How To Avoid Hat Hair This Summer

image by Kelly Capelli
makeup by Corinna Cooke

If I so much as put a hat on for 60 seconds my hair is trashed for the rest of the day.
It drives me insane.
And it can be a real problem during the summer, especially on vacation, when you've been out and about in the sun all day with your fabulous hat on, and now everyone is going to lunch/dinner/drinks/or some other place where you either can't have your hat on or will look stupid with your hat on.

So what is a girl supposed to do?

 Tips For How To Avoid Hat Hair This Summer.

Start by choosing a hat that fits your head, is not fitting too tightly anywhere, and that is made of quality, light materials. This will help your hair to breathe beneath the hat.

1. Pull your hair back into a low pony or low braids and wear your hat loose.

2. Don't put your hat on over wet hair.

3. Fold a bandana or scarf flat and place the non seamed side against your forehead, tying it above your ears. Let your hat sit against the scarf, stopping your hat from leaving indentations against your forehead.

4. Fold a silk scarf into a large triangle and place the longest edge against your forehead, the V over your head, tying the two corners behind your head. Let your hat sit loosely on top.

5. If you wear your hair in a part, direct it in the opposite direction before you put your hat on. When you take your hat back off flip your hair back to it's normal side you will have created volume!

6. If you can avoid getting an indentation on your forehead, when you are done wearing your hat spray some dry shampoo (I use Klorane) into the roots of your hair, letting it sit for three minutes. Fluff your hair with your fingers,
spritz the mid-lengths and ends with Ouidad Botanical Boost Curl Energizing and Refreshing Spray 

for curls or glossy hair, or Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion for beachy waves, then clip or tie hair into a high pony.

What To Pack This Summer For Capri

Capri has to be one of the most glamorous places on earth.

Perched prettily in the Gulf of Naples with a view along the Amalfi Coast, (from Villa Jovis) Capri is all spectacular views, sapphire blue ocean and glamour for days.

From the top of the world at Villa Jovis, looking down at the water surrounding Capri

I always think about Jackie O in her heyday walking around Capri town buying sandals. In fact every time I go to Capri I buy sandals from the same store Jackie O did! (read about it here)

When you are packing for your trip to Capri there are some key elements to keep in mind.

Capri is luxe casual. It is the epitome of chic, but effortless chic. 
Cottons and linens wear beautifully on this sunny island, lightweight fabrics that move with you when you walk. 

Here is my list of what you should be packing to take to Capri this summer.

Ideal staple items to base your wardrobe on are a great pair of wide legged, flowy white linen pants like my favorite Cool Breeze Wide Leg Linen Pant  from Nic and Zoe. Pair them with a sapphire loose fitting tank.

A maxi sundress is a must on Capri. I love this Quintana maxi from Sky, available at Revolve.com

Abandon your black and your beige - they look out of place and dull on Capri. Channel some 60's glam with some Pucci instead.

Leave your heels at home, trading them in for a chic flat sandal. I like to buy world famous Capri sandals at Shettino on via Roma just beyond the piazzetta in Capri town.

Dolce and Gbbana retro style bikini

Malibu Barbie swimwear looks crass in a place as fabulous as Capri. Opt instead for a vintage/retro style bikini or maillot. 

Dolce and Gabbana vintage style maillot

Protect your face with a wide brimmed hat like this one from Revolve Clothing. (I found Revolve via the fabulous @rachelzelic on Instagram)

Sunglasses are a must on an island, and glamorous, chic sunglasses are essential on Capri.
 Leave your traditional aviator styles at home, instead wear an oversized pair like the Dior Twisting 58mm glasses

or something uber-chic and new like Dior So Real sunglasses.

Makeup needs to be so minimal it borders on non-existent. A full face of makeup looks redundant on a sun drenched island, so stick to the basics. A gold tinted dry oil, like Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or 

keeps your skin hydrated and gives you a fabulous glow. Use a waterproof brow product so that you can swim and still have brows, and a blockbuster lash building waterproof mascara is a must. My favorite for years and years has been DiorShow Blackout Waterproof. 

If you want some extra bronzing use a gel bronzer so that your skin looks fresh.

Top off your Capri summer makeup with a bold pop of lip color like Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lip in Venezia

Don't forget your hair. You can't be blown out perfection on an island, even a super glam island - it just looks like you're trying too hard. Instead embrace your curls or waves with Ouidad. Before you dive into that beautiful sapphire blue Mediterranean sea coat your hair with Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Conditioner. 

It will protect your color and keep your hair super soft. When you get out of the water, towel dry then spritz it with Ouidad Botanical Boost Curl Energizing and Refreshing Spray. 

If you are a curly girl it will help give you bouncy, shiny curls instead of post-ocean frizz. if you are a naturally smooth haired girl or a Brazilian Blow Out smooth haired girl your hair will be soft and glossy and shiny. I just got both of these in travel size, ready for summer in Capri.

How To Choose Your Perfect Shade Of Blonde

Taylor Swift Vogue 2016

I love love love Taylor Swift's new blonde hair.
It's fresh, it's modern, it brightens her up - it's just fantastic! And it got me thinking, how do you find your perfect shade of blonde?

Summer and blonde go together like gin and tonic. They are a perfect pairing. But only if you get the right shade of blonde for your complexion.

Ever wondered how to get the absolutely perfect shade of blonde for your skin tone? Or maybe you tried blonde and it looked awful?

One of my good friends, Heather Strange,  is a celebrity color specialist who worked forever on Rodeo Drive perfecting some of the most most famous blondes in America, so I figured she would be a good person to ask how to choose your perfect shade of blonde...

When you are choosing a blonde the most important thing to remember is that your shade of blonde has to compliment and set off your complexion. The wrong shade of blonde can wash you out and make you look awful, so we are going to break it down by skin tone.

Pale Skin

Pale skin girls can pull off platinum shades and shades close to their skin tone, but need to be careful not to lose their facial features or look washed out. If you are going pale think about balancing it out with a strong eye makeup or a bold lip. 

OR go with a warmer, more sandy toned blonde to brighten you up. Think about the shade of butter or the inside of a banana peel.

Pink Skin Tone

Pink toned girls look great is ashy blondes and beige blondes. The blue and green undertones help balance out the rosiness in the skin.

Yellow Skin

If your skin has a yellow undertone your best bet is to go with a neutral blonde, not too ashy and not too warm.

Darker Skin

Darker skin tones need to stick with darker blonde shades. This not only keeps the maintenance down but also keeps the hair looking more natural.

Think about honey blondes and butterscotch blondes. Color Melting is fabulous for darker tones.

Summer Blonde Hacks

Heather also gave me a couple of fabulous hacks for summer blondes.

1. Even when doing darker or rooty shades she pops a few highlights on the hairline to keep her clients looking bright. Lightening up around the face is always a good idea.

2. No matter what shade you are you want to keep a blinding shampoo on hand to keep brassy-ness at bay. The summer sun can bring out those unwanted orangey tones, but using a blinding shampoo 3 or 4 times per month will keep your color true.
Try SachaJuan Silver Shampoo from Sweden, available online at Space NK

You can find Heather on Facebook at Scottsdale Colorist

See some of her blondes on Instagram @ScottsdaleColorist

Or go see her yourself in Scottsdale at Carolyne's Salon

The Hot New Blondes For Summer

Are you thinking about upping your blonde game for summer?

Blonde and summer go together like gin and tonic - they are a perfect pairing. 
But not just any old blonde.
You are a modern girl, you love fashion and beauty, and you want to be sporting the blonde du jour, so I got the downlow for you.

One of the super cool things about being a working makeup artist is having access to some of the leaders in fashion. So when I wanted to find out about the most fashionable blondes for summer 2016 I asked Rodeo Drive celebrity color specialist Heather Strange (who now takes clients in Scottsdale) what the 4 biggest trends are this season for the super chic blonde.

Here is what she told me.

1. Color Melting

This is the cooler, sleeker sister to ombre. It's more subtle, with a shade in between your root color and your ends color, with the shades blended seamlessly which makes it look more natural.

2. Rooted Blondes

This is the best option for girls with naturally darker shades. You won't have to run to the salon every 3 or 4 weeks to get a touch up, and it has a great subtle sexiness to it.
this works on bother paler and warmer shades.

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3. Nude Hair.

This is a very new and sultry color for 2016.
Although it's "new" it actually takes hair color back to shades found more naturally in the hair. And it suits pretty much everyone!

4. Pastels.

Fun, flirty pastels are all the rage for summer!
You can cut loose, choose something fresh and fun and not have to be married to it forever, because they usually fade quite quickly, especially if you are getting some beach time or pool time this summer.

If you want to have Heather color your hair (she is the best!) you can reach her at Carolyne's Salon in Scottsdale.
Find Heather on Facebook at Facebook.com/Scottsdale Colorist

I'm Crazy About These New Highlighters

So this was my Sunday morning. Finally a break from working incessantly, finally a Sunday off. 

An espresso, some pink roses, finally getting a chance to look through W magazine, and playing with these 2 new makeup products I got from Memebox with my most recent order.

As much as I obsess over their Korean skin care products I have never ventured into the other side of K-Beauty, the makeup products.

If I was to be completely honest I would tell you that I bought the panda bear thing as a gift for my friend's daughter.

Because let's face it, it looks like something a super young teen would like, right? And it cost $10.
It's called the Panda's Dream Brightening Eye Base.

So I decided to open it, then intrigued at the white, glowing product inside, I decided to try it because once again, let's face it, how could a white, glowy product do anything functional on the face?

But guess what? It's brilliant. As in seriously brilliant. Not "pretty good for $10"  kind of brilliant, but "are you kidding me???" kind of brilliant.

It is an under eye product designed to pop a fresh light out from the under eye area. It softens fine lines and wrinkles, depuffs and soothes the under eye area, somehow diminishes dark circles and bags under the eyes - it's pretty amazing! I totally don't get it - it is packaged for 12 year olds, costs nothing, and delivers a multi layered, hard core punch like you cannot even imagine! 
This is a product for women of all ages.

I have worn it every day this week in lieu of concealer. I could still do with a little color corrector if I felt so inclined, but realistically the way it lightens, brightens and awakens the under eye I just think why bother?

On a shoot I would lay a color corrector above or below it, but for everyday (and night) it is just fantastic! Touche Eclat style fantastic.

I have also been looking for a highlighting product that isn't too shimmery or glittery. Most highlighters have particles that are too big and cause a mad flickering or shimmering on the skin that makes it look like you've highlighted and don't have a clue what you're doing.

I seem to universally hate 95% of them, especially the ones touted by Instagram stars.

Side Note

I teach a pro makeup artistry program and constantly get into battle with students who think that because a "makeup enthusiast" on IG has 2 million followers and endorses a highlighter or bronzer, they must be right.  No, they quite possibly know that product is junk, but they make huge dollars from affiliate marketing with that brand, so they will say whatever it takes to sell the products and make the commissions. That's how they make money.

I have affiliate marketing on this blog, but only talk about products I actually use, which is why you see the same products talked about over and over. 
I talk about what I use. And Memebox has never sent me free product or tried to have me shill products for them.

Anyway, I decided to try the I'm Multi Stick ST01 Luster Light highlighter out - it's only $15 so no big deal if I didn't like it. And again this product too is fabulous!

It gives you a very controllable highlight that glows from within rather than sparkles from the surface. In fact it has no sparkles at all. With this product you don't look like you've been at Sephora trying on highlighters, you just look like your skin glows, picks up the light and looks absolutely radiant. Even older skin. Again they are probably only marketing this to 20 somethings and younger, but this is fabulous for all skins, even mature skin.

I am ordering another for my pro kit as well as another of the panda bears (before they run out). I'm also going to try the I'm Multi Stick ST20 Luster Bronzer  with my next order too. 
Because it only costs $15 so there's not exactly a lot to lose! And if it's as good as everything else I've tried from Memebox its going to be another winner.

I'm obsessed with cream blushes, and I read recently on another blog that I'm Cream Blush is really good so I'm going to add that in as well.

If you want to try any of these products you can find the here on Memebox.com

Memebox offers free shipping over $35, so if you need to add a couple of dollars to your order to reach $35, try adding in a sheet mask or two. Just look up your skin concern - acne, blackheads, too much oil, dry skin - whatever it is, and find the mask they have for that concern. They are only ever a couple of dollars, are brilliant, and can put you into free shipping!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas From Tatcha

Japanese luxury skin care brand Tatcha makes the perfect Mother's Day gift sets!

Every year I treat myself to a Tatcha gift set for Mother's day, and then that gift set becomes my travel skin care for the summer.

No one knows how to make a gift set feel special quite like Tatcha does. From the exquisite packaging to the stories about each product, printed on vellum, to the beautiful products themselves, every detail is taken into consideration, and everything about these gift sets is honed to perfection.

For me opening my Tatcha set on Mother's Day is a ritual.
I take my time and luxuriate in each step of opening the box, opening the Tatcha seal on their signature purple tissue paper and then unwrapping each item inside. It's fabulous.

This year the Tatcha Mother's Day Gift Set is a beauty set designed to pamper mom from top to toe on her special day.

The Set contains: Indigo Soothing Silk Handcream, and Indigo Soothing Silk Body Butter. Indigo is famous for it's healing and soothing properties. (The ancient samurai would wear a layer of cotton soaked in indigo next to their skin under their uniforms, so that if they were cut with a sword in battle the indigo would immediately initiate the healing process.)
Also included in the set are the Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask, which is a very luxurious sheet mask that makes your skin glow from within, and a travel sized Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream, Tatcha's world famous antioxidant rich deep moisturizing cream. The set is rounded out with a Japanese Kimono stationery set.

Tatcha makes several different gift sets, check them out here

If you want to pad your gift a little with some extra products, or if you want to take advantage of the free shipping and try some Tatcha products for yourself either in full size or travel size, my favorites are:

Luminous dewy Skin Mist

Gold Camellia Beauty Oil  ( my favorite dry finish facial oil!)

Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum - the holy grail of serums.

If you don't spoil your mother with this gorgeous Limited Edition gift set, buy it for yourself! After all gorgeous, you deserve to be spoilt...

Modern Moms Want More Than Flowers

Actually I didn't think that one up. It was the subject line in an email I got from Best Buy, but I thought it was pretty cool.

With Mother's Day right around the corner it makes sense to see what we can order online for mom.
This is a combination of their ideas and mine, with a link to the Best Buy Mother's Day Deal at the bottom of the post.

1. A Smart Watch.

The Apple 38mm Sport Watch in a rose gold aluminum case with a lavender band is super chic, don't you think? One of my makeup assistants has one very similar and it looks gorgeous! This one is only $299

2. An iPad Mini

An iPad Mini is genius because it slips easily into your handbag and doesn't take up any space. They are perfect to travel with, whether it's on a plane or sitting in a car outside school.

3. Mophie Power Reserve 1x Portable Charger

The Mophie Power Reserve Portable Charger in rose gold and white is lightweight and small, and for Mother's Day is on sale at $19.99 (down from $34). I always have a portable charger in my handbag because I am always burning through my iPhone battery.

4. iRobot Roomba

I would soooo love an iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot! I can't imagine coming home after a long shoot to a perfectly vacuumed house! 

5. The Fitbit Alta

I'm obsessed with my Fitbit Alta! It is slim enough that it becomes part of the accessory stack on your wrist rather than being the sole focus of your wrist. I'm going to order a pink leather strap for mine too.

Best Buy has loads of Mother's day deals, from discounted Mac Books, cameras, headphones, accessories, TV's - you name it. There's free shipping too. See their Mother's Day deals here