My first encounter with the scent was quite shocking, abusive even. Chloe and I were shopping at Macy's innocently enough, when an elderly woman in more makeup than a drag queen on Halloween was hauling A around the counter screaming, "ladies, ladies...try this!!!! stop, come over here!" I tried to tell her I was horribly allergic to everything in the perfume section but she wasn't having any of it. (I was having flashbacks to the time I was assaulted by a woman selling Clinique's Happy one Christmas season and sneezed in the New Year.) We ducked into the shoe section to escape the crazed perfume lady - too late, she was going for Chloe. "Look, you look just like this model on the poster. This is your scent, it was made for you!"
OK sure, Chloe is a skinny blonde but that's where her resemblance to the hideous model on the poster ends. As if the lady weren't irritating enough, comparing my friend to an ugly pre-pubescent model was the icing on our pet peeve cupcake. So when the sample of MADAME arrived in my mailbox a week later, I just had to laugh.
Oddly enough, SHOCKING is still the apt description, only this time in a good way.
The scent is pleasingly vibrant and floral (how you'd immagine the color neon pink to smell).
Just out of curiosity, I looked up flowers that look like this smells and found a variety of lillies and the king protea. It turns out these flowers represent Majesty and Daring - a darn good representation of the fragrance itself. Wallflowers need not apply that THIS perfume counter! Its definitely not your average sweet, girly stuff.
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Fashion and the Ren Fair
have you ever been to your local Renaissance Festival?
wow. if you haven't been, i highly recommend it for A. PRIME freak-watching ..um, i mean people watching opportunities and B. for a lesson in how-not-to dress yourself.
let me first preface this by saying that if you're a member of PETA, stop reading now and never go to one of these things because in Medieval times wearing and eating dead things was considered high class.
ok, so all of us adults understand that even the guy who has been living in his parent's basement for 20 years and playing dungeons and dragons needs love too, but these festivals seem to be that set's equivalent to match.com. who knew that you could accesorize your outfit with a sword and a mace? cool...yeah, too bad that guy was wearing a cloak...and tights.
ladies, some of us were not meant to have cleavage and some of us need to learn when to "let it all hang out" and when its best to ... not.
the fest does a good job of illustrating both extremes, and a few others i couldn't possibly have immagined, like that when your clothes are too tight cleavage pops out all over, like in the back, out the side and underneath - ow, that looks painful.
still, this is definitely the place to find certain fashion accessory staples:
like handmade semi-precious stone & beaded jewelry for cheaper than you could make yourself,
custom made (by hand) all leather boots/shoes/sandals,
and even the most adorable hand-knit 100% wool winter hats
(the one i bought was black with varying shades of pink skulls & bones on it.)
beauty may be pain but the ren fair is conclusive proof that reality is stranger than fiction.
wow. if you haven't been, i highly recommend it for A. PRIME freak-watching ..um, i mean people watching opportunities and B. for a lesson in how-not-to dress yourself.
let me first preface this by saying that if you're a member of PETA, stop reading now and never go to one of these things because in Medieval times wearing and eating dead things was considered high class.
ok, so all of us adults understand that even the guy who has been living in his parent's basement for 20 years and playing dungeons and dragons needs love too, but these festivals seem to be that set's equivalent to match.com. who knew that you could accesorize your outfit with a sword and a mace? cool...yeah, too bad that guy was wearing a cloak...and tights.
ladies, some of us were not meant to have cleavage and some of us need to learn when to "let it all hang out" and when its best to ... not.
the fest does a good job of illustrating both extremes, and a few others i couldn't possibly have immagined, like that when your clothes are too tight cleavage pops out all over, like in the back, out the side and underneath - ow, that looks painful.
still, this is definitely the place to find certain fashion accessory staples:
like handmade semi-precious stone & beaded jewelry for cheaper than you could make yourself,
custom made (by hand) all leather boots/shoes/sandals,
and even the most adorable hand-knit 100% wool winter hats
(the one i bought was black with varying shades of pink skulls & bones on it.)
beauty may be pain but the ren fair is conclusive proof that reality is stranger than fiction.
Review - L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara!
GLAMOUR Magazine just sent me the NEW L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara and here's some thoughts...
Since I'm allergic to EVERYTHING, I am very particular about mascara and typically only use a couple of brands. As a freelance makeup artist, I use even fewer on my clients. That said, any brand advertising some great new brush isn't winning me over. (Do you KNOW what kinds of stuff LIVES on mascara wands?!?!?) Due to my allergies and fear of the makeup cooties, I use the disposable kind even at home. Flesh-eating funk in my eyes? No, thank you!
Fortunately, I'm NOT allergic to this product and there was no burning or eye-watering / itching involved. However, with allergies to everything else, one of the most important things to me is a waterproof / water-resistant product. Bare naturale actually does stand up to a full day of outdoor activities, including watery eyes. You will not look like a cracked-out raccoon in a burglar mask if you get caught in the rain.
This is a GREAT product for you girls who don't like to wear makeup. Because you cannot feel this mascara at all you won't be sitting at your desk all day picking stabbing clumps out of your eyes or trying to keep your eyelashes from sticking together. It does live up to the flake-free promises and your boyfriend will think your eyes look amazing and never realize that you have mascara on. ;)
Downside (you know there always has to be *something*).
I don't know that it was water resistant enough for me, but its pretty good.
You'll be waiting a long time for this product to dry so if your lashes are super long to begin with you'll have smudges and marks where they hit your eye every time you blinked. If you curl your lashes and you're one of those girls with a 5 minute-or-less makeup routine, forget it.
....Natural Noticeably Longer Luminous Lashes-Shine infusing minerals-Conditioning Vitamins-Fiber Free-Paraben Free-Safe for sensitive eyes-Safe for contact lens wearers-Super Soft bristles brush lashes to luminosity and 60% more length-Ophthamologist and allergy tested-Smudge proof, flake proof and water resistant.
Since I'm allergic to EVERYTHING, I am very particular about mascara and typically only use a couple of brands. As a freelance makeup artist, I use even fewer on my clients. That said, any brand advertising some great new brush isn't winning me over. (Do you KNOW what kinds of stuff LIVES on mascara wands?!?!?) Due to my allergies and fear of the makeup cooties, I use the disposable kind even at home. Flesh-eating funk in my eyes? No, thank you!
Fortunately, I'm NOT allergic to this product and there was no burning or eye-watering / itching involved. However, with allergies to everything else, one of the most important things to me is a waterproof / water-resistant product. Bare naturale actually does stand up to a full day of outdoor activities, including watery eyes. You will not look like a cracked-out raccoon in a burglar mask if you get caught in the rain.
This is a GREAT product for you girls who don't like to wear makeup. Because you cannot feel this mascara at all you won't be sitting at your desk all day picking stabbing clumps out of your eyes or trying to keep your eyelashes from sticking together. It does live up to the flake-free promises and your boyfriend will think your eyes look amazing and never realize that you have mascara on. ;)
Downside (you know there always has to be *something*).
I don't know that it was water resistant enough for me, but its pretty good.
You'll be waiting a long time for this product to dry so if your lashes are super long to begin with you'll have smudges and marks where they hit your eye every time you blinked. If you curl your lashes and you're one of those girls with a 5 minute-or-less makeup routine, forget it.
....Natural Noticeably Longer Luminous Lashes-Shine infusing minerals-Conditioning Vitamins-Fiber Free-Paraben Free-Safe for sensitive eyes-Safe for contact lens wearers-Super Soft bristles brush lashes to luminosity and 60% more length-Ophthamologist and allergy tested-Smudge proof, flake proof and water resistant.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
the problem with "virtual models"
One would think with all the commentary on and trends toward designers and magazines making more of an effort to feature models with "real" proportions, that when these same designers' retail companies set up virtual models on their websites (and through third party providers) that they would allow folks to model their virtual identity after their real size(s).
Wouldn't it be simple to just upload a picture of your face and then input your actual measurements and have the program actually spit out something quasi-realistic? Easy, right?
Yeah, so not only has it been a lifelong frustration for me to find pants with a 36" (or longer, if I want to wear heels) inseam but now the virtual model insults me by informing me via a popup that it can't possibly generate my model because my height and weight do not conform to their BMI scale.
Let me tell ya, I have never and probably will never as long as I live appear on the BMI scale because I'm a freak of nature. I know many many women (especially those over 5'9") who are also not on a BMI scale and who are healthy, fit and happy shoppers.
But just because we're two pounds or inches shy of appearing on a BMI scale doesn't mean that we freaks don't like to shop in your stores, too.
The most insulting instance was when someone graciously emailed me a l ink to an online shop for tall women. Their main page proudly proclaimed they could stylishly clothe anyone over 5'9", but didn't offer anything in my size (or ANY single-digit size, for that matter).
Wouldn't it be simple to just upload a picture of your face and then input your actual measurements and have the program actually spit out something quasi-realistic? Easy, right?
Yeah, so not only has it been a lifelong frustration for me to find pants with a 36" (or longer, if I want to wear heels) inseam but now the virtual model insults me by informing me via a popup that it can't possibly generate my model because my height and weight do not conform to their BMI scale.
Let me tell ya, I have never and probably will never as long as I live appear on the BMI scale because I'm a freak of nature. I know many many women (especially those over 5'9") who are also not on a BMI scale and who are healthy, fit and happy shoppers.
But just because we're two pounds or inches shy of appearing on a BMI scale doesn't mean that we freaks don't like to shop in your stores, too.
The most insulting instance was when someone graciously emailed me a l ink to an online shop for tall women. Their main page proudly proclaimed they could stylishly clothe anyone over 5'9", but didn't offer anything in my size (or ANY single-digit size, for that matter).
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