April Daniels Hussar

A California girl transplanted to the wilds of suburban New Jersey, I’m a shoe-loving, book-obsessed writer and mama. I can also be found at BettyConfidential.com and my own blog, “My First Word Was Shoe.” My work has appeared on sites like SELF.com and The Huffington Post; other interests include running (badly), cooking (not so badly), and over-packing. Sometimes I get to do fun things like cover Fashion Week or “road test” beauty products, but most of the time I’m chained to my laptop or schlepping to pick-up in my PJs -- it’s good to have balance!

Sipping on:

Full fat lattes (a.m.) and Chardonnay (p.m.)

also find April here:

April's Latest Posts

Hot List
5 Best Sunscreens for Your Face That Don’t Leave You Feeling All Sticky (PHOTOS)

posted by April Daniels Hussar 21 hours ago in Beauty & Style

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Now that it's summer, I really try to wear sunscreen every day, even if I'm not heading to the pool or beach. I'll slather just about any sunblock on my body, but I'm super picky when it comes to my face. It can't be sticky, greasy, or smell weird -- all three of which describe so many products with SPF!

Through much trial and error, I've found some really great sunscreens made just for faces that can be used all year round (which is ideal). No greasy, pore-clogging, stinkiness at all!
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Mom Moment
Got Mom Guilt? Look at Everything You've Done Right

posted by April Daniels Hussar 22 hours ago in Big Kid

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As we all know, mommy guilt peaks in June (it's true!). Now that it's once again that end-of-school / start-of-summer time, I once again find myself panicking over everything I have to get done (and everything I'm falling behind on). But before I spiral into a stressed out puddle of guilt, I decided to make a list of all the things I've done right so far this June. After all, what better antidote to self-inflicted mommy guilt than to pat ourselves on our own overwhelmed backs?

I forgot about the Flag Day assembly so Isabella was, like, the only kid out of 200 not wearing red, white OR blue; I missed out on my last chance to volunteer in her school library EVER; and my house is a mess ... BUT!!!! I've done all of the following 15 things this month, and it's only half over. If they sound trivial to you as you read them, my response is:
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Hot List
7 Ways to Spruce Up Your Boring Old Ponytail (PHOTOS)

posted by April Daniels Hussar Friday at 10:22 PM in Beauty & Style

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My hair has FINALLY grown past my shoulders again after an awful chop job two Januarys ago. (A horror story for another time -- let's just say I said a "few" inches and he heard "a foot." I'm also pretty sure he used garden shears. But I digress.) Hooray! I've waited so long! And yet, the ironic thing is that I so rarely wear it down! Yep, most of the time my hard-earned long(ish) hair is up in a ponytail. Especially during the summer, when I can't stand the extra heat of hair on my neck, the ponytail is my stand-by. Ponytails are easy, but they can get kind of boring. However, with a little extra effort, our ponytails can be super cute and chic hair styles!

I got some great tips from a couple of stylists: Kattia Solano of the Butterfly Studio Salon in NYC, and celeb stylist Jonathan Hanousek, who shared a how-to from a style he created for Brooke Burke. I also added in a few ideas of my own (the last one is my favorite!)...

Image courtesy of Butterfly Studio Salon
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Style Savvy
The Best Beauty Secret for Looking Good in the Heat

posted by April Daniels Hussar Thursday at 5:55 PM in Beauty & Style

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I'm all about makeup and beauty products -- I never got over the thrill of playing dress-up! -- but my absolute number one summer beauty secret doesn't have anything to do with an amazing lipstick, super chic nail polish, or even an incredible wrinkle-disappearing magic potion in a bottle. (Actually if you find the latter, can you let me know?!)

So what is it, then, you ask?
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Style Savvy
3 Ways to Wear Metallic Eye Makeup & Look Gorgeous

posted by April Daniels Hussar Wednesday at 7:50 PM in Beauty & Style

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The metallic eye makeup "trend" has actually been around for a while now, but it shows no signs of disappearing, and for good reason: it's a flattering, totally accessible trend that will vamp up anyone's beauty look. You can totally try it -- and look great -- without turning yourself into a scary robot person (unless that's the look you're going for, in which case, more power to you, I say).

Here are three ways to try out the trend for yourself. All of them very easy to do. Let's start with a little something I like to call ...
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