PM Images/Getty Images1. After blow-drying curly hair straight, wear it with a side part. The extra weight on one side will keep it from getting puffy by day's end.
2. For the sleekest results on any tress type, use a 1500- to 1800-watt hair dryer when styling; anything less powerful allows your cuticles to curl up while you're blow-drying.
3. Don't try to blow-dry sections of hair that are more than an inch thick -- the hot air will not be able to pass through. Opt for small sections and be sure to dry each thoroughly before moving on.
4. Look for styling products that don't list water as one of the first five ingredients. Adding moisture to your hair after straightening it is guaranteed to make it curl up again.
For Curly Hair
Shampoo and condition with moisturizing products to hydrate your naturally porous hair and keep it from getting frizzy, says Charles Dujic, an L.A.-based stylist. Follow with a leave-in conditioner (applied all over) and a bit of styling lotion (applied to ends only). Next, flip
Blog Posts by Marie Claire
After test-driving truckloads of beauty stuff, we found the goods that really will take your look to the next level. From hair products to skin serums here are our 25 top beauty picks. No need for anything else - stock your cabinet with these essentials and you'll be beautifully prepared for gorgeous days ahead.
Click here for the next 15 Products That Changed our Lives
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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Read More »from 25 Beauty Products That Changed Our LivesAngelina Jolie's Brother is More Than A Pretty Face
By Marie Claire | Author Blog Posts – Mon, Aug 18, 2008 10:12 PM EDT
Read More »from Angelina Jolie's Brother is More Than A Pretty Face
Steve Granitz/Wire ImageName: James Haven
Age: 34
Job: Executive Board Director of Activist
Location: Los Angeles
He's our first male "more than a pretty face," and deservedly so, considering he comes from the same gene pool as Angelina Jolie (those lips! those eyes!). And, like his sister, James Haven isn't just lounging around looking gorgeous - he's using his influence and leverage to do good. His latest endeavor is stoking support for the 4th Annual Artivist Film Festival & Artivist Awards, a showcase for movies that are, like him, looking to help out in the world.
Q: What is Artivist?
A: It's a festival in Los Angeles highlighting movies that address human rights, animal rights, and environmental issues. Right now it's gaining serious momentum. This year's roster includes 50 films from 25 countries, including Glue Boys from Kenya, about street children who become addicted to sniffing glue as a way to escape their painful situations.
Q: How can we see the films?
A: On our Website, artivists.org, we'reSoothe Your Soles
- Soak your feet in the hot water for five minutes.
- Dip a foot file, such as Dr. Scholl's Dual Action Swedish File, in the water, then use it to smooth your heels, the balls of your feet and the outsides of your pinkie toes.
- Pat feet dry with a towel.
- To get cuticles under control: Use the edge of the nail file to push your cuticles back, then a nail brush dipped in an exfoliating scrub, such as Rainforest Stress Therapy Foot Scrub, to clean the area where your nail meets your skin.
- If you feel that you must get rid of your cuticles, have a pro do it in a salon so you don't end up with painful, ingrown toenails.
- Rinse, then dry feet and apply a generous amount of super-moisturizing foot lotion or cream. Try: Bliss Spa Foot Patrol. Massage it into your feet and calves.
- Wash the moisturizer off your toenails with soap and water and let them dry.
Polish How-To's- Create space between toes with a foam toe separator.
- Apply one coat of
Read More »from Weird sex stories from around the world
Lewis Wright/iStock ImagesYou'll never believe these world sex practices. Pole dancing at 7? Suing for giving STD's?
BEIJING, CHINA: After 14 years, the government here has promised to end a ban on allowing HIV-positive travelers into the country.
TOKYO, JAPAN: The latest sex fetish in the Harajuku neighborhood is called "injured idol." It requires healthy women to wrap bandages around their heads or other body parts to attract men.
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND: A stunned high-school drama class watched while a stripper performed for a 16-year-old boy's birthday. His mother had ordered the gorilla with balloons to visit the school, but due to a scheduling mishap, the dancer, dressed as a cop, came instead.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: A company now offers pole-dancing classes as an exercise tool for girls as young as 7.
SINGAPORE: A man is suing a woman for more than $200,000 for giving him herpes.
MOMBASA, KENYA: The tourism board and local hotel managers are considering measures to discourage the new sex tourism: older whiteWe can't believe these items are so chic and so inexpensive! September's time to get smart: Shop these hip must-haves online. So, stash your cash and get clicking.
Click here for more fall fashion items under $100
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Read More »from Fall Fashion Under $100!What Every Woman Should Know About British Men
By Marie Claire | Love + Sex – Tue, Aug 12, 2008 4:17 AM EDT
Read More »from What Every Woman Should Know About British Men
Harold Cunningham/Wire ImageSarah Lyall is like an American Jane Goodall, but instead of mist she's got fog, and instead of apes she's got a more inscrutable species: Englishmen. A reporter for the New York Times, Lyall has lived among the repressed wit-machines for 13 years - even married one - and writes about them in her new book, The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British. If you're thinking of dating a Limey, some things to know first:
1. They exaggerate. Lyall explains: "If a Brit tells you he was chained in the basement growing up and fed only bones and wore rags and couldn't make it to school, that's his way of saying he didn't get along with his parents."
2. Self-deprecation is their way of bragging. "Underneath the modesty is often a man who knows he can bow humbly and it won't be taken seriously. A good example is the two-time Nobel winner in science who described himself as 'just a guy messing around in a lab.'"
3. They drink because they care. "Even on a first date, an Englishman is going to drinkLooking to save a few bucks? Don't cut these corners
By Marie Claire | Work + Money – Tue, Aug 12, 2008 3:50 AM EDT
Read More »from Looking to save a few bucks? Don't cut these corners
With unemployment at the highest it's been in four years, you've probably considered a few creative ways to earn some extra cash. But some of your strategies may end up costing you more than you're saving. When it comes to your long-term investments and health care, it may be best to leave them be or risk incurring massive penalties and possible mega-bills for unanticipated medical costs. In fact, if you're scrutinizing your budget for clever ways to save, avoid these tempting mistakes.
1. Switching Cell Phone Plans Mid-Way Through your Contract
Cell phone companies tack on enormous fees-upwards of $150 in many cases-to discourage customers from terminating their contracts early. So if you're feeling the lure of the iPhone siren song, hang tight. The iPhone will still be there once your contract expires, and you'll have saved a big wad of cash.
2. Going Without Health Insurance
An estimated 47 million Americans go without any sort of health care coverage. Tempting as it may be to
Read More »from Do Models Shave Their Faces?
Jeff WestbrooksQ: Do models shave their faces? Their skin always looks so smooth!
A: Absolutely not, and you shouldn't either. Face shaving is such a masculine act that it can be psychologically confusing to do as a woman. If you feel like you have excess hair on your face, try waxing, plucking, using depilatories, or laser hair removal. You can also ask your doctor for Vaniqa, a prescription cream that slows hair growth in about four to six weeks. But you shouldn't obsess over a little peach fuzz. I've definitely seen my share of it on models' faces. The reason you haven't is because facial hair is pretty much always retouched out of photos.
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Read More »from A pro's tips to perfect eyeliner
Dan Lecca/MarieClaire.comQ: I have very oily skin, and every eyeliner I've tried ends up melting within an hour of wear. What do you suggest?
A: An oil-free eye primer (along with the right stay-put liner formula) can help hold makeup in place and sop up excess oil at the same time. I love Paula Dorf Eyelid Primer so much that I sometimes wear it instead of shadow so my eyes look bright and fresh. Also, choose your liner wisely. Instead of liquid or kohl pencils, go for a gel-based formula in a pot, and apply it with a little brush. You can get some extra smudge-proof insurance by first wetting your brush with some shadow transformer (a liquid makeup sealant that makes any shadow waterproof), like the one from Trish McEvoy, and then putting it into the pot. This acts as an extra layer to prevent linebacker-like smudging. And even though this formula doesn't budge, I manically dab the excess gel liner off the brush before applying it to my lashline.
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