Short Hiatus

No new posts this week since I'll be out of town.  I'll be back next week.  Have fun and be fabulous, everyone!

The Oil Cleansing Method

When I first heard about the the oil cleansing method of skin care* – it showed up on the message boards at NaturallyCurly.com – my already oily skin cried out in anguish at just the idea.  Spreading oil all over my skin to clean it?  No way!

The idea behind oil cleaning (OCM for short) is that in chemistry, "like bonds to like," which means that applying the right oils to your skin will cause them to bond to the oils already present and clear your skin without subjecting it to harsh detergents and drying agents.  (The Beauty Brains explain this better than I could.)  Proponents also point out that oil alone doesn't cause acne: it's a combination of factors like hormones, dirt and dead skin cells that clog the pore, and irritation. 

After reading all the glowing testimonials from the posters over at NC.com I decided to give it a try.  My oily, breakout-prone skin and I are constantly at war and I've tried all sorts of things to try getting it under control.  At the time I was in full-on natural mode (I've since found a middle ground between natural and other products), so the idea appealed to me.

And at first it was great!  I made a mixture of castor oil and extra virgin olive oil (sometimes I'd add a drop or two of lavender oil as well) and would massage it into my skin as soon as I got into the shower, leaving it to set in with the shower's steam before rinsing it off with muslin face cloths I got at The Body Shop.  (They don't appear to be available anymore, which is a shame because they're fantastic – they're soft but lightly exfoliate, and they rinse much cleaner than traditional washcloths.  Glad I still have plenty of them!)  At the same time I replaced my moisturizer with a drop or two of pure jojoba oil.  (Jojoba oil is closest to skin's natural oils, so it works well as a moisturizer.)

But after a while my skin started feeling greasy again.  And I broke out like crazy.  I always have blackheads and tend to get larger blemishes on my cheeks and chin, but this was worse.  I had large, painful cystic acne pimples, blackheads galore, and clusters of whiteheads.  It also bothered me that I wasn't using a sunscreen anymore since I'd switched from my regular moisturizer with SPF to the jojoba oil.  (Sunscreen is vital, people.  I don't care if you're pale like me or have olive skin or what, if you don't want your face to look like a Birkin bag someday, you need sunscreen.)

Now to be fair, I didn't try changing our the olive oil for a different oil (jojoba and sunflower oils are popular).  I also didn't try the traditional method of steaming, which entails laying a hot washcloth over your face and letting it sit until cooled – I never have that kind of time in the morning or patience at night.  So maybe if I had tried it a different way it would have worked for me.  But if you look at the NC.com thread I posted above, a lot of other people had similar problems to mine.  Then again plenty of people continue to oil cleanse and love it.  Like anything else it really depends on your skin.  Nothing works for everyone.

One thing I can say for sure: if you want to try oil cleansing, you don't have to spend a lot of money to do it.  Lots of websites recommend DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil, but at $25 it really doesn't seem worth it to me, especially when you can make your own personalized mixture for so much less. 


*That link has a lot of new agey language to it, like telling you to meditate about the skin you want in order to get it.  But the information is sound.  If you prefer a more empirical take on it, check out this post at acne.org.

Happy Hookerween

It's that time of year again... the time when all fashion rules go out the window in favor of wearing as little cheap fabric as possible and freezing your rear off.  What do I mean?  Here, let Lindsay Lohan explain:



(Good lord she looked fantastic when this movie came out.  But I digress.)

That's right ladies, it's time again to ask yourself why children and grown men get a selection of actual Halloween costumes while we get about 90% stripper-wear and 10% "cow suit with squirting udders."  Can someone please explain this to me?  When did Halloween become the day when women are all expected to freeze our extremities off because we're wearing some cheap, shiny, probably unflattering costume bastardization of a beloved character or archetype?  You can't be an angel, you have to be a sexy angel.  Sexy fireman!  Sexy nurse!  Sexy gangster!  You can't even be an athlete – you have to be a sexy athlete.

And it just gets dumber every year.  This year I feel like the costume companies have really gone above and beyond to provide truly surreal examples of "sexy" costuming.  Here are a few of the most disturbing and confusing:

Sexy Sesame Street:  Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Elmo. 
Whoever decided Elmo should be sexy should seek therapy.

Remember Freddy Kruger? Disfigured undead child molester Freddy Kruger?
He's a sexy she now.

Sexy Optimus Prime and Bumblebee of the Transformers.
Because nothing says cheesecake like robots that turn into cars.

Sexy Brian from Family Guy.
Yes, this is a sexed-up costume of a male cartoon dog. No, I can't explain it...

 

...but it doesn't even hold a candle to Sexy Chewbacca.

I just don't even get it anymore, people.  It's almost like the costume companies are competing against one another to find the most unsexy things possible to convert into skimpy, ridiculous costumes and then sit back in giddy anticipation to see how many women are actually willing to walk around wearing the insane getups they've made.  A massive conspiratorial practical joke is really the only explanation that makes sense to me.  It's all just gotten too weird. 

So what's a girl to do?  Well, Ricky's NYC, the city-based beauty retailer, has a pretty extensive  Halloween Shop that includes a terrifyingly expansive selection of "sexy" costumes (everything I've shown here except Chewbacca comes from there – Sexy Chewbacca will run you $200+ here) but also has plenty of other costumes as well as a wide assortment of wigs, makeup, and accessories. 

If your taste tends toward the surreal but away from the revealing, check out the collection of costumes Simon Doonan (Creative Director for Barney's NY) designed for Target.  It includes something called a "Glamour Ghost" (a white robe emblazoned with the phrase Chic or Treat) and a Vegas-style Elvis vampire.  Target also has a large stock of less campy costume options. 

If you're crafty, of course, you can always make your own costume.  I'm not all that crafty but over the years I've amassed a lot of random accessories (cat ears, horns purchased at the renaissance faire, sparkly wings and a tunic from the year I was Tinkerbell, etc.) to be able to MacGuyver something together at the last minute – because I always wind up waiting until the last minute and then there's nothing left at the stores but that stupid squirting cow suit. 

But whatever you do or wear this Halloween, I implore you: don't fall victim to the Hookerween Conspiracy.  You'll only wind up freezing and possibly turning someone's warm childhood memory into a weirdly kinky trauma. 

Back from the Abyss

Afternoon, readers.  Have you forgotten me? 

I've been away for about a month now.  This is for a few reasons I thought I'd explain:

1) I started a new job in August.  I love this job and it's going great!  But I'm working a lot of hours and I work for a beauty retailer, so by the time I have a free moment I'm often unmotivated or tired of thinking about fabuolosity. 

2) I hit a bit of a writer's block wall.  This could be connected to the aforementioned lack of motivation; I'm not really sure.  But I've had a little trouble coming up with new ideas that everyone hasn't already read about 400 times. 

Right now I'm brainstorming some ideas for new posts and trying to crack the whip on myself to get back to writing.  My plan is to get back to updating at least twice a week with maybe a "quickie" post with some fun links once a week on top of it.  But I am sorry for the sudden prolonged absence and I hope to be back up and running consistently soon. 

In the meantime, please check out Scrangies's blog on Depression Awareness Month.  October gets a lot of attention for being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Depression also needs a lot of attention.  The chances are good that you or someone you know is affected by depression – and it might be the last person you'd expect.  A lot of stigma is still attached to mental illness, so talking about it is important. 

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder about five years ago.  Right now I'm in the best shape I've been since then, but I'm still learning how to compensate and adjust for my ups and downs.  Sometimes that makes it really hard to motivate myself to write, which is part of the reason I started this blog in the first place: I wanted to give myself something I had to keep up with.  In fact part of the length of my absence is due to the fact that once I hit a pitfall, I can tend to get overwhelmed and let it snowball.  So once I hadn't updated for a week I wasn't sure how to fix it and then that week stretched out into two, then three... etc.  This blog is part of my self-rehab, so to speak.  I love to write, and I love fashion, so it made sense that I should start this project to keep myself working on something all the time.  But sometimes I'll hit a wall like I did this past month.  All I can ask is that you stick around while I work to keep myself consistent. 

Actually, I can ask one more thing:  read that blog entry.  If any of it sounds familiar, if any of the symptoms of depression hit home for you or someone you know, please don't ignore it.  It's better to ask and be told that you were worried about nothing than to let something like this tear you apart because you think you have to go it alone. 

It was bound to happen eventually... the 90s are back.

Fashion, they say, is cyclical.  Everyone has heard someone say (or has said themselves) that it's no use throwing away clothes because "everything comes back in style."  (Incidentally, this is terrible advice – by the time it comes back in style it probably won't fit you and/or you'll be embarrassed to ever have worn it.  When in doubt, throw it out!  Or better yet, donate it.)  In a world of seemingly finite ideas, fashion is bound to repeat itself.  And since we finally seem to be coming to the end of the dark days of 1980s retro it looks like the 1990s are on their way back.

Elaine Benes, retro style icon.

Remember when we were all wearing floral-print dresses with big clunky shoes?  Guess what?  It's a bona fide trend in New York.  They're calling it a resurgence of Elaine from Seinfeld, but I remember the shapeless floral sack spreading far beyond that show.  I even had a few myself.  And the socks with granny shoes is sort of a natural combination between this summer's awful socks with sandals trend and the less offensive menswear-inspired Oxford shoes that are all over the place.  Toss in a pair of leggings (and lord knows those don't seem to be going away) and you've got yourself a full-on retro chic ensemble.

Remember yesterday
when I said mixed prints
were a trend for fall?
I give you Angela Chase.

One fashion editor is calling this look "Upper West Side Grunge," which is sort of ironic since the original look was a natural offshoot of the original grunge trend.  So much of fashion in the 1990s was about meticulously putting together a look designed to send the message that you didn't care how you looked.  It was sort of an over-correction for the excess of the 1980s.  Everything was baggy and incongruous and mismatched – and if you were really devoted, wrinkled as well.  Oh, and by the way?  Grunge is coming back in it's way too.  Check out how much plaid Old Navy is showing this fall.  Big plaid shirt + distressed jeans or leggings + boots = grunge.  Only this time around it's a little more polished and less... well, grungey.  We don't so much mind people knowing that we care what we look like now. 

Thanks for bringing sexy back, Katie.

Lest you think it's just grunge making a comeback, the other end of the spectrum is seeing a resurgence as well.  1990s prep is back in a big way – let's go back to Old Navy and have a look at their "perfectly preppy" page, where argyle reigns supreme.  The September issue of Glamour even featured a "how-to" guide for accurately dressing the preppy part.  We can thank Katie Holmes for bringing pegged jeans back into style – she started doing it two years ago.  And let's not forget the oversized blazer, worn with everything from leggings to jeans to those shapeless dresses and everything in between. 

Even our retro is retro!  The whole Mad Men craze sweeping the nation?  The one that has women in full skirts and men in tailored suits?  It feels just a little like the 1990s swing revival, where women were wearing full skirts and hot red lips and men were wearing tailored zoot suits and slicked-up hair. 

There's a saying:  if you're old enough to remember the trend the first time, don't wear it the second time.  It's usually good advice since the things we wore at a younger age look inappropriate once we're older.  But in the case of 1990s wear I think it's safe to say I'll be avoiding some of these rerun trends because I'm still cringing at the pictures of myself wearing them the first time.  (If baby tees and baggy jeans come back in style, I don't even want to know about it.)  So no thanks on the pegged jeans and floral sacks – though I may pick up a plaid shirt or two.

Mostly I think we're safe as long as men don't start shaving stripes into their eyebrows again and as long as we women don't start walking around looking like this:

We call those "mom jeans" now. And let's not even discuss that ruffled blouse.

On Target: Tucker for Target images are online!

Dress $39.99
Reversible Vest $24.99
Camisole $22.99

Target's newest Go International collection is finally up for preview on the Target press website.  The blogs have been buzzing about this newest collaboration – with Tucker by Gaby Basora – for a few months now.  So how are the clothes?

Woven Tee $24.99
Shorts $34.99

So far, they look good.  The line is designed to favor layering which is perfect for transitioning from summer into fall.  There are a lot of dresses and skirts (in varying lengths – I love that everything isn't super short!), paired with layering pieces like vests and sweaters designed with a mind for mixing pattern and color.  Mixed prints is looking like a rising fall trend which makes this line very of-the-moment.  But since it's all separates, it's still accessible to those not so adventurous. 

Trench $59.99
Dress $39.99
Camisole Dress, $34.99

Most of the pieces look very wearable... although I don't know about those shorts.  (Baggy herringbone shorts?  Really?  Who's going to look good in those?  And why is the shorts and tights thing coming back anyway? But bad retro trends is another post for later this week...)  There's even a reasonably subdued jumpsuit if you're into that sort of thing.  I love love love the vibrant colors and prints.  So much of fall fashion gets bogged down in dark and dreary that it's refreshing to see some hot pink and purple mixed in with the more traditional hues. 

Dress $39.99

The line becomes available in select stores and on Target.com on September 12 and most pieces seem to hover below the $50 mark (though there is a $79.99 bomber jacket).  But I wouldn't advise buying online if you can find these items in a brick-and-mortar store.  The Go International line is junior-sized, which means trying on is a must unless you're used to shopping the junior racks.  Also, it must be said: the fabric quality can be dodgy.  What looks great in pictures can sometimes look flimsy and cheap in person and Target often keeps these lines affordable by skimping on the fabric.  (The Jean-Paul Gaultier line was really bad.) 

I'll definitely be hitting my local Target to check out the Tucker line next week!  If I find any gems I'll post an update – and if any readers check it out, let me know!

A Potpourri of Quickies

Every now and then I look through my collection of bookmarked links and realize that I have plenty of things I want to share with no connecting thread to tie them together.  Today is one of those days.  So instead of sitting on them any longer, here's a round-up of some great style-related links for you:

• More on color trends for fall at Refinery 29.

• The Budget Fashionista recommends seven fall items you can buy right now.

• StyleList has some tips on transitioning your wardrobe from summer to early fall.

• Levi's has released a new denim line called Curve ID, designed to better fit women's bodies.  But there's some controversy concerning the line's sizing and promotion.

• Today was 9/02/10!  Celebrate 90210 Day with the original West Beverly High class and Go Fug Yourself.

• Yahoo's style page has some cute fall coats – all under $100!

 Have a great weekend, everyone!  I'll be back in full swing next week, so watch this space!

Fall Color Trends from Pantone

What colors will you be wearing this fall?  According to the Pantone Fashion Color Report for fall 2010 (you can download a free PDF at the bottom of the linked page), the on-trend fashionista's palette will be made up of vivid brights anchored with neutrals like khaki and chocolate:

"Mindful of consumers' need for practicality, plus their desire for newness, designers offer many options for women to extend and embellish their wardrobes this fall," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Building on the color palette from spring, this season's offerings include innovative takes on fundamental basics, as well as transporting, lively colors that conjure images of travel and adventure, whether real or aspirational."

Sephora Collection Colorful Palettte
in Eternally Purple, $24 at Sephora.com

The concept of carrying color over from the last season for economic reasons is echoed from the Spring 2010 report, which focused on neutrals mixed with primary brights already in most closets.  Shades od coral, red, khaki and green have carried over from the spring and are warmed up with chocolately plum, warm yellow, and fall's hottest shade – purple.

Purple is where's it's at this year!  Makeup and nail polish are hot in every shade from plum to lavender, and purple hues were all over the fall runways.  What's great about this shade is that it's almost universally flattering.  There's a shade of purple for everyone, and it's a rich, saturated color that feels simultaneously warm and vibrant. 

Mossimo sweater, $17.99 at Target.com

The warm gold on Pantone's list isn't as easy to pull off.  If you're pale (like me) or have a cool-toned complexion, yellow can easily wash you out and leave you looking sickly and tired.  If you're feeling daring you can punch up a neutral outfit or black dress with a pair of brightly-colored tights, which will both keep your legs warm in the autumn chill and allow you to wear colors you normally couldn't since the color isn't right next to your face.  Or you can layer a lightweight sweater like this one from Target under a blazer (boyfriend blazers are still big!) or break up the color by adding a scarf at the neck.  That way you get a pop of the yellow without it overwhelming you.   (I think this sweater would look great with some zebra print accessories if you want to combine trends!)

With springy colors like coral and turquoise, it can be tough to know how to transition them into a fall look.  The trick is pairing them with richer shades:  instead of khaki, try wearing your coral pieces with gray, green, or chocolate brown.  Carry turquoise into fall by mixing it with gold.  You can shake up your neutrals, too.  Try gray shoes where you might have worn black for an updated look. 

And as always, an easy way to try out a new color is with accessories.  Add a bold scarf to a neutral outfit, or look into a bright pair of pumps or a bright purse.  That's also a simple way to update your look without spending lots of cash.

For some more ideas on fall's hot colors, check out this article at CollegeFashion.net 

Argan Oil: Beauty Miracle or Goat Poop?

There's always some new thing that's guaranteed to make you beautiful.  Last year it was mineral makeup, before that it was vitamin c, and on and on.  The new kid on the block is argan oil.  From The Beauty Brains:

The fruit of an argan tree:  image courtesy of sptimes.com

Argan oil is produced from the kernels of argan tree fruit. These trees only grow in a few regions, like Morocco, so this oil is one of the rarest in the world due the small supply and the limited growing area – hence the high price and the hype.

Traditionally the oil is produced by hand. First the soft pulp is stripped from the nuts which are then laid out in the sun to dry. Stones are used to crack open the dried nuts so the seeds can be removed. Next, they’re gently roasted to give the oil a rich, nutty flavor. A little water is added to the roasted seeds and they are ground into a thick paste which is squeezed by hand to extract the oil.

Legend has it that there’s another way to produce this precious oil: Breaking open the nut shells is really hard work and the Moroccans have found that it’s easier wait for their goats to eat the fruit (yes, goats are big fans of argan fruit. They’ll even try to climb trees in search of this succulent treat!) The seeds pass through the goat’s digestive track and emerge on the other end a bit softer since they’re partially digested. So, all the Moroccans have to do is follow the goats around and wait for the seeds to… uh, reappear.

(Apparently that part about the goat poop is just a legend.)

The Brains say that argan oil has properties that could help skin (as an effective treatment for oily skin or psoriasis but with the possible side effect of clogging pores), but they weren't able to find any proof that it will do much for your hair. But the Argan Oil Society website says that it has several benefits for hair, including:

• Argan oil hydrates the hair in a natural way. It stops the curliness and roughness of hair in an efficient way.
  
• Argan oil penetrates into the hair pores or shafts and enhances the elasticity of hair. It also proves to be very nourishing for the growth of hair.
  
• Argan oil is very good for uncontrollable and unmanageable hair. It restores the smoothness of hair and makes them manageable again.
  
• Natural antioxidants present in Argan oil strengthen the hair by repairing the damaged cellular membrane of hair.
  
• Presence of Vitamin E in Argan oil makes it a tremendous agent for hair treatment. Many external and internal agents like heat, over styling and oxidization damage the hair. Vitamin E present in Argan oil is very useful in restoring the natural hair and renewing and repairing the damage caused by destructive agents.
  

Argan nuts being pressed into oil:  image courtesy of care2.com

Suddenly the market is flooded with hair and skin products containing argan oil, the most popular probably being Moroccan Oil.  But at $37, it's worth having a look at the ingredients.  Moroccan Oil is mostly silicones – argan oil is the sixth ingredient on the list!  And while silicones are effective for fighting frizz and smoothing hair, you can pay a lot less money to coat your hair with silicone by buying a bottle of Frizz-Ease.  And if you use a sulfate-free shampoo (like I do), you'll need to avoid silicones because non-sulfate detergents aren't strong enough to break them down, which will leave you with build-up.  So a product like Moroccan Oil won't work with that type of routine.  Similar products (like Marrakesh Oil) are also available, but they have a similar ingredient list and carry a similarly high price tag. 

Nothing is wrong with these products, of course, as long as you know what you're buying and aren't following a silicone-free routine.  But you're paying a lot of money and not getting as much of the advertised pivotal ingredient as you might think. 

If you want to find pure argan oil, which you can use on your skin or hair, model Josie Maran features it in her cosmetic line available at Sephora.  Or you can check out alternative retailers like The Posh Peddler. 

Since argan oil is expensive you may also want to consider alternatives:  coconut oil is similar enough to hair's natural oils to penetrate the hair shaft better than most oils and is available at health food or organic food stores.  And jojoba oil closely mimics the oils in your skin, so you can use that as a light moisturizer or skin oil.  Jojoba oil is also available at health food stores, beauty supply stores, or your local Trader Joe's.  Both are less expensive than argan oil. 

Like most beauty trends, it's important to read ingredients and know what you're buying before you part with your cash.  A little knowledge goes a long way to saving you money! 

Take a walk on the wild side this fall!

Cheetah Print Dress, $24.99 at Target.com

Somehow it seems like fall is synonymous with animal prints.  Maybe it's the warm tones associated with them, maybe it's some subliminal way of embracing the warmth of a foreign safari as the temperature drops, but whatever the reason, I love it.  I wear my leopard print flats year-round anyway!  And I've already got my eye on this cheetah print dress from Target.  (Though it's mis-named:  cheetahs have spots, not stripes.)

Leopard is always a popular look.  I love this cropped jacket – the shape has sort of a Mad Men feel, and you could just as easily wear it over jeans and a t-shirt as you could a little black dress and heels.  It's the kind of piece that will instantly lift your basics into a more polished look.  If you're feeling a little more adventurous, the same site also offers monochromatic leopard-print jeans.

Cropped leopard jacket,
$21.99 at NewportNews.com

Zebra print skirt, $19.99 at Target.com

Target also has a nice selection of zebra this fall.  Zebra is a great print because it's black and white palette and graphic look make it really versatile.  You can wear a zebra print piece with almost any other color.  Mix it with brights and it creates a bold, pop-art look.  I love this cardigan for exactly that reason – the bright pink (or is it purple?) border creates a nice contrast.  I also love that they continued the pattern into the colored area.   Or you can keep your look all black and white and still have the bright pop of the pattern.  This skirt would look great paired with a crisp white shirt and black pumps. 

Snakeskin purse,
$34.00 at NewportNews.com

If you prefer to keep things more subtle, you can still work some wild style into your look.  Try a snakeskin purse – the pattern is a little less flamboyant but you still get the idea.  (This is a better option if you prefer a bigger bag.)  Or remember those leopard flats I mentioned?  Shoes are a really easy way to give an outfit a little pop.  Check out these cute flats at ModCloth, or these from Payless – the Payless shoes also come in a cute blue and black version.  If you prefer pumps, there are plenty of affordable options.

Liven up a solid dress or cinch the waist of a cardigan with a zebra-print belt, like this one, on sale for $29.99.  (It also comes in leopard.)  Or give just a hint of the wild with a leopard print watch.  

"Feline Feisty" flat, $29.99 at ModCloth.com

If you do choose an animal print, make it the focal point of the outfit – I love the look of a bold print with bright colors, but keep the shape and style of your other pieces simple.  Print + ruffles or shoulder pads or any other kind of frippery can become too much really fast.  To keep it classy, keep the focus on the print.  Keep jewelry simple and makeup subdued (though a bold red lip and leopard print do make a classic bombshell combo).  Definitely stay away from actual animal print makeup.

A lot of people shy away from animal prints because they think they're hard to wear.  But really you can tailor them to your own style with the amount and type that you choose.  You don't have to look like someone out of Married to the Mob. 

Even stars love a bargain sometimes

A friend tipped me off to this:

Image courtesy of Yahoo!

 Talk about mixing high and low fashion! What did the adorable Drew Barrymore choose to wear to host the Nylon magazine/Express party this week in Los Angeles? 

This gorgeous $25 metallic-printed 3/4-sleeve shift dress from a thrift store paired with $760 Yves Saint Laurent "Tribute" pumps, of course!

I thought it would be fun to highlight this given my last post about vintage shopping.  It can take some digging, but you can find some really amazing pieces shopping thrift or vintage – and you can almost guarantee that no one will be wearing the same thing as you! 

Yes, Drew is wearing that gorgeous $25 dress with $760 shoes, but a great pair of nude pumps isn't too hard to find at a variety of price points – check out ShopStyle, where you can filter your options by price, size, and even retailer.  Target also has them for just $29.99. 

Quickie: Shopping Vintage Online

If you love vintage clothes but find it overwhelming to comb the web yourself looking for quality pieces, check out Zuburbia.  Every day Zuburbia features a "VOPD" (Vintage Piece of the Day), and the site gives a weekly round-up of some of the best vintage buys on eBay.

From the site owner's mission statement:

I hope to share tips, hints, info and vintage shopping adventures in addition to bringing you my Vintage Pick of the Day (VPOD)—a vintage item I spied on one of the gazillions of vintage clothing sites that populate the Internet.

Every day I’ll be visiting sites and looking for unique, eye-catching, I-gotta-have-it pieces in all price ranges.

If you’re new to vintage, I hope these items will whet your appetite. If you’re already a vintage lover, perhaps you’ll end up acquiring an item you’ll wear with pride.

Just think of me as your own personal vintage shopper!

 If you prefer shopping for yourself, try Vintage Vixen or Vintageous.  Both sites offer a great selection from a variety of eras and detailed descriptions of each item's condition and sizing.  I've found the prices more reasonable at Vintage Vixen, but Vintageous tends to have more designer and ornate items.

Trends: the bad and the ugly

Ah, trends.  The terror of the fashion-phobic, the delight of fashion editors and advertisers looking for new reasons to tell you to throw away all your clothes and buy new ones.  I think it's important to be choosy with trends – to find what's appropriate for your own age, shape, budget, and style instead of trying to follow everything.  I love stores like Forever 21 for trendy accessories and accent pieces because their prices are low, so you can experiment without breaking the bank. 

Sometimes it's tough to choose between picking up on a trend and skipping it.  But sometimes?  Sometimes it's really really easy.  Take, for instance, this list of the year's worst fashion trends. 

Sandal booties?  This might actually be worse than socks with sandals being considered stylish.  What's the point of these things?  It's like wearing socks in the heat of summer but without any of the actual benefits – your feet are still uncushioned and exposed to the elements.  Isn't the whole idea of sandals to expose feet?  I know that fashion is supposed to be innovative and sometimes subversive, but I don't get this new push toward taking shoes designed to be open and making them stuffy and sweaty. 

Also?  They're ugly.  There's no way strap-on cankles are flattering.  And don't even get me started on the pointlessness that is open-toed boots.

The list also includes ill-advised items like harem pants, jumpsuits, and clogs – the kind of things that sometimes work on models in magazines, but almost never work on real people. 

Where I live a lot of teenage girls fall into one of two groups:  the girls who wear barely-decent miniskirts with Ugg boots (ugg is right) in the summer or (for some reason) with flip flops in the winter, or the girls who wear sweats or pajama pants and hoodies everywhere with their hair sloppily pulled up in a bun but with a full, perfect face of makeup.  I'm sure the fact that neither of these looks make any sense to me means I've officially become old, but I find myself wanting to shake these girls and shout at them about frostbite and/or the merits of a comb. 

Then I remember that I once wore nouveau-hippie trapeze dresses, neon, and acid-wash jeans (why are those back in style?!) tucked into my socks.  Youth is made for bad decisions and fashion is no exception.  But as an adult, I'm more confident about developing my own style and choosing which trends I want to follow. 

With that in mind, Refinery 29 has compiled a list of fall trends worth skipping. 

Go bananas for your body

A survey in the UK found that women who wear a size 14 tend to be happiest:

Girls who wear the dress size 14 rated their general happiness higher than any other, with a quarter rating their mood as extremely happy.

More than 43 per cent of size 14 women also said they were as happy as they could be with their career, while almost a third say they couldn't be more content with their love life.

Second happiest were women who wear a size 12 followed by those in a size eight. The unhappiest women were those in a size 24, size 20 and size 22.

This is good news for Americans since the average woman in the US is a size 14.  

But if you're not 100% happy with your current shape (or even if you are and want to get more fit), the fall issue of InStyle Makeover has a lot of handy workout tips.  A few of the good ones:

• Strength training won't bulk you up like most people think.  Using heavy free weights a few times a week or doing yoga can increase strength without drastically changing muscular appearance.
• Skip the sports drinks!  Most of them are loaded with sugar.  Instead, try milk, which builds muscle and burns fat.  A lot of celebrities have also started drinking coconut water, which has become trendy for its hydration ability, electrolyte content, and other health benefits.
• Working out doesn't need to be hard.  Walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, then follow that with crunches or push-ups for a simple routine to stay in shape.
• Variety is important.  This sort of contradicts the last point, but varying your routine (trade in the treadmill for the rowing machine, try free weights instead of push-ups) can help prevent your body from finding new ways to store fat and work different muscle groups.

And after you've worked out, treat yourself with a tasty ice cream substitute made out of my favorite super fruit:  bananas!  By the way, bananas are the only necessary ingredient.  No really.  You chop them, freeze them, and puree them.  You can add nuts or a little cream if you want, but all you really need is the bananas. 

Quickie: Helpful How-tos

The web is filled with all sorts of helpful tutorials for all your fashion and beauty desires.  Here are a few examples:

Liberty of London's YouTube channel has several videos explaining new and interesting ways to tie a scarf.  If you've got gorgeous scarves and don't know what to do with them (or just want some new ideas), check this out.

MAC Cosmetics hosts makeup tutorials on their web page that feature makeup artists showing you how to create a variety of looks using their products.  s the video plays, a list of the products they're using comes up underneath the video window so you can buy anything that interests you easily.

WikiHow is a user-generated collection of "how-tos" for every possible scenario.  Check out the Personal Care and Style section.

Howcast on YouTube hosts a variety of "how-tos" in video form, including this one on how to look good in skinny jeans.

Find ALM on Facebook!

ALM is now on Facebook!

So far I've had no luck adding the Facebook "like" box to my page here. Once I figure it out I'll add it.

Gray: the new hot neutral – for hair.

Good news! If you're starting to see some gray hairs sprouting up and making panicked calls to your stylist, put down the phone. Gray hair is a growing trend.

Kate Moss sported gray streaks at an event in January.

The New York Times reported a wash of silver among the young and fashionable in April:

Also caught up in the silver rush were pop icons like Pink, who showed off gray-tipped strands at the Grammys, and Siobhan Magnus, the “American Idol” contestant, who accessorized recently with a skunk streak and spectacles.

In embracing a tint their mothers would have shunned, such role models are lending gray new cachet, giving shades from ash to ermine an unlikely fashion moment. Now, some say, the trend, which trickled down from the runways of Chanel, Giles Deacon and their rarefied ilk to fashion hot spots around the country, seems poised to go mainstream.

The UK picked up on the trend late last year.

Ironically, gray hair seems to mostly be in vogue among the young. It's seen as sort of punky and subversive and the next logical step for young trendsetters who already have blonde and pink in their rear-view – while women whose hair has gone naturally gray are still spending money to color their locks. The grass is always greener on the other side. But even that may be beginning to change. Model Kristen McMenamy, a household name in the 1990s, has grown out her hair into flowing silver strands.

Kristen McMenamy in August's Vogue.

McMenamy says she stopped dyeing her hair six years ago:

"You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll. I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture." She added, "You've got to keep moving forward."

Of course some people, like stylist Louis Licari, are bucking the trend. Licari says that gray hair "gray hair makes women look older and their complexions dull and drab..." Easy for him to say. On men gray hair is considered distinguished and handsome (see anyone nagging George Clooney to get a dye job lately?). He goes on to sat that the artificial grays being displayed by young women like Kelly Osbourne are attractive precisely because they are fake, and that natural gray is unflattering and "creates a huge burden for most people trying to look their best." The point of which seems to be that your hair is only OK if it's fake. But don't worry; Licari ends his article by saying that you have to be comfortable with your appearance, even if it means he'll tell you that you look old.

But in fact going too dark with hair color can create too high a contrast with skin that loses some of its luster with age, and that can make you look older unless you're willing to cake yourself with makeup (which can in turn settle into fine lines and cake up). So maybe nature knows what it's doing. To that end, StyleList has put together tips for making the most of your gray, from hair maintenance to makeup tips.

I think Licari has one thing right: you have to be comfortable. If you love the way you look, then who cares what anyone else thinks? Going gray can be tough on women when we're constantly pressured by advertising and magazines to stay somehow perpetually young and supple, and those first strands of silver can deal a devastating blow to our self-image. (I say this out of personal experience; I'm currently in a constant state of worry over the increasing number of white hairs I'm finding mixed in with my natural red.) So if for whatever reason fashion has turned in such a way as to make one facet of aging acceptable, I say go with it if you want to. (And if it makes you happy, go with it no matter what fashion says. The best kind of beauty comes from being happy.)

Of course the weirdest part of the gray hair trend might be the fact that it has somehow made Lady Gaga's current Vanity Fair cover seem almost mainstream:

Lady Gaga on the cover of August\'s Vanity Fair.

Who saw that coming?

Treats for summer hair

I have wavy hair that tends to be dry. Pair this with my sensitive, allergy-prone skin, and I'm constantly on the hunt for a new conditioner that will soften my hair without leaving my scalp itchy. I have a bathroom cabinet filled with past failures. But this time I think I've found a good one!

Image courtesy of TheBodyShop.com

The Body Shop's Banana conditioner was discontinued for a long time, but they've brought it back. I heard nothing but good things about this mythic conditioner so I jumped on the chance to try it out (especially since it's on sale right now – 2 full-size bottles for $10 instead of the usual full price of $8.99/bottle). I'm so glad I did! This is good stuff! It conditions really well without being heavy which is fantastic for the summertime. Also, while I usually go through conditioner by the gallon, I don't need much of this to make my hair feel great. It detangles really well, too. There is a strong banana smell, but if you use any kind of styling products in your hair it's easily covered.

If you want to go the real all-natural route, you can make your own banana and honey conditioner. You can add things like olive oil, an egg yolk, or avocado as well for a deeper conditioning treatment. (The recipe says you can keep this in a bottle, but I would recommend making it fresh every time you use it since it contains no preservatives.)

Once your hair is well-conditioned and feeling gorgeous, you might want to create the "beachy waves" that are always on-trend in the summer. Kate Hudson is known for this look.

Plenty of brands sell texturizing sprays designed to help create this look. Herbal Essences recently released the Tousle Me Softly line designed to create these loose waves (I occasionally use the mousse, but it doesn't have the best hold. I haven't tried the gel or the spray.) A lot of products, like Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, use some form of salt to create waves. Want the waves without the $23 price tag? Try this DIY styling spray from NotMartha.org. With some hair gel, epsom salt, and water, you can make your own version of the B&B spray and enjoy your waves while you spend your cash on something else.

With any kind of wavy or curly hair it's important to maintain moisture – frizz is caused by the hair's cuticle expanding to grab moisture out of the air, which is why hair frizzes more in humid weather. If you keep your hair well-conditioned you can avoid a lot of frizz. Rinsing with cold water helps to seal the cuticle as well. And resist the urge to touch your hair while it's drying! Ruffling the hair while it's wet will make the cuticle stand up which creates more frizz. I haven't used a salt spray myself, but I would recommend a little extra conditioning afterward since salt can dry out the hair. Though with all the chlorinated pool water and salty ocean water that come with summer, a little extra conditioning is never a bad idea anyway.

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$30 jeans and other sale items at Gap

Over at The Budget Fashionista, you can find five pairs of Gap jeans for under $30!



I love Gap jeans. My favorite go-to jeans are Gap Long and Leans. I usually buy one pair and wear them to death over the course of a couple of years since they run on the pricey side for non-designer denim, but Gap also has great sales like this where you can get their terrific jeans for less. They have plenty of other great deals right now too, like this great menswear-style shirt for $17.99:



They also have some pieces you can use to transition your summer clothes into fall like this cardigan that comes in four colors and starts at $14.99:


I find that Gap's tops and tees tend to run a little roomy and I usually don't need to worry about going a size up like I do some places. The fit of their jeans tends to depend on the cut and style, so you may want to try them on in-store. But if you can't get to the mall, don't be afraid to order online: Gap has a very generous return policy and takes online returns in-store.

If falling into the Gap isn't your cup of tea, check out some other denim options under $40.

All images courtesy of Gap.com.

This season in undies...

Somehow I have accumulated a lot of links to different stories about underwear. They don't necessarily connect in any way besides the core undie topic, so I've been sitting on them. Also I'm a procrastinator – nobody's perfect, right?

Which actually brings me to the first link! StyleList has a pretty comprehensive guide to wearing shapewear in the summer and Instyle.com has handy list of bras for summer clothes (including a backless option). I don't know what it's like where you are, but here in New England it's been hot and sticky, and the thought of wrapping any part of myself in spandex is pretty unattractive. I tend to avoid any clothing form-fitting enough to require stretchy armor in the summer. I'm only willing to suffer so much to be fabulous. But when I do wear shapewear I use a high-waisted thigh slimmer to smooth out my pear shape. Hanes makes a line of shapewear (on sale on their website!) that includes the thigh shapers as well as shaping panties. They work as well as Spanx without the hefty price tag.

Remember how we learned that big butts are trendy? Well apparently that's not the only asset that's "big" right now. Big breasts are in too! Given the amount of implants running around Hollywood I don't know when big breasts were ever actually out, but apparently this "new" trend means lots more gel and push-up bras. I used to wear a gel bra (I'm pear-shaped, remember?). They're heavy and not always terribly comfortable – which is what I'm told by my better-endowed friends is a little like actually having large breasts, so I guess the gel bra wins for authenticity.

But if you want to be trendy and the life of the party? Go with this:

The Wine Rack is a sports bra that holds 750ml of any beverage (the equivalent of a bottle of wine), using said liquid to create the illusion of larger breasts. Once you drink your boob cocktail you can use the attached straw to inflate the bra so you don't look... deflated.

And if you happen to fill that bra with say... beer, which might make you a little gassy? Check out Subtle Butt, a disposable stick-on patch that goes inside your underwear to absorb unpleasant odors. The Subtle Butt's inventor has a series of stick-on clothing innovations, including the Knicker Sticker, a patch designed to prevent the dreaded camel toe if you decide to forgo undies altogether. If you do want to wear underwear but still want to avoid a "frontal wedgie?" Well there's a product for that too.

So there you have it. Everything you need to smooth, suck, enhance, hide, and drink out of your lady bits this season. Enjoy!

Quickie: Free Stuff from Allure!

August is Free Stuff month at Allure Magazine. Every day of the month they give away beauty products, clothes, and accessories. You can check their website every day to find out what's up for grabs and sign up. Or if you have a smart phone you can sign up for reminders and auto-entries in a snap. You download the Microsoft tag-reading app, then scan the little tags in the pages of the magazine, and they'll send you reminders for quick entry as items become available.

A little Friday fun

Got this from my mom today (hi Mom!) and thought it was a fun way to start the weekend. Happy Friday, everybody!

Make your own cooling skin mist

After an hour or two out in the hot sun, skin can become parched and starving for moisture. There are plenty of products on the market now to refresh your skin on the go: The Body Shop makes a facial mist with vitamin E, and Juice Beauty offers one with natural oils and extracts. Or if you want to just waste some money you can always buy an aerosol can of plain old water for $10.

Evian Mineral Water Spray, $10 at Sephora.com

But if you want a refreshing, cooling facial mist and cash in your pocket, make your own at home using this easy recipe from the July issue of InStyle:

Brew and steep plain green tea (you can find Bigelow tea bags in most grocery stores) and cool. Pour over ice in a spray bottle and voila! A cool, refreshing skin mist. And the antioxidants in the tea will help repair sun damage. You can make this in advance and keep it in the refrigerator, too. And if you make too much you can always drink what's left over since green tea has plenty of health benefits. For extra cooling power, find a spray bottle with a fan like this one:

You can always experiment with adding extra components if you want, like aloe vera juice or vitamin e oil. Just keep in mind that once you get into mixing things you need to think about spoilage. So it's probably safest to keep the tea on its own and mix in any additional ingredients on a per-use basis instead of storing it.

"Oh. My. God, Becky. Look at her butt. It's so... TRENDY!"

It's always amusing to me when body parts go in or out of style. Unlike your clothes, the body you're given isn't really something you can change all that much (at least not without thousands of dollars worth of surgery). So when some magazine declares that this year's "look" is small breasts, or long necks, or attached ear lobes (OK, I'm joking about that last one) it all seems that much more ridiculous. How can people go out of style? And what are you supposed to do if you don't have this year's hot shape? Stay inside until the trend changes? Clothes go out of style; people do not.

And yet...

Apparently this year's big trend is already behind us. So to speak:

Make way! Big bums are shaping up to be the summer of 2010's hottest trend.

Serena Williams reveals that it took her years to accept her curvy backside, joining other full-figured celebrities embracing their broader bottoms this beach season.

Kim Kardashian says she finally appreciates her round rear. Madonna's daughter Lourdes loves shorts that make your butt look big. And a new book celebrates bulging booties.

Not since Sir Mix-a-Lot's 1992 hit "Baby Got Back" has so much praise been paid to the posterior.

The book mentioned in the article is The Big Butt Book, a 372-page salute to well-endowed posteriors.

This is great news for me, since I tend to carry my weight in my hindquarters. Now instead of admitting that I'm just too lazy to go to the gym I can say I'm being trendy! Hooray! If you're not lucky enough to have some extra junk in your trunk, you can always fake it with padded panties or butt-lifting jeans. Or you can just wait until next season when inevitably slim hips will come back into style.

But it's not all fun and games for us fat-bottomed girls. A new scientific study has found that women who carry extra weight around their hips may suffer memory impairments. The study found that "apple" shaped women, or women who carry weight in their middle, scored higher on cognitive tests than "pear" shaped women:

The study involved 8,745 post-menopausal women aged 65 to 79.

These women were asked to complete a memory test that doctors use to judge brain function. They were also weighed and measured, then scored on an obesity scale known as Body Mass Index or BMI. Over two-thirds of the women were overweight or obese.

The researchers found that for every one point increase in a woman's BMI, her memory score dropped by one point.

And pear-shaped women - those with smaller waists but bigger hips - scored particularly poorly.

The researchers say this is likely to be related to the type of fat deposited around the hips versus the waist.

So enjoy your moment in the sun, my fellow pears. Someday we won't remember the short time when we were fashion's big trend. But at least we can rest assured that Sir Mix-A-Lot and Queen will always love us.

Freebie Quickies!

Today I've got a couple of freebies for you!

If you have curly hair, you can sign uphere to be a hair model for Ouidad. Ouidad salons and products are targeted to curly hair and they use models to train stylists in their cutting technique. That means there is a risk since you'll be sort of a training model, but if you're willing to try it out you get a consultation (which means you get a say in what they do!), a cut, and possibly a deep conditioning treatment. You can check the Salon Locator to see if there's a Ouidad salon in your area.

Origins is offering free mini facials at their retail locations. (The online ad says 7/8-7/11, but I just got this promoted in an e-mail today, so call your store to find out if this is still a valid offer.)

I tried a "weird" beauty product.

It was only a few posts ago that I was ranting and raving about ridiculous and gross beauty treatments, and here I am about to tell you how I used something that sounds pretty weird and maybe a little gross. The irony is not lost on me.

I was in the drug store a few days ago desperately looking for some kind of treatment for my frizzy, dried-out locks. I'm way overdue for a haircut and my ends start to get tangly and frazzled after a while. I'm very particular about what I use in my hair – I follow a modified curly girl method, which basically means that I don't use any products with sulfates or silicones in them. I also try to stick to organic-based products when I can. Because of this, looking for a new conditioner can be hard since silicones are a major component of most conditioning products.

Finally I picked up a packet of Hask Henna Placenta Hair Treatment. I was under $2 and had no silicones, so I figured why not?



I know what you're probably thinking. Placenta? In your hair? Gross! I thought that too, but my hair was feeling desperate. I couldn't run my fingers through it without painful tangles and the damage from constantly pulling it up to fight summer heat was getting bad.

And once I got passed the "ick" factor, I was blown away! The package recommends that you leave the treatment in for at least ten minutes and heat it with a blow dryer or wrap your head with a hot towel. I used a blow dryer before rinsing the conditioner out and letting my hair air-dry. My hair dried soft, frizz-free and with no tangles! I was made a believer.

BUT! Today I did a little Googling and found that the use of placenta in hair products has been linked to breast cancer or premature development in young girls. This site lists it as one of their top ten products to avoid. So now I'm torn. I think I'll consider using the Hask conditioner as a once-in-a-while treatment when my hair is in dire straits and stick to more conventional products for more regular hair care.

The things we do for great hair...

Summer-proof your beauty routine

It's hot out there!

Summer means a lot of time outdoors. And while I know plenty of women blessed with gorgeous skin and coloring that requires no makeup, I am not one of them. That means that when summer comes I start worrying about raccoon eyes from melted mascara, unintentional smokey eyes from smudged eyeliner, creasing shadow, and oily skin. That means adjusting my routine to accommodate the heat and humidity as well as the increased oil my skin produces when it's warm.

New dumb trend: socks with sandals.

One of my favorite things about summer is the fact that I can pack away all my socks until it gets cold again in favor of bright pedicures and sandals. Well, bad news for me, because apparently socks with sandals is now a trend.

I ask you, does this look cute?

Image courtesy of NYMag.com

That's actually not the worst example they've got – you should really check out the slideshow. This look was all over the spring runways, too.

I don't get this. Isn't the point of sandals and open-toe shoes to be... open? Isn't that why they exist in the first place? So we can enjoy one less layer of fabric in a hot season? I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but here in New England it's hot and sticky. The less unnecessary fabric I can get away with, the better. Even worse, all the socks in the New York Magazine slideshow look like they're mostly nylon – can you think of a sweatier, less desirable fabric to wrap around your feet in the heat of summer?

Sorry fashion world, I'll be sitting this one out. I'd rather flaunt my brightly-polished toes in your disapproving faces than deal with sweaty, hot, smelly feet. Also, I'm not really interested in taking fashion tips from this guy:

Image courtesy of Top10Kid.com

Quickie: The bracelet that tracks your sun exposure

So you've applied your sunscreen dutifully. Great! But what if it wears off? How will you know before it's too late? Now there's a way to tell: the UVSunSense bracelet:


Developed by a nuclear physicist, the UVSunSense wristband technology is similar in principle to monitoring devices used for personnel at nuclear power plants or in jobs dealing with nuclear medicine. But instead of measuring gamma rays, UVSunSense is calibrated for ultraviolet – or UV – radiation present in sunlight. The band’s four color stages indicate changing conditions and how a user should adapt to the sunlight. The wristband is orange when removed from the packaging. It becomes purple when exposed to the sun, indicating that it has been activated. When it transitions to a dark brown the wearer needs to immediately reapply their protective sunscreen. If the band turns a salmon color, the wearer should get out of the sun completely, having approached the recommended daily limit of UV radiation. Further exposure will likely result in painful sunburn and increase the risk of sun poisoning, also known as photodermatitis.


Here's a diagram to illustrate the color changes:



The UVSunSense band is available in packs of 7 for $6.85 (plus shipping) at Amazon. Or you can check out the "Where To Buy" link on the UVSunSense website (linked above) for local retailers.