Hair Color That Turns Heads

3 benefits of gorgeous hair color

By Melanie Rud
Good hair color can be so much more than, well, just color. It can play up your features, give you a healthy glow, and even slim your face. Find your do-it-all shade.

Benefit #1: Color enhances any cut

Turn a good haircut into an amazing one by choosing a color that complements your style. If you have long layers (like Kristen Bell), add highlights throughout. "They accentuate each individual layer and add definition to the varying lengths," explains Marie Robinson, colorist and co-owner of Marie Robinson Salon.

Try Kelly Van Gogh Heads Up Couture Highlighting Kit ($49; spacenk.com), which has pro tools and a gel highlighting formula that lets you see exactly where you’re placing the color.

Sleek, sharp bob

If you sport a more structured style (like Salma Hayek’s blunt cut), use a rich, single-process dye, such as U Color by Umberto ($12; ulta.com). "The solid color reflects more light, and the shine puts the focus on the cut, not the color," Robinson explains.

The beauty of bangs

Got bangs like Bryce Dallas Howard? Keep them one color so they look as if they are lying smoothly, with no zebra-like, stripey effect.

Benefit #2: It plays up your features

Strategically placed hair color—like makeup—enhances what you’ve got. If you want your face to look less round, ask your colorist to weave lowlights that are slightly darker than your base color all along your hairline. "This adds depth that helps to accentuate your facial contours and make your features seem more angular," Robinson says.

Hair that’s colored slightly lighter than your natural shade will add a glow to your face that can minimize the appearance of fine lines, says Aura Friedman, lead color ambassador for Wella Professionals and a colorist at Serge Normant Salon. Ask your colorist to add highlights to the front of your hair, placing some at cheek level

Benefit #3: Color can make hair smooth and super-shiny

If your strands are dry or frizzy looking, Robinson suggests using a clear gloss treatment. "It helps to seal damaged hair’s roughed-up cuticle layer, making strands look smoother and shinier," she explains. We like L’Oréal Paris Colorist Secrets Shine Gloss ($10; drugstores), which you apply on dry hair, leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse.

If split ends are your issue, the only way to eliminate them completely is a trim. However, asking your colorist to add lowlights throughout and subtly deepen the color at the ends can minimize their appearance, Friedman explains

Get pro results (at home!)

Somewhere between the ease (and inexpensiveness) of at-home dyeing and the expertise of the salon is newly launched eSalon.com. Log on to the site and answer detailed questions about your hair-color history, the hue you want, what your natural texture is—everything a stylist would ask—and a professional colorist will analyze your answers and create a customized kit ($22; esalon.com)

Goof-proof color

Eighty-nine percent of women fear they’ll mess up if they color their own hair, a recent L’Oréal study reveals. But there’s no reason to skip out on all the benefits of a new hue: L’Oréal Paris Healthy Look Sublime Mousse ($10; drugstores) makes it virtually impossible to make a mistake.

The permanent formula is a creamy mousse you massage in (the foam expands to wrap each strand in dye so you can’t miss spots). Plus, if you have a smartphone, you can scan the box’s QR code (it looks like a square bar code) to view a how-to tutorial on your phone
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5 Weeks to Your Best Body Ever: The Workout

This is the moment to get real

By Shaun Chavis and Su Reid-St. John
Love your shape—starting right now—with this five-week plan that gets you strong, toned and thoroughly thin (15 pounds down in just 5 weeks).

Whether you want to tone up after an indulgent holiday or finally drop that 10, 20, even 50 pounds, we’ve got the plan that will truly transform your body. We built this simple slim-down around the three key strategies that actually lead to weight loss.

You’re spelling out your goals

Writing down the reasons you want to drop pounds gets your invested in the positive changes you’re about to make. And reading that list whenever temptation hits is like a quickie intervention that keeps you strong.

You’re burning maximum fat...

...and building calorie-blasting muscle. Workouts that combine cardio and strength burn more calories per minute than other methods, so we created a metabolism-boosting routine to get you fast results. Bonus: The more muscle you build, the more calories you’ll continue to torch throughout the day.

You’re eating hunger-stopping foods

Plenty of diets starve you, leaving you hungry enough to eat your iPod—and what’s next? A calorie pile-on and a failed plan—not for a lack of willpower, but a lack of sustenance! Real success comes from eating the good-for-you foods proven to fill you up.

Put these secrets together, and you can shed pounds fast—and build the kind of muscle that helps you keep it off for good.

Best body secret: Put it in writing!

Reminding yourself every day why you want to get slim keeps you focused and on track, says Judith S. Beck, PhD, psychologist and author of The Complete Beck Diet for Life. Jot down all your reasons (try to come up with at least 15 to 20), and keep your list handy – whether it’s on your smartphone notepad or an old-school sticky note on your fridge or in your handbag.

"People who write this down—and read it daily—are significantly more successful than those who don’t," she says. "Read your list every morning, because you never know what you day is going to be like, and pull it out at your most vulnerable moments, too."

Best body secret: Burn fat and build muscle!

The most effective way to get rid of flab isn’t to spend countless hours on the treadmill. "Circuit training—doing both quick, intense cardio intervals and strength training—blasts fat and calories faster than anything else you can do," reveals trainer and exercise physiologist Amy Dixon, who created this workout.

In fact, a new study confirms that circuits incinerate more calories per minute than other methods—and burning off excess fat is the key to getting slim. Plus, when you add strength, you create muscle that continuously burns fat and calories.

Cardio: Side squat hop and reach

(Do this circuit 3 times, which should take about 40 minutes, to burn up to 450 calories. Do the workout 4 times per week).

Start standing with feet together and arms by your sides. Step your left foot out to the side, and come down into a low squat with feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Touch the floor with your right fingertips or hand, then press back up and step your left foot back in. Immediately repeat on the opposite side; continue alternating for 1 minute.

Strength: Reach out and pull

Kneel in front of a stability ball, and place your elbows on the ball at 90-degree angles to come into a modified plank position with forearms on the ball, chest off the ball, and core braced; raise both feet off the floor. Extend your arms, rolling the ball away from you, then bend your elbows to pull the ball back in. That’s 1 rep; do 12–15 reps. (For more of a challenge, do the move in a full plank position with legs extended.)

Cardio: Jump rope

Keeping your upper arms by your sides and feet close together, circle the rope, and jump as fast as you can for 1 minute.

Strength: Punch and twist

Sit on a stability ball with knees bent and feet on the floor, holding an 8-to-10-pound dumbbell in your right hand. Roll down until only your head, neck, and shoulders are on the ball, with feet directly under your knees. Bend your right elbow to 90 degrees with your palm forward and elbow directly out to the side; at the same time, extend your left arm out to the side.

Pull your left arm in, twisting your torso to the left while pressing into the ball with your bent left elbow; at the same time, punch the weight up with your right arm. Return to previous position. Do 12–15 reps; switch sides and repeat.

Cardio: X-Jack jump

Stand with feet together and arms down by your sides. Circle your arms in, up, and out while jumping your feet wide apart. Circle your arms back in and down as you jump your feet together. Repeat, but this time try to get into X position while you’re in the air, landing with feet together and arms down. Continue alternating for 1 minute.

Strength: Diagonal row to single arm shoulder press

Stand tall with feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, toes turned out, and knees slightly bent. Hold an 8-to-10-pound dumbbell in your right hand with arms by your sides. Bend both knees to 90 degrees, and pivot on your right foot so the right knee is facing the inside of the left leg; at the same time, hinge at the hips, twist through your core, and reach your right arm across your body toward your left ankle.

On the return, straighten both legs, and pivot your right foot back to original position while simultaneously bending your elbow to bring the weight up to your right shoulder, palm forward; extend your arm to press it up. Return to starting position; that’s 1 rep; do 12–15 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

Cardio: Roll the ball shuffle

Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart and a stability ball in front of you; push your butt back to lower into a squat. With your left hand, push the ball so it rolls to the right; at the same time, shuffle sideways and "catch" the ball with your right hand. Quickly push the ball to the left, and shuffle back to the left to "catch" it. Continue alternating for 1 minute.

Strength: Single leg stability ball roll and triceps extension

Stand with your left leg extended back and the top of your left foot on a stability ball, holding a 5-to-8-pound dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your upper arms close to your sides, bend your elbows to bring the weights to the sides of your chest.

Bending your right knee slightly, hinge forward at the waist to form a straight line from head to lifted toe; at the same time, extend your arms back. Return to starting position; that’s 1 rep. Do 12–15 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

Cardio: Get down–Get up tuck

Lie facedown on a mat with hands alongside your chest, elbows bent and back. Engage your core and press your entire body up, jumping up to a standing crouch. Explode off the floor with both arms extended in front of you, palms down, bending your knees as you jump to try to touch your thighs to your palms.

Land softly, bring your hands to mat, and jump your feet back into plank position with elbows slightly bent and hands under shoulders. Slowly lower to starting position. Repeat sequence for 1 minute.

Strength: Single leg curtsy curl side knee lift

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and turned out, an 8-to-10-pound dumbbell in each hand, and arms by your sides. Keeping hips forward, bend knees as you bring left foot back and behind body to right side of right foot with heel lifted, as if curtsying.

As you straighten legs, press into right heel and do a side knee raise with left leg; at the same time, turn palms forward and curl the weights up to shoulders. Return to A position; that’s 1 rep. Do 12–15 reps; switch sides and repeat.

Cardio: Reverse lunge and reach with front kick

Stand with feet together. Step your right foot back, and bend your left knee to 90 degrees to come into a reverse lunge. Reach your right arm down, and touch the floor directly by the inside of your left leg.

Next, press up through your left foot, and bring your right foot through and into a front kick without touching it to the floor; at the same time, curl your fists up toward your chin in fighter position. Return to lunge position; repeat series for a total of 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat for 30 more seconds.

Strength: Double knee drive–pike plank

Come into the "up" part of push-up position with feet and lower legs resting on a stability ball, hands directly underneath shoulders. Engage your abs and use your core strength to roll the ball in toward your hips, knees bending and hips lifting. Lifting your hips even higher, straighten your legs to come into pike position; hold for 3 seconds. Bend your knees again, then return to starting position; that’s 1 rep. Do 12–15 reps.
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Easy Easter Brunch Recipes

Delicious Easter eats

Celebrate Easter Sunday by leaving the Peeps and chocolate bunnies in your basket. Instead, feast on these healthy, fresh, and fast spring recipes.

Mini Smoked Salmon Frittatas

These portion-controlled frittatas sneak in healthy substitutions without compromising flavor. Egg whites, low-fat cream cheese, and scallions add a savory taste for less than 200 calories.

Ingredients: Olive oil, onion, smoked salmon, eggs, half-and-half, milk, low-fat cream cheese, scallions

Calories: 179

Triple Pea Salad With Creamy Tarragon Dressing

This veggie-rich dish contains a hearty dose of vitamin C in every crunchy bite. And the light yet creamy dressing kicks the flavor up a notch.

Ingredients: White wine vinegar, reduced-fat sour cream, olive oil, honey, tarragon, frozen peas, edamame, sugar snap peas, mixed salad greens, radish wedges

Calories: 138

Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Smoked Ham Strata

Get savory Mediterranean flavor in this artichoke and goat cheese strata. Sourdough bread adds a complementary, tangy taste, and the ham offers a perfect smoky finish. Low-fat dairy products and fresh spices keep this dish a lean 379 calories.

Ingredients: Low-fat milk, egg substitute, goat cheese, thyme, nutmeg, garlic, sourdough bread, Parmesan cheese, smoked ham, artichoke hearts, fontina cheese

Calories: 379

Lavender-Scented Summer Fruit Salad

Dried lavender adds a delicate flavor to the honey-lime dressing in this fresh fruit salad. Stone fruit and berries are rich in antioxidants and provide the right tangy-tart flavors to balance the sweet topping.

Ingredients: Peaches, nectarines, plums, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, honey, dried lavender, lime juice, mint leaves

Calories: 119

Almond Ciabatta French Toast

A new take on French toast, this recipe uses vanilla and almond extracts to add flavoring, and sliced almonds to provide a heartier texture. You'll get a boost of fiber and protein in the form of a sweet breakfast treat.

Ingredients: Vanilla extract, almond extract, eggs, sugar, low-fat milk, whole milk, ciabatta bread, almonds

Calories: 367

Raspberry-Almond Torte With Chocolate Ganache

A rich dessert like this will keep you away from the processed candies in your Easter basket. Almond paste and raspberry preserves make a decadent flavor combination, but low-fat dairy keeps this recipe figure-friendly.

Ingredients: Butter, almond paste, granulated sugar, eggs, flour, lemon juice, raspberry preserves, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa, fat-free milk, semisweet chocolate

Calories: 320

Frozen Iced Tea

If you're craving a lighter finish to a hearty brunch, make this refreshing iced treat. For an added layer of freshness, add a few mint sprigs.

Ingredients: Tea bags, sugar, light-colored corn syrup, lemon, mint sprigs (optional)

Calories: 115

Raspberry Lemonade

The raspberry puree and sugar add just the right amount of sweetness to the sour lemons. The result is a cold, tart drink that is rich in vitamin C.

Ingredients: Fresh lemon juice, sugar, raspberry puree, ice

Calories: 114
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Yamashita Park

Yamashita Park

# 3   of 9 most visited sights in Yokohama

Yamashita Park's Waterfront Walkway Yamashita Park is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront. The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space. It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line. The ship had first-class cabins that attracted the likes of the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin for the transpacific journey. In 1960, after 30 years at sea, the ship was retired. It now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s. Near the Hikawa Maru, and also hard to miss, is the Yokohama Marine Tower. Recently renovated, the Marine Tower is located just beside the park and extends 106 meters into the air. Although not as high as the Landmark Tower Sky Garden, the Marine Tower's observatory also has a 360 degree view, located 100 meters above ground. Hikawa Maru and Marine Tower One of the park's main features is a wide path that runs along the water. It is usually quite busy, with many people enjoying the view of the bay and the ships passing by. At the park's southern end, the path leads into the Rinkosen promenade, which passes by the Osanbashi Pier and leads to Minato Mirai. The walk is a pleasant way to travel between the areas. A few fountains and an eclectic group of monuments are distributed throughout the park: an Indian memorial, a monument to a Filipino general, a girl scout statue, two monuments to particular Japanese children songs, and a statue of a large head commemorating the introduction of the western-style haircut to Japan. Yamashita Park and the Hikawa Maru seen from the Marine Tower Observatory

How to get there

Yamashita Park is a five minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station (8 minutes, 200 yen from Yokohama Station) on the Minato Mirai Line. The park can also be reached by foot from Chinatown in five minutes or from Minato Mirai in about 30 minutes. The Akaikutsu Loop Bus stops in front of the Marine Tower (Marine Tower-mae bus stop) and in front of the middle of the park (Yamashita Koen-mae Bus stop). The loop bus connects many of Yokohama's sightseeing attractions and costs 100 yen per ride. Yamashita Park can also be accessed by "Seabass" boats, which depart from Yokohama Bay Quarter (500 meters from Yokohama Station's east exit. The journey costs 700 yen one way, and half the boats travel directly (15 minutes) while the other half stop at Minato Mirai (35 minutes) along the way. How to get to and around Yokohama

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3 Biggest Myths About Longevity

The science of aging

By Stephanie Dolgoff
While Social Security Administration data estimate that an American woman now in her 40s is likely to live until her early 80s (and that a man the same age will live to his late 70s), doctors who specialize in the science of longevity say there are several basic health-history and lifestyle factors that can predict whether you’ll live even longer.

Take our quiz and learn your potential age. If you're surprised by a low number, the good news is there’s a lot you can do to up that figure. Find out how you can live to be 100.

There's more to learn

Many of our assumptions about how to last forever are just plain false, says Howard Friedman, PhD, co-author of the new book The Longevity Project. Friedman and his colleagues analyzed the data from an 80-year-long study of people’s lives and habits from age 12 until they died, uncovering some surprising info about who ends up old enough to get a shout-out from Willard Scott.

Myth: Working too hard shortens your life

"Hard work is not at all a health problem," Friedman says. "In fact, the lackadaisical, less-successful folks were at the greatest risk of dying younger." This is in keeping with findings that many folks don’t do well after retirement, especially if their jobs helped them feel useful and appreciated. The problem is when your work makes you feel like you have no control—that’s not going to help you long-term.

Myth: Being happy makes you live longer.

Not necessarily. "If anything, happiness may be the result of good health rather than the cause," Friedman says. "People who get their happiness from doing worthwhile things and building good relationships—those lead to both happiness and health," he says. Chasing momentary thrills, on the other hand, won’t do anything for your overall well-being.

Myth: Worry will kill you.

In fact, Friedman found that the serious, conscientious types tended to take better care of themselves, by actively staying on top of their health.
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How to Get Organized ASAP

Straighten up without stressing out

By Sara Reistad-Long
It starts piling up during the chilly winter months, builds through March, and by the time spring-cleaning season rolls around, it’s everywhere. Yep, it’s clutter! And chances are, it’s driving you crazy right about now. Luckily, we’ve got the secret to getting it under control in seven essential, game-changing steps. Each one addresses a notoriously difficult tidying issue and fixes it fast, so you can focus on more important things—like updating your Facebook status to "totally organized!"

Step 1: Clear the rubble in your purse

Business cards, receipts, shopping lists—they all multiply exponentially and get lost in your handbag. "These are things we always need to access in a hurry, too, like at a checkout counter," says Mary Carlomagno, a professional organizer and author of Live More, Want Less. Carlomagno suggests reserving your wallet for payment cards, cash, and important IDs, and keeping everything else in a coupon organizer.

Customize the category tabs in whatever way best suits your life. At least once a week, clear out anything you no longer need to have handy, transferring whatever you want to keep to your office files.

Step 2: Do a paper purge in your office

"We keep a lot of unnecessary papers lying around," says Lisa Zaslow, founder of Gotham Organizers. It’s perfectly OK to toss monthly bills and receipts for everyday purchases once the payment has shown up on your bank or credit card statement.

A few exceptions: Keep hard copies of anything you might need for tax purposes (go to Health.com/recordkeeping for some examples), as well as important contracts and personal documents. For everything else (warranties, product manuals), Zaslow recommends scanning them into your computer. You’ll have quicker access and be able to search for those docs with a click of a mouse.

Step 3: Divide and conquer your kitchen cabinets

There’s one pot you need for making dinner, but in the process of reaching into the back of the cabinet to get it, you wind up with a tumbling mess. Zaslow’s advice: "Divide your cabinet space so everything has a visible home."

Use expandable shelf-doublers like the Iron Expandable Kitchen Shelf ($20; bedbathandbeyond.com) to take advantage of the space between shelves. Tiered cabinet organizers also make it easier to see and reach the items at the back of a shelf. In deeper drawers and cabinets, you can use vertical organizers to "file" things like cutting boards and trays. No more frying pan avalanches

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Step 4: Find a home for all your clothes

Who needs a leopard-print dress when your whole wardrobe is a jungle? "Closets fall into disarray because people put things in them without any rhyme or reason," says Regina Leeds, author of One Year to An Organized Life.

Hang "likes" together, sorting by type of item and color, and make the whole space easier on the eyes by sticking to just a few types of hangers. Store sweaters and scarves in clear, stacking drawers—you’ll preserve hanger space and keep everything within sight and easy reach. Best of all, you can rotate individual drawers in and out, depending on the season.

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Step 5: Corral clutter fast in your living area

It can be tough to sit back and relax when you’re surrounded by piles of newspapers, games, blankets, etc. "People tend to use a lot of stuff in this area, and they don’t have a place to return it to," Zaslow says.

Keeping a few baskets around will do more than just help you appear more organized—it will help you be more organized. By assigning a different storage purpose to each (blankets in one, games in another, etc.), you’ll have designated places to return the stuff to. Zaslow suggests using one basket for things that come from other rooms, then returning them to their rightful place a few times a week.

Step 6: Harness hidden space in your bathroom drawers

Rummaging to find your fave body lotion or lipstick when you’re getting ready in the morning is not the way to start your day. "Chances are, your brushes, tubes, and bottles are all jumbled together," Leeds explains. "And you’re likely pressed for space, too."

The fix: stackable boxes that will create additional space under the sink or on large shelves—we like the Container Store’s Stackable Bamboo Drawer Organizers ($4 to $8; containerstore.com). Put things you use in the same way or at the same time—hair products or first aid items—in the same box, and label them with tape for easy finding.

Step 7: Neaten your dumping ground by the door

You walk through the door after a long day, juggling your keys, glasses, and a stack of mail, and—boom!—drop them wherever. Then, the next day, you can’t find anything. "It’s important to establish a consistent ritual for unloading when you come home," Carlomagno says.

She suggests setting up a hook for your keys, a pouch for outgoing mail, and a board to post or write notes and reminders. The wall-mounted, customizable Daily System from Pottery Barn ($12 and up; potterybarn.com) will help ensure that you won’t lose anything in your entryway again!

3 storage solutions for...

• A messy closet!
Large stacking drawers ($18 each; containerstore.com) make sorting and finding clothes a cinch.

• A chaotic purse!
File all those receipts and discount cards in a pretty, handmade coupon organizer ($14; glowgirl16.etsy.com).

• An untidy living area!
Straightening up is simple when you have several woven baskets ($59; westelm.com).
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