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Don’t you just love this beautiful dress from Valentino’s Spring 2013 collection? It is refined yet dreamy and the embellishments add interest and texture to an otherwise fairly boring dress. What do you guys think?
Hey guys, I wanted to share some of my favorite, easy hair ideas. Read on to try them yourself!
Variated Dutch Braid
I’ve gotten SO many compliments on this style and the only tools you need are a hairbrush/comb and 6 bobby pins. All you have to do is brush your hair into two equal segments. Then braid each one in turn, holding onto the end as you fold the braid up onto the back of your head and pin into place. Fasten tightly against the scalp with a second bobby pin per braid towards the bottom, and add a bobby pin behind each ear to tuck excess hair into place. Voila! That was easy, right? And if that’s too blah for you, add a jeweled headband, bandana, or braid or twist your bangs, as well.
Topknot
Before trying this one out, invest in a bun doughnut in at a store like Claire’s. Try to find one that is as close to your hair color as possible, and match the size to the length and thickness of your hair. So besides this, you will need a hairbrush or comb, hairspray, about 8-10 bobby pins, and two plain hair ties. Once you have all the materials, brush your hair backwards so that the part isn’t visible. Then, turn your head upside down, and use either the brush or your hands to gather your hair into a neat high ponytail (on top of your head but not too far forwards) and smooth out any ridges. Turn your head right side up again and once again, smooth out any ridges. Use a hair tie to fasten. Now, slide the bun doughnut over the end of the ponytail and pull down to the base, leaving the hair to hang out of it. Here comes the tricky part: splay your hair over the doughnut evenly so that the entire doughnut is covered. This can take a while depending on how thick your hair is. Once in place, stretch a hair tie over the whole thing, twist the ends around the base, and pin them in place. Now pin any stray lumps or flyaways as well as bangs down, and spritz the entire thing with a light mist of hairspray. Beautiful, right?
Braided Bun
A little more complicated but nothing DIFFICULT. All you need is a hairbrush, 6 bobbies and a hair tie plus additional accessories if desired. So, first, brush out hair along the part. Simple enough. Then, create a small braid on the side with more hair while holding the end up in the air. Release onto opposite side and pin. Now form a large twist along the left side of the head and pin. Brush back the crown of the head a little bit, just so it doesn’t look messy. Once that’s done, just French braid the right side and pull into your basic folded bun (close to the nape of the neck, the kind you make when you’re lazy). And finally, attach your accessories, like sparkly barrettes or pearl twisters.
Hope these inspire you some!
A little bit of inspiration for your tastebuds…
When I went to Italy a few years back, of course I went to many a gelateria. The gelato was yummy, but for me the shining star was something called a granita. It looks sort of like a Slurpee and can be consumed in the same way, only it isn’t made of a bunch of junk. It’s basically just various juices, herbs, etc. frozen into ice and then crushed periodically over a period of time. It doesn’t sound like much, but the result is heavenly. I loved them so much that I went and found a book called Granita Magic, by Nadia Roden, which features 55 different flavors of granitas! 55! It is crazy, but it turns out there are so many more iterations than I had imagined. However, I naturally gravitated towards my favorite granita flavor, strawberry, and I have posted the recipe below.
Strawberry Granita (from Nadia Roden’s book Granita Magic)
Ingredients
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar or to taste
1 1/2 pounds sweet ripe strawberries (about 5 heaping cupfuls)
1 cup fresh orange juice
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Simmer the water with the sugar for a minute in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Briefly rinse the strawberries and hull them. Blend the berries to a puree in a food processor. Mix in the sugar syrup and the orange and lemon juices. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Pour the mixture into a wide and shallow container. Cover with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap. Freeze the mixture for an hour or two until it has frozen around the edge. Take the container out of the freezer and scrape the ice with a fork, mixing it from the edge to the center. Repeat the scraping and mixing process every 1/2 hour or so (at least three times) until the entire mixture has turned into small, sequined ice flakes. It is best to eat the granita at once, but if you leave it in the freezer overnight or longer, just let it sit for 10 minutes until it softens a little and then scrap it again with a fork to lighten the texture.
So there you go! Give it a whirl, and if you like it, you can purchase
Granita Magic by Nadia Roden from Amazon for just $4.23 new!
Hi, everyone! So sometimes I’d like to share celebrity looks I love with you and some commentary on why they work.
Today, I will just have one, but in future, expect to see plenty of famous inspiration.
I love Emma Watson’s outfit here from the Coachella festival. I’m usually not a fan of animal print, but this isn’t too overkill, as she has toned down the glam vibe with a boho floppy hat, cozy cardigan, classic bag, and comfy sandals. I think this is the perfect casual summer look. What say you?
Hello, everyone, and welcome to my new blog, Fabric of the Stars! This blog will feature everything that I like to see in a blog: fashion, food, and fun. Expect to see outfit ideas, hair and makeup demos, D.I.Y. and recipes for yummy treats. Looking forward to having you read my blog!
Fabric of the Stars 