Holiday Gift Ideas ~ 5 Fabulous Fashion Coffee Table Books

I love coffee table books. 

They are chic, they make a statement. 
A stack of gorgeous coffee table books not only looks beautiful, but also both serves as a fabulous fashion reference and is a reflection of your personal interests.


Coffee table books make gorgeous and meaningful gifts. Ideal for the fashion forward and the fashion fascinated, they are always much loved! 
If you are looking for a super cool holiday gift idea, check out these 5 fabulous coffee table books:

5 Fabulous Fashion Coffee Table Books

Veruschka: From Vera To Veruschka

Iconic beauty Veruschka was one of the biggest faces of the 60's.
Images of the actress and model still hold us in thrall today, serving as inspiration for makeup artists, designers, photographers and hair stylists alike.
This book has previously unpublished photos of Veruschka living la dolce vita from Rome to Capri, playing in Sardinina and along the Mediterranean coast.


Veruschka: From Vera to Veruschka

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

McQueen's absolute brilliance is celebrated in this gorgeous book that accompanied the Metropolitan Museum of Art's retrospective, and is considered the definitive reference to the career of Lee Alexander McQueen.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits Of An Icon

A rich and layered collection of one of the most celebrated actresses of all time, this beautiful book features both rare and iconic images of Audrey. An incredible reference book as well as an absolutely lovely gift.

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon

W Stories by Stefano Tonchi

W magazine is world renowned for it's avant garde fashion editorials. Wild, whimsical, magical - W editorials can be spectacular! 

This book looks at 10 of the most sensational stories, each in it's entirety, with never before seen outtakes. Each story  was the centerpiece of it's issue.

A special code inside the book gives you access to short films shot durig the shoots of Steven Meisel, Alex Prager, Steven Klein and Tim Walker.

W: Stories

Tom Ford

This book chronicles the career of the incredible Tom Ford from 1994 to 2004 during his Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent days. Not just his clothing and accessories for both brands, but his grand vision for the complete design of a brand including architecture, store design and advertising.

Published to coincide with his departure from Gucci, the book was created with Ford's co-operation, and every page reflects his exceptional taste. It is Ford's testament to a career of singular moments reinventing the boundaries of style and sensuality in clothing.

Tom Ford

Paint It Black ~ A Guide To The Perfect Eyeliner Wardrobe - Beauty Tip Of The Week #37

With party season here, there’s no better time to think about restocking the foundation of your makeup arsenal: your collection of black eye pencils. Check out these major eyeliner picks from makeup artist Mark Carrasquillo, found in an interview with him on Vogue.com

image source: Vogue.com

A Pro's Guide To Painting It Black

Still fixated on the wave of darkly modern eyes spotted on the runways this past September in the form of pixie dots at Vuitton and graphic arches at Fendi, we turned to editorial makeup artist Mark Carrasquillo, who shared his advice on assembling the ultimate dark eyeliner wardrobe and the absolute best pigments to invest in. That is, with one noteworthy exception. “I am saying no to gel liner!” Carrasquillo admits with a laugh. “You never get a straight, smooth line. It just complicates the matter.” All the better to make room in your makeup bag for those eight new black pencils you just ordered.

The Goal: A Smudgy Waterline

A sooty, lived-in waterline etched in kohl—or “an updated version of how you imagine Kate [Moss] used to look back in the ’90s”—is Carrasquillo’s current obsession. “I was working on set with this girl who can close her eye on the pencil and run it back and forth, so she gets the top and bottom at the same time—it’s a very sexy way to do liner without looking retro at all.” Carrasquillo recommends formulas with a drier consistency, like NARS Black Moon pencil or Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil for waterline coverage, since they have the right equation of slip versus hold. “If it’s too wet, it just moves all over your face and then it’s a big mess—you look more Alice Cooper than sexy.” Chubby kajal sticks are also a great tool for any eyeliner novice aiming for this look, according to Carrasquillo. “A fat pencil gives you a little bit more leeway in handling it.”

The Goal: A Graphic Liquid Flick

Forever a fan of liquid formulas and graphic looks, Carrasquillo leans toward Make Up For Ever’s inky liners across the board and loves 

Tom Ford’s dual-ended Eye Defining Pen. “If you’re really good and you have a steady hand, you use liquid eyeliner—that’s a staple. Every girl wants to be that girl.” His 19-year-old daughter, Nico-Lou (@NicoLouMonheimCarrasquillo), a black eyeliner enthusiast, gives Sephora’s Long Lasting 12HR Wear Eye Liner five stars for staying power. No matter which brands he gives her to test, says Carrasquillo, “she always calls me later and says, ‘You know what? The Sephora one just doesn’t move, it’s perfect.’ ”

The Goal: A Soft, Smoky Haze

For a Bardot-inspired French girl line, a powder eyeshadow—applied with an angled brush—keeps the borders hazy and romantic. “I actually like pressing powder along the lash line if you want something a little fuzzier and a little softer—not a hard edge.” Kevyn Aucoin’s Essential Eyeshadow in Blackest Black works wet or dry when applied with an angled brush. Carrasquillo warns that whatever you do, make sure that the pigment absolutely hugs your lash line. “The thing I hate is when you don’t get the black really close to the lashes and you see a separation of a little bit of skin.”

Winterize Your Beauty Game ~ Makeup And Lingerie

I love beautiful lingerie, and let's face it - what woman doesn't?

Blue lingerie set from AdoreMe.com

When you are moving through your day wearing gorgeous underpinnings you walk with more confidence (which is totally sexy) your clothes drape beautifully on your body and you just feel fabulous.

One of my favorite purveyors of intimate apparel is Adore Me.
(Find them at AdoreMe.com)
They have a cool quiz you can take that helps profile your personal lingerie loves, and from there they direct you to styles that work your particular shape, size and style. Its awesome.
You can buy as you go, or you can sign up for a monthly delivery.
And what's not to love about that??

Adore Me has just made 4 fabulous pairings of super sexy lingerie for winter, and the perfect makeup looks to go with them.
They asked me for my product choices to help you create each look.
As you transition your makeup look from fall into winter here are some key makeup items to add to your makeup bag. They will not only look fabulous with these lovely lingerie items, but also with your winter jeans and sweaters, little black dress, business suit, or whatever else you are wearing!

Look 1: Nataleigh Unlined

I am obsessed with this color. The deep cranberry tone of this lovely lacy set is so moody and beautiful!
To create the metallic eye and bold berry mouth start by lining the eye and then smudging the liner to take the harsh edges off. Instead of black, try Charlotte Tilbury Rock' n' Kohl liner in Marlene Midnight. When you have it nice and smudgy go over the eyelid with a soft metallic shadow. Instead of the metallic golds and bronzes we played with over the summer months, give yourself an icier feel with a grey metallic like Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Mysterio. The key is to keep your application light and blend away the edges.
To play up the deep berry hue of this gorgeous set you need a great lip game. My favorite new lip for winter, that looks equally killer with a soft creamy sweater and jeans or with a little black dress is the combination of MAC Lip liner in Beet and the power shade of matte lipstick in All Fired Up. I am wearing this lip every day. 

Look 2: Alicia

This look requires a red lip, which can feel really overwhelming if you don't normally wear red lips. I posted about my favorite red lips for the holidays a couple of weeks ago with a series of bright, bold, in your face red lipsticks, but not everyone wants a red lip that fierce. If you want a red lip that is less fiesty try cult favorite Lipstick Queen semi sheer Medieval. When you want to fire it up and make it bolder just use a bolder lip liner, when you want to keep it more subtle just pat it on with your finger. 

Look 3: Mandy

To pull off this look you need a deep, dark, inky eyeliner. I love Makeup Forever's Ink Liner. It's jet black, and the applicator has a calligraphy tip that lets you apply it with razor sharp precision. 

One of the best ways to offset red - be it red lingerie or a red dress, is with a nude lip. This season I'm loving Tom Ford Lip Color in Blush Nude. This is a great color as it doesn't wash the skin out, its pretty and luxurious and goes with everything in your closet. It plays beautifully with a bright red as well as a scarlet red, like the bra pictured below. Which, by the way, I am also obsessing over.

You can find it on the Adore Me website

The Shopping List:

Makeup Forever Ink Liner
Charlotte Tilbury Rock ' n 'Kohl Eyeliner in Marlene Midnight
Chanel Illusion D'Ombre metallic shimmer eyeshadow in Mysterio
Mac Lip Liner in Beet
MAC Matte lipstick in All Fired Up
Lipstick Queen Medieval
Tom Ford Lip Color in Blush Nude


Check out the Adore Me Holiday Gift Guide in the video below:

8 Fashion Films To Watch This Holiday Season

The holiday break is the perfect time to light the candles you got for Christmas, curl up on the couch with your beautiful new throw, a glass of wine, and start binge watching fashion films on Netflix (or whichever streaming device you are using).

Here are some movies to put on your glam list:

8 Fashion Films You Should Watch This Holiday Season 

8. Unzipped

This documentary follows Isaac Mizrahi as he creates his 1994 winter collection. Made in the heydey of the real supermodels, the film features Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell - the triumverate.

It's fabulous and funny and delightful.

Unzipped

7. To Catch A Thief

This has to be one of the most stylish movies of all time.

Perhaps the greatest collaboration between Hollywood costuming icon Edith Head, actress Grace Kelly and director Alfred Hitchcock, this film is a visual feast for any lover of fashion.

To Catch A Thief (1955)

6. Valentino: The Last Emporer

Valentino Garavani opened his first store in 1959. In 2007 he announced his retirement, heralding the end of an era. Valentino was the last of the old school of designers, a collective that counted Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy among its ranks. This documentary follows his last 2 years as a designer, gives the uninitiated a window into why he is and was so important in the fashion world, and is magnificent for every great lover of fashion.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

5. Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's

Bergdorf Goodman's is an American institution, and this film explains why. From the planning that goes into their legendary windows to what it means to a designer to have their work there, Scatter gives you a no holds barred look behind the scenes.

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's

4. The September Issue

The Devil Wears Prada's brutal depiction of Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour prompted Wintour to reply with a film of her own. The September Issue gives you a real look inside the creation of the biggest issue of the year, and shows you just how powerful she is in the fashion industry.

The September Issue

3. Dior And I

When Raf Simons took over the reins at the house of Dior in  2012 he had a mere 8 weeks to create his first Haute Couture collection, instead of the normal 6 months. Frederic Tcheng, who is also behind the incredible Valentino: The Last Emporer and Diana Vreeland: The Eye Must Travel, takes us on a behind the scenes look at Simons' stressful first few months, with attention given to the incredible seamstresses who brought his vision to life.

Dior & I

2. Yves Saint Laurent

A look at the life of legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he et his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. 

Yves Saint Laurent

1. Mademoiselle C

This documentary is about former Vogue Paris Editor-In-Chief and supreme fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld as she launches her magazine, CR Fashion Book.

Carine is one of the most important stylists of our time, and her story is important for any devout follower of fashion.

Mademoiselle C

Want Flawless, Gorgeous Looking Skin? Add Oil. ~ Beauty Tip Of The week #38

So how is your skin doing right now?
If yours is anything like mine it's starting to feel the effects of the colder weather. Cold weather stresses our skin out. It makes it sensitive and irritated, it dries our skin out.
The holiday season adds to this, because we are running around more, going to parties and events (alcohol + tiredness), going out at night shopping (stress + cold weather) and even though the holidays are tons of fun, they are exhausting.
If you are traveling there is another layer of chaos to add in to your equation, and it becomes super visible on your skin.

I couldn't figure out what was up with my skin. My foundation started looking really flat and lifeless, and nothing seemed to be working. I tried a bunch of different things before I realized what was up - I wasn't using a facial oil.

When I talk about facial oils people freak out

The old way of thinking was that facial oils would give us acne. They don't.

The new breed of super facial oils work magic on the skin.

Plenty of them are super antioxidants. They are incredibly nourishing and hydrating. They prevent water loss, sensitivities and irritation.

Facial Oils make your makeup look gorgeous!

From the makeup point of view facial oil make the skin look smooth and glowing. A couple of drops of a really good facial oil before your moisturizer will make your foundation glide on beautifully and smoothly, and give you the most gorgeous, healthy looking skin.

Which Oil Should You Use?

There are lots of different oils to choose from.

Personally I adore products with Camellia Oil. I am a firm believer that the most effective lip balms are the ones that contain camellia oil. My all time favorite face oil has a camellia oil base too.

I use Tatcha's Camellia Beauty Oil. It calms your skin when it is feeling sensitive or irritated, it hydrates it when it feels dry. This is one of those products that gives you an instant result - you see the difference immediately, and know you just did something very right for your complexion!

It also contains 24 karat gold which gives your skin a really sensual glow.

Tatcha Camellia Beauty Oil even comes in a travel size, which is perfect to take onboard your flight with you, and if you are a little nervous about adding an oil to your skin care regimen, is perfect as a trial product.

Check it out at tatcha.com

Camellia Beauty Oil

Makeup Mistakes To avoid This Holiday Season

ScarJo wearing beautiful, Instagram-free makeup

With the holiday season in full swing you've no doubt got tons of parties and events lined up to take you all the way through to New Years Eve.
You've already planned out your outfits, your accessories and your hairdo so that you look and feel super glam at each and every event, now lets make sure you don't ruin your look by making any of the following makeup mistakes.

 8 Makeup Mistakes To Avoid This Holiday Season

Too Much Makeup

The more makeup tutorials girls watch, the more makeup they pile on. Don't get caught up in all the makeup steps you see online - makeup is meant to enhance your features, not smother them. 
Seriously, less is more.

Contouring Like An Instagrammer

Looking at a face that has been over-contoured makes your brain hurt. Makeup artists have been contouring forever, but not the way you see it on Instagram. We artfully apply a little highlight here and a little shade there to bring out the best features in the face. The key is to be subtle and to be so well blended that you can't see it with the naked eye. 
The nonsense that is still all over Instagram is like a very bad joke.
Heavy product, sitting on the surface of the skin (instead of blended away to almost nothingness) shaded too light and too dark, flagrantly abusing color theory and totally visible to the naked eye is really bad makeup.
Do yourself a favor: don't look at Instagram before you do your makeup!

Stoppppp!

Treating Your Face Like A Makeup Chart

When you treat your face like a makeup chart you start to look like a caricature of yourself. It's super unflattering. 
Instead of following the Instagrammers, focus on creating a gorgeous complexion with sheer foundation and a soft creamy blush. Leave the drag queen look to the drag queens - remember these goddesses of the night use this extreme makeup chart makeup to take their larger, more manly features and turn them into soft, female features. They have reason to do it. You don't.

Instagram Eyebrows

I'm not sure which bothers me more. Instagram contour or Instagram eyebrows.
Eyebrows are one of the most important features on the face. They help give the visage dimension, frame and open the eye, and create balance. 
I am all for a well defined brow, but these crazy, squared off, ferocious brows that are all over the IG look plain stupid. 

Too Much Foundation

Foundation shouldn't be a thick, opaque layer that obliterates the skin. It's job is to create the illusion of perfect, glowing, healthy, even toned skin. Keep your formulation sheer, and blend it well. The person standing next to you should be thinking you have a gorgeous complexion, and shouldn't be able to see foundation sitting on the surface of your skin.

Mis-Matched Foundation

Your foundation shade should ideally match the skin color at your collarbone. Your face shouldn't be any lighter or darker than your decolletage.

Putting Trend Before Reason

Don't be too obsessed with trends in makeup. Find out what works for your face, and do that. 
If a matte oxblood pout is all the rage and you have thin small lips, do a sheer, glossy neutral instead. If dark, smoky eyes are the biggest thing in makeup, but you have deep set eyes or heavy bags under your eyes, you will just draw more attention to those features.
Colors that are on trend might not suit your skin tone, makeup styles that are in vogue might not work your face shape. 

Dull Lipstick

Party season lips need to have a pop of bright color. Dull, brown lips drag your face down. The idea is to look bright and vivacious.

If bright colors feel overwhelming, at least give yourself a pretty, colored gloss.

Gift Ideas For The Beauty Junkie

Do you have a beauty junkie on your gift list?
Make your shopping easy by checking out some of the fabulous beauty gifts available at beauty emporium Space NK. Everything is available online.

The Oribe Gold Lust Collection $95 is designed to restore hair to it's most beautiful,  glossy, healthy state with luxurious healing oils and extracts. Nothing smells as beautiful as Oribe in your hair.

The Rodial Bee Venom Collection The bee venom paired synergystically with plant stem cells in these incredible products visibly improves skin tone and elasticity, giving firmer, younger looking skin. This one is on the cutting edge of skin care technology. 

Laura Mercier Kiss Of Color Lip Glace Collection $50
is a set of high shine glosses that are moisturizing, anti-aging and lip plumping.

Kat Burki Body Collection $85
Exclusive to Space NK this collection hellps heal weather damaged hands, scrub away dead skin cells, and restore dry lips.

Nudestix Go Nude Collection $49 these creamy all in one lip liner, lipstick and cheek color pencils give a soft, subtle, natural tint.

Me Smooth At Home Hair Removal System $395 
Me' is the only at-home hair removal device to use patented elos technology that is clinically proven and FDA cleared to be safe and effective for all skin types and tones. Gentle, easy to use and just minutes a treatment, now you can experience the freedom of silky, smooth skin without the hassles of shaving and waxing.