Say Yes to Hoboken » beauty

Creating Perfect Hair Volume

Liz Stanley — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:54:46 +0000

This is part of a beauty series we started in January called 10 Easy + Affordable Beauty Tips, all taught by our resident hair and makeup stylist to the stars, Christie Somers, and fabulous photographer Alisia Packard (you can read more about them in my about page here).

Our first post was all about Creating the Perfect Curl, last month was basics for 5 Minute Makeup, and this post is all about creating perfect luscious volume. Thanks to Jenny Badger for modeling!

Here are Christie’s instructions:

If you have fine hair or just want a little extra bounce, knowing how to get volume that lasts will change your life!

1. Spray roots (until wet) with a volumizing spray. I love the Redken spray starch. You can apply this to damp or dry hair. (2nd to last pic)

Keep reading for the full post…

2. Time to blow dry. I like to rough dry the hair until its about 90% dry before I use my brush. While rough drying, it’s important to pull up at the root so as to get the hair up off the scalp and get the roots dry first. That will really help to add height and volume. If it helps to turn your head upside down, that’s good too.

3. Once the hair is about 90% dry, grab a round brush. I like the metal 1″ ones from Paul Mitchell. Roll your hair up on the brush from the ends to the scalp. Once the hair is rolled up on the brush and resting against the scalp, give it a shot of hot air from the blowdryer. If you’re round brush challenged when it comes to your own hair, you can also do this with a curling iron.

4. Once you’ve done that, unroll the brush and roll the same section you were blow drying/curling back down to your scalp (in a curl shape) and clip with a long clip. I like to give these curls a shot of hot air as well. It’s the heating up and cooling down that will set the hair and give you the volume that will last all day!!!

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the top section of your head is rolled up into pin curls. Ideally, you want to let your hair cool like this for about 10-15 min. I take that time to get dressed and put on makeup. Then take the clips out let the curls fall out. You should be rocking some pretty great volume at this point.

7. If you’re need a little more lift, or if you want a quick fix for volume, my last 2 tricks are: Redken powder grip is my new FAVORITE product. Sprinkle a little at the root and then rub in (back and forth and a couple of circles) with your finger tips. ONLY USE A COUPLE TAPS PER SECTION!! If you use too much, you will be hating life. It feels really grippy in the hair.

8. And finally, back combing (or ratting as some of you like to call it). Understanding how to do this properly will make a world of difference. We’ve all seen those ladies that didn’t quite get it right on the back combing. Take a mohawk section of your hair. I like my part to go right down the middle of the section so the volume isn’t lopsided. Then take inch wide sections and start about two inches from the root using a fine tooth COMB. Insert the comb into the hair (about 2 inches from the scalp) and push the hair down to the scalp. Repeat about 2 or 3 times depending on how much height you want. Smooth the hair over the surface so you don’t end up with a rats nest on your head.

*This is also a great trick if you want to put your hair in an up do or pony tail but don’t want it to be flat.

Perfect 5 Minute Makeup

Liz Stanley — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:30:43 +0000

In January I announced a new beauty series we’re starting called 10 Easy + Affordable Beauty Tips, all taught by our resident hair and makeup stylist to the stars, Christie Somers, and fabulous photographer Alisia Packard (you can read more about them in my about page here).

Our first lesson last month was all about Creating the Perfect Curl, and today Christie’s going to give us the ins and outs of a perfect 5 minute makeup routine (since that’s usually all the time we have to spend on our face in the morning). You’ll also see her recommended products and a few tips she’s learned doing makeup for over a decade. Here are Christie’s instructions paired with Alisia’s images (and this time Christie is modeling herself, isn’t she gorgeous?!?):

Written and modeled by Christie Somers, Photographed by Alisia Packard

Since we are all busy ladies, we thought it would be nice to give you a guide to 5 min makeup for the everyday woman. In my job, I get the benefit of talking to women all day long and it seems many people misunderstand the point of wearing make-up. The point isn’t to wear make-up just to wear make-up. It’s meant to enhance our best features and distract from our less favorite ones. For example, the point of eyeliner is to open up and draw attention to ones eyes. But many women put a thick black line straight across their eye without taking into consideration how applying it achieves the desired effect. While there is definitely a place for having fun with your make-up (smokey eyes, red lips–and don’t worry we will get to those!), you want to keep your every day look pretty natural and simple. We want to look like a slightly better version of ourselves, not entirely different people.

My must have items for every day make up are…

1. Foundation. The foundation I love is called Tarte. It’s great for all skin types and climates. It’s important not to scrimp on foundation. In my experience, cheap foundations sit on your skin and look cakey. Tarte is made out of Amazon clay and you will not break out even if you have acne prone skin.

2. Blush/Bronzer. I like many different brands. Bobbi Brown and MAC are amongst my favorites. STAY AWAY FROM SHIMMER AND GLITTER unless you’re 16 or a cheerleader.

3. Mascara. I love Bobbi Brown everything mascara. The tube lasts six months and the mascara doesn’t get under your eyes by the end of the day so I am happy to pay a little extra for it.

4. Lip stick/crayons/gloss. Options are limitless. I love the lip crayons found at Sally’s Beauty Supply . They stay on forever and are only $1.50 right now! Champagne bronze and Coral shimmer are two of my favorite colors. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the Bobbi Brown lip crayons are also great!

If you’re older than a teeny bopper, stay away from uber gloss.

Let’s see how it’s done:

Step 1:

Squeeze a pea size worth of make-up onto your hand. You can either use your finger or a foundation brush to apply. I like to use a foundation brush because you get a more natural finish. Avoid sponges because they will soak up a lot of your product. And you will be buying foundation twice as often.

I first apply foundation to my problem areas (since there is more product on the brush in the beginning) and then I work my way out.

Spread evenly all over your face. Don’t forget under your eyes. Don’t forget to blend it under your chin and up into your hair line so you don’t have obvious lines. On that note, when buying foundation the best thing to do is apply a little on your cheek and choose the color that dissolves into your skin the best.

Step 2: Next, blush. When applying blush, imagine drawing a 3 on your face. Starting with your cheekbone (where you want most of the color to be concentrated). Next your jaw line.

And finally a dab on your forehead. The idea is to apply it where the sun would hit. You can do this with either blush or bronzer depending your skin tone and the time of year. In the winter I use blush and in the summer I use bronzer. Blush and bronzer are meant to be used for contouring and adding a touch of color to keep it your face from looking matte.

Next you want to add a little rosiness to the ball of your cheek. Choose a baby pink blush.

The best way to know where to place this is by smiling and applying right to the ball of your cheek. This may seem like a small detail, but it makes a big difference.

Step 3: The next step is mascara. When looking for a good mascara, make sure you find one that won’t run by the end of the day. In my experience, any Bobbi Brown does well. I like to apply my mascara to the top and bottom eyelashes. I apply underneath the lashes first and then over top. That will help create length and thickness in your eyelashes.

Step 4: And finally, your lips. Before I put on any of my make-up I put on lip balm. There are two that I like. LaMere (which isn’t cheap but lasts a long time) and Jack Black (which has SPF 25 and won’t break the bank). Applying it before you start your make-up gives it time to settle in and absorb so your lip color doesn’t wipe right off.

Then apply whatever you’re feeling that day. Lip crayons are my every day go to, given their longevity. Lip color is a fun way to mix up every day make-up. So get creative!

10 Beauty Tips: Creating The Perfect Curl

Liz Stanley — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:04:47 +0000

Last month I announced a fun new beauty series we’re doing this year called 10 Easy + Affordable Beauty Tips, all taught by our resident hair stylist to the stars, Christie Somers, and fabulous photographer Alisia Packard (you can read more about them in my about page here). One of my New Years resolutions was to get in a better beauty routine and so I’m really excited for this series!

Today Christie’s going to tell us bout how to make the create the perfect beachy curl in your hair, perfect for a romantic Valentines Day date! Here are Christie’s instructions paired with Alisia’s images for creating the perfect beachy hair (also a big thanks to Alex Moe for modeling):

Getting the results you want when it comes to your hair is 90% about getting the right texture. For instance, with curls & up-does, it’s best to have your hair be a little bit dirty/gritty. If you try and curl with super clean, soft hair, your ‘do’ will promptly fall out. On the flip side, if you want straight + smooth hair, clean and soft to start is always better!

When it comes to hair & makeup, my rule is less is more. Hairspray is the exception. The key with hairspray is to make sure your using a LIGHT aerosol. My favorite is Redken 12 Spray.

In the case of styling hair, the hairspray is used mostly to create texture and perhaps a little at the end for a touch of hold.

Ladies, grab your hairspray! It’s time to get curly! Here’s how to create the perfect curl:

1. Give your hair a spray all over. Brush the hairspray through. This will help to create the dirty texture I mentioned earlier. If you have really fine hair (like Liz’s), I like to add a little dry shampoo all over to create a little extra volume.

Keep reading for the full tutorial…

2. I like to start my sections at the bottom of the head and work up. I usually part the hair at the temple and clip the hair I’m not curling out of the way. Take the first section and get ready to curl. To give you an idea, my first section goes from the hairline to just behind my ear. (The bigger the section or iron, the looser the curl). The size of curling iron I use is dictated by how tight or loose I want my curl to be.

3- Hold the iron so it is vertical, clamp the hair a couple of inches from the root and get ready to curl the hair away from your face (think Farah Faucet)

4-Pull the Iron to the end of the hair and roll it back up to the roots (staying a couple inches off the root). Make sure you keep the iron vertical.

5- Hold the hair in the iron until the hair the on the outside of the iron is hot to the touch. Then release the iron and pull it out the bottom of the curl.

6. Spray the curl with hairspray and leave it in the ringlet to cool down until you’ve finished curling the whole head. (The heating up and cooling down is what sets the curl)

7. repeat steps 3-6 until you’ve curled all of your hair. Once the curls are all done, give your hair one more good spray.

8. To get the loose beachy feel in your curl, lightly rake your fingers though your hair (go easy on touching the curl too much. You don’t want to make it frizzy.

9-. The last thing I like to do is put my fingers in at the roots and give the curls a good shake. This will help to relax the curl and make it look natural.

10. if you’ve finished all these steps and your curl is still too tight, get a little shine product in your hands (I like Redken 01 Glass Smoothing Serum) and rake your fingers through your hair a few more times. Keep in mind, your curl will relax a lot on it’s own so I think it’s better to start with the curls a little bit on the tighter side and let them fall out naturally.

Edible Chocolate Face Mask

Liz Stanley — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:21:42 +0000

Have you ever made a homemade face mask? I’ve been so curious about it for a while. There are a lot of ingredients in the kitchen that are great anti-oxidants, and can also sooth and soften dry skin. This chocolate one has been on my must-try list. It smells -and tastes- delicious in addition to being great for your skin (chocolate is a strong antioxidant). It would be a fun idea for a girls night in this winter: making a few homemade face masks, painting nails, while chowing on some yummy comfort food and drinks.

Thanks for my neighbor Hanalei for being my face mask model!
Keep reading to see how to make it…
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This post in sponsored by Baileys Irish Cream. Join us at creamwithspirit.com and help us celebrate women that live their lives #withspirit!
     
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Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

4 T of cream

3 T of oats

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

1/4 cup of honey

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth

2. Pour into a bowl and refrigerated until use

3. Grab a handful with your fingers. It’s pretty thick so it shouldn’t be too messy!

4. Start to spread carefully all over face, avoiding eyes, inner nose and mouth (a couple licks can’t hurt though)

5. Cover your whole face and let it sit for about 30 minutes or so. Might be a good time to have something chocolatey. You’ll be craving some for sure smelling this stuff!

6. Wash off afterwards with warm water. My model Hanalei said her skin felt so smooth afterwards. I’m excited to try it out myself!

Homemade Grapefruit Bath Salts

Liz Stanley — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:39:07 +0000

I’m working with Method on their Clean Happy Campaign. In honor of their July video, Give Your Nose a Hug, I thought it would be fun to try to make my own sweet smelling salts that will give your nose (and whole body) a hug in the the warm bath. Super simple to make, it took 2 minutes!

Keep reading to see the full tutorial on making these sweet smelling bath salts yourself!

Add a couple drops of pink food coloring to ice cream salt or sea salt (about 1 cup). Then add about 4 drops of an essential oil. Whatever your favorite scent it. I used grapefruit I bought here

Mix and shake in a bag!

I poured it into a mason jar and made a pretty label with some mini stamps and fabric. Would make a great gift too!

What fragrance would you add to your bath salts? You can take a dishy personality test on Method’s Facebook page to find out your signature fragrance, and enter a sweepstakes to win a year’s supply of Method dish soap too!

Styling Tips for Fine Hair

Liz Stanley — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:46:32 +0000

Hi guys! I asked talented stylist Rubi from She Lets Her Hair Down to contribute a post for those of us with fine hair. A lot of times the hair tutorials and styles I see don’t seem to work on my super fine, baby hair. It’s so frustrating! If you’re like me, you might benefit from hearing Rubi’s tips below!

Hi, I’m Rubi from She Lets Her Hair Down. Liz asked me to write a guest today post for those of you with fine hair. I’m a hairstylist, and I do a lot of hair for fashion shows where all the models have to have the same hairstyle no matter what their natural hair texture may be. And guess what? Most models have fine hair. We hairstylists make their hair look thicker with some of the tricks I’ll teach you below.

The most important styling trick for fine hair is to prep it with the right products. One of my favorite products is Elnett Hairspray, which I talk about more right here. It is the only product I used for the hairstyles on this post. My model had fine hair that was a little bit oily and the Elnett gave her volume and richness while getting rid of any oil.

Here’s how I prepped her fine hair for a top knot and crown braid:

1. I sprayed (a lot of) Elnett in sections throughout her hair from roots to ends.
2. I divided her hair into sections and blow dried them with a natural bristle round brush. I made sure not to tug on her hair, but just let her hair slide down the brush’s bristles.
3. Once it was all blow dried, I sprayed more Elnett in her hair from roots to ends and brushed through it all one last time.

This gave her the perfect texture to easily go up into a top knot and a crown braid. This is also a great way to prep your hair for curls or just to have a nice full blow out.

There are more tutorials on my blog on how to do a crown braid and a top knot and good luck thickening up those locks!

{Photos by David McDonald}

How To: Side Braid

Liz Stanley — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:22:11 +0000

I asked fabulous Alison of The Alison Show to show us a fun hair ‘do for spring and summer. See more of her fabulous tutorials and beauty tips right here.

Hi! I’m Alison from The Alison Show. This side braid is super easy, and you can either leave some bangs in front, or pull them back into the braid. Let’s get started!

Keep reading to see the full tutorial…

1. Make an extreme part.

2. Grab a 1/2″ slice of hair. You can make a neat part, or a messy one like me!

3. Change the position of your hands and pull the section of hair to the other side of your head. This will make braiding much easier.

4. Begin braiding the hair with a “dutch” style braid. This means you pull the strands under each other, rather than over. Start adding hair from the back of your head to the back-most strand.

5. Once away from the head continue braiding the hair “dutch” style.

6. Secure the bottom of your braid with a tiny rubber band, or pull the end of the braid back towards the crown and pin it in place with two bobby pins. Wow, you look hot!

The Look for Less: Pretty Pastels

Liz Stanley — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:34:26 +0000

{Mint Skirt, Blouse, Belt, Ballet Flats, Clutch, Necklace. Inspiration image from Elle}

This spring it’s all about pastels! Top left is an outfit I’ve been crushing on so I thought a look for less was in order. Any good deals you’ve seen around?

How to Style It: The Jean Jacket

Liz Stanley — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:03:55 +0000

All photographs were taken by Ashley Thalman, a fabulous photographer in the Utah area specializing in lifestyle portrait and commercial work

With the great discussion going on last week about jean jackets coming back in fashion (or have they ever left?), I enlisted the help of my super stylish sister, Katrina, who you may remember from The Sister Style Series and The Slot Canyon Trip. Katrina rocks her jean jacket all. the. time. Especially when she plays bass in her hip punk brand, Baby Ghosts. Yeah, she’s that cool. So naturally she was the perfect person to help give us ideas on how to style our jean jackets we’re pulling out of storage.

1. Jean on Jean. High-waisted cuffed skinnies, tucked in bright blouse, oxfords and vintage pearls. And a top knot of course. For all of you that said jean on jean couldn’t be done!

Keep reading to see all six ways to style the jean jacket…

2. Some Like it Hot: Bright dress, vintage t-strap heels, textured black tights

3. Desk Job Approved: Pencil skirt, striped tee, statement necklace, wayfarer sunglasses

4. Friday Night Date: Black dress, black belt, bright turban scarf

5. Baby Ghosts Concert: Black jeans, striped tee, buttoned up jean jacket, big smile

6. Brunch with the Girls: Pleated skirt, red sweater, vintage t-strap heels

How do you style your jean jacket? Is the jean on jean something you could pull off? I’d love to hear!

Big thanks to Katrina for modeling and Ashley for the lovely photos!

Pretty Top Knots for the Win

Liz Stanley — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:57:40 +0000

(image)

It should come as no surprise to you that I have an itty bitty obsession going on with top knot buns (in good company with turquoise, bows, gold spray paint, polka dots, and geeky glasses). I posted about the knotty bunch spotted at Alt Summit, and found an awesome sock bun trick I shared here, that I still use on a regular basis for my sad, baby fine hair. Then. THEN. I found this tumblr devoted entirely to top knots and my obsession has peaked. Messy, braided, smooth, teased, socked, natural, high, low, side, etc. They are all equally awesome in my eyes. Do you have a favorite top knot you wear? Any favorite top knot tutorials you’ve seen?

A few more favorite top knot looks after the jump…

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