Wednesday, May 26, 2010

French Country Decor

To me there is nothing more
elegant, classy, sophisticated, beautiful
and rustic-inspired than the decor
from the French countryside.
I'm especially inspired by the clean,
crisp and fresh palette of blue and
white!  I wanted to share some images
that really make my heart
come alive - I love anything that inspires
warmth, comfort, love and that
feeling you get when good friends and
family get together in unity and love.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Ageless Beauty Part 2

I am fascinated with people who
seem to look better and better with age -
I really want to celebrate the whole process 
of discovering my best self as I age
and gain a true 'distinguished' look
that speaks about my life experiences.
I want to celebrate my life as I age!!!
Here is a tribute to men and women
who have aged with class and even
look better now than they did in their 20's:
 
1) Judi Dench:
 
2) Carmen Dell'Orefice
 
3) George Clooney:
 
4) Richard Gere:
 
5) Michelle Pfeiffer
 
6) Susan Sarandan:
 
7) Sean Connery:
 
8) Diane Keaton:
 
 
9) Demi Moore:
 
 
10) Helen Mirren:
 
 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Beauty is Ageless

While our society is fixated on youth,
 I have always thought that true elegance
comes from maturity.  There are countless
examples of actresses, actors and celebrities,
who really came into their own only after
reaching a certain level of maturity.   Although I
value living in the present moment, there is a
part of me that can't wait to age - I want to
embrace every new grey hair and I hope
that as I age, I'm one of those women who actually
looks 'better' than they did in their 20's. 
I think that with age, comes a certain understanding -
you really get to 'know' yourself and what works
for you - you value yourself and surround yourself
with things that are important to you and to a
certain degree you stop trying to please the
world so much - This is an attitude you can
adopt at any age, but for many people, it doesn't
happen until they have really 'experienced' their life. 
So here is to CELEBRATING your age
(whatever that may be) and instead of fearing
getting older, Embracing it - loving it - honoring
yourself and your life. 
 
 

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Icy-Blue Pink

I've been playing around with a lot
of new makeup colours and one of my
favourite shades right now is an icy-blue pink. 
Not everyone can pull this shade off -
especially if you have a very warm skin tone. 
However, for all you 'summer' and 'winter' seasons
and cool toned gals, this shade is for you.
 
 
I always prep my face the same way -
i start with Loreal's true match concealer
in N4 and then apply Laura Mercier's tinted
moisturizer in 'nude' - To even out my skin tone,
i lightly dust on MAC's refined golden bronzer
and then usually use Tawny blush by
Bobbi Brown with MAC's mineralize powder in 'gentle'.
 
To really emphasize the icy blue pink,
I applied MAC's swish as a base colour to
my shadow and then added it to the inner
tear-ducts once my eyemakeup was complete.
  I also used Whirl lipliner by MAC
and Covergirl's lipstick in 'iceblue pink':
This cool shade of pink looks lovely
when you pair it with other cool
toned colours, especially blues and
purples.  Have fun with this shade and
don't be afraid to try pink - its such a
feminine colour.  If the icy-blue pink
is not your colour and you're
very warmed toned, try a light, shimmery
peach shade - It looks fantastic if
you have that warm, spring colouring!!!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Preppy in Pictures

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Preppy Life - Part 1


 

I've written before that lately I've been

 inspired by the preppy, somewhat nautical style. 

When I think of true preppy, the word 'classic'

 seems to keep popping up!  I love the simplicity

of the style and how elegantly the look seems

to come together.  When I think about preppy,

I think of the following words and scenes: 

New England, Nautical, Ivy Leage, The Kennedy's,

Aristrocratic/Old Money, The Hamptons, Brooks Brothers etc. 

There are quite a few fashion stores that are

inspired by this look as well – Banana republic, GAP,

Old Navy, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, just to

name a few.  Stay tuned for some pictures of all the

things that inspire me to be more 'preppy':

 

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Fw: Blue Hydrangeas



Flowers are so fresh and pretty.  
They can change your mood instantly!!!  
One of my favourite flowers right now are Hydrangeas -
especially the blue and purple ones:  
 
 
Here is a poem 'Blue Hydrangrea' that has
been translated into English from German. 
THe original author of the poem is
Rainer Maria Rilke and was translated
by Jack Lohrmann:
 
Just as the remnant green in tinted pot
So are these leaves, now rough and wrecked
Behind the flower umbels, that reflect
Only a hue of blue, more do they not.
Reflected are they, tear-stained, imperfect,
As if this they were prone to cease,
And as in blue and aged paper leaves
There´s yellow within, grey and violet.
Faded like a washed-out pinafore
No longer worn and of so little use:
How do we our too-short life endure.
But suddenly a blue renewed is seen
Among one of the umbels, and I sense
A blue delighted, smiling at the green.
 
I especially love when Hydrangeas
are used for weddings.  I think they
look so classy and elegant:
 
 
 
 
 
This summer, I hope to surround myself
with the beauty of blue hydrangeas!!!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Putting My Best Face Forward


I wanted to share my 'everyday' makeup look!!!
Here are the products that I used:

FACE:
Loreal True match concealer in N4
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in 'Nude'
MAC's Refined Golden Bronzer'


BLUSH:
Bobbi Brown 'Tawny' Blush
MAC's mineralize blush in 'Gentle'
(on the apples of cheeks)


EYES:
Shroom eyeshadow as base (MAC)
Laura Mercier eyeshadow in 'Pewter'
on lid into crease
Teddy Eyeliner (MAC) - top and bottom lashline
Copperplate eyeshadow - MAC
(used to smudge teddy liner on the upper lashline only)
Loreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black


LIPS:
Spice Lipliner by Annabelle
Baroque Lipstick - Chanel

Here is the end result - a soft, neutral-toned and natural makeup look:

A Tribute to Beautiful Brunettes

I LOVE being a brunette!!! 
When I was in university I played around
with the idea of becoming a blond - all I can
say is that never has a haircolour looked so
horrible on a person, as blond did on me!!! 
I have no idea what I was thinking!!! 
I used to be very experimental with makeup and
haircolour, which I'm actually grateful for because
now I know what I like and what works for me. 
I've dyed my hair every colour from blond to black
to plum to copper and have had highlights galore! 
I've now learned to stick with what works for
me and what brings out my own personal healthy glow. 
The best thing about being a brunette is that there
are so many wonderful tones of brunette - everything
from chestnut to espresso to amber brown. 
My favourite shade of brunette is one that is very
rich-toned, almost with a burgundy-chestnut cast to it. 
 Here is my tribute to beautiful brunettes:
1) MOI:
2) Audrey Tautou
Not only is Audrey Tautou French and
fabulous, she also did a fantastic job in
portraying Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel in the
foreign film 'Coco Avant Chanel'. 
I love Audrey's dark brown, espresso like brunette hair:
3) Elizabeth Taylor:
I have always loved Elizabeth Taylor's 'Snow White' look
- her brunette hair is the darkest of browns, almost
verging on black:
4) Catherine Zeta Jones:
I love Catherine - to me, she has that
old Hollywood sophistication - while a lot of
celebrities seek out trends and whats 'in'
at the moment, Catherine has always been
true to her classic style.  She has also played
around with caramel and lighter highlights,
but always returns to her best shade -
a dark and rich brunette:
5) Audrey Hepburn:
What other woman exudes an
aura of class and elegance other than
Audrey Hepburn?  She is the epitome of class
- in the same sphere as Grace Kelly and Jackie O
in my opinion.  I think the reason so many people
love Audrey is that she is both sophisticated
and somewhat the girl next door!  I love her brunette shade
- a real espresso rich brown:
6) Jackie Onassis Kennedy:
I love Jackie's brunette hair in this photo -
it verges between a medium and dark brown and
has such a warm glow about it. 
7) Amanda Peet:
There is something about Amanda Peet that
I love so much - she has such a classy flair
about her and she is never afraid to be herself. 
Her makeup is always beautiful - she has described
herself as trying to acheive that 'less is more look'. 
Amanda Peet seems so genuine and girl next door.
I loved her in the movie 'Somethings Gotta Give" - her look
was so simple yet elegant.  Amanda has a beautiful brunette mane
-she often adds warm highlights and is able to achieve that warm
amber glow:
8) Cameron Diaz:
I made an exception for Cameron
in this category, as she is naturally a blond. 
Not everyone liked Cameron's change to a deep,
dark brunette, but I 'LOVED' it -
I thought that she looked so striking and sultry:
9) Sandra Bullock:
Sandra Bullock is the queen of the 'girl next door' look!
I love each and every romantic comedy she has ever
starred in - but my all time favourite has to be
"While you were sleeping".  I'm so glad that Sandra won
an oscar for "The Blind Side" - her acting was amazing!!!
I love Sandra's Caramel/Lighter brown highlights
in this photo:
10) Charlotte Casiraghi
Charlotte is the grand-daughter of the late
Grace Kelly.  She seems to have inherited
her grandmothers grace, sophstication and charm. 
I love Charlotte's brunette colour, as its a very
natural and fresh brunette: