Quick and Easy Hair Tips for Busy Moms

The easiest for a busy mom is to have a plan a day in advance, like blow-dry your hair the day before so that on the day of you can either curl, flat iron or pin it up. A day-old blow-dry helps hold a style better. Also, freshly washed hair doesn’t hold the shape or body that you may be going for.

 Here’s an easy, fast, and classy do. Part the hair either in the middle or the side, maybe almost a comb-over at the front or side part. Smooth it out with a little pomade. Put it into a ponytail secured by an elastic, then bun it with a bobby pin.

 If you have mounds of waves, you can wash your hair the day before and use a gel and conditioner cocktail. You should dry it, but only half way at the base. Then, with your hair still damp through the shaft and ends, make four braids irregularly parted and secure with small elastic at the ends before going to sleep. Let it dry completely. As you are ready to head out the next day, undo the braids, flip your head over and – using a dry hairspray – shake it, but don't break it. It’s very sexy, very festive, and very softening to the face. Then a hint of a gold liner and strong lip is all that’s needed.

 Curls using a curling iron are fast and easy to do. Your hair must be dry and smooth. Spray with an aerosol hair spray, then curl in sections starting in the back from the bottom up, and do the same for the sides. Re-spray the whole head and then flip your head over and tousle to break up the waves gently, but not completely if you want a soft, easy done/undone look. I think this is the perfect mix of sweet and sexy with out trying too hard, which is what a mom wants. 

Beauty Myths

Here is the truth to a few popular beauty myths:

Makeup makes your skin break out   

False. The right makeup for your skin won't make you break out. Cheap makeup or makeup that contains leftover cooking grease or animal waste will make you break out. Be sure read the contents of the products that you use. 

Washing your hair everyday is good

No. When you wash your hair everyday you wash away the natural oils that come from your scalp. Sweat actually nurtures and moisturizes hair with its natural oils.

Rinsing your hair in cold water makes it shinier

Yes, IF your hair is clean. If you've just shampooed and conditioned, then cold water will close the cuticle, which makes it smooth and reflect more light.  

Mr. Clean can remove self-tanner

No. Do not put Mr. Clean or any chemical cleaning products on your skin. Use sugar, honey or any natural scrub to remove self-tanner, leftover dirt or makeup. 

Sharpies work as well as eye-liner

No. Never use sharpies on your skin. It will burn your eyes and it may not come off.

Banana peels clear acne 

No. Use astringent for your acne. There’s a great Aveda product called Outer Peace that you can use for your acne. 

Your Makeup Could Be Aging You!

Four Ways Your Makeup Is Aging You

1.Using any products that contain alcohol. Alcohol-based products dry your skin out. You skin already loses much of its youthful moisture as it ages, so no need to worsen the problem. Water based products are a much more gentle alternative.

2. Many cosmetics contain parabens as a preservative. Parabens can be carcinogenic and have a hormone-altering effect on your body, thus making your skin look less resilient. Seek out paraben-free cosmetic options and read the labels.

3. Petroleum products are heavy, not easily absorbed, and can settle into fine lines and wrinkles. They also can have a drying effect. When this thicker product settles into fine lines around the lips and eyes, it creates a highlighting effect, drawing more attention to these areas. Again, using water-based options is a far more healthy alternative for your complexion.

4. Using SPF. Making sure to use a moisturizer, primer or foundation that contains SPF is essential to keeping skin looking healthy and avoiding skin cancers. UV rays cause any skin blemishes or age spots to increasingly darken with exposure, and wrinkles to develop. Protecting your skin with an SPF product is the most important step to keeping your makeup from aging you.

Bonus: When applying your makeup or creams to the sensitive, thin skin around the eyes, be sure to use a blotting, tapping motion with your ring finger instead of pulling or tugging. Blotting with your weakest finger prevents you from harming this delicate skin or contributing to any fine lines or wrinkles.

Beauty 911

How to reset shattered powders and brushes:

Blushes, eye shadows and powders can be pressed into little plastic containers that are sold at Sephora, Mac, or the container store. With sanitized hands, gently pressed the broken pieces or powders with your fingers into the new vessel. Make sure your fingers are dry, as well as the new container. Make sure not to drop, knock or store these in places where they can fall or be knocked down. Keep at temperatures of 70 degrees or colder, never warmer. This especially applies to cream blushes or concealers, which are better stored at 65 or bellow. Water mixed with alcohol can clean all brushes, airbrush, makeup valves and needles, tweezers, spatulas, etc. Do not overuse as it can dry out the make up.

How to salvage broken shadows:

Using the wooden-stick technique (scrape the top of makeup items with it to remove the used surface). The wooden sticks are sold everywhere at beauty supply stores. They look like miniature popsicle sticks, and can clean lip sticks , shadows, and dry blushes or bronzers. 

How to wash applicators:

Using disposable mascara wands is ideal. Ensure that everytime you insert the wand into the rest of the mascara, it is clean and sanitary and you don’t risk introducing impurities in to the entire mascara tube. 

How to keep eyeliners sharp and soft:

Every time a decent manufacturer makes an eyeliner, they make a corresponding eyeliner sharpener that is the exact match in circumference to the pencil. This is the only sharpener that should be used with the liner, which can be cleaned with Q-tips that have been dipped in a mix of alcohol and water. Make sure to dry really well with a towel and not leave any moisture in the blade as it can rust and or become dull. Liners will describe if they are hard, soft, creamy or wet. The manufacturer will also include at what temperature it’s best to store the liner, so it’s best to follow these instructions . Most liners live in women’s handbags. So long as they have their cap on and are in a makeup bag inside a handbag, they will be safe – providing the bag is kept out of the sun.

General beauty tips:

I love to keep live-cell facial creams in the fridge to prolong their life

I love a cocktail moisturizer with my SPF foundation that also has a moisturizer.

Once a month I heat my grapefruit scrub to 88 degrees and, after a hot bath, scrub myself with this warm scrub. Then I cocktail a heavy moisturizer with warm tangerine oil and put it all over my body. 

I keep a huge bag of makeup (out of the sun) in my closet. Not the bathroom, to avoid the humidity showers can create, since I don’t want to mess with my shadows an blushes.

I carry two small make up bags in my hand bag, one wit all of my moisture products, i.e., under-the-eye cream, all-over-the-face moisturizer, and vitamin E lip balm (devoid of any petrochemicals, as they tend to dry out everything). The other holds my face, eye and lip liner, SPF tinted moisturizer, cream blush, eye-lash curler, mascara, brow pencil, and a white pencil for the brow bone. And that’s it! 

Redhead Friendly Holiday Hair Tips

1) What ‘redhead friendly’ fashion tips are a must-have?

Look out for fading or unevenness, meaning two levels lighter or more from base (regrowth) to ends – a well-executed ombre is the only option for a red head, or none at all. Highlighted redheads are best because they keep the color visually even, and the nuances and movement of the lights create depth and movement inside the hair.

2) What beauty tips are a necessity?

This will sound like a bit much, but this is the only way to be a red head. Every 3 weeks use a toner refresher. It takes 5 minutes, and it makes a huge difference in the wash and wear and the way it looks. It’s the difference between brassy washout and polish and vibrant richness. Use a color protectant color with a pH balance to keep the cuticle closed shut, so it holds on to the red colored molecules inside the shaft of the hair. Do not wash more than 2 times in 7 days. Stay away from the seawater with all its salt and Jacuzzis and all their germ-killing chemicals. They will fade and stress the ends. The Madder Root Color Conditioner by Aveda will help.

3) What hairstyles can redheads rock this New Years Eve?

Waves, curls, ringlets, body, fuzzy wings, and feathered out. Volume is the name of the game. The Hot Rod Iron by Enzo is amazing! There is also the Figure 8 Curling Iron – I love what it does with hair. Humidity is amazing for big, curly hair. It provides great lightness, fuzziness and accent. Looking at this picture of Jennifer Lopez, it exemplifies the best red head look for New Years Eve!

Holiday Hair Styles

For the holidays, I love a dramatic middle or side part slicked back into a sweet soft ponytail. To keep the ponytail softer, leave a bit of framing fringe on the sides and at the forehead. It’s sexy and easy. Use Sebastian’s dry aerosol to lock it in.

Braids can also be fun and easy for a holiday gathering. They are especially sliming when worn on one side only or as a crown with a bump of height in the back, which also slims the face, making you appear taller. [*Please use 5-inch heels with this look because it makes your ass look monumental and brings the braid more into a sexy realm!] Use pomade by Crew to lay down all the frizzes, unless you like the more bohemian, beachy feel. 

Thanks to the Great Gatsby, Mob City, and Boardwalk Empire, soft-pinned, waved hair is back and is much easier to achieve than you might think. Make sure your hair is blow-dried with a round brush nice and smooth. Use Aveda color conserve leave-in and Aveda smooth glossing straightener while hair is wet. Take into sections and pin as you move from the bottom up, using 4 quadrants of the head for sectioning. 

Pull out a 1-inch iron. Make it as hot as you can, sectioning the head again in 4 quadrants, 2 front sides 2 back sides. Each section should be two fingers in width.  Again, move from the ears up and curl with the barrel of the iron facing down, which will end up making 4 curls of sections that you will secure with a pin. 

When you are done doing this to the whole head, spray with the hair spray by Blow Dry Bar Money Maker – all around, not too close to the head, making fast circles. Stay 6 inches away from the hair. When the room is foggy from the hair spray, you have sprayed enough. Your next step is to remove all the clips gently, making sure that the hair does not separate or become frizzy. You can do this with a Mason Pearson brush. As you hold the entire side together, comb the hair into one wave movement. Spray again with "money maker" and pin against your head. Make sure it is not visible and it suits your face. Spray with Aveda’s brilliant spray shine. You will look and smell so rich!

To Texture or not to Texture?

A year ago, we mentioned that everybody was going to be platinum blonde. AND...we were ahead of our time: We called the platinum blonde craze, you see it everywhere from "Game of Thrones" to My Week with Marilyn to the new Loewe campaign. Last year, at this time we were in love with Kanye because we saw him at Coachella and now a year later, we are still in love with him (Jay-Z's song N***a's in Paris is currently looping on our iPod, as is Lana Del Rey and Perfume Genious). I LOVE LOVE LOVE what Ricardo Tisci, the artistic director currently at the helm of Balmain and creative director of "Watch the Throne," which by the way if I were 30lbs lighter and had 7 zeroes to the right of the amount in my bank account, would be the man to dress me and Isabel Marant would be the woman.

On the hairy side, the American Wave is the new craze! By the end of the year I'll have all of Pasadena American Waving. With that said, I hereby declare that the P-word, "perm," shall never be used again in my salon. It's all about the American Wave from here on out baby! I see the ombre movement morphing in to a softer, lighter version of itself. Same goes for the Brazilian Blowdry, men are crazy about it and call it a "manzilian". I do it on my beau and when he in his Tom Ford tux, all my Lanvin falls off.