Kenya Moore’s Light Blue Puff Sleeve Sweater

Season 12 Episode 21 Real Housewives of Atlanta Fashion

Kenya Moore is having a rough go of things internally but she somehow managed to still look gorgeous in her light blue puff sleeve sweater on last night’s Real Housewives of Atlanta. Although some of her cast mates are encouraging her to mend fences with Marc Daley, I think she should stay as far away from him as humanly possible once they can figure out a good way to co-parent. Because when a man leaves you feeling that blue it’s 100% different than when your cute sweater does the same.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Light Blue Puff Sleeve Puff Sleeve Sweater Sold Out at Zara

Originally posted at: Kenya Moore’s Light Blue Puff Sleeve Sweater

Many of us find ourselves staying home doing our part to flatten the coronavirus COVID-19 curve. Staying home means staying safe. Unfortunately, the side-effects of self-isolating at home can be boredom and loneliness. And that’s no small matter.

Hobbies like puzzles and cooking can keep us
busy, but what about loneliness? According to former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek
Murthy, loneliness has been found to be associated with a reduction in life
span worse than obesity and “similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a
day.” 

Human beings are simply wired for connection. So
how do you connect during this time of social distancing? You might just find
an answer in your past.

Genealogy is a hobby all about connecting with
your family (past and present), yourself, your community, and the world. It’s ranked
the second most popular hobby in the U.S. after gardening, according to Time
and ABC News.

For baby-boomers, there are powerful mental, emotional,
and physical benefits. And you can do it from home! So, if you are going stir-crazy
and starting to climb your walls, try climbing your family tree instead. Here
are 5 easy steps for getting started in
genealogy.

Gather What You Know

Before you start digging for your roots online,
dig around your house first. Family history starts at home, and it starts with
you. Write down what you know about your family and work backwards.

Pull out those boxes of photographs and
scrapbooks. Gather any previous research, family bibles, diaries, letters,
vital records, address books, yearbooks, and obituaries. You’ve probably been
meaning to organize this stuff for years anyway. Now’s your chance.

Record what you know on pedigree
charts and family group sheets.
Call and interview your relatives to fill in any missing information. This is a
perfect time to connect with those cousins you haven’t spoken to in years.

Tip: While
everything is out, take the time to identify and scan your documents and photos
to preserve them.

What Do You Want to Know? (Set Research Goals)

Sit back and look at your family tree and
decide where you want to focus your research. Growing an entire tree at once can
be overwhelming. Instead, break it down into smaller research projects.

Start with one particular branch, family unit,
or a family mystery as your research goal before moving onto the next project.

Tip: Don’t
get lost in your tree. Write down your research goals and focus on them one at
a time to prevent confusion and errors.

Online Sleuthing

With your research goal as your guide, it’s
time to get online. The big four genealogy websites are Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com. All have extensive record collections and powerful
family tree-building tools.

Check them all out to see which one fits you and your research goals best. (While most are subscription-based, look for free trials or access them for free through your local library.)

Start by tracing your ancestors in the census
records to establish a timeline. Next, move onto examining birth records,
marriage records, and death records. Are there immigrants in your family tree?
Immigration and naturalization records could reveal their country and city of
origin.

Play detective and lawyer when reading
documents. Make sure dates and names correlate with known facts. I’ve seen many
family trees showing women getting married and giving birth years after their
deaths.

Want to dig a little deeper into your family
history? Discover your family’s military service records on Fold3.com.

Find obituaries, wedding announcements, and
stories you never knew about your ancestors on Newspapers.com. And even though you might be stuck inside, you can take a virtual cemetery visit to see an ancestor’s final resting place on FindaGrave.com and BillionofGraves.com.

Tip: Be
careful when accepting hints and information from other family trees. Consider
these suggestions and scrutinize their sources carefully. Don’t infect your
tree with their mistakes.

Connecting with Others

You are never alone in your research journey.
There are lots of places to connect online with other family historians and
genealogists.

Consider joining your local genealogical society or a genealogy Facebook group and ask
questions. Download a podcast. Take a webinar or online course to learn new
skills. Many are being offered for free right now.

Sharing Your History

Research is thrilling, but sharing is caring. Here
are a few simple ways to share and preserve your family history from
quarantine:

Family Trees

Share your family tree online. Or, design a
beautiful chart to frame and hang on your wall using FamilyChartMasters.com.

Family History Photo Books

Create family history photo books with
websites like Shutterfly
and Snapfish and ship copies directly to your relatives.

Social Media

Write short profiles of interesting ancestors
and share them on Facebook or Instagram. Connect with your grandkids by posting
photos of them with look-a-like ancestors in the same pose or around the same
age.

Write Your Family History

Start with a particular ancestor, event, or
mystery and tell your family story. A lasting legacy for future generations.

What would you like to know about your family history? Have you made
any surprising discoveries? Do you have a family mystery? Please share what you
know with our community!

Leah McSweeney’s Bucket Hat in The Hamptons

Real Housewives of New York Season 12 Episode 2 Fashion

Although Leah McSweeney’s black sheer bucket hat in The Hamptons on last week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New York may not be for everyone (especially Upper East Side ladies apparently), we’ve decided it’s still worthy of us reporting on here anyway. Because when it comes to fashion, there’s no questioning the fact that we always appreciate a girl that can dance to the beat of her own drum tramp stamp.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Sold Out Ida Klamborn Hat

Click Here to Shop it in Purple

Click Here to Shop it in Orange

Originally posted at: Leah McSweeney’s Bucket Hat

Those with short hair know the struggle. It only takes a few weeks after you’re due for a haircut to make you feel a bit…unkempt. While it’s best to head to a hair salon, it’s possible you’ll be physically distancing for a while longer. If you just can’t take it anymore, we’ve got you covered. We chatted with Oswald Wiggan, Master Barber with The Art of Shaving, to find out how to cut short hair at home. It’s possible without creating a big disaster—we promise.

“There are a few things you need to consider here,” says Wiggan. “Will you be performing this cut yourself? Or will you have another person with you in isolation do it?” If you’re alone, don’t stress. You just need to gather a few key tools to get you started. Take a deep breath, put down the wine and follow these expert tips to give yourself that much-needed trim.

Image: Ulta.

“Make sure you have plenty of light so you can see what you are doing,” says Wiggan. “Shadows can blur the area you are trying to cut and make it harder to get a clean line.” You’ll also want to grab a large mirror with a handle to help guide yourself. Bathroom a little dim? A light-up mirror can help.

Image: Amazon.

Next, you’ll want to grab a pair of shears. Please, do not use kitchen scissors. They’re often too dull and can fray the ends of your hair, making it look like you have split ends. If you’re a beginner, skip over any thinning shears and other specialty types, notes Wiggan.

Image: Amazon.

Once you’re ready to start cutting, look closely at the lines of your last haircut. “The goal here is to just take those lines that already exist and clean up the look by trimming a little length,” says Wiggan. Take a comb or your finger to section off the hair you want to cut. You’ll want to start on the longer side until you get used to trimming your hair. “Pull the comb or your finger through the section and cut on the outside of the section in a clean line,” adds Wiggan. This can be done wet or dry but dry hair is a bit more forgiving. “Wet hair is more elastic, and it will be shorter when it dries,” says Wiggan. “So, if cutting wet hair err on the side of caution with length.”

Once you’ve cut a few sections, check the rest of your hair and follow along the same line, cutting the same small length all around. Snip any stray hair as needed. “If your hair is layered, this will be hard to execute yourself, so it is best to just follow the lines already there and trim,” says Wiggan.

Image: Amazon.

For many short cuts, you’ll also need to create a clean line at the neck. Grab some clippers and your mirror and map out the natural end to your hairline. “It won’t always be a clear line and people have different growth patterns,” says Wiggan. “Getting a clear line would pull up the cut too much in the back and make it look short.”

Image: Ulta.

When you’re done, don’t be afraid to really play around with product, especially if your hair is still a little longer than you’d like. “A slightly grown out style can look put together by changing the way you style your hair,” says Wiggan. “Where at one time a slightly spiky top can now be blown out and styled with a lighter pomade instead of a gel and swooped back.” There are no rules.

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.

In a past life, I thought to ask the barber which clipper settings she uses on my hair was simply good old fashioned small talk. As it turns out—wow, actually useful information to remember when you can’t get a shape up for weeks or worse, months. I’m not volunteering as tribute to do this right now, but knowing how to fade hair at home is a skill I may have to eventually use.

As it turns out, the process isn’t as scary as I thought. According to Oswald Wiggan, Master Barber with The Art of Shaving, there are a couple things to consider first. Most important is deciding whether you’re doing this on yourself, on someone else or vice versa. Of course, another person “can see the back of your head more easily and make sure your neckline is straight,” but don’t throw in the towel if you’re solo.

HYOUJIN.

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Just make sure you have a large mirror with a handle so you can guide yourself. A neck guard is also helpful if you want to clean up the neckline and of course, a towel to keep your clothes from getting covered in hair.

Quality Time.

Buy: Quality Time Neck Guard $12.90

“Make sure you have plenty of light so you can see what you are doing,” adds Wiggan. “Shadows can blur the area you are trying to cut and make it harder to get a clean line.” And if you can, don’t give up on a messy style too easily. Play around and see if it can be finagled to look presentable with styling products because ultimately, haircuts are best left with the pros. But if it can’t wait…

JW Shears.

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Clippers and shears are required to properly fade hair. For the most common short style, one that’s high and tight or faded on the sides, you’ll want to use clippers on the side and shears on top with a graduated approach. This is when that whole “knowing your barber’s clipper setting” comes in handy. If you don’t, schedule that conveniently timed catch-up over Zoom or text, like, right now.

Remington.

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First, comb and separate the top from the sides so you have a clear idea of where the growth is. Imagine a line that divides the two and if needed, rest a comb there while trimming the sides to keep everything even. Also, avoid doing this on wet hair since it can elongate or shrink the actual length, which leads to mistakes.

Source: Instagram

Next, grab the clippers. Remember that this process requires finite detail, especially if you have hair like mine that grows in a million different directions. (With that being said, it may also be helpful to ask your barber for the exact patterns they cut, specifically, every spot they go with and against your natural hair grain so you don’t give yourself a bald spot. Yiiiikes.)

Generally speaking, you can trim against the grain on the sides and back of the head. “Start with a lower setting and work your way up in small increments. Where you start and end will depend on how close to your skin the lower portion of your hair cut is,” says Wiggan.

Go around the perimeter of your head a couple times so you don’t miss any spots and remove the neck guard after to clean up the neckline if you want. “You can do this with clippers or by shaving the area,” adds Wiggan.

The Art of Shaving.

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If the top of your hair needs to be trimmed, use a comb or your fingers to section the hair and use shears to cut on the outside of the comb or your hand in a clean line. For those with textured hair, clippers are typically used on the top of the head, too. You can also do this at home, but remember to start with the lowest setting as you would on the sides and work your way up.

Source: Instagram

In a video for cleaning up the beard and neckline, Wiggan also says not to underestimate the power or simply snipping flyaways which can more quickly upgrade a grown-out look. Once you’re finished, use a brush to remove any loose hairs from the face and voila—you’re good as new.

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Personally, I like washing my hair and working in a moisturizer immediately after, but it’s up to you. Ultimately, the most important tip to keep in mind is that fading your hair at home should be about low-key maintenance, not a dramatic transformation.

“Remember the goal is to clean yourself up. It’s not to recreate your look, but to maintain your look,” says Wiggans.

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.