Remember when people used to get highlights with a cap? We still can’t believe we subjected our locks to such horrifying trauma. Stylists would place the cap over our heads, and use a hook to poke through the plastic and lace (more like rip) our hair out the other end. It left us looking like a Chia pet with broken strands everywhere. Not to mention the tangles. What a nightmare!

Then along came foils. Foils are pain-free and gentler on the scalp. They also keep hair tidy while the dye does its job, and the heat lamp interacts with the foil to speed up the color process. But while you wait, you risk looking like a satellite, or like your mom trying to get a tan by the pool in the ’60s. Not to mention the waste. You can’t recycle that stuff.

The next innovation in hair color is Balayage.

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An extension of the things we’re obsessed with this month:

Ballet-inspired classes: Like the rest of the celeb-following world, we’ve been intrigued by trainer-to-the-stars Tracey Anderson’s dance/Pilates hybrid workouts ever since client Gwyneth started showing off her legs on red carpets everywhere. As we wait for Anderson to open a Boston studio, we’ve signed up to try Life in Synergy’s Ballet Booty and Boston Sports Club’s NYC Ballet Workout Movement. We’ll keep you posted…

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We’re a proud college town. Howard Stern once roamed Boston University. Harvard had a few good alums; Conan, Natalie Portman, and a few other very important folks. Even John Mayer called Berklee his hangout for a time.

There’s many more, of course, like Emerson alum and makeup maven, Bobbi Brown. She’s done-up the dolls of the runway for Oscar de la Renta and Caroline Herrera for years.

And lucky for us, she’s back in town. Brown is launching a new program in makeup artistry this spring at Emerson College, which will kick off with some basic workshops that anyone can sign up for. That means you and me. (more…)

The auditions for the 2009-2010 season Patriots cheerleading squad were held on Saturday at the Dana-Farber Field House At Gillette Stadium. Thanks to some prodding from her sister, Boston magazine online designer Casey McNamara decided to try out even though she had never cheered before in her life.

“My sister literally knocked on my door with coffee in hand that morning,” Casey says. “I knew she was serious, so I quickly got myself glamorized.”

Here’s what Casey’s experience was like.

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We’ve experimented with our fair share of eyelash extensions, falsies, and length-defying mascaras, but we had yet to try new products on the market that claim to grow thicker, longer, stronger lashes.

We’ve worn fakes for a fashion shoot, but never could master how to apply them ourselves. We’d rather live with our blunt ones, than have lashes stuck to our brows. Expensive extensions certainly do the trick, but we were looking for a more economical way to DIY.

Enter Lashfood, a natural eyelash and eyebrow stimulator, formulated using Biotin and Arginine. It’s like hair conditioner, but for your lids. We used the product over a month-long period, hoping to bat the big ones at our husband by Valentine’s Day.

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This past weekend, we hoofed it around the city, looking for the perfect Valentine’s gift. Not for our boyfriend, not for our crush, and not even for moi. We were pursuing presents for… our brother’s girlfriend (fingers crossed she’s not reading this right now).

While a little blue box is always nice, we wanted our dear brother to get a little more creative.

Genius struck, courtesy of an episode we remembered on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Maybe you remember the one, where the ladies go on an afternoon shopping spree to Fred Segal and create their own personal fragrances?

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If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Obama’s first day as president, how about stopping by a department store to pick up some free makeup?

Thanks to a class action lawsuit, nine beauty conglomerates are being forced to give away $175 million worth of cosmetics for one week starting today. So if you ever wanted to try Lancôme mascara or some Givenchy perfume without paying the hefty price tag, today’s your lucky day. Yes we can!

Stop by any Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue store and you are entitled to one free item from a list of twenty goodies. While the pickings are slim for the actual products that will be distributed, there are some gems to be found among the clutter. (more…)

Been dying to rock Rihanna’s pixie cut? Well, chop, chop. Now’s the time to surrender to the scissors—and for a great cause.

Marc Harris‘ Financial District salon is hosting a Locks of Love cut-a-thon on Monday, Jan. 12, from Noon-6 p.m., and they’ll be offering free haircuts to customers who wish to donate 10 inches or more of their mane to the organization.

Locks of Love is a non-profit that gives hairpieces to children who’ve lost their hair to chemotherapy or suffer from long term medical hair loss. All you have to do to help is make an appointment at the salon for Monday, and Marc Harris stylists will give you a complimentary crop that suits your style and face shape. They’ll even take care of the rest by preparing and shipping off your tresses to the foundation. (more…)

My hair has always been long and unmanageable. I’m notorious for going six months without a trim (because I hate when I ask for an inch off the ends, and suddenly four inches of my precious mane fall to the stylist’s floor).

But to maintain healthy tresses, you can’t just use an everyday conditioner. Here are my favorite treatments (and some not so good ones) that have helped (or hindered) my quest for lengthy locks. (more…)

Tuesday night, we primped and preened for the opening party for the new Mizu salon at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The local elite squad was out in full force, dressed to kill, and showing off their most fabulous fall numbers with the chic coifs to match.

Once through Mizu’s entrance, we tunneled into a bright white cavernous space that made us think of an Arctic igloo. Evocative of the Swedish Ice Hotel, the futuristic aesthetic and minimalist decor is like no other salon we’ve ever seen in town.

Mizu is the first of two new salons by Elan Sassoon—one here, and one in New York—and yes, he’s the son of Vidal Sassoon. He takes after dad, for sure. Reknowned architect Niall McLaughlin designed the place, which is equipped with incredible technology like eyewear that allows guests to watch TV while getting revamped in the stylist’s chair. As for the services, they offer cuts, color, and makeup application—all of which promise to compliment each customer’s bone structure and individual style. (more…)