No Matter How You Plait It--Braids Are Hot In 2015. Look For Braids At Oscars Sunday

Braids.

Classic. Bohemian. Beachy. And even red carpet. Get ready for MORE braids this Oscars Sunday!

No matter how you plait it----Braids are THE hair trend for 2015. 

Just look at Iggy Azalea at the recent Grammy Awards. Check out the intricate plaiting!

Braids are also major for Spring style 2015, as seen at Michael Kors in a sexy, low, loose + messy way:

Both Kim Kardashian + Jennifer Aniston showed off some braided beauty last summer.

To achieve a great + managable braid, the pros spray on some dry shampoo to give the hair some grab + texture, if you will. A good one to try is L'Oreal Paris EverStyle Energizing Dry Shampoo
($6.99, at Walgreens).

Waiting For Cindy Crawford Comment On Un-Retouched Photo? Don't Hold Your Breath

Cindy Crawford will ALWAYS be remembered as one of the great supermodels of all time.

Around the globe, women are singing Cindy's praises for an un-retouched Marie Claire magazine photo from 2013 that was leaked a few days ago.

It was NOT supposed to be seen, and now that's all everybody is buzzing about.

Cindy Crawford is probably mortified, but then again, EVERY woman would be freaking out if the entire world happened to see that they, like this supermodel, were NOT 100% perfect.

The bra + panty shot is a sexy one. But it does display among Cindy's appealing assets, a bit of a belly, stretch marks + cellulite. We showed the un-retouched photo here at BeautyTipToday on Friday, February 13th.

Trust us....even models of all ages have these imperfections, and PHOTO-SHOP comes in and clears them all away.

So, people are waiting for Cindy to comment on the less than flattering photo.

Will she?

Probably not.

Cindy Crawford can buy and sell each one of us, as the old saying goes.

Stretch marks + cellulite are imperfections that happen to most of us. And no---neither can be removed permanently.

Stretch marks + cellulite occur in women of all ages, races, weights, heights, and body types from athetes to non-athletes, from models to non-models, and so forth.

Our BEST defense? Well, topical products can help MINIMIZE stretch marks + cellulite and prevent new ones from popping up.

For example, stretch marks appear to respond well to prescription Retin-A cream.

Dr. Amy Derick, a dermatologist in Barrington, Illinois,  says you should try and diminish their appearance.  And act sooner than later. "There’s really not any data regarding creams, " she told the NY Times. "But you can do laser treatments or Retin-A after the fact, especially early on when the lines are red and purple."

Studies have found that  topical tretinoin can lighten stretch marks as well as reduce their size.

Learn more about Retin-A here.

Plus White 5 Minute Premier Whitening Sytem: Quick Brighter Smile for $10!

Let's face it---a bright, beautiful smile is pretty awesome. 

It's impossible for most of us to compete against Hollywood's super white, super fake, super expensive teeth, BUT....if you want to get yours a couple of shades whiter for $10 in a jiffy, then try this:

Plus White 5-Minute Premier Whitening System

We bought ours online at one of our FAVE beauty stores that stocks LOTS of cool items here at HarmonDiscount.
.
Hey, for $9.99, this inexpensive, drugstore teeth whitener is worth a shot. So if you don't see great results, you haven't blown your beauty budget too badly.

"Whitening your teeth is one of the fastest ways to turn back the

clock." — Cosmetic dentist Nancy Rosen, N.Y.C. revealed to Harper's Bazaar magazine.

It's true, even a shade or two brighter makes an attractive difference.

We don't smoke, drink tea or coffee, and don't often indulge in red wine, but we've been a soda drinker (Coke) all our life, and even that can stain teeth, as well as eat away at the enamel.

Plus White 5 Minute is NOT a professional whitening system by any stretch....BUT it does work, and we believe you will see some decent whitening. We've been using it for 4 days now and notice at least 1 1/2 shades brighter.

Inside the DIY kit, you will find this:

Premier Whitening (Pack of 1)

• Proven Bleaching Power That Whitens And Brightens
• Contains An Enamel-Friendly Bleaching Ingredient
• Stainguard Rinse Keeps Teeth Whiter
• For Fast And Effective Whitening
• Comfortable Mouth Tray

Time To Battle Horrible Hobbit Feet: Burt's To The Rescue!

We have referred to dry, cracked, callused, winter feet as hobbit feet, er, because that is what our feet tend to feel like in the dead of winter:

 Like leathery, thick soles...LOL

But that's okay. There is some topical help on the way!

You need a serious cream that nourishes thirsty toes and heels, and Burt's Bees happens to make an excellent, cult-favorite foot cream:

Just look at the reviews here and you will see why this gel-like foot cream is a WINNER.

For $9, this tube delivers!

It's formulated with coconut oil, glycerin, and peppermint + rosemary extracts.

Burt's advises using the foot cream like this:

"Apply liberally and allow the cream to fully absorb. For a luxurious way to treat your feet, soak feet in warm water for 10-15 minutes and rub gently with a pumice stone. Massage Coconut Foot Creme into feet, paying close attention to heels and calloused skin. Then cover your feet with cotton socks overnight to soothe and seal in moisture."

Classic Red Nail Polish: Great Little Beauty Accent for Valentine's Day

Maybe you have some major Valentine's Day plans this evening.

Lucky you, girlfriend!

And maybe you don't like wearing red from head-to-toe. Let's face it---red is a BOLD color, but you can add a little bit of red to your V-Day beauty arsenal.

This is so simple, and yet will get you noticed:

Classic, red nail polish.

It's a sophisticated shade that looks FAB on ALL skin tones. And we have a great one here to check out:

Nails Inc. Nailkale (Classic red, at Sephora, $14).

Head to your Sephora store now and pick up a bottle. It's a gorgeous shade that stands out in these pale winter days.

Happy Valentine's Day!

“After awhile, you just want to be with the one that makes you laugh.”
Sex and the City

“Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable.”
Wizard of Oz

"The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them."
Stephen King

"Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart."
Unknown

"Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end." 
Unknown

Un-Retouched 2013 Photo Of Cindy Crawford Surfaces: This Is Real Life

Iconic model Cindy Crawford turns 49-years-old this February 20th.

Still in great shape and a mother-of-two.

But now an un-retouched 2013 magazine lay-out photo has surfaced of the sexy star, and it is causing a lot of BUZZ.

As we've all learned by now, photo-shopping is a very useful tool in the advertising world. Pretty + perfect sell lots of things. So do young + barely wrinkled.

That is why models have a short shelf life when it comes to their careers.

Cindy has broken all the rules. She has never needed an expiration date.

But take a look at REAL Cindy Crawford from 2013 in a photo shoot for fashion mag Marie Claire. This pic had NOT been photo-shopped and wasn't supposed to be leaked out.

Well, we think Cindy Crawford remains a sexy girl, and appears human for goodness sakes. She's got a healthy, slim, toned body. What's there not to love?!

We like seeing un-retouched photos because they display the realness of a human being. As stunning as Cindy has ALWAYS been, she is in fact, a real person with real imperfections like everyone else on the planet.

But don't feel too badly about Cindy's un-retouched photo, because she is part owner of the successful skin care line Meaningful Beauty, which pulls in a reported $100m a year.

Cindy said this about aging to Women's Wear Daily:

"Beauty changes as I get older. I've always found that beauty and confidence are synonymous. If you feel confident, that's what people see.

"I always tell people to fake it until they make it."

Love You, Uma: But This Parisienne Makeup Isn't Chic On Anyone!

As women, it is easy to be critical of other women.

Of course, it is NOT nice and NOT right, but when it comes to physical appearance, women tend to judge OTHER women so harshly.

Now let's bring in much beloved actress Uma Thurman. .

Here is the pretty blond star at  a NYC premiere a couple of days ago. Take a long look:

It's called effortless Parisienne chic.....a more natural-looking makeup  minus mascara, according to pro artist Troy Surratt.

Hmmm. Well, we don't find the look tres chic on anyone unless perhaps under the age of 30?

This red carpet cosmetics boo-boo just goes to show you how important eye makeup is to the beauty + balance of the face.

Now, if Uma had a cool-lined eye with a bit of mascara on, then she would have slayed most at the premiere, but this is incomplete if you will.

And the poor thing has been struck with tons of critical bows + arrows, accused of being botoxed + full of filler along with talk of recent plastic surgery.

Uma was a guest on the Today show this morning. She wasn't upset with all the slams about her effortless Parisienne chic look. She took it all in stride.

Check her reaction here at the 2:16 minute mark.

Here's what Uma usually looks like with a full set of makeup on:

What do you think?

Mr. Surratt was surprised by the backlash and wanted to try a different makeup appraoch:

"I wanted to give Uma a statement lip balanced by a more feathered brow," he explains. "Uma and I discussed creating a look that was more editorial with soft natural lashes. As a makeup artist I’ve grown a bit tired of all of the lash-y looks and fake eyelashes that we’ve been seeing on the red carpet for some time now."

Can Uma get away with zero eye makeup + bold lips on the red carpet?