Dress Up Your Hair With Beautiful Accessories

How stunning are these hair accessories by Alex and Ani?!

Hair accessories are back in style for 2008. From colorful, jeweled barrettes to pretty combs and headbands, why not dress up your hair and have some fun!

You don't have to have long hair to show off a lovely hair comb. Any style will do. And if you hate your haircut, your bangs are too short, for instance, just clip a cute barrette to pin them back, or smooth them away with a leather headband.

Actress Charlize Theron wore a beautiful hair comb with her dazzling yellow Christian Dior gown at the Golden Globes Awards. If the hair accessory is very fancy, then save it for a red carpet-like evening event. Or if you want to make your hair THE fashion statement to your wardrobe ensemble, then go for it.

And Charlize is not alone. Other glamorous celebrities like Kristen Bell, Amanda Peet, Milla Jovovich, and Eva Longoria Parker, all love to wear hair accessories.

Alex and Ani designs gorgeous hair accessories, as you can see from the photos.

Bottom photo: Alex and Ani Vintage Cameo Mini Comb with Crystal Accents ($18.00)

Top photo: Alex and Ani Rhinestone Hair Clip ($38.00)

For more information, call 800-725-7822.

ULTA Beauty Stores Equal Makeup Heaven

If you're one of the lucky ones to have an ULTA beauty store in your state, then you know how spectacular this place is. A salon, department store, and drug store all under one roof. And if you don't reside in one of the 26 states where more than 250 ULTA stores are located nationwide, then you can visit http://www.ulta.com/. Trust us, you won't be disappointed.

Yes, you are in makeup heaven inside ULTA. You name it, you can hunt it down---makeup, skin care, fragrance, bath & body, hair care, tools, accessories, and a men's section. Big brand names like Clinique, Caswell-Massey, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Carolina Herrera, Cover Girl, Biore. The list never seems to end.

ULTA beauty also has its own line of beauty treats with very reasonable prices, too. And the quality of their makeup alone, is top notch.

What we really love about the Ulta beauty buying experience, are the discounts and special purchasing incentives. For example, check out this month's In Style Makeover Special Issue Fall 2008. Inside, you will find a purple coupon for Ulta beauty stores featuring a $5.00 discount with a minimum purchase of $10.00. Just apply the code when you shop online.

And at their website, there is currently a promotion going on for FREE shipping on purchases of $25.00 or more. And that's not all. There are a number of great specials--Buy 1 and Get 1 FREE L'Oreal Revitalift Daily Moisturizing Cream with SPF15. Or how about this---Buy 1 , Get 1 50% off on LaCoupe Hair care. Be sure to check back often, there is always a freebie at ULTA.

An ULTA beauty store offers you something, you can't always find at your local drugstore. Variety and volume. How frustrating is it, to head to your store and not be able to find any more Maybelline Mascara in Very Black, for instance. At ULTA, the choices are many, and the brands are by the hundreds.

If you adore makeup, skin care, hair care, and more, this is THE place to discover the latest trends and biggest sellers. From head to toe, and in between, ULTA is a beauty nation of its own.

How To Fake A French Manicure

You've got to admit, there's nothing prettier than a French manicure. And we're going to show you how to quickly and beautifully fake the perfect French manicure.

French manicures are designed to resemble a natural nail, and are recognized by natural pink base nails with white tips. The tips of the nail are painted white while the rest of the nail is polished in a pink or nude shade.

According to research, French manicures may have come about in 18th-century Paris and were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. And French manicures are timeless---they always look right in any fashion decade.

We love the French manicure because it sports a clean and natural look. It's simple and classic. And even though your nails might not be in perfect condition, we have a few tips on how to improve the health of your nails BEFORE you fake a French manicure.

Whiter Nails. Yellow nails develop when dark polishes are put on, over and over again. Smokers tend to have yellow nails. Certain nail polish removers can cause discoloration, too. For whiter nails, try rubbing a lemon wedge across your nails and underneath the nails. Or you can try this tip: Soak hands in warm water for about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss in a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets. Soak until the fizzing stops.

Stronger Nails. Hate nails that dry out and split or break off easily? Trying soaking hands in warm olive oil for a few minutes a couple of times a week. This really helps the entire nail bed. In a few weeks, you will notice a difference in the health of your nails.

To Fake a French Manicure. You will need just 2 beauty items:

Malava Cuticle Oil. ($9.99, www.folica.com). Massage a little cuticle oil onto the nail beds. It softens up the skin, and will give you a prettier nail contour in time.

Sally Hansen 2 in 1 Nail White Pencil ($3, drugstores). Moisten the white pencil tip and run it or apply it under the rims of the nails.

There. You have just faked a French manicure. Works every time.

How To Use Foundation Primer For A Flawless Finish

You've heard of Spackle. That stuff you use to fill in holes and cracks BEFORE you paint or paper a wall. It smoothes the surface. Period. That's exactly what a makeup primer does. And more.

Primers or foundation primers, as they are called in the beauty biz, are gaining greater popularity these days. And there are a large number of primers on store shelves to choose from. Most are colorless. But there are some that come in bronze shades for a tanned appearance. Some in green to cancel out or minimize redness. And some in lavender to balance out yellow skintones. There are other primers with moisturizers blended in them. Or some with salicylic acid to battle pimples all day long. And even a bunch with soothing anti-oxidants like grapeseed extract and peptide complexes. And so on.

The beauty of a primer is its perfection at filling in fine lines and pores for a flawless finish BEFORE foundation application. Some women like to wear primer alone, and skip the foundation. But most primer fans love to create as smooth a complexion as they can, so that the next layer, that of foundation, glides over easily.

In other words, think of these steps, as building a house. Layer upon layer. Only in this case, you end up with an almost 'air-brushed' face. The primer allows your makeup staying power. Oily faces are supposed to stay fresher longer. And if your primer doesn't contain 'built-in' dewy softeners for dry skin, then apply moisturizer before you prime.

Here are 3 foundation primers well-respected in the world of makeup:

Laura Geller Spackle Primer ($21.50, http://www.sephora.com/ and fine dept. stores) 100% oil-free. Comes in an 'airless' pump, so you get every last drop. Perfects your skin's texture. Contains soothing botanicals.

Smashbox PhotoFinish Foundation Primer-colorless ($36, http://www.sephora.com/ and fine dept. stores). Contains Vitamin C and peptides to help even skintone and encourage collagen production.

Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer ($28, http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/). Helps skin retain its natural moisture with sweet almond, algae extract, and soothing raspberry and chamomile.

Foundation primers seem to cost more than regular foundation makeup. At least starting in the $20 range. Think of a primer as a good beauty investment. And in case you're wondering about a separate primer for eyes, yeah, they've got that, too. It really makes eyeshadows and liners 'stay put,' and helps minimize crepey skin, which is common in wrinkles around the eyes.

Beauty Insiders Give Their Best Makeup And Hair Tips

We all love beauty tips. And when a bunch of celebrity hair and makeup insiders give us mere mortals some of their best secrets, then we want to share them with all our friends.

Our source is the new fall 2008 issue of In Style/ Makeover. This super guide gives every gal the beauty tools to transform herself into a stunning new woman. From layered celebrity hairstyles to making over your makeup bag to an interview with healthy beauty Brooke Shields, there are amazing tips that you can call your own.

And the hair and makeup pros each give some unique and useful advice:

Concealer. Makeup artist Carmindy tells women to put on the foundation BEFORE putting on the concealer. " If you put it on first and then you blend on the foundation, you're essentially erasing all your handiwork. If you layer concealer on top, it's staying where it needs to stay, and doing its job."

Flyaway Hair. Hair stylist Clyde Haygood goes to the laundry room for this trade secret. Dryer sheets. Carry them in your purse. "If frizzies threaten to ruin your look, run a sheet over your hair to subdue flyaway strands. When you need to take a model's photo fast, this trick really does work."

Pimples. We all get blemishes and we all hate how these skin eruptions ruin our lives, but esthetician to the stars, Sonya Dakar, has a natural remedy. "Mix together one packet of dry yeast with the juice of half a lemon and spread over a blemish for 5 minutes. This works wonderfully to dry it out."

Liquid Liner. Applying liquid eyeliner perfectly is extremely difficult to do. Makeup artist and Avon Global Creative Color Director, Jillian Dempsey, has a neat trick that allows you to cheat.

"To make liquid liner less intimidating to use, create a liner 'stencil' by going over the lash line with taupe pencil first. Then apply liquid liner over that."

Good Skin. Facialist Nerida Joy knows how to achieve glowing, healthy skin. Exfoliation is the key, she says. "By cleansing your face every night with a fresh washcloth---which is more sanitary than re-using a sponge--and using enzyme-based masks on a regular basis, the outer layer of dead cells is eliminated, leaving the newest, softest skin."

Better Brows. Neat and polished eyebrows bring attention to your eyes, so don't neglect your brows. Makeup artist Mally Roncal has this beauty tip using tinted gloss. "To give brows color, shine, and great hold, take a little bit of MAC Oh Baby lipgloss and comb it through the eyebrows. A word of warning: Make sure you're wearing your hair pulled back!"

In Style's special makeover issue for fall 2008, is on newsstands now. For more information, visit: http://www.instyle.com/.

Does Beauty Really Follow The Math Ratio of Phi?

What do mathematics have to do with a beautiful face? Isn't a face either instantly very attractive or it isn't?

Apparently, some experts believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but that beauty is based on key factors like the Phi ratio, or the golden ratio of 1.618:1, which ultimately equals balance and harmony. This golden ratio is found everywhere on the planet----in flowers, music, architecture, birds, etc.

And although, we as individuals, all have different races, nationalities, ages, sexes, and features, according to the MBA or Marquardt Beauty Analysis, a beautiful face will still conform to this one Phi ratio.

Huh?

Dr. Stephen R. Marquardt, a maxillo-facial surgeon from California, has been studying human attractiveness for years. And he developed a beauty mask overlay. The mask, seen above in the photo, uses the pentagon and decagon as its foundation, which embody the Phi ratio in all its dimensions. In other words, beautiful faces will conform most to the measurements in the Marquardt mask.

For all you math genuises out there, there are golden sections that lead to the golden ratio in the composition of our facial features. The golden ratio is thought by many to represent a ratio of natural beauty.

Then what is a golden section? Christian at http://www.thetanooki.com/, had a better explanation than we can give you:

"Well, it’s the point determined by the Golden Ratio, approximately 0.618. When you mark a line at this point, the shorter segment has the same relationship to the larger segment that the larger segment has to the whole line.
Another way to look at it is through the Fibonacci series of numbers. It’s the series of numbers where you add the two previous numbers to get the next one. The ratio between one number to the next just happens to be the so-called Golden Ratio. "

Some plastic surgeons and orthodontists use this mask's dimensions, to help their patients through surgery, become more attractive people. The closer your facial features fit the mask, the more attractive you are, according to the MBA. And yes, your smile and mouth are part of this theory.

On the other hand, there are plastic surgeons and orthodontists who are against using the Phi ratio when performing surgery on patients. Many believe surgery is designed to make an individual look better, but not fit an universal mold, or one mathematical proportion.

Still, it is fascinating to think, that beauty, no matter how individual, still conforms to a universal theory of proportion.

Check out Dr. Marquardt's educational and wonderful website: http://www.beautyanalysis.com/. You can even download a copy of the mask, and slip your own photo underneath it, to see how your own facial measurements conform.

6 Junk Foods That Help Your Diet Weight Loss

What if we told you, there were six deliciously, bad junk foods that are actually good for you. Six snacks that you CAN add to your diet to help you lose weight. Not buying it? Well, sit back, because you can eat a few snacks and not ruin your diet. Don't worry, these foods won't add more 'junk to the trunk.'

We adore beauty tips that involve a healthy diet. We're all fighting the battle of the bulge, at least once in a while. So we were excited to learn about these tips today on Fox TV's The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet.

Their food expert was Keri Gans and she gave out the list of 6 junk foods that are good for your body. And Keri has the background to make these claims. According to her own website, Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian in private practice in Manhattan. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Ohio University, and is an ACE certified personal trainer. http://www.kerigansnutrition.com/.

The wonderful, bad thing about junk foods, are their naughty and great taste, texture, crunch, saltiness, or sweetness, and chewiness. Usually junk food is so high in fat and sodium, with too many carbohydrates. But Keri says these 6 junk foods offer you more than some good cheating during the day:

Chocolate Milk. You loved it as a kid, and here's another reason to pick up a glass again. Chocolate milk only has about 160 Calories per serving. And 30% of your calcium daily requirement can be found in a glass of chocolate milk. A nice, filling drink.

Some Cookies. Fig Newtons, Bicotti, and Animal Crackers. These three are low in sugar, and excellent to snack on. Lots of texture and lots of crunch. Just don't go overboard and eat tons of them.

Pizza. A slice of regular tomato and cheese pizza is only about 300 Calories. Nutritious, as long as you don't start adding extras like sausage, etc. Keri suggests you also blot your pizza with a napkin, to absorb the overload of sauce and oil.

Pork Rinds. Very crunchy junk food. People love 'em. And guess what? They are full of protein. The fat that's in pork rinds, is the same fat found in healthy olive oil. So crunch on!

Potatoes. Yes, potatoes are good for you. No, not french fries. Try a baked potato. You can even add a Tablespoon or two of sour cream on it. Potatoes are full of Potassium and Vitamin C. Great things for your diet.

Beef Jerky. A super low calorie snack. Nice and chewy and keeps your mouth busy, too. One stick contains about 6 grams of protein. And many of these jerkys are now made organically.

Let's face it. These are 6 super junk foods that not only taste yummy, but also provide a bit of nutrition during the day. Remember---everything in moderation. Now pass us the biscotti and chocolate milk.