PrettyTendr

PrettyTendr is the currency of beauty.

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Nicki Minaj's Look is Refreshingly Boring These Days

Is this Nicki Minaj’s version of normcore? It is a strange and beautiful thing that the reigning queen of over the top red carpet and on stage beauty has found (also perhaps temporary) herself with a totally natural and gorgeous hue. Her ability to jump from one wild hair color to the next is truly a talent, but we are kind of in love. She finished the look with warm, neutral makeup and pretty nude nails. Is this the new normal? Do you think that Nicki Minaj has turned a corner ( a la Kim Kardashian) or will we see glimpses of the old Nicki sometime soon?

Credit: Getty

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Skincare Aisle Demystified: Vitamin C will Change Your Face

What is Vitamin C?

Aging is something of a four-letter word in the beauty business (er, we suppose it’s more like five letters). While completely unavoidable and totally natural, it still strikes fear in the hearts of even the genetically blessed. This leaves us with two options:

1. Freak the eff out.

-or-

2. Accept the inevitable, get your game face on, and tackle this aging business with a modicum of grace.

If you’ve chosen option 1, we can’t with you right now. If you’re in the mood to try door #2, we’re pleased to help you navigate the wealthy, but often overwhelming world of anti-aging beauty. Let us be your face coach. It’s yours and it’s time to treat it right.  It’s time to build a skin care routine that will keep you looking flawless well past the age when you start lying about your age. Here we cut through the noise (and the B.S.) so that you know exactly which ingredients fit your current and future needs and which products will deliver results you can actually see. Challenge accepted!

What is it?

You know Vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) - the trusty old antioxidant that’s been making an appearance in all of your cold remedies. Found in everything from oranges, to red peppers and broccoli, vitamin C is an essential part of your diet and plays a critical role in the development of collagen, which is responsible for skin’s strength and elasticity. Also a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C theoretically combats oxidative stress (read: counteracts the harmful environmental and intrinsic factors we deal with on a daily basis).

How does it work?

Your skin already is loaded with Vitamin C, but it diminishes over time. Vitamin C serums applied topically can help replace some of what is lost naturally. Read: you’re just trying to get what’s already yours.

What does it treat?

Wrinkles and age spots, primarily. Vitamin C’s essential role in the production of collagen will help smooth fine lines and it’s antioxidant power can help combat damage done by the sun.

When will I see results?

Results vary, but some users report seeing changes as early as 2-4 weeks into daily use, while others report seeing results within the 6-8 week window. Max results can be seen after 6 months.

  Try a Vitamin C based serum first thing in the morning to capitalize on the antioxidant power while you are dealing with UV rays. The serum’s concentration will take environmental pollutants and potential sun damage to task.

Our Fave 5:

Paula’s Choice C15 Super Booster, $33.75

Obagi Professional-C Serum 20% Vitamin C Serum Facial Treatment Products, $99

Sarah McNamara Miracle Skin Transformer, $46.40

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Vitamin C Brightening Serum, $95

Clinique CX™ Antioxidant Rescue Serum, $135

                  Looking to try premium samples before buying? Join our waitlist and get notified about PrettyTendr.com.

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Hair Prep for the Beach and Pool

It’s beyond official that summer has finally arrived. This leaves us with a long list of pros and cons. On the one hand, looking forward to endless days filled with barbecues, beach hangouts, and sunning ourselves by the pool is enough to make a girl downright euphoric. On the other, beauty related complications will arise. From sweat-proofing your makeup routine and to post pool hair TLC, we’ve got you covered. In this series we tackle the elements and give you the tools to defeat them so you can maintain that effortless cool look without missing a beat.

While we are thrilled that beach (or pool if you’re into that) season is in full swing - almost like we were mermaids in another life - our hair just isn’t. From chlorine doing its very best to cause damage to the seemingly endless detangling that happens post ocean swim, it’s clear that swimming and cute summer hair styles don’t really want to be friends. But before you decide to relegate yourself to only lounging or worse - wearing a swim cap - try out our pre-swim prep. With a little elbow grease (read: hair conditioning mask or leave-in conditioner) and a some advanced notice, you can prep your hair for basically any water related occasion.

The pool is out to destroy your hair on two planes. The first is that the same chemicals keeping the pool clean and are absorbed by your hair the second you head under water. The same goes for salt water. But this can be hacked. Soaking your hair before heading into the pool fills the cuticle and prevents your hair from taking on any additional water filled with harsh chemicals. In a pinch that means running to the poolside shower before jumping in. If you have the time and beach bag space, bringing your own water treated with a hair conditioning mask or leave in conditioner will leave your hair enviably soft.

Try adding WELLA Enrich Moisturizing Treatment For Coarse Hair to a bottle of water and douse right before heading in.

The second issue is that hair can’t wait to tangle when water is involved. For our straight haired friends this is less of an issue, but for anyone with more than a whisper of a curl prevention is key. A couple of easy braids, a simple bun, or well placed flat twists are protective styles that will make any post water detangling a cinch.

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Summer Mani Insporation

Now that summer is in full swing, we can put our winter gear out of it’s misery (read: into storage) and embrace all things sandals and minis. Also - manis. Nails rejoice! From the bright and beautiful to the neutral and classic, Instagram is our go to spot for nail color inpsoration. It’s chock-full of creative manicures to celebrating our escape from a hellish all-consuming winter that chewed us up and spit is out. Let’s paint our nails together and forget.

@tombachik

Thank God it’s summer. Truer words have never been spoken.

@laurenconrad

Nothing says, “Winter, who?” like pink and gold.

  essiepolish

Easily recreate this chic nail art with Blanc ($8.50), Licorice ($8.50), and No Place Like Chrome  ($8.50) from Essie.

@juliamurphree

Too cool for school orange is the color we are loving for June.

To the left: @maybelline Color Show in Neutral Statement and Orange Fix (chevron) (both $3.99)

To the right: @maybelline Color Show Pretty in Peach ($3.99)

@oliveandjune

Again with the orange - it's clearly having a moment.

@jinsoonchoi

Polka dot nail art is so simple with Jin Soon’s Polka White matte glitter top coat ($18), seen over Cherry Berry ($18).

@tenoverten_nyc

This updated french manicure is so chic we don’t even remember what a winter is.

vanityprojects

A little tribal mani never hurt anybody.

  @sahsaniegraynails

This sums up how summer makes us feel. Love. Love. Love.

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Should You Change Your Skincare Routine for Summer? Probably.

Photo: Jason Kibbler

It’s beyond official that summer has finally arrived. This leaves us with a long list of pros and cons. On the one hand, looking forward to endless days filled with barbecues, beach hangouts, and sunning ourselves by the pool is enough to make a girl downright euphoric. On the other, beauty related complications will arise. From sweat-proofing your makeup routine and to post pool hair TLC, we’ve got you covered. In this series we tackle the elements and give you the tools to defeat them so you can maintain that effortless cool look without missing a beat.

When the weather transitions from frigid and windy to hot and humid, its time for a skincare reassessment. The heat plus the additional moisture in the air can up the grease factor, leaving you feeling like the shiniest girl in town. Summer can also make the acne and oil prone at a greater risk for breakouts. Not a great look. Don’t rush to spend all of your hard-earned cash on a brand new set of products, though. A few strategic tweaks can have your skin feeling and looking its best without breaking the bank (sans oilslick).

Add an Exfoliant

Exfoliating can slough off dead skin, help break up excess facial oil, and decrease the appearance of pores. While these benefits make it tempting to exfoliate daily, try to limit it to once or twice a week with a gentle scrub. Excess exfoliation can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Try: Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Face Exfoliant ($32)

Change up your cleanser

While creamy cleansers can help with the toll taken by dry winter days, in the summer they just won’t cut it. Cleansers that cut through the grease (aka excess sebum) and a day’s worth of build up will bring your skin back to a neutral state.

  Try: Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser ($15)

Add a Toner

If the idea of incorporating a toner strikes fear in your heart, it’s time to reevaluate. Today’s toners are nothing like the alcohol laden harsh toners from your adolescence. Filled with natural and botanical ingredients, they can add moisture and soothe skin post cleansing. 

Try: Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective™ Clarity-Activating Toner ($42)

Sunscreen, duh

This should be a no-brainer, but when the days are long and sunny it’s essential that you are lathering on the SPF (year-round for diligent anti-aging/cancer-preventing care). While sunscreens can often be tacky and leave awful white residue, we love lighter formulations that let your skin glow with maximum coverage, like La Roche-Posay's.

Try: La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk ($35.99)

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Governor's Ball 2014 Had the Best Street Style

Every summer, NYC's Randall's Island is flooded with well-heeled festival goers for one music-packed weekend. The past few days were no different and while many attended The Governors Ball to see Janelle Monae, The Strokes, and Vampire Weekend - we were there to steal a little summer fashion inspiration. Check out our faves below.

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NYC's Governor's Ball 2014 was the place to be for effortlessly cool festival beauty. The top tip for staying gorgeous in the hot hot heat? 

Sunscreen, overwhelmingly! How else to maintain a ladylike "glow" when cutting a rug in 80+ degree heat? Broad spectrum SPF was the top skin saver for beauty savvy ladies dancing their hearts out to the likes of La Roux, Phoenix, and Outkast (among others). 

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Oprah Covers a Magazine That Isn’t O, Seems Like She’s Done it Before

The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment issue features none other than our patron saint of black billionaires, Oprah Winfrey. The woman who yearly shares her favorite things (like this! and this! and this - which will totally be on our lists this year) While we could devote entire websites to O’s many achievements, it’s time to focus on beauty. The cover is stunning – simply put. But the real star of this editorial is Winfrey’s hair. Her voluminous curls feature subtle honey low lights and although done by a professional, are simple enough to recreate at home. Her charcoal smoky eye is balanced by nude gloss and glowing matte skin. The nude mani is both classic and entirely on trend (who knew that could be a thing?).

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Megan Good Shakes Up Her Red Carpet Routine

Megan Good gave her cute pixie cut a glam upgrade at the UK premiere of Anchorman 2 (the countdown is on!). Her pompadour was an easy and elegant way to transform her newly short ‘do. She kept her eye makeup to a minimum - saying “No, thanks” to boring cat and smoky eyes that have been on every red carpet since forever. Instead Good opted for a shimmery red shadow along her lower lash line, which while simple, is totally on trend (try Yves St. Laurent 'Pure Chromatics' Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Palette No. 7. She finished the look with a pretty red lip stain – a subtle alternative to the season’s ubiquitous cherryred lipstick (we like Yves St. Laurent 'Rouge Pur Couture in Rouge Enamel or Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Stalker).

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Givenchy Casts Erykah Badu to Make Our Spring

After the fashion industry received heavy criticism this season for homogenous runways, editorials, and campaigns, it seems that a few designers are taking action. Ricardo Tisci, of Givenchy, has cast Erykah Badu for his Spring 2014 campaign and Style.com has the exclusive sneak peek. On Badu Tisci said, “She’s one of the most stylish women I’ve met in my life,” he said. “She’s got such a good sense of proportion, of colors.” 

Credit

Although the two had never worked together, Badu’s image was in the back of Tisci’s mind when designing the upcoming collection. “Erykah, she’s an icon—come on!” Ricardo Tisci mused to contributors at Style.com. “What I want to do with my advertising campaign is spread the love. Already now it’s been three seasons that I’ve been using people that express something—they are great artists, or beautiful women, or stylish women, or models that I really believe in. It’s kind of a family portfolio.”

Check out the exclusive images at Style.com

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DIY Exercise Headband Will Save Your Edges

Exercise is one of those things that should be on everyone’s to-do list. The benefits are really endless, from brightening your skin and increasing your energy to helping you firm up and slim down. However, there will always be issues with the hair. It’s hard to keep your motivation up when stray strands have a tendency to fall into your face. This is where headbands come in. They're your best gym buddy (next to an actual human gym buddy, of course). Unfortunately, many of the headbands that successfully keep your strands out of your face have a tendency to contribute to unnecessary breakage and tension alopecia. Catherine over at Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth came up with a genius method for a DIY workout headband that works with all hair types, but is gentle enough to keep from breaking off your edges.

Check out the step by step on the Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth blog: http://bit.ly/IQfn9w

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Joan Smalls Makes ELLE Happen

Joan Smalls seems dead set on putting the “super” back in supermodel. ELLE Magazine has certainly taken notice, calling her the “planet’s most perfect face” and featuring her on the cover of their January issue. The Estee Lauder model had no qualms in speaking to the glossy about diversity within the industry, stating:

“People hide behind the word aesthetic. They say, ‘Well, it’s just that designer’s aesthetic.’ But when you see 18 seasons in a row and not one single model outside a certain skin color…? There are people in the industry who are advocates, who support diversity. And there are people who do not. I don’t get it. Beauty is universal. These doors have to open.”

 Indeed.

  Check out the full spread at ELLE: http://bit.ly/1bvMpFY

Issues available on the newsstands on December 17th.

Credit

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Beyoncé and Solange Take Awesome Vacation Photos Because They're Them

Maybe it’s because we are in the middle of the holiday season, but we are feeling mighty sentimental right now. We have family on the brain – big time (oh that and presents and holiday parties). Beyonce and her little sister Solange are enjoying a little R&R in Jamaica and it's clear that they are having a fabulous time. Because they're Beyonce. And Solange. The pics shared across the social media universe simultaneously tug at our heartstrings and fill us with major family vacation envy. The two of them define “too cute,” but we can’t help wishing we were there to enjoy it with them (amiright?). 

Credit: Tumblr

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Your Best Holiday Hair

Now that Christmas is mere weeks away, we are preparing ourselves for the official Holiday Party Season. From office soirees to bad sweater shindigs – one thing remains constant. Your hair had better be on point. Nothing ruins a party like a bad hair day. Why not borrow from the perpetually chic? Celebrities usually get this hair and makeup thing right and we have no shame in stealing their style. Here are a slew of 'dos that will ensure that you have the Best. Party. Ever. Or maybe just the best hair ever.

 Classic Top Knots and Those With a Twist

Closely Cropped

  Low Chic Chignons

Modern Day Pompadour

Long Sleek Tresses

Curls. That about says it all.

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Michelle Obama Wins the Kennedy Center Honors

Michelle Obama made magic happen last night at Kennedy Center Honors (it was her 5th attendance). Although we have grown to love FLOTUS’ ability to mix high and low end pieces without sacrificing style, we love to see her in the show-stopping, jaw-dropping, red carpet worthy gowns. Last evening she opted for a stunning off-the-shoulder Marchesa floor length number that drew all attention away from the President and likely upstaged the evening’s honorees (Billy Joel, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock were among them). Soft, but voluminous waves and barely there make up finished the look. Holiday party inspiration, anyone?

  Credit: AP Photo

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Zoe Saldana for January's FLARE Magazine

It’s not really a secret that we have a thing for Zoe Saldana around here. Apparently FLARE magazine feels the same way, since she is their January cover girl. While there is no question that the woman is gorgeous and has impeccable style, she also seems like the kind of girl that we would all love to be friends with. The Queens-born actress has a knack for balancing a frank self-assuredness with beauty and grace. The quotes below (and their accompanying spread) just kicked our girl crush up a notch.

On being a lady:

“I’m a lady. My mother, my grandmother and my great-grandmother raised ladies.”

  On the incredible power that comes with being a woman:

“Women aren’t wimpy. They don’t complain all the time. They can open up jars! They can fucking save the day! They can support their whole family. They can support their men.”

On having a voice on a testosterone-heavy sets:

“You have to learn from your experiences. I’ve been in compromising circumstances, and I wish I’d had the strength that I have now because I would have protected myself better. I would have stood up for myself better. Women are challenged every day and are sometimes encouraged to objectify themselves. And it hurts.”

Enjoy the full interview here: http://bit.ly/19cuWmC

Photography: James White for FLARE Magazine

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Jennifer Hudson Evokes Old Hollywood Like a Pro

Now that all that remains of Thanksgiving are the leftovers – it’s time to prepare for an onslaught of holiday parties. This means upping our hair, nail, and party dress game. Why not steal a little inspiration from the perpetually glamorous Jennifer Hudson? She embodies all that is Old Hollywood in Net-A-Porter’s latest edition of The Edit-. Donned in the season’s greatest gowns and a loose, but chic low chignon, she is a vision.