Has broken down hair been stressing you out? We feel your pain but there is no need to fret, especially since you have all the solutions to hair woes right in your house. Check out our simple homemade remedies to revive your dull mane without spending a dime.

Avocado: Packed with a potent concentration of vitamin E, an avocado mash is a great way to heal split ends and treat damaged hair cuticles. Here’s How: Get a whole avocado, cut it into cubes, and mash it with one half teaspoon of olive oil until it becomes a puree. Saturate your hair with this homemade mask for 20 minutes and rinse with a shampoo. Do this two-three times per week for optimal results.

Mayonnaise: Not everyone is a fan of mayo, but regardless of what you think of its taste your broken hair is going to love the rich concentration of this oily goo. Measure one cup (may be more for our longer haired friends) of mayo and work it into your hair land scalp until it is saturated in mayo. This may seem nasty, but think of the spilt ends you are repairing. Wrap your head in a shower cap as you let this concoction work for 30 minutes then rinse with shampoo. Repeat this once a month to repair your locks.

Olive Oil: We can’t get enough of olive oil and we don’t just mean to cook with. This wonder food is so rich, it can treat our rough skin, damaged hands, and even the most broken down strands. At night, pour two tablespoons of olive oil on your dry head and work it into your scalp. Place on a towel on your pillow and leave the olive oil on overnight.  Rinse it out in the AM and volia! rough hair will have a much-needed home spa treatment.

Petroleum Jelly: This multi-purpose wonder goo works in an instant to miraculously tame our frizzy locks. Grab a small amount and dab it on your fingers to be coated throughout your dry hair. Be careful not to use more than that cause you don’t want to end up like a slicked out mess. This is great for on the spot fixes with kinks and fly-a-ways.

Beer: Beer is packed with a powerful punch of nutrients such as protein that our tired hair craves. Pour a 16oz bottle of beer into a pot, set the flame on medium, let it boil and then cool. This will form a syrupy consistency that will thicken after 15 minutes. Pour the beer into a half used shampoo bottle and shake it up. Wash your hair with this mixture and use every other day.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a recommended supplement as part of a healthy diet, so hopeful you have some of these wonder tablets in your medicine cabinet. Take 15 vitamin E capsules and break them open with a knife. Place them in a microwaveable container and zap them for 30 seconds. Making sure the mixture isn’t piping hot (warm is the best temp) and massage the oil into your hair for your own home version of a hot oil treatment. Let it work its magic for 20 minutes then rinse with shampoo. This can be repeated twice a week until you see some serious improvement.

Quick Note: As with all home remedies, there are no guarantees. The results may vary and may take a little more effort on your part, i.e. mayo on your hair. But if you keep up with the maintenance you will quickly be on your way to rockin’ a gorgeous head of hair.

Shopping isn’t just about buying cutesy $15 t-shirts that end up collecting dust in our closets, but about choosing quality merchandise. I’ve gathered my best formulas, that I created after year of closet mishaps,  to help you save money (and save your closets).

Follow the 70/30 Rule

We love trends and think every Stylista should certainly have fun pieces in her closest, but these pieces shouldn’t dominate the closets. When budget shopping the value and usefulness of your potential goods needs to be your primary concern. Use the 70/30 rule use my 70/30 rule to help you keep an established closet:

70/30 Rule:  70 percent of your closet should include timeless pieces that never go out of style. These are your classic staples, like a great pair of jeans, that you’ll keep for a long time and will form the base of your wardrobe. The other 30% of your closest can include trendy pieces like a sequined jacket or brightly colored tights. These are pieces you will mostly like recycle out of your closet after a season or two. You SHOULD NOT spend a ton of money on these items.

Remember the Cost Per Wear Formula

The Cost Per Wear Formula a href=“http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/fashion_advice_the_cost_per_wear_ratio2//” title=“cost per wear”>cost per wear, which I developed in 2004, helps you focus on the value, not just the price, of an item. 

The Cost Per Wear Formula: Total cost of the item/ estimated length of time you’ll wear it

Here’s How it Works:

Buy:
Let’s say you go into Forever 21 and buy a shirt on sale for 15 bucks — its cute and floral and at that price you don’t think twice about it. Well, it turns out you never wear this shirt.

Value:
You have another top, a $60 sweater from J Crew, nothing special except you have had it for two years and wore it over 20 times.

The Formula:
According to the cost per wear formula: the actual price of that Forever 21 shirt cost you is $15 since you never wore it. Whereas the actual cost of the J Crew sweater is $2 bucks, and it gets cheaper and cheaper after every use.

http://www.magickeffectsphoto.com/themepblog.php?a=lo

So, if it’s so important, how do you put a portfolio together? Here are a couple of suggestions, thanks to ehow.com.

1. First you need to know what type of model you want to be. Do you want to primarily do glamour or swim suits? High fashion or commercial? This is very important because whatever area you want to focus on is what types of photographs you should have in your portfolio.

2. A great source of inspiration is looking at other model’s photos that you are looking to emulate. So, start looking at the fashion magazines. Vogue, Cosmo, Elle etc…. These magazines will give you not only an idea of the types of photographs you may want in your portfolio but it will give you and your photographer, when you find one, an idea of what will need to be done to set up shoots like those.

3. Next you need to find a photographer to give you those great shots. If you are signed with an agency, they will give you suggestions of photographers you should use. Use their suggestions. They trust the photographers and know they will give you the kind of shots that an agency is looking for.

But what if you are not with an agency? What if you are representing yourself. Do your research. Talk to other models and get their recommendations. Look at the photographer’s websites. Their online portfolios will show you the styles of each photographer and then you can see if they match your ideas. Call them and talk to them. Make sure they are a good fit with your personality. You want to make sure you will feel comfortable and will find it easy to work with them.

4. Once you have chosen your photographer, set up a date to get together to discuss the types of photographs you would like to have in your portfolio. Explain your needs and goals and together you will come up with a plan. This will make it easier to set up locations, sets, clothing, make up etc…

5. Make sure you have everything you need the day of the shoot. You do not want to get there and realize you forgot something. Make sure you have your hair and makeup professionally done. Once again, if you are represented by an agency, they will usually have this taken care of for you. If you represent yourself, it’s highly recommended that you find a good makeup artist and hair stylist. Often your photographer can recommend someone to you.

6. Once the shoot is over and you have your shots. You will want to include at least 12-20 shots. Look them over and take the best ones to add to your portfolio. Be sure to include a head shot, 3/4 body shot and full body shot. To show your versatility you want different locations, outfits, poses etc.. Otherwise if you have the same pose or location over and over again, your portfolio will be boring.

7. Once you have decided on which photos you are including it’s time to purchase your portfolio case. They can be purchased in most office supply stores in a wide variety of styles and prices so you should be able to find one to fit your needs and budget. Be sure to get one that will fit the needed 12-20 shots. 8×10′s are fine. You don’t need to go any larger than that but wouldn’t recommend going any smaller than that.

8. As your career progresses you will want to make sure you update your portfolio so that your most current work is shown. Be sure, at the very least, to update your portfolio at least once a year. Also be sure to include tearsheets. These are pages taken directly from published works you have been in. These show actual work you have done and clients love to see that. Also, be sure to include your Comp Cards as you may be asked to leave one behind.

As you can see there is a lot to it but it’s all worth it in the end. If you want to be a working model then you must have a portfolio.

We at Magick Effects Photography can help by providing you great photographs for your portfolio. Not only will we shoot your photos but after the shoot we will go over the photos with you and see what you are doing well and what you need to improve upon so that you can take great photographs every time.

 If you would like to see some of our work, please visit our site at www.magickeffectsphoto.com. Give us a call and we will go over your what you are looking for and how we can best serve you.

I think models sometimes get a bum rap for having a reputation for being real difficult to work with with major attitudes and thinking the world revolves around them and thankfully I’m finding this is so not the case with the majority. Yes, I’m sure they are out there or else the “legend” would never have been started but luckily, I have not had to work with any of them.

So, for Olga, Anthony, Dustin, Oscar, Kim, Natalie, Nicole, Vanessa, Lisa & Mimi thank you for being great models and people. Thanks for being not only beautiful, but wonderful to work with. I wish all of you great success and I can’t wait to work with you on that big magazine shoot you know we are all destined to work on.

Magick Effects Photography - Work with the FUN photographer and build a great portfolio.

Interested in adding photographs to your portfolio? Magick Effects Photography can help. Visit our website at www.magickeffectsphoto.com to see how we can add to your portfolio.

In an effort to discover one female and one male fashion model to represent Nicolita Designer Swimwear’s 2010 line (www.MyNicolita.com), the company has teamed up with ExploreModeling.com to launch a nationwide casting for models between the ages of 18 and 35. The online-based casting kicked off July 7, 2009, and will continue through September 7, 2009.

Models wanting to participate in this free, nationwide open casting should visit ExploreModeling.com to fill out an entry form and upload their photos (professional photos not necessary).

In mid-September, Nicole Di Rocco from Nicolita Designer Swimwear and a panel of judges from the modeling industry, including Cristina DeHart (founder of ExploreModeling.com), will select one female and male to participate in a shoot and be featured on the MyNicolita.com website in conjunction with the launch of the company’s 2010 line. The selected female model will also receive $500.00 in cash, plus $500.00 worth of Nicolita Swimwear product. The male will receive professional photos for his portfolio and the opportunity to model with the newest “sexy Nicolita” model.

Between July 7th and September 7th, participants should encourage their friends and family to vote for them, as the models who receive the most votes will win the Public Vote Contest and $500 worth of Nicolita Swimwear product plus a feature story on ExploreModeling.com.

Nicole DiRocco, the designer of Nicolita Swimwear, says she is looking for someone that can embody the fictional Nicolita character. “We’re excited to be working with ExploreModeling.com to find models that can pull off the Nicolita look. Someone who is sexy yet sophisticated, flirty and fun”, DiRocco said.

Check out a recent shoot with an array of Nicolita Bikinis here-

http://www.mynicolita.com/category/casting/

Need photos for your portfolio? Need a good headshot to sent to potential clients? Magick Effects Photography can do that for you.

With the introductions of the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90, and with the line blurring between still and video/audio imaging, photographers and videographers are increasingly required to be experts in multimedia. A “Multimedia DSLR” is defined as a DSLR that has the ability to take still photos, video, and audio required to create a multimedia presentation. To aid them in carrying their imaging and audio gear comfortably and accessing it quickly, Think Tank Photo has launched an entirely new concept and industry first in carrying equipment, The Multimedia Wired Up Collection.

After months of interviews with specialists who are at the forefront of this new movement in imaging, it became evident that one of the biggest challenges was managing the numerous cords and cables that need to be “wired up” between the various devices. Think Tank Photo thus created a system of “cable ports” or holes in the sides and bottom of the bags that allows the devices to be connected together and managed to minimize exposed wires and cables. The products include:

Multimedia Wired Up 10 and 20 — These belt systems work with the Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D90, and other DSLR’s, with a 24-70mm attached in the Wired Up 10, or with a 70-200mm standing vertically without the body attached in the Wired Up 20, and extra lenses, or audio and video devices. They include cable ports, an audio recorder front pocket that fits up to a Marantz 660 audio recording device, and side pockets for microphones. These belt packs have numerous “cable ports” that allow various devices to be wired up internally in the bag, or to other bags that can be attached to the side rails. They also feature a new concept called “Mic Hands,” located on the both sides of the bag, that allow the mic to be mounted on the side of the bag while facing forward on a level plane, for hands free recording. A “headphone hook” is also included to allow full size headphones to be attached and detached on the waist belt, and also an attachment method for monopods or boom poles.

Wired Up Mic Drop In — The Multimedia Mic Drop In modular component holds a microphone so that it can be immediately removed to record sound, while effectively managing the cable. It features a “pop down” mechanism which extends the length of the bag up to 16″ long for shot gun mics. This is an essential tool for anyone using a microphone with an external audio recording device.

Wired Up Recorder — The Multimedia Recorder modular case is an audio recorder case developed to hold a small audio recorder, like the Edirol R-09HR and Zoom H2. Its “Full- View” design with the magnetic “Quick Tab” feature allows for hands free viewing of the audio levels with a quick pull of the tab.

Wired Up Big Audio – This audio recorder case holds larger mobile audio recorders, such as the Marantz 660. It also features the Full-View design with the “Quick Tab” feature.

Wired Up Wireless Mic Kit — This modular case is designed for carrying multiple wireless mic sets, such as the Sennheiser wireless kits with a lapel clip on lavalier microphone. It can also be used for a wireless setup with a small audio recording device.

“We started Think Tank Photo with one intention: to create carrying solutions that exactly fit the ways imaging specialists actually shoot,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s president and lead designer. “Pro photographers are increasingly being asked to capture still images, video, and audio, and transform the content into a multimedia presentation. Many of these imaging specialists are now using Multimedia DSLR’s like the Canon 5D Mark II or the Nikon D90, since they can take still photos, video, and audio. This creates serious challenges with managing cords and cables, and organizing their photo and audio gear. The Multimedia Wired Up Collection is specifically designed to create an integrated portable carrying system they need to streamline their shooting process.”

Enjoy!