More of the 1930’s: Get the Look of Bette Davis

I just love this picture of Bette Davis. The colors are beautiful against her fair complexion. I love a matte plum lip. It really works for most skin tones.

FACE: Apply a medium to full-coverage foundation such as Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation with fingertips. If extra coverage is needed apply a concealer like DuWop Surface where needed. Dust skin with an illuminating loose face powder such as Everyday Minerals Sunlight Finishing Dust (love that stuff). Take a fluffy blush brush and apply a sheer plummy pink blush such as Lancome Blush Subtil Sheer Powder Blush in Sheer Amourose to the apple of the cheeks.

EYES: Fill in brows with a pencil such as MAC Impecablle Brow Pencil (dirty blonde would be like Bette’s). For the shadows, you’ll need something like Too Faced Natural Eye Duo in Heaven & Teddy Bear. This consists of a cream and a medium brown. Apply the cream shade from lash line to brow. Take the medium shade and blend from lash line to crease. Take a finer brush and apply this medium shade to the bottom lash line. Take a brown eye liner like Bobbi Brown Creamy Eye Pencil in Walnut and line the top lash line, closely to the lashes. This will give the appearance of thicker and fuller lashes. Curl lashes and apply a few coats of mascara such as Benefit Big Brown Mascara. The warm tones in a brown mascara will make cool toned blue eyes look, well, bluer.

LIPS: Apply a lip crayon such as Bobbi Brown Lip Crayon in Raisin Berry (darker plummy brown) or Dusty Nude (medium plummy brown). I like this formula because it is easy to use, has full coverage, and doesn’t feel dry. You can all get this same type of look if you use a plummy lip liner pencil. Fill in lips with the pencil and apply a lip balm over it. I often find this too drying but it is long-wearing.

To get similar nails, apply 3 coats of Butter London Nail Lacquer in Yummy Mummy. It’s a beautiful beige. Picking a fragrance for this look is difficult. I’m thinking something flirty like Yosh Whiteflowers 1.41.

 

Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Parfum de Luxe EDP Perfume Review

Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Parfum de Luxe to me is a rich, oriental gourmand fragrance (even though it is described as a woody chypre). It’s a natural fragrance so it is long-wearing and rich. It is “de luxe”. One of the many reasons that I love Parfums des Beaux Arts fragrances (other than many are so artfully crafted and long-lasting) is their inspirations. The inspirations range from art movements to colors to historical periods. DSH describes the fragrance as so “On the Riviera, I was overwhelmed by the charm and grace of my surroundings. The Perfume in the air was magnificent. Inspired by the Art Deco movement of the 1920´s and ´30´s, Parfum de Luxe is rich, pure and confident.” I agree. I also love Art Deco after restoring our 1936 home. I wore this fragrance out this fall and winter when I craved all things deco and 30’s. This fragrance went so nicely with my page boy haircut, cloches, bakelite brooches, and menswear tweed trousers. It went with my fashion cravings so nicely. This fragrance was dead-on what I wanted. There couldn’t of been a better match for me at the time.

This fragrance contains many, many notes. They all play off of each other nicely. However, when worn on my skin, I pick up sweetness. I get rich, raw honey. It’s sexiness verges on vulgarity. I love it. Yeah, at the initial wear I get a bit of the balsamy, purifying sage. But, that is blended with rich old-fashioned roses. (DSH uses the finest rose absolutes that I’ve ever sniffed). These roses are hard for me to identify because they are soaked in sticky, raw honey. They smell gourmand, candied, sticky, and sweet. Throughout the wear the honey really sticks on me (no pun intended). I do get buttery, creamy orris mixed with the honey. Sometimes when I wear this, I get the rich white florals but they have been baked into a buttery, honey cake. I must add that the orris and honey combo is lovely. It inspires me to add orris root to my next honey cake. (Perhaps toasted orris root?) I think it would be quite amazing. Anyways, back to this fragrance. The base still has sweetness. The honey doesn’t vanish but it does get quieted down by rich, resins and unisex mosses. This is the stage where I would definitely call Parfum de Luxe a chypre. It’s woodsy and mossy but still sweet with amber, tobacco, and vanilla. I want to call it a gourmand chypre if there is such a thing. Regardless if there is or isn’t such a thing, I know I like it. It’s delicious, rich, sensual.

Like I said, this fragrance wears very sweet on me. It’s all honey, candied/edible flowers, and rich, gummy resins. I find it very sexy and it is one that I love to wear in the fall/winter. Its richness warms me up on cool, damp, classic Western Washington days.

Notes listed include: bergamot, clary sage, neroli, petitgrain, violet, Bulgarian rose absoulute, Centifolia rose absolute, Chinese geranium, honey, orris, tuberosa, ylang-ylang, amber, benzoin, brown oakmoss, labdanum, patchouli, sandalwood, tobacco absolute, and vanilla.

Like I said before, this is a natural oil blend. It is long-lasting and it smells expensive. I think this would be a nice replacement for Tom Ford Private Blend’s retired Moss Breches EDP. Also give this one a try if you like honey fragrances, natural fragrances, or scents like TokyoMilk Honey & The Moon EDP or Honeycomb Solid, Guerlain Tonka Imperiale EDP, Kilian Back to Black EDP, Serge Lutens Chêne EDP, Tom Ford Private Blends Arabian Wood EDP, and/or Sisley Soir de Lune EDP.

Many sizes are available. The 1 oz. EDP spray retails for $135. A pure parfum is also available. (I bet it is amazing). All sizes are available on the house’s website.

 

More of the 1950’s: Get the Look of Eartha Kitt

This is such an easy but polished look to pull off. It’s all about glowing skin and a bold but not brash lip. To get this look…

FACE: I would leave skin very sheer and just apply a highlighting cream/liquid such as Chanel Soleil de Tan de Chanel. I would use my fingertips to apply to the cheek bones to above the brow bones in a large “C” motion and down the nose. Cover up any “problem spots” with a concealer like CoverGirl Invisible Cream Concealer. Eartha’s skin is very dewy in this picture. Most people don’t like this look, I do, but if it bothers you apply concealer, oil-free pressed powder, then apply the illuminating cream/liquid. For a hint of color, apply a shimmery plum such as CoverGirl Cheekers Blush in Snow Plum to the apples of cheeks. Apply a small amount with a fluffy, medium-sized brush.

EYES: Brows are filled in and brushed into perfection. Fill in brows with a brow pencil in a brown shade such as Benefit Cosmetics Insta Brow Pencil. Brush in place with the spoolie on the other end of the pencil. With a large, fluffy shadow brush apply a shimmery taupe shade such as NYX Single Eye Shadow in Taupe from lash line to brows. Curl lashes and apply a do-it-all mascara such as Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara in black. Apply about 2 coats to top lashes and one coat to bottom lashes. The eyes are very bare for this look.

LIPS: Apply a lush shade such as MAC Lipstick in Plumful, a rosey plum.

If I had to choose a scent for this look, I’d have to go for Guerlain Iris Ganache EDP, a gourmand iris.

 

More of the 1960’s: Get The Look of Yvette Mimieux with MAC Florabundance

I’m giving a “pale” look for summer. It’s time to take a break from bronzers and gold shimmer.

FACE: To get this look apply a foundation such as Clinique Even Better Makeup (this is a foundation that lightens dark spots!). Apply concealer where needed. I like the creaminess of Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer. Take a fluffy powder brush and apply a pressed powder such as L’Oreal True Match Powder. Cheeks barely have any color. Apply a very light dusting of a sheer pinky peach blush like Everyday Minerals Matte Blush in Nick Nack to the apples of the cheeks.

EYES: Yvette’s thick brows are very dark in this pic. Take a slanted brow brush and apply a warm brown brow powder. For a color like Yvette’s try Bare Escentuals BareMinerals Brow Color in Brunette. With a large shadow brush, apply a pale ivory matte shadow such as Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Bone. Take a damp slanted liner brush and apply a cake eyeliner in a dark brown shade. I like Nvey Eco Cake Eyeliner in Brown. Apply a thick line, halfway to the crease. Do not “wing” out. Keep wetting and filling in. Take a fine liner brush that isn’t wet, rub it across the cake liner. Apply this to the bottom lash line to “thicken” the bottom lashes. Apply a few coats of mascara such as Too Faced Pinpoint Lash Injection in Hot Chocolate to top lashes and one coat to bottom lashes.

LIPS: Lips are so nude. I would start by applying a lip primer to take the “pink” out of the lips. Try a tinted product like Origins Underwear for Lips Perfecting Lip Primer. Apply a coat or two of MAC Lipglass in Florabundance. This is a pale peach with a little pink. I use it all the time to get this pale lip.

With the fragrance, I have to be so literal. I think a nice peony scent like Becker Eshaya b.e. EDP would fit perfectly for this look.

 

More of the 1950’s: Get the Look of Jayne Mansfield

Jane is one of my favorite blondes. This gal was never dressed down. This made her a star. Jane’s classic look here is perfect for all complexions, hair colors, eye colors, etc. in my opinion. It’s about false lashes and bold, matte lips.

FACE: Jane’s complexion is perfection in this look. Apply concealer where needed. I like the long-wearing formula of Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer. Apply a satin foundation like MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation. Dust with a loose powder. I like Lancome Absolue Powder because it isn’t “dry” looking. It helps with a glowing complexion look and to keep foundation smooth. Apply a pink blush to cheeks such as Covergirl Classic Color Blush in Rose Silk. I really do love this color and its price.

EYES: Jane’s brows look great. To get a similar look, apply a brow pencil such as Bobbi Brown Brow Pencil in a shadow for your complexion. Brush brows with a brow brush. Apply a buttery yellow shadow to the entire eye lid area. If you prefer a powder try BareMinerals Eye Shadow in Soul, a creamy beige shadow. If you like cream, try Benefit Lemon Aid. Thickly apply a liquid liner to top lash line, about 75%, not the entire top lash line. I like Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Brown Black. You’ll really need false lashes to get more of the “exact” look. I would apply individual lashes or half lashes to the top lashes, really emphasizing the outer portion. Everyone has their own way of doing this. Apply mascara to bottom lashes.

LIPS: Since this is a matte lipstick look, lips should be flake free. Scrub and apply lip balm thickly to lips hours before. Apply a simple, matte pencil such as NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. Color in the lines. I also like MAC Lipstick in Impassioned for this look. The formula is an amplified cream. It’s satin, just a little bit more glossy and “forgiving” than a full-blown matte.

 

More of the 1930’s: Get the Look of Jean Arthur

November 11th, 1939

I love this “fresh” look ofJean Arthur. It’s a simple vintage look that looks good on a variety of complexions. I promise that the orangey lip will make blue eyes pop. To get this look:

FACE: Apply a liquid foundation such as Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup and blend. Apply concealer if needed. A stick concealer like NARS Concealer is nice for the under eye area and blemishes. Apply a pressed powder such as Neutrogena Healthy Skin Pressed Powder in your shade. An orange blush will brighten the complexion and it will make cool eye colors pop. I would of recommended NARS Blush in Taj Mahal (RIP)…try Shu Uemura Glow On Blush in P Orange 53. This is an intense orange shade like NARS Taj Mahal. I recommend for pale to medium skin tones to apply this with a fan brush or a highlighting dabber brush such as Lancome Brush #3, any brush that picks up less pigment. Apply a small amount to cheeks and blend and blend. If you feel it looks uneven blend with your pressed powder. I love orange blush. It looks scary but I promise that it works on a variety of skin tones.

EYES: Jean has thin penciled in brows. Brush brows in their place with a brow comb and fill in with a brow pencil like MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil. Eye shadow is so simple. Take a nude-to-you duo. For a complexion like Jean’s try Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Duo in Taupe Minerals. Take the lightest beige shade and apply from lash line to brow. In the crease, apply a medium brown shade. Line top lash line closely with a black eyeliner pencil like Shiseido Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil in Black. Jean is wearing false eye lashes. If you want to avoid that hassle, curl lashes and apply a lengthening mascara like NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara. I would apply a few coats to top lashes and only one coat to bottom lashes.

LIPS: Lips are so simple. Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencil in Genre is the perfect product for Jean’s look. Just take the pencil and stay in the lines.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope everyone is having a great Valentine’s Day. I am, nothing glamorous. I have a 4 day weekend and I’m catching up with getting things done around the house. The weather is perfect here in Seattle, OK, it’s mid-50’s and sunny, maybe not perfect. But, it is giving me spring fever. Hubby is out doing yard work, getting things ready for my moon garden. Isn’t that a great Valentine’s present? I’m still waiting for a Guerlain vintage…post doesn’t run today, so I doubt I’ll be getting that.

I’ve spent a portion of the day fretting over what fragrance I should wear. What is a “Valentine’s” fragrance? I think rose based fragrance are a bit cliché but they are what I crave when I get spring fever. And I do love rose. It’s very “committed”. I don’t want something too sexy, too smoky, or trying too hard. I like sexy fragrances but on Valentine’s, hmm, too expected. I figured I should wear what my husband likes. This is difficult being that I really think he can’t tell what he likes and he is spoiled by the fact that I wear fragrance 24/7. He likes woodsy scents like Prada EDP or Tom Ford White Patchouli EDP or heavy gardenia florals like Kai. He pretty much says that he likes everything being that he isn’t interested in fragrance. I finally reached for Piguet Fracas perfume. It seems like an appropriate Valentine’s fragrance with so many florals and a woodsy base. So, what is your “Valentine’s” perfume?

 

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.

 

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.

I say that this look calls for a fruity-rose fragrance such as Creed Spring Flowers EDP.

 

More of the 1920’s: Get The Look Of Josephine Baker

Josephine was such a beautiful and talented person making her a perfect icon. This is an ad for her hair product. Here look would look amazing on anyone with warm undertones. Here’s how to get this look:

FACE: Apply a concealer if needed. I love the creaminess of Lancome Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer. Apply a powder foundation such as MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. With a powder foundation, no finishing powder is really needed. Josephine’s cheeks are pretty bare. For myself, I would need a little bit of color. Apply a powder bronzer such as Clinique True Bronze Bronzer Powder in your appropriate shade to cheeks. This adds a bit of color and keeps the lipstick from “washing” you out.

EYES: In true theatrical 20’s fashion, eye brows are drawn on pencil thin. Fill in or in Josephine’s case, draw in, brows. Try a product like Covergirl Expert Eyes Brow Pencil. The formula is a bit waxy but it does come in deeper colors. For a “candlelit” glow, apply a slightly shimmery cream shadow such as Too Faced Lockdown Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow. There are two shades of the very neutral Lovey Dovey. Choose the color that suits you. The cream shadow will help “hold” the other shadows that you will use. Choose a medium shimmery bronze such as Vincent Longo Wet Diamond Eyeshadow in Temptest Bronze. Apply this from the lash line to the crease. With eyes open, apply this bronze shade slightly “winging” out. Use the motion that you would use for cateyed liquid liner except at your crease instead of lash line. Take a deep brown shadow such as Jane Eye Zing Super Smooth Shadow in Browny Points. Apply it in the same way as the bronze except stopping just below the copper. Blend. Keep adding until you get your desired variation of a cateyed smoky eyed look. Here’s a trick for this. Take a square of TP and fold it like a triangle. Use this is a template for your shade. Hold this triangle at the outer edge of your lash line in a 45 degree angle. Brush on the shadow. You’ll get an exaggerated look and it will keep the dark colors from getting all over your face. Take a dark brown pencil liner such as Avon Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Dark Brown and apply it to the upper lash line thickly and winging out. Apply this liner to the bottom lash line and inside the rim. Connect the top and bottom “lines”. Apply a nice mascara such as MAC Pro Lash to top and bottom lashes.

LIPS: Apply a rust colored lip liner such as Lipstick Queen Lip Liner in Rust around your natural lip line. Apply a sheer burnt red lipstick such as Lipstick Queen Lipstick in Rust Saint. Apply a warm coral lip gloss to lips such as MAC Tinted Lipglass in Light That Fire, a coral with gold shimmer.

Crazylilbellule & The Poppies has a Josephine inspired scent in their Les Garçonnes collection: Joséphine Jonquille. It’s a lush blend of jasmine and gourmand dark chocolate.

More Josephine pics here.