Ruby Wooooo

When beauty, nature, eastern mysticism and New York boho chic all come together the result is an edgy cool, modern and unique jewelry line called Ruby Kobo.

Yuvi Alpert, the back packing son of a diamond dealer, and Danna Kobo, jewelry designer combined their talents to create pieces that are neither too masculine nor too dainty, and not necessarily gender specific. Their pieces are intended to be layered, and easily manoeuvre  from  fashion day wear to glamourous evening wear.

Yuvi's travels through South America and East Asia gave him a love of ancient eastern mysticism which features predominantly in Ruby Kobo's deigns, where high quality materials such as rubies, diamonds and gold meet up with pave lined hasma hands, Tibetan masks and Tulsi wood beads.

Their intense attention to detail has made them a celebrity favorite, with a client list that includes Rihanna, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts.

Julia Roberts in Ruby Kobo

Naomi Watts wearing Ruby Kobo at the premiere of Nine

Yuvi Alpert in the original Gold Hasma Pendant

Lindsay Lohan is a big fan of the Ruby Kobo Sashi bracelets, which have faceted crystals and studs enmeshed in brightly colored woven cords.

Whether you're looking for a simple something special to wear with Levis and a t-shirt or for something to dress up your LBD, check out Ruby Kobo

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick

"A matte lip is very modern, whether in nude or deeply pigmented"
So said celebrity favorite makeup designer Francois Nars at the launch of his first new lipstick line in 15 years, Nars Pure Matte Lipstick.

I've written about these before, but am so enjoying wearing and working with them at the moment that I figured they are well worth another mention.

The key to wearing a matte lipstick is to always choose a very hydrating formula so that the lip is well conditioned and doesn't dry out and flake. Nars collection has ingredients such as acai oil, wild mango butter and Vitamin E to keep your kisser  moisturized and soft.

The collection features fall perfect shades of aubergine, rose, red, nude and plum, with glamour filled jet set names such as Vesuvio, Bangkok, Volga Terre de Feu and Tashkent.

The launch of Nars Pure Matte Lipstick Collection included this fabulous mini movie featuring model Heather Marks wearing the bold, red Vesuvio.

Perfect!

Hot Reds!

If you only buy one item of makeup this season, it needs to be red lipstick.

And not just any old red.

Stay away from the deeper, moodier reds, avoid burgundy reds, brown reds and dark reds. This season is all about a bright, vibrant, fiery red. An uplifting, exciting explosion of red.

The brighter the better!

Everyone is asking me for my favorite reds, so in no specific order, 

here is my list of the best reds for fall 2010

Nars Jungle Red.

Bright, bold and incredibly beautiful.

The name alone evokes a fun time!

Australian transplant Poppy King has her fabulous Lipstick Queen line

with two formulations, the sheer Saints and the all pigment, no shimmer Sinners

of which she says" its positively naughty to get lipstick this opaque, rich and creamy, with a matte, silky finish"

She had me at "positively naughty"!

Check out her Red Sinner

UK brand Illamasqua has two to absolutely die for

Maneater, which is a classic matte red, with a movie star quality to it.

and Tramp, which is a true red, but with a soft warmth to it. 

Very pigmented, but not thick or heavy.

At Dolce and Gabbana Pat McGrath designed two killer reds

Iconic is an opaque, bright, long wearing, very bold, very classic red.

Not for the faint of heart

 and Ruby Classic Cream (not to be confused with Ruby Lipstick)

which has a subtle blue base to it.

Lorac Leading Lady is a creamy, slightly orange red

with a bright sheen as opposed to a high gloss.

It is both moisturizing and wears very evenly.

Tom Ford's Private Blend lipsticks are super expensive at $45 each,

but contain exotic ingredients such as soja seed extract, Brazilian murmuru butter

and chamomilla flower oil, which not only give an extremely creamy finish

to the lip, eliminating any dryness, but also help the lipstick to stay on,

cancelling out excessive reapplying.

And nothing gets his name on it without being truly amazing!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks are both high fashion,

and luminous. Check out Shade No 1 le Rouge

And what really great story doesn't have a high heel connection?

At Jonathan Saunders makeup artist Lucia Pieroni matched the model's lips to 

the soles of their Louboutins, giving MAC's Ruby Woo the moniker

"Louboutin Red"

Love it.

Ombre Magnetique

I don't get into Lancome products too often,

but this one I love.

Ombre Magnetique is a mousse like cream eye shadow

with a sheer, buildable color,

so you can have the softest hue on your lids,

or build it to some vibrant intensity.

It wears well and is really quite lovely.

Ombre Magnetique comes in three shades:

Urban Silver, Black Macadam and Cherry Cherie

While at the Lancome counter check out a couple of items

from designer L'Wren Scott.

Angelina Joile in L'Wren Scott at Benjamin Button premiere

NIcole Kidman in L'Wren Scott December 2008

Le Vernis L'Wren nail polishes are quite fabulous.

le Gris L'Wren was originally developed as the finishing touch

to her Fall/Winter 2010/2011 show,

but is now available to us all

le Rouge L'Wren is quite gorgeous too

Chanel Cruise Collection, Venice Runway Show

Sometimes some of the most sensational moments in fashion are so fleeting they are missed or forgotten too quickly, even when their artistic merit can be seen and felt for seasons to come.
I still can't stop looking at this amazing and inspirational show.


Last year Karl Lagerfeld unveiled his 2009/2010 Chanel Cruise Collection at dusk at the legendary Grand Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort.

In the 1920's every refined member of international aristocracy could be found  lounging on Lido beach. Coco Chanel arrived in 1920 and was not only inspired by this artistic and magnificent city, but drawn to the fashionable people who frequented it.

A combination of Coco's love of Venice, and her annual trip to this particular stretch of Italian beach made this the perfect location for the retro-glam resort wear collection.

Man Ray's iconic portrait of the wildly eccentric Italian heiress Marchesa Luisa Casati became the inspiration for the makeup.

The dark decadence of Venice high society in the 20's and 30's, the melancholy magic of this moody city, and the dusty colors of her crumbling facades all contributed to an incredible makeup look that is still relevant to this season, albeit slightly softened.

The exaggerated smoky eye, with thick eye gloss, the immaculate satin-matte pallor with muted soft lips and cheeks, all work beautifully for fall 2010.

At dusk in Venice you feel, taste and breathe the looming magic as it steals your senses and cloaks you in drama and anticipation

I love the sheer madness and beauty of this image.

And now of course, I am dying to get back to Venice...

Fabulous Taurus!

I'm always in the mood for a great pair of boots.

Right now I'm looking for a killer pair to wear with jeans etc

that have height, but that are also super comfortable to stand in all day.

Because when I'm on a shoot, I am typically standing all day.

Check these out.

Jimmy Choo Taurus, suede shearling boot.

Probably the most comfortable high heeled boot I have ever tried on.

(unfortunately at $1295, they haven't made it past the frequent trying on stage. Yet.)

Taurus comes in two shades, khaki and tan.

The tan is to die for.

The 115mm/4.6" stacked heel is counter-balanced with an inner platform

so the height is super easy to walk in.

The lug sole not only looks cool, but also gives extra support and grip.

Empowering!

Ankles are well supported too.

This boot is not only great with pants, but looks fabulous with skirts and dresses.

Love it!

Meet My New Love - Opal!

If you've been following this blog or watching my segments on SheknowsTV then you will already know that I am obsessed with my Clarisonic, and love skin care products that give you an immediate, visible result. (I'm not overly into waiting for months for a possible remedy.)

So imagine how excited I was when the two came together! The brilliant team at Clarisonic decided to target the eye area - the first place out faces show signs of aging, and created just for you and me, the Opal.

The amazing Opal Sonic Infusion System takes the already proven sonic technology and with a soft applicator tip delivers 7500 micro massages per minute, kneading a specially formulated 

PRO RT3 anti aging sea serum into the outer layers of the skin. In just one minute Opal hydrates, smooths, soothes and brightens the eye area, with results that last for hours.

You see an immediate result, the first time you use it. So technically, they had me at hello.

Opal visibly reduces fine lines, under eye puffiness and dark circles, drastically.

The anti aging sea serum counts as your eye cream, and with the sonic delivery system taking it deeper into the epidermis you see a level of hydration that seems to last longer throughout the day than other eye products do. 

The skin around the eye area glows, looks radiant and over the course of a couple of weeks I felt it was much firmer too.

Personally I see a huge difference in how makeup goes on, how well it wears, and how well it lasts since I started using the Opal. Typically the first place that your makeup starts looking icky is the under eye area, but with the Opal the skin under the eye stays so much more hydrated and firmer, that at the end of the day under eye makeup is still looking smooth, balanced and new. All of which make a girl look more youthful!

The Opal Sonic Infusion System comes with the anti aging sea serum and an extra applicator tip, both of which you replace as needed.

Love, love, love it!