Beauty Blog

Some of the top stylists in America pinpointed the four trendiest hair styles for the fall season:

• big and bold styles with the touch of the 80s;

• soft, healthy and long locks;

• intricate and imaginative up ‘dos;

• and flattering classic of bobs.

“The looks aren’t radically different from some of the trends last fall”, said Oscar Blandi exclusively to Post-Gazette.

“The key difference is that the loose, wild locks of yesteryear are now much more polished, very clean, Old Hollywood glamour style,” he said.

“It’s much more controlled. Curls will be more defined. They will be more controlled, much tamer,” said Blandi.

Of course, straight hair is still in the picture but with more volume, bouncier and fuller.

Karrie Fonte, Matrix Education assistant vice president, pinpointed that the only difference was that the hair two years ago was pin straight and flat-ironed. The bob hairstyle is generally a flattering hair trend in the fall season, and still looks good after you’ve spent an evening in your nightwear.

The bob hairstyle has always been a classic and there are a number of ways for any person to wear it. It can chin or shoulder length. It can also have internal layers for softness and movement. It can also have a delicate or strong fringe or if the wearer wishes, she can have it without any fringe. Bob hairstyle always projects a look that is always in.

One of the biggest makeup trends in 2008 is Gothic Chic. Soft Gothic makeup is making its rounds in the runway and on the streets. Women sporting dark nails, dark eyeliner and dark lips have been spotted everywhere even in lingerie stores. Gothic Fashion is hip too. Fashion designers are coming up with ‘Leulla’ inspired outfits. But when it comes to Goth, it is really the makeup that stands out. Here are a few areas where you can introduce a bit of gothic chic into your everyday face wear.

EYE LINER – Look for black liners to make you mysterious and brooding. Go for a liquid eye liner instead of a pencil. The liquid lined would give you a darker line. If you have smaller eyes, stay away from the black liner. Look for chocolate and plum or navy liners instead. You should also follow the same sensibility when it comes to eye shadows.

NAILS – Navy was big on the runway a few months ago. The navy Chanel nail polish sold out everywhere. If you want to go gothic chic, try painting your tips in navy. If you can’t find navy go for classic black. Dark Plums are great too. You could also try a pinkish shade to change it up a bit.

FACE – Go for a lighter base if you want to achieve that pale Goth look. Don’t go overboard though. You want to look pale-like and not like a sheet of paper.

LIPS – You should also go for a darker lip. If you can pull off a black lips – go ahead. If you are afraid too, try something in cranberry or dark red.

Travelling can be very distressing for the girl who always needs her beauty products. She might end up bringing too much or worse – bringing too little. Here are a few beauty tips that will help make things easier for the girl on the go.

Tinted Moisturizer – Instead of bringing along tubes and cakes of foundation, it is much better to take along a container or two of tinted moisturiser. Not only will it keep your skin moisturised during cold weather, it will also give you the coverage you need.

Forget the Mascara – Don’t even think of bringing along this beauty product (unless it’s waterproof), especially if you are traveling to a hot and humid place where female nightwear is definitely not a requirement. The weather may not be right for non-waterproof mascara. Plus, you may not have enough time or the right lighting to apply it. You could only end up with raccoon eyes.

Go With Your Wave – When travelling, you may find that you don’t have time to straighten your hair. In case like these, the best thing to do is to go with your natural wave. Don’t attempt to straighten wavy or curly hair on a time crunch. What you can do instead is to apply an anti-frizz serum to keep your locks glossy and smooth.

Has your other half complained about how long it takes you to get ready? Well it appears he might be right!

According to a survey the average woman takes about 3,276 hours which is equivalent to a whopping 136 days over a lifetime getting ready: put on clothes, your Freya bra make-up and do their hair. Compared to women, men only spend 45 days getting ready, which is about a third of a woman.

Despite spending an awful lot of time on getting ready, nearly two thirds of women said that getting ready was actually a chore, and just one third thinking they loved preening and primping.

Per day, a woman spends averagely 65 mins on getting ready of which 30 mins go to washing and sylting their hair, 20 mins of applying make up and 15 mins applying nail polish.

The survey revealed a difference between north and south women as two-thirds of northerners going out 2 times per weekend whereas only half of those in the south do the same.

As northern women spend an extra 20 minutes getting ready than southern women, that’s a lot of time in front of the mirror.