Where's That Teasing Comb?

I'm getting my hair cut on Tuesday. It's been a while since my last trim and it's really showing. My hair is unshaped, flat, and my bangs are getting too long to hold its side swept look. As a girl with a larger forehead, I like by bangs, they're my friend.

I'm going through a retro big hair phase. I love the look of a teased voluptuous hair and the 1960s remind me of just that. I pinterested (yes it's a verb now) different hairstyles and these are the ones I really like.

1. Blogger Keiko Lynn 2. British singer Duffy 3. Model

I'm into number 1; I like the shorter and wider bangs. My hair isn't that long but I'm working on it.

Which one do you like?

Barneys Partners With Disney Co.

 Barneys and Walt Disney Co. have joined together for a holiday's campaign titled "Electric Holiday". On November 13, the campaign will be revealed at Barneys' Madison Avenue flagship store. The campaign in loosely based on Disney's famous electrical parades and the lights during the holiday season in NYC and Paris fashion shows. The unveiling will feature an electric light show, a short moving art video which will be displayed on the windows of the store, and the revealing of Oscar winning composer Michael Giacchino's original score. The art film will present Minnie Mouse's dream to attend Paris fashion week. Disney's favorite characters will be transformed to super models wearing real high fashion pieces by real life famous designers. Minnie Mouse will be wearing Lanvin, Mickey Mouse will be dressed in Balenciaga, Goofy dressed in Balmain, Daisy Duck wearing Dolce & Gabbana, Snow White dressed in Nina Ricci, Cruella de Vil wearing Rick Owens, and Princess Tiana in Proenza Schouler.

Photo by Barneys

There has been so controversy regarding the transformation of Disney's classic characters. Some say the new look is weird, even for cartoons, with the freaky tall and slim bodies and large heads. The reasoning for the change of body types was found here, “The standard Minnie Mouse will not look so good in a Lanvin dress. There was a real moment of silence, because these characters don’t change. I said, ‘If we’re going to make this work, we have to have a 5-foot-11 Minnie,’ and they agreed. When you see Goofy, Minnie and Mickey, they are runway models.”

I found this interesting because it seems to me that Freedman is saying only tall slim women would look good in a high fashion dress. I understand a short Minnie Mouse might do the dress justice, but what about making her around 5'7 and healthy body type?

Dennis Freedman, Barneys' creative director, told WWD, "The animator and I sat next to each other and went over every detail of the clothes - how they're made, what material, how they would move - to get them as accurate as we possibly could,". During a meeting in Glendale, Ca, a model was brought in "to walk the hallways of Disney, and they studied how she walked. I said, ‘You can’t make the film without understanding every detail of how she walks, what her facial expression is, and how she stares ahead".

Freedman was also quoted saying, "The world of the Paris fashion shows, of fashion, of people in fashion, of the rituals, all of the idiosyncrasies. The important thing to me was always that it had to be authentic. It really had to hit the nail on the head in every detail".

Besides the unveiling on November 14, you can buy memorabilia. 25% of sales from Electric Holiday products  will go to a charity disclosed at a later date. An limited collection of holiday items including several collectible Vinylmation figures designed by Paul Smith and Diane von Furstenberg, and Mickey Mouse ears from Rag & Bone and L’Wren Scott will be available though stores and online. There will also be small gifts like ornaments, edible sweets and children’s toys for the season.

Paul Smith's Collectable Mickey Mouse Vinylmation Figure. Photo by Courtesy Photos.

Logo. Photo by Disney and Barneys

What do you think of the revamped characters?

How To Apply Perfume Like A Goddess

In my last post I wrote about the perfume of the moment. Today I like to share with you how to apply perfume like a pro. As a child I was always told to spray out into the air, walk into the misted air, and spin around. I'm not sure where I got this idea from but I liked the act of spinning around and I did smell good afterwards. There are more practical methods of spraying on perfume and I'll be sharing them with you.

Here are the tips:

1. Location, location, location: spritz behind your knees, wrists, and bottom clothing. The reasoning being that as the day goes on, the fragrance evaporatesm rising upward. You'll be smelling lovely all day long.
2. Date Night: For the more sensenual perfumes, squirt a little behind the ears and neck. Your man will be lightly enveloped in the sweet scent that he'll think is you.
3. Walk it out: My idea of spraying and spinning around is actually half right. Instead of spinning around it in, spray in front of your body and walk through mist. It'll fall nicely on your skin, hair, and clothes without the spin. Psstt, if you do to do a little twirl, I won't tell, promise.
4. Build upon: If walking it out isn't your cup of tea, try this method. Holding the bottle 6-7 inches from your body, spray part once. Wait a few minutes to let the perfume settle and release its top notes. Then if needed, repeat. 

Photo credit

Perfumes can be expensive and has a shelf life of anywhere from 1 to 8 years (wide range huh?). Here are some tips to prolonge the life of each bottle:

1. No Bathrooms:The high temperature and gross humidity is awful for fragrances. They can alter the scent, making it bolder or just unpleasant.
2. Turn the lights off: like meds, perfumes should be sheltered away from light. The closet, dresser drawer are good options.
3. Ice cold baby: The best and freakiest place for your favorite bottle of perfume is the fridge. If you do store it in there, keep away from foods that easily take in other scents like butter. 

How do you apply your perfume?

What's the funniest way you've seen someone spray it on?

Perfume Of The Moment

I was going through my Allure Insider's Guide when I came across one of those perfume ads where you lift up the paper tab and you're able to smell the fragrance. I love those advertisements but when I do smell each ad I'm usually disappointed. Poppy by Coach caught my nose's attention and I must tell you about it.

It's described as,"Sweetly scented jasmine and gardenia blend with fresh cucumber and candied rose petals in a pretty, lighthearted fragrance". I enjoy the light and sweet scent, it's the kind of fragrance I would wear every day. I'm not much of a perfume girl, in fact I only own one, Romance by Ralph Lauren, so I know this is a good.

Check out the delightfully cute Poppy advertisements below!

Have you tried Poppy? 

 

How many perfumes do you own?

Small Changes To Healthier Skin & Hair

Too often we look for the big end all solution to our skincare and hair problems but those are rarely the answer. It's often the small changes that will get you BIG results. I took the advice of my Great-Grandma, friends, and experts and compiled them into 9 easy changes you can do to get healthy skin and hair.

           Put your hair in a loose bun or ponytail before going to sleep to get your hair and its oil off your face, leading to a clean face in the morning and no tangles.  

           

Ditch the cotton pillowcase for satin. Cotton  creases easily and can leave marks on your face. Satin is known for being gentle on the face and can help make your hair shiny.

       

          

Wear facial SPF every day, even in the dead of winter.  Protect your skin from the harmful sun’s rays which can cause early wrinkles and fine lines, not to mention skin cancer. FDA recently released new information that anything higher than 50 won’t be necessary because 50 is as protected you’ll get.

Invest in prescription sunglasses with UV protection. It’ll help prevent your vision from deteriorating, stop the squinting, and protect the delicate skin around the eyes from crow’s feet and wrinkles. 

This next piece of advice comes from my Great-Grandmother, Lenore, who had beautiful smooth olive skin. She said that you’re never too young to start an anti-aging regime. Once you’re over the horrible phase of acne, around age 22-23, find a moisturizing cream and/or anti-wrinkle product, apply daily.  

           

My hairstylist told me that to prevent stripping the hair of its natural oils you should shampoo every other day and condition every day. IF you have extra fine hair, please use a tiny amount of conditioner.

Speaking of conditioner, leave it in for 2-3 minutes so each strand can be fully soak. Think of the extra time as a mini deep conditioner and a detangler.

Rinse your hair with the coldest water you can possibly stand after you rinse out the shampoo/conditioner. Cold water closes the hair cuticles and locks in the moisture which will smooth and de-frizzes your hair. If you can stand it, rinse out the conditioner with cold water. 

Looking for more shine from your strands? Try apple vinegar, rinse your hair with it once a week or whenever you feel you need to.

 

 The right brush is crucial, steer clear from plastic bristle brushes. Natural boar brushes are perfect for dry hair and wide soft rubber toothed bristled brushes work great for damp hair. Don’t forget to wash your brushes with shampoo once a month to clean it of dirt, dead cells, oil, product, and loose hair.

Do you follow any of these tips?

What do you do to keep healthy skin and hair?