A is for Aldo Fragrance Launch

Cushnie et Ochs!

 Happy Holidays everyone! Are you ready for the New Year come next week? Well if you are out and about checking out your local mall or clamoring to your closest fashionable residence in time for some New Years gear, you should definitely take some time to discover a new fragrance!
All this year and last, I've been trying and testing new fragrances but I was quite impressed with Aldo's new fragrances that launched earlier this month. I was invited to the launch party in Noho and got to sample the three women's fragrances: Yellow, Red and Blue. Simple and sophisticated.
I tried and liked the Red scent, its the warmest of the three and packs a musky yet fruity scent that doesn't leave you smelling male musky but is perfect for the fall/winter season.
If you get a chance while out and about "window shopping", stop into Aldo, take a whiff and relax.

Special Thanks to Aldo and BPCM

A Quick Getaway at The Chelsea

Face Stockholm in the building!

Whew! I can't believe my first term of school is officially over! So far, its been an exciting journey and I've met some really amazing people! Before I embarked on re-capping my studies from mid-terms to finals time, I went down to Atlantic City with some friends to check out The Chelsea hotel!
The Chelsea is AMAZING! The decor is 1940's, beautiful and completely reminds me of a hotel that would be in the middle of Palm Springs California.
Another surprise at The Chelsea is that they carry Face Stockholm toiletry products! I find this great because when I first started visiting NYC I used to visit Face Stockholm on the corner of Prince and Greene streets. Sadly, the store closed two years ago.
I was also pretty jubilant to see that Face Stockholm made Shampoo and Hair Rinse ( Conditioner). After surveying the products I then asked my friends how they plan on changing up their winter hair care regimen. While we went through some standards and trends: heavy conditioning, co-washing, dry shampoo, etc., I announced that I would try co-washing to see how it goes for my hair and I tried it with the Hair Rinse in White Tea.
The White Tea Hair Rinse smells floral and woodsy, the consistency is milky, light and the conditioner did a fantastic job of moisturizing.
Now I have to go to the newly opened Face Stockholm at Columbus Circle to see the variety of the hair care line.

Holiday Win-spiration: Chanel's Khol Rimmed Paris-Bombay Look

Jasmine Tookes photo: Elle.com

Its finals!. I have so much great stuff to share but will have to be put on hold for a couple of days. I did want to do a quick post on my Holiday Winter Inspiration- (Win-spiration if you will)- The Chanel Pre-fall 2012 Paris- Bombay Metiers d'Art show that debuted on Wednesday December 7th, 2011.  I love the khol rimmed eyes- it makes me want to re-visit smokey eyes- but in a way to just line it tightly instead of smudging. My spin would be putting some highlights of gold underneath the eye and in the corner.
I love the look and was happy that their were east Asian women represented along with my faves Audrey Marnay and Southern California new-comer Jasmine Tookes!

My Mini-facial with Tata Harper at Butterfly Studio!

Last week I had the pleasure of stopping by Butterfly Studio for a mini-facial with Tata Harper.
My initial thought upon opening my email invite was that I was getting a facial with Tata Harper's skincare products but no, I read wrong . I was getting a mini-facial by Tata Harper using her much raved about skincare products! This was amazing as 1. I never have received a facial before- I do my own DIY facial and 2. This invite could not come at a better time, post mid-terms, pre-classmate dinner outing that put me in rush mode all day.
My facial with Tata Harper at Butterfly Studio, which is amazing, was such a great experience!  Tata informed me of how she started her product line and how she worked with scientists for 8 years to perfect her truly 100% natural skin care. It made me re-think about the different ingredients in our skincare and food. But I digress,  in the 20 minutes I had with Tata, I received the Resurfacing Mask treatment for about 7 minutes that smoothed away the roughness from my distressed skin. Tata recommended that it be used for a half hour once a week. Also in my session, I received aromatherapy Stress Treatment, which was very much needed. An application of the oil was applied to my hands in which I rubbed together and deeply inhaled and exhaled for about 10 breathes. How can something so small work so effectively!
After the session, I thanked Tata, took a photo (see above) and headed to Pio Pio for dinner. I placed my hands over my boyfriend's nose who said- " That smells.. really relaxing".

Special Thank you's to Tata Harper and BPCM

Carine Roitfeld's "Irreverent" book signing at Bookmarc

Irreverent at Bookmarc!

11/11/11. What a day to remember! After wrapping up the last of my midterms this week, I deserved an early b-day treat so upon hearing last month that Carine Roitfeld would be in NYC at Bookmarc signing copies of Irreverent, I went down to the West Village for the signing!
I arrived at 5:30pm and bought the book and as soon as I turned around, at 5:40pm she whisked into Bookmarc and immediately started chatting fans up and signing copies! Champagne flowed, passerbys gawked and I found myself in the surreal world of fantasy, meeting another one of my idols! I stood in line for a good half hour and was cut in line by non other than Peter Philips, Chanel Beauté's Creative Director! She said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, he is VIP." I said "I know, I can't believe this is happening, this is amazing!" So while he was getting his booked signed I took a picture of her boots. ( See below)

Boots to pine for!

Carine and Lacroix

Finally! I meet Carine who says..like every french person I have met." Your first name is Lacroix? That's interesting." I then tell her " Thank you for my early birthday gift", as I give her my book to sign, she asks, " When is your birthday?" I say " Its the 22nd" and she says, " Happy Birthday"!
Then I break out my favorite issue of Paris Vogue, the  Dec 2007/ Jan 2008 issue guest edited by Charlotte Gainsbourg , she smiled and signed it!

I go outside to meet Jessica of Styloteque and in walks Marc Jacobs!

Carine and Marc chat .

Marc stayed and chatted for about a half hour then left, but not before taking photos with some fans.

Marc loves the kids!

I promised Joan that I will read the new V mag with her on the cover once I was done with my accounting homework. 

Joan Smalls and Natasha Poly stopped in to say hi to Carine and to get their books signed!
What an amazing night!

Natasha Poly is too tall for words- I'm like 5'10 and she's like 6'2.. and she has killer boots on!

 

OPI's The Muppets Collection- Divine Swine Swatches

OPI Divine Swine

I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a month! Time flies while you are in school and readying for the dreaded MIDTERMS! it's now the conclusion of my 7th week so its time to test my knowledge.

Divine Swine- 3 coats

All while preparing for my exams, I was able to sneak away and wander into Ricky's to stock up on my lovely Lavender Dr. Bronner's Soap but something caught my eye at the counter!

The OPI Muppets Holiday Collection was available! Each polish is priced at $9.99.
I grabbed Divine Swine, a glittery metallic Magenta with touches of silver in it, then later swatched it in the evening. Application was splotchy, as glitters, metallics and shimmers go, you have to put on 3-4 coats for even coverage, which did the trick. The most painful part of this polish was the fact that it was a glitter, metallic concoction which was a pain to take the polish off. I spent 20 minutes taking this polish off my nails just due to the glitter not wanting to come off. I tried two types of removers, the first being the pre-moistened nail remover pads, the second, bottles nail polish remover with a cotton pad. I twisted my fingers, I pulled my fingers I tried just soaking my fingers in both the pm pad and cotton pad and the stuff wouldn't budge!! Only after I had to saturate the cotton and twist it around my fingers vigorously did the glitter start to come off.
With that said, I don't know if I will wear this color again, or maybe I will reserve it for my toes and just replace my polish when it starts to wear down.

Advanced Style at the Ace Hotel NYC with Tavi and Ari Seth Cohen

During NY Fashion week, I got a chance to attend Advanced Style's Fashion Week party at the Ace Hotel. The night was hosted by Tavi Gevinson of Fashion Rookie and Ari Seth Cohen and was a tribute to the sophisticated generation of women who can put a lot f current fashion celebrities to shame. The night started with a tootsie roll candy flavored cocktail, moved onto sweet cabaret serenades  and ended with style advice from the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas!

Sunday Laduree and Beauty time!

Ladureé NYC

Mmm Macarons!

After studying accounting and econ in the library for 4 plus hours, I made my way to the newly opened Laudrée for some Macarons! Lauduree just opened here in the city about two weeks ago and along with the opening came the line of devote Macaron lovers!  Prior to this experience, my only brush with Laudreé was their Brioche and Glazed Chestnut candles that I picked up at Opening Ceremony earlier this year.
Luckly, the line wasn't so bad, I stood for a good 15 minutes before heading inside and picking up a small gift box of Macarons. These babies are a definite treat but something I won't be having regularly.
But since its Sunday and I've finished my homework, I'm ready to enjoy some Macarons, watch the new season of SNL, put in a hair mask and lacquer up my nails.
Its been about 3 weeks since I have done my nails and am in between choosing something fall-ish or something fun. Aww, we'll see.
How are you enjoying your Sunday afternoon?

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Review and Swatches

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Swatches Ambre 104,134 and 154 on hand

Thanks to Karlasugar.net, I first heard of Chanel's new Perfection Lumiere Foundation. I stopped into Saks Fifth Ave and Simone helped me explore the new line.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Ambre 104, 134 and 154 Swatches

 Perfection Lumiere is described as a naturally looking, everyday long wear foundation suitable for all skin types and the first foundation by Chanel to have a range of 20 shades.
Out of the 20, there are about 5 shades that are great for women of color that are in the Ambre category: Ambre 94, 104, 114, 134 and 154. The numerical value of these shades are no indication of the shade depth in this range. For instance, as seen in the photo at the top, Ambre 104 fits me well but when I tried Ambre 114 it was about 2 shades lighter (more yellow) on my skin.
I found that Ambre 134 had a red undertone and Ambre 154 had a brown neutral undertone and my shade match, Ambre 104 has an orange undertone.
After testing the swatches on my face ( I actually walked around the whole evening with them on) I didn't get the sense that I was wearing anything on. Usually after 2-3 hours, I can feel the effects of coverage as my skin gets oily but I didn't have a problem here, so far. I will need to test it when I go a full day and with more coverage.
Overall I'm impressed so far, its tough because summer is winding down and typically Fall is when my skin calms down where as Summer was not a great moment for wearing foundation at all but I'd be curious to see if Perfection Lumiere can stand the NYC heat and humidity.
I hope that the shade range is just a taste of whats to come for Chanel Beauty in relation to its facial cosmetic line.

Recap Fashion's Night Out 2011: Chanel Betsey Johnson, DVF, Oak and The Ace Hotel!

Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week Spring 2012

 Its been a wild almost 3 weeks, I'm currently enduring a massive life change. I started my MBA program at a great university here in NYC! Yay! and have been tending to the needs of Financial Management and Econ classes ( among other courses I'm taking this semester). Unfortunately, I'm waaay behind on blogging as I'm still getting acclimated to classes, study time and navigating my career path.

Dancing Models at Betsey Johnson

Ok, onward to Fashion's Night Out here in NYC! My Thursday morning started off with attending the Porter Grey show at Lincoln Center and then I went down to the Film Forum with the BF to check out Gainsbourg, the film about Serge Gainsbourg. It was great, surreal, musical, completely french. I loved Laetitia Casta as Brigitte Bardot. I thought she looked perfect for the role. Post film, it was getting ready to meet the girls so that we can navigate the streets of NYC for the biggest non-shopping party ever ( bear with me, I will explain soon).

Party at Betsey Johnson

My first stop was Chanel Soho, last year was the grand opening of the store and it was PACKED. The line for free manicures was down the block! and Steel and Strong sold out within minutes. Since I'm familiar with the staff at the store, they assure that they had enough of the Les Denim collection in for all who wanted it. I stood in line and got my manicure and was out by 6:15pm.
Next up was Betsey Johnson where I met up with friends, they were out of champagne but I did snag a Yoplait and walked across the street to DVF for champagne. In the midst of pagning, I ran into Diane Von Furstenberg herself!! She was spritzing customers with her new fragrance Diane and chatting us up about the notes and tying ribbons on our wrists.

DVF part deux

Cheeky Burt Reynolds Shirt at OAK

Money Wall at OAK

After our DVF experience, we headed to OAK for the Disco Party and the walls of 3,000 $1 bills that  were supposed to be for "Redecorating" that ended up in the hands of OAK Party goers!

At this point, my phone was out of battery! But we capped off the night with Belvedere Vodka sno-cones from the Opening Ceremony/ Ace Hotel Carnival where Manilla Luzon ( runner-up of Ru Paul's Drag Race season 3) was partying along side Ms. Piggy, who we missed because we were waiting in line.

If Fashion's Night Out is to generate buzz and have people shopping, I'm afraid it failed. Why? because its nearly impossible to shop while there are hairdressers, food, drinks and dance parties happening in the store. I didn't encounter a sales person who sold me anything other than my pre-ordered Chanel polishes. Even Opening Ceremony didn't show what their exclusive collaborations were going to be, you found out when you showed up and if it was too expensive, you passed on it. Had I had a heads-up, I would have been prepared to buy.

Recap of IFB Con Fall 2011: Magnum! Minx! and Missoni!

 

First let me start by Thanking you for holding on here for all of the NY Fashion week post recaps. Its been an extremely busy week, which I will get to soon enough. But to start fashion week, the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference hosted 200 of us at Milk Studios in the meatpacking district on Wednesday, Sept 7th for panels and discussions that included advice from Ari Goldberg or StyleCaster, the Man Repeller, Leandra Medine, Christen Rochon of Divas & Dorks, Mr. Mickey Boardman of PaperMag and Coco Rocha of Oh So Coco and Supermodel!! The Keynote speaker was none other than Joe Zee of Elle Magazine who was interviewed by Tina Craig of BagSnob.
The conference was amazing and I met so many individuals whom blogs I geek out over like Erin of Scandalous Beauty.

Magnum Ice cream provided the perfect anecdote to a rainy day by providing not only ice cream but Minx in the color of chocolate and caramel swirls! I couldn't pass up the opportunity and got my nails done pronto by Natasha a Minx specialist from DC. Natasha had her lips glammed with a platinum sparkly lip sticker that looked crazy cool.

Jessica of Styloteque

Magnum x Minx Manicures!

Target for Missoni brought their own blogger Marina, the 20 ft Missoni wearing fashion enthusiast who has the worlds biggest smart phone. At the event KMS California styled hair and provided hair tips. This particular morning, the rain turned my hair into a frizz of tangle so I asked a stylist for help. They recommended Free Shape Anti- Humidity Seal. I went with that and got back to the con.

Coco Rocha of Oh So Coco

During the panel of the Business of Blogging, Coco Rocha mentioned that since she is a model and that her job is to sell, some companies approach her about "plugging " their product, which is what she gets paid to do as a profession however her blog is her creative outlet. Conversely, there are many assignments that she is excited to share with her readers but can't talk about it for fear of being dropped from the project or job but as her blog is a creative outlet and she is mindful of her young followers who are trying to pursue their careers in modeling ( also worth mentioning that she said her followers are as young as 15!) and has spoken out against eating disorders and the pressure of appearance in her industry. While I do not follow Coco's blog, I do admire her for using her influence to help and advise her audience.

Keynote Speaker Joe Zee and his interviewer Tina Craig were amazing, their rapport was like listening to friends catch up, not like your standard interview. Its refreshing to know that Joe Zee believes that social media and print media can co-exist despite all the streamlining and faster communication streams. Plus, he is only one of three editors at Elle that have a Twitter and was one of the first to do so ( he has had his Twitter account for over 2 years) and he's launching a blog that showcases a lot of his editorial work over the past 20 years, including some behind the scenes shoots filled with back stories and memories!

After IFB, we all (over 21 folks) headed over to the Rivington Hotel for a party hosted by KMS California for their new line of products. I have to say, the line is impressive. Products to help you achieve a new look without washing your hair? That cuts so much time out of my day!


IFB Conf is such a great way to get your blog out there by meeting other great bloggers, stylists, writers and photographers who want to meet you too!

KMS Califonia Styling

Idiosyncratic Fashionistas

Tina Craig of BagSnob.com and Joe Zee of Elle Magazine

Party Bus to the Rivington!

Next up on the agenda, Fashion's Night Out, which I can't wait to share with you soon!
A special Thanks! to my new and continuing group of Blog friends! Erin of Scandalousbeauty, Laura of Lolbeauty, Jessica of Styloteque ,the wonderful women of Idosycratic Fashionistas and Donyale of Livluxmag.com

Garden Party Beauty At Porter Grey

 

Modern woman meets 1950's Garden Party served as the beauty inspiration for Porter Grey this Spring. Tata Harper prepped the model's skin and Sephora's PRO Team ,lead by José Rivera, created a bold Audrey Hepburn- inspired brow, satin skin and peach cheeks and lips to complement the oyster silk, nude and geranium hues in the RTW collection.

The Sephora PRO Team used MAKE UP FOREVER Mist & Fix to prep the skin

-Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 to smooth imperfection

-Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder dusted under the eyes

-Smashbox HALO Hydrating Perfecting Powder for a satiny finish to perfected skin

-Lorac Blush in Peach added a touch of healthy color to cheeks

For Eyes:

-Shades from Smashbox Softbox Palette were used to sculpt and highlight the eye, including Cream Liner in Taupe ( blended in the crease for a soft base) and Eyeshadows in Nectar (lid) and Flirt ( crease)

-Sephora Collection in Nano Eyeliner No. 10, a velvety khaki, defined the lashline

-Lancome Definicils Mascara in Black for flirty black lashes

-Benefit Brow Zings created the dramatic and bold arches

For Lips:

- YSL Rouge Volupte No. 30 Faubourg Peach provided a soft base for lips

- NARS Lipstick in Belle de Jour was layered on top.

Fashions Night Out Exclusive: Les Jeans de Chanel Vernis Swatches

As you already know, I am a HUGE fan of Chanel's nail colors ( Vernis, if you will) and made the Chanel SoHo store my first Fashion's Night Out stop. Both of Chanel's boutiques had free mini manicures featuring the Les Jeans Collection or you can choose from the other nail color favorites, among the shades, Black Satin, Particuliere and Vendetta to name a few.

At about 5:15pm small lined formed and I got in it as I wanted to check out the manicure situation first prior to purchase. Especially, how well Coco Blue compares to Riva ( for reference, I love Riva! Its really stands out on my skin and looks beautiful!).

From top down: Coco Blue, Blue Rebel and Blue Boy

The Les Jeans de Chanel color hues are as follows:
Coco Blue- Opaque Baby Blue, no shimmer.
Blue Boy- Medium Blue Grey, like a standard wash jean
Blue Rebel- Dark Blue Indigo

At 6:10pm the doors opened and I started to get manicured. I chose a combination of the three nail colors using Coco Blue on four nails and Blue Jean on the ring finger of my left hand and Blue Rebel on the ring finger of my right hand.. normally I wouldn't do this but the manicurist assured it was "trendy".
Later on in the night, a friend commented that Coco Blue looked like Hard Candy's Sky from back in the day when Drew Barrymore was all about HC and the jelly rings that came with the nail polish.
I found that I really liked Blue Jean, its purely unique and universally flattering, it was also the shade that I saw the most ladies sporting throughout the evening.
Also, thinking back I would have loved to pick up Dior's denim nail color but Dior's nail colors, like Chanel's, sells out with the quickness.


On another note, these colors were a bit more pricier than the other LE's and exclusives as they were $29 each.

** Coco Riva vs. Coco Blue
Coco Riva has been courted as a Robin's Egg Blue where as Coco Blue is 2-3 shades cooler in tone, pretty close to a sky blue.
Enjoy and Happy Friday!