Emma Watson at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiere in London

When Emma Watson chopped her locks after she wrapped filming on the Harry Potter franchise, I applauded her bravery. When I was young and impulsive, long hair would be chopped off at a whim. But, of course, several months later came the “what the hell did I do that for” sobs when the arduous grow in period began.

Of course, starlets have armies of people who keep growing out hair looking gorgeous for stuff like, oh, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 international premiere, where the actress showed off a beautiful new bob, courtesy of Rodney Cutler, founder of Cutler Salon (with locations in NYC and Miami).

The deceptively simple style is a decidedly modern take on the famous bob of the celebrated silent film actress Louise Brooks. The retro style is modernized with interior layers and soft, sweepy bangs (a look for my own bangs that I am constantly striving for, but my soft and sweepy is decidedly not).

Hoping to steal some ideas for my own not sweepy bangs, I asked how this look was achieved. Here’s the skinny from the the hair  guru himself, Rodney Cutler!

• To achieve Emma’s look, I applied Redken Sheer Straight and Redken Root Lifter and then wrap blow dried the hair so that strands would appear naturally straight.
• I then gently flat ironed hair pieces from mid to the ends of the hair shaft, lightly flipping out the ends, and sprayed Redken Fashion Work 12 Hair Spray to ensure the style would hold up on the Red Carpet.
• Finally, I wanted to make sure her hair balanced the beautiful dress, so I backcombed the crown to give it just a touch of height, and finished off with Cutler Shine Tattoo.

The result is absolutely magical.

When I received the email a few days ago from exhale spa, I was kind of excited. They partnered with YogaVibes.com to offer four of their celebrity endorsed Core Fusion classes for purchase online.

Since getting to exhale is not terribly convenient, testing out Core Fusion is at the bottom of my very long to-do list. So I was kind of excited to be able to give it a go from my home.

Then I checked out the previews of the video. They essentially video-taped a class and slapped it online. It’s hard to see the moves clearly, and the audio is pretty low quality (it seems like they used the camera microphone and not a dedicated mic).

From the preview videos, the best of the bunch appears to be the Core Fusion. At least there is a clear view of the instructor, doing the workout with the class, and she’s pretty audible. But there is no way to tell how you can modify the exercises. (Like, full split? Um, no. I need modification.) And the one camera in one position kept me from fully seeing all angles of the different workout moves. My form could be completely off and I have no way of knowing.

The worst? Music Flow Yoga. The instructor is barking yoga poses at the class and the camera is following her moving between the students rather than staying in one spot and focusing on the moves. And there is no way of knowing that you have the form correct, since you are watching students of varying abilities rather than one person doing it correctly.

With different price points starting at $10 for one class, accessible for 14 days, it’s certainly more affordable than in-studio. But I would take a bunch of Core Fusion classes in person before attempting these online videos. Form is definitely going to be compromised if you don’t already have the basic workout down.

Back to the bottom of the to-do list it goes!

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I heard a rumor that the Academy Awards were last night. I wouldn’t know, since ABC decided to power off for Comcast customers, my tee vee provider. I then heard a rumor that they decided to power us all back up midway through the Oscar-cast, but by then I was happily watching a Netflix On Demand Scooby Doo movie.

What I do know, however, is that groovy natural body care company Plum Hill took part in the famous Celebrity Gifting Suite. According to Plum Hill owner Jeanne Kissman, celebs sampled from Plum Hill’s tantalizing Sugar Scrubs and their hyper-moisturizing Body Butter (loaded with super hydrators like shea butter, olive oil, almond oil and coco butter). Like the terrific Cactus & Ivy line of products, Plum Hill’s product line is paraben free and cruelty free. Check out their website for the different fragrances available. The Coconut and Lime Sugar Scrub sounds perfect for the upcoming summer months!

Inclusion in the Celebrity Gifting Suite is a competition like no other. Congrats to Plum Hill for being chosen to keep our celeb’s skin glowing!

Remember how I told you about my deplorable face washing situation a few week ago? Well, I am now paying the piper and breaking out.

I picked up a bottle of Sonya Dakar’s Drying Potion during the beauty show in April. It’s a zip zapping remedy that Hollywood stars use to get red carpet ready. I am a sucker for Drew Barrymore, so when she was name-dropped by the sales rep, I had to pick it up. She suggested using only on the pimples that already came to a head–even better if it was applied post-extraction. It works.

Dab it on before going to sleep (it leaves your skin white, so you won’t want to head out of the house like this) and in the morning, the offending pimple is much MUCH smaller. Is it a magic elixir? Nope, but it does clear a breakout up much faster (in my case, 48 hours).

Here’s what I don’t like… First ingredient is SD Alcohol, which will dry your skin right out. Which is why I think this a good product to use in case of emergency. On an ongoing basis, I think skin would be best served with something milder.

I am having a GOOP issue. Perhaps it’s because Gwennie worries that if I have easy access to stuff I find vaguely interesting in her newsletters, I will mock the former actress turned internet self help pioneer?  I cannot promise a GOOP mock free zone (’cause some of the stuff on there is begging for it), but right now, I just really want to read the damn interview with Dr. Frank Lipman.

Months ago I tried signing up for the GOOP newsletter via email, but nothing ever made its way to my inbox. I check my junk mail folder. No GOOP there. So I try to just navigate the site to see what kind of fabulous bibs and bobs the Hollywood set are into, and if something strikes my fancy, I end up following a broken link.

I can only find a VERY short excerpt of Dr. Lipman’s interview on Cult Beauty Blog, and I would really like to read the whole thing and not because I think it sounds mock-tastic. I am genuinely interested in what he has to say. He has credentials!

I am half way through my 10 power plate sessions. This morning, my trainer said she thought I was getting stronger. But it is not something I noticed on a day-to-day basis, although the post-workout aches are definitely subsiding. Still, I am not completely sold on it.  

For the past five weeks, I have woken up with a headache the day after my power plate session. Since this supposedly stimulates the lymphatic system, which flushes toxins out of the body, I don’t think I am drinking enough water post-workout. I am either flushing but not replacing the water loss, thus getting dehydrated. Or the toxins are not getting sufficiently flushed.    

I also noticed that I have been having a ton more breakouts the past several weeks. It could be a coincidence, but I have been trying anything and everything to manage it and nothing in my extensive acne arsenal seems to be working. Since the skin is partly an organ of toxin excretion, I am beginning to think that maybe I am not drinking enough water to sufficiently detox, which is causing all sorts of havoc with my skin.   

I plan on consuming gallons of water today. Luckily, we stocked up on toilet paper over the weekend.

I spent 30 minutes of my morning exercising on a vibrating platform. My pilates studio is now offering Power Plate sessions, and at a fraction of the cost of my usual pilates training, I decided to give it a whirl.

The idea is that you work out while on this contraption that uses whole body vibration, causing your muscles to continually work while you try to maintain balance. Since your muscles are working harder, theoretically you can shorten workouts to 30 minutes while maintaining the benefits of a full hour session.

It is also supposed to speed up weight loss, and since the vibrations stimulate lymphatic drainage, it has the potential to reduce cellulite.  But the most impressive scientific studies have pointed to the benefits of the vibrating plates on osteoporosis sufferers (the impact of the vibrations on the bones cause them to strengthen).  My trainer had me sit with my chin on the plates to let it vibrate my face (not recommended with teeth clenched), since there are also claims that it erases wrinkles because the vibrations stimulate collagen production.  Hmmmmm….

And, hey, Madonna does it!

My first session was last week, and my glute, hamstring and thigh muscles were so sore the next day that I could barely bend over. I am not sure how much I actually like working out on the Power Plate yet. Doing pilates-inspired exercises on something that’s vibrating is proving a steep learning curve for my body.

Basically, all my pilates training goes right out the window and I end up focusing on these WTF sensations from the vibrations.  But I do find myself more fatigued during the workout. And, just a few hours later, I am already feeling the start of post-workout muscle soreness, which does not bode well for tomorrow.

That’s not me in the picture, by the way. I look a LOT more confused when I am Power Plating.

How cool is this? Ellen
DeGeneres is the new spokesmodel for Cover Girl. Easy, breezy, beautiful
indeed!  A big kudos for Cover Girl
for making this inspired choice.

I am generally pretty meh on
celebrity cosmetic endorsements. 
The cosmetics industry loves their celebrities and, with very few
exceptions, the large, most visible brands go a more obvious route.  For Proctor and Gamble (parent company
of Cover Girl) to choose the down-to-earth talk show host and comedian, who
turns 51 in January and is not typically associated with red carpet glamour, is
a departure from the usual mugs that pop up in cosmetic shilling.  Particularly Cover Girl, which has
always trended towards younger faces—recent endorsers for the brand include Rihanna
and Drew Barrymore—since their target demographic is younger than, for example,
L’Oreal.

According to this story on
the endorsement deal in AdAge, a Harris Interactive pole listed Ellen as the
most popular celebrity in the United States, edging out the usually untouchable
Oprah.  The Ellen advertising blitz
begins in January, launching in Us Magazine.  

NYC icon Amanda Lepore has created a new line of cosmetics
for the Chicago-based CAMP Cosmetics.

One of the most famous faces in NYC nightlife, Amanda is the
first transsexual to have her own makeup line.  The limited edition line, which consists of a lipstick,
cheek color and an eye palate, is available on CAMP’s website beginning on September
1. It will expand into CAMP’s Chicago-area retail locations in early 2009.

Check out the collection here. I love the red lipstick! The saturated red screams 1950s glam.