Recurring beauty appointments were once staples in our planners. We set firm dates for colors, cuts and weave maintenance. We penciled in times to have our brows arched and our eyelashes extended. We went in for facials and Botox. And we couldn't live without our twice-monthly mani and pedi.

The coronavirus, however, put a halt to such ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Like so many others, I haven't been in a salon for a haircut in many months - six and counting. That might be an adult record for me. Anyhow, for the first time since I was a little girl, my hair is long enough for pigtails. (That is not the look I'm going for but to illustrate my point.) It's inches past shoulder ...Read more

DALLAS - Neiman Marcus is heading toward a fall exit from its bankruptcy reorganization with a new ad campaign that's designed to make the Dallas-based luxury retailer more approachable.

The "Your Neiman's" campaign directs shoppers to a digital hub of services that can start with a style adviser and continue online, with curbside ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: In the pandemic, I don't go outdoors much except to walk the dog. But I am getting eaten alive by biting bugs that seem to be especially ferocious this season. Can you recommend any insect spray that will solve my problem? It seems to be getting worse and worse. Killer virus. Swarms of biting insects. What's next? A ...Read more

Wearing a face mask has become a part of our daily routine and looks like it will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But as the summer temps heat up, wearing a mask increases the chance of skin irritation. We spoke to two Chicago skin-care pros about how to save your face while staying safe.

START WITH A GENTLE CLEANSER

"There are ...Read more

CHICAGO - Luxury sneaker brand Koio has teamed up with Young Chicago Authors and Taisaun Levi, the 2019 Indy winner of the city's premier spoken-word contest, to create a special edition of the classic Capri Triple White sneaker digitally printed with Levi's poem.

The project began last year when Levi was a student at Chicago's Crane Medical ...Read more

Nike and the Grateful Dead are jamming together.

And the result are these cool new sneakers - the Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead shoes.

Soon to be the preferred footwear of Deadheads from coast to coast, these Grateful Dead Nikes will be available in three colors - yellow, orange and, the best-looking of the bunch, green - and borrow from some...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I wanted you to see my text exchange with a few of my girlfriends that outlines a genuine problem that maybe you can help with. It started when Claire M. sent around a photo of her bathroom counter with three white tubes of products side-by-side that she uses every day (sunscreen, toothpaste, "skin smoothing cream...Read more

It's hot outside. Summer means a natural look and lighter makeup, but wearing a face mask adds another challenge, making it easier to sweat off all your hard work. With your lips and cheeks hidden, the focus is all on the eyes this season. But even if half of your face is covered, there's still lots to work with. Lashes and eyelids can handle ...Read more

PITTSBURGH - Is the beauty industry's commitment to fight racism only skin deep?

This question is at the heart of many conversations unfolding on social media as protests continue nationwide in the wake of George Floyd's death in May in Minneapolis while in police custody.

Dozens of cosmetics brands have released statements expressing their ...Read more

AUSTIN, Texas - At 98, fashion icon Iris Apfel has made it to the pages of a coloring book.

"Iris the Coloring Book" goes on sale July 14 and celebrates not only Apfel's life in fashion but also the 10-year connection between her and the University of Texas' textiles and apparel department.

The book benefits the department's UT in ...Read more

Brooks Brothers, venerable men's clothiers, has declared bankruptcy. Let us blame changing societal standards. I do not know if that is really the reason, but I do not know anything about business, so I am going with the "changing standards" theory.

It seems true, right? The department stores are limping. The retail bloodbath of 2020 ...Read more

CHICAGO - From popped-collar preppy to high tech, Ralph Lauren's Polo shirt with the iconic pony logo on its chest has remained a style staple since it arrived in 1972. In May, for the first time in the shirt's nearly 50-year history, the company offered fans of the brand the chance to create a Polo print, with the winning design emblazoned on 4...Read more

Summertime is all about that good old-fashioned stoop livin'.

When I was a kid growing up in Queens, New York - which, for the record, looks a lot like Mount Airy - we'd spend every summer afternoon-into-evening on our stoop. We played hopscotch, jacks and catch. Sitting on old cushion we'd cornrow each other's hair as the boom box blasted ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I am looking forward to going back to the office after a long COVID-19 hiatus. What makeup items can I still use? What do I need to toss?

- Kathleen K.

Dear Kathleen: Definitely don't do what I do. That is, I hold on to all my makeup until it dries out, gets too liquidy, flakes off or doesn't stay put. That's not the...Read more

Some shoppers may be loosening their own rules about when to wear a mask, if at all, to help stem the spread of COVID-19. But retailers are staying firm with theirs, and some cities are joining them.

At the Menards in Maplewood, Minn., a large sign secured to a tarp informs customers that masks are required to shop at the home improvement store...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I have hair loss at my hairline (front and sides). Wide headbands cover the thin areas nicely, but I am curious about how to wear the band. Do I cover my ears with some of the band, which dampens sound and makes my ears feel warm, or should I tuck the fabric behind my ears, which makes the ears appear more prominent? ...Read more

CHICAGO - Now that protective face coverings have become part of everyday life, the choices are endless. The face mask market is booming with styles that range from strictly utilitarian to designer, including masks that seamlessly integrate into your wardrobe and face coverings that addresses more than just COVID-19 protection.

Chicago's Pride ...Read more

Usually I spend the first day of summer - the longest and most glorious day of the year - outside sipping slushy, blush froses at a cookout or at a festival on Penn's Landing. The laughter is electric. The grilled burgers are juicy. And the dancing, that usually starts with a shoulder shimmy followed by a two-step to a classic jam like Earth, ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I have been slowly losing my eyebrows. I have always had good eyebrows - nicely shaped, dark and not real thick and bushy. Do you know of any product(s) that would fill in the bare spots and still look natural? One of my brows is still looking pretty good, but thinning. The other is patchy - with some spots that are ...Read more