Month: April 2023

Kristin Cavallari’s Black Blazer Dress

Kristin Cavallari’s Black Blazer Dress on Instagram

Kristin Cavallari 2023 Instagram Fashion

Kristin Cavallari is celebrating 6 years of Uncommon James. And she is doing so looking sexy chic in her black blazer dress. I can’t believe it’s been around that long, but yet it doesn’t feel long enough! But something that won’t last 6 years (or even 6 months probably) is the stock of this blazer so hurry to get your hands on one while you can, and if you’re looking for some accessories to wear with it I know a place

 

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

 

Kristin Cavallari's Black Blazer Dress

Click Here to Shop Her Proenza Schouler

Photo: @uncommonjames

Originally posted at: Kristin Cavallari’s Black Blazer Dress

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These Hair Growth Vitamins Are So Good, My Boyfriend & I Both Take Them


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

Not so many moons ago, I was a single woman in my early twenties, with lots of hair and even more dates. Before heading off to meet an especially intriguing Bumble match, I’d hit up Drybar for a blowout. I savored this pre-date protocol of becoming the glossiest, most polished version of myself. Now that I find myself in my early thirties and in a relationship, the ritual has been replaced by a decidedly less glamorous one (depending on who you ask): My boyfriend and I both take Nutrafol, a hair growth vitamin. It’s a long way down to the bottom, folks.

I began shedding in the winter of 2016, and not the baggage from six years of dating in NYC (that I carry with me to this day). My hair thinned at an alarming rate, and my once-undetectable part became a prominent focal point. Thanks to a career that involves testing new beauty formulas and writing about them, the hair loss market became my proverbial oyster. I tried every topical product that claims to boost hair growth, plus the gummy vitamins and various oral supplements that other women swear by. None caused a noticeable impact, but to be fair, I wasn’t exactly compliant when the instructions called for applying foam to my scalp daily.

 

 

 

Nutrafol Women

Image: Nutrafol.

Buy: Nutrafol Core for Women $88

My beauty editorship brought me to the launch event of Nutrafol, which isn’t as pedestrian as I’ve made it sound. In fact, it’s a rather sophisticated, comprehensive approach for a hair loss supplement, compared to its competition of Kardashian-endorsed gimmicks. The formula includes the stalwarts of your average multi-vitamin (vitamins A, C, D and E) plus the crux of most hair loss vitamins (biotin, zinc, marine collagen from cod fish). What sets it apart: a cocktail of botanical ingredients (ashwagandha, saw palmetto, turmeric) and the “Nutrafol Blend,” a proprietary assortment of antioxidants, for the most part. Altogether, the drug-free composition of natural ingredients tackle hair loss holistically, neutralizing the effects of stress, aging and perhaps most impressively, the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.

nutrafol-pills-image

Image: Nutrafol.

I’ve taken Nutrafol for nearly two years now, and while I didn’t regrow the resplendent head of hair I had when I was dating amok, I sprouted a fresh crop of baby hairs. My hair atrophy has halted, and I’ve seen enough new growth to know it works. Skeptics who balk at personal anecdotes should know that Nutrafol boasts the gold standard of evidence: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted by a dermatologist. The highlights are that 81 percent of participants reported improvement in hair growth, while 77 percent noticed new growth. Curiously, the study only included women ingesting the women’s formula, even though Nutrafol offers a separate formula specifically for men. This brings me to my boyfriend, who will be utterly delighted by his presence in this article.

Men’s hair loss (male pattern baldness or otherwise) has historically overshadowed women’s, especially for those who thin in their twenties and thirties. It’s almost expected for men to begin balding before 40, but when I started losing my hair, it took me a long time to recognize it—because I’d never heard it can occur in young women. Frankly, I think hair loss is a decent exercise in the irrelevancy of gender roles, as the hormone DHT, otherwise known as dihydrotestosterone, doesn’t discriminate (it’s responsible for shrinking follicles in both men and women). More to my point, the men’s formula of Nutrafol contains the exact same ingredients as the women’s variety, in marginally higher doses.

nutrafol-hair-loss-supplement-image

Hers-and-his Nutrafol. Image: Alana Peden.

My boyfriend brought up his follicle frustrations first, as he should. Even though he spoke with a matter-of-fact air, I could tell that he wasn’t looking forward to gradually going bald. I responded in a soothing, nonchalant manner, but I also said I knew a supplement that could help, if he was interested. If your partner is losing his or her hair, I recommend doing the same. While I obviously appreciate his dark, glossy hair, my motivation came from knowing how hair loss feels, and how it can affect everything from self-confidence to external perceptions of your qualities. I silently wondered if his hair loss would one day affect his career, as I once worried about mine. In a particularly surprising (and infuriating) twist, a study found that bald men are actually perceived to be more fitting leaders in the workplace, while no such benefit exists for women.

Even so, my boyfriend wanted to order Nutrafol for himself, and now enthusiastically swallows each of the four pills that comprise a daily dose (with a granola bar, because he “can’t swallow” without food). When he travels or otherwise shacks away from home, he parses out his supply in a Ziploc bag with the appropriate amount of granola bars, which is adorable and a testament to his dedication. He’s only been using Nutrafol for a month and a half (six months is necessary for full results), but he self-reports that his hair “feels thicker.”

Together, we take our pills, send each other Insta stories of our Nutrafol bottles and commit other truly nauseating displays of a couple mutually devoted to hair maintenance. Our ritual certainly lacks the sexy, inchoate feelings invoked by a professional blowout and a third date, but we have something that will (hopefully) last a little longer: our hair.

STYLECASTER | Ashley Benson Interview

A version of this story was originally published on November 18, 2018.

Read More

These Hair Growth Vitamins Are So Good, My Boyfriend & I Both Take Them


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

Not so many moons ago, I was a single woman in my early twenties, with lots of hair and even more dates. Before heading off to meet an especially intriguing Bumble match, I’d hit up Drybar for a blowout. I savored this pre-date protocol of becoming the glossiest, most polished version of myself. Now that I find myself in my early thirties and in a relationship, the ritual has been replaced by a decidedly less glamorous one (depending on who you ask): My boyfriend and I both take Nutrafol, a hair growth vitamin. It’s a long way down to the bottom, folks.

I began shedding in the winter of 2016, and not the baggage from six years of dating in NYC (that I carry with me to this day). My hair thinned at an alarming rate, and my once-undetectable part became a prominent focal point. Thanks to a career that involves testing new beauty formulas and writing about them, the hair loss market became my proverbial oyster. I tried every topical product that claims to boost hair growth, plus the gummy vitamins and various oral supplements that other women swear by. None caused a noticeable impact, but to be fair, I wasn’t exactly compliant when the instructions called for applying foam to my scalp daily.

 

 

 

Nutrafol Women

Image: Nutrafol.

Buy: Nutrafol Core for Women $88

My beauty editorship brought me to the launch event of Nutrafol, which isn’t as pedestrian as I’ve made it sound. In fact, it’s a rather sophisticated, comprehensive approach for a hair loss supplement, compared to its competition of Kardashian-endorsed gimmicks. The formula includes the stalwarts of your average multi-vitamin (vitamins A, C, D and E) plus the crux of most hair loss vitamins (biotin, zinc, marine collagen from cod fish). What sets it apart: a cocktail of botanical ingredients (ashwagandha, saw palmetto, turmeric) and the “Nutrafol Blend,” a proprietary assortment of antioxidants, for the most part. Altogether, the drug-free composition of natural ingredients tackle hair loss holistically, neutralizing the effects of stress, aging and perhaps most impressively, the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.

nutrafol-pills-image

Image: Nutrafol.

I’ve taken Nutrafol for nearly two years now, and while I didn’t regrow the resplendent head of hair I had when I was dating amok, I sprouted a fresh crop of baby hairs. My hair atrophy has halted, and I’ve seen enough new growth to know it works. Skeptics who balk at personal anecdotes should know that Nutrafol boasts the gold standard of evidence: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted by a dermatologist. The highlights are that 81 percent of participants reported improvement in hair growth, while 77 percent noticed new growth. Curiously, the study only included women ingesting the women’s formula, even though Nutrafol offers a separate formula specifically for men. This brings me to my boyfriend, who will be utterly delighted by his presence in this article.

Men’s hair loss (male pattern baldness or otherwise) has historically overshadowed women’s, especially for those who thin in their twenties and thirties. It’s almost expected for men to begin balding before 40, but when I started losing my hair, it took me a long time to recognize it—because I’d never heard it can occur in young women. Frankly, I think hair loss is a decent exercise in the irrelevancy of gender roles, as the hormone DHT, otherwise known as dihydrotestosterone, doesn’t discriminate (it’s responsible for shrinking follicles in both men and women). More to my point, the men’s formula of Nutrafol contains the exact same ingredients as the women’s variety, in marginally higher doses.

nutrafol-hair-loss-supplement-image

Hers-and-his Nutrafol. Image: Alana Peden.

My boyfriend brought up his follicle frustrations first, as he should. Even though he spoke with a matter-of-fact air, I could tell that he wasn’t looking forward to gradually going bald. I responded in a soothing, nonchalant manner, but I also said I knew a supplement that could help, if he was interested. If your partner is losing his or her hair, I recommend doing the same. While I obviously appreciate his dark, glossy hair, my motivation came from knowing how hair loss feels, and how it can affect everything from self-confidence to external perceptions of your qualities. I silently wondered if his hair loss would one day affect his career, as I once worried about mine. In a particularly surprising (and infuriating) twist, a study found that bald men are actually perceived to be more fitting leaders in the workplace, while no such benefit exists for women.

Even so, my boyfriend wanted to order Nutrafol for himself, and now enthusiastically swallows each of the four pills that comprise a daily dose (with a granola bar, because he “can’t swallow” without food). When he travels or otherwise shacks away from home, he parses out his supply in a Ziploc bag with the appropriate amount of granola bars, which is adorable and a testament to his dedication. He’s only been using Nutrafol for a month and a half (six months is necessary for full results), but he self-reports that his hair “feels thicker.”

Together, we take our pills, send each other Insta stories of our Nutrafol bottles and commit other truly nauseating displays of a couple mutually devoted to hair maintenance. Our ritual certainly lacks the sexy, inchoate feelings invoked by a professional blowout and a third date, but we have something that will (hopefully) last a little longer: our hair.

STYLECASTER | Ashley Benson Interview

A version of this story was originally published on November 18, 2018.

Read More

These Hair Growth Vitamins Are So Good, My Boyfriend & I Both Take Them


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

Not so many moons ago, I was a single woman in my early twenties, with lots of hair and even more dates. Before heading off to meet an especially intriguing Bumble match, I’d hit up Drybar for a blowout. I savored this pre-date protocol of becoming the glossiest, most polished version of myself. Now that I find myself in my early thirties and in a relationship, the ritual has been replaced by a decidedly less glamorous one (depending on who you ask): My boyfriend and I both take Nutrafol, a hair growth vitamin. It’s a long way down to the bottom, folks.

I began shedding in the winter of 2016, and not the baggage from six years of dating in NYC (that I carry with me to this day). My hair thinned at an alarming rate, and my once-undetectable part became a prominent focal point. Thanks to a career that involves testing new beauty formulas and writing about them, the hair loss market became my proverbial oyster. I tried every topical product that claims to boost hair growth, plus the gummy vitamins and various oral supplements that other women swear by. None caused a noticeable impact, but to be fair, I wasn’t exactly compliant when the instructions called for applying foam to my scalp daily.

 

 

 

Nutrafol Women

Image: Nutrafol.

Buy: Nutrafol Core for Women $88

My beauty editorship brought me to the launch event of Nutrafol, which isn’t as pedestrian as I’ve made it sound. In fact, it’s a rather sophisticated, comprehensive approach for a hair loss supplement, compared to its competition of Kardashian-endorsed gimmicks. The formula includes the stalwarts of your average multi-vitamin (vitamins A, C, D and E) plus the crux of most hair loss vitamins (biotin, zinc, marine collagen from cod fish). What sets it apart: a cocktail of botanical ingredients (ashwagandha, saw palmetto, turmeric) and the “Nutrafol Blend,” a proprietary assortment of antioxidants, for the most part. Altogether, the drug-free composition of natural ingredients tackle hair loss holistically, neutralizing the effects of stress, aging and perhaps most impressively, the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.

nutrafol-pills-image

Image: Nutrafol.

I’ve taken Nutrafol for nearly two years now, and while I didn’t regrow the resplendent head of hair I had when I was dating amok, I sprouted a fresh crop of baby hairs. My hair atrophy has halted, and I’ve seen enough new growth to know it works. Skeptics who balk at personal anecdotes should know that Nutrafol boasts the gold standard of evidence: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted by a dermatologist. The highlights are that 81 percent of participants reported improvement in hair growth, while 77 percent noticed new growth. Curiously, the study only included women ingesting the women’s formula, even though Nutrafol offers a separate formula specifically for men. This brings me to my boyfriend, who will be utterly delighted by his presence in this article.

Men’s hair loss (male pattern baldness or otherwise) has historically overshadowed women’s, especially for those who thin in their twenties and thirties. It’s almost expected for men to begin balding before 40, but when I started losing my hair, it took me a long time to recognize it—because I’d never heard it can occur in young women. Frankly, I think hair loss is a decent exercise in the irrelevancy of gender roles, as the hormone DHT, otherwise known as dihydrotestosterone, doesn’t discriminate (it’s responsible for shrinking follicles in both men and women). More to my point, the men’s formula of Nutrafol contains the exact same ingredients as the women’s variety, in marginally higher doses.

nutrafol-hair-loss-supplement-image

Hers-and-his Nutrafol. Image: Alana Peden.

My boyfriend brought up his follicle frustrations first, as he should. Even though he spoke with a matter-of-fact air, I could tell that he wasn’t looking forward to gradually going bald. I responded in a soothing, nonchalant manner, but I also said I knew a supplement that could help, if he was interested. If your partner is losing his or her hair, I recommend doing the same. While I obviously appreciate his dark, glossy hair, my motivation came from knowing how hair loss feels, and how it can affect everything from self-confidence to external perceptions of your qualities. I silently wondered if his hair loss would one day affect his career, as I once worried about mine. In a particularly surprising (and infuriating) twist, a study found that bald men are actually perceived to be more fitting leaders in the workplace, while no such benefit exists for women.

Even so, my boyfriend wanted to order Nutrafol for himself, and now enthusiastically swallows each of the four pills that comprise a daily dose (with a granola bar, because he “can’t swallow” without food). When he travels or otherwise shacks away from home, he parses out his supply in a Ziploc bag with the appropriate amount of granola bars, which is adorable and a testament to his dedication. He’s only been using Nutrafol for a month and a half (six months is necessary for full results), but he self-reports that his hair “feels thicker.”

Together, we take our pills, send each other Insta stories of our Nutrafol bottles and commit other truly nauseating displays of a couple mutually devoted to hair maintenance. Our ritual certainly lacks the sexy, inchoate feelings invoked by a professional blowout and a third date, but we have something that will (hopefully) last a little longer: our hair.

STYLECASTER | Ashley Benson Interview

A version of this story was originally published on November 18, 2018.

Read More

Pilates for Improved Balance: Preventing Falls in Adults over 50

improve balance with Pilates

Here’s a scary fact: for people over 50, being unable to stand on one foot for 10 seconds is associated with a higher risk of death from ANY cause within the following decade.

That’s according to the findings of a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The numbers don’t lie either. The article states that there are approximately 36 million falls each year, 36,000 of which result in death.

If there is one thing we all have in common as we age it is a loss of balance. Regardless of your DNA, you will start to notice a decline in your balance between the ages of 40 to 50.

Are You Ready for the Good News?

You can easily improve your balance! You don’t need long intense exercise classes or to adopt the “no pain, no gain” mentality.

Short, simple exercises performed every day can help to improve your balance in as little as a few weeks.

As a certified Pilates instructor specializing in working with adults over 50, I believe balance is one of the most important factors to work on in this season of life. I personally see my clients gain a newfound sense of confidence when they improve their balance.

As we age, our bodies undergo a number of changes, including a loss of balance and flexibility. Falls are a common problem among seniors, and they can have serious consequences, including fractures and other injuries.

Ultimately, the effects of good balance are key to keeping you safe and living life to the fullest.

And Here’s Where It Gets Interesting…

There are many exercises that can help improve balance, but one of the most effective is Pilates.

 Why?

  • It strengthens key stabilizing muscles of your body that support good balance.
  • It’s low impact which is gentle on your joints.
  • It builds bone density which helps to avoid bone fractures.
  • It improves lower body strength which builds a solid foundation as you move about your day.
  • It builds your deep core muscles which is essential for good balance.

Pilates Checks All the Boxes to Improve Balance

I take balance work very seriously as I see how seniors struggle with their balance which leads to feeling unsteady on their feet and increases the chance of a hospital visit – something that we all want to avoid at any stage of life. I can confidently say that all my members in my Pilates classes could pass the 10-second balance test.

Why Pilates?

Overall, Pilates is an excellent form of exercise if you are looking to improve your balance. Pilates exercises can strengthen your balance by working your core muscles, increasing your body awareness, and providing a low-impact form of exercise that can be done anywhere. Incorporating Pilates into your routine can reduce the risk of falls and improve your overall quality of life.

If you are looking to improve your balance, check out my short YouTube video below. Make sure to have a chair handy or stand close to a wall for added support if needed.

If you’re ready to continue your journey to better balance, I have created a Balance Bootcamp series. This 5-part series of classes includes a mix of standing and mat work Pilates exercises to build the key muscle groups you need to foster good balance, keep you safe and feel your best.

Remember: It’s never too late to work on your balance. It may just save your life!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How is your balance? Have you noticed a decline in your balance over the years? What exercises do you do to maintain your balance?

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