How to get beachy waves with a curling iron

It's so easy to get beachy waves like the ones pictured on me here. The trick is to curl your hair like normal, (if you need a refresher, see my quick video tutorial on curling) with one small change.

The only change - pay attention now - is to twist each section of hair one time around your finger before wrapping it around the curling iron. And that's the key to beachy waves!

So easy right? My wonderful hairstylist taught me this trick. I love trying new things! It's a nice change that's super simple to execute, especially for ladies like me who curl their hair often.

Okay, that's all for now.

Have you ever styled your hair this way? If not, will you try it? Please let me know if you do! I'd love to see the results!

A gift for mom

I put together this cute gift basket for my mom for Mother's Day. She is a total beauty product junkie and deserves the best so I got her some of my favorites. You can't see everything in the basket but it was chalk full hair products, makeup and nail polishes, including:

• Batiste colored dry shampoo
• Shower Queen cupcake patterned shower cap
• Aveda Smooth Infusion shampoo and conditioner
• bareMinerals Flawless Definition mascara
• Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm
• OPI "Guy Meets Gal-Veston" nail polish (from the Texas collection, Spring 2011)
• OPI "Houston We Have a Purple" nail polish (from the Texas collection, Spring 2011)

Plus, two nice bottles of Italian wine and tea bags:

• Alice "Ose" Vino Spumante Rose Brut 
• Cortese “Bianchino,” Valli Unite
• Aveda comforting tea bags

I found the perfect little basket to put everything in at the Salvation Army for just $5 and dolled it up with a few sheets of pink tissue paper. It turned out great! 

I also ordered her a box of Myfaceworks "I need to be firm" collagen boosting sheet masks, which are absolutely amazing. I could not include them in the basket, though, because I ordered them too late. They'll be a special bonus gift when they arrive in a few days. 

Did you get your mom any beauty products for Mother's Day?

Beautylish 2011 NYC Spring Trend Preview

The lovely team at Beautylish.com held a spring trend preview event last night in NYC to welcome their new beauty director, Ning Chao. I was so honored to be invited to the event, which was held at the uber swanky Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo and featured makeovers, flowing cocktails, delicious h'ors doeuvres and of course, beauty products galore.

Makeup artists and stylists from Bare Escentuals, Tarte and Wella were on hand to demonstrate the smoky pastel eye, slicked back hair and bright lips -- three beauty trends that are sure to be hot this spring. I attended with a good friend, Melissa, and we had a blast getting our hair and makeup done, meeting other beauty bloggers, vloggers and editors, devouring decadent cupcakes and mini-grilled cheeses with truffle oil and drinking maybe one too many glasses of wine. 

Melissa (right) and I after getting our makeup touched up by Bare Escentuals artists. 

Donna Wagner, a stylist from NYC's Pipino Salon gives my hair a beachy, tousled look using Wella products. 

I left with an heavy goodie bag filled to the brim with new beauty products from Victoria Secret, Borba, E.L.F Cosmetics, Dior, Guess, Too Faced, Urban Decay, StriVectin, Sally Hansen, Talika, Reveal Halle Berry, Guess, the Balm, and much more! I am so excited to try my new products and share my reviews with you.

Thank you so much to Christina, Victoria, Ning and the rest of the Beautylish gang for a fabulous evening!

A massive beauty haul just took place!

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I got a haircut! Come see...

So my hair was getting out of control long and split-endy. It had been more than five months since my last haircut, so I was definitely due. The length isn't much different now, but a lot of hair came off and the ends are all nice and clean. I also curled my hair differently in the "after" photo. It's more of a beachy wave, rather than a traditional, spiral curl that I usually don.

What do you think? If you all like the beachy wave look, I'll film a tutorial video.

Beauty test run: Batiste brunette colored dry shampoo

I was talking to my friend who has the most beautiful long, flowing hair the other day. I randomly asked her how often she washes her locks and her answer totally suprised me!

"Once a week," my friend said.

My mouth totally dropped. I wash my hair every other day and can't imagine going a whole week without sudsing up. So how does she keep her hair looking so nice between washes? Dry shampoo.

"It's a total lifesaver," she said.

I've been wanting to try dry shampoo for what seems like forever, but that conversation drove me to finally actually go out and purchase some.

I picked up this "Batiste" brand colored dry shampoo, which is specially formulated for brown hair, and retails for around $8. After using this product several times, here are my initial reactions:

Pros: The product blends well into my brown hair and does not leave a chalky residue at all. It soaks up the oil at my roots and makes my hair look and feel refreshed. It has allowed me to go an extra day between washes. Plus, it has a nice cocoa butter smell that freshens up the hair.

Cons: My hair still looks better after it's been freshly shampooed and styled. Also, I found it slightly difficult to wash out.

Overall verdict: This products works well for the price and I will definitely continue using it until the can has run out.

Do you use dry shampoo? Which brand do you like the best? Can you believe I'd never tried it before?

New York Fashion Week Fall 2011: Wine-stained lips and 70s glam rules the runways

New York Fashion Week is in full swing with designers showing their Fall 2011 collections and providing us beauty junkies with some hard core inspiration. At the Porter Grey presentation on Thursday, models wore wine stained lips and wavy hair with a deep side part.

Meanwhile, over at the Farah Angsana show on Friday the look was all about 70s glamour, featuring smoky eyes, red lips, beehive updos and sleek bobs. I guess it's time to re-think the old rule that a statement eye and lip shouldn't be worn together.

Photos courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

What do think of these two looks? I'm inspired to duplicate the Porter Grey look right now! And the ultra glam look Farah Angsana would be perfect for a special Valentines Day date.

What the heck is up with Heidi Klum's hairstyle?

Heidi Klum applying makeup to a contest winner on Jan. 26. How lucky is that girl?

Heidi Klum was spotted earlier this week at an Astor Cosmetics event in Stuttgart, Germany rocking an interesting look. I'm loving Heidi's cool, steel gray nail color and bright pink lipstick. I'm a little more confused about her hairstyle. I actually think it looks really pretty, but I've been sick all week and might just be delirious.

My educated guess is that she brushed her hair to one side and sectioned it off then twisted each section into a mini-bun and secured it with bobby pins.  It looks like a bed of little rosettes has bloomed on the side of her head.

What do you think of Heidi's wacky hairstyle? Would you have the confidence to wear it?

Top Golden Globes after party looks

While I was a tad underwhelmed with the hair and makeup looks from the 2011 Golden Globes Awards, a few ladies really made up for lack of drama at the big show with their striking after party looks. Here are my favorites:

My top pick goes to Hayden Panettiere, who showed up at the HBO after party wearing a pretty clipped-back hairstyle, turquoise eyeshadow and a glowing tan. Her hair and makeup was fresh, young and different -- I loved it.

With her loose, curly ponytail and neutral makeup I thought Selena Gomez totally rocked it at the InStyle/Warner Bros. after party. I love everything about her hairstyle -- from the pretty pieces in front to the super-long flowing curls in back -- it's gorgeous yet simple. Her makeup accentuated her features beautifully without looking over done. 

Meanwhile, Camilla Belle hit the InStyle/Warner Bros. after party wearing a sophisticated silver and plum look. I'm loving how the softness of her makeup balances out the rigid structure of her dress. Even her hairstyle had a sort of calculated juxtaposition, with the top half perfectly pulled back and her bottom pieces left free.

And now, one look I'm undecided about...

We can always count on Kim Kardashian to bring the drama and her look for the InStyle/Warner Bros. after party was no exception. While I love that she rocked such a daring look, I think that between those earrings, the statement lip, bright blush and crazy-big eyelashes it was a tad too much. I'm not really sure about this look.

What do you think of these Golden Globes after party looks? Who's look is your favorite?

The Golden Globe for best hair and makeup goes to...

 

With her soft upswept curls and radiant, glowing complexion Amy Adams was my top pick of the night. I am having a hardcore love affair with red hair right now and hers is the best. 

Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway gets an honorable mention for her flowing chestnut brown waves and shimmering eyeshadow. I feel like she's done this look a thousand times but as they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. This look is just the epitome of glamour. 

And finally, I must mention Emma Stone, who had a huge beauty moment with her spotlight-stealing platinum blonde, sweeping updo and pretty peach makeup. From the dress to the hair and makeup -- her look was well thought out and pure perfection. This was the first time she's really stood out as a movie star to me. 

And now for the bad news. . . 

Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed with the hair and makeup looks coming out of this year's Golden Globes Awards. I was hoping for some fresh beauty inspiration but the typical long, loose waves and bouffant-style updos ruled the red carpet. 

I suppose the most notable hair story from the 2011 Globes was Olivia Wilde and Sandra Bullock both showing up with blunt bangs and stick straight hair -- a casual style that I was not really feeling for the black tie event. As for makeup, January Jones and Natalie Portman both wore a statement lip, but most others played it safe with neutral hues. 

Of course, most of the ladies still looked insanely gorgeous, even if they didn't show us anything particularly groundbreaking in the beauty department. 

So, what do you think of my top hair and makeup picks? Do you agree that it was kind a boring show beauty-wise? 

Can we talk about Khloe Kardashian's new red hair?

Photo courtesy Us Magazine

I am kind of really digging it. Not better than her brown hair but I think it looks really soft and pretty. Plus, it's fun to change things up once in a while and it makes her stand out from her sisters.

In case you missed it, Khloe debuted this red color at the People's Choice Awards on Jan. 5. Since then, she's been spotted out-and-about around Los Angeles sporting her fiery locks. Here she is on Wednesday getting ready to hit the gym with pal, Nicole Richie:

It seems that Khloe is still adjusting to her red locks, though.

"I still get taken aback every time I see pics of myself with my new red hair," she blogged on Wednesday. "Just saw these [photos] online and I literally didn’t recognize myself LOL. Definitely takes time to get used to."

I think her new hair color is a fun and sassy but not everyone is feeling it. A friend of mine recently posted on Twitter, "Khloe, why is your hair red??!!! You are too pale for that look...sorry sweetheart. Love you still."

Meanwhile, I have actually been thinking about dying my hair red lately. I'm not sure I'd ever have the guts to do it though. Plus, I hear red hair takes a lot of maintenance because it washes out quickly.

What do you think of her new hair color? Do you think I should dye my hair red?

My new, much shorter haircut!

JUST KIDDING! I did not cut my hair! It's just a virtual makeover that I did on taaz.com for fun. Here are some of the other looks I tested out. See if you can spot some of the celebrity hairstyles I tried on.

And here are some funnier ones...

Carrie Underwood 

Katy Perry

Do you like any of these hairstyles or makeup looks? I like some of the hairstyles, but I think I'll stick to my current look for now.