More of the 1930’s: Get The Look of Kay Francis

Kay Francis 1934

I love this magazine of Kay Francis. The colors are beautiful. To get this polished 30’s look do the following:

FACE: Apply a medium coverage liquid foundation such as Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Liquid Foundation. Apply concealer where needed. L’Oreal Infallible Concealer is a nice all-purpose concealer. Lightly dust a translucent powder over the face such as Coty AirSpun Loose Powder. Cheeks are very pink. Apply a hot pink powder blush like NARS Powder Blush in Desire to the apples of cheeks. A little bit of this shade goes a long way.

EYES: Brows are thin and penciled in. For a “waxy” authentic 1930’s brow look, apply a brow pencil and do not blend. I recommend Covergirl Brow Shaper. There is a Midnight Black for Kay’s look. Use Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Duo Eye Shadow in Brown Eyes. Apply the lightest shade, a soft warm ivory, from lash line to brow bone. Take the darker brown shade and blend into the crease. Take a small eyeshadow brush and line the bottom lashes with the darker brown shade used in the crease. Take a sheer gold shadow such as Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Glimmer Eyeshadow in True Gold, and apply to the lid. Apply it sweeping from the side closest to the nose to the center of the lid. This creates a “glowing” look. Apply a brown kohl liner for a smoky look. Try something L’Oreal HIP Kohl Liner in Brown Kohl. Take a fine liner brush and dip it into the powder. Line eyes and smudge with a shadow brush. Apply liner to top and bottom lashes. Keep applying enough to you reach your desired level of “smokiness”. Apply a few coats of a black/brown mascara such as Covergirl Lash Blast Lengthening Mascara to top and bottom lashes.

LIPS: Lips are red and glossy. Apply a sheerer red such as Lipstick Queen Lipstick in Red Saint. Apply a red lip gloss with shimmer. Apply Lipstick Queen Big Bang Theory Illusion Gloss in Energy over lipstick. A sheerer option is to use NARS Lip Gloss/Lip Stain Duo in Moon Fleet/Indian Red Coat with the stain and follow with the gloss.

 

MAC Warm & Cozy 2010 Color Collection Review

I know that I’ve slacked on reviewing things. I’ve been so busy, but enough of the excuses. I’ve been really behind on commenting on new color collections. I got lost in the holiday launches. It seems like MAC comes out with a new color collection every Friday. It isn’t that they aren’t special, it’s just that I can’t keep up. Many of the colors are just renamed. The Warm and Cozy Collection doesn’t contain mind-altering colors or taboo shades. However, I am so intrigued by this collection. It’s hot stuff. I’ve craved soft fabrics in cream cashmere and apricot silk paired with copper/rose gold jewelry and shimmering complexions. This collection is that. It’s sexy in that Victoria’s Secret way: tousled hair, gilded bronze eye makeup that makes blue eyes pop, and plump lips. This complexion came out just when I was craving this. This is something different for me. I usually just rock deep lipsticks throughout the cooler months but this year I’ve done more of the bronze eye lid look with golden lips. I want candlelit shades, romance.This collection is sexy without trying too hard. The warm undertones really flatter any complexion, even my pasty PNW skin.

EYES: There are 3 simple and understated with very minimal to no shimmer Eyeshadows. The shades are Chamomile (creamy matte), Modellete (warm medium brown), and Mulled Cider (warm brown). These shades aren’t exciting but they are very versatile. Chamomile is a great shade that is a must have for doing a “vintage” look with bold lips. There are 4 shimmery Shadesticks in Cuddle, Nurture, Relaxed, and Warm & Cozy. These are all in various neutral shades with warm champagne and gold undertones. They look great alone with a few heavy coats of mascara or layered under the matte powder eyeshadows in the collection.

LIPS: There are 3 shades of Lipsticks: Siss (warm golden candlelight), Spiced Tea (warm reddish bronze shimmer), and Warm Up (gentle rosewood). Siss is my favorite. It pairs nicely with dark eye makeup. There are 4 Tinted Lip Glasses in 2N (sexy neutral pink), 3N (neutral golden brown), Feeling Dreamy (rosé wine shimmer), and Light That Fire! (rusty shimmer). I really do like all the lip glasses in this collection. They are so versatile. The Tinted Lip Conditioners have been relaunched. They’re a great product.

COMPLEXION: There are 2 Mineralize Skinfinish powders in By Candlelight (champagne shimmer) and Comfort (orangey bronze). This collection launched Care Blends Essential Oils in 2 formulas in the complexion. They are so nice. A little goes a long way and the scents are heavenly. There is Sweet Orange & Lavender and Grapefruit & Chamomile. Mineralize All OVer Body Lotion is a slightly shimmery body lotion.

Oh, there are 2 Nail Lacquers in Blissed Out (pale warm pink shimmer) and Dim The Lights (sexy chocolate truffle shimmer).

I really do think that this is a perfect late winter color collection. It’s soft and cozy and it adds much needed warmth to the complexion. I can’t pull off teal eye makeup and heavy bronzers right now. My skin hasn’t seen the sun in months. I pretty much live in the Artic Circle. This is a great complexion compromise. I get a golden glow without being too “tropical vacation”. This is a champagne by the fire place kind of collection. Love it.

 

Kitschy Cool: Old Spice Classic Body Wash Review

Weekly Cheap Secret:

Oh, Old Spice. I know it is low-brow but I really do enjoy its scent. Every fall/winter, I purchase a bottle of Classic Old Spice Body Wash. (Let me emphasize Classic here, those other varieties can go to hell. I thought Axe already had that market covered). This is an inexpensive  fix for my need for spicy scents when the temperature drops. I like spicy scents but I usually don’t want to smell like them all day or I only crave them for a short time. That’s why I would rather use the body wash than the cologne. The fragrance is mix of bitter citrus and every spice in your cupboard: nutmeg, clove, cinnamon. It’s the “classic” and I think everyone is familiar with it. Old Spice is aware of the kitschiness of this scent with such slogans as “If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist” and “It will still be around, even after a nuclear fallout”. I do find this comical because it is a classic fragrance that has been a part of American pop culture for some time. However,  some of their ad campaigns border on being chauvinistic. It’s all about the “swag” and attracting bodacious babes. I wish that they would realize that there are many, many females out there (some even bodacious) using their product. Sorry guys, but spice is a pretty unisex thing in the fragrance world. Spice for men is cheap; however, spice for women is expensive in the fragrance world.

The shower gel doesn’t smell as nice as the cologne. It does have a strange “chemicalness” to it that fades after a few seconds.. The gel lathers nicely and a little goes a long way. It’s a bright blue gel. I’m not wild about this because it makes the lather a pale gray, giving me a temporary zombie-like/corpse complexion. I guess their male target group doesn’t mind this? The fragrance lightly lingers and doesn’t interfere with any of my other fragrances that I choose to use. It isn’t very moisturizing. It appears that dudes aren’t interested in that.

An 18 fl. oz. bottle retails for under $5. This is a great deal for this shower gel. My husband and I have both been using a bottle for months now. I must add that I do love the smell of Old Spice on him and he even likes it on me.

 

More of the 1940’s: Get The Look of June Allyson

This is such a soft and delicate vintage look. I love the freshness of this look. Everything is fairly simple and it is all about a healthy, glossy lip. Anyone can wear a look like this. The neutral colors look great with all kinds of eye and hair colors.

FACE: Apply a simple foundation such as Covergirl Smoothers Liquid Foundation to even out the complexion. If extra coverage in some areas is needed, apply a concealer like Covergirl Fresh Complexion Concealer. Dust a loose powder in your color over the foundation and concealer to absorb oil and to set the foundation. Almay Nearly Naked Loose Powder is a nice formula for the price. A sheer blush should be added to the apples of the cheeks. I love the neutral color of Jane Be Pure Mineral Blush in Rose Silk.

EYES: Brows are perfectly shaped and only need a clear brow gel to keep them in their place. Try something like Revlon Brow Styling Gel. Eye makeup is very simple and fuss-free. All you need is a neutral duo such as NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Portobello. Apply the lightest beige shade from lash line to brow bone. Apply the darker beige in the crease. Take a brown eye liner and apply closely to the top lash line. Clarins Eye Liner Pencil in Brown is a nice and smooth pencil liner. Curl lashes and apply a coat of a brown/black mascara to top and bottom lashes.

LIPS: Lips are a nice rose and glossy. Apply a sheer lip liner such as Dior Glossy Liner in Glossy Rose. This will keep the lip gloss from bleeding. Apply a simple pink/rose lipstick such as Lipstick Queen in Rose Saint. Apply a shiny lip gloss over this color. Try something like Kiss My Face Organic Shine in Ruby. Apply it to a lip brush as to not “wipe” off your lipstick color. Or you can apply something like MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Intimidate, a sheer plummy rose lipstick. It won’t be as shiny but it makes this a “quick” and every day look.

 

B&BW Slatkin & Co. Sandalwood & Vanilla Home Fragrance Oil Review

I love home fragrance oils and now that I have a little pet running around my house, I love them more than ever. I used to use them just for myself to create “atmosphere”. Now I use them because I have a little frug, cook lots of Indian food, and since I purchased a ran down hoarder house, I am always paranoid that my house smells like B.O. and clans of cats. Anyways, Bath and Body Works has Slatkin & Company Sandalwood and Vanilla home fragrance oil. My husband purchased this for me which I know means so much. I hate going in to Bath and Body Works so I know that it is an alternate hell universe for him. He said that “maybe it smelled good, he couldn’t tell”. I love sandalwood and I sometimes like vanilla. Sandalwood and Vanilla is a rich fragrance. I don’t know if it is something that I would want my entire environment to smell like but it is nice enough. It sure beats an indoor frug that has to go in a PNW winter rain odor. It is less sandalwood or woodsy. It is more of a pretty and sweet fragrance with a hint of woods versus a woodsy fragrance with a hint of sweet. I didn’t mean for that to sound so confusing. I’m trying to say that this is a very sweet and polished sandalwood. To me it fits in that “modern woods” category. I do think of this fragrance as more of a fragrance that I would wear versus a home/atmosphere fragrance. It just doesn’t smell “homey” to me. The fragrance does last a while and it does smell “nice”. It lingers in the house for sometime. This oil retails for $7.50.

 

A Honeysuckle Fragrance Collage

I love the scent of honeysuckle. It’s such a nostalgic scent for me. What I have realized after I moved across the country, is that honeysuckle isn’t the same. It appears to vary from region to region. In our back yard here in the PNW, we have these orange honeysuckle blossoms. The blossoms smell jasmine-ish and sweet, but they are far less sweeter and honey-ish than the white ones that I grew up with in the South. I’ve tried to keep an open mind to the different honeysuckle based fragrances that I try. I try to keep in mind that there is more than one honeysuckle and many fragrance houses use the term loosely. Here is a list of honeysuckle based fragrances in a variety of price points. Every spring I get a honeysuckle “bug”. I’m sure I will this year too. Please share any that you like so that I can give them a try. One of my favorites was the now discontinued Cynthia Rowley EDP (not the Avon one). It was heavy on honeysuckle and many other flirty florals.

Bargain Honeysuckle Scents: Yves Rocher has Fraîcheur Vegetale Honeysuckle/Chevrefeuille Cologne, it is light-wearing but very pretty and refreshing. It retails for $20 (watch the website for mega-sales and BOGO). Melissa Flagg Clementine (my review) is one of my favorite scents with its blend of orange blossom and honeysuckle. It retails for $32. Now a solid is available. I haven’t tried it yet. Bath & Body Works Wild Honeysuckle EDT is much more floral than sweet and retails for $26.50. A single note honeysuckle is Demeter Honeysuckle which retails for $20. It is pretty and I only wish it would last longer! Mary Kay has an EDT, Sparkling Honeysuckle, that is sunny and fresh. It retails for $25.

More Expensive Honeysuckle Scents: A classic honeysuckle soliflore is Calypso Chevrefeuille EDT that retails for $55. An intoxicating honeysuckle scent is Jo Malone Honeysuckle & Jasmine Cologne. Jasmine and honeysuckle were meant to be together in a blend. The largest bottle retails for $100. A fresh and flirty honeysuckle oh, and a classic is Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille EDT. The largest size gos for $115. Creed Chevrefeuille is rugged and “pastoral” kind of honeysuckle, much more green than the others listed. I like it and it retails for about $150. It really does stand apart from the others listed.

Plus 5 More Nice Honeysuckle Blends: Miller Harris Fleur de Matin is a green, fresh scent with honeysuckle. I think of it as a nice summer honeysuckle. Cielo Napa Valley (my review) is a blend that is heavier on fig and honey but the addition of honeysuckle type notes are very nice. It’s a sweet fragrance that I love for fall.  Harajuku Lovers Music EDT is a sweeter honeysuckle scent with adorable packaging. I love the crisp “green” with honeysuckle in Annick Goutal Eau de Camille. It is so easy to wear and very flirty. Victoria’s Secret Dream Angel’s Wish EDP is a very fruity floral with a kiss of honeysuckle. It isn’t my favorite in the list, but I feel I should list it.

 

More of the 1960’s: Get the Look of Claudia Cardinale

I’m a sucker for chalky pink lipstick. The other thing that I am a sucker for is “cateyes”. So, I’m loving Claudia’s look. To get this look:

FACE: Apply concealer if and where needed. If you have under eye circles to cover, I like L’Oreal Visible Lift Line-Minimizing Under Eye Concealer. I would apply a powder foundation like Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup Compact in your shade. Apply a little bit of bronzer to cheeks as a blush like Maybelline Expert Wear Bronzer Pressed Powder in Salsa Sun.

EYES: Brows are brushed in place and filled with a powder. I would use a brow powder/wax kit like Estee Lauder Brow Perfecting Duo. Apply the powder with a brush then set with wax. It’s simple and really completes a look. Apply a light shadow like Clarins Single Eyeshadow in Vanilla Beige from lash line to brow. These eyes are all about the liner. I love Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink. Take a liner brush that you are comfortable with. For me, this is a thin and fine point art brush. Apply the liner thickly to the top lash line and winging out. Apply a “half” line to the lower lash very thinly. Connect your top and bottom lines for a retro look. Apply a few coats of black mascara to top and bottom lashes.

LIPS: Make sure lips are well moisturized and not flaky. You may want to exfoliate and deep conditioning lips a day before doing this look. Chalky pink lipstick is so pretty but it doesn’t work on dry lips. NYX Round Lipstick in Strawberry Milk is the perfect shade for this look. It looks just like the color Claudia is wearing in the photo. Apply it directly from the tube on healthy lips. I’ve been through a few tubes of this shade. It’s a great retro pink.

 

Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Cafe Noir EDP Review

Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Cafe Noir is a moody, rich fragrance. I love it. I call it “beatnik in a bottle”. It’s smart and sophisticated and a bit counter-culture (if a perfume can be described as such). It reminds me of a classic French perfume created for the kind of gal that spends late nights/early mornings reading Lawrence Ferlinghetti by the fireplace, sipping on midnight black coffee.

DSH describes this spicy oriental luxury perfume as “a Paris night…Dark and sophisticated, it evokes late concerts in smoke filled rooms…sipping coffee and listening to jazz.” I love when I create an “impression” in my head when I wear a fragrance before I read about it and it actually “fits” what the creator was going for. I haven’t spent late nights in Josephine Baker-ish Parisian jazz clubs, but I have spent many insomniac moments at 4 o’clock in the morning reading “A Coney Island of the Mind” turning each page with fingers decorated with deep merlot nails. This scent reminds me of “beat” poetry.

My first impression of this fragrance creates a bit of confusion in my mind. I know that I like it but I find it very odd. It hits as if it is a spicy, mossy, dirty, chypre. It smells a bit wild and untamed and actually hot. It reminds me of all of those classic Guerlains like Mitsouko but Cafe Noir is much dirtier and grittier and with a kick of spice. It reminds me of moss and Atomic Fire Balls. You just know like beat poetry, that this is a fragrance with so much to say. Once my mind finally gets that this is a dirty, spicy chypre, I get an unexpected “shot” of bitter coffee beans. To add to even more complexity, I get lovely “classic” perfumey. I get rich, thick Parisian florals of rose and jasmine. But, it isn’t classic because of the bitter coffee. The dry down is moody and fairly simple. It has smoky incense like copal rich sweetness with grounding notes of vanilla, labdanum, and balsam. It is like being in a room where incense was once burning. It is slightly smoky but mostly you get the sweetness of the smoke floating through the air. I can not imagine my perfume collection without Cafe Noir in it. This one is very special.

This blend contains 99% botanical ingredients. Notes listed include: bergamot, black pepper, cinnamon bark, pimento berry, benzoin, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, labdanum, coffee absolute, tolu balsam, and vanilla. I would say to give this fragrance a try if you are looking for an interesting and moody fragrance or if you like Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe Cologne, Penhaligon’s Endymion Cologne, Mark Buxton Nameless EDP, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Eau de Iles, L’Artisan Parfumeur Eau du Navigateur EDT, and/or Hilde Soliani Bell’Antonio EDP. I must say that the biggest difference between those listed and Parfums des Beaux Arts Cafe Noir is that Cafe Noir is rich and long-lasting and natural. This is no cologne. An 1 ounce parfum spray goes for $135. It is available on the fragrance house’s website. More sizes are available.

 

Victoria’s Secret Supermodel EDP Fragrance Review

Mainstream Monday: Sniffing A Popular Fragrance

Victoria’s Secret Supermodel is a light-wearing fruity-floral fragrance. It isn’t something that I would wear. I find that it lacks a “wow” factor. But, it isn’t a bad fragrance. It’s pleasant enough although generic.

Of course, Victoria’s Secret hypes this fragrance up as super sexy. I don’t really see that. I sniff it and the word “sexy” doesn’t come to mind. I think more “casual”. This fragrance was a “partnership” with the cosmetic’s side of Victoria’s Secret and their sexy runway models, whatever that means. At first spritz this is a very berry fragrance. It isn’t a berry that I can recognize and I need to remind you that I live in the Pacific Northwest. I know the smell of many, many berries and their many stages of ripeness. This just smells like “berries”. It’s jammy. Something is musky and warm beside the berries. This is a “warm” fragrance. At times I get confused, thinking it is cedary. It reminds me of a Roberto Cavalli Fragrance, Oro, I think, that is discontinued. The maker doesn’t recognize this scent as being cedary but I can smell it there. After the mûre et musc variation fades, there is a tartness. It’s fruity and tart but not citrusy. It’s a berry tartness. This mixes into a creaminess that reminds me of a more grown-up version of Fruity Pebbles and milk. I think this is supposed to be peach blossom. It is more of a peaches n’ cream mixture than a floral peach blossom. This does dry down into a warm, creamy sandalwood base. It isn’t the most exciting sandalwood I have ever worn but it does work nicely with those berry top notes. The sandalwood dry-down is very comforting. It is a “generic” sandalwood but I like it because it wears so cozy close to the skin.  This isn’t a scent that I will go out and buy. I have a few things like it because I like blackberry/musk scents and I like L’Artisan Parfumeur better than this. Supermodel does manage to smell “clean”. This isn’t a bad fragrance especially coming from Victoria’s Secret. It isn’t offensive, but oh, that bottle. I am not a fan of the bottle. I find it very tacky.

I’m surprised that it is an EDP. I find that it fades quickly. I thought it was an EDT because it lasts less than 2 hours on me. Maybe my skin likes to devour Chinese berries, peach blossoms, and creamy sandalwood.

It comes in 2 sizes ranging in price from $39-$49. I would say that you would like this one if you like Bath and Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla EDT, Trish McVoy#9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk EDP, Philosophy Falling In Love EDT, L’Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc EDT, DKNY Juicy Berry Candy Apple EDP, Vera Wang Glam Princess EDT, La Prairie Silver Rain EDP, and/or Kenzo Amour Indian Holi EDP.

 

Greetings From Seattle: Demeter Rain PMU Fragrance Review

Demeter Rain is nothing like I wanted it to be. I would guess that recreating the actual aroma of rain is very difficult and who would want to smell like humidity and motor oil anyways? Demeter Rain is just too pretty for me. It is a flirty tease of a fragrance. It’s more a light shower on late spring day. It’s corporate, mainstream bar soap fresh. I was looking for a gloomy, moody fragrance. I was looking for a Seattle shower. I wanted a dark sky against a fir tree horizon. I wanted cold, salty winds. I guess I wanted a mushroomy, moldy, salty rain on city asphalt.

Demeter Rain is described  as a mixture of plant botanicals, soil, and minerals. It is so “hissy” at first that it hurts my sinuses. It’s loud and does somersaults across the skin. It’s all over the place. It reminds me of cough syrup because of the burning alcohol content. Eventually it becomes a fresh and aquatic scent. If you are a fan of aquatic floral scents then I would say that you would like this. It almost smells of chlorinated water against humid “soapy” ivy. It’s a very forced and fake rain. It’s a romanticized spring shower. It smells like if Irish Spring was to make a “rain” soap for women. It just smells like a mix of chemicals that make my sinuses say “ouch”. Because this is a cologne, it fades rather quickly. I don’t mind the scent once it has had about 15-20 minutes to get its “wiggles” out. It dries to a squeaky clean aquatic floral that would make a nice fragrance for a hand soap. I’m not a fan of aquatic scents so I am not a fan of Demeter Rain. I was wanting something a bit more earthy.

This scent wears for about 30 to 40 minutes on me. I would say to try this one if you like fresh/clean aquatic florals like Emilio Pucci Vivara Varizaioni-Acqua, Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio Woman, Davidoff Cool Water for Women, KenzoL’Eau par Kenzo, Yves Rocher Ming Shu, and/or Marc Jacobs Rain.

The 1 oz spray retails for $20.