Grooming

See which designers channeled Middle Earth, Ken dolls and Flash Gordon.

Say it with me: VA-GI-NA. Goooood.

When you're in your local nail salon getting a manicure and a guy walks in for a treatment, do you judge him? Do you give him the side-eye because you don't want any--eww--males in your serene space? Well, even if you don't do either of these things, guys who go to nail salons feel like you do. That's why one LA entrepreneur is opening an all-male nail salon, called Hammer & Nails.

Forget organic produce and the Tracy Anderson method, we're beginning to think Gywneth Patrow's favorite topic of conversation is her pubic hair.

It's funny to think that a decade ago, very few twenty-something guys living in New York City were getting their hair did at a barbershop. At least not a fancy barbershop. FSC Barber owner Sam Buffa was a big part of the barber renaissance that has swept the nation—in 2006, he opened his first outpost on Manhattan's Lower East Side and now operates a chain four shops—one in the West Village, another in Williamsburg, and a third in San Francisco's Mission District. The latest installment in the FSC empire is Fellow Barber in SoHo, an 800 square foot space right next door to Saturdays Surf on Crosby Street.

When we first heard Tom Ford would be launching a line of men's grooming products, we thought it made a lot of sense. Ford's name is practically synonymous with an immaculate, refined-yet-strong aesthetic, admired by men and women alike. He always looks amazing, but still masculine, which is probably how a lot of guys want to look, and apparently it's all due to his grooming routine--which does include makeup. Men wearing makeup is no laughing matter, however. This latest addition could help grow Ford's beauty empire into a $500 billion business--and attract investors.

Tom Ford is adding some new carefully considered products to his carefully considered brand. And no, it's not a line of baby clothes, sadly.

Dads are sometimes hard to shop for come Father's Day. Mine loves fishing, radio control helicopters, and Agatha Christie--three things I know absolutely nothing about. This is where grooming products come in. Every dad could use a good grooming product but would probably never buy one for himself. With that in mind, we chose products based on their awesomeness for dads as well as their potential attractiveness to daughters who sometimes stay over night. (We're sure your dad will be happy for any motivation to visit him, right?)

Harry's, the new grooming line from Warby Parker founder Jeff Raider and Bain alum Andy Katz-Mayfield, offers a thoughtful, affordable approach to shaving products.

Does New York, home to Blow, Drybar and a handful of smaller hair drying fiefdoms, need another blowout salon? Rachel Zoe thinks so.

We're not really on top of sports news--unless it somehow involves Kate Upton--but the NBA draft caught our attention because of one young guy who's embracing his unique facial feature: a unibrow. Anthony Davis, who was the first draft pick for the New Orleans Hornets, made headlines last week not only because of his prowess on the court, but because of his refusal to tame that caterpillar over his eyes.

The Hunger Games marketing blitz is in full force, and we are eating it up. The movie obviously relies heavily on imagery, and the fantastical beaut

The infamous Brazilian blowout--a Keratin-based semi-permanent hair straightening treatment--has gone from hugely popular to hugely controversial due to reports of potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde found in the treatment. Earlier this year, the US Department of Labor released a hazard alert about the dangers of straightening formulas that contain formaldehyde, causing salons and fans of the treatment (myself included) to question whether or not they're worth the risk. According to a report in WWD this morning, a ruling is expected for September 26 or 27 to determine once and for all whether or not these products are safe, based on studies being conducted by the Cosmetic Industry Review.

My biggest secret is that I have curly hair. Thanks to my trusty flat-iron, I've been frizz-free for as long as I can remember. However, like I'm sure my fellow curly girls out there know, straightening your hair is no easy feat. It's a long and tedious process, and when humidity strikes, all of your hard work goes right out the window. So naturally, I was thrilled when I received a Brazilian Blowout for my birthday last year. I instantly became obsessed with my silky new locks that required minimal flat-iron time, but I wasn't so crazy about the dangerous levels of formaldehyde in the treatment or the $400+ price tag. After three months of bliss, it was depressing to go back to my hour-long morning hair routine after my sleek tresses converted back to their unruly ways. Luckily, my frizzy-headed prayers were answered last week when I found out that Lasio Inc., a brand known for for their Brazilian hair straightening treatments, had come up with the Keratin Tropic, a treatment that claims to be 100% formaldehyde-free, and is priced at a modest $250. Although slightly skeptical of this wonder product, I headed downtown to Lasio's East Village salon to see how the treatment stacked up to the Brazilian.

For some reason this month is really busy for me and I have very little free time. I’ve also decided to try to save money. (Boots will be hitting the stores soon, after all.) As a time-saving and cost-cutting measure I decided to try a little DIY hair maintenance in an attempt to prolong my next visit to Misty, my beloved hairstylist. I have a bob and highlights that require touch-ups every six to seven weeks. This was a rather spontaneous decision after ducking into a Sephora to escape the brutal heat in NYC. It’s impossible for me to leave that store without a new potion. I justified my new purchases by noting that if I could extend my salon visits from every six weeks to every 8 weeks, it would save me two trips per year. Or about the price of a new pair of boots! I picked up an Oscar Blandi Root Touch-up & Highlighting Pen ($23) in light golden blonde. It comes in a mascara shaped tube and the color is dispensed onto a tiny brush which you paint onto your roots. Then I saw something called HerCut, which is a line of products developed to work with your cut, rather than your hair type. It comes in a bob, shag, long layer, pixie, and blunt cut version. A problem, perhaps, if you have an Alice Dellal penchant for multiple cuts at once.