It's Thursday, May 8th and I am on a return flight from LA to New York. Obviously, this is my favorite time to write my iVillage blog. I am trapped on a plane and I have seen every movie American Airlines has to offer. I always start my flight by scanning the newspapers and magazines. I read everything from the Wall Street Journal to the Star and love them both. I obviously have very eclectic taste or I am a bit schizophrenic. The great bonus of my eccentric reading habits is I always have a new idea for the next blog. This week, however, was a no-brainer. I mean, really, Sunday is Mother’s Day. What better time to talk about moms than right now.
Yes, I am going home to see my mom on Mother’s Day and yes, I bought her a present I think she will like. Don't get all misty-eyed on me now, I am a good son, but I was hardly a great one. I often was the cause of disappointment and heartache. It took me years to understand how much she loved and care for me. I was a little slow to mature and realize that she would do anything she could to make my life better. This unconditional love is a unique quality to mothers. This is an almost universal trait in all moms that will never change.
This truth is a constant but that's the last bastion of traditional motherhood. Moms often work outside the home, have many interests independent of their family and definitely stay part of society. They don't drop off the planet to this mutant world of mothers. Today’s moms don't look like mothers any more. I was reading Peoples 100 Most Beautiful issue and I was overwhelmed by the number of hot-looking mothers. It starts out with the most beautiful cover shot of Kate Hudson. As I turned the pages I could not believe how many gorgeous moms there where in the magazine. Page after page appeared of great beauties like Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Williams, Mariska Hargitay, Marcia Cross, Isla Fisher, Julianne Moore, and Salma Hayek. I know these are some of the most beautiful woman in the world and they are movie stars. I know it is their job to look good and they have every luxury available to them. I am also aware that these are the ladies who set the bar for the rest of us. By the way, don't think for one minute these women always look this good. They work to create an illusion of beauty. This is the wonderful news. Most women work hard to look good. With effort everyone can look better.
The biggest tip I can give you to looking great is to vow to never throw in the towel. Find time to take care of yourself. It doesn't take that long to pull it together and nothing will make you or your friends and family feel better about you. No one likes a martyr. So don't look or act like one. It's too easy to look good and be happy.
Go to the salon and have a makeover day of beauty. What better present could you give yourself if your husband isn't smart enough to think of it first? Just think how great you will feel after a new haircut, color, make-up lesson, manicure, and pedicure. I know money is tight for many people today but that doesn't mean you have to skimp on your looks. Hair salons come in all price points today. Inquire in your town and find a place that does good work and is in your budget.
TIP - The best salons always have training nights when you can have your hair done at a fraction of the price. The classes are supervised by professional hair dressers and the results are usually very good.
Let's not forget about at-home color. It has never been easier to use or more gentle on your hair. Remember to always do a preview test before you start and you will know your results before you finish. Small changes work better than big ones. Your hair color will look more natural because it will stay in a healthy condition and most likely be the most flattering to your skin tone.
Learn how to blow dry your own hair. Never be forced to be dependent on your stylist for every blow dry. Your hair dresser should be happy to share their tips to blow dry your hair type. If your hair style is too hard to manage you have the wrong hair style. Looking good doesn't take much money, it just takes time. Just like The Gap and Target make great-looking stylish clothes at reasonable prices you can shop around for reasonably priced hair cuts and hair color. If you are a mom and in New York this Friday, come to the plaza for Today Show's Ambush Makeover. You will have a special place in our hearts this week. You might be the lucky mom to be our next makeover. Happy Mother's day!
More from Louis Licari:
Who doesn't want to look younger? I guess there are the 15-year-old girls like Miley Cyrus who are trying to look older. But short of that group, I don't think I ever knew anyone who said she wished she looked older. Think about it. Women tighten their faces, plump them up, and use miracle make-ups to create the illusion of youth. They literally exercise their butts off or invest in a drawer full of Spanx to have the young-looking bodies they had as teens. Do you think Madonna, Demi Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ellen Barkin or Susan Sarandon are couch potatoes? They work hard to look vital and vivacious and young. Have you ever seen better-looking post-fifty women? They'd be hard to find. This is the A-list. There are always the women who go too far in their quest for youth. I could make a list here, but the names are too obvious to mention. These women end up looking like mutants. You can't tell if they are old-looking young or young-looking old. This is an easy line to cross and must be carefully avoided.
Your hair is the easiest way to maintain a youthful appearance. It is also the best way to look your most beautiful. The right hairstyle complements the shape of your face and can actually give the illusion of a mini facelift. The wrong hair style - which is usually the one you have been sporting for more than five years - can actually drag your face down.
I would suggest you avoid extremes. Hair that is excessively long or very short is hard to wear. If you wear your hair long, be sure it has shaping around the face. I know I have said this before, but I still see this beauty faux pas all the time. If you are over a certain age, be aware of the length of your hair. There is nothing more horrible than someone who looks young from the back and old from the front. If you notice young guys doing a quick whip around after they see your face, you most likely need to rethink your hair style. Short hair should never look suburban, whatever your address. It should have style, flattering layers and a fringe to keep it looking soft and sexy. The rule here is that if it looks like a practical hair cut, it's the wrong hair cut.
Now it's time to talk about hair color. There is a myth that permeates American culture that blond hair looks young. Color that is a little softer and brighter can make you look younger, but it is not always the answer. Hair that is too light can drain the color from your complexion the same way grey hair can. To me, excessively blond hair is like carrying a sign that says you have turned grey. Did you ever wonder why there are so many blondes in Miami Beach? I will never forget a cartoon I saw in "The New Yorker" magazine of a bride being carried across the threshold by her groom saying, "Will you still love me when I am old and blond?" I think that cartoon said it all.
Color must flatter your complexion. It must make it come alive. I think the biggest problem with hair is that as the years go by it, looses its vibrancy. This can happen for two reasons: The number one reason is grey hair. I believe grey hair steals the life from hair color. The second reason is that hair color just fades over time. Hair color can start to lose its vibrancy as soon as puberty occurs. Brown hair loses its warm tones, blond hair becomes dull because it loses its golden tones, and red hair just fades to a no-color brown. The answer to young-looking hair is to put the rich color tones back. This can be done with semi-permanent or permanent hair color. Minimal highlights not too different from the base color can also solve this problem.
Everyone wants to look the best they can. There is nothing better than looking healthy and vital. The tip here is to keep it simple and do what's right for you. Trends are for teens, not people who want to look a few years younger than their years.
Another Friday brings another round of Plaza Ambush Makeovers! A school librarian and an Air Force veteran get glamorous ambush makeovers courtesy of iVillage's Louis Licari and fashion expert Jill Martin. Take a look at their transformations!
Watch the segment from TODAY
What do you think of the ladies' new looks? Leave a comment or question below!
And if you missed any of the other Plaza Ambush Makeovers you can click here to catch up.
More from Louis Licari
And if you missed any of the other Plaza Ambush Makeovers you can click here to catch up.
More from Louis Licari
- Try on hairstyles by Louis Licari on Makeover-O-Matic!
- Get more info from the Today show on iVillage
You are walking down the street and you find yourself staring at a woman's mane of hair. You feel a bit like a stalker because all you want to do is look at her hair from every angle. You almost want to touch it. It is the perfect texture. The way the light hits her hair is mesmerizing. It has a glow and a shimmer that seem to come from within. The combination of tones is perfectly balanced. Even the "too bright" highlight that perpetually falls in her eye is seductive. Her hair is perfect.
Then you catch a glimpse of yourself in a store window and your heart sinks. You feel like a total loser. Your hair just doesn't have the vibrancy of the woman's hair that made your heart melt. Yours looked great in the bathroom mirror when you blew it out this morning, but now you know it's not even close to the perfection of your dream hair. Your hair texture is very fine and it separates. Instead of a mane of hair, you have wispy hair that seems to become invisible as it grows long. And the color looks blah. It's not a strong all-over color or a tone-on-tone color with depth and dimension. It's just a blend of colors that mesh together and don't seem to be doing much to brighten your face.
What is wrong with this picture? Why don't you have the hair you long for? Are you genetically deficient or totally incompetent with a hair brush and spray? I suspect that neither of these things is true. You may not think you have the hair you deserve, but I bet you have the hair that is right for your face.
TIP - Accept your hair's texture and color family to let its true beauty come through. Your motto to true beauty should be: "Lose the battle and win the war! Accept your God-given hair, and make the most of it."
One of the biggest problems that women have with their hair is their own reluctance to accept its texture. You might think it's too fine and flat, or frizzy, kinky or curly -- or a combination of the above. Basically, what this means is that many of you probably torture your hair daily to make it look like something it's not. Most women become bored with their look and like to play dress-up or dress-down with their hair. There is nothing wrong with this if it's done on an occasional basis. Change is exciting and fun. But it becomes a problem if you can't leave the house without an hour-long blow dry, or if you have to visit your salon more than three times a week. This means you have a serious problem and it's time to rethink the style and cut of your hair. Tortured hair is damaged hair. Damaged hair is never pretty. It should be avoided at all costs.
Lusting for another person's hair color, especially when it doesn't relate to your own color at all, is the best reason to proceed with caution. Everyone's hair takes to color differently. The color you end up with depends on varying factors. These can include your natural hair color, hair that has already been colored, the amount of grey hair you have, and the texture of your hair. Everyone's hair color is unique.
WARNING - Even though we can make dramatic color changes with today's hair color technology, it's usually not a good idea. More dramatic change usually results in hair that is more difficult to maintain, turns brassy quickly, and ends up in rough condition. It is almost always better to pick a new hair color that relates to your natural color. This will guarantee that it will complement your complexion. Besides the obvious reason of covering grey, this is why we color our hair. We want our skin to look radiant. We want to look the best we can.
If you do find yourself in love with someone else's color, and you find yourself lusting for a change, always proceed with caution. The color you are dreaming of is probably not the color you should have. Some of our best fantasies are best left alone. Remember the expression, "Always be careful what you wish for." It's usually true.
More from Louis Licari:
Get more Today content on iVillage!
Have you had the same haircut for twenty years? Do you feel shy about making changes to your looks and getting more attention? You are not alone! Each Friday Louis Licari performs a Plaza Ambush Makeover, and this week, Louis made over not one, not two, but three women. The transformations are amazing.
Watch the segment from TODAY.
What do you think of the ladies' new looks? Does it give you any ideas of your own? Leave a comment or question below!
And if you missed any of the other Plaza Ambush Makeovers you can click here to catch up.
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