BellaSugar

Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week: Proenza Schouler

BellaSugar — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:27:35 -0800

If there's one thing New York Fashion Week has taught us, it's that the '90s are back in a big way. At Proenza Schouler, Diane Kendal created a makeup look inspired by the early part of the decade. Dark matte lips and nearly bare skin were a throwback to the days of Singles.

To create this look, Kendal focused on moisturizing the skin instead of fussing with foundation. A dark brown cream base from MAC provided the eye makeup and contour underneath the cheeks. She filled in the eyebrows for depth, leaving the focus on the lip. She used Charred Red and Smoked Purple lipsticks, applying them intensely in the center. "It's not a hard line," she said. "It's quite soft." A dab of black eye shadow in the center created more intensity.

The hair was just as simple. Lead stylist Didier Malige aimed for a relaxed, no-fuss look. "It's about building a texture," he explained. "It has to look kind of static and untouched." To get the look, he worked Fekkai Coiff Bouffant through hair, squeezed it with fingers, and used Fekkai Coiff Bouffant spray gel to provide soft hold and movement. "It's the same feeling as last season," he said. Cue the Mudhoney.

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BellaSugarUK's Top Picks: Best Hair Volumisers

BellaSugarUK — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

If you guys like ranking things as much as I do, then you'll appreciate my new top picks feature that I'm working on building up. My sister site in San Francisco, BellaSugar US, has done quite a few of these posts, and with so many products on the market to choose from, I thought you might like some insight into my favourite products.

I've already talked to you about self-tanners for the skin, and now I want to talk hair. Since my locks are thin, a little bit weak and most certainly limp, I rely on styling products to help thicken, plump and add volume. My top choice that I always have on hand (I even have a mini version for travel) is Bumble and bumble Thickening Spray (£20). It can be used on damp hair and it adds lift and control without leaving a gummy residue or weighing my hair down.

My second favourite hair plumper that I use in conjunction with Thickening Spray is Fekkai All Day Hair Plump (£65). This luxurious cream adds thickness, whilst also helping smooth, strengthen and reducing frizz.
Real Hair Style Volume Plumper (£14) is something I use when I'm looking for a little bit more oomph. Simply spray it directly on your roots when your hair is damp, but a trick that my lovely Ivan (from Real Hair Salon) showed me is that you can also use it to wet your hair at the roots and then blow dry it again for extra volume.

To read my last two top picks for hair volumisers, read more.

I've been a fan of Label M Volume Mousse (£10.50) ever since I tried it at fashion week. Since it contains silicones and SPF, it helps shield hair from the sun and from heat styling. Start with a two-pence sized amount and work from roots to lengths.
The best part about James Brown London Voluptuous Boost Volumising Mousse (£4.99) is the price. It's not sticky or tacky, it washes out easily and it won't break the bank. I like to blend it at the roots for lift, but you can also use it all over to create thickness and that sexy bed-head volumunious style too.

December's Beauty Must Haves: Holiday Madness and More!

BellaSugarUK — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Now that you're planning to spend the better part of your paycheck on gifting everyone else around your for the holidays, don't forget to save some of your time and money for yourself! The end of the year brings in a slew of fabulous new beauty products that you must check out. Here's a small selection of a few of my faves. Which item is at the top of your wish list?

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BellaSugarUK's Picks For Best Blow-Out Brushes

BellaSugarUK — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Along with a powerful, high-wattage hairdryer, a round brush is my secret weapon hair tool. Second to my prized all-boar bristle Mason Pearson, a round brush helps smooth and straighten my frizzy hair while creating bounce and shine. The key is to finding the perfect one has to do with size and grip. After spending 15 minutes every other day blow-drying, you'll become more intimate with yours then you ever imagined! Below are a list of my top three high performance round brushes. Do you have a favourite brush?

The Frederic Fekkai Large Round Brush (£44) works great on all hair lengths. I use on my crown and fringe because it's small and creates amazing resistance. The more tension that you have between your hair and your brush, the smoother the result. It's also great for curling the ends and adding volume to the roots.

For details on two more of my top buys for best blow-out brushes, read more.

ghd Anti Static Brush Size 3 (£18.75) has an over-sized head that works wonders to create natural-looking waves. The handle has a comfy grip and the bristles are coated with a natural ionic compound that makes your hair shiny and static-free without getting tangled causing unnecessary breakage. Victoria Beckham, Naomi Cambell, Jennifer Aniston and Beyonce Knowles are also rumoured to fancy this brush!
Lastly, I adore this S Factor Surreal Ceramic Straightening Brush XL from Tigi (£7.95). The bristles are soft and the squishy grip is tops. It never slips out of my hand and it holds my hair in place once it's wrapped around. Combine all of this with the ceramic core and I only need to dry each section once - it's heaven!

Take a Look at Fekkai's At-Home Hair Color

BellaSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:00:38 -0800

At the posh Frédéric Fekkai salon in Henri Bendel, color treatments start at $135 and skyrocket from there. That's the price you pay for gorgeous, multitonal color. But for those of us who aren't within walking distance to Fifth Avenue, there's Fekkai Salon Color ($30). Created by the legendary stylist, the at-home color is more deluxe than your average drugstore product, but less expensive than heading to a salon.

But how well does it work? A friend of mine offered to try it out and share her findings, roping her fiancé into serving as her assistant. To see the before-and-after hair color, read more.

My friend used shade 6N, a light brown color. Here's her before-and-after shot. Having seen the color up close, I can attest to its richness. The color is shiny and natural, and as you can see, it put a smile on my friend's face.

She liked . . .

"The color was great and covered my gray! (Yes, I have gray hairs.)"

"The smell was not as bad as normal box hair dye, and the formula did not seem as harsh."
"The weekly conditioner is superb. It left my hair very soft and shiny."

She wasn't crazy about . . .

"I have thick hair and there was barely enough to dye my whole head. I was scraping the sides to cover the ends!"
"This product would be very difficult to do on your own as you apply the dye with a brush. Luckily, my boyfriend played hairdresser and it worked fine - but it is definitely a two-person job."

Overall, she gives this color a great review - so great, in fact, that I'm tempted to pick up a box myself.

How-To: America Ferrera's Emmys Hairstyle

BellaSugar — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:16:47 -0700

Did you love America Ferrera's hairstyle at the Emmys? You're in luck, because hairstylist Daniel Howell of Frédéric Fekkai salon is sharing how he came up with this gorgeous 'do for the Ugly Betty star. "Normally, the dress will start to dictate the hairstyle," he says of America's vintage gown. "Even though this is a vintage dress, it has a modern feel to it. That dictated a slightly vintage hairstyle, but we made it a bit softer."

Want to get this look at home? For the full tutorial, read more.

Step one: Beginning with wet hair, use a heat-protecting product such as Fekkai Coiff Défense ($25), which Daniel used on America. Rough-dry hair without pulling on it, and mist before and after with a texturizing spray to add volume; Daniel used Fekkai Coiff Bouffant ($23), a spray-on styling gel.
Step two: Starting from the nape of the neck, section off pieces of hair approximately 1.5" thick and 1" wide. Wrap each piece around a small curling iron from the middle of the section to the root. The curls should all go in the same direction.
Step three: Now take the uncurled half of your hair and wrap it around a larger curling iron. "If you use only one size of curling iron," Daniel explains, "The weight of the hair is loose at the root and tighter at the end. This is the reverse; it's tighter by the root, loose and softer at the end."
Step four: Gently brush the curls out to create a pattern and defined wave. Using a clip, set the curls with hair spray. Follow with a shine spray if you like.

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Bella Interview: Johnny Wright, Hairstylist

BellaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:00:11 -0700

Get ready to know the name Johnny Wright. A stylist at Frederic Fekkai, he's worked with famous beauties such as Anita Baker, Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, Selita Ebanks - and one very high-profile client, Michelle Obama. I'll share some of his easy hair tips later this week, but for now, read on to find out what's behind Michelle's style.

How did you start working with Michelle Obama?
It kind of happened on a whim, and I’ve been doing her hair now for a year. My agent out in New York booked me for her Ebony magazine shoot, and she liked it so much that she had her people book me. I actually just got a call today from her saying I’m booked with her for August a whole week - I’m going to do her hair in Denver.

Denver! Denver is important.
You know, I was very nervous with that particular booking. I was highly screened before I was even allowed to walk into her room - and I totally understand that. Whatever it took for me to be booked with her, she is a very normal person. She has two young children, and I think that her staying normal keeps them normal too. It’s just great working with her. She’s never picky; she never asks me for things I probably can’t do. She’s very understanding.

For the rest of the interview, plus a few tips on recreating Michelle's hairstyle at home, read more.

I met Senator Obama a few years ago and he was down-to-earth as well.
You know, I’ve been doing hair since I was 12 years old and I never thought that I would be in that type of world. Before this, I didn’t do anything about politics. I look at it as a blessing, because I pay attention much more now. I feel like I’m much more educated on how things go just from being with her and following the campaign.

Do you have any tips for recreating her signature hairstyle at home?
It’s pretty simple. The foundation of any hairstyle is the cut. That’s one thing we focus on doing very well here at Fekkai. With that, I am able to switch the hair into like maybe two, three different looks. We try not to give her too many different variations. People want to see her with the same style, especially when it comes to politics; there’s a lot of scrutiny when you’re in that arena.

I say go back to basics and just keep it simple. Sometimes I flat-iron her hair under, or I use a ceramic curling iron to flip it out at the ends a little bit. With a flat iron she’s going to be able to lock the moisture in the hair. Because she has to get her hair done so often, the flat iron is probably the best tool for her. For an updo, I might do some cascading curls according to how formal the event she’s attending is, but mostly I give her a clean sweep up.

Also, to keep her hair moisturized, I use the Shea Butter conditioner from Fekkai and Glossing Cream. It really keeps the hair moisturized. And Fekkai Coiff Anti-Frizz creme is excellent for that. It's probably one of my favorite products.

Bella's Hamptons Beach Bag Beauty Essentials

BellaSugar — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:00:51 -0700

During the Summer, every fabulous New Yorker wants to head to the Hamptons - and why wouldn't they? The eastern end of Long Island is filled with beautiful mansions, adorable cottages, and all of the other perks of a resort lifestyle. If you're heading there this Summer - or if you're just looking for a piece of the good life - then browse my picks for a Hamptons-ready bag of beach beauty.

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How-To: Karolina Kurková's CFDA Hairstyle

BellaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:40:07 -0700

Last night at the CFDA Awards in New York City, the stunning model Karolina Kurková arrived with her hair back in a chic chignon that somehow managed not to look overly done. The look was created by Michel Aleman for Frédéric Fekkai, who was aiming to create something neat and sophisticated to enhance her natural beauty.

There were so many cool hairstyles at this event, don't you think? To find out exactly how Michel styled Karolina's hair and what products he used, read more.

STEP 1: Michel began by applying a generous amount of Coiff Bouffant Lifting and Texturizing Spray Gel to the roots of Karolina's hair to create volume and add lift. He then used the (amazing) Bespoke Labs T3 Featherweight Dryer to fully dry her hair while brushing it back away from her face.
STEP 2: Next, he parted her hair on the side and applied some Coiff Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing Crème for added thickness and texture.
STEP 3: Then, he gathered all of her hair at the nape of her neck. He twisted it into the shape of the number eight, creating a version of the French twist. He pinned the hair in place using bobby pins while taking loose pieces around the back of her head to make the look seem more effortless and less constructed.
STEP 4: To make sure the hair would stay in place, he sprayed Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray all over, followed by a distant shot of cool air from the dryer to set the spray. Lastly, he lightly spritzed a little bit of Fekkai Glossing Shine Mist as a finishing touch.

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Beauty Byte: Frédéric Fekkai Brings Glamour to the Burbs - And Elsewhere

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:06 -0700

Frederic Fekkai can attribute his colossal success not only to his talents, but to his head for business. He knows his clientele well, and his extensive expansion plans reveal that he's hitting the mark (rather, the jackpot) on each new development. He has salons on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Soho, Beverly Hills, Melrose Place, Dallas, Palm Beach, St. Barth's, and yesterday, he opened a brand-new space in Greenwich, CT at 2 Lewis Court.

This high-class suburb is a great location for anyone who lives near Manhattan but doesn't want to deal with the hassle of the city. The 2,100-square-foot salon has 10 styling and color areas, a mani/pedi corner, and a washing room in the back. The decor is described as "homey" with big leather couches and dark floors. Also, I hear that the Laura Mercier makeup station (present in other salons) has been swapped out for Chantecaille (score for them, these ladies are big-ticket spenders).

It doesn't seem like Mr. Fekkai is slowing down anytime soon. He just sold his company to Procter & Gamble and is planning to open two more salons in the posh New York Mark Hotel and in San Francisco later this year.

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