Style Fix

So what does everyone think about Kate Holmes new hair look?

Personally, I think it makes her worthy of her request to go by “Kate” rather than “Katie.” She looks just as cute, but much more mature. She almost, dare I say it?, looks an appropriate age difference from her husband!

But I am all for her happiness, so if we can cruise on to a different topic than her and her mister’s ages, this cut looks fabulous! I think it was what Tyra and the America’s Next Top Model makeover team was trying to do with Saleisha’s hair. Unfortunately for them, Kate’s turned out way better and now highlights the awkward stiffness of Saleisha’s even more.

Check both of these gorgeous women out below:

As a child I was quite the fashion-loving diva, especially when it came to my hair. Fits and screams over how my mom’s braids were not tight enough, she hurt my head when she brushed my hair, and her updos had lumps, resulted in my having super short hair for most of my childhood. Although I still managed to get multiple (and I do mean multiple) ponytails into my Dorothy Hamill cut, I turned my attention to clothes even more.

The other thing that I vibrantly remember about myself as a child (aside from the fact that I genuinely thought I would be randomly discovered as a superstar singer), is that I loved to write. I wrote a letter to the first President Bush (which up until last year I thought my mom had mailed to him) on triple-lined, learn-to-write paper in elementary school. It is one of the first things that I remember writing, and one of the first school assignments that I remember getting excited about.

I no longer write about politics, unless you count my animal rights activism, and I no longer wear more than two ponytails at a time. I do, however, still love to write and love fashion - hence this blog.

There are not many things that I have enjoyed since I was young - my body gave up on gymnastics, I got bored with Barbies, and I no longer believe that someone will spontaneously ask me if I want to be a singing sensation (I confess I do occasionally pose for all of the possible modeling agents walking by).

But writing and fashion … the two will always be in life in some way, until the day I write my will and pick out my burial outfit.

This post is my entry in week one of Project Blog on Reality on Bravo. Don’t forget to vote for me now through Tuesday!

My spending style goes through phases. Sometimes I’m a diva shopper: buying $100 Lucky Brand jeans, getting my hair and makeup done, sparing no expense if the customer service is good. These are my celebrity-esque fashion days.

At other times, I’m the most frugal maniac you’ll ever run across. Sometimes, my paycheck forces me into being this second type of stylist.

Okay, so actually, I should always be this second type, but what fun would that be? And how would I live without my Luckys?

If you are on a budget, but into fashion, you have likely picked up your own bargain styling tips throughout the years. But it’s the expendable products, the makeup and such, that hurt my wallet more. I have less of a problem spending money on a good pair of jeans that will fit me for years, than I do on foundation that will get used up in a month and have to be replaced.

So here, my savvy savers, are some of my top tips for making those consumable, usable, costly products that we can’t live without, last longer.

* Think it’s empty? Think again! Get out a small makeup brush to reach further into your tube of lipstick, bottle of foundation, or stick of concealer. There’s usually at least two more applications in a liquid bottle and half an inch of goods below the level that it rolls up to.

* When pressed powder or eye shadow is down to a ring-around-the-edge, crush it up and make it into loose powder. Same goes for if you drop the compact and the makeup cracks up. If you break the mirror, however, you’ll have to make a mosaic!

* So you’ve already had that hair product standing upside-down, and you’ve squeezed it beyond belief? Well, how about cutting it open? I scissor off the top of my gel containers, and scoop out a full application with a spatula that was too small to do anything in the kitchen.

* To avoid all this digging and pecking just to get all the product that you pay for, buy items that have open access. For example, try cream blush in a compact instead of in stick form.

* And as with anything in life, a little TLC goes a long way, extending the life of your brushes, mirrors, and whatnot. Keep them all clean and organized, and you’ll replace them less.

That’s it; those are my secrets. Think you can best me? E-mail me at StyleFix at Gmail dot com! And never forget, health comes before frugality … don’t use the same mascara for years on end.

Last night I attended a Regina Spektor concert. You probably have not heard of her, but listen carefully the next time you see the JCPenney commercial where women are constanly pulling things out of their purse - her song Music Box plays during it. But anyway… as I waited for her to grace us with her presence on stage (talk about the longest break between opening act and main performer ever!), Glamour magazine was in my head, specifically, their Dos and Don’ts feature.

I wondered, as I watched the girls who caught my stare in both good ways and bad, how the Glamour editors have the nerve to click photos of random people on the street. Sure, I giggled with my concert-going friend as we were passed by by an orange fanny pack, plenty of hideous prints, off-the-shoulder sweaters, ankle boots with hippie dresses, butt cracks, and an over-the-top 80s look complete with skin-tight, see-through white pants. But I could never be so bold - or rude? - as to raise and aim a camera. Could you?

Amongst and aside from the style nightmares, there was something noticeable that made me smile: the crowd (both guys and gals, and Regina herself as you can see in the pic here of her performing at 2007’s Lollapalooza) were overwhelmingly curly haired.

As a natural-curl girl myself, I am happy to see people content with what nature gave them, not killing their gorgeous springs with heat on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, I do occasionally straighten my hair, and love that I have options, but I get so furious when the fashion gods try to make it out like curly=frizzy=ugly.

Hear me loud and clear people: nine times out of ten you will look better rockin’ the locks that God gave you!

curly hair, hair straightener, regina spektor, concert fashion, glamour’s dos and don’ts, fashion police

Everyone is having contests! I’ll admit, I love to win things and was, at first, slightly hesitant to share all of these fantastic fashion contests with you. But here are they are, all of the best, current sweepstakes that I could find. Promise you’ll let me know if you win anything?

Log in or register as a new user at Lucky magazine online and enter to win the current cover look seen on Mandy Moore. Then you will also gain access to Lucky Breaks Online Sweepstakes and Deals.

Magazines just love to give things away, don’t they? Glamour magazine’s Web site also has some contests up. Vote for your choice for 2007 Woman of Your Year from the top ten reader submitted women and win a Vegas getaway. The Glam editors also put together a list of different sweeps for you to enter. While your there, be sure to check out America Ferrera (a.k.a. Ugly Betty) in a gorgeous purple dress on the new cover.

If you act fast, you can still enter iVillage’s contest to get a makeover on the TODAY Show. To win a new hairstyle, e-mail your name, a photo showing off your current hairdo, your daytime and evening phone numbers, and a why you need a new hairdo to iVillageTODAYMakeovers@nbcuni.com by Monday September 10, 2007.

And last, check this Tim Gunn one out from Liz Claiborne …

No doubt you’ve heard by now that Paris cut her hair (read: took out the extensions). But in case you haven’t turned on the TV or opened a magazine this week … Paris Hilton cut her hair! Oh my goodness! Personally, I didn’t have an opinion until I saw these pictures - taken in Las Vegas on Tuesday at Magic Marketplace.

Verdict? I love it! She looks sweet, mature, cute, her age, and … oh yea, she released her own clothing line which she is shown wearing here. It’s through Kitson Boutique and includes plenty of shiny shirts, jeans, and shrunken jackets.

Can you do it? Can you resist the urge to go check out Paris’s clothes?