Monday, April 9, 2012

Celebrity Hair: How Much Do Stars Spend?

Cute and classy and smart: Jennifer Aniston
Celebrities are in the business of looking glamorous.  One bad haircut, and it gets posted all over the internet, never to be completely forgotten.  With that kind of pressure, it's always fun to read articles on what the stars pay to keep their tresses looking camera ready at all times.  So BeautyRiot did some digging, then crunched the numbers, on what 10 famous women pay when they visit their favorite hair salons.  Prepare yourself: It adds up to YIKES!  You probably use the same dollar amount to make a morgage or car payment.
Source: BeautyRiot
Kim Kardashian
Salon Goodform Salon, LA
Cost: $385
Services: $150 color, $150 cut, $85 blowout
Katy Perry
Salon: Rita Hazon, NY
Cost: $425
Services: $300 double processed color, $125 cut
Amy Adams
Salon: Sally Hershberger Salon, LA 
Cost: $500
Services: color, cut and style
Emma Watson
Salon: Cutler Soho, NY
Cost: $500
Services: up to $300 highlights, $200 cut
Kate Hudson
Salon: Neil George Salon, LA
Costs: $650
Services: full highlights, cut, blowout
Reese Witherspoon
Salon: Prive Salon, LA
Cost: $700
Services: $450 full highlights, $250 cut
 
Jennifer Lopez
Salon: Oribe Salon, LA
Cost: $750
Services: $350 full highlights, $400 cut
Jennifer Aniston
Salon: Chris McMillian Salon, LA
Cost: $920
Services: $320 color, $600 cut
Anne Hathaway
Salon: Ted Gibson Salon, LA
Cost: $950
Services: $950 color, cut, style
Rihanna
Salon: Independent, LA
Cost: $1,990 per week
Services: color, cut, style (6 days/week)


Wow, is there anyone in Hollywood, young or old, who doesn't dye his or her hair?  Anyone???

Want to know more about expenses?  Take Jennifer Anison, who always looks spectacular with her glossy hair, flawless skin, toned body and perpetual tan.  But what does it cost to maintain?  According to BeautyRiot, it takes a lot of money to look like Jennifer Anison.  Here's their breakdown of what she spends each month to look that good:

Eyeshadow Lipstick 4 Hair Brush**************************************************************************
Hair: (cut, color, and products): $949.95 {As noted, Chris McMillan is her stylist.}
Skin care: (products and one facial): $891.95  {JA visits the Tracie Martyn Spa for Martyn's signature Red Carpet Facial, which is $450.}
Makeup: (products and artist's fee for one day): $4,402  {Angela Levin is JA's makeup artist}
Brows: $160  {JA visits Anastasia Soare to get her brows shaped.}
Spray tan: $90  {She goes to Ibiza Tanning Salon in West Hollywood.}
Fitness routine: $3,600  {Mandy Ingber is JA's yoga teacher. Aniston attends three, one-hour sessions per week, which are $300 an hour.}
Diet: $1,840  {She eats dietician Carrie Wiatt's pre-made meals.  Wiatt charges $300 for planning, and the meals are $685/week.}*
**********************************************************************

The monthly grand total comes to $11,933.90.  Without tips.  BeautyRiot estimated that Aniston's beauty routine rans about $141,037.97 per year.  Staggering ... yes, for the average person, but Jennifer Aniston works and can afford it, and it is fascinating!  The paparazzi are ruthless, so do you blame her?  What would you do?  Remember that she has to see Angelina Jolie's beautiful face plastered all over the tabloids everywhere she turns as well!  (That uber mama, globe trotting, do-gooder and a bad girl, siren too. Really, it's almost too much!)

Knowing what Jen spends on her hair alone makes me appreciate my hairdresser big time.  She is consistent, a percision haircutter ... and affordable.  No matter the length, or style, she gives me a perfect cut every time.  Plus, I have all her numbers, so short of leaving the country, she can never ditch me.  If you are looking, I'm happy to hook you up.  Because in-or-out of the public eye, we all want the same thing.  Good hair.

* A top editor who attends many Hollywood functions told me that just about every film star you can name smokes to keep his/her weight down.  I named a dozen actors/actresses, and the editor confirmed they were all smokers.

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Happy Easter This Sunday

This is the Easter card (by Marian Heath) I sent to my Mom.  Look at those beady eyes and wedged feet. Darling, right? 
Easter is the oldest and most important festival on the Christian calendar, celebrating the belief that Jesus rose from the dead.  Christians believe that good can defeat evil, and eternal life will overcome death.  In a nutshell, humankind was liberated from sin and darkness and returned to grace.  (The word "sin" as used in the New Testament, is translated from the Classical Greek word, "ἁμαρτία."  It means "to miss the mark.")  

Like Passover, Easter is not a fixed holiday. It falls between March 22 and April 25 on the first Sunday after the first full moon, following the northern spring equinox. According to Bede, a Medieval sourcebook, the word "Easter" is Old English from German.  It stems from "Eastre," the name of a pagan spring and fertility goddess.  Rooted in Judaism, Easter marked the beginning of a new Church with new traditions.
Spring is an ideal season to celebrate Easter since in nature it's a time of new beginnings ...
... for plants and cute little creatures all around us.  

Easter critters remind me of the time I crossed Central Park to find a baby duck.  It was a scorching afternoon.  Three strangers and I took turns holding the duck like an infant while we called rescue places and tried to figure out what to do?!?  The temperature was so hot we feared the duck would dehydrate, so we tried to get him to float in a pond, but the second we put him in the water, he climbed out and ran back to us.  Finally, we located an organization, which found the little fellow a home.  That baby duck would have died in the blistering sun.  Better to celebrate Easter by bringing home the chocolate variety.  

Enjoy the new season.  Happy Easter!  And Happy Passover!
Easter EggFlower Basket  Flowers 19  Flowers 6  Flowers 51  Flowers 46 Flowers 23 Flowers 17  Flowers 26   Easter Egg


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Friday, March 30, 2012

R.I.P. Earl Scruggs (1924 - 2012)

Earl Scruggs and Friends* play "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"

None of us will live forever;  and yet the loss of a great musician and human being is still very sad.  Earl Scruggs was a legend who helped define bluegrass music.  He died Wednesday of natural causes; he was 88 years old.  As fellow musician, Bela Fleck, said: “When Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe's [band] his playing propelled bluegrass to the level that we're still talking about it today. … His soulful quality came though.  It transcended the music.”
As Fleck explained, Earl Scruggs had great taste and technique.  He became known for “playing the banjo, using three fingers in a rotating fashion to create a fast rippling sound that had never been heard before.”  By alternating two finger picks and a thumb pick, "he could play as fast as he wanted.  This was an incredible leap.”

In addition to being a music pioneer and virtuoso “Banjoman,” Scruggs had great personal integrity, becoming one of the few bluegrass, or country artists to give public support to end the Vietnam War by playing his Grammy Award winning composition, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown" at a 1969 anti-war rally in Washington, D.C.  There is footage of the trip, as well as, his thoughts about the demonstration here.

He leaves behind three musician sons, Randy, Gary and Stevie, who held their own, while frequently sharing the stage with their famous father.  R.I.P. Mr. Earl Scruggs.

Playing in the top video are:
*Earl Scruggs-banjo, Glen Duncan-fiddle, Randy Scruggs-acoustic guitar, Steve Martin-2nd banjo solo,  Vince Gill-1st electric guitar solo, Marty Stuart-mandolin, Gary Scruggs-harmonica, Albert Lee-2nd electric guitar solo, Paul Shaffer-piano, Jerry Douglas-dobro, Leon Russell-organ, Glenn Worf-bass, Harry Stinson-drums

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Savor The Salt Of The Earth

Have you ever received a gift you love, but one you wouldn't have thought to buy yourself?  That in my opinion is a perfect gift, when a friend expands your horizons by introducing you to something special you paid little attention to before, or perhaps never knew existed.

My palate likes savory, but until a friend gave me a gourmet sea salt sampler, I never gave much thought as to how finishing salts can enhance the flavors of food.  As many five star restaurants know, the characteristics of salt go far beyond table (refined), sea (unrefined) and Kosher (coarse, no iodine).  Often salt -- a compound of sodium and chloride -- is a chef's best tool in creating mouthwatering dishes.

Williams-Somona has a delicious collection of exodic salts to try.  They include:

1. Haleakala red sea salt - Origin: Hawaii; has a nutty, sweet flavor. Use it on pork and fish. Great in Mexican cuisine, tomato soup and Bloody Marys too.
2. Kilauea black sea salt - Origin: Hawaii; has a smoky, sweet flavor. Gives seafood, baked potatoes and corn a charcoal grilled taste.
3. Australian pink salt - Origin: The Murray River, Australia; has a rich, delicate flavor. Use it on meat, seafood, vegetables and salads.
4. Cyrus flake sea salt - Origin: The Mediterranean; has a mild flavor. Complements salads, omlets and seafood.
5. Grey Flur de Sel French Sea SaltOrigin: Ile de Re, France; rich with minerals, has a clean, bold flavor. Great on steak and chicken.

Saltworks is another good place to order gourmet salt, as well as, to learn about the many varieties, textures and uses. (You can google them, if you like.)

Salt is essential in a diet.  Without salt you would die.  Too little results in an electrolyte imbalance in the body; and too much leads to health problems, such as high blood pressure and strokes.  According to many studies, the major source of sodium in Western diets is processed foods and snacks, not home cooked meals.  Just something to keep in mind.

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Friday, March 23, 2012

The Secret Sisters: Tomorrow Will Be Kinder

Without a doubt, Laura and Lydia Rogers, The Secret Sisters, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama will collect some major awards and honors in their music careers.  Here they sing their latest, “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder, a haunting song they wrote while on tour in Australia, after watching television coverage of the damage caused when tornadoes struck Alabama last April.  Locals lost everything and are still recovering.  This original song is included on the Hunger Games Soundtrack.  

Just in time for the Easter season, the song is about hope and optimism and human perseverance.Note

Black clouds are behind me
I now can see ahead
Often I wonder why I try
Hoping for an end

Sorrow weighs my shoulders down
And trouble haunts my mind
But I know the present will not last
And tomorrow will be kinder

Tomorrow will be kinder
It’s true, I’ve seen it before
A brighter day is coming my way
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder

Today I’ve cried a many tear
And pain is in my heart
Around me lies a somber scene
I don’t know where to start
But I feel warmth on my skin
The stars have all aligned
The wind has blown but now I know
That tomorrow will be kinder

Tomorrow will be kinder
I know I’ve seen it before
A brighter day is coming my way
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder

A brighter day is coming my way
Yes, tomorrow will be kinder






The studio version, and I predict you'll want to listen to the song again😁:




Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Today Show Finds Trench Coats For $100 or Less

A trench coat is a wardrobe essential.  When I see people replacing their heavy winter coats with a lighter trench coat, it starts to feel like Spring.  It's outerwear that travels well and looks smart.  Waterproof and layered enough to protect you from the chill of a strong wind, trench coats come in many styles including loose, belted and double-breasted.  They can be buttoned, zipped or snapped closed.  Understated or patterned, there is also an array of colors and embellishments.

I must give a shout out to the The Today Show for featuring 9 selections all $100 or less.  I will add two more retailers to their list, Lands' End – for unbeatable quality, style and prices for men, women and children.  Outerwear from LE is durable, multi-pocketed and usually machine washable too.  And London Fog, a company which has been making polished, affordable, well-made raincoats for over 60 years.

Treach coat, $100
BKE doubled coat, $90
Old Navy twill coat, $43
Black Rivet army coat, $90
Wallis cotton coat, $70
Bubble coat, $50
Black Rivet trench coat, $50
Chiffon trench coat, $70
Gap coat, $80

Thank you to the Today Show.  Wilsons Leather is a nice discovery.  Trench coats are so practical, you can wear them nearly all year around.

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