Somewhere Over the Rainbow

(image and video via Free People's blog)

Fishtail braids are so effortlessly beautiful. It's undone in the I-didn't-put-much-into-this sort of way. They are not fussy and yet add a little understated cool to any look.

Supposedly, fishtails are pretty easy to do. I'm not fully convinced. Especially after watching this video, I am fairly sure this is near impossible for a mere mortal to recreate on their own. But it looks so amazing, I'm willing to put in the practice to be able to do this for summer! This sassy do incorporates two of the hottest runway trends: braids and bright, candy-colored hair. Do you love this as much as I do?

The Siren Song of Short Hair

Oh Brooklyn Decker why do you taunt me with your super cute, sexy-messy bob? It makes me want to chop all my hair off again and ruin the last five months of growing it out.

What to do, what to do? But seriously, how amazing does her new cut (courtesy of the fabulous Ted Gibson) look?

(images via Brooklyn Decker twitter)

Katie Holmes and John Frieda-The Decision

(image via Celebrity-Gossip.net)

The lovely Katie has been lending herself to a multitude of brands lately (Ann Taylor, Kamiseta) and most recently John Frieda.

Last night was the debut of her short film "The Decision". I'm not opposed to a short film for advertising purposes, but this one fell flat for me. I LOVE the Precision Colour Foam, however, I did not love this short.

What are your thoughts? http://www.facebook.com/whatsinthebag

DDF Acne Scrub

There are few things that can make you feel as uncomfortable as acne. It's traumatic. No one feels very good about themselves with a spotted face. And like many people, I have tried almost everything to get rid of the bumps on my face.

Most of the time it's the occasional bump here and there, other times I feel like my forehead is reminiscent of a mountain range. Gross, right?

With a veritable army of products out there it shouldn't difficult to obliterate spots. Unfortunately, zapping pimples is still easier said than done. But it is becoming easier. I have been using DDF's Acne Scrub. The deep-cleansing face scrub has been a lifesaver. The benzoyl peroxide (2.5%) along with polyethylene beads help to kill acne-causing bacteria and unclog pores. The result is super-squeaky-clean skin and a radiant complexion. My spots are slowly clearing up (most acne clearing regimens take a full 8 weeks before seeing solid results) and my skin just feels so much better.

I've been using this twice a day which is the recommendation but if you are easily irritated or get dried out by this scrub you can drop down to once a day. The little beads exfoliate like nobody's business but are incredibly gentle. I just can't express how truly happy I am to have found this. I'll be sure to do another follow up in a few more weeks just to make sure this isn't beginner's luck.

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

The term revolutionary is thrown around a little too easily these days when it comes to beauty products. The lines between beauty are science are definitely blurring but I don't think that each advance in technology is revolutionary. Foam hair color, this definitely falls under the wow category.

When coloring my hair, I would say about 90% of the time I do it myself. If I didn't go to a salon, I used to have a friend do it for me and then I realized that really it was more annoying to both of us than it was easy. So I just started doing it on my own and while it's not exactly rocket science, it's also not the easiest or most comfortable thing to do. When your hair is longer than chin length, you have to be a contortionist to get the back of your head and some of those elusive spots on the side. If you're not super careful or staying within a shade of your current color, you can run the risk of looking like a leopard. Yikes. Leopard spots are not considered chic when it's your hair sporting them.

So when I first read about several companies coming out with foam hair color, I was beyond thrilled to try it. The other day while perusing the beauty section at Target, I noticed John Frieda has a foam color. This is the first time John Frieda has come out with an at-home hair color. Looking at the shade selection (they have 20) I wasn't fully sold on the pictures. The Deep Brown-Black didn't look very deep. I put my skepticism aside and I excitedly took it home and colored my hair that night. (Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned and I don't have pictures of the actual foam- which is pretty cool.)

This stuff is AH-MAZING! You mix the color and developer together by tilting the bottle back and forth instead of shaking and it doesn't foam in the bottle. The foam is created when you squeeze the bottle. I'm not really sure how this works, but it does. And application is literally foolproof. Even an amateur at-home hair colorer can do this. The instructions say to cover your roots, front to back and your hairline and then start adding foam all over your head while gently massaging. There are no drips! It does not run. And I have never smelled a more heavenly hair dye. It smells just like Ralph Lauren's Ralph perfume. Twenty minutes and a quick shower and conditioning treatment (that comes with the color) later and my hair was commercial shiny and the perfect color. I don't think I will ever go back to non-foam color again. Everyone needs to try this, it is in fact, revolutionary. www.johnfrieda.com

Diptyque Patchouli

(Diptyque Patchouli candle from Saks.com, gorgeous handmade purple scarf-the lovely and talented Tracie)

Home fragrances can be so cliche. There are few smells more nauseating than the artificial vanilla fragrance added to so many of the candles, sprays and diffusers out there. So what's a nose to do?

When I get home after a long day being exposed to all the smells (some of which are incredibly unpleasant) of the world, I want to be enveloped in a beautiful, comforting scent. I don't need to have my olfactory sense assaulted. I'm utterly obsessed with fragrance, I adore it in all of it's forms (when done correctly). I have about a trillion scented candles, room sprays and diffusers all over my home. If the apocalypse hits, I can light an entire city block with my candles.

At the moment, my great love is Diptyque. The artfully crafted candles are truly in a class all their own. Each scent is intense and multi-layered, but by no means overwhelming. The wax just looks super-luxe and burns incredibly clean. I'm madly in love with the Patchouli scent. It's musky, earthy and oh-so-sultry. If I could take this candle with me everywhere I go, I would. Sadly, that would be weird, right? Or would it? Celebrities do it.

These candles last for what seems like forever and there is no artificial, sickening sweetness to be found. Just pure goodness that makes your entire apartment smell so delightful you'll find yourself trying to catch a whiff as you pass from room to room. Simply put, Diptyque makes amazing candles. No wonder I'm not the only obsessed fan. www.diptyqueparis.com

Brushing Up

Elizabeth Arden, this name conjures up images of the red door....and my mom. But Arden isn't just your mom's makeup company anymore. I recently received EA's new Face Powder Brush and I'll never let go.

The brush is so soft, I imagine it's what it would feel like to put makeup on with a cloud. It picks up the perfect amount of powder and the angle of the brush takes all the work out of the application process. I've never really been a big fan of brushes but I think that's mostly because I was using those cheapie drugstore versions that feel like sandpaper after the second use, not to mention the extreme shedding of the thick black hairs, gross. Why did I use those? After growing up and realizing that not all brushes are created equal, this one made its way into my life and so did the little mini-me that comes with it.

The mini face brush's softness is matched by its convenience. It's super-small and folds in half. Folded together you can use this brush as you would the regular-sized one and unfold it, now you have a handy little blush brush. Toss it in your bag for any post-work, pre-drinks touch ups. And both brushes are easily cleaned up with soap and water. Even a brushophobe like myself has found happiness with Elizabeth Arden.