"The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion, but cosmetics are easier to buy."
—Yves Saint Laurent
Announcements
If you're new to this blog, then read our guides to the basics: Skin (Part I), Skin (Part II), The Supernatural, Color Theory I, Color Theory II, Eyes, and Brushes.
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Contents
Favored
Art Tattler
the glamourai
The Non-Blonde
Perfume Shrine
Lisa Eldridge
Garance Doré
Smitten Kitchen
Into The Gloss
Grain de Musc
Lacquerized
Res Pulchrae
Drivel About Frivol The Selfish Seamstress
Killer Colours
Bois de Jasmin Glossed In Translation
Jak and Jil
Toto Kaelo
Worship at the House of Blues
I Smell Therefore I Am
Food Wishes
The Natural Haven
Messy Wands
1000 Fragrances
Moving Image Source
Wondegondigo
The Emperor's Old Clothes
M. Guerlain
Colin's Beauty Pages
Barney's jewelry department
Parfümrien
loodie loodie loodie
The Straight Dope
Sea of Shoes
London Makeup Girl
Sakecat's Scent Project
Asian Models
Ratzilla Cosme
Smart Skincare
Illustrated Obscurity
A.V. Club
Tom & Lorenzo: Mad Style
Eiderdown Press
Beauty and the Bullshit
La Garçonne Flame Warriors Everyday Beauty
Fashion Gone Rogue
Now Smell This
Dempeaux
Fashionista
The Cut
A Fevered Dictation
Nathan Branch
101 Cookbooks
WATCHING
There has been exactly one season of America's Next Top Model that I've missed. Otherwise, there has not been one moment that I've missed, and the mayhem has gotten even better with the addition of Andre Leon Talley, who has become my New Favorite Thing.
READING
I've recently gotten back into reading American Vogue. It's something I fall in and out of touch with. The last couple of months have had more interesting articles and editorials to me than in the previous months. Plus, I think that step away made me appreciate it more. I get Vogue now. It's not meant to be taken seriously, really. It's meant to be some reportage of the real world of very privileged people saying very frivolous things and 90% fantasy, an exploration of what happens when you combine very fanciful, exquisite clothing with an Upper East Side sensibility. Because let's face it - even when Vogue does street, it's Lily and Serena van der Woodsen's* idea of "street," not Jenny's. Or even Vanessa's.
This image, sadly, is from Vogue Italia, which promotes captivating cover art, and not American Vogue, which does not.
DAUBING
Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Burnished Copper ($22) has turned out to be a sleeper hit in my stash. I probably swatched this color for the first time a year or two ago and fell in love with its complexity, with hints of gold and orange suspended in shimmery red brown. I did not fall in love with the price or the likelihood of it's having very poor lasting power on my very oily lids. I finally caved on it a few months ago and find it's now one of my very favorite toys to reach for. I've found that using the smudger side of a cheap Sephora brush to thinly line my top and bottom lashes works beautifully to give a either a crisp, opaque line or a smudgier, sheer finish, depending on how I work the brush. I then either leave the line as is and tightline with black liner or add NYX's Eggplant or Red Bean Pie on top of Burnished Copper for a vibrant, shimmery pop of purple (the purple side of NARS Eurydice works well, too). The key to the look is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which gives Burnished Copper lasting power and opacity (it's too sheer otherwise).
WEARING
I'm really not a fan of leggings as outerwear. I think they lend the wearer to laziness and are largely unflattering. However, I had to break down and buy some when my tights failed to keep me warm in an unreasonably cold, bleak winter. I ended up getting these brushed leggings from Gap ($19.50) in athletic grey and black on sale (which look like they've sold out, leaving only navy). I get it now; there is nothing more comfortable than wearing something formfitting, soft and soothing on the skin. I leave mine under clothes or for loungewear, though.
LISTENING
I have a job that requires me to sit in front of a computer eight hours a day. It is very tedious and very boring (and so are my coworkers). To get through it, I listen to YouTube videos all day long. My favorites are cosmetics reviews and Ricky Gervais podcasts/radio edits. This is one of my favorite Karl Pilkington stories. I just like how he takes something somewhat commonplace and normal - the discussion of cloning - and weaves it into this bizarrely fantastical tale that has its own sense of the commonplace and ordinary to it.
WISHLIST
This could take an age.
I knew I was in trouble when BleachBlack's Kristin posted this ring a couple of weeks ago. The site's coauthors have extended their collaboration with Urban Outfitters to include this ring. Though I typically don't wear jewelry, I think I could make an exception for something this stand-out and unusual, particularly as it is only $18 and I have a 10% UO code.
I've been excited about MAC's upcoming Art Supplies collection for a couple of months (US release date April 1; international release later in month). The collection features new Pearlglides and Pro Longwear Lipstain Markers, both of which I wanted to invest in heavily. I love Pearlglides; as I've discussed extensively with Dain, Dorothy, and Anne, my eyelids are too oily to keep on any gel pencil liners except these, which have the requisite grit to stay through the day. I was also excited to try the Lipstain Markers, having grown to prefer lip stains over gloss and lipstick. I'm a bit disappointed by the initial reviews, none of which are impressed with the color range of the Lipstain Markers, with some even saying they smell bad and taste weird. However, everyone's in agreement: the Pearlglides rock. I'm going to get mine on April 1 (I'll be damned if I miss out on these). The ones I'm particularly interested in are Undercurrent, a teal base with gold and green flecks, and Almost Noir, a browned-out plum.
While I'm at MAC, I'd also like a 208 Brow Brush ($19.50). I've never had a brush specifically made for the brow area, and let's be honest, some days it shows.
*In a total aside, perhaps Lily and Serena are the creepy Stepford, less cool, parallax universe version of Judy and Jane Aldridge?
Labels: america's next top model, consumer diaries, gap, gossip girl, laura mercier, mac, sea of shoes, urban outfitters, vogue
3/27/2010 [2]
As with most things I do, I've taken the charge to compile a fall shopping list less literally and more conceptually. Rather than specific items I intend to buy, my list focuses on the overall idea of what I want to purchase. I can get bogged down quickly in trying to find the "perfect" item, whether it be in clothing, makeup, decorating, whatever. While it's nice to find clothing that fits and flatters, obsessing to the inth degree on fit, fabric, and whether the item looks just like Ashley Olsen's (and makes me look like Ashley Olsen) isn't healthy or necessary. Clothing either fits or it doesn't, and beyond that, the thing is to find those things that make you smile and feel more like yourself when you put them on. The following are a list of items that have always flattered and made me smile and that I hope to find again.
I tried this shrunked blazer on at the Gap and was amazed at how well it fit. Generally their clothes don't fit me - too baggy, too bulky, too much of an "American cut" (as if Americans have weird bulges and sags randomly popping out of their bodies). Regardless, this blazer avoids the typical Gap fit pitfalls. It's cut narrow to the torso, nicely giving my narrow shoulders definition without overemphasizing them (see: every Balmain collection). It falls square at my hip and looks good buttoned and unbuttoned, which I find remarkable rare in jackets of any kind. The catch? The Gap in my area didn't have my size, and I'm not too much of a blazer fan. So instead of reverting to my usual obsessing over trying to find another perfectly fitting blazer, I'm going to take this as inspiration: With a whole lot of effort, it is possible for me to find flattering jackets. I hope to carry this enthusiasm all the way into finding a jacket that fits and works for me.
I cannot be bothered to wear jewelry. I just don't like the weight of it, and I have so many skin sensitivities that it's easier to bypass wearing it in the hopes of staving off an allergic reaction. While I could try harder to work with jewelry, at some point you have to accept your limits. It just isn't a priority for me, no matter how dressed up I'm meant to be. However, I can always work a great scarf and often do, hence the inspiration taken from Ashley Olsen (back) in a scarf over her evening wear. It's easy enough to tell, even from this distance, that it's quite a posh scarf. As such, it works with her outfit, maintaining its general air of luxury and minimal elegance. It's now a fashion goal of mine to find an oversized, really nice scarf that can work on the level of evening wear. This excites me to a degree that could never possibly be matched by a fine jewelry purchase, plus this choice of accessory is far more "me" than jewelry.
I've been on the lookout for a great pair of knee-high boots for years. I'd like something a bit strappy like this. Essentially, when I find the right pair of boots, I'll know them when I see them. In addition to these, I'm pretty open to lace-up boots and very minimal pairs. Just no cowboy or motorcycle boots - the soles just kill me.
I'm also on the lookout for a very nice, nicely fitted "background" sweater, like the one Ashley Olsen wears here. Again, I'm open to a variety of options. Rather than finding a particular type of sweater, I'm more interested in finding a neutral sweater in a soft knit and texture (no ramies, no cable knits) that skims the torso, fits well, and serves as a nice, basic grounding piece for jackets and scarfs. It sounds simple. I am having a hell of a time acheiving this feat. There are masses of "basics with a twist" out there - sweaters with empire waists, puffed sleeves, strategic cutouts. However, try finding a simple, straight-down-the-line basic (even more difficult, one without animal fibers) and it's like looking into the abyss.
Here's how much I dislike wearing jewelry: should anyone ever propose to me, I don't want an engagement ring. Call me naive, but the engagement is enough, thanks. Jewelry would not help me to seal the deal.
The only jewelry I can stand to wear is a watch, without which I feel naked and lost. I've worn watches since I was six years old. I am used to having them to fiddle with and distract me. They are the only type of fine jewelry that excites me and catches my attention. My particular favorite is the Movado Museum style, black dial with gold detailing. This manages at once to be both a very posh looking watch and to blend into the background. It screams luxury, not bling. As such, it wouldn't be out of place with a laidback outfit or something a bit more posh, such as the elements laid out in the post. Worn oversized, I think it could even serve as a great offkey bracelet with evening wear, and unlike a diamond choker, chandelier earrings, or a cuff bracelets, I'd actually wear it. While I can't say I need a watch - I have two as it is - one this nice would allow me to incorporate jewelry to the limit of my interests and keep evening/party outfits from looking quite so bare.*
*Of course, these reasons are just conceits. I really just want a nice watch in black and gold. Desire: it is what it is.
Labels: ashley olsen, fashion notes, gap, movado, shoes
9/25/2009 [2]
NEED
My spring shopping list focuses exclusively on basics. Having lost a bit of weight recently, I'm less in need of sartorial reinvention than I am of having clothes that fit.
I've finally found the jeans silloutte that best suits me. Anything that hugs the thighs and creates a straight line down the calf elongates my legs and prevents me looking weighed down by excessive volume. Both smaller bootlegs and straight jeans work for me, and I like the medium rinse of this pair. The best jeans end somewhere over the arch of my foot, elongating my legs as much as possible, and at 5'4", I need anything that'll give the illusion of length.
I can't wear full-length jeans all spring, though. Living in the sub-tropical climate of east Tennessee means at some point in the spring, people stop dressing primarily for fashion and dress instead for the wretched heat and humidity. Jean shorts are one of the most popular warm-weather items to wear in this area, and they're something I've had difficulty adopting. Either the cuts are trashy and unflattering, or they have an ugly rinse/random shredding. These look decent, though. They wouldn't be too short on me, and they look like a simple pair of jeans someone cut into shorts, which is exactly what jean shorts should be.
It's amazing how much cooler and lighter I feel in the summer heat when I switch from trainers to sandals, and living in a climate where the weather quickly becomes humid and very hot, anything that can keep even part of me cool is essential. This pair meets my sandal prerequisites. They aren't flip-flops, they have the look of natural leather, they don't cut off my legs at an ungainly height, and they have interesting design details due to the placement of the buckle and straps. Also, as someone who doesn't believe in spending a lot of money on sandals that I will inevitably trash, they are not very expensive.
Being small, I best suit dresses that skim the body. Despite the prevailing belief that bandage and body-conscious dresses are overly tight, properly fitted ones hug and flatter the body. Their design is no accident; the placement of each stripe of cloth is such that these dresses make the most of their wearer's bodies, giving them their best possible shape. Plus, they have the wearable ease of shift dresses.
WANT
Labels: fashion notes, gap, urban outfitters
3/07/2009 [1]
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