How did I officially lose my mind before 10am? By learning that there's a Colette Malouf sample sale next week, of course! While making my routine pre-coffee Facebook rounds, I noticed my girl Erika from Shoes, Shirts and Other Sh!t posted about the sale. Clearly, this is marked as a major to-do in my calendar, where I'll likely be picking myself up a birthday present (or four) before the big day.

When: May 25th, 10am - 8pm, May 26th, 10am - 6pm

Where: 594 Broadway, Suite 1216, Between Houston & Prince

Credit cards are accepted, prices at 70% off retail

WHAT: Frédéric Fekkai Fifth Avenue Salon at Henri Bendel will present an interactive red carpet experience open to Fashion’s Night Out revelers. New York Fashionistas will become the celebrity selecting from five award-winning Marchesa moments. The uber-talented Fekkai hair and make-up team will re-create these signature styles while your personal dresser waits to outfit and accessorize you in a glamorous Marchesa dress, House of Lavande jewelry and Christian Louboutin shoes. Finally, The City star and fashionista, Olivia Palermo, will be on the red carpet styling and instructing guests how to pose like a star in front of the cameras before having the paparazzi capture their Hollywood moment. All who participate will walk away with a print and digital professional quality photo, sent to you via email or SMS text messaging for easy distribution on Facebook and Twitter.

WHERE: Frédéric Fekkai Fifth Avenue Salon Henri Bendel 712 Fifth Avenue (at 56th Street) New York, NY 10019

WHEN: Friday, September 10, 2010 6:00PM- 9:00PM

PRICE: $75.00 for the entire experience - a red-carpet keepsake and a chance to win the A-list sweepstakes that will include a Fekkai cut and color, two tickets to the Spring 2011 Marchesa Fashion Show and a Henri Bendel 2010 VIP Client Card that entitles you to 25% off at all Henri Bendel locations (valid through January 2011). Proceeds will go to the NYC AIDS Fund, the official charity of Fashion’s Night Out.

As I write this post, it is 84 degrees in NYC. The sun has barely come up to greet the day and Weather.com is attempting to convince me that the humidity is at a soupy 68%. I've spent several days in a row running around the city, in and out of the subway, standing next to randoms who should become more intimately acquainted with their deodorant stick, and smelled things no human should have to endure. Needless to say, NYC in the summer is brutal. It feels like someone has stuck in the oven like a baked potatoe and there is no coming out. How on earth can you be expected to remain beautifully put together when there is sweat dripping in places sweat should never be?

The truth is - you can't. However, there are a few products and tricks than can help you revcover from the city's bruality.

1: Grab a fan and make it your BFF.

When the slightest whisper of summer begins to rumble through the city, I immediately hop down to Pearl River Market and stock up on colorful fans of all shapes & sizes. Whipping one out in the subway is the quickest way to relieve the feeling that you're about to be someone's Baked Alaska.

2: Noxzema's Clean Moisture Makeup Removal Cloths

When you spend all day away from your apartment, running from meeting to meeting, your face literally becomes a hot mess. No amount of blotting sheets, tissues or powder will help contain the mess. For me, the easiest thing to do is throw a package of Noxzema's Clean Moisture Makeup Removal Cloths into my purse and refresh my face before evening. For an extra boost, keep a package in your fridge for the most refreshing and soothing treat at the end of a long day.

3: TRESemme's Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

Under no circumstances can I survive without this product. My hair refuses to maintain any sort of style or liveliness after 5 minutes in the wild. Within 60 seconds of spraying this into my roots at various points across my head, the formula dissolves without any residue or dulling my hair.

4: Bold lips

Let's face facts - in the summer, there is no possible way to to keep makeup of any kind on your face. Even mascara inevitably ends up below your eyes, so eye makeup of any type is out of the question. For me, the most I can wear is tinted moisturizer, concealer, bright eyeliner(under my eye), cream blush and a bold lip. Summer favorites include MAC's Show Orchid, NARS' Heat Wave, and any Obsesive Compulsive Lip Tar.

Who doesn't love the look of of a loose top knot? There's something so effortless about it, in a way that feels effortless and put together at the same time. For her Resort 2011 show, Cynthia Rowley turned to Rodney Cutler to create a hairstyle that would perfectly complement her collection. To recreate the look, try the following steps:

1. Start by applying Redken spray starch 15 versatile ironing spray on damp hair, follow by blow-drying the hair using a flat brush in an upward direction to get the roots moving away from the hairline.

2. To create your ponytail, apply quick dry 18 instant finishing spray as you are brushing the pre dried hair up into a high-top ponytail.

3. Create a high-top ponytail that is clean but not slick allowing some of the texture in the hair to be visible.

4. From the ponytail, twist tightly into a high knot pinning as you get to the base and allowing the ends of the ponytail to poke out. This is to give the appearance of a do it yourself homemade look.

5. Finally secure the finished style with quick dry 18 instant finishing spray.

Do you love this look? Have you worn it before?

I love when I'm pitched the "return of volume" or "big hair makes a comeback". Having grown up in the South, volume was an essential piece of my beauty routine. In fact, looking back on my college experience, I remember being in awe of my classmates superior teasing skills - Southern girls don't mess around when it comes to voluminous, gorgeous hair.

Thank goodness it has finally made the return to fashion - specifically, the Chris Benz Resort 2011 show, as styled by John Ruidant, a Redken session stylist.To create the stunning look featured above:

Step 1: Apply Redken Body Full Amplifier at the hairline for texture and blow dry in the product with a mason brush.

Step 2: Split the head in half starting at the name and continuing in sections about one inch thick spraying hot sets 22 thermal setting mist on each piece before curling with a 1½ inch curling iron.

Step 3: Pin each curl to the head to set.

Step 4: Finish out the look by pulling hair back into a looped pony tail and secure ends by pinning under the nape of the neck to create the bob Step 5: Tease the hair and apply forceful 23 super strength finishing spray.

Be forewarned before trying this look at home - you'll need to set aside a full hour to achieve maximum va-va-volume.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before - Resort might be my favorite "season". The clothes always have a different edge than collections produced for Spring or Fall. Besides, who doesn't like to imagine they are relaxing on a resort while wearing pieces from a Resort collection?

For Donna Karan's recent Resort collection, Didier Malige for Cutler created a sleek pony that felt fresh, youthful and fun without being severe. To recreate the look, he recommends:

1: Spray dry hair with Cutler Volumizing Spray, as well as Cutler Protectant Treatment Spray to add a base to the hair. Using a Mason Pearson brush and a blow dryer, manipulate the product into the hair for added texture and volume

2: Creating a side part on the right side of the head, take 1” from the front section and tuck it behind the ear. Flat iron hair section by section

3: Take the top section, starting from the side part to the top of the crown, and pin it away, making sure the clip doesn’t kink the hair

4: Gather a ponytail at the crown of the head, and secure with a bungee elastic. Lightly spritz with Redken Workforce 09 Flexible Volumizing Spray

5: Connect the top section with the ponytail so it goes clockwise around the bungee elastic, and secure with french pins

Is this a look you'd recreate for yourself?

Have you ever sat back and thought your hair was so much more than one dimensional (and I don't mean it's color)? Is your hair fine, but perhaps a bit dry? Or is your color treated and curly?

It's amazing the type of tunnel vision beauty companies can be. Don't they realize that there's more to a person than just one label? Leave it to Pantene to reinvent their product line to look at the hair on a fiber level, allowing their scientists to truly examine why your hair behaves the way it does.

The relaunch of Pantene to include their Customized Solutions looks at hair on four broad solutions, with options within those solutions. For me, I have fine hair that lacks volume, but during the winter my hair can be a bit dry. Within the fine hair category, there are options for flat to volume, dry to moisturized and fragile to strong.

If you have medium-thick hair, Pantene offers solutions for frizzy to smooth, breakage to strength and dry to moisturized. For curly hair, select from curls to straight and dry to moisturized. For color treated hair (perhaps the most complex category) choose from preserve shine, volume, smooth, blonde expressions, highlighting expressions and brunette expressions.

There are times when my fine hair is dry or times when it could stand to be a bit stronger, which leads me to believe that my hair is as complext as my personality. What Pantene Customized Solution combo would work best for your hair?