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.

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:

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.

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!!!

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':

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!!!

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: