beauty

Is Your Hairstyle Bringing Out Your Best?

The way we do our hair is a mix of instinct, genetics, fashion trends, and personal taste, but sometimes all of those variables don't come together smoothly and a truly unflattering style results. If your mom isn't around to tell you about it though chances are no one else will, so here are a few tips for making sure you're flaunting a 'do that brings out the best you have to offer.

The key to choosing a hairstyle that really flatters is understanding what your basic face shape is: oval, round, square, or heart. If you don't know or are unsure see our How to Determine Your Face Shape post, then read through the guidelines below.

Oval faces are the most versatile and can pull off pretty much any cut. Pick your best feature and style your hair to accentuate it, for example bangs will bring out your eyes while an angular bob will accentuate your jaw, cheekbones, and bone structure.

Round faces look good in off-center parts that break up the roundness, along with height and volume at the crown to elongate and slim the face. Wispy or tapered ends and layers also work well. Avoid cuts that are widest at the cheekbones or round bobs that end at the chin -- both will add weight and make the face appear even rounder.

Tags: beauty, beauty-pedia, fashion, hair, hairstyle

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How to Determine Your Face Shape

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Whether you're deciding on a new hairstyle or buying a hat, knowing what shape your face is can help choose you the most flattering style. There are four basic face shapes: oval, round, heart, and square, plus a few sub-shapes such as triangle (or 'pear'), diamond, and rectangle (or 'oblong'). The first step to determining which you are is to get out a tape measure and write down some numbers.

First, measure across the top of your cheekbones.
Then measure across your jawbone, from widest point to widest point.
Third, measure across your forehead at the widest point (somewhere between your eyes and hairline)
Measure from the top of your face (at the hairline) to the tip of your chin.

Now that you have these four numbers you can determine which face shape you fall into:

Tags: beauty, beauty-pedia, face, face shape, FaceShape

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I'm Not Here, I'm Really Walking the Red Carpet

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Cosmetics and Fragrance

NOT SOAP, RADIO, a beauty product company popular with celebs from Anna Kendrick to Penelope Cruz, has released a fabulous line of products we can use to pamper ourselves just like the stars.

I'm Not Here, I'm Really Walking the Red Carpet is a set of three items: Exfoliating Sugared Body Polish, Body Souffle Body Whipped Lotion, and Just Glow Dry Oil Perfume Spray in a series of "I'm Not Here, I'm Really ..." collections. Fans of the black and red currant, rose and jasmine blend Red Carpet set include Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox among others. For $59, you can have the same set -- and there's free shipping on orders over $50, as well as free samples available.

Our question is, do they use them for walking the red carpet, or for nights when they wish they were? Other collections include:

I'm not here, I'm really meditating in a zen garden -- lotus flower, cooling greens, ginger, melon
I'm not here, I'm really at the country club -- Champagne sugar: lemon, bergamot, dew fruit, pineapple, gardenia
I'm not here, I'm really up at a mountain retreat -- rhubarb, wild spearmint, jasmine, lily of the valley, vanilla
I'm not here, I'm really on holiday in Tuscany -- tangerine, neroli, bergamot, lime, sweet tea
I'm not here, I'm really island hopping -- coconut, lemongrass, vanilla, verbena, musk
I'm not here, I'm really on vacation in a quaint seaside village -- nectarine blossom, honey, peach, black currant, green mandarin

Those all sound like better places to be than our humble bathtubs. Let Not Soap, Radio transport you.

Tags: Anna Kendrick, AnnaKendrick, beauty, Courteney Cox, CourteneyCox, Jennifer Anniston, JenniferAnniston, Not Soap, NotSoap, Penelope Cruz, PenelopeCruz, Radio, reese witherspoon, ReeseWitherspoon

Opulence Lashes: Be a Vixen on Valentine's Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Looking to kick things up a notch this Valentine's Day and really pull out all the stops as far as looking your glamorous and fabulous best? Opulence Lashes has a beautiful line of faux lashes that are sure to impress and will have you looking like something out of a fantasy photo shoot. The 'Calliope' design above features thick black lashes with a border of pretty diamante stones and two feathers projecting off the outer edge (they call it 'wild west' but I think it looks anything but). All the lashes are handmade and presented in a protective case. £125-£175

Gallery: Glamorous Opulence Eye Lashes

Source

Tags: beauty, eye lashes, EyeLashes, lashes, opulence

Rock Candy Beauty & The Beast BLK Edition Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I've never heard of either Rock Candy or Chouette - but together they have released a new set of two watches, the "Beauty," and the "Beast." Apparently Chouette is "Hong Kong's premier watch and lifestyle brand." I don't know anything about that, but I will take their word for it - neither do I care, because these watches pretty much speak for themselves. As ladies' watches go these are both quite dark and still feminine. There is a playful aggression to them that will strongly appeal to some women. My top choice is the Beast watch in all black but with its bright, hot pink hands.

Technical details on the watches are scant. They are in black coated steel cases with custom silicon straps and quartz movements. The "spiked" bezels have repeated pyramid shapes on them, while there is a black crystallized Swarovski Elements stone as a cabochon in the crown. The Beauty version of the watch has an addition 502 Swarovski stones all over the dial under the grayish colored hands. Dial design is almost like a stripped down diver's watch - and that helps with the clarity. While Beauty has a subdued and aggressive jewelry feeling to it, the Beast looks like what a biker or rocker chic would wear on days she is otherwise not dressed as a biker or a rocker chick. I think the hot pink accent is really going to be the part of the watch that helps bring together the "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" style of the case and dial. Oh, and the future of "phantom" all black watches is this, having an all dark case and dial with hands that are legible.

Each of the two watches will be available as a limited edition of just 300 pieces. The Rock Candy Beauty watch will retail for about $900, while the Beast will retail for about $640.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Rock Candy Beauty & The Beast BLK Edition Watches

Tags: beast, beauty, black, Chouette, hong kong, HongKong, limited edition, LimitedEdition, pink, Rock Candy, RockCandy, watch

How to Apply Eye Shadow Like a Pro

by Sabah Karimi (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Whether you're pulling off the sexy smoky eye look or just want your eye makeup to last longer, the secret is all in your technique. You don't need to spend a lot of money to replicate a celebrity-inspired look, but you do need to apply powder to eyelids using certain color combinations and blend colors in just the right areas.

Get that runway-inspired look you crave with these essential tips for applying eye shadow from the country's top makeup artists:

1. Apply eye shadow wet. Dab a layer of alcohol-free toner onto your lids before sweeping on your favorite shadow to increase the shadow's staying power. The "trick is to mist the eye shadow, not drench it", says celebrity makeup artist Elke Von Freudenberg.

2. Use shimmer powder to enhance the smoky eye look. Combine your dark brown or pewter shadow with gold or silver shimmer for the ultimate celebrity-inspired look. Celebrity makeup artist www.christopherdrummond.com/Christopher Drummond points out that the key to achieving beautiful and sexy, smoky eyes is to "keep the darker shades toward the outer crease and the shimmer highlights toward the inner crease of the eye".

Tags: beauty, beauty-pedia, beautytips, celebritymakeup, eyeshadow, luxist-awards, main-pedia, makeup, makeuptips

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How to Care for Your Makeup Brushes

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

A good set of makeup brushes can be a girl's best friend, but neglect to care for them properly and they'll soon become your worst enemy. Dirty makeup brushes apply makeup unevenly, cost you time as you struggle to get the look you want, and can contribute to unsightly breakouts and inflammation when bacteria growing in the bristles gets deposited on your skin along with the makeup.

Aside from storing them upright and away from humidity (in the bathroom is not a good idea) the single most important thing you can do with your makeup brushes is wash them regularly. Once a week is ideal but twice a month is the bare minimum, depending on how often you use them and for what. When washing any set of brushes first follow any special instructions that came with them. If you have no instructions then the following methods all work well for both natural bristle brushes and synthetics.

Tags: beauty, beauty-awards, beauty-pedia, luxist-awards, main-pedia, makeup

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Chanel's New Lifting/Firming Skincare Line

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Chanel's New Lifting/Firming Skincare Line

The four products in Chanel's new Ultra Correction Lift Collection contain a resin from the Manila elemi tree, often used to heal skin in traditional Chinese medicine. The Lifting Firming Day Cream SPF 15, for example, is described as "lush cream, luxuriously textured and delicately scented, delivers a very soft, matte finish, with ultimate comfort, for a visible lifting effect." So, does the line deliver? I can't say (way out of my price range!), but according to O the Oprah Magazine beauty editor Jenny Bailly, "Don't expect gravity-defying results, but the Lifting Firming Day Cream SPF 15 and the Lifting Firming Night Cream will leave your skin temporarily plumper and firmer." The total of six products range from $85 - $225, including the four Lift Collection items as well a Lifting Firming Day Fluid SPF 15 and a Sculpting Firming Concentrate.

Tags: beauty, Chanel, cosmetics, creams, skin care, skincare

Win a Zappos Gift Card

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Services, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Shoes, Holiday Guides, Men's Style

When Zappos offered Luxist a $50 gift card, I jumped at the chance. I had a lot of fun browsing the site, which started out as a shoe mecca and now includes bags, clothing, housewares, and beauty items. The tough part was making a choice. I gave in to footwear trends and bought a pair of chocolate brown UGG boots, chipping in the rest of the price on my own, of course.

Then I thought, what about Luxist readers? So I asked Zappos if it would offer a $50 gift card to one reader, and the nice folks there agreed. Use the card to buy a gift for someone else, or for yourself. Or just save it until you need something. The card doesn't expire and doesn't incur fees.

Some other important details:
* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed by December 25, 2009 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a Zappos Gift Card valued at $50.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here.

The contest has ended. Thank you for your participation. The winner will be notified on December 28, 2009.

Tags: beauty, clothing, gift card, gift certificate, GiftCard, GiftCertificate, giveaway, handbags, holiday, shoes, Zappos

Zappos Opens the Door to Its VIP Club, Four Days Only

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Services, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Shoes, Men's Style

Shoe paradise Zappos is opening the doors to its VIP Club during a special four-day window from Black Friday, November 27, through Cyber Monday, November 30. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and lasting until midnight on Monday only, log onto to the special holiday VIP Club page and join for free, overnight shipping forever.

My love for Zappos has been documented on this site, plus all my friends and family know too. I am a hazard to my budget when I get within an inch of the site. But keep watching my posts on Luxist for more from Zappos, including great holiday gift ideas -- Zappos also carries bags, clothing, housewares, beauty items, and more -- a gift card giveaway, design contests, and more about its Couture section, which is what Luxist readers really care about, right?

UPDATE: The holiday VIP promotion has ended, but you can join Zappos's VIP waiting list here.

Tags: apparel, beauty, clothing, clubs, handbags, shoes, VIP, Zappos

Swarovski Crystal-Embellished Nail File

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

You'll never be able to go back to 10-pack cheapo emery boards after having this beautiful accessory in your purse! The Swarovski Nail File, created by designer Craig Coulton for the design competition organized by Designboom, consists of two filing blades (regular and smoothing) that fold out to reveal a shining layer beneath them. Crystals are embedded along each side of a silver, gold, or platinum body. Seems there's just no end to many ways that crystals can beautify everyday objects.

Gallery: Swarovski Crystal-Embellished Nail File

Tags: beauty, beauty products, BeautyProducts, nail file, NailFile, swarovski, swarovski crystals, SwarovskiCrystals

Claridge's Debuts Exclusive Dior Dressing Table

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services, Spirits, Cosmetics and Fragrance

Famed French fashion house Dior has created a bespoke, Art Deco-inspired dressing table service for guests of Claridge's, the landmark London hotel (above) whose devotees include Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Victoria Beckham. Designed as the ultimate luxury amenity for glamorous occupants of the hotel's Viscount David Linley-designed suites, the service offers all the essentials necessary for a glamorous night out on the town. The Dior Dressing Table includes a carefully curated range of timeless accessories, including an elegant silk Claridge's dressing gown and slippers; a cashmere eye mask; a selection of classic Dior fragrances and beauty products; cocktails from a special 1930s menu; and era-appropriate books and music for entertainment.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Angelina Jolie, AngelinaJolie, Art Deco, ArtDeco, beauty, Christian Dior, ChristianDior, Claridges, David Linley, DavidLinley, Dior, hotel, London

Designer Hand Sanitizer. You Heard Right.

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Design

Designer Hand Sanitizer. You Heard Right.

Even if Ed Hardy by Christian Augdigier isn't your style, chances are you've seen the T-shirts at least, most recently on reality show dad Jon Gosselin. But here's a new item from Ed Hardy Habit that got me wondering if the design world has lost it (I know this isn't the first silly "designer" item to come down the pike -- it just grabbed me this week as plain ridiculous): hand sanitizer. That's right, the alcohol-based gel we all carry to use at restaurants or after being on public transportation. The stuff that's pretty cheap. And comes in a plain plastic bottle because it doesn't need to have anything fancier.

Too pedestrian for you, though? Now you can carry around -- or keep at home or at your desk in a pump-style -- and show off to your friends, your designer hand sanitizer. Sure, it's still cheap (only $5 for 2 oz., and $13 for 9.3 oz. w/pump), but it's Ed Hardy Habit, and it comes in a jazzed-up bottle and has a coconut-bergamot scent. Also available: sanitizing pens and foaming hand sanitizer. Made by Habitual Solutions. And so popular it's on backorder as I write this. Guess I'm the one who needs to get with it.

Tags: beauty, christian audigier, ChristianAudigier, designer, Ed Hardy, EdHardy, hand sanitizer, hand sanitizers, HandSanitizer, HandSanitizers, health

Mink Eyelashes For Celeb-Style Eyes

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Just about any red carpet event features actresses batting impossibly long lashes. One of their secrets is mink. Jennifer Lopez and Madonna are just two of the celebrities who have worn mink eyelashes which can sell for $1,000. Now Aira Cosmetics is offering mink to the masses. Mink eyelashes are created using individually selected mink fur hairs that have been harvested by brushing live farm animals. The hairs are sterilized and hypoallergenic. The long style of the lashes sell for $250.

Source

Tags: beauty, eyelashes, mink

La Mer Luxe Keepsake Box

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

I love pretty keepsake boxes and have quite a collection so this Luxe Keepsake Box from luxury skincare company La Mer certainly caught my eye. Designed by British royal furniture designer David Linley, and crafted from sycamore with a distinct green exterior finish, the 15 limited edition boxes come with a 60ml jar of Creme de la Mer and a silver spatula nestled inside -- along with a custom lock and key meant to balance tradition with modern design. Each box is numbered and costs RM3,800 (approx $1,050).

Via Bornrich

Source

Tags: beauty, creme, face, keepsake, keepsake box, KeepsakeBox, la mer, LaMer, limited edition, LimitedEdition