Holiday Honey

Love Your Locks

Let's discuss a topic near and dear to all of our hearts: hair. Your gorgeous, flowing mane is naturally one of the key components to your appearance, right? Ahh, hair, Its wooed many a man and caused heartache to a great many women. My post pubescent years were an all out war between me and my hair. By nature I have coarse, frizzy hair, and lots of it, that's always seemingly fought not to look good. Now, in my mid-twenties, I've finally been able to coax my hair into cooperating by showing it who's boss. A few things I've learned when it comes to hair product: 

 

 

• You get what you pay for. I'm sorry to say, but product DOES matter. Salon brands will typically yield much greater results than drug store brand. Ask your stylist what she recommends. 
• Ingredients are essential: Look for natural things like glucosides and glycerines for a natural, plant derived product.
• Less is more: You don't need a ton of shampoo, hair gel, hair spray, or anything for that matter. A little typically goes a long way, particularly when you buy more concentrated salon brands. 
•  Sulfate free is the way to be: I can't stress this point enough. SLS (a powerful sulfate) is something used in all types of cleansers, whether shampoos, detergents, household cleaners, or dish soap. It dries out your hair, adds to drying time, makes it more porous, can darken it by a shade, and can contribute to hair loss. Sulfates are what causes shampoo to lather, which naturally we feel makes our hair cleaner. But I'd recommend trading in your lathering drug store brand for something a bit more gentle that reads "Sulfate Free" on the packaging, and get over your addiction to excessive lathering. My personal favorite sulfate free shampoo is Moroccan Oil, which smells absolutely delicious, and in my opinion, is worth every penny. 
• Keratin: These treatments are pricy (my salon starts at $150) but they're nothing short of life changing. They'll cut hours down on your styling time each week, and essentially will end up paying for themselves. They'll last roughly three months and will make doing your hair each morning a breeze. Your locks will love you. 

One thing we can all agree on, we all want strong, healthy, pretty, Cosmo-Cover-esque hair. So treat yours right and it will in turn be one of your greatest assets. 

Modelinia: Your Best Source for Fashion Week Coverage!

Even though I was just dying to make it to The Big Apple for Fashion Week, other obligations kept me at home. Fortunately, our fave website, Modelinia had New York Fashion week totally covered for me. Check it out for tons of slideshows, pics, and coverage of the fashion shows!! They even composed a six-episode series called Fashion Week TV that features models, designers, and tons of footage. Don't miss out on Modelinia's complete coverage, and as always, stay fab!
 

Viva la Lipstick

I love lipstick! I think we all went through an anti lipstick phase for a few years there, but we hope you've since welcomed it back into your life. I know I have! I have an awesome lipstick that I purchased from Victoria's Secret about a month ago. I've been using it daily, and I love the girlishness of it. Now imagine my upset when my friend last night saw me applying it and asked if it was 1995. I was a bit taken aback, for it hadn't even dawned on me that the rest of you might not be quite up to speed. New lipstick formulas are creamier and the colors are more natural an flattering. Whether you want nude, just a splash of color, or full on crimson, lipsticks create a more matte look, which is often more appropriate. I think I'm going to send my friend one of these, and hope that she jumps on the bandwagon. After all, fashion right now is a total 80s/90s revival, why can't beauty be too?

 

Great Product: Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express

More often than not, I find myself highly pleased with drug store cosmetic products. They've got many of the same ingredients as the high-end makeup lines and produce the same results. In fact, it's always kind of baffled me that many women find these products "second rate" or "cheapies".. (They're really not all that cheap anymore!)

Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Express ($7.47) has only furthered my loyalty to these alleged "cheapies". I have never been quite so pleased with a mascara... even Dior Show. (I know, right?) I bought this brand one day simply because they were BOGO, so I figured, "why not?" I must say, my less than lengthy lashes have never looked so long, full, and perfectly curled. And what's more, is even at the end of the night, my lashes look the same as they did at first application in the A.M.

I'm impressed ;)

Have you checked out TAAZ for your Virtual Makeover yet?

A while back, we came across TAAZ Virtual Makeover. The site is incredibly user-friendly and totally gives you a peek at how you might look with a sexy bob or sunny highlights... or any other change you're considering for that matter. Or e-ven better, you might come across a style that totally rocks on you but you'd never guess it. (I mean, really... I never thought I could pull of blonde... ever! TAAZ taught me otherwise). So, we're curious. Have you tried yet? If so, please share your beauty revalations. If not, get there and discover one, then share your makeovers with us!

The Sweet Truth About Raw Chocolate

What girl doesn't love chocolate? You've probably heard by now of the antioxidant properties and aphrodesiac benefits of raw cacao. You may have also surmised that your Hersey Kiss there, while delicious, isn't chocolate in its truest form. Even commercialized dark chocoloate, though a healthier selection, isn't the pure chocolate that's touted as a natural super food. No my friends that would be Raw Cacao, chocolate in its simplest, purest form. Raw cacao is said to contain more antioxidants than any other food in the world. It is actually a species of fruit, one of the world's healthiest fruits to bout. Cacao contains the neurotransmitter: Phenylethylamine, which promotes concentration and alertness; it even has been said to prevent dementia. I can vouch for this one. One table spoon of cacao has me raring to go! Even more so than coffee or tea. Cacao also contains dopamine which is related to sleep, mood, and attention levels. Perhaps the biggest reason cacao makes you feel so good, is it's inclusion of tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, the ultimate feel good neurotransmitter (or what's released in your brain during a runner's high). Cacao also contains the beautifying element, sulfur. Sulfur is attributed to strong hair & nails, liver detoxification, and skin purification.

I can't sing cacao's praises enough. It gives me immense energy and great clarity. It's effects are more powerful than a cup of coffee, and yet I don't feel speedy on it at all. I remember people in college taking Aderol to focus better while studying. May I suggest this natural alternative instead? So how do you consume cacao? I prefer to keep it raw and avoid heating of any kind. This morning, I ground up raw cacao nibs in a coffee bean grinder. I then added a bit of Stevia to sweeten (they're quite bitter on their own) and added this mixture to my protein shake with half a banana. It was quite delicious and I felt like a million bucks afterwards. With all of these benefits, why not give it a shot?

Are Women Becoming More And More Attractive?

According to evolutionists, yes. So maybe this is the reason that your girlfriends could rival Daria, Kate, and Natalia. Apparently the cause for this progression is the essential "filtering out" of less attractive women, based on two things:

1. Attractive women are more likely to reproduce more children than their less attractive counterparts.

2. These "more attractive" women are reproducing more girls, and going on to proliferate their hotness.

This observation has been the result of a series of studies of physical beauty and it's correlation to reproduction in humans. According to Markus Jokela, a scientist at the University of Helsinki, pretty women have 16% more children (daughers and sons) than their more homely friends. These studies were predicated by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics. Kanazawa found that attractive parents were more prone to having daughters, and that this was somehow part of human DNA.

While this might explain why the latest crop of Victoria's Secret models is so insanely gorgeous, I've got to assert the opinion that attractiveness is subjective. What looks good to one person may look entirely different to another. And while I notice hoards of beautiful girls and women on a daily basis, women have always been beautiful. Think Jaclyn Smith, Bridgett Bardot, Diane von Furstenberg. And hello? Haven't they ever heard of Cleopatra? I suppose though, from an evolutionary standpont, the human race will probably continue to grow more and more refined. And that's my scientific theory for the day...

So does this mean in 20 years our daughters are all going to be Megan Fox look-a-likes? Who knows... But one thing I will agree with, according to the scientists, men are allegedly haven't changed a bit ;)

Holiday Honey Fab Five List: Super Foods!

Allow me to introduce a new weekly feature: Holiday Honey Fab Five Lists. Each week we'll present a top five list about a topic that is beneficial to YOU. We start you off this week with... drum roll please... Holiday Honey's Fab Five Superfoods for optimal health, beauty, and wellness!

Blueberries ~ This mega-berry is readily available and filled with loads of wondrous antioxidants. The blueberry is one of your greatest allies in the fight against free radicals for its inclusion of anthocyanin, which gives it the blue pigment.

Wheatgrass ~ Definitely the most obscure item on our list, wheatgrass has been known to have miraculous healing powers to the extent of turning hair from grey back to natural pigment. it's alkalizing, thyroid stimulating, promotes digestion, anti carcinogenic, and soo much more. The drawback? It tastes like lawn in a bowl, to quote Miranda Hobbes. Take it as a shot and cheers to your health!

 Black beans ~ These babies contain folate, fiber,  protein, tryptophan (a precursor to serotonin which makes your brain feel good!), B1, iron and more. These are versatile and can be used liberally in salads, soups, and they can also fly solo.

Cantaloupe - This juicy refreshing melon, has Vitamins C & A, both great for the skin and anti aging. Cantaloupe also contains potassium (for you runners out there) B6 and is low in calories but has high water content. They're best June through August, so get 'em while the gettin's good!

Avocado Let's face it, these are just freakin' delcious! Plus they contain Vitamin K which prevents osteoporosis & oxidative cell damage (i.e. anti aging components). The healthy fats in avocados keep you full for hours!

I would seriously consider adding these five superfoods to your daily diet. Their consumption will aid in disease prevention on all scales (from the common cold to the big C) Now that you know HH's favorite superfoods, try and make them some of your faves too. The wheatgrass is an acquired taste, but I promise you'll thank me in the long run. May you live long and thrive - xoxo. ~ Holiday.

Overcoming Fear of Falsies

False lashes are like a double espresso for your eyes. They wake them right up! Have you considered wearing false eyelashes but been too nervous to attempt the seemingly tricky application? Or, have you thought that faux lashes were not exactly classy? I'm here to tell you that with the new falsies, application can be simple and the result can be quite realistic. I've never once been called out for wearing fake eyelashes, nor have I ever had any major eyelash malfunctions. I highly recommend using Lash Grip to adhere the falsies to the eyelid rather than Lash Glue (both by Ardell and available at CVS, Rite Aid, and etc...), since the grip will not destroy your natural lashes as the glue will. In addition, I bought these falsies from Amazon, and got way more for my money than what you'd get for lashes in the drug store (about $4 for one set). Take note: I often fine that I need to trim the width of the lashes (i.e. the length from one corner of your eye to the other) and usually only apply them on the outer edges for a more realistic look. Don't be narrow-minded. One stab at these babies and you'll be batting those lashes around town in no-time =)

You Must Check Out TAAZ for a Virtual Makeover

The internet has officially changed everything. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could see myself as a blonde. And I'm not just talking honey colored highlights, I'm talking Hilton blond. Well, thanks to Taaz.com, I was able to envision this last night, as I uploaded my photo into their template and added lashes, nude lips, and blonder than blonde long straight hair. I have to say, I LOVED it. If you're contemplating a color change (whether slight or drastic) but are a bit reluctant, you can preview yourself on Taaz and decide what shades and cuts you think suit you. And even if you're not changing your hair color, I recommend this virtual makeover simply because it's a good way to experiment. I'm not sure if blondes really do have more fun, but I definitely had a rockin time being a virtual blonde.