Sure, I’ve been a little busy recently, but how have we not discussed La Gwyneth’s haircut?  (Apologies.)  I am very, very much on the fence.  Which is to say…I want to love it, I could love it, I am just so damn close to loving the idea of it…but I hate it.  What do you think?  Am I crazy?  Is the liberation of her hair from blonde Morticia Addams-land actually a masterstroke on her part?  Or does it just look, well, weird?

There are certain celebrities I have an inexplicable obsession with, and Kate Hudson is one of them.  Okay, maybe it’s not completely unfathomable that I find a cute, perky, blonde actress the same age as me inspiring (I mean, it’s not like I’m breathlessly idolizing an seventy-two-year old male mechanic from Serbia or something), but for me, Kate can do no wrong.  Recently, I’ve also developed a fascination with Africa, specifically with Tanzania and Botswana, two countries I’m dying to visit.  People.com, it’s like you were reading my mind: photos of a Kate Hudson/Peter Lindbergh shoot in Africa?  And beauty-related (Kate’s partnering with her longtime hairdresser David Babaii to promote his organic haircare line WildAid), to boot??  Two minutes of Jolie-clicking heaven.  (The line, incidentally, is sulfite, paraben and petrochemical free, they don’t test on animals, and ten percent of all profits will be donated to the WildAid global conservation organization.  Good karma!)  I will be enjoying a little quality-time with my iron tonight in an attempt to replicate her fat, glistening curls below, by the way.  Gorgeous.

Photos from people.com

Cheers to the Delta Gammas of Pepperdine University for being so welcoming to me at yesterday’s event!  I spent nearly two hours answering their beauty questions on everything from whether benzoyl peroxide really works on zits (answer: yes, but it can be harsh and often needs to be use sparingly) to what the proper age is for beginning an anti-aging regimen (answer: you’re never too young to use sunscreen–obviously!–but your mid-to-late twenties are the optimal time to begin introducing retinoic or glycolic acids into your routine, along with peptides and ample antioxidants).  Oh, and by the way…I feel like I ruined my life by not going to school in Malibu.  Where can I sign up for one of those thirty-million-dollar beachfront mansions?  I’ll take two, please.

I’m thrilled to report that I’ve finally bitten the bullet, weighed my options, and joined an online community: TotalBeauty.com.  Was it the sheer number of honest products reviews?  The quality of fellow member-blogs?  Or the simple fact that the logo is blue, and Jolie likey?  (I kid, I kid!)  As I blogged several months ago when I first discovered it, Total Beauty has continuously impressed jaded ol’ me: there are straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is rundowns on a prodigious number of products, useful articles that don’t just seem like “read me! read me!” filler, and even how-to videos.  Plus, the site is easy-to-navigate, and the editor’s blog is warm, witty and (hey, don’t underestimate the importance!) written by women who not only love beauty but actually have beauty backgrounds.  So, yeah, kind of tickled pink to be a part of it all! 

Congratulations to the winners of the Clean and Clear In-Shower Facial giveaway!  The winners should have all received emails, so Laurel, Marci, Haley, Aly, Linnea, Sarah, Amy, Natalie, Anne and Christine, enjoy!

I could have a million dollars, a full-time stylist, and Anna Wintour on my speed-dial and I still wouldn’t possess a tenth of the innate style of California-born, Paris-dwelling fashion designer Ashley Ashoff.  Her sartorial sense has charmed everybody from Jean-Paul Gaultier to Bruce Willis, and she counts Kirsten Dunst as a fan of her mouth-wateringly beautiful scarves, which have been featured in Teen Vogue, Nylon, Daily Candy and New York Magazine.  (She was also proposed marriage to about forty-three times after The Sartorialist posted her picture online.)  All of her confections–scarves and ties alike–are divine, although I’m particularly obsessed with her Billet-Doux line.  Ashley’s unique, whimsical style has turned her into a fast-rising star, so I quizzed her on the beauty products she uses to keep herself looking oh-so-chic.

Ashley Ashoff in Paris during Fashion Week 

SKINCARE: “SkinCeuticals is the only brand I have found that works for my skin, which is extremely sensitive with many allergies.  The Correct line has great serums and I use their cleansers, tonics and lotions–the Clarifying Clay Mask is wonderful, too!  Also an amazing product for the skin is Darphin Intral Baume. It’s great for people with sensitive skin and I try to use it a couple times a week. I put it on at night before I go to sleep. It’s really heavy and oily but by morning it’s absorbed and your skin is like a baby’s bottom!  It makes your skin glow–I love this stuff.”

HAIR:  ”Once a week, I do a hammam–aka steam room–and use 100% jojoba oil for my hair, which has done wonders after dying it back to my natural color. (more…)

After literally three years of putting it off (the petulant whining was interspersed with stubborn protestations that, as an poor uninsured writer who works all manner of jobs to support her new career, I simply couldn’t afford it!), my teeth would be ignored no longer, and I went to the dentist this week.  I visited Dr. Andrea Mulas and was pleasantly surprised by the experience.  Not only is the office pretty and sweet-smelling–hey, aesthetics count when you’re freaking out!–but hand and foot-massages are available during treatments.  As the dental hygienist poked and scraped and polished, a masseuse blissed out my feet, making me feel unusually happy–and, bonus, no cavities!  Despite the good doctor’s recommendation, however, I’m holding off on bleaching and straightening…even though nothing would currently satisfy me more than finally getting than Invisalign.  (The price tag, however?  Not so much.)  Valuable lesson, my lazy lovelies: always wear your retainers!

I simply can’t be bothered with facials.  Not only do I find them boring as hell (give me a full-body massage any day!), but they also make my finicky skin break out nine times in ten–and I don’t buy that nonsense about your skin getting worse before it gets better.  (Yes, yes, I understand the idea…but following most of my facials, zits spring up because of the pore-clogging oils used during the treatment, I’m telling you!)  Now, exfoliation…glycolic acid…fruit enzymes…these are concepts I can get behind.  Something that can be done in one minute, in the shower?  Even better!  I tested out Clean and Clear Soft In-Shower Facial this weekend—you slather it on while in the shower, let the enzymes and acids do their complexion-smoothing thing, and then rinse it off—and while it wasn’t a Presto! Chango! Brand New You! revelation, my skin was undeniably smoother and softer.  (Not to mention blissfully un-broken out the next day.)  And, you know, that’s good enough for me!

Clean and Clear is giving away ten products to Jolie readers: the first ten gals to reply in the comments section below with your email address and all-time favorite beauty product (hey, I’m curious) will win! 

xo, J.

R. writes:

I have a question because my mother has eczema on her heels and it’s really itching and the skin keeps coming off. She also has splits in her heels and its driving her crazy. The doctors tried a lot of stuff like tar and other things but nothing seems to be working! Have you ever heard of such a thing or do you have advice what we can do about it? Take care!

Hi!
Your poor mother!  Trying to manage eczema can be extremely frustrating.  If you’ve been to a doctor and nothing’s working for her, then there are several things I’d suggest. 

1) It might sound crazy…but try moisturizing with Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening.  It’s not glamorous and is more than a bit messy, but it really does work to soothe and hydrate painfully cracked skin! 

2) Suggest she modify her diet to elimate acidic foods, especially colas, coffee, alcohol and processed foods.  (You can see a chart here.  Some studies have suggested a correlation between an acidic body and eczema. 

3) Soak in dead-sea salts, which many people have found to provide relief (it has something to do with the high mineral content).  In fact, all dead-sea-based products will possibly help.

4) Finally, send her to a naturopath - they’ll try to identify the problem at the source and change whatever patterns she may be doing to cause it, rather than providing a temporary fix.  Some people don’t believe in naturopaths…but I think that’s a close-minded view, seeing as (once again!) many of my eczema-ridden friends have found more-permanent relief through them.  Good luck!

When I was at Ladies’ Home Journal, our beauty director was obsessed with Chandler Burr, and for good reason.  He’s the author of two books (The Perfect Scent and The Emperor of Scent) and has penned fascinating, loving, in-depth articles about fragrance for The New York Times, focusing not just on the technical aspects that make a scent sing, but on the ephemeral characteristics that transform it from good to divine.  Through Chandler’s articles, I discovered Hermes Un Jardin Sur Nil, finally gave Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely a much-deserved chance, and was vindicated in my adoration for Chanel Coco Mademoiselle (which he calls “a fresh-faced seventeen-year-old in a summer dress”).  (I’ve still yet to sniff Versace The Dreamer, but his description is mesmerizing!)  Check out Bella Sugar’s interview with Chandler here, and if you’re a perfume junkie, be sure to visit his website, as well.