Beauty Essentials to Switch into Summer
Memorial day is just around the corner, which means beach traffic will convene, pools will open, outdoor festivals will start, barbecues will fire up and your beauty routine will make its summer switch up. Late spring/ early summer beauty care is thankfully low-key, but the environmental stresses on your skin and hair kick into full gear. Here, we have some great products that will keep you low maintenance and smartly protected from whatever summer throws at you.
Phillip Kingsley Swimcap is serious protection from sand, surf, sun and chlorine. So good, in fact, that it’s used by the US Olympic Synchronized swim team.
A lot of beauty bloggers will try to sell you on expensive foot scrubs this time of year. Don’t buy it, get this 3.99 one from Avon. The course sea salt in it does the job and it smells like coconuts.
The old favorite has a grown-up scent of lavender and chamomile. Use it for everything. Under your arms, in your shoes, on your roots, on your carpets before you vacuum, between your thighs – whatever you got.
Okay, this is a weird one. But you know how in summer you get that not-so-fresh feeling more often than usual? The body mint tablets use chlorophyll to freshen you up on the inside.
Boscia BB Cream is a primer, foundation and SPF all in one, all while repairing your skin with antioxidants and botanicals. Just one swipe and your good all day. You’re welcome.
Vincent Longo Hydrating Lip stain with SPF 15. Keeps on all day, doesn’t dry lips out, protects them from the sun. Now, you are ready.
DIY Nail Stickers
I’ve never really been into making a big deal out of your nails. It always seemed like way too much effort for something that would look just as good with a simple coat of red polish. But, it’s like you can’t avoid the tricked-out nail trend right now, so you might as well pick one and at least try it. You never know, you might like it.
I found this super simple DIY for nail stickers of Lauren Conrad’s Beauty Department and I thought it was such a cheap and easy way to make a super special nail, that I had to share it with you guys.
Photos: PW Style Blogger Turned Cheetah
So I went through a pretty dramatic series of transformations over the weekend.
First, my light auburn, almost shoulder-length locks were hacked off into an adorable pixie (a la Michelle Williams) before being dyed dark brown (with a few strategically placed highlights at the top). I then had long, bleach-blonde extensions glued into my bangs. Finally, the left side of my face, neck and shoulder were covered in cheetah spots.
As mentioned last week, I did it all for Signatures du Mei salon’s summer photo shoot and hair show on Sunday at PYT where I was joined by 20 other volunteer models sporting cute, practical summer-time dos as well as a few more creative “exotic” styles. It was during my consultation with the salon’s owner, Mary Chan a few weeks ago that she informed me I was going to be her “cheetah girl.” That’s right, whether it’s my piercing eyes or woefully unkempt eyebrows, apparently something about my face screams welcome to the jungle.
Despite having rocked almost every hair length between a bob and pixie and every shade from blonde to black, I was still incredibly nervous walking into the salon on Saturday knowing that I’d be leaving without the majority of my mane. Yet, four hours and three cups of sangria later, as I stood about a foot deep in a pile of dead hair, I realized how silly I had been.
The cut looked amazing.
If you’ve been thinking about revamping your look, I highly recommend leaving it up to Mary or one of the salon’s two other skilled stylists. From an ombre dye job and chic up-do to a Medusa-esque quaff with protruding rubber snakes—these ladies do it all. In fact, I watched them do all three in just a matter of hours.
By the time I found myself strutting through a restaurant the next day as part woman/part cheetah with my new wave, Flock of Seagulls bangs, the entire experience just felt like a wonderfully weird dream.
Anyway, having spent what felt like 30 hours in the salon, I had plenty of time to prepare for my professional photo shoot. So here’s some photos capturing the various stages of my makeover…
DIY Wall Murals
Let’s be honest, most wall murals and decals are pretty cheesy. I don’t think people really think it through when they have a family photo blown up to monstrous proportions and use it as wallpaper. Pretty soon, the sight of your own smile will start to creep you out. Or, those terrible city sky-line murals. What is it with people (especially New Yorkers) who need to constantly remind themselves that they live in a city? Just look out your window! Personally, I like my city apartment to be super tranquil and remind me of being out in the country. Which is why I find these wall murals so appealing.
If you aren’t the handiest with a paintbrush, here’s some methods you can use to make your own wall mural.
1. Use PosteRazor to slice an image into squares that can be printed out to make a large poster size image.
2. Construct a make-shift projector from a box, a lamp and some tape.
DIY Bow Tie
Lucky for us tomboys, borrowing fashion from the boys has been super “in” for the past few seasons. It all started with the brogues, then the collars, the ballcaps, now, the latest addition, the bowtie! Bowties on chicks are super adorable and sharp. Just check out our exhibit A right here:
Via lifetrendy.com
You can go out and buy a bow tie from the men’s or little boy section, but it’ll set you back almost 50 bucks. Oh, and those over-sized jawns from American Apparel? Too costumey. What you need is a neat, little bow that will look polished and cool and not like water could squirt out of it.
The ladies at Honestly WTF have a super easy tutorial on how to make a bow tie yourself from scraps of fabric.
Start by drawing a horizontal and vertical line on a 6″ by 3.5″ piece of fabric. Pinch the fabric where the lines intersect and pick it up.
Flip the fabric over and place a drop of hot glue where you are pinching. Fold it in half lengthwise, pressing it together. Then, put a dab of glue on the backside, on the horizontal line, right next to the fold.
Fold the fabric back again and press down where you just glued. We will continue this process to form the middle accordion shape of the bow.
Turn your finished bow over and glue the tip of a .75″ by 2.5″ strip of fabric to the center. Wrap it around and seal with glue.
Glue a pinback to the back of the bow.
Voila!
The Better Way to Get Rid Of Chocolate Cravings
It’s late, and you’re lazily draped over the couch watching re-runs of Fashion Police after a long day. Just when you least expect it, it hits you – the inevitable late night chocolate craving. Don’t be that cheesy woman in the Special K commercial who allegedly satisfies her chocolate cravings with a cup of Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal. Nobody does that. Even if they did, it surely wouldn’t get rid of their persistent chocolate craving.
If you’re trying to satisfy your stomach’s desire, you have one of two options – spend the rest of the night slaving over a batch of double chocolate fudge brownies using your grandmother’s prized recipe, or whip up a chocolate mug cake in two minutes or less.
Not much of a baker? Not a problem. It’s entirely possible to make a serving of delicious, moist chocolate cake in the microwave with just three ingredients that you might already have lying around in your pantry and minimal or non-existent baking skills. Yes, this is real life.
As someone who’s spent a good deal of time making various confections with painstakingly long lists of ingredients and steps, I was a bit skeptical when I saw there were only three ingredients. My initial doubts quickly subsided, as well as my seemingly insatiable craving for chocolate, once I tried the recipe out for myself on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If someone made this for me without informing me that only three ingredients went into it, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.
Even the greatest of bakers need a break sometimes, and chocolate cake in a mug is the perfect alternative for when you’re low on time, or, motivation. Plus, because the recipe fills exactly one mug – no more, no less – you won’t be tempted to snag another slice (or ten) of cake and go overboard.
Try the recipe out for yourself, because I can only muse about it for so long. If you’re feeling more adventurous, the article includes nine other mug cake recipes, like cookie dough, nutella, and chocolate peanut butter, though they do call for more ingredients. Happy baking, and may your chocolate cravings disappear!
-Lauren Arute
The 10 Weirdest Phillies Merch
While I realize sports fans are a peculiar group of consumers—one willing to buy just about anything you put their favorite team’s logo on—I couldn’t believe how much ridiculous Phillies merch I came across this past week.
I mean, I’m willing to excuse some pretty eccentric gear in the sake of team spirit, but there’s a thin line between fun and flat-out stupid.
And these products crossed it…
Philadelphia Phillies Tattoo Sleeve
Yep, nothing says ‘hardcore Phils fan’ like a fake tribal tattoo.
Philadelphia Phillies Forest Face
THE TREES ARE ALIVE! AHHH!!!
MLB Philadelphia Phillies Bobo Visor
Half-man. Half-Dr. Seuss character. What a great game day look. Or you could just dye your actual hair red.
Philadelphia Phillies Garden Gnomes
If an army of Phillies gnomes doesn’t keep people off your lawn, what will?
MLB Reyn Spooner Philadelphia Phillies Scenic Button-Down Shirt
For the love of God, please don’t buy this shirt for your father.
Because on game day, name brand hand sanitizer just won’t do—it needs to have a Phillies sticker on it.
Philadelphia Phillies Eye Black
Funnier than the product itself is this photo…and the disclaimer: “Not for competitive use or reducing light glare.”
Philadelphia Phillies Extension Hair Clips
Unless you’re under 12 years of age, this is absolutely unacceptable.
Philadelphia Phillies Mascot Wall Hooks
Really, they couldn’t find a more appropriate place to put the hook?
Philadelphia Phillies ARMagnet
Oh wait, that’s not her real arm? You totally got me! But seriously though, this has to be the dumbest of them all.
Don’t Let Trends Take Over Your Wardrobe!
Image Courtesy of H&M's virtual fitting room.
Bright colors are the go-to trend of the season, but as with any sizzling hot fad, they burn out as fast as they blow up. The colors are a lot of fun, but everyone’s wearing them, so it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.
I like to incorporate the latest trends with my own style to create a unique look, otherwise my friends and I would look like we’re straight out of a Gap catalog. Trends are a great way to spice up your wardrobe from season to season, but they shouldn’t dictate fashion choices.
Earlier this season like every other season, J.Crew released their 9″ Stanton short in a wide array of colors, my favorite being their dusty berry. Salmon shorts have been a J.Crew staple for eternity the past few spring/summer lines, but salmon and coral are hot in all stores this spring. The key is to wear them as the focal point of the outfit’s color palate. I pair my colored shorts with a simple black deep v-neck and creme shaw collar sweater for chilly mornings because the black shirt doesn’t take away from the main color trend, but it still makes a statement in the outfit as a whole.
The v-neck shows a little skin, a little muscle, and ideally a little chest hair a little tan, all without distracting from the color of the shorts. It turns the simple, yet sophisticated shorts and sweater outfit (or shirt and shorts on hot days) into a sexy, fun day-out outfit.
We love using pieces to accent others in order to create a mood. Like perfume with its various notes, outfits must be designed so the various pieces compliment one another to match your personal style. Mine screams gay club meets the Hamptons, sexy and flashy, yet sophisticated and well groomed.
Play around with the latest and greatest styles and think about ways to work them in to things you already have. Trends are simply what’s hot now -they are not laws. Just because something is hot, doesn’t mean it should actually be worn, cough jellies cough.
DIY: Phillies Nails
With the Philadelphia Phillies officially kicking off their 2012 season this Thursday (at 1:35 p.m.) in Pittsburgh, we here at PW Style would like to help all you lady fans out there show your team spirit in style. In fact, we’re going to be dishing numerous Phillies-centric fashion and style tips leading up to the first pitch of the team’s home opener next Monday—we do have a long six-eight months of baseball ahead of us, after all.
First things first, a Phillies-inspired manicure is definitely in order.
Depending on your desired level of skill and creativity, there’s a bunch of different ways to go about it. The easiest: using a fine-tip brush, toothpick or polish pen to create the Phills’ logo on one of your nails while painting the rest solid red or white…
Photos: diynaildesigns.com//spoliedpretty.blogspot.com
From personal experience, I can tell you that a basic white “P” on top of a red nail looks great. But should you want to really master the Phillies “P” you can find more detailed instructions on this DiyNailDesigns.com post.
Yet, seeing as though you’ve still got nine perfectly good little canvases left, why not incorporate a few more things into your design like stars, pin-strips, you’re favorite player’s number, polka dots, Crackle or some blue polish?
Photos: megsmanicure.blospot.com//alllaquredup.com//lazybeautiful.com//livylulu.blogpost.com//sabrinasnailblog.blogspot.com
Rather than attempting to paint the stars yourself, see if you can find star nail gems, a confetti polish with stars in it or basic star stickers in your nearest drug store.
For the slightly more adept nail artist, try sporting baseballs on one or more of your digits…
Photos: blogs.nailsmag.com//recipeforbeautiful.worpress.com//nailartgallery.nailsmag.com//thedailyvarnish.com
The stitching may be a bit too hard with even a fine brush, so you’ll probably want to stick to a toothpick or polish pen. And like with most nail designs, you want to go real slow, creating a series of small dots and connecting them little by little.
Here’s one of a million tutorials for baseball nail art (but the only one by a real Phils fan):
Not Your Average Grandma…
Advanced Style is a wonderful blog dedicated to documenting the fearless and eccentric style of our elders. Ari Seth Cohen, the blogs creator and sole contributor, roams the streets of New York for chance encounters with ladies that will make you reconsider what “dressing like a grandma” really entails. I (not so) secretly wish I was best friends with all of them.
These fabulously free spirited women believe that there’s no better reason to get all dressed up than for yourself, which is a good style philosophy to have at any age, whether you are 12 years-old or 65.
Having gained much acclaim and success for the blog, Cohen has a book coming out in May, as well as a documentary set for release this summer. I dare you to watch the trailer while trying to disregard your growing aspiration to becoming just like them when you’re older.
Seeing these women wearing anything under the sun that is extravagant, ridiculous and chic all at the same time fills me with so much hope and excitement. Who says you have to retire, move to Florida and wear t-shirts with palm trees on them when you reach that certain age? When instead, you can express your kookiness and individuality with crazy sunglasses, hats, colored furs and anything at all that you find interesting.
Far more mas and pas than we may see out and about each day embrace spontaneity and hidden fashion treasures that deserve to have their moment, and thanks to Advanced Style, everyone gets to watch.
-Emily O’Neill