Fashion & Beauty | Chain Gang
Decorate your neck with style.
Clockwise from bottom, left: sparkling sterling silver and freshwater pearl necklace, $279 at Bellinger’s Jewelers, Rehoboth Beach; 14-karat white gold necklace with diamond dangles on a rounded snake chain, $5,200 at Jeweler’s Loupe, Dover; ring upon ring upon ring diamond pendant necklace, $1,315 at Bellinger’s Jewelers; 18-karat white gold diamond knot necklace, $1,700 at A.R. Morris Jewelers, Wilmington and Greenville; 18-karat tri-color diamond drop necklace by S&R Designs, $4,320 at Indulgence Jewelers, Greenville; 18-karat white gold sapphire and diamond pendant with stations throughout chain, $1,740 at Indulgence Jewelers.
Fashion & Beauty | Diamonds for the Feet
Crystal-encrusted shoes are all the rage.
It’s not easy to get the women of ABC’s “The View” to agree, but the splashy Swarovski crystal stiletto created by Smyrna’s Tiffany Dawson had them all oohing and aahing.
Guest Niecy Nash, former host of the Style channel’s “Clean House,” had worn the shoes at her wedding and brought a pair to “The View” in May to gift to Sherri Shepherd, who had been Nash’s bridesmaid. Shepherd later ordered a second pair in a different color to wear for her own wedding. Elisabeth Hasselbeck also bought a pair of the footwear bling.
“Each individual shoe has about 3,000 crystals on it, and it takes 80 hours to complete a pair of shoes,” says Dawson. She and her daughter, Amber Hankins of Middletown, founded the online business Glam-Luxe in 2009 to sell designer shoes, clothing and jewelry. The crystal stiletto is the first product they created themselves.
“It kind of happened by accident,” says Dawson, who is also an entertainer and runs an event promotion business. “I had made a pair for myself to wear to a fancy wedding where I was performing, and the bride kind of went off over my shoes. She later ordered a pair and told all her wealthy friends about them.”
After “The View” aired, Dawson and Hankins had to hire others to help them keep up with the demand for the custom-crystallized shoe.
The shoes are available in a rainbow of crystal colors, but clear is still the most popular. “It’s like walking on diamonds,” Dawson says.
The hefty price tag—$950-$1,200—puts the fully crystal-encrusted shoe out of reach for many, but Dawson says if a bride provided her own shoes and just wanted a sprinkling of crystals, or perhaps crystal-encrusted heels, it can be done for less than $200. (Glam-Luxe.com, 888-Glam-Lux.)
Fashion & Beauty | Love the Hair!
Frame your face with the proper style.
Whether you’re considering something classic or edgy, choosing a hairstyle that flatters your face will complement you from all angles as you walk down the aisle.
Not sure of your face shape? “Pull all the hair away from your face so that all you see is the total face and the shape should come out at you,” says Rebecca Hayes-Barry, educational director at Michael Christopher in Wilmington.
An oval face is the ideal, so virtually any hairstyle will complement it, says Ximena Leon, bridal stylist at Made Ya Look! Salon & Day Spa in Rehoboth Beach.
Lengthen a round face with styles that add height to the crown and frame the face with wisps of hair. “You don’t want to go with anything wide because that’s going to make your face look rounder,” says Hayes-Barry.
Styles that feature side-swept bangs can shorten the appearance of a long rectangular face. Avoid anything that adds height or is too severe, advises Leon.
The heart-shaped face needs definition at the jaw line and width in the narrow eye area. A chin-length bob is a good choice, says Hayes-Barry.
If your face is square and angular, you’ll want a style that softens the corners. Wispy bangs that sweep across the forehead toward the corner of an eye can achieve this effect, says Leon.
The inverted triangle needs a style that minimizes the wide forehead while adding volume and width to the jaw area, says Hayes-Barry. She recommends a style that does the opposite for the triangular or pear-shaped face.
Fashion & Beauty | The Skin-y
How to keep your pores rich.
You’ll be glowing on the inside on your wedding day, but what about on the outside? Follow these basic skin care tips in the months or weeks leading up to the big day. When it arrives, you’ll be worry-free.
Plan to establish a basic routine well before the wedding—the specialists at Houppette in Greenville advise six months in advance—to give the products time to work and your skin time to adjust. This routine can vary depending on your skin type and can consist of any cleanser and moisturizer. If you want to explore your options, most salons are glad to give a skin consultation.
Closer to the date of the wedding, a few small changes in your routine can give your skin a boost. Emon Zaki, owner of Sherif Zaki Spa in Greenville, recommends performing a deep pore cleansing two weeks before the wedding. “Our specialty is a key lime mask with a zesty orange peel,” says Zaki. “This kind of deep pore cleansing is a great source of antioxidants, which are invaluable to the regeneration and hydration of the skin.”
It’s important to hydrate on the inside as well: drink lots of water during the week leading up to the wedding. And it sounds impossible, but try to get lots of sleep in the nights before as well. Rest and hydration are two of the biggest factors in keeping your skin looking fresh.
If your face needs something extra on the big day, Houppette and Sherif Zaki both offer a wide range of products and makeups specific to certain skin types. The most popular of these are Dermologica, which can firm and clear up your skin, and Laura Mercier and SkinCeutical, which minimize the pores to keep you looking just as fresh as you feel.
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