Weekend Beauty Read

1. A touch of blusher: My "Sensational Seven" Makeup Brushes
2. Face candy: Zensation Beaute Healing and Soothing Mask
3. Musings of a muse: Givency Holiday Collection 2007
4. The life of a ladybug: Product review: Philosophy The Supernatural
5. All lacquered up: Mac Fall 2007

~Have a nice weekend!~

Fashion Mobile Phone

Currently, iPhone is probably the hottest mobile phone. Apple have sold more than a million units in just 74 days. What does that mean? Everyone is using it. If you don't want to carry a phone and to be labeled "me-too", there are a few other fashion mobile phones that might be just for you.

Fashion designer involvement in mobile phone design became popular when Dolce & Gabbana collaborated with Motorola for its Motorazr V3i. Now Prada, Armani, Paul Smith and even Levi's have designed mobile phone to match their fashion philosophy. However, most of these phone are only available in either Europe or Asia. But if you are a hardcore fashionista, you know how to find these phones (*cough*eBay).

1. Prada Phone by LG

Price: $780
Network:GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900, WIFI
Size:98.8 x 54 x 12 mm
Weight: 85g
Display: 240 x 400 pixels, 3 inches Touch Screen
Camera: 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(30fps), flash
Battery life: Standby up to 300 hours, Talk time up to 3 hours
Features: an audio player with support for MP3/ACC/ACC+/WMA/RA formats and a music multitasking function for messaging

2. Giorgio Armani Samsung Luxury Mobile Phone

Price: $950
Network: GPRS/ EDGE Tri-Band (900/1800/1900)
Size: 87.5 x 54.5 x 10.5 mm
Weight: 85g
Display: 2.6” QVGA TFT LCD (262K Colors) Touch Screen
Camera: 3 MP
Battery life: 880mAh

Features: Full internet access and 'uGo' - an adaptive interface that automatically responds to the user's environments. Displaying a landmark picture of the owner's local city, the picture adjusts to display depending on whether it is day or night.


3) Paul Smith designed LG Crystal Edition LG-SV300S / LV3000S

Price: Not known

Network: Not known
Size: 99 x 49.5 x 16.2 mm
Weight: 93g
Display: 2.2 inch screen QVGA TFT LCD and 1.3 inch secondary screen QQVGA TFT LCD
Camera: Not known
Battery life: Standby up to 200 hours, Talk time up to 3 hours

Features: Fabric pattern decorated with crystals on the outside.

4) Levi's Mobile Phone

Price: Not known
Network: Most like GSM (900/1800/1900)
Size: Not known
Weight: Not known
Display: Not known
Camera: Not known
Battery life: Not known

Features: The Levi's phone embraces mobile technology and enables young people to connect, enjoy music, exchange images and videos whilst on the go. The Levi's phone is offered in metallic silver, black and brown copper. Stylish feminine "shiny silver" and "shiny sand" editions, featuring a 'mirror' screen have also been created for the fashion forward.

Weekend shopping getaway!

Bliss is blowing out a big sale upto 80% off. Other than the Bliss products, you can also find a few discounted items from Laura Mercier, Chantecaille and other lines. The sale is only available till Sunday, September 30th. Have fun shopping!

Action Alert: P.S.Kiss Lipstick!

"My fall collection was all about rich textures and deep saturated colors. P.S. Kiss is the perfect bold stroke to go with the clothes, but it is still elegant and easy," says Peter Som. The bold red and deep burgundy lipstick is the third Lancome's Pout-à-Porter series which have worked with emerging fashion designers.

If you miss out the waiting list of Lancome's limited-edition lipstick (as I posted before), P.S.Kiss ($24), created collaboratively by world-known makeup artist Gucci Westman and fashion designer Peter Som for Peter Som's fall 2007 fashion runway. P.S.Kiss will soon be available at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Lancome's USA website, and five Lancome boutiques here in the US on October 1st. This is probably the last chance to get one.

Calvin Klein Cosmetics is Coming Back Soon

My special thanks to PJ from A Touch of Blusher. Her previous article "Bring It Back!! Calvin Klein Cosmetics " had reminded me of Calvin Klein Cosmetics back in college. I was a huge fan of Calvin Klein fashion design at that time. Looking at its timeless and modern fashion style every season couldn't be more enjoyable. When I first saw the Calvin Klein makeup and skincare ads break in magazines, I adored the transparent cases of eye shadows and immediately planned to check it out in a department store. I remember the Calvin Klein Cosmetics counter was very close to the Shu Uemura counter in that department store. It is kind of interesting because both feature the similar taste of minimalism beauty.

Caivin Klein has extended the simplicity of beauty from high fashion to the cosmetics world. I liked the overall counter desin, which was simple and modern with pure white as the theme color. The packaging and display looked simple, clean yet fashion-forward. At my first glimpse of the eye shadows, nothing probably stood out. After spending more time on them, I found the eye colors line was a classic series. They were neutral, classic and dainty. The texture was silky. I bought the eye shadow in 03 Taupe. It goes on light. Sadly to say, this is the only Calvin Klein product I have. However, as years go by, I find 03 Taupe is still one of my favorite eye shadows. It is understated and elegant! Since the cosmetics line discontinued in 2003, I have had to treasure it by tapping little tiny amount every time I use it just in case one day it will run out.

Recently, a few news announcements revealed that we are for sure will see Calvin Klein cosmetics hitting the shelves again. The new cosmetics line is named ck Calvin Klein Beauty. The company has signed makeup artist Mark Carrasquillo to work with production innovation and trend forecasting. ck Calvin Klein Beauty arrived in Italy and Asia last month and will appear in the US in the near future. I am excited about this beauty line coming back alive!

[Source: Cosmeticsnews.com]

L'occitane Shea Butter Liquid Soap - Verbena

SoHo, New York is one of the places that I enjoy spending a nice Saturday afternoon wandering around. I usually like to start my quest at the L'occitane store on Prince street. The store is always infused with aromatic scents from L'occitane's different product lines. The fragrances are the best greetings whenever the door is opened up. The SoHo store is slightly different from other L'occitane stores because it also sells some specialty food products and extra-virgin olive oils from L'occitane's sister company, Olivers & Co.. There is Le Café at L’Occitane at upstairs dining area serving Mediterranean dishes. Whenever my legs feel tired and stomach feels empty during my shopping trip, I would come back to order a light sandwich or dessert. This was how I liked to enjoy a weekend afternoon in SoHo two years ago.

The first time after I was done with lunch at Le Café at L’Occitane in the early summer 2005, I went upstairs to the lady's room to wash my hands. I noticed a L'occitane Shea Butter Liquid Soap - Verbena (16.9 fl.oz for $24) pump bottle was nicely sit on the countertop. I pumped a little bit to lather up with some water. Immediately, I could sense the refreshing lemony verbena fragrance! It smells so refreshing and up lifting! The shea butter extract and aloe-vera extract sooth my hands too. My hands has a lightly-scented verbena fragrance even after I rinse them thoroughly. I totally am in love with L'occitane Shea Butter Liquid Soap - Verbena and decided to buy a bottle home. Since then, I have been using it everyday in my bathroom. It is something I can't live without. L'occitane liquid soap is also available in sweet almond and lavender fragrance.

Kesalan Patharan X'mas Collection 2007

Kesalan Patharan will release the Dear Wish and Dear Dream collection for its X'mas collection 2007. The Dear Wish collection will launch on 26th October in Japan. This set includes a lip gloss (one of three shades you can choose), eye shadow duo, nail color in a pouch. On the other hand, the Dear Dream will launch on 16th, November in Japan. The collection contains a face pressed powder, brush, lipstick and a glitter mascara in a pouch. Unfortunately, I don't think they have any store in US.

Matte² Collection from M.A.C

M.A.C is coming up with a latest eye shadow collection called Matte² Collection ($14). The 16 shades, from light to rich tones, in the collection are highly pigmented with a full-matte texture. As I notice that this fall trend features a big theme of matte or semi-matte red lip color, many Hollywood celebrities have shown off this trend on the 59th Emmy Awards. Now, full-matte eye shadows are back. I know shimmering eye shadows help create a beautiful range from cute, girly, sexy, metallics to avant-garde looks. But sometimes I just want to keep the color simple with a matte finish or simply use matte eye shadow as a base and finish with a little shimmer. I am very excited and looking forwarding to have matte eye shadows back to my vanity case again.

Beauty Steals & Deals!

Here are a few steals for you! Enjoy!

Lancome Exclusive La Collection D'or($135 available at Nieman Marcus)

Lancome celebrates Nieman Marcus's 100th anniversary for bringing an exclusive collection directly from Paris. This limited collection has La Poudre Ultime D'Or Compact (a shimmering translucent face pressed powder), Le Rouge Absolu Reshaping & Replenishing LipColour SPF 15 (in fashion-hot Red Light) and a black satin cosmetics bag.

Gift Bag with $35 purchase(at Nordstrom)

The fun part is you can choose either a warm or cool tone for your collection color. The beauty gift bag has a Color Design Effects Eyeshadow Quartet, full-size Color Design Effects Lipstick, Cils Booster XL Super Enhancing Mascara Base, High Definition Mascara in Black, Intensive Recovery Anti-Wrinkle Cream and a comb. It is available online and in store.

Missoni Colori Collection!

Missoni, the Italian fashion design house, has launched the Missoni Colori collection featuring a Missoni Colori Lip Gloss ($25) and a Missoni Colori Gold Face Highlighter Compact($70). The lip gloss is a swirled combination of sheer red, pink and pearly white, goes on sheer pink. The face compact is combined with shimmery bronze, beige and dusty rose in the image of Missoni's signature zigzag print. So you can highlight your face with a touch of bronzer. The compact also comes with a brush and a pouch. Everything from lip gloss, face highlighter to the pouch has a signature touch of Missoni. I am delighted to see Missoni finally joins the cosmetics world because I do like some of their fashion designs. Up to this point, there isn't information about where and when this Missoni Colori collection is available. I will try my best to investigate this a little more and keep you up to date.


[Photo credit: http://www.brownthomas.com/]

Updated on Oct 13, 2007:
The Missoni Colori Collection is now available at Nordstrom online. You can also find the Colori collection at the Women's Fragrance area in stores.

I love Paul & Joe Cosmetics Accessories!

Paul & Joe Beaute is well-known for its quality cosmetics and sophisticated package design. They always came up with beautiful cosmetics in feminine and classy packaging. They highlight a retro-modern and joyful style that embodies the philosophy of fun-loving and Parisian sophistication.

Unfortunately, they don't have any stores around DC area (You probably feel the same way too). The best I can find is Anthropologie, which only carries limited items in some of the stores. Online shopping, however, makes my life easier to purchase Paul & Joe cosmetics. If I were given a choice though, it is much more fun if I can shop in a real store. I always enjoy hours of visual pleasure and happiness by browsing and trying out products in person. After spending some time browsing their website, these are the two beauty accessories that I am dying for (one of them only available on their Japanese website). Ain't they cute?

Brush Holder



Box for Face Powder

Provocative Ad: Tom Ford For Men

A couple days ago, I saw the latest ad campaign of the first fragrance for men from Tom Ford on his website. I am disappointed and disturbed by the latest effort from Tom Ford that showing off his infamous shocking and provoking porno-chic element; a bottle of Tom Ford fragrance wedged between full breasts, hold between thighs and genitalia area of a woman. I can't see how this ad can define classy and high fashion.

The original ad images for this fragrance were Tom Ford himself posing and were shot by Marilyn Minter. But then they switched to that bold and provocative images shot by photographer Terry Richardson. Tom Ford's spokeswoman explained they decided to take an edgier and more graphic approach to convey the mood of the fragrance (hmm....fragrances and vagina?). Whether you like it or not, there is no doubt that its pornographic imagery can definitely sell! The commercial seems to gain more and more attention because of the racy ad images! Personally, I am getting tired of the exploitation of women body in the fragrance market. I am expecting a refreshing and creative change!

Weekend Beauty Read

1. Bella Sugar: Love It or Hate It? Tom Ford For Men Campaign
2. Makeup Junkie in Canada: Beauty Review: Drugstore Delights
3. Wicked Beautiful: In Memoriam
4. A Touch of Blusher: I Got It! Calvin Klein Eyeshadow
5. Beauty Snob: Boots to the rescue

Have a nice weekend!

Becca on sale!

From Australia, Becca is founded by makeup artist Rebecca Morrice Williams. The philosophy of this cosmetics company is to enable women of all ages and ethnicity to achieve a natural looking and flawless complexion while staying fresh all day. The brand is well-known for offering light-weight and smooth-texture cosmetics in an extensive and realistic range of colors. "Everything is an essential to me. I only make products I can’t live without" said Rebecca Morrice Williams.

Personally, I haven't tried any of Becca's products before but I always want to get a taste of it! Today, I am so excited to learn that Becca is having up to 75% off sale at Sephora. Take a look at Fine Loose Finishing Powder in a selection of shades is now $8.75 (Orig. $38), Glossy Lip Tint $5.50 (Orig. $22), Eye Color Powder $5 (Orig. $20) and Fine Pressed Powder $9.50 (Orig.$38)! I am sure I am going to have a fun time on this! Happy shopping!

Pinkie Swear Cutie Pie Color Wheel!

Pinkie Swear was originally created by Rhonda and Stephen Robinson for their daughter who was young and more interested in her mother's make-up items than young girls' make-up! That is how the cosmetics comapany got started. Today, Pinkie Swear produces so many soft colors with fun packagings. Who doesn't like light and wearable colors? They are flattering on women of any age. Pinkie Swear Cutie Pie Color Wheel is a "have-it-all" palette for lips, eyes, cheeks or anywhere on the face. Cutie Pie Color Wheel 1 ($6 at Sephora) is in violet, lavender, bright pink, pink and holographic blue. The texture is creamy and the colors are sheer. The round tin is tiny to slip in your tote. Either you want to apply the colors alone or layer up with eye shadows from other line(s) you own for versatility. You can also play mix-and-match for fun! The Ultra Shock Holographic Eye Gloss can be applied on the cheeks for a dewy and natural glow. The Cream Eye Shadow can work as an excellent lipgloss if you like to add some extra violet shine on your lips. Psychologically, playing with this cutie pie just brings out my inner "little-girl" character!

Spring 2008 Fashion Alert!

Attention to all fashionistas, from September to early October, the whole month is all about Spring 2008 fashion! It starts from New York, then London, Milan to Paris. Here is the fashion runway schedule for spring 2008:

New York Fashion Week

9/5/2007-9/12/2007

London Fashion Week

9/15/2007-9/20/2007

Milan Fashion Week

9/22/2007-9/29/2007

Paris Fashion Week

9/30/2007-10/08/2007


[Photo source: Style.com]

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel (8.4oz for $29.50) is a soap-free and foaming gel-based cleanser. The cool thing about this cleanser is the naturally-foaming Quillaja Saponaria can gently removes toxins and deep-cleanses dirt or debris while maintains the skin's natural moisture balance. It also contains Balm Mint and Lavender extracts that help to soothe the skin.

Since I bought it from a local beauty store, it has become my daily day-and-night face cleanser. It is very easy to lather up into a smooth foam with only a little amount of gel. My face feels soothed, calm and moist without dryness or itchiness after I wash my face. I love the way it freshens and invigorates my skin. This is perfect for the sensitive skin like mine. In fact, it also works great with normal to oily skin. I would strongly recommend you to try this Special Cleansing Gel at any Dermalogica near you.

Neiman Marcus Beauty Event

Still celebrating the centennial anniversary, Neiman Marcus is now having the Beauty Event. With any cosmetics or fragrance purchase of $100 or more, you can bring home a Neiman Marcus exclusive pewter tote and seven beauty samples inside. Samples include: Prada Infusion D'Iris, Laura Mercier Mini Lipstick in Pink Champagne, ReVive Masques des Yeux, Molton Brown Lili-Pili Shampoo, Clinique Duo Lipgloss, Orlane Paris Serum Super Hydratant, Estee Lauder Projectionist Mascara. What a nice treat! Other than the NM gift offer, each cosmetics or fragrance line has its own beauty offer with purchase. The Beauty Event is available online from 9/4-9/17; available in stores from 9/7-9/16. It is such a sweet bargain! Time to shop for the fall!

Here are the gift sets that I am interested in the most:

With any $85 Kiehl's purchase: Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser 1. fluid ounce, Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo 2.2 ounces, Abyssine Cream 0.25 ounces, Crème de Corps Soy Milk and Honey Body Polish 0.75 ounces.

With any $100 Lancome Purchase: Rénergie Cream Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Treatment Day & Night, Rénergie Microlift Neck Active Redefining Neck Treatment, Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Quartet in Filigree, Floralesque, Click and Couture, LIPSTICK Le Rouge Absolu Reshaping & Replenishing LipColour SPF 15 (full size) in Pink Organza, Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer in Correcteur and Défincils High Definition Mascara in Black in a leopard-print cosmetic case.

With any $150 Shu Uemura Purchase: Rouge Unlimited BG 710, Pressed Eyeshadow in ME Gold 350 and Classic Cleansing Oil in a gray marble-print cosmetics bag.

Weekend Beauty Read

1. Musings of a Muse: Bobbi Brown Metallics Collection
2. Beauty Snob: Lab Series Skincare for Men
3. Bella Sugar: Bobbi rails against the beauty industry
4. Bois de Jasmin: Coco Mademoiselle : New Parfum Versions
5. A Touch of Blusher: Exfoliator Favorite! Boots No 7 Gentle Renewing No Grains Exfoliator

Make-up Fall 2007

Are you ready for a bold and lustrous look in the fall 2007? The latest trends feature red lipstick, bold eye brow and cat eye.

Classic Hollywood-red lipstick

From fashion runways, cosmetic advertising campaigns to celebrity red carpets, red lipstick is a big hit this season. Sheer rosy-pink or nude is still a nice-and-safe color. But why not bring some confidence to be more colorful and sexy by wearing a Hollywood-red lipstick? Don't be afraid of deep red. There are tons of beautiful shades in the red family, from dark burgundy, berry-red, wine-red to orange-red and brown-red..etc. There are a lot of choices, but it is all up to your skin tones.

Fuller and distinct Eyebrow

Fuller brows are in! They balance well with red lip color. Though the red lip color is a strong and powerful accent, it enhances the face structure and creates a focal point on the unadorned face.

Blue eyeshadow

I am so happy to see so many blue eye shadows coming out this fall. Blues are flattering on every skin tone and eye color. Blend dark blue (such as Nars Duo Eyeshadow, Laura MercierEye Colour Quad, MAC Blue Storm)with any other dark shade (like charcoal-black or chocolate-brown) to dramatically create smoky eyes for the night. Go for a lighter and soft twist (like turquoise) in the day time, however.

Cat eye

Use a black liquid eyeliner to draw a thin line from the inner corner of the eyes. Then, widen it to make it thicker at the outer corner, extend the line and wing up towards the temples. Blend with varying shades of eye shadow(s) to create either soft cat eyes or heavy cat eyes.

Pop Beauty Sparkle Sauce

Sparkle Sauce! It is not any kind of edible sauce. In fact, it is an eye shadow dropper that just makes my eye make-up routine much more fun and a sparkling result! The name definitely has a sense of humor! I like Pop Beauty, the brand produces a lot of fun, girly and handy cosmetics in a range of juicy colors.

Sparkle Sauce ($10) is a sheer golden eyeshadow in a dropper packaging. It is formulated to make any eye shadow water-resistant and crease-free and seal eye shadow to make colors stay out. It can be applied alone for a sheer golden sheen on the eyes. It can also be mixed together with any other shade, or patted on the existing colors (for examples, dark shades like black or chocolate brown) for a golden touch finish.

YSL Palette Esprit Couture

I love YSL Beaute! They always offer quality cosmetics, from the Ombres Quadrilumieres Eyeshadow Quartet, the Mosaic Sun Powder Palettes to the 'Opium' Makeup Palette, YSL palettes keep on dazzling with an elegant taste and chic classics.

Inspired by a vintage haute couture collection from Yves Saint Laurent's Fall 1983 collection, Palette Esprit Couture No.1 and No.2 ($57 each) are designed to depict a lady in a YSL evening gown: an off-the-shoulder top and satin bow on the back. It complements every skin tone and eye color with a touch of soft textures. There are four shades on each palette. Two of them can be worn on the cheeks and the other two shades for the eyes. You can also use all the four colors to line, shade and highlight the eyes. I find the colors of both No.1 and No.2 compacts are elegant and layer-able for the face and eyes. The vintage evening gown transitions beautifully into a face and eye powder palette, still glamorously and timelessly elegant. Just as the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent once said: "Fashions fade, style is eternal."

Takashi Murakami + Luis Vutton @ Moca

MoCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles) will held a retrospective art exhibition "© Murakami" for an international acclaimed and thought-provoking pop artist Takashi Murakami on October 29, 2007 through Feb 11, 2008. It is also the debut of a freestanding Louis Vuitton boutique in the middle of the exhibition, selling limited edition and exclusive merchandise designed by Murakami especially for this exhibition. This series of leather goods range from $875 to $920 in price, but non of the proceeds from sales will benefit MoCA as MOCA Chief Curator Paul Schimmel "in an effort to highlight the inherently commercial aspect of Murakami’s work, as expressed by his personal “Superflat” manifesto." Also, Louis Vuitton has guaranteed that enough merchandise will be produced to last the duration of the exhibit. It will interesting to see if this move will attracts all the fashionista in Beverly Hills to buy the limited edition bags. I will be in LA later this year and hopefully I will have time to visit this exhibition. If I am lucky, I might buy one of these bags. [Source: Supertouch]

Weekend Beauty Read

1. Beauty Snob: Face Trends for Fall: Old Hollywood Glamour!

2. Bella Sugar: Diana, Princess of Wales

3. A Touch of Blusher: Would you like some samples? Part 1, Part2

4. Bag Snob: Back to School Cool: Zac Posen Limited Edition DHL Tote

Back-to-School The End

With so many back-to-school supplies and beauty kits, a jumbo bag is necessary to fit everything. I love the oversized bag fashion. It has been one of the hottest trends in recent years. You can spot them everywhere from high fashion designer stores to retail chain stores. (You don't really have to break your bank account to get one!) A stylish oversized bag accessorizes your look with personality. It finishes off your look in a cute, edgy, or sporty way depending on the style of bag you wear.

It is perfect for everyone, like student, to stuff heavy books, laptop, beauty survival kits, all kinds of essentials. But honestly, carrying a heavy-weight bag around on the same shoulder all day gives me neck pain and shoulder muscle strain. The key is you have to choose a comfortable bag. And remember to switch shoulder to carry your bag from time to time to prevent imbalance which leads to muscle pain.

Unless a bag is super super chic that I am craving to collect it at home(This happened only one time.), I would only purchase fabulous bags with a more practical purpose that I am sure I will treasure for years.

Anya Hindmarch Chambers Printed Satin Resort and ladylike!

Kage Stormy Tote Classic and Dainty!

Puma Spirit Shopper Bag II Sporty and casual!

Today is the last day of the back-to-school beauty guide. I really hope this guide helps you pick up some ideas for looking stunning yet school-appropiate. Have a good semester!