Victoria Beckham as a redhead on Harper’s Bazaar China
Is that Bazaar or bizarre? Either way, la Beckham is almost unrecognisable on this magazine cover. What do you think? Are you for or against her turn as a redhead?
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Summer lovin’ (had me a blast)
I noticed yesterday morning with no small degree of pleasure that the sun we’ve experienced for the past couple of days has slightly lightened my hair. I know, I know, stop the lights! When I was younger any amount of time in the sunshine would have me blonder than an Olsen twin, but as I’ve got older and my time outdoors has decreased (okay, okay, gone to nothing, I admit it), my hair’s natural bleaching takes that little bit longer … In my dreams, this is where I’ll end up:
In reality, my hair has gone through so much suffering at my hands – at the moment it’s dyed brown over acres of red and the odd blonde highlight – that the only natural parts of my hair are the three inches at the very roots. So those three inches are now a dusky blonde, while the rest of my hair languishes in that no-man’s-land between Feria and Nice ‘n’ Easy. Oh, if only I was a true celebrity with my own personal hair stylist.
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Adventures in haircare: Ojon
A couple of months ago, I was sent some samples by Ojon, an ethical haircare line available at Arnotts that uses palm nut oil found in the Ojon tree. Honestly I don’t concern myself too much with whether or not my shampoo is ethical, as long as it does the job, and if that makes me shallow and careless, then, um, well. That’s not great, is it?
I’m not a huge haircare person, but I do have a rather specific routine – I wash my hair almost every day and I then use either Sebastian’s Potion no 9 or Moroccanoil to tame the inevitable frizz that comes hand in hand with having curly hair. I also use a lot of conditioner which means that, firstly, I need a product that is not oily and doesn’t build up, and, secondly, I go through a lot of it – so I’m usually a bit reluctant to buy anything particularly spendy, and at €20 -plus, Ojon happens to fall into that category. But, really, what did I think?The good: This stuff is, quite simply, great. It hydrates hair without leaving any kind of build-up, it smells lovely (although this seems to be quite a personal thing as some people report a slight ashy tinge; for me it smells like a kind of grown-up citrus scent) and, crucially, it lasts. I’ve had my shampoo and conditioner duo for about six weeks and haven’t had to replace either of them, which is, seriously, saying something. And my hair looks and feels great – soft, strong and shiny, and I haven’t had any of the usual frizz problems (even when I don’t use my regular styling products, which is a first!).
The bad: I can’t really think of a single thing. The price would be bad, if the products didn’t last as long as they have and didn’t perform as they do, but it seems like an investment well made.
The verdict: I’ll have a lifetime’s supply, thanks.
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Amazing, amazing hair in the Coco Fennell lookbook
Just when I’ve got used to my hair being, well, a vaguely normal colour, and looking oh-so-nearly natural, here I find the most amazing blue / grey tinted hair on the Coco Fennell site. Swoon.
Love this Jessica Rabbit dress, which is currently on sale …
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Chloe Sevigny goes brunette
As someone who looks amazing in all hair colours*, I know how Chloe feels. This is an awesome look on her and makes me yearn for the early episodes of Big Love (which, if you haven’t seen, you should – amazing).
Check out the whole spread here.
* Not really. Hilarious, mais non?
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The Instyler, or, the hair tool everyone should own
I’m not a big advocate of expensive or fiddly hair tools. I am the ashamed owner of one wand (is that really what they’re called? Just “the wand”?); I own a ceramic hair straightener that is not a GHD but was expensive enough to be “serious”; I purchased a curling tongs one day in Boots when I realised I had roughly €10 on my Advantage card that I felt warranted a splurge; and I am also the girl who never straightens / curls / tongs her hair. Go figure.
So when I got a blast from Boots telling me about the InStyler, did I think, “no, Rosemary, you don’t need another hair tool”? Did I heck! I saw the words “3 in 1″ and somewhere the words “easy” and “straightforward” were bandied around and, well, I put 2 and 2 together and said, “want someone to try it out?”
And then it arrived. In a box, with instructions and – my least favourite thing – an instructional DVD. So I put it beside my hairdryer and went on having curly, unruly hair for approximately two months while thinking, “I must try that out”, usually followed by “I’d love some peanut butter”.
Until today when I found myself inexplicably and unexpectedly in possession of a free two hours, during which I had pledged to take a nap but instead I took in the wash, put on another wash, folded some clothes, tidied my make-up, sorted out some things for the recycling (seriously, this is a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle) and, finally, eventually, got around to trying the Instyler. And oh my God, it is amazing.
I am not, as I said, a big effort person – so when I can get really good results with absolutely minimal effort, you know this has to be something special. Plus, it looks a bit rude, which I’m always going to like. Basically, you section off your hair – in my case this means grabbing random lumps of hair and stuffing them into the slot between brush and barrel – and either straighten it, by pulling the Instyler down the hair shaft, or make waves, by, um, rolling it – or curl it, by wrapping your hair around the barrel. I did a vague combination movement that involved all of these things, and what did I get?
Obviously, I got an excuse to put my mug on this page again! In all seriousness, I got rather nice wavy hair. Now, I didn’t do it all – but, having curly hair, I think you could get away with just doing the front bits – and, as I said, I didn’t put a huge amount of effort into it. I reckon with some time and patience, you could get a really incredible result out of this. I love it and will, for sure, be using this in the mornings from now on to bring me from “crazy” to “barely in control”. Top marks!
The InStyler costs €134.99 and is available in Boots stores nationwide.
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Things I’m loving . . .
So I know, I know, I’ve been out of commission. Seriously so much going on at the moment, lots of which I will share with you this week so you can partake of the thrills and spills of my fashion rollercoaster (yeah, right!) but for now it’s time for a new series: things I’m loving*!
1. These skateboards via STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Seriously, have you seen anything more amazing? I showed them to a friend the other day and she says, “well, what are they? Skateboards?” And I say, “yes, they’re skateboards”. And she looks momentarily baffled, before: “Do you even skate?” So I say, or, really, shout: “NO! But they are CELINE skateboards! CELINE!” She still didn’t get it.
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Debs delight – The Irish Times, August 27th, 2011
So apologies for the misleading posting this week – Monday started off so well with the Whooga boot competition that’s still open, and have you entered the Rihanna Reb’l Fleur competition? Both open until Friday. Then things fell a little off the radar, but they’ll pick up again tomorrow, I promise!
In the meantime, check out the shoot I styled for The Irish Times, published this Saturday gone in the magazine. The photographs were shot by the very talented Ailbhe O’Donnell, with hair by Michelle O’Halloran and make-up by Emma Farrell. The model is the gorgeous Aisling F from Assets. Let me know what you think!
The debs season is upon us, and mothers and daughters are having a fine (or perhaps a tortuous) time selecting that dress. ROSEMARY MACCABE takes a glamorous view of dressing up, and puts together an assortment of pieces for a swish 1920s look
THERE’S A STORY that goes around about a bride who wrote on her wedding invitations “no Coast dresses”, knowing there was a strong chance that many of her guests would turn up in the popular high-street brand, a brand that was also responsible for dressing her bridesmaids. It may be the stuff of urban legend, but it’s no joke – the words “black tie”, whether pertaining to weddings, debs, or just the odd fancy “do”, often strike fear into the heart of even the most creative and adventurous dressers.
The trick to standing out at an event that has a strict dress code is thinking both within and outside the box. For black tie, move away from strapless satin dresses and take inspiration from bygone eras for truly original and eye-catching formal wear.
For this shoot, we looked to the 1920s – but rather than source vintage clothing, which can sometimes look more fancy dress than just plain fancy, we looked to the high-street and Irish designers for a quirky and individual take on vintage-inspired clothing.
Tim Ryan’s fringed cardigan was paired with pleated trousers from Topshop and an embellished cropped top from Asos. A drop-waisted, sequined Rachel Gilbert dress, a shade too short for polite society, was layered over a sheer maxi skirt for a touch of risque glamour.
Don’t be afraid to embrace the fun and glamour of dressing up in the form of faux fur, sequins, and interesting details such as pleating and fringing. A debs’ ball – indeed any kind of ball – should be an event to relish and enjoy, not to fear. And don’t think that looking classy has to be expensive. One star item can be enough to set off an outfit, and that one piece doesn’t have to cost the earth. It will hopefully be the stuff of memories.
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A little life update . . .
So y’all might’ve noticed by, you know, reading my tweets like there’s no tomorrow or following Fash Mob on Facebook, but I’ve been a little busier than usual, styling a few shoots and generally biting off more than any self-respecting person can chew. Don’t believe me? This is what my bedroom currently looks like . . .
Yes, like a market stall. And yes, that is the dress Michelle Obama wore. I’ll sell it to you for €500.
In other news, it’s all worth it when you get to work with folk like Ailbhe O’Donnell, Ellie Balfe, Ailbhe McNeela, Sian Sharkey and Gracie from 1st Option, who is going to be huge. Watch this space.
This is Gracie looking a little bit 1990s, being shot by Ailbhe O’D. Just gorgeous, and we got an amazing space, too! Keep an eye out . . . !
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A wee hair tutorial – not a video, comfortingly
Or, you know, an excuse to show you my amazing eyebrows. That is a joke, I don’t think my eyebrows are amazing, although they are a lot more amazing since I visited the Shavata brow bar in Harvey Nichols, which I reserve the right to wax lyrical about forever. So there. That said, I did break my Shavata brow powder the other day by dropping it on the ground, and now not only am I out of brow powder, almost everything I own is somehow covered in brown dust . . . but I digress. Hair!
People ask me quite frequently – not frequently enough for me to get vain, just frequently enough for me to think it an issue worth writing about – how I do my hair. Because, honestly, curly hair is not easy. I rarely tell them, because (a) I’m a jealous type and (b) I’m lazy. Mostly (b), really. So I thought I’d do a wee tutorial. Before we begin! Here’s what my hair looks like, so’s you can turn back if you don’t like it.
Lately I’m going quite fluffy with my curls, and brushing out the parting slightly for that 1920s vibe. So it’s a little flatter on the top, fluffier at the ends, and my side parting can get a bit extreme so it’s like 1920s with a 1980s edge. But here are the steps you need to make your curls curly, rather than frizzy or, heaven forbid, straight! Stop straightening your hair! That’s my mantra. Embrace your curls!
1. Stop brushing your hair. I’m serious! Leave that bad boy alone. I comb my hair with a wide toothed comb, in the shower, while it’s soaked in conditioner. At no other time do I brush or comb my hair, much to my mother’s chagrin.
2. Condition, condition, condition. The key to making your curls look curly is the condition of your hair shaft. So, if your hair is wrecked from bleaching, straightening, heating . . . it won’t curl right. Get it cut regularly (and find a good stylist!) and condition it every day or every second day, even if you don’t shampoo. It will thank you.
3. Style carefully, but sparingly. Forget about mousse, wax, spray . . . go for a serum or a conditioning treatment. While my hair is still soaking wet, I apply one pump of John Frieda serum to the ends, and then I apply one big pump of Moroccanoil curly hair cream. I distribute it on my hands and then work it into my hair, starting at the ends. I don’t rub my hair, I kind of scrunch it on so that I’m not breaking up any of the curls.
4. Let it dry! If you have the time, let your hair dry naturally and do not touch it. Touching the curls will break ‘em up and frizzify! If you don’t have the time to let it dry naturally or fear looking unkempt at work (obviously I have none of these concerns), use a diffuser. I use the hottest heat setting, and the lowest blow setting, if that makes sense. So it’s a hot, but gentle breeze. I’m serious about the diffuser. No diffuser, no dice. DO NOT USE THE NOZZLE SETTING. No, no, no. Bad.
5. Tailor it to your preferences. Once your hair is dry, if you have followed the steps correctly, you should have quite smooth almost ringlet-y curls. Some people like these; I do not, so I add a little bit of hairspray to rough it up, and then I, eh, backcomb. Kim Wilde style. It softens up the curls and makes ‘em bigger, which I feel provides a nice contrast with my equally enormous face.
6. Leave it alone. Curly hair, especially one that has conditioning product in it, will not react well to being messed with. So once you’re done, be done! Keep your hands off it. If you’ve backcombed it you can bring a comb in your bag to re-comb during the day, as it will inevitably flatten down a bit. If not, then really, leave it alone. Curls are 100 per cent happier if they are left to their own spiralling devices.
Let me know how you get on!
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