Q. I'm a 27-year-old man who has been dating a 31-year-old woman for a month. We've been talking for four months. My problem is that my ex-girlfriend is pregnant. The two of us broke up in November before she found out she was pregnant. I really like the woman I'm dating now, but how do I tell her that my ex is pregnant? Steve: Getting someone pregnant is really hard to cover up. For one thing, babies make a lot of noise. Tell your new gal what you've done. Tell her also that you really care for her and don't want to lose her. The next move is up to her. Mia: It sounds tricky, but it's actually not impossible to date someone new while someone else has your kid. Look at Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. But you should be up front with the new girlfriend and try to lay some clear ground rules with the old one about your participation in the baby's life. Interested or not? Q. I've liked this guy for some time, and I've heard that he has warm feelings toward me as well. Yet whenever I see him, he seems to avoid me. We have gone out a few times, but it was always with his friend. How can I find out what he's really thinking? Mia: So he avoids you and always brings a buddy when you hang out? Those don't sound like very warm feelings to me. However, if you want to know for sure, ask him out for dinner, just the two of you. If he tries to weasel out of it, then he doesn't want to get romantic. Steve: Or you could just ask him directly if he sees you as a friend or something more. My guess is that there isn't much interest here. Birthday gift for new beauQ. I'm dating a guy I really like and want to give him a birthday present. We've been dating six months. Could you give me a few ideas? Steve: No worries. Guys are really easy to please. All it takes to make me happy, for example, is a $300 bottle of Jim Beam Distillers' Masterpiece 18-year-old bourbon with an added year or more of finish in used cognac casks. Or, if your guy's a sports fan, a couple of tickets to see his favorite team is a good idea. Mia: They make $300 Jim Beam? Ick. But I like the sports tickets suggestion, or just tickets to something that the two of you could do together. A game would be great, or a concert, or maybe a wine tasting. That way you're being thoughtful but not overwhelming.
Living-Fashion
CANNES, France Fur might be a politically incorrect fashion statement on the red carpet at the world's most-prestigious film festival. Not when you're the star of a movie called "Kung Fu Panda," though.
In the ever-elusive search for a flawless complexion, we readily try the newest foundations and tints in hopes of smoothing over blemishes, sun spots and blotchy skin. When we find something we like, we're loyal. After all, it takes a while to get the right formula of matching the color to our skin tone and type of skin as well as providing the amount of coverage that suits us. We asked three women, two fair and one with a medium complexion, to test three foundations. Did they like what they saw in the mirror? Or, did the new stuff find them running for new cover (up)? -- Donna Kato, San Jose Mercury News You Rebel Lite Benefit Cosmetics, SPF 15 tinted moisturizer, $28 for 1.7 ounces, benefitcosmetics.com RUN FOR COVER: “I'm very fair skinned, so I always use light colored, oil-free foundations. I never tried an SPF formula before because I don't like the greasiness.” VEILED ATTEMPT: “It's a little oily, but it's more like a tinted moisturizer than a thick foundation, so the shine didn't bother me. And it smells great!” HIDDEN FLAWS? “This is perfect for a day outside or at the beach, especially since the SPF is included. I love the light coverage as opposed to a thick, heavy foundation - great when I need fast coverage and don't want to look made up.'' Cargo Oil-free foundation, in F10 (soft ivory/fair), $28 for 1 ounce, sephora.com sephora.com. RUN FOR COVER: “I've been a die-hard Clinique girl since high school, because the foundation is natural, even and effortless. I was eager to try a lightweight product from a more grown-up line.” VEILED ATTEMPT: “Interesting packaging - imagine a teeny IV bag filled with foundation! It's cute, but it's also difficult to control how much liquid comes out. Or is that problem caused by the awful watery foundation?'' HIDDEN FLAWS? “No, no, a thousand times, NO! What kind of foundation actually makes fine lines look more obvious?! This runny glop is difficult to blend, conceals nothing and made me look like a tired old ghost. Boo!'' Laura Mercier Moisturizing foundation in Shell Beige, $42 for 1 ounce, www.lauramercier.com. RUN FOR COVER: “My skin is sallow, hyperpigmented, prone to scarring and dry patches. I've been using L'Oreal's True Match because the colors are good for me, and it's cheap enough to mix with heavy-duty sunscreen.'' VEILED ATTEMPT: “The label says this is for dry or mature skin - OK, so I'm both. Even though it has reddish undertones and therefore isn't exactly my shade, this glides on and blends beautifully with my fingers. The liquid is dispensed from a pump, so it's easy to control the amount. It has a velvety, lightweight feel and nice finish.'' HIDDEN FLAWS? “Coverage is perfect. I don't feel or look like I'm wearing a lot of makeup, my skin tone is more even. And after a long day at work I'm neither greasy nor dried out. I'm a convert - though a neutral beige is probably better for me, and I do worry about protection from the sun.”
Trips to the colorist every six weeks are not a matter of ego or vanity for Tony Hayman, a film editor living in Burbank, Calif.
During the mid-1990s, Seattle's Presidents of the United States of America were a fixture on rock radio. A rare grunge-less Seattle export during the hey-day of flannel-clad angst, the Presidents' “Lump” and “Peaches” were virtually inescapable.
Q. I'm a 27-year-old man who has been dating a 31-year-old woman for a month. We've been talking for four months. My problem is that my ex-girlfriend is pregnant. The two of us broke up in November before she found out she was pregnant. I really like the woman I'm dating now, but how do I tell her that my ex is pregnant?
Going green doesn't have to mean going plain, and Loop de Loops is here to help. The Charlotte-based accessories company has launched a line of reusable shopping bags that are sassy, stylish and incredibly functional. The zebra print Companion bag is 100 percent cotton and deceptively large and durable – they expand to hold more “stuff” than you might think. $30, www.loopdeloops.com. Style Editor Rachel Sutherland
NEW YORK To some, “steampunk” is a catchall term, a concept in search of a visual identity. “To me, it's essentially the intersection of technology and romance,” said Jake von Slatt, a designer in Boston and the proprietor of the Steampunk Workshop (steampunkworkshop.com), where he exhibits such curiosities as a computer furnished with a brass-frame monitor and vintage typewriter keys.
MODEL CALL: Runway Productions is holding the Charlotte Fashion Week open model call, 7-10 p.m. Tuesday at Salara Dessert Lounge and Bistro, 14825 John J. Delaney Drive, Suite 160. Models must be 18 years of age and must bring comp-cards, high-heel shoes and a photo. Male models must be 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet 2 inches; females must be 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet tall; weight proportional to height. No experience needed. No fee. Runwayproductionsnc@gmail.com. FASHION SHOW: The Lake Norman Women's Connection will host the Mother Daughter Lunch and Fashion Show, 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Northstone Country Club, 15801 Northstone Drive, Huntersville. Fashions by Dillard's, Northlake Mall. RSVP by Friday. Models needed. $15. 704-953-6993. STORE OPENING: Niche has opened a second – but different – location in NoDa. Niche MKT, 120 N. Davidson, Suite 100, focuses primarily on lifestyle products, including graphic screen prints, books, magazines and select artist T-shirts.704-332-5855; www.thenichemarket.com/noda.
Q. Our family is in shock because one of our brothers never got along with his wife, yet after he died last year she spent an enormous amount of money on his funeral and on an elaborate gravestone. Why would she do this? Only your sister-in-law knows the reason she did this, of course – although even she may not understand her deeper motives. Our minds and emotions are complicated, and sometimes we may not realize why we act the way we do. One reason might be guilt. Often both the husband and the wife are at fault. Perhaps her lavishness is a way of trying to make up for her failures. She also may be expressing genuine grief over the loss of her husband. Although their relationship wasn't perfect, she misses him, and there is an emptiness in her life she may never have expected. She also may be grieving because she knows she will never have an opportunity to say, “I'm sorry” to her husband, or to try to heal the problems they had. Pray for your sister-in-law; she's going through a harder time than you may realize. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. … Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid'' (John 14:27).
Kiran Dodeja Smith, 32, is indisputably qualified for her job as co-publisher/editor of Little Ones Magazine. The mother of two girls, with a third baby on the way, Smith and her business partner Kerrie Boys began the magazine in February 2005.
Under-eye puffiness, mild swelling, dark “bags” or saggy under-eye skin, is never an attractive look.
From feminine florals to brilliant brights, this season's handbag trends run the style spectrum.
Carmen Webber's got the secret to busting that clothing rut: Scissors.
NEW YORK Finding a suit that fits is getting easier for the shorter man.
As Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte will tell you, looking good is as important as feeling good.
NEW YORK Uma Thurman responded to French cosmetics giant Lancome's lawsuit against her with one of her own Friday, taking their contract dispute over the use of her name and face in an advertising campaign to federal court.
NEW YORK French cosmetics giant Lancome and Uma Thurman are wrangling over the use of her name and image in an advertising campaign.
Author Jennifer Weiner is giving television a try.
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