Monday, February 9, 2009

Best. Product. Ever! Napoleon Perdis Barely Blushing

Remember a few years ago when everyone was going gaga over Stila Convertible Color? Yeah, I never got that. I bought a pot of poppy, and it never blended right for me. I resolved to stick with powder blush - until a box arrived in the mail for me from the publicist for Napoleon Perdis. I got this groovy box of product called The Butterfly Effect ($75), which contains a collection of mini-products like a foundation primer, a mini foundation brush and a wee bento-box of concealers meant to be a DIY blend. I plan on writing about it, and I have to admit, I nearly sent it over to the photo studio without opening it. I am so glad I did -- the concealer (the pro-palette concealer) is like a magic potion, the brush is decadent, the mascara is good, but the product de resistance of this grouping is the Barely Blushing gel. Love. This. Gel. It goes on like gel frosting and in two seconds of finger-swiping, it mellows to a just-pinched radiance. A touch to the lips provides a nice color boost for under glosses -- when the gloss fades, there's still color there. But back to this Barely Blushing stuff, this is really the bomb (I received the Barely Rouge shade, there's also a Barely Buff shade) and I plan to pay for a full-sized tube of it ($19) when my mini tube's up, which actually won't be that soon because this stuff lasts a long time. Bravo Napoleon! And Merci!







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Friday, February 6, 2009

Fashion Week Teaser - Rebecca Taylor


Designers, start your collections! New York Fashion Week kicks off next Friday, showcasing what's ahead for fall. I am happy to report that I will be there for most of it and reporting for my blog and also the Fort Worth Star-Telegram! I just received this sneak-peek from Rebecca Taylor, one of my favorite designers personally, and professionally a really great company to work with (note I used several samples from RT in last month's Indulge shoot). Anyway, below is the perky New Zealander's inspiration for what she'll be sending down the runway, and above is a sketch of how she's putting it together.

The Rebecca Taylor Fall 2009 Collection is inspired by imagery from Northern European fairytales. The palette is intense with pastel shades of field flowers and the Scandinavian sea; contrasted with deep hues of violet, beetroot and pomegranate. Soft oversized wrap coats are belted to emphasize the waist and are worn over cool ruffled blouson tops tucked into wide leg trousers. Ultra feminine languid tops and playful dresses inspired by 1940s bias cuts are embellished with artisanal metals that complement the ethereal layers of luminescent chiffon. Chunky lucite jewelry is layered to juxtapose the delicate fabrics.

Well I had a small panic when I read "pastel" but was pleased that it would be paired with richer hues. And of course I love the lucite and own a lot of it, so you know I'll be kicking that trend early! An early bravo Rebecca T.!



Monday, January 5, 2009

Lookin' Fine in 2009!

Yee-ha! It's been a few months since I last posted, months filled with work, work, work and work -- another cover fashion feature for Indulge (cover is above, see the rest at www.indulgedfw.com) along with two stories on high heels, one for Indulge, another for the Chicago Tribune's Style section. Closed an issue of the trade magazine I edit and also finished my last and final column for Dallas Child (on suitcases, including some nice quotes from the lovely folks at Clava who loaned me the vintage-looking suitcase that landed on the cover of the November Indulge). And of course, there's the day job, which is fun if not at all fabulous.
So the writing gig that pays the least -- ahem, not at all -- takes the brunt of the neglect. Sorry Bloggie!
My next shoot for Indulge is in two weeks, and I am looking forward to pulling some looks from Priestess NYC, which is owned by a Dallas native Cody Ross. His style is retro, romantic yet utterly modern, and Ross is possibly the nicest guy designing today (due to his Texas upbringing?). I will be proud to give him some props, it's tough out there today in retail land, people. Not that I am paying full price for anything, mind you. Here are some of my latest, greatest good deals:
M Missoni knit skirt from Neimans for $140
Unworn, tags attached Liz Logie oxford from eBay for $45
Two cashmere sleeveless sweaters from the Harold's Going Out of Biz Sale, $40 each.
What I haven't seen yet are any deals on Make-up or accessories. My desert-island essential Shu Emura eyelash curler just bit the dust (did you know you cannot buy replacement rubber strips for them?), so I am getting ready to hit Sephora.com ... then I'll hit the gym. NY Fashion Week is less than two months away and I will be there, so stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008