I think this is the most fabulous gift idea! As a hostess gift, as a Christmas gift, as an anything gift, how much fun would this be to receive?? And how totally cool will you look giving it? Check out Indieflix: Film Festival In A Box
Film Festival In a Box takes the concept of a bookclub to a whole new level, or makes the coolest soiree in town. You order a box within a specific genre - comedy, love, zombies - there are many options, and receive 4 short indie films. The idea is that as a group you watch them then vote on your favorite and submit the results on Indieflix.com Indie film makers get much needed exposure and you get to see films that pretty much no one outside of the film industry gets to see.
I also love that it provides a money making vehicle for the film makers, as they get to keep the rights to their work. Read more below, and check out the video from The Daily Grommet too. Brilliant.
Indieflix
Film Festival in a Box
FILM FESTIVAL IN A BOX
Scilla Andreen wears many hats: mom, entrepreneur, film director, producer and award winning costume designer. Through her latest project, called Film Festival in a Box, Scilla works tirelessly to make people aware of the thousands of independent films that are created each year but never get shared with us. She’s changing the way short films are distributed by letting indie filmmakers keep the rights to their movies while also generating revenue for their creative work.
For us, it’s a chance to see “shorts” that veryfew people outside the film industry get a chance to enjoy. “What I really love about this concept is that you get to see raw talent,” says Adrian Gill, who tested Film Festival in a Box for us. The films haven’t been sterilized by Hollywood, and their imperfections make them even more engaging.
We think Film Festival in a Box is a fun, easy way for movie lovers to screen independent films and spark lively, thoughtful discussions and a great excuse to invite friends over, pop some popcorn and play the role of movie critic.
If your book club could use a change of pace, why not mix things up and host a movie night? Each DVD contains four films, each are between 8 and 14 minutes. Choose from any of the available genres, then settle in and enjoy the show!
Here comes Cyber Monday! Do you have your list ready? This crazily expensive year means it's going to be a super lean Christmas, but making lists is fun anyway, so here are 6 Cool Gadgets To Put On Your Cyber Monday Shopping List 1. A Nespresso Machine
You just can't beat a sparkling white smile. The Glo Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device lets you whitene your teeth at home with blue light technology instead of harsh peroxides.
3. The Clarisonic Pedi
I swear by the Clarisonic face cleaning system and have done literally for years. And of course everyone loves the Sonicare Toothbrush. Now I want to add the Clarisonic Pedi to my collection and keep my feet in perfect just-had-a-pedi-smoothness. From the Clarisonic website enter the promo code CYBERWKND to get a 20% discount on all Clarisonic devices.
4. Talika Cream Booster
Doesn't it look like some kind of space age torture device?? The Talika Cream Booster uses microcurrent, phototherapy and vibration technologies to help your skin care penetrate deeper and work more effectively. It feels fabulous too!
5. The PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser
The PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser is an FDA approved home laser system to treat fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. The results are spectacular! (see before and afters on Gouldylox blog here)
6. Apple TV
I hardly watch any TV, but I've been meaning to get Apple TV for ages. Maybe I will actually get around to buying one this year.
I have been hearing so much about Serial lately (especially via Lainey), and then saw this article on Vogue.com I love the idea of the world tuning in to podcasts. When I first started learning Italian I used to listen to podcasts, but in the interim it seems that I somehow managed to forget about them. I'm now geekily excited to be part of Vogue's podcast resurgence. If you would like to join the tribe, check out this article from Vogue.com, and join in on the listening action.
The Great Podcast Resurgence: Serial and 7 Others to Binge-Listen to Now
It seems we can’t go anywhere these days without hearing about Serial, the new spin-off of This American Life that has quickly become the most popular podcast of all time, according to Apple (it’s the fastest-ever to reach five million downloads on iTunes). In the series, veteran TAL producer Sarah Koenig tries to uncover the truth about the 1999 murder of a Baltimore high school student named Hae Min Lee and the cloud of doubt hanging over the subsequent conviction of Lee’s former boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who has maintained his innocence throughout nearly fifteen years of incarceration. With Koenig reporting in real time, the show has the narrative arc of a good crime drama, the intrigue of a real-life murder mystery, and a fan base so strong that a subreddit dedicated to the whodunit has more than 17,000 subscribers—and as a result of the series, the Innocence Project at the UVA School of Law has taken up Syed’s case. (The show has also sparked a very heated debate about white reporter privilege.) At once a throwback to the serialized radio broadcasts of the thirties and a relative of our contemporary TV epics, Serial is only the latest and most sensationally popular example of a rich and varied podcast resurgence underway. Here, our guide to seven other podcasts you should download now.
Fans of Serial will be drawn to Criminal, a monthly series that tells the real stories behind unbelievable crimes from either the point of view of the victim or the perpetrator. Think of it as a condensed, audio-only, true-crime version of Law & Order on your phone.
This series created by public radio sound designer and composer Jonathan Mitchell, now in its third year, produces ten- to twenty-minute fictional stories not unlike the old-timey radio dramas of yore. Or, as its website describes them, “Movies for your ears.”
This podcast produced by Joe Richman features the stories of everyday people (a corrections officer, a teen mom, a bus driver) through first-person diaries and re-enacted narration. Lately, Richman has been catching up with five people who, sixteen years ago, recorded their daily experiences as teenagers and shared them with the world, and whose present-day updates are fascinating.
Anyone obsessed with the nuances of design and architecture will appreciate this smart podcast created by Roman Mars, exploring, among other subjects, the story behind the Ouija board’s layout, the best way to “hack” and redesign Ikea furniture, and the reasons why seemingly every designer has had a love affair with the chair.
Hosted by Chris Hardwick (with frequent appearances by comics Jonah Ray andMatt Mira), Nerdist features loose interviews with high-profile guests, in which they talk about their lives, careers, and usually some aspect of nerd culture—the new Star Wars films, The Walking Dead, and, of course, comic books.
For explanations of everything from how Twinkies are made to the electoral-college system, turn to Stuff You Should Know, a podcast brought to you byHow Stuff Works and cohosted by the charming and hilarious, albeit slightly geeky, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.
Hosted by editors Aaron Lammer, Max Linsky, and Evan Ratliff, this podcast provides an inside look at the publishing industry. Hear the writers behind some of your favorite New Yorker, New York Times, and Vanity Fair bylines discuss their career paths, morning routines, and why they chose to get into writing in the first place.
It's time to create your gift lists, both gifts you wish to receive and gifts you want to give.
Today I'm looking at The Luxe List. Exquisite gifts for the girl who enjoys something extra special, extra fabulous.
These make sensational business gifts, and hostess gifts too.
I am so completely enamored of Tatcha and their incredible high performance, luxurious skin care products. I have written about them before hereand here.
Tatcha products are divine.
I recently found out too that every purchase you make from Tatcha provides schooling for an underprivileged girl.
"The greatest secret I learned from the geisha was that beauty begins in the heart and the mind."
Victoria Tsai
Tatcha founder Victoria Tsai believes that the best way to help girls become beautiful is to give them the opportunity to develop their minds.
As such she began a partnership with Room To Read, an organization commited to changing the world through education. Through this partnership every full sized purchase of Tatcha's skin care products funds an entire day of school for a girl somewhere in the world.
Back to gift giving, here are three gift sets makinkg it to both my "giving" list, and the list of gifts I'm secretly coveting. Kokoro Golden Lip and Mirror Set This is such a perfect gift! A beautiful set with Camellia Lip Balm and a gold plated mirror. Camellia oil is super healing and nourishing, and makes for the best lip balm I have ever used. I have Camellia lip balm in both my pro makeup kit and my personal makeup stash. The packaging and presentation of every Tatcha product is sensational, making the opening of the products and event in itself. I also love this one as a bride or bridesmaid gift. Order here $48
Kokoro Golden Lip And Mirror Duo
Tatcha Kassei Rejuvenation Skincare Gift Set This trio is named for the Japanese word for rejuvenation. You get the Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream and the Revitalizing Eye Cream with a beautiful gold massager to boost circulation. It's divine.
Tatcha Kaiseki Skincare Gift Set Kaiseki means a little bit of everything. This set is perfect for the traveler - business traveler or vacation traveler as it contains an assotment of travel sized skin care essentials in a beautiful wooden kiri box
The holiday season is here, which means party season is here too!
Glitter eye shadows are so fun to wear to winter festivities. They look so vibrant and alive against the bleak, dreary backdrop of the colder months, and they also play well against crisp white snow.
Candle light and open fires pick up the sheen you've added to your shadow and make your eyes sparkle and look so pretty. But if they're not executed correctly, glittery eye shadows are just a sparkly mess all over your face.
So here are my tips for
How To Work With Glittery Eyeshadow.
1. Neutralize your complexion To pull off a good glittery shadow you really need to have a good, smooth foundation, evening out your complexion.
2. Keep The Shine Only To Your Eyes. Its easy to make the whole face look too shiny when you have a high shine eye. Tone the cheek down a little, and don't add sparkle anywhere else. Sparkly or shimmery highlight paired with a glittery shadow will detract from the effect of the eye shadow and can end up making the face look oily. 3.Soften The Lip If you are making a shimmery eye the focus of your look, help it out by toning down the lip. Most people can't carry off a big eye and a big lip at the same time. Go for something a little more neutral, and keep it either matte or just a low sheen. A big glossy lip with a glittery eye makes the face look too shiny and too busy.
4. Use Your Glitter Shadow As An Accent Dont try to build your entire eye with a glitter shadow. Build the shape and drama of the eye in neutral creamy finished eye shadows (glitter adheres better to a cream base), and then bring in your shimmery/glittery product as the final event. Bare lids won't hold sparkles.
5. It's all In The Application To make this deal work, and not have glitter all over your face, you need to apply it correctly. I like to dampen my brush by dabbing it into a tiny amount of Makeup Forever HD Primer (it binds and holds the product without being too heavy) and then pick up my glitter /shimmer product and gently press it onto the area I want to accent. Don't try to paint the eye or sweep a glitter product over it, as the particles will flick all over the face and can be tricky to get off. You want to isolate the glitter/shimmer just to the eye, and the area of the eye that you are accenting.
Shimmer vs Glitter
6. Shimmer or Glitter? I prefer a product that shimmers to a product that is super glittery. My favorites are Makeup Forever Star Powderand Face Atelier's Shimmer. The particles are smaller, give more of a shimmery effect, and stay on the eye rather than all over the face. You can carry off more sheen to other areas of the face with a shimmer shadow instead of a glitter. If you want to use a glitter look for one with smaller instead of bigger particles. 7. Repair Job If you wind up with particles of glitter on your face use a piece of sotch tape to gently lift it off
Here come the holidays and all their gift giving (and gift receiving!) glory. If you are making a list, either for giving or for presents you'd like to receive, here are 5 of my favorite beauty gadgets that make incredible gifts: Clarisonic
Clarisonic
I adore my clarisonic. I have had mine for years and it still works perfectly, so it's actually a great investment. When I'm shooting a movie I need my actresses' skin to stay immaculate, so I get them each a Clarisonic - you just can't beat them. Read about Clarisonic here Order a Clarisonic here:
Amika Switch Kit
Amika Switch Kit
This is my favorite new hair curling system. I love having the flexibility to switch out curling irons and wands without having to buy multiple curling irons. Today I'm changing up my look and using the "beachy waves" wand. Read about the Amika Switch kithere: Amika Switch Kit Order an Amika Switch Kit here
Sonic Diamondcare Toothbrush
Sonic Diamondcare Toothbrush
You can't beat a great smile with gleaming teeth! This is the ultimate way to get superwhite, super clean teeth. I love the travel pack too - it's convenient and functional
Q Redew
Q Redew
It looks like a torture device but its actually a hair refresher! When your hair is looking flat, curls are lacking luster or maybe you just need to squeeze one more day out of your blow out, the Q Redew works like a cool air humidifier paired with a steamer. You won't make your head wet, and the steam won't give you crazy frizz, it just revitalizes the 'do and makes it look like you just finished styling your hair. Order a Q Redew here:
Nuface Trinity Facial Toning Device
Nuface Trinity Mini
I'm a huge fan of microcurrent facial treatments. Basically on a muscular level they tone and shorten the fibers, and on a dermal level they stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, the combined result being significant anti-aging. The Nuface Trinity Facial Toning Device lets you give yourself these amazing (and expensive!) treatments at home, saving you a small fortune. Order your Nuface Trinity Facial Toning Device here:
