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#OnMyVanity: The Mega Moisturizers That Helped My Skin Survive Winter

A post shared by Val’s Vanity (@valsvanity) on Mar 6, 2018 at 5:34am PST

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Proper hydration is essential in maintaining the health of your skin and hair no matter the season. But the winter’s high-speed winds, chilly temperatures, and the subsequent use of dry heat to keep warm can make dry skin anywhere on the body feel extra parched. It’s something my skin has dealt for years, sometimes drying out to the point of splitting (yeah, ouch!). Since I started writing about beauty, I’ve slathered on a slew of serums, lotions, creams, butters, and beyond to keep my skin and strands supple season after season on a mission to find formulas that not only deeply nourish but also pass the doorknob test (you know, when you’re trying to turn a doorknob after moisturizing).

Sure, Spring (and my birthday) are only a few weeks away, but we’ve faced a pretty weird winter filled with fluctuating temperatures, plenty of blustery, grey days, and dry indoor heat. With a slew of moisturizers on the market at the moment, I decided to roll up my sleeves to slather on a slew of samples to see which beauty buys could sustain the suppleness of my skin throughout the harsh season.

Let’s take it from the top (to toe), shall we?

March 4, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of The 2018 Grammy Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

The Grammys are one of my favorite award shows to tune into annually, not just because of the slew of artists I know and love will take to the red carpet but also because it allows everyone (whether they can rock the mic or not) to go a bit bolder when it comes to their beauty looks. And they didn’t disappoint! Alongside the wild fashion, many of the attendess, including Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Kelly Clarkson, Halsey, SZA, and more carried white roses in support of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements against sexual harassment and gender inequality while Lorde (who wasn’t offered a solo slot to perform while her fellow male Album of the Year nominees did) added her own spin by wearing a note of solidarity stitched onto her gown. It’s a problem which has plagued the industry (and many others) for decades but has come to light in recent years with Taylor Swift‘s recent win against a DJ who groped her and Kesha‘s ongoing legal battles. In fact, Kesha brought the issue into the spotlight with an incredibly moving rendition of her rallying cry “Praying,” singing with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, and the Resistance Revival Chorus.

With the night’s mix of glamor and girl power, I decided to share the details on the some of the eye-catching looks from the stars’ glam squads just in case you want to snag those tips for yourself for anything special coming up on your social calendar.

January 29, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

Sunday’s night Screen Actors Guild Awards appeared to be an almost 180 of the Golden Globes‘ sea of solidarity in the form of black gowns. The sentiments of the #MeToo movement still reverberated throughout the evening with Marissa Tomei saluting Rosanna Arquette and the many others who spoke about the sexual harrassment they faced in the industry. But the 2018 SAG awards red carpet seemed to offer a hopeful look at the future, which might’ve been sparked by the high spirits after the second Women’s March just the day before, as actresses fully embraced color from the clothes to the cosmetics.

As such, I decided to dig for the details on some of the vibrant beauty looks from the stars’ hairstylists and makeup artists should you want to snag the look for a date night look, a festive formal, or anything else on your social agenda.

January 22, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair

Amena Khan Becomes the First Model to Rock a Hijab In a Major Hair Ad

via L’Oréal Paris UK.

Update: Mere days after beauty blogger Amena Khan was announced as L’Oréal’s first hijab-wearing hair model, she has backed out of the campaign in light of a Twitter backlash. Khan made the announcement on Twitter and Instagram stating that the decision was made after tweets from 2014 in which she criticized Isreal came to light. Though she has since deleted the tweets, she decided to step down as she didn’t want to detract “from the positive and inclusive sentiment that [the L’Oréal campaign] set out to deliver.”

The brand delivered a statement Monday, saying, “We have recently been made aware of a series of tweets posted in 2014 by Amena Khan, who was featured in a UK advertising campaign. We appreciate that Amena has since apologised for the content of these tweets and the offence they have caused. L’Oréal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect towards all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign.”

January 19, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of the 2018 Golden Globes

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

Embed from Getty Images

When I first heard that the women of Hollywood were choosing to wear black gowns to this year’s Golden Globes in protest of sexual harassment in all industries, I was actually pretty excited! I believed the all-black dress code would also foster more fun and creative hair and makeup looks as well. While most stuck to more natural looks, I was psyched to see many stars stepping out of their red carpet comfort zones when it came to their beauty looks.

But the evening was about way more than just gowns and glamour. These women created a visual protest against a system that for too long has valued women less, in many senses of the word and in all industries, (which could be even worse for a person of color, those who are LGBT+, and/or have a disability) and were and still are punished for speaking out. And when the Time’s Up Legal Defense fund was announced, I was even more thrilled as it would not only help without the same visibility or financial status as these actresses but also provide tangible help to fight alongside them as well as push for legislation to help level the playing field for all.

While the fashion made the biggest statement of the evening, many actresses served up style with substance. A few brought activists like senior director of the nonprofit Girls for Gender Equity and founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke (who went with Michelle Williams) as their guests. And most skipped the constant “Who are you wearing?” question in order to make direct calls to action for their peers and viewers to learn more and get involved. In fact, Debra Messing and Eva Longoria set the tone for the evening by calling out E! (while on E!) about its equal pay dispute with Catt Sadler, siding with the former on-air correspondent who recently left the network after discovering her male co-anchor was paid more than her.

But even with such a big night filled inspiration, insight, and Oprah, I still wanted to share some of the details on how to recreate the looks from the hairstylists and makeup artists so you in case you want to recreate these glamorous looks for your next special occasion.

January 8, 2018 by Val

Beauty, Hair

A Song of Fire & Ice: Decoding Summer’s Hottest Hair Hues

via Christina Aguilera’s Instagram

It doesn’t take much for me to change up my hair color, but the summer usually inspires everyone to break out of their color comfort zone. And this year anything goes as Austin R. Medearis, colorist at Ted Gibson, explained, “[There’s been] a universal shift into ‘exploring one’s individuality.’ We’ve moved into a time where we’re constantly hearing ‘love you,’ ‘be you,’ and ‘do you.’ This shift is allowing people to try things that they’ve never tried before. I, personally, don’t believe that any two women should have the same hair color.” But while the colorist is all about customization, two trends seemed to rise to surface that are worthy of closer examination: the red tide versus the icy white-out. He not only shared his take on the trends but also offered ways to get the look with minimal damage.

July 8, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Hair

#OnMyVanity: Aquis Quick-Dry Hair Towel

omv-aquis-towel-1

I receive a slew of samples, and when I find something I like, I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

When you have as much hair as I do, it takes forever for my strands to dry, especially when I regularly rock a top knot to keep my curls tight. The problem is that my hair is still damp once I let my hair down (even after a night’s sleep and a commute into the city), leaving my curls prone to stretching and breakage. A regular towel is fine enough when you’re about to heat style your strands into submission but can cause serious frizzing if you’re letting your locks air dry.

June 25, 2016 by Val

Fashion, Hair

Recreate Rihanna’s Sparkling Style with These Haute Hair Accessories

via YouTube

Shine bright like a diamond! Rihanna looks dazzling in the “This Is What You Came For” video that just dropped. In the clip, the star plays directly to the camera in a glittering onesie and a high ponytail, but it was the array of brilliant hair accessories that really caught my eye. The sparkling spread of pearls and crystals looks like a fresh take on Blair Waldorf’s famous headbands, adding a formal/red carpet polish to the party. And if you had enough pieces of varying sizes, you can easily arrange them like a custom crown that’s all your own. I figured I wasn’t the only one who would want to recreate the style, so I searched the shelves for the perfect pieces to pick up to really rock this look for any upcoming summer soiree.

June 17, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Body, Hair, Skin

The Father’s Day Grooming Gifts That Will Be Used Immediately

A photo posted by @valsvanity on Jul 24, 2014 at 4:40pm PDT

As a beauty editor, I’m blessed with a slew of products to test-drive on the daily. I’m happy to share the extra lippies, liners, and other beauty buys amongst family and friends, which means I can’t arrive at a party empty-handed. On the rare occassion a men’s grooming product come across my vanity, I immediately hand it over to my dad. He covets the samples I share, saving them for special occasions. But honestly, what’s the point? They’re meant to be used! So instead of searching for value sets he may hold onto for months, I decided to search for a slew of grooming goodies that I won’t be able to pry from his hands until they’re empty. The great thing is you can bundle a bunch of these buys and create a cute basket (or pack into a nice toiletries bag) to deliver to dear old dad on his big day. But be sure to order soon to ensure it arrives on time!

June 13, 2016 by Val

Beauty, Hair

Jen Atkin Adds Extra Shine to Your Summer Hairstyle

via Refinery29

Since fascinators went out of style, the beauty scene’s been a bit scant on the accessory front. Sure, Flash Tattoos added shimmer to those with straight strands last summer, but Jen Atkin set out to build a better-looking barrette and more with the help of jewelry brand Chloe + Isabel.

The collaboration resulted in 13 modern hair accessories that Atkin told Refinery29 suit “the hippie chick and the girl who’s very Céline, fashion-forward.” She worked with many of stylist friends to create a series of barrettes, pins, headbands, and the most eye-catching, a bun cuff (as seen on your right) that’s sure to sure to fly off shelves—seriously, I’m even nabbing one for myself. “[F]or me our bun cuff [pictured above] was a one-of-a-kind piece,” she explained to People. That’s what you want to carry in your purse and take with you to the gym so that when you’re going to meet friends for drinks, you throw it over your gym bun and all of a sudden you look perfect.”

Prices range between $18-$45, which Atkin made a point to keep the pieces affordable for her fans. “It’s either you find something at the mall that feels like a drugstore product or you find something you loved at like Celine or Colette or something that is super, super expensive,” the super stylist shared with the glossy. “So it was really amazing because I feel like our visions really met up and I got to really create something that was luxury but at an affordable price point for an everyday girl.”

This cool collab is just the icing on the cake for Atkin, as the celebrity hairstylist has already made serious waves in the past two years, not only did she launch the successful Mane Addicts blog but also her OUAI hair care line has become a favorite of editors alike.

Head over to Refinery29 to check out the rest of the stylish selections, and let me know which ones you’re planning to snap up for yourself.

June 9, 2016 by Val

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