Not your Typical Bob

Unless you have pin straight hair and access to your stylist for bi-weekly trims, a bob with texture is an accessible choice to women for cropped hair.  It would be best to find a shape that works well with your natural texture because I can't be the only one with not a lot of time in the morning!  With a lot of these styles below, don't forget that pincurls are your best friend overnight.

Le Vintage Bob:

 Elizabeth Taylor

Lena Horne

 Geraldine Page

Norma Shearer (with a young Clark Gable, rowr)

Le Modern Bob:

 

Milla Jovovich

 

Girl off a blog I can't remember

Amy Brenneman

 

Halle Berry

Le  Eva Chen Bob (not curly, but I love the peek-a-boo color):

Review: Buxom Big & Healty Lip Stick in Acapulco

I can't remember all of the details, but some time ago I read an article featuring an interview with a French woman and something she said stuck with me.  She said something to the effect of older women need to wear a bit makeup because after a certain age they look ridiculous without it.  I got her point at the time, but it didn't really resonate with me then.

Sometime last year I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized that everything was getting duller.  Maybe it was because I haven't been on a beach in ages, but I realized I needed some color on my face.  I was no longer a spring chicken and that I couldn't walk around with no makeup because the fresh-faced look of youth was extinguishing.  Plus, on the quest to become more glamorous, I realized that glam women wear makeup!

But I really can't be bothered to put on a face of makeup everyday.  I need something that I can put on in the car while it was warming up in the morning, so I decided on a lip color and mascara.  While any black mascara will work in a pinch for the day, I had trouble figuring out what to put on my lips.  I liked the dark pink lip stain that I already had, but I wanted something more obvious.  I also need something long-lasting (because I hate worrying about makeup) and that won't irritate my lips (because lipsticks have usually made my lips peel, but more on that later).  Lip gloss was out because I hate the look and the shine.  Lip sticks with a pearl finish was also out because it reminded me of my mother. Sad, but true.

Two weeks ago I told the girl at Sephora that I wanted something easy to put on and she showed me Nars' lip pencils, but the there were no "My Lips But Better/Brighter" shades. Wonderful red shades (Cruella is on my list), but nothing suitable for work.

What I needed was something easy to apply and similar to my natural lip color.  And I think the creators behind Buxom's Big & Healthy Lip Stick created this product for women with precisely my demands.  My bottom lip is pink and my top lip is purple, so I wanted something in the berry pink/purple shade region. While they do have some fun colors, most of the colors in this line are variations of pink and nude.  I am confident that most women can find a MLBB shade.  I thought to myself that the team behind this product have to be women! The colors are phenomenal. 

So now I am excited to try different colors.  Vienna is next on my list, in case I want to emphasize the pink in my lips some days. 

I have yet to use the sharpener, since I don't need a sharp point.  I usually put it on at 8:30, and then some of it comes off during the morning at work when I drink water or tea, but I wipe off most while at lunch, which is around 12:30.  I reapply* after lunch and forget about it for the rest of the day. For the most part I would say that it is long-lasting matte lipstick, and I can't comment much of the lip plumping effect, since my lips don't need it!  But the minty sensation is very nice - not too strong. 

The only complaint I have is that it's bloody expensive for its size.  Regular sized lipsticks are about 0.12 ounces and this is 0.03 ounces.  So if I were to quadruple the price, it would weigh in at a hefty $72.  I apply it around 5 or 6 times a week and have had it for 11 weeks and have about 1/3 of it left.  I'm actually surprised that it has lasted so long and I will most definitely repurchase.

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*I can't use my trusty Alba Botanica lip balm under or over this lipstick.  When I did my lips peeled! So I apply balm around 15 mins before applying, then wipe off the balm before putting on the lip color.   I don't want to call the lip stick moisturizing, but my lips did not feel dry or irritated at all during the day.  Make sure you use this on product-free lips.

Red Hair Alert! Tracee Ellis Ross

Word gets around fast on the internet, so I recently found out that Tracee Ellis Ross dyed her hair red, and that it's only been captured in a random photo when she was at a fashion show.  She posted in the Getty picture on her twitter account.

While I love women with red hair, I can't say that I am crazy about the look here.  Maybe it's bad lighting, but there is something I can't put my finger on that I am not feeling.  The shade may be too dark or too "red red"? I dunno. When more pictures come out, I am hoping to see what's really going on with this color!

I think I am going to visit my fantastic hair colorist that I haven't seen in a year this April.  I either need a solid idea of what I want or I will leave the decision-making up to him!

Nail Art: Bleu II

Here is my "artistic" interpretation of Joan Miró's Bleu II.  I have a very unsteady hand so I can't say that I am disappointed with my attempt.  I used Butter London's Artful Dodger, Orly's Liquid Vinyl and Rococo's Trash Creme.


painting photo credit: art.com

Negative Reviews: A Collection

Somewhat similar to the last collection of bad reviews, this post will feature 2 mascaras and a nail polish remover. 

Revlon Double Twist mascara.  At first I really liked it because it made my lashes very long and separated. But after a few uses the brush became almost impossible to use because the product was heavily caked onto and between the bristles.  Even after wiping the excess on a paper towel, and it is a lot to wipe off, my lashes were clumpy.

Prestige My Blackest Lashes mascara.  It's nice, but flakes like crazy!

Scotch Naturals Soy Polish Remover.  Regular nail polish can be so drying and damaging to your nails, so I was hoping to find a natural solution.  But alas, this product doesn't work.  At all.

mascara stock photo credits: google.com


polish remover stock photo credit: scotchnaturals.com

Biologique Recherche Lotion P 50 1970 pt. II

Well I got used to the smell, and  I have noticed a decrease in blackheads on my face (around my hairline in particular).  But I am not sure if it is enough to repurchase, either the same size or the full-sized version.  When it finishes I am going to hold off for a little while and see if my face starts to look significantly worse.  I'm sorry I didn't get the life-changing effects that I saw all over the internet.

Red Hair I Am Loving Now: Vanessa Villela

Vanessa Villela plays the beautiful and cunning villain Sara Montero on Una Maid en Manhattan, a telenovela on Telemundo.  And she may be my next hair color inspiration!  I think it is time to go a bit lighter.  And my colorist would LOVE to put some highlights in my hair (but don't all of them?) Although I am not sure how a coppery shade will look on me.  Anyway, here are some pictures:

photo credit: telemundo.com

On her twitter (@vanevillela), Vanessa said that she goes to a salon in Miami called Armandeus.  When I lived in Miami, I don't think I've ever come across this place. weird.

Prior to portraying Sara Montero, Vanessa was the blonde bat-shit crazy girlfriend on Eva Luna:

photo credit: univision.com

On a side note, I wonder how all these telenovela and soap opera stars keep their hair so shiny and beautiful? It all can't be weave can it?

Who Was She Wearing?

Last week I saw on Crazy Days and Nights a photo of Camille Grammar when she appeared on the Wendy Williams show.  I don't care much for the Housewives franchise, but I loved her dress!!

So then it was time to do some investigation.  Who designed the dress? The first three that jumped in my head were Roland Mouret, Victoria Beckam, and L'Wren Scott.  I didn't have to go further than those three.

photo credit: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

This is look #7 from Victoria Beckham's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.

One last note - I think the dress would've looked a bit better on Camille  if the hem was shortened by about an inch.

Link Likes: A beauty interview, a fashion line, two blogs and a recipe

First, an interview with the fabulous Tracee Ellis Ross.  She is the celebrity with whom I have the most physical traits in common, so it was great to see this interview. The product that I most want to try is Bumble + Bumble Quenching Complex.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/face-time-tracee-ellis-ross/

photo: Tina Turnbow

 The Stolen Girlfriends Club was featured on Fly Girls, and I am in total lust with this T-Shirt dress below.  The more vibrant prints that Andrea featured are to die for also.
http://www.stolengirlfriendsclub.com/collections/womens

photo: stolengirlfriendsclub.com

If I remember correctly, a commenter on Jezebel linked to this next blog.  Esme and the Laneway features enviable vintage style and great photographs:
http://esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com/

photo: esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com

I am looking for home decorating inspirations and stumbled on this post of vintage vanities and dressing rooms.  It is amazing to see how important perfumes and a handheld mirror were to a glamorous woman's arsenal! (warning: this site plays music automatically)
http://loveyourplace.blogspot.com/2009/09/vintage-vanities-old-hollywood-glamour.html

photo: precodecinema.blogspot.com (I think)

And finally, I went to Whole Foods the other night hoping to find  Valrhona cocoa powder, but I had no such luck.  I ended up with Ghiardelli, which is still great of course.  I also had to think about how to properly sweeten the bitter cocoa powder and remembered that Angelina's hot chocolate was dark, sweet, and perfect.  Here is a recipe:
http://www.savory.tv/2009/12/12/paris-hot-chocolate-recipe/

Fall/Winter Hosiery: Hold-ups

Lately, I have been wearing hold-ups because it is chilly, but hasn't been so cold that I feel like I am catching a draft!  I already have too much hosiery, but I love looking at what's out there.  Although I will say that a few years ago I did learn  that I need lace-top because they have silicone backing that hold well against the skin.  The ones with the thick elastic just squeeze the hell out of my thighs and then roll down as the day progresses. So I recommend lace-top thigh-highs.  I have a couple different brands, and I can't say that I can tell the difference.

Pretty Polly has some nice hold-ups with a small lace band.  And how cute is their pin-up-inspired cover? $17.95

These Falke Peacock Top tights are so cute! and tempting! $49

These Charnos Ava hold-ups have a gorgeous floral motif as a "back seam" $22.85

I first heard about Secrets in Lace because Dita von Teese wears them because they are made in the traditional vintage style.  They also make a large variety of sizes.

Another great thing about thigh-highs is that it evokes a sexy/vintage feeling. Pin-up cartoons from the first half of the 1900's were mostly about showing women in their states of undress or undressing.  Whereas nowadays the image of thigh-high stocking tends to be only thought of as oversexualized, back then nylons were the only sheer leg coverings available.  And, with a casual look over pin-up illustrations from that time period, the act of showing the tops or putting them on was also considered sexy!

The Pin-up Source is a great source of vintage and contemporary pin-up cartoons, most of which are NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  And guess what? There were/are women pin-up artists too! I had no idea. After the jump are some illustrations with women wearing hold-ups that I like:

Hair Color for Fall/Winter

I will be keeping my hair a deep reddish-brown shade, but here are some hair color inspirations for anyone looking for a chance before the year ends (it's getting close!).

For people with fair skin, white-blond is really hot now:

Soft black looks good on a variety of skin tones.  A good thing about having uber-dark hair is that your nail polish, eye shadow, and lipstick will "pop" against the contrast but not look too garish.

Dark red/copper would be great for people looking for something warm and don't want to be washed out when winter arrives and turns everyone's skin a shade of grey :-/

photo credits: vogue.fr, christope-robin.com, and howdoshop.com

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer Fall Shades

I was browsing Bergdorf Goodman's site admiring Tom Ford's nail polish range that will be hitting stores on November 1, but I can't imagine paying $30 for a nail polish, especially when it is 12 mL - smaller than OPI, Zoya, and even Chanel.  That being said, I love all of the colors and these are the ones I thought were exceptionally gorgeous:

African Violet

Ginger Fire

Viper

Indian Pink

Bordeaux Lust (I will always love a vampy red)

photo credit: bergdorfgoodman.com

First Time Reactions

I tried two new product lines yesterday, so here is a quick review of my initial thoughts on these products.

I tried 3 out of the 6 TiGi S-Factor products that I got in the mail ( I ordered the Lisa kit for $30 and the Vera kit for $25). Let me begin by saying that these are loaded with silicones and parabens, so if you are averse to using any products that have ingredients from these chemical families, then these products are not for you.  Also, they all have a fruity scent, which is usually something that I hate, but these smell pretty nice.

First, I used the Lusterizer on wet hair.  I could see the shimmery particles in the products and only used less than a dime-sized amount.  I have a lot of thick hair that is below my collarbone, and that seemed to be enough.  After my hair was dry I did notice how soft and smooth my hair felt. My hair wasn't as shiny as a mirror, but I am not a professional so I couldn't feel sad about that.  "So far so good!" I thought.

Before flat ironing I sprayed about 5 sprays of the Flat Iron Shine Spray  directly on my hair and another spray on my hand and ran that over my ends.  The major difference I saw yesterday than when I usually flat iron is that my hair just about straightened out in one pass of my flat iron.  Also, I am in dire need of a trim, and my  ends were able to straighten out much better and not look as raggedy as they really are.  I am not entirely sure if it was the Lusterizer or the Flat Iron Spray, but my hair was looking fantastic after flat ironing.  And no crazy static or poofiness that I have been experiencing lately!

Lastly, I sprayed the Vivacious Hairspray on a comb and combed through to try to smooth down my short flyaways.  That didn't work, so I wasn't immediately impressed by the hairspray.  Hours later before I went to bed I put my hair in 5 pincurls, which is something that I habitually do because I don't like my hair all over the place while I am sleeping.  Today I undid my hair was was SHOCKED because the pincurls left my hair in soft curls around my head. Can you imagine having a hair spray that set a hairstyle that was created hours after usage? amazing. 

In sum, so far the S-Factor products by TiGi are an enthusiastic thumbs up.

On to what else I tried last night: Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 1970.  First things first: This. Stuff. Friggin. STINKS.  The stench didn't dissipate for about 10 minutes or so after application. Also, part of my face felt very slightly tingly/numb.  Both of these negative points I was aware of from all of the reviews on Makeup Alley and Youtube.  When I woke up this morning, I noticed that my skin looked and felt a bit smoother, so I am hoping to be able to give a good review in a few weeks, but we will see!  I got the smaller size from beautyhabit to try first, but there is a bigger size that has a better price of $50 at acnewizard.com.


photo credits: tigistore.com and beautyhabit.com