
Alexa Chung is known for being a trendsetter and she just can’t help it. No matter what she’s wearing, whether spotted in the girliest designer day dress or channeling her best tomboy in a Peter Pan-collared shirt, vintage blazer and jeans, everyone on the street is taking head-to-toe mental notes, rushing to their closets and stepping out in the same (and yes, we’re just as guilty).
But Alexa’s influence goes way beyond our wardrobe. We also consider her a full-fledged beauty muse. Her effortless looks are already tried-and-true faves of the lazy girl set (messy hair, fresh face, natural brows — we can work with that), but Alexa can also ace a polished look as well or better than the rest, especially when she whips out her secret weapon cat eye (swoon times 1000). Scroll down to get schooled on how you can get in with the It girl’s beauty routine.
1. Ombre Is THE Way:Purple hair is cool for your wild child gfs, but you’ve got your sights set on perfecting your ombre fade. Same with Alexa, who toys around with honey browns and caramels on her subtle and so chic gradient.
2. Don’t Ever Leave Home Without a Cat Eye: Thanks to Alexa’s picture-perfect flick, this mod makeup look is now a go-to for girls everywhere. It’s a foolproof way to refine any look — bring your cat eye game to Alexa’s level with this tutorial.
3. Switch Up Your Look With Long Fringe: Make those daydreams of you + fringe a reality by refreshing your hairdo with bangs. Starting with long fringe is the way to go so you can have the most control over where your hair falls. Play around with a classic middle part just like Alexa, make the romantic side-sweep part of your weekly look, then use these hair hacks to grow them out in style.
4. A Fresh Face Is Always on Trend: You just can’t even when it comes to contouring (though gals, it’s really not that bad!), so instead rock a base look that simply polishes your features and makes your skin glow. Make this minimalist routine yours every AM.
5. Your Everyday Lip Shade Doesn’t Have to be Red: You reserve a red lip for special occasions, but that doesn’t mean your pout has to go bare the rest of the time. Take a cue from Alexa and find a soft lip shade that works with your skin tone. Rose pink and light corals are ideal to wear week-in, week-out during the summer, while slightly deeper berries will pull together your winter-long look.
6. Cool Girls Woke Up Like Dis: Unlike Alexa, some of us *don’t* wake up with perfectly kinked hair (really, how DOES the girl do it?!). But there are still ways to make your mane look perfectly messy from the moment you get out of bed. Try these tricks to get your hair to Alexa-levels of amazing undone-ness… and all while you snooze!
7. Don’t Overdo Your Brows: Not too manicured, but not too bold, there’s a balance each girl has to find when it comes to working their natural brows. And the key isn’t to fill ’em in with powder. Instead develop a regular upkeep routine that includes brushing in castor oil to promote healthy growth. It’ll be just a pluck here and there from then on out.
8. You Can Always Count on the Lob: Mid-length hair is the cut of the season, and no one shows that off better than Alexa, who’s been rocking the lob-to-bob and back again for years now. It might be the chicest way to refresh your long layered ‘do, but if you’re still not quite ready to chop it all off, fake the look with a faux crop!
What beauty tips do you take away from Alexa Chung? Have you already mastered her flawless cat eye? Tell us about which other celebs’ beauty routines you obsess over in the comments below.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures