To be honest, it wasn’t that hard to go without salon mani-pedis, haircuts, and beauty supply runs when stay-at-home orders became the new “normal.” After those first few weeks, I was more concerned with remembering to wash my face and keep my stay-at-home routine fresh. So much has changed since then, including my desire for a never-ending mountain of products to try, but one thing that hasn’t is my obsession with Target. It’s been a long time since I stepped inside a store, but all of the best Target beauty products to launch this year have me more than ready for a reunion with my beloved go-to for randomly necessary errands.

When considering the breadth of drugstore beauty options out there, Target aisles have always impressed me most. Generally speaking, I know what I’m getting when I walk into other stores and while I find some comfort in that, I also get bored. Like real bored. On the other hand, I almost always discover a new brand every time I walk into Target. The haircare section is especially gratifying because it includes a huge selection of Black-owned brands I didn’t even know existed (like The Doux). And then there are the oldie but goodies just a few shelves away and brand new collections from seasoned brands to peruse, too. Long story short—this is why my Target runs are never just a couple of minutes.

And if this year’s best beauty products are any indication, my post-quarantine trip will probably be a day-long affair. With that being said, here’s just a fraction of the best hair, skin, and makeup launches to hit Target shelves this year.

Tone It Up.

Tone It Up Plant-Based Protein +GREENS

The pros behind the fitness brand Tone It Up! have made eating your vegetables way easier with this vegan protein powder that delivers the recommended daily amount of greens to your body (with a tasty vanilla flavor to make it even more delicious).

Baylis & Harding.

Baylis & Harding GOODNESS. Natural Hand Wash

This UK-based brand is launching in US stores–Target, to be exact–for the first time ever. Choose from a handful of beautifully-scented vegan formulas housed in recyclable bottles.

Urban Skin Rx.

Urban Skin Rx Even Tone Resurfacing At Home Peel Pads

Urban Skin Rx is set to launch a couple of new products in the coming weeks, including a set of its popular Even Tone products, a mask for acne-prone skin, and these at-home exfoliants, powered by lactic acid, arbutin, and retinol to slough away dead skin cells and brighten the overall complexion.

Revlon.

Revlon Colorstay Endless Glow Liquid Highlighter

This “pearly and prismatic” liquid illuminator blends beautifully into the skin (on face and/or body) and comes in five different iridescent shades.

frank body.

frank body A-Beauty Coffee Scrub

Straight from Down Under, this special edition frank body scrub targets acne marks and hyperpigmentation with vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum and Finger Lime, a natural exfoliant.

NYX Professional Makeup.

NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Edit Petite Shadow Palette

Choose from a couple of different vibrant color combos, all housed in travel-friendly and foolproof packaging for newbies who may be intimidated by bigger palettes.

Sebastian.

Sebastian Shaper Touchable Brushable Hold Control Hairspray

Want to shield your hair from humidity without turning it into a hard, crunchy mess? This lightweight (and completely underrated) hairspray provides ample hold that you can still run a brush through.

Yogasleep.

Yogasleep Travel Mini White Noise Sound Machine

This is just one of many Yogasleep sound machines to make their Target debut. Other options include one made specifically for babies and another that can be controlled by an app.

Defy & Inspire.

Defy & Inspire 2020 Nail Polish Set

Defy & Inspire’s 2020 nail polish duos (including my favorite “Summer Heat” combo) are 9-free, cruelty-free and come with matte and metallic options.

Unicorn Snot.

Unicorn Snot Sunscreen SPF 30

Thanks to this glittery cruelty-free and water-resistant face and body glitter, you don’t have to sacrifice sun protection for highlighter goals.

Wild Fable.

Wild Fable Metal Snap Rectangle Hair Clips

If you love Target’s Wild Fable clothing line, you’ll be obsessed with the matching, on-trend hair accessories.

Winky Lux.

Winky Lux Strobing Balm Cream Highlighter

A silky-smooth luminous highlighter for when you want a blinding, dewy glow on your cheekbones.

Clutch Nails.

Clutch False Nails

Thanks to stay-at-home orders, press-on nails are having a major moment and the designs offered by brands like Clutch are so good, you may want to put off your salon appointment another few weeks.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

She’s one of the most iconic modern brunette models, but Emily Ratajkowski is a brunette no more. Ratajkowski revealed her new blonde hair today as part of an upcoming campaign with Kérastase. The spokesperson has been using the brand’s haircare to keep her strands healthy. Now she will be incorporating a line exclusively for blondes, Blond Absolu, into her routine. Ratajkowski will also star as the face of the collection’s campaign in January 2021.

“I’ve never colored my hair or changed the length significantly in my entire life,” said Ratajkowski in a statement. “I’m absolutely thrilled that Kérastase gave me their blessing to become a blonde. I just celebrated my birthday and am so happy to be coming out of quarantine with a fresh new look. Beauty is meant to be fun and expressive and this is definitely, hands down, the most fun I’ve ever had with my look before.”

Image: Kérastase.

Ratajkowski posted a shot of her new hair to Instagram and it already has more than two million likes. In it, her blonde hair has a bit of a shadow root but in these new images (above), it looks like they’ve taken her natural root color to a lighter brown.

Source: Instagram

According to Kérastase, the model will be using the products made for blondes to tone her hair and keep it healthy. They contain hyaluronic acid for hydration, Edelweiss flower to protect strands and ultraviolet neutralizers to remove any brass. Shop the line to use on your own hair, below.

Image: Kerastase.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Lumiere

This shampoo promises to hydrate parched hair and remove impurities.

Image: Kérastase.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet

Use this shampoo to banish brassy tones.

Image: Kerastase.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaflash Conditioner

Strengthen and fortify dry blonde hair.

Image: Kerastase.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Masque Ultra-Violet

When your hair needs a boost, use this hyaluronic acid-infused mask.

Image: Kerastase.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaplasme Hair Heat-Protecting Serum

Protect your strands from heat damage.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Few would dispute that the world wide web has revolutionized our lives. But, as with many good things, there is also a downside that requires a management strategy.

I do not profess to have a solution, as I myself lurch between excitement, overwhelm and fear of missing out (FOMO). However, I would like to share some of my learning points, accumulated over three years of exploring digital marketing for my coaching business.

If you have unlimited financial resources, as well as time, it can mean the world wide web is a very useful resource for following the world, your interests, and your passions. But, for those of us with capped financial resources, it has very emotive, subtle ways of encouraging one to part with money.

It Is a Slippery Slide to Overwhelm

Since I qualified as a coach, I have been keeping abreast of developments in both coaching and marketing in the 21^st Century, mainly through webinars.

The problem, I have found, is that as soon as you express interest in anybody’s information, or sign up for a webinar, or simply follow something interesting, you open yourself to a flood of emails, newsletters, facebook messages, to mention just a few.

Then follows the slippery slide from “Wow, that is interesting” to “Oh, no, not more information!”

When I attend a webinar or I acknowledge something that interests me, I find myself skimming the ensuing flood of emails for a week or two and then I unsubscribe.

Sometimes, I suffer from what the youth refer to as FOMO, and against my better judgment, I let the flow continue for another couple of weeks.

Then one day, when I am feeling totally overwhelmed by my inbox, I go down the list, unsubscribing left, right and centre. Very therapeutic, I have to confess, and it certainly eases the overwhelm for a week or two. Do you know that feeling?

Many Are Climbing on the “List” Bandwagon

Unfortunately, every Tom, Dick and Harriet is jumping on the bandwagon to create a list of people they can email in order to sell their products and services.

Most of them want to tell you how to do something, and they will give you enough information for you to feel that you simply cannot survive or make it through life without the rest of the information. Then comes the catch – you need to pay for the rest of the information! How many times have I fallen prey?

I am learning – albeit slowly – to “sleep on it” when they foist a special price or discount on me. Their technique is designed to put you on the back foot so you take up the offer without much thought.

I would love to know the statistics for the number of people who actually utilize the offerings fully. I have several incomplete courses, paid for, that are lurking in the cloud somewhere!

Summits Come at You Hard and Fast for a Week

Then there are the summits. They look so enticing and interesting when advertised. I sign up and during the ensuing week the podcasts flood in, 3 – 5 talks per day taking 1.5 – 3 hours’ listening time.

Then I find myself asking: Who has the time to watch all these? Sure, you can buy the whole package, but who has the money to buy every interesting summit that comes their way? Will I watch it again, anyway?

I bought one programme two years ago, I have lent it to a couple of friends, but I have yet to watch it again myself. If you do manage to watch some of the talks and then sign up for the specials, be prepared for the deluge.

Some Guidelines

This has led me to draw up a list of guidelines for myself, which I thought I would share with you:

• When signing up, say to yourself – am I REALLY interested, or is it FOMO?
• Do not buy anything without sleeping on it. If they do not give you 24 hours to make your decision, their intention is to catch you off guard. Take note of the ‘opt-out’ clauses – you may need them.
• Clear your inbox once a week (preferably) or once a fortnight. If you have lost concentration reading an email to the end, consider unsubscribing. If you think you might still get to it, put it into a ‘pending’ file which deletes emails after two weeks.

I am talking from the heart here, and I am certainly writing this blog as much for myself as you. I currently seem to have fallen into a pit of chronic overwhelm. The www is a fabulous tool, but we need to use it with caution.

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of information on the Internet? Do you experience a fear of missing out and find yourself constantly going online? Please share any tips you may have for dealing with the FOMO factor.

Hats are not only good for covering up a bad hair day but also provide much needed shade for our faces in the summer sun. Let’s explore the myths about why you may not be wearing hats, as well as some thoughts about how to find the right one for you.

“I Don’t Look Good in Hats”
EVERY person can look good in hats. The main reason why people think they don’t look good wearing a hat is because they aren’t used to seeing themselves in one. It’s an actual phenomenon called the Mere-exposure effect. Once you start wearing hats more, you will find the styles and varieties that you like.

Insider tip: Take a photo of yourself wearing a couple of hats in a store. Even if you don’t buy them, continue to look at the photos daily for at least two weeks. By the end of the two weeks, you should feel more comfortable seeing yourself in hats.

“It’s Too Hot Outside to Wear a Hat”
While a hat may seem hotter, if it’s shading you from the sun, then it’s cooler than you think.

Insider Tip: The fact of the matter is, you can make hats less hot by wearing ones that have ventilation. Or wear a cooling headband under the hat.

“My Hair Is Always a Mess After I Take Them Off”
Your hair can sure get flatter after wearing a hat, but since that’s the modern hairstyle right now, maybe it can be considered a benefit.

However, if you don’t like flat hair, an easy trick is to flip your hair to the opposite side before you don your hat. Then, when you take it off, flip your hair back, and you’ll notice that it isn’t flat anymore.

Another trick is to buy a hat that isn’t so tight, so it doesn’t smush your hair as much. Or maybe wear a head scarf under your hat, so when you remove the hat, the scarf takes all the attention.

Insider tip: Hats can be considered part of your outfit, so you don’t HAVE to take them off when you go inside. Then it won’t matter how your hair looks under the hat.

“My Head Is Too Big/Too Small for Hats”
While most hats are a one-size-fits-all, there are companies that make them in sizes, so you can find ones that fit. Here are some other options:

• If your head is bigger than most, make sure to check the men’s hats.
• If your head is smaller than most you might be able to wear kids’ hats or use sizing tape to adjust for a perfect fit.

Tricks for Finding the Right Hat

You want your hat to reflect your personality just like your clothing does. If you’re a newbie hat wearer, then try a neutral color hat and leave your other accessories to a minimum.

Another concern is that hats can make you feel conspicuous. If this bothers you at first, look for hats where the brim isn’t as big and doesn’t stick out as much. For example, fedoras or smaller sun hats are good options.

Since your hat is right near your face, it’s important to find one with a color that complements your complexion. Most summer hats are straw colored, but there are variations of straw colors. If it’s not the right color, you can get creative by dying it or painting it.

Insider tip: Once you’ve gotten used to wearing hats more and more, feel free to spruce them up by adding a scarf around the brim. Let the scarf ends hang down the back of the hat. I always say that just as many people see you from the back as the front. Therefore, it’s nice to give them something fun to look at.

What hat myths have interfered with your relationship with this lovely accessory? Do you like hats? What are your favorite types to wear? Please share with our community!