HairBoutique Blog

Just when you thought nothing else new could be done with nail polish, the StrangeBeautiful line of art worthy lacquers were introduced. The New York Times reported on this incredible new line of nail polish in the November 2, 2008 edition.

How did StrangeBeautiful come into creation? It all started with Jane Schub’s shiny red Ettore Sottsass Valentine typewriter.

Jane, who is an illustrator and beauty entrepreneur, realized one day while starring at her red typewriter that it would make a fantastic shade of nail polish.  Indeed.  She also saw a Warhol painting at the Dia:Beacon museum that had an amazing shade of pink, again a great inspiration for a new nail polish. (more…)

Paul Mitchell Hair Bowtie

I attended Paul Mitchell cosmetology school where I instantly discovered several things about this great company besides really great teachers, students and amazing hair care products.

Paul Mitchell really knows how to whip up stunning hairstyles that are exotic yet doable.

On a very regular basis they release some of their latest hairstyle creations which are never anything but stunning.

Take the case of their latest 2008 Holiday Hairstyle - The Bowtie Updo (shown to the left).

Yes, the hairstyle is built around a bowtie created from hair which sits right at the front of the hairline.

You may have seen hair bowties in the fast where the hair tie was near the back of the crown or as part of a mid-head chignon.

The 2008 Holiday Bowtie Updo is unique and daring. Can everyone wear it? (more…)

Raquel Allegra Designs

Raquel Allegra is a New York fashion designer with exceptional creativity.

Recently it was announced in the New York Times that Raquel had taken the sizzling new shredded fashion trend to new heights.

The inspired fashion designer starts with Los Angeles County Jail T-shirts (size 8XL).  Yes, that’s right, Raquel builds her amazing shredded fashions out of prison shirts.

Note: Image to the side from the Raquel Allegra collection of shredded fashions.

WOW.  How brilliant is that?  Each of her tops and dresses are cut, dyed, sewn and then painstakingly deconstructed by hand from the shirts.

Raquel told the Times “I needed to start with really soft, well-worn white shirts, and they’re a good source”  she explained.  At first she wasn’t comfortable using the prison garb, but found the poetry of working with the shirts while digging through a 1,000 pound bale of the shirts.

“Taking someting that has an ugly past and creating something beautiful out of it, it’s a form of redeption”  she said.  Certainly celebrity fans such as Model Erin Wasson and actresses Penelope Cruz and Heidi Klum are sold.

Raquel Allegra shredded fashion pieces range from $225 to $1,500 at Assembly New York, Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Curve or at raquelallegra.com.

It was recently revealed in the news that several women have made claims that wearing some Victoria Secret bras have caused a series of allergic reactions that have the women wanting to file a class action lawsuit against the world famous lingerie giant .

Victoria’s Secret is famous for splashy TV spots with gorgeous supermodels such as Heidi Klum, Giselle Bundchen and Tyra Banks.

One United States based Victoria Secret customer has made claims that she became permanently scarred after wearing the Angels Secret Embrace bra which costs approximately $60 depending on a variety of factors. (more…)

The USA Today newspaper cover story in the Money section for August 4th hit really close to home.  USA Today posed the question - “Will fares go so high that only the rich can fly”?

Uh yes.  It would appear so.

Less than ten months ago I made my annual pilgrimage to the Fashion Mecca in New York City.  The cost of my unrestricted coach fare was more than 50% lower than it was when I recently booked my tickets for the current trip.  Although I booked my tickets almost 2 months in advance this time, due to dire warnings of cost increases, the number of non-stop flights had been reduced leaving the available flights very full.

In addition, I had hard won American Advantage Miles that would be expiring in 2009.  Since I heard rumors the mileage required to upgrade to First Class was going to double, I was prodded into using my rewards.  I hastened to the phone and cashed in some precious AA points for a cherished seat in the front of the plane.  Not only would I save my points from termination, but I would avoid being jammed into a completely full coach section during a 3 1/2 hour flight.  Definitely worth it to me to arrive less stressed and jangled.
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