Big hair is back in a big way. Whether it’s cropped and pompadoured a la Rihanna, perfectly coifed like the ladies on "Mad Men" or slightly disheveled and freshly-romped like the catwalk muses at the recent Louis Vuitton show. I recently caught up with Justin German, Pantene’s Consulting Stylist and co-owner of Shagg Salon in Toronto, to talk about the hairstyles that he foresees making an impact this Fall/Winter (and not to mention holiday) season. German couldn’t be more adamant about the appeal of big sexy hair. “I’m loving big, mussed up Brigitte Bardot inspired looks, floppy pompadour styles and even looks that are a little bit Elvisy, but with a feminine twist,” he says, “The important thing here is to not be intimidated by the style and realize that it’s all about the imperfect; Realistically the look should only take 15 minutes max to create.”

If you’ve hit the mall in the last few weeks you may have noticed a certain new print popping up on the racks. In my opinion, you can never really beat the real deal when it comes to black lace (it certainly turns up an outfits sex appeal in an instant), but it can be very delicate and, therefore, not always ideal for every day use…unless you own a dry cleaning business? Enter the new lace alternative: the lace print. Now you can achieve the same luxe look and feel, but with the silk, cotton, cashmere and even polyester incarnations you won’t have to worry about snags or the damage to your credit rating.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the eyebrows are the window dressing. As with interior design then, it is important to consider what is going on with these elements of style. A lot of people overlook the brows in their regular beauty regime, often with unfortunate results, but thanks to the new slew of Benefit Brow Bars that have opened across Canada over the last few months, looking highbrow just got a whole lot easier.

Usually I am all about red carpet style. Good-looking people dressed and primped to the nines in fashions that are way ahead of the curve—what better place to find inspiration for my daily personal styling crusades?  At last weeks Whitney Museum Gala in NYC, however, the red carpet was less about the upcoming hot holiday trends and more about the new influx of hot messes.

There are makeup artists and then there are gurus; Blair Patterson, brand ambassador for Estee Lauder, definitely falls into the latter category. With regular gigs on TV shows like “The View” and “The Today Show” and regular contributions to Harper’s Bazaar, Time Out New York and O The Oprah Magazine, Patterson is a clearly a master at his craft—we have all seen how Oprah looks au natural and clearly there are some makeup miracles happening before she steps in front of the lens! 

When it comes to shampoo and other hair care products, I’ll be the first to admit that I'm pretty picky. It's not uncommon for me to spend more on products when I visit the salon than on the cut and blow dry - although it does come as a shock to my husband every time it happens.

As the Green editor for MSN.ca, I can't help but feel pressured to green my hair routine but it's hard to consider swapping my tried-and-true products for ones I know little about (even if they are eco-friendly).

In fact, the idea of letting go of my faves makes me a bit nervous. The last time I switched products was when I was trying to cut back on the cost and I ended up with flat, dull, frizzy curls that worsened as the day rolled on. Yuck!

Certain members of the young Hollywood set are fearless when it comes to their hair. I’m not just talking about branching out with a different style for red carpet affairs; I’m referring to their penchant for drastically altering the colour of their locks, sometimes beyond recognition. Hmmm, maybe that was their intent?  In the case of the notorious LaLa Lohan I somehow doubt it. Putting intent aside, there are certain cases where the drastic hair dying measures just aren’t doing justice to these undeniably lovely ladies, yet they keep going back for more. So, let us take a stroll down memory lane and decide which colour scheme suited which starlet best—and let’s hope they take note of public opinion next time they head to the salon!

Engagement and wedding rings are lovely and all, but I’m not sure there is a man out there that has the style savvy or pocketbook to choose a ring that would really sweep me off my feet. I won’t be holding my breath for prince charming, but I will be sporting some show stopping rings this season—all gifts from me to me.

This will reveal the true geek in me, but I love Halloween costumes. In fact, I have been planning mine for the past couple of  months, picking up pieces that fit the bill as they crossed my path. I find it a lot easier than scrambling to put the whole thing together at the last minute, though, inevitably there's always scrambling involved. For those of you that aren’t quite as psyched, but would still like to make a splash this hallows eve, the fine folks over at MAC cosmetics have put together a couple full face looks that are sure to make you standout in a sea of Betty Draper and leotard clad Beyonce costumes.

I know, I know, Elvis was singing about his blue suede shoes, but I’m fairly certain that’s because he never saw these grey stunners by Michael Kors. Technically, these are the “Sin” element in this post, but let’s be honest, $188 is a pretty reasonable price for a pair of dress shoes. Particularly when said shoes will not only serve as a hot alternative to your plain black pairs, but will also survive the test of time.