BRing it with Red

Ring in the New Year with unforgettable Red Lips!  And don't forget the smile. xx

                                                Red lipstick Giorgio Armani Shine/Brillant #8

Photographer: Kevin Hatt
Styling: Jenna Drobnick
Hair: Tokyo
Make up: me
Model: Jessiqua Pace JE Models

Happy Holidays!

I want to wish all my readers a very Happy Holiday Season.  I hope you are celebrating with loved ones and enjoying the company of good friends!!! xoxo

Our Christmas Tree and Sophie.

Bailey drinking from tree

In a pickle for a gift?

Coming up with an original hostess gift is not easy.  But I think I've found one that anyone would be happy to receive.  My friend Brad started pickling 3 years ago and has made a small successful business of it.  An avid cyclist he delivers BOOZELY'S PICKLES AND PRESERVES all over San Francisco on his bicycle.

beans, bread & butters, dills

Brad selling his wares

Garden of Cool at Eden & Eden

Yesterday I went to LAN JAENICKE'S trunk show at EDEN & EDEN on Jackson Street.  My friend Rachel Eden owns it with her brother Chas and son Harry.  The store is stocked with unique & quirky jewelry, home decor, vintage, as well as current designer clothes, small furniture and of course, LAN JAENICKE cashmere coats.  I especially liked the collection of little mice.

Rachel Eden

Eden&Eden

Highlight your Face

Have you ever noticed on the cover of Vogue how the model's faces look illuminated in certain areas?  Well, here is a make up tip that all the big makeup artists are doing.  It's called HIGHLIGHTER and it comes in many forms and consistencies.  The easiest to use is a stick or cream.

Apply it:
*  On the cheekbones towards the temple
*  Inner corner of eyes
*  Bridge of the nose
*  Cupids bow on upper lip (see J. Crew catalog)
*  Brow bone

Have fun with it!
The products below are left to right: Chanel's Ruban Perle, Ben Nye Luxe Powder in Ice, MAC Hush Frost, and NARS Multiple Luxor.  High Beam by Benefit is also a good one.

my highlighters

High Beam

                                                    

                               

                            Putting highlighter on nose bridge (Sami @ JE)

Applying to inner eye 

My friend Tokyo's new blog

Tokyo and I have been collaborating on shoots for about 10 years.  He's the most talented hair stylist I know and the most fun to work with.  He has a cool new blog called TOKYOSF.  We recently did a lingerie shoot together and he brought out his new camera to video it.  Take a look!

                  

Credits:  Hair Tokyo, Makeup Racine, Stylist Jenna Drobnick, Model Jessiqa

                         

tokyo + me

Argan Oil

I write about things I'm into and one of these is the amazing argan oil. It comes from the fruit pit of the argan tree that grows in Morocco. Berber women have been using it as a beauty aid and a cooking oil for centuries. This oil rich in vitamin E has uses ranging from moisturizing dry skin to preventing stretch marks and reducing acne scars.  It's also wonderful for restoring shine to hair, repairing split ends and alleviating dry itchy scalp. It even has anti-aging qualities and is easily absorbed into the skin, but it's not cheap.  It takes 32 kilos of fruit to make 1 liter of oil.

My two favorite argan oil products are Moroccanoil ($42) and Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil ($30 for 4.2oz) and with winter's dry air coming soon, I will be keeping them both close by.

Favorite products

Argan trees

Pumpkins & Pomegranates

I love the colors of Fall: pumpkin orange, pomegranate red, burnt sienna.  These were my inspirations when I did the hair and makeup for sweater designer Laurie b's lookbook for Spring 2011. I love the orange/red lips and soft wave in the hair.

Merrill at JE

Shu Uemura Orange 581

Apres Summer Sun Damage

Now that summer is over I'm noticing all the brown spots on my face! Sun damage.  And I was so careful putting on SPF 30 everyday.  Instead of using laser I want to try a skin lightening treatment to see if it works.  I've noticed a proliferation of these kinds of products right now (Kiehl's, Clinique, just about every company has one).

I will be using Marie Veronique's Skin Lightening Duet which was given to me by the company.  I use Marie Veronique Organic Skincare already so I'm eager to see if this product is effective. I will be using it every night for 50 days so check back to see if it worked!

Here's my face now.

15 Red Soldiers

Today I decided to count all my red lipsticks.
I love red lips and am always searching for the perfect shade.  I may already own it but I'm still a sucker for a new one.

Favorites : Nars Red Lizard, Chanel #22 Rouge Star, Mac Russian Red

in love with LOVE

On my way to pick up a copy of the 90th Anniversary Issue of French Vogue, I also picked up a copy of LOVE.  I haven't even cracked the cover of Vogue because I am so enthralled with LOVE.  It is a biannual publication out of Britain. This is the 4th issue and comes with 8 different covers. Inspirational!

Purple Rules

Step aside Particuliere and make way for Paradoxal, Chanel's coolest shade from Fall 2010 collection.  Ok, maybe I'm a bit slow, but I just gave up the grey for griolet (does anyone like this word?) I think it's going to be on my nails for a while.  And look how nicely it goes with Marc Jacobs' palette for Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2011

LV Spring 2011

GET NUDE!

Nude lipstick is a must for Fall. Picking a complementary shade can be tricky because you can suddenly look washed out.  I suggest one with a little pink and not too much beige or grey.  A good one is Revlon's New Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude.  You can also layer it over your favorite color. 

Behind the scenes at Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang pushed the envelope to the extreme with a nude face and high impact hair. Bleached eyebrows and no makeup Diane Kendal created a raw look for the face, while Guido sculptured the hair into a knot with spikes using white clay.

Girls in Lineup

Lily Donaldson

Karen Elson

Oscar-worthy Eyes

For Oscar de la Renta's Spring Fashion Show, Gucci Westman created a beautiful aquamarine eye by mixing turquoise blue eye shadow with vibrant green.  The effect was stunning.   When playing up your eyes, keep the rest of the face neutral.  Lots of mascara and eyeliner applied thinly around the waterline finished off the look.  Try it and rediscover color!

Crazy for Coral

Coral lips and nails are everywhere!

You can have them too in the fancy or penny saver version. My favorite lipstick is Tom Ford's True Coral - a simply luscious experience. But you can get a very similar shade with Maybelline's #515 Coral Crush.  I've been wearing it nonstop.

For nails my favorite is Chanel's Orange Fizz

Backstage at New York Fashion Week

Last week was Fashion Week for Spring 2011 collections.  There were a lot of nude faces on the runway.  Makeup seems to be taking a minimalist approach for Spring. However, many makeup artists chose to emphasize either the lip or eye.  I was fortunate to work with two very talented artists, Diane Kendal and Gucci Westman.  

Tommy Hilfiger makeup

 Richard Chai makeup