The iconic era of the 70s has returned to catwalks and style guides across the world this summer and has been passed onto the high streets and online retailers. This summer’s direction has been taken from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Taylor and Tracy Reese who have all taken inspiration from the styles first created back in the 70s from forward thinking stylists much like themselves.

The denim trends of the 70s are especially in demand as they begin to hit the streets in the form of high waisted denim shorts and trousers, likely to only appeal to small audience but definitely a style critics say will be big this summer regardless of whether you love it or hate it.

Fun summery dresses inspired by the 70s will also play an integral role in recreating the glam rock look ideal for festivals and summery days. Another 70s favourite which is coming back big this summer is jumpsuits, although not likely to be everybody’s preferred style it will definitely bring back strong visions of the 70s era.

The 70s styled dresses and jumpsuits can be combined with other hot summer trends by wearing them in either floral prints or block colours to maximise the full on-trend summer 2011 look.

However if you’re in doubt on how to get the full 70s look or what to mix the best and safest option will always be our trusty friend – denim! Synonymous with the 70s but by no means a stranger in any of the other decades. To complete the denim 70s look either go for flared or wide-leg style in the customary high waisted jeans.

When it comes to ensuring that you get your look right there are a number of essential items that every woman should have in their makeup bag. There are a few things that you will have to have in order to ensure that you look fantastic whether it is day or night and a few of these items are listed below:

• It is important that you have products in order to ensure your skin is kept looking in great condition. You need to have a good quality cleanser, toner and moisturiser if you want your skin to look good.

• Foundation is required as a base for your makeup. Your foundation should match your skin colour and should not be too dark or too pale. It should be natural if you want to look good.

• If you suffer with skin blemishes or dark circles under your eyes, you will need to have a good concealer. Concealer is applied to these areas before the foundation is applied and it can make a huge difference to your appearance.

• Foundation should be applied with a foundation brush to give a light natural appearance. Your makeup brushes are very important as they are the tools with which you can ensure your makeup is applied properly.

• Blusher is something that can give you a healthy glow but should be applied carefully in order for it to look good. If your blusher is too heavy it can look comical instead of natural. This is something that you need to take care when applying.

• Eye makeup is very important to highlight your beautiful eyes. Eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow can really make eyes look fantastic when applied properly.

• Lipstick will ensure that your lips look luscious and can be very attractive if applied correctly.

Kim Kardashian arrived on the social scene amidst a great deal of controversy with her sex video and her nude photos. However, she has since then made a name for herself as a sultry temptress with flesh revealing outfits and flashy jewellery. Her attire and accessories are wonderful compliments to her already flawless, dark toned skin and her make-up accentuates her natural beauty.

For many women Kim Kardashian has become a role-model. She is somebody who personifies glamour and beauty to everyday women all over the world. Her influence is so strong that women are now emulating her stylish dress sense and her sultry looks.

How to dress and look like Kim Kardashian? Kim’s first secret is that she knows that she’s beautiful and sexy. She’s comfortable with the way her body presents itself to the world and she doesn’t mind flaunting her considerable assets. Her look and dress is ‘out there’ and definitely not for shrinking violets.

Kim chooses clothes from fashion lines such as Alex, Gaines, Chloe and Anna Sui. She also runs these lines in her fashion store, Dash. Her clothes are usually figure hugging with considerable cleavage showing. To have the same style, you will need to make sure that you have either the original garments from designers such as Alex etc. or decent knock-offs.

To get her look, you need to make sure that you have perfectly shaped eyebrows and well-cared for hands and feet – especially the nails. This will mean regular visits to the beauty salon. Her luscious, black hair will also be possible with hair extensions, hair colour and lots of attention.

No matter what she looks like, Kim knows who she is and has not lost her own sense of style to prescriptions of others. Make sure you don’t either. The best sense of style comes from your own, natural look and temperament. As long as you know that you’re beautiful in your own right, you will be beautiful. Experiment with a famous look and style, but ultimately you need to be true to yourself.

It’s not called a bad hair day for nothing. Your hair is a mess and as a result you feel cranky, nervous and generally upset – just because you feel dissatisfied with the state of your hair or how it currently looks. There are many things that you can do to make a bad hair day go away and, preferably, stay away.

The secret is care. Taking care of your hair is extremely important. That includes the products that you use, as well as the food that you eat. What you put into your body definitely influences what your hair (and nails) will look like. Healthy food means healthy, vibrant hair.

There are, of course, also several other things that you can do to make sure your locks are lovely:

• The first thing to do is to look at what type of shampoo you’re going to use. The best option for good-looking hair is a heat activated shampoo. Next you need to pay attention to the condition of your hair by deep conditioning at least once a week. Then you also need to avoid styling products as much as possible. Styling products cause dryness and increases the chances of hair breaking and having split ends.
• If you’re blond, add some lemon juice to your rinse water (a few tablespoons should suffice). For the reds and the browns, add apple cider vinegar to your rinse water. Another natural way of making your hair shine is to mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 4 cups of warm water. Once you’ve rinsed your hair, pour this sweet mixture through your hair and let your hair then dry naturally.

It takes a bit of time and patience, but your hair certainly should be your crowning glory.

What is best: natural and organic or conventional, inorganic beauty products? It’s a question that most people (especially women) want an answer to. There is so much hype about the goodness of organic products that the perspective seems to be lost. The answer could very easily be: Both.

When choosing a beauty product, you have to take various factors into consideration. The first factor is your skin type. Some people have resilient skins and don’t have to spend much time caring for their skins. Then there are people who have very sensitive skin that demands constant attention. Both of these skin types will have different requirements and could, quite possibly, be met by both types of product.

Your skin colour is another factor that you need to consider, as well as where you live. Then issues such as oily skin or normal type skin can also come into play. These factors were primarily the reason why women started looking at beauty products because certain skin types and colours aged faster than others – and most women prefer to look as young as possible.

It is important to remember that skin problems were the reason for the earliest beauty products and is still the issue today. Conventional beauty products were meant to meet the needs of women with problem skin and now they also cater for the streak of vanity that each woman has.

Depending on your needs and the results you’re looking for, you may want to consider both types of product and choose the one that will do less damage to your skin. That is not necessarily the organic product, as some of these products can also be quite harsh on the skin. Choose wisely for a long lasting beautiful skin.

I wanted to share footage of the DKNY show from this weekend. Donna Karan’s DKNY fall line is inspired by the streets of New York City. Black is centerpiece of Karan’s runway looks this season, as well as versatile pieces you can wear to work or for a night out on the town.

Makeup trends for 2011 come in a myriad of colors and styles. However, it is easy to see every one of them having the power to reflect and create a strong but delicate and sweet woman. This is the year when you will see a combination of timeless smoky eye makeup with a retro touch, autumnal colors with daring accents, and the classic red lipstick. Still, some trends are going to be stronger than others. 

“Nude,” for instance, is hot for 2011 make up trends. The clean skin is in demand and to get it you can try some natural colors or different shades of beige. For special events you can play with colors, as beige can be replaced with pink, with a brownish touch for the cheekbones, lips, and eyebrows. Opting for a lighter shade of red is the right bet when searching for a right color for your lips.

Another strong comeback for makeup trends for 2011 is going to be well-defined and relatively thicker eyebrows. There are designers offering some great products to accomplish the right look for your eyebrows – Narciso Rodriguez and Prada are good options. While using specific products is a good idea for giving your eyebrows the right look, it is still a good idea to keep yourself from using bright colors for the rest of your makeup. Lay more emphasis on your eyebrows and make sure the rest of the makeup is more on the natural side.

For eye shadow colors, you can opt for different autumnal shades, including the ever-popular golden shades. Another increasingly popular makeup trend for 2011 is to have a slightly dark makeup. This year, the accent is again going to be on the eyes, as the lip makeup varies from designers to designers. Overall, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that 2011 makeup trends for special occasions are to have red lips and smoky eyes; otherwise, natural make with relatively dark and brownish eyebrows is going to be the talk of the town.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that many women are interested in dressing, and looking like, Reese Witherspoon. She’s a popular celebrity and has a great fashion sense. She has been wearing a number of different designers including Ella Moss, Carla Manchini, Paper Denim and Cloth, Tag Jeans, and more.

If you are interested in looking like her, the first thing you need to understand is that you will have to shell out some money to acquire that highly sophisticated look of a starlet. You can always consider buying some of the designer clothes she has been wearing for some time. However, there is something about her style sense that attracts all women. She’s a practical mom and carries herself in an elegant and classy way. To get that refined look, you can always consider following tips.

• Get cute twin sets, the ones from the 1950s. Wear them every time you go out, with everything from skirts, to jeans to chinos.
• Try light colors, as that’s what Reese is in love with. She is often seen wearing light pinks, pastels, soft neutrals and blues.
• Wearing classic silhouettes is another simple way of looking like your favorite star. You can also try a hemline that comes just below your knees.
• In terms of jewelry, keep things simple. Reese has often been spotted with stud earrings, simple drop earrings, chain necklace, or a strand of pearls. You can also get these simple jewelry pieces and start looking like her.
• If you are a fan of Reese Witherspoon, it’s important that you buy the right sunglasses. It wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that she’s all about sunglasses, and the ones she wears can be bought from Peoples sunglasses. She chooses to go with large and dark frames, you can follow suit.

Try all these tips, get these accessories, and your friends will admit that you really look gorgeous just like Reese Witherspoon.

Here’s a peek at Kim Kardashian splattered on the cover of  February 2011′s issue of Glamour Magazine.  It’s sizzling HOT!

I have included a video below so you my wonderdul reader, can go behind the scenes at Kim ’s photo shoot see her in hair and makeup, posing for the camera and hanging out with sister Kourtney and Kanye West on set! Kim also answers questions on what makes her feel sexy and her beauty must-haves. Enjoy!

Celebrity Hollywood hairstylist, Colleen LaBaff who served as the Assistant Head of Department along with two other top hairstylists, Frida Aradottir and Jas Kimble, helped create the overall looks for the sultry movie, BURLESQUE. According to Colleen, the inspiration behind the hairstyles included Period, Modern Day, and Edgy Looks. Together, with the movie’s director, head hair department and costume designer, along with archives of photos and research, they strategized and created looks for Christina Aguilera, Julianne Hough, Kristen Bell, and all of the dancers that performed with Christina and all of the cast members.

Christina Aguilera as Ali

Hairstylist Frida Aradottir achieved one of Christina’s many glamorous looks by spraying White Sands Liquid Texture Medium Hold Styling Spray onto damp hair and drying tresses with the IT&LY HAIRFASHION Italian Racing Red Ionic Blow Dryer (as seen in the movie at each dancer’s dressing table). Once hair was dry, she took small sections, utilizing a small barrel curling iron to curl the entire head. After these tight curls were created, she brushed it all out and massaged a small amount of IT&LY HAIRFASHION’S Pure Water Drops into the curls for a softer look full of volume. To finish, she misted with White Sands Infinity Hairspray for hold.

Tyne Stecklein as Jesse

To achieve this sexy blonde’s look, Colleen LaBaff created the foundation for long lasting curls using White Sands Liquid Texture Firm Hold Styling Spray evenly dispersing throughout the hair. After blow drying this product in with the IT&LY HAIRFASHION Blow Dryer, she applied IT&LY’s Pure Water Drops to add additional shine. Using small and medium sized curling irons, Colleen alternated both the direction and the size of the curls. To hold in place, she used IT&LY HAIRFASHION Pure Definition Hair Spray to provide movement and hold.

Chelsea Traille as Coco

For one of Chelsea’s looks, Jas Kimble curled the front with a curling iron and then braided the hair up in the back followed by attaching a fall. With working with hair pieces and wigs, the hair department pre-set most of these pieces so they were fresh and ready to go. This fall was one of the wigs that had already been wet set, so after she attached it, Jas brushed it out to complete the style.  Next, she created finger waves in the front section of the hair using her fingers and long clips to hold them in. When finished, Jas entwined them into the fall.  For hold, she used IT&LY HAIRFASHION Pure Definition Hair Spray.

For a second look, she applied several products from Kimble Hair Care Systems to Chelsea’s hair and then pulled her tresses up into a high, sleek ponytail.  She then attached a faux ponytail (which was sewn on because it was so long) and used White Sands Infinity Hair Spray and the IT&LY HAIRFASHION Blow Dryer as part of the attachment process.