Fall's only a few weeks off, but this season has had so many pretty looks that it would be a shame to transition without at least giving them a try. Whether it's hair that's best worn at the beach or eyeliner that's electrifying on warm nights, you deserve to rock these trends at least a couple times before your jackets and boots come back out. So click through to get the most out of the dog days.
Whether or not you're ready to admit it, the Summer is quickly slipping away from us. PopSugar's heading into the finals for her annual shirtless men bracket, which inspired me to put together a slideshow of my own. The past few months have brought with it a bucket of sexy shirtless moments, so take a look back at the guys who helped make Summer 2010 memorable.
Helen Mirren isn't your average 65 year old. Earlier this Summer she posed naked in a bath tub for New York magazine, and she's made splashes for wearing itty bitty bathing suits into her 60s. Her fearlessness might be encouraging everyday older women to suit up in two-pieces.
The Daily Mail says one retailer has seen a rise in the sales of bikinis to women over 50, and the paper credits the trendsetting actress for the wave of "grankinis." I can do without a cutesy word, but the two-piece styles apparently preferred by these women do come with wider straps for more support, and more material for better proportions.
I have a different explanation for the "grankini" craze. The bikini was invented in 1946, so any woman 64 and under has known it her whole life. Why would she stop wearing it now?
If you're a fan of cold soups like I am, I'm sure you'll agree they're the perfect midday refreshment during one of Summer's heat waves.
Although gazpacho takes a lot of credit for its cooling properties, don't discount other traditional warm-weather favorites, like the chilled version of the Eastern European soup known as borscht. The soup's beets, aside from having a nice depth of flavor, also provide a powerful flash of fuchsia color.
Not to be overlooked are the season's ripe fruits for sweet soups as well. If you're already serving borscht, why not create an ultra-playful menu by also serving a blush-hued soup for dessert? Offer another Eastern European favorite, Meggyleves, made from sour morello cherries. For both recipes, keep reading.
I'm not much of a steak and eggs girl in the morning, but dinner is a different story entirely. Earlier this week, I laid eyes on this recipe for grilled steak and eggs, and tonight I'm going to live out my dream of making this hearty, guy-friendly supper. New York Strip and runny eggs are both wonderful alone, but when they come together with a tangy, smoky barbecue sauce, the sum is greater than all its parts.
When I serve this, I'll also be sure to have some chunks of crusty bread handy to scoop up all the sauce, and a salad for some much-needed crunch. See the recipe when you read more.
Monday I asked for the best place you'd ever had sex when the weather was hot. Lots of you agreed that woods were impractical, but bodies of water and trampolines seem to be completely doable.
Now that another warm weekend is here, here are your suggestions.
Any more?
During my celebration over the long weekend, I fondly recalled the fact that over 150 million hot dogs — roughly one frank for every two people in the United States — are consumed on the Fourth. Yet at the same time, I couldn't help but imagine all the flames that burned under those dogs, and the ecological impact that must have on our planet.
In response, I did a little research on ways to make barbecuing more environmentally friendly. Here are 10 green grilling tips to carry you through this year's season, and many others to come.
Sex is hot. So when the weather warms up, it can be extra sultry or just unpleasant. A study by Trojan Brand Condoms — of all companies — found that 35 percent of Americans report delaying sex until the temperature drops.
With a heat wave on the East Coast and Summer in full effect everywhere else, sex is at risk for a seasonal drought. But not if we can help it!
Tell us the best place you've had sex in the summertime — either because the place was cool (pool, basement, or air-conditioned car), or the sex was too hot to care.
Saudi Arabia may be a fundamentalist-Islamic state with rules for women that are stricter than a Christian Summer camp, but that doesn't mean no swimming. Women just need to cover up, but with more hijab and less sunscreen.
Writer Maureen Dowd hired herself a male escort — not that kind, but one that allows women out in the Saudi Arabian public — and scheduled her Summer vacation. In August's Vanity Fair she tells women how to make the most of their desert-dry and liquor-dry (alcohol's banned) stay. The full article isn't out yet, but a teaser fills us in on every woman's must-have item if she's departing to the Red Sea — the burqini.
Part burka and no part bikini, women style up the full-body bathing suit with scarves, skirts, and colorful patterns. Unlike the burka, though, it covers up only the head and not the face.
Like the burka, it's caused controversy in countries outside the Middle East. France, an intensely secular state, made waves earlier this year by moving to ban the burka, shocking everyone except certain French-Muslim women who love to swim: two years ago, a French pool banned the burqini.
Mark Fast, the London-based Canadian-born designer of skintight knitwear, is launching a collection for Topshop on June 25.
Inspired by his own spring 2009 collection, Fast created five looks for the high street retailer—four dresses (three in black and one lilac) and a skirt in pale pink. In signature Fast fashion, each knitwear look is intricate and skin-revealing, with some new detailing—the piece at left features rubberized beading, and the lilac dress has tiny moth-like holes.
Prices may seem high at $300 until one remembers Fast's similar-looking hand-knit main line can retail for as much as $3,500. For those looking for something more in the middle range, Faster by Mark Fast, the designer's luxury basics label, is also available for the first time this season.
