Get Your Leopard On!!

Normally fall fashions get overwhelmingly tedious with all the gray/brown/blackness that reach out and hit you over the head like a dulled mallot. But not this season. Fall 2010 is giving us a little excitement in the form of leopard prints. Fun, fabulous, fantastic leopard!

Kate Moss - always perfection

We are seeing leopard everything - from shoes

to handbags to belts and scarves.

 Fall 2010's bottoms look best dressed in a leopard thong...

thong by Sensuelle

The divine leopard print coats and jackets that ruled the runways, can kick up any old black ensemble and make it super sleek chic and cool.

Moschino

Unless you are JLo or Jackie Collins don't try to pull off head to toe leopard. Instead of suggesting a little inner feline you'll look like you're unleashing your full on cougar! Ideally wear one statement piece (dress/coat) and counterbalance it with a simple solid, or take a couple of fab leopard accessories and use them to bring the drama to anything you own.

When using more than one leopard piece, make it more interesting by layering different sized and colored prints, and combine different textures.

There are two major makeup trends to pair with leopard this season.

The first is a smoldering, sexy eye coupled with a soft nude mouth. Major eye shadows to use are a metallic shimmering eggplant, or a copper khaki shimmer. Make sure you make the eye very sultry, buffed out and with considerable depth.

Angelina Jolie, gorgeous in leopard

Use a full bodied foundation, give your cheeks lots of autumnal love, then soften it all with a dewy finish on a nude lipstick.

Maxim Magazine's sexiest woman on earth, Christina Hendricks

Divine.

The other major trend is to again use a full, luminous base (try Makeup Forever HD) a well contoured cheek, and this time add in a power brow - well groomed and defined, a soft, bare eye shadow on a well lined heavily lashed eye and set the whole thing alight with a bright, bold, catch me if you can red lipstick. Avoid burgundy reds, purple reds and dark reds. If you only buy one piece of makeup this season, make it a bright, modern, exciting red!

Fierceness!

Here is the SheKnows.com Daily Dish segment all about leopard for fall 2010:

Pour La Victoire Irina Suede Pumps

Check out these amazing shoes!!

I am always on the lookout for a fabulous high heel, so was totally excited to find this one.

Pour La Victoire Irina suede pumps 

 are absolutely to die for!

Not only are they the perfect nude shoe for fall, but they also come in black and a sensational gray, as well as royal blue,

which I'm thinking is actually a pretty exciting color.

This is a simple pump with a beautiful, leg flattering cut. 

The lush suede is lovely when paired with this perfect classic shape.

(also available in leather)

The heel is a firm 5 inches, supported with an inner platform, so they're easy to wear all day.

This shoe is smart and chic to wear to work, or with skirts and dresses, and is completely killer with jeans or pants on the weekend.

Even better, they are only $250 at shopbop.com

8 Steps To Magnificent Lashes!

Nothing enhances your eyes more than really sensational lashes, but getting them isn't always as easy as it would seem. Here's a little 8 step guide to building lashes a girl can bat alluringly!

8 Tips To The Longest Lashes Ever

1. Use a primer

DiorshowMaximizer Lash Primer

Applying a coat of primer first will help create the illusion of thicker fuller lashes and will give your mascara something extra to grab hold of.

2. Choose Your Wand
A small fine wand is ideal to help build longer lashes. It is easier to get to the base of the lash and pull through and extend the lash

Avon Super Magnify Mascara

A fat, fluffy wand is for fuller, fluffier lashes. If you're going for a fuller lash look, put on several coats to really build the lashes.

Cargo Texas Lash Mascara

3. Throw out old mascara.
You'll never get full, lush looking lashes with an old dried out mascara

4. Work your technique.
Starting at the base of the lash, pull your mascara wand through the lash using a side to side motion. Go back through the lashes this time rolling the wand to create more intensity.

5. Don't pump the wand!
Don't pump the wand in and out of the tube! This won't put any extra product onto the wand, but instead will push air into the tube and dry your mascara out much more quickly.

6. Line the upper inner rim or the eye.

Makeup Forever Aqualiner

For a fuller, bolder looking lash line apply a waterproof liner to the upper lid's inner rim before applying mascara. 

Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes

Then smudge a thin line of liner into the base of the lashes and lash line. This will create the illusion of thicker lashes.

7. Create a fan of lashes on the upper lid.
Direct the outer third of your lashes toward you temple, the center third up and forward, the inner third toward your nose. This trick will make your lashes look drastically fuller and longer!

8. Ingredients to look for:
Some key ingredients to look for in your mascara are
Soy Protein to build volume
Acrylates Copolymer to enhance lash length
Panthenol, Pantethine and Pro Vitamin B5 (all of which are found in hair products)  are conditioners used to make lashes longer and stronger

Four Quick Steps To Lighten and Brighten Your Eyes

Nothing will undo your look more quickly than dull, tired looking eyes. Whether you wake up with puffy eyes or whether you sit in front of a computer all day and wind up looking exhausted, having a few good tricks up your sleeve can make all the difference in the world.

 Four quick steps to lighten and brighten your eyes!

 1) Use a good de-puffer under the eye.

I love Kiehls Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer. It soothes, cools, hydrates, gets the circulation going and de-puffs all in one easy step. I also love that it comes in a stick form instead of a lotion or gel. 

2) Curl those lashes!

A really high speed way to open the eye is to curl the lashes. But not all lash curlers are created equal! Some just flip the lash up, or don't shape it nicely. Makeup artists all over the world swear by the Shu Uemura lash curler (www.shuuemura.com) due to its perfect shape. (always curl before applying mascara!!)

3.) Use a supersonic mascara

such as Cargo's incredible Texas Lash mascara. In Texas they like everything bigger, and this mascara is no exception!! Put on several coats and build some big, dramatic exciting eyes.

4) Use a highlighter.

Again from Cargo I love the Eyelighter pen. Keep one in your handbag for a quick freshen up after work, use when getting ready to go out, or on those days when you need a little extra something in the morning. This double ended pen simplifies age old makeup artist trick of using both matte and frosted highlighting shadows. The pointed tip puts a matte shadow under the brow, under the lower lash line and at the outer corner of the eye, while the rounded tip puts a soft shimmering highlight to the inner corners of the eye. Your eyes look instantly bright and alive!

Rebecca Taylor Fall 2010

Being that I absolutely live for pretty dresses (and high heels and lip gloss and... oh you know what I mean) I am a huge Rebecca Taylor fan. Pretty, feminine, floaty dresses are her signature move, so I am always eager to see what she is showing each season.

This season Taylor kept her sweet, sartorial feel, but added in some fun animal prints and must have gray stretch suede over the knee boots that gave long, clean lines, and a very modern edgy counterbalance to the delicate dreaminess of her collection.

 Honestly? I could not love this more!

 

Layers and ruffles leaned out with the perfect boot.

The perfect jacket length, off set by the boots

The boots and the leopard print jackets will be in my thoughts all day.

xo

C

Backstage at Balmain Spring Summer 2011

Just how fab is this??

Balmain showed some edgy, retro punk revival at the Spring Summer 2011 show. 
Breath of fresh air Christophe Decarnin has put the sizzle back into the house of Balmain, and his "couture punk" style has become a staple amongst the rich and titled euro-youth.

Although not for most of us, it was still exciting to see something a little different!

Courtesy of Style.com lets have a little look backstage at Balmain Spring Summer 2011
I love that they used the Sex Pistols My Way!
Also check out the fabulous hair guru Sam McKnight who I worked the London shows with all those years ago.

xo 

Makeup Fall 2010 Mesmerized Purple!

One thing I love to pieces about fall is that after all the dewy freshness of summer, makeup starts to show a hint of intrigue, a hint of drama.

YSL is bringing the drama this season with their Rock and Baroque collection

image courtesy of musings of a muse

 The usual camels, beiges, burnt oranges and chocolates have been replaced with purples,

image courtesy of musings of a muse

 Navy and tan to die for, and lilacs.

image courtesy of musings of a muse

image, musings of a muse

 The lip collection has some beautiful traditional shades, but by far the most exciting is Purple Mesmerize. 

When going for a deep dark shade of lipstick, avoid the dulling shades of brown and burgundy. These will weigh the face down and deaden skin tone. Choose instead a bold, deep grape such as Purple Mesmerize, that has plenty of blue undertone to it. This will make your teeth look super white, bring out the intensity in your eye color, and add a little black magic to your look!