This summer’s favorite hairstyle isn’t that cute bob you were rocking last fall, or those long, beachy waves from a couple summers back.  Nope.  The new summer style is simple, classic and easy to achieve.  If you haven’t tried it out already, or noticed it on countless celebs, let us introduce you to this season’s it look—The Lob!  A fusion of the words “long” and “bob,” this hairstyle is exactly that—a long bob.  The right length of hair for a long bob is right at the shoulders or a little below.

A few celebrities who look great in a lob include Gwyenth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Richie, Rihanna and Selena Gomez.

Why should you try out the lob?

•    It looks good, trust us.  This hairstyle’s length—right above the shoulders—is the most attractive on all women because it frames the face.
•    It’s no big deal.   The best thing about the lob—you don’t have to go to extremes.  If you have long hair you don’t have to chop it all off, and if you have shorter hair it won’t take forever to grow out.
•    It helps you lose weight. Ok, not literally unfortunately. But, it will make you appear leaner, and that’s never a bad thing!  Lobs minimize round faces and big cheeks and make the face appear softer and more feminine.
•    It serves as a palette for new styles.  Say the style changes next fall into super short hair or long, luscious locks, or ponytails.  Where ever the trends go, a lob allows you to morph into it quickly!

Try out the lob for a sleek and easy to maintain summer style!

The History Of Razors – most likely tidbits left out of beauty schools‘ history classes.

30,000 B.C.
Cavemen get vain. Smart archeological people figure out that the earliest shaving razors were made of flint blades, which started out incredibly sharp, but dulled after use. Yes, cavemen used disposables.

3000 B.C.
Metal mania. Thanks to a lot of metal clanging and banging, copper razors (which make for a more “permanent” solution) make their way into the mainstream… well, if you want to call Egypt and India the mainstream of the B.C. era.

1500 – 1200 B.C.
Designer razors. Leave it to the Scandinavians to bring style to the art of shaving. Razors discovered from this time period were adorned with etchings of cool stuff like horses, and came in cute leather carrying cases. Seriously!

500 B.C.
Alexander the Clean Shaven. Apparently the “great” one was obsessed with having a smooth complexion. Legend has it that he wouldn’t be seen in battle before shaving.

300 B.C.
B.C. Barbershops. A rich Greek businessman, Publicus Ticinius Maenas, decided that he was too rich to shave himself, so he brought over professional barbers from Sicily, and started a fad. In fact, in Rome, a popular 21st birthday ritual included a first-shave party to celebrate adulthood.

50 B.C.
All hail the beardless. Speaking of Rome, Julius Caesar was very into personal grooming, down to plucking stray hairs with tweezers. As they say, when in Rome… shave like the Romans do.

1066 A.D.
Razor trickery. William the Conqueror defeats King Harold in the Battle of Hastings, in some part thanks to his army’s calculated decision to shave their faces and cut their hair to resemble monks. The deception meant that King Harold’s spies underestimated the enemy threat, and the rest is history.

1500
New world barbering. Archeological evidence indicates that the Aztec Indians of North and Central America created razors from volcanic glass. The first hot shave?

1770
The book on shaving. Perhaps it’s no surprise that a Frenchman literally wrote the book on shaving as an art form: The Art of Learning to Shave Oneself (La Pogonotomie). Sort of like a beauty how-to article, the guide may also be the first to introduce the concept of “safety” razor.

1847
Who you calling a hoe? The hoe-shaped razor (resembling the farming tool) that we recognize today can be credited to English inventor William Henson. It’s all about a comfortable grip.

1901
Shave safely. King Camp Gillette (you know, the-best-a-man-can-get guy) teams up with an MIT genius named William Nickerson to perfect the safety razor, complete with double-edged, disposable and replaceable blade. Side note: Isn’t Nickerson a funny name for a guy who wants others to shave without getting nicked?!

1914
The war on facial hair. Gilette’s popularity skyrockets worldwide after he cuts a deal with the U.S. Armed Forces to give every enlisted soldier a safety razor and blades as part of their off-to-war care package. Foreign soldiers are envious, and European sales soar.

1921
Invention intuition. Adapting a military idea for a practical use inspired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jacob Schick to invent a new razor – the Magazine Repeating Razor. Similar to how a magazine clip contains bullets, this razor housed replacement blades right in the handle.

1928
No water required. Schick invents and patents the first electric dry shaver, great for roaring ‘20s men on the go.

1970s
Back to basics. The disposable razor, not popular since the stone ages, makes its way back into mass popularity. Cheap to make and easy to use, all of the major razor manufacturers offer a throwaway option.

Today
Headline-worthy beards. If you’re a celebrity, sporting a beard represents a lifestyle choice. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Conan O’Brien, Joaquin Phoenix – need we say more?

Via: Spa Beauty Schools

After a two week long twitter frenzy where followers were campaigning to win Professional Japanese Hair Shears, a winner has finally been chosen. Beautyschool.com is proud to present the winner of the Professional Japanese Hair Shear Twitter Contest via video, and also kick off the launch of their brand new YouTube channel. Look for us (username beautyschooladvice) and subscribe to stay up-to-date on the latest contest news and beauty school information.

Who claimed our pro shears (valued at $229)? Watch the video below and discover for yourself which contestant is the winner. If today wasn’t your lucky day then check back for another amazing beauty giveaway coming the beginning of June! Thank you to everyone who entered the twitter contest and special congratulations to our lucky winner! And if you’re not already, follow us on Twitter - @BSDiva.

Do you love to win free beauty products? BeautySchool.com has teamed up with Hair Royalty to giveaway a pair of Bushido professional Japanese hair shears – a $229 value! These sleek and sassy shears would be a great addition to your cosmetology kit.

Enter to win professional Japanese hair shears by following these three easy steps:

1)   Log on to Twitter
2)   Follow @BSDiva
3) Retweet the following message up to once a day during the duration of the contest:

Want to WIN professional Japanese shears from Hair Royalty? Follow @BSDiva and RT this to enter. Pick me! http://bit.ly/i1XYO0

The contest ends May 18th. The lucky winner of the professional Japanese hair shears will be announced on the BSDiva Twitter profile, BeautySchool.com, BeautySchoolsDirectory.com, and MySocialBeauty.com shortly after the contest closes.

All you have to do is enter! Get the full details and official rules here.

BeautySchool.com would like to thank Hair Royalty for donating the Bushido Japanese hair shears for this contest. Hair Royalty designs and sells “apparel, jewelry, accessories and gifts for the hairstylist to display the passion that is within”. Want to show off your love for the beauty industry? Check out the Hair Royalty store!

Our favorite celebrities always seem so put together—perfect hair and glowing, flawless complexions. We’d all like to replicate their look but most of us aren’t willing to shell out the big bucks that they do to look that good.  How can you be red-carpet worthy without spending a fortune on spa treatments and blowouts at the salon?  We’ve picked out a few celebrity make-up artist tips that won’t break the bank.  In fact, these items can all be purchased at your local drugstore.  No need for a shopping trip to Rodeo Drive!

Five Inexpensive Hollywood Beauty Tricks:

1. Primer: Okay, some stars really are born with perfect skin.  But most of them have a little secret called skin primer.  Most skin primers are silicone-based and act as a thin layer that fills in fine lines, large pores and acne scars. The result? A smooth, flawless complexion! Give skin primer a try and you’ll understand why Hollywood make-up artists call it the under-make-up make-up.

2. Skin Illuminator: Where do all the stars get their glow? Skin illuminators!  Most skin illuminators are pearlized shimmer creams that you put under your foundation or mix with your foundation for a fresh, glowing complexion.   Celebrity make-up artists warn that skin illuminators should not be confused with shimmery powder, which can end up looking like a sparkle-overdose.

3. Fast Lash by Tweezerman: Medication to make your eyelashes grow? Expensive.  Fake eyelashes? Messy and inconvenient.  The trick to get quick Hollywood lashes?  A secret to the stars—Fast Lash by Tweezerman.  In fact, it’s one of the most requested products for celebrity photo shoots and special events.  You first coat your lashes with regular mascara, then use Fast Lash which looks like a normal mascara tube but really contains dry white flakes.  These pieces of harmless polyester fiber act as a lash builder when you add another coat of regular mascara.  You’ll end up with thick, luscious lashes!

4. Blue, Yellow or Orange Concealer: You may not believe us, but putting these colors of concealer under your eyes will actually make them look better– trust us!  Blue-based concealer helps reflect light and makes eyes look brighter.  For even darker under-eye circles use yellow or orange concealer which will neutralize the darkness beneath the eyes.

5. Shampoo With Dimethicone Copolyol: Ya, we can’t pronounce it either. What we do know though is that shampoo that contains this ingredient has a little extra “oomph!”  Next time you need to purchase shampoo, make sure it has this volume booster in it.

Love makeup beyond just reading about it. Consider going to a makeup artist school and becoming certified.

If you are looking for cosmetology scholarships to apply to, consider applying to Marinello’s School of Beauty’s third annual Raw Talent High School Beauty Scholarship challenge. Eight students will be awarded cosmetology scholarships and prizes totaling $33,750. Just think you would be one step closer to realizing their dreams of pursuing a career in the beauty industry. Over the past two years, Marinello has donated $60,000 worth of scholarships to students beginning their careers in the beauty industry.

What are the prizes? The first place cosmetology scholarship is $10,000 toward tuition at any of the 46 Marinello campus locations. Second through fifth place scholarships are valued at $5,000 toward tuition, plus the top five winners will also receive a valuable Apple iPad to help with their studies. Sixth through eighth place winners will receive a Professional Makeup Workshop with Kit which will be utilized as they complete their coursework.

How to enter: There are two ways pieces involved in the Raw Talent Scholarship contest. All high school seniors interested in pursuing an exciting career in the beauty industry are encouraged to apply at www.marinello.com/scholarship. The first element is the hands-on portion. Applicants will need to contact Marinello Schools of Beauty campus location in their area to schedule an in-person visit between April 18 through April 29, 2011. Candidates interested in the Cosmetology program will complete a formal updo hairstyle befitting a special event, and those interested in the Esthetics course will execute a full make-up routine. All candidates must bring a model with them during this hands-on portion, and then appointed personnel will take before and after photographs of the candidates’ work, which will then be submitted for review.

The second element is the essay portion. Candidates will be required to submit an essay about what they will do to make a difference in the beauty industry. The essay will be reviewed by the High School Scholarship Committee at the corporate headquarters of Marinello Schools of Beauty and will be graded on content, spelling, syntax and grammar. All essays need to include a Marinello application, and can be submitted as early as March 25, 2011, but the deadline for submission is April 29, 2011 at midnight.

“Marinello is delighted to present the Raw Talent Scholarship competition again for the third year in a row,” said Dr. Nagui Elyas, President and COO, Marinello Schools of Beauty. “We firmly believe in fostering creativity and beauty in our community and see no better way than to offer students the opportunity to join the Marinello family and achieve success for their future.”

Feather trends…are HUGE right now!  Have you noticed that everywhere you turn you see feathers?  The feather trend is roosting on hair clips, purses, clothing, shoes and jewelry.

The types of feathers you’ll see range from flashy bright colors, classics like black or peacock, or muted neutral tones seen in pheasant feathers.

Tips for wearing feathers?  Keep the rest of your outfit understated if you’re sporting something feathered.  Because feathers are showy and theatrical they can make a great statement but can turn into plumage overload with too many feather pieces.

Five Ways To Wear the Feather Trend:

1)    Hair - Ever since Ke$ha graced us with her feathered-hair presence, it seems all of Hollywood has been embracing this boho-hipster accessory.  If you’re not as bold as Ke$ha, or would prefer to not look like you’re a dream catcher, there are more understated ways you can incorporate this look.  Try a head band with feathers or a small feathered hair clip with an up-do.

2)    Clothing - Everything from shirts to dresses are growing feathers these days.  A lot of feathered clothes almost mimic a “ballet” look thanks to the recent movie, “Black Swan.”  Feathered clothing is soft, elegant and ladylike while being whimsical at the same time.

3)    Shoes - Shoes that feature feathers can add a touch of elegance to your look.  The key is to be subtle.  You don’t want anyone to think you have a chicken on your foot. Black is the easiest color of feathered shoes to get away with if you’re not Lady Gaga.  Try wearing a solid-black dress with black feathered shoes.  Where else are feathered shoes making a scene? Weddings! Check out some beautiful frilly, white plumes for your feet if you’re tying the knot soon.

4)   Purse - Feathered purses are a fun throwback to the days of old Hollywood glamour.  Many women who would never consider donning a feather dress love toting a feathered purse because they see it more as a fun accessory they can pair with anything from jeans to a fancy dress.

5)   Jewelry - Probably the easiest way to include the feather trend in your look is with a piece of jewelry.  Adding a small pin, earrings, necklace or bracelet is temporary and understated when paired with your everyday outfit.  If you’re reluctant to have feathers brushing against your neck all day, try earrings to add pizzazz.

Will you be rocking the feather trend this season?

Have you ever been sitting in a restaurant or out shopping and you spot a woman with Rapunzel-length hair?  You know, the length in which you stare in awe, wondering how she doesn’t sit on her hair all the time?

What’s the deal with long hair anyway?  Long hair seems to have a hold on our society.  Women seem to feel more beautiful and confident with long, flowy locks and even get paranoid about cutting it too short.  Not all long hair gets praise however.  If you’re a short-haired gal thinking about growing your hair out, take a moment to read a few of these interesting tidbits about long hair.

How long is too long?
Long hair can be really pretty, and men seem to prefer long hair on women to short hair, but ladies, there’s a limit to that length! Too long of hair can work against you and be unattractive.  Super-long hair (we’re talking down to your lower back and butt) can look dated, giving you a look that channels the 70s or 80s.  Also, if you have a long or angular face shape, long hair can actually make your face look longer than it really is. If your hair risks getting sat on or you can’t remember the last time it was cut—not trimmed—you should definitely consider a bit of a makeover.

The “perfect” length
Just because we told you that your super-long hair isn’t the best look, doesn’t mean you have to chop it all off.  According to Allure magazine there actually is a “perfect length” of hair that seems to be flattering on every woman.  Shoulder-length hair or just a couple of inches below is the most becoming length on most women.  According to the magazine, few women can pull off hair that falls below their breasts.

The longer the hair, the more upkeep
If you’re thinking about growing your hair out, it’s important to remember that long hair takes a lot of upkeep. Hair that gets too long can easily get dry, experience split ends and have color variation.  If you do grow your hair out, be sure to use a conditioner or moisturizer often, and trim it every six to eight weeks to keep it looking healthy!

Some women are literally afraid to cut their long hair!
Our final long hair tidbit is for all of you who already have long hair.  You may be more attached to your long hair than you realize.  A recent article in Allure magazine found that some women literally have a fear about cutting their long hair.  Psychologists have identified that some women see their hair as a part of their identity.  Some women associate their long hair as a key part of themselves and tie it to certain memories in their life.  Psychologists warn having such a rigid feeling about cutting your hair can be unhealthy!

How do you feel about long hair?  Love it? Hate it?  Are you too attached to your lengthy locks?  Let us know!

Interested in doing to hair design school? There are tons of hair design schools that can help you achieve your dreams.

Are you a beauty blogger? Beautyschool.com is holding a Top Beauty Blog Contest. Having a beauty blog is fun, but it’s time for beauty bloggers to reap some benefits for having a blog! Beautyschool.com is awarding beauty bloggers for their hard work and dedication to the online community of beauty. So how does it work?

Fill out the entry form and tell us about your blog. That’s it!

Entering your beauty blog makes you eligible to win the Ultimate Beauty Giveaway Basket, which includes Barelle Cosmetics Model’s Professional Makeup Kit valued at $125, along with other fab (and free) beauty prizes such as a beauty pack from Motives cosmetics, a skincare set from Decleor, beauty essentials from Rimmel London, eye must-haves from Beautisol and Virginia Alexander’s 5 Minute Makeover DVD on creating a professional and evening look. Not to mention, a Top Beauty Blog badge to post on your blog page, and a featured post on Beautyschool.com and mysocialbeauty.com’s “Top Beauty Blogs to Follow in 2011” list.

All you have to do is enter!!! Get the full details and enter the beauty blog contest here: http://www.beautyschool.com/top-beauty-blog-contest

BeautySchool.com would like to extend a special thank you to their Top Beauty Blog Contest Sponsors:

As the winter months get colder having long hair not only radiates our beauty but also keeps us warm! But how long is too long? There are a number of women in the world that have long hair, but others have LONG hair! Here’s a good point to bring up with your friends as you discuss your latest hair trends for the New Year. The Guinness World Record gives the world record for the longest hair as 18 ft, 5.54 inches! Owner of these overwhelming trestles: Xie Quiping.

Growing your hair this long takes time! It took Xie Quiping 30 years! She started growing her hair our when she was just 13 years old in 1973! We can’t even imagine how having 18 feet hair would feel! But we couldn’t resist.

Ten obstacles having 18 feet hair would cause:
1.    Washing
2.    Brushing
3.    Blow drying
4.    Styling
5.    Sleeping
6.    Exercising
7.    Sitting
8.    Running
9.    Driving
10.    Swimming

What do you think ladies?