Nail polish has become the newest outlet for today’s modern woman to express her passions and sense of style. Some go for a more subtle look, while others see their nails as an empty canvas. The trends for the spring of 2010 are more varied than ever, they consist of both mattes and crème shades from all color of the rainbow.  This season will certainly give all women a chance to flaunt their new shades and convey who they are. That being said, let’s all make appointments with our favorite salon or pick our favorite comfy chair and get these nails back into shape.

Now the real task is at hand, where will you be heading for your next spring shade? Plan to go and purchase a polish from your local salon, or hunt down the most unique color you could ever find at the beauty supply store near you? Give us the details.

Do you prefer dramatic makeup or just a natural glow?

Amanda Seyfried usually goes for a natural look, but in the cover of Glamour magazine she has on much more dramatice eye makeup. I think that her lashes really make her eyes pop. At the Oscars, Amanda was once again radiant in her usual natural, sheek way.

What do you think? Does Amanda look better with natural or dramatic makeup?

 ~Andrea~

Andrea is a current college student and marketing intern at e.l.f. cosmetics. She is an avid fashion lover and is always up to date on the most fabulous trends and stories. 

Do you think that updo’s are classier than wearing your hair down?

At this year’s Oscars many starlets dared to wear their locks down, and for many of them that scored them best hair recognition. Sandra Bullock wore her hair down in a deepside part, drifting away completely from the usual pulled back updo.

Others, like Tina Fey, Jennifer Lopez, and Anna Kendrick decided to go with a nontraditional updo. Tina Fey had a half-up style that was wavy and truly beautiful. Jennifer Lopez dared to sport a messy bun style with some bright blonde streaks. Anna Kendrick wore her hair up, but had loose waves coming down from the front.

Some stars used their hair to compliment their bold makeup choices, and if you ask me, hair and makeup have to come in perfect harmony. Cameron Diaz’s blonde hair was parted into soft-swept waves that complimented her bright red-orange lipstick. Queen Latifah chose a sleek updo that made everyone’s eyes focus directly on her smoky eyes and flawless skin.

I personally love the waves that Cameron Diaz wore down but all of these women looked absolutely gorgeous in their unique hairstyle choice and in many cases the hair pulled the complete look together.

I follow a certain routine when I’m getting ready for a night out.

It starts with a full-service shower: shaving, full body exfoliating and, of course, shampooing and conditioning my hair. And when I get out of the shower, I usually find that my husband has left me a little present on the counter. A cocktail of some sort, usually made with vodka, club soda and pomegranate juice (got to have those anti-oxidants). If he is feeling particularly generous, he might leave me a martini. Either way, I’m off to a good start.

I pop in my contacts, put on my foundation and blow dry my hair. Then the real fun begins. I start playing some music. And I find that I tailor the music that I am listening to depending on what I’m getting ready to go do. Going to a big party needs something rowdy like Adam Lambert’s “If I Had You” (I’m a big fan regardless of what others think. Love his music) or C+ C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat”. Going out with the girls requires Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. And then going out to dinner with friends would require something a little more toned down. Maybe a little jazz like Terell Stafford’s “Blues for JT” or Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now”.

You get the idea.

(I actually think music makes doing a lot of things better. I also listen to it when I’m cleaning the house. Some classic rock like Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones.)

Once the music gets going, I get going. Getting ready is more fun, is easier and I tend to finish up faster. In no time at all, I pick out my clothes, put on my makeup, accessorize, finish my cocktail and then head downstairs where my husband is waiting to tell me how great I look. And to ask me what took me so long. Guess I’m not as fast as I thought.

Then out the door and on to yet another fun evening! I love a good night out.

What’s your getting ready to go out routine?

Jen Cullen is a 40-something pseudo housewife, divorced and re-married with 2 kids, one stepdaughter and no pets. She writes Life’s Dewlaps: Musings From An Underused Brain (http://lifesdewlaps.blogspot.com) where she unburdens herself of the many thoughts in her head. It’s not as ominous as it sounds but she likes to explore random topics ranging from using at-home hair color and playing baseball with her son to taking Milk Thistle to prevent hangovers and using arousal gel.

Britney Spears’ new Candie’s ads have just been officially released. I personally love them and think she looks amazing.

I love her new haircut and her adorable personality.

 Have you seen them? What do you think?

If you're looking to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, there are a few tried and true items that you can use to help the process along. Look for products that contain coco butter for lighter lines, or Retin-A for darker lines. You may also try Dermabrasion or use HD Illuminating Plasma Crystals to remove color discoloration.

Retinal, in general goes deeper and really slofs off skin.  A darker line is usually a deeper line (most women see them as darker and not deeper).  Use a recovery crème (like mine) on top of the retinal as you want to minimize skin irritation while it helps repair the look and depth of the line.  Natural mineral exfoliators, line diamonds when they are tumbled (like a rock) otherwise spherical beads will dislodge debris and dirt without staying in the pore.  They roll in and out easily.  They are not jagged like apricot seed, olive or walnut husks which can micro-cut your skin and possibly leave debris on skin even after you rinse with water.

Hmmm?  I know everyone has been waitting for more Heidi Montag post surgery...so is this funny or not?

After rocky ratings for moving the show from Bravo to Lifetime and from NYC to L.A., Project Runway has returned to New York City for their 7th season. They still haven’t seen the ratings they once did and in efforts to fix this they keep bringing in guest judges such as Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie. They have also created a spin-off, Models of the Runway in which we learn about the models from the show. They are now releasing a video game for the Nintendo Wii in which Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia will be featured.

I personally love Project Runway and would love to have it come back for more seasons. How do you feel about it?

Do you absolutely love to stand out from the crowd? Ever wonder where to get headpieces like Gossip Girl Blair and Carrie Bradshaw? Well look no more, Patricia Fox has one-of- a-kind headpieces that will make heads turn.

Patricia Fox is a New York based interior designer. She also has a line of extremely unique head pieces that are guaranteed to make anyone stand out. Katy Perry, known for her eccentric fashion taste, wore one of these head pieces for her MTV Unplugged album cover. Katy looked absolutely gorgeous and Patricia Fox’s headpiece made Katy look sophisticated in her own edgy way. If you like dazzling unique fashion I would definitely check out Patricia Fox’s website.

I love unique hair accessories… How important is this to you when pulling together your wardrobe?

There has been much talk in the fashion industry about photo shopping pictures of celebrities. Demi Moore got much attention about her W Magazine cover where she had a “missing hip.” Demi as well as other celebrities such as Mariah Carey and Jessica Simpson have denied ever being retouched.

It’s not a secret that most models and celebrities are touched up on their pictures, so why deny it?

Hydrating the skin from the inside out is one key component to preventing or even reversing the signs of cellulite. A great start is to strengthen blood vessels, as well as support the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin. In addition to staying hydrated and drinking enough water, consider supplementing your diet with certain nutrients that are particularly effective in the fight against cellulite such as grape seed extract, glucosamine sulfate and gotu kola.

The Jersey Shore cast has been seen everywhere from the east coast to the west coast. The cast have received various sophisticated makeovers and Inside Edition dared to trade Snookie’s infamous hair puff for a slick back ponytail. There was large debate about letting the cast into high end designer shows at fashion week because many designers felt that having them there would only bring negative attention to their shows. Do you feel that the shore cast could become more “refined” or do you think that their “trashy” image will forever follow them?