Total Beauty Break

Create a Tousled, Beachy Hairstyle on Short Hair

Follow these easy steps to turn blah hair into a sexy, lived in style

Eli Thomas, owner of Thomas Chance Hairdressing in Santa Monica, Calif. shows you how to transform a sleek bob into a more playful, tousled look (a la Ginnifer Goodwin, Blake Lively and Jennifer Aniston). All you need are a few key items and you're set! See how-to

Giveaway Break - Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Collection

***Giveaway***

Enter to win the perfect hostess gift: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Collection! It includes Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home Book, Clean Day Soap and Clean Day Candle.

To enter the contest, fill out the form below. For extra entries, you can sign up for my mailing list, post a link to this giveaway on your blog, follow my blog, or follow me on Twitter, just make sure to list the extra entries in the 'Extra Entries?' field below.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents. The contest will end on Monday, August 17th. I will randomly select a winner and announce them on Lipgloss Break, so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck!

Party Break - Hosting a Party?

Now that Summer is in full swing, people are throwing BBQs left and right, having guests at their, and entertaining around the clock. Below are some great hostess tips from cleaning and home expert Thelma Meyer!

The inspiration behind the brand Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, Thelma Meyer is an Iowa mother of nine that knows a thing or two about throwing a party and getting your house ready for the big event. As you know, she recently wrote the book, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice That Will Inspire You to Clean Like the Dickens, sharing her secrets with everyone!

Some of Thelma’s top entertaining tips, include:

* To Keep Your Floor Free of Scuff Marks: With all those feet in and out, your sure to be left with some scuff marks. A quick spot is easy enough to remove—rub the mark with a little paste floor wax and steel wool, let dry, then buff. Gone in a flash.

* Getting colored wine, juice and sangria out of furniture: After a few cocktails, there’s always the chance for a spill! Dilute a teaspoon of mild detergent in a cup of lukewarm water and blot. Then mix up one part white vinegar with two parts water, and blot, then sponge off.

* Cleaning Outdoor Cushions: A winter in storage can leave your cushions a little dusty. Just use a scrub brush and some mild soap, let the cushions dry thoroughly so mold doesn’t’ form.

* Getting Outdoor Furniture Ready For Summer: Plastic isn’t always the most durable option so its good to give it a little extra protection. Wipe car wax on plastic to prevent stains. For regular cleaning, apply a solution of water and dishwashing liquid with a soft-bristle brush.

Entertainment Break - One Woman One Million

One woman's journey to earning One Million Dollars in one year! April Morris President of Express Effects, Inc. and creator of THINgloss is on a mission to prove that you can thrive in the middle of a recession. This reality show is an authentic and revealing journal of what life is like for one courageous entrepreneur in this challenging economy.

Watch the 1st episode on YouTube.com: www.onewomanonemillion.com

Makeup Break - L'Oreal Paris HIP Pigments

I recently got to try L'Oreal Paris HIP Pigments and loved the gloss and shadows (HIP stands for 'high intensity pigments').

The Color Presso gloss is fabulous. It contains to different tubes of gloss in one. I tried 'Swanky' which contains a champagne and pink. You can wear one or the other, or both at the same time, depending on which tube you squeeze. Bonus: the gloss smells great!
The shadows are great and last a long time. I love purple shadows, and 'Dashing' was the perfect addition to my collection.
One thing to stay away from in this collection is the Kohl eyeliner. It initially went on really smooth and I was impressed at first, but then it started flaking...bad. I had black specs all around my eyes and this went on throughout the day!

Hair Break - No Frizz Free Sample

No Frizz, the amazing frizz solution that has become one of the hottest launches of the year, is adding shampoo and conditioners to its line of frizz-fighting products. Sephora stores across the country will be decked out in honor of No Frizz from July 16^th through August 6th. While you’re there, stay for a consultation and snag a free sample of the new shampoo and conditioner (supplies are extremely limited so don’t wait).

Hair Break - White Sands Porosity

If you color or bleach your hair like I do, you'll understand how dry it can get. My hair gets really dry, especially from the well water at my house, so it's a constant struggle to keep my hair looking healthy. I've had the chance to try Porosity and really liked the way it made my hair look and feel after styling.

Porosity works like a foundation or a concealer to temporarily fill the blemishes in every strand and create the impression of illuminating, flawless hair. It has multiple usages, so refer to the pro formulas for chemical and salon services.

Porosity is categorized as a 'treatment' on the White Sands websites, but I use it before and after styling and it gives my hair a healthy shine. I use about 8-10 sprays in my hand and run it through my hair (I have pretty short hair so I don't need a lot). I make sure to comb my hair after apply to evenly distribute it. After drying, I use it as a gloss to add some shine to my hair and to tame my fly-aways and frizz. I love this spray, especially to use after it rains and there's a lot of humidity in the air.

Total Beauty Break

Solve Beauty Bummers with Deep Cleaning Tricks

Issues like acne and body odor are no match for these sneaky scrubbing tactics

These basic steps will help you solve your biggest confidence busters, ensuring your pores remain clear, your body smells fresh and you feel totally clean and gorgeous from head to toe. See tricks

Congrats to Konector Top 50 Beauty Blogs

Congratulations to all who made the Konector Top 50 Beauty Blogs!

Although some of my favorite blogs were left out, I'm honored to be listed as one of the top 50 among the other fabulous blogs selected.

Style Break - Entrouage's Emmanuelle Chriqui

I stayed up past my bedtime on Sunday to catch the new Entourage. I love that Sloan, played by Emmanuelle Chriqui, is back on the show. She is just so stunning. She opened up to Women’s Health in the July/August issue. Read below on her advice on how to be totally irresistible…I don’t know about you, but I’m doing everything she says :)

Emmanuelle’s 7 Ways to be Totally Irresistible, Just Being YOU…

1. Don’t freak over so-called imperfections “Never reveal your insecurities to a man, because nine times out of 10 they have no idea they even exist. Most guys are not as observant as women are.”

2. Let the real you shine through "For the record: I wear makeup. All. The. Time. But I do it in a way that looks natural. My skin is blotchy, and I'm Mediterranean—I've got dark circles. So I need foundation and concealer. One thing I swear by is Armani Silk foundation. It offers coverage, but it breathes, so people never think I'm wearing makeup. For under my eyes, I use Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent, which I love because it's moisturizing and creamy and blends into my skin without getting cakey. I also wear a bronzer—Cargo and Nars have great sun-kissed colors—just to give a little depth to my cheeks."

3. Play up your best feature "I would say that my favorite part of my face is my eyes. I have very long lashes, but they're not thick, so when I apply mascara—I love L'Oreal Voluminous—suddenly my eyes are transformed. It's cool. I've also learned a few eye makeup tricks. For example, highlight your brow bone to give your eyes a more wide-open look. Also, as you're applying mascara, twirl the brush—from the root [to the ends]—so the color covers the whole lash for a fuller look."

4. Find a good role model "To me, natural beauty means having a real sense of confidence. I just think that there is something so incredibly sexy about a woman who takes care of herself and doesn't try to bend to be something she's not, like Robin Wright Penn, Meryl Streep, and Diane Lane. And Kate Winslet—I mean, my God! She's gotten even more beautiful with age!"

5. Develop your own sense of style "Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss both have great personal style. So does Katie Holmes. It's risky, but it's a statement and I like that. In elementary school I was always transforming stuff, like turning the top of [a pair of pantyhose] into a bandeau. It was my way of expressing myself. Now my look is tomboy meets hippie chic. A great pair of jeans, a T-shirt, hoop earrings, and a pair of boots or sandals, and I'm good to go.

“You have to be comfortable in what you're wearing, because it shows. I know what fits my body and I'm crazy particular about that. Something I've been living in: my AG jeans. They're tight, boot-leg, low-waisted and holey. You can wear them dressed up or dressed down, with running shoes or sandals, whatever. Sometimes I follow trends, like when the skinny-jeans craze was going on, but usually I just do what feels good to me. I'm not afraid when it comes to fashion. If I love the way something looks—whether it's ethnic, Goth, or ultra sexy—I'm like, let's do this!"

6. Express yourself with accessories "I love David Yurman rings, but overall, I'm much more into street jewelry. I find the best bangles and the coolest, most gigantic ornate earrings—things that you just don't see just anywhere else. I'm very even-handed when I jewel myself up. I'll either wear a serious pair of earrings or a ton of bangles, but not both. Less is more."

7. Be brave in your beliefs "My spirituality happens to be a big part of my life. For example, I believe that we're constantly surrounded by energy; things we don't see that guide us. So I go to a healer who uses, among other things, essential oils to align my chakras [centers of energy, according to Indian medicine]. I think if you are open to this, it can be transformative; I've actually seen it in my own life. Of course, here [in California], this kind of stuff isn't considered all that weird. Still, I've had somebody very close to me belittle my journey. It was really difficult because I felt as though they were rejecting a really big part of me—but, you know, it didn't make me waver for a moment."