Beauty Tips and Tricks: Hair (or the three B's)

Hair is one of a woman's many assets and sometimes lady's get stuck in a rut. Well today its time to shake up the monotony of hair with some old stand-bys. Like an LBD (little black dress) or a big structured bag there are staples in a girl's hair as well as her clothes and here are three that every girl should utilize. I like to call them the three B's (braids, buns, and bobby pins).

Braids: The LBD of hair. Nothing says chic, put together, and fun like a good french braid. And the best thing it is a good sub for a hat or scarf on those bad hair days.

Side Braid: The trick is the messier the better. The polished version looks  more like a little school girl rather than chic fashionista that you are.

Braided Bun: It can be sleek and on the top on your head or messy and to the side but trust me it always looks good.

A Bun: Like the braid, twists (or buns or chignons), are an excellent bad hair day go to. It can be an easy messy bun or a sleek chignon. It all depends on your mood and your outfit but girl you will always look good.

The Messy Bun: Easy and cute. Need I say more?

The Chignon: A classic stand-by.

The Bobby Pin: The best invention...ever (well in beauty any way). It can help create the perfect twist or just liven up your hair when you want to wear it down.

Five Things: Grammy and Others

So I haven't actually watched the Grammies yet. I like to record and fast forward. I do not have the attention spand to watch the whole thing especially through the performances I dod not particularly love so you will see my take on the performances I watched tomorrow. But today I will show you my top fashion favorites (yes, only two) from the Grammies and two random fashion nods.

The Grammies are notorious for their fashion... mishaps? Well anyway, it seems musicians have a more eclectic and different sense of style than other entertainers and thus the Grammies are a fashion disaster hot spot. Here are two ladies I believed rocked the night. 

Florence in Givenchy: Okay, I must admit when it comes to Florence Welch I have a very big soft spot but I would like to think that this soft spot is not unfounded. I for one, beleive she looks absolurtely gorgeous in this swan inspired Givenchy gown.



















Nicole Kidman in Jean Paul Gaultier: Absolutely stunning. I always love Nicole Kidman, but tonight I think I fell in love with her a little more. She looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!

Others. So here are three other things that I have been crushing on lately.

Crystal Renn: Read her book, saw her pictures, fell in love. An inspiration to every girl, Renn has risen from humble and very hungry model beginnings to becoming the most successful plus size models in the world. A muse to both Zac Posen and Jean Paul Gaultier, Renn is a beautiful and inspiring women and I hope that she is only the first in editorial plus sized models.

With Zac Posen

 In Elle Canada

With Jean Paul Gaultier


















Alexa Chung (more specifically those Valentino shoes): My favorite Alexa Chung look ever. At the ready-to-wear Chloe show 2010. But lets just talk about the shoes. Absolutely wonderful! Studded Valentino pointed toe nude/flush flats , so amazing. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!

David Bailey: The man who takes the pictures of the most famous people to walk the earth during the 20th and 21st century. Really inspiring portraits, very real, very lovely.

Inspiration

These are the people  and fashions that are inspiring me right now. 

Elle Fanning: Perfection. So cute and has a fashion sense well beyond her thirteen years but she always dresses her age, even in Rodarte. 

The Seventies: I don't know if it is the flowy tops, the floral prints, and the free wheeling attitude but I have always been attracted to the seventies. 

Brights and Prints: 2011 Spring Resort wear has been filled with brights and crazy prints and as a somewhat conservative dresser I am surprisingly thrilled by these trends. 

Lake Bell: The up and coming funny girl and fashion goddess. 

The Sartorialist : I have talked about this blog before and I have brought it up again because it is that amazing. Great photography and amazing style. I have always been attracted to street style rather than  haute couture. This blog is a real reflection of street style at it best not to mention the supreme photography. 

These are a few of my favorite things...to listen to.

I am inspired by music. I believe music is really the most amazing art form. It can express every range of emotion and nothing can calm me down more than Iron and Wine's Sixteen, Maybe Less and nothing can amp me up more than Sleigh Bell's Treats. So here is a list of five artists who inspire me. (There are more to come but I am only allowed five).

Iron & Wine: Amazing. Samuel Beam is amazing. With  a voice like chocolate and the guitar skills of some kind of god his music is to die for. My favorite song of his is Sixteen, Maybe Less but I prefer his solo acoustic version. I think it really lets you focus on the beauty of the words but the Calexico version is very good as well.



Cold War Kids: Long Beach's Cold War Kids are an amazing band. I love the lamenting voice of Nathan Willet really hit a good note in my heart (bad pun, but intended).

Sleigh Bells: Eclectic, thrilling, and well amazing. Love love love Sleigh Bells.

















Tokyo Police Club: I have loved them as long as I can remember. Saw them in concert and I will never think of them the same way. So quality, so exciting, and something so very intelligent about their music. I read an article about them once and it said "they really throw the dictionary at you." Very true.




The Black Keys: The new Blues Brothers. Nashville based blues rock duo consisting of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney really are amazing. I love their sound, really beautiful.

Style Icons

When it comes to personal style I draw from others for inspiration. When it comes to dressing I am pretty plain and put together (hopefully) but most of my exciting pieces come from the inspiration of style icons. Ladies like Alexa Chung, Rachel Bilson, Claire Danes, Florence Welch, and the ever chic and classic Bridgette Bardott have always inspired my look.

Alexa Chung: Her style is fun and really British and I absolutely love it.

Rachel Bilson: Cute and California kind of sums up little Miss Bilson. Her style on the OC was a little cringe worthy but her personal style certainly is not.

Claire Danes: Simple, understated, and sophisticated sums up Dane's style. The queen of minimalism and she never looks bad. Love. Her.

Florence Welch: Ethereal and rock. With style just like her music, Florence Welch is beautiful and versatile. LOVE HER LOVE HER LOVE HER!!!

Bridgette Bardott: Last but certainly not least this French bomb shell inspires me so much. So classic and so Parisian. Beautiful cat-eye eyeliner and a clean and fresh Parisian look with a little bit of sexy (okay a lot of sexy). Just Amazing.

These are a few of my favorite things...to buy.

I am a girl who loves to shop. I love clothes, jewelry, make up, all that stuff. Here are a few of my favorites.

Truly Madly Deeply Scoop Neck Tee: The best t-shirt in the world. Super soft, super flattering, and not to mention it comes in amazing colors. It's kind of expensive for a t-shirt (well for a broke student it is) but it is well worth it. 

 

Gap Jeans: Comfy, quality, and they last a life time. I love my Gap jeans so much, they are worn in and super comfy. 

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain: When it comes to make up I have learned (the hard way) that less is more. So when it comes to lip color I always turn to stains because they are far more subtle and long wearing than any lipstick or gloss. My favorite colors are: Twilight (deep nude), Forbidden(nude), Flame(red) and Gothic(really red) 

RipCurl Aurora Watch: Best watch. Super water proof (its made for surfers) cute and goes with anything. 

Cecilia Gonzales Jewelry: When it comes to unique hand made beautiful jewelry I love Cecilia Gonzales. I first heard of her through a friend and I have been satisfied ever since.