Thursday, 15 July 2010

Fall/Winter 2010 Haute Couture Review

I just finished previewing the Fall/Winter 2010/2011 Chanel, Christian Dior, Armani Prive`, Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Elie Saab, and Valentino haute couture lines. I am amazed at the brilliant use of color, the fantastic beadwork, and even the touches of fur that are showing up this year. All of these lines are absolutely phenomenal! Here are a few of my favorites:

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld
Use of themes from a sport. Footwear inspired by equestrian riding boots. Each model trotted around in a pair of, what appears to be, riding boots. Everything from knee-high blonde
leather to ankle-high sequins. Simply beautiful footwear!

Scenery. A regal golden lion, paw perched on a ball, stood at the center of the arena. The display was absolutely jaw-dropping.

Finale. The show closed with a model wearing a magni
ficently gold beaded, white, knee-length dress and a near 10-foot train, and her male escort, wearing a traditional tailed tuxedo and a lion's head. Following the initial walk, Karl Lagerfeld took the stage for his bows. After making a full run, Lagerfeld has every model take the stage together, entering right and exiting left after Lagerfeld. Magnificent chaos.


Christian Dior by John Galliano
Use of natural themes. The show was a literal walking garden. Each piece was inspired by a different flower that can be found in nature. The colors and patters were so eye-catching and the cuts just created a new dimension. Absolutely outstanding. Favorite line out of all of the ones discussed here.





Armani Prive` by Giorgio Armani
Use of neutrals. No color here; this line featured everything from egg shell to chocolate brown. The neutrals became the colors. A section of the brown family that passes through the upper-middle tones of brown became
almost pink. The highlighting was en pointe.

Use of layers. Some pieces had upwards of six and seven feature and accent colors. In everyday life, this would be impossible, but this show proved the impossible to be quite possible.




Jean Paul Gaultier by Jean Paul Gaultier
Throwback. One piece that caught my eye featured a cone-shaped brazier similar to the one that Madonna once wore. Such a classic!

Animal features. The line had leather overcoats and bags that were very tasteful. Clean lines, muted colors, and matte finishes. The pieces consisting of fur were very tasteful as well. Coats trimmed in coffee brown. Heather grey shrugs. Fur on the arms. The only piece that had a lowered taste was a coat that had several bands of black fur that wrapped all the way around. Aside from that, fabulous line.




Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
Beading. The pieces in the collection featured a high concentration of marvelous beadwork. It added a whole new level to the already complex lines of the collection. If Tisci keeps this kind of forward momentum, he is sure to bring the Givenchy label back to the forefront of fashion from its fall during the years 0f 2001-2005.










Elie Saab by Elie Saab
Use of accent color. A majority of Saab's line used muted golds, tans, greens, and mauves, but he used the most blazing Crayola Red Crayon red for a few pieces. He placed these pieces throughout the show instead of overloading the color in a single segment. Much like Haydn's "Surprise Symphony," the red accent really woke up the show and added a nice flair.








Valentino by Maria Grazia Chiuri and
Pier Paolo Piccioli
Use of classic design. Though Valentino Garavani has moved on, his timeless bow design still remains as an integral part of the namesake's line. The classic bow was featured on almost every piece and was featured on every shoe. The original position of the bow has now changed from the top center of the shoe to the left or right side of the shoe. A modern take on a timeless classic.

Neckline. Each piece featured in the line had a beautiful top. Some were chokers, some were V's, some were scoops, some were squares. The one thing that remained the same, Valentino Garavani's beautiful visual ideas live on.


And there you have it-a review of seven fantastic fashion lines that will be hitting the award show scene this fall and winter, Though I've only featured seven labels, there are hundreds in the industry. These are only a handful of my favorite labels. I promise to highlight other labels in the future.

Sunday, 4 July 2010

Lip Balms that are PERFECT for Summer!

We all know that summer is synonymous with being poolside with your pals, seaside with your sweety, or on the lake with your lover. But what many people forget when headed out for fun in the sun, lip protection. In the age of skincare, I feel that the lips are the least-noticed of all of the areas we try to protect. We have our protective lotions and our umbrellas and our hydrating oils but one thing that most of us go without is a good SPF lip balm. These are some of my favorite summer lip balms that keep my lips hydrated and sun protected.

The first lip balm is the lip sphere from evolutionofsmooth.

This pucker cover comes in four flavors including Lemon Drop with SPF 15, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Summer Fruit, and Sweet Mint. I've not used the Honeysuckle Honeydew and Sweet Mint yet, but I can't wait to swing by my local drugstore and pick up Sweet Mint for holiday stocking stuffers. The product goes on smoothly, stays on for hours, smells great, leaves my lips feeling fantastic, only costs $3.50, and comes in such a cute little hands-free applicator. The only complaint that I have is that the product doesn't soak in like a lip butter and it also picks up dead lip skin very easily. The pros of this product FAR outweigh the cons. Go pick yours up today at a local ULTA, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, or Vitamin Shoppe.

The next three lip balms come from The Body Shop.

The first lip balm is the Tantalizing Lip Butter. I can't say enough about this lip butter. I've been shopping at The Body Shop for years and when I finally started my lip treatment search this past spring, I was directed straight to this lip balm without any hesitation. Its thick, creamy formula is fantastic for dry lips. And its such an incredibly yummy scent of strawberries and cream. The butter soaks straight into your lips and turns your frown upside down. The product is sold for $8.00 at The Body Shop and The Body Shop Online. The only downside to the product is that it is a pot that you have to dip your finger into. Not that getting a little messy isn't fun-I LOVE finger application, just make sure your fingers are clean.

The next lip balm from The Body Shop is the Guarana Lip Butter.

Now, I have the limited edition MTV Guarana Lip Butter but its not the wrapping that makes the gift. This lip butter is a bit thicker than the Tantalizing Lip Butter but still does its work. The scent reminds me of my trip to the Caribbean islands. Fresh fruit salad by the beach every morning. What else can I say about this lip butter-its divine. Sometimes, I like to put a bit of Guarana on my lower lip and Tantalizing on the upper lip. The scents compliment each other nicely and the ingredients give you the best of the best. Smooth, supple, summer kissin' lips comes with great care. At $7.20 a pot, or 2 for $10 currently, this lip butter is a fantastic summer must have!

The third lip butter from The Body Shop is the Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter.

To be honest, this lip butter was not on my need list nor was it on my want list. I purchased this lip butter because I needed one more product to give me my Eight Point Love Your Body reward. Can I tell you how wrong I was? This butter has become my nightly lip renewal salvation. It goes on thick and creamy and soaks in as you heat it up by rubbing your lips together. Its a fantastic lip emollient! If you're questioning the use of citrus oils, this is a must have in your "Citrus for Skeptics" kit. Its a brilliant product with a creamy, silky base, a fantastic scent, and a lasting effect. The scent is a little strong, grapefruit being the main additive, but just take in the citrus and spice scents and you'll fall head over heels. At $8.00 or 2 for $10.00, why would you not own this tiny miracle?!

The final product is the Fresh Lips SPF 15 from Ole Henriksen.

I could stop here and I would've already said more than enough about this product. This 3 in 1 lip treatment has been the best $15.00 ever spent. Yes, its expensive for .5 liquid ounces, but the benefits outweigh the cost tenfold. The SPF may not be seen, but after applying and spending some time in the sun, your lips will thank you. The lip plumper is not the strongest but it has enough effect for me. It's a grease-based balm that mixes wonderfully with your favorite lipstick, gloss, or lip balm. I like to put a thin layer of any of the above-listed balms then layer this on top. It adds a nice spin on all of your fruity lip balms by infusing them with zesty mint and vanilla scents. Turn any fruit balm into a holiday favorite by adding a little of Henriksen's Fresh Lips.

These are my five favorite lip treatments for this year. They've treated me well and I will continue to go back to them while adding new favorites. These are great under your favorite glosses and lipsticks or over your favorite lip stains. Day or night, poolside, shopping, dates, these 5 fantastic products will not let you down!

XOXO
James

*None of the above-listed products were endorsed by the production company. Nor were the products endorsed by the retailers. Every review is a self-analysis from my personal point of view.
** The above-posted images do not belong to me. The images are from eos, The Body Shop, and Ole Henriksen.

Friday, 2 July 2010

New job; New major; New blog

So, if you guys follow me on tumblr or Twitter, you've seen me rant and rave about fashion and products that I've seen and tried thus far this year. You might also notice that I've not been posting blogs as often as one should. This is all about to change though! I've recreated my blog and now I'm reopening it as a 100% fashion and products review blog. Stick close and I'll have you using the right products in no time!

Look for my post within a few days-bye guys!

XOXO
James