Pop Culture

Lauren Conrad has often spoken about how she had to do her own hair and makeup when she was filming The Hills, the reality show that focused on her life. This, combined with the fact that Lauren is a “real” girl that happened to make it big, suggests to us that Lauren knows what she is doing when it comes to beauty and she knows what the rest of us real girls need.

Luckily, Lauren has collected her vast knowledge and summarized it for Lauren Conrad Beauty, her upcoming guide to all things beauty. Inside, you will find all the tools you need to find and refine your beauty personality—including tips on how to maintain healthy skin, exercise and diet tricks, makeup techniques, ideas for creating red carpet-ready looks, and more. Each section is littered with personal anecdotes and illustrated step-by-step guides that come in plain English—a must for the beauty amateur.

You can pre-order your copy of Lauren Conrad Beauty ($22) now from Amazon.com ahead of its October 16 launch date.

If you are heading to New York, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, or Tahiti, you are one lucky duck. Why, you ask? Well, Kate Spade has teamed up with Fathom on a set of must-read travel guides for each of these destinations. Each guide covers the necessities—the best places to sleep, eat, drink, shop, and explore, as well as the items you should pack in your carry-on. Of course, you don’t have to be planning a vacation to enjoy these guides—the guides are so in-depth that even locals can find something new and notable. On that note, check out the full set of travel guides at KateSpade.com and stay tuned as more city guides will reportedly be coming soon.

Forget statement earrings and killer heels. The best way to turn heads this season is with a kaleidoscopic iPhone case courtesy of jewelry gurus Dannijo. Yes, the brand has just released a slew of new iPhone 4S-ready cases in brilliant colors—including the jewel-print Crosby case, the bead-print Hixson case, the star-print Lindsay case, and the jewel-print Henrik case. Each case features a two-piece hard shell, so you can you protect your iPhone from all the toils and troubles of everyday life and ensure it looks good at the same time. To check out the full collection, head to Shopbop.com. Each case retails for $98.

It is no secret that nail art is one of the biggest beauty trends to surface in the past few years, thanks in part to WAH Nails, the London based-salon helmed by Sharmadean Reid. With that said, who would be better placed to school us in the art of nail art than the WAH Nails team and Sharmadean Reid herself?

Yes, the WAH Nails team has put together a new book—The WAH Nails Book of Nail Art—that is teeming with ideas. Inside, you will find 25 of the most popular nail art designs that the salon has created. These run the gamut from designs that even an amateur can try—think: a newspaper print—through to designs for pros. No doubt, this book will also inspire you to come up with your own designs, making it a must-read for any nail art connoisseur.

The WAH Nails Book of Nail Art ($14.95) is available now for pre-order at Amazon.com ahead of its July 10 release. We suggest you get in on the action, pronto.

Next month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will celebrate two of the boldest women in fashion— Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada—with their newest fashion exhibition, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. Sadly, not everyone will be able to attend the limited-time exhibition, but you can still get a taste of the exhibit by picking up the accompanying book.

Both the book and the exhibition explore the similarities between the design strategies and philosophies of each woman. The exhibition and book have been framed as a “conversation” between the two women, showing the parallels, their personal choices, and how they approached fashion as a whole. Given that these are two of the most important women fashion designers to exist, this is a must-see exhibit and a must-read book.

Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations ($45) is available now for pre-order at Amazon.com ahead of its May 29 publication date. As for the exhibition, it begins on May 10 and runs through August 19.

Makeup artist Scott Barnes has worked with a slew of stars—including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, just to name a two. Given his clientele, it is clear that he knows what he is doing, which is why we respectfully suggest you pre-order his upcoming book, Face to Face, as soon as possible.

Face to Face is a follow-up to his best-selling beauty book, About Face. While About Face was an in-depth compilation of tips and tricks, Face to Face is a style guide. Using the techniques you learned in About Face, you will now be able to focus on creating different looks for different occasions. For instance, what should you wear to a business meeting? What should you wear for a night out on the town? Each look will feature step-by-step instructions, not to mention clear photos that will help you along the way.

To pre-order Face to Face ($25) now, head to Amazon.com. It will be released on September 1.

1. Lonely Boy by The Black Keys
2. Creep by Radiohead
3. The Next Episode by Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg)
4. Common People by Pulp
5. Skinny Love by Bon Iver
6. One Armed Scissor by At The Drive In
7. Fade Into You by Mazzy Star
8. Simple Song by The Shins
9. Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine

What better way to start off a Friday than with the news that Anthropologie has launched its own magazine! Yes, it’s true. Aptly titled “The Magazine,” it will feature stories near and dear to the heart of the Anthropologie team, focusing on culture, design, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. Right now, The Magazine includes an interview with Los Angeles-based designer Gregory Parkinson, a series of photographs from Anthropologie’s recent Palm Springs adventure, photographs by Koto Bolofo, a Q&A with Wyland, and the scoop on Karen Walker’s collection for the Made in Kind project. To check out The Magazine, head to Anthropologie.com now.

As fashion fans, it is a safe bet that you love—and by love, we mean love—shoes. And if you do, it is also a safe bet that you will love the upcoming documentary God Save My Shoes. The film explores the intimate relationship that women have with their shoes, so you will meet those who collection shoes with a passion, those who design shoes, like Christian Louboutin, and those who make shoes part of their career and lifestyle, like Dita Von Teese. Intrigued? Click inside to watch the God Save My Shoes trailer. The film is currently only playing in New York City, but you can head to GodSaveMyShoes.com for details on a wider release.

Watch the video!