How Tos

Arm parties have been seen on the wrists of so many fashionable ladies over the past few years. You’ve seen these girls stack them up and you’ve always wanted to try it…but didn’t know where to start? We’ve got the answers for you from BaubleBar’s Fashion Director, Shoshanna Fischhoff. She’s answered the questions you need to know – from mixing colors to the perfect number of bracelets. Check it out below! (more…)

Who’s a dummy? Don’t worry, in an actual case of it’s me, not you, I’m the dummy in this scenario. Despite having read and watched multiple Youtube videos, I’m still woefully inept at creating those lovely mussed beachwaves everyone seems to be able to do. I’ve decided the “golden ratio” for beachwaves is 50% perfect, 50% artfully disheveled. My attempts fall more into the 10% perfect, 90% disheveled range, with slight deviations into the pareto principle range of 20/80.

The Beachwaver, helps me hit that desired 50/50 ratio all the time, by taking the art out of the science equation of perfect beachwaves. The Beachwaver looks like a normal curling iron, but the secret is its rotating center. Divide your hair into sections, and clip in a 1/2 inch section of hair. After indicating via button that you’re curling either the right or left side of your hair, press “Start” and the central barrel rotates up to wrap your clipped hair around the center. Hold for 5 seconds and gently release the clip, pulling down. The effect? One glossy, loose Shirley Temple curl that becomes one long beachwave worthy of Gisele Bundchen when you comb your hands through.

To preserve their staying power, you’ll want to let your curls cool off before running your hands through them to transform them into waves. You can also set the temperature anywhere between 310 to 450F, but I prefer to keep it in the 350 to 400 range.

Now all that perfect admittedly comes at a higher price of $189.50 on QVC, but I’ve spotted occasional coupon codes at 50%. But with over 300 moving parts and 100% perfect beachwaves every time, I’m inclined to believe in the adage that perfection comes at a suitable price.

I’m a bit of an expert on surviving long haul flights, given that my first 17 hour one was at the tender age of 6 (we have a lot of relatives in Asia). Even as a young one, I distinctly recall thinking, “Man, this sucks” as I took in the plane’s stale air, questionable food, and roaring overhead noise while barfing into an air sickness bag. Since then, experience and technology have been great aids in reducing the airplane’s assault on the five senses so far that I even LIKE long haul flights (but capped at 17 hours tops). My tips at dealing with the pains of traveling:

1.    Feel:  As every travel-related site and dermatologist will tell you, airplane air is bad and dry, wreaking havoc on complexions (read: breakouts) and your throat. You have to stay moisturized.  I like to prepare first by stocking up on water after TSA frisks me. You may be thinking, “Why should I buy water when I get it for free on the plane?” True, but I can’t be the only one that gulps down their tiny airplane ration of water two minutes after receiving it. I also remain terrified by a story a friend’s father told me. He was stranded on the tarmac for 4 hours, parched and hungry, after the flight attendants ran out of provisions. I’d prefer for that not to be me.  Experts also tell you to avoid drinking on the plane as alcohol dehydrates, but if you are a nervous traveler, I don’t see the harm in slightly indulging. A friend of mine has a long time fear of flying and kind stewardesses routinely used to give her shots of tequila on the plane.  Worked for her, and she even did one with Flava Flav one time at 6 am. (more…)

For a beauty blogger, I’m surprisingly eyeshadow incompetent at all eye looks EXCEPT for a smoky eye. It sounds surprising, but a smoky eye is actually one of the easiest to master because it’s not meant to look too perfect or done–it needs a little smudging to have that sexy, slept-in look. Great for me, since that’s the way I like my look. The secret to my easy, smoky, grungy eye is a quality, washed out black shadow and a liquid eyeliner (that also grows your eyelashes–yes, for real.) Read on for my two favorite products:

1. Charlotte Ronson epitomizes that grungy, sleek look favored by models off duty. Sea salt sprayed hair  and casual smoky eyes are her signature and her new collection from Sephora brings this look to the masses, with products named for her famous friends such as Dani Stahl, Nicole Richie, and Rashida Jones. My favorite of the eyeshadows is the Drea compact (named for brown eyed Drea de Matteo) with four basic but beautiful neutrals in nude, bronze, silver, and black. All of the colors are lovely, with the bronze especially great for on-camera highlighting, but the black is best because it’s  already naturally smoked out and requires minimal blending. Using an eyeshadow brush or my fingers (if I’m lazy), I sweep this black up to my eyeshadow creases and then lightly blend past the edges. It doesn’t crease or migrate and the color stays dense throughout the night. It’s perfect for dark, mysterious nights out or when you just want to look nice for cleaning the living room (what? I can’t be the only one that does this.) (more…)

We simply adore Reese Witherspoon and think she’s totally gorgeous.  We also think she’s been making more smart, but bold fashion choices lately.  We particularly liked her fashion-forward Rodarte dress at a recent premiere and thought her makeup complimented the choice appropriately.

We wondered how to get a similar naturally gorgeous look and asked celebrity makeup artist Melissa Walsh to help us out! “Reese’s look is natural with a modern twist,” says Melissa. “The matte pink lips rather than the usual neutral shade update a classic and give it a new fresh feel.” To get the look, follow Melissa’s instructions behind the cut. (more…)

We’ve been seeing Kate Hudson in the media everywhere lately for her most recent film and so naturally, we’ve been tracking her fashion and beauty choices as well.  At an event last month, she pumped up the volume with glam waves and we thought that it was such an effortless and accessible look that we wanted to know how to get it for ourselves.  

We asked Jeannine Brousseau, a stylist at the new Sally Hershberger Salon in Los Angeles, to help us out.  ”Kate has modern classic beauty in this playful 80′s inspired look,” says Jeannine. “This look can be accomplished surprisingly fast for that quick change using a curling iron or hot rollers.”  Liz kindly has put together instructions on how you can get this effortlessly chic look, so make sure to check it out below! (more…)

It’s not easy to dress warm while looking cute, and this challenge is even more difficult when jetting away to a winter ski/ snowboard getaway.  Keeping warm on mountain peaks and on the ski lift is essential, but there is no reason to sacrifice your style for the sake of practicality.  This “How To” focuses on how to look stylish and warm both on slopes and après ski, so that you look less Abominable Snowman and more Snow Bunny.  Read on after the cut for some pictures of celebrity inspiration, and offerings from some winterwear designers who know exactly how to blend fashion and function: (more…)

All of the TDO editors adore Isla Fisher. She’s funny, smart and gorgeous. She’s also clearly not afraid to have a little fun with her makeup. Her look, pictured right, highlights her natural beauty, but also is a playful and sexy. We think it’s a fabulous look to take from day to night…and we wanted to know how to get it!

The fabulous makeup artist Farah Reid from Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar, had the answers for us! ”Isla is one of my favorite actresses. Her makeup is one of the more current trends going on,” says Farah.  Here, you can see that many peachy shades are utilized and a bit of color is used wisely around the eyes, letting them pop and overall, enhancing her natural coloring. For Farah’s tips, just click behind the cut.   (more…)

New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to get ultra glammed up and have some fun with it! You want your look to be really stunning. But you also don’t want it to be difficult to maintain and to last since you’ll be ringing in the New Year at your party of choice – most likely with no more than a small clutch (that doesn’t leave room for an arsenal of makeup for touch ups). We loved Amy Adam’s retro-inspired look (pictured left) that looks alluring, but not too intimidating to replicate. With a few days left to practice, we know that you’ll be able to rock this look out!

To help guide you through the process, we turned to Farah Reid, the resident makeup artist at Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar, for her tips. “It’s super easy to re-create this retro glam look at home,” says Farah. Click behind the cut for her step-by-step instructions on how to get this look: (more…)

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to learn a few new (beauty) moves and get glammed up for all those holiday parties.  We took inspiration from Heidi Klum’s Emmys look, which is influenced by the 40′s.  We loved how she transitioned between two looks: soft, controlled waves and an elegant ponytail. It’s really perfect for anyone who is hopping from one soiree to the next, but want to change up their look through the night.

Naturally, we had no idea how to replicate this look – but we called for help from Helena Faccenda, Klum’s incredibly talented personal hairstylist.  “Veronica Lake inspired hair adds instant glamour to the holidays,” says Helena.  She’s kindly provided step-by-step instructions so you can recreate the look! (more…)