Every once in great a while, the Gods of Fashion send word down to the mortals that curly hair is in. And the peasants rejoice.

But, when said peasants actually look at the Fashion Gods’ pictures, they are whole-heartedly disappointed. All too often, to these arbiters of taste, “curly” means “straight with a very slight artificial wave about half-way down.” Take, for instance, these “natural-looking curls:”

And the peasants cry.

That hair is beautiful, but realistic? Hell no.

But this year, this year, goddammit, it supposedly the year of the curl. Celebrities are donning curls, stylists are throwing away the irons and magazines are telling us to “embrace our natural texture.” Too bad, for many of us, that is far easier said than done.

For a lot of us curlies, our hair has always been the bane of our existence (unless we were around in the 80’s). The 90′ s and most of the 00’s have told us that if our hair is “big,” it’s dated, or out of fashion. Curls are okay…as long as they’re flat. Which, quite frankly, natural curls are not. So, we attempt to flatten and - bottles of gel later - we don’t look fashionable; we look like drowned rats. Read More »

There are famous scenes from movies depicting it. There are Facebook bumper stickers dedicated to it. There are songs that shout the praises of it. There are how to articles and, hell, it even has search results on Wikipedia. Yet for the entirety of my life, the closest I’d come to Sex on the Beach was double fisting them on Friday nights. This had to change.

With the advent of summer upon us, I decided it was high time I was no longer a sex on the beach virgin. I grabbed my manfriend (chuckle chuckle, Carrie Bradshaw) and headed to the shore.

It was a perfect night for just being at the beach, let alone hooking up. Full moon, light breeze and crashing waves. Very romance novel. So boyfriend and I wandered along the beach until we found a secluded(ish) spot.

When we got there, however, I found that I could have done with some good advice before embarking on this adventure. So for all you beach bunny virgins out there contemplating some sea-side action, here is what I wish my experienced girlfriends had told me:

Bring a Flashlight: Luckily for us, the moon was enormous and lit our way pretty well. I happen to be completely blind in the smallest amount of darkness, though, and was petrified of stepping on baby sea turtles. If it’s even semi-cloudy out, a small light should help you navigate. Read More »

So, I told ya all what the best options for making your face look flawless this summer; now I’m gonna help you complete the look by revealing this summer’s hottest trends in hair and nails. While traditional styles stand strong, fun & funky details in make-up, hair and nails are a staple of the next few months. It’s all about encapsulating the fun of summer and reflecting that in your look, so whether you want to look like a classic beach beauty a la the 40’s and 50’s, or an edgy, rocker chick, embrace your look and run with it.

HAIR:

The Bob: Back again, the focus this year is on strong graphic outlines and catering the look of the bob to the individual’s personality. Utilize curves and sharp lines, go for an asymmetrical style, mix lengths gradually and if you want to soften the look, backcombing and wisps are both great ways to do so. If you don’t wanna chop off your lovely locks, just roll your hair from the bottom with the ends on the inside of the roll, bring the roll to the nape of your neck and pin it up, you’ll get a fantastic bob without having to sacrifice your hair.

Fringe Cuts: These are still hot and like the bob you can use them to their maximum potential for your face shape and personality…soft and wispy, choppy and bold lines are all popular now. No matter what you choose, going for the fringe is about feeling sexy and confident. Read More »