Chanel - Of Course!

So one of my friends on Twitter was chatting to me the other day about her Chanel sunglasses.
I live for a great pair of sunglasses, and hadn't ventured out in to sunglass-land since my Marc Jacobs venture this past summer. So, in the name of research, and having some time up my sleeve, I took it upon myself to go get the scoop on what the master designer had in mind for us with the ultimate facial accessory.

The perfection of a great pair of sunglasses lies in matching the frame style to the shape of your face. As much as I would love to cruise the hood in a slick pair of avaitors I never will. Because amongst other things, I'd look like an idiot.

I could never buy a pair of glasses online unless I'd already taken them for a test drive in the store to make sure they were right for my face shape. (And if I loved them enough to own them, at that point there would be no turning back, so the internet and I will never get together over sunglasses).

Anyway, out of all the glasses I looked at Chanel's 5167 completely and utterly did it for me. In every which way!
The shape is gorgeous, and really flattering. I was all about the black fade to soft grey color below.



Although the cappucino was somewhat spectacular as well....


Wasn't feeling it with the orange/red, but this shows you how cool the frame is.





Living in a place that has an enormous amount of sun means having to take extra care of the skin around your eyes, otherwise you'll look like a tired old duck way before your time. That being considered, I always choose frame that completely covers the entire eye area, and have nice wide arms to cover the outer corner of the eye. No need to put crows feet on the fast track. Best keep the entire area hidden (behind a double C...)




Fab - U - Lous!!!




And as for the aviators? Even if they did suit my face, I wouldn't subject my eye area to that much sun exposure, even on a cloudy day.

Show your eyes some love ladies!

xo

C

Sing It Girlfriend!!!

Those of you who are with me on Twitter and on Facebook will already know that last week there was a small unplugged style (except they were all plugged - but you catch my drift!) private concert at Studio 5 on Tuesday.

It was a showcase-style event for some lable folk, producers and writers, entertainment lawyers, P.R peeps etc who are involved with upcoming Lea Cappelli projects as well as some other movers and shakers who blew in to town to see her perform. The place was packed.






In other words, all kinds of crazy cool fun! And a celeb spotting fest. Love it!

I work with Lea frequently, and have come to know her as this sweet, unassuming yet wildly talented girl. I adore working with her and kicking around with her.



The funny thing is, she is so mellow and lovely that you forget that she has this unbelievable presence when she hits the stage. I've been around music and musicians forever. Some have the magic, most don't.
Lea has it in spades.

Just watching her walk across the stage takes your breath away. I watch the audience and see them mesmerized, hanging onto every note she sings. Even the die-hard music folk who've seen it all before are incredulous. Its a pretty cool thing to see. No one is scratching their head, no one whispering or looking away (well, I was updating twitter, but I don't count!) everyone just spellbound.

Another cool thing is the caliber of Lea's band. These are really super talented, big time musicians, not normally available to a new, young artist, but who see what she's got and want to be a part of it.
And oh do they put on a killer show!!!

As usual I'm not allowed to say too much, but I did get a couple of pics for you.





Backstage after the show with NFL great Nick Lowery and country music legend Jessie Colter





This guy is so much fun! Johnny Rock Page and Lea backstage

Check out Lea on myspace Click Here

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

xo

C

Oh You're Such A Vamp!!!

I have to tell you about my latest most favorite thing!
Somehow this one slipped by me when I've been cruising through the Julie Hewett product line, but one of my former Pro Makeup students brought it over to show me, and I about died! Then got it immediately...

It's one of Julie Hewett's Cheekie products, and the color is called Vampie.
Now at first glance it looks very dark and gothic, but in reality it is the perfect deep, warm berry shade.
I use the Cheekie products as soft cream blushes, as lip color, sometimes on eyes - you name it! Super versatile.




I am love love loving this shade as we meander on into fall and need a little more warmth to our cheeks. The shade doesn't overwhelm the skin, but instead gives the cheek the most beautiful glow.
Although lovely on girls of any eye color, I am noticing that for the girls with green eyes (me!) or blue eyes, the moment you put Vampie on the cheek bones the eye color pops out at you. It's a great way to off set a less made up eye.

On the lips it is divine too. There's enough blue under it to instantly make your teeth look super white. I rub it into the lip with my finger, so that it becomes a soft mulberry/grape stain.
Its effortless and its gorgeous.

In fact, today I have Vampie rubbed into my cheeks and lips, and almost no other makeup on. There is enough resonance in this color to make you look healthy and glowing and vibrant, without being overdone.

Julie Hewett also has a new lip lush color out called Tish, which is a soft gold shimmer. Its fantastic alone, or over other colors to soften them and give a little golden sheen.
I've been putting it on top of a Vampie lip to go out at night, and am just loving the result!

I know there are a lot of fabulous Atlanta and Charlotte based ladies reading this blog, and I am excited to tell you there are new Julie locations in your cities!(as well as several others. There's even a new one in Chappaqua should Hilary decide to start rocking a little Vampie action!)
Click Here to see the new locations.

Check it out, and enjoy being a Vampie girl!

xo

C

Save The Boobies!!!

Its October now, Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Several cool things have come across my desk this week with regard to raising money for the magnificent mammary, and the research needed to protect it.

Here are a couple that I want to pass on:

Firstly, the very fabulous Halftime Designs have come up with a super cool "Pinktini" design that is available in several different styles of shirts, plus bags, pooch -wear, coasters, water bottles - all kinds of cool stuff.

A percentage of the proceeds from the "Drink Pink" products will be going to
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Click Here to go to their website and check out the cool products and all the details!

Aren't they brilliant? Halftime Designs also do chic and unique designer T's etc for the girl who loves football, but doesn't want to wear her boyfriend's over-sized jersey to a game. (or any other place either for that matter!)
Make sure you scroll around and have a good look when you go to their site!

NAPA Autoparts are also in boobie protection mode, having partnered up with Susan G Komen For The Cure to raise $250 000, with a unique initiative highlighting the importance of preventative maintenance for both your breasts and your car! How cool is that?

I loved this line in the press release: “Our service technicians preach the importance of regular preventive maintenance for your vehicle and the same principle applies for the attention your body needs,”. Quite genius! Preventative maintenance for the boobies - I'm all for it!

If you spend $25 in a NAPA Auto Parts store, or at a NAPA Auto Care Center you will get a Susan G Komen mug.

Even more genius, on October 17th in Charlotte NC, NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip will be driving his NAPA sponsored Toyota Camry with a new pink paint scheme, and apparently will be wearing pink too, to help create awareness for the cause. I would love to be there to see it! (Funnily enough I've never been to a NASCAR race, but it is on my to do list)

I have however been to several NHRA races. On October 11th in Richmond Va NHRA Funny Car driver Ron Capps will also be sporting a pink paint scheme on his NAPA car.
The details can be found at www.NAPAonline.com and at www.komen.org

And really, NAPA has to be supported, because afterall, they do keep bringing us those hysterically funny commercials.



Quite frankly, if I ever need to buy a cold start valve temperature switch, I'll head straight to the nearest NAPA store....

Look after your lovely lady bits!

xo

C

Those Flight Attendants Are Naked!!!

One of my Twitter friends (@NHRAChat) turned me onto this hilarious video.
Luckily only 4, 741 000 people had already seen it before me...

Anyway, this may seem like a shameless plug for my country's airline, and in a way, it is. I actually fly Air New Zealand on most of my long haul flights. From Los Angeles to Auckland if I'm going home, or to Sydney if I'm Aussie bound.
I've flown them from Los Angeles to London, I've flown them across Asia.

Patriotism only goes so far when you're cooped up in a plane at 37 000 feet for 12 plus hours. And as much as I love flying the flag for NZ, I wouldn't fly the airline if my experiences with them hadn't left me feeling everytime that I had just flown the best.

The flight attendants are generally really friendly and accomodating. The food is not like regular airplane food - its actually really fabulous. Kiwis love great cheeses and wines, so they are available in abundance too.
The seats are always the most modern, which translates to the most comfortable, and on long haul flights, that is everything! You have leg room. You get your own TV with an enormous number of choices on demand.
They are awesome with kids, and super helpful if you're flying alone with a small child. (the number of times a flight attendant has slipped into my seat next to my sleeping child, so that I could go to the bathroom, or stretch my legs!)

If I'm going somewhere that they don't fly, its somewhat of a rude awakening.

So yes, I love them.

But check this out - this video has Air New Zealand flight attendants buck - naked!

Kia ora nudies!




Gotta love the "making of" too! These were real Air NZ employees!



So if you've got a flight to book, check them out!
Come fly the friendly skies with Air New Zealand
And if you've never been, its the greatest vacation, so check out my beautiful New Zealand

Oh, and Chat? Thank you buddy!

In The Mood For A Little Soiree?

So yesterday I posted a video tutorial using Julie Hewett's fabulous Soiree Eyeshadow Palette and Biba lipstick. The pictures here are from that shoot, which was part of a bridal fashion shoot. The model, Mallory, is wearing Soiree eyeshadows and Biba lips. The photographer was the amazing Kelly Cappelli, and this was shot at Studio5

I will be posting a photo makeup tutorial from this shoot as soon as the pictures are sent over, but in the meantime have a look at the products.

The Soiree palette is super versatile - and these days that's pretty much critical when considering which products to purchase.
There are no "throw away" colors in this palette. We've all bought eyeshadow quads before where 2 colors are awesome, one is on the iffy side of OK, and the other is awful, which quite frankly seems to be the standard M.O for many makeup companies.
All four shades in this palette are sensational!

When we shot the video I couldn't find my little cheat sheet with the names of the colors, so I'm going to give them to you now:

Top left is Luca, a matte, all over shade of warm beige that is universally flattering.

Top right is Remy, a pale champagne/ taupe. It gives a soft warm glow.

Bottom left is Terra, a nutmeg shade that is perfect for creating domension while keeping a soft natural look, or for powering it up at night. It is a multi purpose shade that can also be used to contour cheekbones and finish brows. Love it!

Bottom right is Black Chandelier. Deep, sexy anthracite. This one can be used wet or dry, has a little shimmer to keep the eye alive, can be used as shadow, liner, is beautiful for sultry, smokey eye.





I love this palette both for soft daytime looks and also for bigtime sexy bold nighttime looks.
Super versatile!


When I do a bold eye or a really smokey eye I love to do a really soft wash of a mouth. I love this lip in Bibo. Its got enough backbone that you don't lose the mouth, but is so soft and cashmerey that the mouth looks all kids of sexy kissable beautiful.

I wear this one all the time, and can't get enough of it!




The Julie Hewett line is not sold in most department stores. You can go to their website to see where the nearest location is for you, or you can purchase directly online.

If you haven't seen my other posts about Julie Hewett products, I have to tell you that they are amongst my absolute favorites. Julie is a major movie makeup artist in LA, who created this line to both be used by you and me, and also to be used on the biggest actresses in the world on the big screen.

To get an idea of the caliber of makeup artist that Julie is, just check out her bio on her website or Click Here




If you missed yesterday's post, here is the video:

Wedding Makeup Tutorial #1

So we decided to do a series of video and photo essays that guide a bride into how to approach her hair and makeup with regard to the style of dress she has chosen, and then have Kelly Cappelli direct her in how to move in her dress to get the best pictures.

All of the info in this series is fabulous for those of us not getting married too! Beautiful makeup, gorgeous hair ideas (afterall - the holiday season is almost here!) and cool ways to move when the cameras are around.....

This one features an eyeshadow palette called Soiree, and a beautiful lip called Bibo from the amazing Julie Hewett line www.JulieHewett.net

Hope you enjoy it!