Rock the Gloss Challenge for September 1st 2006:

I started school
In a worn, torn dress that somebody threw out
(Somebody threw out)
I knew the way it felt to always live in doubt
To be without the simple things
So afraid my friends would see the guilt in me
(Lovechild)

My lippie is MAC's Miss Ross with MAC Lovechild gloss.
What is your lippie today and what is your favorite Diana Ross song?

Today at work is Ms. Diana Ross Day.
We will be playing the greatest hits of the Supremes along with her solo hits.
Have a great weekend!
photos: gettyimages

The Duwop Hop

DuWop Eyes is my newest addiction. I swear I am falling in love with this whole damn line. Each palette contains a base color, lighter and darker versions, gold or silver shimmer, and a matching cream liner. The shadows are very rich in pigment, easy to blend and build on, and have great staying powder.
DuWop eyes come in 7 shades:
Brown Eyes
Green Eyes (I am in love!!!)
Blue Eyes
Gray Eyes
Violet Eyes
and Rose Eyes (there are some lovely shimmery pink shades)

I own a lot of green shadow palettes and eyeshadows. In fact you can say...that more than half my shadow collection consists of green shades.
The DuWop greens in this palette are blue based. The darkest is a beautiful pine green color. It is rich and dense in texture.
There is a light green shade that harks back to the infamous MAC shade called Metamorph and a shimmery true gold. Each color helps create a great smokey green eye.
It gives my beloved Tony+Tina palettes a run for their money.

These palettes retail for $32 and are available at Sephora, Beauty.com,and Nordstorm.

photo: annieytown
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Duwop

This is the red lipstick I want.

Any ideas on what this is?

photo: gettyimages

I'm going to be a lady if it kills me.

quote from Kitty Packard in Dinner at Eight (1933)
photos from gettyimages/VMA's

Fashion as King is sometimes a very stupid ruler.

E.T Bell

pictures from the VMA's @ gettyimages

Rock the Gloss for Thursday August 31th 2006:

"If we were perpetuating the gestures of the twentieth century for posterity, putting on lipstick would head the list"- Vogue 1933 (from Lipstick)

Today I am testing MAC's Plushglass Pretty Plush gloss. It is a shimmery pearl pink in the tube. On the lips it is just a lovely layer of sparkle.

Here is the description from Gloss.com:

Sheer lip colour with a pearlized high-shine gloss finish. Formulated to make lips look and feel like more – instantly! Comfortable to wear: lush, multi-dimensional. Sensational in application: gives a cool-warm, vanilla buzz to the lips. Moisturizes, soothes and visibly plumps the lips to make them look luxuriously healthy and well-conditioned. Contains vitamin E for added environmental protection. To keep lips looking full and lush, use it on an ongoing basis.

These lip plumping glosses have various degrees of tingling. MAC's is the mildest with a cooling sensation. It is similiar to eating a York Peppermint Patty or sucking on an altoid. It is never uncomfortable or annoying. The great thing about the gloss is that it really delivers plumping action. My upper lip is fuller than it has ever been.
The scent is a wonderful plus. It is a like CSP Vanille Frangipane. Like summer in a bottle.
http://www.gloss.com/home/index.jsp

What is your lippie today?

photo: gettyimages

Then and Now: Mia Farrow
photos: Just Jared and unknowns

"I get it now; I didn't get it then. That life is about losing and about doing it as gracefully as possible... and enjoying everything in between." -Mia Farrow

I stumbled across this photograph on Just Jared. There is just something haunting about this Gap ad.
I love it.
http://www.justjared.com/gossip/2006/08/gap-fall-2006-celebrity-ads/

I am not an Addict or maybe thats a lie....

It is too hard for me to pass up a navy blue coat on sale for $149. Run to JCrew online to check out the remaining coats. Last year I bought the colors Jade and Dutch Blue. They are well made coats with....a Hong Kong finish.

That was for cavewoman.

If you would like Free Shipping(and spend over $150) then use the code PC-500.

If you cave on any coats let me know.

BTW: I wanted the yellow one but refrained.

photo: JCrew

Rock the Gloss Challenge for wednesday August 30th 2006:

On the set Between Friends all extras were instructed to wear a "neutral sort of flesh colored lipstick" but when a makeup man applied a red lipstick to one red-headed extra, an authority on the set hollered: "Get it off her, nobody but Elizabeth wears red."
C David Heymann also recounts how, during the filming of Cleopatra, Liz insisted on wearing makeup for every scene, even if she was told she didn't need it. One top crew member reported walking into her dressing room, where "she had her mouth open and was even dabbing powder on the roof of her mouth. "What are you doing?" I asked, and she replied, "well, they'll see inside my mouth when I speak my lines. I want to look perfect."---Jessica Pallingston's Lipstick

My lippie for today is Estee Lauder's Tom Ford Azuree Nude.
It is the perfect flesh colored lipstick.

photo: gettyimages

Katherine Heigl wore Duwop to the Emmys.

Here is the scoop:

She wore Duwop's Revolotion. A fabulous tinted moisturizer with a illuminating shimmer. I am newly smitten with this product.
Duwop's Lashlacquer in carbon black. (Her lashes looked great!)
Duwop's Browwow in lighter

I am curious about her lipstick. In some pictures it looks like Foul Play by Nars.

Any ideas what the lippie could be?

gettyimages

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Tuesday August 29th 2006: gettyimages

In our factory, we make lipstick. In our Advertising, we sell hope. ~ Charles Revson

After my bold red lippie from yesterday I decided to go with a very tame nude. I am wearing Chanel's Waikiki with Estee Lauder's High Gloss in Honey.

What is your lippie today?

Blogdorfs Beauty Book Club:

I have been thinking that in order of making this a successful book club I need to give you options. So here are my picks so far....

1. The Emperor of Scent
It is a must read for the fragrance lover, it is written by Chandler Burr who just started the scent strip in the NYTimes and it tells the story of the godfather of perfume critics...Luca Turin.

“One of the stories I heard when I started meeting the perfumers and was let into their tightly closed world involves JeanCarles, one of the greatest perfume makers in Paris–he used to work forRoure in Grasse, near Nice, where all perfumes used to be made. He became anosmic, lost his sense of smell, and he simply carried on from memory, creating perfumes. Like Beethoven after his deafness. JeanCarles went on to create the great Ma Griffe for Carven, a result of pure imagination in the complete absence of the relevant physical sense. Carles’s condition was known only to him and his son. When a client came in, he’d go through the motions, make a big show of smelling various ingredients and, finally, the perfume he had created, which he would present with great gravity to the client, smelling it and waving itsodor around the room. And he couldn’t smell anything!” Turin smiles, thinking about it.
It is available at Barnes and Noble for $4. A steal!!!!

2. A Scented Palace by Elisabeth de Feydeau

From an interview with the author on Abebooks.com
Jean-Louis was one of Marie Antoinette’s suppliers, not the only one, but certainly the main provider of all her perfumes and other items relating to her toilette. He worked together with Rose Bertin, the Queen’s favourite milliner, and Leonard, the famous hairdresser, preparing a wide range of products – as much for hygiene as for beauty purposes: perfumes, eaux de toilettes, lotions, vinegars, ‘bains de modestie’ (preparation for exfoliating baths), hair powder, make-up, perfumed flannels etc. He took care of a great deal of the Queen’s needs, and was enamoured of the natural look for the sake of one’s skin. Thus he appreciated the queen who liked to look after her face and show her beauty through the most minimal of makeup.

3. History of Beauty by Umberto Eco
In this, his first illustrated book, Professor Eco offers a layered approach that includes a running narrative, abundant examples of painting and sculpture, and excerpts from writers and philosophers of each age, plus comparative tables. A true road map to the idea of beauty for any reader who wishes to journey into this wonderful realm with Eco's nimble mind as guide.

4. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker
by A'Lelia Bundles

Oprah Winfrey is renowned for her media savvy, marketing sense, philanthropic efforts, and accumulated wealth (and the power that accompanies it). She's earned her rep, of course, and her path to stardom and influence couldn't have been easy. Imagine, then, how difficult it must have been a century ago for Madam C. J. Walker, America's first female African-American millionaire. The daughter of slaves, married and divorced by the age of 20, Madam Walker spent nearly two decades as a lowly scrubwoman before concocting (or, as she claimed, being presented in a dream) the formula for a much needed hair care product for African-American women. After making her hair care business a resounding success, Walker devoted much of her time and resources to social causes and philanthropy.

5. Miracles Happen: The Life and Timeless Principles of the Founder of Mary Kay Inc.
by Mary Kay Ash

Born in rural Texas at the end of World War I, Mary Kay spent her childhood keeping house and caring for her sick father while her mother supported the family. Years later, as a single mother at a time when very few women worked outside the home, Mary Kay was determined to pursue her professional goals. Twenty-five years later, after she retired from a successful career in direct selling, mary Kay -- a middle-aged grandmother -- felt the call of a challenge. In founding what she termed her "dream company," Mary Kay exceeded her own expectations and became a champion for women.

6. Coty: The Brand of Visionary
by Orla Healy
No information and pricey at $54.00 but it is about Coty. Thats enough for me!

7. Elizabeth Arden: Beauty Empire Builder
by Nancy Shuker

The story of Florence Nightingale Graham's perseverance and success in turning herself into Elizabeth Arden and establishing a beauty empire makes fascinating reading. She was born in Canada on New Year's Eve, 1878, and named after the nurse who had transformed the profession of caring for the ill. Her mother died when she was six and life was difficult, so although the young Florence often claimed, "I want to be the richest little woman in the world," she decided to go to nursing school. There she found that nursing was not for her, but she did take an interest in a medicinal salve a young biochemist was trying to develop for treating skin blemishes, and this determined her future course. The book gives a great deal of information about the times and the few opportunities available for women in that era. The comprehensive background coverage makes all the more amazing Florence's transformation into Elizabeth, a hardheaded, determined businesswoman whose personal relationships foundered as she single-mindedly pursued her goal to become a rich and successful pioneer in the new field of beauty aids and services.

8. Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful
by Teresa Riordan

Plumbing the depths of the U.S. Patent Office, the Max Factor archives, and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as such unorthodox sources as the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, Riordan emerges with a compelling, at times hilarious, tale of entrepreneurism run amok. Complete with dozens of photographs, wacky patent diagrams, and too-kitsch-to-be-true vintage advertisements, Inventing Beauty is an enlightening, tongue-in-cheek tour de force.
Did I read Max Factor archives?

9. Max Factor: The Man Who Changed the Face of the World
by Marianne Morino, Robert Salvatore
**no information and it might be difficult to find!

This is my list so far.
Please feel free to vote and suggest other beauty books!

photos from Barnes and Noble
descriptions from Barnes and Noble

It is all about Sandra Oh.
gettyimages

So, now I feel like the show's hiding Hot Makeup Guy from me. This week, he was only visible via mirror...
It took a while, but I was all kinds of Lisa Stansfield-esque in my determination ("I don't know where he can be, my baby / But I'm gonna find him"). --FourFour

The Project Runway recap is up at FourFour.
http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/
He makes you look forward to Mondays.

Pay special attention to the hilarious Michael and Joan Kors photos and the video of his kitty eating corn.
Winston slays me.

photo: allmusic.galeon.com

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Monday August 28th 2006:

Put on a red lipstick and immediately you're a diva - Carol Shaw

Its all about red today.
I am wearing my new MAC red in Rockcoco and the lip gloss in Pure Vanity. Both are a pure red color. I am a little nervous because this is a bold lip look. It screams look at my lips.

What is your lippie today?
What is your favorite red?
Can you name the diva in this picture?

Have a great monday!

Emmy pictures from gettyimages.

The Emmys were interesting tonight. I saw some lovely accessories. I loved the clutches and was blown away by Sandra Oh's use of chains with vintage diamonds. The dresses did not slay me. The best dressed were Heidi Klum and Katherine Heigl. They were glowing and picture perfect.
The worst would be Ellen Pompeo. I really do not know where to start. So I am just going to leave it at that. I will let the other bloggers and Joan Rivers take care of her.
What has happened to Debra Messing? She was a fashion plate at one time. Now she seems to be phoning it in. She looked lovely but that dress did her no favors.


It was all about the sexpot and the vavoom.
Katherine Heigl has never looked better. The fit and color were perfection. It was like a Charlize Theron moment.
Tyra rarely disappoints when it comes to the red carpet. She knows what works for her body and what will photograph well.





So tell me your favorites for best and worst dressed.
Who do you think dazzled?
Who do you think tanked?

Armani Code Bath Products

Armani Code smells so amazing on my one co-worker that I pretty much demand that she wears it every day. She is a fragrance junkie so that is an impossible request. However, she is smitten with the scent and considers it her holy grail.
So last week I got the body lotion and the shower gel. I promptly brought it in to work to have her test it and give me feedback.
Also...there might have been some sassing involved.

She went insane over the lotion. There is nothing like a richly scented body cream to accompany your favorite fragrance. The Armani delivers in capturing the magic of the fragrance along with being exceptional with these new bath products.

Most people either love or hate Angel by Thierry Mugler. But even the haters have to agree that Angel by-products such as the shampoo and body creams are well made and exceptional. I have always wondered why other well known fragrance companies can not do the same quality in their bath products. Armani has managed to match the quality of the Angel line.
The shower gel lathers well and is delicately perfumed. I have tried so many fragrance based shower gels and have always been disappointed in their lather. I hate wasting product trying to get some workable suds.

The body lotion absorbs quickly. This is important when you are getting dress in a hurry. There is nothing more annoying than getting lotion marks on clothes or hosiery.

The Body cream will be available in a lovely jar for $52.50
The shower gel will be $35.00
The Body lotion will be $39.50

Two thumbs up from Ohio.
If you love Armani Code then you must seek these products out soon!

photo from the Armani site.
http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com/_us/_en/home/index.aspx
While you are there visit the gorgeous cosmetics. The fall eye couture palette and midnight lip shimmers look lovely.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Armani

Scent Strip by Chandler Burr
New York Times
(thanks Twizler!)

Darkness, when it is crystalline and somewhat luminous, may be the most difficult quality to capture in a perfume. It was recently achieved when Sylvaine Delacourte, the fragrance-creation director for Guerlain, went shopping for a new rose perfume. One could argue that there are a surfeit of rose perfumes, but Francis Kurkdjian, a 37-year-old French perfumer at the top of his game, astonished Guerlain with Rose Barbare. Kurkdjian conceptually re-engineered Jacques Guerlain’s Mitsouko, from 1919, one of the greatest chypres ever. Where Guerlain put jasmine and a fairly new synthetic called aldehyde C-14 (it gives the delicious aroma of sweet peach) in Mitsouko, Kurkdjian took this idea and spun it forward, substituting a roughly $2,600-a-pound Turkish rose absolute for the jasmine. The result sweeps over you like the silent, massive shadow of an Airbus A340, a tactile component that makes you narrow your eyes. If it fades slightly faster than one might hope (this is my main complaint with Rose Barbare. It is stunning but no lasting power!), the aesthetics are pitch-perfect. There are other gorgeous roses — Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris, Eau d’Italie’s Paestum Rose(Lancome's 2000 et une Rose---how can people forget this one?) — but Rose Barbare is a crepuscular, rose-inflected darkness suffused with a luminosity that floats on the skin. It is swoonworthy.

Jo Malone’s perfume genius, by contrast, is light. Not light as in the antonym of heavy, but light as in photon radiation. Think about Grapefruit cologne or French Lime Blossom — that radiant glass-roof sensation. This is what makes Pomegranate Noir such a departure for Malone. This is the scent of the darkness that inhabits a Rubens, a warm, rich, purple blackness; Pomegranate Noir is like a box of truffles with the lid on, sweet bits of darkness, waiting. This really was one of the most impressive Malones.

Because of the way Malone composes her scents, each built to accommodate others, no single scent will ever reach the level of artistry of a single scent by Kurkdjian, whose robust, complex compositions are meant to stand alone. By design, Pomegranate Noir merits only two stars — but two lovely stars; this scent is like spraying a layer of twilight on your body. Now I want a scent that is like "layering twilight on your body"!!




Frédéric Malle’s uniquely strange and difficult-to-find outfit, Éditions de Parfums, has created a perfume collection in the running for best in the world. No truer words have ever been spoken. Malle’s method is simple: he invites top perfumers to create their dream scents for him. The result is outrageous. L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena (now Hermès’s in-house perfumer) is a small revolution; Dominique Ropion’s Carnal Flower is a blossom flower with the impact of a baseball bat. But it is Ellena’s Bigarade Concentrée that plays brilliantly with darkness. Bigarade smells like a person trapped in a complex weather system, the wonderful scent of a guy’s armpit and a woman’s humid skin washed in fresh rainwater and ozone (Malle doesn’t waste time gendering his scents, and Bigarade is for both women and men). It is a masterful juxtaposition, and smelling Bigarade is like looking down into a well of cool, black water. Your retinas expand from the strange pleasure of this scent. I disliked Brigarade but now I will have to sniff it again to see if I get this description.

This summer I fell very hard for Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower. This Malle has the highest amount of natural tuberose absolute in any fragrance. I am a girl that shys away from Fracas and any other tuberose based fragrance. They are too loud for me. Carnal Flower manages to be a loud whisper. No baseball bat impact for me! It has wonderful sillage and the drydown is gorgeous. Like a lush jungle. It was beyond perfect for this summer.

The notes are Bergamot, Melon, Eucalyptus, Ylang Ylang, Salicylates, Jasmine, Tuberose absolute, Orange Blossom absolute, Coconut, White Musks. It was created by Dominique Ropion.

I am going to LOVE these columns.
Long live Chandler Burr!!!

photos: gettyimages, abcgallery, a330.gakama.net and NYMetro.

There is some great news for fragrance fans:

From the Guardian:
The New York Times has announced the appointment of its first perfume critic, in what the paper describes as a breakthrough for olfactory journalism and a wake-up call for a secretive, hype-driven industry.

There are a couple of websites devoted to fragrance and a scent columnist at a Swiss newspaper but, as far as the New York Times is aware, Chandler Burr, a journalist and author, will be the first full-time perfume critic for an English-language newspaper.

I have to interrupt the article:
There are more than a handful perfume based websites!
Here are some of my favorites:
http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/
http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/
http://scentzilla.com/
http://lachendwolf.blogspot.com/
http://www.aromascope.com/
http://legerdenez.blogspot.com/
http://www.perfumeposse.com/
http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com//
http://www.perfumecritic.com/
http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/
http://pinkmanhattan.blogspot.com/
http://sweet-diva.blogspot.com/
http://scentbloggers.wordpress.com/
http://ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com/
http://tauerperfumes.blogspot.com/
http://perfumeoflife.org/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=22&/
http://qwendy.typepad.com/shoescakeperfume/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/

Also visit makeupalley's fragrance boards or Perfume of Life for great conversations about fragrance. These are the ladies and gents that need to be feared.

"Perfume is an art form just like other art forms from theatre to painting to music, so we're excited to be the first to cover perfume in this way," Diane McNulty, a Times spokesperson, said.

Burr's column, Scent Strip, in the paper's style section, will assess old and new perfumes for men and women as well as the occasional scented candle, and rate them from zero stars to four stars. Some company executives are not going to be happy. In his first column on Sunday he says he will describe one fragrance as smelling like "fresh insecticide", although he says he gives another from the same company a three-star rating. He argues that the industry as a whole will benefit because the column will enliven public interest.

In 1998 he was waiting for a delayed Eurostar at the Gare du Nord in Paris when he got talking to another man on the platform, who turned out to be one of the world's greatest experts on the science of smell. Luca Turin, then a biophysics lecturer at the University of London, was pursuing a controversial theory of how scent is recognised by the human nose. Burr went on to write a book about him, The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses, and entered the uncharted waters of perfume criticism.

from Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
photo is from gettyimages

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Saturday August 26th 2006:

Last night cavewoman and I went to our local Walgreens to take advantage of the "Buy 1 Get the 2nd one Free sale" for Revlon Colorstay lipstick. This sale ends today.

Todays lippie is one of last night's purchases. It is called Luxe Lavender. It is a less intense version of MAC's Pink Maribu.

What is your lippie today?

Important lipstick notice: Get thee to your local MAC counter to try the new red called Rockocco. Cavewoman and I caved within 10 seconds. Its a new record according to our local MAC girls.

Mark my words....this will sell out.

photo: gettyimages

I have been informed that my posts are appearing on someone's Live Journal space. They are claiming them as their own.

I have never had a problem with my posts being reproduced on other blogs. People have always been quite lovely by emailing me or just crediting Blogdorf.
I have discovered great blogs that way.

If you see something here that you want to reproduce on your blog all you have to do is just credit Blogdorf or just ask. A link would be lovely too.

It is the polite thing to do.

On a lighter note: Audrey Marnay is in the new J Crew, I have fallen in love with a new red lipstick and I am wearing JAR's Diamond Waters.
photo: from Vogue via Fashionspot

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Friday(Thank God its Payday!) August 25th 2006:

"We didn't want our lipstick to click so loudly that it would draw attention to the woman who's touching up in public" Guerlain test-clicked between ten and twenty lipsticks before choosing a soft metallic sound.---Anton Philipe Hunger (Guerlain's Creative Director, quote from Lipstick by Jessica Pallingston)

This stunner is from cavewoman's lipstick collection. It was a gorgeous color that came in the most breathtaking case.

My lippie today is MAC's Pink Plaid(a matte blue based baby pink) with MAC's Oi! Oi! Oi!lipglass.

You know the drill....What is your lippie today?

photo by annieytown

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, And we must hunger after them.
George Eliot

Shu Shadows.
I hunger after them.

photo:annieytown

"On her arrival in Hollywood in late 1925, Garbo was sent to Max Factor seeking 'make-up dramatization' for her first American screen test. Of the early Garbo, Factor said, "She has natural eyelashes more lovely than any artificial lashes I can supply."---quote from Divathesite.com

False eye lashes from the NYC Shu Uemura store.
http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/

photo: annieytown

Rock the Gloss Challenge for Thursday August 24th 2006:

If eyes are windows of the soul, lips are the mirror of our mood-Bobbi Brown

My gloss today is one of my favorites. It is MAC's Dusk lipglass. It was the best product from the Catherine Deneuve collection. It is a complicated color. In the tube it is a dusty rose color but on the lips it is a iridescent sheer pink-ish praline. I loved this one so much that I bought a backup.

What is your lippie today?

photo: mistletrees

L'Artisan in NYC

The day I fought falling in love with Fleur d'Oranger!

From L'Artisan:
A delicate, invigorating fragrance that whisks you away to the fragrant orange groves of Nabeul.
From Me:
A slice of heaven

From L'Artisan:
Limited edition.
From Me:
I want it more.

From L'Artisan: Features the 2004 harvest of orange blossom from Nabeul in Tunisia.
From Me: You can not get me with fancy harvests in far away lands...or can you?

From L'Artisan: Delicately blends orange bigarade, petitgrain, neroli, honey, and orange blossom.
From Me: Damn you L'Artisan!

It is lovely and almost worth the $250 price tag.
I wish I had never sniffed it!
pics: annieytown