Cle de Peau Extra Silky Lipstick (117)

They weren't kidding about the "extra silky".

This Cle de Peau lipstick is one of the softest, smoothest lipsticks I've tried. It's almost like a balm, but with great coverage and excellent pigment (though some of the lighter shades are a bit more sheer). The staying power isn't as amazing as the regular lipsticks, but there's only so much you can expect from a super moisturizing lip color. I chose no. 117, which as you can see is a reddish plum, but I already see a couple of others in my future.

A couple of warnings: The lipstick doesn't retract, so only expose a little for each use. Also, never leave it in the car or expose the tube to direct sunlight. The super melty texture doesn't like heat. I took the photos on a warm day outside and you can clearly see the effect in the swatch picture.

Cle de Peau Extra Silky Lipstick ($50) is available from the best department stores. I bought mine from my local Saks.

Guerlain Derby (Vintage)

Today was so gorgeous weather and nature-wise that even this Jersey town looked golden and magical . I was having a great hair day, wearing a favorite light dress and a green leather jacket. And three sprays of vintage Derby, a 1985 Guerlain creation.

Derby is usually considered as more masculine, probably because of all the green aromatics, nearly lack of any sweetness and a green leather drydown. But I don't find it very butch or macho, just uplifting. There's a casual elegance to Derby, a kind of classiness you often find in real oakmossy chypres, and a refined slightly floral heart that makes it go down easily even if you're not that much into chypres- this isn't Bandit and definitely not Mitsouko, despite the leather and oakmoss. More of a smoother, kinder Sous le Vent.

Derby was discontinued, reissued, reformulated and rebottled, and I suspect that it was changed more than once. I only have this original vintage eagle bottle, but I've smelled and tested the new one, though not a bottle that was manufactured within the last 12 months. Since the re-orchestration of the scent included quite a bit of citrus in the top (it smells to me like a very nice minty lemonade, before the more substantial parts of the fragrance took over), and IFRA has decided that citrus is harmful for your health, I wouldn't be surprised to hear it was changed and neutered. In any case, the 'Les Parisiennes' version (in a bottle similar to Sous le Vent) is still worthy of trying, even if it's not as potent and long lasting as the original.

Derby in its current formulation is only available from Guerlain boutiques and at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks flagship store in NYC. The vintage can occasionally be found on eBay.

photo: myvintagevogue.com

Hilary Swank- The Eyes Have It

While I think she (more likely her makeup artist) could have used a lighter hand when defining the lower lid, there's always something about Hilary Swank's look that's fresh and interesting.

Photos from this week's red carpet events for the release of Hilary's new movie, Amelia: Just Jared