We’re all trying to save money right now even while we bide our time surfing the internet and visiting all of our favorite online shops. But instead of simply virtually window shopping or spending funds on impulse buys you’ll probably regret later, we have a suggestion. Buy belts.
Belts are probably the most underrated accessories. Once used to literally just keep our pants from falling down, they’ve become sartorial status symbols, especially up on the runway. Slipping on a belt makes an immediate difference, no matter the outfit. From adding a statement belt to take your standard white T-shirt and jeans ensemble to another level to reining in those popular voluminous dresses, they’re the secret to a look’s success.
And you don’t have to shell out big bucks to get them. We found statement belts for as low as $26. Even if you decide to go the designer route, buying a belt is way cheaper than picking up a dress, skirt, top or shoes from high-end labels. Hell, sometimes they’re even less expensive than a logo-clad tee.
Here are the best belts that give you the most bang for your buck.
With most of the country world sheltering in place, we’re having to figure out how to tackle grooming at home. Things like getting a haircut, getting our nails done and taking care of our overgrown eyebrows at the salon aren’t possible right now. But trying to take on these tasks at home is a bit scary. You don’t want to make a mistake and end up looking worse for wear. Well, we can help — at least when it comes to grooming your brows at home.
The Tools of the Trade
Full disclosure: We’re just as nervous as you are about trying to tame our unruly brows. So we decided to turn to the experts. The first tip? Make sure you have the right tools. Anastasia Soare, founder and chief executive of Anastasia Beverly Hills, recommends high-quality scissors and slanted tweezers. And both should be on the thinner side.
“If the tip of the blade is too thick, you run the risk of pulling the hair too high and far away from the skin, potentially breaking the hair and causing unnecessary discomfort,” explains Soare. “As with the tweezers, the blades of your scissors should be incredibly thin. When you brush up your brows and hold the hair in place, the thin blade will let you trim exactly what you need.”
The Best Time to Tackle Your Brows
Audrianna Mora, licensed esthetician and global education manager at RevitaLash Cosmetics, advises waiting until after you step out of a steamy shower. “The warm water softens hairs, making the process a little less painful.” But don’t use a magnifying mirror. “Magnifying mirrors are the gateway drug to overplucking!”
Know Your Type
Back in the 90s, skinny, almost pencil thin brows were in. Now bushy, Cara Delevingne-esque brows are all the rage. But even fuller brows need a little maintenance. “If you have coarse, bushy eyebrows, you want to be careful never to trim them too short. They need the added length to weigh them down,” shares Soare. If your brows are more on the skinny side, she advises not trimming them at all.
When it comes to creating arches, Soare suggests “trimming the top inner part of your eyebrows lower and leaving alone the highest point of the arch through the tail.” If your brow hairs grow downward, fill them in with a brow pencil first, then brush the hairs down before trimming the outliers.
And what about those dreaded brow cowlicks? Fill in your brow, then simply trim what’s left outside that line.
Keep the Plucking and Trimming to a Bare Minimum
Both of our experts recommend the less-is-more approach. Mora advocates trimming your brows every three months or so, depending on your growth cycle. “Use a spoolie brush to brush brows upward and with brow scissors very lightly dust off or trim the excess hair,” she explains. (Feel free to tweeze any strays on a weekly or biweekly basis.)
And your brows don’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. “Remember that eyebrows are sisters and not twins!” says Mora. You can also skip trimming altogether and just use a clear gel, like RevitaLash’s Hi-Def Brow Gel, to keep your brows in check.
Since we’re all staying inside, it’s a great time to let your brows grow out. But that doesn’t mean you should leave them alone. “You can disguise areas of sparseness with a good brow product. I suggest using our Brow Wiz or Dipbrow Pomade to create natural-looking, hair-like strokes,” says Soare.
Don’t Skip the Trip to the Salon or Spa
So now that we know how to maintain our brows at home, we never have to book an appointment with an esthetician again, right? Wrong. “I recommend going back to your trusted esthetician. No one should wax themselves and often it really does take an external eye to get the brow shape that will bring the most balance and harmony to your face,” says Soare.
Mora agrees. “I always think it’s best to leave the real maintenance to the experts. Simple clean up at home is fine between professional services.”
Still feeling nervous? Check out Soare’s easy-to-follow tutorial below.
You’re about to see a whole lot more of Dua Lipa down at newsstands. Fresh from the cover of Vogue Australia, the Brit songstress now takes to the cover of ELLE for May 2020. Making a return to the American fashion glossy exactly 12 months after her last appearance, Dua fronts two covers for the occasion both photographed by Zoey Grossman and styled by Charles Varenne. For cover one (below), Dua sports a look from Gucci’s Spring 2020 collection and covers up with a guitar from Moschino’s Spring 2020 collection on cover two (after the jump).
IMAGE: ELLE.COM
Dua immediately divided our forums. “I became a Dua Lipa convert this past month so I’m kinda into this. Once you get used to the fact that she gives zero energy in every aspect of life, you start to enjoy what she does,” said dodencebt.
“The only pop queen I care about at the moment. Love!” exclaimed [Piece Of Me].
“I do like this way better than Dua’s current Vogue Australia cover. I like the two-tone hair on Dua here and can appreciate there are zero gimmicks,” added vogue28.
Everyone else disagreed. “Tattoos, knickers showing, hair that may well be her own yet looks like a dodgy wig and that shade of blonde. Baffles me how this girl continues to book cover after cover because she sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry on a wall,” commented Benn98.
“She doesn’t look bad here, just this type of styling should be reserved for models if it’s to be used on covers. She doesn’t give any emotion with her eyes unfortunately,” Urban Stylin called out.
“I have seen awful covers in my lifetime, but this one takes the cake for 2020 already! It looks so obnoxious and CHEAP,” proclaimed Bertrando3.
IMAGE: ELLE.COM
Care to see more? Check out Dua’s cover feature and join the debate here.
After weeks of working, living, playing and going stir-crazy at home, you’ve probably lost the will to get dressed up. We hear that. So you’ve probably dug out your “best” sweatpants and slipped them on day after day after day. Because who wants to do laundry right now?
While your ratty, old pair is fine to sport indoors where just your significant other or family will witness them in all their glory, you can’t, or rather shouldn’t, leave the house in them. Even if you’re just running those essential errands. This may be news to you, but there are sweatpants that are actually pretty stylish. Sometimes we even spot them up on the runways or on the street style set.
When it comes to styling, be creative. Skip the matching sweatshirt and opt for a cool button-down or crop top. Instead of sneakers, try a pair of statement sandals or heels.
We took the liberty of rounding up 18 pairs of the best sweatpants around. They’re so fashion-forward, you’ll want to wear them inside and out.
With toes warmly cocooned in socks and boots over the winter, pedicures and foot treatments were the last things on our minds. Now that the mercury is steadily climbing and more and more gorgeous sandals are appearing in stores, suddenly we’re noticing our feet could use a little TLC. Thankfully, you can treat your feet without leaving your house. At-home foot peels are just what our toes need to get ready for summer.
You’ve probably seen the dramatic before and after photos on social media — because the results are that good. In just a few days (or weeks, depending on the foot peel), you’ll see some seriously impressive results. The right foot peel will take off months of dead skin without any burning and without the need for any aggressive scrubbing. If you’ve been a fan of foot files, one foot peel could be enough for you to throw out that brush and embrace the plastic booties.
So grab one of these best foot peels, slip on a pair of plastic booties and get ready to flaunt your new, baby soft feet.
Over the years, Harper’s Bazaar hasn’t exactly been willing to give its covers to new faces. But now that Glenda Bailey is officially out the door, things are looking up. To mark Bailey’s exit last month, Gigi Hadid delivered the goods and now finally someone who has never covered the magazine before graces Bazaar‘s May 2020 issue. Demi Lovato makes her debut this month appearing like a ray of sunshine in a yellow Valentino creation courtesy of Miguel Alberto Enamorado on the newsstand cover (below) while gazing down the lens of photographer Alexi Lubomirski.
IMAGE: HARPERSBAZAAR.COM
According to our forum members, Bazaar‘s latest was a huge setback. “The images are quite pedestrian, but then do we really expect anything more elevated from Harper’s Bazaar?” asked dodencebt.
“First cover is absolutely abysmal, don’t have strong feelings, positive or negative, for the second cover,” KINGofVERSAILLES chimed in.
“Every now and then, Bazaar tries to replicate that iconic Linda Evangelista cover. They should know by now that it’s useless!” added kokobombon.
“The cover is as much of a nonevent as her music,” said an underwhelmed Malaya.
Bertrando3 wasn’t impressed, either. “What has she done to her face? Both covers look amateur and the styling and poses are boring, this should have been cut before print. I usually like Alexi Lubomirski’s work, but this is not good.”
Sharing the same sentiment was MON: “That is NOT Demi Lovato. My goodness. Let’s be honest, they tried to hide her weight. She is basically shapeless in the main cover, while on the subscribers’ cover, you can see that the sun was used to hide her arms instead of Photoshopping it to avoid backlash.”
If you find yourself at the salon every six weeks paying north of $300 to get your hair color just right, you’ve likely wondered at one point or another how to dye your hair at home. It’s daunting, but with patience it can be easier than you think — especially if you’re doing a single hair color or simply covering up stray grays (rather than a full head of highlights or complicated ombre hair color). To find out exactly how we should go about dying our hair at home, we turned to Estelle Baumhauer of eSalon, a site that specializes in individual hair color with personalized instructions. Read on for Estelle’s tips for mastering at-home hair color like a pro.
Find Your Perfect Match
Choosing a hair color shade can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. I suggest choosing a shade close to your natural or your dyed hair color. Over the years, I’ve noticed that clients generally tend to select a shade or two darker than their actual hair color, so I’d recommend picking a slightly lighter shade.
Do Not Go Any Further Before Reading the Instructions
Always read your hair color instructions prior to mixing up your color. It’s imperative when working with professional-grade dye since processing time is incredibly important. For example, adding five more minutes when processing a root touch-up can make a huge difference for covering gray hair.
Precision Matters
Hair color application is just as important as shade selection. I guide my clients to make their at-home application like a salon and use the application techniques of a professional. I suggest using plastic clips, a plastic bowl and a hair color brush for a more precise application.
Start by sectioning the hair into four quadrants and clipping each quadrant with a clip. Unclip one section of hair and gently apply color using your applicator brush for a clean, even result. A hand mirror will help you see the roots at the back of your head. Once done with a section, clip it back into place and proceed to the next section until you have colored all four quadrants. This technique will help you achieve a simple, clean application.
Shine and Rinse It
In a salon, the real magic happens at the shampoo bowl. You can borrow a colorist’s technique that we call the “Shine and Rinse” in the shower. This technique helps remove color from the hair and adds glossy high shine.
To master the “Shine and Rinse,” with gloved hands add a little bit of water to your leftover hair color. This mixture should be roughly even parts of hair color and water. Loosen hair color from skin on your forehead and/or near your hairline by rubbing the area in a circular motion. The color will appear to smear and lift off the skin. Pour the water-diluted hair color over your hair and massage the mixture into your scalp. This will help loosen any excess hair color. Continue on to your ends and start massaging the mixture throughout your hair, like how you would shampoo, until the hair color feels creamy. This should take a total of two minutes. Rinse your hair thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Shampoo and Condition
Lots of times, I have found clients simply rinse out their hair color. It may seem counterintuitive, but make sure to shampoo the hair after rinsing out the hair color. A good shampoo will help to remove any leftover color in the hair and prevent any scalp irritation without affecting the color that was just applied. Make sure to use a color-safe shampoo and conditioner.
