A Most Fashionable Rabbit Hole

We have some exclusive scoop for all you BrainyBeautys!

Mixed Makeup, a fantastic new women's lifestyle YouTube channel is coming at ya this May. It will cover beauty, fashion, DIY, home decor and more and is guaranteed to be your new favorite time-suck!

Here's a little preview to tide you all over:

A Big NYFW Yeehaw!

New York Fashion Week F/W 2014 is in full swing and we're excited to bring you exclusive backstage beauty reports! First up, the cool, colorful Tibi.

This season, Aveda Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders created a "country girl meets urbanite" hair look. "The collection story tells the intersection of the pastoral and the urban," said Tibi designer Amy Smilovic. "We wanted the hair to express a clean, natural feel, but still convey soul and a refined grittiness."

The resulting style was fresh, fun and totally wearable in the real world too. Ride off into your own urban sunset by following these simple steps:

1) Spray Pure Abundance Style Prep liberally into the hair all over to boost volume and create texture.

2) Take an inch wide section at the top of the head at the hairline and create a tight braid down the center. Stop braiding at the crown and use an elastic that matches your hair color so that it blends in with the rest of your tresses.

3) Take a small section of hair above the left ear and braid down to the end. Repeat on the right side and connect both braids underneath the remaining hair at the nape of the neck to hold hair away from the face. 

4) Create 3 large, loose braids with the remainder of hair at the back and quickly clamp a flat iron down them. Gently unravel, tousle and run Dry Remedy Moisturizing Oil through hair for soft, gentle waves, with a little shine.

5) Finish off the look with a misting of Control Force Hair Spray for strong, but barely-there hold.

Your tools!

Pictures, quotes and info above all courtesy Aveda. All Aveda products used in this look can be found at aveda.com or an Aveda salon near you.

Heads Up- Giveaways Coming Up!

Fall means amazing colors and transformations... in nature and for you!

Anybody else remember playing "Heads Up, 7 Up" back in the day and how it was such a nice reprieve from the extreme rigors of simple math and spelling?

BrainyBeautys does! In the spirit of Back to School and Fashion Month, we are going to do our own take on giveaway game fun! Keep a close lookout in the following week- we'll be hitting you with some fab posts on new fall-perfect products and how you can win some of the most covetable items!

Alexander The Great

A little MBFW treat for you, my dear BrainyBeautys devotees! (That's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in proper fashionspeak!)

Our good friends at Redken were kind enough to pass along the inside hair scoop on one of the hottest tickets in the tents: Alexander Wang Spring/Summer 2014. If you aren't familiar with Mr. Wang, study up! He is seriously one of the preliminary designers of our generation and was even tapped to take over at the legendary Balenciaga house late last year. Personally I cannot get enough of his grungy glamour looks, and his accessories are also especially ridic every season.

For Spring/Summer 2014, Redken Creative Consultant Guido pretty much created my ideal every day hair look: natural, texturized and slightly roughed up.

Said Guido: "Overall it's a very sexy look this season. I wanted the hair to reflect the cool, low-key Alexander Wang type girl. I suppose there are equal parts grunge and glamour, in that the hair is voluminous, yet natural." 

Recreating the look is super easy with the right Redken products:

1. Towel dry hair
2. Create a messy center part with finger
3. Apply thickening lotion 06 body builder from root to ends, concentrating product on the roots
4. Start drying hair with a diffuser to keep the natural waves
5. Once the hair is 75% dry, allow the hair to dry naturally
6. Add powder refresh 01 aerosol hair powder/dry shampoo to mid length and ends to give more texture.
7. Apply quick tease 15 backcombing finishing spray to mid length and ends to hold in the texture

Photos by Charles Sykes for Redken. 

All photos, quotes, beauty steps and product information in this post provided by Redken. 

To locate a Redken salon please log on to redken.com. Please note, Redken products can only be guaranteed authentic when purchased from a salon. We request that you do not credit drugstores, 'beauty websites' or other unauthorized retailers. For furtherinformation, please contact us at the information listed above. For more information visit Redken.com, like Redken on Facebook or follow us on twitter @Redken5thAve and Instagram www.instagram.com/redken5thave

I'm Telling Mom!

In between feeding, wiping, dressing, changing, lifting, snuggling, soothing, teaching, and worrying about our little monsters, how are we supposed to look and feel good too?!?

As a new mommy, I am on a quest to preserve my Momjo (Thank you Guilianna Rancic for the amazecakes term!) despite my new body shape, hormone level, skin type, and ever changing list of responsibilities. Here are a few of the gems I've uncovered.

Orlane Firming Arm Creme

The combo of gaining weight to sustain your little peanut and workout restrictions while preggy can sometimes lead to some loss in muscle mass and arm skin stretching...Fun right? Luckily, there is a fantastic product geared right toward that post-partum wing-ding action! 

Mamamio Shrink to Fit

I fall instantly in love with every genius product Mamamio makes and this cream is no exception! During pregnancy, our hips spread to make way for our little chicken's arrival. Further, many women hold weight gain in their thighs and hips, making this product an after-baby soul mate! Lather this blessing on daily for a significant lift in elasticity...and don't forget to check out all of the encouraging messages hiding throughout the Mamamio packaging for a little emotional lift too!

U Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner

Is it just me or does every part of a new mommy's body seem to need some extra TLC? Enter: thick, smooth, silky treatment for your baby making locks! No need to beat around the bush here! They straight up named it after it's most desirable quality: luxury.