Redheads of the world, unite!

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We redheads are a rare breed. Growing up, I never fully appreciated that. In fact, I hated it. I was always the lone ginger in a sea of blondes and brunettes, which made me stick out like a sore thumb. But, older and wiser now, I've learned to embrace that uniqueness that comes with my red-haired mop top. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered I Collect Gingers by photographer Anthea Pokroy. The South Africa-based photographer, who is a ginger herself, began the project in 2010 as a way to capture what she saw as "the beautiful, romantic colour palette of a ginger person and all that it connotes."

More than 500 gingers later, she's photographed men and women, the young and the old. She also interviews each subject in an attempt to learn more about the "ginger experience."

How cool is that? To all my fellow redheads out there: Wave your hair proudly today and every day. And thank you, Anthea! xoxo

P.S. More fun hair posts, including my (same) hairstyle over the years, some bang banter and my summer styles! :)

[Via TheFrisky]

Thursday Giveaway!

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Today's giveaway is from Maddy from Marolsha, a beautiful Etsy shop of vintage- and nature-inspired bridal jewelry, as well as modern, everyday pieces. Maddy handcrafts each piece -- from her trademark hair combs to lockets to rings to necklaces to earrings to bracelets to her bridal collection -- with love and care.

"I have lived and traveled to many countries and loved the unique experiences of many beautiful places, cultures and people," she says. "Life is a gift, and I am grateful for it every day. I create from my heart and I am happy to be able to share my beautiful handmade jewelries with you."

She's offering this flower hair collage comb to one lucky reader. I love how the mint and pink hues complement each other so nicely, don't you? It'd be perfect for everything from a summer picnic to a summer wedding!

For your chance to win, simply visit Marolsha, and leave a comment below, telling us where you'd where it if you won. You can also LIKE Marolsha on Facebook, GET INSPIRED on Pinterest and PIN TWO ITEMS from her shop to your Pinterest for extra entries. AND, you can also share the giveaway on Twitter by tweeting, "I just entered to win this beautiful vintage hair comb" via @melissablake. Enter the giveaway here: http://bit.ly/12uOHoe

As always, make sure you leave separate comments for each entry. A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, June 11th, so you've got five days to enter. Happy browsing, friends! xoxo

Update: Congrats to winner Meg! Thanks so much! :)

Man Candy Monday: The Do or Don't Edition

FREE IMAGES Breaking news on this Monday morning, friends: Scruff is the new buff, at least according to recent research from Australia's University of New South Wales. In the study, 177 men and 351 women rated photos of 10 smiling men in various states of beardliness (yes, I just invented a new word...): Clean-shaven, with five days of beard growth (light stubble), 10 days of growth (heavy stubble) and with a full beard. The men and women were asked to rate the men in the photos according to attractiveness, masculinity, health and parenting ability. The winning look? Heavy stubble.

"Our findings confirm that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring," the researchers concluded in the abstract of their study. Translation: Facial hair, according to the researchers, makes men seem more mature and masculine.

So, in the spirit of this facial-hair breakthrough, I thought we'd explore our own preferences with some of our favorite gents...

JAKE GYLLENHAAL...

RYAN GOSLING...

JON HAMM...

BRADLEY COOPER...

CHRIS EVANS...

GEORGE CLOONEY...

There you have the evidence, friends. Do you agree with the results of the study? Are you a fan of stubble or not so much? Look for my pick in the comments! xoxo

P.S. Remember the Man Candy: Boy Band round-up?

Fashion Friday: My short hair for summer!

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I had a doctor's appointment a couple days ago (more about that next week...), but before the appointment, I got my hair cut just in time for summer. This was a long time coming, trust me -- you know how your hair starts to get in your face and just become all-around unruly? Well, that's how mine was getting...times a million! So, I'm sporting a shorter 'do for the summer. It feels so refreshing! What do you think, friends? Do you sport shorter hair during the summer? xoxo

P.S. I love how Harry photobombed my last photo! :)

P.P.S. More summer hair love.