To ring in the first day of spring, and hopefully warmer weather, a vintage image of a glamorous bikini-clad model.
About a month ago, I was the victim of a beauty crime – an overly confident woman with shears gave me a bad haircut.
Having recently moved out of state, I could no longer get fabulous haircuts from my friend Sara. Appointments with Sara were always accompanied by a glass of wine, laughter, and great convos — and I always left her salon with beautiful hair.
The crime
I knew it would be impossible to replace Sara, so after months of searching for a new stylist, I finally decided to take my chances with a local hairdresser. (Yes a hairdresser. The same word my Southern grandmother used to describe the lady who’d dye her hair a peculiar shade of red and set her up with a good old-fashioned perm.)
An hour after sitting in the beauty parlor chair, a full six inches of what used to be long locks had been hacked off. Instead of long layers, I had short, shaggy hair with a bob in front. The result was a horrifying combination of Jane Fonda-circa-1970-something and the famous Rachel from Friends haircut.
To fix or not to fix
The haircut was downright bad. No joke, tears happened and as a woman who is almost 30, it’s slightly embarrassing to admit that I cried over a bad haircut. I had a bad experience, but I didn’t have the stomach to invest in bad haircut fixes, including going shorter or letting another untried stylist attempt to reshape it.
So instead of spending more money on another haircut or miracle hair growth via hair extensions, I put my big girl pants on and decided to let my hair grow out au naturale.
Learning to dress my tresses
I’ve had long hair for at least five years, and have always had a wash-and-go cut. My current hairdo requires daily styling, which puts me a little out of my element.
Initially, I went right to Sephora to buy a bevy of new hair products and styling tools, but as my online shopping cart grew to outrageous proportions, I took a step back to consider what could reasonably be done with a shaggy-bob.
I turned to the best free hair and makeup styling resource I know: online videos.
First up, hair tutorials from Joey Maalouf, Rachel Zoe besty and hair and makeup artist extraordinaire. BellaSugar debuted a few video tutorials featuring Joey Maalouf a while back and the styles are fairly easy to recreate. Plus, the way he brandishes L’Oreal Elnette hairspray to “lock in” a look makes me smile every time.
My favorite Joey Maalouf video tutorials: one messy updo a la Molly Sims and Rachel Zoe’s famous, and seemingly effortlessly undone, “Model Off-Duty” hair.
Admittedly, my hair doesn’t look as good as the finished look in either video, but it was a huge improvement over the result of air drying the shaggy-bob.
In addition to Joey Maalouf tutorials, YouTube is pretty amazing for figuring out how to recreate a look. A few keyword searches are sometimes necessary before you’re able to find the best tutorials, but it’s a great way to learn how to execute a salon-worthy blowout or accomplish a fishtail braid.
Forced out of my hair rut
While I wouldn’t wish a hair-tastrophe on my worst enemy, this beauty crime may have been a blessing in disguise. Sporting the same hairstyle for the last five or so years, made me a little complacent with my routine. Being forced to experiment with headbands, ponytails, topknots, and a round brush has broadened my hair repertoire, which in the end, isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Lately I’ve been a little obsessed with sequin shorts. There are a number of sparkly options available from a variety of retailers, both the notoriously expensive and famously budget-conscious, and I’ve trolled countless sites to find the perfect pair.
My perfect pair of sequin shorts
You can spend thousands on a pair of these shorts — take a jaunt over to ShopStyle and search for “sequin shorts” to see for yourself — but I’ve found that this lovely pair from Express for $59.90 (pictured above) is just about the best option regardless of your fashion budget. Short and sexy without being clingy, this tailored pair of sequin shorts will draw eyes to you for all the right reasons.
What to avoid when it comes to sparkly short-pants
When shopping for sequin shorts, I suggest avoiding the following styles of sparkly gam-revealers:
- Hot pants: Too short and too tight and your on-trend look will scream “I’m a lady of the night.”
- Slouchy or pleated: Sparkle on these styles looks sloppy and manages to take away the luster of the light catching embellishment.
- Bermudas: I love a pair of Bermudas as much as the next girl, especially when paired with a sexy wedge, but somehow sequin with this cut makes the style look dowdy.
Stick to a tailored pair of shorter sequin shorts and you’ll be sure to turn heads in this obsession worthy trend.
Still too full from oversized portions of turkey and holiday wine, many of us flock to the local mall on Black Friday hoping to take advantage of insane holiday sales. On a day when you have to brave hoards of holiday shoppers and the Crazy-Target-Lady types (she’s my current Twitter obsession, follow her tweets @ChristmasChap), it’s smart to be prepared. Here’s what you need to survive Black Friday.
1. An extra roomy, lightweight purse – isn’t just for grandma
A roomy purse is very important on this day of marathon shopping. Take a handbag that has plenty of room for the essentials, like your wallet, cell phone and car keys. But be sure your handbag is also big enough for you to stow smaller purchases – say a holiday-inspired eye shadow from Sephora or a pair of earrings for your niece. Avoid a leather bag at all costs, it’ll feel like you left a five-pound dumbbell in there, and opt for a canvas tote or another lightweight option – like a nylon shopper.
2. Comfy shoes will save your feet
It seems like an obvious choice, after all you know you’re going to be walking a lot — beginning with the trek through the parking lot and then there’ll be all those hot laps around the mall. When you select your footwear, think about what you plan to accomplish on Black Friday. If your plans include shoe shopping, you might select ballet flats over a pair of boots.
3. One word about clothing: layers
If you plan to make it to the mall right when the doors open, it’s oh so tempting to throw on yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Yes, an elastic waistband seems like a good option when you’ve overdone it at Thanksgiving dinner, but it isn’t a good look for the mall or any public place outside of the gym. Put together a decent outfit for the national day of retail excess. With all that schleping through stores, and dodging fast walkers, trying to get around slow walkers, and getting in and out of clothes, you’ll want to be able to adjust your outfit according to your fluctuating body temperature. By layering a cardigan over a tee or a tank under a button up, you’ll be able to adjust your outfit as needed.
4. Coffee is your friend
Waking up before the sun comes up to beat the holiday shopping crowd means you’ll want to have your favorite caffeinated drink in hand as you blearily finger a tie neck blouse early in the morning. Before you hit the mall, stop by your favorite coffee spot. Better yet, your fancy-pants coffee maker probably has a timer, so set it up, save a few bucks, and enjoy caffeinated goodness as soon as you wake up. Don’t be shy about pit stops either — you’re probably going to need an extra large refill at least once.
5. Snacks prevent hangry shopping
Don’t try to lug around a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing bursting from between a leftover biscuit; instead, throw a bag of almonds in your purse and nosh on it when you get hungry. No one likes a hangry (hungry-angry) shopper, so keep some sustenance in your purse and refuel as needed.
6. A shopping list doesn’t make you a nerd
It’s always a good idea to use a shopping list, whether you’re braving the crowds on Black Friday or headed to the grocery store for a few items. It helps you stay organized and can prevent forgetting important people on your gift-giving list. If you’re an old fashioned gal, you can put pen to paper. I have to admit that using pretty stationary for that list can add a touch of glamour to your shopping trip. But for someone who has embraced technology, I recommend Evernote. You can import any variety of lists to your smartphone from your online account and the app allows you to check items off your list throughout the day.
As I prepare for Thanksgiving festivities, I’m lusting after these exquisite aprons from anthropologie. Protect your clothes and don an apron with with enough detailing and tailoring to be a dress right out of the fifties.
womensweardaily:
“This is almost like a love letter to all the women we worked with who couldn’t afford what equates to rent on a dress,” Tagliapietra says. “They would buy clothes that were a lot more affordable or wait until things were on sale. We can finally give them something they can just buy and not have to stress about.”
Thank you Tagliapietra, fashionistas on a budget appreciate it!
