Steamed Up With Ironing Board Hassles? Try This Quick Fix

Ironing.

It's a tedious fact of life for most of us. We have to descend 2 staircases before we can get to ours.

Maybe there's a better solution. At least when it comes to a few wrinkled garments, a lightweight steamer is the way to go. We never believed our friend who begged us to invest in one, but now we know why.

A little steamer can make your life a whole lot easier. We found an adorable one in Rowenta Ultrasteam Handheld Fabric Steamer. Just $30 at BedBathAndBeyond!

How cute is this little fashion-help-me gadget?!

In about 2 quick minutes, your wrinkled mess can be all ironed out. The Rowenta is a great travel companion with dual voltage capabilities for near and far. Plus, the l'il steamer features push-button activation for a continuous flow of steam.

The Rowenta Ultrasteam Handheld Fabric Steamer can smooth out wrinkles from your favorite white blouse to your expensive cashmere sweater. Every gal should have one sitting in her closet ready to go.

Runway Trend For Spring 2012: New Looped Ponytail

Tres elegant!

That's exactly what we think about the new ponytail for Spring 2012.

If you're all thumbs when it comes to fashioning chignons, high braided buns, and so on, then this chic pony is for you. Not much salon talent required. All you need is a little length, and you're ready to get in on the latest hair trend.

The Carolina Herrera runway showed off these wonderful looped ponytails. Not complicated, but very polished and refined. Nothing teen-bopper about this new ponytail.

Celebrity stylist Orlando Pita tells Harper's Bazaar that the look is "young and fresh."

Orlando pulled the hair into a ponytail at the nape of the neck and tucked the tail under into an elastic. Then he topped off the style with Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray ($21, at Moroccanoil.com) for shine and hold.

Extreme Laser Hair Removal: Would You Zap It All Like Kim K?

Today, we are looking at laser hair removal, because we just caught the April InStyle mag article about reality star Kim Kardashian. And the whole idea intrigues us.

Kim K was asked this:

InStyle: "Is it true you lasered your entire body, including your hairline?"

Kim K: "Yes! I'm Armenian-we're hairy. I had, like, 2 inches of baby hair around my hairline. It was out of control. When I slicked my hair into a ponytail, I'd have so much hair on the back of my neck."

We can sort of relate. We have er, hairy arms.

Okay, we said it. And we, too, are Mediterranean. We are of Greek heritage. And no, we have not lasered our arm hairs, but--maybe that's not a bad idea. At the moment, we bleach our arm hairs with Jolen. Kim Kardashian uses the at-home Tria Hair Removal Laser ($395) to "touch up legs and arms," when she can't get in for a laser session, she tells InStyle.

We also want to add, that the striking beauty is being sued by the Tria Beauty company, Radiancy, for making some alleged misleading statements. See, Kim K has been a Tria spokesperson. And a few months ago, she was reportedly sending the wrong message:

Radiancy claimed although TRIA has stated its hair remover gadget is unsafe for the face, head, ears, neck, nipples, genitals or anus, Kim K allegedly said on national television, that she's using TRIA on her entire body.

Meantime....laser hair removal can do some wonderful things in just a few laser sessions at the doctor's office. One of these is a smooth, well-groomed hairline. Kim Kardashian claims she used to wax her forehead up until about 2 years ago. In 2010, she was showing off a higher, more polished new hairline. Check out the before photo 2007 and the after photo 2012(with braided bun).

Laser hair removal is safe and effective. Most people need an average of 4-6 treatments, at about 4-8 week intervals. The hair removal is permanent.

Some critics have been saying that Kim K DID have a little laser hair removal, but that she ALSO probably had a brow lift, because the forehead is considerably 'higher.'

Not sure about that. We're not even going there. We do think Kim's hairline looks pretty and polished.

Cult Favorite: Freeze It Hairspray With Amazing Shine

Okay, so we are a hairspray freak. Well, maybe not that bad, but we do use hairspray EVERY day. And if it ain't aerosol, we don't even bother.

It took us a long time to discover this beauty cult favorite:

Freeze It Hairspray. The collection features a nice variety of "all-weather, high performance hairsprays delivering volume, bounce, and 24-hour shine with Optical Brighteners."

Hmmm. Optical Brighteners. Not sure exactly what those are, but we will say that Freeze It REALLY makes your hair shiny! And that's a plus for all the crazy things we do to our locks day in and day out.

Our cult fave is the Freeze It Mega Freeze Hairspray. Love it! This styling product really forces your mane to stay put and turns up the high-wattage. And it comes in a big 11.6 oz. can---lasts a long time. We found a 2-pack of Freeze It Mega Freeze in the big cans for just $7.94 online at Walmart!

To view the entire product range, visit them at FreezeItHair.com.

Think Green (Emerald) Earrings For Major Events This Spring

Ever since Angelina Jolie wowed everyone on the 2009 Oscar red carpet with HUGE, REAL emerald danglers, well, green is the shade that makes your entire look pop!

Taylor Swift rocked some green with her shiny gold Reem Acra gown back in December, while The Help's Jessica Chastain took everyone's breath away with her own big green danglers during awards season in February.

And emerald earrings remain a hot trend this Spring. Our advice---if you have a very important event to attend in the coming months, put on a pair. And by the way, the emerald earrings don't have to be genuine.

We found 2 pairs of super cute green (faux emerald) earrings at Forever21. And the prices are rock bottom. Each pair just $5.80!

Long Beaded Teardrop Earrings.

Marble Fringed Earrings.

What To Do With Split Ends? Ask Jennifer Aniston

Are you dealing with trichoptilosis?!

That's the fancy medical term for having split ends.

Okay, we plead guilty, and we are certain that most women DO have a few split ends on their beautiful heads of hair. Jennifer Aniston has admitted to having them. She---with one of the best manes in Hollywood?! We'll get to her in a moment.

Back when we were in our late teens, we would find some split ends and start, well, splitting the strands apart. Whee! What a dopey thing to do.

So, exactly what are split ends? It's not too complicated to figure out. Basically, a single hair splits into 2 or more strands. That also signifies that your locks are damaged, resulting in dry ends of hair.

Rough combing/brushing, too many hairstyling heating tools, and even aggressively towel-drying your locks can all cause split ends.

The best solution?

Trim. Trim. And trim. That's exactly what a professional hairstylist would tell you. Sure, there are tons of expensive serums and creams that promise to get rid of your split ends permanently, but that cannot really happen. Split ends can't be glued together. The best these special serums can do is smooth down the strands, so the cuticles of the hairs don't appear so roughed-up.

Maybe that's why Jennifer Aniston is always playing with her hair. The Wanderlust actress recently told InStyle magazine that she had the 'weird tic' of keeping scissors in her car’s glove compartment to trim split ends.

Jennifer cuts her own hair every 5-6 weeks, especially if she has an important event she has to be at. Her celebrity stylist Chris McMillan is always reminding Jennifer that she doesn't know what she's doing when she picks up a pair of scissors.

Well, whatever Jennifer Aniston is doing or nor doing to her hair, it looks great!

Dr. Brandt Introduces New Wrinkle Serums Packed With Retinol

The magic of retinol.

Ever wonder why many skin care companies feature this key wrinkle-fighting ingredient?

It's rather simple. Retinol helps the skin generate new cells and produce more collagen. The old cells come up to the surface and exfoliate, leaving behind a more radiant complexion.

And of course, you don't need a prescription for retinol, which is related to its expensive Rx cousin Retin-A. But both do a very good job of maintaining healthy, younger-looking skin because of their Vitamin A derivatives.

When searching for a retinol skin care product, you want to pick one that packs a retinol punch. And celebrity dermatologist Frederic Brandt has introduced a new wrinkle-fighting duo, with a night serum containing the highest level of retinol available over-the-counter.

Glow by Dr. Brandt....Ruby Crystal Retinol Hydracreme ($65, at Dr. Brandt Skin Care. The nourishing formula has unique light-reflecting particles that help minimize fine lines and wrinkles, giving off a nice sheen to the complexion.

Glow by Dr. Brandt....Overnight Resurfacing Serum ($85, at Dr. Brandt Skin Care. A whopping 2% active retinol time-release complex is featured. That's pretty big--compared to a 1% retinol formula we thought was the most potent. And this serum delivers better tone and texture and younger-looking skin.

If this is too steep of a beauty investment for you, the company also offers Dr. Brandt Glow by Dr. Brandt Introductory Kit for $65.