Spring HAUTE LIST

Spring is 15 DAYS AWAY!!!! Although it does not feel like it here in NYC.  I wanted to put together a list of items that YOU MUST have for the upcoming season.

1. Mirror Pumps - From Jimmy Choo to J.Crew these MUST HAVE heels are practically available almost everywhere.  They look amazing with jeans as well as skirts. 
2. Fun Jewelry -  Play around with pieces. Bangles, Cuffs, Statement Earrings,  just pile the jewels on!! I love the idea of tons of rings, and bangles - but it has to be done right.  If you have no idea how to start, look to pinterest or instagram for some inspiration. 
3. Mermaid Waves - I love long hair for every season and I love the idea of transitioning into a mane of long waves that just remind you that Summer is not that far away.  Sultra Bombshell Cone Iron gives amazing results. The trick is to hold the hair on the iron longer to make a tighter more defined curl.  
4. Sexy Scent - Lady Gaga Fame ( Macys Stores)  is an amazing choice.  I was not sure what to expect from Gaga but this is NOT the typical fruity scent most celebs attach their name to, I was pleasantly surprised.  Great for a night out and not too overpowering for day.  
5. Orchid Lipstick -  Radiant Orchid is the official color of the year, and I just love LORAC Lip Luxe 8 Hour Lipstick in "Orchid". This lipstick is not only pigmented but also very moisturizing as well.  Looks great on darker skin tones.  Check out the swatch below : 

As you can see "Orchid" is very pigmented and vibrant on my dark skin.  The top photo is natural light and the bottom is flash.  This color works well with a nude soft eye color story.  

***Honarable Mention*** 

Although I said a Orchid lip is a MUST for Sprint , but I can't let go of my "PINKS" !!! I LOVE a pink lip still and LORAC Lip Luxe 8 Hour Lipstick in "Hot Pink" is amazing!  This is going in my list of favorite pinks.  

Beautiful Retro Waves and Supporting a Good Cause ..

Kim Kardashian

Jean Paul Gaultier Show Fall 09

Beyonce 

Christian Dior Fall 2011 Show 

Christian Dior Fall 2011 Show

Whether you'd like to wear your hair with retro-inspired ( Veronica Lake) waves like Kim Kardashian , above and from the Jean Paul Gaultier Show circa 2009 , or the loose modern alternative as seen on Beyonce and the Christian Dior Fall 2011 show - there is only one tool to use .

 The Bombshell Pink ($130, pictured above)  by one of my favorite lines of styling tools : Sultra Beauty.  This 1"inch  rod curling iron makes trouble creating versatile looks a problem of the past. It heats up instantly, and makes beautiful curls - I've been lucky enough to try out the iron, and its part of my daily routine on the weeks I want some curls / waves in my hair.  I've noticed you can control the size of your curls by how tight you hold your hair around the rod, as well as how long you leave your hair on the rod.  The longer time you hold the hair on the rod, the tighter the curl, less time a looser big wave. It very fun to use this iron and play around and create new styles , trust me there is many looks to create !

Another important detail that makes this iron so special, is that in support of Breast Cancer awareness (which starts next month ) , Sultra is donating a portion of the proceeds of The Bombshell Pink to Susan G. Komen for the Cure*.


Susan G. Komen for the Cure's promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures. For more information, please visit www.komen.org or call 1-877-GO-KOMEN. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

Milan Runway Hair Trend at Dolce & Gabbana : Boy Meets Girl

At Sunday’s Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan, Redken Creative Consultant Guido finished Milan Fashion Week by creating two separate looks – one feminine, a Sicilian-inspired loose twisted chignon and the other a bit more masculine, a French twist quiff.  "The looks at Dolce & Gabbana were a classic play on femme fatale, where women played with their masculine and feminine sides, it is very fun and liberating.  The feminine look is how I would imagine a Sicilian woman to put her hair up for the day in a soft updo – very matronly and womanly."

Both the "Chignon" and "French Twist" being classic / timeless hairstyles  are no strangers to the runway , but Guido always finds a method in making something old something new.  He did the very same thing with the Brooke Shields inspired "Side Braid" at Alexander Wang a few seasons ago.  I really love both styles, and I intend on trying them both out.  I know for a fact I will be more prone to re-creating the masculine "French Twist Quiff" , because it is very similar to how I usually wear my hair at times when I want it off of my face.  The feminine "Sicilian-inspired Loose Twisted Chignon" looks very fun, and I find it to be a very sophisticated style interpretation of the classic style - which is intriguing.


Create the look at home :

Feminine

Tools Needed :

Redken Products -   layer lift 07 length elevating spray gel + forceful 23 super strength finishing spray

Hair Extensions (in case you have short hair , but would like to create this look as well) - Optional*

Statement Earrings ( not neccessary, but I think it would be a nice pairing) - Optional*

Four Large Rollers
Blow Dryer ( May I suggest the  - Sultra Sophisticate Power Dryer , it dries hair instantly !!)

Hair Pins

- Prep hair with layer lift 07 for extra body and volume and roll 4 large rollers in crown portion of head.
-Take out rollers and create a big beautiful blow with messy center parting to help prep for the updo making sure to blow dry the front bang portion forward over the forehead.
- Lightly twist sections on either side until they meet in the back of the head and secure with pins.
- Gather rest of hair and twist into a very loose chignon pinning into a swirled chignon.
- Let bits fall out naturally around the face.
- Finish with forceful 23 for added hold but spray lightly as to not look weighed down or heavy.

 

 

 

Masculine

 

 

 

Tools Needed :

Redken Products - structure wax 17  + forceful 23 super strength finishing spray
Hair Pins

- Prep hair with generous amounts of structure wax 17 classic styling wax.

- Leave out a section at the front and pin this up into the 50s looking quiff.
- Part on the side and gather hair at nape of neck and twist up toward top of head pinning as you go up. Until all hair is pinned in.
- Pull out bits on the side just in front of the ears and let drop down 2 inches to create 'sideburns' and then secure remaining end of hair back into the rest of the updo.
- Finish with heavy amounts of forceful 23 to hold the look in place.

For more information on where to buy the products listed above , check out  http://www.redken.com/ and http://www.sultra.com/

Sultra Presents : The Bombshell

Everywhere you turn, there's waves from Runways to Red Carpets to Beaches to your local supermarket. There's so many methods in creating this iconic style which includes - flat irons, curling irons, double barrell irons, rollers, pin curls, sectioning the hair, you name it - the list is never ending. Sultra Beauty (which has been so good to Dèesse Magazine) has created a new tool to help us master this style and took it one step further with the creation of The Bombshell . Recently featured in Allure magazine, it is the first consumer clip-less iron which will help create the curls or waves you want in half the time with no lines caused by clip curling irons. I have experienced those unsightly lines while using either flat irons or curling irons, and they're annoying. I liked using this iron to create waves in my hair, and I found it very easy to use. The Bombshell's smooth rod barrel provides constant, even 360°f heat, which is great because it makes curling your hair faster - which is great because the faster you get through the hair, the less heat damage . The Bombshell features the Kyocera® Ceramic Technology which repairs the hair with infrared rays while you style , universal voltage , and complimentary safety glove included. The Bombshell can be purchased at Sultra.com , Sephora Stores and Sephora.com and retails for $130.

Fall Trend : Ombrelicious

Christian Cota's Fall 2010 Collection was rich in blues greys and coppers, the key inspiration of hair and nails that were out of this world.



Hair - Sultra's Creative Director Omar Lopez explained to me the inspiration for the hair as ombre with greys and coppers , the clothes color story was the "muse" for the hair color and he used the word "Cubism" as a description for the hair.

The wigs that were hand dye-d by the oh so Fabulous Omar Lopez and his equally fabulous team, you can feel the love while they're working. The wigs (originally) a shade of platinum were brightened even further to a higher platinum level , while keeping the Ombre theme in mind - half of the wigs were Ombre-fied with a brown (copper) while the other half was done in a blue-ish grey.

Another cool fact the models were given either brown or grey according to their ensemble, so the models had to give their names to the Sultra hair-team so that they were given the appropriate wig for their look. So Chic!

Lopez wanted the hair to be a cross between the ultra pretty classic Bob and the anything but perfect rockstar Shag these wigs were styled somewhere in between. Omar wanted pretty hair but not the "hair is all in place - too perfectly styled " persuasion, the use of razors gave the ends movement and moved the style away from the " perfect Bob".

Sultra of course were the products of choice, with complicated hand paint jobs on the hair, the Sophisticate Dryer ( used on the "fine" setting) was more than a saver. Omar mentioned the short amount of time it took to dry the wigs saved him and his "assembly line" as he affectionately called his team when describing the process. They went on to use the Seductress (trust me you will be one if you ever get your hands on one and style your hair) to iron the hair prior to cutting the hair. The wigs were feather razor-ed at the ends to shatter the line. The end result was a pretty/disheveled (who knew you could be both at once) work of art !!!!

Here are some shots of Omar perfecting- those fabulous wigs !!!

Getting that Wig TIGHT !!!!
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The end result - Ombrelicious !!!!

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Omar and his works of art !!!!

Nails - Nail lead Patricia Yankee explained that the clothes were also the inspiration for the nails - which were press ons that were hand painted before hand in a blue/purple Ombre pattern. Patricia also mentioned to me that Christian did not want a short nail, he wanted a nail with some length - another reason to opt for the press on option. The nails were very beautiful , I wanted some for myself !!!!!!

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So Pretty !!!!!
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Alexander Wang / Sultra Runway Report

Guido and Alexander Wang teamed up once again (after the infamous Brooke Shields - inspired "braids" from the Spring 2010 shows that showed up EVERYWHERE afterward) for the Fall 2010 show . The fab duo took it up a notch this time around by adding new mega brand Sultra to the mix (this was their premiere into New York Fashion Week ) with the use of the newly launched Sultra Sophisticate Power Dryer which was crucial to the styling process.

The look (shown, above) was described by Guido Palau simply as " Tomboyish, Casual, yet Very Sexy" Guido also added " I needed a tool that works very quickly and the Sultra Sophisticate Dryer has a ceramic infrared generator ( I was lucky enough to attend the Sultra Launch in November , and I witnessed the contents of this dryer and it is above an beyond any dryers to date !!) that really works to dry hair immediately without damaging" "It's perfect for working backstage at fashion week- cutting down on time and helping to protect the models' hair simultaneously."

Being that it cuts down on time , this dryer is perfect for us mere-mortals as well, when we'd like to change our hair as often as we blink our eyes, this dryer will come VERY handy !!!

Alexander Wang also spoke very highly of Sultra : " It was really exciting to work with Sultra for the first time this season. We would not have been able to achieve the incredible shellacked effect I wanted without Sultra's Sophisticate Power Dryer. I can't wait to see what we can come up with together next season!"

I can not wait either !!!!!!

The Sultra Sophisticate Power Dryer retails at $280 - so worth EVERY penny !! , and will be available 3/1 at Sephora Stores and Sephora.com