, xovain.com.

When I was the Editor in Chief of Sassy, I’d get flack from parents about stuff they felt was inappropriate to be saying to teenagers. The thing I would hear a lot was, 'If you were a parent, you would look at it differently.' I always had that in my head: ‘How will I feel about this if and when I’m a parent? Will I be saying the same kinds of things?’ My daughter, Charlotte, is ten now, and it’s amazing to finally have a tween. I want to tell her things exactly the way I would say them in Sassy. I like to expose her to everything. But, we’ll see how it turns out. She’s more into makeup than I am. She and a friend of hers got into wearing a full face of makeup when they were about seven—I would let her put it on and go around the neighborhood. I remember one day we were walking and someone said, 'Oh, you were at a face-painting party!' I was like, 'No… That’s just what she likes to look like.' I don’t believe in waiting for a certain age for anything: ear piercing, first date, whatever. I don’t get it, but that’s just me. I think kids know when they’re ready for things. What’s the harm in wearing makeup and playing around with it? People would say, 'Well, it’s not her, it’s how other people would perceive her or treat her.' I don’t know. I call myself the World’s Worst Mom, and Charlotte even jokes about it.

I didn’t get into makeup until my junior year of high school, when I went away to Phillips Academy Andover, a boarding school. I wasn’t like anyone at Andover. I was a scholarship kid. I might have arrived with a tiny bit of blush from the drugstore and maybe mascara, and I though that was 'wearing makeup.' That was the formative experience right there. Within the first couple of weeks, one of the girls in my dorm started to make a list of the pretty girls in the school. I was really dumbfounded. I had never heard anything like it. I was thinking, 'We’re all pretty.' I actually really believed at that time, because I had come from an upbringing where it was all very positive. My mom, an artist and a hippie, would talk a lot about beautiful women that we would see, but there wasn’t one beauty ideal. It was some inner-beauty or confidence she was responding to. I try to celebrate other women’s beauty in that way with Charlotte.

My first year at Andover, I felt like a loser. People didn’t know I existed and I was really depressed, so all I did was study. It was terrible. That summer I did a horrible—in retrospect—makeover on myself. I started wearing a ton of makeup and doing my hair, for hours, to look like Farrah Fawcett. When I went back to school, people thought I was a new student. I just went with it. I was like, ‘Why not? Why even remind them that I was that girl from the year before?’

Makeup was my crutch and addiction well through college. I wouldn’t go out without it. I even missed an exam one time because I didn’t have enough time to get ready. I went to Oberlin, and that was not the vibe there at all, but I was so stuck in that way of thinking. But it was taking away from other things I wanted to be doing, so I started toning it down. Just a little bit less, a little bit less, a little bit less. By my junior or senior year, I was little bit more easy-going about it, and now I’m very laid back.

I’m so not attached to what I look like now. Those years of obsession, checking myself in the mirror, like, twenty times a day, got it out of my system. Now, I’ll go out with my daughter, and she’ll be like, ‘You have toothpaste on your chin.’ I won’t have even looked in the mirror.

On a regular day, I won’t necessarily wash my face. If I didn't put any makeup on it the day before, then there’s nothing that needs to be washed off—that’s the way I think of it. [Laughs] I learned that from Genevieve Herr, the amazing makeup artist. She’s older than I am, and gorgeous, with amazing skin. She just doesn’t wash her face. If anything, she uses a little water. I was like, 'I can do that.' When I do wash my face, I love Tracie Martyn Amla Purifying Cleanser. It doesn’t fuck anything up and you don’t feel like you’re taking layers off of your skin or drying stuff out. I was given the Clarisonic, and I haven’t used it yet, but I will.

To moisturize, Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion makes my skin feel baby-smooth. I don’t know that it makes my skin look that much better, but I use that with Tracie Martyn’s Shakti Resculpting Body Cream on my face. One, it smells great, and two, it moisturizes without having any residual shininess or that oil-slick thing. I don’t know about the 'resculpting' part—I’m not really concerned about my body, but I am pretty concerned about my face. Clearly, I like Nu Skin NaPCA Moisture Mist because it’s almost gone. It’s an amazingly moisturizing spray that, again, leaves no shine or anything. I don’t like to feel like there’s something on my face, so mists are the kind of thing I can get behind. The Hydrating Antioxidant Mist from Kinerase is good, too. Courtney Cox, who’s an old friend of mine, was the spokeswoman for Kinerase for a while and she was giving me all of that.

If I’m getting my picture taken or have an event, I’ll use Tracie Martyn QuickFix Eye Pads. For someone who doesn’t take the time to do a lot of things, I actually take the time to do these because the collagen on them really works, and you can put them anywhere, not just under the eye. I cut them in half to get more out of them because they’re big.

I love products, but generally, I believe that how good you look is directly related to what you’re putting into your body. I drink apple cider vinegar on a regular basis. One of my beauty writers has amazing skin, and she told me that’s what she does, so I started drinking it, too. I also noticed that I look better when I mix this powder called ProGreens into juice and drink. I can see a really clear difference right away.

Makeup-wise, I wouldn’t say I’m really good at doing my own. I wish I felt more confident about it, and maybe it’s because I wore terrible makeup during high school, but I have other people do it now. I’ll even let anybody else on staff do it. At the beginning of Sassy, I would wet the makeup sponge and then I apply a little foundation with it. That was my 'thing.' Moving into Jane in my thirties, I started having Genevieve do my makeup. She would go do Anna Wintour’s face every morning at six. I slept late at that time, so she would come over to my place after—not every day, but as many as I could justify. She has an amazing trick that I call ‘butterfly fingers’ because she applies makeup with these really light, small taps of her fingers. I want to say that I learned that stuff from her, but I just knew I could get her to do it if I needed it. I do nothing to myself. It’s a preference and priority thing, because I consider working a more valuable use of my time.

For someone who doesn’t use many products, I use about ten on my eyebrows alone. I feel that full and thick brows make a huge difference now that I’m older. Anastasia Soare came and did my eyebrows at one point. But when I do my own, I always use the little stencil in the Anastasia Brow Express and fill it in. It totally works. The Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde is perfect. I mix it with a Vincent Longo pencil, and then I’ll put the wax on after.

On my eyes, I apply MAC Shadowy Lady with a sharp-edged brush if I’m going to do any kind of liner, because it’s not too harsh and it’s not black. And I’ll put Vincent Longo Medium Number 2 Camouflage Cream under my eyes or wherever there’s redness. I’ll also wear a little MAC blush.

Before getting my picture taken or going on TV, I stretch out the sides of my mouth as hard as I can with my hands. It gives me a nice, wide, Julia Roberts kind of smile—you know, the smile when there’s a gap between the sides of your mouth and teeth? That’s my favorite look. I especially try to stretch the top lip because it gets a little fuller. On my lips, I wear Edward Bess Deep Shine Lip Gloss—his products are amazing. And I always carry a few different lip balms with me, like Laura Mercier’s.

I’m not good about accepting an invitation to an event that’s coming up in an hour. I like to have enough advance notice to schedule an appointment with the hair and makeup person I most want, and time to use my Far Infrared Sauna. My sauna has moved with me three times. I first tried it in the L.A. office of my amazing holistic doctor, Dr. Charny. You have to be careful to get exactly the right kind—the ones that Scientologists use when they’re detoxing. Tom Cruise donated a bunch of them to the rescue workers after 9/11 to get all of the toxins out of their body. It works with or without heat, but it gets up to 170 degrees. Your skin gets an incredible glow, and it makes you feel like you’ve been sitting out in the sun. The way that I understand it, it cleans you from the inside out, heating you like a microwave. I haven’t done it in a couple of days, but you can really see a difference.

When I have something really major coming up, I’ll go see Tracie Martyn. If I had the time, I would see her once a month, but I usually end up seeing her two days before a big event to get the Red Carpet Facial. She also has an LED bed that I try to take advantage of. That’s so right up my alley. It helps with mood and dry patches. What else...I’ll go get laser treatments for the bags under my eyes, which have come up pretty recently; it’s an aging thing. I don’t believe that anti-aging products do that much, but I’ve gotten every possible kind of laser treatment, because I can really see the difference.

When it comes to my hair, I’m particular about products. I won’t even use hotel shampoos and conditioners when I’m traveling. I always bring whatever brand I’m using at the time. I like these Oscar Blandi shampoo and conditioners because they really hold the color. Depending on how healthy my hair is, I can usually let it air dry, but I travel with my own blow dryer. Last year, I was going to England a lot for work, and, of course, I was bringing my blow dryer with me. I didn’t realize that the wattage is different there, so it actually fried my hair. I was like, 'It’s working so fast here. This is amazing!' Then I came back and my colorist, Kyle White at Oscar Blandi, said, 'What did you do to your hair?' It took a while to figure out the culprit. After I dry my hair, I put in Sheer Gloss or Hair Serum.

For fragrance, I have a bunch of Kilian perfumes, and sometimes I’ll steal my daughter Charlotte’s Love’s Baby Soft. Otherwise, I use a locally made fragrance that I bought at my yoga studio. It’s a hippie-dippy scent by Givescent.

The thing that changes me the most is exercise. I do Pilates three days a week and I do yoga as often as possible, because it calms me down and helps me put things in perspective. If I had time to do yoga every morning, I’d be more chilled out, feeling better, and not taking things too seriously. Plus, it has this Botox effect, making little lines disappear. I couldn’t believe it. For a quick aerobic workout, I also spin. I can get it done in 45 minutes, but then my mind is spinning after. It’s just about what works for you, everyone is different."

—as told to ITG

Jane Pratt photographed by Emily Weiss in New York on April 9, 2013.

Because it's Monday and we don't want to work yet.

[1] Cotillon "Votive Flower" Cover Art, [2] Jerry Hall, [3] Faye Dunaway, [4] Madonna, [5] Miranda Kerr, [6] Shana Zadrick, [7] Sharon Tate, [8] Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell, [9] Photographed by Gene Laurents, [10] Tatjana Patitz, [11] Winona Ryder, [12] Natalia Vodianova, [13] Suzy Parker.

How do you make a dress look cool? Here's how:

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Exeter Printed Silk Crepe de Chine Dress: If there's one designer who you can rely on for "sweet with a twist," it's Mr. Jacobs. I still own my first "big girl" purchase: a frayed denim miniskirt and pinstripe blazer from Marc by Marc's firt collection back in the year 2000. (Have you any idea how many babysitting jobs that took?) Actually, it's about time I pull those out and put them back into rotation... In the meantime, let's talk about this dress. It's got all the cheekiness of a slip and the unexpected fabric play (irridescent silver panels) of a MJ collection/Vuitton confection. And it's on SALE.

2. Ann Demeulemeester Leather Open-Front Ankle Boots: A few years ago, you couldn't walk from your desk to the bathroom without walking by at least two girls wearing some version of Ann D's clunky, chunky sandal/heel. They've since been knocked off left, right, and center but there's still something spot-on about the real McCoy, especially when paired with a girly dress. They're the perfect way to toughen up while still giving a little bit of height. After all, those legs gotta look good.

3. Illesteva Frieda Round-Frame Matte-Steel Sunglasses: If, like me, you have your sunglass "shape" figured out and don't want to stray from the path that best suits your face, I urge you: mix it up. Try round. Just try it. (Abbey Lee Kershaw, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I swear.)  Like changing your part, it could make you feel like a new woman in the best way possible.

4. Chantecaille Lip Chic in Rose Délice: A Barneys "makeup  guru" turned me on to Chantecaille's Lip Chic (in Tea Rose) back in 2012, which I slowly wore down to a tiny nub and eventually lost, but it's since been replaced by the slightly more punchy Rose Délice. It's not quite a lip balm, not quite a lipstick, and though the color calls to mind the look of your mouth after several layers of Benetint, it's definitely not a stain. It's kind of like... a light layer of just-tacky-enough-to-stay-put moisture, with a magically skin-tone-enhancing tint.

5. OPI's When Monkeys Fly! Nail Laquer: It's always a pleasure seeing W beauty director Jane Larkworthy backstage during fashion week, but I was especially excited to bump into her at Rodarte in February. "WHAT is on your nails?!" I asked, taking her hands in mine and holding them closer to my (wide, hungry) eyes for closer inspection. The polish, which she wore layered over her gray manicure, is less of a polish and more of an arts-and-crafts project made easy: giant octagonal gold paillettes, medium opalescent specks, and barely-there silver glitter suspended in a clear base that you have to sort of art direct as you paint. I know because it's taken months to track down a bottle, and I just painted my own nails (and two of Nick's) to a round of applause from the office. That nail polish thrill of discovery is a real thing of beauty, isn't it?

—Emily Weiss

It’s summer (or will be in t-minus one week)! A/Cs have been turned on. Your neck is getting a bit sweaty when walking down the street/waiting for the subway. Bars and apartments are getting a bit too stuffy for beautiful, long, free-flowing hair cascading down your back. The summer may offer the opportunity to show off the perfect beach hair, but if it’s really humid and you just can’t deal with strands sticking to your skin, why not venture off into the wonderful world of braiding?

When it comes to crafted hairstyles, there are few things more beautiful than an artful braid. You may be thinking, “Well, there’s the normal braid, and then there’s the French braid, and that’s about it, right?” Wrong! Broaden your horizons! Technically, sure, every type of braid is really a variation on a theme (take a few strands of hair, cross them over some others, and then keep going until your fingers bleed, you lose feeling in your arms, or you run out of hair), but there are seemingly endless versions: the standard pigtail braid [45], the single French braid [59] (not just for stuffy WASPy girls heading off to play tennis), the French-braided pigtail [9], cornrows pulled back into an updo [47], cornrows braided all the way down [36, 68] (add some beads at the end to really get the party started), the twisted braid [51], the knotted braid [27] (first introduced to us by the Braid Master—real name: James Pecis—on Bambi Northwood Blyth), the inside-out braid, the milkmaid braid [1], what we’ve deemed the "Reverse Heidi" Braid, and oh-so-many more. Keep it simple, á la a very young Kate Moss and her face-framing twists [22], or go. effing. crazy.

We understand your hesitation: braiding may look intimidating, but perhaps with summer Fridays starting and school letting out for the summer, you have a little more time on your hands now. So why not take a few moments, find some inspiration above, watch a YouTube tutorial or two, and braid like there’s no tomorrow (and when tomorrow comes, test out something new)!

[1] Carmen Kass, [2] Naomi Campbell, [3] Penelope Cruz, [4] Kristine Frøseth, [5, 6] Natasha Poly, [7] Tanya Smart, [8] Dasha Popova, [9] Dorte Limkilde, [10] Ginta Lapina, [11] Liu Wen, [12] Backstage at Viktor & Rolf Fall 2013, [13] Tyra Banks, [14] Xiao Wen Ju, [15-21] Kate Moss, [22, 23] Twiggy, [24] Solange Knowles, [25-29] Aline Weber, [30] Kate Bosworth, [31] Backstage at Viktor & Rolf Fall 2013, [32] Zoe Saldana, [33] Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh, [34, 35] Lara Stone, [36] Bo Derek, [37] Veronica Lake, [38] Sigrid Agren at Valentino Spring 2013, [39] Josephine Skriver, [40] Rihanna, [41] Rayanne Graff in My So Called Life, [42] Patti Smith, [43] Alys Hale, [45] Azealia Banks, [47-49] Daria Werbowy, [50] Magdalena Frackowiak, [51] Julia Stiles in Save The Last Dance, [52] Joni Mitchell, [53] Harley Viera Newton, [54] Hanne Gaby Odiele, [55] Gwen Stefani, [56-58] Frida Gustavsson, [59] Fendi Fall 2013, [60] Edita Vilkeviciute, [61] Backstage at Valentino Fall 2013, [62] Backstage at Erin Fetherston Fall 2011, [63, 64] Elle Fanning, [65] Chanel Iman and Cara Delevingne, [66] Brigitte Bardot, [67, 68] Beyonce, [69] Alicia Keys, [70] Bambi Northwood Blyth, [71] Megan Fox, [72] Backstage at Alexander Wang Spring 2010, [73] Backstage at Kenzo Fall 2011, [74] Lauryn Hill.

If teen rom-coms have taught us anything, it’s that every seminal encounter between a heroine and her love interest starts from the ankles and pans up (Christian meeting Cher in Clueless, Laney Boggs’ makeover debut in She’s All That, Amanda Beckett’s—aka Jennifer Love Hewitt's—first day of school in Can’t Hardly Wait, etc). But what exactly are directors telling us? That a woman’s legs, rather than her face, are the real focus of a first impression? Between the beach weekends, pool parties, and denim cut-offs that round out a summer, our gams will do a hefty amount of parading in the coming months—suffice it to say we’re not taking any chances. So, heeding Hollywood's advice (never an amazing idea, but stay with us), we’ve been treating our legs as we would our face by shaving them like one. And who knows how to shave a face better than dudes (and dads)? Here are the products we’re borrowing from ours:

For a hydrating shaving cream that isn’t accompanied by a father-like fragrance—or that of a middle school girl, for that matter—we prefer the unscented, sensitive-skin friendly Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel. At $4.29 a pop, it’s surprisingly not bottom shelf, comes in a non-offensive navy and beige can, and is marketed to men (though it was shelved in a gender gray-area at the drugstore). Let it be known that Aveeno is not overselling this product when it says it will work into a “rich” lather. Its frothy white foam is thick enough to reveal where you’ve already shaved, and what you’ve missed, without suffocating your pores. Added bonuses? It boasts the ability to soothe razor bumps and features oatmeal...making it the ideal segue to breakfast? While this shave gel certainly doesn’t hydrate as well as a lotion, it did mean that our legs weren't screaming for after-shower moisturizing...but if Arianna Huffington has time to moisturize, I guess we do, too.

But when it comes to smooth legs—or smooth anything you want/need to shave, who are we to judge—everything hangs on the razor. And as far as the Gloffice is concerned, NYC-based startup e-tailer Harry’s makes the best we’ve come across (with a price tag that won’t burn your retinas). We’re partial to the Winston (yes, that’s Harry’s Winston, and we’re beginning to think the allusion to the legendary jeweler is intentional). The German-engineered razor’s chrome handle feels as aristocratic in your hand as it looks in your shower, and that slight curve at the joint where the handle meets the razor (the thinnest we've seen) makes said razor just glide along your skin. This sucker gives an extremely close shave. It’s priced at $20, and refill blades will run you $15 for a pack of eight, but this is money well-spent. Harry's products are also for men, but, like we said, they use it on their faces. So they're definitely fit for your stems.

Look, we can’t promise that this one-two punch will turn your life into a romantic comedy with a beautiful yet quirky female lead, but the signs are kind of everywhere—even Rachel Kushner’s latest novel, The Flamethrowers, likens calves to “large, blank faces"—and you certainly won’t regret treating your legs with a little respect. And with Father's Day right around the corner, it's likely that few things will make your dad happier than knowing he finally taught you how to do something right (even if you can’t change a flat tire).

Illustrations by Karleigh Sherman. 

Yes, dear readers, it is Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s birthday. Not to go fan-girl on you guys, but we love ourselves an Olsen twin. And it’s likely that our morality index was shaped by the eight years we observed Michelle Tanner on Full House. And their business acumen! They went from peddling their own flesh and blood for less than a dollar to producing, and selling out of, a $34,000 backpack. It’s simultaneously hard for us to believe that they are already and only 27.

But what’s most impressive, really, is the amount of style they’ve managed to pack into less than three decades. These girls have navigated the ropes from tween icons to mainstream moguls to, most recently, the minimalist designers of choice for the upper crust. Nowadays, their daily ensembles so chicly toe the line between “I couldn’t look cooler” and “I might be a cat lady" (Ashley donned what can only be described as an orange aura to this year's Met Gala). So, in honor of their big day (conveniently also #TBT), we're looking back at the beachy waves [34], tank tops [21], matching metallic suits [11], and jet-set style (ahem, small round sunglasses [4]) that won us over from the very start.

This is really an opportunity to reacquaint yourselves with why you should never ever scramble eggs with a fork—thanks, Billboard Dad—how to solve a mystery with the Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley series, how to play matchmaker (and throw a stellar food fight) with It Takes Two, and how to make the most of the Witness Protection Program with Our Lips Are Sealed. Most of all, cop some style, because you know what, overalls are back. Until then, enjoy 53 of Mary-Kate and Ashley's best looks.