For the past five years, I've totally boycotted conditioner. I've never dyed my hair, I reason, so there's not much to repair—and anything creamy has always turned my hair oily, sad, and flat. All hairstylists disagree with me, strenuously.
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I share my laptop with my boyfriend, and every once in a while I'll go on eBay and, for a minute, feel like I'm living in a parallel universe where I'm really into obscure comic books and Tokyo Drifter movie posters and Steven Alan. Then I'll realize, "Oh, he forgot to log out." Usually this experience irritates me—like eBay is meant solely for my quirks and desires—but the other day, instead of calling out sarcastically, "Hey, what are you looking for on eBay?", I continued on with my boyfriend's rather broad Steven Alan search and found a bunch of really great stuff for women. This tie-waist tunic looks like it would be amazingly versatile; I additionally love this offbeat white polka-dot cashmere sweater; and I don't know that I can wait to wear this plaid boatneck shirt with a denim pencil skirt, a soft cardigan, and extra-comfortable red ballet flats.
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I have a thing for hand towels. Unfortunately, at this time in my life I don't actually have a powder room to display them for all my guests, but if I did, I'd be quick to show off these by Christian Lacroix. The black-and-lilac color combination and the graphic floral print add a modern, fashiony jolt to even the simplest all-white bathroom. And as much as linen can be nice for this sort of thing, I really love the wrinkle-free ease of these velvety cotton versions. A set of four is $20—a good thing to keep in mind next time you're in need of a thoughtful-but-still-practical gift.
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Last night while walking home from the grocery store (I made an amazing coq au vin for dinner—you must try it, but add potatoes), I smelled something familiar and fleeting and filled with the promise of pure, breezy joy. I smelled spring. This moment triggered a montage of everything good about warm weather: long walks in the city, air rustling in the trees, bike rides, dew, drinking outdoors, and, of course, my greatest summer love, sundresses. Seriously, as soon as the weather gets above 50 degrees, I begin exuberantly, recklessly collecting sundresses. They're so cheap! They're so cute! You can wear them anywhere! I'm a little ahead of myself this season, but how could I possibly resist the Barbi Benton-on-The Love Boat charms of this mauve spaghetti-strap style? Or wouldn't you just die to walk around a little Caribbean town wearing this and a pair of flip-flops? How about this plaid jumper with neutral-colored Vans? And is it just me, or does the person wearing this adorable red Mexican dress look just like Jael from cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model?
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My self-appointed-queen-of-laziness friend Amelia came down from Boston to visit last weekend. She exerted so much effort tossing a few sweaters in a duffel bag and getting on a bus, she was exhausted by the time she arrived. She would have been perfectly happy to order takeout and watch cable TV for two days in NYC.
I, however, had three birthday parties Saturday night and I wasn't about to leave Amelia on my couch in her pajamas. After an hour of Legally Blonde 2 and gentle prodding, she reluctantly changed out of her woolly cardigan and put on a festive, silky top.
"Let's try some mascara? Maybe blush and lip gloss, too?" I yelled from the bathroom.
"I'm fine; I only need five seconds," she responded without getting up.
I finished getting ready (the long routine: Benefit BADgal Blue mascara, Nars blush in Angelika, a little Laura Mercier mineral powder, etc.) and physically dragged Amelia to the door. On our way out, she pulled anUrban Decay eyeliner from her bag and, with a few devil-may-care swipes, transformed from I'm-not-wearing-makeup-and-I-don't-care to glamorously gorgeous. The copper pencil, it turns out, is named "Lucky," and it made her olive skin glow and the green flecks in her eyes sparkle.
At the end of the night (17 cab rides later), I tried to get Amelia to wash her face, enticing her with an organic scrub. No luck.
Yet, incredibly, when I dragged her out for brunch the next morning, the pencil was still in place—and she still looked amazing.
—Dawn Spinner, associate beauty editorRead More
On an average week, I'd say I wear a cardigan five out of seven days—and I'm not just talking about during the colder months. I tend to prefer really basic, simple cardigans in solid colors and soft cashmere, though on occasion I wish I had something that's just as cozy but slightly more dressed up ... something like this cashmere and silk sweater by new designer Dorothy Lee. It's got super-feminine details (lace trim, an Empire waist, and tiny ruffles on the sleeves), but they're tempered by a cool, modern, black-and-cream palette. And the overall effect is at once statement-making and somehow subtle, so I could see wearing this, well, almost every day.
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I have childhood toy flashbacks the way I imagine some people have out-of-nowhere acid-trip memories. All of a sudden, I'll be walking down the street and I'll hear the low, Jaws-like tones of the '70s light-up game Simon in my head, or I'll remember the commercial jingle and distinct weight and feel of a Weeble. Lately I can't shake how much I loved Lite-Brite, to a degree that I feel I need to own it again. I want to plug in this near-mint Lite-Brite on my kitchen counter and make colorful, rudimentary roosters, or go all rebellious on the machine and create little illuminated notes for the week. I like how it's kitschy in the best way: It harks back to everything I loved about 1978 but also has a timelessly sleek, space-age design.
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How are we feeling about vests? I, personally, am feeling ashamed, like I took a sketchy lover to bed and am now, somehow, caught up in an irresistible web of danger. Here's what happened: I had flirted with the idea of vests since, like, last spring, when they started showing up with cute shorts and T-shirts. But I felt conflicted. Were these pieces the best of the late '80s, like Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind of Wonderful? Or were they too much like a my-first-waitress uniform, only missing bits of flair? Then I saw one at Forever 21, and it was cheap, and so I bought it. And now, well, I CAN'T STOP WEARING THIS VEST. I've worn it over dresses and button-downs and with a striped long-sleeved tee. Today, I've paired it with a fetching floral-print turtleneck. It's becoming a fashion security blanket, my outfits seem unfinished without it, and I know this whole mess has to stop. But before it does, I think I'll buy just one more, this time with subtle stripes.
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