Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with vanity

Helmet hair solutions

imposster — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:19:05 -0800

Any suggestions for battling helmet hair related to bicycle riding? My current helmet has vents that produce odd ridges in my hair that don't come out, even after wetting my hair. For the record, I'm a male with short to medium-short hair (although the length doesn't affect whether I get helmet hair or not.) I really like riding my bike to work and I don't feel safe riding in traffic without a helmet. Is there a type of helmet that is better for not messing up your hair or are there other tips?

How can I get "ownership" of a very specific phone number?

weston — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:01:32 -0800

I want to "own" a very specific phone number (non-800). How can I get it? The specific number I want is currently "not in service," which I presume bodes well for its availability. The area code and exchange are 937-866. This appears to belong to "Ameritech Ohio (AT&T)" based on some database lookups, and a wikipedia article seems to confirm that Ameritech went through a series of acquisitions and mergers to become part of the company currently known as AT&T.

Assuming this is correct, I suppose the question then becomes:how can I talk AT&T to giving out a very specific Ohio phone number to someone who doesn't live in Ohio? Or are there any 3rd parties who might resell service for them who offer this kind of selection?

Any hints appreciated!

Better Skin

Fairchild — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:59:44 -0800

Large pores on my face are getting me down. My skin is looking rougher and rougher as the years go by. I'm 36, female. I have a few sun spots on my cheeks and many large pores on and around my nose, on my cheeks, and basically all over the center of my face. I also have some superficial acne scars. I'm looking for solutions to get a more refined look. I'm not expecting miracles but it would nice to see some improvement.

Is there anything I can do besides harsh chemical peels in the doctor's office? I'm not against chemical peels but am concerned about recovery. Anecdotes are appreciated. Also, is there an at-home chemical peel line that you especially like?

I've had microdermabrasion in the past. I do think microdermabrasion is beneficial for looking more refreshed, but it does nothing to improve the texture of my skin, nor does it fade sun spots.

Thanks so much.

How to get a certain non-800 phone number to FAX & voicemail?

ggruschow — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:16:11 -0800

How to get a specific non-800 phone number to FAX & voicemail? I'd like to get a certain 312 phone number that's unused, and get it routed to a system that can accept both FAX and voicemail for me that get routed to my email. It'd be an added bonus if the voicemail system offered a "press 1 in case of emergency" type thing that could forward the call to my cell phone. Double added bonus if it can accept SMS / MMS messages from cell phones.

Man, I'd pay good money if I could get all that. Does anyone know how to do it, if it's possible, or even where to start? I assume I can do this by spending weeks setting up an asterisk system and paying the local phone company an obscene amount, but it seems like it should be simpler/cheaper than that.

Thanks, I love you in advance.

How can I darken my scalp where I've gone bald?

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:58:10 -0800

Is there any way to darken the scalp to give the appearance of hair stubble? So the long and short of it is, I started losing my hair many, many years ago when I turned 18. I went through most of the ever-shortening-haircut stages that most guys in my position do until I arrived at simply shaving it all off. This worked for many years too. Unfortunately you can definitely see the light-dark difference between where hair would still grow and where it wont ever again.

So my hope is to find some sort of scalp darkening or perhaps even mild makeup alternative to , at the very least, make the shiny hairless area as unnoticeable as possible in relation to the 5-oclock shadow that covers the rest of my head. Yes I realize how superficial this whole thing is, but I still want to see if it's possible. I would hope for a solution that can withstand some wear, is waterproof, etc.

So I dunno, citizens of Metafilter. Anyone got any suggestions for me?
Henna? Shoe Polish? Sharpie?

Help me fulfill my grizzled potential

chesty_a_arthur — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:19:11 -0800

Aging-gracefully-Filter: Tell me about successfully growing out medium-to-long grey hair without looking ridiculous. I'm 30. I work in Web site product marketing. I want to grow my 30-50% grey hair out without looking dumb while it's happening and without looking really old when it's done. Has anyone done this successfully? What were the stages, how did you handle the inevitable look of being unkempt, and what was the result like?

I really like the current color of my hair (auburn) but I can't really afford the time and money to keep it up, so it looks great for about a week every time I dye it, and like a frizzled orange mess thereafter. It's incredibly dry and 3b curly with curls ranging in size from dime-diameter to much larger.

Extra points if you can reassure me that it's not going to make me look like an irrelevant old has-been to my colleagues or future employers. (In other words, tell me how hot your grey hair is!)

Straight as an arrow, flat as a pancake

Viola — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:06:59 -0800

How do I keep my fine hair from going flat and losing its curl during the slightest wave of humidity? I have fine-but-lots-of-it hair, and it's stick straight. I've grown it out past my shoulders and usually curl it with a curling iron to make it wavy and give it body. I like the final look, except that on muggy days (let alone rainy ones) it loses all curl almost immediately upon walking outside. It cavalierly ignores most hairsprays, even my current Garnier anti-humidity brand. Any product tips on keeping my waves in the face of Mother Nature? Cutting it doesn't help, and I don't want to assault myself with Aquanet to the point where my hair won't move and feels like I got slimed.

Personalized Lawyer License Plate

cainiarb — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:40:23 -0800

Personalized (vanity) lawyer/legal license plate ideas needed. Here are the ones that I have so far. Does anyone have some other suggestions for legal / lawyer related personalized plates?

LITIG8
NOTGILT
IOBJEKT
CUINCT
IMASHRK
NEGOT8
SOSUEME
NOETHCS
CRIMPAYS

Vanity URLS or backslashed directories?

Davidissimo — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:28:59 -0800

Which is better? A vanity url or a backslashed url. For instance, www.awesometown.com or www.mycompany.com/awesometown Mind you, this is an advertising question. With a product/property it seems smarter to use a vanity url for name recognition, but I understand diluting the brand is a bad idea. What's the best practices you've seen or opinions?

What do you think of the Obagi Skin System?

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:49:13 -0800

Has anyone had experience with the Obagi Skin System? I went to see a Aesthetic/Laser Center today to see what could be done about my skin, which is damaged from my old bad habits of sun, booze, and cigarettes. I also had severe acne as a teenager, and have the scars and occasional flareups now.

The doctor recommended the Obagi Skin System - either by itself or in conjunction with some laser treatments. She said it involved Retin-A and hydroquinone. I've used Retin-A before, with decent results.

I've found some reviews online, but don't know quite how real they are. So I'm wondering - was it a sales pitch, or does the system really work?

I have jowls.

greta simone — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:24:34 -0800

StupidVanityFilter: What can I do to prevent jowls? I'm a 25 year old female and I've started getting jowls! You know, where your cheeks start sinking below your jaw line? Ok, short of exercising all the fat off of my body, what, at this point, can I do to slow the jowly aging process? Any creams, vitamin supplements, special weird facial exercises, etc? It should be noted that my mother is jowly and I'm sure it will happen eventually that I will age into a turkey, but what can I do now to improve this situation?

I am not overweight, and I eat pretty well, if anyone was wondering.
I also have a good skin regimen (cleansing, moisturizing w/ sunscreen, etc) and I eat all kinds of anti-oxidants, and take a multi-vitamin, as well as B vitamin supplements. I also sporadically use collagen-enhancing/replenishing products, which I realize would probably be the best thing to do (I guess?). Do these really work? Or should I just learn accept my premature aging?

How to find somebody to fix up my skin, via laser or...?

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:47:54 -0800

I have a few acne scars, a few broken capillaries...nothing awful, but. I also have a few bucks, and I'd like to get great skin. How do I go about finding somebody to wield a laser (or what?) on me? How do I figure out what sort of treatment would be the best -- some sort of laser? microdermabrasion? I have no idea; willing to spend up to $1k -- and how do I figure out who to get to do it?

I don't want to pluck a name out of the phone book. The obvious solution -- ask GP for a referral to a good 'vanity dermatologist' -- did not work out (long story, but overall bad impression from office); my GP is a dunce and it's not worth asking her for a better referral.

One local plastic surgeon -n- laser wielder etcetera has a promising-looking web site, but it feels weird just going by that...

I don't know anybody who's had anything similar done, and this isn't NYC where one could reasonably expect to find word-of-mouth referrals by posting somewhere. (I'm in downtown Ottawa, Canada.) I'm also not sure how to evaluate what options exist for prettying up one's face like this, or even how much I should expect to spend. Help!

Best Lighting Solution For A Vanity

zephyrian — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:52:14 -0800

How can I add lights to a table-style vanity for best results (i.e. applying makeup, etc.)? I'm buying my wife a vanity for our bedroom. Right now, she uses the bathroom pedestal-style sink, balancing her things precariously on the edge. The lighting in there is good, with a bright fixture on either side of the mirror and a strong overhead light.

The vanity I purchased is the three-mirror kind (the two side mirrors swing inward), with a chair and drawers. I'd like to provide some stylish but functional lighting. So it has to be bright enough, but probably not an open bulb staring into her eyes. Table lamps are possible, as are floor lamps that stand in back maybe. Electrical supply is not an issue.

Makeup stations at spas, etc. use the rows of bulbs. Am I going to have to retrofit something like that onto the mirrors?

Thanks.

Solutions to survive the pain of laser hair removal treatments please!

iamkimiam — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:28:12 -0800

What can I do to make laser hair removal treatments more tolerable? I recently started laser hair removal treatments on my legs and bikini line. I prepaid for the treatments and am very interested in completing them...however, my first session was UNBEARABLE. I thought that I had a high pain threshold, but this was a whole different animal. Something about the way the lasers work...it was excruciating. I want to go through with the remaining treatments because I think the results will be worth it, but I'd like to hear about some pain management techniques or topical anesthetics that would be safe to try. My internet searching has been fruitless. Anybody been through this? How did you survive?

Where to find cool bathroom vanity?

zenpop — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:48:34 -0800

I've run out of money on our house remodel and still need to do a downstairs bathroom. Any suggestions for finding some affordable, modern-looking bathroom sink/vanity combos online -- like this unit from Ikea? We want something hip and streamlined, but NOT a pedestal set-up as we have some plumbing issues that will need to be 'hidden' in the bottom part of the vanity unit. We've Googled until we're blind and all we come across are tacky, baroque or mid-70s looking contraptions. Home Depot and the ilk all feature 'grandma's house'-styled units, so that's out.

Help me find the Hualapai Skywalk Bridge of bathroom sinks...

skyboy — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:08:59 -0800

RemodelingFilter: What's the name for the not-so-common style of bathroom sink in which (1) the back half of the bowl fits firmly within the vanity/countertop like a normal top-mount sink, but (2) the rounded front half of the bowl juts out several inches from the vanity, overhanging similar to the front edge of a pedestal sink? I really, really would like to find out the designer's term for the kind of sink I'm searching for. This has been vexing me ever since I saw a white ceramic one in a Scottish flat... sadly, my Google-fu has utterly failed me this time.

This sink style has a perfect room-enhancing, affordance-creating aesthetic, an antidote to the usual boredom of bathroom vanities... there's just something remodelly-fantastic about the idea of a shallower vanity combined with a sexy rounded edge cantilevering out of the otherwise straight countertop. (Yes, I'm a little smitten. With a freaking lavatory sink.)

BTW, I am not talking about those newly-trendy "vessel sinks" that rest entirely *on top of* the counter -- I don't really care for those, thanks. Bonus points, however, if you can point me towards a manufacturer or distributor of the mystery-name sink style...

Where can I get cheap contact lenses in New York City?

jason's_planet — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:13:28 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good place to get a deal on contact lenses in New York City? Vanity is getting the better of me. After nearly a decade of going four-eyed, I want to wear contacts again. I'm particularly interested in those new-fangled silicone hydrogel doodads that are supposedly easier for people with drier eyes to wear.

Can anyone recommend a good place to get a deal on contact lenses? Money's a little tight. By the same token, are there any places I should avoid?

why do you wear makeup?

krautland — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:49:00 -0800

why do you wear makeup? I read an interesting article about mac, the cosmetics company, the other day. my face is your canvas someone was quoted saying. that got me thinking. why is it, I wonder, that women and certain others wear make-up? what does it do to them?

I am a sucker for all things natural and to me imperfection is individuality. I like to observe those little vertical lines we all have on our lower lips. when I look at someone and notice their make-up first, I feel prevented from seeing who the person in question actually is. they seem hidden to me like the wood canvas beyond dear mona lisa. that is why glossy magazines like FHM with their perfect retouching jobs do nothing for me.

now I fancy myself a fairly insightful chap. I can understand what makes bill o'reilly think he's on bin laden's birthday list and I get why old men feel compelled to drive hummers. having stood in front of the camera multiple times myself, I know why you would want to wear makeup on tv. but I just don't get what exactly it is that compelles people to wear makeup. it's the motivation that I am inquiring about.

so what does it do to you? do you feel less presentable, clean, fashionable or neat when not wearing makeup? do you consider it a luxury or necessity? is it something entirely different? would you equate it to spoiling yourself? is it more about how you see yourself or you think you are seen?

how do you shave a gorilla?

krautland — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:47:55 -0800

how do you shave a gorilla? the common gorilla is not only the largest of the living primates, it also has the most hair. the fur is thick, warming and stubborn and protects admiringly well from rain, wind, cold, even frost. it equips the gorilla to survive in the trees of borneo just as comfortably as in the congolese jungle. it does not however serve as adequate accessory to a pin-stripe suit in chicago and that is why I am looking for a way to shave a gorilla.

the problem with such thick and healthy hair is that no matter what razor blade you use, you will always end up with a mean five o'clock shadow. that might work wonders for ones social status in grade school but in said pin-stripe suit it comes across as rather scruffy and if you have lowered yourself to wearing a suit, you want to fit in all the way.

so help me shave a gorilla stubble please. I can live with being called a gorilla but I fear I now look like a troglodyte and that just cannot stand. do you use any specific blades or products?

Lighting Layout & Bulbs for a Vanity?

pricklypear — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:54:22 -0800

What is the best lightbulb layout and type of bulb to illuminate a 3 x 3' vanity area within a larger room? Since the area will be used for applying makeup, lighting that accurately reflects skintone & colors is a must. The one problem: any fixtures must have a visible cord that plugs into an electrical outlet. Potential lighting aids available: two 36" high stands, a ton of wall space.

Humidity is not an issue, and unfortunately that plugs-into-an-outlet bit is an unbudging requirement.

Help me stay young!

eas98 — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 11:48:38 -0800

Skin care products for men -- do they work? Hello all,

I am just about reaching that age (36) where I am becoming concerned about my aging appearance. I'm wondering if there would be any point in me trying out any of these facial skin products.. Do they work? Wishful thinking? Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Get Me Thin or Kill Me Trying

elr — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:13:09 -0800

I don't need to be thin, or skinny, or even svelte. I'm just sick of being fat. I exercise all the time and my diet is improving every year; it's not good but it's getting better. Here's the thing: I don't care if your advice is bad for my liver or my heart, or anything else, but I need something to kickstart weightloss. I've tried various amphetamines and speed substitutes, but they never did anything to speed up my metabolism or quell my appetite. If you know of a pill that works, though, I'll try it.

I've tried bulimia, but I was inconsistent because I didn't want anyone to know.

I can't wrap my head around not craving junk food, aside from gradually including more and more vegetables and eating less and less meat.

A few years ago, I got really sick and lost thirty pounds. Working out everyday, I lost ten more pounds in 6 months, and I was the happiest I've ever been. A year and a half later, it was nearly all back. It took my mother thirty years to lose her weight and get happy. I can't stand the cultish groups. I don't have time to hit a gym until after they're all closed. I'm not big enough to be eligible for surgery (215 lbs. at 5'8" as of tonight's weigh in). I don't know what's left.

Again, I really don't care how bad anything is for me. I'm just sick of looking at the mirror.

OUTATIME

mikepop — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 13:39:13 -0800

Which state has the most vanity license plates? I've been in Maine a few years, and have seen more vanity license plates than I ever saw in California or New York. I'm wondering what percentage of registered cars in Maine have vanity plates, and how this percentage ranks with the other 49 states.

Searching brings up a bunch of blogs saying "wow, I bet we have more vanity plates here in [Maine | Montana | Virginia | New Hampshire] than any other state," but no actual statistics.

Any thoughts on how to find this out, aside from contacting each state's motor vehicle department individually?

You're not vain; you probaby think this post is about you.

tegoo — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 11:25:49 -0800

Do people who might typically be considered physically unattractive think that they are indeed physically unattractive?

Shouldn't I know this by now?

nadawi — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 22:12:57 -0800

I have no idea what to do with my hair. It's presently past my shoulders and totally lifeless. Help! I have made a number of really bad hair decisions (and yes, I realize, bad clothes, makeup and photography choices but that's not why we're here). I have let it go years without a proper cut because I just don't know what to do with it.
Here are some pictures to show you what I look like and what I look like with some different hair styles. They span about 8 years and go most recent to oldest.
1
2
3
4
5

Things that may be important...It's straight as a board and doesn't hold a curl for anything. Growing up it was blond, it is now a murky brown that I like to dye a dark brown. I work at a portrait studio so I need something that stays out of my way (but I don't plan to be there forever). It's thin enough that I have a hard time with barrettes and such.

So any advice? Any at all?