MTV VMA style: Kristin's long pony

Normally, I'd think long ponytails are cheesy and tacky-looking, but I really really love this look on Kristin Cavallari at the VMAs. I'm pretty sure there's some hair extension action going on in there, but she manages to make it look sleek and pretty.

I might, MIGHT, just be inspired to buy hair extensions just so I too could pull this off. However, I fear I may come off more street-walkerish than red carpet-ready.

What's your take on extensions? I have a major history with them (I'll tell you that story another time), but I feel as though they will make a comeback in my stash very soon.

my hair dryer, dead and gone

Major drama about an hour ago. Just as I started drying the right side of my fro hair, my hair dryer started smoking. SMOKING and making CRACKLY noises. Do you know how scary that is?

I shouldn't be in shock; the thing just celebrated its second birthday not too long ago, and that's, like 10 in hair dryer years. I don't think it died from abuse (I treated that darn thing like GOLD - I only dropped it around three times) - it was probably more like old age. Poor thing.

After I realized how lucky I was that it didn't burst into flames, I had another crisis on my hands (or should I say on my head): my half-dried hair. It was only a matter of minutes before it would start acting up, so I had to think fast. I remember packing away a spare dryer somewhere in my apartment and had to track it down (ladies, there will come a day where your current dryer kicks the bucket and you'll need another. Avoid catastrophe and GET ONE PLEASE.) After minutes of looking, I found it behind some Cheerios boxes in my kitchen cabinet. I didn't know it then, but I had found my savior: The Hot Tools Tourmaline Tools Ionic Hair Dryer. 

I plugged the sucker in and proceeded to style. Four words: I AM IN LOVE. It's everything a dryer should be: lightweight, semi-quiet, dries fast, controls frizz, numerous temp settings. My hair looks great and I want this thing to last forever.

I'll miss my old, dead dryer but seriously, something amazing came out of this situation. If you want to get your hands on the same Hot Tools dryer (pictured here), try beautydeals.net. It's on sale for $65 now and I haven't seen it anywhere else!

brazilian beauties

There's no doubt that when it comes to beauty, Brazilians are clearly doing something right. Whether they're all genetically blessed or simply using the right beauty products, I'll never know. Combination of both, perhaps.

Anyway, Victoria's Secret - a.k.a. the brand of the crazy gorgeous Brazilian supermodels - now has a new, limited edition makeup, hair care, and body care collection called Beauty of Brazil. I was intrigued by these tropical-inspired beauty products - would they make me more

Brazilianized? There was only one way to find out. I stocked up on a couple new things this weekend and fell in love with these two winners: Bare Bronze Beach Hair Texturizing Spray and Bare Bronze Sand + Surf Body Polish.

You all know about my new obsession with salt sprays that texturize hair. Beach Hair is the best I've tried, probably because of the sweet, creamy, Brazil nut scent and its ability to transform my polished curling iron curls into tousled, wind-blown, straight-from-the-VS-catalog loose waves.

Then we have Sand + Surf. Again, that delicious scent of Brazil nut filled my steamy bathroom as I applied this in my shower. The scrub has very fine grains of sand to slough away dry skin (perfect pre-self tanner). It also has acai extract, and unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've heard about acai's antioxidant properties. I don't know exactly what the acai did for me right away, but I do know that my arms and legs felt as smooth and soft as a baby's butt afterwards.

The line as a whole succeeds in giving off that sultry, tropical, Brazilian vibe and is perfect for summer. Even though it's barely 55 degrees here in NYC, I look and feel like I'm ready for the beach.

the new generation of hair accessories

When I think "hair accessories", visions of long banana clips and neon scrunchies come to mind. I used to collect these things, you know. At a flea market near my family's Jersey Shore summer house, they were five for $1 and came in more colors than a 64-count box of Crayola crayons - an 8-year-old's dream.

Then, in high school I was obsessed with those bra strap headbands (wasn't everyone?). Again, had to have one in every. single. color. 

Hair accessories have come a long way since then. Aside from my trusty Goody Ouchless hair ties that I use at the gym, I don't have much else aside from a plain black headband in my stash right now. Lately, I've spotted some adorable hair accessories at Urban Outfitters, like the clip pictured here. It's cute, unique, and definitely makes a statement but it's not too overwhelming and huge (it's not like you're putting a bird on your head, for all you SATC fans). Think of it like a little piece of jewelry for your hair - something to make your overall look a little more fabulous. 

This clip comes in a few different colors and I've noticed that hints of white, beige, or silver look best in dark hair, while the light brunette or blonde models from the UO website tend to look great in dark or vivid colors like purple and blue. I guess it's all about contrast. Also, you don't want to look like your own head is sprouting feathers in the same color as your hair. That would just be weird.

Let me know if you agree or if you think I've lost my mind and this is a totally hideous trend...

image: urbanoutfitters.com