Spring is in the air and so is the humidity. If you’re like me, it’s a constant battle to keep my naturally curly tresses smooth and sleek. I’ve tried just about every type of ionic blow dryer, straightening iron, and straightening serum, all to no avail. It’s time for me be to check out Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy before the summer arrives full force. Created by renowned stylist and salon owner Peter Coppola, this hair smoothing and conditioning system works by infusing keratin deep into the hair’s cuticle. Each hair follicle is encased with a unique keratin bond which promotes healing as well as creating a barrier from heat and humidity. This sounds like the perfect product to set me free of my arduous routine with the added benefit of having the frizz free summer locks I’ve always coveted.

If you are looking for a style that won’t take too much of a backlash from the heat, I recommend trying the beachy wave. For this look, curl your entire head of hair in spiral curls that are loose on the top and loose on the ends. For some pieces, don’t curl the ends in order to get that fun, messy, beachy look!  Another easy hair trend to try is adding a flower above your ear or even above a side ponytail in the back. When wearing a side ponytail, it should be sassy, so make sure it has a lot of texture. You can curl and even backcomb it to add body and place at the nape of the neck for a flirty look.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

An ionic blow dryer is faster and leaves your hair shinier and healthier than the traditional blow dryer. It emits millions of charged particles called ions that bond to your hair, breaking down moisture molecules without frying hair like the old blow dryers do. Second, thermoceramic brushes produce more consistent heat for your hair, which is less damaging and smoothes the cuticle, minimizing breakage and split ends. Lastly, boar bristles on brushes help smooth the hair strands individually for added shine and protection.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

I recommend staying away from nylon bristle round brushes. They can start to melt and bend when coming in contact with heat. Using these types of brushes often cause hair to tangle during your blowout creating split ends and breakage. Also, I recommend staying away from non-ionic blow dryers. They are extremely damaging to your hair. Avoid using a blow dryer that is more than 15 years old. It may contain asbestos, which was formerly used as a heat resistant material in the power cord.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

For the Stylist:
Right now big and sexy tousled curls are in. Keeping up-to-date and having the newest hot rollers is a must. I recommend The Babyliss Pro Ceramic and Ionic Hair Setter as my choice of tool to accomplish this style. Stick straight hair is becoming a thing of the past, but having the right flat iron to twist some locks into a sassy wave is without a doubt a necessity. The Babyliss Diamond Titanium Flat Iron is a favorite of mine because it leaves the hair soft and shiny.

For the Consumer:
A great “cheater tool” for someone that is not a professional is the InStyler, getinstyler.com. I also suggest having a professional ionic blow dryer at home to avoid damaging your hair everyday.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

Say goodbye to razors and razor burn, and say hello to the no!no! 8800. Promising smoother, barer skin, this fit-in-your-hand professional hair remover painlessly gets rid of hair, slowing growth and reducing density by up to 94%. Based on the Thermicon technology, hair growth is delayed by a pulse of heat that’s transmitted from the hair and down to the follicle. The result - thinner, lighter hair!

Think you’re ready to say yes to the no? Hold on a little bit longer. The no!no! 8800 will arrive November 17 for purchase on hsn.com, just in time for the holidays.

We love— love, love, love, love, love, love, love—Yes To Carrots Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo, as in, if it were our boyfriend, we’d marry it!  This is a must-try-immediately product. The shampoo suds up into a big, pampering bubble-bath for the hair, and we’ve just never smelled such a fresh smell—during the shampoo or after.  Plus, this shampoo leaves the hair soft and shiny.  It’s available at Target (always a plus, to have yet another reason to shop at Target, right?!) or, heck, just purchase it online right now, at drugstore.com..

This shampoo amazes us! One application is almost too much.  Oh-la-la, the suds!  You can feel your hair grow and poof up and out and get lusciously clean all with one small quarter size application.  And even better, it can be used on the body, too. This is luxury at a small price, for sure.
Philosophy Inner Grace Bath, Shampoo & Shower Gel - $30 at Sephora

My weekend treat? L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo.  It makes lovely tresses for sure, but the real pleasure is in the natural scent of lavender extract.  Real lavender. Straight from Provence lavender. Not chemicals cleverly pretending to be lavender—with their no-depth, thin smell. Everything L’Occitane makes has the very essence of deep, richness from whatever particular scent is being used.  And this shampoo is true to the L’Occitane line of quality scent.

This is also a performance shampoo (and it’s particularly great for curly hair, as it miraculously vanishes frizz)—and a shampoo that can be used daily.  In fact, the L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo should be used daily, but I use it on the weekends only because I love to be surprised each Saturday morning with the heavenly scent, and I’m afraid if I wash my hair with it every day, I’ll become too used to the scent and forget the pleasure.  In these hard economic times, L’Occitane Lavender Shampoo is right-on-the-money indulgence for your hair and your senses.

How to use? For a splurge, wash with the shampoo twice, rinse, and then follow it up with the conditioner.  Then, once you’ve rinsed out the conditioner, go ahead and put half a pea-size in your hand and run that onto the ends (only) of your hair.  Then wrap your hair in a towel and go to sleep with your hair wet.  When you wake up and smell the lavender, feel free to lay in bed for a long time thinking to yourself, “Now this is how good life is supposed to be, always.”

L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo - available at L’Occitane in stores and online - $17.

Lavender Detangling Conditioner - available at L’Occitane in stores and online - $17.

As a hair fanatic, I’m compelled to try everything that comes down the pike. Most hair products are just ho-hum average.  But I’ve just discovered two new products that I have absolutely fallen in love with: ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray and New York Streets Liquid Shine. 

Talk about voluminous hair and unsticky-shiny!  Wow. Wow. Wow. Product number 1: ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray dries quickly and gives hair a weightless and free-flowing feel, yet holds strong.  Add to that the UV protection that covers the hair and scalp, and you’ve got summer fab in a bottle. 

Product number 2: New York Streets Liquid Shine keeps away the frizz during rainy days and gives hair a healthy shine without weighing it down or making it look greasy.  One of my favorite things about this product is that it smells deliciously sweet—(oh yeah… smelling sweet, looking hot).

These products are so new that you can only find them online right now. But hang tight. Great news spreads fast, and these are bound to crop up locally, sooner rather than later. 

ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray—$22.95—ecrunewyork.com
New York Streets Liquid Shine—$24—  newyork-streets.com

Who in the heck plunks down $300 bucks for a hair dryer?  Probably the same person who plunks down $240 for a flat iron.  That somebody would be me.  But then, I’m obsessed with having beautiful hair.  Having grown up with way-too-curly hair in way-too-frizzy-humid weather, I’ve had to go to inordinate lengths to make sure my hair would behave.  From sitting in front of an air conditioner to style my hair, then running to the car air conditioner to keep it styled, to running inside to wherever my destination was so that it would stay styled, to never going outside, ever, missing the most amazing sunsets and cocktail parties, because, darn it, I’d rather look gorgeous inside than be around gorgeous outside, frizzing up.  That’s a heck of a way to spend one’s youth.


Then I met the love of my life.  The ghd flat iron. More to the point, the ghd IV Styler.  Hello, baby, come to mama! I have no clue why this flat iron is different than other flat irons, but it is. I can straighten my hair and stand in a heavy mist—and even have it rained on to some extent—and my hair still stays straight.  And sleek.  And lovely. And on days when I’ve gone insane and decided I wanted curls, I can even curl my curls to be tamed and lovely curls with this same flat iron.

I’m the first to cringe at marketing terms, such as “tourmaline-infused ceramic,” but all I can say is that whatever it is that makes these products work, they work!

As an ex-hairstylist, I’ve tried everything, and I’ve never ever ever ever ever recommended a product so highly as the ghd flat iron.  Okay… so there I go… off on the ghd flat iron tangent again, and I haven’t even gotten to the Bespoke Labs T3 Evolution Dryer.  So, without further ado… it’s fast become my next must-have.  Read about it and it will go on and on about all that “tourmaline” stuff, and discuss how it’s “ionized” and has “ceramic” blah de blah.  But forget that.  What’s important is that it dries the hair faster—really fast.  More than twice as fast as a regular dryer. And your hair won’t look frizzy and blow dried.  In fact, if you have wavy hair, the Bespoke Labs T3 Evolution Dryer can actually serve as a styling tool, alone, because your hair can look beautifully wavy simply by drying it upside down, then flipping it back and brushing it—and thicker, because the hair has been plumped up by the heat, but sleeker, because something about these products seems to “glue” the hair cuticles in place until the next wash.  Another plus is that this is a lightweight blow dryer, and it’s kind of fun to hold.  But, as anyone with hair that tends to frizz knows, comfort really is the last thing on our minds.  We want great hair at all costs.  And here’s the thing—these products might be costly once, but they earn back every penny spent—and then some.

These are guaranteed to give beautiful hair—or I’ll shave mine off!!

What do Jennifer Anniston, Penelope Cruz, Gwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Natlie Portman, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron (whew… breathe….), Hilary Swank, Camreron Diaz, Gisele Bundchen, Madonna, Ellen Degeneres, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss have in common?  Besides being incredibly gorgeous, they’ve all been spotted wearing the lovely hair products from Oribe.  He’s done covers and major spreads for W magazine, Vanity Fair, GQ, Elle, Allue, Glamour, to name just a few.  He did the hair for the Vogue 100th Anniversary Special. He’s worked with every celebrity in the book.  Diana Ross even showed him how to secure a wig.

And now Oribe has developed his own line of hair care products that, although expensive, are well worth the money paid. (That’s saying a lot for this Suave conditioner girl.) 

The Shampoo and Conditioner for Beautiful Color have baobab oils (the seeds of the boabab are used to thicken soup—your hair does feel thicker).  And perhaps it is the Lychee oils that give these products the oh-so-light, oh-so-fresh smell—almost of freshly cut grass, almost of some exquisite French perfume.  A smell so delicate that you just want to keep applying it over and over so you can figure out what, exactly, it is. A lovely mystery to revisit every morning while showering.

If you live in Baltimore, you’ll want to get your Oribe from the trained stylist (trained directly by Oribe, himself) at About Faces Day Spa & Salon (they have five locations, so check their website for addresses and directions: aboutfacesdayspa.com.)

Now, what to do once you’ve used Oribe?  Segue into this.

TIGI S FACTOR Dream Drops make the dullest hair shiny.  The silicone adds absolute brilliance and smooths out frizzy hair, plus, it smells so good you’ll have to make a supernatural effort not to eat it!  The perfect companion product for ceramic iron usage, which you’ll be using next.

The ghd Professional IV Ceramic Ionic Hair Straightener comes highly recommended by our senior beauty editor (that’d be me) because 1.) she used to be a hairstylist and knows what’s good, and 2.) she grew up in high humidity and finally found in the ghd the one thing that would keep her hair smooth and straight, even through heavy mists.

Now that your hair is as healthy as it has ever looked, yay, let’s go for some shu uemura ‘Flip Color’ False Eyelashes.  They appear black from the top view, but a vivid color peeks out from below once flashed. Very intriguing. (If you’re too timid to try the Flip Colors, try the shu uemura ‘Retro Graphic’ False Eyelashes, instead.)

Almay Smart Shade Makeup is nice and inexpensive, yes!, and has some secret something going on that blends into the look of your own skintone.  Plus, it has the nifty SPF 15.  There might be a better feeling makeup upon application, but for the money and the coverage (without looking covered), this is one we use often.

The Clarins Instant Light Perfecting Touch Concealer is a good bet for blending those dark undereye colors into whatever color your skin is… and the effect is very natural. None of that “Hey! Look at me!  I’ve used concealer under my eyes” look.

There’s a reason why allure gave the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner their Reader’s Choice Award.  It goes on as you wish (in a line, or with a soft-smudge), and the color is just very natural and very pretty. It offers a shine within a matte look—very difficult to explain, very beautiful to see.

Our choice for the lips is the Geulain’s Kiss Kiss Lipstick. This lipstick makes lips look fuller, with a semi-matte finish, and it’s long-lasting with no color bleed.  However, it’s the intensity of color that makes us love Guerlain.

Now that your hair is so shiny and your face is gorgeous, let’s add a nice Springtime scent. Issey Miyake ‘L’Eau d’Issey’ Eau de Toilette Natural Spray is so light that nobody will know you’re wearing a scent, but people will be thinking, “Gosh, she smells good.”  The scent is simply this: fresh, country air.

As this whole hair and beauty regime is about simplicity with a touch of glamour in the hair and eyelashes, we offer the subtle
Hobo International ‘Jaclyn’ Tote in a soft bluebell colored leather.  Throw in any makeup you want to take with you, and a good book (may we suggest Pride & Predjudice, by Jane Austen) and go!  Life is good, and with your hair and face looking great, it’s even better than good.  It’s shining fabulous!

We American Girls love our packaging, so it’s funny that a London company is on our top ten list when it comes to gorgeous packaging.  Molton Brown never lets down: the visuals, the smell goodness, the after-effects of their products keep us going back and back to our Mother Country’s pampering line.  Take for instance Molton Brown’s Purifying Plum-Kadu Hairwash (shampoo) and Molton Brown’s Purifying Plum-Kadu Hair Conditioner.

You’ll want to try it out first on a weekend (and we’ll tell you why in a minute). This product is pumped full of Kakadu plum, a fruit with the highest known vitamin C concentration, which means what for your hair?  The kakadu is a free radical scavenger that helps protect the hair from damage and malodour. Add to that, the moringa seed extract, that sits on the hair shaft and protects your hair from nasty pollutions—perfect for you gals who are going dancing in the clubs or taking mass transit to work (plus, the fruit is rumored to up the sexual libido in men—some in India swear by it—which adds more meaning to the phrase, “Gee, your hair smells terrific.”). Wattleseed is part of the Acacia family, which offers antibacterial properties and a glamorously strong smell… add to that jasmine, tuberose and cardamom and we’re talking a shampoo that will make you have to call in sick because you won’t be able to get out of the shower.  Hence, try it first on a weekend.

Molton Brown Purifying Plum-Kadu Hairwash

Molton Brown Purifying Plum-Kadu Hair Conditioner

Is your hair acting like the black sheep of your beauty family?  It has a mind of its own.  Doesn’t listen to a thing you say.  Does what it wants.  Leaves you frustrated and ready to head to therapy.  The French, who are adept at raising their children to be seen and not heard, have come along and done the same for rebellious hair. L’Occitane has developed its Aromachologie Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner that will smooth out the causes of hair drama.

The Angelica oil purifies. The Lavender oil softens. The Geranium oil regenerates. The Ylang-ylang oil strengthens. The Patchouli oil stimulates (without making you smell like a 1960’s hippie head shop!). Fret no more. Once again, you can take your hair out to dinner or a movie, without feeling that everyone is judging you for its bad behavior!

L’occitane Aromachologie Dry & Damaged Hair Shampoo 10 fl.oz

L’occitane Aromachologie Dry & Damaged Hair Shampoo 10 fl.oz

You’ve been in Target and seen the baby jaw clips and thought to yourself, “Nope, I’ve too much hair for those,” so you’ve picked up the bigger hair clips and used them to hold your hair in a pony tail so you could wash your face, workout, etc. But the smaller clips are all the hair fashion rage right now, and the classic France Luxe Mini Oval Jaw Baby Clips are what you want.



Now. Immediately. How to use them? Part your hair—either in the middle or on the side (for a softer look)—then take about a pinky finger’s thickness of hair, twirl it just a tad, then baby jaw clip it to the side of your head—not pulling too tightly, as you’ll want it to swag a bit. Do the same for the other side of your head and, presto, poetry for the hair.  p.s. if you have bangs, just let them fringe and the effect is still just as lovely.

France Luxe Mini Oval Jaw - Classic

Remember going through your grandmother’s boxes and drawers and seeing these strange looking hair accessories and thinking to yourself, “Hmmm. Old fashioned.  And where’s the clip?”  We do.  But we also remember going through her photos, and her mother’s photos, and seeing some gorgeous looking women with softly pulled together chignons and buns.  Finally we put 2+2 together and came up with the whole story. 

The France Luxe 75x20mm Hair Pins are just this side of brilliant, and a lot easier and less cumbersome to deal with than chopsticks.  Just pull the hair you want to pull off your face, twist lightly, and plug and play.  The Hair Pins will hold just enough to make you feel romantically Victorian pretty.

France Luxe 75x20mm Hair Pin