Chunky Heels

Speaking of questionable heels (see previous post), a Bergdorf Goodman newsletter declared yesterday the return of chunky heels. It's not exactly a surprise: We've been seeing it on runways, and it can also be considered as part of the natural fashion cycle: The next logical step after the platform shoe.

Some of these are better than others (I'm quite fond of the ones by Kors, Fendi and the Yves Saint Laurent seen in the photo, but I could do without the duck beak toe.

Are you sending your stilettos to long term storage?

Miuccia Really Likes Flowers

These Prada shoes (and pants), shown in Milan fashion week, are so incredibly over-the-top, that I just can't stop staring. I'm curious to see a (sane) wearable interpretation. I just might go for it.

Photo: Antonio Calanni/Associated Press from the NY Times

Little Black Dress

Rihanna is perfection from the neck up, but this Dsquared2 dress (from Milan fashion week) is a nip-slip waiting to happen. Also, I know everyone is as tired of hearing me say this just as much as I'm tired of maternity style dresses: Unless you really are with child, why would you choose clothes that make you look 6 months along?

Three Great Ladies: Michael Storer for Her

When it comes to perfume, the ultimate luxury* for me is not a big name and a famous house but to wear a rare creation made by an artisan perfumer from the best raw materials. Today's niche perfumery world offers quite a few options of this kind. Michael Storer is one such perfumer, and lately I've been sampling his work.

There are three women's fragrances and three men's. The feminine line comes both in EdT and parfum concentrate. I tried the latter. The men range is EdT only (The Blond will be subjected to it, if I can keep my paws off the samples).

I've been having fun. These über-femme scents aren't what I'd usually go for, with my known suspicion towards big florals and weird chemistry that embraces the more funky notes and rejects the prom queens. Apparently, when they are of the highest quality, even some of my sworn enemies are tolerable. Except for peach...

Genevieve- I really wanted to like this one. It's supposed to be the loveliest of them all, made in the tradition of the greatest classics with a long list of pedigreed notes. Every time I had it on I could almost see the beauty, appreciate the quality and the masterful blending, but the reaction on my skin was fruit, fruit and even more fruit. the peach and rhubarb ate every other note and grew louder and stronger with every hour. I fought with myself to keep this on for as long as I could, to try and feel the development into the base notes. Nada. Just more peach that grew fleshier and pulpier till the point I could no longer stand it and just had to scrub. Or try to, as this tenacious scent was pretty soap and water proof.
this wasn't meant to be.

Stephanie- After my first day with Genevieve, I was scared of this larger-than-life gardenia. I was expecting a disaster of the Datura Noir caliber. Thankfully, it didn't happen. Despite the gardenia, tuberose and jasmine, this was not high-pitched. It opened green and soon unfolded the layers of rich but well-behaved florals. I had so many minutes of "I can't believe I don't hate it" moments, as there was no mistake: Very.Big.White.Flowers. But they were held in place by a touch of spice and masterful blending. This perfume was not meant to challenge, only to make the wearer feel like a pretty princess. I enjoyed it a lot, but ultimately, it's not me. It melds neither with my skin nor with my personality. But it was fun to pretend.

Yvette was the one that captured my heart with a boozy, spicy opening, like a rich fruit liquor, that lead to a very sexy setting. There was something honeyed and deep, and I could have sworn I was smelling candied violets, tempting in taste and color. The flowers, tropical and others, are blended wonderfully with the other notes, so nothing hogs the stage. Even in the base, while I could more or less get the tonka bean, nothing else stood out by itself. The drydown was more mellow and close to the skin than with the other two, but like them, lasted from morning to night, staying pretty and a little naughty every step of the way.

Samples of all three (and of the men's line) are available for purchase directly from Michael Storer's site. More about him and his creations can be found on Jenny's blog, Perfume Making.

*The absolute luxury would be to have my own custom perfume made by a genius perfumer.

Images from MichaelStorer.com.

More Gifts and Freebies

It's not just the big department stores that want to give us stuff in October. There are a couple of seriously cool draws and contests in magazines and blogs. Here's the info:

Elle Magazine makeover challenge: Give yourself a makeover, send the before and after photos to the Elle editors and add a short testimonial about the change you've undergone. The winner will be selected on October 12th, flown to NYC the following week to meet with editors, have a portrait shot by a top magazine photographer after a hair and makeup session with some big industry names. The result will be featured in January 08 issue of Elle.

Allure Magazine doesn't require any effort on your side, other than to give them your details. In return, you will be entered into a draw for a huge haul of some of the best and most popular beauty products, worth around $3500. Among the names mentioned are Smashbox primer, Nars the Multiple, Shu Uemura eyelash curler and many others.
The winner will be picked on October 29th.

And last, Ellen from Lipstick, Powder 'n Paint is having a daily contest throughout October to celebrate her one year anniversary of blogging. The prizes seem quite impressive (Benefit Cosmetics, Bliss, Lancome and many other big names). Check out her blog.

Another Sign of Fall

That would be Barneys GWP event, titles "Love Yourself.

You know the drill. You go on a shopping spree, spend $175 on fragrance and/or cosmetics and in return they give you the little bag full of samples you see in the picture. It runs now both in store and online, but the only problem is that nowhere in the newsletter or on the website do they list what exactly is in the goody bag. Some, like a sample of Kai perfume, are pretty obvious. Others- not so much. Actually, the web site has absolutely no mention of this GWP, not even when you check out. I've gone through the whole ordering process, up until the "click to confirm your order", and it doesn't say there's a gift in my future. Must be an honor system. Or faith.

Since I'm already ranting about Barneys web site, let me just say that their online beauty department is a disgrace. Poor presentation and navigation, questionable information architecture, and to top it off: No color swatches. At all. They must underestimate the importance of online shopping (and researching) to their business, but in 2007 this is not a good excuse. They need an e-business pro on their team.

What's Eating Winona Ryder?

Maybe it's Anna Wintour who's looming in the back of the first picture. My guess is that Winona is going for a Hepburn look, but Audrey didn't look so unwell until her last couple of years, when she was really sick.

I'm not sure what she's got under the coat, but it might be Big Bird's goth cousin.

Photos (taken at Milan fashion week) from Dlisted.

A Pear for the Holidays: Caldrea

Speaking of limited editions, Caldrea has launched their Holiday Collection in three fragrance ranges: Cognac-vanilla-limon, Seville orange-amber and Italian cypress-pear. A liquid hand soap in the latter is now residing in my bathroom, and even I, a fruit-hater (in fragrance, that is) have succumbed to its charm.

The scent isn't cloying. The green cypress is seeing to that. Instead, it's spicy, festive and quite addictive. The soap is gentle and doesn't dry my skin. They also have a hand lotion and the usual cleaning products (dish soap and countertop spray), as well as a candle. The two other scents also come in a room spray (Caldrea room sprays are among the longest lasting I've came across). What I'd really like to see is a full range of bath and body products, like oils, bath powders and body balms, but their focus is on the home front and less on personal grooming.

If you sign up for their holiday newsletter, you'll get right away an email with a link that will enable you to get free samples (no shipping charge, either) of the three holiday scents.

Countdown to October

Considering I've been wearing the fall collections' makeup since they came out in July, it's a good thing that October is just around the corner with the holiday collections (lots of gold flakes everywhere, who would have thought?). Another October launch is the Lancôme-Peter Som collaboration for the Pout-à-Porter series. The lipstick,“P.S. Kiss” is another limited edition (also known as "straight to eBay"), exclusive to Bergdorf, Nordstrom and Lancôme's website. It's right on the much darker lip trend. It's in the Color Fever range, a line which I love for the comfortable wear and beautiful, luminous look it gives the lips.

While I can't wear this gorgeous Peter Som sweater (hint: short women should not make their waist look bigger than their boobs, especially if they are quite nicely endowed in that department, thankyouverymuch), I can definitely do the makeup look.

Here's a short video clip in which Peter Som talks about the inspiration for his fall collection and the makeup look:



Photo from Shopbop.com

Clinique Full Potential

The lip gloss/plumper with the longest name I came across is Cliniquq Full Potential™ Lips Plump and Shine. It looks like a good idea on paper (or on screen, in this case), and I was ready for some mild tingling and a lot of plumping action, only to be quite disappointed.

Don't get me wrong: As a gloss, this product is adequate. It has a nice shine and despite the very mild tingling it wears almost comfortably. But if there is any plumping, it's very marginal and doesn't go beyond what you'd see from a high quality gloss or moisturizing lipstick. The main problem is the stickiness. I thought most good glosses have gotten over this problem, but Plump & Shine obviously didn't, despite it being a new product. Everything stuck to it: My hair, cat hair and the filling of my favorite Vietnamese spring rolls. The last one was embarrassing. Shredded lettuce and ground brown rice are not a lip accessory, and it took quite an effort to discreetly remove them.

The color swatches on the Clinique web site are a bit off. I tried Blackberry Bloom, which isn't as loud or as purple as it appears here (it's a very pretty sheer wine color), and Glamour-full which far less rosy and a lot more nude (actually about half a shade lighter than my natural color, so it would look better on paler complexions). I actually liked it best when I mixed the two shades together, only by that point my lips were covered with a thick layer of goop and I was worried it would get random objects or small animals stuck. And with this mental image I say goodnight.

A Visit to the Le Labo Boutique

I spent a joyous afternoon sniffing and trying on perfumes at the NYC Le Labo store (233 Elizabeth Street). They have good stuff in those modest looking bottles, that are openly displayed on small side tables as well as on the main counter. Visitors can play on their own or be helped and advised.

I went straight to the Labdanum 18, which is everything they promise. It's surprisingly powdery-ambery, very soft and sexy (and lasts forever). I would have bought it on the spot if it wasn't almost identical to Barbara Bui (at least on my skin). It's good to know I have an excellent alternative for when my bottle runs out.

I loved Iris 39. It's an elegant woodsy iris, less pretty than my favorite take on this theme, Parfumerie Generale Iris Taizo, but still gorgeous and interesting. It's extremely well-blended and balanced, none of the notes is allowed to take over. I found it very feminine, but that might be just my skin, as there's no girly note in this.

I also tried the NYC exclusive, Tuberose 40. I should have tested Rose 31 instead, as the chances that any white floral would agree with me are very slim, while a spicy rose is much more interesting. But I gave the tuberose a chance, discovered that it's pretty and full of orange flowers and neroli, but I really need to stay away from these kind of scents.

The other discovery was that The Blond can pull of white flowers beautifully. On a whim I made him try Fleur d'Oranger, and it worked. His skin made smell like smokey honey made of orange blossoms. It was quiet, not heady at all, and surprisingly masculine. Maybe he was the one who should have tried the tuberose.

The Blond also tried two more traditionally manly scents: The vetiver, which we both felt was too clean and sheer, and the patchouli, which was unlike any other patch scent I know. Patchouli 24 smells like the love child of Il Profumo Encens Epice and Andy Tauer's Lonestar Memories. If you like smoke, birch tar and distressed leather, this would be your scent.

I'm still undecided on which of those I should get and regretting not trying the rose. I'll have to go back soon or just order the Discovery Set. That would give me enough to play with and also perform some olfactory tests on my husband.

Photo from Le Labo web site

It's the little things

I'm not a fan of anything extreme in makeup, crazy eyebrows included. But you can't deny that darker, more defined eyebrows are an important trend this season and there are ways to do it right without becoming unrecognizable to anyone but our mothers, like Gwyneth Paltrow (from a photo spread for W magazine). Or clownish, like Sienna Miller.

My eyebrows are very very dark brown, but not black, which is why I'd avoid using black for eyebrows, unless this is really your natural color. Instead, I discovered that Bobbi Brown Espresso eye shadow is an excellent choice. It's darker than my actual color and makes them stand out just enough to get the elegant and polished look, without channeling Dita von Teese just before a show where she's about to take most of her clothes off.

The secret to keeping the well-defined eyebrows to stay put all day is to use the miraculous Paula Dorf Transformer. Just like you would use it for turning an eye shadow into a long-lasting eye liner: Put a tiny drop on the plastic lid, dip the brush in it and swipe it over the the edge of the shadow pan (don't let the transformer all over the compact) to collect a little color, then paint your eye brow in small, feathery strokes.




The right brush for this endeavour is an angled eye brow brush. Bobbi has one as do many other brands. I had good results with a small angled one from the Sonia Kashuk line for Target. Don't use an eyeliner brush (too thin, requires too many strokes) or a straight, flat brush (the kind you'd use for applying contouring eye shadow to the lash line (too wide strokes, harder to get a natural look).

Taming the Bandit

My first meeting with Bandit by Robert Piguet was a head-on collision. I bought a bottle of the (modern version) EdP blind, based on the notes that I was supposed to love (and on the fact that Sephora had it on sale for a drugstore-like price): Spice, carnation, leather, jasmine, vetiver, patchouli and musk. What's better than vetiver and leather? The problem was spraying it in abandon on a hot summer day. The result felt nothing like my dream of spicy, carnation-laced leather. Instead I got an ashy, rancid old boot that was tossed out of a car into an old swamp. Extreme? You bet. But I wasn't ready to give up on this classic from 1944 (re-issued in 2005) with a cool note list and even cooler name. I was going to tame the bandit and make it work.

It needed to wait till the worst of summer was over, and then spray carefully. That helped. A lot. All of a sudden the actual perfume part of the juice started to reveal itself. It's so well blended that the florals don't stand alone: They are smokey, leathery florals (or the leather is smokey-floral, take your pick). OsMoz doesn't list oakmoss as a note, yet it's definitely a chypre, big in presence and character, unapologetic and very demanding.

There's a duality in this scent. A modern nose would not label it as a woman's perfume. On the contrary: Most of us wouldn't even blink had it been issued as a masculine fragrance. Yet, here and there there's something very femme about it if worn with the right outfit and matching makeup (red lipstick is a must here). The leather and smoke are sexy, yet I get a clean and soapy note in the drydown that keeps the garter belt and Cruella de Vil hidden, and wouldn't cause children and small animals to flee in terror.

Bandit is worth at least sniffing and trying. At the right moment it would make you hear Nina Simone singing Pirate Jenny. I wouldn't recommend buying unsniffed (which is true for every perfume, actually), especially since it's no longer dirt cheap and it's a challenging fragrance that requires getting used to, unless one has been rocking dry chypres and big leathers on a daily basis. I like it well enough, but it's not going to top or even join my list of favorite leather scents (Cuir Ottoman, Lonestar Memories, Daim Blond and Dzing!).

...
And the ship
The Black Freighter
disappears out to sea
And on it
is
me

Comparative Mascaraizing

While writing a perfume review is probably the hardest part of my blogging, testing and writing about mascara must be the easiest. The requirements are simple: define, lengthen, hold a curl, don't smear/flake/clump/dot and be easy to remove. There are only so many colors to choose from, texture is rarely an issue and the best part is that most mascaras on the market are quite good. In a year and a half of beauty blogging I came across only two disappointing products.

Projectionist from Estee Lauder is another good one. I already have their More Than Mascara in my regular rotation for its great, natural looking and well-defining action. There's a big marketing spiel about "moisture binding molecules", but honestly, I can't tell if it's any different than other mascaras I've been using. All I care is that it makes my lashes look pretty.

Projectionist has its own story. Something about "Hollow spherical polymers act like inflated balloons that volumize and lift". I can't say that I'm feeling or seeing a difference, even when I wore the two Estee mascaras together, one on each eye. They looked the same, added a touch of volume, a hint of length (nothing extreme, just the right amount for my already not short lashes), held the curl nicely enough and darkened my lashes. Although the MtM color is the one called More Black and the Projectionist was a regular black, I couldn't see a difference. I even tested them on my lower lashes to try and see variations in color, but got none. As a last test I asked my husband if he could see a difference between the eyes. For what it's worth, he couldn't.

Projectionist endured both nights out on the town and several warm days, never smeared or flaked and was easy to remove without extra rubbing both with Almay oil free pads and with the ubiquitous Lancome Bi-Facil.

Kate Mess

Such an inspiring style icon. She makes you want to smell and dress just like her. Not to mention the huge bilboards of her face advertising David Yurman jewelry above the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel on the Jersey side.

I'm not buying it.

Photos courtesy of TMZ and Mollygood. Molly also has pictures of Kate and gown at the beginning of the night.

Laura Mercier Lipstick

A message to my reader J. from the Block:

Do you remember when we discussed nude lipsticks for girls like us, whose lips are naturally pigmented? We came to the revolutionary conclusion: Beige lips aren't a good thing for us. I've found a great alternative for us. Laura Mercier Creme Lip Color in Pink Champagne is a perfect nude for us. It's a neutral rose, dark enough just to cover our lips without washing them out, but doesn't make a statement and works well with heavily-done eyes. The texture is creamy, the finish is smooth without any shimmer or sparkle, it feels great on the lips and holds for a couple of hours.

Now, about that scary husband of yours...

Gift with Purchase

Fall is the season of beauty events and extra generous GWP offers. Two of the best ones at the moment are from Laura Mercier, on her web site and Beauty.com (the site had a much-needed makeover and looks great).

Laura Mercier offers (when you spend $100) a gift bag full of these samples:

Full-size Platinum Metallic Creme Eye Colour
0.5 oz. Foundation Primer
0.4 oz. Moisturizer Cream
0.4 oz. Face Polish
1.0 oz. Almond Coconut Milk Souffle Body Creme
0.10 oz. Wildberry Lip Plumper



Beauty.com have an even better offer: Spend $50 and get a little red beg that includes:

Cocoon

From the "One day you'll look at your photos wearing it and really, really regret this" department comes to you the Cocoon Coat. Because we all want to look thick in the middle (and also stupid). Have another look:

These coats are both by Thakoon and are available (for an arm, a leg and your firstborn) from eLuxury.com. The olive jacket looks even worse when it's buttoned:

Another head-scratching moment, courtesy of Acne Jeans (possibly the worst name ever for a fashion company):

There are other options on the site, though. Capes, swing coats, trenches and several gorgeous classics, like these two (actually worth the price because you'll be wearing them for years, until they fall apart):

Roberto Cavalli classic red coat

D & G, wool crepe coat

Night Flight- Guerlain Vol de Nuit

It doesn't happen every day that a perfume gets a hold of you and doesn't let go of your heart. Guerlain Vol de Nuit has done it to me.

I have a vintage bottle of the parfum extrait, which doesn't seem to be available anywhere at the moment (though an EdT can be found from several e-tailers if you google it, and I also saw it in my local Nordstrom a couple of weeks ago). The bottle itself is beautiful, as is the velvety animal print box. But the surprise for me was the juice within, because I rarely fall this hard for something that smells so classic and so very French.

Since my bottle is vintage and seems to be dating from either the late 60s or early 70s, the top notes are mostly gone. It still has the chypre kick, that thing that if you're my little sister you'd describe as "old lady", but even she would find this to be very mild. It slides easily into a lengthy dry down that is mostly wood and iris, with that vanillic Guerlain thing that makes their classics so recognizable.

Vol de Nuit, Night Flight, was created in the early 30s as a tribute to author and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who wrote a story by this name. Back then, aviation was a new and romantic idea. A lone man in his little airplane against the night sky. It's as far removed from our big, bustling airports, security checks, travel size cosmetics packed into clear plastic baggies and easy to slide off shoes. There's more than a touch of tragedy there: Saint-Exupéry disappeared with his plane into the night, just like another aviation heroine, Emilia Earhart.

The perfume was launched in 1933, four years before Earhart's doomed flight. It is said that Vol de Nuit was described as fit "for women who like to take risks", which describes her adventurous spirit perfectly. I can't say it really smells risky. Not today, not to my nose. But the romance is alive and well in this bottle. It does have a slight edge here and there, it isn't always as smooth as it seems, and the iris has some darkness to it. It's a rich, elegant perfume, fit more for a long dress and vintage jewelry than for greasy coveralls and a helmet. I can picture myself wearing it and quietly slipping into the night.

1979 Vol de Nuit ad from Okadi.com
Photo of Emilia Earhart from her official site.

Not Gone

Remember how I whined about the disappearance of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish in the lovely Stony Creme? Last Friday I found it again at my local Target. The bottle was changed into a sleek, more narrow one and the packaging somewhat updated. The color is the same. My toes rejoiceth.


Thanks to Marie-Hélène from The Scented Salamander I no longer fear for the life of Sonia Rykiel Le Parfum. The designer has a new web site dedicated to her fragrances (the home page has a short clip which might not be safe for work). There are only two problems: The site is in French (no English option) and they don't ship overseas. But the fact that the Le Parfum is available both as an EdT and an EdP (my preference) and sold online is promising.

Emmys 2007: Makeup Highlights

Cat eye looks better on some, less on others. I love it on Sandra Oh, not so sure about Ellen Pompeo:

No smoky eye and nude lip for Katherine Heigl. I might have chosen a slightly different shade of redlipstick, but the look is fabulous and sexy:

Heidi Klum pulls off the red lipstick perfectly:



Pictures courtesy of Just Jared

Emmy 2007: Colorful Dresses

Much more fun than black or navy:

Felicity Huffman in David Meister.

Mary Louise Parker in Dolce & Gabbana.

Kristen Bell

Kimora Lee Simmons

Kate Walsh in Pamela Dennis

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Narciso Rodriguez.

Heidi Klum in John Galliano.

America Ferrera in Monique Lhuillier.

Ali Larter in Reem Acra.


(Pictures courtesy of Just Jared and People.com)