How To Fake It Like a Superstar

I was watching a lot of tv over the weekend and realized just how many people fake their appearance. I want to appear naturally golden with luxuriously long hair, amazing nails and a shapely waist. I know that I will never have Kristen Bell's hair or Julianna Margulies' skin, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it.

Here are tips on how to fake it with the best of them (and how to be able to pick out your faux sisters in a crowd).

Add more hair to your hair.

Almost everyone on television adds hair to their hair. And there is no reason you shouldn't do the same! There are some great faux hair lines out there now. My favorites are Ken Paves and POP. Pick up a fall like this one (hair that clips to the top of your head and fills out the back, top and sides) for instant glamour. Just be sure to blend it in and stay out of the wind. An easy way to trick the savviest of faux hair spotters? Add a headband or wrap.

Want to tell if someone is wearing a fall? Look for these tell tale signs:





Their part disappears halfway towards the back of their head or changes places. If you look closely, you can see where the hair is added, behind her natural bangs. It's a perfect color match and almost totally undetectable.




There is a slight ridge of hair just above and behind the ears. Her part also disappears very close to the middle of her head. This is also a perfect color match, which is the most important part!

Most people would never think to look for those signs, so fake your way to luxurious hair!





The easiest way to add more hair is with clip in accessories. Ken Paves makes a brilliant pony tail wrap. Old ponys had butterfly clips, which attached in a way that was different from how a real pony attached and were a dead giveaway (which never stopped me from wearing them!). That all changes with this new Ken Paves Ponytail Wrap. This clips to your existing ponytail and then an extra bit wraps around, looking polished and perfectly believable. Or try a clip in Chignon, which couldn't be easier or look more polished. Just be sure to attach it firmly to the back of your head.

Channel Your Inner Margulies.




I can promise you, by the time they hit 50, every Tara, Lindsay and Snooki will have wished they had taken the Marguiles approach to skincare. That means staying out of the sun and bathing yourself in SPF morning, noon and night. Ok. At night it can be a retinol.

But everyone who is anyone is tan, right?

That's why you need to fake bake with a really good self tanner. I love Beautisol. Their facial tanner is more like skincare and the color is a Mediterranean tan, which means it's not going to go orange. The body tanner is easy to apply and never looks fake. And you'll never smell like you've been fake baking.

Being tanorexic is the easiest way to get spotted with a fake tan, but faux-tanned ladies can be called out for forgetting their ears, the back of their neck or a stripe on the back of their arm. If you are worried you've applied too much to worrisome spots like your elbows, just buff the area lightly with a dry towel after you've applied the tanner and you'll look perfect. And with a faux tanner like Beautisol, there is no smell, so no one will be the wiser!


Back Lumps, Be Gone!





(I love this style top!)

Finally, I want to be those girls who can wear a wrap top with no risk of back lumps. I don't care how skinny you are, everyone gets these from time to time, unless you are being airbrushed. I hate back lumps more than I hate animal abusers (well, almost as much).

To avoid the dreaded back lump check out a body shaper like these, which are so comfortable I wear one every day. I'm not kidding. I love these things!

What is your favorite way to fake it?

Some products may have been sent for review.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews and more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Ken Paves The Power of Now In Color (Red)

As a redhead (again), I am always on the lookout for ways to brighten and extend my color - realistically. Coating my hair in bright red gel isn't going to work for my style. Neither is spraying in some sort of color. Or dusting in some weird powder. All of these change the texture of my hair for the worse, and the color payoff doesn't last, flakes off or comes off on my clothing. Getting caught in the rain plain stinks. And at the rate my roots need covering, I need all of the help I can get.

Enter my newest must-have hair product, Ken Paves The Power of Now in Color. This leave-in treatment helps strengthen hair while adding a sheer color gloss. You can use this product in a ton of ways:

• Add to hair before conditioning and rinse out, for the lightest color application
• Add to towel dried hair to add a punch of color
• Use a Q-Tip or an eye brow brush to cover roots
Before you take the leap, here are a few things you should know. Invest in some reusable gloves. Otherwise, some slight staining to the hands may occur. This is basically hair color in a bottle (with no exposure to air, so no weird, purple looking dye), so don't say I didn't warn you. Obviously, if you do this in the shower, you won't stain your hands. If you don't use gloves and wash immediately, you'll be fine as well. But, if you're going to worry about it, just use the gloves.


(Here is my hair before using the Power of Now In Color.)

The next thing you should know is that, like Wen, using this product may take a bit of practice to figure out what works best for you. The first time I used it, I chose the towel-dried hair method.

Obviously, I used the red. I used way too much and my hair came out slightly stiff. Think of this as a colored styling creme that helps protect your hair. Too much styling creme equals hair that doesn't feel quite right.

The next time I tried it, I used it in the shower and got slightly less color, but I still liked the benefits. My hair had a slightly redder tone to it, but it wasn't incredibly noticeable to anyone besides me (I study my hair color in the mirror. I can't be alone in this, can I?)

My favorite way to use this? Add to towel-dried hair and then apply it to the roots with the brow brush over dry hair. Still, a little goes a long way, so it may take you a few tries before you get the method right.


(Here is my hair after using The Power of Now In Color)


I love this color. I've used it every day for two weeks, even taking it on a business trip where a tiny overnight bag was required. It adds a natural red gloss to my hair. It doesn't look fake or totally change the color of my hair. If you expect it to do that, it won't. It will add a slight reddish gloss to the hair, making it look slightly richer, while giving you a bit of styling creme assistance.

I can honestly say, as long as he makes it, I can see me buying this. You can check it out on the Q. If your hair fades between salon visits, this is definitely worth trying out.

This was sent to me for the purpose of review. Ken Paves does not test on animals.

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Ken Paves Headband Hair Love

(The bangs are mine, the rest is Ken's.)


I am in total and unabashed love with this new Headband Fall from Ken Paves. I tested the R6 color, which is a medium brown with a slight hint of red. While you can't really see the headband itself in this picture, the headband is holding the hair in place (attached to the fall with velcro) while three clips secure it to your head. You can also switch out the headband with a different color (it comes with black and brown). It matched my actual hair color perfectly and looked really believable. Now, as perfect as it is, do have a few notes:

1. If it is really windy, you need to add an additional clip to the back of the piece to keep it secure. Never underestimate the power of a sneaky wind. Lesson learned. (There was a storm. I should watch local news more often before going out.) Thanks to Xina for casually helping me out that night!

2. If your hair is super short, carry a brush with you so you can make quick stops to brush it out. Because my hair only comes to the nape of my neck, the faux hair tends to stick together a bit, instead of mixing with my own hair. If your hair is slightly longer, you shouldn't have this problem.

3. If your hair is very short, like mine, instead of a headband, use a scarf. This camouflages the short hair at the nape of your neck, making it look even more realistic.

I have now worn this out to dinner on more than a few occasions. Other than my 93-year-old grandmother saying she didn't like how it made my real hair look (I don't know, she couldn't articulate her comment. She's 93. Honestly, she just likes to be contrary. I've never even seen her real hair.), I have gotten nothing but really positive responses to my long locks.

It's very comfortable, lightweight and feels really secure. I got several compliments from strangers (take that, Bubbe!) and know a few people who ran off to the web to check one out for themselves after we met.

If you aren't sure about wearing faux hair to fill out your own, this is a great piece to get your feet wet in the faux hair swimming pool. If you are a seasoned faux hair wearer, this is one of the easiest pieces to use. It's available on QVC and retails for between $85-$100.

In more Ken Paves news, earlier this week, Ken launched his new Self Help line on the Q. Self Help claims to improve your hair and, most importantly for me, helps seal color onto the hair shaft, making hair last longer. And as my hair grows faster and faster, thanks to supplements and other products, I am looking for color products to extend the time between salon visits. Ken's new The Power of Now- In Color can help cover regrowth and boost color. I believe you just add a bit to your shampoo and your color is amped. This product is going on my list of must-haves!

What do you think? Would you wear something like this? Tell me!

This hair extension was sent to me for the purposes of review.

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I Still Want Long Hair: The March Update

In January, I decided I wanted to grow my hair long like Tammy Taylor on Friday Night Lights. Considering my hair was cut short (think Pink), this is a lofty goal. Also taking into consideration that I haven't had longish hair for 8 years, and haven't had really long hair (to my shoulders) since 1995.

Because my hair is so short, growing it out seems like an impossible task. So I asked the pros I know for suggestions on how to make that work.



The first suggestion seems like the one I would prefer most- Ken Paves suggested I use extensions to make my tresses dreamy. So I have them in hand and can't wait to actually use them. What is stopping me? At the moment, my hair isn't quite the right color and my hair is still so short it looks like a weird mullet (These particular extensions don't attach on separate wefts, but as one large piece, which is great for some and problematic if you need to place the wefts at your temples to blend.). But give it a few months and my hair will be totally model ready. In the mean time, in a pinch, with a headband, I could probably pass.


Any woman who has medium length hair and doesn't own these extensions for special occasions is missing out. They attach in less than 3 minutes, look totally natural and are beautiful. Kate Gosselin recently "paid" somewhere around $7000 for her hair extensions. These are almost as good (they come out easily and aren't made from real hair) for about $80. If real hair is a must, they are available, but the price goes up a scouch.






The next suggestion was from Phyto pro Kristen at the Ted Gibson Salon in DC. "Phyto Phytopolleine Universal Elixir, when used on the scalp once per week overnight, will make your hair grow faster. It stimulates the scalp in a way that encourages hair growth. If growing your hair is what you want, this is what you need."

In researching Phyto hair growth products, I came across some vitamins that help assist in hair and nail growth. Phyto Phytophanere Dietary Supplements are working so well, they are almost making my nails annoying. I know that sounds terribly ungrateful to say. But here is why. If you have ever gone from real nails to acrylic nails, you know how weird it feels to type on a keyboard. Every Monday morning, despite actively filing my nails, I have to get used to how my hands feel on a keyboard when I do some serious typing because my nails have grown so much. Don't even get me started on trying to type on my new Android phone. But if that is the only thing I have annoying me, than I am one lucky lady! And while I don't advise it, I have also used my thumb nail as a screw driver on more than one occasion. I also haven't had time to paint them (which is a waste!) and they have been naked and exposed. Normally, this would mean peeling, broken nails, but not lately.

So thanks to Phyto Supplements and Scalp Treatments, my hair started out looking like this around New Year's:

and now looks like this.
Please keep in mind I haven't had it cut in three months (except for the back) and the current style is similar to a helmet. I hope this Friday, the amazing Bethany at Balance the Salon will work some magic with a cut and a new color (or convince me it looks like that famous Linda Evangelista cut).

Any luck growing your hair out? What worked for you? I am all ears (and very impatient) so please tell me in the comments!

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Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

The Taste Made Me Think Twice: Ken Paves Lip Surge Lip Gloss

I didn't realize that my favorite hair extension guru had a product line, beyond hair. I don't live under an actual rock, so I really don't know how this one got by me. Ken Paves, super stylist and Jessica Simpson BFF actually has a line of lip plumpers called Lip Surge. Available in five colors, these plumpers are different from others you may have tried.

Many plumpers use a mint extract to cause your lips to swell or plump, filling out fine lines and giving you the appearance of a pillowy pout. Lip Surge is actually a treatment and a plumper in one. It contains Hyaluronic Acid to moisturize delicate lip tissue, keeping lips hydrated and soft. It also has a tri-peptide that claims to help build collagen in your lips, adding real volume to your pucker. Benzyl Nicotinate is an ingredient used by medical professionals to increase blood flow to an area and it's what gives you the instant plump in your pout. Lip Surge even has Vitamin A and E to assist collagen building and hydration.

The color I tried, Jaw Dropping Vixen, is a deep metallic copper with an intense shine. It's more on the red side than your typical copper color, making it a slightly unusual, but very flattering color.

All of that aside, what struck me as unusual is the smell of camphor, which is used to soothe dry, chapped lips. It took me by surprise (putting it kindly) and took a bit of getting used to. But after the first use, it didn't bother me and I really liked how smooth my lips felt. I loved that fine lines in my lips were definitely lessened. I tried the color Jaw Dropping Vixen, a light reddish copper and love how it looks. I really thought the camphor was going to be a deal breaker for me the first time I tried it, but after a second and third chance, I think I am hooked!

This product was sent to me for the purposes of review.

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Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Defining Beauty: Simpson-style

Jessica Simpson, who I think is more beautiful because of her work with Operation Smile than how she looked in the Dukes of Hazzard remake, launches a new show on VH1 tonight, The Price of Beauty. After the "mom-jeans" incident of last year, Jessica has spent a lot of time thinking about what it means to be beautiful and how it is defined throughout the world. On a mission to find out how people define beauty outside of the hyper-critical arena that is tabloid Hollywood, Jessica and BFF's Ken Paves and CaCee Cobb set out to crisscross the world in search of answers.

From acidic skin lighteners to fattening huts, Jessica and her crew investigate the bizarre things women to do achieve beauty. Their first visit it is to Thailand, where they get twisted massages, see what happens when the pursuit of fair skin goes sideways, meditate with monks and observe a young girl as she is adorned with her first neck ring.


I am curious to see how Jessica reacts to beauty rituals which wouldn't pass muster in Life and Style magazine. Will she burst into ridiculous statements (Chicken of the Sea?) or can she hold it together and be respectful of other peoples' cultures? To find out tune into VH1 tonight at 10pm or, if you can't wait, preview the episode online here.

Personally, I bet you don't need to leave the states to uncover oddities that women to do be considered beautiful or even to learn how differently women define beauty from state to fair state. For instance, in New Jersey, it's clearly ok to use a lot of hairspray and bumpits. In nearby NYC, women will go to extreme lengths to protect their perfectly straight blowouts. Yet in Texas, the bigger the hair, the better it is. (At least I think the above statements are true. I learned them on reality television shows, so they must be, right?)

What are some strange beauty rituals you have tried? While I haven't personally tried this, a friend of mine from high school (and later my office) once told me about her friend she called "Pee-Pee face", who saved his morning urine to use to cleanse his face. My pal swore he had the clearest, most gorgeous skin.

What have you done (or considered) in the pursuit of beauty?

Photos courtesy of Joe Simpson, VH1, Reality TV Magazine, Shutterstock

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Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Faking It With Ken Paves: What I Haven't Been Telling You

I have been growing out the one side of my hair (think Rihanna, not Kate Gosselin) for about a year. It keeps getting trimmed and I keep growing it. Recently, a little over-enthusiasm with a razor left me a little thin-looking when my bags fall forward (I know, I'm really picky.) This has been making me crazy, so I decided to fix it.


(See? It's not Gosselin-y at all. If it ever gets there, somebody stop me.)


I marched into my neighborhood hair store, found a cute little weft of human hair for $5, took it home and dyed it to match the rest of my head. I then did my best impression of a hair stylist and cut it to match the hair where it needed to fill in.

The next day, I wore it to work and no one noticed. Including Mr. Lox, which struck me as odd. Emboldened, I went back to the hair store and picked up a bolder side bang piece with oomph and a few pink wefts of hair for fun.

I have been wearing the hair pieces every day for over a month and not a single person has noticed that my hair isn't all my own. Including the two ladies whom with I share an office and an art director with a keen eye for details. On a shoot, when I confessed I was wearing an extension, the art director couldn't figure out what was fake. SCORE! If he couldn't tell, then what else could I get away with? He has the most discerning eye of anyone I work with and he loves to be brutally honest about important things like my hair.



(Those long bits are in no way mine.)


I am no stranger to hair extensions and pieces and falls and bangs and wigs. I have quite the collection to prove it. But with shorter hair, I haven't been able to pull them off. I did love the versatility using fake hair gave me and I have some hilarious stories surrounding my faux hair use. But that is for another day...

Last weekend, I decided to up my game and not even bother to do my hair at all. Instead, I decided to wear Jessica Simpson's hair. Not her actual hair , but one of her heat-stylable wigs from the Ken Paves Collection. Instead of doing my own hair, I shook out the wig, adjusted it for my head and voila! Long, luscious locks. I left a little bit of my own bangs out in the front to really sell it. Much to my surprise, it worked.


I did feel a little strange at first, wearing such perfect, really long hair. It is a little hard to manage that much hair when you aren't used to having it. I didn't get any strange looks and no one commented. However, once when trying on a necklace, the tag did get caught in my hair, which was almost disastrous, but I was able to recover. I did run into my friend Monica at Sephora and she thought my hair looked great, despite not recognizing me at first.

The hair, which is synthetic, looked pretty good. You can also style this wig with low heat, which is pretty great for non-human hair. Being able to style it with heat gives it a lot of versatility, which makes it a lot of fun. Plus, it looked great in a low pony, which is really easy to pull off in public, even for the most reserved ladies.

It was much easier than doing my own hair and looked so much better than my Friday Night Lights hat. While I don't think I could wear this on a day-to-day basis, I am looking forward to the next time I can break out my inner hottie and unleash my long hair. In the meantime, I will go back to filling in my little hole in my bangs with a weft.

Have you worn extensions? Would you? Tell me in the comments!


Ken Paves product was sent to me for the purposes of review. Lord & Cliff, Remy and Easalites product was purchased by me.


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