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Red hair is still trending like crazy. Last year, it felt like every TikToker was running to Target to get red hair gloss for their sultry new transformation. Now, celebrities are getting in on the action. Sunday night at Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party, Megan Fox and Chrissy Teigen both debuted red hair with slightly different shades that fit perfectly with each person’s style. Fox went for an allover copper shade while Teigen has some highlights and dimension in her red. And neither are wigs! For real this time.

Colorist Jacob Schwartz dyed Fox’s hair with Redken Colors Gels Oils, after bleaching her natural hair to have a lighter base. Priscilla Valles added extensions and Dimitris Giannetos styled it for the party using Unite Hair Elevate Mousse Volumizing Foam ($28.50 at Amazon) for lift, Texturiza Spray Dry Finishing Texturizer ($35 at Amazon) for movement and Go365 Hairspray ($30.50 at Amazon) for hold. The results are gorgeous, especially with the glam from makeup artist Jenna Kristina using Christian Louboutin Beauty.

Source: Instagram

Fox posed with Billie Eilish at the party. We can’t wait to see how she rocks the color in a more natural, day-to-day look.

Stefanie Keenan/VF23/WireImage for Vanity Fair.

Chrissy Teigen gave us a sneak peek of her new color last week, way before the Oscars. Colorist Matt Rez is responsible for the gorgeous shade, while Rikke Gajda added faux hair. But it looks like she brightened it up even more because she shared a video of her at a shampoo sink with even more red in her hair.

Source: Instagram

Then, she showed up to the Vanity Fair party slaying her new copper hue. Irinel de León styled it in this wavy lob and Kristine Studden did her makeup. And that gorgeous glow to her skin? It’s thanks to tan artist Isabel Alysa with her Dolce Glow line.

Karwai Tang/WireImage.

It’s official. Red hair isn’t going anywhere.

It all began with the opening of an Indian luxury hotel in early 2017 in inner London, near Tower Bridge.

This was situated in the former premises of a boys’ grammar (secondary) school, which my husband had happened to attend in the mid-1950s. The school itself had moved to outer London a few years after he left, and the building had fallen into a state of disrepair.

The hotel owners wanted to reach out to the local community, and, as part of their efforts, they had put out a call for anyone who had attended the school in its former life. I happened to see a newspaper article about this, and we made contact.

A Change of Use

As a friendly gesture on opening, and no doubt potentially good marketing, all alumni of the school and their wives were invited to a reception to see how it had changed. We were feted with champagne and taken around the building.

The old assembly hall had become a very elegant dining room with a splendid blue chandelier, and the ordinary school rooms had become well-appointed guest rooms. There were also the usual places associated with a hotel, including reception rooms, a bar and so forth. Everyone agreed that the renovation had been an excellent job and it was wonderful to see.

Memories

While we trooped around the premises, the men kept up a running commentary on the changes of use. “This used to be the physics lab,” they noted, and exchanged memories of being there. There were memories of sports events, exams, the way assembly was run, particular teachers and eccentric classmates. Conversations constantly started with “Do you remember…?”

But by far the most common – and most explored – memory was of having been caned by the headmaster. This is known in England as “six of the best.” Comments came thick and fast when we entered the Headmaster’s room where such canings had taken place.

One man remembered a stool he had to hold onto while he bent over to be thrashed. Another, presumably a bit of a tear-away, proudly claimed to have had over 150 lashings over his time at the school.

My husband said that he had had only one caning, for admitting that he had taken a second pudding (dessert) at lunch. He had not been the only boy to do so – just the only one to admit it.

Not surprisingly, nobody remembered the Head with any affection. Indeed, it was thought that he was undoubtedly a bit of a sadist.

An Article on the Subject

Shortly after this occasion, I submitted an article on the event to Sixty and Me, arguing that an equivalent group of women of a similar age, wherever they were in the world, were likely to have very different memories of school. Discipline might still be a strong component, such as tellings-off or detentions, but corporal punishment was not likely to be frequent.

I did note that I was aware that physical punishment for women had continued in some pockets of the world. My American daughter-in-law, who attended secondary school in a small town in Louisiana in the 1980s, had told me of her experience of this.

But my main assumption was that it was fairly rare.

What We Remember

Well, it turned out I was very wrong.

The article was duly published, followed by an enormous number of comments from readers. All were about the corporal punishment they had endured in school.

These came not only immediately after publication, but have continued over the six years since.

One after another, they described how they had been punished – often with considerable pain. They had had a ruler on the back of the wrist or were hit on the back of the legs. In one school, the girls were whacked with a slipper, kept in a special cabinet where the girl had to collect it and then return to deposit it presumably with great humiliation.

Some said they preferred the immediate pain to the possibility of the school telling their parents. Indeed, some thought the punishment had been appropriate, and they behaved much better afterwards.

I don’t remember the men at the hotel reception suggesting it might have been reasonable in the circumstances or that it improved their behaviour.

But I realised I had opened a Pandora’s box of memories. We remember the physical pain.

Postscript

The Indian hotel subsequently invited us also to spend one night free of charge. I can recommend it as a very welcoming, comfortable place to stay if you need a hotel in the Tower Bridge area of London. It still looks like a Victorian secondary school. And it is possible to stay in the Headmaster’s Room.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Were you punished at school? Did this include corporal punishment? What form did this take? Do you feel it was appropriate?

Kyle Richards’ Black Strapless Gown on Instagram

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 2023 Instagram Fashion

Kyle Richards has been looking extra stunning lately, some of you think it’s for one reason, but I think it’s because her fashion game has been strong AF. Like this black strapless gown she wore to The Oscars viewing party. It’s def giving Jamie Lee Curtis’ wind chimes a run for their money because this it is sooo chic. The best part about it though is that it’s fully stocked and decently priced. So get your speech credit card ready because you’re about to accept a new dress.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Norma Kamali Gown

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

Click Here for More Stock

Click Here for Even More Stock

Photo Credit: @housewivesaddicted

Originally posted at: Kyle Richards’ Black Strapless Gown

The bad news? I’m still recovering from a nasty case of the flu. The silver lining? My malady gave me the perfect excuse to lay around and read! During my convalescence, I ripped through – and enjoyed – the following books…

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan 

“We don’t know anyone as well as we think we do. Especially the people we love.”

Wow. Just wow. This novel stands out as one of my favorite reads of the past year. When one friend recommended it to me, she said, “I can’t really tell you what it’s about. That would give away the story.” And now I understand what she meant…

A collaboration between two bestselling authors, this gripping novel is told in alternating voices. Each author wrote a character but won’t admit which one.

After a rough divorce, Olivia and her son, Asher, move to Adams, NH. She’s ready for a fresh start and takes over her father’s beekeeping business. Looking for new friends and beginnings, Lily and her mom land in Adams for Lily’s final year of high school. Asher and Lily enjoy life as boyfriend/girlfriend until Asher finds her dead. And he’s the suspect.

I thought about this book long after I finished reading it. As a good book always does, it opened my eyes and expanded my world.

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

It’s 1950s Philadelphia. Ruby attends enrichment classes in hopes of winning the coveted scholarship that will make her the first college attendee in her family. Unlike her mother, Ruby doesn’t want to depend on a man to make ends meet. But a love affair with a white Jewish man threatens all she’s worked toward.

In Washington, DC, Eleanor’s parents had scrapped and saved for her to attend college. She falls in love with a promising Black medical student from a wealthy and prominent DC family. The parents don’t feel Eleanor belongs with their crowd. Perhaps if she has a baby someday, they might accept her.

Gripping, at times heart-wrenching and tough to read, this book reveals a cross-section of women who gave up babies – willingly or not – for other Blacks who could not conceive. Readers discover stories of Black women and their difficulties with unplanned pregnancies and poverty.

The author drew inspiration from her grandmother, with many of the book’s facts based on real people.

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

“There was only so much shock, heartbreak, and upheaval a person could take before she eventually cracked up, and Melinda had cracked.”

My inaugural podcast guest recommended this book, and I’m so glad she did.

This novel checks the boxes for readers craving a funny, sweet, heartwarming family drama.

In Greenwich Village, Lauren, Olivia, and Melinda connect via a baby – who doesn’t belong to any of them. With the novel’s array of quirky characters and numerous plot lines, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of who is doing what. But, as the story comes together in a delightful way, we’re reminded our paths take us down unforeseen roads and connect us with unexpected people. And revenge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Only One Lie by Audrey Cole

This equal parts historical fiction and cozy mystery read offers short chapters and quick pacing. I enjoyed the World War II era Pacific Northwest and aviation backdrops in this well-researched novel.

Reminiscent of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Max Ellis, the child of a wealthy banking family, goes missing. When her husband heads to the Pacific for the war effort, Vera Chandler takes over his duties as the Ellis family’s private pilot. Vera soon finds herself pulled into a web of deceit and confusion as the family attempts to locate their son.

After reading this book, I look forward to checking out The Pilot’s Daughter, another novel by this author.

In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen

For fans of The Crown, The Gilded Age, or tales of the families who summered in Newport, I bring you this historical fiction novel. Told from the viewpoint of the governess to young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, this book is an interesting take on life inside Buckingham Palace.

Marion Crawford educated, guided, and nurtured the princesses for 16 years. They were like her own daughters. At the expense of her love and life, Marion chose duty over self and devoted her life to another family. Royal fans will enjoy the anecdotes surrounding palace life, a royal upbringing, and the various family members.

Although Marion (“Crawfie”) lived with the royals all those years, the family later shunned her.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

“Even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky enough to be alive, we must give thanks for the miracle of every moment of every day, no matter how flawed.”

When the author heard about an Italian who helped Jews escape during the war, he placed a call overseas. “I hear you are a hero,” Mark Sullivan said to Pino Lella. Sullivan spent the next decade traveling back and forth to Italy and listening to Pino’s stories.

I read this book, based on a remarkable true story, when it came out a few years ago. I recently re-read it for my Nashville book club. It was as moving, heart-wrenching, and inspiring the second time.

Pino was a Milan teenager when his parents forced him to enlist and join the Nazis. They hoped to protect him. He became the personal driver for one of the highest-ranking Nazi commanders. And a spy.

According to the author, 90 percent of the stories in the book are true. It’s one of the few books my husband and I both read, enjoyed, and discussed.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What’s the last book you read in one sitting? What is your favorite genre? Do you prefer audiobooks or the real thing?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

A little while back, I got an eyelash comb in a goody bag from a makeup event. I remember being scared of it because it honestly looked like it could poke my eyeballs out in an instant. But eventually, I got around to using it and my opinions completely changed. I’ve officially been converted into a lash comb stan and now, I see them in my TikTok feed. Needless to say, eyelash combs are here to stay and about to become one of your most prized possessions in your makeup bag.

Just as how combs for your hair help separate and detangle your strands, eyelash combs part your lashes after you’ve applied mascara. Even if your fave mascara doesn’t leave behind major clumps, your lash hairs could always use a nice comb-through to get them extra separated and fluttery, and MSQ’s Eyelash Comb is here to do just that. 

This handy tool catches clumps and flakes from your lashes in instances where perhaps you’ve applied too many coats of mascara and need to brush through all the gobs of product. Or maybe you just want a finishing touch to ensure your lashes look as defined and fanned out as possible. Regardless, you’re going to want this easy-to-use, portable tool on hand. You could even carry one at all times in your bag in case you need to do touch-ups throughout the day. It comes with a plastic cap, so there’s no need to worry about how you’ll transport the stainless steel lash comb in your purse.

Nearly 10,000 shoppers have given the Eyelash Comb an overall 4.3-star rating on Amazon. 

“I honestly cannot believe how big of a difference this tool makes. It’s the key to separated and lifted lashes,” one wrote. “The tool also helps curl my lashes better [and] after applying mascara. This is by far the best $5 I’ve spent to elevate my eye makeup.”

You heard the shopper! Elevate your eye makeup with MSQ’s Eyelash Comb that’s on sale now for just $5 at Amazon.

RELATED: This Mascara Is So Volumizing, Reviewers Warn: ‘Don’t Get Lash Extensions Before You Try This’—Snag It For $9 While You Can 

Photo: MSQ.

Another five-star reviewer raved, “Where has this been all of my life?!? Recently bought a mascara that clumps together giving my eyelashes a weird, spidery look. This completely eliminated that effect and I love it! Such a cheap, easy fix that is now part of my everyday routine.”

I can 100 percent relate to that shopper, as my lash comb has become an essential step in my makeup routine too. It’s so satisfying to glide the product through my lashes and remove all the clumps in seconds. 

When using this tool, make sure your layer of mascara has already dried. You don’t want to run the curved comb through your lashes while the mascara is still fresh and wet.

Another reviewer found the comb helpful for a different purpose. “I have lash extensions and this does a nice job separating any of the hybrid/volume lashes that stick together occasionally. The long teeth on the comb make a huge difference,” they wrote. 

Now that you know what your makeup routine has been missing, get ready for gorgeous, fluttery lashes all thanks to this $5 lash comb. You might want to order a few so you can keep them in your makeup bag at home, your work bag, your everyday purse or really wherever you might find your lashes in need of a midday pick-me-up.