Shiny shiny, shiny boots of leather
whiplash girlchild in the dark
Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him
strike dear mistress and cure his heart

Downy sins of streetlight fancies
chase the costumes she shall wear
Ermine furs adorn imperious
Severin, Severin awaits you there
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me different colors made of tears
Kiss the boot of shiny shiny leather
shiny leather in the dark
Tongue of thongs, the belt that does await you
strike dear mistress and cure his heart
Severin, Severin, speak so slightly
Severin, down on your bended knee
Taste the whip, in love not given lightly
taste the whip, now bleed for me
I am tired, I am weary
I could sleep for a thousand years
A thousand dreams that would awake me
different colors made of tears
Shiny shiny, shiny boots of leather
whiplash girlchild in the dark
Severin your servant, comes in bells
please don't forsake him
strike dear mistress and cure his heart
-Venus in Furs/Velvet Underground
Venus in Furs by Scents by Alexis
available at Lacremebeauty.com
Harlow photo from meredy.com

New unsniffed fragrance lemming:

Scent by Alexis

I have been curious about this line since some of the makeupalley girls got hooked. Then Beauty Addict goes and fans the lemming flames.
http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/2006/06/museum-quality.html

This gem is called Courtesan. It is a violet based fragrance with green tea and orchid.

The bottles are handpainted and are priced at $100. My other top Alexis lemming is Venus in Furs. It is an amber with freesia, vanilla and floral notes.
Available at the great site Lacreme. BTW: The Lacreme pacakages are legendary. The owner wraps each purchase so lovely. It almost pains you to open them.
http://www.lacremebeauty.com

This is my favorite time of summer....when the new fall makeup is unveiled. Nars looks the most promising so far.

This is a photo of the new blush called Oasis. It is a sparkling pink champagne color.

Other lemming worthy Nars products:
India Song-an eye duo that features a vanilla and shimmering walnut color
Bohemian Gold- an eye duo that features metallic taupe and iridescent copper
Stolen Kisses- a sparkling caramel pink
Tamango-glistening cabernet

I do not think this collection is in the stores but it looks like it might be available online. I have not ordered from the Nars site because I have to see these in person first. I have "been there and done that" when it comes to ordering untested fragrances and unseen makeup products. I have to control my urges and just wait for it to hit the counters. If anyone gets to see these in person please report your findings.

Help kill or fan the lemmings.

http://www.narscosmetics.com/acb/stores/1/index.aspx

photo: Nars

Coutorture has started a new feature called City Guides. They are creating the ultimate shopping guide with more information, maps, pictures and potentially customer reviews for stores everywhere.

Here is more info:

These are similar in concept to the shopping guides you've probablyseen at Superfuture.com, but with a few twists. We're adding a lot more information about the stores (from photos to categories), makingthings super-searchable and cross-indexed (the same channels we use on Coutorture), using high-fidelity, GMO-free Google Maps, and makingeverything bloggable (of course).
Also, we're going to start tyingblog reviews that pass through Coutorture onto the map, preserving your opinions for the ages :)
Our goal is to create the largest, most usable, and public directory of stores in cities across the globe.
It's probably pretty attainable,especially with your help and feedback.We'd also love to start compiling a directory of shops useful to those of you on the production end of things - fabric stores, sewing machinerepair, etc.

So let the coutorture gang know what are the hidden shopping gems in your town. Do not be shy about posting about a store in say...Cleveland(my neck of the woods). It is about all the cities. Not just the lovely and exciting ones.
Perfume junkies....lets make sure all our haunts are in the list.

Question of the day: What is your favorite store? What makes it so dear to your heart?
Mine: My heart races when I enter the Barneys beauty floor. I get giddy when I see the perfume bottles, Tyler and the Frederic Malle perfume chambers.

http://coutorture.com/retail/add

photo: getty...of course.

"If you have a goal, if you want to be successful, if you really want to do it and become another Estee Lauder, you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to stick to it and you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing." -Estee Lauder

I am currently reading her biography. It is a page turner. My favorite story is when she discusses her fragrance Private Collection. Mrs Lauder tried to keep PC for herself but the demand got too great. She was stopped by taxi drivers, sales girls and friends whenever she wore it. When she was questioned about it she would just say "Private Collection" because it was just from her personal fragrance stash. She only relented when she realized she was being selfish with a potential goldmine.

She went to a masked ball and recognized the scent on Grace Kelly. Lauder lied and said that it was Kelly's eyes that gave it away but it was the fact that Princess Grace was wearing her holy grail scent. She loved this fragrance above all others.

This photo is from cavewoman's collection. It is another Estee Lauder piece.
photo: cavewoman

The fall coat lemmings has begun: If you are a regular Blogdorf reader then you know I am addicted to coats. I fall in and out of love with many coats in all shapes and sizes. This H&M coat from the upcoming Fall season stopped me in my tracks. It has a Balenciaga vibe. I fell for the sleeves. I am not sure this gem will make its way to the Ohio H&M store but one could only hope. Check out the wonderful homage to Balenciaga at style.com
http://www.style.com/

photos froms style.com and makeupalley.com/H&M

La Mer The Powder Review

I posted that the La Mer powder is the best thing that has happened to me since their foundation. I am insane over this powder!

I am a loose powder junkie so I am generally hard to please when it comes to this type of product. This one made my heart sing and my feet dance. It is as light as whipped cream with a buttery texture. Sean from Saks made cavewoman and I dip our fingers in the jar. You could not feel the powder. It is that finely milled. It is said to be have been developed by NASA scientists but I can not get confirmation on this rumor. Dr Max Huber did work for NASA so it could be possible that he had friends do a side project. If they did...then make them do more. Screw the space program and start working on eyeshadows!

The description from Bergdorf Goodman:

This luxurious finishing powder is so incredibly light it appears to float. Developed with symmetrically shaped, uniquely coated particles, it magnetically attracts to the skin for a perfect fit. Airspun seaborne particles—some of the lightest materials on earth—create an imperceptible finish that leaves skin looking flawless.

The powder gives flawless coverage that manages to look fresh all day. No touch ups are needed. There is no caking effect or discoloration.

I am smitten like never before.

Disclosure: I purchased this powder from saks Fifth Avenue

Summer white dresses: photos from gettyimages and anthropologie.

Place in the Sun hat $68, Vanille eyelet dress $168 and Shasta dress $158.

Happy Belated Birthday to Mireille!

I have been saving the Glynis Johns photos for this special day! Notice that she is reading Vogue.

photos from gettyimages

Sorry there has been little activity here. I have not had power for two straight nights. The lights went on at 3am this morning so hopefully there will be more posts soon.

I wanted to let you know that La Mer's new loose powder might be the best thing that has happened to me since...La Mer's foundation.

Also Blogdorf has more projects in the works. We are planning a Mens Beauty Week very soon. It will be all about the boys!

Have a great weekend!

photo from celebrity-pictures
Can anyone guess the gal with the umbrella? She is one of my favorites.

A lovely cloisonne compact in cavewoman's collection. The colors and detailing make this one stand out against all the others in her collection.

The process of cloisonne from wikipedi: First, the artist forms metal (such as copper or brass) into the shape of the finished object.

A paper pattern and a pencil are used to transfer a design to the metal object.
Partitions (French: cloisons) that act as color-separators are applied according to the transferred pattern and are held in place by a soldering paste (this is finely divided metal of low melting temperature in a flux paste). The partitions are bent and cut to length from flat wire stock (usually by hand using simple pliers) while the paste is applied with a small brush. Heating the piece in an oven permanently affixes the partitions the base metal by, melting the solder. The piece then cools.

Frit (glass crushed to a powder) in a water-based paste is painted into the partitions using an annotated pattern similar to the "paint by numbers" craft technique. After the frit has dried, firing in an oven melts it onto the metal. Several repetitions of the process may ensue to build up the coatings to the height of the partitions. Various colors and transparencies may be used in combination within a single partition to obtain the desired artistic effect.
The glass and a portion of the cloisons are ground and polished to form an even and smooth surface.
The exposed metal is electroplated with a thin film of gold to prevent corrosion and to give a pleasing appearance.

photo by cavewoman

For Melanie: Audrey with her pet fawn.

photos from audrey1.com

I caught this picture on Makeupalley's cafe board. They are cakes made by Colette Peters.

In that moment an important decision was made. My wedding cake will be a vintage Guerlain bottle. It will be Mitsouko.

The question of the day to my perfume friends: What perfume would you choose to be in cake form?

BTW: My cake will be italian rum.

photo from makeupalley/original source unknown

This is a compact from my collection. I bought it at the Goodwill Auction. I was scrambling to get aurora borealis anything when I stumbled across this at the watch table. I was so proud when cavewoman proclaimed it a find. It was not the find of the night. That honor goes to my friend Sandy who scored a vintage diamond watch.

This compact is a Schildkraut. It has never been used by any hands. No powder has ever graced its contents. According to cavewoman it is a guilloche compact. According to Wikipedia(my new haunt) guilloche is "an ornamental pattern formed of two or more curved bands that interlace to repeat a circular design, most commonly seen on banknotes."

photos: Sandy with her loot and my compact.

Compact photo taken by cavewoman

Product Beauty Review

I am joining in the chorus of raves for the bath products from Joanna Schmidt from Product. I tested Velvet Sugar Scrub and Shea Butter and Cream in pink grapefruit and her soon to be famous Mama Bomb in Citrus Butter.

I am smitten with the Velvet Sugar Scrub. This is a pure cane sugar with various oils. It leaves a soft supple sheen without being greasy. The thing that makes this scrub better than others is the quality of sugar. The sugar is thicker and denser than the sugar used for Bath and Body Works.

The Mama Bomb is a blend of butters and oils. This is some hardcore recovery cream! I have started using it in my pedicure routine and my feet have never been so soft.

My favorite product from the whole package was the Whipped Shea Butter. This product has the potential to make her the next Estee Lauder. It is 100% shea and is double whipped to the consistency of frosting. It is like the cream filling of a Krispy Kreme donut. I know this is very high praise but is very deserving! This cream is sinfully good.

Most of the products come in three scents:
Pink Grapefruit(great with layering with YSL's In Love Again)
Chocolate Dipped Orange
Sweet Vanilla Mango

Make sure to visit the site and let me know if you decide to cave on an order!
I would be interested to see what the other scents and products are like!!!
http://www.productbody.com

Also check out Beautyaddicts review:
http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/

photos from productbeauty and gettyimages
Trivia: Who is the lady in the bathtub?

Disclosure: A press sample of the product was provided by Product Beauty

Compacts from Cavewoman's collection:

Streams of Gold by Estee Lauder.

Estee Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century. She was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

photo:cavewoman

Jill from Jibean has started The Great Eyeliner Hunt. She has started her search for the best eyeliner product.

If you are interested in joining Jill's quest contact her at http://jilbean.blogspot.com/ or leave a message in the comments. I will pass along your name to her! Make sure to check out Jills photos from her NYC trip. The Cafe Baloud looks like a "must stop".

I told her that I would start the reviews rolling. I will be honest...I am not much of an "eyeliner experimenter". I stick to two brands. The brands are MAC and Nars.

MAC makes great eyeliners. They are soft, easy to manage, sharpen well, do not fall apart, have great staying power and live a long life. I work my MAC pencils till they are a nub.

So what is the best MAC color? My personal favorite is Buried Treasure. The perfect black with a subtle gold/green cast. You can never go wrong with it.

I will try to join the eyeliner bloggers whenever I can but I really need to get cracking on that mascara round-up. You have all been very patient!

Why do you even put up with me?

photo: gettyimages

I have joined my first blogger community.
In the past other sites have asked me to join but I never followed through. When Julie from Almost Girl asked me to join Coutorture I said yes without any reservations. I have been a fan of Julie's writing since I started Blogdorf. Julie's coverage of Fashion Week was like a breath of fresh air.

Coutorture gives fashion lovers news and commentary in one convenient location. Integrating fashion blogs, online magazines, and exclusive media content, all while promoting a community based on active participation, Coutorture is the new destination for online fashion.

Check out http://www.coutorture.com/ and consider joining!

Also check out Julie's site: http://almostgirl.coffeespoons.org/

photo: gettyimages

Estee Lauder's Mood compact from cavewoman's collection:

A mood ring is a novelty ring which changes color in response to body temperature, using a thermochromic liquid crystal. A form of biofeedback, they supposedly indicated the temperament of the wearer, indicated by the ring's color. Mood rings were a fad whose popularity peaked in the United States in the 1970s, and they are now seen as an icon of 1970s culture.

The Mood Ring was invented by Joshua Reynolds, who also invented the Thighmaster. Reynolds is heir to the fortune of Richard Joshua Reynolds, tobacco company founder.

The meanings of the various colors:
Black: Tense, nervous, harassed, overworked
Gray: Anxious, nervous, strained
Amber: Nervous, emotions mixed, unsettled, cool
Green: Average reading. Active, not under great stress
Blue-green: Emotionally charged, somewhat relaxed
Blue: Relaxed, at ease, calm
Dark blue: love , romance

photo: cavewoman/info from wikipedia

Koneko is coming in just three short days to my neck of the woods. I can not wait for her to join our gang. Expect more trips to the city by the lake and more impressive finds at the beachwood TJ Maxx.

I thought I would start a countdown to welcome her to Ohio. The above pictures are of the Terminal Tower and the Cleveland Art Museum.

From Clevelandfacts:
"When it was built as part of the Van Sweringen brothers' Union Terminal station, it was the tallest building outside of New York City until 1967. The related earthmoving required for the Union Terminal complex was the second largest excavation in history after the Panama Canal. Terminal Tower remains the second tallest building in Cleveland and Ohio."
http://clevelandfacts.blogspot.com/

Make sure to check out his last entry concerning a time capsule in Parma.

all photos are from gettyimages

Vintage Carrie Donovan for cavewoman.

gettyimages

Retro compacts from cavewoman's collection: Charles of the Ritz and Nina Ricci.
photos by cavewoman and gettyimages.

Compacts with a Cause: Pink Ribbons by Estee Lauder.
photos: cavewoman

I am going to spend the day cleaning, testing products, and working on a mascara round up.

Have a great saturday!

PS: Can anyone guess who is reading this Vogue?

photo: gettyimages/Time & Life

This photo showcases some of cavewoman's Estee Lauder solid perfume collection. These are highly collectible. You can tell that the late Estee Lauder might have had a fondness for cats.

Mrs. Estée Lauder, fragrance innovator and artist, introduced her first solid perfume compact collection in 1967. Each year for the past 38 years, there has been a new collection of magnificent hand-crafted compacts filled with Estée Lauder solid perfumes. There are over 650 of these miniature works of art to date.

Themes and ideas for compacts begin in the Estée Lauder design department. Inspiration can come from fashion, history, nature or the seasons. Designs for a number of perfume containers came directly from Mrs. Lauder. A shell found on the beach in Florida, a Battersea box and a chatelaine discovered in an antique store, each became models for solid perfume containers.

How the compacts are made:

Estée Lauder Solid Perfume Compacts are hand-crafted by a team of master craftsmen schooled in the fine art of jewelry making. From concept to completion the process takes about three months.

Each compact begins as a solid block of pewter. The modelmaker sculpts the pewter into an exact likeness of the approved design. The inside is hollowed out and the hinge and closure are made. Setting for stones are hand-carved and fine detailing is added. The master takes two to three weeks to produce.

The master is submerged in soft rubber and cured at high temperatures. The moldmaster then carves passageways into the mold to allow molten metal to flow into the cavities.
The mold is then fastened to a centrifugal casting machine. Molten metal heated to 246.1°C is poured into the mold through a funnel until the cavities are filled. The result? Exact reproductions of the original master, known as castings.

Each casting is hand-cleaned and polished with four different buffing wheels, refining the surface to a high luster. Castings are then plated…a three-step process of dipping into copper, nickel and rhodium and/or 22k gold. This ensures that each tiny work of art will retain its durability and glossy finish throughout its lifetime.

Compacts are hand-assembled, enameled and many are hand-set with Austrian crystal stones – sometimes as many as four hundred. Each compact is given the "white glove" test before being filled with sold perfumes.

I love the idea that there is a white glove test.

All the information in this post was directly quoted from an Estee Lauder compact booklet from the Neiman Marcus exhibit called Reflections of Beauty: The Estee Lauder Compact Exhibit.

A frog in love would not be enchanted to learn that her beloved had turned into Prince Charming -Mason Cooley

I have always loved these large sized lily pads. When I was little I always dreamed that I would ride one. I have read that these are tough as leather and can support the weight of a human.

Frog on little pad compact by Estee Lauder
photo by cavewoman

He's all right! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's.

Cavewoman's sleeping cat compact from Tiffany & Company.

More Cavewoman compacts: Orlane, the discontinued Stephane Marais(the line had such great packaging), Paul and Joe, MAC(from the Deneuve collection/currently showing up at your local CCOs), Anna Sui(such great compacts), and the always classic Chanel.
What is your favorite everyday powder compact? Please name your favorites in the comments.

Mine: There is something about that wonderful sound a Chanel compact makes when you snap it shut. So satisfying.
photos: cavewoman

From the upcoming movie Perfume: Story of a Murderer.
I am drooling over all the bottles. I want a collection like this.

Description from yahoo:
Based on the bestselling novel by Patrick Süskind, "Perfume" is a story of murder and obsession set in 18th-century France. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has a unique talent for discerning the scents and smells that swirl around him, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. Strangely lacking any scent of his own, he becomes obsessed with capturing the irresistible but elusive aroma of young womanhood. As Grenouille's obsession turns deadly, twelve young girls are found murdered. Panic breaks out as people rush to protect their daughters, while an unrepentant and unrelenting Grenouille still lacks the final ingredient to complete his quest.

Think Silence of the Lambs with perfume.

photos: yahoo and darkhorizons.