JK Jemma Kidd On Location Kit in In the Spotlight, $25. Available now at Target Stores.
On Location and in the Spotlight
Look Taller, Slimmer and Curvier in the Anthropologie Pieced Column Dress by Bailey 44
This has been a brutal winter in the war I’ve been waging against my natural tendency to dress like a 12-year-old skater boy. Some battles, I won. Others, well, I fell back, retreating into my old routine of jeans and t-shirts.
Still, I feel like I’ve made a little progress here and there…
After the dust settles, when all is said and done, I think I’ll look back at the day I came across the Pieced Column Dress by Bailey 44 ($178) on the Anthropologie website as the turning point in the war — the day I took a major step toward dressing like a 30-something-year-old woman with a quirky sense of style.
It was the reviews that made the difference. So positive, so encouraging. They convinced me that this war could actually be won. People were talking about how the dress made them look taller, slimmer, curvier and cuter. Basically, they made it sound like the fabric equivalent of a minor miracle, so of course I had to try it on.
I drove down to the closest Anthropologie store and tried on the dress in Neutral Motif (it’s also available in Navy).
I was careful not to get my hopes up too high, though, remembering that stripes usually make me look wider and shorter, but I’ll be a monkey’s uncle — I think it had the opposite effect.
Man, I really love this dress. 🙂 Everything about it except the price (and the fact that it’s dry-clean only).
I feel like I look 10 pounds lighter and three inches taller when I have it on, which must have to do with the design, with its stripes that zigzag at different angles. They seem to slim the tummy and highlight curves at the same time.
The gal who was helping me said that she’d seen a whole bunch of women try the dress on, and it looked good on everyone, women of all different body shapes and sizes.
So cool. And it’s even comfortable. Very comfortable. It’s made from rayon and spandex, so it’s soft and stretchy like a pair of yoga pants for your whole body.
I usually dress it down with boots and a denim jacket, but I also like the way it looks jazzed up with heels and a black blazer.
$5.49 for a MAC Lipglass? Almost (But Not Quite), With Milani Crystal Gloss
Wearing Milani Crystal Gloss in Raspberry Icing
I was having dinner with friends a few weeks ago when one of the gals asked to see a picture of Tabs, and since that’s a request I’m always happy and quick to oblige, I grabbed my purse and reached in to fish out my phone, which at any given time contains at least 700 pictures of Tabs on the camera roll.
As I fished and fished, rooting around inside the purse, I kept coming up phone-less, with fistful after fistful of gloss.
“Um…” said one of the girls, “just how many lipglosses do you actually have in your purse?”
You know, I wondered, feeling my cheeks flush, that’s a good question… “A lot?”
And now, thanks to Milani’s five latest $5.49 Crystal Glosses, I don’t see myself scaling back any time soon. 🙂
Glittery fuchsia Raspberry Icing, hot pink Fruit Punch, the succinctly named Clear, pinkish coral Pucker Up and berry Sheer Dark Honey, all new for spring, have set up shop inside my current handbag.
Sometimes referred to as drugstore MAC Lipglasses, Milani’s line of Crystal Glosses have a similarly thick texture, slick when applied and slightly sticky on the lips, and come in a wide range of colors. They range in coverage from sheer to almost fully opaque.
Beyond that, they’re not big on bells and whistles, and that’s fine by me. A good price, a convenient doe-foot applicator, lots of colors to choose from, and I think they work really well.
I also like the shiny finish and how the pigments don’t seem to separate or do any other funky stuff as the day wears on. I get about three hours of wear time out of them, and all the while they feel comfy on my lips.
From the left: Clear, Sheer Dark Honey, Fruit Punch, Pucker Up and Raspberry Icing
Swatches from the left: Clear, Pucker Up, Fruit Punch and Sheer Dark Honey
Raspberry Icing
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I’ve Been Carried Away by L’eau de Chloè
A few weeks ago, I dreamt an odd but beautiful dream that started with me standing in a sun-drenched field filled with tall green grass and wildflowers.
As I stood there in the field, bunches of big, beautiful balloons in a rainbow of colors appeared out of nowhere, and for reasons my dream self understood, I began tying the strings that dangled from the balloons to the belt loops of my jeans.
Up and up, the balloons lifted me, higher and higher above the field, and I drifted like that for a while, peaceful and giddy, hundreds, or maybe thousands, of feet above the countryside. 🙂
Then, I looked to my right, and Tabs appeared next to me. He was also being carried by beautiful balloons and had the strings tied around his tum. I was worried that his balloons would take him off in a different direction, but he managed to stay next to me, and we floated side by side above the green hills and country villages below.
L’eau de Chloè, one of my favorite fragrances lately, reminds me of that dream. I’ve been wearing it a lot this month, and every time I spray its citrusy floral scent on my neck and wrists and close my eyes for a moment, I feel lighter than air, as if I’m floating over my dream field with Tabs, joyous and free.
The scent, which launched earlier this month, is a new take on Chloè’s original fragrance, and while that version felt very urban and chic to me, this one, with its playful fruity notes, floral influences and amber, feels lighter, fresher and undone.
Official fragrance notes: Grapefruit, Cedrat, Peach, Violet, Rose Petals, Natural Water of Rose, Cedarwood, Patchouli and Amber
Adventures in Bokeh
Pictured above: half of the NP Set All That Glitters Gel Duo in Sao Paulo ($10).
Tabby in a Box
Should I send him to you by regular mail or next day delivery? Let me know.
With These New Illuminating Face Powders, Milani Might Be Making MAC Sweat
Wearing Milani Face Powder n Hermosa Rose along my cheekbones and Beauty’s Touch on my cheeks
Bargain loving babes and/or fellow fans of the $28 MAC Pearlmatte Powders, these new Milani Illuminating Face Powders do a pretty good MAC impression for $9.49 each.
Designed for all skin types, they even multitask, and can be used as blushes, highlighters and bronzers that deliver a hint of color and glow, just like the pricier Pearlmattes.
And they’re available in three easy-to-wear shades…
- Amber Nectar: a warm, peachy coral
- Hermosa Rose: a peachy golden tan
- Beauty’s Touch: a cool pink
Just look at those cute pans (it’s hard to go wrong with roses)! 🙂
Clockwise from the powder on the left: Hermosa Rose, Beauty’s Touch and Amber Nectar
The soft glow I get from Milani’s powders reminds me again of the Pearlmattes. The finish is somewhere between a matte and a sheen, and I think the powders from MAC are a smidgen more pigmented and maybe a tad more matte.
Milani even rocked the house with the texture of these. They’re so buttery and soft that I can hardly believe they’re drugstore.
Swatches from the left: Amber Nectar, Hermosa Rose and Beauty’s Touch
Wearing Hermosa Rose along my cheekbones and Beauty’s Touch on my cheeks
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A Veritable Verdigris of Viridian Shimmers in Lancôme’s Color Design Eye Palette in Vert Tendresse
I’m not sure when or why it happened, but somewhere along the way, someone out there decided that it was quite the faux pas to appear overly color coordinated.
Seriously, what’s up with that? — because I think it’s actually harder and MORE exhausting (at least for me) to try to avoid looking too matchy-matchy/color coordinated than it is to just go ahead and match.
And, truth be told, I like wearing things that match because it gives me one less thing to think about. I’ll take color coordination over chaos any old day, like matching shoes and bags, cats and nail polishes, foods and eyeshadows…
Okay, that last one was a little weird. 🙂
But it’s true! Right now I’m actually contemplating sneaking off to Baskin-Robbins to get a scoop of their green pistachio ice cream to go with the green shadows I’m wearing on my lids, thanks to Lancôme’s Color Design Eye Palette in Vert Tendresse ($49), one of the brand’s new eye palettes for spring.
The five-color palette recently launched with La Roseraie Illuminating Smooth Powder and Color Fever Gloss in Green Petal in the 11-piece Roseraie des Delices collection.
With four shadows and a powder liner in shades of warm mint and forest green, Vert Tendresse feels lush and verdant to me, like Dior’s 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette on Miracle-Gro, and I’ve been wearing it lately whenever I’ve felt like wearing something fresh and shimmery in traditional spring shades.
I also love the dark powder liner Lancôme included here. It’s a grayish glittery green with a tough girl edge, and if Lancôme ever decides to release it as a pencil, I’ll be all over that.
