Lifestyles

Hillary Clinton wore them constantly in the '90s. Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have given them a boost in recent months. And they were a favorite accessory on designers' fall runways.

Say hello again to headbands: They are high priority in fashion circles.

Diane von Furstenberg showed them in fur and patterns for fall. Target has them in floral and dot prints and beads. Search eBay for headbands and you'll get almost 4,000 entries, including styles for children and bikers.

Headband sales increased on eBay 80 percent in April alone, according to the Marketplace Research group, which tracks eBay activity. Constance White, the site's style director, calls it the "ultimate good-girl accessory."

But the look is by no means new. The Web site HairBoutique.com says they were on a drawing of a Byzantine Woman in 6000 B.C.

Now they find favor in the design arena at a time when the clothing focus is on textiles, texture and pattern. They remove hair as a distraction. And real women appreciate them because they stylishly deal with bad hair days. And on a more mundane level, they are perfect for the gym and beach.

On the downside, grown women should avoid making them a uniform lest they look as if they are stuck at their 21st birthday.

Free makeovers at Arts Festival

Makeup artists for Vital Radiance, a line of cosmetics for women age 50 and older, will offer free makeup applications noon-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. Sunday at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Downtown.

Look for the Vital Radiance tent in the AARP section of the festival in Point State Park, Commonwealth Drive, Downtown.

Details: 800-723-4268.

Merrell trunk show planned at Littles

A trunk show of Merrell shoes, sandals and moccasins for men, women and children is set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today and Saturday at Littles Shoes, Squirrel Hill. Merrell rep Alan Newhart will be available to help shoppers.

Littles Shoes is at 5850 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. Details: 412-521-3530.

Conti Jewelers invites shoppers to an open house with refreshments from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at its Ross store.

Conti Jewelers is at 3274 Babcock Blvd. (Unit 2), Ross. Details: 412-367-6278.

Too-sexy clothing can hamper career

It worked fine for Erin Brockovich, the celebrated heroine in the California fight against industrial pollution. Certainly in the film of the same name, her gaudy personal style of mini skirts, dangling earrings and low-cut blouses seemed to underscore her passion and earnest emotions.

But it doesn't always work. Allure magazine reports on a recent academic study showing that dressing overly sexy in the office still may categorize you as a low-level worker bee. A researcher at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., showed men and women two video tapes. Each centered on the same woman.

In one scene, she was dressed conservatively in a business jacket and pants, and in another, she wore a tight miniskirt and heavy makeup.

When she was described as a receptionist, the participants assumed her competent even in sexy clothes. When she was labeled a manager in the sexy attire, she got low competence ratings.

Allure says researchers concluded that people link high-level jobs with stereotypically masculine traits.

Tupelo honey included in beauty products

Competition in the overly crowded beauty business runs hot these days. The quest for new, unique product ingredients to set a line apart is ongoing.

So score one for Bath & Body Works, who aligned with Georgia honey farmer Ted Dennard and his Savannah Bee Co. to market creams and lip balm containing his Tupelo bee honey.

Dennard, who is featured in the May issue of Vogue, says he started keeping bees when he was a boy.

When a friend suggested he sell the honey in his friend's wife's store, he gave it a try. "Then another store called and then another," Dennard says.

He began with a variety of honeys, such as raspberry and black sage. (If you take bees to raspberry bushes, they make raspberry honey.) But the current star is the Tupelo honey from the Tupelo tree found on the Georgia coast. The honey is now sold in 1,400 stores, including Williams-Sonoma, Dean & Deluca and Halls.

Meanwhile, Dennard says he noticed his hands were always clean and soft after he rinsed the honey off.

He started toying with beauty products including lip balm, and before long Bath & Body Works was a partner.

He's not about to stop. Look for Tupelo honey moisturizer, perhaps? Shampoo? Or, who knows, Tupelo anti-aging serum?

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