Before you head to the perfume counter for a new fragrance, consider creating a custom-blended scent. Like your favorite long-strand necklace or your studded black leather belt, a custom perfume is the ultimate way to express your personal style.

Thanks to a growing number of fragrance bars, online scent boutiques and scent-making parties, every woman can try her hand -- and nose -- at being a perfumer. “A custom blend can be a very simple, lovely accord that works nicely,” says The New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr. It can also serve as a signature scent for a special occasion like your wedding day or a romantic vacation. 

Do-it-yourself Scent Creation
The first step in creating a custom blend is identifying the aromas that appeal to you. Do you like the feminine smell of florals, or do you prefer a fresher, fruity scent? Do woody notes of bark or moss entice your senses, or are the exotic smells of spices like musk or vanilla more your thing?

To try different fragrance oils, visit a local fragrance bar, a market like Whole Foods or a bath and body shop. Most perfumers work with synthetic fragrance oils and natural essential oils extracted from plants and flowers. You can also order sample oils online at ScentDesign.net or SaludSpaBar.com. Small vials will cost between $3 and $10.

With your oils at hand, start by testing single scents to get a feel for the different fragrances, suggests Salud’s founder and chief perfumer, Kelly Podorsek. Dip a paper scent strip into the vial, and then take a whiff. (When your nose needs a rest, a deep sniff of coffee beans will clear any lingering scents.) After you’ve found a few favorites, start layering the different oils on one strip to see how they blend together. “Stick with three or four scents, at the most,” says Podorsek.

Podorsek suggests combining scents from different fragrance families to create a layered scent. For example, grapefruit (fruity), honeysuckle (floral) and a touch of sandalwood (woody) work well as an enticing blend. Or go simple, fresh and fruity with cucumber and melon. Custom scents can also recreate favorite memories. An avid wine lover, Podorsek recently blended black peppercorn, summer berries and musky leather to evoke the aroma of a fine Syrah.

Once you’ve produced a pleasing concoction, you’ll need to sample your creation on your own skin. “The pH balance of the skin, diet, even humidity and heat around that skin affect the way perfumes smell,” explains Burr. If you’re pleased with the results, carefully combine the different oils into a glass bottle using individual droppers. Or, have your selected oils professionally mixed by a perfumer in a store or online. A pure fragrance or essential oil formulation can range from $10 to $25 for 1/3 ounce.

Working With a Perfumer
Creating a custom perfume with a perfumer is a far more intricate (and expensive) process than doing it yourself. “Perfumery is an art form,” says Alexandra Balahoutis, a botanical perfumer who founded Strange Invisible Perfumes in Venice, Calif. To capture the essence of a person in a custom perfume, Balahoutis begins by meeting the client to discuss favorite flowers, teas, wine, spice, art, literature and more. “It’s like having a portrait painted,” she explains.

Balahoutis works with authentic essences from plants, rather than synthetic essences. Once she creates a perfume formula, it is aged and tweaked until she is able to achieve the perfect balance of scents. The process takes about six months to complete and starts at $6,000.

Scents evoke memories more than any other sense can, so whatever appeals to each of us about a fragrance may be tied to fond memories, such as a childhood trip to the South filled with the lingering fragrance of gardenias. While you may not create a masterpiece on the scale of a high-end fragrance, a custom-blended scent can capture what’s truly unique about you.

Going from brunette to platinum blonde and back again or putting the flatiron, curling iron or blow-dryer into overdrive can quickly lead to lifeless, damaged hair. Top pros reveal how to restore your hair’s health and prevent havoc in the first place.

1. Get monthly trims.
Get your ends trimmed once a month while you’re nursing your hair back to health, suggests Beverly Hills stylist Paul Ohana. “It might take four or five months to get rid of the most damaged hair,” he says, “but you will see a gradual improvement without having to change your hair length or style completely.”

2. Highlight your hair judiciously.
“Be wary of overindulging in highlights,” says Kim Vo, who colors the tresses of celeb clients like Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson. Bleach is typically used to highlight hair, but left on too long or applied too frequently, it can literally fry and damage hair, says Kevin Josephson, a colorist whose clients include Kirsten Dunst and Kristin Davis. The solution: Instead of all-over highlights, opt for a few streaks strategically placed around the face. Repeat only once every two to three months.

3. Condition, condition, condition.
Vo likes to say that you whisper or talk with your conditioner. Consider “whispering” the everyday conditioning you apply each time you shampoo your hair, while weekly conditioner masks are “the talk.” Applying a weekly mask will help quench extra-parched, damaged hair.

4. Brush your hair the right way.
One of the biggest contributors to damaged hair -- and one of the easiest to fix -- is improper brushing, says Ohana. After towel-drying your hair following a shower, a few strands might still be tangled even if you’ve used conditioner. “When you brush from top to bottom, you’re forcing those knots out, and that can cause split ends,” he says. Instead, use a soft-bristle brush to gently brush the ends of your hair, and move up a few inches at a time until you reach the root.

5. Use heat tools safely.
Take the time to section your tresses with clips when you style your hair with heat. Focus on one area at a time, and when that’s done, move on to the next section. “Don’t keep going over the same area,” says Josephson. You’re not adding extra styling polish, just more heat. Sun exposure makes the top layer of your damaged hair especially fragile, so leave that part for last, allowing it to air-dry while you blow-dry the sections underneath.

When you use a flatiron or curling iron, work with a 1- or 2-inch section of hair at a time to avoid going over the same area repeatedly. Keep the flatiron moving through your locks and leave your hair in the curling iron for only a few seconds. Vo adds that heat above 450 F can damage the hair's cuticle, so set your flatiron below that temperature. (If the iron doesn’t have a temperature gauge, use it on the medium setting.)

6. Maintain your instruments.
A few seconds dedicated to tool maintenance every week or two will save your hair from what Alex Roldan, whose namesake salon is a West Hollywood institution, calls “mechanical abuse.”

• Clean the lint and debris from the vents of your hair dryer to keep a steady flow of air. Clogged vents will prevent the dryer from pulling in cool air, and that can lead to dangerously hot air and even sparks that damage hair.
• Use the dryer’s nozzle attachment or press the blow-dryer against the brush and not your hair itself. This way, you’ll prevent singed locks.
• Wipe your curling iron and straightening iron with a slightly damp washcloth before and after each use to get rid of any oil or product buildup, and use a product designed to protect damaged hair from heat.
• Apply hair spray after you use heat tools or the spray will cook right on your hair.

Arches done right can make eyes seem bigger and brighter, visually lift sagging lids, rev up hair color and give you an all-over gorgeous look. “Eyebrows are so important, they really help shape and define your face,” notes Hollywood brow expert Anastasia Soare, who does brow shape-ups for celebrities like Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner. Get pretty arches that are perfect for you with these tips.

Eyebrow Shaping Tools
What you’ll need: slant tip tweezers, a spiral brow brush (it looks like a clean mascara wand), and a stencil with brow powder and a brow brush.

Step-by-step Eyebrow Shaping
“The idea is to find balance between your brows and other features,” says Soare. “Take your time and step back from the mirror as you pluck every few hairs, to make sure you’re creating as much symmetry in your brows as possible.”

1. Look into a regular mirror (a magnifying mirror will make it look like there’s more hair to remove than there really is) and gently brush brows up and outward with the spiral brush to get a sense of your natural brow shape.
2. Brow stencils are a foolproof way to maintain your brows. Align the stencil over your brow (choose one that allows the most hair to come through). As you hold it there, use the brow brush to fill in your brow with brow powder. When you’re done, remove the stencil and tweeze the stray hairs beneath the powdered area for a clean, shaped line.
3. While you can clean up the fuzz between your brows, don’t tweeze from the actual brow itself or you risk over-widening the space between the eyebrows. Leave tweezing above the brow to a pro. “It’s a tricky area and can lead to a flattened arch if not done perfectly,” says Soare. An expert knows how to brush the brows up and trim just the very tips of the tiny hairs, but it’s hard to do it yourself, and a mistake can lead to bald patches.
4. Follow these steps every four weeks and try not to over-pluck -- brows with a more natural look are in.

Day-to-day Eyebrow Grooming
Blessed with full brows? Just use a little brow gel (waxy lip balm works in a pinch) to fix them in place and impart a healthy sheen. If your brows are sparse in spots, you may want to fill them in regularly with brow powder or pencil. Choose powder or pencil one shade lighter than your brows (unless they’re very pale) and use feathery strokes. Or consider a tinted brow gel as a one-step color-and-taming option.

Short brows can be extended carefully with a brow pencil. Draw a line that’s just long enough to accentuate the arch. Making the line too long can close in your eyes or make a heart-shaped face appear top-heavy, and a thin tail will leave your eyes looking droopy. Go half as far as you think you should and step back to survey; you’ll know when it looks right.

Gone Too Far?
If you’ve repeatedly tweezed too aggressively, the bad news is that some of the hairs may not grow back. “Plucking exerts a traction force on the hair follicle that can scar the follicle over time,” says Manhattan dermatologist Francesca Fusco. The good news is that some of those absent hairs may simply be in their rest cycle. Fusco adds that certain ingredients in brow serums, like peptides, can nudge skimpy arches back into the growth cycle. Look for a serum that also contains saw palmetto -- small studies have indicated it may inhibit an enzyme that contributes to hair loss. Paint the serum on brows twice a day and give it about two months to do its magic.

What woman doesn’t love trying out each season’s new makeup colors and formulas. And who can resist the latest shampoos, conditioners, pomades and gels that just might be the missing link to help you achieve the perfectly tousled locks of Blake Lively or the off-the-beach waves of Kate Hudson. Go ahead and indulge, but don’t overlook an essential element of your beauty artillery: brushes. The right brushes for both hair and makeup can help make you absolutely dazzling! 

Makeup
“If you don’t have the right application tools,” says Tasha Reiko Brown, Hollywood makeup artist and The Style Glossy blogger, “even the most expensive products won’t go on properly.” Look for brushes that feel comfortable in your hand, that aren’t shedding and that have soft bristles. Brown chooses synthetic bristles for concealer, lip and foundation brushes, but she opts for natural bristles -- such as sable, mink or goat -- for blush or powder brushes. “Stiffer bristles can scratch your skin,” she says. If you prefer not to use animal products, look for brushes made from high-grade synthetic fibers, such as the PETA-approved taklon bristles.

Here’s what you need:

• Face Foundation brush, large powder brush, blush/bronzer brush (you can use one brush for both bronzer and blush, just wipe off brush between applying each product), concealer brush
• Eyes Fluff brush for applying shadow to lid, flat liner brush for applying color along the lash line
• Optional Tapered shadow brush for applying shadow in crease or blending eyeliner and shadow to create a smoky eye, spooly brush or disposable mascara wand for grooming brows and combing through eyelashes to remove clump between applying coats of mascara, angled eyebrow brush for applying powder to brows, and lip brush

Makeup artists are fastidious about keeping their tools pristine. “Perfect application comes from clean tools,” says beauty pro Robert Jones, author of Looking Younger: Makeovers That Make You Look as Young as You Feel. “Blush or powder brushes should be cleaned at least once a month, and eye brushes once a week.” Brown’s favorite brush cleaner? Your regular shampoo. “Just put a little shampoo on wet hands, run it through the brush hairs and lay the brush flat on a towel to dry.” Pros agree that with proper care, a set of brushes will last a decade or more.

Hair
Most women will need two combs, our experts say:

• Wide-toothed comb should be kept in the shower for distributing conditioner evenly throughout hair and for gentle detangling.
• Fine-toothed comb is necessary for backcombing or teasing. “At 4 in the afternoon when your hair is starting to flatten out, backcombing is an easy way to create volume,” says Kenneth Darrell, a Nashville hairdresser and educator. “Working from the crown, take panels of hair about 1/2 inch in thickness and gently tease. Then, smooth out just the surface of the hair. You won’t need any spray or styling product, because your hair will be sufficiently dirtied up from the day’s wear to hold the volume.”

A few different brush options are available, depending on your hair type and usage:

• Round brush If you blow-dry your hair, this brush is essential. Look for one with a combination of synthetic and natural boar’s hair bristles: The nylon bristles will give you a good grip on your hair while the natural ones impart shine.
• Paddle brush “Use a paddle brush at the end of the day to impart smoothness and shine to hair that may look a little flat and gnarly,” says Darrel.

Natural boar toothbrush This is optional.“Keep one in your purse,” suggests Michael Shaun Corby, a hair pro who oftenworks backstage at fashion shows. “If you add just a touch of pomade orhairspray to the bristles, you can tame all those flyaways on the surface ofyour hair without disrupting the style. If you have superfine or thin hair, usethe toothbrush right at your scalp in a circular motion to pick up all thosefine hairs that a hairbrush doesn’t get to. Every bit of volume helps!”

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Back when we were little girls, we thought the prettiest colors were pink or baby blue. Now we know the true color of beauty is green, as in making eco-friendly products and practices a daily part of our looking-great regimen. Here’s a green tip for every day of the week.

Sunday
Recycle your beauty packaging. You faithfully toss newspapers, milk cartons, cans and bottles into the recycling bin, but the habit probably stops at the bathroom door. “We know that the vast majority of people don’t recycle what’s in their bathrooms,” says Jenny Rushmore, global sustainability leader for Procter & Gamble’s beauty and grooming division. “But there’s a lot that could be recycled, including any plastic containers that have the number 1 or 2 on the bottom, such as shampoo and conditioner bottles.” Most municipalities don’t recycle plastic lids, caps or tops, so toss these separately into the regular trash.

Monday
Shave time off your showers. You’re using an average of five gallons of water for every minute you spend in the shower, says Sara Snow, host of Discovery Channel’s “Living Fresh” and “Get Fresh With Sara Snow” and author of the eco-guide Sara Snow’s Fresh Living. Cut your shower time by a minute or two and you can save 200 or 300 gallons of water every month. Even better, install a low-flow showerhead and you’ll cut your water consumption by another half.

Tuesday
Conserve water while you wash your face. Every minute you leave the tap running while you apply cleanser and massage it into your skin, two or more gallons of water escape down the drain. Instead, wet your hands, turn off the faucet, apply cleanser to your face, scrub away and don’t turn the tap back on until you’re ready to rinse.

Wednesday
Cut down on packaging by using multitasking products. Try two-in-one shampoo-conditioners, body washes that also moisturize, razors that have shave gel built right in and hardworking cosmetics like a stain that you can use on your cheeks, eyes and lips. Added benefits: less clutter on your vanity and less strain on your beauty budget!

Thursday
Practice energy efficiency when you dry your hair. Instead of blow-drying your locks straight out of the shower, let your hair air-dry until it’s at least 50 percent dry. “It’s a win-win situation because you’re using less energy and you’re preserving the health of your hair by minimizing heat exposure,” says Rushmore. “And since it’s only in the last few minutes of drying your hair that the real styling takes place, you’re not compromising your look at all.”

Friday
Opt for reusable rather than disposable cosmetic tools. Instead of sponges, use brushes (you can find earth-friendly ones made with bamboo handles and animal-free taklon bristles). Or, gain mastery with the favorite application tool of The Style Glossy beauty blogger Tasha Reiko Brown -- your fingers. “The heat of your fingers will blend cream products like foundation or concealer into your skin seamlessly,” she says. Added plus: You’ll likely pick up less product with your fingers than you would with a brush, so your cosmetics will last longer and your makeup will look more natural.

Saturday
Relax with a sudsy foot soak instead of a bubble bath. A bath can use 50 to 75 gallons of water. Instead, for a de-stressing time-out, fill a pretty basin or bowl with warm water, add your favorite bubbles or a few drops of essential oils like rose, lavender or jasmine, and add a few marbles or pebbles to roll under your toes and soles for a do-it-yourself reflexology massage. Have a garden? Throw some fresh herbs or the petals from your favorite flower into the bowl.

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