Looking for a new way to style your hair this Spring? Look no further than the braid from your schooldays. Fishtail braids, ponytail braids, tiny braids, chignon braids…don’t hold back! Let those plaiting hands get to work. Here’s a gallery from the Spring 2011 runways for a little inspiration.

Lacoste | Carlos Miele | Behnaz Sarafpour | Georges Chakra | Nicholas K | Hermes | Georges Chakra | Lela Rose | Charlotte Ronson | Jason Wu | Nicole Miller

As you can see, sleek is good but messy is better. And don’t be afraid to add a ribbon or two!
Which will you try first?

Nail colors this Spring are far from ordinary. From barely there nudes to blingy golds, there’s something for every style and personality.

Nude

Lippmann Collection Nail Lacquer – Naked

Gold

butter LONDON West End Wonderland

Pastel Blue

essie nail colour Polish, sweet talker

Peach

Essie – Tart Deco

Lavender

essie – Nice is Nice

Good hair color isn’t cheap – you want it to last as long as possible.


Here are 7 tips for extending your hair color.

Tip 1 – Color Dirty Hair

Don’t wash your hair right before having it colored. Dirty hair is easier for your stylist to work with but, most importantly, the natural oils found on dirty hair help your color adhere better.

Tip 2 – Wait To Shampoo

After having your hair colored, wait to shampoo for at least 24 hours. The longer you can wait, the more you will allow the color to completely absorb in your hair follicles.

Tip 3 – Extend Your Shampoos

This is true whether you have colored hair or not. The longer you can go without shampooing your hair, the more the natural oils in your scalp will work to moisturize your hair. Feel like your hair is too oily to go more than one day? Try to wash your hair every other day for a week. It will be oily at first, but eventually the oils in your scalp will begin to regulate themselves and your scalp will become less oily. Make sure to brush your hair every night to brush the oils from scalp to ends – this will help keep your hair nice and healthy and will also make your scalp less oily.
If you can shampoo your colored hair every 2 or 3 days instead of every day, you will extend your hair color monumentally.

Tip 4 – Color Gloss Between Colors

I mentioned this in ‘Establishing A Spa Routine’. Having a color gloss applied between your color treatments will give your hair a shiny gloss and will also make your roots less noticeable in those last couple of weeks before your next color.

Tip 5 – Use A Color Safe Shampoo

As you’ve probably noticed, shampoo the biggest culprit when it comes to fading hair color. Use a color-safe shampoo to extend the life of your color. I recommend Aveda’s Color Conserve, Fekkai’s Color Care or Clairol’s Shimmer Lights.

Tip 6 – Avoid Hot Water

When rinsing your hair, avoid super hot water as this has a tendency to strip your hair. If you can stomach it, switch your shower all the way to cold when rinsing your hair. This will also help to close the cuticle and make your hair smoother and shinier.

Tip 7 – Condition

Moisturized hair will maintain color a lot longer than dry, brittle hair. Extending your shampoos will help to keep your hair soft and sleek as will sparse use of blow dryers, flat irons and curling irons. In addition to those tips, make sure to deep condition your hair once a week.


What do you do to extend your hair color?


Photo Credit – marie claire

Soft, Smoky Eyes

A soft smoky eye takes your regular, daily eye shadow and bumps it up a notch. Create a smoky look by wearing more of your usual heather, gray, brown or green shadow and applying it into your crease and down along the edge of your eye.


Is this wearable? – Absolutely. Soft, smoky eyes should be your go-to style for nights out on the town. You can easily add a bit of shadow to your everyday look to achieve this look.


MORE – The Soft Smoky Eye Trend

Orange Lips

Orange, matte shades are the hottest lipstick options for Spring 2011. Find a non-shiny, non-shimmery lip color in a coral or red/orange shade. If you’re not so sure about going orange, try it out with an orange/red shade first.


Is this wearable? – As with all red lips, you run the risk of looking like a clown. Find a shade that works with your skin tone and make sure to keep the rest of your makeup simple. Concealer, black eyeliner and mascara are just about all you’ll need. I highly recommend consulting with a makeup professional about the shade and accompanying makeup.

Bright Eyes

Bright, show-stopping colors are the latest for eyeshadow colors. Look for reds, purples, blues and greens. MAC has the best options for beauty store finds. You might also look at costume and theater makeup shops as they carry a constant supply of just about every color – plus, these apply much thicker as the trend prescribes.


Is this wearable? – Not really. If your style matches the spirit of this trend, you’ve probably already been wearing your makeup like this. For the average girl, this is a bit over the top. If you really want to go for it, wear it for a night out on the town. And, make sure to apply eyeshadow primer.

Natural Blush

Natural blush, in golds and peachy pinks, give you that sun-kissed look like you just got off the beach. Keep the rest of your makeup simple – a light coat of mascara, one natural shade of eyeshadow, clear lipgloss.


Is this wearable? – Absolutely. Of all the trends listed here, this is definitely the most wearable. If you’re a pink blush kind of girl, move to a blush with more gold or peach hues for a different look. Consult with your favorite beauty counter to find one that’s right for you.

What do you think? Which makeup trend will you try this Spring?

It’s so easy to forget to make an appointment for the spa. You always leave feeling fabulous, but then forget to book your next appointment until it’s too late. Your nails are scraggly, your skin is dull, your hair is two-toned and split at the ends. You try to get in, but you have to wait another week or two. During this time, your beauty situation becomes dire. You’re tempted to wear a paper bag over your head until your appointment. Does this happen to you?

I used to be a paper-bag-wearer every 2 months or so. It took getting engaged and reading a bridal beauty schedule to get me in the habit of following a spa schedule.


Now that I do, I’m hooked. I push the limits as far as I can to make sure I’m not breaking the bank with my spa habits, but I never get to that scraggly, dull, two-toned, split ends stage. Here is a schedule you can follow – accounting for time and money and offering maintenance suggestions as well.

Hair

Cut

Short - If your hair is short, it takes a bit more maintenance to maintain its stylish shape. Women with short hair will need to have their hair cut every 4 weeks.
Medium - Medium hair cuts give you a little more wiggle room than short cuts, but you should still make sure to visit your salon every 5 weeks.
Long - With long hair, you have the ultimate in terms of forgiveness. To keep your ends healthy, make sure you get a trim every 6 weeks.


If you’re growing your hair out in any of the styles listed above, don’t just let your hair grow willy-nilly. Make sure to have your ends trimmed at least every 8 weeks.

Color

No Roots – If you never want your roots to show, get your hair colored every 4 weeks. However, if you’re having your hair colored this often, make sure you’re not damaging your hair. Consult with your hair stylist to make sure the color being used on your hair isn’t super harsh.
Starting To Show – If you can handle your roots showing just a bit, you can probably wait until 6 weeks to have your hair colored again. Again, make sure you’re taking a healthy approach to your color so as not to damage your hair.
Two-Toned – If you wait 8 weeks or longer, your hair is going to look two-toned. You’ll have that ‘I’m growing out my color’ look – not pleasant. Depending on the difference between your natural hair color and your enhanced hair color, this may not be as drastic for some. If you can make it this long without having ombre hair, it’s a much healthier (and more affordable!) option.


Ways to extend your hair color – Using shampoos that are gentle on color-treated hair definitely seems to extend the amount of time you can go between colors. I love Frederic Fekkai Technician Color Care Shampoo. I don’t find the need to use a color care conditioner and can use one more suited to my hair texture.
Another little secret my hair colorist introduced me to is the Aveda color gloss services. I have my hair colored every 8 weeks with a color gloss in between. The color gloss gives my hair a nice shine and extends the color until my next highlight.

Nails

Perfect Cuticles – If money and time are no object, you should get a manicure every week and a pedicure every 3 weeks. This will keep your nail polish fresh, your cuticles healthy and your nails well-groomed.
Maintenance – If your budget and schedule don’t allot for such a hefty nail schedule, try to get a full mani/pedi at least once a month with a polish change on your hands in between. Most salons will do a basic nail grooming as they do your polish change. This will keep your nails looking fresh, your cuticles healthy and your pocketbook happy.


Ways to extend your manis –
1 – Wear gloves when you clean, wash dishes or garden
2 – Apply cuticle oil each night before bed
3 – Apply a clear coat every couple of days

Skin

Facials – I love a good facial even more than I love a good massage. I highly recommend having a facial (with extractions) every month. If your budget and schedule don’t permit that, go for at least once every 3 months.


Tip - As much as I love my regular aesthetician, there are plenty of group deals on spa services. A facial is a good way to experience a new spa since there’s not so much they can screw up.


Waxing – To maintain a good shape and not mess up the progress your aesthetician has made, make sure to have your eyebrows waxed about once a month. It pays to go to someone who specializes in eyebrow shaping instead of the random nail-tech, waxing your brows behind a makeshift curtain.


One of the best ways to make sure you maintain a spa schedule is to book your next appointment as you check out. Booking your services in advance ensures you’ll be able to get in when you need to.


Do you have a spa schedule? How is it similar or different to the one I listed here?


Photo Credit – epic self