Teeny Manolo

As the Manolo has predicted, spring shoes are fairly bursting with color.

So that poses the dilemma of what to paint your toesies with.  For some reason, I’m not a big fan of the French pedicure, although I have to say it probably goes with everything. But if it isn’t your thing either, it can be tough to choose a nail color that doesn’t clash badly with a vibrant yellow or pink.

Metallic neutrals are a good answer.  They give a bit of shimmer, a bit of color, but allow your shoes to do the real talking.  And let’s face it, if you’ve spent a lot of money on your shoes, you want them to do most of the talking. Dont’ get me wrong, definitely do your nails, just have them be whispering seductively rather than vying for attention.

These polishes will help you get your shine on…

Dior Golden Nugget is a glittery golden bronze.

 OPI India Collection Charmed by a Snake is a shimmery bronze.

Essie Great Expectations is a sheer grey with subtle glimmers.

Essie Body Language is a shimmery grey with pink undertones. 

Any picture by Banksy is worth several hundred thousand words:

Even if you don’t wear makeup, nail polish, or anything else, there is one thing you must take care of, and that is your hair. Amy Winehouse hair is not acceptable for anyone except maybe Amy Winehouse and most of the time, not even then.

Everyone notices good hair, and they notice bad hair even more. And while I am past that teenage stage of looking in the mirror and brushing my hair every fifteen minutes, a good strategic brushing can do wonders.

Look for brushes that are easy to handle, have soft cushioning for the bristles, and when buying a brush with plastic bristles, look for rounded tips that are molded, not glued on. Choose the right brush based on your hair type and the purpose you are using it for.

 Mason Pearson brushes are the Rolls-Royces of the brush world. Handcrafted in England using only the finest wood and boar bristles, a Mason Pearson brush can easily last a lifetime. That is a good thing, because that quality will cost you a pretty penny. Boar bristles are a big deal because they are very gentle on your hair, and breakage is kept to a minimum.

But luckily, great brushes can be found at all price levels, and here are a few standouts.

This ionic brush from Vidal Sassoon is a good all-around styling brush, and is great for heat styling.
This oval brush from Phillips has gotten rave reviews for being able to brush hair thoroughly, yet still be gentle on the strands.
And last but not least comes this brush from beauty maven Sonia Kashuk, who has an eponymous line of products at Target. It uses nylon bristles, and has been compared favorably as a quality knockoff of the Mason Pearson brush featured above. Supposedly this brush is almost as good, for a fraction of the price.
 

Here’s a little something to sustain the grownup in you through the umpteenth viewing of The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, or Insert-Kid-Fave-Disney-Flick.

Remember that tip to help nervous people relax and enjoy public speaking? The one where you’re supposed to imagine the audience in their underwear? Well, it works pretty well for Disney films, too, as you will see if you click onward. (more…)

Have I mentioned before that I am a lipstick junkie?  I have been known to have in my posession over twenty or so lipsticks at a time.  It’s a sickness, I know.  But at least I’m not hurting anybody but myself.  Or perhaps my pocket book.

But, I kind of like to think that it makes me somewhat knowledgeable about what constitutes a good lipstick.

For me, it means one that is creamy, has good coverage, (yet isn’t overly heavy on the pigment) and most importantly,  that it leaves a bit of color on my lips.  Because even though I like expensive lipsticks, I am cheap enough to think that if I spend twenty bucks or so on one, that it should at least stain my lips for the rest of the day.

Vincent Longo happens to make an excellent lipstick, with all of the attributes above.  I really like the fact that it stains my lips for basically the rest of the day.  So even though the shine is gone, my lips still retain some color. And, it even has SPF 15!

My shade is Foolish Virgin, but there are lots of great ones to choose from.  Here are some color samples:

Nude                    Genasai               Eve Rose

This is perhaps the most superfantastic sports video of all time. I defy you to watch this and NOT get all misty-eyed. The Good Twin to Anonymous’ Evil Twin, Improv Everywhere has struck again (with the help of NBC Sports). This time they struck two Little League teams that will never be the same.

Behold the mighty Lugnuts versus the fearsome Mudcats.

ImprovEverywhere via Gawker

Okay, not preschool. This kid is six years old. And was, evidently, a robotic scorpion in a previous life.

Most of the time, you don’t really think about your eyebrows.  They tend to be some of the most neglected hairs on your body. But if they don’t look great, then it can really affect how you look.

You are asking yourself, and how do you know that Glinda?

Because for my sister’s wedding almost ten years ago, I had the bright idea of tweezing my eyebrows for the big day, as I was the maid of honor.   I am actually blessed with really good eyebrows that need minimal upkeep, but for some reason, I decided more upkeep equaled better upkeep, and began tweezing away.  And tweezing away some more.  Just to even it out, you know?

Now, forever immortalized in her wedding pictures are my sparse, very thin brows that remind me of when guys half-heartedly grow those moustaches that are all thin and scraggly.  You know the ones I’m talking about. But, these happened to be above my eyes.  You can imagine how not flattering that was.

If only I had access back then to this kit by Bare Escentuals, the trauma could have been averted. 

Instead of using pencil, which I have never bothered using because I always thought it looked fake, (or at the very least, required great skill not to look fake) this kit uses a brush and powder to help you fill in, shape, and make the most of your brows.  Also included is brow gel to tame those unruly strays. 

I wouldn’t say that this is for everyday use, but from what I hear, it can get a bit addicting because you see how fab you look with it, so you want to use it for more than just special occasions. Like all Bare Escentuals products, it comes in a nice array of different shades to complement all skin colors.

The Easter Bunny doesn’t hate you!  The Easter Bunny loves you and brings you cool eggs like these ones from Down Under:

Stolen shamelessly from the fantastic Magneto Bold Too!

You know, there are just some days when a mom just can’t wash her  hair.  I’m thinking back to that haze of infancy when most of the time, going to the bathroom alone is a major accomplishment, much less a full-fledged shower.  Many were the times when I went out without washing my hair, and usually a baseball cap would do the trick.  It didn’t look very good, but at least no one could see my dirty hair.

Back in the day, and I mean waaay back in the college days, I used to use baby powder.  I could get away with it because I have blonde hair, but after a while it looked awful and it didn’t help at all to fix the “flat” look at the roots.  

But that was a long time ago, and technology has luckily come to our rescue in the form of dry shampoos.

One of the best out there is Klorane Dry Oat Shampoo.

It uses the natural absorbency of oats to get the impurities out of your hair, and it gives your hair that little extra “lift” that it has when it is clean.

It has a pleasant smell that is light years ahead of baby powder, and the only minus against is the size of the bottle, which is on the small side.

However, we shall cross our fingers and hope that your non-showering days will be few and far between.