FASHION Magazine

Valentine’s Day can bring with it a certain amount of anxiety. Dinner plans, gifts, the right outfit… it can all be overwhelming. Thankfully, blogger Cara McLeay (from A Fashion Love Affair and our very own Style Panel) is as talented with beauty as she is with fashion. To help you check one to-do off your V-Day list, she’s created a video tutorial for a romantic half up-do—and best of all it’s super easy to do.

Beauty blunders. We’ve all been there: You’re racing to get out the door with not a moment to spare and suddenly you’re faced with a makeup mishap. The last-minute manicure that seemed super necessary is now smudged. Your new earrings are already making your ears itch uncontrollably. Or perhaps you applied way too much conditioner and your hair has not an ounce of volume left. Even if you’re a woman with years of experience applying makeup, a beauty blunder can strike when you least expect it—and need a quick fix ASAP.

To help you get ahead of the game, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common beauty blunders and enlisted the help of beauty expert and on-air personality Bahar Niramwalla. Her quick fixes will help you get on with the rest of your day as fast as possible, so you can continue looking flawless.

We understand it may be wildly unfair to compare Beyoncé to, well, anyone else. But Lorde was blessed by Bey last night (touching Beyoncé = blessed) and she also took home two Grammy awards, so we think that gives her enough music industry magic to stand her own in this beauty roundup.

While teenage stars often succumb to adopting a shimmering, fairy princess-esque look for major red carpet events, Lorde stayed true to her signature look of deep lipstick and loose, wavy hair— like an edgy, mini Alanis Morissette. “We wanted to keep the look fresh and radiant. Modern, a bit boyish and darkly cool with a lip focus,” said M.A.C senior artist, Amber Dreadon. After applying M.A.C Lipliner in “Vino,” Dreadon mixed two lipsticks together for Lorde’s Grammys look: “Heroine” (a bright purple with a fitting name) and “Cyber” (a vamp-worthy maroon). The final result was an edgy shade of deep-purple with an almost ombré effect.

See the looks up close »

The pixie cut was, without a doubt, one of the top trends of 2013 and has seemingly continued into 2014 with aplomb. Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence, have made the pixie cut a red carpet staple, and each rocks the style in her own way.

After she famously chopped off her hair for Les Mis, there were rumours that Anne Hathaway was eager to grow back some length, pronto. However, it seems the short cut is here to stay: Hathaway debuted a sleeker version of her now-signature style earlier this week at the Sundance Film Festival and it looks better than the original. With ultra-shaved sides and slightly-tousled bangs, Hathaway took her pixie cut to new, er, lengths. As for the rest of her outfit, barely-there bronze makeup and simple stud earrings kept the focus on her hair, while a slouchy emerald-green suit played up the androgynous-chic look.

See all the winning hair products »

You straighten it, you curl it, you colour it. Your hair is an accessory you wear every single day, so it’s just good sense to take care of it and make it look as fabulous as possible. Thanks to your votes in our 12th Annual Readers’ Choice Beauty Awards, we’re pleased to share the top products that will make your hair shine, including the best shampoo and conditioner, dry shampoo (essential for anyone who wants to hit the snooze button in the morning!) and styling products. We also had voters share us their preferred at-home hair colour, because DIY-ers know their stuff!

See more holiday hair tutorials »

We have one last holiday hair tutorial to share, and this one is a New Year’s Eve-ready twist on the rope braid. First of all, don’t be intimated by this braiding technique. It’s much easier than it looks, especially because you’re only working with two strands of hair, not three. So if you’ve ever felt like you could use a second set of hands while attempting a French braid, the rope braid may just be the hairstyle for you.

Our step-by-step rope braid tutorial was developed by Toronto-based hairstylist Margot Keith, and breaks down everything you need to know to master this twisted updo. Oh, and did we mention? The other excellent thing about this holiday hairstyle is that it works best on second-day hair—meaning you can skip the shampooing and the blowdrying and instead enjoy a well-deserved bit of holiday relaxation. Ready to try? Read on for the full rope braid updo tutorial.

With the holiday party circuit reaching its fever pitch this weekend, a girl can run out of festive hairstyle options pretty quickly. And given the time crunch between now and December 25, we’re betting you wouldn’t mind putting down the blow dryer and curling iron for an evening. Enter the braided hairstyle: with endless variations (ranging from cute and casual to off-the-charts impressive) and possibilities for all skill levels, it only makes sense to work a braid into your holiday beauty routine.

To help you generate some ideas for your next braided hairstyle, we turned to the Beauty Panel. They shared their best braided looks and helpful tips that’ll make it easy for you to duplicate the looks with ease.

Challenge 41: What’s your go-to braided hairstyle? See the answers now! »

See more holiday hair tutorials »

Our mission to make your holiday season as glam and effortless as possible continues, with the debut of a new holiday hair tutorial. The chignon is a classic hairstyle that has an infinite number of variations—once you master the basics behind it, it’ll be all chignons all the time. For our holiday party take on the look, Toronto-based hairstylist Margot Keith created a low chignon that looks as pretty as a perfectly wrapped present. This tutorial takes all the guesswork out of holiday hair and will get you from from prep to polished in less than 15 minutes—leaving you with enough time to pause for a pre-party under-the-mistletoe kiss or two.

See more holiday hair tutorials »

As holiday party season kicks into full swing, so does the need to have some impressive hairstyle options in your beauty arsenal. December may seem like the busiest month—one where it’s impossible to add yet another obligation to your schedule—but our series of holiday hair tutorials are beyond foolproof and make it easy to learn a new technique in less time than it takes to sit for a blowout.

First up in our holiday hair tutorials for 2013 is the braided updo. This sleek style is serious enough for the swankiest of corporate parties and will certainly stand out in a sea of chignons. Our step-by-step guide was developed by Toronto-based hairstylist Margot Keith and is so easy to follow, we’re sure the braided updo will become your new go-to look. Ready to try? Read on to learn how to do this holiday hair tutorial.

See our product picks for mastering the big hair trend »

Achieving voluminous, shampoo-commercial hair is an aspiration common to many of us—and with big hair being a big beauty trend on the Fall 2013 runways, now’s the time to embrace it. From ’40s-inspired curls at Bottega Veneta to frizzed-out styles at L’Wren Scott and Rick Owens, the big hair trend is excellent news for anyone with thick, curly hair. But if your hair tends to fall flat just minutes after a blow out and you don’t have a crew of hair pros working their magic, it can be hard to get the look at home.

Thankfully, new technology is making it easier than ever to pump up the volume on your own and get a Marc by Marc Jacobs-worthy style. Here are some of the latest gravity-defying products hitting the market and our tips on how to use them. Bring on the big hair!

Jennifer Lawrence keeps going shorter and shorter! Earlier today the Oscar award winner revealed that her trend-setting lob from the summer is no more: she debuted a new, short pixie style via her Facebook page. Lawrence is just one of many celebs keeping the short hair trend going strong in Hollywood, with Jennifer Aniston, Pamela Anderson and Jennifer Hudson all showing off shorter styles in recent weeks. (Not to mention the dozens of stars who went short over the summer!)

Lawrence seems clearly happy to surprise the world with her piece-y new cut. It’s undeniably fresh and thanks to the honey-blonde highlights, it’s also perfectly textured. It’s probably no coincidence that this new short cut coincides with the the premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as Lawrence will be hitting up dozens of red carpets, interview junkets and photo calls over the next month. Meaning no matter your thoughts on how it’s styled today (mom cut, anyone?) we’ll get to see Lawrence’s short hair in an almost endless array of styles throughout November.

Eyes are getting some serious kohl treatment, hair is left unkempt and the darker the lipstick, the better. Or at least that’s what happens when fall’s riot girl trend takes over our beauty routines—and we’re totally on board. The minimalist no-makeup look has its time and place, but there’s something so liberating about smudging eyeliner into messy shapes and embracing our rebellious side.

Thanks to this year’s punk-themed MET Gala, our favourite stars gave us a plethora of moody beauty looks to take inspiration from. Wearing the most daring deep shades of lipstick, Rooney Mara and Katy Perry were the epitome of sultry. Taylor Swift was all about the eyes, wearing top and bottom-heavy liner. And Kristen Stewart swapped out her signature charcoal smoky eye for a burgundy look worthy of Gucci. The message is clear: Get ready to reach for all the deep-toned makeup palettes in your arsenal when trying the riot girl trend!

Challenge 30: How do you channel the riot girl trend with your hair and makeup? See the answers now! »