Brooke Moinet

I am watching the Red Carpet for the SAG Awards and I have seen some really bad hair!

Rachel Evan-Wood has a faded orange hair-color with dishwater blonde roots coming through…. Who told her this was ok? It’s award season honey, go get your color done!

The gorgeous Penelope Cruz must have gotten stiffed by her hair-dresser tonight. Poor girl had to sport the rough dried, and half pulled up look.

Lastly Angelina, Angelina… I give her credit for trying something different, but this time I think she should have left the hair down. Her loosely pinned back do, only made her look fifteen years older. But, I am happy her hair was pulled away from her face, when you’re that stunning there is no need to hide behind hair.

I have never been a big fan of getting my nails done. In fact, it’s probably the one area of beauty I would have gotten a bad grade in, in the past.  But, I have to say as of lately I’ve turned the switch. For me being over seven months prego, it’s one area that is helping me feel fabulous, when I’m not up to putting one hundred percent into my hair and makeup.

Still, getting my nails done is not something I get excited about, like a massage and so I don’t usually make an appointment I walk-in on my own terms. In most cases I get lucky and get in right away, but every now and then it’s good to have a back-up plan. Like New Years Eve I needed major help in the nail department and couldn’t get an appointment so, I whipped out a pack of stick-on “nail patches” from my favorite store Sephora.  It wasn’t perfect, but it covered my nails in a snap, and I didn’t have to wait for them to dry, they were shiny and lasted for days! I’m sure if I bought more “nail-patches” and practiced the application I could fool someone into thinking it was the perfect manicure.

If you need a pick me up, get your nails polished. Don’t have the time or patience? Fake it, patch them up!

Static and the bitter cold go hand in hand. So, if you are one of the lucky ones and live in a place where it gets cold enough to snow, you know what I’m talking about. It’s not just your dress pants either, your hair suffers as well.

One way to fight the cling is to spray static-guard onto your brush and take it through the stands. Spraying it on the brush rather then your hair will help you distribute the static-guard more evenly, throughout the hair.  

Also, try switching your conditioner to a heavier treatment, during winter months. Lack of humidity on the outside and the turning up of the heat on the inside really drys your strands out, along with your skin and nails. So, pack in the extra moisture.

To tweeze or to wax? That is the question…. Well, when it comes to your face if at all possible I would advise tweezing.  This is because it’s less stress on the skin. Waxing actually removes a layer of skin (and if you’re unlucky, more than one layer of skin. Ouch!) with the hair. This causes excess irritation, pulls on the skin,  and exposes you to a greater risk for hyperpigmentation. So, if you wax any part of your face, stay away from the sun! Believe me when I tell you I have treated several cases of hyperpig on the upper lip, do to girlies that get a wax and sun their faces soon after. A brown patch above the lip on a woman is not a good look.

Although it takes a bit more time I would go for a good tweeze, or threading, and even a good a laser treatment above the lip. Also, tweezing and treading has a much lower chance for error, because wax has a tendency to spread.

*Threading is another form of hair removal that uses a special technique with “thread”. It’s like tweezing, where it doesn’t harm the skins surface.

One way to instantly add glam to your overall look is lashes. There are a few ways you can add lashes to the ones you already have.

1. Strip eyelashes
2. cluster/individual lashes
3. lash extensions

Personally, I like the strip lashes because they are much quicker to apply and I am usually in a hurry.  make sure to measure the stip to your eye before applying, and if it’s too long don’t be afraid to cut it to fit your lash-line.

Clusters, and individual lashes take a little longer and more precision to apply. They aren’t impossible, they just take practice. Be sure to keep the longer, thicker lashes toward the outer corner of the eye, to keep the look as “natural” as possible.

For strip lashes, cluster, and individual you need to also buy glue if your lashes do not come with there own tube. You can buy the glue in clear or black. Also you’ll need a pair of tweezers to help you apply the lashes with more grace. You can also buy a special tool specifically for applying strip eyelashes.This tool looks like a very large and wide pair of tweezers, however, I’d still keep the other tweezers close by.

Lash extensions are individual lashes that are applied professionally and last a few weeks. It’s all the rage in Hollywood, however I would test your eye sensitivity with the more temporary lashes first. I hear lash extensions can be a bit uncomfortable and feel like a perma-wig on top of your eye.

Go for it, glam up those baby blues, or browns and add a little more lash!

Is coloring your hair at home a good idea? Sure it’s cheap, the economy is going bust, and finding a good time to get into your stylist can be impossible. But, before you say screw it and head to the supermarket for that box color with Eva Longoria on the cover, let me give you some advice.

1. If you want to go lighter, know that “color” does NOT lift color. So if your hair has been previously dyed don’t even attempt this application. If your hair is natural, at home color usually only lifts about two levels or shades.
2. By all means please lease do not try to highlight your own hair, believe me it will look hideous. There is a reason stylist go to beauty school and continue their education throughout the years, it’s all about technique.
3. If wanting go red, please know that RED is the hardest to remove from the hair…
4. Know your tones. All hair color comes in a level or shade plus the tone of the shade. Meaning brown/gold, brown/violet, brown/ash. etc. So, learn your tones and remember which one you use on your hair in-case of a mishap and you need your stylist to correct it.
5. at home hair color is notorious for containing metallic dyes. Metallic dyes make it very difficult to change or correct a color. And layering these dyes create build up and usually end up looking “muddy” or “flat” over time.

Hopefully this helps you in your decision over whether or not to color your hair yourself.

Now I know it’s not my imagination, letting your color/highlight grow out inches past there retouch phase is a total trend today. I am seeing it everywhere! From Mary-Kate Olsen, to the girls on  MTV’s The City, to stylists in the salon, it’s regrowth central. I admit to a certain subtle point it looks ok. But if your regrowth and previously colored hair is so dramatically different that you have an obvious LINE going around your head, you need to go to the salon. ASAP!

To try this look ask your stylist to give you “hidden highlights”. Keep the brighter highlights around the face, under the top layers of hair. Ask the stylist not to bring the highlight to the root, and to use a zig-zag approach on painting on the highlight to help the highlight look more natural. Make sure your highlights are toned to seal the cuticle for a smoother finish and to tone down the contrast of highlight to base color.

With this technique you can stretch out the time between retouches in the salon, up to six months for the bohimian “grown out look”.

Going on vaca  away from the bitter cold? Lucky you! But are those last minute workout routines not blasting away the holiday pounds you packed on these past few weeks? you could start doubling your runs, add on jumping rope and skipping your daily latte… Or you could try scheduling a non-surgical approach to the cellulite bust at a near by spa.

Before I explain how these treatments work let me first explain what cellulite is exactly and why lipo will NOT get rid of this pain in your “you know what”. Cellulite is fat molecules that have risen above the normal “fat layer” and that are trapped in layers of tissue closer to the surface. Thus, making the dimpled appearance in your derriere, thighs, arms and stomach. All the beautiful places of your body you should be flaunting freely on the beach. So, with that said let me tell you about this treatment you are about to subject those areas to.

Cellulite busting treatments sometimes use a heat source such a ultrasound or laser to warm up the fatty tissue. Then an aggressive massaging technique is applied to the area to stimulate blood flow through the fat cells to help move and flush-out the fat close to the surface that is creating unflattering “texture”. Some newer techniques just use laser to blast the fat below the skins surface without compromising the skin, letting you leave the treatment room unscathed. Don’t forget the stimulating lotions you apply daily, these will enhance your results in office. Check your listings and make that appointment  a few weeks before vaca because one treatment doesn’t always cure the problem.

Good luck!

Happy New Year!

 Ahh, fresh beginnings for everyone. No matter how much you neglected your hair, nails, skin, wardrobe (you get the idea) in ‘08, tis a new year and a new opportunity to take care of numero uno.

While you’re dreading every tasteless meal for the next few weeks and prepping for those grueling workout resolutions, treat yourself to a fresh new hair color, or a fresh pedicure. Even better, promise yourself this year to take better care of you. Simply wear SPF daily, and or take your locks in for a quarterly treatment. Add an antioxidant to your daily skin regimen, invest in a weekly at home masque for your tresses.

What are your New Year Beauty Resolutions?