It’s easy to picture yourself with the latest hairstyle but actually being able to pull it off is a whole other story. Not every hairstyle or cut can be worn by anyone! The best way to get your perfect ‘do is by choosing a hairstyle or haircut that flatters the shape of your face. For a simple step-by-step guide to identify your face shape, visit The Chic Fashionista. After identifying your face shape, read on about what styles you should cut to flatter and avoid.

Heart Face Shape

Heart-shaped faces are wide at the temples, hairline, and forehead and cheekbones with a narrow or delicately small chin.

Flatter
Any textured chin-length hairstyles will suit best. If bangs are wanted, make sure that they are side-swept and not straight across as blunt ones will only make your face appear shorter and wider. Your pointy chin tends to be the focal point of your face. Draw attention to your eyes and cheekbones with side-swept bangs, brow-grazing fringe, or a strong part that falls at or below your jawline.

Avoid
Avoid short, blunt-cut bangs and harsh, choppy layers. Also, stay away from slicked back looks that emphasizes your upper face and short styles with heavy straight across bangs that create an upside-down triangular shape.

Oval Face Shape

Faces with an oval shape tend to have a jawline that is slightly narrower at the temples, with a rounded hairline and length that is one and a half times its width.

Flatter
The oval face is the most versatile shape in that, you can pull off almost any look — short or long, straight or wavy. Flaunt your best feature. Consider an angular bob that shows off your chin or blunt bangs to show off your eyes.

Avoid
Avoid short layers that add height on top of your head as it can make your face appear longer. If your hair is thick or curly, avoid a blunt cut because you’ll look like a pyramid.

Square Face Shape

This face shape is just as wide as it is long and usually consists of a strong, square jaw as well as a square hairline.

Flatter
If you have a square face, you’ll want to play down your strong, angular jaw. Go for texture in the form of curls or choppy ends. You can also get away with short, spiky cuts and long, sleek styles with layers that start at the jawline and continue downward.

Avoid
Avoid one-length bobs and blunt-cut bangs as it will make your face appear even more square.

Round Face Shape

Like square faces, a round face is as long as it is wide but has a fuller appearance with a round chin and hairline. The cheeks and ears tend to be the widest features.

Flatter
Your goal is to create less volume around the face. You also want to minimize the appearance of roundness. Try cuts that fall just below the chin. Soft, graduated layers are a great bet because they make your face appear slimmer and tend to remove bulk and weight from the sides. Consider wispy and tapered ends. These de-emphasize the roundness of your face. Bangs are also flattering, but keep them long or side-swept.

Avoid
Avoid one-length, blunt cuts if you have short hair. Curly, short hair is a no-no because it only emphasizes your roundness.

Rectangular Face Shape

This face shape is longer than it is wide, with slender features. The forehead and area below the cheekbones are usually the same width, with either a narrow chin or high forehead.

Flatter
The perfect haircut for a rectangular-shaped face is one that doesn’t drag down the face, yet adds width. Brow-skimming bangs and chin-length bobs are idea for creating the illusion of width. Just make sure your stylist cuts the hair a bit shorter in the back so it doesn’t look boring.

Avoid
Stay away from the extremes. Don’t go longer than the collarbone and avoid a skull-capping super short cut.

Pear Face Shape

Think of a pear-shape face as the opposite of a heart-shaped face, with a strong, prominent jawline that narrows at the cheekbones and temples.

Flatter
Layered hairstyles will help balance and soften your prominent jawline. Styles with layers that taper at the jawline can also be flattering.

Avoid
Shorter is generally better than long. Avoid any hairstyle that will draw too much attention to your chin area such as straight solid bob cuts.

To read more on hairstyles, check out TheHairstyler.com.

I’m heading out to Vegas this weekend and one of the items on my list of things to pack is sunscreen. My girlfriends tell me the higher the SPF the better, but what’s the difference between SPF of 30 and 100? Can you still tan with sunscreen? Hold on, sunblock? Ok, now what’s the difference between sunscreen and sunblock? Let the research begin.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor

The amount of light that induces redness in sunscreen-protected skin, divided by the amount of light that induces redness in unprotected skin is the SPF. With that said, the higher the SPF, the longer you can stay in the sun. For instance, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will delay the onset of sunburn in a person who would otherwise burn in 10 minutes to burn in 150 minutes. So sunscreen with an SPF of 15 allows a person to stay out in the sun 15 times longer.

Sunscreen does not offer 100% Sun Protection

Sunscreens absorb ultraviolet light so that it doesn’t reach your skin. With the correct amount, an SPF 30 offers about 97% UVB sun protection, while an SPF 15 offers about 95% protection. So go for a higher SPF right? Well, an SPF higher than 30 is still only going to provide about 97% UVB protection. The higher the number just means you can stay out longer in the sun without getting burned.

Sunscreen vs. Sunblock

Most people use the terms sunblock and sunscreen interchangeably but they are not the same product. Sunscreen contains materials that act as a filter to allow a certain range of UV light to be absorbed into the skin. Hence, sunscreen will not prevent you from tanning, but it will lower your risk of getting burned.

Sunblocks are different from sunscreens in that, it doesn’t have an SPF because it physically protects the body from all UV rays. Sunblocks contain metallic materials — titanium dioxide or zinc oxide — that reflect and scatter the UVA and UVB rays, acting like a wall between the sun and your skin. Although they work well, they are messy. Because sunblocks are usually opaque — you can see it on skin — it’s typically used on small areas of a person’s body like their nose, ears or cheeks.

Sunscreen needs to be applied 365 days a year

Most people aren’t aware that sun damage begins the moment their skin sees daylight, spring, summer, winter or fall. Over time, cumulative exposure generates a lot of skin damage! Look for waterproof sunscreens that contain at least 10% zinc oxide and an SPF of 30+ and take care of your skin now before you regret years down the line!

For more information on sunscreen and sun essentials, check out Paula’s Choice.

A couple of months ago, I snipped off 14″ of hair to donate to Locks of Love and quite frankly, I miss my long straight hair. As much as I complained how it was such a pain in the butt to keep healthy and tangle-free, I secretly wish I hadn’t undergo such a dramatic change. That’s where clip-in hair extensions come in…

Hair extensions are a great way to add body and length to your hair. For those of us who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on permanent hair extensions that not only wreck your hair but become ratty looking after a month or so, clip-in hair is the answer. With the right materials and a handful of patience, you can make your own clip-in hair extension at a fraction of the price of what you would pay at the salon!

What you need:

• 100% Human Hair (I went with the 18″, the longer the better!)
• Hair Glue
• Wig Clips
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing Needle

You can find 100% human hair in beauty stores and department stores. Although synthetic hair is the cheaper alternative, you should invest in 100% human hair so you can wash and condition after every use. 100% human hair will also be able to handle blow drying, curling, straightening, hair spray, and almost anything else you throw at it.

Here’s how you do it:

Measure the width of your head to where the hair piece will go. Trim 2 pieces of the same size.

Take off loose hair by combing through the pieces with your fingers. This will keep things tidy before you apply the glue.

Glue the two pieces together. It can get a little messy but you can ball up the glue and peel it off later.

Pinch the pieces together for about 30 seconds for the glue to hold and allow for 15 to 20 minutes to completely dry.

When the glue dries, sew in the clips. Sew in two clips on both ends and a third clip in the middle.

Once the clips are in, your extension is ready to use! Try this with different hair color and get streaky!

Makeup brushes come in all sorts of materials, with the cheapest being made of sponge, plastic or synthetic hair. High quality natural brushes used by professional models and makeup artists are made of goat, badger, pony, sable or squirrel. Using high quality brushes is a big investment because one brush can put a pinch in your wallet so its a good practice to keep them clean.

Properly cleaning your makeup brushes will save you time, money and even your face! You’ll save time because clean brushes make application easier, so that loose powder goes where you want it instead of clinging to an oily brush. You’ll save money because they’ll last longer and you won’t have to replace them with new ones. You can also save your face from breakouts associated with bacteria and oil build up.

I typically wash all my brushes every two to three weeks. It takes just five minutes, a little sudsy water, and your makeup brushes will stay fresh and new for a lot longer.

1. Start by wetting the brush bristles thoroughly, then apply a small dab of shampoo or liquid soap directly to the bristles.
2. Swish the bristles around with a little water in your palm to work off any stubborn makeup residue.
3. Rinse the bristles thoroughly under lukewarm running water when your brush is free of debris.
4. Gently squeeze the excess water out and reshape the bristles to their normal shape before laying the brush on the towel in a flat position.

Always allow your brushes to air-dry. Drying your brushes with a blow dryer can damage the natural bristles and you’ll end up having to buy new brushes more frequently than if you were to lay them flat. A good practice is to clean your brushes at night so they are completely dry and ready to go in the morning. Be careful not to overwash your brushes, as this can make the bristles brittle and scratchy. And if a brush becomes stained or misshapen, throw it out and get a new one.

To read more about how to care for your makeup brushes, check out FreeBeautyTips.org.

Hands down, one of my favorite makeup tool is the heated eyelash curler. My sister introduced this to me last year and I’m so in love with it I don’t know what I would do without it! This handy little tool is perfect for curling stubborn straight lashes, anytime, anywhere.

I use this at the very end after I’ve applied all my makeup, pre-curled with a traditional lash curler and mascara-ed up my lashes because it works best after mascara application. The heated curler warms the waxes in mascara to create stronger, longer-lasting curl.

I like to turn it on while I’m nearly done with my last coat of mascara as it does take about 15 seconds to warm up. Placing the comb directly on the lashline, I would slowly comb my lashes as I would a mascara brush. It’s best to hold for one or two seconds, then release to allow for the heat to curl the lashes.

As you can imagine, the comb can get pretty dirty over time since the mascara will transfer due to the heat and coil. So before I use it on my lashes, I like to gently rub the comb on a kleenex while its warming up. It doesn’t get all the mascara residue off but it will give you a cleaner start.

I’ve been using this for over a year now and my lashes look fabulous every time.

Pick one up from Sephora for only $16!