The Health And Safety Lowdown On 4 Common Hair Products

2014 April 8. | Szerző:

With all the hair care products available, consumers can easily become entangled in their choices. Some products promise to be gentler on hair, while others offer thickening or smoothing solutions, but not all of these claims are scientifically based.


Despite their uplifting promises, some products can be just a waste of money, and some can actually damage the hair, said Dr. Nicole Rogers, an assistant professor of dermatology at Tulane University in New Orleans.


Here are some tips to help you decide which hair care products to buy, as well as the lowdown on the science of some commonly touted ingredients.


Are sulfate-free shampoos really better?


Sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate are two of the most common shampoo ingredients. These chemicals are what make shampoos turn into a thick lather in the shower, which removes dirt and debris from hair.


Recently, sulfates have come under attack for being harsh on the hair by removing natural oils, causing frizziness and damage to dyed hair. Now, many products bear a “sulfate-free” label, and these are often more expensive than their counterparts.


However, Rogers said there is no scientific evidence that sulfate-free shampoos are gentler on the hair than shampoos that contain sulfate.


Similarly, no scientific data supports marketing claims that some sulfate-free shampoos extend the life of hair color or keratin treatments, Rogers said.


It is possible that some people, particularly those with the skin condition eczema, are sensitive to sulfates. There have been a few reports linking sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate to contact dermatitis in some people. For these people, sulfate-free shampoos can be beneficial, Rogers said.


Are keratin treatments safe?


Keratin treatments are touted for their ability to smooth and straighten hair, turning the tightest curls into silky threads, with an effect lasting up to five months.


However, in addition to keratin, these products contain the dangerous chemical formaldehyde, often exceeding the concentrations permitted in Canada and European countries. Keratin treatment products have also been cited numerous times by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for using higher levels of formaldehyde than are allowed in the United States.


Formaldehyde can harm the eyes, lungs and nasal passages, Rogers said. The chemical is also thought to be a carcinogen.


Moreover, there is no data showing that keratin treatments can strengthen the hair. Rather, the high-heat flat irons needed to seal the formaldehyde into the hair shaft can cause long-term damage to the hair, Rogers said.


Are hair-thickening products safe?


Products marketed as hair thickeners temporarily coat the hair shaft to make hair look thicker, but they cannot change the natural density of hair. The thickening effect will only last until the hair is washed.


Rogers said that these products are very safe, and advised consumers to look for hair-thickening products that contain hydrolyzed keratin or dimethicone, which coat the hair shaft to make hair appear thicker.


Some hair-thickening products now being marketed also contain the drug minoxidil, which can boost the density of thinning hair and create noticeably thicker hair. Minoxidil is the only topical medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to regrow hair and slow future hair loss, Rogers said.


Should heat protectants be used when blow drying?


Heat from hair dryers, flat irons or curling irons can be very damaging to hair, and cause a condition that dermatologists call bubble hair: When the water in the hair is heated and turns to steam, it causes bubbles to form within the hair shaft. The result is brittle hair, with frizzy ends.


To counteract the effects of heat, Rogers recommended using a heat protectant before applying any heat to the hair. These products are sprayed or applied onto the hair, and contain protective polymers and silicones that insulate hair from heat.


Also, it is better to use the lowest temperature settings on hair dryers, and use heat as little as necessary and for the shortest time possible, Rogers said.


For hair already damaged by heat, moisturizing the hair regularly can help reduce the appearance of heat damage, but it cannot repair the hair, Rogers said. Cutting damaged hair, and allowing healthy hair to regrow, can also improve your locks’ appearance.


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Organic beauty, spa products are a rage

2014 March 28. | Szerző:

Where in today’s world, people prefer to have an organic lifestyle, it is finding an entry in cosmetics’ as well


The term ‘organic’ can mean so many different things, from carbon compounds to fundamental laws. Now- with the times where people are getting more and more conscious about their health and lifestyles, they are preferring to move towards ‘organic living’- which includes- consumption of products which are safer for all living things, pro-environment and healthier and maintain ecological balance too. It refers to using the products made out of totally made sans the use of chemicals. Be it food, fabrics or cosmetics- organic products are catching up popularity.


There is one more aspect to going organic — usage of organic cosmetics, beauty and spa treatments. Interestingly, this is a sector wherein the preference for usage of natural products was always high in demand. It is just in the case where people need a quick treatment, they prefer chemical based treatments. Otherwise, higher emphasis of all the beauty treatments as well as hair treatments is towards usage of herbal and natural ingredients in the beauty products. Like for facials, home-care products, spa and salon regulars always prefer herbal products. Similar is for spa treatments where we have sea-based minerals, sea weed, algae products- these are all 100% natural. It is undoubtedly preferred as they are eco-friendly and show good results on long term-basis on your skin and hair. It seems like surely the chemical-free products are finding more and more takers day by day. And why not?


When the side effects are almost zilch, beauty is going ‘organic way’!


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The Detox Diet Fad :: Is it for you?

2014 February 14. | Szerző:

The detox diet is all the rage right now. Detoxing, or cleansing, is supposed to rid the body of toxins, clear out the digestive tract, and sort of reset the system. Thought to be good for the skin, the colon, the blood, and, of course, as a means of weight loss.


Here’s the real deal on detox, though. The thing you don’t often hear. You have to choose the right detox diet for YOU. Yep, as with so many other things in life, this is not one size fits all.


How do I know? I took on a detox this week. I’ve been working out like crazy, really watching what I eat since the first of the year, and just haven’t seen as much of a difference in how I look as I’d like. I was so focused on my stomach not being perfectly flat and thinking about how I looked that I forgot to think about how my body felt.


Well, the detox brought my attention to that in a great big hurry.


So I took on the 3 Day Cleanse from The Plan author Lyn-Genet Recitas. Looks simple enough, you get to eat so you won’t be starving, and c’mon, it’s 3 days! Since I am not at all a picky eater and love my veg, I thought it would be a breeze. Honestly I was more concerned with having to prepare extra food than the actual eating of it.


Until I started eating it. The first day was ok. I was definitely full, not particularly satisfied, but for sure thought I’d have no problem getting through 2 more days of it. Until right around lunch time of day 2, that is. After my second lunch in two days of husky greens with chickpeas, cucumbers and lime juice vinaigrette, I felt sick to my stomach, had a headache, and the thought of eating more ultra fibrous veg for dinner made me want to vomit. I decided I would just skip dinner and look forward to day 3, when I could have a few crackers and a little chicken.


By around 3:00 the afternoon of day 2 I’d decided I didn’t need a detox anyway, like a smoker convincing themself that a cig isn’t really that bad. Detox ditched.


Rather than feeling light and free and happy, I spent the next two days getting my digestion back on track, battling a raging sweet tooth that hadn’t made an appearance in a while, and feeling (and looking!) downright exhausted.


Here’s my take away on detoxing. Be sure that the detox works for your body, your system, your individual makeup. You know your body. If you need warm foods, don’t do a raw food cleanse. If you are an eater, avoid juice cleansing. There are lots of different detox diets out there, choose the one that feels right. Detox can even mean eliminating refined sugar or cutting back on caffeine.


Bottom line is this; I had a good thing going with my style of healthy eating and regular exercise. Even though I was not seeing radical results, I felt great and am in reasonable shape. The whole detox thing really threw me off track. Don’t go with the fad or what works for someone else. Do what makes you and your body feel good.


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Pimple After Shaving: Home Remedies

2014 January 7. | Szerző:

Shaving is one of the basic grooming essentials a man has to follow. A man would look unclean and go unrecognised if he goes out without shaving for more than 3-5 days. That is why, a man has to shave whenever required. ADVERTISEMENT Shaving however causes some skin problems like skin irritation, razor cuts and burns and red bumps. Some men complain of getting acne or red pimples the next day after shaving. Well, this is not an unusual skin problem which only you face. There are a lot of men who get acne or pimple one day after shaving.


Well, the small red balls are not actually pimples. It is the ingrown hair or the body’s reaction to the injury of shaving. Do not treat it by squeezing or pricking. This can leave permanent marks behind so, always be careful if you suffer from pimple after shaving. Here are some simple remedies to treat pimples after shaving.


Home Remedies For Pimples After Shaving:


1. Use a good quality razor. Make sure you do not use the same razor after 4-5 shaves. Always clean the razor well and dry the blades after washing.


2. There are a lot of people who use electric razors to save time. Moreover, these razors make shaving an easy grooming task. If you are using an electric razor, then make sure you change the blade after 2-3 shaves. However, it is advisable to use a new single-blade razor every time you shave.


Pimple After Shaving: Home Remedies

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3. Avoid using double and triple-edge blades. It pulls out the hair from the follicle which is actually below the epidermis. As the hair finds it difficult to grow out, it can lead to pimples and inflammation.


4. One of the home remedies to reduce pimples that pop up after shaving is, apply rubbing alcohol. You can either apply some aftershave as ti contains alcohol which can reduce the chances of getting red bumps and pimples after shaving.


5. Applying ice cubes on the pimple can be a relief. This is a simple home remedy to treat pimples after shaving. Rubbing ice cubes is also a remedy for other skin problems that can occur after shaving like razor cuts or burns.


6. Exfoliating before shaving is one of the ways to prevent pimples that can pop up after shaving.


7. Always shave in the downward style. Shave down instead of coming up from the neck. This will prevent skin rashes and razor bumps.


8. To prevent pimples or razor bumps after shaving, it is best to rinse the face with warm water. This dilate your blood vessels and bring more blood to the area that you are about to shave. That is why, shaving in hot shower is always considered best!


Try these remedies to reduce pimples after shaving.

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For a healthy and lustrous mane

2013 December 23. | Szerző:

For brides-to-be, even the most dazzling and stunning outfits will not have the desired effect if their tresses are dull and lifeless. Read on to know what you can do to keep your hair shining and radiant on your D-Day.


Dry hair. Dull hair. Overly curly and unmanageable hair. Oily hair. Dandruff. Hair fall. These are the problems you want to get rid of before your wedding date draws closer, if you wish to have smooth and shiny hair. And like Rome wasn’t built in a day, you cannot expect to relieve yourself of these problems if you wait till the eleventh hour.


While women with normal hair can begin tending to their hair a month before, those battling hair fall and dandruff need to start preparing well in advance to get best results, say doctors and hair specialists.


“Dandruff and hair fall necessitate specific treatments, targeting the causal factor so that problem is curbed, and this takes time. Hence, it is advisable for such women to start hair care regimes 3-4 months before the wedding,” says cosmetic dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad. “Hair vitamins like biotin, amino acid supplements are prescribed. For application, hair serums that contain plant extracts like cysteine and methionine, nourish and give a shine to the hair,” she adds. She also says that dandruff is treated according to its type. For an oily scalp, dandruff ketaconazole shampoo and anti-fungal tablets work well whereas for a dry scalp dandruff, the treatment is application based.


Many brides-to-be opt for salon treatments to make their manes wedding-ready. However, even this calls for an early appointment with the salon expert. Monaz Cooper of Kamal’s salon has lengthy consultation with clients who will be tying the knot in order to understand their lifestyle that comprises their eating, working and sleeping habits. All these differ from person to person and have an impact on the hair.


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“It is thus important to know your client so that you can recommend the right kind of treatment. For instance, L’Oréal has come up with the Mythic Oil ritual that is best suited to treat dry and frizzy hair as it cleanses the root and nourishes the ends. Even highly curly hair can be tamed with the right shampoo and mask used over a period of minimum four sittings,” Cooper explains.


If you want to sport a new hairstyle, it is safe to go for it two months in advance to make sure you get comfortable with it. This will also make it easier to choose the hairdo that suits your new style.


Home remedies will always be a part of beauty regimes and you can easily whip up natural ingredients for hair wash and conditioning. “Make a paste out of hibiscus leaves and aritha or reetha (soap nut) to wash your hair. Following this you can apply a conditioner made of olive or almond oil and a spoon of fresh aloevera extract,” suggests Dr Sharad.


The most important, however is the diet intake, she says. As much as external care, consumption of protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken and walnuts that have high omega 3 fatty acids, will ensure that the hair gets the required nourishment.


So, make sure you pamper your hair well before the wedding and make heads turn your way!

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Is this the beginning of the end for the Brazilian?

2013 December 5. | Szerző:

It’s a line that’s been touted in several breathless news reports in recent years, but a new survey indicates that women are casting aside the razors and wax strips and investing in a pair of trimming scissors, if anything – that’s right, the bush is back!


Those born after 1990 could be forgiven for thinking the Brazilian is and has always been the only choice for pubic hair maintenance. But a potentially harrowing conversation with their parents might convince them otherwise. In fact, this 32-year-old writer remembers being a young lad transfixed by an ill-gotten Penthouse pictorial featuring a woman bereft of pubic hair. The black-and-white images featuring such a stark lack of pubic hair were so rare the spread was passed off as edgy, experimental art.


And it appears, after several decades where this has become the norm, that we are currently experiencing a renaissance.


Online pharmacy UK Medix conducted a poll regarding the grooming habits of 1,870 women. An astonishing – if post-2000 porn would have us believe – 51 per cent of participants said that they do not “style or groom their pubic hair.” The best part? Forty-five per cent responded that they used to wax but could “no longer be bothered to keep up the grooming”. Preach.


The hysteria surrounding public discussion of women’s pubic hair and its maintenance – men seem free to grow as many grey, straggly hairs as they desire, no matter how many times the word ‘metrosexual’ is bandied about – hit fever pitch in April when Gwyneth Paltrow spoke of the attention she received after joking that she works a “’70s vibe” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Appearing on the show again last week, Paltrow said the proliferation of news articles was such that her brother-in-law, Al Martin, had pleaded with her not kick-start a trend.


Hot wax treatment

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“Apparently this was in a lot of newspapers,” she said. “I knew it had permeated when my brother in-law said to me like, ‘I hope you’re not going to, like, bring back big bush.'”


Martin might be one of a dwindling number of men who prefer their lovers sans hair, however; of the poll respondents 62 per cent revealed that their partner “prefers the natural look.”


The renewed push for bush received more attention last month when creative agency Mother London launched a crowd-sourced photographic series titled Project Bush. Their website described the campaign as “a call to action for women to stand up to the pressures of modern society and present their bushes in all their glory. Whether waxed or never tended, young, old, black, brown or white, we want to display London’s lady gardens in all their variety, and demonstrate the choice that many young women – particularly – may not realise they have when it comes to waxing.”


Rather than shame women who decide to go the full Monty, those behind the campaign say it’s about choice and that waxing has become so mainstream that many young women don’t even realise they have options. The project culminated in a major public exhibition that was intended to ignite debate.


“The women who were photographed came in for different reasons,” said Project Bush photographer Alisa Connan. “A very small percentage were completely comfortable with stripping off, the majority were nervous and then full of energy afterwards. And they all had different reasons – some were concerned about how the media portrays women in general, others were concerned about the world their daughters were growing up in. Most thought: ‘This is one small thing that we can do.'”

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5 Best Hats for Girls with Short Hair

2013 November 20. | Szerző:

It’s cold outside, so you may want to think of protecting yourself against flu or cold. And what better ways than accessorizing your outfit with a stylish hat that will compliment your short hair? Here are 5 best hats for girls with short hair.


How to Wear a Hat with Short Hair: The Beret


If you want to find out how to wear a hat with short hair, you should try a beret. This fashionable hat will frame your face beautifully and will give a fresh French twist to your entire apparel. Pair this stylish hat for women with straight blunt bangs and short tresses and get ready for a stroll on Champs Élysées.


Winter Hats for Girls with Short Hair: The Knit Beanie


The knit beanie is one of the most comfortable winter hats for girls with short hair. This fashionable item will keep you warm during long winter days and will prevent hair damage. So, why is the knit beanie one of the best hats for short hair girls? Because it’s very easy to wear and you can mix it with a knitted sweater, a pair of leather boots and a chic knitted scarf.


Stylish Hats for Women with Short Hair: The Floppy


Chic Hat For Girls With Short Hair

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One of the most stylish hats for women is the floppy one. This gorgeous and elegant hat will help you protect your short locks against cold temperatures. Moreover, you should also pick a floppy hat if you have an oblong face as it will help you make it appear shorter. And what would you say about matching one of the most stylish hats for women with a pencil skirt and a wool coat? Are you ready to stand out from the crowd?


Great Stylish Hat for Women: The Bowler


You won’t regret wearing one of the most stylish hats for women with short hair: the bowler with a short brim. Also called the derby hat, this fashion item was firstly introduced back in the 1850s. Since then, it has become very popular among those searching for the best hats styles for short hair. Wear it with textured hair and you’ll look amazing. Choose a bold lipstick to match your ensemble and your good to go.


Best Hat for Short Hair Girls: The Newsboy


Are you more of a tomboy and are you attracted by androgynous outfits? Then you should start wearing the newsboy hat. This is one of the greatest hats styles for short hair because it gives you the chance to play a little with your tomboyish side and explore fashion. If you’re asking yourself how to wear a hat with short hair, check it out! Cover your short tresses with this newsboy hat and you’ll draw the entire attention towards your eyes.

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A Fake Redhead’s Guide To Fake Red Hair Maintenance

2013 November 13. | Szerző:

I’ve been a fake redhead since I was 17. The drastic color change brought loads of new feelings into my life and I haven’t been able to switch palettes since.


Red hair has become synonymous with me — you know how in reality TV, everybody has one characteristic? Mine would be Red Hair and Glasses.


And while I’ll never go back to mousy brown color again, I have been debating switching over to the blonde. But right now, I’m sticking with fake ging. And I’ve learned quite a bit about maintaining and working with all sorts of different shades and colors during my three-year tenure. Allow me to explain.


Living With & Loving The Inevitable Fade


Maintaining truly ginger-esque hair is a hassle because the color fades faster than any other. I used to let my red/auburn hair fade out over a period of around five weeks. It was lighter and more orange ginger than red ginger — people told me it looked super natural!


I actually liked the faded orange-y color more than the red. If you, too, want a quick fade after you’ve dyed your hair too bright or just like it that way, try Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. It’s a great color stripper and smells like babies would. I just want to smell like your babies, OK?!


The Perfect Cherry Red


I’ve never managed to get perfectly cherry, cherry hair, but I did my best. Like I said, red fades the most and the fastest of all dyed colors, so keeping vibrant hair going can be a struggle. I’ve managed to stretch my brightness out for several months at a time (not counting my roots, which are super slow-growing).


Keep in mind, though, that after three years as a redhead and constant dyes and touch-ups, my hair is completely soaked in red. Anyway. Ice Cream by Ineybra is the best drugstore brand for hair coloring stuff. I never buy fancy hair stuff at Sephora or salons, but I should start, because I want to amp up the softness in my hair.



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Inebrya’s Ice Cream Kromask in Cherry Red is amazing for maintaining vibrant red — slather it onto freshly washed & towel-dried hair, leave it for about 5-10 minutes, and then wash out. Please wear gloves! This is basically cream dye and it will seep into your skin and you will have horrible red rash hands for a week if you don’t. TRUST ME. I would do it about once or twice a week.


Another way I keep my color is by throwing a dab of the mask into my shampoo (currently using Vidal Sassoon’s color protection shampoo) and conditioner (currently using dollar store Herbal Essences. Shut up). That way, I don’t have to go through the hassle of doing the mask, and I still get the color-amplifying benefits.


So You Want Plum?


Whenever I use John Frida’s Precision Foam (3VR, “Deep Cherry Brown”) dye, I end up getting a very dark, purple-y color that ends up fading to red/reddish purple over time.


I’ve found that I actually kind of enjoy the plum shades, so here’s how to play it up: First, get an actual plum dye if you want a more concrete color instead of a messy fade. To keep my hair bright and colorful and different, I throw a couple dabs of Hot Hot Pink Manic Panic into my shampoo. It gives it some depth.


The Resting State: Auburn


Most of the time my hair is somewhere between cherry red and auburn — brighter than most natural redheads, but not blood-red enough to be Cat Valentine [ed note from Abby: For non-youngs like me, Cat Valentine is the red-headed character Ariana Grande plays on “Victorious.” I had to Google it. Though I proudly (?) knew who Ariana was.]


During these phases my upkeep is much the same as I mentioned earlier, except I don’t actually use the Ice Cream hair mask. I just add a few globs of pink/red dye in my shampoo to lightly brighten the color without overpowering it with SUPER RED.


The dye I use most often is Nice n’ Easy 6R. It provides good coverage, a nice color and an easy fade into ginger. However, I’ve tried others in my quest for the “Perfect Red” and most have disappointed me. The John Frieda dye I’ve mentioned is really good for dark color, but it fades relatively easily without constant care and upkeep. I’m really excited about the new L’Oreal mousse dye — it comes in a reusable container so you can touch up your roots, and the colors available are pretty fabulous.


The photos you see are of my current red color, which hasn’t been touched up in two months. The first month I used my pink-infused shampoo and lately I’ve been using the Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo in an attempt to strip out the color to make bleaching easier.


Don’t judge me — I’m lazy and broke! Although, I’m rethinking it a little now — kinda want the plum back.


I love my red hair. Like my glasses, I’ve had red hair for long enough that I don’t know who I am without it. But a part of me is always longing for change. Maybe it’s because I get jittery sitting still for too long, or because I can sometimes be a huge commitment-phobe. Or maybe it’s because when the going gets tough, I run away and download music from 2006 and do stupid things to my hair.

Mad Men Makeup: Lead Makeup Artist Lana Horochowski Shares Her Secrets

2013 November 5. | Szerző:

Loving the makeup from Mad Men? The show is a fabulous beauty throwback to hair and makeup of days gone by. But with the retro makeup trend in full swing, we were delighted to get some additional insight on these old school styles directly from a pro. Lead Makeup Artist for Mad Men, Lana Horochowski, shared a few of her favorite looks and what it takes to create the time capsule magic for the hit TV show with BeautyPress. Read on to learn about her most beloved character, where she finds inspiration, and what beauty brands she uses. Click through the slideshow for a few of the images from this oh-so-chic era.


So Lana, what kind of brands do you use on the set of Mad Men?


We use KohGenDo a great Japanese line, NARS velvet matte lipsticks, Tom Ford, and MAC.


What kind of research did you do to get inspired to create 1960’s looks?


We ordered so many fashion and vintage magazines. Like when we had to prepare looks from 1968, I ordered the entire year of 1968 Vogue. I would observe the cosmetic advertisements. Those are the most telling of how women were wearing makeup at that time.


Just out of curiosity, who’s your favorite character from Mad Men and where does their cosmetic transformation come from?


Peggy is my favorite. Peggy comes from a religious family, she moved up in a man’s world really quickly. Peggy never learned how to put makeup on, so she’s learning. That’s why her makeup always looks a bit off. Like when I saw an advertisement from the time era for this makeup palette with various different colors, I thought Peggy would totally use all of these colors at once trying to look the best she can.


Mad Men

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So what’s it like getting everyone ready to film? How long does it take to apply the makeup on set before shooting?


For the girls, they’re usually done in an hour and a half to two hours. The guys are fast, 45 minutes and they are ready.


What’s your favorite look from the 1950’s?


There’s nothing more perfect than a matte red lip with a full brow. So clean, simple, and timeless.


Can you explain what goes behind Pete’s receding hairline?


Pete gets shaved every day, sometimes a couple times a day. Then we paint out the shadow that is still left on the head. His head gets shaved with an actual blade to get a really close shave. Whenever it’s time to shave Pete’s head we yell “SHAVING!” and everyone just clenches tight until we’re done. It takes around 40 minutes to get Pete’s shaved head perfect.

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Where is the world’s true beauty?

2013 October 25. | Szerző:

I am on a hunt to find the most beautiful woman in the world. She’s lurking out there somewhere. I just know it.


My quest began when, earlier this year, People magazine declared Gwyneth Paltrow to be the most beautiful woman in the world, circa 2013. I have reservations about this choice.


Paltrow is unquestionably beautiful. But her strenuous efforts to achieve perfection – thrashing around a gym morning noon and night with celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson and eating nothing but plankton and kale juice – leave us all shrieking, “What would she look like if you took away her battery of Pilates gurus and aura cleansers?”


I’d argue that in order to be crowned the most beautiful woman in the world, you should be living your life full-throttle à la Liz Taylor – more on her in a moment – rather than tormenting yourself with some deranged, ascetic self-maintenance regimen.


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Watching the cadaverous models parade down the runways of New York’s recent Fashion Week, I found myself wondering whether one of these gals – a lissome Latvian, an elongated Estonian – might not be the most beautiful woman in the world, or MBWITW. A fashion runway seems, on the face of it, like an OK place to look.


But the most beautiful woman in the world should also have a cheeky demeanour and a decent rack. Sadly, these two attributes were in short supply.


Our cultural fixation on the identity and whereabouts of the MBWITW has been going on for a while. Helen of Troy was the first groovy chick to win the title. She was very unusual because she used her beauty to launch ships. This was a first, and a last. None of Helen’s successors showed any maritime aspirations. Instead they cashed in their God-given attributes to acquire shoes and jewellery.


After Helen, there was a bit of a lull. In the Middle Ages people were too busy trying not get burnt at the stake or eaten by wolves to spend much time worrying about beauty. Things perked up in the late 18th century.


Enter Pauline Bonaparte. There is no celeb today who is as horny, outrageous, or spendaholic as Napoleon Bonaparte’s gorgeous sister. Pauline was a walking, talking, shagging, shopping, drop-dead gorgeous tour-de-force. She makes Kim Kardashian look like Anne of Green Gables.


In August 1803 she hit the mother lode and married Prince Camillo Borghese. She moved into the Borghese Palace in Rome and swanned about in transparent frocks striking Grecian attitudes. A marble replica of Pauline adorns the Villa Borghese, giving woodies to visiting males to this very day.


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After Pauline kicked the bucket there were a bunch of wars which caused another lull. This one lasted until lasted until the 1950s. Enter Elizabeth Taylor. Everyone was in the thrall of that violet-eyed, bejewelled, hooch-guzzlin’ brunette. (Everyone except Debbie Reynolds, whose husband, Eddie Fisher, ditched her for the MBWITW.)


After Liz, things sped up radically and the MBWITW came thick and fast. Enter the C-words: Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, and Catherine Deneuve. These sultry soubrettes were mute most of the time but when they spoke it was with a mysterious foreign accent.


Europe was definitely having a MBWITW moment. Scandinavia too. Remember Nina Van Pallandt? Frequently touted as the MBWITW, Nina was one half of the folk duo Nina and Frederick. The fact that the most beautiful woman in the world hailed from the out-of-it world of folk music is proof-positive that the MBWITW might be lurking absolutely anywhere.


Enter Shakira Baksh. In 1967, the gorgeous Guyanese partook in the Miss World contest and the most beautiful woman in the (OK, Western) world was finally a woman of colour. She placed third, which was an outrage since it was quite clear to everyone that La Baksh was the MBWITW. Michael Caine agreed. He tracked her down and married her, and they have been together since.


In the ’70s we were deluged with blondes like Margaux Hemingway, Farrah Fawcett, Cheryl Tiegs, and Patti Hansen but nobody was buying it. Black was beautiful, and so was Latin: Diana Ross, Raquel Welch, Beverly Johnson, Pat Cleveland, Iman, and Bianca Jagger were clearly the most beautiful women at Studio 54 and beyond.


When the ’80s rolled around, Studio 54 closed, leaving the field wide open. In swooped lots of TV-star contenders with big shoulder pads, including Linda Gray, Diahann Carroll, Catherine Oxenberg, and Victoria Principal.


My vote for the MBWITW of the ’80s? Nastassja Kinski, star of Tess and One From the Heart. Remember Avedon’s snake photo? Case closed.


In the ’90s we suddenly had beautiful women coming out of our asses: Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss. The most beautiful? Naomi Campbell. And she’s still got it. During the recent fashion week, she appeared on the Diane Von Furstenberg catwalk – it was a dramatic, unexpected, the-bitch-is-back denouement – and put those pale Ukrainian chippies to shame.


Which brings us right up to date: Today those glamazon models have been replaced by the aforementioned dour, flat-chested, catwalkers. As a result our focus has shifted back to those plankton-guzzling movie stars. It is impossible for us, with our red-carpet obsession, to think that the most beautiful woman in the world might be anything other than an A-lister. Which means we are back in the 1950s, minus the decadent sizzle.


I think we can all agree that it’s time to look beyond the red carpet. No disrespect to Gwynnie and her mugwort muffins, but I feel that the real MBWITW is still out there, skipping about in some improbable location, uncrowned and unfeted.


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