Lauren Conrad from The Hills has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins to write young adult novels loosely based on her own experiences.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict they’ll be huge bestsellers.  Sigh.  I’m currently sick as a dog (have a few different, un-fun things personal things going on) so have been spending a lot of time in bed watching half-hour shows, as that’s all my attention span can handle right now.  Last night, I watched about six episodes of The Hills in a row, and I couldn’t stop thinking how damn cute Lauren’s perfectly wavy hair is.  Below is her author’s photo, and predictably, the ringlets are utter perfection.

My favorite method for fat, juicy curls like LC’s: apply mousse and a tiny bit of grooming cream to wet hair, then quickly blowdry.  (Spend one or two extra minutes on the hair near the crown and around the face, but don’t worry about making the rest of it look sleek; just get it dry.)  Starting about five or six inches down from the roots, near the ears, use a 1″ to 1.5″ curling iron–or a newer flat iron with rounded plates, like those by CHI or FHI–and curl the hair, wrapping the front pieces outward, away from the face.  Repeat all over the head, alternating the direction of the curl, and finish with another dab of grooming cream or shine serum, on the ends, and a shot of volumizing or soft-touch hairspray.

Guest Review: Marco Pelusi Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner Rated 9.5 by TotalBeauty.com Editor Charli Schuler It’s easy to see why Marco Color Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner with Collagen Color Guard is hairstylist Marco Pelusi’s signature product. Just one or two pumps miraculously detangle knots and tame frizz on all hair types. …More

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Hi my beauties!  You might have noticed last week a few random posts that didn’t really look like Jolie content.  I’m part of a Beta test on Total Beauty to see how readers like little bytes of content they provide us with.  It’s really just a way for them to advertise, I suppose, but I love their stories so much (and I think you will, too!) that I don’t mind posting.  So, for your viewing/my procrastinating pleasure (I kid, I kid!), I’ll be adding one a day.  Like a multi-vitamin…but full of informative beauty goodness.  Enjoy!

17 Hairstyles That Take Less Than 10 Minutes Up ‘dos mere mortals like us can actually replicate at home With a few (and only a few) key products and styling tools, you can quickly give yourself a salon-worthy ‘do. And hey, if you hate it, try a different one — at least you haven’t blown 60 bucks and a hour of precious time on it. …More

Whatever happened to Winona Ryder?  She was one of the biggest stars on the planet for a time, but then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth after the Saks shoplifting fiasco.  I watched the episode of Friends recently when Rachel claims to have kissed her sorority sister from college, who is of course played by Winona.  In that episode, she’d grown out her hair from her famous pixie, but now it’s back–not just on Winona, but also on Katie Holmes (c’mon, look at the cut below and tell me they’re not nearly identical!)  Winona defined my childhood: I adored Beetlejuice, developed a sense of irony through Heathers, was addicted to Little Women (still one of my all-time, can-watch-it-over-and-over-again favorites) and emulated the cool savoir-faire of the slackers in Reality Bites (another personal classic).  It’s said that every generation gets the icons it deserves…can we as a culture please find it within ourselves to move beyond the navel-gazing mirrors held up by Paris, Perez, LC et al. and go back to worshipping thoughtful, creative, talented (and yes, okay, gorgeous, too) actors? 

Come back, Winona…I miss you! 

Photo from People.com

How gorgeous is she?

Winona’s famous Michael Thompson photo from W Magazine after her arrest

An interesting juxtaposition of tough and fragile: classic Winona

With Ethan Hawke (le sigh), who had the one-two punch of Reality Bites and Before Sunrise, and changed my little life (and notions of romance) forever

Gossip Girl may be “Every Parent’s Nightmare”, to quote the ubiquitous billboards showing the pretty cast getting down and dirty, but Blake Lively’s hair is every beauty addict’s dream.  No?  (Chace Crawford isn’t too damn bad, either.  I’m sure he rolls out of bed looking camera-ready, but I do wonder how much time our boys have to spend in the hair and makeup chair everyday to get them looking just right.)  Gossip Girl seems to be single-handedly championing a scarf/headband/hairpiece revival, which is very helpful for those lazy girls (like moi!) who enjoy rolling out of bed and haphazardly making the stuff on our head look presentable.  One of my favorite places for cute-but-still-affordable hair accessories is Target.  Check out the Isaac Mizrahi rhinestone headband below, which is sort of similar to the Grecian-inspired look Serena Blake is sporting below.  Sure, it says it’s bridal, but why wait for a $50,000 party when you can wear it now?

Photo from USmagazine.com

I haven’t read an issue of Vogue in months (years?), mostly because it’s strangely out of touch.  It feels as if the editors are clinging to Vogue’s glory days as the last-word in everything fashion…and are unwilling to concede that, thanks to blogs and websites and “Celebrities–They’re Just Like US!” and TMZ (ugh), we’re in a new era and the old formulas don’t apply.  Does anybody really still feel that Vogue is the preeminent fashion arbiter, full-stop?  I certainly don’t. 

This Keira Knightley cover, promoting her new movie The Duchess (about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was Princess Diana’s great-great-great-whatever, and the Paris Hilton of her day - can’t wait!) confuses the hell out of me.  What is going on with her hair?  Answers?  Anybody?!

Katie Holmes just debuted her latest haircut, a shorn crop that’s only a few scissor-snips away from GI Jane territory.  What do you think: love it, hate it, or couldn’t care less?  (In which case, I say to you: Which celebrity does get your beauty motor revving?)

PS: I love it.  Seriously.  Love it.

Photo from DailyMail.co.uk