Meet the Staff: The Sketchbook
· Blog Home
· Profile
· MySpace
· Contact Us
· FAQ/TOS
Older Articles
· Are the 80's really back?
· Update on Annick Goutal
· Trader Joe's Shea Butter Soap rules!
· Beauty & Fashion Notes: July 6, 2007
· Beauty and Fashion Notes: July 5, 2007
· Boom Boxx featuring Linda O. - Balla Da Li
· Beauty Notes: July 4, 2007
· Update on Annick Goutal
· Beauty Notes: July 3, 2007
· Beauty Notes: July 2, 2007
Comments
· July 7, 2007 12:54 AM by
Colleen Shirazi
· July 7, 2007 8:11 AM by
cmm
· July 7, 2007 7:35 PM by
Dain
· July 7, 2007 10:11 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
Archives
· Beauty Blog (2003-2004)
· Fashion Blog (archive)
· New Releases Blog (archive)
· Beauty Articles (archive)
· April 2005
· May 2005
· June 2005
· July 2005
· August 2005
· September 2005
· October 2005
· November 2005
· December 2005
· January 2006
· February 2006
· March 2006
· April 2006
· May 2006
· June 2006
· July 2006
· August 2006
· September 2006
· October 2006
· November 2006
· December 2006
· January 2007
· February 2007
· March 2007
· April 2007
· May 2007
· June 2007
· July 2007
· August 2007
· September 2007
· October 2007
· November 2007
· December 2007
· January 2008
· February 2008
· March 2008
· April 2008
· May 2008
· June 2008
· July 2008
Recent blog posts:
Links
Barneys
refinery29
The Sartorialist
Jargol
Perfume Shrine
Ambre Gris
Polyvore
The Fashioniste
The Powder Group
LA-Story.com
Dain's Literary Attempts
Colleen's Beading Blog
Colleen's Adult Acne Blog
The Beauty Blog Network
Eponym Blog Directory.
TBF Project:Blog
Posted by Dain, Saturday, July 07, 2007 12:11 AM (Eastern)
Yay! New stuff!
My balmworks.com order came today, and I tried everything but the soap within five minutes. I got a full size of the Burt's Bees Repair Serum, which I've been testing this past week or so with excellent results. I think of it as a mostly rosehip, jojoba, lavender, vitamin E, and evening primrose oil, with some calendula, green tea, neroli, and rose. I rather like the full size bottle; it's unique and pleasing in the hand and eye, though I worry that it might spill or break easily. The Evolving Balm itself is quite nice, with a soft lavender and chamomile scent (in all honesty, I don't smell rose, which is fine by me, I much prefer lavender). It is basically a solidified oil that melts easily, though it may not be so liquid in winter. The search for a multipurpose salve was inspired by trying out my friend's Smith's Minted Rose salve, but I wanted something more thoughtful than glorified petroleum. This is perfect, albeit a little oily. It's lovely as a rich face cream, not at all greasy or heavy. I got the travel size, which is about the same size as the Smith's, in the Lotka set, which gave me the opportunity to try some other Badger products, and what a lovely line it is. The Highland Mint lip balm is nice, on the slippery rather than waxy side, though if I had had my say I'd have tried the Chai Rose scent. The Evolving Body Oil is my new favorite. It's got the same delightful scent as the balm (stronger), and the same great ingredients, save for the beeswax. Mmm... it smells so good! Now all I want is Dr. Bronner's Lavender Magic Soap to match it.
I needed to replace my NARS Gothika (I had lost it), and needed to replace my blush. I had gotten a Revlon cream blush to fill the void, but it just wasn't cutting it. Nice, but every so slightly off, and I like to endorse my products wholeheartedly. I was thinking of NARS Sin, but I wanted a cream blush instead. I was going to check out Stila Convertible Color in Rose or Orchid, but they've discontinued them or something, because they weren't there! I looked at NARS Malibu, universally gorgeous blush, but I prefer more color. So I went to the crème de la crème of cream blushes, Becca. Wild Orchid is probably my favorite blush of all time, but then I saw that they had the Beach Tint in stock. Great stuff: blendable, pigmented (a small dab will do ya), twice as much product as the regular cream blushes, travel-worthy, universally flattering, I just wish it didn't smell like Bonne Bell.
I'm already looking ahead to fall...
It's a strange business, predicting cultural trends. It's easy this time, it's gonna be the 80s, because they are fresh again. Signs of this: the cover of this month's W above, the prevalence of the music at bars (where it no longer sounds tacky), models like Agyness Deyn (who is going to be, as far as I'm concerned, the next supermodel since Gisele), and the ubiquitous skinny jean. It'll take a year or so to get off the ground, and it won't be an exact replication (nor should it be), but the main thing is that the 80s will be popular.
And once a culture becomes popular, there rises a counterculture as a reaction against it. It's way too early to predict the appropriate counterculture with any certainty, but my intuition suggests the 30s. I cannot say why exactly, just a fleeting handful of references barely within my sartorial peripherals, but I suspect the fashion elite will prefer the dark, slightly seedy, and progressive attitude of the 30s. The mysterious quality of 30s style is ideally juxtaposed against the exuberance of the 80s.
I'll follow with specific picks.
Next on the list, skincare!
There's no point in doing this in order, as it's just a fantasy anyway. I want to avoid redundancy, because that is not only the work of dull minds, but also ones that want to cheat you, what Marx calls "creating" the need. For example, I wouldn't offer an anti-aging eye cream, because that's just the same as face cream but pound-for-pound more expensive. It's only when an eye cream addresses a specific need, like puffy eyes or dark circles, that it has any merit. Nor do I want products that are confined to roles; for example, I would offer a good vitamin C and AHA treatment, for its lightening and "anti-aging" properties, but it could also be dabbed on blemishes during the day or used as a nighttime chemical exfoliant. The trick is to create a smart formula.
Minimalist, effective, and aesthetic: those are my goals.
I need to consider what the skin needs, what ingredients are capable of, and how they work together. Skin types are not merely acne, oily, combination, normal, dry, sensitive, mature, though this is how cosmetic companies usually think of them. Dry, mature skin may suffer from acne, and oily skin may have sensitivities. No, we must find a better way to look at the skin. It helps to remember that skincare is layered, one product on top of another, and that certain "star" ingredients, like the aforementioned vitamin C, are capable of multitasking.
Labels: alchemist's apprentice, badger, beauty notes, burt's bees, fashion notes, models, retro
subscribe
in a reader
July 7, 2007 12:54 AM,
Yeah, Malibu is almost as much bronze as rose. I can wear lipsticks with brown or bronze in them, without them looking muddy...my coloring "eats" the bronze or brown.
The 80's...what will be attractive, are the stronger makeup colors. Makeup was quite heavy relative to what's accepted now. I don't think we're going to pile it on, exactly, but the deeper jewel tones will be a welcome change.
July 7, 2007 8:11 AM,
Oh dear. The 80's. Not sure if I like that idea or not, having lived through them once. :)
I dressed like Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, both, at the same time. My best (girl) friend dressed like Boy George. My parents heaved a big sigh of relief when the movie "Dirty Dancing" came out and I then spent the summer living in denim capris, white shirts and a pair of white Keds! LOL! That was 20 years ago, WOW, the summer I met my husband.
The 80's.....hmmmmmm....I don't think they've been gone long enough to bring it back.
Except for the music, oh how I love 80's music!!! I've always liked U2. I had the Joshua Tree album on cassette! LOL! I read a biography about them last summer and I like them even more.
July 7, 2007 7:35 PM,
Malibu is such an ideal blush that's not "color". It's not technically bronze, I suppose, because I suppose that's a rich warm brown metallic, but more in the sense that it resembles bronzer. I mean, it is perfect for that healthy, sunkissed look.
I agree that 80s makeup will show itself in bolder colors rather than intense application, on both lips and eyes. But I think we'll steer clear of foundation and powder still; women don't want to give up that particular freedom I don't think. And it'll be done differently in terms of color combinations, I think.
July 7, 2007 10:11 PM,
Carol: Dirty Dancing, eh? That was a wonderful movie.
I had more Madonna influence than Cyndi Lauper, but then I'm a few years older than you are, and those years count, when you're that age. I'm much more of a 70's gal. My influences were late 70's, punk...and John Lennon. :)
Dain: Thank heavens for that. I personally loathe the spackled foundation look. It's way outdated.
Post a comment (NO SPAM)
Links to this post:
Create a Link