Expert Hair Tips From The Uber Hair Experts Themselves

Hair. Between all the blow-drying, the chemicals, the sunning, the pinning, curling, and the tugging we do to our strands each day, it's a wonder we have any hair left.

So, today we take a look at some expert hair tips from the uber celebrity hair experts themselves: Kim Vo. Ken Paves. And Frederic Fekkai.

Let's be honest, ladies. We're going to keep coloring, perming, straightening, blow-drying, flat-ironing, adding extensions and so forth. So, let us at least, look at some basics.

Oh, yeah...we know some double-process ladies. They love to get a big, wild perm, especially in summer, and then color and highlight on top of those strong and damaging chemical hair procedures.

Is it ever okay to get a perm and get permanent color? Or, are both processes too harsh?

Master colorist Kim Vo: A perm and a permanent color in a same day process is like killing a fly with a shotgun. A perfect alternative is a semi/demi- permanent color. This will provide rich, shiny, longlasting color.

Ha ha. Love Kim Vo's delicious sense of humor.

We also had some curiosity about all the expensive styling tools that pros like Ken Paves use when tending to their clients' beautiful heads of hair. Ken's pick for a cheap, great hairbrush might surprise you:

DCNL Porcupine Cushion Hairbrush ($24.99, ULTA stores and at Ulta.com). He loves this good-looking brush with the bright red cushion and nylon bristles with boar bristles.

Ken Paves: Works just as well as other mixed-bristle brushes that are far more expensive.

How about coloring hair at home? Well, of course the experts would prefer you visit them for top-notch, healthy hair color, but even Manhattan-based Frederic Fekkai knows that a lot of women still want to tackle their own roots every once in a while. So he created his own brush-on permanent hair color

Frederic Fekkai: Fekkai Salon Color is the only at-home color kit that comes with a brush and bowl technique, just like one sees in a professional salon. Fekkai Salon Color comes in 20 delicious shades, and promises long-lasting color with gray coverage and a 40% increase in softness and shine.

And he's certainly not alone. Ken Paves has a big hit with his own line of clip-in hair extensions made famous with Jessica Simpson.

And Kim Vo raves about his own line of styling products:
Kim Vo: The Kim Vo product line is created from a colorist's point of view. It is for natural or chemically treated hair. If I were on an island with only two products, they would be my Moisturizing Masque and my Radiance Creme. Both are moisture packed and would make any stranded person style-savvy.

Whatever you do to your hair this summer, just remember, that a good trim in between all the hair madness, will always leave you with healthier-looking locks. Sometimes, a couple of inches lopped off, can save you from the harsh realities of peroxide, flat-irons, and sun-soaked days on end.

Nivea Best Beauty Budget Buy For Lip Balm Addicts

Lip balm addicts. We know several. For some, it's Burt's Bees all the way. For others, it's an old favorite, Carmex. And for some, it's the original Chapstick in the plain, black tube and white cap.

We tend to think that lip balm with a hint of color is even more brilliant an idea. And today, our Best Beauty Budget Buy comes from the good folks at Nivea. And it's just $2 a tube at your neighborhood Walmart store.

And best of all, your lips enjoy a fruity, tasty flavor. It's called, Nivea A Kiss of Flavor Tinted Lip Care. And it comes in Passion Fruit or Cherry. Yummy!

We are happy that Nivea has enriched these lip balms with almond oil and Vitamin E to help provide long-lasting moisturization.

Ladies, if you hate wearing and re-touching lip gloss or lipstick, but still need a spot of pretty color on your lips so you, at least, look alive, then give this Nivea lip balm a twist of the tube. Plus the formula gives you soft and supple lips. We think it's a great lip balm to take to the gym. That way, you don't look too made-up but can work out with a lovely hint of color.

Professional makeup artist Jeannia Robinette

is a big fan and tells InStyle magazine that it's a great little

lip balm. "Gives lips a non-shiny, natural berry tint. And it goes on super-smooth without caking in the corners."

Jeannia suggests wearing Nivea A Kiss of Flavor Tinted Lip Care in Passion Fruit, which gives off a soft rose tint to lips.

You can learn more here at Nivea.

Janet Jackson Goes Super Short With New Do And People Doing Double Takes

Janet Jackson goes super short, as she rocks a new do in London, while promoting her new movie, Why Did I get Married, Too?.

You're either going to love it or hate it, the hair, that is.

Well, we don't really like it, however, the ageless beauty has very nice bone structure, so we suppose she can rock any hairstyle, even this androgynous do.

Many people are speculating, that Janet Jackson merely had her weave removed, and that this is actually her real hair. Who knows. We admire her gustiness and confidence to walk out there with hardly any hair on her pretty head.

We thought Halle Berry had gone super short when she returned to her signature, sexy boyish crop a few months ago. But we have to say, Janet Jackson's new slicked back do goes even further.

A very short hairstyle exposes the neck and makes that area of your body a lovely attention-getter. The decollete really gets some added benefits with a cropped style.

The photo here of Janet, taken in March, shows her with a cascade of long, bouncy curls. Maybe she just wanted to change things up a bit. And she's certainly not alone. Hollywood beauties have followed suit with the cute pixie cut. It's a very Mia Farrow do.

Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Stroup, Renee Zellwegger, and Michelle Williams, are all enjoying the sun warm up their bare necks these days, letting the scissors do the talking.

Hollywood hair trends will come and go, but we'll be watching to see if this is just a summer hair fling.

Rimmel London's New The Max Mascara With 14X More Volume

Mascara. Ladies, don't be fooled. You need to wear it as part of your daily beauty routine, Nothing frames an eye as beautifully as black mascara. If you were stuck on an island, well, wouldn't a great mascara be one of your definite bring-alongs?!

And we love discovering new mascara that promises to fatten up your lashes. And this time, we are looking at Rimmel London, the UK's #1 mascara brand!

It's called, The Max Volume Flash Mascara. And it comes in a fat, hot pink tube with a big wand and formula full of collagen and keratin. Available at drug and beauty stores like Ulta for $7.29. We also hunted down a big pink tube of it at Walmart.com for only $5.47, but it's sold out online. Is the hot pink color supposed to mimic Maybelline's Great Lash? Who knows...but the packaging does catch your eye.

What's so special about Rimmel London's The Max Volume Flash Mascara? It's the volume, baby! 14X more volume:

"Our biggest brush ever with perfect-fit technology. Skinny to fat in 1 second flat; lashes pumped to max volume. Flexible hollow fibre bristles fit to the lash to coat each lash perfectly for maximum volume. Exclusive lash expand formula dries fast for mess-free, clump-free application.

A lot of women have been saying that the Rimmel The Max Mascara smells like play-doh. In a way it does, but so what. The collagen and keratin combo really gives your lashes fullness and attention. Just don't over-do the stuff. The consistency is a bit wet, and the volume builds quite rapidly with each stroke.

All in all, we think our UK neighbors have a good volumizing mascara in Rimmel London's newest, The Max Volume Flash Mascara.

GMA Shows Off Amazing Walmart $20 Little Black Dress By Norma Kamali

Little black dress. Every woman's closet probably has at least one. Well, now we've found you an amazing lbd by a famous designer for only $20, and 97 cents to ship it, if you want to buy it online!!

We'll be honest....it wasn't our find. We caught today's segment on GMA (Good Morning America) about dresses under $50.

And the one we fell in love with, was this one, pictured here. A simple but sexy and classic sleeveless shirred column jersey dress by Norma Kamali in her Summer Collection for Walmart. Check out the dress here in the zoom lens.

Now, you know why women are falling in love with this lbd.

Yes, ladies, Walmart. Think about it.....a great-fitting dress by a fit master herself, Norma Kamali. And we love this lbd because it hugs a woman's curves. The shirring is intelligently placed, both on side and back center seams. The style features a jewel neck and hits below the knee. And the sizing is right for any body shape--- XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL.

After its crowd-pleasing debut on GMA this morning, we are certain that the Walmart $20 Little Black Dress by Norma Kamali will be sold out soon! The lbd looks expensive and hits the right tone for many a fashionista.

Teal Eyeshadow And Liner Not Tacky Anymore: Big Summer IT Color In 2010

Teal. It makes us think of the cool waters from the Atlantic Ocean. Or a hot, breezy summer night.

When it comes to teal makeup though, many of us have been afraid to go there----comments like tacky, unsophisticated or even, dated have been associated with the medium blue-green hue.

But that has all changed, because teal has become the big summer IT color of 2010.

So, you ask, how is teal really different from the teal of days gone by?

It's simple. You apply teal with a lighter touch, and we mean......'A little goes a long way, ladies.'

We stumbled onto beauty website called A Brilliant Brunette. And we were blown away by the color photos and makeup how-tos in Beauty by Jacqueline.

Check out the photo above of Jacqueline rockin' the teal eyeshadow. We hope she doesn't mind us sharing her pic here. And note how soft the rest of her makeup palette is.

That is the key when it comes to pulling off teal eyeshadow and liner. Allow your eyes to be the focus. By the way, teal and brown eyes look delicious together. But makeup pros agree that any eye color and skin tone can wear teal quite beautifully.

We found some lovely teal eye makeup for you to try:

1. NARS Duo Cream Eyeshadow in Burn it Blue from the Summer Collection ($32).

2. M.A.C. Eye Kohl Pencil in Float on By from the MAC To the Beach Collection ($14.50).

3. Lancome Ink Artliner in Teal Delight from the Spring 2010 Collection (gel liner) ($23.50).

Teal looks very pretty with warm neutrals like caramel, peach, and camel.

Don't be afraid to try a tiny bit of teal these days because it is the big summer IT color in 2010.

Goody Spin Pin Promises To Create Chic Messy Ballerina Bun In Seconds

A chic, messy ballerina bun. It's definitely a hot look, but not easy to imitate, unless you're an incredible stylist like Ted Gibson.

The days are getting warmer, and you really want to fashion yourself a sexy, messy bun. But you're all thumbs. Well, it doesn't matter anymore, because you can try the Goody Spin Pin. For just $6.49, you can buy a pair of Spin Pins, and casually, and effortlessly, create the runway look of the chic, messy ballerina bun. And the Goody Spin Pin(s) come in 2 colors, brunette and blonde. No other tools are needed......no elastics or tons of bobby pins. Even if your hair is layered, the Spin Pins keep strands tucked in.

And it's simple:

If you can make a ponytail, well, you're on your way!

1. So, put your hair in a ponytail.

2. Wrap the ponytail around into a bun.

3. Then twist two of the Spin Pins in a criss-cross manner into the bun.

4. Congratulations! You now have a chic, messy ballerina bun

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Still too afraid to try the Goody Spin Pin(s) on your own. Still need to see some proof?

We hear you. Check out this YouTube video. It's a good one!