Here is one of my major style challenges: I really want to become one of those women who understands belts—the ones who wear them over dresses or peeking out under a pretty shirt on a pair of jeans, and it all looks effortless and cool, not contrived and dorky. I think maybe the problem is my belts themselves. I've never really invested in a good one—this is embarrassing, but two of my three belts require the aid of carefully positioned duct tape to keep the ends from flailing away from my body. Another problem is I have no idea what to look for: Do I go trendy and colorful like this woven style? Or should I try something clean and classic like this one from Ralph Lauren? Is this '70s ring style really as "killer" as the auction claims? Or would I look sexier in a wide version, which kind of appears to be modeled by Kimberly Stewart?

Read More

If you were going to buy just one dress to wear for the next few months, I propose this one. The floral embroidery on the back is what really gets me—I love everything about it, from the intricacy of the stitching to the sexy cutouts between petals and the unusual mint, orange, and pink palette. There's something about the way it all comes together that gives the piece a bit of an art nouveau feel (the model's tousled chignon—so chic!—may be contributing to that as well). And there are plenty more details that add to its perfection, like scalloped trim at the neckline, pointelle insets on the skirt to give it a tiered look, and the raw-edged hem. It's laid-back enough to wear while roaming around a farmer's market, pulled-together enough to wear to a cocktail party, and flirty enough to wear on a date. All this for $118. I'm placing an order today.

Read More

I was devastated to find that I had suddenly developed age spots on my hands—six or seven of them, only on one hand—the other day. So this is how it's going to be, I thought. One day, you're still vaguely clinging to some (perhaps hysterical) semblance of youth and the next day you're covered in age spots.

I regarded them in quiet despair all day until, washing my hands next to a colleague, I got very chatty and continued scrubbing as I prattled on. "Oh my god—my age spots!" They were gone. Self-tanner.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

Read More

"Jean, do you dye yourself?" I should panic more when someone—in this case my tall handsome friend E.—says something like this, gazing uncomfortable at my half-tan/half-not splotchy foot. Such comments are akin to "Interesting hair-color!" or "Whoa! That's some purple eyeliner!" Such comments should spur me to apply self-tanner more carefully, to touch up mistakes more diligently—and yet, they do not.

One theory is that I suffer from hysteria—I see what I want to see, in this case a smooth, sexy, naturally tanned foot instead of the blotchy reality right in front of me. This is at least partially true.

Another theory is laziness—the kind of Debbie Harry laziness that leaves a person with sexy tousled roots, is how I like to think of it.

Contributing writer Jennifer Scruby prescribes a post-tanning application of body lotion where ever splotches might occur; it should be noted that contributing writer Jennifer Scruby is the very neatest, most unconsciously devoted to perfection person I know. If she were there to personally dab at my just-faux-tanned feet, perhaps the technique would be more successful for me. Alas.

Tips? Solutions? Please advise.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

Read More

I got trapped in one of those terrifying, this-must-be-the-end-of-the-planet thunder/hail storms last week, and then another hit right after that, and then another—on the beach this time, far away from a house with nowhere to hide.

Read More

The e-commerce site chickdowntown.com recently added a new feature called Who Wore It Best? that's maybe a bit corny and yet irresistible. It consists of two photos of the same model (or at least I'm pretty sure this is the same model?) wearing the same outfit, styled two different ways, and you cast your vote on which iteration you think works better. I'm having a tough time making a call on this one, and I keep clicking back to it to consider which I like better: the windswept look or the neater one? Why is it that these things are always so weirdly addictive?

Read More

Ever since Revlon took its fantastic Skinlights line off the shelves in 2006, I've been a paranoid scourer of beauty websites' soon-to-be-discontinued sections, which almost always have grim names (Urban Decay's "R.I.P," for example) and, it seems, at least one fantastic product for me to despair over (and then hoard greedily). I highly recommend you snatch up the following three not-long-for-this-earth products—once they're gone, they're gone!

Read More

Buying big-name designer stuff on eBay can trip up the best of us. From my years shopping the site I own several "Mock Jacobs" dresses, and my friend has a pair of boots that we refer to as "Faux-é" instead of Chloé (these except totally fake). It happens, and—depending on how much you care and how much effort you're willing to put in—it can happen often. I have another friend (not Faux-é) for whom authenticity matters quite a bit. After a traumatizing experience that involved a fake (and kind of smelly) Phillip Lim dress, she's sworn off eBay forever. I'm trying to bring her back by helping her follow a few rules:

1. Never buy an item that is only depicted by a runway shot or a model picture, because it sometimes means the actual piece doesn't exist.

2. Look for "authenticity guaranteed"—or similar language—in an auction's text (you can also seek out photographs of the actual tag).

3. Buy as local as possible. I don't know for sure why, but every time I've bought a fake, it's been from overseas.

4. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Very few people who have a real Marni piece are going to sell it for $3.99.

Read More

I just stumbled on this website that specializes in contemporary Scandinavian design, and the pickings are really good, particularly if you need to buy someone a present. Plus the prices are very reasonable. I like the idea of stocking up on a set of these retro-looking bird-print dishcloths ($7), which could also be used as dinner napkins, or this serving tray, with its cheeky, ever-so-slightly-naughty motif ($45). For culinary types, try this cutting board ($28) slicked with an apple pattern (it also doubles as a trivet or placemat). And for anyone with a bicycle, this intricately carved plastic basket ($50) with a pattern inspired by old-fashioned crochet is so original and every bit as pretty as it is practical.

Read More

A reader recently requested at-home blow-drying advice. And while I could sing the praises of my favorite brushes, dryers, and serums, for me it's all about time: If I spend 10 minutes on my hair it looks okay, 15 and it's pretty, more than 20 (special occasions only) and it's almost salon-like. These steps are what make the difference:

1. Start with the front—if it looks perfect, the rest can get away with being just so-so.

2. Divide your hair into sections and be patient enough to dry each one completely before moving on to the next.

3. Finish it off with a blast of cool air. This time of year, I just stick my head in front of the air conditioner.

—Dawn Spinner, associate beauty editor

Read More