Naturally Curly Solutions

I was very happy to receive an email from Nicole, a bride whose hair I styled for her wedding, reporting that her hair remained frizz-free the entire day. Yes!!! Nicole has super curly hair that is seriously prone to frizz, especially in the humid New York summers. Even so, I applauded her for choosing to showcase her beautiful natural hair (and for choosing a red wedding dress!). We decided to start with the BEST gel for curly hair on the planet: DevaCurl's AnGell, applied to super wet, combed hair. Nicole recognized and loved the gel since she had just gotten her hair cut at their famous salon, Devachan. When it comes to curls, the top two rival salons in the country are Devachan and Ouidad.

I first learned about Devachan working as an assistant at a wedding several years ago. A curly-haired bride had hired her own special stylist for the day (Lorraine Massey, Devachan founder). The bride's wet hair was so loaded with gel that I was alarmed. She was instructed to let it air dry. Both could see the concern on my face and told me not to worry - to wait and see what happened. As it dried, the hair strands plumped up into smooth, bouncy, frizz-free curls. It astounded me. I got to hear all about the philosophy behind her products and salon and none of my curly-haired friends who I've forced to go there have ever been disappointed.

Nicole's hair needed a finishing cream to smooth the strands a bit more and to add some shine. I worried that my favorite Fekkai Glossing Cream would be too oily on the gel (contains olive oil) but an extensive search of other products turned up only products that are applied to wet hair before styling. I decided to go with the John Freida Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Cream. I found it to be very light for a finishing cream (perfect for someone with thin or oily hair) so I had to use quite a bit on Nicole. We finished with the Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm-Hold Hairspray. This spray is too firm for everyday use in my opinion, but good at blocking out humidity for special occasions. I'm looking forward to trying the new Garnier Fructis anti-humidity hairsprays (Sleek & Shine, Volumizing, and Full Control). Congrats Nicole! And thank you to Ryan Brenizer Photography for the photo!

Lauren Luke's Makeup Launch

I am so proud of my girl, Lauren Luke! Long ago my friend Julie sent me one of her YouTube makeup instructional videos. It had a real homemade feel but she was incredibly bold with color and did an amazing job on herself. Best of all, she seemed like England's version of a "down home" girl. I got the feeling I was chatting about makeup with a girlfriend. In other words, you can't NOT love her. Apparently I was not the only one who liked her "every woman" appeal. Her youtube channel (screen name panacea81) subscribership grew to over 250,000 and has had millions of hits. This week her dream of having her own makeup line came true. I can't wait to try her beautiful, affordable palettes. Sephora even had a special launch for her By Lauren Luke collection at the opening of its Times Square store. Good for you, Lauren!