Smashbox = love

I went to Sephora yesterday, and somehow managed to leave empty-handed (shocking!). Normally, I would congratulate myself for having the restraint to save money, but today, I'm actually having a little non-buyer's remorse. Next time I have the opportunity, I am so buying Smashbox's vegan eyeshadow palette. The picture make it look good, but in person, it's fantastic. The earthy tones are completely wearable, but the shades are still very elegant and sophisticated. The green one, though, takes the cake. The neutral is a perfect neutral base--it would look gorgeous and dewy on its own, it would draw light when layered with other colors, and it would work as a highlighter, too. I would actually use the pink color as a blush (in tiny quantities!), since most blushes contain carmine (crushed beetles--just a little bit gross, right?). The green is the showstopper. Here at my summer employment, I don't have many opportunities to glam it up (though a few will definitely present themselves, but when I next do, I would love to wear a color like this. In the picture, it looks a bit like a khaki color, but in person, it's a deep olive full of gold and bronze-y flecks.

I'm kicking myself for exercising restraint. Next time I'm at Sephora, I'm thinking that this palette will be well-worth the splurge.

Thank God companies rip each other off

Were you sad when John Frieda Beach Blond was discontinued? Me too.

Fortunatly, this seems to be the exact same thing:

I dunno how patents for hair care products work, but besides the bottle, there doesn't seem to be a single difference between the two.

You can't kill goth. . . it's a vampire

I never really identified with the gothy kids in school. Got along with them, sure, but nothing they ever did seemed like true, or at least effective, rebellion, so I found the whole thing a little self-conscious, even embarrassing. And I certainly never coveted their clothing.

Then, two years ago, goth became chic. Rather than being self-conscious or useless, the gothy moments of high fashion had the women who were previously traisping around with IT-bags in Chanel ballet flats now pursuing ripped lace tights to wear under grungy plaid dresses. The irony was great. The message was obvious. And best of all, it was something new.

It was new enough that I was disappointed by the return to pastels and ladylike skirts in this past fall. I mean, goth had glory, so what was it so disposable? I didn't get it. And that, my friends, is why I'm so grateful to Galliano:




Enough said.

Silk and satin--mmmmm...

For a New Year's outfit this year, there are two words on my mind: juicy and shiny. The runways have provided pieces to fit those words this year, so options abound, and what better way to ring in '07 than with S/S '07's looks? I can't wait to put something together. For those of you who aren't quite as sure what 'juicy and shiny' means but are intriguied nonetheless, read on for examples.

A good example of both would be this (Prada--but you folks at home might want to skip the headwrap):

Or this (Lanvin):

You can get a cheaper option at Bebe:

Or, if you'd rather do a smaller punch of saturated satin, an accessory is a good choice (Lanvin):

Hell, as long as we're on the topic of 'juicy,' why not try this? (Lancome):

But definitely steer clear of this:

And, for all you happy folks back in the UK, top it all off with a pair of Topshop's patent flats. Man, I'm glad I snagged a pair before I left.

Fabulous Facepaint

I love it here in London, but I gotta say, London is Christmas CRAZY, and Halloween hasn't even happened yet! It's upsetting, because Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I'm sad that it's such an insignificant holiday here. Looking online at what Mac is doing makes me even more sad to miss Halloween.

Of course, even if I was stateside, I wouldn't actually get this to go to my college's Halloween party--some things are just too good to waste on drunk people.

When in England. . .

It’s pretty much an accepted fact that drastically changing your life can change your skin. I would say that moving to a different country with a different climate to enter a different program, function on a different schedule, and eat different food qualifies as a drastic change, right? Well, let’s just say that although I’m happy to be here, my skin isn’t quite so thrilled. This doesn’t make me particularly happy, because, let’s be honest, you’ve all probably guessed by the fact that I write in a fashion blog that I care about how I look. I’ve tried a few different measures to make my skin behave: I’ve broken out the arsenal of drying products and assaulted my skin with them—didn’t work. I think that part of the reason that I’m breaking out is that my skin started producing less moisture as a response to England’s wet climate, and all my usual products are now over-drying my skin, leaving me with clogged pores. With that in mind, I tried getting rid of all of my topical products, and using only my face washes. Didn’t work. I figured that maybe my heavy-duty exfoliator and gentle-but-powerful cleanser are still too much for my skin here. I tried using less of both my face washes, and adding a light moisturizer. That seemed to help a little, but when you’ve already got a few massive zits front and center on your face, using a moisturizer isn’t going to do much for them. It’s kind of a catch-22; if I use a topical product, it’ll dry out my skin and make it over-produce sticky oil and clog my pores with dead skin; if I cut back on products to help my skin’s balance, I’m still left with a few really gross zits.

Even though the obvious answer is patience until the zits go on their own, and then proper maintenance after, I’ve never been terribly patient when it comes to my face. I still really wanted to try something. I was at Boots earlier today, and though I tried to steer myself away from the skincare section, some products there caught my eye. I saw several things there that I’d used, several that I hadn’t, and several that didn’t particularly seem like they would help me—I mean, a blackhead mask would be great if I had blackheads, and a cream that guarantees “visible results in 4 hours” seemed like it would go against my idea not to overdry my skin. Then, my eyes lighted on a tiny purple vial in the semi-generic Boots brand section. It wasn’t too expensive, but it wasn’t so cheap that it didn’t look like it would work. It wasn’t so large that I’d never go through it, but it wasn’t so small that it would only be good for one use. It was purple! Actually, only the vial is purple—it’s a clear gel that goes on with a want, and it reminded me of a Boscia topical gel that I used last year with fantastic results, so I decided to give it a go. I can’t say if it’s brilliant yet, but it smells like the Boscia gel (and if it really is like it, I’m going to have to stock up before I go home--£3.19 as opposed to $20 is a bargain not to be missed), it seems to be working thusfar, and I have a good feeling about it. I’m sure that none of you care, but I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my thoughts about it.

Third grade beauty moment

I believe I was eight or nine years old when I was first seized with the overwhelming desire for a Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper lip smacker. It was red. It was shiny. It tasted like the cola that I loved, but was forbidden to have. It was a match made in heaven. After much whining and wheeldling, my mom agreed to buy it for me. I was thrilled.

Now, more than a decade later, the desire has yet to go away. It's still red and shiny. The taste and scent are actually less strong and offensive than a lot of lip products made for adults (or at least teens). It leaves a subtle warm pink flush that not only (slightly) moisturizes your lips, but also looks perfectly "Why no, I'm not wearing makeup, my lips are naturally pink and soft, thank you." It's so low-maintenance that you could apply it in the dark with one hand tied behind your back. It doesn't hurt that it calls to mind memories of watching The Smurfs and playing with stuffed animals, either.

I brought two of them with me here to London, just in case they're easier to find stateside.

What the old masters had to say about style

I went to The Met yesterday, and even though I spent most of my time looking at Buddhist and Hindu devotional art, I did do my best to see a little of everything. Looking at old (as in, between 200 and 600 years old, so yeah. . . old) paintings made me realize that, through high-heeled shoes for men, corsets, embellished bodices, tiny bonnets, hoop skirts, and everything in between, one thing that has never gone out of vogue is soft, touchable, long, wavy hair. Now, I would strongly advise against 80's poofs, but volume is just kind of sexy. Healthy hair, I guess, is a symbol of general health, because I suppose it means that you're not always out working in the sun, or. . . protein-deficient. Or something. I don't know what exactly it means, but I do know that it's attractive.

No matter how much you hate your hair and feel that you have to beat it into submission in order to make it presentable, or my abuse of choice, drugging it up on products, I think that the best way to acheive this (literally) timelessly classic hair is to just wash your hair, condition (but don't overdo it), brush it out so there are no tangles, and then just let it airdry. Now, if this idea makes you retch, you can work a little *tiny* bit of hair serum into your hair while it's wet to avoid the frizzy poodle thing. I like Giovanni's organic hair serum because a little goes a long way, and the natural ingredients keep me from panicking about what polyplethamebedenumvitawhatever is doing to my hair. But remember, part of the point of air-drying your hair is to let it have a little natural bounce and unruliness. Oh, and don't overbrush--you'll just fill your hair with static. Vermeer never would have painted someone with their hair plastered to their face. Pull it (loosely) back or leave it down, and don't reach for the styling products. There! You look like a Rembrandt!