"Feathered" hair is back?

In the 70's it was "feathered" haircuts, in 2008/2009 it was headbands with feathers (which I bought and have not once found an occasion to wear), and apparently in 2011 the trend is adding feathers to your actual hair. Designer Wendy Nichol just launched a line of feather hair extensions, which are available for purchase and application at her SoHo boutique. The cost is only $45, which is surprisingly inexpensive considering the feathers are said to come from real birds. The feather extensions, which can be washed and blowdried, last for up to a month.

This is a bold yet classy look for a special occasion...if the extensions are blended well and the rest of your hair is neatly groomed. I can already see Ke$ha wearing these sticking straight out with her hair in a massive tangle, and that would be bad. I also really like the earthy boho look of wearing them with a hat as pictured. However, I don't know if I'd want to commit to the feather look for an entire month, nor if it is an approp look for the office anywhere outside of the fashion industry. A subtle clip in version of these with the same high quality as Wendy Nichol's semi-permanent line would be a beauty home run.

Fashion Week Day 4: Rebecca Minkoff

A designer mostly known for her handbags, Rebecca Minkoff showed her collection of RTW clothing, bags, and shoes in a presentation at Lincoln Center yesterday afternoon. The collection had a downtown sophisticate vibe with leather, hardware, and other edgy details on pieces with feminine silhouettes. The color palate was mostly neutrals, but a few red dresses and a pair of metallic shorts provided a very needed pop. Minkoff's famed handbags played a featured role in her Spring 2011 collection, some of my favorites being the envelope clutch and the luggage-like leather doctor bag. The hair also played a key role in creating the look of Minkoff's downtown bohemian girl, as the models wore the tousled loose waves that I only wish I could re-create in real life without looking borderline homeless. A standout point in the presentation was the statement jewelry from Made Her Think, especially an over-sized pewter and gold metal fringe necklace. Michelle Trachtenberg was in attendance to view the collection, and Danny Masterson (aka DJ Mom Jeans) provided the soundtrack for the afternoon. Delightfully random, a great compliment to the polished yet ready for anything attitude of Minkoff's collection.

New hair TOOLS

Why is there an Ed Hardy flat iron and blow dryer? And more importantly why are they over $100? Ed Hardy now has a line of styling tools and hair accessories sold exclusively through Ulta beauty stores. I mean, Christian Audigier is bald, it's not exactly like I'm going to trust him as a go-to authority on haircare. So please stop me before I buy the rose-tattoo headband.

Get the blues

I get bored easily with traditional nail colors (as showcased by spending most of the summer with neon yellow nails). Well, I've found my new obsession for fall in the form of blue nails, more specifically a very dark navy, or "Indigo" as is the official name of my current shade. Forever 21 has recently been stepping up their beauty game, and I came across this amazing nailpolish there from LA Girl Flare (only $2.80!). Photos do not do this color justice. I rocked it during Fashion Week and got tons of compliments from fashionistas and guys alike...no easy feat for a nail color (or anything) to be both guy-hot and girl-hot. This shade could go really wrong really fast so a few tips for blue nails:

• Pick a dark shade with just enough blue so that it doesn't look black.
• Find a shade you like and take it to your manicurist, non-traditional colors need a perfect manicure to work. In other words: don't try this at home, kids.
• Use a glossy top coat and a matte polish. NO METALLICS OR GLITTER!
• Keep the nails medium length. Too short looks childish, too long looks vampy.
• At the first sign of chipping...abort mission. Time to get out the polish remover.

Fashion Week Dairies: Day 1

Headed to SoHo for Fashion's Night Out. I was definitely surprised to see soooo many people out shopping on a semi-rainy Thursday night. What I loved was that everyone was in good spirits and dressed fabulously, it almost made me forget that we're in a recession (except for my empty wallet). Guess that means their intentions with this event totes worked. Some high points of the evening for me were wine and cider cocktails at Nine West, finding a $5 dress at Top Shop, and getting to meet and interview mega-big-deal hairdresser Oscar Blandi at Sephora. Bad news is that we're one day into fashion week and my feet are already DUNZO.

Up bright and early tomorrow for a 9am show...ugh! It is not easy to achieve fierceness at that hour. Until then, I'm ready for some football!

Burn, Baby, Burn

I'm one of those very lucky girls who has three levels of tan: ghostly, burnt, and I'm-so-burnt-it-hurts-to-wear-clothes-and-should-probably-go-to-the-hospital. Yet summer after summer my vanity kicks in and I wrongfully assume that I can safely get a tan by laying out for "just a little bit" sans sunscreen. Cue the lobster look. This year I finally realized that I'm doing major harm to my skin and putting myself at risk for all types of cancer, so I finally gave into the pressures of SPF30 (which I've learned is the minimum a blonde Irish/Polish gal like me should be wearing).

Most sunscreens can be a pain in the ass to apply every few hours, which may have something to do with my previous aversion, but this summer a new trend in spray-on sunscreens is rocking my world. They are super quick and easy to apply, and it's actually possible to do your back on your own. This unfortunately takes the fun out of asking random hotties to do it for you, but there aren't usually random hotties on your NYC apartment's deserted roofdeck and sunscreen is too important to skip. Most of the major brands have come out with spray sunscreens, but I like Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30 for the protection (no burns yet this summer for me!) and the yummy smell (according to my roommate). It retails for about $9.99 or more in major drug stores, but the can does run out much more quickly than its cousin in a bottle. This can def add up, so I've found a great cheapie alternative at Harmon Discount Beauty (a godsend if you live in the tri-state area!) in Harmon's Face Value Continuous Spray Sport Sunscreen SPF 30, only $5.99 in Harmon stores or online. Notice how there are zero similarities in the name or the bottle......sneaky bastards.

I learns new words!

When googling pics of Lauren Conrad, or "LC" as I'll forever know her, to find an updo that she's been rocking lately, I kept stumbling across the word "chignon". So I did that real life skill that we learned how to do in elementary school and used the dictionary!! Well, actually I took the easy way out and went to Merriam-Webster's website.

chignon, n. - a knot of hair that is worn at the back of the head and especially at the nape of the neck

Lately it seems that we've been seeing tons of celebs wearing loose, messy chignons (pronounced "sheen-yon") on the red carpet. Whereas sleek, perfect, almost painful-looking updos were usually the sophisticated look of choice, some of Hollywood's leading ladies were even wearing this look with uber-formalwear at this weekend's Oscars. Personally, I sought out what I now know to be a chignon for my bridesmaid look at my bff's wedding this weekend. I think it says "I'm really pretty and romantic, but I'm still going to look this hot waking up next to you tomorrow morning". No?

Hello lover!

With the recession (which is ruining my life!) one thing that I've majorly given up is even walking into Sephora. I used to go in at least once a week to browse, keep up to date on any new products, and I'll admit it...play with the makeup! Hey, I spend enough money in there that I don't feel bad one little bit. But about 6 months ago or so with the economy in the crapper and my bank account following, I had to give up these trips because the temptation to buy was just too great. So when I walked into a Sephora yesterday for the first time in literally months (to buy their amazing $3 dual eye pencil sharpener) I felt lost and surprised at how many new products really have been released.

The best of which: Fresh's new Firebird Mascara. Their Supernova Mascara has been my splurge of choice for some time, but I think they may have outdone themselves with Firebird. The Firebird Mascara claims to give lashes an alluring "feathery" look. Upon trying the in-store sample after a long day at work, my eyes instantly looked more awake and demanded attention in a very subtle way. This mascara has a creamy consistence and goes on very smooth, creating great length and def no clumps. How do they do it? After using Supernova for years and now trying Firebird, I'm now convinced that Fresh somehow injects a little bit of magic in each tube of mascara. There's no fancy torture-like brushes, no foundation layer of white gunk, no vibrating wand, just damn good mascara in a pretty teal tube. At $26 (one dollar more than Supernova) I couldn't splurge on Firebird this time around, but it has absolutely made my beauty must-have list and will a justified purchase for my bridesmaid look at my bff's wedding next month! If not for being a broke recessionista, I'd be all over this ish pronto!

Goin a-huntin

Very rarely does another woman's nail color catch my eye to the point of comment, but when I recently met Gretta Monahan of "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" and general fabulousness, I has to gush and ask her about her amazing silvery/gold/greenish nails. Gretta, always one to help a girl in need, turned me on to the new limited edition Chanel Kaleidoscope. Trust me, no pic can do this color justice because of the amazing, well, "kaleidoscope" effect in various lighting.

I love to always have a signature nail color, and since summer's Essie Shorty Pants (a bright, but not tacky, yellow) is beyond officially out of season, it's time for me to change it up. Kaleidoscope has won me over, but I'm not quite ready to commit considering its $20 price tag and rep as the unicorn of nailcolors these days (hard to find). Time to be a little shopping savvy.

After some research, several alternatives came up, but all seemed too one-dimensional or just straight up cheap to compete with Kaleidoscope. Except for Essie Steel-ing The Scene. From pics and word of mouth, Steel-ing The Scene brings out enough of the gold to hold its own against K, and I am a fan of Essie's variety, so-cute names, and Essie herself (yes, she's a real person...and amazing!). Again, being lazy, I ordered a bottle online which should be arriving in a few days if they know what's good for them, so I'll soon give a progress report...or be heading straight to the Chanel counter with credit card in hand.