THE TOP 7 TRICKS YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE 2011 EMMY AWARDS

Here are the best seven tricks we picked up from this awesome trio.

1. Dirty day-of hair is a do.

To wash your hair the day of the event or not to wash it? This should be a conversation between the client and her stylist. True. But if you want your tresses to be loose and boho, then skip the suds.

2. Fake it till you make it.

Whether you're important enough to be attending a paparazzi-studded event or just headed to a fancy wedding, where you know you'll be in lots of Facebook photos, rely on well-placed hair extensions to enhance your look; It adds volume and texture. I  suggest this trick to creating a big bun: Wrap a tube sock in your twist, but hide it under your locks.

3. You can't go wrong with a ponytail.

The trilogy was raving about the pulled-back tresses seen on A-listers, like Julie Bowen. To recreate the Modern Family actresses' style, simply pull your mane back in a low, side ponytail and wrap some strands around the hair elastic to hide it. Secure it with bobby pins. It's the easiest way to end up on a best-dressed list.

4. Do a prep step.

Lecompte is a firm believer in using a hair primer before styling. He recommends coating tresses with Wella Professionals Velvet Amplifier before blowdrying. It makes hair smooth, and gets it ready for the other products.

5. Don't be afraid of gel.

The pros were crushing on the 1940s-inspired waves and deep-side parts seen on celebs. Lecompte suggests using gel to smooth over coiled tresses, especially the locks behind your ear. It holds the hair without looking crunchy.

6. Go for the gold.

Starlets like Lea Michele, Giuliana Rancic and Nina Dobrev, rocked tomato-red gowns. Friedman expects blonds to be asking for butter-hued locks to complement this shade.

7. Take a risk.

While Lecompte admits that Zooey Deschanel's prom-like 'do might land her some not-so-flattering reviews, he was still a fan of it. The moral of this story: Go with what you like and what makes you feel good. And if you're lucky, a renowned industry insider may just be crushing on your style.

7 Quirky Weight-Loss Strategies that Really Work

Drinking Oil


Drinking oil? Cake for Breakfast? Find out what gets results.

When The Shangri-La Diet author Seth Roberts, PhD, a professor of psychology, pioneered the role of “flavorless calories” in weight loss, everyone thought he was crazy. Roberts didn’t let that affect his research and now a decade later, his diet has quite the success rate.

The Shangri-La Diet says you can lose weight by drinking 1-3 tablespoons of sugar water and/or 1-2 tablespoons of extra-light (not virgin) olive oil twice daily between meals. According to Roberts, the diet curbs your appetite and dramatically lowers your body’s “set point” (the weight at which it naturally wants to settle).

His theory: If you eat a variety of familiar, flavor-rich foods, the brain stimulates hunger, raising the set point and causing weight gain. But if you consume foods with little or unfamiliar taste, the brain thinks the body must be starving (why else would you eat tasteless food?), thus lowering the set point and causing weight loss.

Spice Up Your Life

Adding a wide variety of flavorful spices to your foods can help you control portion sizes and lose weight. Research shows that people eat less when their food tastes new and spicy (perhaps because we’re forced to pay attention to it?). The crazier the blends of spices, the more novel the food will taste and the more benefits you’ll reap, so don’t be afraid to mix spices and go out of your comfort zone. Plus, traditional spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin are chock-full of powerful antioxidants.

No Snacking

This one may be surprising, considering the popular concept of eating five or six mini-meals throughout the day. But according to scientists who study the hunger hormones leptin and gherlin, eating too often can mess with your body’s natural signals. Plus, if you are constantly snacking, you might not realize how many calories you’re really taking in and/or feel deprived from not having a “real meal.”
Worried about tanking your metabolism? Scientists say that our metabolisms are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. A popular method is called the “No S Diet” for “no snacks, no sweets, and no seconds, except for on days that start with ‘S’.”

Eating Sweets While Cooking

For the cook who loves tasting as they go, licks, sips, and nibbles can add up fast, leaving you feeling as if you’ve already eaten a meal before it actually ends up on the table. To quell the tasting urge, some experts recommend sucking on a highly flavored hard candy while you cook. The potent taste — think mint, cinnamon, or sour — will keep your taste buds busy, and the act of sucking will keep your mouth occupied.

Nose Clipping

Everyone knows that smell plays a huge part of how we taste our food — remember your fourth grade science experiment where you ate an onion and an apple with your nose pinched and couldn’t tell the difference? So while it may seem a little extreme (and get you some weird looks at restaurants) clipping your nose shut during meals will help you only eat until you’re full. Although it does make your favorite foods a lot less enjoyable.

One Meal a Day

Intermittent fasting (IF) is the hottest ticket in the nutrition world right now, with reported benefits ranging from improved immunity, faster metabolism, better insulin sensitivity, lower cancer risk, and of course, weight loss. While we’d all love these rewards, not eating for 24 hours or more can feel like a marathon of deprivation. A way to ease into IF is to try to eat just one meal a day. People often find that once they get past the habit of eating all the time, they really don’t miss the extra meals.

Cake for Breakfast

Eating cake first thing in the morning may sound like the worst diet advice ever (or the best!), but Israeli researchers found that “obese participants who ate a breakfast high in protein and carbohydrates that included a dessert were better able to stick to their diet and keep the pounds off longer than participants who ate a low-carb, low-calorie breakfast that did not include sweets.” The scientists hypothesize that allowing yourself a treat in the a.m. helps curb your cravings for sweets later in the day.

We’re big fans of the “everything in moderation” mantra, but it’s important to remember that just because a weight-loss strategy works for one group of people doesn’t mean it’s the best plan for you. If you typically have trouble stopping after just one sweet treat, you’re better off skipping this slim-down strategy to avoid undoing any progress you’ve already made.

— Beauty Queen

Source: Shape magazine

Textured Hair Covers Fashion Spread in May 2012 Vogue

Written by Tracey Wallace on Apr 18, 2012

Have you picked up the May 2012 copy of Vogue, yet? Well, you should! Per usual, the magazine reps high quality content and photography, and gives you the dirty deets on next season’s style so that you can be ahead of the game. None of that, while useful and entertaining, is unexpected. But there is one thing in May’s Vogue that you will want to see, frame, take to your stylist and say, “DO THIS!” — Vogue’s entire fashion spread featuring big, beautiful textured hair!

Joan Smalls, the Puerto Rican model who has been turning heads since Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC, has her textured curls blown out, big afro style for a fashion spread that ISN’T EVEN ABOUT HAIR.

Read More: Joan Smalls Delivers Big Natural Hair

This is important for a lot of reasons. Usually, when we see textured hair being featured in magazines (if we see it at all), it’s because the article is focusing on the hair. Whether the textured hair is being featured to talk about how beautiful textured hair is or about how it is the next trend, or if the textured hair is being called frizzy and ugly — it’s rare to see textured hair in a major magazine that is not the focus of the article.

As we all learned too quickly this past Fashion Week, straight hair is often used on models during runway shows and in magazine spreads because the designers want the focus to be on the clothes, not the hair. Our very own textured hair experts, from the Creative Director at Ouidad Santa Monica to Anthony Dickey in NYC, told us that because you don’t have to notice straight hair, you can focus more on the clothes, which is what the designers want. ”OK, OK, fine,” we all seemed to grumble.

It is almost as though we are seeing, for maybe the first time in a major media publication, what life would have been like if our big curls were just part of who we were and – gasp – as though fashion was just something we used to express ourselves, not the other way around.

Of course, then we sat down with celebrity stylist Robert Vetica, who styles starlettes’ hair for major covers like Vogue, Harper’s Bizarre and Elle, and asked him, “Where are the curls?” he quickly responded, “I don’t know!” According to him, Salma Hayek is the only celebrity willing to let her natural hair down and out on covers and in spreads. Others, he said, are “just not brave enough.”

If you were to take a solid troll through our articles this past year, you would see a resounding trend: when it comes to fashion, textured hair is just too AWESOME to be ignored, so designers don’t like it. I mean, you can’t argue with awesome, right?

Wrong. Vogue has just stepped up to the plate and delivered what us on #teamnatural would call a home run. Their spread featuring Joan Smalls and her big hair is all about…shorts! Yep, that’s right. The spread is about short hemlines and while Smalls’ hair often take precedence in the spread, it is never mentioned.

It’s almost as though we are seeing, for the first time in a major media publication, what life would have been like if straight hair had never been fashionable, if textured hair had always been the go-to, if our big curls were just part of who we were and (gasp) as though fashion was just something we used to express ourselves, not the other way around.

The spread is fierce, it’s inspirational and, to follow in Vogue’s footsteps and comment on what is new in the spread, the shorts are HAUTE. Buy the magazine, curlies. You’ll be showing this piece of history to your grandkids one day.

 What do you think of the spread?

Curling Rods vs. Curling Irons

How to choose the right heat styling tool for your waves and curls 

Do you use curling irons or rods (also known as clipless curling irons) on your waves or curls? It seems sort of ironic, but these simple heat tools can be a great addition to your hair care routine. They can be helpful for dressy and casual looks, or simply just something a little different every so often. Curling irons and rods can help in enhancing natural curl patterns as well.

Which Tool is Right for You?

Both curling rods and irons are available in a variety of options including titanium and tourmaline. Titanium is a favorite with stylists as they prove to be very durable, corrosion resistant and perform extremely well for all hair types. Tourmaline, sometimes blended with ceramic, allows a larger flow of negative ions, which results in extra shine and protection to the hair. Both are excellent technologies as they evenly distribute heat each time it is applied to the hair.

In deciding what is right for you, first make up your mind about what you want from your tool? Do you need to just “fix” a few curls or ends here and there, or do you want a head full of tighter or looser curls?

For the most part, if you have medium to longer curls or waves, you can easily use a curling rod. These tools have become more popular over just the past few years since they help make longer locks curlier, wavier or simply add more volume. Almost all curling rods and irons these days heat up quickly and have a variety of heat settings.

Keep these heat settings in mind when using the tools:

1. Type 2 (Waves): Low to medium heat. The shorter your hair the more control over the tool you will need.
2. Type 3 (Curls): Medium to high heat.
3. Type 4 (Kinks): High heat.

Curling Rod Benefits

Using a curling rod can take some getting used to, but is easily learned. Simply start with dry hair and wrap it around the rod/barrel. The ends of your hair will wrap around last so there is less damage and fewer split ends with the rod.

If you have thinner hair, the rod is also beneficial in that there is never any creasing or marks left behind as there is no “clamp.” If you’re looking for volume, the rods tend to be better at getting closer to the roots.

Rods are available in a variety of sizes and usually are sold with heat proof gloves (to protect fingertips as you wrap).

Curling Iron Benefits

Curling irons offer excellent precision control and are great for beginners. The clamp maintains a firm hold on hair for easy styling. They are generally available in a great variety of sizes (usually from 3/8” to 2+”) and heat up quickly and easily.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, here’s a quick chart on how to decide which tool may be best for your locks:

Curl type                        Barrel Size Suggested                                     Hair Length

pencil thin                         3/8” (iron)                                       short to medium

shirley temple-like             1/2-5/8” (iron)                                   short to medium

classy coils                        1” (iron)                                                medium

loopy curls                         1 1/4”  (iron/rod)                              medium to long

big curls                             1 1/2” (rod)                                     medium to long

loose “s” waves                   2”+ (rod)                                                   long

Man Buns: Hipster Hot Or Just Plain Strange?

By Alexandra Cassutt

Okay, we're not embarrassed to say that we go weak in the knees for that shaggy, grown-out hair that hipster men can cultivate so well. After years of the "metro" aesthetic, shows like Bored to Death, and all things Williamsburg seeping into the national consciousness, men's hair, in general, is longer. So long, in fact, that it necessitates some means of getting it out of your smokin'-hipster-man face. Hot weather, functionality, and FDA health codes all contribute to rise of a new and slightly confusion trend: the man-bun.

After all, no one wants to pull out a long blond hair from their vegan organic burdock-root-and-shiitake soup, because that’s nasty, no matter how gorgeous the hair-shedder is.

So, what’s the consensus on man-buns? We have to say, we're torn: On the one hand, Olivier Theyskens pulls the high-on-the-head bun off better than most of the chicks we know. On the other hand: If we see one more bun comprised of hipster dreadlocks, we are going to have to resist the urge to buy a razor and slice it off. But enough about us? What are your thoughts on the trend? Weigh in in the comments.

And in the meantime, we just have to hope that the boys don’t figure out that irresistible beauty secret of high bun = no shower. (New York Times) 

PUTTING THE O IN VINO

From sav blanc to Chianti, we choose the best organic bottles under $35

OK, you’re sitting at the bar and the guy on your right says he’s an independent producer and the guy on your left says he’s the next Mark Zuckerberg. The only thing not full of fertilizer is the organic wine you’re drinking.

Yes, we know this was a long setup to get to organic wine but it beats the poem we were going to write (what rhymes with pesticides, anyway?).

By now we’ve all heard the heart-healthy benefits of drinking a moderate amount of wine, but did you hear that a new study suggests drinking two glasses of wine may significantly raise your problem-solving abilities?! Yes, we say “cheers” to that!

So now that you’ll be shopping the vino, the question is what wine to get. For years, wine connoisseurs looked down upon organic grapes, claiming that the taste could not be the same. But luckily, these wine times are changing.

Not only is there a new crop of highly respected organic wines but by going for the big “O” (not that O, but with enough wine, who knows) there are a fair number of benefits as well. Organic grapes/wines are not sprayed with chemicals and pesticides and some wine lovers believe this leads to a better, brighter flavor. In addition, organic wines have less sulfites, which is simply better for your bod!

So now that you wanna go organic, why not check out our slideshow of our fave organic wines under $35?

Frog’s Leap Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2010
$22.99

The dry, classic sav blanc features notes of peach blossom, grapefruit, and Meyer lemon. The popular organic vineyard has produced this award winning wine since 1981. The citrusy pick goes well with seafood and cheese.

Quivira Vineyards and Winery Grenache 2009
$26

The complex, spicy red serves up tantalizing tones of strawberry, raspberry, and black pepper. Pairing perfectly with richer foods, this Grenache stands up well next to a variety of roasted meats.

Fontodi Chianti Classico 2008
$29.25

This full-bodied, classic Chianti features strong, delicious notes of sweet red cherries, plums, and chocolate. The smooth tannins and strong finish make it a great choice.

Hall Sauvignon Blanc
$17.95

Bright and beautiful, this is what you want to drink on a hot summer day. Crisp and refreshing, you’ll taste pink grapefruit, gooseberry, blood orange, and guava.

Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$21.99

You’ll find dreamy aromas of currant and cassis in this spicy, complex cabernet that features a firm body and long finish (and yes, we think that sounds dirty too).

SPRING STYLE: MODERN FLIP

What do you think? Should the flip make a comeback?

 One trend that caught my eye was this modern twist on the classic Flip hairstyle. The models weren’t the only ones bringing back the flip hairstyle, Jessica Simpson and Katie Holmes have tried their own take on the flip as well.