One of our dear readers wrote in to ask for advice about dandruff, a little discussed but common ailment. For some people it's a minor irritation, a few embarrassing dry flakes. To those who suffer more severely, with oily scalps and painful itching, it's a frustrating affliction.

The best first step is always education. Cool Nurse has a great primer on the different kinds of dandruff and causes, as well as some treatment suggestions.

After a post on one of the seasons hottest trends -- gladiator sandals -- StyleDash received the following comment:

Not sure what to wear with my new gladiator sandals. They come up to the knee, and they're the Stuart Weitzman gold ones. Sharp!

After a recent post on how to flatter various figures, I received comments from two girls with the same issues -- they're quite tall (about six feet tall), and curvy, but not overweight.

At about 5'8" with broad shoulders, I run into issues with fit, often having to find long lengths in pants or letting hems out when long lengths aren't offered, and sometimes having to go up a size in jackets to accommodate my shoulders. These girls have it worse because they'll run into problems like that nearly every time they go shopping.


For girls in this predicament, I offer the following advice:

I have a female friend that is 35 years old and every time she goes out, she insists on splashing glitter all over her face. I told her that a little on her eyes would be okay but that she is too old to be putting glitter all over her face. She looks like a circus clown. My question is, at what age do you think women should stop wearing glitter?

Yikes, there is no right age for looking like a glitter coated circus clown and kudos to you for telling your friend she looks like a fool because it sounds like she does. But to more clearly answer your question, I would say that 29 is the cut off for a face full of glitter. To me once you turn 30 you should have definitely mastered the application of glittery cosmetics.

Now glitter is the trend in cosmetics for Fall 2008 so chances are that your friend is going to get her hands on some. Steer her in the direction of some glitter eyeliner -- it's fun and doesn't end up all over your face. I can almost bet that she will get twice as many compliments with that than her disco fever face.

Good luck!

Apparently, actors and rockstars aren't the only people who use stylists. Everyday people like you and me use them, too, but we call them "image consultants."

An image consultant will do exactly what you see on those "makeover" reality TV shows: invade your privacy closet, throw out what doesn't work, keep the (ostensibly few) things that do work, spend all your hard-earned cash to buy the many things you absolutely have to have to look better, send you to a hairstylist, and give you a makeover with beauty products that are probably "in partnership" with the consultant.

Do I sound too harsh? Maybe. It's just that $160 an hour sounds like a bit of a frivolous expense to hire someone else, or even an entire team of people, to help makeover your image. For one thing, your image probably isn't all that bad to begin with, or at least not so bad that it requires $160 an hour. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure that doing some research yourself, and asking friends, you can achieve pretty close to the same, if not better, result.

Heck, at the very least, you can email us at Styledash!

Here on Styledash, we frequently receive emails from readers asking for advice, suggestions, or help in finding a specific look or product. Recently, a reader wrote in bemoaning a problem that a lot of us have this time of the year with dramatic changes in temperature from outdoors to inside, and hot air blowing from heater -- super dry skin. For someone like who already has desert-dry skin even when on vacation in the Tropics, I feel you, and have the same question myself: "What can I use to help my cracked, dry, chapped skin?"

I put the question out to my network, and reader Ingar generously shared her solutions for both face and body:

For face: Ingar uses DHC Q10, which is line of skin care products from Japan that use the natural power of olive oil. The Essentials Set contains DHC Q10 Lotion which is actually a toner with the consistency exactly of water and really adds that moisture back to the skin without grease or heaviness, DHC Q10 Milk, which is a lightweight moisturizer, and DHC Concentrated Eye Cream which gets rid of fine lines.

For body: Skin gets even more dehydrated when it gets pounded too long with hot water in the shower. ATOPALM's shower gel restores moisture to sensitive or dry skin with essential amino acids. In fact, ATOPALM Body Wash can be used to calm hives, dermatitis, psoriasis, rosacea, itchy skin and eczema.

A little bit of luxury: Freeze 24/7 is a little pricey but definitely worth the $65 for the exfoliator. The Ice Crystals exfoliate dead skin cells and according to Ingar, leaves overall skin feeling way less haggard. It also decongests acne prone skin and diminishes the appearance of age spots, blemishes, skin discoloration and scarring.

I am attending an event themed after Casablanca the movie ... I live in Florida and the event will take place in early February in a 1920's mansion on the bay. I want to dress like Ingrid Bergman in the movie, however, I have no idea where to find anything even close to her style ... Please help!

Lucky for you, Casablanca just happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies, not to mention that I'm a bit of a vintage junkie. Bergman wears a number of styles in this 1942 classic, ranging from feminine two-piece suits to glamorous gowns.

To get the look from the final scene of the movie ("We'll always have Paris"), I recommend searching eBay for "1940s suit". It could take some patience and digging, but when I searched I found some great suits from the right time period here, here, here, and here. If you can't find the perfect suit in the right size (always a problem in the world of vintage), you might also try purchasing a vintage suit pattern on eBay or elsewhere and having a local seamstress make it for you. This way you can have your pick of fabrics and make sure the fit is sublime. Top the whole thing off with this Ingrid Bergman inspired hat from BoringSidney, don your date in a classic trench coat, and you'll be good to go.

Alternately, you could go for an old Hollywood glamour look and emulate Bergman's dress in the "As Time Goes By" scene. Pair an ivory dress, such as the Flutter Ashley Dress by Trashy Diva, with a vintage rhinestone brooch and earrings, and all you need to complete this look is a pair of classic neutral pumps.

Finally, while I'm not sure that this look is an exact movie replica, this fabulous dress by Stop Staring (available at Red Dress Shoppe) is inspired by 1940s Chanel haute couture and it brings to mind classic film stars like Ingrid Bergman. This dress is truly timeless, so it's something you could wear again and again to dinner parties or other corporate functions.

Reader Jenna wrote in for hair help from Styledash bloggers. She writes:

I have a natural hair color of mousey brown and after having highlights done at a hairdressers, started dying my roots myself. I have done this several times now but it appears to be slightly patchy and coppery-colored in places. I'm not sure what I should do next. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.

Here is my advice, Jenna. Go to your stylist right away before you get pulled over by the hair police. She (or he) will have enough trouble sorting out what you've done when left to your own devices. There are thousands of chemical and product combinations that you can apply to your hair to change the color and texture, but that doesn't mean that you should. Leave it to your stylist to make any permanent changes to your hair, okay? It's what she went to school for. Ask her to give you a style that requires less maintenance, which may mean highlights closer to your natural hair color. I'm sure you're the only one who thinks your natural color is mousey, and you clearly don't like to hit the salon more than you absolutely need to, so try keeping it natural for a change. Send before and after pics. And bring your stylist some flowers. Hope that helps!

Styledash received this email:

I need fashion help bad. See I love being "in fashion," but hate shopping and I usually end up buying nothing because I cant ever decide on what I want. I have to present my grandfather on court at a Spurs NBA basketball game. I think I picked out the dress I want to wear (the one pictured). But now...shoes? I'm lost! I'm only 5'1 so heels are ok. Any suggestions?

Great dress and lucky for you because you've got options. Since you seem like a girl who doesn't like complicated answers, I will break it down by look:

Sweet and innocent: Because it's your grandfather's event you might not want to walk center court in a pair of sky-high heels. Gold flats like a pair from Olivia Morris will look great with bare legs or black tights (yes, you can wear black tights with a white dress).

Back in black: For someone who can't be bothered with buying new shoes or the stress of it just kills you, do this: wear your best pair of black heels (the ones that make your legs look like a million bucks) with a pair of black opaque tights. You will look high fashion and your legs will look miles long (no one will even be looking at your shoes).

Whatever you do, DO NOT:

• wear boots -- you will look sloppy and casual.
  
• wear white shoes. I am not going to lecture you about wearing white shoes after Labor Day because that rule is old and tired, but a stadium full of people won't be as understanding.

Good luck and have fun out there.

Styledash reader Heather wrote in, asking where to find shoes like the ones worn by the model in one of our Dress of the Day posts. The shoes are a grayish-nude colored suede wedge with an ankle strap. We love these shoes not only because a wedge heel is more comfortable than a standard high heel, but "nude" shoes that are almost the same color as your skin makes your legs appear three miles long.

Unfortunately, Shopbop doesn't have those shoes anymore (so i couldn't figure out what they were), but we do have some suggestions for other shoes in the "nude" category. The gallery has brands, styles, prices, and where-to-buy for a dozen pairs.

Styledasher Devin recently wrote in asking:

At what point is a heel considered "stiletto?"

Glad you asked because the stiletto heel, which is usually 2" or more, is my favorite kind! First, let's be clear that "stiletto" refers to an entire style of the heel, not just the height. Anything above two inches would be considered stiletto, though most of the time, we seem to see stiletto heels stretching it out to a good four inches!

There are plenty of heels out there that tower at four to five inches, but the stiletto also refers to the shape. The name actually comes from the stiletto dagger, which is very narrow before it comes to its sharp point, thus the stiletto heel itself is quite narrow, coming to a point on the ground that is 1 cm in diameter or less.

Dear Styledash: Who makes the best leggings?

The best is never easy to quantify, but I think we've come close. Since not everyone can afford a $100 pair of leggings, I thought it would be helpful to come up with a best for three different price points: under $10, under $50, and under $100.

Under $10
Xhilaration Leggings from Target: Sure, they're technically juniors, but I have at least two pairs that have lasted me more than a year's worth of wear and washing. Best part? They only cost $5.99.

Under $50
Wolford Velvet de Luxe Leggings: As far as I'm concerned, Wolford makes the best hosiery in the world, so naturally, the Velvet de Luxe leggings were my pick for this category. The material is thick enough to not give you the dreaded sheer patches on your knees, but thin enough to not add bulk. Price: $38.

Under $100
Three Dot Leggings: Slightly thicker than the Wolford leggings, these Three Dots are more like pants than hosiery. Oh yeah, they're also machine washable. Price: $78.

A Styledash reder recently emailed in with the following question:

Can you give me information on stylish lines of clothing for women and men for the 60+ crowd? I'm looking for lines that design with "mature" figures in mind, but still have a great sense of style.

Great question! Why should the young people have all the fun? Kudos to you for caring about your sense of fashion at 60 plus -- if only everyone your age could feel the same way. But I digress ...

There are some great lines out there that cater to an more mature crowd and they are nothing you would see standing in line for senior citizen discount at Denny's.

High End- There are a few high end designers you can look to either to purchase clothing from or just to grab some inspiration from. All brands can be found at Nordstrom.com as well.