BellaSugar

Which Half-Up, Half-Down Hairstyle Do You Prefer on Kate Mara?

BellaSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:00:07 PDT

I've always admired actress Kate Mara's soft, red locks. Lately, I've taken notice of her hairstyles on the red carpet, and she seems to favor the half-up, half-down hairdo the most. Below are five different looks ranging from the traditional to the modern half-up, half-down style. Tell me, which look do you favor on the fair Miss Mara?

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Happening Hair: The Modern Half Up, Half Down

BellaSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:43:22 PST

Here is a happening do that is a modern take on the old half up, half down style. This look is great for those of you with long layers or one solid length - so basically anyone, but you have to have some substantial length to pull this off. This is also a quick style for women on the go. It keeps your hair out of your eyes, but won't take it completely off of your face. Ultimately, this is a super sexy hair style, hence it being modeled here on some of the world's sexiest women. You can wear this hair on the third day of a blowout too, just as the crown is getting greasy. This look is also a great way to add volume to a round shaped face.

To create this look for yourself at home,

Choose a shampoo and conditioner with volumizing agents in it. I happen to really love Alterna's Life Volumizing Shampoo,, $17.10, as well as their Life Volumizing Conditioner, $18.30.
Blow dry hair and set with rollers for additional volume. If you want stick straight hair like Heidi Klum's hair shown above, then before blow drying add a drop of Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm to add shine, protect hair from heat and control frizz. Wait 20 minutes in the rollers for hair to set.
Gently take out the rollers and begin to lightly backcomb the crown of your hair. Then, smooth it over with a soft brush, I like the Mason Pearson all boar bristle brush. Keep in mind, don't tease your hair too much. You don't want to have extreme lift at the crown, just a little is perfect.
Next, secure just the middle section of the crown with a skinny barrette or two bobby pins. Overlap the pins so they create an "X". Smooth the rest of your hair.
Lastly, spray your entire head with a fine mist of hairspray to keep all of your hard work in place! A new hairspray that I've just discovered is called Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray by Tigi, $15.75. Try it and let me know what you think!

Meet the Euro Pop Princesses of the '60s: Yé-Yé Girls

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:52:29 PDT

Are the yé-yé girls having resurgence? First there was Megan's infamous Mad Men song and dance number, and now they've come up again in Wes Anderson's latest film Moonrise Kingdom. In the film - set in 1965, a year before this season of Mad Men - Suzy Bishop is one half of the lovesick preteen couple at the center of the movie. While her style is clearly fashioned after the yé-yé girls, Suzy's interest in the pop singers is brought up at one point when she shows her love interest, Sam Shakusky, her favorite album, Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles by yé-yé girl Françoise Hardy. Later in the movie, Sam and Suzy have a very entertaining dance scene on the beach in their underwear to her song "Le Temps de l'Amour" ("The Time of Love").

Derived from "yeah! yeah!", the yé-yé movement was comprised of female pop singers from France, Québec, Italy, and Spain. The themes and lyrics of the songs, often written by men like Serge Gainsbourg, were deceptively innocent, as the girls beamed sexy naiveté. One not-so-innocent song Serge wrote for yé-yé singer France Gall was "Les Sucettes" ("Lollipops"), which was really referring to oral sex. It included the line, "Annie loves lollipops, aniseed lollipops, when the sweet liquid runs down Annie's throat, she is in paradise." Learn more about France and other popular yé-yé girls like Françoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan, and Sheila.

Inversion Issues: How to Remedy Common Shoulderstand Complaints

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:14:27 PDT

You're loving your yoga class from Half Moon to Pigeon Pose, but as soon as you get to Shoulderstand, you're less than psyched. Although a basic - challenging, but basic - pose, Shoulderstand can put you at risk of strain and injury when done incorrectly. Turn this pose into your favorite by checking out these common complaints and ways to remedy them.

"I Can't Breathe"
If you're well endowed or carry extra weight in your belly, then gravity causes added pressure on the lungs and throat, making it tough to take in a deep breath. A supportive bra and fitted top can help, but if you still have trouble breathing, then changing how you do the pose will make a huge improvement. Instead of stacking your pelvis and feet directly over your shoulders, hinge at your hips slightly, pressing them away from your face so your feet extend slightly behind your head.

Still can't breathe? Try the Legs Up the Wall variation; rest your lower back on your mat or, to give your hips a little lift, rest your lower back on a folded-up blanket or flat bolster.

Continue reading to learn how to alleviate neck pain and feelings of imbalance while in Shoulderstand.

A Veggie-Filled Indoor Picnic

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:45:46 PDT

A sandwich of asparagus and mushrooms could be kind of dull - or, as Between the Bread demonstrates, it could be a triumphant lesson in culinary restraint.

Ann Arbor's famed Zingerman's Deli is known for its corned beef sandwiches, but it's also not shy when it comes to packing on farmers market fresh veggies.

This recipe, dubbed Rodger's Big Picnic, comes from my trusty Roadfood Sandwiches cookbook, which describes this sandwich as Zingerman's ode to Michigan produce and particularly asparagus.

Putting this recipe together, I worried it would be too dull. The mushrooms are just broiled, not marinated, and the sandwich is adorned with nothing but sharp cheddar and Dijon mustard.

But with perfectly cooked, totally fresh produce, two ingredients are all you need. The sandwich was unexpectedly graceful, simple yet full-bodied, and hard to put down.

For the recipe, keep reading.

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

Top 50 Summer Diet Foods for Weight Loss

Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

Video: Chris Hemsworth on Fighting Kristen Stewart and Showing Skin For SWATH

Molly Goodson — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:35:52 PDT

Chris Hemsworth stars in the upcoming classic fairy tale reboot, Snow White and the Huntsman, alongside Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron. We sat down with the actor during a recent press day for the film outside of London, where he opened up about showing "half a chest" in an almost shirtless scene. Chris also shared details from the set, including a mishap while filming a fight scene with Kristen. Check out our interview with Chris and make sure to see B>SWATH when it hits theaters on June 1.

What It Takes to Buy a Home

Kiplinger — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:14:47 PDT

Do you have what it takes to buy a home? Consider this exhaustive guide from Kiplinger.

Tired of renting? It could be a great time to buy your first home. In many cities, home prices have bottomed, and rents have risen. Mortgage rates are still superlow. In fact, homes haven't been as affordable since 1971. On the downside, in many cities, buyers have fewer homes from which to choose and more competition for the best houses.

In Austin, TX, newlyweds Mark and Ariane Corcoran bought their first home in March. They were renting in a popular downtown neighborhood, where they paid $1,200 a month for a 500-square-foot loft apartment, when they inherited enough money for a down payment. When they began shopping, they expected to buy a classic 1930s Austin bungalow. They found lots of prospects online but drove by most of them. "Agents are really good at taking photos that exclude what they don't want you to see, like the used-car lot out back," says Mark.

They put in an offer on a $225,000, 800-square-foot home. But after the home inspection, they realized that it needed $20,000 to $30,000 in renovations and repairs and that they'd quickly outgrow it. They walked away during the state-mandated rescission period (during which a buyer can back out for any reason and get back any earnest money deposited).

Ariane identified their next prospect within an hour after the listing appeared online. It was a newly built, 1,600-square-foot home with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a yard for the dogs. The builder asked $270,000, the couple offered $260,000, he countered, and they paid $268,000. They put down 20 percent to avoid private mortgage insurance and snagged a 30-year fixed rate of 3.75 percent from a credit union. Their monthly mortgage payment is $1,524.

Before you take the plunge, consider the answers to questions often posed by first-time buyers. Read on for what to ask yourself.

Easy Ways to Get More From Your Food Budget

LearnVest — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:15:48 PDT

Go the extra mile with your food budget with these tips from LearnVest.

For years, many people - my husband, mom, sister and even my son - told me to stop wasting so much food.

Throwing away half a piece of chicken here or a handful of grapes there never seemed like such a big deal to me. If I was full or no longer in the mood for that particular food, then I had no problem tossing it.

That is, until I experienced a bad case of sticker shock during a recent trip to the supermarket. The cost of bread, eggs, fish - basically everything I was purchasing - had increased. And, according to the USDA, we can expect prices to rise even higher this year.

As I forked over my money and left with only a handful of bags, I realized just how important it is for me to pay more attention to what I spend on food . . . and to confront how much of it I shove down the garbage disposal.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one with wasteful ways. In 2010, 33 million tons of food was thrown away, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Obviously, wasted food means wasted money, but figuring out how to make your grocery budget go further can be a challenge.

To keep more food in your fridge (and more money in your pocket), try these expert tips.

1. Ward Against Freezer Burn

Those large bags or packages of frozen veggies or meat come in handy when you have a large family, but "each time you open a bag of frozen food, air gets in and will cause freezer burn within two to three weeks," says consumer saving expert Andrea Woroch. Freezer burn will dry out the meat and make it less tasty. Woroch suggests going small.

Read on for more.

Gossip Girl Will Get a Sixth and Final Season

Becky Kirsch — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:30:06 PDT

Perk up those ears, fans of the Upper East Siders: Gossip Girl will live to see another season. The CW has renewed the cult favorite for a final season, which will last just 11 episodes (which is half a standard season). I've followed the series from its inception, and I think this is definitely the best way to see it go down - it will get a proper ending, but we won't have to see another fully dragged-out season. Besides, all we really want to know is whether Blair will end up with Chuck or Dan, am I right?

Photo courtesy of The CW