Deep, Dark Lips

Remember when black lipgloss made a sudden splash in the summer of 2009?  So if you may have bought YSL's, Shu Uemura's, or Lancôme's limited edition gloss or lipstick (in the case of Shu) now is the time to mix it with a wine-colored or deep purple lip color.  If you never picked up any of the previously-mentioned offering, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics has a black lip tar, MAC has a black lipmix, and Make Up For Ever has a black flash color. 

The experts behind style.com's Beauty Counter blog recommend mixing lipsticks with brown or black eye(brow) pencils! 

photo lifted from style.com

Review: Massato Treatment Mask with Camelia

I promise: I will cut back on hair products this year!!! LOL.

What can I say about this deep conditioner from French celebrity stylist Massato? *LOVE*!  Now my benchmark is KBB's LL Hair Mask, and I would say that this is on par with it. It smooths out my kinky/curly locks and makes the curls clump together.  I have used this a few times with a plastic cap after shampooing for up to an hour and I got the same soft results each time with no build-up.  But I think I would rather re-purchase the KBB, because they are about the same size, but Massato mask is $7 more on Beauty Habit.  Camellia seems to be a popular oil in Japanese conditioners due to it being able to naturally condition hair, along with moisturizing and repairing damage.   Because of my 3 hair color changes in the last 6 months, I need a heavy duty conditioner, and this has passed the test with flying colors! Moisturizes and makes my hair look good? Yes, please!

The first few ingredients are: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, ceteareth-33, glycereth-26, camellia kissi seed oil, cyclomethicone, cetrimonium chloride, and so on...

There are 'cones and I didn't see any ingredients with "paraben" in the name.  The smell is light and pleasant, and the texture is sort of whipped, but shiny and just a little bit goopy in the jar.

For the Longest Time...

Well I have a to-do list a mile long so I feel like I haven't caught up to life. 

Last night I went to Trader Joe's, and while in the salad section, the song below came on and it was so cool to look around and see everyone humming, whistling, mouthing the words, or tapping their feet along with the melody.  When I got home, for the life of me I couldn't remember  what song that instantly lightened my mood, but when I woke up this morning, it smacked me!



woooah ooo ooo oooo

Review: Korres Milk Proteins 3-in-1 cleanser

Right off the bat I will say that this stuff is great, like all other Korres products I've used before.  I use this at night after I cleanse my skin with a homemade oil concoction in order to get rid of any excess oil on my face.  In addition to milk proteins, the 3-in-1 cleanser does have oils in it (sunflower, safflower, macadamia) so it doesn't strip of skin of all moisture it has on it.   It is marketed as a cleanser, toner, and eye makeup remover, but it really isn't strong enough to take off something such as Urban Decay's 24/7 liners.  But this cleanser is super gentle and doesn't irritate my skin, which is most important.  I *just* used up my bottle, and I have their Materia Herba cleanser to use next, let's hope I love it!  And dang it, now that I am on the site, I want the pomegranate wipes... they will be handy to travel with...

2010 mood board

I am currently putting together a mood board/vision map for this forthcoming year.  Some themes I want to make most important in my life include:

Getting a new job and advancing in my career:

Maybe get an apartment with French doors:

(what a great illustration by Borja Bonaque, right?)

Make it to France:

I need to tackle some tougher yoga postures:

(surya yantrasana)

(Svarga Dvidasana)

(tittibhasana)

Get some red hair!

 

Work on my French:

Work on my sewing:

 

I also want to do well in school (I am starting grad school in the summer) and pass the CFA exam I, which will require a lot of studying.

photos lifted from thesartorialist.blogspot.com, borjabonaque.com, yogajournal.com, gettyimages.com, style.com, zara.com

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

And Happy Chinese Food and Movie Theatre Day to some of the non-Christian peeps :-)

Have a wonderful day. 

Men's Week: Luggage

I have to admit that I roll my eyes every time I see a guy in the airport carrying an LV monogram carry-on.  There are much more suitable options when it comes to luxury luggage when these guys have an overall masculine look.   Also, I am more of a fan of understated elegance, and a large bag with LV’s logo printed all over it is hardly subtle.  I started following 00oo00's blog after seeing a post that introduced me to Trussardi 1911 with this bag that I went crazy for. He is certainly a travel bag ho after my own heart!  Trussardi also carries neat small leather goods like a French cardholder – well-seasoned travelers know to travel with games when going with group.  Might be perfect for my Sponge Bob Uno deck!

Known for their minimalist nylon handbags, Prada carries weekend bags in nylon as well as in deerskin and lambskin.

You really don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a nylon bag, though.  I bought a great nylon and faux leather weekender with a large zipper from H&M this summer and I love it.  

But if you have a couple thousand to spend, why not look at Hermes?

If you are a frequent flyer, you are probably familiar with the high-quality luggage brand Samsonite.  How gorgeous is this Hommage II Boston Bag?  It also comes with wheels!

Kenneth Cole is a super popular brand with guys, I saw this great leather weekender on their site. 

The main reason why I love luggage targeted toward men is because they are big enough to hold all my crap.   If I need to pack just one bag, I need a bag that can carry the kitchen sink.  I need a ton of pockets  so my passport, ticket, mp3 player, and other essentials are quickly accessible.  That being said, I don’t like paying full price for carry-ons.  I rarely buy things for the retail price, anyway! I have gotten some DvF and Samsonite luggage from discount stores such as Loehmann’s and Ross.  And I am pretty sure I bought that H&M bag during a friends & family promotion.

photos lifted from 00oo00.blogspot.com, bluefly.com, hermes.com,  samsonite.com, and kennethcole.com

Men's Week: Fragrances

Fragrance can be lingerie: it is worn close to the skin and sometimes only you know that you are wearing it.  I think the secret of finding a signature scent, or developing a personal fragrance wardrobe, is to wear what makes you feel good in your skin.  Perfumes can smell different on people and certainly different comparing a paper tester and on your skin!  Scent is famously known for being closely linked to memory.  When I come across a guy whose fragrance turns my head, I remember! Two examples: In high school a classmate named Angel wore Acqua di Gio, which is nice but not great in the bottle or on a paper tester, but as he passed by my desk one day, I spun around in my chair and demanded what he was wearing.  In college I used to hang out with this guy I wasn't 100% fond of, but I really liked being around him when he sprayed on Angel for Men, and that is one I am certainly not crazy about.  And sometimes when I see a picture on the internet of a well-suited and impeccably groomed man, or when I like a character in a movie, I wonder what cologne he would wear...

When I used to work at Bloomingdale's, there were two men's fragrances I loved to spritz on myself - Viktor & Rolf's Antidote and YSL's L'Homme.  I wasn't a huge fan of Flowerbomb because I thought it was too heavy, and although Antidote was heavy as well, there was something about it that worked for me.  L'Homme I loved so much, I bought it!  Whenever I would spray this one on in the store all my female coworkers would sniff me like crazy, "ohmigosh you smell soooo good!!!" LOL. I love the metallic edge it has to it. 

If you are hesitant to step over the feminine/masculine boundaries, you can always try a unisex perfume... remember a little thing called CK One?   On most fragrance entries, LuckyScent.com has a  neat slider on a scale from femme to masculine (unisex is in the middle) to show you where the current fragrance lies.  In their top picks, they do have a list of top Unisex purchases, gs02 is one of them that looks very interesting to me. 

Luca Turin ad Tania Sanchez list the best overall masculine fragrances as:
Azzaro pour Homme (lavender, basil, sandalwood)
Beyond Paradise Men (lavender, tarragon, sage, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli)
Cool Water (rosemary, sage, sandalwood, amber)
Derby (a re-issue that is rare to find.. there is a Derby offered by Bergdorf Goodman)
Eau de Guerlain (lemon, bergamot, neroli, tonka bean)
Habit Rouge (citrus, vanilla, leather)
New York (bergamot, Sicilian lemon, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oak moss, vetiver, amber)
Ormonde Men (juniper berry, bergamot, cardamon, oudh, vetiver, sandalwood, musk)
Pour Monsieur (amber, musk)
Timbuktu (green mango, pink pepper berries, cardamom, karo karounde flower, smokey incense of papyrus wood, patchouli, myrrh, vetiver)

The best masculines for women are:
Beyond Paradise Men
Cool Water
Dior Homme (Lavender, Sage, Cardamom, Iris, Cocoa Bean, Amber, Vetiver, Patchouli, Leather)
Eau Sauvage(Lemon, Rosemary, Petit Grain, Basil, Water Jasmine,Vetiver)
Jules (black pepper, Russian leather, sandalwood)
New York
Pour un Homme (lavender, vanilla)
Timbuktu
Yatagan (celery, musk)
Yohji Homme (coffee, rum, licorice)

Professional Makeup Tutorial videos

Dior  (classic looks)

YSL

Stila

Chanel

Bourjois (I hate how this guy blows on his brushes, though)

Men's Week: Shoes

I really only like two kinds of men's shoes.  Converse Chuck Taylors and long, and usually laced, dress shoes with an almond or a slightly squared off toe - I don't like the extremes of a total square toe or a round, clownish toe when a guy is trying to look sharp.


I have (or gone through) 7 or so pairs of Chucks, I love them! They fit my flat feet well.  I can't wait for these Missoni for Converse sneakers to hit the market!  Converse makes hundreds of different kinds of shoes for men, women, and children and I don't like to be confined to just the women's section.  On their site you can customize a pair with a selection of colors, prints, and styles. 

I feel a long stretch of foot looks great coming out of a slim-cut pant leg.  The elongated, boat-like type of shoe might be called "European" style.    00oo00 always has the most bangingist shoes (and carry-on luggage, but that is for another day:-P)

 

 

photos courtesy of wwd.com, nytimes.com, and 00oo00.blogspot.com