You've likely seen it on celebs like Jessica Biel and Drew Barrymore, but didn't know that it had a specific name. "Ombre" is a French word that literally means shaded like a gradient. And how does that translate to hair color? Well it's two shades, a darker hue at the roots that gradually blends into a lighter shade at the mid-shaft; the masterful blend creates one sexy trend. The greedy gal in all of us has to agree: Why have one, when you can have *two?
*Warning: Ombre hair color can go wrong, so to keep this a "best" trend, don't opt for dark brown roots with platinum blonde ends. It'll simply look like you haven't touched up your roots in a year � or two.
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Worst: '80s era hair and makeup
That decade brought us some awesome things like Apple computers and Madonna, but it also delivered some pretty horrendous fashion and beauty trends. However, this, of course, is forgivable. What's not forgivable? When bad trends that everyone decided were bad a decade ago are pulled out of their dusty past and brought back to life. Huge hair accessories and Jem-inspired makeup weren't cute then and, well, you know the rest.
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Best: Shellac
Nail polish that doesn't chip three days after spending your hard-earned cash on a manicure? Um, yes please. Celebs like Lady Gaga aren't the only ones obsessing over this new nail technology from CND -- women across the country (us included) are raving about this polish that wears like a gel and lasts for two weeks without chipping. This trend is here to stay, literally.
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Worst: "Jersey Shore"-inspired anything
Intense faux-tans, the Snooki hair "pouf", and Halloween costumes -- it seems like anything and everything seen on this MTV show became a trend this year. G.T.L. (gym, tan, laundry) ring a bell? New Jersey is awesome. This show and everything about it however, is not.
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Best: Chunky braids
Braids have had a serious comeback the last two years and have taken on many forms (Heidi, fishtail, French, you name it), but we've noticed a strong lean as of late to the side of the chunky braid and we're all for it. Slightly messy, yet pulled-together looking, it's an easy style that instantly looks fashionable.
Trends, be it fashion or beauty, are hard to navigate. Some that are awe-inspiring on the runway or red carpet look downright ridiculous strutting down the aisles of Costco. Case in point: Ke$ha looked like a bad-a$$ in blue lipstick, but if we tried to wear it to work, the boss might ask to "have a word" with us.
Before you accuse us of being too judgmental or close-minded, know that we believe all trends, good and bad, to be necessary. We need some less-than-hip transients to remind us of how important classic trends are like red lipstick. And not to say we have never fallen victim to "bad" trends before, heck, we wore scrunchies in public back in the day, too. You see, we need makeup, nail and hairstyle trends, no matter how embarrassing, in order to differentiate between the classics that deserve more than just their fifteen minutes. However, the real stars are the good trends that reinvigorate our love for beauty -- that is, until the next hot new thing shimmies on by.
And because it is sometimes difficult to separate the looks we should commit to from the ones we should only flirt with, we thought we'd share our opinions on what should stay and what should go. We've rounded up the most popular hairstyles, makeup looks, and nail trends from the past year in order to help you navigate which trends to keep and which to ditch come January 1st. So, you can take our word for it or be the last person wearing hair tinsel at the PTA meeting � you decide.
