Farewell to Obsessive Beauty, hello to The Penny Rose

Dear readers,

As you may have noticed, Obsessive Beauty has been on a hiatus for the last few months. That's because we've been working hard to transition the blog to the web. While Obsessive Beauty will still remain live on the Good Times' website, this will be our swan song. We say goodbye to its home here at GT and welcome its new incarnation at thepennyrose.com.

Hamadi Organic’s tagline, “Tested on Actresses, Never on Animals,” says two important things about the hair care line off the bat: one, it’s ethical and, two, it’s good enough for the stars. Indeed, the likes of Scarlett Johansson, James Franco and Eva Mendes rely on Hamadi creator Jamal Hammadi to tame and style their tresses with his eco-friendly concoctions. (And, yes, the creator's name has two m's and the company's name only has one.)

The White Lotus Wellness Center is a new Downtown Santa Cruz gem—or at least it will be, someday, once it has a chance to settle in.

The itsy spa has only been open in its new location for a few weeks (it was formerly a one-room operation in Capitola), and is still pretty barebones. It’s located in an unassuming office building near the San Lorenzo River and the interior is sparse and unfinished. The space is more akin to an accounting office than a day spa (for instance, it has carpet flooring instead of wood or stone), but don’t be fooled by the modest façade—the services are relaxing and effective, and the owner, Danielle Kriege, makes it a lovely and special experience for every customer.

She's the go-to Scandinavian textile artist. Need some inspiration? Check out jansdotter.com, Lotta Jansdotter's original website that offers a slew of beautifully created designs by Jansdotter. There, she sells everything from tissue boxes to coin purses to large scale totes. And the best thing yet? She's now selling a new line of fabric at $11 a yard. These inspired designs are whimsical, colorful, and will make a stunning shirt, bag, quilt or other sewing project all that much more alive. This month, Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz will receive their first stock of Jansdotter's fabric.

It's the new year, so it's time for some new sewing projects. Last year I entered 2011 with a very specific goal that I was going to learn how to sew. I enrolled in beginning classes at Judy's Sewing Center in Capitola and for an entire year have taken classes almost every Tuesday night. In September, the center opened a garment construction class which is taught by local master dressmaker Dresden Erickson. Since its start in the fall, the class is continuing to thrive. It meets every Thursday from 6-9 and costs just $10 per class. There, Erickson provides expert knowledge to students on their individual garment projects. Under her eye, students learn everything from darts, tucks, setting in a sleeve, hemming a shirt, using facing to stabilize projects, how to make a gorgeous dress, a retro blouse, a tailored suit jacket, or the perfect pair of pants.

Curly-haired girls can have a hard time in the hair department. Frizz, knotting, flat spots, unmanageable curls, limp spirals. Straight-haired girls have no idea what we have to go through. That's why there are a slew of curly-haired products on the market, but finding the "right" one for your hair type can be as annoying as trying to spring life into your flat curls. That's where lines like Ouidad come in. Called, "The Curl Experts," Ouidad is a New York and Santa Monica based salon that specializes in cutting and styling curly haired girls. The salon, spearheaded by its master hairstylist, Ouidad, also offers myriad products for every curly hair type out there. In my case, my hair falls somewhere between "wavy" and "curly." (The other options are "tight curly" and "kinky.")

After struggling for years with a Kim Kardashian-sized body shape, and never finding a pair of jeans that fits me just right, I heard about a line of jeans by Levi's called Curve ID. So, on a whim, I decided to stop in at the Levi's store in San Francisco and give these curvy jeans a try. The first thing that happens when you approach a rack of denim is that a salesperson kindly asks if they can help. And for once, I finally said, "yes." She boldly measured my hips and waist and without telling me my actual measurements (thank you!), and guided me toward the Supreme Curve pile of jeans. (These are the largest of the four curve options, and typically fit a woman who has a 10-inch ratio between her waist and hips. That means little waist, big butt.)

All I wanted for Christmas was most definitely not a partridge in a pear tree, but rather a pair of Chelsea Crew oxford pumps, "Sierra Tie Shoe," selling at Bunny's for around $50. The faux leather, apricot color is a "green" shoe with a hefty dose of personality and style. it radiates "chic" and stands out in the crowd. The heel height runs at about two inches, but it doesn't feel like you're walking on stilts. These old-fashioned looking shoes are comfortable, hip, and the neutral hue complements any style.

Obsessive Beauty wants to get in touch with you. Email us your feedback, send ideas to us on what you'd like to see featured on this blog, tell us about beauty, fashion, and design events going on in town. Share with us a sample product to review. Keep in touch with us by emailing [email protected] You can reach Christa Martin, the editor and founder of Obsessive Beauty at that email, as well as contributing writer and eco-editor, Elizabeth Limbach.

Every woman needs her own personalized "It Bag." Sure, magazines hawk the newest this or that in purses and totes, but regular women usually can't afford the latest multi-thousand-dollar Louis Vuitton carryall. What we can afford, on a special occasion, is something more like a $160 investment in a bag that will last a lifetime and stay ultra fashionable throughout the years. Just such a bag was created by the founders of Baggu, a Brooklyn-based company that spearheads the recyclable shopping bag movement. With a slew of ripstop nylon shopping bags to choose from, shoppers can feel like they're making a difference at the landfill. But taking a different turn, Baggu has created a line of leather purses that will get people stopping you on the street and asking you about your purse.