The Absolute Perfect Red-crimson Lip

Ever since I saw Jessica Chastain’s amazing lip color in Miss Sloane I have been obsessed with finding the ultimate red-crimson lipstick.

I have searched high and low for a color even close to the Miss Sloane lip, but everything I found was too something. Too red (and not all of us can pull off red lips every day) or not blue enough, or too dull, too dark, too pinky, or too lifeless.

On shoots I will just mix up the color I want or need, but in my daily life I need to have a lipstick I can grab and go.

I got super lucky a couple of weeks back when Tarte

sent me a box of makeup to use on my Luca Magazine Spring 2017shoots. The box contained the entire collection of lip paints, and in there was the absolute perfect red-crimson. For me this is the color of the season, and let me tell you why.

Red is great, but it can be overwhelming. For those of us who aren’t supermodels red isn’t always a win, and isn’t always the perfect shade. Sometimes it just feels too much. Sometimes a red lip feels like too much work.

Red can cross the line between projecting confidence and projecting sex-bomberage. One of the reasons I loved Jessica Chastain’s lip in Miss Sloane was that it at all times made you feel that she was in charge, she was powerful, she was strong, but at the same time it eluded the overtly sexy connotations of a traditional red.

Red-crimson is still a sexy color. It’s just a little more manageable. And it’s also a little unpredictable. It goes with so much more in your closet than a regular red does.

 

It looks quite pinky here, but Fly is actually deeper and less pink.
(see Jessica Chastain picture above)

It makes your teeth and the whites of your eyes look sparkling white. It compliments cool skin tones exquisitely, and it leaves your lips looking a little bitten, which is quite alluring!

For spring/summer 2017 bold lips are a major makeup trend. Red-crimson gives you a power lip, but it is a power lip that fires up the gorgeous tones in your skin, looks stunning with a tan, and once again – it goes with verything!

The Tarte red-crimson is in their new Lip Paint collection so it has a matte finish and lasts all day. The color is Fly.

Tarte cosmetics are available at Ulta, Sephora, and on the Tarte website.

There's A Right Way To Burn A Candle...

Did you know that there is a "right" way to burn a candle???
I burn them in my home all the time, but I never thought about there being a right or wrong way to do so.

Tonight, shortly after lighting the candles in my living room, (and not pouring myself a glass of wine because it's dry January) I read this article on Vogue.com and figured maybe some of you would find it interesting too.
That is, if you don't already know the right way to burn a candle...

There’s a Right Way to Burn a Candle: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

by Mackenzie Wagoner for Vogue.com

Malin Goetz Vetivier candle is crisp and clean with notes of fruit and citrus,cloves, cedarwood and vetivier. Available at Space NK

’Tis the season for hibernation. No matter what’s driving you indoors—the recent snow flurries, dipping temperatures, early night falls, or merely disheartening headlines, few things will help you dodge the winter blues like the warm glow of a candle. But whether you crave the inviting fragrance of a fireplace, or the soft, sleep-inducing notes of fresh violets, there’s more to burning a candle than lighting a match. Expert candle burning requires etiquette—a precise art of what, when, and how. According to Alia Raza, cofounder of the conceptual fragrance house Régime des Fleurs (which recently debuted its first collection of candles), sloppy candle maintenance can lead to a lopsided wick that burns more glass than wax, while bad scent judgment could ruin a dinner party. From the importance of lids to picking the best fragrance for every room in your house, here, Raza shares the four simple precepts on how to burn a candle like a grown-up.

Diptique Genevrier smells like Juniper berries. Available at Space NK

Before You Burn, Always Trim
Wick length is a kind of goldilocks variable that can swiftly cut the life of your candle short. Especially with larger candles, which provide more surface area for drifting, a curt wick length will ensure a straighter burn. Trim it right before you burn it every time you burn it, says Raza. As far as length is concerned, “I’ve heard that wicks should be a quarter of an inch, but in my experience, that’s too short,” she says, describing how a diminutive wick can drown and extinguish in molten wax. “Eyeball it for a third of an inch. You can use a special wick trimmer, but I just use small scissors that I keep in a drawer.”

House of Harlow candle set .
Each candle is different: Midnight Moon, Flower Child and Saint James.
Available online at Revolve.com

Consider the Setting
The urge to light a beautiful candle is hard to ignore, but restraint is occasionally necessary. For example, scented candles should never be lit at the table. “Unless you’ve designed your entire meal to be enjoyed around that scent, it’s not appropriate during a meal,” says Raza. A candlelit dinner should only occur with the help of fragrance-free pillars or tea lights. Dens become more welcoming with masculine notes like wood, leather, and cashmere. “It’s more of a cozy, old-world smell,” says Raza, who developed her first collection of candles, Artefacts, with specific rooms in mind. Bathrooms and offices share olfactory requirements for cool, bright scents that smell clean and keep you alert. “A mint candle is not going to put you to sleep,” recommends Raza. Meanwhile, bedrooms call for softer notes like iris and iris root, while, “Violet is nice for a more feminine side.” And white florals will send an inviting message in entranceways, “but really, they’re beautiful anywhere.”

Jo Malone Basil and Neroli candle, available online at Nordstrom

Keep It Lit
“In general, when you burn a candle, and especially the first time you burn it, you want to burn it for about two hours or more, depending on the size of the candle,” says Raza. The idea here is that the entire top layer becomes molten before you extinguish it. “That means the whole surface will burn evenly so it won’t create those dips,” which can deepen, creating a cavernous hole for the wick that can, with run off from the surrounding walls of wax, become permanently lost.

Voluspa Japonica Goji Tarocco Orange candle, available online at Nordstrom.com

Extinguish Gently
Splashes of wax and tilts of wicks are often the result of blowing out a candle with too much force. Sniffers will cut this possibility out of the equation entirely, but Raza recommends gently blowing on the wick and immediately covering the extinguished candle with a lid. “All candles should come with a lid,” says Raza, explaining, “There’s nothing worse than blowing out your candle before you go to sleep to find that your entire room suddenly smells like smoke.” A lid will also keep dust and dirt from settling on your candle wax—just further insurance that you and your candle enjoy a long, beautiful life together.

 Find more articles like this on Vogue.com

Nicole Kidman's Makeup Golden Globes 2017

Nicole Kidman is guaranteed red carpet gold.
She understands the medium, has the panache to pull off any look she wants, whether she is going classic old Hollywood or avant garde nouveau.

I was really disappointed with many of the red carpet makeup looks this golden globes. The looks I liked from a distance looked like un-powdered drag up close. But Nicole's makeup was on point. Probably because of her collaboration with one of my favorite makeup artists, Charlotte Tilbury.

I found the breakdown of Nicole's makeup on People.com

Here is an exerpt from the original article, written by Juliann Ruffo

Nicole Kidman's Glam Squad Takes Us Inside Her Globes Prep

At Sunday night’s Golden Globe awards, Nicole Kidman continued her reign as a red carpet queen, opting for a metallic, sequin encrusted Alexander McQueen gown with statement sleeves and equally dazzling hair and makeup. And because we needed to know exactly how to re-create her look, we tapped her pros — who shared their secrets.

Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury tells PeopleStyle of the inspiration behind her makeup look, “Her look is dreamy, ethereal, and has a little bit of a rock chick kind of edge to it. She’s wearing a beautiful Alexander McQueen dress that’s tulle and silver, its dreamy.”

Image via People.com

To prep Kidman’s skin, Tilbury applied her new sheet mask, which launches next month, and she describes as an “instant celebrity facial.” Then, she applied her world famous Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, followed by her Magic Foundation.

Next, the pro filled in Kidman’s eyebrows with a brow gel, before moving onto her eye shadow. First up? The champagne shade from her Uptown Girl eye shadow palette, followed by the minky grey shade all over her lids and underneath her lower lash lines.

image via People.com and Charlotte Tilbury

Then, in order to create the metallic sheen on Kidman’s lids, Tilbury used the glittery silver shade from her  Rock Chick palette, applying it all over the lid using her fingers. “It really plays with the light and picks up the light really beautifully,” she says, adding that she then added a wing with a charcoal grey eye liner, and lined her waterlines with a shimmery brown pencil.

To top it all off, Tilbury added a few swipes of Full Fat Lashes mascara, a bit of contour on her cheeks and temples, and blush on the apples of her cheeks. On her lips? “Kidman’s Kiss — a color that I specifically mixed for her. It’s her favorite lipstick,” Tilbury says.

Lily Collins Makeup Golden Globes 2017

Did you just love Lily Collins' makeup at the Golden Globes this year???

It was probably my favorite look of them all. 

In fact there was plenty of makeup on the red carpet this year that I personally thought was ghastly.

What I loved about Lily's was that it looked fresh.

I always love a makeup that focuses on clean skin, accented brows (without them being Instagram brows!) softly rounded cheeks, and a bold lip. In this case a red/crimson bold lip.

I managed to get the scoop on Lily's lipstick. The shade is so sensational! Note how it compliments and works with the pinks in her eye shadow and dress. It is a perfect shade for spring/summer.

She was wearing Nars Audacious Lipstick in Shirley.

You can order it online at Nordstrom

The 2017 Golden Globes Red Carpet

It's the 74th Golden Globes! This evening's red carpet had a major metallic trend. Metallic black, metallic silvers and golds, we also saw pops of color like the spring yellows on Natalie Portman, Viola Davis and Reese Witherspoon.

Here is a look at the Golden Globes 2017 Red Carpet.

Amy Adams in black metallic Tom Ford

Kristen Bell in black metallic sequinned Jenny Packham

Mandy Moore in Naeem Kahn

Lily Collins all feathered brows and bold red lips in Zuhair Murad Couture. Loved her updo with braids.



Drew Barrymore in silver metallic Monique Lhiullier.
I wasn't a fan of the hair and makeup.

Very pregnant Natalie Portman refined a la Jackie O in yellow Prada.

Reese Witherspoon in yellow Atelier Versace

Viola Davis in gleaming yellow Michael Kors Collection

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton Sleek platinum hair with a black choker that pulled the entire look together.





Jessica Chastain another braid and a soft blue Prada

Emma Stone in pink Valentino with metallic stars

Kerry Washington in golden Dolce and Gabbana Moda Couture. As usual her makeup was fiercely on point. Absolute perfection.

Priyanka Chopra in Ralph Lauren

Sienna Miller in white sequinned Michael Kors

Olivia Culpo in Zuhair Murad

Emily Ratajkowski in golden Reem Acra

BEST BROWS

I wasn't that impressed with a lot of the makeup on the red carpet tonight. But I did see some lovely brows (and some hideous ones).
Here are the brows I liked:

Natalie Portman

Lily Collins

Michelle Williams



Sienna Miller

Jessica Biel

Emily Ratajkowski

Do you make New Year's resolutions?
I don't.
I makes lists of goals, put them in goal books, and put them on my vision board. Then I check in on them throughout the year, measure up how well I'm doing or not doing, and try to figure my way into achieving them.
Sometimes I do well, sometimes I completely suck at it, but regardless, every January I regroup, re-plan, re-goal.

Harpers Bazaar published an article on the most popular New Year's Resolutions for 2017. Are any of these on your list?

THE MOST POPULAR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS OF 2017

Where did yours rank?

by Amy de Klerk

Twitter has revealed the most popular New Year's resolutions that had people talking as we rang in 2017, highlighting what most people want to change about themselves in the coming year.

Diet and exercise predictably lead the pack after an inevitable overindulgence during the festive period, while many people also have a strong desire be more knowledgeable in the year ahead by reading more or picking up a new skill or hobby.

1. Diet, exercise and weight loss

After so many mince pies and glasses of Prosecco were inevitably consumed over the Christmas period, it is to be expected that most people want to set fitness goals for the New Year. If this is one of your resolutions, read our seven simple rules for getting fit in 2017.

2. Read more

Rather more surprisingly than aiming to get in shape, people are pushing themselves to read more in 2017. Need some inspiration? We have selected the 10 books you need to read in your lifetime, or why not try reading one of these nine books before the films come out this year.

3. Learn something new

As well as finishing more books, people are keen to broaden their horizons by acquiring a new skill or picking up another hobby. Pottery, tennis or a new language perhaps?

4. Save money

The hope to waste less money in 2017 came in fourth place. If this was one of your resolutions, why not see our guide on how to make more money so that it's even easier to save more of those pennies in the next few months. If you aren't successful however, just remember that it is love, not money, that determines happiness.

5. Be nicer, kinder and more patient

The aim to be a better person rang true for a lot of people this year. Why not take some inspiration from some of the women who inspired us in 2016?

6. Get a new job

If you see 2017 as a chance to change your career, take some inspiration from the 20 best companies to work for in the UK and then head over here to find out how to ace a job interview.

7. Volunteer and donate more to charity

One of the more selfless resolutions came in the form of giving more money to charity or spending more time volunteering to help the less fortunate. You could help those suffering in Aleppo, here are five ways to do something about it now.

8. Drink less alcohol

Whether you're attempting Dry January or not, it seems a lot of people are hoping to cut down their alcohol intake. Here are some tips if you are going cold turkey.

9. Get more sleep and relax more

With such busy lives, it's no wonder lots of people are hoping to have a more relaxing 2017. See our tips on how to get your beauty sleep or if you're having trouble with insomnia, use this breathing trick.

10. Make new friends and be a better friend

If you want to expand your network this year, why not start at work? Here, we round up the rules for socializing with your colleagues.

From: Harper's BAZAAR UK

Capturing Your Style with Aimee Song

So how was your first week back at work?
Mine was insane.
Before I dive back into the madness this morning I'm taking 20 minutes out with Aimee Song's fabulous book, Capture Your Style.

If you enjoy Instagram and if you want to up your IG game, you will love this.
Aimee who is undeniably one of the stars of Instagram has written a wonderful book all about defining your style, curating your Insta-grid and basically being fabulous! Tips from how to take the best images with your iPhone, to editing, to how you present and filter your images, all in an absolutely beautiful and easy to digest format.
I really love it!

I gave this as a Christmas gift to some of my favorite peeps, and everyone has been super excited about it. If you are not familiar with Aimee Song have a quick look at her amazing Insta feed @songofstyle

I've been talking forever in here about buying a Nespresso machine.
I've had a regular cappucino/espresso machine for years and have loved it, but I have really, really wanted a Nespresso. And this was the year!
I had planned on a big, chic, chrome affair, but in the end ordered a simple Nespresso Inissia Espresso Maker, Black
I LOVE it!!!
My black machine came in a dark grey/black and doesn't photograph well, but once I figure it out I will no doubt blog about it with pictures of my own.

It makes waking up each day worthwhile!

The chrome one I originally wanted was the Nespresso VertuoLine Coffee and Espresso Maker with Aeroccino Plus Milk Frother, Black. Chic, non?

Anyway, I now have a quick 20 minutes to enjoy a coffee and get some insta-inspo before I head out to work.

Enjoy your Friday!