Diorshow Brow Styler

I'm all about Dior's Diorshow Masacara and I think they can do now wrong in the mascara territory but this week I received an e-mail about a Diorshow Brow Styler. Wha?

I use Dior's Waterproof Crayon Eye-liner on the regular and love the consistency. Mainly because everything that has waterproof attached is clumpy, streaky and hard to wash off.

This one is actually smooth, seamless and stays until washed off-- which was one of my struggles with MAC's kohl powers. It was all over my face by high noon!

Since I received an e-mail regarding the Diorshow Brow Styler, I'm going to have to see where it is available to purchase since the website has been known to lack current color /shade information . Hopefully they can and will be on their A game and add this newbie!

Gunmetal Talon Knucklebuster

Jewelry for me has been a journey, I'm really picky plus I like a bit of edge i.e bone casting, twisted metal but with an earthy feel and an everyday appeal ( I want to wear it to work you know). I found Made Her Think's Gunmetal Talon Knucklebuster at Save Fashion last month at the Port Authority and immediately Anna said "it's so you" and I concur. Being that dazzling up my wardrobe is such a rarity, I wondered how I can pull off a ring like this?

Upon me purchasing the ring, I just missed the creator of the brand Meredith Kahn but I had to reach for the talon ring in all its Swavarski Crystaled glory and I love wearing it. It instantly dresses up my blah t-shirt and jeans routine on the weekend or my happy hour attire at 5:30pm.

From what I know, Meredith is a Brooklyn based designer whose Gunmetal Talon ring has been on some celebs- Rhianna being one. Her site is a amazing to say the least. The film is pure art, its hauntingly refreshing and piques my curiosity of what's to come next. So far, a collection is inspired by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Pre working for a jewelry designer last year, I had no clue what into the hard work and creativity we experience, a true craft. I didn't even own any piece except for my trusty Fleur de Lis earrings that I picked up from Forever 21-that seems to have outlasted every piece of anything I have bought there.

Check out Made Her Think here

Michael is Magic!

Here is a wonderful post about Michael Jackson's Fashion Influence.

http://superqueen.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/all-wail-the-king-of-pop/

Thank you Dallo Spazio

They Reminisce Over You: Summertime Jams

Susan was the winner of a NARS Foul Play mini lipgloss!

"Summer Time" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince is THE Summer Jam. I feel like no matter where you are, you can sit back and relax listening to the song.

When I was in college working at a movie theatre, Joe and Therese- let us bring in our own mix cd's to jam to. Right there at Madstone ( and Mann Theatres) we were exposed to some of the best music ever.

Summer Time was definitely on my cd but I was also exposed to the Flaming Lips, Cornelius, Pizzicato 5 and Talking Heads among other genres of great music.

I will never forget when customers complained about our music choices..our selection was tame compared to what we listened to pre-customer "warm-up" music. "Warm-up", popcorn popping, sandwich making music was nothing but the west coast rap- Snoop Dog and the Dogg Pound, Ice Cube, Tupac and the West Side connect.

What a way to get a bunch of teens and twenty somethings ready to face Senior Citizen Sundays and the crowds of the 10am kid flicks and film festivals!

Chanel Beauté Embassadors

Luxury is now merging with "IT" girls to bring us Beauty Embassadors. Dior has Harley Viera Newton and now Chanel has 5 ( yes, the magic number).

StyleFile reports that Jen Brill, Poppy Delevingne; Vanessa Traina; Leigh Lezark and Caroline Sieber are Chanel's New Beauty Embassadors. These women have been all over fashion for some time now, from DJing to working at top magazines and being the face for labels.

I hope to see them in a Chanel Beauty ad in the future or even store events, but more likely they will be the inspiration for us to look to for inspiration ( much like their current roles). Especially since Jenn Brill rocks the red lipstick on the daily.

More info here (Style.com's Style File Blog).

RIP Michael Jackson

I'm STILL in shock and frankly don't know what to say.
We don't have major cultural influences much like MJ. Despite his personal dealing, professionally and creatively- he's AMAZING.

Still deeply saddened.

Handbag Repair and Refurbishment with Avelle

I tend to keep a bag for ages, and am extremely picky when it comes to purchasing a new one. I've been using my same Marc by Marc for almost a year and I have a back up in another color for the next season.

Alot of my friends are now repairing their bags because: 1. nostalgia- the story behind the sample sale they snagged it at or the incredible deal they got on it or 2. they just can't afford the "new it bag".

Now there are new options for repair, when you don't have a local, word of mouth cobbler or hand bag repair guy there is Avelle- the New Bag Borrow or Steal.

Yes, they refurbish luxury bags and for a great price.

Check them out, restore that bag and let the legend of you obtaining ( and maintaining) it live on!

Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives!

Pre-Sale is happening now!

Set in their ways, an older generation..

At my last job, I couldn't help but notice my the makeup of my co-worker who sat directly across from me. She looked like a snow queen- on purpose. Someone told her she looked like Snow White and it was her mission to look like her daily- fine by me. But her attitude was rotten.

Not only that, she would sit and name drop all of the products she ordered off of QVC and HSN and I cringed. But what terrified me the most was she would say that she used Bare Minerals but her face was matte, matte like the old Cover girl in the 80's that looked like calamine lotion.

I just grinned and bared it.

A nicer co-worker was stuck back in the day too, again with matte and I began to think if my department was time warped or was I jaded because I had access to the "now", the persistence to go to the counter and check out "new formulas" or see what trends were. Was I wrong for thinking that their matte was a blunder? or was I young, dumb and wasting my money on things that actually helped my skin look as natural as possible?

I still don't know, sometime I go to the counter and think- what would help me look like me, not cover me like my former co-workers. but there is a generational difference at hand too-3 generations.

Who am I to say that the matte generation is/was wrong but I question it now just like they question tinted moisturizers and blogging. Ah the memories.

Dark as the night, cool as the ground: Phoenix at Terminal 5

I've been a fan since United, and when tickets went on sale in April- I was all over it!
After getting lost ( story of my life) I met friends at Terminal 5 in Midtown West.
If Moon is the film of the year thus far, then Phoenix was the concert of the year. Despite Wolfgang Amedeus leaning toward the synth-euro pop feel rather than their guitar-heavy-dare-I-say- folky albums of yesteryear.
It was nice to celebrate their graduation into popular mass play but at the same time I craved the small venue feel and less synth.
Any how it was fantastic!

My look for the show was Nars Angel Island lined under the eye ( I have been experimenting heavily with pastel liner under my eyes some Dolce Vita blush and lipstick. H&M "Balenciaga- ish shoulder top and skinny black jeans. A little out of place in the sea of boardhshorts and t-shirts, but I wasn't moved.

High school memories: your first luxury

With the summer coming up ( its still not warm in NYC yet) and the other depressing climate we have ( hello economy!). I began to think of the luxuries of my yesteryear.

In HS I had ( and still have) skin that gets oily by mid-day. I remember my mom going out and buying Clinique's 3 step system ( I skipped out on the Dramatically Different Lotion) and played with my Black Honey Almost lipstick.

When I got my first job at 16, I remember my first purchase(s). Chanel Boa ( Hot Pink) nail polish and a Bebe tank with "L" in cursive on the side. I still love Boa and have back ups of it that I occasionally use when the summer months approach.

For my 17th, my friends got me a makeover at MAC Fashion Valley ( which was open for 2 months at the time) and I was exposed to a whole 'nother level! I got a free mascara "x" and Icon lipstick and we headed over to Mission Valley to take Glamourshots (haha, we looked so ashy!).

With all thats going on in the world, I'm glad that I have fond memories of what makes /made me happy as a teen and what has made me an even more thankful adult.

Will Chanel's Jade be the new Black Satin?

After Chanel's Fall 09 ready to wear show, I was excited about mint green nail polish. Then MAC's Peppermint Patti calmed the cravings for the spring . But now we have confirmation via Style.com of Chanel putting Jade into production for this Fall.
Will it be the new Black Satin?

Photo: Style.com

Nars Loves Chicago too!

Francois is on a roll across the country, This Saturday , June 20th he will be in Chicago at Barneys New York signing books from 2-3:30pm.

An added bonus? You can order the Nars Loves Chicago set from Barneys website here

The set contains discontinued favorites renamed after Chicago landmarks.

Windy City Blush- (Passion- discontinued)

Michigan Ave Eye Shadow Duo

Wicker Parke Eyeshadow

Millennium Nail Polish

Freebie: NARS Foul Play Lipgloss Mini

I'm to "F" and it could have easily have been Fashion, Fun, and or Frumpy. But no,I had some goodies stashed from the Fashion Valley Nordstrom's trend show that I would like to bestow up a reader, consider next sunday your lucky day!

What is up for grabs? A brand new NARS' Foul Play mini lipgloss! its a bare pink hue that rivals Turkish Delight.

You have until next Sunday, June 21st at 10 am EST. to drop a line in the comments section that answers the question " What is your all-time summer jam?"

Winner will be picked at random so ... Good Luck!

Lacroix

Eastbound and Embellished

Embroideries, eastern, African and oceanic inspirations come into focus when thinking of summer.
MAC chimed in with the launch of Style Warrior, a vivid collection rich in yellows, purples and bronze as an ode to beauties of color.
Ann Taylor is in on the fun with their summer collection, the embroidered tunic is just one of the mulit-versatile pieces they have lined up. Perfect as a beach cover up or to chill with shorts or pants.
MAC Style Warrior is available now
Ann Taylor Tunic $69.59 is available here

Save Lacroix!

I’ve been seriously avoiding this post but have been tuning into wwd.com and nymag.com for more developments. The recession has taken a chunk of high fashion labels and brought them down to facing artistry vs. sales in the most serious way. Labels like Aquascutum, Luella and Versace has been restructuring and or folding. Unfortunately Christian Lacroix is in the same boat.
The short? Basically he’s been designing for his own label for free, profits are down which means people are not getting paid. The possibility for the Fall ’09 collection being manufactured? None. Couture show in July? No.
So, you mean to tell me that I only had one chance to go to the Lacroix show in ’07 and I blew it!?!
Please Save Lacroix!

DIY Fashion

Here are a list of links to recreate hot trends and classics.

Don't let the recession crush your dreams of high fashion, just do-it-yourself, moin cher!

Chanel – Garance Dore

- ucameoutofastrobe.blogspot.com

- brightestyoungthings.com

Louis Vuitton- Elle

Peter Som- Teen Vogue

Philip Lim 3.1- Fashionista.com

What designer has inspired you to D-I-Y?

photo:nymag.com

Cult Summer Movies

Ah, the fond memories of Staff Development days that allowed us to leave at 11:30am. A quick run to the Country store for some mint chocolate chip cookies and some snacks from Vons and we were across the street at Erin's watching "our " movies.

What movies? the one's that signified girl-dom to us, our rebellious streaks of... watching our cult movies!

The Craft- reminds me of Teen Angst, a post return to OZ Faruza Baulk, a pre- Half Baked Rachel True and a truely bitchy Christina Taylor.  We like to believe we were this truly out-casted ( Light as a feather, stiff as a board) and also wished there was a guy as hot as Skeet Ulrich ( what happened to him)?

Fear- I'm not a big fan of Reese or Mark but we still watched this crazy ass movie.

The Newsies- Oh yeah, this was our official introduction to Christian Bale..no Bat Suit just singing and dancing and striking!

Clueless- defined my 7th and 8th grade year. I think I know every word to this movie.

Now, I can't wait to catch up with My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks on Netflix for the summer.

Brown, Bronzed and Beautiful!

Bronzers for the bronzed

Though it sounds damn near impossible, it’s not. As being on the North East for almost a year, I do miss my year around golden tone bestowed upon me by La Jolla, Del Mar and Coronado.
Alas, I can use something to (temporarily) get me golden!

What’s so great now is that there are plenty o’ options, whether you want to look matte and have it act like a blush, or care for a dash of color. Bronzer is out there for us all.

My faves:
Bronzer Stick- NARS Rapanui – easy to blend and you can use over or under your foundation or concealor.

Bronzer Powder – MAC Refined Golden and YSL Bronzer #2- MAC gives a great glow with shimmer while YSL’s is Matte. MAC has 3-4 (depending on if there is a color story with a limited bronzer) YSL has 4 mattes- both with a variance of different yellow and red tones in them.

Bronze with Color- Guerlain Bronze in dark has really cool palette with coral-y- pink that gives a pop of color to deeper tones.

Too Many Options but one has to work Bronzer- Physician’s formula. Seriously, I think they may have 30 different combinations of bronzers! But you have to see if drugstore brands have the pigments in them to ward of looking chalky and ashy. I haven’t tried this brand but there has to be at least 1 that would work.

Bright Eyes

not Conor oberst but..no, not even close.

The look looks great on Drew and the many others who have rocked it in the past week.

Would you wear a stark blue eyeshadow? or any color that makes your iris pop?

Maybe its something I could try this weekend, I'm tempted to try this look out with some bright shadows ( ie MAC Pagan and Haunting).

Updated 06/13/09:

I decided to try this look with NARS Caravaggio, the violet was mighty playful. I'll definately have to try this again! Sans the goofy face :)

Photo: Fashionista.com

Nars Loves San Francisco Swatches

San Francisco, Lucky you!

This weekend, Francois Nars will be making a rare personal appearance to the Nordies in San Francisco!

Not only that, but he created a box with 4 exclusively named products in homage to the lovely city.

Special Thanks to Janice D with Nars for the following information.

Blush/ Highlighter:

Golden Gate Bridge (Gold)

Eye Shadow Duo:

Haight and Ashbury ( light matte grey/ metallic sage)

Single Eyeshadow:

Angel Island ( Lilac with sparkles)

Nail polish:

Alamo ( Rose Champagne)

These come in a black NARS pouch in a NARS Hearts San Francisco Box.

The set retails for $75 and is only available this week!!

Schedule your consultation and visit NARS for this event on Saturday, June 6th from

* 2:00pm- 3:30pm for the book signing of Makeup Your Mind and X Ray ( available at Nordstrom)

* 11am- 6pm for Makeup Consultations by the International Makeup Artistry Team

RSVP at 415-243-8500 ext 109

Nordstrom

865 Market Street

San Francisco, CA

I will post swatches as soon as I get my box!