Archive for ‘Beauty’

August 12, 2011

Here’s Me Trying the Rainbow Tips Trend …

… and failing?

It’s not a failure per say. But it does not exactly look like LC’s Rainbow Tips. Nor did it ever.

rainbow tips at home

First, I bleached the bottom three inches or so with Manic Panic bleach. That went well, I was very platinum blonde.

manic panic colors

Then, I added Manic Panic semi-permanent colors to the ends, in layers like LC’s stylist suggests. Pink tips, purple higher up, then natural hair. Teal tips, then electric blue, then natural hair. But as you can see, the feathering doesn’t quite show as well against my brunette hair as it did her blonde. Or maybe I didn’t dye high enough up.

No one really noticed the next couple of days. I was kind of bummed. And then my rainbow tips started fading fast. Pink was suddenly blonde again, and the teal was the only color left. Teal looks sort of like I left the tips of my hair in a bottle of chlorine.

So then I took a new tack. Just one color per section. I loved that, and I wore it on my trip to San Diego and a few people noticed. But that faded really quickly too, maybe from the exposure to so much sun and salt! I re-dyed the tips again, still craving that edgy look. Even if no one notices, I feel like I have a little punk secret.

Would I recommend you do this? It’s not super easy, and I’d have a haircut already scheduled. But even with the challenges, I’ve enjoyed my rainbow tips!

rainbow tips at home

May 10, 2011

Hair I Want

hair I want

Can someone please teach me how to make my hair do this? I have tried many iterations of the braid, but it never looks this smooth and flawless, blending in seamlessly to the rest of my hair. HELP!

April 27, 2011

Blake Lively Goes Red! I almost freak out.

There is no female celebrity I love more than Blake Lively. I loved her in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, I love her in Gossip Girl (my love for GG is well-documented on this blog), I love that Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld both love her. I love her blonde hair, her fashion sense, and her fearlessness about showing some leg! I love that she’s now the face of Chanel handbags. In short, I love everything about her.

Blake Lively with Red Hair

But at last night’s Time 100 Gala, she revealed a new hue: red! I thought I was going to hate it, but I kind of love it. It totally works, especially with the pale turquoise dress and minimalist makeup. To be fair, it’s a strawberry blonde, not a Rihanna-red, but it actually works! Lively revealed to PEOPLE that the change is for her role in the film Hick. Which I will undoubtedly watch and love.

Colorist Rona O’Connor transformed Lively’s locks about a month ago, PEOPLE reports. “I love it,” Lively gushed. “I feel like Ariel.”

I tried to dye my hair red once in college, but it came out that bad faux-maroon color that signals “box hair dye!” like no other color. I haven’t tried dying my own hair much since, but the people at Bigen’s sent this photo and suggested Bigen’s Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Intensive Red, a product formulated with four natural moisturizers (honey, sunflower, beeswax and shea butter) and without ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Only $4.99, if you’re feeling adventurous and, um, lively, it’s cheap enough to give a shot!

October 1, 2010

JOIN My Chemical Breakup

It all started when I read this book: No More Dirty Looks. I ended up creating EndlessBeauty.com’s My Chemical Breakup Challenge. For the month of October, join me and give up toxins in your beauty products! Leave comments on the blog, tweet with the hashtag #mychemicalbreakup, or post videos of your debacles trying at-home hair rinses (coming soon, from me)!

My Chemical Breakup Challenge

Risk smelling bad, having oily hair, your makeup smudging, and generally looking less than perfect all the time … but have lots of fun, try new products, and become a healthier, happier YOU!

So I’m a damn hippie. You try to avoid it, but you just can’t living in Austin …

These are the products that stayed … well, only the few on the left (mascara, brush, oil) are technically good for this month … but I can’t give up my Latisse permanently! I need long eyelashes!

These are the products that were, erm, flushed.

September 17, 2010

Aspen: Off-Season Eatin’

One of the best things about off-season in Aspen (the time between summer and winter where no one comes here because it starts to snow but not enough to ski, so it’s supposedly just miserable … I’ll keep you posted) is the amazing deals the usually too-expensive-for-my-budget restaurants have. Check out EatAspen‘s full list of specials, but here are all the ones I want to try:

- Ellina Modern Italian Restaurant is offering a $30 Prix Fixe every evening. Choice of appetizer, main course & either a glass of wine or a dessert. (a friend says this is the best meal he’s had in Aspen …)

- Il Mulino Prix Fixe $20 Lunch or $30 Dinner for Autumn Harvest menu! (a friend’s friend owns this restaurant and I CAN’T WAIT to try it!)

- Brexi offers a $34 prixe fixe – appetizer, entree, dessert (me & the Vermonster’s fave restaurant in Aspen)

- LuLu Wilson offers a $35 prixe fixe – appetizer, entree, dessert

- Takah Sushi is offering $6 sushi rolls & 1/2 priced atomic shrimp & sake

- Syzygy Restaurant offers a 3 course prix fixe for $39

- Silver Queen is now open–don’t know if they’re doing any specials, but definitely want to check it out!

Then, Viceroy Snowmass is offering Colorado residents a special rate of $95 per night per room, including parking.  The Spa at Viceroy Snowmass is also offering 25 percent savings on all spa services!! For Viceroy Snowmass’ spa, call 970.923.8007.

Hear of any more deals? Let me know!

August 19, 2010

Is that really good for you?

From EndlessBeauty.com this month:

  • Join EndlessBeauty.com in the Give Health Clean Water Blogivation by voting on AND sharing this blog post: http://bit.ly/b6opDb

  • Alcohol can be good for you … Elvis Month includes tips like How to Drink Smart, with a calories-in-alcohol chart

So there you have it, kids. Good stuff from everyone’s favorite health and beauty website!!

June 16, 2010

Austin: Uchiko open?! [updated]

[Update: Addie, who knows all the food news in town, kindly posted that Uchiko will officially open on July 5]

From Uchiko’s blog on Sunday:

“We’ve been in the Uchiko space for 3 days now, and my what a lovely space and kitchen it is! Training and tasting staff like mad and on schedule to do staff of staff mock service today and tomorrow and start invite tastings to the public on wednesday. So glad we scheduled this time to get things as close to right as we can before opening.”

I read Tolly’s great interview with Paul Qui, new exec chef at Uchiko, and was so jealous of her getting to sample his creative dishes, and so curious as to when Uchiko would open … looks like today(ish). I’m definitely going to have to stop by when I’m back in town! I mean, look at some of the pics they posted!

For more, hit up the Uchiko blog.

June 10, 2010

Austin: Crystal Nails

Mama and I have long experimented with finding a good nails place — a place that was cheap but not dirty, easy to get in to but not scarily empty, and produced a decent mani & pedi. When we found Embellish (a post from before I’d even had a mani there), we were pretty much done with our search. But when we wanted to get our nails done on a Sunday, we had to start anew.

Good thing mama wanted to be a detective in a prior life, between the Enso Nails mixup and the joint being listed as an electronics shop on yelp, I don’t know how she did it, but we found Crystal Nails at 5501 N Lamar. We made an appointment for 3pm and proceeded to spend TWO HOURS at the shop, getting massaged, scrubbed, filed, trimmed, lotioned, and polished. We were seated immediately and the two women working with us spent tons of time on everything. They were meticulous. My technician, Nahn, even wore gloves.

Maybe the best part? The deluxe mani-pedi combo was a cool $45. SO WORTH IT. My toes have so far survived a run and a soccer game in perfect condition, and my fingernails have chipped a little, but no more than you’d expect. Mama was bummed about a lack of luster on her buff (she forgoes polish on her fingertips) and her technician may have scrubbed too hard at her heel (there’s an obvious crack), but otherwise she’s happy too.

I’d point you to a website, but, well … give ‘em a call 512.454.2875

June 3, 2010

Flash Sales – $$$

Deals sites, sample sales, flash sales, designer sales … it’s all about getting the limited-edition hot deal these days. Below I’ll list the companies I have invites to if you want to join, but first, some nerding-out business news about these sites.

According to WWD, the leading four members-only shopping sites are HauteLook, RueLaLa, Gilt Groupe, and ideeli. Today, HauteLook reveals that they are receiving $31 million in a third round of funding led by Insight Venture Partners, bringing total funding to $41 million (Gilt Groupe has raised $83 million in funding). The company launched in 2007 and became profitable earlier this year. It does not buy inventory, but has 175 employees (2 of which are recent hires in Arthur Lewis, former SVP of adult merchandising for Old Navy, and Tim Lewis of Neiman Marcus) and more than 2.5 million members.

ideeli also has around 2.5 million members (it has more than doubled from one million base in December ’09), largely from households with an annual income of upward of $100,000. They have 100 employees and expect to surpass $150 million in revenue this year.

Envite.com is the most recent one I’ve signed up for, and it aims to stand out by shipping items within 24 hours.

There’s also the site for wine, which, if I had more money, I’d buy and never have to the leave the house. Winery Insider.

Invite to Hautelook
Invite to RueLaLa
Invite to Gilt Groupe
Invite to ideeli
Beyond the Rack: enter code NLA09083B57 at Registration
Invite to Billion Dollar Babes
Invite to Envite.com

[UPDATE] Here’s a link to join Daily Candy’s Swirl!

The flash sales trend is crazy … beyond shopping for clothes, accessories, and other luxury gear, there are tons of companies doing it by city, with restaurants, salons, and adventures like whitewater rafting. Even Aspen is getting in on the action with a mobile coupon that texts you a deal once a week! Aspen Deals

Groupon and Living Social are the big dogs, with deals in Austin, Denver, and more. In Austin-only sites, there’s Adealio and Localiter.

If you know more I haven’t heard of, post in the comments!!

May 27, 2010

Austin: Johanna Esper Beauty Grand Opening

Johanna Esper Beauty, part of the Daisical Industries Grand Opening Party this Saturday, May 29. Noon – 10p.

Everyone knows how much I love Johanna–well, join her in celebrating the grand opening of her new space, and receive a special discount coupon to use at your next appointment!

Daisical Industries is a cooperative comprised of Coco Coquette wigs and makeup, Esther Bangs Vintage Threads, and hair designers Charlotte Belle and Johanna Esper. The grand opening party, inspired by the colors and rhythms of 1960s Brazil, will feature local DJs and 10% off all merchandise. After 6p, Rio’s Brazilian Café brings the spice, while Dj Sue raises the roof, and Brazilian-inspired burlesque dancers heat up the dance floor. Complimentary libations served throughout.

Daisical industries was founded to create a welcoming, nurturing, and encouraging co-working space that offers goods and services that inspire the collaborators within as well as its customers, to re-imagine, reinvent, and reinvigorate themselves.

Where it’s at: 2109 East Cesar Chavez. For map to location please see johannaesperbeauty.com.

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